1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:06,720 I've titled our sermon this morning The Difference between 2 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:12,240 Holiness and Tradition. Traditions in and of themselves 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:14,440 are not right or wrong, they just are. 4 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:20,800 But the purpose for which they're practiced can be right 5 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:24,480 or wrong. A tradition can be a wonderful 6 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,120 thing to help a person or a people group practice 7 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:31,280 togetherness and unity and fellowship to practice their 8 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:35,280 beliefs. But they themselves, the 9 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:39,160 traditions themselves, they do not make a person right or 10 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:43,840 wrong. A tradition is only a vessel in 11 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:46,320 which the essence of the tradition is carried. 12 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,400 If the inner core of the tradition is gone, its meaning 13 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,800 is no longer there. The act of performing that 14 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:58,480 tradition then becomes hollow, empty, and meaningless. 15 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:05,760 The purpose of a tradition is to express a value or a truth and 16 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:09,280 to live out that truth. The truth is carried in the 17 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:12,680 tradition, but the tradition itself is not the truth. 18 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:17,280 It only communicates it. But that's where the issue lies. 19 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,280 It's very easy to have a tradition without truth. 20 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:28,160 A tradition can look very good, attractive, beautiful, but if 21 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:33,640 the content it advertises or promotes is not there, it's 22 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:38,320 meaningless and it becomes misleading, and it can lead to 23 00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:43,080 an empty form of expression and even a performance trap. 24 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:48,680 When it comes to our worship of God, how we worship is the 25 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:53,560 tradition, but the purpose of it is the value. 26 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:58,000 We should always do it in holiness and reverence to God 27 00:01:58,000 --> 00:01:59,760 and never for the sake of tradition. 28 00:01:59,960 --> 00:02:02,240 Never go to church for the sake of going to church. 29 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,800 Go to church, yes, but not just so you can check off I went to 30 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,039 church. Holiness is of the greatest 31 00:02:10,039 --> 00:02:12,880 importance. The word holy itself means set 32 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:18,880 apart for God, and holiness can never be compromised on and in 33 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:23,440 worshiping God, we do carry our worship in the vessel of 34 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:25,680 tradition. We worship a certain way. 35 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:29,640 Go to the Pentecostal church, they worship a certain way. 36 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,320 Go to South America or to Africa, wherever you go, they 37 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:36,840 all worship a certain way. That's their tradition. 38 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:40,760 But the content, the truth and the value can be the same. 39 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:45,400 It should be the same. So how we worship standing, 40 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:52,200 sitting, how we pray, standing, kneeling, tradition this morning 41 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:54,960 we want to celebrate communion toward the end of our service. 42 00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:00,520 It's an ordinance that we as a Anabaptist, as believers, we 43 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:02,720 believe God instructs us to follow. 44 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:07,080 We do it a certain way. That's our tradition that we do 45 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:08,040 it. That's the ordinance. 46 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:09,480 We don't believe it's a sacrament. 47 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:11,520 That's a different topic altogether. 48 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:16,880 The ordinance itself is not a tradition. 49 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:19,880 It's a command that Jesus taught us. 50 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:25,400 So as Mennonites or Anabaptists, we practice communion and that 51 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:29,360 the how of the the actual event is our tradition. 52 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:35,360 When Jesus walked this earth, he sometimes condemned tradition, 53 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:38,920 but not for the sake of condemning tradition. 54 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:41,960 There were things that Jesus did that were required by the law 55 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:44,160 and as a Jew, Jesus did those things. 56 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,360 We can be sure he is a man. Never went to a synagogue. 57 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:50,360 Yep, was in the synagogue today. He never did it to check it off. 58 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:52,880 He did it because he wanted to connect with God and with 59 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:56,080 people. But they have a had a tradition 60 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,720 of Sabbath days. They would gather in the 61 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:02,520 synagogues. Jesus was not about tradition. 62 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:08,040 Tradition did not matter to him in so far as it having any 63 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:11,600 holiness value to it. He didn't condemn tradition as 64 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:13,360 sinful, and in and of itself he didn't. 65 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:20,360 There were some traditions he named that were nothing but 66 00:04:20,399 --> 00:04:23,040 rules taught by men. We'll look at one of them today. 67 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:28,440 What does come out very clear is he condemned the idolization, 68 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:33,240 the worship of tradition. The Pharisees, on the other 69 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:36,840 hand, they're focused so heavily on tradition. 70 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:42,640 To them, it mattered so much. To them, it was all about the 71 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,280 tradition. They define themselves by how 72 00:04:45,280 --> 00:04:47,120 well they were following the traditions. 73 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:49,680 They had a lot of them that they've constructed. 74 00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:53,840 They had fabricated traditions for everything, it seemed, and 75 00:04:53,840 --> 00:04:56,320 they were simply an outward show. 76 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:01,400 Before we go into the passage of this morning, I want to say a 77 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:04,840 few more words about this to get a bit more clarity. 78 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:07,640 How do they differ and how are they set apart? 79 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:11,480 See, holiness is about purity, the setting apart. 80 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:18,200 It's it's about being genuine, being true, being loyal, 81 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:23,200 sincere, no guile, no falseness, no falsehood, commitment. 82 00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:27,000 Not for self, but for the other, for what we're set apart for 83 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:31,000 holiness is God focused, never self focused. 84 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:34,120 It's Jesus focused. It's about looking towards 85 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:37,280 Jesus, comparing ourself with Jesus, seeking to become like 86 00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:42,200 Jesus, being the image of Jesus, reflecting that in our lives. 87 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:46,200 And honestly, we can't attain it by ourselves. 88 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:49,840 It's an it's an unreachable standard, so to speak, for us. 89 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:54,360 No human being can be perfectly holy on their own. 90 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:57,360 Every one of us falls short of that goal. 91 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,320 But with Christ as our Savior, His death on the cross, His the 92 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:05,440 gift of salvation, He when we repent and turn to Him, He 93 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:07,960 covers us. That grace covers us, and then 94 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:09,840 we are considered holy in His sight. 95 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,240 Later on when we have communion here, we want to celebrate and 96 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:16,480 remind ourselves of what it took and what it cost Jesus to bring 97 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:19,080 this to reality. And it's not easy. 98 00:06:19,280 --> 00:06:22,160 Holy living is hard. It takes self denial. 99 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,280 And for many people, they don't like the self denial part of it. 100 00:06:26,280 --> 00:06:29,480 And so that they can just adopt the tradition, just make it look 101 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,000 as though they are and they're not really, well, you know, 102 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:36,360 maybe no, it doesn't work. You just don't drift into holy 103 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:38,960 living. It's an ongoing journey, a 104 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:44,800 constant battle, and a constant effort to daily strive to seek 105 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,560 Christ. Tradition. 106 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:51,520 It's about appearance. Content doesn't matter as long 107 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:56,720 as it's accepted, and often times it's also more historical 108 00:06:56,720 --> 00:06:57,760 focus. Looking back. 109 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:02,200 Well, how was it the past? I love history, I love history, 110 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:04,560 but it can never be the objective, it can never be the 111 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:06,360 goal. It's only a reference point from 112 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:11,160 where we launched to the future. Tradition is focused on on 113 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:13,760 making sure things stay the way they are, no matter if it's 114 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:17,840 relevant or not. Tradition by itself is not sin, 115 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:20,640 but it should not be held as sacred. 116 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,240 There are many good traditions, a lot of them people create 117 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:25,520 them. We have a Christmas family. 118 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:28,480 Traditions. I love them, but not because of 119 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:30,720 the traditions, but because of what they represent and what we 120 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:36,120 do. Traditions are only the vehicle 121 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:40,360 or the means in which the the the value is carried. 122 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:45,760 When it when a tradition becomes wrong is when it becomes about 123 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:49,920 the tradition. When the tradition becomes the 124 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:53,680 object of focus, then it's about the preservation of the 125 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:56,600 tradition at the cost of what the tradition represents. 126 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:03,840 And so that which the tradition was to elevate, was to 127 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:06,360 facilitate, is turned upside down. 128 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:10,040 And that now gives way to the tradition itself becomes 129 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:13,360 cancerous. When a tradition becomes more 130 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:15,920 important than its purpose, it's gone bad. 131 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:24,360 And what's worse is people based eternal security on tradition. 132 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:29,080 I'm the right person because I do or because my mom and dad 133 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:33,400 did. Mom and dad did, that was fine. 134 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:36,360 What I do is fine. Doesn't give me any hope. 135 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:42,400 They do nothing for a person. Traditions don't mean holiness. 136 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:46,480 Holy people will have some, but they're not the life. 137 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:53,040 Tradition often has an emphasis more on the how than the why, 138 00:08:54,240 --> 00:09:01,240 and it can become a fatal trap. Many people in life based their 139 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:04,640 eternal security on following a set of traditions. 140 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:09,160 Check, check, check, check. I don't steal, I don't lie, I 141 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:10,920 don't whatever, don't commit adultery. 142 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:13,560 And I go to church, church and the events, OK, I'm a good 143 00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:15,160 person that makes me a good person. 144 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:19,560 And then often times they're self-made traditions that 145 00:09:19,560 --> 00:09:22,720 they've just kind of chopped out of a list of to do things and 146 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:26,360 they hope that that will outweigh the the bad they've 147 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:29,000 done and the end of the scales will tip in their favor and 148 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:31,800 Jesus will have none of it. So this morning we want to look 149 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:34,800 into Mark Chapter 7. We're going through the Gospel 150 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:36,440 of Mark. We're not going to preach. 151 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:38,560 I'm not going to go through the whole chapter this morning. 152 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:40,720 There's a lot of content. So we're just going to pick one 153 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:43,240 story out of Mark Chapter 7 for this morning. 154 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:47,920 In the Gospel of Mark, one of the points of tension between 155 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:51,200 Jesus and the religious leaders was the fact that in the eyes of 156 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,640 the Pharisees, Jesus didn't measure up, not to their 157 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:56,520 standards, not to their traditions. 158 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:00,520 The religious leaders, they felt threatened by what Jesus was 159 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:04,360 doing, by his ministry, and Jesus was kind of eroding what 160 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:07,920 they had built so carefully over a long period of time. 161 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:10,560 And his disciples were just not measuring up. 162 00:10:11,680 --> 00:10:14,960 And as a result of Jesus not doing things right, he again and 163 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:16,920 again got into trouble with these guys. 164 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:21,560 So this morning we will see what happens again between Jesus and 165 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:26,920 the Pharisees. So let's read Mark Chapter 7, 166 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,720 beginning verse one. We'll read to the end of verse 5 167 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:33,680 and they will stop. So then the Pharisees and some 168 00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:37,280 of the scribes came together to him, having come from Jerusalem. 169 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:40,840 Now when this sauce some of his disciples eat bread with 170 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,280 defiled, that is, unwashed hands, they found fault. 171 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,520 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash 172 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:53,200 their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the 173 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:55,760 elders. When they come from the 174 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:59,120 marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. 175 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:03,480 And there are many other things which they have received and 176 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:08,120 hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels and 177 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:11,600 couches. Then the Pharisees and scribes 178 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,960 asked him, why do your disciples not walk according to the 179 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:18,880 tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands? 180 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:23,520 Let's stop there. You can just hear the biting 181 00:11:23,560 --> 00:11:28,680 accusation in their question. The Pharisees hated Jesus. 182 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:32,960 They they wanted to silence him in the worst way and nitpicking 183 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:36,920 it every last little thing that they could find to jab poke. 184 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:41,480 Timothy Geddert writes in this commentary on Mark and he says 185 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:46,520 this he says in chapter 6, Mark's portrait of Jesus the 186 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:48,680 miracle worker reaches a high point. 187 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:52,800 He has just fed 5000, walked on water and healed many sick 188 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:54,960 people. He is a famous teacher, a 189 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,640 compassionate helper, a wonder worker. 190 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:00,680 The mood is upbeat. What a shock then to begin 191 00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:03,800 reading Mark 7. Jesus enemies, the Pharisees and 192 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:06,760 scribes have arrived. The Pharisees were last seen in 193 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:10,640 chapter 3, verse 6 responding to a miracle of Jesus by plotting 194 00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:13,360 his death. The scribes from Jerusalem were 195 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:17,120 last seen in chapter 3, verse 22, accusing Jesus of working 196 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:21,240 miracles in Satan's power. This time the issue is 197 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:25,000 ceremonial cleansing. It is as though the Pharisees 198 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:28,040 and scribes point to Jesus and his disciples and say, Wash your 199 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:31,160 hands, you sinners, and Jesus looks them straight in the eye 200 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,320 and retorts, Purify your hearts, you double minded. 201 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:39,680 Niceties aside, the mood is tense and the words are harsh. 1 202 00:12:39,680 --> 00:12:42,560 suspects that Jesus opponents are being caricatured. 203 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:46,280 Nevertheless, the point Jesus and Mark are making is crucially 204 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:48,360 important. Human tradition can become the 205 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:51,400 enemy of God's word. When that happens, the guilty 206 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:54,920 must be confronted and the cause of the problem must be exposed. 207 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:57,040 That is what we want to do this morning. 208 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,960 The tradition of washing of hands was something the Jews did 209 00:13:01,680 --> 00:13:05,360 and some of Jesus disciples were seen not doing it. 210 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:08,360 So the first thing we see this morning in our passage, 211 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:14,080 tradition can blind people. It can lead people to believe 212 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:18,680 something that is not real. It can cause people to hold 213 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:21,760 something as valuable when it's just baggage. 214 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:26,760 It says here that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came 215 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,880 together having come from Jerusalem. 216 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:35,000 That was a long way away from where Jesus was serving at this 217 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:38,040 time. Jesus was up in the north there 218 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:43,200 between around the Capernaum area on his way up to Tyre. 219 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:48,560 So that's a long ways away now. On a map, it's on a straight 220 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:52,320 line. It's about 75 miles, but 221 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:56,040 counting curves and valleys and and ups and downs, it's more 222 00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:59,160 like 100 mile walk, give or take that. 223 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:03,240 That's about 160 kilometers. That's roughly give or take from 224 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:09,160 walking from here to to London. Imagine a group of guys walking 225 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:11,840 up that far just to check things out and confronting him if 226 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:14,560 necessary or maybe setting out because we want to confront him. 227 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:20,400 If you wanted to walk from here to London to have a have a spat 228 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:22,520 with someone, they're pretty serious about that. 229 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:25,840 They meant business. And the first thing they see 230 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:28,080 when they get there, Jesus disciples, they're eating, 231 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:29,600 they're not washing their hands. Come on. 232 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:34,080 And they engage instantly right away. 233 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:37,440 What was so important about their washing of hands? 234 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:41,200 Let's look at verse 3 as particular for the Pharisees and 235 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:44,640 all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a 236 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:47,680 special way, holding the tradition of the elders. 237 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:50,400 I was fascinated by this since I googled this and on YouTube 238 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:53,320 there's actually Orthodox Jews that still practice this and 239 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:55,440 they show you how to do it. It's interesting. 240 00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:01,440 God had given instructions in the Old Testament law to the 241 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:05,960 priests how they're supposed to go into the into the Tabernacle 242 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:08,680 and this basin of water, how they're supposed to wash their 243 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:11,080 hands a specific way they're supposed to wash their hands 244 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:16,840 when they served the Tabernacle. And this had become vague and I 245 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:20,000 couldn't find in the Old Testament, and maybe I'm missing 246 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,720 something, but I couldn't find a particular case where the 247 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:25,760 ordinary Jew was supposed to always wash their hands before 248 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:27,520 they ate or when they went to the market. 249 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:30,320 I couldn't find that. So, and, and the commentators 250 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:33,640 suggest this is just something the Pharisees concocted and 251 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:36,200 added to what God had established years ago. 252 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:40,680 And so they also had a very particular unique way how to 253 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:43,360 wash them, pouring water, so much water this way and that 254 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:45,760 way. It was very, very precise how 255 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:48,480 they should do it. Well, the disciples are not 256 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:53,040 doing it and they take offense at that. 257 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:58,120 And Jesus is not quiet, not this time. 258 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:04,360 You see, it's very possible to be totally, 100% sincere and 259 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:08,560 committed and dedicated and absolutely wrong, completely 260 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:14,040 blind. A person in that place in life 261 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:16,560 cannot conceive. Could I perhaps be wrong? 262 00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:19,280 No, you've always done it this way. 263 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,560 But why? What's the purpose? 264 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,360 But God in his grace sometimes convicts a person and that 265 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:29,280 person, if the person is open to respond to truth, will say, you 266 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:31,880 know what, actually I'm worshipping that tradition. 267 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:34,080 It's not helpful. It's actually not good. 268 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:38,520 One speaker I heard put it this way, there'll be many people on 269 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:42,440 Judgement Day waving their resume of good works and so on. 270 00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:46,560 Jesus say might I never knew you no relationship with you. 271 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:52,680 You see tradition is not what connects us to God. 272 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:57,000 A relationship with God is what connects us to God traditions 273 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:00,280 they will not carry us through what carries us through is Jesus 274 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:06,480 Christ the Spirit living in US. He was 12/14 says pursue peace 275 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:09,720 with all people and holiness without which no one will see 276 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:14,040 the Lord first. Peter one verse 15 to 16. 277 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:18,440 But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all 278 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:21,599 your conduct, because it is written to be holy, for I am 279 00:17:21,599 --> 00:17:25,640 holy. You see, traditions do not equal 280 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:30,800 holiness. Outward appearance does not mean 281 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:35,400 inward reality. What something appears to be 282 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:38,720 from the outside does not mean it is on the inside. 283 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:44,400 Jesus saw that and he responded. Jesus pointed to the prophet 284 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:48,480 Isaiah and reminded the Pharisees of words that they no 285 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:52,360 doubt knew very well and were well familiar with, but would 286 00:17:52,360 --> 00:17:55,880 have never thought that they would be directed at them. 287 00:17:57,360 --> 00:18:00,480 Let's continue reading Mark chapter 6-7 verse 6 to 8. 288 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:04,960 He answered and said to them, Well did Isaiah prophecy of you 289 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:09,840 hypocrites as it is written. This people honors me with their 290 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:13,800 lips, but their heart is far from me, and in vain they 291 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:16,640 worship me, teaching His doctrines, the commandments of 292 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:20,080 men for laying aside the commandment of God. 293 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:23,560 You hold the tradition of men, the washing of pitchers and cups 294 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:25,600 and many other such things you do. 295 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:27,840 Let's just pause here for a moment. 296 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:32,720 Let that sink in. See, Jesus is not content with 297 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:35,840 with just telling them what Isaiah said. 298 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:39,760 He has to preface what Isaiah said by calling them hypocrites 299 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:41,800 first. Yet why? 300 00:18:44,120 --> 00:18:47,440 OK Jesus, you're just you're, you're jabbing and turning. 301 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:52,520 Well, did Isaiah prophecy of you as it is written? 302 00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:56,000 He could have said that. He's not content to say that. 303 00:18:56,080 --> 00:18:59,160 He says, well, did Isaiah prophecy of you hypocrites? 304 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:02,160 What's a hypocrite? It's an actor, a pretender, 305 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:07,600 somebody who's not real. In those days, they would have 306 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:12,040 also the, the plays and whatnot, the where people would would act 307 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:13,720 and so on. And that's, that's an actor 308 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:19,440 pretender. He categorized them. 309 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:28,040 When tradition blinds people, they take tradition and put it 310 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:31,480 where God's commands should be. And then people follow the 311 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:33,720 tradition instead of God's commands. 312 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:38,480 That's very misleading. It turns into a death spiral. 313 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:41,600 It's the blind leading the blind. 314 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:44,960 There's a phenomenon in nature, in the animal world. 315 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:47,360 It's interesting to watch and I've only watched it on YouTube. 316 00:19:47,360 --> 00:19:48,720 I've never come across a real one. 317 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:51,800 It's it's the death spiral of an Ant colony. 318 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:59,440 It looks like that when ants are on a journey to hunt food, they 319 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:04,200 follow a scent trail. And if by chance that trail 320 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:07,480 loops and crosses itself over once, sometimes they just go in 321 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:10,600 a circle and they start going in a circle and they find piles of 322 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,680 dead ants like that because the ants got disoriented. 323 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:16,040 They follow the scent trail and it goes round and round and 324 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:17,760 round and round, and they all follow each other and they 325 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:19,440 exhaust themselves and fall dead. 326 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:23,800 They're busy running and never going anywhere. 327 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:28,080 It's a bit of a picture that comes to my mind when a person 328 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:30,440 gets stuck in a rut of tradition. 329 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:36,480 It's exhausting, It's hard work. You're not lazy, you're busy 330 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:41,560 doing what What doesn't help, no benefit? 331 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:46,680 When tradition becomes the focal point of more than what God says 332 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,200 in His Word, that's a death spiral. 333 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:58,360 Not just as tradition blind us, it literally replaces God's 334 00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:01,840 commands. Jesus saw right through the 335 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:03,760 actions of these religious hypocrites. 336 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:07,720 But if we would have looked at them, if we would have seen 337 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:10,120 them, if they would come to our church, we would not be able to 338 00:21:10,120 --> 00:21:12,360 see it. They looked devoted and they 339 00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:14,360 were devoted. They're very committed, very 340 00:21:14,360 --> 00:21:16,200 religious. They knew the Torah of the 341 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:20,000 Bible. What they had the problem was 342 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:24,240 the what they presented themselves as was not what they 343 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:28,120 were actually inside. Jesus says they honor me with 344 00:21:28,120 --> 00:21:31,040 their lips. Their hearts are far from me. 345 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:34,200 They were saying the right things. 346 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:37,360 They were reading the right scriptures. 347 00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:44,200 They're praying even almost not always the right prayers, not 348 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:46,760 always the right prayers. Sometimes they're giving money 349 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:49,640 to the temple. A long list of things they were 350 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:52,360 doing and checking off, making sure they were doing all these 351 00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:55,480 things because they wanted to earn their relationship with God 352 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:59,960 and their approval of God. And yet Jesus says the worship 353 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:03,480 of me is in vain. Here's what happens. 354 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:07,400 The outward performance was there and often is in our time 355 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:11,320 as well existent. It does, it's there, it sits 356 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:14,200 there. The the substance is gone and 357 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:18,480 it's all hollow and empty and meaningless. 358 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:24,160 Sometimes in life we get so used to doing something a certain 359 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:26,720 way, it just becomes an extension of us. 360 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:31,600 We do it in our sleep. Reminded of a story of a young 361 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:36,840 couple had twins, of course, their first set of their first 362 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,560 babies and had twins. And so husband and wife, young 363 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:42,800 couple that they were decided to well, they're going to cry at 364 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:44,560 night. So one cradle by the by the 365 00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:46,600 mother's side, one cradle by the dad's side. 366 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:49,560 And so when they fuss at night, just rocked the cradle, just 367 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:52,120 rocked the cradle. And so the mother's very keen on 368 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:55,160 doing everything right. And so at night time, her baby 369 00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:57,120 there cries, She rocks the cradle, takes care of it, and 370 00:22:57,440 --> 00:22:59,760 baby on his side cries and he rocks the cradle. 371 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:02,360 And that's what he does. And eventually he just keeps 372 00:23:02,360 --> 00:23:06,000 rocking the cradle. And then the mother wakes up and 373 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:07,800 the kids up, he's just rocking the cradle. 374 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:09,960 The baby fuss, she gets up, walks around, picks up the baby 375 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:11,960 and holds him and he keeps rocking the cradle. 376 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:18,280 Just no sleep, just no sleep. Sometimes people mentally, 377 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:23,400 emotionally, just in their sleep, Yep, I did it. 378 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:27,120 Yep, checked off, never questioned it. 379 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:33,760 It's just baggage. Putting tradition above 1's 380 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:37,600 relationship with God is something that happened subtly, 381 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:44,280 incrementally, little by little, and we become shallow, lukewarm, 382 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:48,280 self focused, and then we become proud and what we've 383 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:51,840 accomplished. All we give to charity we do 384 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:59,440 church and it's totally self focused and then it expands. 385 00:24:00,360 --> 00:24:02,320 Then we judge those who don't do as we do. 386 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:07,600 The output form has become the standard. 387 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:11,440 The inward content never gets questioned. 388 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:16,680 Jesus spoke up. You know, sometimes it's best 389 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:18,320 not to speak. Sometimes it's good to speak. 390 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:21,160 In Ecclesiastes chapter 3 verse seven, that says there's a time 391 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:22,880 to speak and a time to not speak. 392 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:26,080 There's a time to be quiet and a time to talk. 393 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:30,400 Proverbs 26 forces, do not answer a fool according to his 394 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:33,800 folly, lest he, lest you be like him, answer a fool according to 395 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:35,400 his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. 396 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,280 So when do you speak? It's hard to discern, but in 397 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:41,520 this case, this was time. And sometimes we need to call 398 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:44,360 out when something has gone dead or gone bad. 399 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:47,640 Jesus spoke up. He zeroed in on part of God's 400 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:49,120 commands that they were setting aside. 401 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:53,360 The Pharisees were big on their laws and traditions. 402 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:57,520 Well, let's continue reading. Jesus is not done yet. 403 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:01,000 Turn to Mark Chapter 9, verse 79 to 13. 404 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:04,880 Now he said to them all too well, you reject the commandment 405 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:07,040 of God that you may keep your tradition. 406 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:10,480 For Moses said honor your father and your mother and he who 407 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,960 curses father or mother, let him be put to death. 408 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:17,040 But you say if a man says to his father or mother, whatever 409 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:19,840 prophet you might have received from me is Qurban, that is a 410 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:23,280 gift to God, then you no longer let him do anything for his 411 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:26,640 father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through 412 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:30,480 your tradition which you've handed down and many such things 413 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:35,040 you do. We see how the religious leaders 414 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:39,840 over time had become not only being blind, not only replacing 415 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:43,680 God's commands with tradition. Then they turn and neutralize 416 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:49,160 God's commands that they may keep the tradition. 417 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:52,760 That's a very heavy statement that Jesus makes here. 418 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:58,480 Jesus goes for the very core of what's going on here. 419 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,960 He uses the 10 commandments to illustrate one of the 420 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:04,600 commandments to illustrate what's actually happening. 421 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,720 And the particular commandment in chapter the commandment #5 422 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:12,960 says honor your father and your mother, no exceptions given. 423 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:17,200 That means more than just saying hi dad, hi mom. 424 00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:21,400 That means recognizing and acknowledging our parents as 425 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:25,920 mother and father and supporting them, helping them when they 426 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:29,800 come to the point in life where they need it, being sure we're 427 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:33,240 submissive or respective of them, not abusing them, 428 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:36,120 disrespecting them. Seen that day and age, there 429 00:26:36,120 --> 00:26:39,560 were no social networks as we have today, Old age security or 430 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:44,880 pensions and whatnot. When a person became elderly, it 431 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:47,960 was the family that took looked after the person, and many 432 00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:49,400 cultures and tribes still do that. 433 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:52,640 It's a good thing. First the parents raise the 434 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:54,960 children, then the children look after the parents. 435 00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:58,720 In those times, as now, people also gave to the temple for 436 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:00,400 ministry. But the Pharisees, they were 437 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:02,560 very greedy. They were corrupt, dishonest 438 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:04,520 men. So they found a way for people 439 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:07,600 to give to the temple at the cost of helping their parents. 440 00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:11,000 All a person had to say to his mom and dad was the gift I'm 441 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,200 giving to God is Corban. Nelson's illustrated dictionary 442 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,560 puts it this way. The writer says a word. 443 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:20,480 The qurban is a word applied to a gift or offering in the temple 444 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:23,760 that declared that gift dedicated to God in a special 445 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:25,920 sense. Once a gift was offered under 446 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:28,920 the special declaration of qurban, it could not be 447 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:31,680 withdrawn or taken back. It was considered totally 448 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:34,080 dedicated for the temple's special use. 449 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:37,600 Jesus condemned the Pharisees for encouraging the people to 450 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,280 make such gifts to the temple while neglecting the 451 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:42,600 responsibility to care for their parents. 452 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:46,920 According to Jesus, this was a clear violation of the higher 453 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:49,600 command. Honor your father and your 454 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:56,040 mother, making the word of God of no effect through your 455 00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:59,800 tradition, which you've handed down to men and many such things 456 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,480 you do. I don't think the Pharisees had 457 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:04,840 counted on what Jesus was going to do here. 458 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:07,880 In their minds, they just knew Jesus wrong. 459 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:13,360 But Jesus opened the floodgate. This is who you guys are. 460 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:18,800 He wasn't finished yet. This incident with the Jewish 461 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:21,120 leaders confronting him and then he pushing back. 462 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:25,600 This had gotten to him and he couldn't just let it go. 463 00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:27,920 Now he calls the people. Let's continue reading chapter 464 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:31,720 714. When he had called all the 465 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:34,520 multitude to himself, he said to them, Hear me, everyone, and 466 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:38,320 understand There's nothing that enters a man from outside which 467 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:40,680 can defile him. But the things which come out of 468 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:43,480 him, those are the things that defile a man. 469 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:45,520 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. 470 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:48,640 When he had entered the house away from the crowd, his 471 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:50,680 disciples asked him concerning the parable. 472 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:55,320 So he said to them, Are you thus without understanding also, do 473 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:58,720 you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot 474 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:02,360 defile him because it does not enter his heart but stomach and 475 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:04,320 is eliminated, thus preifying all foods? 476 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:07,760 And he said, what comes out of a man that defiles him? 477 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:13,320 Jesus made a very clear, made it very clear this outward ritual 478 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:17,160 of hand washing was not important, had nothing to do 479 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:19,760 with being holy or undefiled as they would call it. 480 00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:24,040 Hand washing was not where it was at. 481 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:26,800 In fact he took it further. He went from hand washing to 482 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:28,800 eating. He pointed out the tradition 483 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:31,560 does not does nothing for defiled heart. 484 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:37,920 Verse Chapter 7, Verse 21 to 23 For from without, out of the 485 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:41,880 heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, 486 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:47,680 fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, 487 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:53,040 deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride and 488 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:56,440 foolishness. All these things come within and 489 00:29:56,440 --> 00:30:01,000 defile a man. Tradition does nothing for a 490 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:04,360 defiled heart. We have to remember, as 491 00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:06,600 important as hand washing was for the Jews, and hand washing 492 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:08,800 is great guys, don't get me wrong, keep washing your hands 493 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:13,440 does nothing for the soul, nothing for the heart. 494 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:19,120 And Jews were particular but hand washing even more 495 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:22,200 particular. What they ate and still are. 496 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:25,400 Many of them, they don't want to be defiled. 497 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,920 And here in this case, Jesus demolishes the tradition of the 498 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:31,000 Pharisees about hand washing completely. 499 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:35,680 Again, hand washing is not sin. What value do you place in it? 500 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:40,240 That's the issue, the crowd to the crowd. 501 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:44,680 He said if a man eats that won't defile him, what comes out of 502 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:48,880 his heart that will. As meticulously and faithfully 503 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:52,400 as the Jews washed their hands, the sin in their hearts was no 504 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:55,720 less real and no less present. And especially the hearts of the 505 00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:59,800 Pharisees. That was what was defiling them. 506 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:03,440 Faithfully washing didn't matter. 507 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:08,080 When the Pharisees went about when Jesus went about helping 508 00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:10,320 people and the Pharisees and scribes went about criticizing 509 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:13,440 Jesus and judging him, Jesus went about calling the people to 510 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:17,240 holiness. On this occasion, Jesus engaged 511 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:20,480 the conversation and pointed out to them that they were falling 512 00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:22,160 short today in that in their day. 513 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:25,680 I'm going to ask us this morning, where do we fit? 514 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:31,320 How about us? Are we more about tradition or 515 00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:35,200 more about holiness? Are we focused on being in a 516 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:38,400 relationship with Jesus and walking in holiness with Him? 517 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:42,640 If we're not careful, we can so easily slip into giving God lip 518 00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:45,800 service Sunday after Sunday, saying the right things, giving 519 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:47,720 some money. But then from Monday to 520 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:52,320 Saturday, life goes on. If there is no God, if the heart 521 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:57,040 is defiled, if the heart is unholy, there's no tradition, no 522 00:31:57,040 --> 00:32:01,480 ritual, no physical practice, no ordinance, no amount of going to 523 00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:04,720 church, no amount of doing good works, anything that will fix 524 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:07,840 that problem. The only way out is repentance. 525 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:11,080 Jesus wants that. He wants the heart. 526 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:13,800 He wants you and he wants me and he wants a relationship. 527 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:17,280 The question you, we, you and I must ask ourselves, do we want 528 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:21,560 it or do we just want Jesus to accept us in the mess without 529 00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:24,360 changing us, changing the mess or the cleaning up the mess? 530 00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:29,800 But I want this, I want that. Then we're still wrong. 531 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:37,160 We all know Jesus not OK with ritual at the expense of 532 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:40,560 relationship fallout. He gave Himself totally and 533 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:43,720 completely. When we give Him our hearts, He 534 00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:47,280 has what He wants. This morning we've prepared 535 00:32:47,280 --> 00:32:50,120 communion. We want to again remind 536 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:52,960 ourselves of what these did on our behalf, how He gave His 537 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:57,240 body, how He shed His blood, that through that we can walk a 538 00:32:57,240 --> 00:32:59,680 newness of life and we repent and put our trust in Him. 539 00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:03,000 We don't have to manufacture and construct our own holiness. 540 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:05,040 We receive it as a gift from Him. 541 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:08,280 He gave his body and shed his blood and opened the door for us 542 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:10,400 to come in. When we celebrate the Lord's 543 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:14,560 Supper, we remind ourselves that we're cleansed through His grace 544 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:17,240 and nothing not by ritual or performance. 545 00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:20,520 So at this time, I want to ask our deacons to come forward. 546 00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:23,920 Our worship team will come up and we will celebrate communion. 547 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:26,760 The worship team will lead us in a song and the deacons will hand 548 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:30,120 out the bread and after that one of them will will read a 549 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,600 scripture and pray and then communion will be celebrated.