The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
Revelation 4:11quoted to lead congregation into worship: 'you are worthy, o Lord... to receive glory and honor and power'
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, the Holy One, to receive the glory, the honor, and the power, for you created all things, and because of your desire they existed, and were created!”
quoted before offering song: 'see what great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God'
1 See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him.
quoted by Jesus against the Pharisees: 'this people honors me with their lips but their heart is far away from me'
13 The Lord said, “Because this people draws near with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but they have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught;
parable of wheat and tares recalled when Jesus says every plant the Father did not plant will be uprooted
24 He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,
25 but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel weeds also among the wheat, and went away.
26 But when the blade sprang up and produced fruit, then the darnel weeds appeared also.
27 The servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did these darnel weeds come from?’
28 “He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them up?’
29 “But he said, ‘No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
31 He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field;
32 which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.”
33 He spoke another parable to them. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened.”
34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn’t speak to them,
35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.”
36 Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field.”
37 He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,
38 the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one.
39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40 As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age.
41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity,
42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
cross-referenced to Jesus' teaching: 'out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks'
45 The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.
parallel passage to Matthew 15 covering the same confrontation with Pharisees, including the Corban tradition and expanded list of sins from the heart
1 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered together to him, having come from Jerusalem.
2 Now when they saw some of his disciples eating bread with defiled, that is unwashed, hands, they found fault.
3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews, don’t eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders.
4 They don’t eat when they come from the marketplace unless they bathe themselves, and there are many other things, which they have received to hold to: washings of cups, pitchers, bronze vessels, and couches.)
5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why don’t your disciples walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unwashed hands?”
6 He answered them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 But they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 “For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things.”
9 He said to them, “Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.
10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother;’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’
11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban, that is to say, given to God”;’
12 then you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother,
13 making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this.”
14 He called all the multitude to himself, and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand.
15 There is nothing from outside of the man, that going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man.
16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
17 When he had entered into a house away from the multitude, his disciples asked him about the parable.
18 He said to them, “Are you also without understanding? Don’t you perceive that whatever goes into the man from outside can’t defile him,
19 because it doesn’t go into his heart, but into his stomach, then into the latrine, thus purifying all foods?”
20 He said, “That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man.
21 For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts,
22 covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness.
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
paraphrased during communion: 'on the night Jesus was betrayed he took bread... this is my body broken for you'
23 For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread.
24 When he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.”
25 In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.”
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
This message worked through two parallel accounts of Jesus confronting the Pharisees over ritual hand-washing, asking what actually defiles a person. Pastor Carl traced the argument from the Pharisees' accusation against the disciples all the way to Jesus naming the things that come out of the heart. The sermon landed during a communion service, with the list in Mark and Matthew serving as an examination before the table.
What was said
The confrontation started with a seemingly reasonable question. Pharisees had come from Jerusalem to Galilee to ask Jesus why his disciples ate without washing their hands according to the tradition of the elders. Ceremonial cleanliness was central to how the Pharisees understood holiness. It was one of the markers that set them apart from ordinary sinners.
Jesus did not deny that the disciples had skipped the ritual. Instead he turned the question back on them: why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? The example he used was the preacher, a practice where a person could declare money or property given to God and thereby exempt it from supporting aging parents. The money could still be spent, but it was off limits to mom and dad. Jesus said that arrangement let religious custom override a direct command, and he called it exactly what it was: hypocrisy.
Pastor Carl spent time on that word. The Greek behind it is the word for a stage actor, someone speaking from behind a mask and interpreting a point of view that is not their own. The little lexicon he consulted put it plainly: Christianity requires that believers be open and above board, like an open book. Jesus quotes Isaiah on this, noting that the prophet had already named the pattern centuries earlier: people who honor God with their lips while their hearts are somewhere else entirely.
After addressing the Pharisees directly, Jesus called the whole crowd over and told them something that would have landed hard: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, it is what comes out. The disciples reported back that the Pharisees were offended. Jesus was not surprised, and his response to the disciples was close to dismissive. He told them to leave the Pharisees alone, that blind guides leading blind people end in one place, the ditch.
When Peter pressed him to explain the parable, Jesus went through the list. Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. Pastor Carl worked through the Greek behind each term carefully. The word for evil thoughts carries the idea of self-referential reasoning with no outside standard, reasoning that confirms whatever prejudice is already there. The word for slander is blasphemy, which he described as switching right and wrong, calling what God disapproves of good and exchanging the truth of God for a lie.
Mark's account adds several items to the list: deeds of greed, deceit, indecent behavior, envy described as an evil eye, pride, and foolishness. Pastor Carl noted that some items on the list are obvious from the outside and easy to distance yourself from. Others are harder to see. Deceit, for instance, is bait, using people's own vulnerabilities to hook them. Pride is the one that catches both the licentious and the religious, because a person can be just as proud of their religiosity as of anything else. Foolishness, the last item, is the failure to connect cause and effect, willful ignorance of consequences.
The sermon closed into communion. With that list still on the screen, Pastor Carl prayed that each person would find their own item on it and bring it to the table rather than leaving with it. The message framed Jesus not as someone who avoided naming sin but as someone who named it plainly and then offered grace to those humble enough to receive it.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages
in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
Jesus called out the Pharisees for using religious traditions to avoid caring for their aging parents. Where have you seen religious rules or habits used to justify avoiding something God actually commands?
Pastor Carl pointed out that he, as a pastor who showed up to church, is probably one of the people this passage is speaking to. What makes it hard for religious people specifically to hear correction from Scripture?
Speaker 2Alright. Good morning, church. Good It's good to be able to to be here, isn't it? I mean, really is. I feel that way anyway.
I I hope that you do. And how about we worship together in song? Will you will you join me in singing? And and here is here's a good word from from Revelation four one to lead us into worship. And you can stand, if you would stand with me.
But here's the good word from from Revelation to lead us into worship. It says this, you are worthy, o Lord. Indeed, he is. He is worthy. That's why we are singing and lifting our voices to him, to receive glory and honor and power.
Why? Because he's created all things, and they exist because he's created what he pleased. That includes you and I. So with that being said, shall we sing? Before the world was made, before the world was made, before you spoke it to me.
You were the king of kings. Yeah. You were. You were. And now you're reigning still in thrones of all bonds.
Angels and saints cry out. We join them as we sing glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God forever. Let's sing that again.
You.
Speaker 1This morning. One of those is we are not doing Monday night. Tomorrow night is Labor Day, taking that off. But I want to say for Monday nights, what we are looking for on Monday nights is somebody who will cook. Carl is already doing the music and the message and facilitating the meaningful conversation afterwards.
My goal is for him not to ever have to think about cooking that meal ever again. So I might have to do it, but I don't want him to do it. If you all are thinking about it and thinking, I can do that once a month or I can do that every once in a while, please do. Check it out on the way down, there's a sign up sheet. He hadn't told me to say this, I'm saying all this.
But no Monday night, tomorrow night, but it'll resume the next week. Connect hours down the hall between services, that's happening. Feel free to connect with the next service or with folks from this service after this one. There is a Sisters Saved by Grace Bible study that's led by Nancy Baxter. That's on Thursday evening, starts at 6PM.
It's down in the fellowship hall. It's to study God's word, to pray, enjoy a meal together, but it's also just to be together. That's a great group. If you are a lady that would like to get together with other ladies, Thursday night, 06:00 is a good time. There's also a Jackson Hole Women's Bible Study that's starting up September 7.
So that's this coming week, Wednesdays right here from ten to twelve, and it's a community wide deal. Deborah Buckingham will be leading. I think Lisa is still on for doing music, taking Shared between lots of Shared by lots of other worship teams in the valley. So that'll be fun. Sound booth volunteers are needed.
You can ask Nick. He's in the sound booth right now. If you wanna talk to him afterwards about that, that'd be great. The Chosen. Not the first Friday of the month, but all of the other Fridays of the month.
Nancy Traziano is setting up down there to watch The Chosen. She's in Season one. They're starting Episode three, think. Is it this Friday? It's not the first Friday, it's the second Friday, whatever that is.
I didn't do the math. Okay. You might have noticed that in the row of seats in front of you, there are new cards. We've had these a long time ago and then we haven't had them for a while, but the cards are in there. If you have a prayer request or if you want to connect just want to fill out a welcome card or you have something encouraging to say or discouraging to say, either way, you write it down and put it put it in there if you want to.
Put it in Alpha Pledge. You can do it when it passes by. This is one of my favorite things, and I've been waiting for it to come up in a sermon. I found a card that was in the back of a pew in front of me in a church we were visiting one time, and it said, I wish dot dot dot. And it had little dots for, you know, a pastor would come visit or y'all would pray for me for this.
And then it had some lines for other. It said, I wish and on the other line it says, we would just sit down and remain seated. That is the most pure thing I've ever read. Anyway, write what you want to on the cards, put them in the plate. We'll try to replace them before next week.
Old Bills Fun Run is happening soon, that's happening right this week or next. The giving season this week, this next Saturday. Giving season is already we're in the midst of it. So if you would, if you want to, you can donate any $5.00 one(three) through that and it will amplify your giving. Our benevolence fund is one of the things on the list and we are glad to have that.
Good Samaritan Mission, you all know Good Samaritan Mission. I think Chuck came last week and shared with you. We have been for the last I'm looking for Heather. The There you are. Good.
Right there. Would you stand up and wave to everybody else? She has been their family has been taking care of a meal the third Thursday night of the month as long as I've known them, like forever. It's been a long time. And they are stepping back from that, but they'd love to have somebody here to take that meal at the mission.
She can tell you everything that there is to know about that setup. If you would like to do that, would you ask Heather after it's over? Thank you for doing that. That's been fantastic. A real blessing for them.
Before that, who's right there? You're next. No, I'm just kidding. Before one hundred that. Okay, good.
Well, thank you for doing that too. I went back when it was Orvals, right? Yes. Yes, a long time. Awana is also back.
It's not back this week like tomorrow night, but it starts September 26. It takes a lot of people to put this on. So you can hear in my announcements today, there are a lot of requests for volunteers. But that is ownership of what's going on in the kingdom of God and in this particular little local Little C Church. You can see Mike D, he is leading that up this year.
It is worthwhile. It is awesome. Love and wanna, it's back. September 26. How great they are.
Good. Anybody have anything I've forgotten? No? Requests, suggestions? No?
Okay. Complaints? No. Would you stand up and we'll sing about how good God is. I'm glad you're here this morning.
Speaker 2Lord, as we sing that song, it makes me so thankful for how you reveal yourself to us. And nature is one of those things, God. To be here in Jackson and see the beauty that surrounds us and go, oh, there's an artist, and it's you. Amen. Thank you, Lord, for how you reveal yourself through creation, but also, God, how you have revealed your character and nature that Jesus, the very representation of God, came to live, die, raise, and reign.
Why? Because you love us so much. God, that we would love you back, that we would express our gratitude toward you and draw near to you as you draw near to us. Amen. Amen.
And I know nothing has been wasted. And we're not making that up when we sing that song from Romans eight. And we know that in all things, and all things really means all things, even failures and mistakes, God works for the good of those who love him. But doesn't that imply that we're seeking him and his will? Who've been called according to his purpose.
Next, we're going to sing Jesus paid it all. And when we sing Jesus paid it all, know that this from Colossians it says, he, Jesus, he canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. That's what we mean by my debt is paid. You can have a seat here for a moment. This is the worship through giving part of the service.
Ray, I'm thinking of that note card. I just wish we would stay seated. But I won't apologize. I love to stand and sing. I'll invite the ushers to come on forward.
We're gonna sing oh, it's a new song. A new song. And, it's called savior and friend. It's simple, but the words are profound. And from first John three one, here's a good word.
See what great love, God's self giving, others focused love, the father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God, adopted sons and daughters of the most high king. And that is what we are. Before we sing, Ray, would you pray?
Speaker 1Yep. God, thank you for this. Thank you for this opportunity, lord, to be here, gathered together in your name, singing your praises, lord, and seeking to advance the kingdom. Lord, in the way that you've given one person who's been removed from the kingdom of darkness and moved into the kingdom of light. By your grace, lord.
Mercifully, by your grace. I pray lord that we would recognize that grace and be filled with joy. Joy that is so amazing. Lord, that others be drawn to you through the life that we live. There's lament and we we wallow in it sometimes, lord.
But I pray that we recognize the grace given that we'd be able to stand like David and say, will not my lord do what is right? That was hard for me, but you're working all things together for good, and I'm gonna keep on marching forward. In Jesus name, lord, we pray that you take everything that's placed really physically in these these plates, the resources that go in here, lord. We pray that you'd multiply them to do your kingdom's work from here to the very outermost parts. I see missionaries here when I'm looking out.
I see lots of people who have signed over their lives, to you, to follow you, come what may. And God, I pray that you would accompany them while they're here and when they go. Lord, that they would they would never be lacking for anything. May we be helping, lord. In Jesus name, we pray that you'd bless this.
We know, lord, that your will done in your way will not lack your supply. Would you would you do it lord again in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
Speaker 2Yeah. Woah. Alright. Guys, that was about to get really, really high. I'm so thankful I stopped.
You goodness. Jesus, my savior and friend. I'll stand alone. I was walking in a row. I'd live Let's sing the chorus together.
Shows me my word. Jesus, my savior, and my friend. Know how sweet it is to be just to know how giving you goodness. Jesus,
Speaker 1Amen. And it's time for children's church downstairs and that's including middle school and high school, young men and young ladies. That's the class down there for you too. There it goes. More confrontation with the Pharisees.
For some reason, it's kinda slow this morning, Nick. Fantastic. Yeah. That's lovely, ain't it? Okay.
So, more confrontation with the Pharisees. Actually, for most of the week, the title slide said mind your own business and it just seemed too confrontational. So I changed it. Now I'm admitting it. More confrontation with the Pharisees.
We can name almost every sermon from here to the cross as this. But it's an it's it's it's hard. It's really, really hard. It's hard for us to read this because the Pharisees were the religious people. And y'all showed up for church on Sunday.
Some of you on vacation. Y'all are probably the religious people. I am a pastor of a church. I'm probably one of the people that this message is speaking to. So, I have to have a soft heart before God to get up here and and admit this but it's next.
And that's what we go. That's what we do is just keep going forward. So here we are. John seven one. Seven one is just one verse from the book of John.
It says, after these things. Now, if you remember the context, actually, and I wasn't here last week. Y'all probably were. I was not. I actually got to preach in my little hometown of Shiloh, Georgia in the the church that I grew up in.
The pastor there had pneumonia. I didn't go from here to there because he had pneumonia. I went to a wedding. But the context when we left off was after the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus and the disciples, the disciples getting away on the boat. Jesus going alone by himself to pray and then walking.
It said he intended to pass them on the boat. But they saw him and called for him. Peter got out of the boat. That whole story was the last thing we saw. They get to the other side of the lake and Jesus is healing, and the disciples are there.
And there are people who are seeking in John, It says there are people who are seeking to make him king by force and he walked away. So after these things, Jesus was walking. Jesus walks was the last sermon that I did here two weeks ago. Jesus was walking in Galilee for he was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill him. He was very, very wise and step by step understood what was going on.
In John, we're not gonna go there right now, but in John, the next thing it says, the feast of booths was near so we know what time of year it was and all that. Let's get to Matthew though. We'll come back to that. Then some pharisees and scribes come to Jesus from Jerusalem, And you see, he's in Galilee and they're coming from Jerusalem. He's not going to Judea because they're seeking to kill him.
So the people coming from Jerusalem are coming to him now. Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. Legitimate question. This was a big deal for the pharisees.
Ceremonial cleanliness was a huge deal to them. And that's one of the ways that they consider themselves to be holy and set apart because they had these rules that they went by. And why is it that your disciples, if they are Jews, why is it that they break the tradition of the elders, they don't wash their hands when they eat bread? And Jesus answered them and said to them, why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? Now the also in there says, he's not denying that they broke the tradition of elders.
He's not saying, not guilty. We did not do that. He's saying, no, we did that. But he said, why do you yourselves, Pharisees, also break the commandment of God? Now which is more important, the traditions of the elders or the commandments of God?
He says, you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition. For God said, honor your father and mother. Nobody did not nobody denies that or doubts that. And the one who speaks evil of father and mother is to be put to death. My goodness.
That's pretty hefty. That's what Moses said according to Mark. He said that's what Moses said. Honor your father and mother. One who speaks evil of father and mother is willing is worthy to be put to death.
But you say, whoever says to his father and mother, whatever I have for you, mom and dad, that would help you in your old age or in your infirmity or just in your life has been given to God. Isn't that a holy way to do things? No mom and dad, I've given it to God. He's not to honor his father and mother and by this you have invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. In Mark, it mentions Corbin, the name of it.
And I think I'll wait to get there before I go into what it is. But basically, it's like a shelter. They weren't giving up that money. They were giving it over to God's work, but not necessarily giving over. They could spend it if they wanted to.
But they weren't taking care of their folks. He who doesn't take care of his family is worse than an infidel. Have you heard that? Jesus just nails them right off the bat. You hypocrites.
Oh my goodness. He uses this a lot, 17 times in the New Testament, and I think it's always about the Pharisees. If it's not, I think it is, almost every time anyway. And hypocrites is this, Hippocrates, and a hypocrite, a dissembler, a pretender, one who says one thing and does another. I'm gonna use a lot of Greek definitions today because I'm trying to stay as close to the text as I can without giving my opinion about it.
Okay. It's an extension of an actor in a play. It's not found that way in the New Testament because every time it's used in the New Testament, it's talking about the Pharisees. It is implying arrogance and hardness of heart that which is utterly devoid of sincerity and genuineness. And the little lexicon that I had has some word help sometimes and it says Christianity requires that believers should be open and above board.
They should be themselves in Christ. Their lives should be like an open book that is easily read, real. This is just the English for the the word hypocrite. Ultimately came in English to mean come from the Greek word hypokrites, which means an actor, a stage player. The Greek word itself is a compound noun.
It's actually hupa and krites, which an interpreter or a judge from underneath or under judge, under interpreter. Basically, it's saying that it's someone under a mask, and they're interpreting a different point of view than what is theirs. The mask that they wear shows what they are, and then they could be anything else behind that mask. Does that make sense? It's never used that way in the New Testament.
It's derived from this. Yeah. These are all Greek masks, by the way, from some of them from around that era. So and this Shakespeare. Hypocrisy is not something new.
This is in every age. Y'all remember in the famous to be or not to be that same act of Hamlet where Hamlet is going off insulting Ophelia. This is what he says to her. This is one of the biggest insults he uses. The whole get thee to a nunnery speech.
This is, God hath given you one face and you make yourself another. You're not showing who you really are. Actually, Hamlet wasn't. He was showing his behind us what he was doing. That's what we say down south anyway.
He was showing off, Not in a good way, but the biggest insult that he could think of was that she was a hypocrite. Rightly, did Isaiah prophesy about you? Jesus quotes from Isaiah more than any other prophet. He quotes from Psalms more than any Old Testament book, but he quotes from Isaiah all the time. And he says, you hypocrites, pharisees, this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.
These people, these hypocrites. And it was true in Isaiah's day, but it was also true of the Pharisees. Jesus says, he rightly prophesied. And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Isaiah twenty nine thirteen, then the Lord said, because this people approaches me with their words and honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me, and their reverence for me consists of the commandments of men that is taught.
They make up their own rules. I I could probably hand out a questionnaire and say, what are the weird rules at different churches you've been a part of in your life? And y'all would come up with all kinds of litmus tests for whether you were a Christian or not. In some places, it's if you wear blue jeans to church, you must not be a Christian. Right?
That's weird. There are lots of one church that I attended, I was mentioning this before the service. The pastor wanted for the lights to go down during the prayer. Okay. That's weird.
And come up. Right? He fired a guy over that they didn't go down at the right time. He didn't say he wasn't a Christian, but man he wasn't living right. There are all kinds of commandments of men that are taught, but he's saying pay attention to the commandment of God.
Take care of your mom and daddy. After Jesus called the crowd to him, oh gracious, he was speaking to the pharisees, calling him hypocrites straight up. And then he calls the crowd, not just the pharisees, but everybody else. He called the crowd to him and said, hear and understand people. It's not what enters into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth.
This defiles the person. And then the disciples came to him later and said to him, do you know the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement? Did you get that? I mean, good grief Jesus. He called the crowd to him and said this.
He cared about the people. He cared about the pharisees, but he recognized that you can't do anything with a hard heart. You can't do anything with a heart that's already made up their mind that they're right. Right? Hear and understand it's not what enters your mouth that defiles a person.
It's what comes out of the mouth. This defiles a person. He said that. Yeah. He knew that it was offensive.
When they heard this statement, it it hurt them. It was like, is he challenging us? But he answered and said, every plant which my heavenly father did not plant will be uprooted. Okay. Do you all remember the wheat and the tares?
This is the parables of the kingdom. It's not long before this actually. Still would have been in the minds of the disciples for sure, cause he's speaking to his disciples when he says this. Do you remember this? Everyone, there are weeds.
Jesus presented another parable to him saying, kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. While his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and left. Y'all remember Darnold and the wheat? It's I think it's pseudo wheat. It's not real wheat.
It's actually poison. And he said to him, an enemy has done this. Well, there is an enemy who's planting in the field. Do you want us to go gathering up? He said, no, while you're gathering up the weeds, you'll up reap the wheat too.
Allow both of them to grow together until the harvest. And at the time of the harvest, I'll say the reapers first gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather my wheat into the barn. So that's given to him and he explains and says, explain these weeds. The one who sows the good seed is the son of man. Whoever receives his word, Jesus' word and the field is the world, and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom, and the weeds are the sons of the evil one.
The enemy had sowed them as the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. So just as those weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The son of man will send forth his angels. He's he's explaining this. The righteous shall shine forth like the sun.
But there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. He says every plant which my heavenly father did not plant will eventually be uprooted. So just leave them alone. Leave them alone. Remember the wheat and the tares.
He's speaking to the disciples, not the whole crowd at this point. And he's saying, there are always gonna be people like this. Leave them alone. They're blind guides, and they're blind guides, and they're leading blind people. And if a person who's blind guides another who's blind, both of them are gonna fall into a pit.
It's almost dismissive, not quite. It's almost like, yep, they're gonna be naysayers. They're gonna be people that are working against you. They're gonna be folks that don't get it. But you just keep on living in me.
If a person who's blind guides another who's blind, both of them are gonna fall into a pit. And Peter said, come on now. Explain this better. Give me more. Explain the parable to us.
And Jesus said, are you still lacking in understanding? You still don't get it. Do you know understand that everything that goes into the mouth and into the stomach? This was the particular argument that was started the confrontation this time was that the disciples were eaten with unclean hands. They hadn't fully washed themselves the way that the pharisees do.
And I'm talking fully, like they scrub up like a surgeon come to the table like this, right? If they go to the market, they take a full, absolute complete bath before they would eat anything at home because they've been around those centers in the marketplace. Y'all don't understand this, that everything that goes into your mouth goes into the stomach, and it's eliminated. It goes through the system. But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those are the things that defile the person.
Now, this is not the first time Jesus has used this concept either. In our chronological study, we've seen him in Luke say, a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good. He's saying good things. And an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
I think that's Luke six forty five. Hey, it is Luke six forty five. And Matthew twelve thirty four, also talking to the Pharisees, you brood of vipers. How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Whatever is coming out of your mouth is what is in your heart is what Jesus is saying. I'm thinking about everything I've said this week. Out of the heart come, and he's gonna give a list. And I'm gonna list the English word that the New American Standard Version uses and then I'm going give you the Greek word and please don't fall asleep on me. This is worthwhile, I promise.
Okay. Out of the heart come what? Evil thoughts. Evil thoughts in Greek is is this, calculation, a reasoning thought, a movement of thought, a deliberation, a plotting reasoning that is self based, back and forth reasoning, and therefore it's self based and therefore it is confused. If you have no other reference except for yourself and how you feel, then your reasoning is confused.
The reason we have Jesus and the word of God is to have an objective standard, especially as it contributes to reinforcing others in discussion to remain in their initial prejudice. If somebody is taking your prejudice and using it against the other, I don't care which side you're on, that's Diela Gitzmoi. It's convenient. It's confirmation bias. And then panoroya is evil, bad, wicked, malicious.
It's interesting that panoras comes from panos, which is pain or laborious trouble. Properly, it is that which is pain ridden. It emphasizes the inevitable agony and misery that always go with evil. Evil thoughts, that's what that is. The next one, murders.
Okay, murders. Murders. Finally, that's what it means. It's intentional and unjustifiable homicide. Jesus is saying this comes out of the heart.
He has said, if you think ill of your brother, if you if you would kill him, you did kill him. That's a murder. This acts of when you see in the New American Standard, when you see italics, it is saying we've supplied these words. We've supplied the words. So what it actually says right there, evil thoughts, murders, adultery.
Adultery is pronounce that one. And it just means adultery. That's the simplest definition that I have up here. Acts of adultery. Immoral sexual acts.
That one is porneia. It is plural. It's the root of the English terms pornography and pornographic, which is derived from perneo, which is interesting. It means to sell off properly. It is a selling off or a surrendering of sexual purity.
Promiscuity of any and every type. It is a very broad definition. And when Jesus is being questioned by the disciples not the disciples, being questioned by the pharisees who are trying to trick him. He says, except in cases of porneia, which is a very broad term for sexual immorality. Anything outside of marriage of man and woman is listed under porneia.
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, acts of adultery, other immoral sexual acts, thefts, thefts, clopi, theft done undercover through stealth or fraud, etcetera, thievery that is done secretly, not out in the open or with violence. Not robbery where you take something from somebody face to face. And this, it's thefts where you're sneakily getting more for yourself. Actually, Clopi is from klepto, which kleptomania comes from. Klepto means I steal.
You know, you can't never mind. It's a dad joke. You can't tell good jokes to kleptomaniacs because they take things so literally. Sorry. False testimonies.
False testimonies. The word there is pseudo martyriae. Martyr is in there. You see martyr? Martyr means a witness.
It means someone who will witness. It's not just a person who's killed for what they say or what they believe in. A witness is a martyr, one who testifies as a martyr. And a pseudo martyriae is one who tells something that is not true, false testimony or false witness. And slanderous statements.
Slanderous statements. The word there is blasphemy blasphemii, which does mean slander. It is speaking ill of someone, something that is not true. But slanderous statements in this case is blasphemy, abusive or scurrilous language, making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation. That's the definition for scurrilous.
I've used this one before recently. Literally, it is slow or sluggish to call something good that really is good, and it's slow to identify what is truly bad with that which is really evil. Blasphemy switches right for wrong, and wrong for right calls for calls what God disapproves right, and it exchanges the truth of God for a lie. Do you feel and I would say every eye every eye closed and every head bowed. Do you feel like right now our society is in a blasphemous state?
Yes. According to Jesus, it always has been. Okay. Continuing on in Matthew. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adultery, immoral, sexual acts, thefts, false testimonies, slanderous statements.
These are the things that defile a person. These things. What things? And whence do they proceed? Where do they come from?
From out of the heart. It is the condition of humanity. It is in our hearts. But to eat with one unwashed hands doesn't defile a person. It's a good idea.
You know, it's a good idea. I'd rather eat with washed hands than unwashed hands, but it's not that big a deal. That's what Jesus is saying right there. This was the sacred act of the pharisees that set them apart from the sinners, and Jesus has just told the crowds and the disciples that this shouldn't be that big a deal. Can you see the confrontation arising from that?
We have communion today, and we also have Mark speaking on this. Let's run through Mark really quickly. Okay? I don't wanna hit it next week again. The pharisees and some of the scribes gathered to him after they came from Jerusalem and they saw that some of his disciples were eating their bread with unholy hands.
Mark listed as unholy. That is unwashed hands. For the Pharisees and all other Jews don't eat unless they're carefully washed their hands, thereby holding firmly the tradition of elders. And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they completely cleanse themselves all over. And there are many other things, which they've received as traditions.
There are many other things, which they've received as traditions to firmly hold on to such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots. They had a procedure that was laid out. Actually, Islam still has that procedure there and Orthodox Judaism still has that procedure very, very, very much in place. And the pharisees and scribes ask him, why do your disciples not walk in accordance with the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unholy hands? And he said to him, rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites?
As it is written, this people honors me with their lips, but their hearts far away from me. In vain, they do worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. They've added to the scriptures. And neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men. He's speaking directly to them saying, you're missing the point.
He also was saying to him, you're experts. You're experts. You're really good at this. Setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. For Moses said, honor your father and your mother and the one who speaks evil of father and mother is certainly to put to death.
But you say, if a person says to his father or mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corbin. That is it's given to God. I've set this aside to give to God. It's still in my bank account, but it's God's and I cannot give it to you mom and dad. You no longer allow him to do anything for his father and mother and that's fine with you because the chances of you getting that money that's set aside from God for God is pretty good since you're the religious folk.
Thereby invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down and you do many such things as that. You do many things such as that. It's not limited to just this. That's just the first example that he had at the ready. And after he called the crowd to him, he began saying to them, listen to me crowd, all of you and understand this.
There's nothing outside the person which can defile him if it goes into him. There are some things that can kill you if they go into you. Don't get me wrong. There's such a thing as poison. There's such a thing as alcohol that's terrible for you.
But the things which come out of the person are what? Defile the person. Lots of other stuff can go in and hurt you, but it's not gonna defile you. The desire for that bad thing is in your heart. The desire for self medication in a lot of cases is in your heart.
He's gonna give a list in Mark two Mark also, Mark seven here that is like the list in Matthew, but he adds a few. So I'm gonna hit those two. When he later entered to a house away from the crowd, his disciples, Matthew tells us, it's Peter, asked him about the parable. And he said to them, are you so lacking in understanding as well? You don't get it?
Do you not know that everything that goes in or whatever goes into the person from outside cannot defile him because it does not go into his heart, it goes into his stomach and then it is eliminated. I love the parenthetic expression right here because we don't get this until Acts 10. It says, thereby he declared all foods clean. Hey, it's not pork. It's not bacon.
It's not, you know, shellfish. It's it's not that. It goes in. It goes in and it goes through. I got an amen from the front row.
Thereby declare all foods clean. And he was saying that which comes out of the person, that's what defiles a person for from within, out of the hearts of people come what? The evil thoughts. Okay. Same, yep.
Sexual immorality, same word. Theft, same word. Murders, same word. Acts of adultery, same word. Deeds of greed, this is a new one.
Deeds of greed is pleon exei. Covetousness, is it greed? Is covetousness greed? Yeah, it's looking at what someone else has and wanting it is greed. Avarice, aggression, a desire for advantage.
It's derived from plaeon and exo, having numerically more, properly desire for more things, lusting for a greater number of temporal things that go beyond what God determines his best eternally. Beyond God's preferred will, covetousness. That's the pleonixiae, and it's plural. Deeds of greed. Wickedness.
Wickedness is the same panoramae that evil was used. It's wickedness or iniquities. It is resting in that pain or laborious trouble that comes with evil. It's pain, pure and simple, that results in toil and then drudgery. Deceit, the loss.
Deceit, guile or treachery. This one is one where we can look around and see some sins and go, yeah, I'm so glad I'm not that guy. But there are others that are harder to see from the outside, and this is one of them. Properly, it is bait figuratively. It's deceit or trickery.
It's using bait to hook people, craftiness, especially those that are already festering in excessive emotional pain. The first thing I think of right here is title loans, pawn shops, cash, fast cash easy with high interest. Hook them in. Payday loans, that's what I was trying to come up with. I couldn't come up with the term, payday loans.
Deceit motivated by guile. It uses decoys to snare or deceive people, which implies treachery to exploit the naive and undiscerning, baiting them through their own greed. Indecent behavior. Outrageous conduct, conduct that is shocking to public decency, it is a wanton violence, wantonness or lewdness. Properly, it is violent spite, which rejects restraint and indulges in lawless insolence.
Some things on this list hit Pharisees really hard. Other things hit licentious folks very hard. And this is one of those. It's rejecting all conventions and the elevation of self, outrageous conduct, conduct shocking to public decency. Envy, envy.
This is interesting because it's literally ophthalmos panoras, an evil eye. But I think probably having to do with greed or envy, but that's what it's about is looking around. It's an evil eye. In Mexico, they actually believe in the evil eye. If you're ever carrying a baby through the streets of Mexico and somebody touches their head like this, they have been afraid that they looked at the baby without blessing the baby and they don't want to give the baby the evil eye.
Pascal had a little spot on her forehead when she was little, where people would come by and do the little sign of the cross to cover it. No evil eye here. Evil eye. Probably does have to do with greed or envy. Slander.
That's another one for blasphemy. Blasphemy. Pride. Oh. Oh.
Pride. Oh, it gets the Pharisees, and it gets the licentious. Folks who are in either ditch are filled with pride about where they are, and you know what? We can be filled with pride about our own religiosity and our own way, and this one's a sneaky sneaky one. Properly, this is pride, arrogance, or disdain.
Properly, it is excessive shining, hyperephenia, self exaltation, self absorption, which carries with it its own self destructive vanity. It's the sin that got the devil thrown out, right? And foolishness. Foolishness is the last one and it's afrosune. It's a want for sense, just lacking in good common sense, foolishness, impiety, also wickedness.
It is from Ephron. Ephron is describing someone who is lacking true moderation because they failed to grasp the cause and effect relationships. There are people that insist on doing things that are just absolutely wild and out there, and then when they're called out for it, they go, what? It is actually foolish as not to expect some repercussions from action. Willful ignorance and understanding what prompts inevitable effects and consequences.
Okay. That's the list from Mark. All these evil things come from within a person, and that is what defiles the person. Where does it come from? From within, out of the hearts of people.
That's Mark's saying there. And I think that's the last slide of all places to end this. We're going into a time of communion right now. And after seeing that list, I'm so thankful for the one who walked a perfect life, lived it out perfectly, motivated by the will of the father, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was able to walk out and call out sin where it was and have mercy.
Jesus like God, as God opposed the proud, but he gave grace to the humble. So as we approach this table, I'm gonna invite the ushers, the elders to come forward. And I'm gonna pray. Florian, would you play something pretty? And God, would you help us?
Would you help us see see ourselves in this list to see what particular thing is ours on this list? And would you allow us, Lord, to trust you with it? If we are foolish, if we have indecent things, Lord, that are in our hearts, that we act on, would you help us with that? Would you help us to see that? If we are proud, Lord, would you help us to see that?
God almighty, I pray that you would help us. Help us see Jesus. Help us by the power of your spirit, Lord, to walk like Jesus. In Jesus name, Lord, I pray that you'd bless the distribution in the old fashioned style that it is right here in front of us. The little oyster cracker and this little cup of juice, Lord, representing your body and your blood.
I pray, Lord, that as we take this on, we would see ourselves in these lists and that we would run towards you, that we would take you in, Lord, that we'd take the forgiveness that you offer instead of it being more confrontation with pharisees. In Jesus name, amen. On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread after supper, and after he had given thanks for it, he broke it and he gave it to each of his disciples there. And he said to them, this is my body which is broken for you. Take this and eat and do it in remembrance of me.
Speaker 2Amen.
Speaker 1Lord God Almighty, Jesus, to think that those original disciples there and these disciples here, Lord, would take this in and know that we're ingesting you and then that they would abandon you again before the weekend was over, Lord. It's heartbreaking. But you use them to tell others, to tell us. You're still working your plan. You're obedient servants, Lord.
I pray that we would walk it out the way that you walked it out by the will of the father, the sacrifice of the son, the power of the spirit. Lord God, thank you for your blood. We ask that you distribute this as that as we distribute this, you'd bless each one who would partake, Lord. And if there's someone here who does not believe and will not partake, Lord, I pray that the witness of one of their neighbors around them would draw them into your good kingdom. In Jesus name, amen.
In the same manner that he had taken the bread, he also took the cup and he told his disciples there in the room with him at the time. And he tells us now, this is the new covenant that is in the blood of Jesus. We've accepted what he has done, and we're trusting God to change us and make us and mold us through all things. More and more like Christ. He said to them, take this and drink and do it as often as you will in remembrance of me.
Amen. Amen. Would y'all stand? We're gonna sing the last song. Carl, I do wanna sing what we believe.
Alright?
Speaker 2Sing just the core of the song.
Speaker 1And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. In Jesus name, amen.
