I’m not apologizing for what can be perceived as a ‘somber tone’ to my messages here of late, but I would like to at least offer up a simple explanation as to what is behind them.

While not directly affected by the news of spreading wildfires (in southern CA), it’s no secret that they occur out here on a regular basis, usually as a result of strong winds and dry conditions.

Can you imagine being on the firefighting crews that go into endangered neighborhoods and are helping with the ordered evacuations, only to be told by local residents to mind your own business as they are tired of hearing so much ‘bad news’?

“Can’t you find something that is pleasant and comforting to tell us about? Why all the doom and gloom about spreading flames?”

Yeah…God’s people had similar things to say when Isaiah came preaching to them as well. (Isaiah 30:8-15)

Did you know in one place, God refers to His people as being ‘stupid/foolish’ (Jer. 4:22), and that they didn’t even ‘know or recognize the judgement of the Lord’? (Jer. 8:7). He does offer up, however…an explanation as to why this ‘ignorance’ existed; and it was due to the ‘lying pen of the scribes that turned His word to lies’ (Jer. 8:8). Hence the reason His people are often destroyed (Hosea 4:6).

Which now leads me to continue on from my message yesterday, where I mentioned at the close how there is something else that can be ‘passed down from our fathers’, besides ‘sins’ and the consequences of those sins. And that would be bad or faulty teachings. Would you please turn to Mark 7.

We read there how some Pharisees and scribes joined together and came to Jesus when they saw some of His disciples doing some things that did not line up with their ‘traditions’ (1-3). I have that phrase underlined in my Bible that says they ‘found fault’ (2), which reminds me that we will oftentimes find…that which we are looking for. And how often are we subtly tempted to ‘find fault with God’?

But the underlying truth we need to see here is the fact that despite their history of teachings and practices and traditions, even expecting and anticipating the coming Messiah…those who were most versed in scripture did not recognize Him when He finally ‘came in the flesh’ (John 1:1, 11-12,14). And do you know why? Jesus did not ‘fit’ with their preconceived ideas and teachings. And it’s upon this premise that Jesus begins to expound in this chapter 7 of Mark.

Those Pharisees asked Him: “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders?” (5). You might jot down Matt. 15:2, where Jesus was asked a similar question to which He responded: “Why don’t you keep the commandments of God?” (mic drop)

Jesus continues on, citing the words of Isaiah who had ‘prophesied well’, pointing out how the people were good to ‘honor God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him’ (Mark 7:6). He then explains how their ‘worship was in vain…’ (7) which is a remarkable indictment in itself. Do you think those folks in Matt. 7:22 were in a similar place…of doing all kinds of ‘wonderful works in God’s name’, only to be told that He ‘never knew them and for them to ‘depart from Him’? (Matt. 7:23)

But look what Jesus accuses them of doing, where they ‘lay aside the commandments of God…and instead teach as doctrines…the commandments/traditions of men’ (7-8). He then gives a few examples in vs. 9-12. Now if there is any verse in this passage worthy of being highlighted, underlined, and pointed out… it is vs. 13; and let me explain why.

Many, if not most Christians are well versed in how powerful God’s word is, and how it ‘will not return void’ (Isa. 55:11), and how it is ‘living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword’ (Heb. 4:12). We are reminded by Jesus how the ‘heavens and the earth will pass away, but the word of the Lord will endure forever’ (Matt. 24:35).

And yet…listen to what Jesus informs us of, there in Mark 7:13…how we can actually ‘make the word of God of no effect (nullify)…through our traditions…which have been handed down to us’…by previous generations’.

Would you take a moment and just reflect upon that one statement in itself, please. You might even consider asking ‘how…do we do this?’

I have had many conversations with numerous people over the past six years, sitting down with an open Bible and pointing out a wide assortment of scripture that has ‘come alive’ to me in recent years. I have witnessed those very scriptures ‘bounce off’ those very people when I read those to them, reminding me of how bullets would bounce off the ‘man of steel’ (Superman). And I have come to realize that there is no shortage of ‘doctrines and teachings of men’ which are like an impenetrable shield of steel when it comes to resisting God’s powerful word…when those doctrines and teachings have captured men’s hearts.

It always goes back to our hearts. What has our hearts? Did you know that if Jesus has your whole heart…that you will gladly receive His word…given the fact that Jesus IS…the ‘Word’? (John 1:1,14). But if ‘doctrines of men’ has captured your heart, instead of Jesus, then you will tend to only receive from God’s word…that which ‘fits with your doctrine’. True story!

So when Jesus accuses them of ‘laying down the word of God’…and embracing those teachings that were ‘handed down’ via the traditions of their ancestors, it should give us ALL pause and have re-evaluating what it is we actually believe; is it because that is indeed what God’s word declares and teaches, or is it because we ‘read it in a book’ or ‘so and so’ told us what to believe. And one of the first indicators that maybe we are holding on to man-made teachings…is when we come across scripture regularly…that causes our eyes to glaze over, our hearts to ‘twitch’ some…and we almost take offense to what we are reading or hearing, simply because it doesn’t fit with how we’ve always been taught to believe.

Personally speaking…I’ve had to make more than a few ‘adjustments’ over the past several years regarding what I believed, even though the ‘majority’ of folks continue to embrace the very things I once did as well. It’s not always the easiest or more comfortable thing to do; trust me on that one. And then we wonder why we are cautioned so often to ‘be not deceived’. (Matt. 24:4-5; James 1:16; Eph. 5:6)