Sermon #27 Series: Mark

Title: The Religion Of The Pharisees

Text: Mark 7:1-13

Readings: Office: Larry Criss Auditorium: Bob Poncer

Subject: False Religion

Date: Sunday Evening - , 1997

Tape # T-93

Introduction:

This morning I warned you to “beware of false prophets.” Tonight I come to you with another word of warning. I warn you now to beware of false religion. I told you this morning that nothing is more dangerous to the souls of men, and nothing more deadly than false prophets. Now I want you to see that nothing is more dangerous to your soul, and nothing more deadly than false religion.

The Apostle Paul warns us that those who eat and drink the bread and wine of the Lord’s table without faith in Christ eat and drink damnation to themselves. What he says about the Lord’s table is true of and applicable to all other religious practices without faith in Christ. To profess faith without faith, to claim an interest in Christ without an interest in Christ, to be baptized without being born of God, to pretend to be a child of God while you are yet a child of the devil, all these things are eating and drinking damnation to yourself.

Our Lord Jesus warns us, again and again, to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.” The warning is repeated often because it is needed often. He explains exactly what he meant by the leaven of the Pharisees. When our Lord warns us to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, he is talking about the doctrine, or the religion of the Pharisees. That is my subject tonight. If the Lord will enable me, I want to talk to you about THE RELIGION OF THE PHARISEES. Our Text is Mark 7:1-23.

Mark 7:1-23 (1) “Then came together unto Him the Pharisees and certain of the scribes, who came from Jerusalem.

(2) And when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled (that is to say, unwashed) hands, they found fault.

(3) For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat, unless they wash their hands oft, holding to the tradition of the elders.

(4) And when they come from the market, they eat not unless they wash; and there are many other customs which they have received and hold to, as the washing of cups, pots, brazen vessels and of tables.

(5) Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"

(6) He answered and said unto them, "Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written: `This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

(7) Therefore, in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.'

(8) For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold to the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups, and many other like things ye do."

(9) And He said unto them, "Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

(10) For Moses said, `Honor thy father and thy mother,' and, `Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death.'

(11) But ye say that if a man shall say to his father or mother, `It is Corban' (that is to say, a gift of whatsoever thou mightest have profited from me), he shall be freed;

(12) and ye suffer him no more to do aught for his father or his mother,

(13) thus making the Word of God of no effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered. And many like things do ye."

(14) And when He had called all the people unto him, He said unto them, "Hearken unto Me every one of you, and understand:

(15) There is nothing from outside a man that, entering into him, can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

(16) If any man have ears to hear, let him hear."

(17) And when He had entered into the house away from the people, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.

(18) And He said unto them, "Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive that whatsoever thing from outside entereth into a man, it cannot defile him,

(19) because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly and goeth out into the drain, thereby purging all meats?"

(20) And He said, "That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

(21) For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

(22) Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

(23) all these evil things come from within and defile the man."

What a humbling picture we have before us of apostate, human religion. Here we see, to some extent, what man is capable of doing in the perversion of truth, while clinging to the name of God. These well read, educated, highly respected religious men really thought God was impressed by watching them meticulously wash their hands and their dishes in religious ceremony! There are multitudes exactly like them today. In fact, the religion of the Pharisees is the natural religion of the carnal heart. All men, by nature gravitate to it.

Proposition: The religion of the Pharisees, though it is naturally appealing to and universally approved of by all men, is deadly to a man’s soul and an utter abomination in the sight of God.

Tonight, I want to show you seven things from Mark 7:1-23 about THE RELIGION OF THE PHARISEES. It is at the same time the most ancient and the newest of all religions. As we look at these seven characteristics of it, let us ask ourselves this question – Is my religion the religion of Christ or the religion of the Pharisees?

I. The religion of the Pharisees makes people self-righteous, critical, and judgmental (vv. 1-2).

These Pharisees were always watching other people, inspecting the behavior of other people, finding fault with other people. They had a keen eye for what others did, or failed to do.

Mark 7:1-2 “Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. (2) And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.”

Critics and fault-finders are a penny a dozen. If you do something, anything, I will guarantee you that before you sit down somebody who never does anything will come along and find something wrong with what you have done. In natural things this is annoying; but in spiritual things it reveals a proud, unregenerate, self-righteousness, which is always the result of legalistic, works religion.

These Pharisees really thought they could tell, by observing the outward conduct of men in their daily routine of life, who was spiritual and who was carnal. We have many like them in our day.

II. The religion of the Pharisees is a religion which has apostatized and departed from the Word of God (vv. 3-9).

Mark 7:3-9 “For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. (4) And when they come from the market, except they was, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables. (5) Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"

(6) He answered and said unto them, "Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written: `This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

(7) Therefore, in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.'

(8) For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold to the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups, and many other like things ye do."

(9) And He said unto them, "Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Never was there a nation of men raised so high and fallen so low as the nation of Israel. Never was there a people given such great privileges and opportunities, only to cast them aside, as these people. This was the nation to whom God gave his law, his ordinances, his priests, his tabernacle, his temple, his altar, his mercy-seat, and his prophets. These are the people to whom Moses, Samuel, and Isaiah prophesied. This is the people who sprung from Abraham’s lions, who descended from David’s kingdom, and wore Israel’s name. These are the people who once trembled before the ark of the covenant. How they have fallen! Here are Abraham’s sons, here are men who claim Moses name though they had long ago rejected his doctrine, who consider the ceremonial washing of hands, cups, saucers, and pots and pans an evidence of spirituality! In their opinion, the person who paid the most rigid attention to the external observance of man-made religious customs was the most holy among them!

Be warned, my friend. Once a church, a denomination, or an individual leaves the King’s highway of truth, we must not be surprised to see them washing pots and calling it godliness! Multitudes today are just like the Pharisees. They wear the names of God’s prophets and claim identification with them; but have long since forsaken the truths of God’s Word in utter apostasy.

· Today people place great emphasis on getting their children into church; but none on getting them into Christ.

· They pass by the doctrine of the cross, but wear a cross around their necks.

· They sing “Amazing Grace,” but despise the doctrine of grace.

· They make a big show of outward religion, but ignore righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

III. The Pharisees religion is outward, lip-service religion (v. 6).

Mark 7-6 “He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” (See Isa. 29:13)

I wonder if we will ever learn that God Almighty is not impressed with the way we comb our hair, the clothes we wear, the food we eat, or the show we make in our pretense of piety and godliness. “The Lord looketh on the hear!” God says, “My son, give me thine heart.” “Keep thy heart with all diligence.” Let us remember the heart is the principle thing…

· In Private Worship.

· In Public Worship.

· At the Lord’s Table.

· In Prayer.

· In Devotion.

· In Service.

IV. The religion of the Pharisee is a religion which uses the pretense of piety as a covering and excuse for irresponsibility (vv. 10-12).

Mark 7:10-12 “For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: (11) But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. (12) And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;”

V. The religion of the Pharisee is a religion which rejects and makes of non-effect the Word of God, supplanting it with the customs, creeds, and confessions of men (v. 13).

Mark 7:13 “Making the word of God of non effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.”

Three times, our Lord lays this charge at the feet of these pompous, self-content, self righteous religionists. You lay aside the Word of God, holding the traditions of men (v. 8). “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (v. 9). You make the Word of God of none effect through your tradition (v. 13).

A. First, they added their traditions to the Scriptures.

B. Next, they placed their traditions on par with the Word of God.

C. Finally, they rejected the Word of God altogether and held to their traditions!

VI. The religion of the Pharisee is a religion of legalism, works, and asceticism.

Their creed was “touch not, taste not, handle not.” They thought they would defile themselves by touching or using things and people they considered unclean.

VII. In its essence, at its core, the religion of the Pharisee is a religion that denies the need of grace and redemption, because it denies the utter, total depravity of man (vv. 14-23).

The Lord willing, we will look at these verses in more detail in our next study. For now, I want you to see once more that we are all by nature corrupt at heart, in need of grace and blood atonement, which is found only in Christ.

Mark 7:14:23 “And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: (15) There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. (16) If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. (17) And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. (18) And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Co ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; (19) Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? (20) And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. (21) For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, (22) Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: (23) All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

Application: The only hope for your soul and mine is that God might be pleased to save us from ourselves. I have no hope but Christ. He alone is all..

· My Wisdom.

· My Righteousness.

· My Sanctification.

· My Redemption.

May God make him yours as well. AMEN.