Date

Sermon Title:	Inner Corruption
Date:	February, 17, 2008

Opening Thought: This teaching will really help us and enlighten us about how Jesus spoke to and communicated with the Pharisees. In discussing this topic, we will venture into the older testament, particularly what is known as the Torah which is the first five books of the Bible. We will also read from the New Testament as well. I like to think of the older testament as the root and the newer testament as the blossom.

When the older Apostles and even Jesus himself studied the word of God, they studied the “Torah” (Older Testament). They didn’t have the New Testament so their studies of the Torah and the leading of the Holy Spirit brought about the text of the New Testament.

Foundational Scripture: The Gospel of Mark the 7^th Chapter

[The following scriptures provide a basis for the study of the Book of Mark]

Exodus 30:21	So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.
Exodus 20:12	Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Leviticus 20:9	Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Ezekiel 33:31-32	Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. ³¹And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
Psalms 50:17	Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
Proverbs 2:6	For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 28:24	Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer.
Daniel 1:8	But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Deuteronomy 12:32	What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Scripture: Mark 7:1-6

When the Pharisees saw the disciples eat bread, they found fault with them because they ate with unclean hands.
- People will find fault with you even though you are doing the things of God. The problem is that the tradition that was used for the cleaning of ones hands was not used by the disciples.

These individuals held on to the tradition of the elders. This brings about the understanding of different types of traditions: [Reference: II Thesalonians 3:6]

- Negative Traditions
  - Following the traditions of people who add to scriptures and people who have added traditions to scriptures.
- Positive Traditions
  - Following the traditions that lead to the Word of God.

Scripture: Mark 7:7-17

The Pharisees used traditions to show an outward adherence to the “Law” but vainly worshiped the Lord. Jesus described them as hypocrites.
- Paying lip-service or following vain traditions inhibit your ability to follow the Word of God because one can begin to honor the tradition rather than God.

Side Note: The Word of God commands that we take care of our parents. (Mark 7:10) However, the traditions of man dictate that we are individuals and only carry the responsibilities for ourselves and our individual families. This is seen in the Hebraic tradition of Corbin, which is a fund set-aside for use in or by the temple. This tradition frees individuals from giving money or providing and taking care of their parents when they can no longer do so. This tradition pulled individuals from the command of God.

Vainly following the traditions of man, that are related to the Word of God, render the Word and will of God of no effect. We often follow the traditions of previous generations not knowing the reason those traditions where started.

Traditions get handed down from generation to generation and often loose the intention of that tradition.

Example: A husband noticed that his wife cut a whole in the bread before she ate it. He wasn’t sure why she did it so he asked her. She responded by telling him that her mother would always cut a whole in the bread and server her and her sisters. So he asked her mother why they have the tradition of cutting a whole in the bread. She responded by letting him know that they didn’t have a lot of money so she would save moldy bread by cutting out the mold and serving the good portion of the bread to the children. In this example the wife continued a tradition not understanding the purpose of her mother’s action.

Scripture: Mark 7:18

Jesus addressed the tradition of cleaning and washing of hands in the ceremonial way by letting the multitudes know that there is nothing on the outside of you that really defiles you. It is what is on the inside of you that can defile you the most.
What you put into your body is not what defiles you. So the dirt that is on your hands may get onto your food, then into your body but it doesn’t go directly to your heart but into the stomach.
Jesus explained that it is what comes out of the heart that defiles a man not what is put into the body. While some will used these teachings by Jesus to say that we as Christians can eat whatever we want, they unfortunately miss the point of His words.
- If an individual follows the outward traditions but fails to follow the statutes of God in his actions out of his heart he has defiled himself.

Example: During that time, many who followed the Torah abstained from eating pork meat and the products of pork but would commit fornication, lie, cheat and steal. Eating the pork didn’t cause them to be defiled but the actions of their heart that defiled their spirit.

So the same goes for the example of the traditional cleaning of the hands. What good is it to follow the outward traditions if the actions of your heart can cause you to be defiled? Cleaning your hands will do nothing for you if you’re fornicating, stealing or lying. A tradition followed without corresponding action of the heart can be vain.