“The Pharisees and some
of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around
Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were
"unclean," that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat
unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the
tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not
eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as
the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.” (Mark 7:1-4, NIV)
“So
the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your
disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of
eating their food with 'unclean' hands?" (Mark 7:5, NIV)
“He
replied, 'Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as
it is written: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts
are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules
taught by men.' You have let go of the commands of God and
are holding on to the traditions of men." (Mark 7:6-8, NIV)
Observations:
I asked
myself who are the characters involved.
-
Pharisees & Teachers of the
law
-
Disciples
-
Jesus
I asked
myself the role of the Pharisees and teachers of the law.
-
They
came from Jerusalem and gathered around Jesus.
-
They
saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were
“unclean,” that is, unwashed.
-
They
asked Jesus, ”Why don’t your disciples live according to the
tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’
hands?”
I asked
myself the role of the disciples.
They were eating food with
“unclean” hands according to the Pharisees and teachers of the law.
I asked
myself the role of Jesus.
Jesus responds to the ‘Pharisees
& teachers of the law’ with 7 rebuking statements against them:
-
Jesus
tells them the prophet Isaiah was right when he prophesized about
them.
-
Jesus
says to them, ‘You hypocrites.’
-
Jesus
reminds them prophesy that states, ‘These people honor me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me.’
-
Jesus
reminds them prophesy that states, “They worship me in vain.”
-
Jesus
reminds them prophesy that states, “Their teachings are but rules
taught by men.”
-
Jesus
says to them, “You have let go of the commands of God.”
-
Jesus
says to them, “You are holding on to the traditions of men.”
I decided to look at today the
next two of Jesus' 7 rebuking statements:
Jesus
reminds them prophesy that states, ‘These people honor me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me.’
Jesus
reminds them prophesy that states, “They worship me in vain.”
Interpretations:
I asked
myself what is significance of Jesus letting the Pharisees and Teachers
of the law know, “These people honor me
with their lips but their hearts are far from me.”
I felt Jesus was making a
significant statement about worship. The Pharisees and teachers of the
law were thinking they were worshipping God properly but to Jesus they
were not. Jesus wanted them to know just because words come out of their
mouth regarding God does not make their worship true because their words
do not match their heart towards God.
Wow! That is a powerful
statement to make! Jesus wants them to know honoring someone if our
heart is not in it is the same as not honoring them at all. In essence,
Jesus was telling them that they were not truly honoring God by their
worship. To hit the point home, Jesus told them
‘they worship me in vain.”
I asked
myself the significance of Jesus stating,
‘they worship me in vain.'
Jesus is letting them know that
they are indeed worshipping but just because they are worshipping God
does not mean their worship is genuine. Instead, Jesus states their
worship is in vain. In other words, they may as well not have been
worshipping God than going through the motions thinking they are
honoring God by their words. Jesus wants more than people’s lip service
and it starts with the heart. Jesus wants their hearts to be right and
worship the Father in spirit and truth.
“Yet
a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the
Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit
and in truth." (John 4:23, NIV)
This is something the Pharisees
and teachers of the law were not doing according to Jesus. Jesus wanted
their words coming out of their lips acknowledging God to be in line
with their heart towards God. When they are not, the worship is in vain.
I asked
myself what is worship.
Worship can be singing songs to
the Lord; prayer to the Lord; but most of all a personal sacrifice of
our lives to the Lord in a spiritual sense. It means our songs, our
prayer, and the way we live our lives when examined by the Lord has to
show the Lord that our worship is genuine because our hearts are close
to the Lord.
I asked
myself why Jesus states, ‘their hearts are
far from me.’
When people are doing things for
the sake of ritual, going through the motions, or their devotion is
misplaced in the wrong place. In those times, the Lord will feel that
their hearts are far from Him even though they are worshipping. So,
without worshipping the Creator from the heart in obedience to His Word
cannot be seen as true worship.
Time after time God saw the
people’s hearts far from Him because they were worshipping the created
than the Creator. They were worshipping man made things than the One who
made man. If there was one sin that Israel was gravely sinful of was the
sin of idolatry. Their lips felt they were worshipping God when they
were in essence worshipping idols from God’s point of view so their
hearts were not with Him.
Implications:
I saw important implications for
my own life when it comes to worship. I need to be aware how easily our
hearts can be far from God when we do things for the sake of motions,
ritual, or if our worship is misplaced. Then, our worship becomes vain.
Idols is mentioned 172 times in
Scripture! This is to show how seriously idol worship is taken by Jehovah
when the Israelis turned to other forms of worship. The Pharisees and teachers of the
law were doing something similar according to Jesus. The sad thing is
they would have known Scriptures and yet their hearts were far from God.
These are some of the commands they would have been obeying if they
followed God with their hearts and worshipped Him and Him alone.
“You shall have no other gods before me. "You shall not make for
yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth
beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or
worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,…” (Exodus
20:3-5a, NIV)
" 'Do not turn to
idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the LORD your
God.” (Leviticus 19:4, NIV)
"
'Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves,
and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am
the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 26:1, NIV)
“You have done
more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself
other gods, idols made of metal; you have provoked me to anger and
thrust me behind your back.” (1 Kings 14:9, NIV)
"Those who cling
to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” (Jonah 2:8,
NIV)
"Of
what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that
teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes
idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, 'Come to life!'
Or to lifeless stone, 'Wake up!' Can it give guidance? It is covered
with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.” (Habakkuk 2:17-19, NIV)
“We
know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding,
so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even
in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear
children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:20-21, NIV)
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied:
" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest
commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as
yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
(Matthew 22:36-39, NIV)
It is interesting that ‘heart’
is mentioned over lips when loving God so our worship of the Lord should
involve us loving the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, and with
all our mind.’ This means total surrender and not keeping some of our
heart, soul, or mind to do our own things.
I asked
myself how our hearts can be close to the Lord when we worship Him.
I was reminded of Romans 12:1-2
which states,
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your
bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your
spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you
will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing
and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2, NIV)
Worship does not begin and end
on Sunday. Sunday worship is a corporate act of worship when our hearts
are turned towards the Lord. But, worship of the Lord should continue
throughout the week by mediating on His Word, praying, praising, and the
way we live our lives. It is not just about feel good songs but the
deciding factor of true worship is whether it is geared towards the Lord
or to make us feel good because we loved the song tunes, etc.
I ask you
now dear friend how does the Lord view your worship?
Dear friend the Lord viewed the
Pharisees and teachers of the law’s worship as being in vain because
their hearts were not turned genuinely towards the Lord. Instead, they
were following ritual, tradition, and whatever was coming out of their
mouths. They were saying things but their heart was far from the Lord.
This can happen to us too if we let our worship of the Lord just become
a ritual, a checkout thing to do for the week, etc. This is not what
Jesus sees as worship friend. Singing and praising the Lord with songs,
music can be great when accompanied by our devotional to the Lord coming
from the heart. This can only happen when we are obedient to the Lord
and worship Him as He wants to be worshipped. We may think we are
worshipping the Lord but the Lord can think it to be in vain when not
done properly and in obedience with Scripture. We are to worship God and
God alone and keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of
our faith.
Keeping myself reminded of
Romans 12:1-2 had made such an impression on me especially when it came
to worship.
Friend, Jesus loves you so much
and waits eagerly for you to come and worship. Yes, He does! Your
worship can be like fragrance going to the Lord.
Won’t you
do that friend?
Won’t you
worship the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind
in all you do.
You can do it friend! You can
spend time in His Word, in prayer, and praising of the Lord as you seek
Him and Him alone in your life. Let Him guide and lead you for He will!
Yes, He will friend! I know He will! He loves you so much! That is
exciting to know. Lord views your worship so you make it special by
putting your heart close to the Lord and seeking Him to give Him all the
praise, honor, and glory.
May you worship the Lord in
spirit and truth! May the Lord see your heart close to Him throughout
the week and not limit yourself to Sunday worship. May your first love
be Jesus Christ and Him alone! May everything you do in life be a
reflection of your worship of the Lord our God! Amen!
“Worship
Our Redeemer Seeking Him In Praise!” (W.O.R.S.H.I.P)/”How
does the Lord view your worship?”
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for loving us so much. Thank you for
dying for our sin and coming back to life to save us. Thank you for what
I have learned regarding worship. There is so much more to learn and you
will show it in your time. We are sorry for our sin especially when our
hearts have been far from you and our words have just been words because
heart towards you has not been a reflection of your heart. Forgive us Oh
Lord for the glory and honor of your Name. Deliver us and bring us
closer to you. May our life bring you honor and glory! May our lifestyle
of worship everyday show others that you are Lord of all and there is no
other. Thank you Jesus for you tell us that you are the Way, the Truth,
and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through you. You
remind us not to worship idols for when we worship idols we cannot be
worshipping you at the same time. Help us please not to be engaged in
any type of idol worship but to give our bodies as living sacrifices to
you Lord, holy and pleasing to you for that is our spiritual act of
worship you want. Thank you so much Jesus. We entrust our lives to you
and thank you for loving us so much! Thank you for hearing us and
answering us! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
Make this your prayer. Don’t let
the enemy deceive you into thinking you need all the answers before
coming to Christ. Let me just assure you though you may not have all the
answers right now before coming to Jesus, He will answer them slowly.
Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer will! Amen!
PRAYER:
Father God thank you, you love us so much that you sent your only
begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have
everlasting life. I love you Lord. Thank you Father God for your Son,
Jesus Christ. Jesus thank you for loving me so much. Thank you Jesus,
you will take care of my problems. Nothing is too hard for you. For many
of us Lord, we face many obstacles in life whether it be Spiritual,
financial, marital, emotional, physical, or educational problems. We
turn these problems and the prayer requests to you. Thank you Lord you
never fail to answer our prayers. Just because we don't understand does
not mean you didn't answer our prayers. Thanks Lord for cleansing us by
your precious Blood. Please come into my heart Jesus. Please forgive my
sins. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Thank you Jesus for coming
into my heart. Thank you Jesus for making my heart, your home. Thank you
Jesus for living in me. I will live for you Jesus and serve you the rest
of the days of my life. I pray right now for the one who is so troubled
that only your presence and love can meet them where they are at. Come
Lord Jesus and please intervene in their life. Cover them with your
awesome presence and help them through what they are going. Thank you
Jesus as you saw the disciples in trouble and came to their rescue, you
can come to our rescue too. We entrust our lives in your care. Thank you
for the answer and you will carry us! IN YOUR NAME, I PRAY JESUS
THANKING YOU FOR EVERYTHING. AMEN.
Friend you may feel something
or may not feeling anything but do not go by your feelings. When you ask
Jesus to come into your life, He will and does. He will take over from
here as you depend on the Lord and let Him work in you and through you!
This is exciting friend! May each one that came to know Jesus be filled
with His Holy Spirit forever more and those that know Jesus come to know
Him more and more! Amen!
Get yourself involved in a campus Bible study,
fellowship, and most of all find a Bible believing church and be involved
to grow in your Christian walk with the Lord. They all need to be
supplements for your own precious time with the Lord in prayer and
meditating on His Word. If you need a Bible, please let me know!
As the movie DaVinci Code opened across the
theaters on May 19, 2006, which speaks against the church and most importantly
degrades the Name of Jesus Christ, we need to make ourselves available to
speak the truth to the falsity presented in the movie and the novel. If you
plan to watch the movie or have read the book and have questions or your
faith seems to be shaken, please email me or give me a call at 412-720-4579
so we can discuss the false claims in the book that are presented as fact
even though the book itself and the movie is presented as fiction. May the
Lord bless you and guide you!
If you need anyone to talk to, pray
with, or study the Bible with this Summer of 2006, you can email
me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579.
Please do not hesitate. One-one Bible studies
can be so powerful too because the Holy Spirit is still in the
midst.
"This is my work and I can do it
only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians
1:29, TLB)
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