Shenandoah Bible Baptist Church
Our King is Righteous Not Religious
18 tonight please. Matthew 15. Amen. Amen. Amen. I know when we're talking about the thermostat, that can really split a church. I'm telling you what, it is burning up in this platform. It is burning up, but some of you all were freezing today. And so forgive us as we're trying to figure that out. Anybody freezing right now? One person, two people. Anybody really hot right now? Amen. Bless God. Hallelujah. Shoo! And so it's hot outside, praise God for air condition, and we could be out under the pavilion. Amen. Tell me what you're saying. No. Well, I'm going to meet where the church is meeting, amen, and sometimes that's not always in air condition, but praise the Lord for A.C. tonight. Matthew 15 and a church, can I just ask you please stay with me tonight, and let's go through the scripture, the way that God intended it to be going through, and let's see what God says. It's interesting tonight that Jesus is not, He's not the favorite here of all the religious folks. He literally is going to offend the Pharisees and those that, of the religious folk of the day, He's going to offend them. It literally says that in the scripture. The disciples come to Christ and say, "Don't you know you've offended, offended these folks?" And they come to Him and they try to correct Him in one thing, and they're viewing Jesus. They're viewing our Lord as really the liberal one of the time. They are. They're saying, "You're not holding to what we've been taught, what we've known." And He starts correcting them according to what the word of the law says. And it's interesting tonight. Let's just start at verse 1. We'll just go through it as we always do in Matthew as we're going through this. And tonight, Lord, be glorified, please. And may your word come forward and show us and teach us what you want to bring out tonight, Lord. May it not be the preacher's way and word, may it not be someone else's way and word, may it be yours. And God, I pray that you would bring to light tonight that what you want. In Jesus' name, I ask this, amen. Verse 1 says, "Then came to Jesus, scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem." Okay. Let's stop there for a moment and remember what has taken place up to this point. In the previous chapter, Jesus has fed the 5,000 plus their families. It says 5,000 men plus women and children. Okay. And then He walks on the water, two big miracles. Yes? Two big miracles. And then the religious authorities from Jerusalem come to Him. And what I see in this chapter, they're coming to find fault with Him. But notice what they say in verse 2. "Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread." Now, is it possible that they saw what helped me here when He fed the 5,000? What did they collect afterwards? They collected 12 baskets, did they not? So they got they got fish and bread in there and maybe perhaps some of them saw the disciples eating those leftovers. Now remember in the previous chapter here, they're out in the wilderness. They don't have anywhere to go to wash their hands. They're just following Christ. And He takes that boy's lunch and breaks it and bless, asks the Lord for it, asks the blessing on it. And then He distributes it, distributes it. They don't have place to go and store to go to and wash their hands or whatever the case is. And here they're focused on the physical again. And we looked at that last time instead of the spiritual. They're completely looking past. Here is the Son of God who has worked a great miracle to feed all these people, right, with such a small lunch. And they're picking at it because they're saying, "You didn't wash your hands." Now, I know there's a lot of mamas in here that wait a minute. I like that washing up before dinner type stuff. And I understand that. Praise the Lord. Okay. You need to wash up. But they're criticizing Jesus. What does the word of God say here on verse two? It says the traditions of the elders. He's not being accused of breaking the law. It doesn't say that He broke the mosaic law that was handed down from God on Mount Sinai. It doesn't say that. It says the tradition of the elders. Perhaps they saw the disciples eating some of the remnants. Maybe they heard about all these people that had eaten in the wilderness, whatever the case is, they're asking Him about the tradition of the elders. Okay. Let's talk about that for a moment. In what we know of Jewish history, from the time of Ezra, approximately about that time, and you could give or take a little bit, but around that time, there began to develop something called an oral law, if I can say it that way, where men began to add to the law of God some explanation of the law and some additional things like traditions that He's referring to. They called it really an oral law, if I can say it that way. It literally was when it says elders, it's meaning an older man or an ancestor where a father has passed it to his son and rightfully so. Okay. Many of you fathers have some traditions and have some things in your home that you've passed on to your boys. Okay. One of the things, and Dad, maybe this still applies, maybe it doesn't. But when I was a kid, you didn't go anywhere and you're in your pajamas. All right. You didn't go anywhere in your sweatpants, Brother Shank, or, right, come on. You just didn't do that. You didn't go in your undershirt to the store. You didn't do that type of thing. That was a rule. So what did I do? I passed that on to my boys. Well, we got to run to the store and they're laying around in their sweatpants because they're relaxing at home. No, no, no, no. Put some pants on, put a great shirt on. We're going out in public, and you're going to look. That's just a tradition of the Woolard household. I just remember that, came to mind right there. Right? There's no law in America in the Word of God that says you can't wear your sweatpants outside the home. Okay. Okay. But that's just a tradition of man. Everybody with me now, you follow me here? Follow me now. Now watch this. So what happened was with the Jews is they began to pass down some traditions. And this oral law was being passed from Father to Son down through time to where it began to get expanded and expanded. And eventually when it was written down, it was so large. It was so big, something similar to the, what's that? Encyclopaedia, Britannica or whatever, right? Something very, very large. And Brother Guin, help me here. And that's what they consider the Talmud. Is that correct? Okay. And so they passed this oral tradition of Father to Son all the through this time. And eventually they wrote it down. And it's very, very large. They were adding explanation and preference and things to the law that God had given to the Mosaic law. Okay. Amen. So we, we know this, right? Again, there's different, there's different traditions of different households and different preachers have preferences and that's okay. That's okay. It is a preference of mine that, that men, when they're up here in the choir and on the platform, that they got a jack and a tie on. That's a preference of mine, but God said it that thou, he didn't say thou shalt not, right? You with me? You follow me? I just told the choir, car show's going to be a little bit different. We're going to be in the heat and we're going to be mingling with people outside. It's going to be a little different. Your preacher's not going to have a coat on that day most likely. Why? Because I'm going to be sweat and crazy. Okay. And I'm going to run inside and I'll be panting trying to give the word of God. It's just the way it's going to be. Everybody follow me now? Okay. Okay. So this is what, this is what's going on here. Notice again in verse two, he says, "Why do they, why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders for they wash not their hands when they eat bread?" Now notice verse three, "But he answered and said unto them, why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your traditions?" You notice he turned it around. He said, "You're coming after me about your traditions, but I say to you, why are your traditions allowing you to break the law of God?" Amen? Amen. And I know family traditions a lot of fun. And I know we have things on Christmas and everything else. But should we allow a family tradition to break the law of God when it, when it comes to where Sunday, Christmas is on Sunday? You with me? We get, we give because God comes first. Amen. Okay. We've got a couple of you. All right. We okay tonight? We found, okay. All right. All right. Praise the Lord. Okay. Look at verse four. For God commanded saying, "Honor thy father and mother and he that cursed father or mother to let him die the death." They were pretty serious in the Old Testament. Okay. Let him die the death. All right. But look at, look at verse five. "But ye say, whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, it is a gift. By whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me. And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free." Here's the contrast, contrast. He's saying in the, in the law it says, "Honor your father and your mother." And that's the first, that's the first commandment with promise, talking about many days upon the earth and all of that. But he says here, you say if a guy says it's just a gift, then he doesn't have to honor his father and his mother and he's free of that. He doesn't have to deal with the consequences. What they're, what they're pointing to is in the word honor, it's not just a matter of respect, but it's pointing to taking care of physically your parents in their older age. That's what it's pointing to, honoring your mother and your father. And literally the Jews were, were, were supposed to take care of their parents in their older age of their own possessions, meaning myself and my possessions allowing my parents to benefit awful for that in their older age. That's what he's pointing and that's what he's talking about here. That's the law, honoring your father and your mother. Yes? It's the law, okay? In, in 1st Timothy, chapter 5 and it talks about widows and things like that. The church is not supposed to take care of every widow. It says that there's a certain age limit on there and that the family should be responsible for them. You have responsibility according to the New Testament for your family. Amen. That's what it says. It says, if they're over a certain age, it says, if they're under a certain age, let them marry or let their family take care of them. But that's 1st Timothy, chapter 5. That's another message. So what he's talking about here. Now, there was a word and it's called Corbin. And in Mark, there's a parallel passage to this. If you'd like to look it up later, Mark, chapter 7, the, Mark uses the word Corbin and Corbin means, what they would do is they would, a man in tradition, Jude tradition here, he would go pronounce over all his possessions, okay? In modern day, it would be like us going to our bank account and pronouncing our bank account and saying Corbin. But in their day, it was possessions and different things, okay? So, and it could be some money as well. But Corbin meant I have dedicated this to the Lord. That's what it meant. So if I was to go in Jewish tradition here in what Jesus is saying, if I was to say I have aged parents, and I won't say tonight if my parents are aged or not are aged, that's they can make that decision, okay? Moving on, okay? But what I'm saying is if I was to go to my possessions and I would say Corbin over that, what Jesus is pointing out here is saying, I have dedicated all of what I own and what I have to the Lord so that upon my death, it'll go to the temple or go to the church house. He's, he's then saying when you do that, tradition says you are free from taking care of your parents. And what Jesus is teaching here, notice the wording here, he says in verse 6, "And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free by traditions. Thus have he made the commandment of God of non-effect by your tradition." Look at verse 7, what's he calling? "Ye hypocrites, ye hypocrites." Well, did Isaiah or Isaiah prophesy of you say, "The people draweth niant to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." What he's saying is here, he's saying your traditions have allowed you to be on an offense against the law and you're calling it okay because it's tradition within your society, within your group, within your Jewish history, your Jewish traditions there. Everybody follow me now? Okay, so again, what he's saying here is it's your responsibility to take care of your parents, but they would say, you know, all of what I own belongs to God and I will give it to God when I die and therefore they were saying, now I don't have a responsibility to my parents anymore. And Jesus is saying you're a hypocrite and you're breaking the law of God. That's what he just said. Now notice what the text says here, verse 9, "But in vain they do worship me teaching for doctrines the commandment of men." Do you see now and understand why their view in Jesus is kind of the liberal of the day? Because they've got a way and they've got a way of life that's been going on for generations and they've got not only the law of God, the Mosaic Law, but they've got traditions upon that and a way of doing things that has laid out for years and years and years and they're saying, "You're breaking that." And he said, "No, I'm not breaking the Mosaic Law. You are. It's your traditions that you're accusing me of, not the law." Folks, I want you to consider that, that we're talking about tonight because we can be guilty of the same thing. Let's know what this word, the Bible says, what God's word says and know what it says exactly and not what we've just assumed it to say or allowed a preacher to say and we've just grabbed it without checking the word of God. Let's be cautious on that, because it's real easy to get behind somebody that's energetic and that preaches and can wax eloquent and believe and take in all that and it be tradition or opinion or preference and not be the commandment of God. Tonight, I'm asking for you to grab the meat of the word and receive what Christ is teaching us tonight. This is not for the fainted heart here. This is not for, it's not the milk of the word and this kind of preaching will offend people. You understand, if I was start calling out our tradition and saying what is preference versus what is doctrine, some of us are going to start getting offended. Wait a minute, that's been preached here for 40 years. But I ask us in our maturity as Christians tonight to take the word of God as it is and not just adding in tradition to it. Do you know how many years? I've told you this probably now 30 times, I'm going to say it again. You know how many years I heard preaching against the movie theater. My family doesn't go to the movie theater. That's a choice we've made and I'm not saying we never will or whatever the case is, different iMacs things and all that stuff. But I just think it's foolish from what it costs anyways. But I heard preaching against it. I mean I heard guys ripping and it might have been some good guys and they can preach, they can talk about their preference, that's no problem, that's no problem. But in my modern day, the movie theater, it doesn't apply anymore. Do you understand what I'm saying there? The Bible doesn't say thou shalt not go to the movies. But he does say don't set any wicked thing before your eyes. That's the principle and that's why guys preached against, why men of God preached against the movies. Because in the 50s and 60s, if you wanted something wicked, you had to go to the movie theater. But nowadays if you want something wicked, all you got to do is turn on the Xbox or the live stream or the Netflix or the peacock or whatever else you want to call it. That's all you've got to do or turn on the computer or open up a cell phone and you got wickedness right here. So I'm just I'm giving you an example by tradition we have preached against the movie theater. I believe we need to expand that and start preaching against all wickedness. If I'm going to be if I'm going to be complete and I'm going to be thorough on what I'm supposed to be preaching on, it shouldn't just be me up here ripping face about people going to the movie theaters. Amen. That's traditional preaching and it was right for a time. Everybody with me on that? There were some preachers that fought some hard battles in the 50s and 60s and 70s. There was a lot of there was a lot of wickedness going on in this world that was coming away from some things that we had always known and all the sudden you got free love and and all this stuff and you're going out here. There was a lot of filth and guys had to pick some that's where fundamentalism came around in the 30s and 40s and 50s because you had some guys that had to take some hard stances about what the Bible teaches and what is right. I don't disagree. I'm not here to bash any preacher that preached hard on these things because they had to take a stand in their day for a reason. But I am saying that is that that something like the movie theaters is traditional and it's not exactly what the Bible says but I can take a principle out of the Bible and I can apply it where it makes sense for my family. Does everybody follow me on that? This is the mean of the word kind of preaching. I'm not I'm not as your preacher tonight. I do not wish to offend you. I do wish us to learn the word of God for what it is but at the same time please please you take something like a movie theater and let me not cast judgment and bash somebody for choosing something that the Bible doesn't say thou shalt not. Everybody okay? Why am I going to criticize a family that chooses to go to a movie theater and watch a cartoon and now there's a lot of garbage coming out of cartoons anymore but let's just get off of that bandwagon but anyways moving on okay but why would I criticize somebody that chooses to go to that and watch this thing when I know right well that there's a lot of Christians that are choosing some of the lot worse garbage at home and nobody's knows about it so let's just be let's be consistent in our preaching and know what we're doing and know that we're we're being real and not put down a facade if I can say it that way put down a facade notice they get offended look at verse 10 and he called the multitude and said unto them here and understand not that which goeth into the mouth to follow the man but that which come out of the mouth this to follow the man verse 12 then came his disciples and said unto him knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying do you understand what I just said is offensive to some folks I don't know I don't know who is related and all to all the preachers that have preached years and decades against the movie theater but that's offensive to some folks because that traditionally they've heard that for so many years I don't mean to be offensive but I do mean to be real and consistent in what we're preaching from behind this sacred desk and if I'm going to preach against something like a movie theater then I ought to be preaching against live stream TV right now and I got the foot up on that one okay bless God amen because there's a lot of filth and we know that yeah folks God's just stern in me a little bit here but let's just deal with the real practical things and fundamentalism right now this is me to the word kind of stuff what is the biggest debate and the biggest thing in fundamentalism for all throughout excuse me all throughout time of my life in every fundamental church I've ever been into what's the biggest debate and the biggest thing that's I don't know about that and all this and we're to get cast in judgment and everything else you know anybody want to help me tonight close pants on women biggest debate I've ever heard in fundamentalism I've seen people split ways and everything else on this thing everybody is there okay that I'm talking about that tonight everybody okay with that okay what's the Bible say Deuteronomy chapter 22 verse 5 it says a man shouldn't wear a woman's garment and a woman shouldn't wear a man's garment does it not say that okay I'm four skirts on women I'm four ladies looking modest and looking appropriate but I'm four men looking that way too I'm for it it is my preference that in the minister it's my preference in the ministry here that ladies that are serving have skirts on addresses on amen that's traditional in our society and in this church I'm for it but there's some people that believe that verse means and their conviction there is I need to wear a skirt and there's other people that believe that's not what it says you with me you follow me tonight on this thing follow me now I'm not trying to hurt you and I'm not trying to go soft on you and I'm not trying to lead you straight I am trying to bring out the Bible and what it says and it seems like everywhere I've been in my whole life and any fundamental church I've ever been in four or five six different ones it seems like the biggest debate and I don't believe why does it have to be the biggest debate do you believe this yes or no amen stand for it do you believe that yes or no well then stand for it but don't take what you believe according to the word of God and cram it down somebody else's throat and call them a sinner because they think something different now you all know you've never seen my wife in a pair of pants I can't believe we're going around this right but lords just bringing it out tonight you know that you've never seen my wife in a pair of pants that's our that's our what we've chosen for our home and that's okay that's okay but can I tell you tonight because Bible the Bible doesn't say thou shalt not wear a pair of pants it's okay that you believe something different wait a minute I can't believe he's saying that I can't believe I did don't run out of here tonight and say Pastor John just said we can wear prancing bus guard and all this stuff don't you ladies go home and shake your finger in the faces of all the husbands and all this stuff tonight I'm saying determine what you believe based on scripture go back and read it and find out what it says I believe the Bible focuses on modesty I believe in New Testament and Old Testament focuses on modern you know I've heard people I've heard men preaching against shorts on men now I don't come to the church and and goof around with shorts on men or goofing around and sure excuse me backing up I don't come to the church here and I'm not working in shorts you understand but sometimes when I'm playing with my kids and I'm having a good time I got some shorts on the Bible doesn't say anything that it's wrong for me to wear a pair of shorts but I've heard men preach it you with me you follow me now I've heard men preach it I've seen basketball teams and all this because their preacher says it's wrong and it's sin help me here doesn't the Bible talking about girding up your loins for a time of war does it not say that girding up your loins literally they took that outer robe and they tied it up so that they could go to war and they had freedom not this big outer rope you understand what I'm saying is be cautious about tradition versus commandment of God I'm asking you tonight to be cautious on that I'm not telling you to back away from your convictions that you've held for years but I'm also saying that let's quit taking our nose up at people that might be a little bit different than us that right there is sin and I can say that sure from scripture that when you know it's listen here you know it is when you get on there and you're looking at pictures of what some family did and while they were on vacation and you know right well that you go to all them laser and pants babe do you believe what did you just saw it there listen what that is not your business and it's not mine you know whose business that is that husband and that wife before God that's whose business that is I'm getting a little worked up now it's hot up here I'm telling you what okay some of you all that's convicted about having this on the platform this might just come off I don't know it's getting hot this coat so I'm talking about okay simmer down simmer down okay move it on but listen here listen here now watch this now let's be cautious about tradition versus what God says and let's be cautious about our personal convictions and it's okay for the Woolard family to draw a line here and it's okay if it's within the law of God for another family to draw the line here but as long as you know what you believe based on scripture you can stand on it and by follow me now I have heard men preaching about what my wife should wear in our home and my friend daddy is sin right there on your part do you understand that the Bible says the marriage bed is undefiled and what my wife chooses to wear in our home is is private for us and and and some men telling my wife what she ought to wear I've seen people I've seen men in churches approaching other women about their makeup that my friend is wrong get at get your nose out of that business that's between that couple and God traditions get us in trouble and Jesus here is looking at the liberal as a liberal because they're not following he's not following their traditions so be cautious that we as God's people and I know this sounds like soft preaching but I'm gonna tell you what I believe it's lining up with what Jesus was saying right here this is me to the word stuff and people that we have a tradition as Shenandoah or Shenandoah words Shenandoah nights we have a tradition let's be cautious that we know what is doctrine and what I should preach and get off the jam my preference and my tradition down everybody's throat and I understand tonight that I'm going to get 15 emails and I understand tonight that my next next week is going to be with a bunch of meetings I can't believe you preach that I'm saying let's take the word of God to where it is that's all I'm saying and we're real good we're real good about cutting fellowship and turning our nose up at people that don't line up with us and shame on us for that leave them be Jesus said leave them be now I as your pastor I'm supposed to preach the word as it is I'm supposed to preach all of it and if it doesn't line up with all your traditions you'll have to forgive me on that but I've got to stay faithful to God I have to stay faithful to God now we go back to this and I know some of you still got your feathers up and you're all wrinkled up about this pants thing listen you you have to decide husband and wife what is right in your home and what you believe about Deuteronomy 22 5 and all the other scriptures in the New Testament talking about modesty you know what men it used to be a thing where we didn't have to talk about it much but it's coming back and we're going to have to talk about it before I was born basketball shorts were way up here and then when I was in school it was all cool down here and if you had anything higher then you were the uncool guy but you know what's coming back it's all getting hiked up again we need to find out what the Bible says about being modest it's time to start excuse me now it's time to start preaching about maybe maybe about men being modest again because I don't see anywhere in the Bible we're we're come on now we're tight jeans fits into that that we're we talking about our day are we not but I do see where Isaiah talks about showing off the thigh and he calls it nakedness let's take the Bible where it's at let's let's read what God said amen and not our traditions now your tradition for your home is fine let us not let me not as a preacher portray my tradition onto the church like it's like your sin and if you don't take my tradition that's all I'm saying tonight I believe that's what Jesus is trying to get at they're coming after him on tradition he says what's the what's the law say what's the law say please don't leave here tonight manage your preacher please don't get all up in a fuss and tell him that and say well preacher said this and bless God I'm going off and doing that and everything else I'm saying let's let's read the word of God and let's be kind to people let's be kind to people amen and let's get off of Facebook not I can you understand what I'm saying okay let's get off of criticism criticizing everybody on Facebook that's what I mean by that do you know that people have criticized Shenandoah for things that we have chosen to do here and literally before the right before I go to do something preach a message I've got people coming to me and saying this church is saying this about Shenandoah I don't care you with me can I can I say it in my trying to be kindness trying to be kind I don't care what somebody's saying about us on Facebook right before I go to preach now if I need to get right with somebody I want to do that but what their opinion is about us you understand and what we're putting a Christmas tree on the platform or having a having a Easter bunny or a sandy clothes hanging around I mean Ralph we love him and we just got to accept him okay moving on okay you understand what I'm saying but some folks get all bent out of shape about that stuff praise the Lord for liberty that God teaches in the Word of God that a local church needs to do right before God and lead them the way the Holy Spirit leads and not based off of running a church what everybody else in the world thinks it's not my job to impress a college it's not my job to impress another pastor it is my job to make sure God is pleased with me and this church amen I know I'm getting a little worked up tonight it's 7 15 and we got to shut her down but Jesus here is trying to teach us the tradition of man is not the priority we've been we've been looking at we've been looking at the king and Matthew and I'm going to give you the title really as we're finishing up here but our Lord is righteous not religious excuse me our Lord our king that's what we've been focused on our king right every chapter we've seen a king our king is righteous not religious when I see that and you say well what about James chapter one pure religion is this and I understand that but most of what we see in religion today is man-made traditions of men and what what I can say tonight is our king is righteous not not just religious I believe he wants me to end right there let's let's pray Lord we love you tonight and I thank you for what you've taught us from scripture Lord there was so much more than I thought that you might want to bring out tonight but you didn't and Lord I want to thank you for teaching us thank you for mature Christians tonight and Lord I just want to thank you for the liberty that you give in in in Christ Lord I thank you for the liberty you've given us may we do right may we take the word of God as it is may we preach it as it is may we teach our families as it is and Lord individual preferences and traditions and our families are okay and we see that in scripture thank you for allowing me as a father as a husband as a patriarch really of my family that I can draw the line and create the fit put the fence where my family needs it to be Lord I am so thankful for the line that you have given my family I'm thankful that Lord that my my wife and in a skirt Lord has caused so many times conversations in stores and given us able ability Lord to witness to folks and be a testimony for you but Lord I'm thankful for the folks that are just as godly and just as much as a witness that don't choose that that that tradition that preference and and go that line but I want to thank you for the liberty that you've given us in the word of God and thank you that the word of God says what it says and I ask you tonight to help us please help us to be true Christians true people of God and and not be judgmental of everybody and not get all hate hating and spreading all this out but God help us just to be shining lights in this dark world bless this invitation and help us tonight please would you stand with me tonight