My text, This Lord's Day, is from Mark 7, verses 1-13. And we will read the appropriate passages as we work our way through the sermon today. The Lord loves pure worship. and despises impure worship. When we address the matter of worship, we not only speak of who we are to worship, which question is answered in the first commandment in Exodus chapter 20, verse 3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. But we also Speak of how we are to worship the one true living God, which question is answered in the second commandment, Exodus chapter 20, verses 4 through 6. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments." What is here condemned And the second commandment by the Lord is not the mere making of a false god to worship, but rather, any invention or any innovation of man which he would offer to God as acceptable worship. For example, in Genesis chapter 4, we see this illustrated at the very beginning. When Cain brought to God and offered to God the fruit of his labor, his vegetables and fruit, and Abel brought one from his flock and shed the blood of this one and offered it unto the Lord, the Lord rejected the offering of Cain. He did not accept it. He did not regard his offering. not merely because he did not have faith, but also because he brought that which God did not approve of, that which God did not appoint. God appointed, though it's not mentioned specifically in the text, in Genesis chapter 4, that he had given them his revelation as to what to bring. Certainly God slew animals and clothed Adam and Eve. And perhaps that was the very revelation of God that was passed on to Cain and Abel, indicating that they were to shed blood. Or perhaps God gave them another revelation. But the fact of the matter is, Abel's sacrifice was accepted. And it says in Hebrews 11.4, By faith, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh." You see, he offered a more excellent sacrifice, and he was accepted on the basis of the gifts that he brought to the Lord, not a works righteousness, but the fact that he offered these gifts indicated a particular faith in God and in His Word, which was a justifying faith. Paul calls this type of worship, the worship of Cain, will worship in Colossians chapter 2 verse 23, that is, worshiping God by the will of man rather than by the revealed will of God as it's found in Scripture. Now, just so that we do not minimize the importance attached to the way in which we approach God in our public worship, it should be noted that the Lord himself declares in the second commandment, that those who worship him by means of the work of their own hands and minds shall incur the holy displeasure of a jealous God to the third and fourth generation, because by their presumptuous actions in offering to him worship of their own human innovation They are in effect saying, whether they mean to or not, they are in effect saying that they hate the Lord according to this Scripture. But those who keep His commandments in the way in which they worship the Lord shall enjoy the loving kindness of the Lord to thousands of generations, because by their actions, Just as by the actions of Abel, by their actions in offering to him worship which he has authorized, they are in effect saying that they love the Lord their God. As we, dear ones, see the second commandment, the Lord does not consider this a minor point, and neither should we, as we consider what is said there. It is not a minor point. Listen to the place which Calvin gives to the way or the mode in which we worship the Lord. This is taken from his work, The Necessity of Reforming the Church. Calvin says If it be inquired then by what things chiefly the Christian religion has a standing existence amongst us, and maintains its truth, it will be found that the following two not only occupy the principal place, but comprehend under them all the other parts, and consequently the whole substance of Christianity. This is a knowledge, first, of the mode in which God is duly worshipped, and secondly, of the source from which salvation is to be obtained. When these are kept out of view, though we may glory in the name Christians, our profession is empty and vain. After these come the sacraments and the government of the church. Dear ones, as we address today the issue of purity of worship, let us understand that we are not dealing with mere trifles of the faith. To the contrary, we are ultimately dealing with this question. Does God have the right and has He exercised the right to require of us worship that is limited by His own revealed will? The Lord Jesus, as we shall see from our text this Lord's Day, clearly affirms that God both has the right and has exercised the right to require the worship that we offer unto him. The main points from our text are these. Number one, the tradition of the elders upheld by the Pharisees, in Mark 7, verses 1-5. Number two, the commandments of God upheld by the Lord, in Mark 7, verses 6-8. And number three, the place where man-made tradition leads. In Mark chapter 7, verses 9-13. First of all then, the tradition of the elders upheld by the Pharisees. In Mark chapter 7, verses 1-5 we read, Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashing hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they washed their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, 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. Then when the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashing hands? After the Lord had miraculously come to rescue his disciples in the last portion of Mark, the sixth chapter, you remember there he walked upon the sea of Galilee. He crossed over and calming the storm to where they were struggling in that boat, rowing against the mighty winds and the waves. and appeared to them and brought peace and calm to that sea, showed forth his mighty power. He continued on with them in the boat to the other side, the western side of the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the region known as Galilee. As he did so, there came a delegation of Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem. And it would appear that they came not to inquire sincerely of him. It was not their motive to sit earnestly under his instruction and teaching and to learn as disciples at the feet of Christ. But rather, they came to find fault, so as to build, in effect, a case against the Lord Jesus Christ, which they would prosecute in time to come. In fact, in Mark chapter 3, in the previous portion of scripture which we have dealt with, we see that early on in the ministry of Christ, we find these words, And the Pharisees went forth and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. So this was all along their purpose. And whenever you see the Pharisees coming into the picture, it doesn't appear that they're coming to ask sincere questions, but rather to build a case which they will bring against him later on. Dear ones, it is one thing to hear in the preaching what appears to be contrary to God's word, and to approach the minister in meekness about the matter that you have a doubt about or a question about. It is an entirely different thing to lie in wait, looking to find fault in the sermon. It is to be pharisaical to come to worship with any other motive than to be taught by the Lord Jesus Christ through the faithful preaching of God's Word. The Pharisees noted that the disciples of Christ did not wash their hands before eating. Well, this was not so much a matter of good hygiene with the Pharisees, although that would naturally accompany the practice that in the course of pouring water over their hands that they would would in fact wash some of the dirt from their hands. But that was not the primary essence of the ceremony. This was in fact a ceremonial cleansing from any contact that the Pharisees, the Jews who followed these practices, had with one who might have been defiled, whether in the marketplace, whether walking down the street, whether in somebody's home, that they had come in contact with perhaps a woman on her monthly cycle, or a man with a running issue, or one with a secret leprosy, or one who had touched the corpse of a loved one, or the carcass of an animal, or even a defiled heathen. Any way in which one could be ceremonially defiled, the Jews, the Pharisees, the scribes, believed that in this particular ceremonial cleansing, before they ate, they would cleanse themselves from that defilement. As in most traditions instituted by man, this one had some relationship and bearing to the scripture. For as we look at Leviticus chapters 13 through 15, there we see that there are various forms of uncleanness that were addressed, some which I just mentioned. And in each case there was an outward cleansing, a form of cleansing through which the person who is defiled must pass. Usually it was a ceremonial cleansing with water. For example, in Leviticus chapter 14, verse 7. This addresses the leper who has been cleansed and healed of his leprosy. It says, And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. And so this was a ceremony sprinkling water upon the leper to indicate his cleanness. As well, not only the leper, but whatever might have a growth of some nature within the house which could not be specifically identified, that may be associated with some type of pestilence or something of this nature, there was a way of indicating that the house itself was cleansed. And we see again in Leviticus 14, verse 51, And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them into the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times. You see, the elders of the Jews taught that although God had Moses to record what to do when there was known defilement, as we have found in Leviticus 13-15, according to the elders of the Jews, the Lord had also spoken to Moses what to do when there is unknown defilement. But that had not been recorded in the pages of scripture. In the unknown cases, apparently, the elders of the Jews said God had given the proper directions on what directions to follow. And that's been passed on orally by tradition from the time of Moses till the time in which the elders have taught it forth. And that particular means is to wash one's hands before one eats. And again, the idea of washing one's hands would have the method or the mode of pouring water over the hands. It would probably have been almost unheard of in that particular culture to dip one's hands into a basin and wash one's hands. This is more our custom. Their custom would be more to take water and to pour it over their hands. That's why we find in the Old Testament passages references at the time of cleansing to running water. Well, they didn't turn the faucet on. How did they have running water? Well, they took it out of a vessel and poured water over the hands or over whatever was to be cleansed. This was the idea of running water or literally living water according to the original language. It was not only hands that were to be cleansed, the Lord says, but they were also using and cleansing cups and pots, brazen vessels and of tables, or literally their couches would be the dining couch around the table, where they would recline around the table. Now, it's interesting that here we find in verse 4, the word baptized used twice, used as a verb, first of all, and when they come from the market except they wash, they eat not. And then you find the noun form, washing of cups and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables or couches. There you find the noun form of baptisms. Here is again a case illustrating that it was not by means of immersion that washing and cleansing was taking place or practiced in that time, but by means of either sprinkling or pouring that ceremonially these things, these items, were cleansed. It's interesting that in Luke 11, verse 38, We find these words, I'll begin with verse 37. And as he spoke, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him, and he went in and sat down to meet. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed before dinner. That is, baptized, literally, before dinner. Was he amazed that he had not gone in and immersed himself in a tub of water? Was that what he was amazed about? Or was he amazed that he had not ceremonially cleansed himself by way of either pouring or sprinkling? Because that's the word baptized again that's used there. You see, this was the oral tradition of the elders. and that of the Pharisees and the scribes. They claimed that it was passed by word of mouth from Moses all the way until it finally was recorded by the great synagogue of the elders. Thus the tradition of the elders was viewed as equally authoritative as that of God's commandments in Scripture, which is precisely what the Romanist church presently teaches as to the immaculate conception of Mary, or the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven, and a host of many other false doctrines and practices found in the Roman Church. The Roman Church likewise claims that though you do not find these particular doctrines or practices taught in the scriptures, that they were given orally by Christ and the apostles and were passed on from Christ and the apostles until they were finally made known and declared to be the official doctrine of the church at some point in history. Now, this is not to deny that God did indeed give to his prophets and apostles words that were never recorded in Scripture. That is certainly true. In John chapter 20, verses 30 and 31, we read these words, And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in the book, But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name." And then again, in John chapter 21, verse 25, we again see that there are many things that Jesus did that were never recorded in the Scriptures. It says there, and there are also many other things which Jesus did the which if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. And then Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 15, Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle." So, these were inspired traditions. Tradition means to deliver over, to deliver up. And so, these were delivered up from God and some were given orally and some were written down. So not everything that was ever given to an apostle or to a prophet was recorded in the scripture. Does that support the Romish doctrine, the Romish teaching? It is simply, dear ones, to affirm that once the apostles died, There was no authoritative means of judging claims to oral tradition except by the supreme authority of Scripture. How will or how can we possibly know whether something has in fact been passed on from Christ to the apostles unless God tells us that's the case? The Word of God, since the time in which the apostles have died, the Word of God is that by which we must judge all of these things. In fact, even during the time in which the apostles and prophets lived. In Acts 17.11, the Bereans were commended for being more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica because they compared what the apostles were saying to the Scriptures. They took what the apostles said orally, by way of oral tradition, and compared it to the Scripture. So the Scripture becomes the touchstone, even as those who listen to the prophets and apostles, as to be able to confirm and to verify. what was coming forth from their mouth. Thus from authoritative measures to be taken in known cases of defilement found in scripture to authoritative measures to be taken in unknown cases of defilement found in the oral tradition of the elders This practice of washing the hands before eating gained a place as a sacred act of worship amongst the Jews. From that which was recorded to that which was not recorded, it came to have a sacred place in worship amongst the Jews. This is, dear ones, the very nature of tradition in worship. The innovation of man is instituted as a sacred act of worship which the Lord is supposedly obliged to accept because it proceeds from a sincere heart. As important, dear ones, as sincerity is in our worship of the Lord, we cannot worship the Lord in faith apart from or without His Word. without the Scriptures. Faith is not exercised in our sincerity, but in the revealed will of God. Thus, worship that does not rest upon the authority of God's Word is not worship offered in faith to God. It cannot be. If it is not based upon the word of God, it cannot be offered in faith to God. And without faith, Hebrews 11.6 says, it is impossible to please God. The words of that notable reformer of the true Christian religion in Scotland, John Knox, ring ever so clear in this regard when he says, Now, if you will prove that your ceremonies proceed from faith and do please God, you must prove that God in expressed words has commanded them, or else you shall never prove that they proceed from faith, nor yet that they please God. But they are sin, and do displease him according to the words of the apostle Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." It's from his works. Dear ones, the Lord here condemns all additions or subtractions of man as sacred acts of worship of which he has not approved in his word. It is imposing man's ideas and thoughts into worship. It is Arminianism in worship. That is, it is a man-centered worship if it is not based upon the authority of God's Word. How can we know that we are pleasing God by the acts we offer to Him if it is not based upon what He has revealed to us? We can never have any assurance that God receives our worship unless he reveals it, as he revealed that to Abel, because Abel brought a more excellent sacrifice than did Cain. And I dare say that such sacred acts of worship that are imposed merely on the authority of man, that are the work of man's hands into the new covenant worship of God, include the use of uninspired hymns, musical instruments, non-congregational singing, skits, dancing, and sacred symbols such as crosses in public worship, as well as the private countenancing of holy days or pictures of Christ. All of these, dear ones, I would submit to you are condemned by the second commandment and are condemned by the Lord's teaching here because they are the imposition and the institution of man, the work of man's hands within new covenant worship. And because these are a violation of the second commandment, I would submit to you that they may be called an indirect idolatry. Whereas a direct idolatry we may view as someone forming an image to a false god and bowing down and worshiping it. These other practices that have just been mentioned are nevertheless some form of idolatry. They are a violation of the second commandment. They are what I would call an indirect idolatry. Yes, direct idolatry is a more aggravated sin than indirect idolatry, or as some have called it, interpretive idolatry. However, idolatry, dear ones, in any form, is not to be excused or sanctioned by the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, for Jesus has commissioned his ministers to go forth teaching them to observe all things that he has commanded them. All things that he has commanded them, not things that they feel would be a good idea, not the works of their own hands or their own minds, but that which the Lord has commanded. The learned and godly Samuel Rutherford, Commissioner to the Westminster Assembly, has noted concerning indirect or interpretive idolatry this. He says, whoever presumeth to invent a worship of his own, committeth idolatry interpretively, because he worshipeth a God whom he conceiveth is pleased with false worship. But that is not the true God, for he is pleased with no worship but what he hath prescribed himself. But all inventors and practicers of human ceremonies worship such a God. Dear ones, it is the subtle scheme of the Romish harlot to lead Protestants back into her fold by means of imposing in worship that which man's authority has sanctioned rather than God's authority. It is happening before our very eyes. The longer that we watch the events, the course in which Protestant churches are going, the more we see that the very things that Rome introduced into the worship of God are being universally practiced by Protestant and even Reformed churches. Such as, again, the use of hymns, instruments, crosses, choirs, images of Christ, holy days, and on and on. May the Lord give us the courage and love for Christ and his people, not only to flee all idolatry, but also to warn others to flee for the sake of their own souls and those of their children. The second main point is this, the commandments of God upheld by the Lord. In Mark chapter 7, verses 6 through 8, 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. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups, and many others such like things ye do. The Lord took great exception to the rule of will worship that was instituted by the Pharisees, and rather declared the only rule to regulate sacred acts of worship by God's people are His commandments. God's commandments that are found in His written word. As applied to public worship, This has come to be known as the regulative principle of worship. Any other principle by which public worship would seek to be regulated, dear ones, is a sin and an error contrary to the moral law of God, which is found in the second commandment. Any other principle by which man would regulate The public worship of God is utter presumption on man's part, which is contrary to faith. The regulative principle of worship for the new covenant believer may be summarized in this way. What God has not authorized in the New Testament is forbidden in worship. That is not to say that we are finished entirely with the Old Testament. It is simply to recognize that the Lord administers his ordinances in the New Covenant differently than he did in the Old Covenant. For example, though God instituted the sign of the covenant by means of circumcision in the Old Covenant, now he institutes and administers that sign by means of baptism in the New Covenant. However, some of the Old Covenant ordinances I would also submit have remained the same in the New Covenant. For example, the use of Psalms in public worship. But how do we know it's remained in the New Covenant as it was in the Old Covenant? Well, because God reveals it to us that that is the case. In passages such as 1 Corinthians 14.26, Ephesians 5.19 and Colossians 3.16. But such old covenant ordinances that continue into the New Covenant, dear ones, are not silently implied, but explicitly stated. If there is silence in the New Covenant concerning a sacred a specific sacred act of worship. For example, the celebration of religious holy days. If there is silence about that in the New Covenant, we do not assume that we have the liberty to observe the holy days. Rather, we assume that because the Lord has done away, abolished the outward ordinances of the priesthood, of the tabernacle, of the temple, that we must look for the explicit, the specific statements by which we are to worship him in the new covenant. The silence of God means disapproval, dear ones, not approval. For we can only be certain of God's approval in worship by his word, not by our feelings. Here in these three verses, the Lord condemns the worship of the Pharisees on three counts. First of all, the worship of the Pharisees, Jesus says, was hypocrisy. In Mark 7, 6. 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. Jesus says they were merely going through the motions of worship. They were merely playing a role. They were good actors. They said many of the right things. But their heart was far from me. Their heart is not filled with faith, true saving faith. Their love for me is not present. It is merely a show how we must, beloved, guard ourselves that we do not fall into some similar type of pharisaical worship. It is foolish, dear ones, to pretend that we can come to worship the living God, whether secretly, whether with our families, or whether corporately. And that God will not see the condition of our hearts. That God will hide His eyes from the sins that are in our lives that we have not confessed. That He will not care whether we are indifferent or apathetic. That we have forgotten Him. And that we're just going through a routine. That would be foolish for us to assume or to pretend that that is the God that we worship. God is jealous for His worship, dear ones, to such a degree that He says that He will smite people to the third and fourth generation of them that despise His worship. God is not to be mocked. God is not to be considered as if he were just another man who cannot read your heart. He knows, he sees your heart as you approach him. Christ said in John 4 to the woman in Samaria, that true worshipers are those who worship God in spirit and in truth. That is, true worshipers come and they are filled with the Holy Spirit as they approach the throne of grace. True worshippers are not merely going through the outward actions conforming to the outward purity of God's Word and Law. True worshippers have a hungering and thirsting for God. They want to be near and to commune with the living God. Those are true worshippers. But they also worship in truth. They also have an outward conformity to the truth of God's Word as well. It is not either-or, it is both-and that constitutes true worshippers, dear ones. Dear ones, this is not a time for a show. This is the divine worship of the living God. Let us each week then prepare our hearts in order that we might glorify him and enjoy him together. The second count upon which the Lord condemned the Pharisees was this. The worship of the Pharisees was vain. In Mark 7 7. How be it in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments? of men." Jesus says, in effect, their worshipping is like speaking into the wind. Not speaking to anybody, but just speaking to the wind, and the voice travels wherever it will, but it doesn't go to the person to whom it is directed. Why is that the case? Why were they merely speaking into the wind? Because their faith was based upon the commandments of men. rather than upon the Word of God, the commandments of God. Creeds, dear ones, confessions, catechisms, directories, or citations from councils or individual divines are helpful and are a tremendous blessing to the church if they are used in subordination to Scripture. which is alone our infallible rule of faith and practice and our supreme standard by which we judge everything. Isaiah 8.20 says this all too clearly, To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light. in them. Dear ones, our worship is vain and useless like that of the Pharisees if our faith is in the Westminster Confession of Faith, or if our faith is in the Solemn League and Covenant, rather than in Jesus Christ and His revealed Word alone. If you are trusting that you will be accepted before the Lord because you are a member of the Puritan Reformed Church of Edmonton, or because you have been baptized, or because you have been approved to come to the Lord's Supper, your faith is in vain. For only Christ can make you acceptable before a holy God. The subordinate standards of this church are helps and aid to your faith in Jesus Christ. You are not to place your faith in them, but in Christ. They are for your well-being in Christ. They are not for your being in Christ. The third count upon which the Lord condemns the Pharisees was the worship of the Pharisees was robbery. Mark 7, verse 8. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men as the washing of pots and cups and many other such like things ye do. The Pharisees, there was robbed God, the Creator, of his divine majesty and prerogative in authorizing His worship and gave to the sinful creature the right that belonged to the Almighty God. Dear ones, to institute as a sacred act in worship that which is not authorized by God is in effect to attempt to push God off of His throne and to see oneself upon the throne, the divine throne. That's what is in view. When someone institutes something of man's innovation in worship, it is in effect to push God off of his throne and to place himself on that throne. When we think of it, dear ones, in that way, what audacity! What blasphemy to take such a bold and brazen step within the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is nothing less than the spirit of Antichrist to do so. According to 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 4, it is Antichrist, the man of sin, who is the papacy, who seeks himself in the church of Jesus Christ as the head of the church. He takes up that place as the head of the church, which belongs to the Lord Jesus alone. And for that reason, he is called Antichrist, the usurper, the one who seeks to rob Christ of his glory, of his majesty, of his prerogative, his power, his authority. And we do the same thing. when we seek to unseat the living God by instituting our own sacred acts of worship into the public worship of God. And in so doing, the ministers of Christ, the elders of the church, become the ministers of Antichrist. For we cannot use the authority of Christ against the truth, but only for the truth. So says Paul. in 2 Corinthians 13.8. George Gillespie makes it clear as to why the Lord condemned the ceremonial washings of the Pharisees here in Mark chapter 7, when he says, We read of no other reason wherefore Christ condemned them, but because they were doctrines which had no other warrant than the commandments of men. And he quotes the parallel passage in Matthew 15 9. Then he continues, for as the law ordained divers washings for teaching and signifying that true holiness and cleanness, which ought to be among God's people. So the Pharisees would have perfected the law by adding other washings and more than God had commanded. for the same end and purpose. Beloved, it is one thing to rob man. That's a grievous sin indeed. But to rob God of His glory is to become, as it were, the chief of sinners. And dear ones, we have done so. We have all done so. We have become, as it were, the chief of sinners because of the various sins we have committed against the living God in robbing Him of His glory. For we have robbed God of His glory by our conceit and our pride. We have robbed God of His glory by our discontentment, by our covetousness, by our unthankfulness. By our forgetfulness, by our unbelief and our worry, we have robbed God of His glory. We have sought to unseat Him off of His throne by our sins and to place either ourself or a circumstance or someone else upon that throne where He alone belongs. We need the forgiveness of God and thank the Lord that we have the passage that we find in 1 Timothy 1, where the Apostle Paul says in verse 15, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. In verse 13 he says, of himself who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious. Have you approached the Lord to seek his forgiveness for robbing him of his glory? It is easy to point the finger at those who may have corrupted the worship of God and to entirely miss the point that we ourselves need the forgiveness of God continuously in this matter. It is very easy to become self-righteous in these matters. May God have mercy upon us to be humble, to plead with our brethren who are in places where there is corrupt worship, and to recognize we stand only by the grace and the mercy of God ourselves. The third and final point is this, the place where man-made traditions lead. In Mark 7, verses 9-13, And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother, and whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corvin, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do aught for his father or his mother, making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered, and many such like things do ye. The tradition of the elders also taught that one could neglect even their parents who were in dire need by saying that something that belonged to them was Corban, was dedicated to God. And because it was dedicated to God, as long as they uttered those particular words, they did not have to give to their parents to supply their needs And they could take a long period of time in finally giving this particular gift to God. They could take years. They're benefiting, they're profiting off of this particular gift that they have refused to give because it's dedicated to God. And so it can't be used to supply the needs of their own parents. They have broken the fifth commandment. Honor thy father and thy mother. I would submit to you that the teaching, in summary here, as to what Christ is saying in this third main point, where all of this impure worship, instituting the traditions of man into worship, where does it all lead? This is where it leads, dear ones. According to Christ, if we dare to rob God, we shall also dare to rob our fellow man, even our parents, of their honor. What will prevent us from breaking the last six commandments if we do not have a zeal and a commitment and a desire to keep the first four commandments? There is an unmistakable connection between our practices in worship and our practices in our family, in our business, and in our civil affairs. For how a man worships, so he will live. how he approaches God in his secret worship, his family worship and public worship. He will live in front of his family, with his wife, with her husband, with their children, with their parents, with their business associates. There is a connection there that cannot be severed. A looseness in worship, dear ones, will manifest itself in a looseness in our ethical application of God's law in all other areas of life as well. If, however, we fear the Lord, our God, and love Him with all of our heart as we approach Him in worship, and bring before Him in heart, speech, and conduct only what He has authorized The same pattern will also be manifested itself in all the other areas of life of that particular person. He will manifest a faithfulness in his life. If he is faithful in his worship, he will be faithful in the other areas of life. If she is faithful in her worship, she'll be faithful in all the other areas of life. But if she is not, and if he is not faithful, there will be an unfaithfulness in the other areas of their life as well. Because the Pharisees disregarded the second commandment, and I close, they also disregarded the fifth commandment. Working from the other way, let me ask, What does yours or my practice outside of worship say about my practice in worship? When I counsel, and I know our elders as well, when we counsel and we see lives that are in disarray, one of the first things that we always are drawn to is to see whether or not they are truly worshiping the Lord, enjoying the Lord, secretly and in family and corporately. To go astray there, dear ones, is to set oneself up for great disaster, a great fall. For as a man worships, so shall he live. Please stand with me in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, Thou hast brought to bear in our lives this day our many sins The light of thy word, the light of thy countenance shines into our hearts and there is nowhere to run. For thou just come to us as thou did with Adam and Eve, saying, where art thou? Oh, Lord, our God. We do come before thee. In sincerity. In the integrity of our hearts, oh, Lord, we approach thee. and pray that Thou would have mercy upon us, that Thou would forgive us of our sins that we have committed against Thee and not worshiping Thee as we ought. O Lord our God, we pray that there would be manifested in our worship the gracious affections, the communion of the Spirit of God, enjoying the Lord Jesus Christ grieving over our sin that we might enjoy Christ. We pray, our Father, that Thou would cause us not to make worship a drudgery or a burden. O Lord, change and transform our hearts. Forgive us, O Lord, for our neglect, for our procrastination, for our making so many manifold excuses as to why we did not have time to worship Thee. the living God who has given us everything. O Lord, our God, have mercy upon our shameful souls. Give to us, O Lord, the grace to come to Christ. For, Father, as often as we draw from the fountains of mercy and grace and love that are found in Christ, Lord, we cannot make that flow any less. It is not minimized. O Father, we praise Thee that there is forgiveness with Thee and that where sin did abound, grace did much more abound. We are thankful that though we may be classified amongst the chief of sinners, there is forgiveness with Thee. And we do approach Thee this day through Christ, who is our righteousness. And we do pray that Thou would Strengthen our hearts that thou would renew our faith in our covenant That we might follow thee with all of our heart all the days of our life In Jesus precious name. Amen This Reformation audio track is a production of Stillwaters revival books You are welcome to make copies and give them to those in need SWRB makes thousands of classic Reformation resources available, free and for sale, in audio, video and printed formats. It is likely that the sermon or book that you just listened to is also available on cassette or video, or as a printed book or booklet. Our many free resources, as well as our complete mail-order catalog, containing thousands of classic and contemporary Puritan and Reform books, tapes, and videos at great discounts is on the web at www.swrb.com. We can also be reached by email at swrb at swrb.com, by phone at 780-450-4255, 3730 by fax at 780-468-1096 or by mail at 4710-37A Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6L 3T5. You may also request a free printed catalog. And remember that John Kelvin in defending the Reformation's regulative principle of worship, or what is sometimes called the scriptural law of worship, commenting on the words of God, which I commanded them not, neither came into my heart. From his commentary on Jeremiah 731, writes, God here cuts off from men every occasion for making evasions, since he condemns by this one phrase, I have not commanded them, whatever the Jews devise. There is then no other argument needed to condemn superstitions than that they are not commanded by God. For when men allow themselves to worship God according to their own fancies, and attend not to His commands, they pervert true religion. And if this principle was adopted by the Papists, all those fictitious modes of worship in which they absurdly exercise themselves would fall to the ground. It is indeed a horrible thing for the Papists to seek to discharge their duties towards God, by performing their own superstitions. There is an immense number of them, as it is well known, and as it manifestly appears. Were they to admit this principle, that we cannot rightly worship God except by obeying His word, they would be delivered from their deep abyss of error. The prophet's words, then, are very important, when he says that God had commanded no such thing, and that it never came to his mind. As though he had said, that men assume too much wisdom when they devise what he never required, nay, what he never knew.