TEN CHARACTERISTICS OF A TRADITIONALIST
TEXT- MATTHEW 15:1-14
INTRODUCTION
DURING THIS TIME OF YEAR MANY OF US WILL BE INVOLVED IN DIFFERENT KINDS OF TRADITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE HOLIDAY SEASON.
DURING THANKSGIVING MOST OF US WILL PROBABLY EAT TURKEY AND OTHER FOODS THAT ARE TRADITIONALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS HOLIDAY.
AFTERWARDS MOST OF THE MEN WILL PROBABLY LEAN BACK IN THEIR EASY CHAIRS TO WATCH A COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME ON T.V. OR TAKE AN AFTERNOON NAP.
DURING CHRISTMAS THERE IS THE TRADITIONAL EXCHANGING OF GIFTS AND STILL ANOTHER BIG DINNER AND FOOTBALL GAME.
SOCIOLOGISTS SAY THAT ONE OF THE KEY REASONS FOR STRONG FAMILY UNITS WITHIN MANY SOCIETIES IS LINKED TO ESTABLISHED FAMILY TRADITIONS.
SPIRITUALLY, TRADITIONS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN OUR LIFE ALSO.
A. 2 THESSALONIANS 2:15
B. 2 THESSALONIANS 3:6
C. 1 CORINTHIANS 11:2
THERE ARE TIMES HOWEVER WHEN TRADITIONS CAN BECOME A DETRIMENT TO THE CHURCH AND CAN HOLD THEM BACK IN THE FURTHERANCE OF THE GOSPEL
THIS EVENING OUR TEXT IS FOUND IN MATTHEW 15:1-14 AND THE TITLE OF MY MESSAGE IS, "TEN CHARACTERISTICS OF A TRADITIONALIST".
AS WE LOOK CLOSELY AT THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE WE SHOULD ASK OURSELVES THIS QUESTION; "IF JESUS WERE HERE TODAY, WOULD HE SAY THE SAME THING TO US THAT HE SAID ON THIS OCCASION?"
IF WE WERE PERFECTLY HONEST WITH OURSELVES I BELIEVE WE WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT HE WOULD FIND JUST AS MANY TRADITIONS TODAY AND JUST AS MANY PEOPLE BOUND BY THEM AS WAS IN HIS DAY.
TODAY WITH MANY OF THE LORD'S CHURCHES WE FIND THOSE WHO WANT TO SERVE AND WORSHIP GOD ACCORDING TO TRADITION.
SOMETIMES THESE TRADITIONS HAVE EVEN TAKEN THE PLACE OF DIVINELY REVEALED TRUTH.
AS A RESULT, TROUBLES ARISE AND OFTEN TIMES EVEN BREAKS IN FELLOWSHIP.
TODAY WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME THAT PAUL SPOKE OF WHEN HE SAID THAT THERE WOULD BE THOSE WHO "HOLD TO A FORM OF GODLINESS, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE DENIED ITS POWER".
TO THIS PAUL ADDED, "AND AVOID SUCH MEN AS THESE". (2 TIM. 3:5)
WHILE THERE NEEDS TO BE FORM AND ORDER IN OUR SERVICE AND WORSHIP, WHEN THESE TAKE THE PLACE OF THE LEADERSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND GOD'S WORD, WE HAVE THEN GONE TOO FAR.
THIS EVENING I WOULD LIKE US TO EXAMINE THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE AND LOOK AT TEN CHARACTERISTICS THAN CAN BE SEEN WITHIN PHARISAICAL TRADITIONALISTS.
HERE IN THESE FIRST FEW VERSES WE FIND THE OCCASION SURROUNDING OUR TEXT.
IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER (14) WE FIND JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES ON THE SEA OF GALILEE (GENNESARET) COMING TO LAND.
IT WAS ON THIS OCCASION IN VERSE ONE THAT WE FIND SOME PHARISEES AND SCRIBES COMING FROM JERUSALEM TO JESUS.
WHO WERE THE PHARISEES AND SCRIBES?
THE PHARISEES WERE THE LARGEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL RELIGIOUS SECT WITHIN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES.
IN KEEPING WITH THE DEFINITION OF THEIR NAMES, THE PHARISEES WERE KNOWN AS THE "SEPARATISTS" AND "PURITANS OF JUDAISM"
THEY WERE THE TRADITIONALISTS OF THEIR DAY AND TIME AND EVEN TODAY NEARLY 2000 YEARS LATTER THEY ARE STILL CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH TRADITIONALISM.
THE PHARISEES WERE SUCH STICKLERS WHEN IT CAME TO THEIR TRADITIONS THAT THEY EVEN CONDEMNED JESUS FOR HEALING ON THE SABBATH.
IN GENERAL THE WERE THE WORST TORMENTORS JESUS EVER HAD.
THEY WERE ALWAYS READY TO CONDEMN HIM FOR THE LEAST THING HE DID WHICH DID NOT GO ALONG WITH THEIR TRADITIONS.
THE SCRIBES WAS ANOTHER SECT THAT WAS CLOSELY CONNECTED WITH THE PHARISEES, BECAUSE THEY WERE THE ONES WHO INTERPRETED THE WRITINGS OF THE LAW, WHICH THE PHARISEES SOUGHT TO KEEP TO THE LETTER.
WHY DID THESE PHARISEES AND SCRIBES COME TO JESUS?
WITHIN THE BIBLE WE FIND SEVERAL REASONS WHY PEOPLE WOULD COME TO JESUS.
SOME CAME THAT THEY MIGHT BE FED WITH FOOD- JOHN 6:26
SOME CAME THAT THEY MIGHT BE HEALED FROM THEIR DISEASES- LUKE 9:10,11
SOME CAME TO HIM BECAUSE THEY WERE CURIOUS.
SOME CAME TO HIM BECAUSE THEY HAD HEARD ABOUT HIS FAME.
SOME CAME TO HIM IN ORDER TO BE SAVED AND FORGIVEN OF THEIR SINS.
OTHERS THOUGH, LIKE THE PHARISEES AND SCRIBES CAME TO TRY TO TRAP HIM WITH THEIR QUESTIONS.
WHAT WAS IT THAT PROMPTED THE PHARISEES AND SCRIBES TO ASK JESUS THE QUESTION FOUND IN VERSE 2?
HOW DO I KNOW WHEN I AM BEING A TRADITIONALIST?