Table of Contents s476

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Disciple Magazine, Vol. 6, #4, 4/21/2014—Printer-Friendly Version

Table of Contents:

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Disciple Magazine, Vol. 6, #4, 4/21/2014—Printer-Friendly Version

Legalism vs. Authentic Faith: A Contrast - - - - -1

Enjoying Life Is Not a Sin ------3

How to Love Your Mother ------4

Exegetically Speaking------5

Words to Stand You on Your Feet ------7

Living out the Living Word------8

Following God ------10

Points to Ponder ------11

Jewels from Past Giants ------12

Counselor’s Corner ------14

The Story behind the Song ------15

Church Builders ------16

Advancing the Ministries of the Gospel - - - - 16

Marks of the Master ------18

Book Reviews------18

News Update------19

Sermon Helps ------21

Puzzles and ‘Toons ------23

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Disciple Magazine, Vol. 6, #4, 4/21/2014—Printer-Friendly Version

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Legalism vs. Authentic Faith: A Contrast

By John Meador

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Disciple Magazine, Vol. 6, #4, 4/21/2014—Printer-Friendly Version

Originally published in Pulpit Helps in two parts, May and June 2002.

The Gospels record a number of confrontations between Jesus and the Pharisees. These altercations were rooted in the conflict between their “kingdom of legalism” and the true Kingdom of God. As self-proclaimed guardians and keepers of the Law, the Pharisees wrongly believed they had a corner on the Kingdom of God. They were so presumptuous that they added 619 different commandments to the Ten Commandments. In addition, they added 358 prohibitions regarding the Law, including 39 different additions to just the Sabbath law.

From the time Jesus began His earthly ministry, the Pharisees were opposed to Him. In Mark 2:7, they ask, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” In Mark 2:16 you find them criticizing Jesus for eating with the tax-gatherers and sinners. In verse 18 they ask. “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” In verse 24 the Pharisees say, “See here! Why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” In Mark 3 we find the worst of the confrontations, when Jesus comes into the synagogue again. In these verses we will discover the distinctions between the counterfeit and the genuine Kingdom of God.

The story of the man with the withered hand in Mark 3:1-6 is, in reality, about legalism. The real story is the conflict between the Pharisees with their legalism and Jesus Christ with the new kingdom principles. Legalism is all about what is on the outside, while Jesus was concerned about what was on the inside. The Pharisees were about ritual; Jesus cared about relationships. You find those opposite extremes whenever you see conversations between the Pharisees and Jesus, but this is the clearest scriptural example I have found which explains what authentic Christian living is—what we are to be about.

Let’s make the contrast clear. First, legalism is unmoved by Scripture and moral reasoning. At the end of chapter 2, Jesus begins to reason with the Pharisees about the Sabbath. Notice, in verse 25, He appeals to them on the basis of Scripture: “Have you never read what David did…?” Then in verse 27, He appeals to them on the basis of moral reasoning: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Consequently, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Incredibly, they were unmoved by either appeal. Legalism is always like that. These Pharisees exemplified the mindset that says, “When I get my rules all in an order, when I get my thinking all figured out, I’m not going to be moved by anything else, whether it’s Scripture or moral reasoning.” In the case of the man with the withered hand, Jesus found that they have not changed one bit as a result of His words.

There’s something symptomatic of spiritual death when we are unmoved by Scripture. I’ve heard people say, “Well, I know that’s what it says, but this is what I really believe.” That’s a dangerous place to be, where you’re not even moved by the Word of God or the moral reasoning of Jesus Christ. Yet that’s where these men were. They were so set in their ways that even the Son of God could not gain a hearing. They were determined, resolute, and confident that they had all the answers. Legalism is unmoved by Scripture.

Second, legalism has its eyes on man and has forgotten about God. Mark 3:2 says, “And they were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath….” I’ve always thought that when you come into a house of worship, you come to look for God. We come to praise the Lord, to lift His name up, to worship Him, and to engage in a relationship with Him. The Pharisees, who were the experts of religion in their day, came not to look at God but man. In their eyes, Jesus was a mere man and they came to watch what He would do. Their purpose in the house of worship had nothing to do with God, but to condemn the One that wasn’t like them. That is what legalism does. Legalism sets up a complex, outward system of laws that is used to judge others. You end up evaluating all others around you instead of looking to God.

There’s a third principle here: legalism is eager to calculate and condemn. Mark 3:2b says, “…in order that they might accuse Him.” The Greek word “accuse” is where we get our English word “categorize.” They were categorizing Jesus, stereotyping Him in a negative way. They were saying, “We have our set of rules about religion, and Jesus doesn’t fit the mold. He’s not keeping the Law in the way we want Him to.” We often do that kind of thing with people, even when we don’t mean to. We categorize them because they don’t look like us, or because they don’t do everything exactly like us. There’s no freedom in legalism. Legalism is calculating and condemning, putting down even God’s Son!

Notice another glaring problem: legalism has no answers for serious questions. In verse 4, Jesus reasons with them: “‘Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?’ But they kept silent.” Make note of this! It’s the first time on record that the Pharisees kept silent. The verb here expresses the thought that they “kept on being silent.” They couldn’t come up with an answer. These men, who added 39 laws to the keeping of the Sabbath and considered themselves the keepers of the Sabbath, couldn’t even answer a question about whether to do good, or to do evil, on the Sabbath! That’s a picture of legalism. Legalism doesn’t think through what’s behind the law, but simply takes the letter of the law and does not discern the spirit of the law! The Pharisees were so busy defending their system that they would not even reason with someone concerning the purpose behind that very law.

One final thought on legalism. Legalism condemns its own deceived followers. Verse 6 says, “And the Pharisees went out and immediately began taking counsel with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.” The very guardians of the Sabbath law were breaking the Sabbath worse than anyone else could possibly have done! They were so worried about all their precious interpretations of Sabbath laws—yet, on the Sabbath, they were plotting to murder the Son of God. That’s how deceptive legalism is.

It’s a great paradox, but it’s easier to keep law than it is to maintain a relationship. It is into that legalistic environment that Jesus came. And here, perhaps more than in any other passage of Scripture, we find Jesus demonstrating the principles of authentic Christian living—what believers are to be about. The Pharisees were focused on ritual, while Jesus came talking about relationships.

First of all, He shows that we are to love our enemies. Mark 3 says, “…He entered again into the synagogue….” Jesus knew the Pharisees were waiting on Him everywhere He went, and every time He had something to say. Yet Jesus persevered, even going to the people who hated Him the most. Matthew 5:44 tells us what to do about our enemies: “But I say to you, love your enemies...and pray for those who persecute you.”

Do you have any enemies like Jesus did? Jesus didn’t call them His enemies, but they certainly considered Him their enemy. Do you know anybody that constantly criticizes you, condemns you, and accuses you? You can never seem to live up to his or her standards. Is there anybody in your life who hates you with a passion and desires to see you hurt? What do you do with people like that? If you’re letting Christ live through your life, you love them! Why? So Matthew 5:45 can be fulfilled: “...in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven....”

The second principle is in Mark 3:4. Jesus calls the man with the withered hand up in front of them all. “And He said to them, ‘Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?’ But they kept silent.” Put that in principle form and here’s what you’ll find: Kingdom living involves finding and doing what is right. God has given us so many different avenues by which to find right. For instance, the Christian has a moral map called Scripture. The Christian has a moral compass called the conscience, which enables us to know what is right or wrong. Finally, the Christian has a moral guide, called the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes into our lives and He leads us. He shows us what is right and what is wrong. We can know the right thing to do and we can do it.

Verse 5 contains an example that illustrates a principle: “And after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’” Here we see a picture of Jesus’ anger, and in that that picture we understand that we must be angry over wrong. Some would say you’re not supposed to be angry about anything, but there are many different kinds of anger. When you look at the anger of Jesus Christ, you notice it was never anger in retaliation. Jesus’ anger was always directed toward moral wrong. He exhibited anger when others were hurt as a result of some action. The Pharisees were a classic example of those hurting people by their rigid legalism, and the Bible says that Jesus was angry with them: “…After looking around at them with anger, He was grieved at their hardness of heart.” Anger is what a good man feels in the presence of stark evil.

There’s something wrong if stark evil is in our presence and we’re not angry. Ephesians 4 is Paul’s account of what we are to do with anger. In verse 26 he says: “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” There’s a difference between being angry and acting angry. Someone said, “Anger against wrong is a sign of moral health.” If we are able to see a horrible crime against another and not be moved, there’s something spiritually unhealthy about our lives. Jesus’ anger burned for the moment, but grief over their hearts was what He carried away.

Also, we should show mercy in the face of hostility. Mark 3:5b says: “…He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” Ministry costs something. It cost Jesus. Verse 6 says that as a direct consequence of what Jesus did in verse 5, the Pharisees began to conspire to put Him to death. Ministry cost Him His life. It will cost us. It may cost us popularity, or how people receive us at our workplace, or in our family. It’s always right to minister, no matter what it might cost us. There are those in other parts of the world who will tell you that to open their mouths with the name of Jesus Christ is to put a death sentence over their heads. But they do it anyway. Why? Because it is what God wants them to do. They recognize that ministry costs and yet it’s worth it.

Finally, authentic kingdom living attracts people in need. Mark 3:7 says, “And Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude heard of all that He was doing and came to Him.” People walked more than 100 miles just to be in the presence of Jesus.

I look at that and think, “Where has the church erred?” Why neglect the powerful ministry principle here? The power of Christ’s ministry is a pattern for the body of Christ. Today there are churches taking their ministry pattern from everywhere except Jesus Christ. They’re taking it from modern-day business practices or from churches that seem successful. Yet here we have a tremendous example showing that when we minister in authentic Christian living, God draws people from all around.

How must we live in order to captivate the hearts of people so that they would go any distance to be near? We must live and teach as Christ did!

John Meador is senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Euless, Texas.

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Enjoying Life Is Not a Sin

By Shea Oakley

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Disciple Magazine, Vol. 6, #4, 4/21/2014—Printer-Friendly Version