Sunday, July 5, 2020 :: YouVersion Event

1. So far in the gospel of Mark, much of Mark’s material focuses on what Jesus did.

2. From this point forward in Mark’s gospel we see the popularity of Jesus begin to decline.

3. The word “tradition” is used six different times in this passage.

4. Mark 7:7 is the key verse that will help us unpack this section:

“They worship me in vain;

their teachings are merely human rules.”

Biblical Legalism is:

Treating certain standards as regulations which are kept by your own power in order to gain favor with God

Creating certain codes of conduct that go beyond the teaching of the Bible and making conformity to these codes critical to being a “real Christian” or part of the group

Legalists are aggressive

Mark 7:1 NIV

Matthew 23:13-15 NIV

Legalists look for lawbreakers

Mark 7:1-2 NIV

Mark 7:3-4 NIV

Luke 11:46 NIV

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

Legalists like to sound spiritual

Mark 7:5 NIV

You received Christ by walking an aisle and you begin to think that every service should have an altar call.

God blessed your heart through a particular song or a type of music, and you think that real worship is found in those songs or style.

You’ve been blessed by using a particular method or content for studying the Bible, and you begin to talk in such a way that everyone has to study the Bible like this.

God showed up in a particular area of ministry and you think that everyone has to be involved in that ministry if they are really going to serve the Lord.

Legalists have a disconnection with true spirituality

Mark 7:6-7 NIV

Legalists have an unbalanced focus

Mark 7:9-13 NIV

First, if we are more prone to think of someone else as we went through this section rather than ourselves, we might be a legalist or at least on our way to becoming one.

Secondly, we must constantly be on guard for the subtle seeds of legalism that creep into our hearts. We must pray daily that we’ll be righteous and not religious.

Mark 7:14-23 NIV

The heart of the problem is the heart!