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Introduction:
Psalm
73:27 is
pretty frightening. “For, behold, those who are far from You
will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to
You.” However, vs.
28 is comforting. “But as for me, the nearness of God is
my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of
all Your works.” Nearness to God is good. But those who are far
from Him will be destroyed. Certainly we can see how important it
is to be near God. But what does that mean? Jesus actually
addressed this with the Pharisees in Matthew
15:1-14. The Pharisees and scribes were walking a path of
destruction. Yet, they did not know it. It frightens me to think
of the number of people today who might be, walking the path to
destruction but not even knowing it. Let us make sure it is never
us. Examine this passage and see what it takes to be near God. Discussion: I.
It is not enough to be religious. A.
The scribes and Pharisees were extremely religious. They
were so religious they washed their hands ceremonially before
every meal. They read passages like Leviticus
7:21; 11:31-35; et al. They wanted to make sure they did
not make themselves unclean. What if they had touched a pot in the
market place that had a fly die in it? If they ate with unwashed
hands, that uncleanness would pass into them. Not to mention the
fact that there were probably unclean people in the market
(especially during the days of the Roman occupation). What if they
touched something that one of those unclean people touched, then
they put food in their mouths with unwashed hands? They would
become unclean. B.
These men were very religious. They were very much into
religious ceremony. They were very much into demonstrating their
devotion to God’s laws. The problem was, Jesus said their
worship was in vain because their heart was still far from God.
The sad fact is, we can be very religious, we can go through the
ceremonies of worship and devotion but that is not enough to be
near God. It is not enough to be religious; our hearts actually
have to be near God. II.
It is not enough to know the Bible. A.
The Pharisees and scribes knew their Bibles very well. In
fact, most of their many rules were loosely based on a passage of
scripture. Take the one by which they learned they did not have to
obey Exodus
20:12; 21:17. Jesus doesn’t quote the passage but He
alludes to it when He says the Pharisees say, “Whatever I have
that would help you has been given to God.” Leviticus
27 established the law of devoting things to God. Vss.
14-25 talked about dedicating a house or portion of a
field to God. The Pharisees knew about this chapter and twisted it
to mean they did not have to help their parents in their needs.
They knew about the verses that talked about unclean things. That
was why they developed their ritual of washing. B.
These men knew their Bibles. The scribes were so-called
because their job was to copy the Law of God. Despite having read
and known the verses, Jesus said their hearts were far from God
because they were only teaching the precepts of men. The sad fact
is, we can know the Bible, we can loosely tie a verse to
everything we do and still not be near God. It is not enough just
to have the word of God in our hearts; we actually have to have
our hearts near God. III.
It is not enough to have God on our lips. A.
The scribes and Pharisees talked a lot about God. They
talked about obeying God. They talked about being devoted to God.
They would stand in the synagogues and on the street corners to
make sure everyone knew how much they talked to God (Matthew
6:5). In a parallel passage in Luke
11:37-41, Jesus pointed out that while these Pharisees did
a lot on the outside that supposedly honored God, their insides
were unclean. B.
They were like the people of Matthew
7:21-23. From the outside it looked like they would be
with God forever. But they were not obeying God and would be cast
out. The sad fact is, we can talk about Jesus, we can talk about
God, we can talk about His Spirit, we can cry out our praises and
talk about His word and still not be near to God. It is not enough
to have God on our lips; we have to have Him in our hearts. IV.
It is not enough to follow those who are religious, know
their Bibles and have God on their lips. A.
The disciples became very concerned when Jesus said these
things. “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they
heard this statement?” they asked. Jesus responded, “Let them
alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man
guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” What was most
frightening about this scenario is the number of people who just
blindly followed the Pharisees. What would be their outcome? Would
they be let off because it was not their fault they were not near
God? Would God wink at their disobedience because they just did
what they were told by others who were supposed to be smarter and
better? B.
The sad reality is, we can follow people who look really
religious, who know their Bibles and have God on their lips and
still not be near Him. It is not enough to blindly follow blind
leaders; we have to actually follow God with our eyes wide open. V.
We have to actually have our hearts near to God. A.
Our
hearts are near God when we teach what God taught.
The main problem of the Pharisees, according to the quote from
Isaiah, was that they were teaching what had come from men. They
had developed their own traditions and their own teachings. Though
they started out with the Law of Moses, they twisted what they
read to justify what they wanted. All the while they made great
displays of spirituality. Sadly, they held a form of godliness but
denied its power (II
Timothy 3:5). Our hearts are near God when we actually
teach what God taught. When we work to learn what God meant and
teach only that, then we are near God. B.
Our
hearts are near God when we obey His word, His way.
Remember, the problem was not that the Pharisees and scribes did
not know God’s word. The problem was that they did not
accurately apply God’s word to their life. II
Timothy 3:16-17 says that God’s word can teach us,
reprove us, correct us and discipline us for righteousness. It can
make us complete in Christ. Whether we are talking about our
individual lives or congregational action, we need to be able to
anchor what we do in the authorization of scripture. We need to
make sure we are not twisting the scriptures. We need to make sure
we are not taking passages out of context. We need to make sure we
are not denying one passage with our mistaken view of another. Ezekiel
33:30-32 must not describe us. God’s message must not be
a sensual song, it must be a life-guide. C.
Our
hearts are near God when we are not allowing anyone to come
between us and God’s word.
We must not blindly follow the blind. One of the issues that most
concerns me in today’s religious world is how many people are
worshiping in churches with a book between them and God’s book.
I am not talking about lesson books in a Bible class that point to
the Bible. I am talking about written creeds that govern the
church’s work and worship. How many people today are in churches
based on the Baptist Church
Manual or the Baptist
Faith and Message Statement? How many are in churches that
follow the Baltimore
Catechism, Luther’s
Catechism or The
Westminster Confession of Faith? How many are in churches led
by The Book of Common Prayer
or The Book of Discipline.
I do not say these things to offend anyone. I am concerned that in
the churches using these man written creeds, the blind have begun
to follow the blind. I fear they will both fall into a pit and
simply wish to warn. Why not remove the blinders and simply follow
the Bible? Follow God and God alone, leaning on His word as you
grow in your understanding of it. Then and only then can we be
near God. Conclusion: Throughout this lesson, I have assumed your sins have already been washed away by Jesus’ blood. However, we need to back up and speak to those whose sins have not been forgiven. Hebrews 7:19 says we can only draw near to God through the better hope of the better covenant of Jesus Christ, enacted on better promises (Hebrews 8:6). Jesus is the mediator of the covenant. His sacrifice was the true sacrifice that really provides forgiveness of sins, without which we cannot draw near to God. Hebrews 10:10 says we are sanctified through the offering of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Therefore, if you have not submitted to Jesus Christ, follow what God revealed in Hebrews 10:19-22. Draw near to God through the blood of Jesus Christ, allowing His blood to sprinkle your conscience clean, while your body is washed with the pure water of baptism into Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 2:38). Without this, you may be very religious, know a lot of Bible and talk a lot about God, but you cannot come near to God.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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