THE COLLISION OF RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS
OR
A WARNING TO SIN NO MORE
SUNDAY MARCH 3, 2019
Scripture To Consider:
“The Jews [Jewish religious leaders] said to him who was cured [at the pool of Bethesda], ‘It is the Sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.’ He answered them, ‘He who made me well said to me, “Take up your bed and walk.”’ Then they asked him, ‘Who is the Man who said to you, “Take up your bed and walk.”?’ But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.”
“Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.’ The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who made him well. For this reason, the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.”
“But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father has been working until now; and I have been working.’ Therefore, the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.”
John 5.10-18
Something To Consider:
The original reason and concept behind the Sabbath as revealed in Genesis 2.2, was to provide one day in seven as a day of rest for the human body. The word Sabbath means a day of rest. Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, record the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God. God’s command to the nation of Israel was simple, “Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.” In other words, remember to rest, it does the body good!
The collision of Sabbath customs occurred when religious leaders began to add to God’s law, the many man-made traditions and religious but not spiritual customs. These religious customs increased the religious restrictions and heavy burdens upon the people of God. This was something God never intended but was instituted by the established organized religious system of that day and age.
Jesus, on the other hand, was more concerned about the well-being and spiritual condition of a person. Therefore, Jesus graciously sought out this one time impotent and powerless man and cautioned him by saying, “Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” Jesus warned him and all who will heed this lesson of a lifetime that sin has serious consequences here on earth, as well as in eternity. Therefore, let us sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon us, according to Jesus! That is extremely good and wise advice.
Something Else To Consider:
According to these so-called religious rulers of Jesus’ day, it was not lawful for a man to carry his bed roll or sleeping bag on the Sabbath, but it was lawful for them in their own eyes as official religious men to seek to kill Jesus on the Sabbath! Legalistic religion will spiritually blind an individual, a family, a congregation, and even a nation. It is Christianity under the influence of the Word of God that will bring divine deliverance to those held captive under religion’s bondage.
Does the seeking of Jesus to kill Him seem a little hypocritical to anyone else? Does the persecution of anyone attempting to make better the lives of other human beings seem reasonable to any average thinking individual? What Jesus accomplished in this man’s life was not sinful, but provoked the sin within these professional religious imposters, and caused their jealousy of Jesus to erupt into a volcano-like anger that eventually led to the death of Jesus!
In the life and ministry of Jesus, He has already addressed the subject of anger and murder in Matthew chapter 5. Jesus, in teaching His sermon on the mount to all disciples in every generation, declared, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother [or sister] without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.”
Murder does not begin with the wrongful shedding of innocent blood. Murder begins with the seed-like start of jealousy, hatred, and or bitterness in the heart toward another human being, which eventually leads to anger, which in many cases leads to murder and worse. Sin without repentance is continuous in its nature. Look at the corruption in any world government that requires more sin of covering up, collusion, and the wrongful art of deny, deny, deny! These are all clear and revealing evidences that the human heart is deceitful and wicked.
Something More To Consider:
These legalistic religious leaders saw Jesus as a threat to their authority. And there we have the real issue in a nutshell. And this is not an age-old problem that has been dealt with in the history of all civilizations around the globe and no longer rears its ugly head. Jealousy and envy of others and the fear of a loss of authority is a real threat to many low self-esteemed leaders within the military, political, financial, and God forbid, religious systems of the world in every generation and especially in this 21st century generation.
Therefore, these religious but not spiritual leaders sought insidiously to kill Jesus because He dared to heal a powerless man and to make him well on the Sabbath. His healing this man was to them an unexplained miracle, a mysterious working of power that threatened their religious existence. And the same true scenario continues to play itself out in every generation of religious but not spiritual leaders who have privately acquired a personal kingdom on earth.
These religious leaders seeking to destroy Jesus, had so burdened the people with their religious appearing rules and restrictive regulations. Therefore, Jesus later said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” And the people of His day knew exactly what He was declaring. As if to say, if our personal yoke is hard and our burden heavy, we may need to question whose yoke and burden it is. As the man healed on the Sabbath, let us find spiritual healing in Jesus, and be reminded to sin no more!
A Few Final Words:
Why would Jesus warn this most fortunate recipient of God’s mercy to sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon him? Think with me for a moment. If Once Saved Always Saved was a valid biblical doctrine, why would Jesus warn this man or any man, woman, and or young person to sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon them? Why would Jesus do that unless the collision of religious customs and harmful man-made traditions are completely false and extremely eternally dangerous!
Jesus reached out to this one-time impotent and powerless man this side of the grave in order to warn him to sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon him. What could be worse than living thirty-eight years with an infirmity that left you impotent and powerless to get help or to be cured? Could that which would be worse be an eternal punishment due to having continued to sin without restraint and without repentance?
Going to our grave deceived into thinking a Once Saved Always Saved most recent false teaching was true, is the worst thing that could and has come upon millions in every generation in the last 150-200 years. Again, we must ask ourselves why would Jesus warn this man or any man, woman, and or young person to sin no more if Once Saved Always Saved was a legitimate biblical teaching? The answer is, He would not warn us, unless the truth was and is that sin separates us from God!
The practice of sin has and will continue to guarantee our eternal access to heaven to be closed by our refusal to repent and our refusal to sin no more. True spiritual shepherds are willing to do all they humanly can to make others well, and yet, they are also willing to wisely warn them of eternal impending danger. This According to Jesus website was created to warn others of the approaching and impending danger. Therefore, be warned and be not deceived!
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, may we go and sin no more. And may we not be confused by the collision of man-made religious customs. In Him Always, Amen
According to Jesus 