Honoring God With Our Hearts

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What are some of your favorite traditions, and why?
Can you think of traditions that started with noble/good purposes that eventually left their original purpose?
What are some church traditions or practices that have found their way into many churches? Likewise, what are some traditions or practices that you personally hold to in your Christian walk?

In verses 6-7 Jesus says “This people honors me with their lips but their hearts are far from him.” He goes so far as to say that their worship is “in vain.” Why? What was his issue with their practices and/or worship that he would go so far as to label it vanity, and why should that concern us?
In verses 8-9 he says that they “leave” the commandment of God and even “reject” the commandment of God, preferring rather to “hold to the tradition of men.” What does he mean, and why is this so important for us to understand?
“There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” This is a key doctrinal point that Jesus is making. What is that point, and how should this point direct us to the Gospel...over and over again?

The Pharisees and scribes were somewhat blind to their hypocrisies as it related to their traditions. In what areas are we prone to having blind spots with our traditions as well (as a church or individually)?
How can and should we regularly re-calibrate these traditions back to the person of Jesus (as a church body, within our families and community groups, and/or as individuals)?
What is God teaching you and saying to you in this passage?

Reset Your MindGuest UserOctober 28, 2018