WHEN DOES GOD'S WORD LOSE POWER?
Matthew 15:1-6 NKJV
1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
3 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' 5 But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God"— 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
Stay with me here. I am not trying to commit heresy. It was Jesus who told the Pharisees that they made the commandment of God of no effect. How is that even possible?
The scribes and Pharisees were, per their usual, taking issue with Jesus and His disciples. This time, it was the disciples' not washing their hands before they ate food. That may sound incredibly trivial to us today, but to these highly religious leaders, it was a major sin. But it was not a sin. Not washing before the meal was, in their words, the "tradition of the elders." These leaders did not say that it was a violation of God's laws. And once again, per Jesus' usual, He did not answer their question. I love that about Jesus. When people tried to pin Him down with questions, He would flip the script on them and start asking them questions. In this case, Jesus asked why they transgressed or disobeyed the commandment of God by their tradition. One of God's most important laws was to honor your father and mother. In a day with no social security, the children would often take care of aging parents. But the Pharisees came up with a new tradition. They were able to circumvent the law of honoring their parents financially by declaring that those funds were reserved for God. So, by their tradition, the Pharisees made God's Word of no effect. God's Word had no power because these Pharisees made their tradition more important than God's commandments.
APPLICATION
God's Word has power in our lives when we act upon it. When we ignore His words or place something else as a higher priority, then God's eternal living word has no power in our lives. Paul said the same thing when he stated in Romans 1:16 that the gospel is the power of God to those who believe.
We all know people who have heard the gospel; maybe they have even gone to church. But they never made Jesus their Lord and Savior. They heard the same word you heard, and yet God's word has no power in their life because they have not believed and acted on His word.
James instructed us to not deceive ourselves in James 1:22. He said, if we hear the Word and do not act, it does us no good. I know that sounds difficult to believe, but it was James who also said that the doers were blessed ones, not those who hear and don't act.
And as a third witness, remember that Jesus said if you came to Him and heard His words and did not act, you were building a house on the sand. The strong ones are the ones who hear and do.
It's doing God's Word, putting it into practice in our lives, that makes it powerful to us. When it becomes personal, by our actions, then it becomes powerful.
PRAYER
Lord, I believe You and I believe Your Word. Your Word forms the basis of my thoughts, words, and actions and Your Word is powerful in my life.