The Snare of Keeping the World’s Traditions
Bless our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who have given us abundant spiritual blessings and a ministry to serve the house of God. In the power of the Spirit, this is a rework of an older study that retained a little bit of leaven that has now been removed. Some brethren need to hear this message, and we pray that the Lord imparts needed understanding and faith.
Keeping days, times, months, and years is a gigantic custom and tradition of the world. There is to be no such tradition in the house of God, as the Lord’s people do not partake of the customs and traditions of men. Many honor Christ with their lips, but their hearts remain far from the commandments and only vainly worship Him, holding to man’s traditions. Hear the words of the Lord.
Mar 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Mar 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Mar 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. [birthdays, anniversaries, holidays]
Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
We all start at this place of bondage, separated from Christ and as the Lord begins to draw us near to Himself, we remain as children still in bondage to these worldly traditions.
Gal 4:3 Even so, we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
The Lord made all things, even the lights and celestial objects in the physical heavens, for the purposes cited early in Genesis. These celestial objects determine days and times in the physical world.
Gen 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
The keeping of days, months, times, and seasons was made for the people of the world and not for the people of God. They were given to the world to worship as gods while they await the appearing of Christ in the appointed time.
Deu 4:19 NLT And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don’t be seduced into worshiping them. The LORD your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth.
But now that Christ has come and is drawing us nearer, the times of ignorance and winking at our immaturity and rebellion, still engaging in worldly practices, are over. The kingdom of God is now at hand.
Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:
Those who are Christ’s are commanded not to partake of these days and worship any of the world’s gods, which includes keeping days, months, times, and years. Those altars and covenants that the world makes are to be destroyed from our lives as they become a snare and a trap, keeping us focused on worldly things.
Deu 7:5 But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.
Exo 23:33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.
Israel is commanded not to be observers of time. Such things are an abomination to the Lord. We are to live every day to the Lord and not be observers of times, which is likened to witchcraft and is an abomination to the Lord.
Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
Deu 18:12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
The Lord has not changed, and His commandments require that His people be separated from all the things the world loves, as the Lord separates people unto Himself. The world loves to keep days, times, and years; it is preoccupied with them almost daily. We cannot be friends with the world and friends with God at the same time.
Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
In order to be healed, we need to stop engaging in worldly practices and refrain from partaking in these sins.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
If we still love the things of the world, such as keeping days, then we can be sure the love of the Father is not in us, and we need to repent.
1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
Seemingly small matters, like keeping days, separate the people of God from those still in the world. Paul sharply rebukes the Galatians for entertaining false gospels that broadened their walk and had them again observe days and times. This is returning to the world from which the Lord has delivered us by receiving His Gospel.
Gal 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
Gal 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Gal 4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
Gal 4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
Suffering for Christ
To follow the Lord, we need to become dead to the world. This is what it means to pick up our cross and follow Him. We cannot follow the Lord in Spirit and Truth unless we suffer.
Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Without suffering, there is no shedding of blood; the old man stays alive, and we remain far from knowing the Lord and receiving the Promise. We can no longer serve God and the things that the world esteems. The church of Christ is set apart, separated from the world, and does not partake in their traditions and abominable practices.
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
To become separate, we are going to be rejected by those in the world, hated by all men, and spoken evil of because of our stand for Christ. Yet we suffer these things willfully because we love God more than anything else.
Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
The Lord is a jealous God, and we must love Him more than anything else to follow Him. The way is narrow, and maintaining our good graces with men and avoiding persecution by going along with their keeping of days and times is disobedience to the Lord. It shows we are not following Him, only worshipping with our lips and not in our hearts. Obeying the Lord comes with a price to be paid.
Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
The cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ is that we must forsake all to follow Him. Nothing can be held back and elevated above obeying the Lord.
Luk 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
As ambassadors for Christ, we are strangers in a foreign land while we live out our days in the flesh. Ambassadors cannot do their job if they become entangled in the affairs of the land they have been sent to minister. We are not winning people to Christ by partaking of the world’s traditions and customs.
2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It is time to stand up for Christ and embrace the suffering and rejection of the carnal world. The Promise is not coming until we are washed in the Lord’s commandments, our baptism of John. Getting past the keeping of days and times is necessary to move onward to maturity in Jesus Christ.
Days, Months, Times, and Seasons are Everywhere
Partaking of worldly days and times keeps one focused on the world, and our hearts are far removed from focusing on treasures in heaven and the cross we carry daily. The old man must die for the new man Christ in us, to spring forth. Given the pervasiveness of day keeping in the world, it takes a conscious effort on our part to wage battle and win the war. We must speak up and let others know where we stand, Lord willing, with Christ. Here are the variety of days and traditions we can no longer participate in, being separated for the Lord’s purposes.
Religious holy days: There is nothing holy about any of them, be they Christian, Jewish, or otherwise. They all represent flesh and have nothing to do with the Living Christ, who commands us not to do these things.
Patriotic Days: Each country has its growing set of special days and holidays. Shunning them causes people to think you are strange, and they may even speak evil of you. Count it all joy when they do.
Special Days: Clever marketers have invented numerous days to honor and recognize certain people, groups of people, roles, and sexes to sell products and services. The list is endless. We are to have nothing to do with any of them; they are only a snare.
Birthdays: Birthdays are ingrained in the culture of every society and nation. We are to celebrate the Creator, not the creation.
Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
The only examples of birthdays celebrated in the Bible resulted in [spiritual] death.
Anniversaries: Marking anniversaries has expanded beyond just wedding days to include all kinds of annual remembrances. Do not partake in any of them; pay the cost and follow Christ.
Standing in the Truth Brings Persecution
The world hates Jesus Christ’s narrow ways and commandments to not partake of the world. You can be sure that when one makes a stand on days and times, persecution will come from those we interact with in the world, including our families.
2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
People will naturally begin to separate from you when you stand for Christ on the keeping of days. This is a good thing, as the church truly is to be called out and separated. It is a good sign when the world rejects us and speaks evil of us, as it is a sign that we belong to the Lord and that we should rejoice.
Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
We rejoice when we suffer for obeying the Lord and are no longer troubled by how the world judges us.
1Pe 3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
When we are given the faith to stand firmly on keeping all days, months, times, and seasons, it marks a key milestone in the Lord’s bringing salvation through many trials. We have shown a willingness to pay the price and follow the Lord, and He will bless us, increase our faith, and give us more overcoming [rulership of our earth].
Mat 25:21 His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
Do not expect the world to understand why we obey the Lord and not engage in their customs. They cannot understand, as the Lord has blinded them. We do not judge them outside the household of God as the Lord judges them.
1Co 5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
We wait on the Lord to draw them near and open their eyes and ears to receive the truth.
Bearing the Weak
The weak in the faith are not allowed to bring in disputes about established doctrines, but we need to trust the Lord and let Him work His work in our brothers and sisters that He has already ordained. We tolerate the weak in the faith, but not in disputes about the doctrine and the commandments. The strong give the weaker the truth, the Gospel, the commandments, and we encourage them to stand, strive to obey, and wait for the Lord. The keeping of days comes to an end.
Rom 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Rom 14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
We should always be ready to answer and teach the truth of the Lord’s more excellent way. We long-suffer in waiting for others to be brought along by the Lord. Yet, we must always warn and admonish them that their disobedience does not bring a blessing and hinders the Promise, the Holy Spirit, from coming and abiding with them. If we are still keeping days, times, months, and years, we are NOT doing the will of God.
Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
We must obey God and not men. The obedience of the mature sets the example others see and learn to follow. In due time, this light into the world is seen by those whom the Lord is drawing; thus, they are drawn to our light.
1Co 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
The way of the Lord is narrow, and few there be that shall find the way. The Lord is mighty in battle, and if you believe, He will see you through the fight, and victory is ensured. Do not shrink back into the false peace of continuing the world’s traditions of keeping days, months, times, and years. Be alert and beware of these traditions.
Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.