Pastor Allen Victor presented a message from Matthew 15:1-20 titled From Tradition to Transformation. He began by challenging the mindset often found in churches: “We have always done it that way.” Using the example of Harry Randall Truman, who refused to leave his home near Mount St. Helens despite repeated warnings and ultimately perished when the volcano erupted, Pastor Allen illustrated the danger of resisting necessary change. He explained that when traditions are not grounded in Scripture, they can become dead religious practices that hinder spiritual growth rather than encourage it.

Examining Matthew 15:1-2, Pastor Allen explained how the scribes and Pharisees criticized Jesus’ disciples for violating the traditions of the elders regarding ceremonial handwashing. While some traditions can be beneficial, Jesus confronted the danger of elevating human traditions above God’s Word. He pointed to Matthew 15:3-6, where Jesus rebuked the religious leaders for using tradition to avoid God’s command to honor and care for their parents. The message emphasized that rules may modify behavior, but they cannot transform the heart.

Pastor Allen highlighted that traditions can be valuable when they remind us of God’s work, provide spiritual guardrails, point people toward the Lord, and support biblical truth. He cited examples such as Thanksgiving, reading the Christmas story before opening gifts, Passover, Hanukkah (John 10:22-23), and Communion. However, traditions become harmful when they lose their meaning, become burdensome, elevate human rules above God’s commands, or replace dependence upon the Holy Spirit. He reminded the church that a tradition is not bad simply because it is old; it becomes dangerous when people forget why they practice it.

The sermon encouraged believers to guard against dead religion by gleaning from traditions while leaning on Scripture, keeping Jesus at the center, continually asking why they do what they do, and changing methods, when necessary, without changing the message. Pastor Allen discussed worship styles and noted that many songs once considered contemporary are now viewed as traditional hymns. Drawing attention to the biblical call to sing a new song, he encouraged believers to celebrate what God is doing today while still learning from the past.

Continuing through Matthew 15:7-14, Pastor Allen explained Jesus’ condemnation of empty worship. Quoting Isaiah through Jesus’ words, he warned that people can honor God with their lips while their hearts remain far from Him. The greatest danger of tradition, he noted, is that it often looks right on the outside. Jesus desires both clean hands and a transformed heart. Through the parable in Matthew 15:10-11 and Jesus’ explanation in Matthew 15:15-20, the congregation was reminded that true defilement comes not from external rituals but from the sinful condition of the heart.

Pastor Allen compared the heart to a tea bag, explaining that pressure reveals what has been steeping inside all along. When life places a person in hot water, what emerges exposes the true condition of the heart. The message concluded by emphasizing that traditions can influence behavior, but only Jesus Christ can transform the heart. True transformation occurs when the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make the man of God more like the Son of God for the glory of God. Believers were challenged to examine the traditions they practice and continually ask whether those traditions are drawing them closer to Christ or merely becoming religious routines.

This message was shared at Calvary Chapel West Jacksonville, under the leadership of Pastor Allen Victor.

Scripture References: Matthew 15:1-20, Exodus 30:17-21, John 10:22-23.

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