Mark 7:14-23 “After He called the people to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen [carefully] to Me, all of you, [hear] and understand [what I am saying]: there is nothing outside a man [such as food] which by going into him can defile him [morally or spiritually]; but the things which come out of [the heart of] a man are what defile and dishonor him. [If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”] When Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, “Are you, too, so foolish and lacking in understanding? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile and dishonor him, since it does not enter his heart, but[only] his stomach, and [from there it] is eliminated?” (By this, He declared all foods ceremonially clean.) And He said, “Whatever comes from [the heart of] a man, that is what defiles and dishonors him. For from within, [that is] out the heart of men, come base and malevolent thoughts and schemes, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, adulteries, acts of greed and covetousness, wickedness, deceit, unrestrained conduct, envy and jealousy, slander and profanity, arrogance and self-righteousness and foolishness (poor judgment). All these evil things [schemes and desires] come from within and defile and dishonor the man.”
Pastor Herk continues that in ways how we tackle the sin problem, the third is knowing what is truly clean and unclean in the eyes of the Lord. There are clear commandments of God in the Mosaic Law to abstain from. Jesus Christ in coming from Heaven to Earth has brought the kingdom of God to the world. The fully God and fully man Lamb of God, the Savior of the world and Lord of all, has arrived, fulfilled the Scriptures and changes took place as God’s people no longer needed to prepare for the coming Messiah. Salvation is here now for all people and nations; focus not on pure outside issues (like food), focus on a pure and godly heart inside (the kind of person you are). The heart is the center of the person.
Purifying the outside will not purify the inside of a person. If you put a suit on a pig, you’ll have a pig with a suit on that still wants to live in the filthy mud of a pig sty. But, purifying the inside (the heart) transforms a person’s mind, will and associated emotions with righteousness (to that which is right in the eyes of the Lord), then godliness and holiness flows from the inside out in pious and moral thoughts, words and actions. God said in 1 Samuel 16:7 “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, … For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” The Lord Jesus is saying that the heart is the control center of life; your whole inner person – who you are. The human heart is the location of true cleanness and also where true wickedness and evil flows from. Jesus plainly and clearly calls these sins of the heart out: For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, sexual immorality, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, envy, blasphemy, slander, pride, and foolishness.
Every heart is a fertile breeding ground for these sins – the sinful desires in the fallen nature of the flesh. Galatians 5:19-21 explains that, the practices of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity [fornications], sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), idolatry, sorcery [which is drug abuse], hostility [hatred], strife [contention for superiority], jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions [disagreements], factions [division that promote heresies], envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. They may be tempted or influenced by things outside of us, but are not caused by things outside of us; sin comes from within our heart. For example, the sinful existence of pornography is not the cause of sexual immorality. It is a symptom of what is in the human heart. Even without outside influence, the sinful heart would be drawn to thoughts, words and acts of sin in the eyes of the Lord. You cannot legislate morality with laws; they cannot and do not stop people from sinning. It requires a change of heart.
Jesus is radically stating that the problems with sin is not caused by our environment, but what is residing in our hearts. The culture, our friends and family influence us. A good upbringing by godly, moral parents, holy teachings in church and sound righteous teaching in schools influence us. But, it starts in our heart and we only get to the heart of our problem with sin when we deal with the condition of our heart. It is an inside out solution to the sin problem. Getting to the heart of the matter, it is an inward act that clears the issue. Galatians 5:22-25 states, “the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites. If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit].”
Sometimes, we fail to realize that the human heart’s condition remains the same, even when we have the right legislation, leaders, and correct information, the heart doesn’t change necessarily. The Christian faith has always taken an inside out approach to the sin problem and its correction. Christians have the Gospel, which is the power of God that changes hearts and accomplishes salvation. Jesus Christ saves us from our sin. We only get to the heart of the matter when we deal with the heart. The root problem with the human race is sin. If our greatest need was to have more information, then God would have sent us a teacher. If our greatest need was technology, then God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need was money, then God would have sent us an accountant. If our greatest need was pleasure, then God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was freedom from sin, so God sent us a Savior – Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and transforms the heart.
In Christ, Brian
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