Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a [person] can make [that person] ‘unclean’ by going into [the person]. Rather, it is what comes out of [the person] that makes him [her] ‘unclean’ . . . He went on: “What comes out of a [person] is what makes [the person] ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of [our] hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a [person] ‘unclean.’ ‘ ” Mark 7″ 14, 20, KJV.
Dear God, how grateful we are for Your Word that speaks of justice, and uprightness. Help us to always find our comfort in You, and in the study of Your Word. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Thank God for His Word, His precepts, His laws, that have been given to us, for our joy, our comfort, our cleansing, and our prosperity! How much suffering could be averted if we would go to God and to His Word for our answers to life’s difficulties! Instead, we try everything else; and when nothing works, then we go to the LORD. Today let us begin our search for some of the reasons why people seek the right things in the wrong places. For this, let us begin where all of our actions have their beginning:
In the mind. I am fascinated with the mind and the way it functions, as some of you may have already noticed! I found two definitions of mind on Dictionary.Com, that I would like to share with you: 1. (in a human or other conscious being) the element, part, substance, or process that reasons, thinks, feels, wills, perceives, judges, etc.: the processes of the mind. 2. Psychology. the totality of conscious and unconscious mental processes and activities. With these two definitions, we should have enough material for me to share with you some of the things that God has laid upon my heart. I believe that we do ourselves a great disfavor when we feed our minds with fantasies and imaginary situations, that, if they should come true, would not be good for us. In other words, if given the opportunity to make these things a reality, they would not contribute to our spiritual, physical, or moral, growth. They would not produce a lasting joy, or benefit, to those closest to us, or to ourselves, nor would they bring glory to God. I believe that is the reason Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, started His teaching by naming the things that are of true value. If you pay close attention, you will notice that they are all internal qualities: poverty of spirit, sorrow (most likely over wrong doing), humility, a longing for the right, feelings of mercy, purity of spirit (mind, innermost being), sharing peacefulness, calmness in the face of persecution. These are all virtues possessed by the inner-person.
Another item of interest is the statement Jesus made just before telling his audience what really constitutes sin, and where it begins. Listen to what He said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5: 20). What was it about the “righteousness” of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, that was barring their entrance into the kingdom of heaven? Perhaps these statements of Jesus will shed some light on the matter: “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. Everything they do is done for men to see . . . ‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. ‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness’ “ (Matthew 23: 1-3, 5, 25, 27, emphasis provided). Those are mighty strong words!
Jesus condemned the act of making their religiosity a show for people to see. When we worship just to be seen of others, it takes the importance away from the act of worship and places it on the audience. We are glorified in the place of God. But perhaps the greater danger is what takes place on the inside of the individual. When we sweep dirt under a rug to make the house appear clean, the dirt under the rug will keep increasing until the house becomes very unhealthy due to the accumulation of dirt. This could cause sickness and in severe cases, even death. In the same manner, when sin is practiced in the secret places of our lives, even though hidden from the eyes of others, it can create a very toxic spiritual condition, that could make us spiritually sick, and could even cause our spiritual demise.
We will continue this conversation!