True Defilement
Gospel of Mark: Jesus a life to serve • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 6 viewsIt's not the outside that defiles, it's the inside; so beware
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Tradition
Tradition
Jesus had been arguing about tradition (Mk7:1-13) and how we need to beware of allowing tradition to take same place or be elevated to the place of the Word and the Commandments of God.
Mk7:
6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. 7 ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’
Mk7:8
8 “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” 9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.
In our passage today Jesus is going to elaborate on true defilement. First to the crowd (Mk7:14-16) then to the disciples (Mk7:17-23).
We have the benefit of having the full counsel of God (Act20:27) we have the public and the private teaching of Jesus that we can learn about the source of defilement.
We will see that it is not the washing of hands that matters but the purity of one’s heart.
We have already seen the irrelevance of elaborate handwashing and the rigid adherence to tradition can be in violations to the law of God.
During the time of the Maccabees (the inner-testimonial period) in 1Mac1:62-63 and in 4Mac7 you can see to what extreme devotion to tradition was.
In 1Mac1 it is told of Antiochus Epiphanies was determined to rule out the Jewish faith, beyond defiling the temple with swine blood he tried to force the Jews to eat what was considered unclean according to Lev11 and the list of clean and unclean animals. Epiphanes demanded that the Jews were to eat pork, swine flesh, but rather than that, 100’s died rather than to be defiled by meats they were told not to eat.
In 4Mac7 there is a story of a widow with 7 sons, in their refusal to eat the swine, one one had his tongue cut out, then the ends of his arms, legs cut off. The next son had his hair and the skin on the top of his skull torn off. One by one all 7 were tortured as the mom cheered them on for staying true to the covenant and not being defiled.
Here Jesus is really going to rock their world by His statement and His teaching.
From Jesus remarks and teaching we know that the source of true defilement is not the food.
Defilement Source: Not the food
Defilement Source: Not the food
From the past under the old covenant, to the words of Jesus then and what was going to be under the new covenant we learn that the source of true defilement is not the food.
14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.
16 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable.
18 And He said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.)
What did you see, what did you notice, what sticks out to you?
Some history facts
In the beginning - seem’s man may have been vegetarian (Gen1:29-30)
29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.
After the flood, animals were given for food (Gen9:3-4)
3 “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. 4 “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
After the flood, animals were given for food (Gen9:3-4)
What did you notice in this passage, are there any restrictions? If so, what?
With the Law of Moses came dietary restrictions (Lev11:1-47)
With the Law of Moses came dietary restrictions (Lev11:1-47)
In Lev11, there is a very detailed list of animals, sea creatures and birds etc that were acceptable for food and unacceptable for food and it was not a choice.
45 ‘For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’ ” 46 This is the law regarding the animal and the bird, and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth,
47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.
So without a doubt there were some stringent dietary guidelines that were given to the children of Israel.
Some dietary facts, freedoms in the present
Jesus in general declared all food clean (Mk7:19)
Jesus also alludes to the source of true defilement (Mk7:14-16)
Jesus in His private teaching explains to his disciples (Mk7:17-19)
Jesus had cut to the heart of the matter by rejecting the piety, shallow as it was, of the religion leaders to their approach to the Word of God, Jesus is concerned about internal purity that brings true godliness.
Jesus is telling them that what truly defiles a person is the product of his own heart.
Keep in mind that while Jesus was alive there is no evidence that He violated any Law of Moses for He did not come to do away with, but to fulfill (Mt5:16-17). Jesus is teaching them what they were going to need to know when the law was fulfilled.
Now there were some exceptions to the dietary freedom as noted in the New Testament.
Things offered to idols (Act15:28-29; Act21:25)
28 “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”
Act15:28
and add to that one
25 “But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.”
So things sacrificed to idols, blood, strangled things were things to be avoided.
Things connected with idolatry (1Cor10:19-23)
19 What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?
23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.
Look at this last verse, what do you see, what do you notice, what can we learn from this verse?
Things that could be a stumbling block to others (Rom14:14-21; 1Cor8:8-13)
8 But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
1COr8
10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? 11 For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died.
12 And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.
Notice what it says in (v.13)! Don’t be a stumbling block to your brother!
Defilement Source: It’s the heart
Defilement Source: It’s the heart
Jesus in His statement and His teaching implies that our fellowship with God is not affected by unclean hands or unclean foods but by person sin that comes from within. The heart is the core for motivation, deliberation and intention. In this section He gives a list of behaviors and characteristics that come from the heart and it’s a hard list to look at.
20 And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,
22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
Mk7:22-23
What did you see, what did you notice, what sticks out to you?
Defilement of the heart cannot be cleansed by a fistful of water cupped in your hands.
____________________________
It all starts with evil thoughts, it is the root of various evils that come from within, from within the heart.
_____________________________
It all starts with evil thoughts. it is the root of various evils that follow according to the Bible Knowledge Dictionary. It says.
“Evil thoughts generated in a heart unity with one’s will to produce evil words and actions.”
______________________________________
Evil thoughts lead to adulteries (Mk7:21; Mt5:27-28)
Evil thoughts lead to fornications (Mk7:21; 1The4:3-5)
Evil thoughts lead to murder (Mk7:21; 1Jn3:15)
Evil thoughts lead to thefts (MK7:21)
Evil thoughts lead to covetousness (Mk7:22; Eph5:5; Col3:5)
Evil thoughts lead to evil acts (Mk7:22)
Evil thoughts lead to deceit, and even lewdness (Mk7:22; Rom13:13)
Evil thoughts lead to even more, envy, slander, pride and foolishness (Mk7:22)
_______________________________________
Evil thoughts lead to adulteries (Mk7:21; Mt5:27-28)
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Notice Jesus says it is a heart matter.
Evil thoughts lead to adulteries (Mk7:21; Mt5:27-28)
Evil thoughts lead to murder (Mk7:21; 1Jn3:15)
Evil thoughts lead to thefts (MK7:21)
Evil thoughts lead to adulteries (Mk7:21; Mt5:27-28)
Evil thoughts lead to fornications (Mk7:21; 1The4:3-5)
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
Evil thoughts lead to murder (Mk7:21; 1Jn3:15)
5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
Evil thoughts lead to thefts (MK7:21)
Evil thoughts lead to adulteries (Mk7:21; Mt5:27-28)
Evil thoughts lead to fornications (Mk7:21; 1The4:3-5)
Evil thoughts lead to murder (Mk7:21; 1Jn3:15)
15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Evil thoughts lead to adulteries (Mk7:21; Mt5:27-28)
Evil thoughts lead to fornications (Mk7:21; 1The4:3-5)
Evil thoughts lead to murder (Mk7:21; 1Jn3:15)
Evil thoughts lead to thefts (MK7:21)
Thefts would including stealing, borrowing without permission, pilfering, misappropriating and the like
We still are not though the list, and it is an uncomfortable list isn’t it? Maybe you don’t think about these things, but remember we are talking about it’s a heart matter that resulted in outward actions, deeds, but the evil in within the heart so even having the evil thoughts is not good.
Evil thoughts lead to covetousness (Mk7:22; Eph5:5; Col3:5)
5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Evil thoughts lead to deceit, and even lewdness (Mk7:22; Rom13:13)
No inheritance in the kingdom of God
Evil thoughts lead to even more, envy, slander, pride and foolishness (Mk7:22)
5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
We are to be dead to those things. The Spirit helps us to put to death those things (Rom8:13)
Evil thoughts lead to covetousness (Mk7:22; Eph5:5; Col3:5)
Evil thoughts lead to evil acts (Mk7:22)
Evil acts according to God’s standard
Evil thoughts lead to even more, envy, slander, pride and foolishness (Mk7:22)
Evil acts done with malice
Evil thoughts lead to thefts (MK7:21)
Evil thoughts lead to covetousness (Mk7:22; Eph5:5; Col3:5)
Evil thoughts lead to evil acts (Mk7:22)
Evil thoughts lead to deceit, and even lewdness (Mk7:22; Rom13:13)
deceit, acting with guile and intent to defraud
13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.
Evil thoughts lead to evil behaviors.
Evil thoughts lead to covetousness (Mk7:22; Eph5:5; Col3:5)
Evil thoughts lead to evil acts (Mk7:22)
Evil thoughts lead to deceit, and even lewdness (Mk7:22; Rom13:13)
Evil thoughts lead to even more, envy, slander, pride and foolishness (Mk7:22)
That is quiet a list isn’t it. Remember Jesus did not come to bring peace, but a sword (Mt10:34); a sword that cuts to the heart of the matter (Heb4:12)
While some may abstain from certain foods for health reasons, others by personal religious reasons, convictions, that are not because of the liberty we have in Christ.
From the Words and teaching of Jesus here today we know all food has been declared clean and what defiles a man comes from within, within the heart.
So we need to be careful what we allow into our hearts!
1 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.