Mark - The Gospel of Jesus Christ : Son of God | Mark 7:14-23

Introduction

Explanation: Last week we dove into chapter 7 and we saw the Pharisees confront Jesus of His lack of following their traditions.

Then we saw Jesus confront them because of their Pharisaical belief that if everyone did follow the traditions like them, that made them not a spiritual.

As we continue into verse 14, we see Jesus calling the crowd to himself and explaining that spiritual defilement does not start on the outside, it starts on the inside.

V.14-17, The Disciples Were Confused

Explanation: But the disciples didn’t understand what Jesus was talking about.

In fact they did like most of us do when we don’t understand something: they put on a good face, and then when they got alone with Jesus they asked what He was talking about.

Application: I love the disciples because they are just like you and me.

So often we lift them up as super Christians that lived unattainable lives, and we forget they were just normal people like you and me.

I’m grateful Jesus didn’t call the super spiritual to follow Him, because I wouldn’t have made it.

I’m grateful He didn’t require you to be of superior intellect, because I wouldn’t have made it!

I’m thankful He didn’t require you to be of a beautiful appearance, because then Isaac wouldn’t have made it.

No Jesus’s disciples, the one’s that were closest to Him, they often times just didn’t get what Jesus was saying.

We’ve all undoubtedly been there when we were reading our Bible or maybe we heard someone say something and while at first we may have smiled in agreement, the truth was we had no idea what was going on!

I’m thankful when those times come, we can do just like what the disciples did: We can ask Jesus.

Illustration: When I was a teenager, there was a guy in our church a little older than I was named Kory Feree.

“What does this verse mean”

Application: Christian, can I encourage you to dive into God’s Word!

When you don’t understand something, before you ask the Pastor or before you pick up a commentary, ask the Holy Spirit to show you what it means.

Listen, I don’t have a corner on the Holy Spirit and on the Bible, and it overjoys my heart when some of you have shared how the Lord has spoken to you from His Word.

There is just something special when the Holy Spirit opens your eyes to truths in Scripture.

Explanation: The disciples, just like us, were confused, and so they asked Jesus “What did your Word mean?”

V.18-19, Jesus Dismisses Pharisaical Practices

Explanation: Jesus gives vivid demonstration to refute the Pharisaical belief that spiritual defilement came from what you put in your body.

Don’t forget the context, the Pharisees had accused Jesus and His disciples of defiling themselves spiritually because they didn’t wash their hands in ceremonial fashion before they ate.

Jesus puts it on the bottom shelf for His disciples to understand.

He said the food you eat, whether with washed hands or with unwashed hands, cannot defile you spiritually, because food doesn’t go to the heart.

Illustration: My kids have a book about the human body they love to read, and it goes into great detail to explain what happens to the food we eat.

Explanation: I wont give additional details because Jesus did a great job explaining this process in v.19.

Application: Now, understand what Jesus did say and what He did not say.

He did not say you can eat whatever you want without consequences.

This is not a passage to justify your gluttony or to ease your conscience about alcohol and other things, the Bible has plenty to say about that.

What Jesus was saying is that to pride yourself as being more spiritual because you follow a man made, Pharisaical tradition of eating with washed hands is exactly that, Pharisaical.

While eating without washing your hands may be gross.

While there are some things that are not good for you to eat.

While eating certain things may be culturally unacceptable

They do not spiritually defile a person because that goes to the belly and as Jesus says, “and goeth out into the draught.”

But then in verse 20-13...

V.20-23, Jesus Points to the Heart of the Problem

Explanation: Jesus points to the main problem in every persons life and that is that “the heart of the problem is a problem of the heart!”

Listen at this point and time, Jesus was no longer addressing the Pharisees

He wasn’t speaking to the crowd following Him.

He was speaking to His disciples!

Because it’s easy to point out the outward Pharisee

It’s easy to find the casual follower

But too often it is the closest disciples that dismiss the sins in their heart, and that is truly what defiles them.

Illustration: It was Jesus’s disciples who would debate who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven

It was Peter who when Jesus told him that Peter would deny Him, he said, Matthew 26:35

Matthew 26:35 KJV 1900

35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

It was Judas who wasn’t even saved and would betray Jesus.

It was the disciples that Matthew 26:56

Matthew 26:56 KJV 1900

56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.

Explanation: Yes Jesus was telling this to those that were the closest followers, because while most weren’t involved in outward Pharisaical lifestyles, all of them would “defile” themselves when they didn’t deal with their heart problems.

Application: Do you want to know why you slip up and say those things you wish you could take back.

Do you want to know why those thoughts about what that person did to you come rushing back when you hear their name?

Do you want to know why you can’t seem to get victory over your sin.

It’s because you have a dirty heart.

Jeremiah 17:9

Jeremiah 17:9 KJV 1900

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Proverbs 4:23

Proverbs 4:23 KJV 1900

23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.

We all love v.6 when we apply it to the Pharisees.

But the truth is that verse is just as applicable to the disciples as it is to the Pharisees.

We aren’t under the bondage of religious traditions, and there is incredible freedom in understanding that.

But just because you may not be an outward Pharisee, doesn’t mean the heart is clean.

In fact Jesus lists off a host of sins that a Pharisee for the most part would have nothing to do with, but too often it is found in the life of Christians! v.21-22

Illustration: Just this week I was speaking with a good friend of mine and the issue was brought up about some of the “so called men of God” that it was discovered they were in gross sin!

I’ve watched as pastors I was influenced by, ruined their families with adultery and fornication

I’ve known believers who were once committed to Christ, who have taken another person’s life.

I’ve seen Christians fall into the trap of these sins Jesus mentioned.

And as my friend asked the question how did these men and women of God end up in these gross sins, friend I knew the answer because it’s found here in Mark 7: Their heart was defiled

And what is on the inside always comes out!

Matthew 12:34

Matthew 12:34 KJV 1900

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Application: You see, you don’t wake up in bed one day with someone that isn’t your spouse.

David didn’t just take the Uriah’s life one day and become a murderer

Solomon didn’t just wake up one day with 700 wives and 300 concubines

And you wont just wake up one day in some gross sin!

It will happen because your heart got dirty and rather than dealing with it, you just covered and excused your sin!

Proverbs 28:13

Proverbs 28:13 KJV 1900

13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

“You see while a Pharisee takes away the power of God’s Word by adding to it, you have taken away from the power of God’s Word in your life because you’ve ignored it!”

Christian, Follower of Christ, Disciple… How’s your heart?

Has it gotten a little defiled? Impure?

Have you excused your “little sins”?

Can you even hear His voice any more?

Anyone can play the spiritual game… but you haven’t fooled God!

1 Samuel 16:7

1 Samuel 16:7 KJV 1900

7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Jeremiah 17:10

Jeremiah 17:10 KJV 1900

10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Psalm 51:17

Psalm 51:17 KJV 1900

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Psalm 139:23-24

Psalm 139:23–24 KJV 1900

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

Christian, I’ll join you on the front lines of condemning Pharisaical, heretical, tradition based religion!

But may we not condemn the outward Pharisee, while having a Pharisaical heart!

So what do you do with this message today? Two things:

Be careful of what you put in your heart

Keep your heart, Guard your heart!

Ephesians 6:14

Ephesians 6:14 KJV 1900

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

Consider what is coming out of your heart

Are you living with a defiled heart?

You can fool me, and you can try to fool yourself, but you’ll never fool God!

This morning, why don’t you humble yourself and walk out of here with a clean heart before God!