HOW ABOUT YOUR HEART?
(Part I)
Mark 7:14-16
- There is an old Hymn that says:
People often see you as you are outside
(But) Jesus really knows you, for He looks inside
How about your heart?
Is it right with God?
That’s the thing that counts today.
“How about your heart?” what a sobering question! In verses 1-13 of this Chapter, there is a discourse between Jesus and some Scribes & Pharisees who had recently arrived from Jerusalem. These religious leaders confronted Jesus and accused His Disciples of eating with “unwashed” or “defiled” hands. Their concern had nothing to do with sanitation; they were offended that the Disciples did not observe a ceremonial cleansing that had been handed down from the elders. Jesus responded by confronting the hypocrisy of the Jews. He pointed out how they elevated their traditions to a level higher than God’s Word. After addressing their inconsistencies, He called the multitude together and began to teach about the importance of having a clean heart. Essentially, Jesus said “you may have clean hands and you may eat foods that are approved but how is your heart?”
In the same way, many people today focus on outward observances while failing to consider the condition of their heart. Perhaps some within our own assembly have this same incorrect focus. For that reason, I would like to walk through this passage and ask the question “How About Your Heart?”
- I would like to begin by examining verses 14-16. There we will see:
I. PUBLIC INSTRUCTION CONCERNING INNER DEFILEMENT
v14 When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:
After being confronted by the Scribes & Pharisees that had come from Jerusalem, Jesus called the entire multitude unto Himself. He wanted everyone to know that holy living comes from within a man’s heart; not by external observances. Simply put, it is more important to have clean hearts than clean hands.
Our only hope of holiness is to be changed from the inside, and that can only be accomplished by Jesus. No matter how hard we try to “clean ourselves up” we will never succeed. But Jesus has the power to wash our black hearts and make them whiter than snow.
Paul explains this fact in - 1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul shares a comprehensive list of the kind of people who will never see God’s Kingdom. But he goes on to paint a picture of the change that Jesus can bring into one’s life. (I Corinthians 6:11 and such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.) Paul tells his readers that they had been delivered from these grave sins. In times past they were sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, greedy, drunkards, revilers and swindlers. But Jesus had done an amazing work in their lives. He washed them, sanctified them and justified them. And He has done the same for each of us who have been born again.
There is great hope found in this passage, it shows us that no one is a lost cause. No matter where you have been and what you have done, Jesus has the power to redeem you! Jesus wanted the people in this multitude to understand that there had to be a change of heart in order for them to be holy. He wants each of us to grasp that exact same truth today.
Jesus further explains the fact that it is not the external things that make one clean, rather it is the condition of one’s heart. (v15 There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!")
Food is a physical matter; this means that it does not have the ability to defile us spiritually. In verses 21-22 Jesus describes the issues that defile a man, and He points out that these things come from the “heart”. (v21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.)
Understand, when Jesus speaks of the “heart”, this is not a reference to the literal muscle that pumps our blood. In the context, the “heart” refers to the center of one’s being. This is a reference to the mind, the emotions and the will of man. Jesus plainly states that what goes into the mouth cannot defile the heart. This is a contrast between the physical (speaking of food) and the spiritual (referencing the heart). No combination of rituals and ceremonies can cleanse a person. Likewise, physical things (such as unwashed hands and certain types of food) do not have the power to defile someone.
Understand that Jesus was not attempting to circumvent the Law. He said in - Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
The Law itself was not set aside until Jesus died on the Cross. (Ephesians 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace)
Jesus was not teaching some new doctrine; rather He was explaining an issue that had been true throughout the ages. Holiness has always been a matter of the heart. The Law was never intended to save mankind. Some view the 10 Commandments as a ladder that will lead them to God. Nothing could be farther from the truth. (Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.)
At no point in human history has obeying the Law been a means of salvation. Salvation has always been “by grace, through faith”. The Bible makes it clear that faith has always been the way to a right relationship with God. (Romans 4:3 …Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.)
Hebrews 11 contains a list of people who did great things for God. But the Bible also records certain failures in the lives of each person mentioned. These people were not used as examples because of their great success in obeying the Law. They were listed because of their faith in God.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that: By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain (Hebrews 11:4) By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death (Hebrews 11:5) By faith Noah prepared an ark for the saving of his household. (Hebrews 11:7) By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac (Hebrews 11:17) By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter (Hebrews 11:24)The writer went on to speak of the faith of many others. These people certainly sought to obey God’s Law, but they were accepted by Him because of their faith.
The purpose of the Law was to expose man’s sin and reveal our need of a Savior. The Jewish ceremonies were intended to be an external obedience to the Law that was produced by faith in God.
King David is described as being a man after God’s own heart, but there was a time in his life when he failed miserably. He committed adultery with another man’s wife and in an effort to cover up his sin he committed murder. A certain chain of events led him to break many of the Commandments. This all started with the lust that was in his heart. Even if he had observed all of the rituals and ceremonies, David suffered from inner defilement.
When God confronted his sin, David sought forgiveness and restoration. Psalm 51 records his prayer to God and it is one of the most beautiful pictures of repentance in God’s Word. In his quest to receive restoration, forgiveness and cleansing, David did not ask the Lord to help him to better obey the Law. Rather, he pleaded with God to do a work in his “heart”.
Psalm 51:6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise.
David committed adultery thus breaking the seventh commandment. (Deuteronomy 5:18 ‘You shall not commit adultery.) David committed murder and as a result he broke the sixth commandment. (Deuteronomy 5:17 ‘You shall not murder.) David coveted another man’s wife and in the process broke the tenth commandment. (Deuteronomy 5:21 'You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.')
I don’t think that it is a stretch to say that David broke the first commandment as well. The first commandment is found in Deuteronomy 5:7, there the Lord says 'You shall have no other gods before Me.” By giving into his lust and choosing his desires over God’s will, David worshipped the god of “self”. All of these things happened as a result of the sin that was in David’s heart. Therefore, he knew that his only hope of restoration was to address his heart problem.
There are countless people in the world today who appear to be righteous on the outside. They refuse to do the things that God says are evil and they seek to do the things that God says are good. They exhibit good morals and appear to be righteous and holy. But on the inside they are filled with wickedness and rebellion.
Adrian Rogers tells the story of a father who told his four year old son to sit down, but the son did not sit down. So the father said a second time “son, I said sit down!” The boy still didn’t sit down. Finally the father took him by the shoulders and forcefully placed him in the chair, He said “Now, son sit there!” The little boy answered “I may be sitting down on the outside but I’m standing up on the inside” – (Source: Love Worth Finding; Oneplace.com)
Though he was finally doing what his father wanted him to do on the outside, on the inside this little boy still had a rebellious spirit. There are many people who are doing what God has commanded in His Word on the outside, but in the inside they are filled with wickedness and rebellion.
The Scribes and Pharisees knew all about the Law and the ceremonies. Though they may have done well at observing them, they did so for the wrong reasons. They impressed others with their outward acts of obedience. But God was not pleased, for he knew of the sin that filled their hearts.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaimed that if certain sins abide within the heart, one is just as guilty as if they had actually committed those sins. One may refrain from the physical act of adultery, but if there is lust in his heart, he is guilty of adultery. (Matthew 5:27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.) Someone may not actually take someone else’s life, but if there is hate within their heart they are guilty. (Matthew 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.)
The Jews were obsessed with obeying the letter of the Law, but on the inside their hearts were defiled. Oddly enough, while the put so much focus on the things that Moses said in the Law, they failed to listen to some of Moses’ other teachings. Throughout the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses declared that God wanted His people to love and obey Him.
Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.)
Deuteronomy 10:12 "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul)
Deuteronomy 30:6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
Moses taught the people that genuine love for God comes from the heart. This is not to say that external observances and obedience to the Law is not important. God is honored when His people obey His commands. But obeying the commands should be done as a result of our love for Him, not an effort to earn His favor.
Again I remind you, Jesus was not proclaiming a new truth, rather He was pointing His listeners to the “heart of the matter”. (Pun not necessarily intended) A defiled heart is an issue that is greater than most people comprehend. Jesus explained this problem to the Scribes & Pharisees by quoting - Isaiah 29:13 Therefore the LORD said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
The Scribes and Pharisees had been concerned about the Disciples eating with hands that had not been ceremonially cleansed. But Jesus makes it clear that having clean hands means nothing if you do not have a clean heart. You may have “clean hands”, meaning that you may appear to be righteous on the outside. You may have everyone else convinced that you are holy, but you cannot fool God; for He knows the wickedness that abides on the inside.
In Jeremiah, God describes the wickedness of a man’s heart and He goes on to proclaim that He searches the heart. (Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? 10 I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.)
God knows the truth about your heart! You may look the part; You may know how to “talk the talk” and in many ways you may even “walk the walk.” You may live a good moral life, you may love your neighbor and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. You may even live a “religious life”. You have been baptized, joined a church, serve the Lord, worship, pray and study. But if you have never truly repented and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are no different than a Pharisee. You are clean on the outside but you possess a filthy heart on the inside. The only way that you can have a clean heart is to turn to Jesus and allow Him to cleanse you.If you have not done that, I encourage you to do so today!
How about your heart?
Is it right with God?
That’s the thing that counts today.
