“[Jesus] called the people to him and said to them, ‘Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.’ Then the disciples came and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?’ He answered, ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Explain the parable to us.’ And he said, ‘Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.’” [1]
Religious leaders crowded around Jesus wherever He went. They formed a sort of religious “truth squad.” Their purpose was to trip Him up, to catch Him in a lie or in a fallacy of any kind. It didn’t matter what they might find, they were eager to discredit Jesus in the eyes of the people.
As Jesus travelled about, there was always a large crowd surrounding Him. People were eager to hear Him. Unlike the religious leaders, Jesus spoke with authority and demonstrated that He knew what He was talking about. The rabbis would speak, and their message was something like, “Rabbi Sneezedust says…” “On the other hand, Rabbi Sleepsalot says…” “Don’t discount that Rabbi Fallacy says…” They sound like the members of the priesthood of experts in our own day! Jesus, on the other hand was definite when He spoke. Consider the message we know as the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No:’ anything more than this comes from evil.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” [MATTHEW 5:21-48].
What better contrast between the “experts” and Jesus than for the Master to cite the words of the experts before delivering His own words. Understand that it is not what we say about Scripture that matters when we are conducting our lives. What matters is what Scripture says. We understand the explanation provided by Mark when he writes, “[The people] were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes” [MARK 1:22]. Ultimately, it was unimportant what the experts might say; what mattered was what the Author of Scripture said!
You can be assured that this one observation was a source of extreme irritation to the religious leaders. They grumbled constantly about Jesus. On one occasion, as everyone was speculating whether Jesus would show up for a festival, we read, “After his brothers had gone up to the feast, then [Jesus] also went up, not publicly but in private. The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, ‘Where is he?’ And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, ‘He is a good man,’ others said, No, he is leading the people astray’” [JOHN 7:10-12].
On another occasion, the religious leaders had decided to arrest Jesus, haul Him in before them to stand trial, but those sent to arrest Him failed to seize Him. When they returned to the religious leaders, their failure to seize Jesus caused quite a stir. We read, “The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, ‘Why did you not bring him?’ The officers answered, ‘No one ever spoke like this man!’ The Pharisees answered them, ‘Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed’” [JOHN 7:45-49].
“We’re trained; we’re not like you ignorant people. Pay attention to us! Don’t listen to these untaught people. We’re the experts!” Here is a truth that we do well to remember: If it is necessary to draw attention to our education and training, we have already lost the argument. And the religious leaders were the losers in this instance. The religious leaders didn’t have a basis for their positions; they could only bluster and demand that the people pay attention to them. Of these leaders, we read, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts” [LUKE 20:46].
Elsewhere, Jesus warned about these leaders, “[The hypocrites] love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others” [MATTHEW 6:5].
For the religious leaders of that day, everything revolved around being seen. What they were and who they were was secondary. What mattered in their estimate was what the people thought of them. Nothing much has changed even in this day. And that brings us to our text this day. The travelling truth squad imagined they had at last found a flaw in Jesus’ teaching. They hadn’t been able to assail what He said, but perhaps they could denigrate Him by pointing out the flaws in those who followed Him. Isn’t that how it goes? We judge the veracity of a given teaching by the adherents. People constantly judge a congregation by the conduct of those attend services. Don’t forget this vital truth: If a church is growing as it should, it will always be drawing new people to the Faith. Here is an inconvenient truth that flows naturally from that fact—many of those new people will still carry on their lives the dust of earlier days before they received Christ as Master. Don’t expect perfection from those who are coming into the Faith. God is working in their lives, and He is not finished with them!
So the religious rapid response team thought they had found a way to discredit Jesus; they had something for which they could accuse Him. We read, “Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ‘Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat’” [MATTHEW 15:1-2].
I suspect the religious leaders demonstrated what was more than a little irritation when Jesus responded, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
[MATTHEW 15:3-9]
Then, Jesus turned to the crowd, and we know the common people who heard Him with gladness. Jesus gave them the teaching that left some unsettled, Jesus said, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person” [MATTHEW 15:10-11].
The disciples were disturbed by what Jesus said, and you can be certain that many others were also disturbed. They weren’t perplexed by what Jesus said, but they understood that what He said would pointedly pierce the ego of the religious leaders. Thus, we are informed, “The disciples came and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying’” [MATTHEW 15:12]?
Did the disciples imagine that the Master was oblivious? Did they think that He was simply unaware of what went on around Him? Do you suppose they thought that He had no understanding of the impact of His words? Jesus knew quite well how His words would impact those religious leaders. Thus, we read that Jesus responded to the concern expressed by His disciples when He responded to their concern, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” [MATTHEW 15:13-14].
Peter, bless his heart, spoke for all the disciples when he pleaded for an explanation. Almost as though He had grown exasperated with His disciples, the Master challenged them, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone” [MATTHEW 15:16-20]. It is what is in your heart that defiles you! What you eat, how you dress, the manner in which you adorn your body—these things are of no importance before the True and Living God. What you think? Where you allow your mind to dwell? This reveals who you are!
RELIGIOUS DEFILEMENT — “Jesus called the people to Him and said to them, ‘Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person’” [MATTHEW 15:10-11]. The event that set up this stinging rebuke from the lips of the Saviour was the charge that the disciples were dishonouring God because they were not performing the appropriate rituals before they ate.
Matthew describes the situation, and the confrontation that preceded Jesus’ stern words to the crowd. There is no question but that what He said was directed at the religious elite. Here is the account as given by Matthew. “Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ‘Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.’ He answered them, ‘And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, “Honor your father and your mother,” and, “Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.” But you say, “If anyone tells his father or his mother, ‘What you would have gained from me is given to God,’ he need not honor his father.” So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
‘“This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”’”
[MATTHEW 15:1-9]
The religious elite were demanding that precise ritual was far more important than one’s spiritual condition when thinking of service before the Lord. How they prepared to eat a meal was more important than possessing a heart filled with thanksgiving to God. The precise steps taken to show one was religiously pure was of utmost importance, though the individual might be a cad and foul unbeliever.
It is always a source of astonishment to me that the hijackers who turned airplanes into missiles were meticulous in shaving all the hair from their bodies before killing thousands. They were icily precise in reciting the proper prayers before killing in the name of the desert demon they worshipped. It was of no importance that they had invested days and nights drinking alcohol, which was otherwise prohibited in their vile religion, since they would perform the ever so precise religious ritual immediately before slaughtering thousands of innocent people. They could hire prostitutes to pleasure their bodies in the nights before they violently took the lives of so many people, because they would be ritually pure. The hypocrisy displayed by these murderers differs little from the hypocrisy of multitudes of professing Christians who claim to honour God because they perform a ceremony prescribed by the religious elite. They can eat a piece of bread, recite a prayer and claim to be pure.
Sometime back, I spoke with a man who practised the Sikh religion. As we conversed, he appeared intrigued that I enjoyed hunting, and especially that I enjoyed hunting bears. During the course of our conversation, I offered to give him some salami made from a black bear I had harvested the previous fall. I made this offer somewhat cautiously since I was aware that some Sikhs maintained a vegetarian diet as part of their religious practise. However, this young man assured me that he could eat the meat since he had not been baptised. He explained that after he was baptised he would be compelled to maintain a strict vegetarian diet. He would shave his body, except for the hair of his head and his face. These actions would be required of him in order to be ritually pure. After he was baptised, eating meat would defile him, and the hair on his body, save for that which is on his head and face, would defile him.
That raises a question in my mind, and it should raise a question in your mind: What defiles a person? What renders an individual unfit to come into the presence of the Living God? Is it the food they eat? Must we dress in a particular manner in order to be accepted? Does it matter whether we attempt to speak as though we lived in Great Britain more than five hundred years ago? Or can we pray with a contemporary tongue?
I was challenged by a young man on one occasion because I wasn’t using the King James version of the Bible in my service among the churches. I wrote him a brief missive, drafted in a dated style. The message went something like this. “Wouldst thou now holpen me in my speech? Dost thou assay to employ this authorised tongue in thine own ministrations daily? Hast thou reviewed the rereward of thine own company to assure thyself that all employ this same speech? And does it magnify thine person?
“Nay! If thou durst not employ this approved speech in thine own daily ministry, I wot not that it must be employed only in the church of the Living God? I adjure thee, give attendance to thine own failing. I bewray thee to attend to the error thou art compounding even now. Thine bowels surely testify to thine divers ensamples of failure. Amend thine way, lest haply thou shouldst let another stumble. If thou shouldst disregard my plea, I trow not what further error thou shalt suffer in thine own life.”
Shortly after sending the young man this missive, I received a response from the him saying, “I understand; I will restudy this issue.” I am not disparaging use of the venerable King James Version of the Bible, or if you prefer, the Authorised Version of the Holy Bible, for Bible study or reading of the Scriptures. I am, however, cautioning that we must not fall into the trap of imagining that God is restricted to communicating in an ancient tongue that is no longer in common use and which is not understood by most English speakers. If I am constrained to clarify on multiple occasions while reading the Bible from the pulpit, “What this means is…” then I need to admit that there is a serious problem. We read in Mark’s Gospel that, “the common people heard [Jesus] gladly” [MARK 12:37b KJV]. They heard Him because He spoke in the tongue that was commonly used in daily conversation. Just so, if we want people to understand what we are saying, we must speak using their daily language. Neither would I leave the impression that God uses a special language which we must attempt to emulate if we would worship Him.
The young man of whom I spoke had been of the opinion that one must use only one translation of the English Bible, a Bible which was written in an archaic language. Otherwise, the individual dishonoured God because he was reading a flawed version. He, together with a surprising number of otherwise zealous Christians, imagined that it was mandatory that the ancient language of the Britons was required in order to worship the Living God. This was despite that fact that it is God Who gives us our being and has created all the nations of mankind, even giving each of those various geopolitical entities the language that is used. That young man, as is true of multitudes of other professing Christians, was certain that only that version of the Bible was blessed by the Lord God. A friend of mine argued, and only half-jokingly, I fear, “I use the King James Bible. If it was good enough for Paul, it’s good enough for me.”
Participating in an ordination council on one occasion, I witnessed preachers puffed up with their own importance as they challenged a young man seeking ordination. They demanded to know what Bible he would use as a missionary in Peru. They were demanding that he use the King James Version to preach in Peru. Did they not know that the common language in Peru was Spanish? Did they not know that vast numbers of the Peruvians don’t understand English? Nevertheless, they were insistent that this young ordinand must use only the Bible to which they gave their imprimatur. How ignorant!
People are prone to imagine that what they wear, how they speak, how they maintain their appearance determines whether they are pure before the Living God. Let me speak clearly so that no one will misunderstand. While I hold that we should honour the Lord as we come to the time of worship, our dress is not of primary importance. A woman can wear a dress that drags the ground and still mask a heart that is seductive and salacious through her actions. A man can grow a beard that reaches the navel and still have a heart that is lecherous and filthy. A preacher can speak ever so persuasively, using pious language that references the Lord, and still deceive the unwary.
It is not what people see on the outside or even the precision with which you speak that demonstrates the purity of heart; pursuit of the Living God and submission to His will reveals whether an individual is godly. Evangelicals have too long tolerated within their circles the notion that one can display their holiness by superficial actions. Throughout the years of my pilgrimage, I have known far too many people who professed Christ and performed the right acts, and were yet filthy and detestable. The unwary were duped by the foolish notion that we can know who is holy by their dress.
My wife and I came to faith in an assembly that had multiple rules to prove their purity. Women were never to wear what “pertaineth unto a man.” I’ve lived with my wife for over a half-century, and she has never tried to wear my pants. Actually, they are way too big for her anyway. Men were not to wear a beard—it was a sign of rebellion. From earliest days in the Faith I failed that particular test. Bell bottom trousers were likewise a sign of rebellion. I don’t know if that rule still holds. On the other hand, I never did care for bell bottoms. Actually, that is one of the big problems with reactionary prohibitions drafted in response to a fad—fads pass and what are we to do with the rule created in reaction to the fad? Long hair on a man was an abomination to the Lord, though it was always difficult to define how long “long” was. Well, I did have an afro at one point, but I’ve usually worn my hair cut to reasonably short standards for decades. Short hair on a woman was an abomination to the Lord, though it was difficult to define how short “short” was. Mixed bathing leads to gross immorality. And on and on and on! It was well-nigh impossible to know all the rules. Just about the time you thought you had them worked out, they changed or someone added new rules.
The greater tragedy was that for all the effort, sin still sullied the lives of those who imposed the rules on others. Elders in the church were removed from service because of immoral actions with members of the congregation. Deacons were known for business practises that were unethical. A religiously precise exterior will often mask a sordid, slimy heart. I need the cleansing of Christ and not the affirmation of social convention masquerading as the Faith. I bless the Lord that He delivered me from such pettiness. To any who hear me and who are tired of being emmeshed in such ecclesiastical bondage, I invite you to come, join the fraternity of the free. There is a place for you to serve here in the congregation of the free. Amen.
RELIGIOUS CLEANSING — The cleansing required for us to walk with the Living God is not external. A clean heart is required to come into the presence of God. Long years before the Saviour walked the dusty trails of Judea, the Psalmist asked and answered the question that speaks to worshippers of God even to this day. The Psalmist had written,
“Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
[PSALM 24:3-5]
To come into the presence of the Living God requires that I prepare myself, but the preparation I require has nothing to do with how I dress, or how I look, or how I speak, or whether I wash or shave—the preparation that prepares me for entering into the presence of the Living God is to deal with my own sinful condition, to confess my unworthiness and to see His grace. Isn’t this what we see as John urges us to deal with our own condition. Remember how he has written, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” [1 JOHN 1:9].
I must not imagine that I can hide sin in my heart! The Psalmist has cautioned,
“If I had harboured sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.”
[PSALM 66:18 NET BIBLE]
The neglected truth concerning sin is that we who have been born from above know when we have sinned. We don’t need to think overly hard in order to know this. God Himself speaks to our heart and convicts us when we sin. The reason this is true is that when we come to faith in Christ the Lord, the Spirit of God takes up residence in our life. And He reveals the secrets of our hearts even as we attempt to deny what is taking place.
Though His words were specifically detailing the work of the Spirit of Christ operating in the world of unbelief, what Jesus said is applicable to those who know Him as Master over life and who have received the Holy Spirit. Jesus encouraged His disciples, saying, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” [JOHN 16:7-11]. The Spirit, identified as “the Helper,” convicts concerning sin and righteousness and judgement. The conviction is directed toward earth dwellers, to be sure, but He is just as effective at revealing the sin we attempt to hide, even as He calls us to walk righteously and honourably in the world.
Paul speaks of the operation of the Spirit of God in the midst of the community of the faithful. You will remember that the Apostle has written, “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law it is written, ‘By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.’ Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you” [1 CORINTHIANS 14:20-25].
The Apostle is, as you might suspect, building on what was written long years before, when the Spirit of God, speaking through the Psalmist, cautioned worshippers,
“If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.”
[PSALM 44:20-21]
This is a sobering reminder: God knows the secrets of the heart! I cannot hide what I do. The Spirit of God living within my life will not permit me to ignore sin in my life. He will reveal what displeases the Father so that I can deal with that wickedness.
Let’s get practical for a brief moment. We who are born from above are confident that the Spirit of Christ has taken up residence in our lives. Our bodies are the Temple of God and God is always with us. Because we are identified as belonging to Him, what we say and what we do reflect on the Lord Himself. As the Psalmist has written,
“Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.”
[PSALM 139:7-12]
As one who is twice-born, I must know that I cannot flee from or hide from God. To be certain, no person can flee from God, but as one who has received grace and been born from above, I assuredly cannot run from the Lord. The reason that I cannot flee from the Lord should be evident—it is because God is ever with me. He has identified Himself with me so fully in His Son that I am His child. God has placed His Holy Spirit in me, so that I can say truthfully that God is ever with me. He watches over me, grieving when I permit myself to stumble into sinful actions or whenever I tolerate sinful attitudes. Surely, this is the import of James’ teaching, “Do you think the Scripture means nothing when it says, ‘The Spirit that God caused to live within us has an envious yearning’” [JAMES 4:5 NET BIBLE].
The Apostle understands that we are fallible beings; he is acutely aware that elements of the flesh shall contaminate us until the day we are taken up into the presence of the Saviour. Writing the congregation in Colossae, Paul wrote, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all” [COLOSSIANS 3:5-11].
Here is what is important for us to note. Some things must be permanently removed from our lives. These things need to be killed, extinguished permanently so that they will never again contaminate our lives. Other things will always be with us; but they must be put away, perhaps even on a daily basis. There can be no place in the life of a follower of Christ for those things which are to be put away.
The follower of Christ is admonished to take control of his or her life to ensure that those aspects of the human condition that dishonour the Saviour find no lodging in our lives. We must appreciate the affirmation of the Psalmist when he writes,
“I will not let anything worthless guide me.”
[PSALM 101:3a CSV]
And those external aspects of life of which we have been speaking are worthless. Let the righteous take heed and act to guard the heart.
This seems to me to be especially pertinent in light of the time and in light of the warning which Jesus delivered when He said, “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” [LUKE 21:29-36]. Let the wise take heed and act in accordance with the leading of the Spirit of Christ.
PRIORITIES — What are the priorities that should mark the life of the godly person? Today is Father’s Day, so it is appropriate to ask what the priorities should be for a man, especially if that man is a father? It should be apparent that one great priority that should mark the life of the follower of Christ is to avoid those aspects of life that Jesus identified as contaminating the individual.
Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander are identified as those elements that defile a person. And these dreadful sins all have their origin in the heart of fallen people. Though we are redeemed, the old nature is still very much a part of our life. Though we are followers of the Risen Saviour, we are not immune to succumbing to these awful sins. It takes so very little for sin to overwhelm us. How very much we need the Saviour to pray for us, to strengthen us, to guide us!
The Christian who strays from seeking the Lord and His will shall shortly have a new name—VICTIM! This is precisely what Peter warned us to avoid when he wrote, “Be clear-minded and alert. Your opponent, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” [1 PETER 5:8 ISV]. And Peter understood this danger in something far more than a merely theoretical manner.
You may recall this exchange between Jesus and Peter immediately before the Master was seized and sent to the cross. “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” [LUKE 22:31-32]. Satan did sift Peter until Peter was prepared to walk away from following the appointment which he had received from the Saviour. The Risen Saviour was compelled to personally take Peter aside to reappoint him to divine service. So, yes, Peter’s warning to Christians is way beyond mere theory.
It should be obvious that our priorities must lie within the realm of avoiding surrender to the elements that are identified with this fallen world. And in order to avoid those base elements, it is necessary to spend time looking to the Saviour, listening to hear His instruction as delivered through His Word to guide our steps, always strengthened by His Spirit living within us. In short, you and I will need to invest time in the Word that He has given, not merely reading what is written, but thinking on how we can apply His Word in our lives. In this task, we are not left to our own devices, for God has given us His Spirit to live in us, guiding us into paths that honour Him.
Do you remember this promise the Master gave us? “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” [JOHN 14:15-16]. Of course, our Lord continued by saying, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” [JOHN 14:26].
Jesus identified the Helper as the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. He promised that the Spirit Who is given will teach us and enable us to remember what is crucial to glorify the Father. Again, we witness Jesus promising His followers, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning” [JOHN 15:26-27]. Not only will the Spirit of God teach us, but He will empower us to do all that we are commanded.
The priorities delivered in the text today are impossible for us to accomplish in our own strength. However, the Spirit whom Christ has sent empowers us so that we can do all that He has commanded. Our priorities to be godly and holy are impossible in our own strength, but in the power given by the Spirit of Christ living in us, you and I can fulfil the will of the Lord so that in all things we honour Him. Spiritual cleansing, the power to honour God are given by His Holy Spirit. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
