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“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, 22deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. Mark 7:20-22 NASB
Have you ever been around someone that said something that was totally out of character? This person may be someone that you look up to or admire, that suddenly says something derogatory against someone, or maybe says a dirty joke that shocks you. Where did those words come from? Jesus tells us where words come from in Matthew 12. “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35“The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. 36“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:33-37 NASB Jesus says that words we speak represent fruit. Fruit is important because it tells us what's happening in the heart or at the root. If you see an apple hanging on a tree, you automatically assume it's an apple tree. Similarly, if you hear slander, gossip, pride, envy, or anger coming from someone's lips, you automatically assume that there is a root of a slandering, gossiping, prideful, envying, angry tree. This is not a condemning or judging thing that we all make this assumption. Jesus tells us that we know who false teachers and others are by the fruit of their life (Matthew 7:15-20). I have counseled and prayed with many people over the years of ministry, and the one thing that you always pay close attention to is the words that people say. By doing this you can catch on and have discernment into certain roots that are in that person's life that they may need deliverance from, or counsel on. The gospel does not change fruits, it changes roots. Jesus, in Mark 7:20-22 is addressing root problems, not fruit problems. Because once roots are fixed, the fruit will naturally flow. But understanding the "big picture" helps us in our daily lives. Why did the Creator give each of us a mouth and a tongue to speak in the first place? Scripture gives us an answer to that question. In Psalm 16, verses 8 & 9, David says: “I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely.” Notice the words "my glory rejoices" that David uses there. On the day of Pentecost, Peter quotes the same verses from Psalm 16 when giving his first message to the crowds that were gathered. Peter interprets these verses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit where he says: “For David says of Him, I was always beholding the Lord in my presence; for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exalted; moreover my flesh also will abide in hope.” Acts 2:25-26 NASB Peter changes the words from "my glory rejoices" to "my tongue exalted". What does that tell us? It tells us that our tongues are our glory. Why is our tongue our glory? Because it the primary instrument that we use to interact with the world, and with God. the tongue is small, but it boasts of great things (James 3:5). But the supreme and primary purpose for God giving us out tongues is to glorify our Creator. It is the one member of our body, above all else, that we have been given to glorify God. Any other purpose that we are using our tongues for outside of glorifying God is a misuse of why we have been given it in the first place. Once we acknowledge, and surrender to the fact that our tongues have been given to us to glorify God, we will be able to then learn how to control it under the power of the Holy Spirit. We will begin to bless, instead of curse. We will begin to set fires of the power of the Spirit instead of fires of dissention. Jesus says we will give an account for every word spoken; let that day be a day of rejoicing instead of regret. Questions to Consider: 1. Do you struggle with controlling your tongue? Do you feel like you have no control over what comes out of your mouth sometimes? This issue does not lie in our tongue but in our heart. Pray and ask the Lord to reveal areas of your heart that need to be purified. 2. Read James 1:26-27 and James 3:1-12 and ask the Lord to help you in controlling your tongue. The Holy Spirit is the only One capable of helping us "bridle our tongues".
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“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. Mark 7:21-22 NASB
In this section of scripture, Jesus is laying out the things that flow from the heart of men. Jesus starts with evil thoughts, then He is going to describe what those evil thoughts produce. Jesus goes from evil thoughts to fornications, thefts, murder, and adulteries. That is a very large jump from evil thoughts! You may be thinking "I have had a lot of evil thoughts in my day but I've never committed murder!" Here is the key to what Jesus is trying to show us: how important our thought life is. Every murder, theft, or adulterous act, all started with just one thought. Paul reiterates this truth when he says: for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 Fortresses here are described as being speculations, lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God, and thoughts. Speculation, lofty ideas, and simple thoughts are like bricks. They are stacked one upon the other until eventually you have a strong fortress that has been built. The foundation of these fortresses and strongholds in our minds are simply just thoughts and ideas that have been built up. This shows us how powerful each individual thought is. Let me be clear, there is no place in scripture that says to clear your mind or empty your mind. A passive mind is a recipe for demonic influence. Our minds have been given to us by God to constantly be moving under our authority. This is why Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It is our mind that God has given to us to renew. Jesus lists 12 things that flow from the heart of man. Eight of them are outward sins that can be seen by all. Four of them are spiritual or hidden sins that are usually hidden behind the curtain. Outward Sins - Eight listed: Fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, sensuality (outrageous behavior, shocking to public decency), slander, and foolishness. These sinful actions all have some sort of form to them. We could easily recognize these with our physical eyes. But these all flow from something deeper. Spiritual Sins - Four Listed: Evil thoughts (the beginning stage of all the rest), deceit, envy, and pride What do I mean by spiritual sins? These are sins that are hidden away that others may not see. These are the spiritual sins at the root of our hearts that left unchecked, will lead to the eight outward sins that Jesus mentioned previously. I want you to imagine a trash can full of trash. You have been given the job to empty that trash can piece by piece. Taking away the stuff on top is a dirty job. But as you get lower and lower into the trash can, the trash is dirtier, grimier, and nastier than what was on top. These four sins that Jesus mentions here, are some of the things that are hidden at the bottom of our lives, and are the hardest, dirtiest things to clean out. The one sin that Jesus mentions that is at the heart of every other sin is the sin of pride. Pride is the one sin that literally puts us into a posture of being opposed by God (James 4:6). A.W. Tozer says this about pride and the heat of man: In every Christians heart, there is a cross and a throne, and the Christian is on the throne till he puts himself on the cross; if he refuses the cross, he remains on the throne. Perhaps this is at the bottom of the backsliding and worldliness among gospel believers today. We want to be saved, but we insist that Christ do all the dying. No cross for us, no dethronement, no dying. We remain king within the little kingdom of man's soul and wear our tinsel crown with all the pride of Caesar; but we doom ourselves to shadows and weakness and spiritual sterility. Pride, envy, covetousness, and deceit in our hearts will be the ruin of our lives, and are the cause for sinful behaviors that we exhibit. We must all humbly look at our lives and see the hidden, secret places of sin and root them out. We must get off the throne of our own hearts. Questions to Consider: 1. Do you find that you struggle with your thought life and feel like you have no control over the things that you think about? How can you practice 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 in your life? 2. When you struggle with pride (which we all do), what does that usually look like? How can we pin-point prideful practices in our lives and destroy them? 20And 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… Mark 7:20-21a NASB
Jesus is addressing the fact, that people thought that certain foods, drinks, and dirt from this world could corrupt us and remove us from our right standing with God. Jesus is pointing out the fact that who we are is not simply flesh and bones, but who we are is immaterial. Our heart and soul are immaterial things that make us who we are, so, material things coming into us from the outside cannot defile us at our core. But understand that Jesus is not saying that nothing that comes into us has no effect. How can I say this? Because of the parable of the sower of the seeds. The difference is the seed in the parable of the sower of the seeds represents something spiritual. What Jesus is addressing here in Mark 7, is solely a material argument. In the parable of the sower of the seeds, the individual heard the word (it entered the mind) and then it either immediately got plucked away, or it went into the heart to take root, grow, and eventually produce fruit. The same principle of the sower of the seed happens with the world's system as well. They plant a seed of "truth" into the mind of man with the desire that it would grow and produce their fruit (Galatians 5:19-26). So, how do the things that proceed from the heart of man, get there in the first place? From within and from without. As sinful humans, we do not need any help to sin. We have the roots of sin in our hearts already, that flow out in evil ways. Jeremiah 17:9,10 says: “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? 10“I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds. These verses in Jeremiah show us that we have a serious heart problem as humans that needs to be remedied. We haven't made a few mistakes, the core of our being is corrupted to the point of being more deceitful than anything else. This is why we need a completely new heart, which comes to us through being born-again through the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26-27) Although we don't need help to sin, we are certainly receiving it! On a daily basis, we are being fed evil thoughts and ideas from this world that is under the power of Satan (1 John 5:19). This is being done with the hope that these small seeds of thought will grow into bountiful trees with evil fruit. This is why we have been told in Proverbs 4:23, Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. What scripture is telling us here, is to set a guard over our hearts from outside influences that are threatening to get in. For from our heart flows the springs of life. The nature of those springs that flow from our hearts will be determined by the roots. What we allow into our hearts is what will develop the “evil thoughts”, which is the beginning of the rest of the sins that Jesus says flows from the heart of man. As those who have placed their trust in Christ, and have been given a new heart and a new spirit, we are not immune from corruption that threatens to get inside of us. We must be diligent in putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and vigilant against the schemes of our enemy. Do not let the serpent from the garden, plant his seeds of doubts and lies into your mind; you are a son to the King, walk in that authority today. Questions to Consider: 1. What are some practical ways that we can, or that you have found successful in "guarding our hearts" from outside influences? 2. Do you know someone that has not yet been born-again by putting their faith in Christ? Would you take a moment and intercede on their behalf? 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.”] Mark 7:14-1 NASB
What Jesus is doing here is not only providing a theological argument, He is hitting right at the heart of the Jewish culture, and at a belief that mostly everyone in this crowd adhered to. The majority of the people hearing these words of Jesus would wholeheartedly disagree with His statement that nothing from the outside can defile you. Some people say that Jesus never responded to the culture of the day. That’s not true. Jesus is teaching against something that has been established as a pillar of truth in the Jewish culture for centuries, that what you eat or put into your body can remove you from being in a right standing with God. “Wash your hands, watch what you put into your body, and abstain from certain foods because those things will defile you and make you lose the favor of God in your life.” Why didn’t someone tell Jesus: “Don't worry about all of that stuff, just preach the gospel.”? Because Jesus was addressing a massive stumbling block that kept people from seeing and hearing the message of the gospel of the kingdom. The fact is that these people were hearing Jesus' words through the filter of the religious culture of their day. Jesus was teaching them, they were listening, and then they were trying to reconcile the teachings of the Pharisees with the teachings from Jesus. They may have thought that they could reconcile both ideas, but Jesus is bringing new wine that doesn't fit into old wine skins. So, Jesus is throwing a seed of truth into the minds of the people which is causing their foundational truth's and beliefs to be shaken. There is no reconciling these two belief systems, and Jesus is not offering that as an option. This same thing is happening today where the church must address things in the culture that are stumbling blocks for people coming to faith in Christ. Things like: wrong ideas of who God is, wrong ideas regarding sin, and wrong ideas regarding ourselves, sexual identity, marriage, abortion etc. We must address these things because these are strongholds and fortresses in the mind of our hearers that must be destroyed. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that "the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ". How is he blinding the minds of people? By building strongholds of wrong thinking into their minds that have grown into fortresses. Above all else, and at the root of all sin, we must primarily address the greatest sin in the world which is the sin of independence. Every thing that we address comes back to this one sin: "I can live my life without God." This is why the first call of Christ is always a self-denying call. It always has been and it always will be. You cannot be His disciple if you do not deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23). In the self-denying call of the gospel, the stumbling blocks that we have in our mind are removed. Why? Because we are denying the one thing that allows those stumbling blocks to remain, and the one thing that allowed them to be raised up in the first place: Ourselves. The churches proclamation is the gospel of Jesus Christ; as we proclaim it, we will encounter things we must deal with. Let us be ready and prepared. Our mission is not completed through the arm of the flesh, it is done by the Spirit of God moving through the church of Christ . Questions to Consider: 1. Jesus is confronting a popular religious and cultural concept by these statements He is making about how what we put into our physical bodies does not defile us. How important is it that the church address issues that are confronting the culture of today? 2. Mark adds that Jesus was declaring all foods clean by these statements. Why is this a big deal for a Jewish community that Jesus is speaking to? Read Acts 10:9-16 where God confirms the same thing to Peter in a vision. 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.”] Mark 7:14-16 NASB
On this day, Jesus is simply stating a truthful principle to the crowd present. But His heart is not that they would just hear the principle but that they would understand the principle. Jesus says: "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand." Jesus does not make a distinction between who He wants to listen and understand, because He called everyone to listen and understand. The heart of Christ is not that we would simply be those who hear, but that we would be those who hear, understand, and become doers of the word also. This is why revelation is so important. Jesus is providing a principle for all to hear, but is then going to provide the revelation to the principle. When we are teaching our kids about scripture and the things of the Lord, we need to incorporate the revelation aspect of what those scriptures mean and how they are practically lived out in every day life. Paul, addressing the last days in his second letter to Timothy, pointed out that there will come a time when people will become those who are always learning, but they never come to the point of understanding. Paul says: always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:7 That word for knowledge means experiential knowledge. These people never come to truly understand and experience the things they are learning. They have an abundance of principles but a lack of experiential knowledge and revelation in regards to those principles. Truth, is often confrontational and contradictory to our own understandings. The humble in heart love to be confronted with truth because the humble are always hungry. The prideful on the other hand despise any truths that confront them because they are already full of their own ideas. A confrontation of wrong thinking often happens before a revelation comes about. Jesus will often bring about a principle that is completely contrary to our level of understanding to create a hunger for more. This is what Jesus is doing here in Mark 7. He is bringing about a truth that is completely contrary to everything that everyone knew to be true; which in turn creates a hunger in His disciples. This hunger is expressed in verse 17 when the disciples pull Jesus aside to ask Him what those words meant. They had a taste of the principle just like everybody else, now they want a full meal of revelation, which Jesus freely gives them. Let us be a people that hunger and thirst for more of the word of God. Then let us walk in obedience to His word so that the hungry and thirsty among us, find satisfaction in Him. Questions to Consider: 1. In verse 16, Jesus uses a phrase the He used often "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear". What do you think this means and why does Jesus use it so often? 2. Why is it important for us as disciples to know the principles and teachings of Christ, but also have the revelation behind the principles?  Scripture Reading: Psalm 96:1-13 NASB95 Sing to the LORD a new song; Sing to the LORD, all the earth. [2] Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. [3] Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. [4] For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. [5] For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. [6] Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. [7] Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. [8] Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name; Bring an offering and come into His courts. [9] Worship the LORD in holy attire; Tremble before Him, all the earth. [10] Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.” [11] Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all it contains; [12] Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy [13] Before the LORD, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness And the peoples in His faithfulness.  Scripture Reading:
2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; [17] so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. My opinion will not buy you a cup of coffee. My opinion will not get you into heaven. However, there is a distinct possibility that my opinions will get you into trouble. This is the righteous challenge for any teacher of God's Word: "Are you teaching God's Word or have you distorted God's Word with opinions that are not supported or projected by the scriptural text?" Scripture is inspired (God-breathed) by God, and it is profitable! It is profitable for life-changing teaching. It is profitable to challenge my opinions when I am off. It is profitable for bringing correction when I am wrong. Its truths form the core of what I value and prepare me to serve the purposes of God. My opinions cannot even buy a cup of coffee. This is why we cling to Biblical truth. This is why we strive to teach God's Word with integrity. This is why teachers are held to a higher standard of judgment, because when it comes to the presentation of the Gospel Message, the presentation must be accurate. No-one should think that their ideas or opinions have the power to salvation, that power is preserved for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Questions to Consider:
 Scripture Reading: Mark 7:9-13 NASB95
He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. [10] For Moses said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER’; and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH’; [11] but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’ [12] you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; [13] thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.” Why would God place the command to "Honor your Father and your Mother" in with the rest of the commandments? God had a plan in mind that answered the need for welfare. It was a command that a major piece of this commandment was the idea that children were responsible to take care of their parents as they grew old. In an agrarian-based culture this was a brilliant answer to the question of how to care for elderly people. The Pharisees had perverted this command with a money-making scheme. They encouraged the grown children of elderly parents to give an offering to the local synagogue rather than spend the money to take care of their parents. They elevated this offering to the synagogue as a more spiritual thing to do. That giving to God was morally superior action. Jesus pointed out the obvious, this was a gross violation of God's command. While the local synagogue grew wealthy, some of the most vulnerable people in the community were neglected. This was more than a simple moral dilemma, this was a distortion of God's Word, and a perversion of God's purposes for His people. Jesus ended the discussion with the Pharisees by putting them on notice that this practice was just one of many things they were doing wrong. Questions to Consider:
 Scripture Reading: Mark 7:6-8 NASB95
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.’ [8] Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” The Prophet Isaiah took the religious leaders of the Jews to task approximately 700 years before Jesus appeared. That meant that some of the traditions that were being propagated by the Pharisees had been in force for many, many generations. That is to say that the traditions of the Pharisees were deeply embedded in the Jewish culture. When questioned, as to why His disciples were eating bread with "unclean" hands, Jesus took the Pharisees to task. He quoted Isaiah: "Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men." What did Jesus mean? The Pharisees were teaching their own ideas as if those ideas came from God. They were enforcing rules upon the people that did not originate from God. What can we take away from this exchange? It is of primary importance that "we" who believe in the Bible, present its truths with integrity. That we avoid adding to or subtracting from God's revelation to us. In the words of the Apostle Paul: 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. Questions to Consider:
 Scripture Reading: Mark 7:1-5 NASB95
The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, [2] and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. [3] (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; [4] and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) [5] The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” There was a group of Pharisees and some scribes that traveled from Jerusalem to check out the ministry of Jesus. They did not come in humility. They did not come to learn. They did not come to lend support. They came to challenge, disrupt, and undermine Jesus' ministry. The Pharisees were looking for "something" that they could use against Jesus. They wanted to catch Him breaking the law, or teaching heresy, or committing blasphemy. This would help them later when they would build their case against Jesus. They found an issue that they could pick on. "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?" In Exodus, Chapter 30, verses 19 and 20, the Levitical Priests were instructed to wash themselves before they served in the Tabernacle. Someone in the religious hierarchy decided that it would be a good idea for everyone to wash. Furthermore, they decided that everyone should wash before every meal. While this was good hygiene, it was not a command of God. God never commanded the people of Israel to wash their hands before meals; therefore, this tradition did not have the approval of God. Questions to Consider:
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