Countryside Vineyard Church
Mark - The Things That Defile Pt. 39
  • There's Joy in the House of the Lord
  • Blessed Be Your Name
  • I Know A Name
  • The Lord Will Provide
  • Goodness Of God

      • Mark 7:1-3ESV

      • Mark 7:4ESV

      • Mark 7:5-6ESV

      • Mark 7:7-9ESV

      • Mark 7:10-12ESV

      • Mark 7:13ESV

  • Introduction

    Good morning and welcome to the Countryside Vineyard, for those of you who don’t know me, my name is Joe Fager and I’m one of the pastors here.
    We are currently teaching verse by verse through Gospel of Mark. (Today Mark 7:14-23)
    Last week, Bill walked us through the first part of Mark 7. The Pharisees were upset because Jesus’ disciples were eating with unwashed hands.
    But Jesus showed us that the real issue was not dirty hands. The real issue was the heart.
    They were holding tightly to human tradition, but their hearts were far from God. They were worried about outward washing, but Jesus was exposing inward distance.
    Today, Jesus continues that same teaching.
    He is not changing the subject. He is going deeper.
    Last week, Jesus showed us that religion can cover the heart.
    This week, Jesus uncovers the heart.
    The title of today’s sermon is “The Things That Defile.” And that is exactly what Jesus is going to show us. But He is going to redefine defilement for us.
    The Pharisees thought defilement came from the outside in.
    Jesus says true defilement comes from the inside out.
    So here is the question before us today:
    What truly defiles a person?
    Not according to culture. Not according to tradition. Not according to my feelings. Not according to my excuses.
    But according to Jesus.
    Let’s read Mark 7:14–23.
    Mark 7:14–23 ESV
    14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” (16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.) 17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
    Before I begin to teach let’s pray....
    *** Manuscript issue Verse 16 ***
    Before we move on, very few of you will even have a verse 16.
    English Standard Version

    If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear

    That is because some manuscripts include that sentence here, and others do not. Many modern translations place it in a footnote.
    But nothing about the meaning of the passage changes. Jesus says the same thing in Mark 4:23. So the sentence is biblical. The only question is whether Mark originally included it here.
    Either way, it fits the moment.
    Jesus is calling us to listen carefully.
    He is about to tell us what truly defiles a person, so we need ears to hear.

    I. Jesus Redefines Defilement

    Mark 7:14–19 ESV
    And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)
    Jesus has already confronted the Pharisees and scribes. They were upset because His disciples were eating with unwashed hands. But Jesus showed that their real problem was not dirt. Their real problem was that they had placed human tradition above the command of God.
    Now Jesus calls the crowd to Himself.
    Verse 14 says, “And he called the people to him again and said to them, ‘Hear me, all of you, and understand.’”
    That is important.
    Jesus is not only speaking to the Pharisees anymore. He is not only correcting the religious leaders. He calls everyone in.
    This is for the crowd. This is for the disciples. This is for the Pharisees. This is for us.
    Jesus says, “Hear me, all of you, and understand.”
    In other words, “Lean in. Listen closely. Do not miss this.”
    And what He says next changes everything.
    Verse 15 says, “There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”
    That would have shocked them.
    The Pharisees were focused on what went into the body. They were focused on food, hands, washing, cups, pots, traditions, and rituals.
    But Jesus says, “You are looking in the wrong direction.”
    They were asking, “What got on your hands?”
    Jesus is asking, “What is coming out of your heart?”
    They were focused on outside-in defilement.
    Jesus says true defilement is inside-out.
    Now, that does not mean outward things never matter. What we watch matters. What we listen to matters. The people we let shape us matter. Our habits matter. Our choices matter.
    But those things are not the deepest source of our defilement.
    Jesus says the deeper problem is not what gets on us from the outside. The deeper problem is what comes out of us from the inside.
    Then, in verse 17, Jesus goes into the house. The crowd is gone, and the disciples ask Him about the parable.
    That is encouraging to me, because the disciples did not fully understand it either.
    They had heard Jesus. They had walked with Jesus. They had seen His miracles. But they still needed Him to explain it.
    So Jesus says in verse 18, “Then are you also without understanding?”
    That sounds strong, but Jesus is pressing them to think deeper.
    Then He explains it.
    He says, “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?”
    Jesus is making a simple point.
    Food goes into the stomach.
    Sin comes from the heart.
    Food does not enter the heart and make it evil. Dirty hands do not enter the heart and make it unclean. But sin comes from the heart and defiles the person.
    So Jesus is redefining defilement.
    According to Jesus, true defilement is not dirt on the hands. True defilement is sin in the heart that comes out through the life.
    That is the main idea.
    True defilement is sin in the heart that comes out through the life.
    And remember who is saying this.
    This is not just another teacher. This is not just another rabbi. This is not just another religious voice.
    This is Jesus.
    This is the God-man standing before us. This is the Word of God made flesh. This is the Holy One of Israel. This is the One who designed the body. This is the One who knows the heart. This is the One who defines what is clean and what is unclean.
    And He says, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.”
    So we do not get to define defilement for ourselves.
    Culture does not define it. Tradition does not define it. My feelings do not define it. My desires do not define it. My excuses do not define it.
    Jesus defines it.
    And Jesus says the true problem is deeper than the outside.
    The Pharisees wanted cleaner hands.
    Jesus wanted surrendered hearts.
    That is still the danger for religious people.
    We can clean up the outside and still be far from God on the inside. We can come to church, sing the songs, know the words, serve in ministry, look put together, and still have places in the heart that are not surrendered to Jesus.
    Jesus loves us too much to leave us there.
    He does not only want what people can see.
    He wants the heart.
    So point one is this: Jesus redefines defilement.
    Defilement is not outside-in. It is inside-out.
    The heart is the source. The life is where it comes out. And Jesus is going after the source.

    II. Jesus Reveals the Heart

    Mark 7:20–23 ESV
    And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
    After Jesus redefines defilement, He now shows us where defilement comes from.
    Verse 20 says:
    “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.”
    Then verse 21 says:
    “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts…”
    That phrase matters.
    “From within.”
    Jesus is not pointing across the street. He is pointing into the heart.
    In the Bible, the heart is not just our feelings.
    The heart is the center of the person.
    It is where we desire, think, choose, love, worship, and decide.
    So Jesus says the real source of defilement is the heart.
    The Bible has always warned us about the heart.
    Jeremiah 17:9 says,
    “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick, who can understand it?”
    That means the heart is not a safe final authority. It can lie to us.
    That is why Jesus goes after the heart.
    Let’s look at the list now
    Two things:
    plural left singular right - explain
    Rhyming sound - possible mnemonic device for help in memorization.
    So Jesus does not only ask, “What did you do?”
    He asks, “What is happening in you?”
    And this is where Jesus speaks directly to our culture.
    We live in a world that often says, “Follow your heart.”
    If I feel it, I should obey it. If I desire it, I should express it. If I think it, that becomes my truth. If my body disagrees with my feelings, then my body must be wrong. If God’s Word disagrees with my desires, then people say God’s Word must change.
    But Jesus says something very different.
    Jesus says what comes from within, out of the heart, is what defiles us.
    We hear slogans all around us.
    “My body, my choice.” “Love is love.” “Live your truth.” “Be your authentic self.” “If it makes me happy, it must be good.” “If I feel it deeply, it must be true.” “If Scripture disagrees with me, then Scripture must change.”
    Now, I am not saying every person who says these things has the exact same motive.
    Many people are hurting. Many people are confused. Many people are trying to find freedom, dignity, safety, or love.
    But underneath these slogans is a worldview.
    And that worldview is ancient, and we were all born into and believing that worldview.
    And the worldview is this: “What is inside of me, and comes out of me, gets the final word.”
    Did god really say? Genesis 3
    When Satan tempted Eve he was saying you should be God, in fact he said don’t you know when eat that fruit you will be like God?
    You will be able then to control your own destiny and do what you want.
    This worldview is the original sin
    I am my own God.
    But what Eve didn’t realize and what we don’t realize is that when we reject God’s design, God’s rules for life, God’s ideas, we aren’t rejecting Him, we are accepting Satan.
    There is no neutral ground.
    You surrender to God or you surrender to your own desire which is 100% Satan’s territory.
    And it’s not just hot-button cultural issues that Jesus is touching here.
    Maybe you have no struggle with sexuality, but you may have a struggle with pride.
    Or maybe you’re like Moses “the most humble person in all the earth.” but you struggle with stealing.
    Maybe you don’t steal, but you are proficient at deceit.
    Maybe you don’t lie, but you sure know how to be foolish
    Ok some of these are ridiculous, but you get the point.
    Out of the heart come all the things that actually defile us.
    James 1:14 ESV
    But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
    James 1:15 “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
    Jesus exposes the heart, not to leave us condemned, but to show us why we must be made new.

    III. Jesus gives us a new heart.

    Now, if we stop here, this sermon will surely convict, but will leave us all without hope.
    This really is the rest of the story of Mark. We will get there eventually, but Mark doesn’t go there now, but I’m going to.
    The hope is that Jesus did not come only to expose the heart. He came to cleanse it.
    The old covenant already promised this.
    In Ezekiel 36, God says:
    “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.”
    That is gospel hope.
    God does not merely say, “Try harder with the old heart.”
    He says, “I will give you a new heart.”
    Jesus came to make that possible.
    Jesus is the only person who ever lived with a perfectly clean heart.
    Nothing evil came out of Him.
    No lust. No greed. No deceit. No pride. No envy. No slander. No foolishness. No sin.
    His heart was perfectly pure. His thoughts were perfectly holy. His words were perfectly true. His desires were perfectly submitted to the Father.
    And yet, at the cross, the clean One was treated as unclean.
    He was taken outside the city. He bore our sin. He carried our shame. He took our defilement upon Himself.
    The One with the clean heart died for people with unclean hearts.
    And through His death and resurrection, He does not just wash the outside. He makes us new from the inside.
    This is why the gospel is not merely, “Jesus forgives your bad behavior.”
    Yes, He does forgive. Praise God, He forgives.
    But the gospel goes deeper.
    Jesus forgives your sin. Jesus cleanses your guilt. Jesus gives you a new heart. Jesus puts His Spirit within you. Jesus teaches you to live from the inside out.
    That means the Christian life is not, “Clean yourself up so Jesus will accept you.”
    The Christian life is, “Jesus has made you new, so now bring every part of your heart under His loving rule.”
    For the unbeliever, the need is to be born again.
    For the believer, the call is surrender.
    If you are in Christ, you are not the same person you used to be. You have been made new. You have received a new heart. The Spirit of God lives in you.
    But that does not mean every desire in you is now trustworthy.
    Having a new heart does not mean every feeling is holy.
    It means Jesus is now Lord over your desires.
    It means you do not have to obey the old master anymore.
    Romans 8 says, “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
    That is the Christian life.
    By the Spirit, we put sin to death.
    Not by shame. Not by willpower alone. Not by pretending. Not by cleaning the outside.
    By the Spirit.
    So when something ugly comes out of us, we do not hide it. We do not excuse it. We do not blame everyone else. We bring it to Jesus.
    When anger comes out, do not only say, “I need to stop yelling.” Ask, “Lord, what is happening in my heart?”
    When lust comes out, do not only say, “I need better boundaries.” Ask, “Lord, what desire is trying to rule me?”
    When slander comes out, do not only say, “I need to watch my mouth.” Ask, “Lord, why do I want to tear someone else down?”
    When envy comes out, do not only say, “I need to be more content.” Ask, “Lord, why do I believe You have not been good to me?”
    When pride comes out, do not only say, “I need to act humble.” Ask, “Lord, why am I trying to sit on the throne?”
    This is discipleship.
    Jesus shows us what is coming out so we will bring Him what is still going on within.

    Conclusion: Bring your heart to Jesus.

    As the worship team comes up and we get some people to pass out communion elements...
    Here is the main truth today:
    True defilement is the result of sinful attitudes or actions which start in the heart and that comes out through the lived life, and only Jesus can cleanse us from the inside out.
    And here is the challenge:
    Do not only ask Jesus to change what you do. Ask Him to rule what you love.
    He will not say, “Follow your heart wherever it leads.”
    No.
    Jesus says, “Bring your heart to Me.”
    Bring Him the lust. Bring Him the pride. Bring Him the anger. Bring Him the envy. Bring Him the bitterness. Bring Him the greed. Bring Him the slander. Bring Him the foolishness. Bring Him the fear. Bring Him the confusion. Bring Him the shame.
    Do not just polish the outside.
    Bring Him the heart.
    Because only the clean One can cleanse the unclean.
    Only the Holy One can make us holy.
    Only the One with the perfect heart can give us a new heart.
    So the invitation today is not, “Try harder to look clean.”
    The invitation is, “Come to Jesus.”
    Come honestly. Come humbly. Come fully. Come with the whole heart.
    And pray with David:
    “Create in me a clean heart, O God.”
    And pray with the new covenant promise:
    “Lord, make the inside match what You have made me in Christ.”
    Jesus is not afraid to touch what is unclean.
    He came near to cleanse it.
    So today, do not follow your heart.
    Bring your heart to Jesus.
    Bring your broken, messed up, sick heart to Jesus and lay it open at his feet. He is waiting for you…
    Take just a moment to bring your heart to him. Talk to him quietly even silently from your heart and just say here’s my heart Lord make it new, restore it, create in me a clean heart every morning. I want to submit to your authority. I’ve been lied to by my culture. I’ve been deceived by the devil, and I’ve even deceived myself. I want to align my desires with yours. Holy Spirit come...
    As we come to communion today…
    Remember what it means...
    We don’t come here becasue we are all cleaned up now,
    We come to remember the clean died for the unclean
    the undefiled one came to die for me the defiled one.
    Your body has been used by you to live out your sin-defiled intentions.
    Jesus’ body which was never defiled was crushed for what your body has done.
    Lord Jesus as we consume your body which you gave for us let us experience the power of your goodness in our lives. Take our defiled bodies and use them for your purposes Lord Jesus. Let us recommit this day living life your way instead of ours.
    You may break and eat.
    Jesus’ blood was poured out for the cleansing of that heart of yours.
    Lord Jesus from the first drops of blood shed in the garden, to the final drip fell from your body hanging on the tree, it was all for us. the Word says a lot of things about your blood and how precious it is. As we drink this cup, we ask for all of the cleansing power. We ask Lord for those of us with broken bodies and sicknesses, that the healing nature of your blood would come and wash over us. We ask you to retore broken and sick things, but especially our desperately sick hearts.
    You may drink.
    In Jesus’ name.

      • Mark 7:14–19ESV

      • Mark 7:20–23ESV

      • James 1:14ESV

      • Mark 7:1–13ESV

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