1 00:00:00,980 –> 00:00:04,340 Well, we’ve begun the second leg of our journey 2 00:00:04,340 –> 00:00:06,300 through Mark’s Gospel. 3 00:00:06,300 –> 00:00:08,500 We started off learning who Jesus is, 4 00:00:08,500 –> 00:00:10,540 that he’s the Son of God, 5 00:00:10,540 –> 00:00:13,280 that he is the Savior who was coming to the world 6 00:00:13,280 –> 00:00:15,620 to bring people under the blessing of God’s rule. 7 00:00:15,620 –> 00:00:16,860 That’s who Jesus is 8 00:00:16,860 –> 00:00:18,879 and that really was the first leg of our journey 9 00:00:18,879 –> 00:00:20,120 through this gospel. 10 00:00:21,059 –> 00:00:24,719 In the second leg, we’re going to discover what Jesus does. 11 00:00:24,719 –> 00:00:26,120 What he does for his people, 12 00:00:26,120 –> 00:00:28,760 that is for those who respond to Him 13 00:00:28,860 –> 00:00:30,620 in repentance and faith. 14 00:00:30,620 –> 00:00:32,220 And we began last Sunday 15 00:00:32,220 –> 00:00:35,959 by seeing that Jesus overcomes resistance in his people, 16 00:00:35,959 –> 00:00:38,200 that there can be a strange hardness of heart 17 00:00:38,200 –> 00:00:39,660 even among God’s own people, 18 00:00:39,660 –> 00:00:41,439 among the disciples themselves. 19 00:00:41,439 –> 00:00:44,840 And we saw the great patience of the Lord Jesus Christ 20 00:00:44,840 –> 00:00:46,500 and the way he ministers to us. 21 00:00:46,500 –> 00:00:48,139 In these most difficult times, 22 00:00:48,139 –> 00:00:51,779 Jesus overcomes resistance in his people. 23 00:00:51,779 –> 00:00:53,320 And today we’re gonna see something else 24 00:00:53,320 –> 00:00:54,740 very wonderful indeed, 25 00:00:54,740 –> 00:00:56,119 and it’s right there in our title 26 00:00:56,119 –> 00:01:01,119 that Jesus cleanses the hearts of his people. 27 00:01:01,759 –> 00:01:06,519 We’re going to see why we need to be cleansed 28 00:01:06,519 –> 00:01:11,519 and how it is the Jesus Christ can do that for us. 29 00:01:11,879 –> 00:01:13,879 Now, it’s worth just remembering 30 00:01:13,879 –> 00:01:16,239 that the Bible uses two very important words 31 00:01:16,239 –> 00:01:18,120 and they have some distinction in their meaning. 32 00:01:18,120 –> 00:01:20,959 The Bible talks about forgiveness, 33 00:01:20,959 –> 00:01:24,639 but it also talks about cleansing. 34 00:01:24,639 –> 00:01:29,639 We need to be forgiven so that we can be at peace with God. 35 00:01:29,839 –> 00:01:32,800 We need to be cleansed so that we can live 36 00:01:32,800 –> 00:01:35,519 in the presence of God. 37 00:01:35,519 –> 00:01:36,980 Forgiveness, if I can just put it, 38 00:01:36,980 –> 00:01:39,540 for those who like to have a sort of theological frame 39 00:01:39,540 –> 00:01:42,059 in their minds, just a couple of sentences here, 40 00:01:42,059 –> 00:01:43,820 forgiveness really properly belongs 41 00:01:43,820 –> 00:01:45,580 to the realm of justification. 42 00:01:45,580 –> 00:01:49,459 That is coming to be at peace with God. 43 00:01:49,459 –> 00:01:53,379 There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 44 00:01:53,400 –> 00:01:56,559 That’s where forgiveness belongs. 45 00:01:56,559 –> 00:01:59,779 But cleansing belongs to the realm of sanctification. 46 00:01:59,779 –> 00:02:01,580 The Bible also says, without holiness, 47 00:02:01,580 –> 00:02:04,699 no one can see the Lord. 48 00:02:04,699 –> 00:02:05,580 So think of it this way. 49 00:02:05,580 –> 00:02:07,779 Forgiveness is essentially about restoring 50 00:02:07,779 –> 00:02:09,860 your relationship with God. 51 00:02:09,860 –> 00:02:14,259 Cleansing is about restoring your life before God. 52 00:02:14,259 –> 00:02:17,240 And these are the two great promises of the gospel. 53 00:02:17,240 –> 00:02:18,839 They are ours in Jesus Christ, 54 00:02:18,839 –> 00:02:20,580 never the one without the other. 55 00:02:20,600 –> 00:02:23,960 Now, of course, we hear a great deal about forgiveness, 56 00:02:23,960 –> 00:02:27,080 but not so much, I think, about cleansing, 57 00:02:27,080 –> 00:02:29,539 and, therefore, this is a very important subject 58 00:02:29,539 –> 00:02:32,539 that is before us today. 59 00:02:32,539 –> 00:02:34,080 Now, I hope you won’t find it 60 00:02:34,080 –> 00:02:35,860 to be too much information, 61 00:02:35,860 –> 00:02:39,020 but truth is I was just thinking about this 62 00:02:39,020 –> 00:02:41,320 as one does sometimes in the shower 63 00:02:41,320 –> 00:02:42,979 one morning earlier this week. 64 00:02:42,979 –> 00:02:44,699 I don’t do all of the sermon preparation in the shower 65 00:02:44,699 –> 00:02:46,339 just so that you know that. 66 00:02:46,339 –> 00:02:49,899 And while I was there, I picked up this shampoo bottle. 67 00:02:49,899 –> 00:02:52,479 I didn’t say whose it was, I just picked it up. 68 00:02:52,479 –> 00:02:53,940 And this is what it says. 69 00:02:53,940 –> 00:02:57,440 Herbal Essences, and they’ve coined a new word, 70 00:02:57,440 –> 00:03:02,220 and I like this word, degunkify. 71 00:03:02,220 –> 00:03:04,479 Degunk, you turn it around 72 00:03:04,479 –> 00:03:06,259 and just ahead of the instructions 73 00:03:06,259 –> 00:03:08,360 on how to use this particular substance, 74 00:03:08,360 –> 00:03:09,559 which I always find very helpful 75 00:03:09,559 –> 00:03:11,779 that they put that on the back of the bottle, 76 00:03:11,779 –> 00:03:14,380 it explains the meaning of this new word 77 00:03:14,380 –> 00:03:16,979 that they have coined, degunkify. 78 00:03:17,740 –> 00:03:21,399 Lose the leftover gunk 79 00:03:21,399 –> 00:03:26,399 and ick of gels and of sprays. 80 00:03:26,619 –> 00:03:27,960 Now, I don’t know about you, 81 00:03:27,960 –> 00:03:29,940 but when I get up in the morning 82 00:03:29,940 –> 00:03:31,600 and kind of stagger out of bed 83 00:03:31,600 –> 00:03:34,240 and kind of bleary eyed, head towards the shower, 84 00:03:34,240 –> 00:03:37,500 I know that I need to be degunkified. 85 00:03:37,500 –> 00:03:40,699 That is exactly how I feel. 86 00:03:40,699 –> 00:03:45,699 And apparently this stuff will de-gunkify your hair. 87 00:03:46,539 –> 00:03:48,460 But the question before us this morning 88 00:03:48,460 –> 00:03:52,059 is what will de-gunkify your heart? 89 00:03:52,059 –> 00:03:53,619 That’s the question. 90 00:03:55,100 –> 00:04:00,100 What will de-gunkify your life? 91 00:04:02,100 –> 00:04:04,259 And I hope you have the Bible open in front of you 92 00:04:04,259 –> 00:04:05,860 because we’re going to see three things 93 00:04:05,860 –> 00:04:09,240 from Mark’s Gospel and chapter seven. 94 00:04:10,619 –> 00:04:12,699 And the first of them is simply this. 95 00:04:12,740 –> 00:04:17,359 That if your heart, if your life is to be cleansed, 96 00:04:19,179 –> 00:04:24,179 de-gunkified, then you need to begin 97 00:04:24,660 –> 00:04:29,660 by measuring your life by the right standard. 98 00:04:29,820 –> 00:04:31,779 And that really seems to me to be the main theme 99 00:04:31,779 –> 00:04:33,179 of verses one through 13, 100 00:04:33,179 –> 00:04:34,500 and I hope you have the Bible open 101 00:04:34,500 –> 00:04:36,220 so that we can look at it together. 102 00:04:36,220 –> 00:04:41,220 You’re gonna start if you’re to find cleansing of heart 103 00:04:41,779 –> 00:04:44,140 by measuring your life by the right standard. 104 00:04:44,140 –> 00:04:45,500 Now, let’s jump in at verse one. 105 00:04:45,500 –> 00:04:48,859 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law 106 00:04:48,859 –> 00:04:50,880 who had come from Jerusalem, 107 00:04:50,880 –> 00:04:53,019 we’ve met these characters before, 108 00:04:53,019 –> 00:04:55,920 they gathered around Jesus. 109 00:04:55,920 –> 00:04:58,040 Now, straight away, we know that these folks 110 00:04:58,040 –> 00:05:01,059 had already rejected the Lord Jesus. 111 00:05:01,059 –> 00:05:04,339 Remember from Mark in chapter three in verse six, 112 00:05:04,339 –> 00:05:09,339 we saw that the Pharisees were plotting how to kill Jesus. 113 00:05:10,299 –> 00:05:11,859 That’s pretty clear rejection. 114 00:05:11,859 –> 00:05:13,940 That’s chapter 3 in verse 6, the Pharisees. 115 00:05:13,940 –> 00:05:16,119 And the other group here are the teachers of the law 116 00:05:16,119 –> 00:05:17,899 who came down from Jerusalem. 117 00:05:17,899 –> 00:05:19,799 Now, we’ve met these characters before as well, 118 00:05:19,799 –> 00:05:20,640 haven’t we? 119 00:05:20,640 –> 00:05:24,859 Remember in chapter 3 and in verse 22, 120 00:05:24,859 –> 00:05:26,059 they were the ones who came down, 121 00:05:26,059 –> 00:05:27,600 we pictured them with the clipboards 122 00:05:27,600 –> 00:05:30,239 making an official assessment of the ministry of Jesus. 123 00:05:30,239 –> 00:05:31,839 And their official report was 124 00:05:31,839 –> 00:05:33,940 that he’s doing the work of the devil. 125 00:05:33,940 –> 00:05:35,739 That’s chapter 3 in verse 22. 126 00:05:35,739 –> 00:05:39,019 Now, these are pretty clear expressions of rejection. 127 00:05:39,019 –> 00:05:40,220 What I want you to notice is 128 00:05:40,220 –> 00:05:42,220 that those who had rejected God’s Son 129 00:05:42,220 –> 00:05:44,640 were incredibly religious. 130 00:05:45,600 –> 00:05:49,140 And you see that in verse 3 and in verse 4. 131 00:05:49,140 –> 00:05:51,820 They were scrupulous, 132 00:05:51,820 –> 00:05:55,100 these folks who had so clearly rejected Jesus 133 00:05:55,100 –> 00:05:58,959 about ceremonial washing of their hands 134 00:05:58,959 –> 00:06:01,700 in verse 3, and of cups, and of pitchers, 135 00:06:01,700 –> 00:06:03,799 and of kettles, in verse 4. 136 00:06:05,140 –> 00:06:06,619 And, you know, if you have opportunity 137 00:06:06,619 –> 00:06:08,239 to travel around the world, 138 00:06:08,239 –> 00:06:09,779 just watch for this. 139 00:06:09,779 –> 00:06:11,519 This is a universal phenomenon. 140 00:06:11,519 –> 00:06:13,079 It goes across every continent. 141 00:06:13,079 –> 00:06:15,459 It it skips across cultures. 142 00:06:15,459 –> 00:06:18,519 This rites of pouring water 143 00:06:18,519 –> 00:06:20,239 over different parts of the body, 144 00:06:20,239 –> 00:06:22,339 pouring water over things that you use, 145 00:06:22,339 –> 00:06:25,040 cups and dishes, and utensils, and so forth, 146 00:06:25,040 –> 00:06:26,940 as a kind of ritual washing. 147 00:06:26,940 –> 00:06:29,380 And the Pharisees were scrupulous. 148 00:06:29,380 –> 00:06:30,200 The teachers of the law 149 00:06:30,200 –> 00:06:32,519 were scrupulous about doing these things 150 00:06:32,519 –> 00:06:36,500 because they felt that these ritual washings 151 00:06:36,500 –> 00:06:39,420 of hands, and feet, and cups, and kettles 152 00:06:39,420 –> 00:06:43,359 would in some way preserve purity before God. 153 00:06:43,359 –> 00:06:47,079 And so they were scrupulous about these things. 154 00:06:47,079 –> 00:06:49,100 Now, I want you to notice what Jesus says 155 00:06:49,100 –> 00:06:51,040 to these folks in verse eight. 156 00:06:51,040 –> 00:06:53,619 It is absolutely astonishing. 157 00:06:53,619 –> 00:06:55,959 Jesus says to them, 158 00:06:55,959 –> 00:07:00,959 you have let go of the commands of God. 159 00:07:01,779 –> 00:07:05,959 You’re just holding to the traditions of men. 160 00:07:06,940 –> 00:07:10,359 Now, it’s honestly hard for us, really, 161 00:07:10,359 –> 00:07:14,100 to feel the shock value of these words. 162 00:07:14,100 –> 00:07:17,380 These folks were the custodians of values 163 00:07:17,380 –> 00:07:19,760 within the community at the time. 164 00:07:19,760 –> 00:07:22,079 They were the role models of moral behavior. 165 00:07:22,079 –> 00:07:23,760 You were a parent with younger children, 166 00:07:23,760 –> 00:07:25,399 you would point to the Pharisees and say, 167 00:07:25,399 –> 00:07:27,640 these are the kind of guys that you want to be like. 168 00:07:27,640 –> 00:07:31,619 That’s how people thought of those who were moral leaders 169 00:07:31,619 –> 00:07:32,760 within the community. 170 00:07:32,779 –> 00:07:36,059 And Jesus comes to these exemplary characters 171 00:07:36,059 –> 00:07:37,420 as they were perceived to be 172 00:07:37,420 –> 00:07:38,799 and Jesus says to them, 173 00:07:38,799 –> 00:07:42,779 you have let go of the commandments of God. 174 00:07:44,079 –> 00:07:45,559 Kind of speechless. 175 00:07:47,760 –> 00:07:48,760 Now, I want you to notice 176 00:07:48,760 –> 00:07:51,619 that Jesus gives a specific example. 177 00:07:51,619 –> 00:07:53,579 See, God is absolutely just. 178 00:07:53,579 –> 00:07:57,700 He never gives vague general indictments against people. 179 00:07:57,700 –> 00:08:00,359 On the last day when God brings charges 180 00:08:00,359 –> 00:08:01,459 against all men and women, 181 00:08:01,480 –> 00:08:03,119 they will be very specific. 182 00:08:03,119 –> 00:08:05,600 No one will ever be in hell and not know why. 183 00:08:06,980 –> 00:08:08,920 And Jesus here, gives an example of that. 184 00:08:08,920 –> 00:08:10,359 He said, let’s get specific. 185 00:08:10,359 –> 00:08:13,600 Let’s give an example of how you have let go 186 00:08:13,600 –> 00:08:14,839 of the commandments of God 187 00:08:14,839 –> 00:08:16,880 and he chooses just one example, 188 00:08:16,880 –> 00:08:19,519 though, I want you to notice in verse 13 189 00:08:19,519 –> 00:08:22,359 that he says, this is just one of many possible examples. 190 00:08:22,359 –> 00:08:27,359 He says, you do many things like this. 191 00:08:28,000 –> 00:08:30,540 Let’s look at the example, then, one of many. 192 00:08:30,559 –> 00:08:34,619 Verse ten, Jesus quotes the fifth commandment. 193 00:08:34,619 –> 00:08:38,679 Moses said, honor your father and your mother. 194 00:08:39,719 –> 00:08:41,260 But our Lord says, verse 11, 195 00:08:41,260 –> 00:08:45,340 you say, that if a man says to his father and mother, 196 00:08:45,340 –> 00:08:48,640 whatever help you might have received from me is korban, 197 00:08:49,700 –> 00:08:52,960 that is, a gift devoted to God, 198 00:08:52,960 –> 00:08:55,619 then you no longer let him do anything 199 00:08:55,619 –> 00:08:58,619 for his father and his mother. 200 00:08:59,400 –> 00:09:04,239 Now, very simply, the Pharisees had this program 201 00:09:04,239 –> 00:09:06,820 in which you could declare money 202 00:09:06,820 –> 00:09:10,799 or possessions to be korban. 203 00:09:10,799 –> 00:09:12,159 And what that meant was that 204 00:09:12,159 –> 00:09:14,219 if you declared something to be korban, 205 00:09:14,219 –> 00:09:17,679 it meant that that possession, house or whatever, 206 00:09:17,679 –> 00:09:21,840 or these particular funds were restricted 207 00:09:21,840 –> 00:09:24,979 and could not be used for certain purposes. 208 00:09:24,979 –> 00:09:26,260 In other words, 209 00:09:26,260 –> 00:09:30,299 this program was a way of tying up money 210 00:09:30,299 –> 00:09:34,400 so that it was not available for other use. 211 00:09:34,400 –> 00:09:37,140 Now, I mean, there are many ways in which we do that today. 212 00:09:37,140 –> 00:09:40,159 I mean, a good example would be like a pension fund. 213 00:09:40,159 –> 00:09:43,419 You have a designated use for this particular fund. 214 00:09:43,419 –> 00:09:45,039 It is still your money, 215 00:09:45,039 –> 00:09:49,140 and at some point you will use and access that money. 216 00:09:49,140 –> 00:09:51,320 But it is set aside for particular use. 217 00:09:51,320 –> 00:09:53,159 You don’t touch it through most of your life, 218 00:09:53,159 –> 00:09:55,000 or at least there are penalties 219 00:09:55,359 –> 00:09:58,020 that will be incurred if you do. 220 00:09:59,239 –> 00:10:03,640 Now, you see how this program worked. 221 00:10:03,640 –> 00:10:07,479 If you had declared assets to be car ban 222 00:10:07,479 –> 00:10:10,000 and then someone in your family 223 00:10:11,000 –> 00:10:13,719 came along with a particular need, 224 00:10:13,719 –> 00:10:15,039 then you could honestly say, 225 00:10:15,039 –> 00:10:17,739 you know, I’d love to be able to help you, 226 00:10:17,739 –> 00:10:21,080 but I just don’t have the resources available to do it. 227 00:10:22,020 –> 00:10:24,159 And your father and mother might say, 228 00:10:24,159 –> 00:10:25,000 well, wait a minute, 229 00:10:25,000 –> 00:10:26,599 you’re a millionaire son, aren’t you? 230 00:10:26,599 –> 00:10:27,739 And then you would say, oh yeah, yeah, 231 00:10:27,739 –> 00:10:29,099 but all of that is car ban. 232 00:10:29,099 –> 00:10:33,400 You see, it’s all in restricted accesses for particular use 233 00:10:33,400 –> 00:10:35,500 and it’s not available therefore 234 00:10:35,500 –> 00:10:37,900 for this particular purpose of helping you. 235 00:10:37,900 –> 00:10:40,760 That’s basically how the program worked. 236 00:10:40,760 –> 00:10:42,719 And in the car ban program, 237 00:10:42,719 –> 00:10:46,200 you could choose what the restrictions were. 238 00:10:46,200 –> 00:10:48,299 So, for example, if someone was saying, 239 00:10:48,299 –> 00:10:50,440 you know, I can see that my mother and father 240 00:10:50,520 –> 00:10:54,119 are going to have extensive financial needs 241 00:10:54,119 –> 00:10:55,479 and the last thing I want 242 00:10:55,479 –> 00:10:57,200 is for it to come out of my pocket. 243 00:10:57,200 –> 00:10:58,239 What you did, you see, 244 00:10:58,239 –> 00:11:01,119 was you declared assets car ban against them. 245 00:11:01,119 –> 00:11:02,479 So there was a restriction, 246 00:11:02,479 –> 00:11:03,719 whatever else it could be used for, 247 00:11:03,719 –> 00:11:06,140 it couldn’t be used in relation to them 248 00:11:06,140 –> 00:11:08,320 and in that way, the money was protected 249 00:11:08,320 –> 00:11:11,000 from being drained and so forth and so on. 250 00:11:11,000 –> 00:11:14,599 That’s basically how the system worked. 251 00:11:14,599 –> 00:11:15,559 And so in verse 11, 252 00:11:15,559 –> 00:11:17,919 Jesus describes this situation in which, 253 00:11:17,919 –> 00:11:20,020 let’s suppose a man declares his property, 254 00:11:20,039 –> 00:11:22,299 car ban to his parents 255 00:11:22,299 –> 00:11:23,979 and you could imagine how this might happen. 256 00:11:23,979 –> 00:11:26,200 Perhaps there was a big argument in the family 257 00:11:26,200 –> 00:11:28,760 and the son has fallen out with the father 258 00:11:28,760 –> 00:11:31,080 and he says, well, I’m not gonna use a penny 259 00:11:31,080 –> 00:11:32,979 of my money to help him 260 00:11:32,979 –> 00:11:37,340 and so he declares his assets car ban to his father 261 00:11:37,340 –> 00:11:38,859 but then let’s suppose one day, 262 00:11:38,859 –> 00:11:41,059 there’s a change of heart 263 00:11:41,059 –> 00:11:42,780 and there’s a wonderful reconciliation. 264 00:11:42,780 –> 00:11:45,179 Son is reconciled to the father 265 00:11:45,179 –> 00:11:46,340 and he really feels because 266 00:11:46,340 –> 00:11:48,419 his father’s in quite a desperate situation 267 00:11:48,440 –> 00:11:51,179 and he wants to be able to use these resources 268 00:11:51,179 –> 00:11:56,179 to help his dad so he comes to the Pharisees 269 00:11:56,440 –> 00:12:00,979 and he wants to release the restriction, you see. 270 00:12:00,979 –> 00:12:03,059 It’s kind of like, although this is the other way around, 271 00:12:03,059 –> 00:12:05,780 it’s kind of like what happens with a will, isn’t it? 272 00:12:06,900 –> 00:12:09,719 Father and son have a great argument 273 00:12:09,719 –> 00:12:11,419 and father says, 274 00:12:11,419 –> 00:12:13,940 well, he’s not gonna get his filthy hands 275 00:12:13,940 –> 00:12:15,239 on one penny of my money 276 00:12:15,239 –> 00:12:16,500 so off he goes to the lawyer 277 00:12:16,539 –> 00:12:19,539 and cuts the boy out of the will, you see. 278 00:12:19,539 –> 00:12:21,719 And then in the goodness of God, five years later 279 00:12:21,719 –> 00:12:24,380 there’s a wonderful reconciliation 280 00:12:24,380 –> 00:12:27,679 and the two hearts are softened towards each other 281 00:12:28,700 –> 00:12:32,460 and the dad says, you know, I’m gonna change my will. 282 00:12:32,460 –> 00:12:34,219 I’m gonna put him back in, 283 00:12:34,219 –> 00:12:36,539 and so thankful for the change that’s taken place. 284 00:12:36,539 –> 00:12:37,419 So what does he do? 285 00:12:37,419 –> 00:12:39,919 Goes off to the lawyer and changes the will. 286 00:12:39,919 –> 00:12:41,700 It’s kind of like that situation. 287 00:12:41,700 –> 00:12:42,880 Here it’s the other way around. 288 00:12:42,880 –> 00:12:45,719 The son has declared things corban against his parents, 289 00:12:45,780 –> 00:12:47,900 and he now goes back to the Pharisees 290 00:12:47,900 –> 00:12:50,820 and says that he wants to be able to use these resources 291 00:12:50,820 –> 00:12:55,039 to be able to help his parents, and here’s the problem. 292 00:12:55,039 –> 00:12:58,299 The Pharisees didn’t allow you to do that. 293 00:12:58,299 –> 00:13:01,780 Once you had declared an asset corban, 294 00:13:01,780 –> 00:13:04,260 it could not be changed. 295 00:13:05,400 –> 00:13:06,859 Now of course, if you think about it, 296 00:13:06,859 –> 00:13:08,739 in the way that systems work, 297 00:13:08,739 –> 00:13:12,059 some people probably found that very useful 298 00:13:12,059 –> 00:13:14,179 because the fact that the Pharisees protected 299 00:13:14,239 –> 00:13:17,140 that the corban vow could never be changed 300 00:13:17,140 –> 00:13:19,780 kind of took the pressure off anyone feeling 301 00:13:19,780 –> 00:13:21,340 that perhaps they ought to change it. 302 00:13:21,340 –> 00:13:23,320 That’s how systems work, isn’t it? 303 00:13:24,599 –> 00:13:28,039 By the way, this is a good example 304 00:13:28,039 –> 00:13:32,739 of Christ holding accountable men and women 305 00:13:32,739 –> 00:13:36,539 who create and uphold systems 306 00:13:36,539 –> 00:13:39,000 that are fundamentally unjust. 307 00:13:39,000 –> 00:13:40,859 This was the Pharisees program, 308 00:13:41,840 –> 00:13:46,840 and it mitigated, it contradicted hearts of compassion 309 00:13:49,619 –> 00:13:51,820 and Jesus holds them accountable 310 00:13:51,820 –> 00:13:55,520 for what they had created and for the effects of it. 311 00:13:57,219 –> 00:14:00,820 Now, very simply then, the Corban program 312 00:14:00,820 –> 00:14:04,099 was a way of tying up money 313 00:14:04,099 –> 00:14:05,940 so that it was no longer available 314 00:14:05,940 –> 00:14:10,239 to meet a particular or even an obvious need. 315 00:14:10,239 –> 00:14:14,919 Money that could have been used to assist someone 316 00:14:14,919 –> 00:14:19,559 God had placed very close to a person was restricted 317 00:14:19,559 –> 00:14:22,760 and because it was restricted, it was thereby protected 318 00:14:22,760 –> 00:14:25,179 so that it could not be released 319 00:14:25,179 –> 00:14:26,880 and a son could say to his father, 320 00:14:26,880 –> 00:14:29,000 I’d really love to help you, 321 00:14:29,000 –> 00:14:32,640 but I really can’t because you see, 322 00:14:32,640 –> 00:14:35,820 it’s all tied up. 323 00:14:37,880 –> 00:14:39,400 Now, you know, at first glance, 324 00:14:39,520 –> 00:14:40,799 when you read through Mark chapter seven, 325 00:14:40,799 –> 00:14:42,520 you think this is a, you know, 326 00:14:42,520 –> 00:14:44,400 light years away from where we are today. 327 00:14:44,400 –> 00:14:45,400 The more I’ve looked at it, 328 00:14:45,400 –> 00:14:47,440 the more I’ve become absolutely convicted 329 00:14:47,440 –> 00:14:51,679 that it raises some really important questions for us 330 00:14:51,679 –> 00:14:53,880 and their issues that every one of us 331 00:14:53,880 –> 00:14:56,159 in this sanctuary faces. 332 00:14:57,780 –> 00:15:02,619 The biggest stewardship decisions of your life 333 00:15:02,619 –> 00:15:06,239 are not the decisions about how much you will give. 334 00:15:07,239 –> 00:15:11,460 The biggest stewardship decisions of your life 335 00:15:11,460 –> 00:15:15,840 will be the decisions you make about how much you tie up 336 00:15:15,840 –> 00:15:19,580 so that you cannot give it. 337 00:15:21,119 –> 00:15:22,799 And these are questions, honestly, 338 00:15:22,799 –> 00:15:26,159 that all of us face and on which we have to make judgments. 339 00:15:27,799 –> 00:15:32,799 How much of what you have should you tie up in a house? 340 00:15:33,559 –> 00:15:38,559 How much should you tie up in your pension? 341 00:15:42,619 –> 00:15:47,020 How much should you tie up in a venture? 342 00:15:48,280 –> 00:15:50,340 Or in travel? 343 00:15:50,340 –> 00:15:51,479 Or in sports? 344 00:15:51,479 –> 00:15:54,239 Or in interests or in pleasures? 345 00:15:55,400 –> 00:15:59,479 These are discipleship decisions. 346 00:16:00,479 –> 00:16:04,260 Because what you tie up, you cannot release. 347 00:16:05,799 –> 00:16:08,059 So the great decisions that we’re making 348 00:16:08,059 –> 00:16:10,700 are not belated decisions about, 349 00:16:10,700 –> 00:16:12,039 should I give this or this. 350 00:16:12,039 –> 00:16:14,580 The real decisions are being made 351 00:16:14,580 –> 00:16:17,320 when we are determining what we tie up, 352 00:16:17,320 –> 00:16:22,119 because what we tie up, we cannot release. 353 00:16:23,260 –> 00:16:25,679 And as you move through life, 354 00:16:25,679 –> 00:16:27,799 if having money is more important to you 355 00:16:27,940 –> 00:16:30,559 than meeting needs, this is what will happen. 356 00:16:30,559 –> 00:16:35,559 You will find ways of tying up more and more money 357 00:16:35,719 –> 00:16:39,520 so that you have less available to meet the needs 358 00:16:39,520 –> 00:16:42,940 of the very people that God has placed around you, 359 00:16:42,940 –> 00:16:47,440 because it’s all protected and restricted 360 00:16:48,780 –> 00:16:53,460 and core band and tied up. 361 00:16:53,820 –> 00:16:54,900 It’s all tied up. 362 00:16:56,179 –> 00:16:59,619 You know, it was nothing to do with the message today, 363 00:16:59,619 –> 00:17:03,219 but I just so happened to have a conversation this week 364 00:17:03,219 –> 00:17:05,439 with someone in the congregation here, 365 00:17:05,439 –> 00:17:08,780 and we were talking about whether he would apply 366 00:17:08,780 –> 00:17:10,640 for another job and so forth and so on 367 00:17:10,640 –> 00:17:11,859 and the various issues. 368 00:17:11,859 –> 00:17:15,380 And then we got on to talk about where he was living 369 00:17:15,380 –> 00:17:19,180 and he said, you know, 370 00:17:19,180 –> 00:17:22,319 we’re at the stage where the natural thing 371 00:17:22,359 –> 00:17:27,359 for kids would be for us to move up to a larger house. 372 00:17:28,760 –> 00:17:33,400 But he said, honestly, we don’t need to do that 373 00:17:33,400 –> 00:17:34,880 and we’ve talked about it 374 00:17:34,880 –> 00:17:37,160 and we’ve decided we’re not going to do that. 375 00:17:38,619 –> 00:17:43,619 And for him, this was a discipleship decision 376 00:17:45,219 –> 00:17:47,920 that was motivated by the desire to use 377 00:17:47,920 –> 00:17:49,660 the larger amounts of money that were now 378 00:17:49,660 –> 00:17:52,239 becoming available as he was getting well-well down 379 00:17:52,339 –> 00:17:53,819 in paying off his mortgage. 380 00:17:53,819 –> 00:17:58,660 A desire to use what was becoming available for ministry 381 00:17:58,660 –> 00:18:02,119 rather than tying up more and more and more 382 00:18:02,119 –> 00:18:04,959 as the years move forward in his life. 383 00:18:06,540 –> 00:18:08,020 Now let me say this very clearly, 384 00:18:08,020 –> 00:18:10,219 we must be very careful 385 00:18:11,459 –> 00:18:15,119 that we do not judge our brother or our sister 386 00:18:15,119 –> 00:18:15,959 in this matter. 387 00:18:15,959 –> 00:18:18,979 And if you’re immediately thinking about someone else 388 00:18:18,979 –> 00:18:20,979 who you think is tied up too much, 389 00:18:21,040 –> 00:18:23,160 then you’re seeing a speck of sawdust 390 00:18:23,160 –> 00:18:24,400 in someone else’s life, 391 00:18:24,400 –> 00:18:26,239 there’s very probably, in Jesus words, 392 00:18:26,239 –> 00:18:27,800 a plank of wood in your own. 393 00:18:28,699 –> 00:18:29,540 Okay. 394 00:18:32,300 –> 00:18:34,699 But we must be rigorous 395 00:18:36,000 –> 00:18:38,640 in examining ourselves 396 00:18:38,640 –> 00:18:42,319 on the really big stewardship decisions, 397 00:18:42,319 –> 00:18:44,880 which are the decisions about how much you tie up. 398 00:18:46,219 –> 00:18:49,619 Because what you tie up, 399 00:18:49,619 –> 00:18:52,939 you cannot release. 400 00:18:55,500 –> 00:18:56,660 By the way, 401 00:18:57,540 –> 00:19:00,780 this is one of the biggest reasons 402 00:19:00,780 –> 00:19:04,540 and motivations for getting out of debt. 403 00:19:06,020 –> 00:19:08,839 The last thing in the world 404 00:19:08,839 –> 00:19:11,180 you want in your life 405 00:19:11,180 –> 00:19:16,180 is for your resources to be Corbann’d on a credit card. 406 00:19:17,099 –> 00:19:18,040 Right? 407 00:19:19,939 –> 00:19:22,380 And you honor God, 408 00:19:22,380 –> 00:19:23,800 if you’re in that position, 409 00:19:24,660 –> 00:19:29,020 by getting out of that as quickly as you possibly can. 410 00:19:31,140 –> 00:19:32,660 And you honor God 411 00:19:32,660 –> 00:19:37,660 by staying out of that as vigorously as you possibly can, 412 00:19:39,859 –> 00:19:42,699 so that what God has trusted to you 413 00:19:42,699 –> 00:19:45,040 may be wisely stewarded, 414 00:19:46,579 –> 00:19:48,339 and you may be in a position 415 00:19:48,439 –> 00:19:51,199 to use what has been trusted to you 416 00:19:52,319 –> 00:19:56,760 as expressions of loving God with all your heart 417 00:19:56,760 –> 00:19:58,660 and loving your neighbor 418 00:19:59,680 –> 00:20:02,560 as much as you love yourself. 419 00:20:03,599 –> 00:20:05,040 Now, we said the main point here 420 00:20:05,040 –> 00:20:08,400 is to measure your life by the right standard. 421 00:20:09,319 –> 00:20:11,859 And here’s where we come back to the Pharisees, 422 00:20:11,859 –> 00:20:13,400 because Jesus, remember, is speaking 423 00:20:13,400 –> 00:20:16,239 specifically to them on this issue. 424 00:20:16,239 –> 00:20:17,920 Remember, they’re so scrupulous 425 00:20:18,060 –> 00:20:19,560 about their religious rituals 426 00:20:19,560 –> 00:20:22,699 of these washings of hands and cups and kettles, 427 00:20:24,040 –> 00:20:25,199 and Jesus said to them, 428 00:20:25,199 –> 00:20:28,439 you have let go of the commandments of God. 429 00:20:30,000 –> 00:20:33,119 God says to you you’re to love him with all your heart 430 00:20:33,119 –> 00:20:36,180 and you are to love your neighbor as yourself 431 00:20:37,040 –> 00:20:40,439 and the very systems that you’ve created 432 00:20:40,439 –> 00:20:42,839 and the very practices that you’re encouraging 433 00:20:42,839 –> 00:20:44,199 those who look to you in 434 00:20:45,020 –> 00:20:48,640 that are mitigating that very commandment of God. 435 00:20:48,640 –> 00:20:50,540 You’ve just set it aside. 436 00:20:52,060 –> 00:20:53,839 What a terrifying thing this is 437 00:20:53,839 –> 00:20:57,300 to have a religion that can make you feel good 438 00:20:57,300 –> 00:21:01,660 about yourself while you are letting go 439 00:21:01,660 –> 00:21:03,280 of the very commandments of God. 440 00:21:04,760 –> 00:21:07,839 Filled by my religious observance how righteous I am 441 00:21:07,839 –> 00:21:10,959 whereas if you look at the realities of what’s happening 442 00:21:10,959 –> 00:21:12,359 the real decisions of life 443 00:21:12,359 –> 00:21:15,599 there is no reflection in that of loving God 444 00:21:15,599 –> 00:21:16,760 with all your heart and certainly, 445 00:21:16,760 –> 00:21:18,800 none of loving your neighbor as yourself. 446 00:21:20,859 –> 00:21:24,119 Religion can blind you to the real standard 447 00:21:24,119 –> 00:21:26,540 by which God measures our hearts. 448 00:21:27,719 –> 00:21:30,319 And Jesus really nails the Pharisees on this 449 00:21:30,319 –> 00:21:32,479 but I gotta say as I look at it, 450 00:21:32,479 –> 00:21:33,900 He nails us, doesn’t He? 451 00:21:35,920 –> 00:21:36,920 He really does. 452 00:21:39,380 –> 00:21:41,079 Now if you are going to be cleansed, 453 00:21:41,099 –> 00:21:43,800 if your life is to be changed in the way 454 00:21:43,800 –> 00:21:46,520 that we’re pursuing in the Scriptures today, 455 00:21:46,520 –> 00:21:47,599 here’s where you have to begin. 456 00:21:47,599 –> 00:21:50,079 You have to measure your life by the right standard 457 00:21:50,079 –> 00:21:51,219 and when you do, 458 00:21:53,000 –> 00:21:56,119 you will feel your needs to be cleansed. 459 00:21:56,119 –> 00:21:58,119 You will feel your need to be changed 460 00:21:58,119 –> 00:22:01,359 in a deep inward kind of a way. 461 00:22:02,619 –> 00:22:04,839 And boy if these Pharisees and teachers of the law 462 00:22:04,839 –> 00:22:06,880 had seen that they would have been falling on their knees 463 00:22:06,880 –> 00:22:09,140 before Jesus as we must do today 464 00:22:09,140 –> 00:22:12,239 rather than walking away and condemning him. 465 00:22:14,099 –> 00:22:16,819 So measure your life by the right standard. 466 00:22:16,819 –> 00:22:18,900 There’s the first thing, here’s the second. 467 00:22:18,900 –> 00:22:23,180 Trace your sin to the right source. 468 00:22:23,180 –> 00:22:26,500 Trace your sin to the right source. 469 00:22:26,500 –> 00:22:29,459 I want to focus here especially on verse 15. 470 00:22:29,459 –> 00:22:32,339 Some very important words of Jesus. 471 00:22:32,339 –> 00:22:35,300 Nothing outside a man can make him unclean 472 00:22:35,300 –> 00:22:36,479 by going into him. 473 00:22:37,119 –> 00:22:40,959 Rather, it is what comes out of a man 474 00:22:40,959 –> 00:22:43,239 that makes him unclean. 475 00:22:44,400 –> 00:22:46,920 Now this is a kind of good news bad news 476 00:22:46,920 –> 00:22:47,859 kind of a verse. 477 00:22:47,859 –> 00:22:49,079 It comes in two parts. 478 00:22:49,079 –> 00:22:51,319 So we’ll take the good news first. 479 00:22:51,319 –> 00:22:52,520 Here’s the good news. 480 00:22:53,439 –> 00:22:58,439 Nothing outside a man can make him unclean. 481 00:23:02,359 –> 00:23:03,760 I think in our hearts we will want 482 00:23:03,780 –> 00:23:06,599 to say amen to that and to thank God for that 483 00:23:06,599 –> 00:23:10,280 because we live honestly in a filthy world 484 00:23:11,140 –> 00:23:16,140 and some of us have seen and experienced terrible things. 485 00:23:19,199 –> 00:23:20,800 My father was a policeman. 486 00:23:22,280 –> 00:23:26,640 And when I was little boy at that stage in his career, 487 00:23:26,640 –> 00:23:28,479 he was a police photographer 488 00:23:28,479 –> 00:23:33,479 on the murder squad in the city of Edinburgh. 489 00:23:33,479 –> 00:23:35,239 So it was quite regular during the night 490 00:23:35,239 –> 00:23:37,160 when there was a murder, he would be called out, 491 00:23:37,160 –> 00:23:39,579 you have to have a photographer on the scene and so forth 492 00:23:39,579 –> 00:23:44,579 and over the years, my father saw horrific things. 493 00:23:44,880 –> 00:23:46,479 Horrific things. 494 00:23:46,479 –> 00:23:47,920 We’ve often spoken about it. 495 00:23:50,040 –> 00:23:55,040 And the question that arises when you see horrific things, 496 00:23:55,479 –> 00:23:58,680 some of you been through this in war, 497 00:23:59,900 –> 00:24:03,359 say what’s that going to do to my soul? 498 00:24:03,359 –> 00:24:07,819 What I’ve seen and what I’ve experienced. 499 00:24:10,060 –> 00:24:15,060 And I want to encourage you to hold on to this promise 500 00:24:15,180 –> 00:24:18,359 of the Lord Jesus Christ as my father held on 501 00:24:18,359 –> 00:24:21,300 to this promise of the Lord Jesus Christ, 502 00:24:21,300 –> 00:24:26,300 nothing outside of a man can make him unclean. 503 00:24:26,800 –> 00:24:28,599 Some of us in this congregation have seen 504 00:24:28,599 –> 00:24:33,599 or experienced traumas that would make your hair 505 00:24:40,540 –> 00:24:42,380 stand on end if you knew it. 506 00:24:42,380 –> 00:24:44,560 Would make my hair stand on end too. 507 00:24:46,959 –> 00:24:50,500 And I want you to hear these words of the Lord Jesus Christ, 508 00:24:50,500 –> 00:24:54,380 nothing that is outside of a man, 509 00:24:54,380 –> 00:24:58,140 nothing that is outside of a woman 510 00:24:58,140 –> 00:25:02,800 can make him or her unclean. 511 00:25:04,500 –> 00:25:09,420 The things that you experience may cause you great trauma, 512 00:25:09,500 –> 00:25:12,260 they may cause you years of struggle, 513 00:25:13,459 –> 00:25:16,420 but thank God the things that are outside of you 514 00:25:16,420 –> 00:25:19,280 cannot make you unclean. 515 00:25:20,819 –> 00:25:22,979 And then let’s think of it more broadly. 516 00:25:23,420 –> 00:25:27,819 It helps to know this in this world in which we live 517 00:25:27,819 –> 00:25:32,579 where you can’t even watch a good television program 518 00:25:32,579 –> 00:25:35,060 at 7 o’clock in the evening 519 00:25:35,060 –> 00:25:37,800 without seeing advertising 520 00:25:37,800 –> 00:25:41,500 that often is materialistic and sensual, 521 00:25:41,500 –> 00:25:44,219 and you can’t drive into the city of Chicago 522 00:25:44,219 –> 00:25:46,959 without seeing billboards you really would rather not see. 523 00:25:46,959 –> 00:25:50,979 We just live in an environment where the stuff is around us 524 00:25:50,979 –> 00:25:52,920 and we can’t get away from it. 525 00:25:53,500 –> 00:25:55,099 We can’t avoid it. 526 00:25:55,099 –> 00:25:56,359 Well thank God for this. 527 00:25:56,359 –> 00:26:01,040 Nothing outside a man can make him unclean. 528 00:26:01,040 –> 00:26:03,339 I think that is good news, don’t you? 529 00:26:03,339 –> 00:26:05,839 Thank God for that. 530 00:26:05,839 –> 00:26:07,900 Some of you work in an environment 531 00:26:07,900 –> 00:26:10,079 where you hear people blaspheme 532 00:26:10,079 –> 00:26:12,500 and use filthy language all day 533 00:26:12,500 –> 00:26:16,040 and you wonder, what effect is this going to have upon me? 534 00:26:16,040 –> 00:26:18,520 Some of you work in a business environment 535 00:26:18,520 –> 00:26:20,640 that’s much more refined and polite, 536 00:26:20,900 –> 00:26:23,839 but some of the practices of what is going on there 537 00:26:23,839 –> 00:26:27,000 really make you somedays feel absolutely sick 538 00:26:27,000 –> 00:26:30,520 and you need to be able to take to your own mind and heart 539 00:26:30,520 –> 00:26:33,339 this wonderful promise of the Lord Jesus Christ, 540 00:26:33,339 –> 00:26:34,520 hold on to this, 541 00:26:34,520 –> 00:26:39,459 nothing outside a man can make him unclean. 542 00:26:39,459 –> 00:26:41,560 That’s the good news. 543 00:26:41,560 –> 00:26:42,800 Thank God for it. 544 00:26:44,160 –> 00:26:45,359 Now here’s the bad news. 545 00:26:46,900 –> 00:26:48,400 Second half of verse 15. 546 00:26:49,260 –> 00:26:53,099 It is what comesout of a man 547 00:26:54,579 –> 00:26:56,020 that makes him unclean. 548 00:26:57,420 –> 00:27:00,060 Then if you skip to verse 20 you’ll see Jesus expands 549 00:27:00,060 –> 00:27:01,839 with his disciples on this point, 550 00:27:01,839 –> 00:27:04,040 he says from within, verse 20, 551 00:27:04,040 –> 00:27:08,979 out of men’s hearts come evil thoughts. 552 00:27:08,979 –> 00:27:10,900 And then our Lord gives us 553 00:27:10,900 –> 00:27:14,939 this depressing catalog of vices. 554 00:27:15,219 –> 00:27:19,699 And then out of men’s hearts come theft and murder, 555 00:27:19,699 –> 00:27:23,819 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, 556 00:27:23,819 –> 00:27:27,699 envy, arrogance, slander, and folly. 557 00:27:27,699 –> 00:27:30,040 Jesus says all these evils come from where? 558 00:27:30,040 –> 00:27:33,420 From inside, they come from inside 559 00:27:34,780 –> 00:27:38,699 and make a man unclean. 560 00:27:38,699 –> 00:27:40,500 Now let’s be absolutely clear about this. 561 00:27:40,500 –> 00:27:42,660 Jesus is talking about the general 562 00:27:42,680 –> 00:27:46,319 or universal condition of the human heart. 563 00:27:46,319 –> 00:27:50,339 He is not saying that these evils are inside bad people. 564 00:27:50,339 –> 00:27:54,540 He is saying that these evils are inside all people. 565 00:27:55,739 –> 00:27:58,939 He is saying that these evils are inside you. 566 00:27:58,939 –> 00:28:01,400 They are inside me. 567 00:28:01,400 –> 00:28:02,959 They may never come out 568 00:28:04,140 –> 00:28:08,699 but every one of them is there in seed form 569 00:28:09,540 –> 00:28:12,300 so that there is no sin that you and I 570 00:28:12,300 –> 00:28:14,939 do not have the potential to commit. 571 00:28:16,619 –> 00:28:21,619 Now this teaching of Jesus is incredibly important 572 00:28:24,439 –> 00:28:27,300 for us and understanding our life in this world. 573 00:28:27,300 –> 00:28:29,459 You see, if you’ve understood what Jesus is saying here, 574 00:28:29,459 –> 00:28:33,280 you will realize that the real problem that you face 575 00:28:33,280 –> 00:28:35,660 and the real problem that I face 576 00:28:35,699 –> 00:28:38,380 in living and pursuing a holy life 577 00:28:38,380 –> 00:28:41,819 is not with the advertising or Hollywood 578 00:28:41,819 –> 00:28:44,339 or the television or the internet. 579 00:28:45,339 –> 00:28:47,780 The real problem that you face and the real problem 580 00:28:47,780 –> 00:28:49,660 that I face in pursuing a holy life 581 00:28:49,660 –> 00:28:52,020 is the problem of what’s in our heart. 582 00:28:54,500 –> 00:28:55,859 And just think about it. 583 00:28:57,060 –> 00:29:01,760 A hundred years ago, they didn’t have television, 584 00:29:02,079 –> 00:29:06,640 Hollywood, the internet, 585 00:29:08,880 –> 00:29:11,000 but they still had theft, they still had murder. 586 00:29:11,000 –> 00:29:13,199 They still had adultery, greed, malice, deceit, 587 00:29:13,199 –> 00:29:15,640 lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 588 00:29:15,640 –> 00:29:17,040 So if they didn’t have all these things, 589 00:29:17,040 –> 00:29:18,199 where did it come from? 590 00:29:19,400 –> 00:29:22,040 It came from the heart, but it’s always come from, 591 00:29:23,719 –> 00:29:28,479 from within, which is what Jesus is saying to us. 592 00:29:29,479 –> 00:29:34,199 Now, this is sobering stuff and if we’re following Jesus 593 00:29:34,199 –> 00:29:36,760 and therefore embracing his teaching, 594 00:29:36,760 –> 00:29:38,180 it will mean a paradigm shift 595 00:29:38,180 –> 00:29:40,000 for some of us in how we think 596 00:29:40,000 –> 00:29:43,760 about what is within our own hearts 597 00:29:43,760 –> 00:29:45,579 and within all hearts. 598 00:29:46,939 –> 00:29:49,339 See, we like to think that we are 599 00:29:49,339 –> 00:29:52,060 basically good people in a bad world. 600 00:29:54,540 –> 00:29:56,439 But what if we are bad people? 601 00:29:57,400 –> 00:30:00,780 What if the bad is within us? 602 00:30:01,699 –> 00:30:06,699 And, you see, that is precisely the uncomfortable teaching 603 00:30:07,079 –> 00:30:09,920 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 604 00:30:09,920 –> 00:30:12,359 and if you are his follower, you will agree with it 605 00:30:12,359 –> 00:30:13,800 and you will believe it. 606 00:30:13,800 –> 00:30:15,719 You’ll also know it from your own experience 607 00:30:15,719 –> 00:30:17,319 because he left shown it to you. 608 00:30:18,880 –> 00:30:22,400 Now, this applies in all kinds of ways of life. 609 00:30:22,400 –> 00:30:24,160 Let me try and apply this to parents. 610 00:30:24,380 –> 00:30:26,819 For all of us who have the privilege 611 00:30:26,819 –> 00:30:29,739 and the responsibility of raising children, 612 00:30:29,739 –> 00:30:32,839 it is so easy to fall into the idea 613 00:30:32,839 –> 00:30:35,000 that if we can just keep our kids 614 00:30:35,000 –> 00:30:39,239 from the bad stuff out there that we will have done 615 00:30:39,239 –> 00:30:40,199 what is needed. 616 00:30:41,119 –> 00:30:44,420 But I think the question that Mark 7 raises for us, 617 00:30:44,420 –> 00:30:46,979 the question that Jesus raises for us is simply this, 618 00:30:46,979 –> 00:30:49,500 what if the bad stuff is already inside your kids? 619 00:30:50,500 –> 00:30:51,339 What then? 620 00:30:52,339 –> 00:30:55,040 A religion of avoiding bad things 621 00:30:55,040 –> 00:30:58,160 then simply will not be enough. 622 00:31:00,800 –> 00:31:05,040 I found in my reading this week that Bishop Ryle, 623 00:31:05,040 –> 00:31:06,819 who I’ve quoted a number of times 624 00:31:06,819 –> 00:31:07,979 in his book On Mark’s Gospel, 625 00:31:07,979 –> 00:31:09,619 from which I’m going to quote in a moment 626 00:31:09,619 –> 00:31:12,680 is back there in the Unlocking The Bible bookstore, 627 00:31:12,680 –> 00:31:15,140 Ryle writing 150 years ago, 628 00:31:15,140 –> 00:31:18,579 opened up this verse and applied it particularly 629 00:31:18,579 –> 00:31:21,119 to Christian parents and I read what he said, 630 00:31:21,180 –> 00:31:24,040 Oh boy, that’s like it was written just yesterday. 631 00:31:24,040 –> 00:31:25,479 I want to read this quote to you. 632 00:31:25,479 –> 00:31:26,760 If you want to follow up on it, 633 00:31:26,760 –> 00:31:28,719 you’ll also find it on the church’s website. 634 00:31:28,719 –> 00:31:30,000 I’ve put it there because I thought 635 00:31:30,000 –> 00:31:32,719 folks might be interested, it’s too long to write down, 636 00:31:32,719 –> 00:31:34,640 and you might like to pick up these words. 637 00:31:34,640 –> 00:31:36,180 He quotes verse 20. 638 00:31:36,180 –> 00:31:37,920 This is Bishop Ryle. 639 00:31:37,920 –> 00:31:41,079 What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean. 640 00:31:42,520 –> 00:31:45,500 He says there is a deep truth in these words 641 00:31:45,500 –> 00:31:47,500 which is frequently overlooked. 642 00:31:48,420 –> 00:31:53,420 Human wickedness is often attributed to bad examples, 643 00:31:53,540 –> 00:31:58,540 bad company, unusual temptations or snares of the devil. 644 00:32:00,099 –> 00:32:02,420 It seems to be forgotten that everyone 645 00:32:02,420 –> 00:32:05,920 carries a fountain of wickedness within. 646 00:32:07,219 –> 00:32:09,339 We need no bad company to teach us 647 00:32:09,339 –> 00:32:12,739 and no devil to tempt us in order to run into sin, 648 00:32:12,739 –> 00:32:17,339 we have within us the beginning of every sin under heaven. 649 00:32:18,500 –> 00:32:21,119 And if you’ve understood the teaching of Jesus, 650 00:32:21,119 –> 00:32:22,739 you will agree with that. 651 00:32:22,739 –> 00:32:24,140 That’s what Jesus is saying. 652 00:32:25,260 –> 00:32:28,699 You have, and I have within us, 653 00:32:29,619 –> 00:32:33,680 the beginning of every sin under heaven. 654 00:32:33,680 –> 00:32:35,660 If you think there are some things 655 00:32:35,660 –> 00:32:36,880 that are completely beyond you 656 00:32:36,880 –> 00:32:39,300 because you’ve attained a state of righteousness, 657 00:32:39,300 –> 00:32:41,339 then you think that you stand, 658 00:32:41,339 –> 00:32:44,520 you must be very, very careful lest you fall. 659 00:32:45,319 –> 00:32:47,520 And Ryle says, we ought to remember this, then, 660 00:32:47,520 –> 00:32:49,400 that’s that we have the beginning of every sin 661 00:32:49,400 –> 00:32:51,520 under heaven within us in the training 662 00:32:51,520 –> 00:32:53,819 and the education of our children. 663 00:32:53,819 –> 00:32:56,479 In all our management we must never forget 664 00:32:56,479 –> 00:32:58,800 that the seeds of all mischief and wickedness 665 00:32:58,800 –> 00:33:00,880 are in their hearts. 666 00:33:00,880 –> 00:33:04,260 It is not enough to keep boys and girls at home 667 00:33:04,260 –> 00:33:07,680 and shut out every outward temptation. 668 00:33:07,680 –> 00:33:11,280 They carry within them a heart ready for any sin, 669 00:33:11,280 –> 00:33:13,680 and until that heart is changed, 670 00:33:13,680 –> 00:33:15,920 they are not safe whatever we do. 671 00:33:17,239 –> 00:33:19,880 When children do wrong, it is a common practice 672 00:33:19,880 –> 00:33:23,020 to lay all the blame on bad companions. 673 00:33:23,020 –> 00:33:25,479 But it is mere ignorance, blindness and foolishness 674 00:33:25,479 –> 00:33:26,359 to do so. 675 00:33:27,260 –> 00:33:29,920 Bad companions are a great evil, no doubt, 676 00:33:29,920 –> 00:33:33,319 and an evil to be avoided as much as possible. 677 00:33:33,319 –> 00:33:36,060 But no bad companion teaches a boy or girl 678 00:33:36,060 –> 00:33:39,500 half as much sin as their own hearts will suggest to them 679 00:33:39,500 –> 00:33:41,739 unless they are renewed by the Holy Spirit. 680 00:33:42,640 –> 00:33:46,459 The beginning says of all wickedness is within 681 00:33:46,459 –> 00:33:50,500 if parents were half as diligent in praying 682 00:33:50,500 –> 00:33:53,260 for their children’s conversion 683 00:33:53,260 –> 00:33:56,859 as they are in keeping them from bad company, 684 00:33:56,859 –> 00:34:00,680 their children would turn out far better than they do. 685 00:34:02,359 –> 00:34:07,359 Now, the teaching of Jesus that we’re trying to grasp here 686 00:34:07,619 –> 00:34:08,919 boils down to this. 687 00:34:10,639 –> 00:34:13,760 The real problem in Christian discipleship 688 00:34:13,760 –> 00:34:17,800 does not lie in the environment, it lies in the heart. 689 00:34:17,800 –> 00:34:21,399 It lies in you, it lies in me. 690 00:34:21,399 –> 00:34:24,600 These evils, they don’t come from outside. 691 00:34:24,600 –> 00:34:27,179 They come from inside. 692 00:34:28,840 –> 00:34:31,139 And of those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ, 693 00:34:31,139 –> 00:34:32,840 I want to ask you to consider this. 694 00:34:32,840 –> 00:34:36,340 You may need to process it in your mind to get used to this, 695 00:34:37,139 –> 00:34:39,300 and I’m asking you the question, do you believe this? 696 00:34:39,300 –> 00:34:40,719 Do you believe this about yourself? 697 00:34:40,719 –> 00:34:42,719 Do you believe this about your children? 698 00:34:46,580 –> 00:34:50,000 Let me say this word to kids among us. 699 00:34:50,000 –> 00:34:52,260 It’s so good to have kids in the services, 700 00:34:53,100 –> 00:34:56,959 grade school, middle school, high school. 701 00:34:59,179 –> 00:35:04,179 The seats of every imaginable sin 702 00:35:04,719 –> 00:35:08,719 are in your heart right now. 703 00:35:14,159 –> 00:35:15,620 And so here’s the question, 704 00:35:17,379 –> 00:35:22,379 how are you going to avoid making a complete mess up 705 00:35:23,580 –> 00:35:28,379 of your life in the next 10 or even 20 years? 706 00:35:31,479 –> 00:35:33,580 See if you really understand and believe 707 00:35:33,580 –> 00:35:35,020 what Jesus is teaching here, 708 00:35:35,020 –> 00:35:38,120 that the seed of every sin under heaven 709 00:35:38,120 –> 00:35:40,000 actually lies within you, 710 00:35:40,000 –> 00:35:45,000 you will say boy, as I venture out in life 711 00:35:45,120 –> 00:35:50,120 I need a savior who can walk with me, 712 00:35:51,139 –> 00:35:53,159 strengthen me in the struggle 713 00:35:53,159 –> 00:35:55,300 against what I find within myself, 714 00:35:56,300 –> 00:35:57,860 save me, deliver me, 715 00:35:57,860 –> 00:35:59,399 and I need him every day of my life 716 00:35:59,399 –> 00:36:01,520 and I need him beginning today. 717 00:36:04,060 –> 00:36:05,760 And let me say this too, 718 00:36:07,280 –> 00:36:12,280 I don’t know if perhaps in your family, 719 00:36:12,780 –> 00:36:14,760 kids may have said at some point, 720 00:36:14,760 –> 00:36:17,540 Mom and Dad, they seem so uptight, 721 00:36:17,540 –> 00:36:18,979 you ever been as a parent accused 722 00:36:18,979 –> 00:36:20,439 of being uptight you know, 723 00:36:20,439 –> 00:36:22,500 like why are you so uptight Dad you know, 724 00:36:23,580 –> 00:36:26,500 I’ll tell you, this is an insight for the kids. 725 00:36:27,540 –> 00:36:30,600 I’ll tell you why Moms and Dads get uptight about kids. 726 00:36:31,780 –> 00:36:33,159 They’re uptight about you. 727 00:36:34,139 –> 00:36:36,459 Because they know what is in you, 728 00:36:36,459 –> 00:36:38,699 and the reason they know what is in you 729 00:36:38,699 –> 00:36:41,179 is they know what’s in them too. 730 00:36:42,020 –> 00:36:43,100 I know what’s in me. 731 00:36:44,419 –> 00:36:46,479 And I’m not naive about what’s in my kids. 732 00:36:48,340 –> 00:36:49,459 Now, what are we saying here, 733 00:36:49,459 –> 00:36:52,939 we’re saying, if we are to be cleansed, 734 00:36:52,939 –> 00:36:55,560 if our hearts are really to be changed, 735 00:36:55,560 –> 00:36:57,860 we have to measure ourselves by the right standard, 736 00:36:57,860 –> 00:36:59,219 otherwise we’ll go through life thinking 737 00:36:59,219 –> 00:37:00,219 how religious we all are, 738 00:37:00,219 –> 00:37:01,979 and we sing these hymns and we come to Church, 739 00:37:02,139 –> 00:37:03,899 then what good people we really are? 740 00:37:03,899 –> 00:37:05,979 And Jesus says to people who thought like that, 741 00:37:05,979 –> 00:37:07,760 you have let go of the commandments of God, 742 00:37:07,760 –> 00:37:10,540 you’re nowhere near, you don’t really love God. 743 00:37:10,540 –> 00:37:13,300 You don’t really care about other people around you either. 744 00:37:13,300 –> 00:37:15,179 You tie everything up so you can’t even help them, 745 00:37:15,179 –> 00:37:16,459 and then you try and put a big smile on it, 746 00:37:16,459 –> 00:37:18,560 and say, you’re so righteous about it all. 747 00:37:20,419 –> 00:37:22,379 So you have to measure yourself by the right standard 748 00:37:22,379 –> 00:37:25,219 then you’re gonna trace your sin to the right source. 749 00:37:26,379 –> 00:37:30,520 When you do that, you’re not going to walk away from Jesus 750 00:37:30,520 –> 00:37:32,879 and say, well, you know, that was another Sunday in church, 751 00:37:32,879 –> 00:37:35,100 you’re gonna say, I need a Saviour 752 00:37:35,100 –> 00:37:37,699 who will change my heart 753 00:37:37,699 –> 00:37:40,560 and will protect me from what is in my heart 754 00:37:40,560 –> 00:37:43,159 and enable me to prevail over the temptations 755 00:37:43,159 –> 00:37:45,139 that arise from my heart. 756 00:37:46,419 –> 00:37:51,340 Otherwise, I will make a complete mess up of my life. 757 00:37:52,179 –> 00:37:54,840 And if you have made a complete mess up of your life, 758 00:37:54,840 –> 00:37:57,040 you’ll be saying, I need a Christ 759 00:37:57,040 –> 00:37:58,919 who can deliver me from this 760 00:37:59,300 –> 00:38:01,840 and save me from this and bring me out of this 761 00:38:01,840 –> 00:38:03,260 and put me in a new position 762 00:38:03,260 –> 00:38:05,159 where I can actually go on a different track, 763 00:38:05,159 –> 00:38:07,439 otherwise I’m just gonna stay exactly where I am 764 00:38:07,439 –> 00:38:09,280 and repeat the same old cycles. 765 00:38:10,939 –> 00:38:13,560 So the very last thing to say this morning is simply this, 766 00:38:13,560 –> 00:38:15,399 you measure yourself by the right standard, 767 00:38:15,399 –> 00:38:17,659 you trace your sin to the right source, 768 00:38:17,659 –> 00:38:21,360 you put your trust in the right person. 769 00:38:21,360 –> 00:38:25,879 And the right person is our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 770 00:38:25,919 –> 00:38:29,600 And He makes to us two wonderful promises. 771 00:38:29,600 –> 00:38:31,659 He promises to change your heart, 772 00:38:31,659 –> 00:38:34,439 you can’t change your heart but Jesus Christ can. 773 00:38:34,439 –> 00:38:36,679 Religion won’t change your heart, 774 00:38:36,679 –> 00:38:39,439 being in the programs of the church won’t change your heart 775 00:38:39,439 –> 00:38:41,739 but Jesus Christ can and He will. 776 00:38:41,739 –> 00:38:44,479 If you will come to Him and you will ask Him 777 00:38:44,479 –> 00:38:46,600 and you will submit to Him and you will believe Him 778 00:38:46,600 –> 00:38:48,820 and you will trust Him and you will follow Him, 779 00:38:48,820 –> 00:38:50,860 He will change your heart. 780 00:38:52,479 –> 00:38:54,340 But be ready for this, 781 00:38:55,320 –> 00:38:57,840 that if you ask Jesus Christ to change your heart 782 00:38:57,840 –> 00:39:00,659 you’re going to find yourself in a lifelong conflict 783 00:39:00,659 –> 00:39:05,360 with all this stuff that remains in seed form within you. 784 00:39:06,280 –> 00:39:10,520 See, the reality is that either you are at peace with God 785 00:39:10,520 –> 00:39:14,820 and fighting sin or you are at peace with sin 786 00:39:14,820 –> 00:39:18,260 and if you are that means that you are fighting God. 787 00:39:18,260 –> 00:39:20,780 You will find that you are waging a war 788 00:39:20,780 –> 00:39:22,800 against seeds that are within you 789 00:39:22,800 –> 00:39:24,899 that could easily take you to theft and murder 790 00:39:24,899 –> 00:39:27,040 and adultery and greed and malice and deceit 791 00:39:27,040 –> 00:39:30,360 and lewdness and envy and slander and arrogance and folly. 792 00:39:30,360 –> 00:39:33,020 You’ll be dealing with that stuff all your life 793 00:39:35,000 –> 00:39:37,379 but you’ll have a savior with you 794 00:39:37,379 –> 00:39:40,679 and a desire within your heart to prevail over it. 795 00:39:40,679 –> 00:39:43,600 Thank God for the transformation of conversion. 796 00:39:43,600 –> 00:39:48,600 You move from being at peace with sin and fighting God 797 00:39:48,699 –> 00:39:52,300 to being at peace with God and fighting sin. 798 00:39:52,300 –> 00:39:55,040 That’s what the transformation of the new heart 799 00:39:55,040 –> 00:39:57,659 really looks like and you have a desire within you 800 00:39:57,659 –> 00:39:59,600 that Jesus Christ will place within you. 801 00:39:59,600 –> 00:40:02,139 Perhaps, even now, to say, that’s what I want, 802 00:40:02,139 –> 00:40:04,040 Lord Jesus, help me. 803 00:40:06,179 –> 00:40:07,679 Not only will he change your heart, 804 00:40:07,679 –> 00:40:12,280 he will cleanse your life if we confess our sins, 805 00:40:12,280 –> 00:40:15,699 he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins. 806 00:40:15,699 –> 00:40:19,459 There’s the first word, and cleanse us 807 00:40:19,459 –> 00:40:22,139 from all unrighteousness. 808 00:40:22,939 –> 00:40:26,199 And cleanse you from the inside. 809 00:40:26,199 –> 00:40:27,780 He’ll work through your thoughts 810 00:40:27,780 –> 00:40:29,459 and your heart and your desire. 811 00:40:31,040 –> 00:40:36,040 Gradually and progressively, he will renew your very life 812 00:40:36,040 –> 00:40:38,199 and he will do this by the power of his blood, 813 00:40:38,199 –> 00:40:41,199 this is why he died on the cross and he’ll do it 814 00:40:41,199 –> 00:40:43,780 by the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, 815 00:40:43,780 –> 00:40:47,060 washing you and beginning to change you 816 00:40:47,060 –> 00:40:50,760 from the inside out. 817 00:40:50,860 –> 00:40:55,860 Jesus cleanses the hearts of his people 818 00:40:59,040 –> 00:41:01,179 and he’s able to do that for you, 819 00:41:01,179 –> 00:41:06,179 young, middle-aged, very old, even today. 820 00:41:07,060 –> 00:41:09,659 Will you bow with me in prayer together, 821 00:41:09,659 –> 00:41:12,020 measure your life by the right standard, 822 00:41:14,320 –> 00:41:16,600 trace your sin to the right source, 823 00:41:16,919 –> 00:41:19,239 put your trust in the right person. 824 00:41:22,260 –> 00:41:23,620 Maybe today you will be saying, 825 00:41:23,620 –> 00:41:26,219 Lord Jesus, I’ve been fighting you for way too long. 826 00:41:29,520 –> 00:41:31,840 Change my heart, turn me in a new direction 827 00:41:31,840 –> 00:41:33,419 by the power of your spirit 828 00:41:36,080 –> 00:41:39,000 so that with a new heart I may now fight as enemies 829 00:41:39,000 –> 00:41:41,199 the evils I once called friends. 830 00:41:43,719 –> 00:41:46,159 And then, Lord Jesus, cleanse my heart 831 00:41:46,879 –> 00:41:48,600 and Lord Jesus, cleanse my life. 832 00:41:48,600 –> 00:41:51,159 Wash me by the blood of your Son, Jesus Christ 833 00:41:51,159 –> 00:41:54,120 on the inside where the real problem is. 834 00:41:55,659 –> 00:41:58,159 My mind, my heart, my imagination, 835 00:41:59,040 –> 00:42:01,679 my memories, my desires. 836 00:42:03,560 –> 00:42:05,360 And go on cleansing me until one day 837 00:42:05,360 –> 00:42:07,040 every trace of sin will be gone 838 00:42:07,040 –> 00:42:10,939 when I stand in your presence and rejoice with you forever.