ACHY-BREAKY HEART

Nicolas Ochoa

Central Truth

There's a heart issue at hand. It's unclean from the inside out. We can’t conceal it. However, we can confess with confidence that Christ is enough. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

"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." (Mark 7:15)

What Defiles a Person

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.”^{1

7:15
Some manuscripts add verse 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?”^{2

7:19
Greek goes out into the latrine} (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.”

Footnotes

[1] 7:15 Some manuscripts add verse 16: If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear
[2] 7:19 Greek goes out into the latrine

Last August, I had an awful case of poison oak. Since this wasn’t immediately addressed, it soon developed into cellulitis. My foot, ankle, and calf became twice their size. Pus-filled blisters covered my legs. Itchiness consumed my body. A deep redness spread from toe to torso. I attended a wedding the night I was diagnosed, wearing ironed slacks, a new button-down, and my nicest watch. However, underneath, my flesh was warring against me and winning. As I tried to maintain an outward appearance of togetherness, inwardly I was broken. Tracking through today’s Journey passage, I’m reminded of the war on our hearts, the swelling of sin, and the façade of falsehood that clings so closely.

In Mark 7, Jesus speaks to a group of religious leaders who believe that hands, utensils, and furniture need to be ceremonially washed before one eats or one would be considered unclean, impure (ESV Commentary). Their belief is that the external matters more than the internal. Jesus explains that nothing outside a person can defile him, but what comes out of a person defiles him. "[O]ut 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." (Mark 7:21-23) This list of sin is from within, and it's made of choices we make. Matt Chandler says it like this: "Whatever reigns in your heart will overflow out of your heart in attitude and actions."

Our hearts being the problem, I’m encouraged by Paul’s plea in Romans 7, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 7:24-25a) In the midst of utter brokenness, Christ moves in and mends. He executes the greatest external act in all history, "[W]hile we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8b) Because of His love, we can approach His throne of grace walking in full authenticity and transparency. We can confess the wickedness of our hearts without shame or guilt and trust that Christ is enough.

1. How are you doing at confessing the sins of the heart and not just visible sins?

2. Our church leadership likes to describe matters of the heart this way: "Don't follow your heart, but inform your heart." How are you doing at informing your heart?

3. What is one thing today, or this week, that you need to bring to the light in family, work, marriage, small group, community, etc.?

4. Read Psalm 1:1-3. How does God's Word explain meditation? What does it mean to you?

5. What are three things you're meditating on in this season? Is the source of these meditations leaving your heart nourished or malnourished?