Jesus Isn't Afraid of Your Mess

Jews used to believe that consuming or touching the unclean would defile them, but they paid little attention to what was inside of them. Jesus flips the script on them to say, “‘Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them’ . . . He went on: ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person’ ” (Mark 7:19, 20-23, NIV). People were used to pointing out evil around them, but they weren’t used to pointing to the source of that evil: their own hearts. We can point to the sexual immorality all around us and try to run, but we will find that we have no where to go. It’s everywhere. Why? Because it’s in our hearts. The sexual immorality we see around us is a result of our hardened, rebellious, broken hearts. While habits and behavioral changes can sometimes impact our hearts, it can be like taking Tylenol for a severe injury. You may be able to lessen the pain, but the injury still remains. Changing behavior and habits can lessen the temptation, but the lust still has a grip on your heart. So, how do we get a heart transformation? Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (NLT). We know that Christ gives us a new life—and this transformation begins in the heart. While this is a glorious truth, we still struggle with sin on a daily basis. Paul speaks to this specifically in Romans 8, he reminds us that we are no longer controlled by our sinful nature: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live” (8:12-13, NIV). Christ has given us a new heart; and while we may have an inclination to return to our old ways of living, we can trust in Christ to renew our transformed hearts in his grace each day. Reflection/Discussion Question: What does it actually look like to trust in Christ’s grace to transform your heart?

I once overheard a conversation between a seasoned fisherman and a novice. He was explaining to the novice how to lure certain types of fish with specific bait and the ways of luring them in. He explained how to place the bait, how to move your line along the water, and where to place the hook. I couldn’t help but think about the way our enemy tries to lure us into temptation and sin.  He knows what bait to use for you, he knows how to lure you, he is patient and will wait for you to take a bite so that he can drag you away. One of the most successful ways that he does this is by taking what God calls good and blending it with poison. One obvious example is sex. God calls sex between a husband and wife a good thing. The enemy has taken that good thing and added poison so that it is reaping destruction throughout God’s creation. There is nothing on this earth that the enemy hasn’t used to pull God’s children away from him. It just takes a little poison. One of the most sneaky ways that the enemy does this is by taking truth and blending it with a lie. If you are struggling with temptation, you can almost always find someone who will twist the Bible to align with those desires, so that you feel justified to finally give in. Second Timothy 4:3 says, “For the time is coming when people will not longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” (NLT). The truth is uncomfortable. The God of the universe has a good and perfect plan for us as his children, but it won’t make us comfortable. We have to face the reality that we are broken and in need of his redemption. We will want to listen to people who use the Bible and the words of God to suit our own desires. We want the gifts that God has to offer, but we don’t want our own sacrifice in the process. In our sin, we search for a way to marry our evil desires with God’s holy desires and call it good.  But instead of a marriage, God orchestrated a death. The death of our sin for the birth of his holiness in us. If we are to follow Christ, we will put our evil desires to death and expose the lies of the enemy so that we may walk in the life we have been given in Christ. Reflection/Discussion Question: What ways have you seen the enemy lure you into temptation by blending it with something good?