Matthew 15:19-20..Working

Matthew 15:19-20..Working

15:19  For out of the heart (soul, will, core-being, true-essence) come evil thoughts (anger, hate) murder (homicide) adultery(infidelity) sexual immorality (depravity, lewdness) theft, (fraud, embezzlement) false testimony, (deceit, lying) slander (insult, slur) 20 These are what make a man ‘unclean’; (sinful, ungodly. Taken together what shows up in what we say, do, and think.) but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.” (sinful, ungodly)

Continued From Book

“Teaches since sin begins in the wrong desires of the heart, its the heart that needs to be renewed the most and changed.” ⇒ Before your actions can change your heart has to be changed first. You have to move from focusing of the “Horizontal” in what others are doing, to focusing on the “Vertical”. When your heart is right with God then right behavior’s will follow.

“Even today, its not external forces or influences that are making us do sinful things, but rather it’s our own hearts that desire and want those sinful things.” ⇒ We often think our biggest problems come from the outside in. It’s other people that are at fault. It’s society that’s to blame. It’s social media that’s the enemy. It’s TikTok or Instagram to blame. It’s poor genetics that’s to blame. Though these things may play a part, but they are not instrumental or the primary reason we sin. Yes, we should avoid certain people if they’re tempting us to sin. We should avoid certain websites if they are causing us to stumble. But we can’t blame them because it’s our own inward sinful nature that is causing it. We may be influenced or enticed by them, but in the end it’s ourselves that’s at fault! It’s our own heart that loves it! It’s the poison at the center of one’s own heart which is the problem. We can no longer stand on the argument; “That’s not what was in my heart” because it was!

    Additional Notes & Applications

Teaches its not outside pressures, influences, or forces that are making us do sinful things. But rather it was us who were committed to that stuff. We can’t say we did this because we were tired and stressed. Or we wouldn’t have done this if they hadn’t kept pushing our buttons.

Teaches how bad behavior is the result of a corrupt heart, and not the other way around!

Emphasizes the importance of the condition of our heart. It’s our heart that really needs to be changed. We can’t use the law or religious rules or disciplines to change our heart. With a lot of discipline we might be able to change some of our deeds, but the law or any form of rule cannot deal with the issue of the heart!

Jesus lists of 13 evil character traits here is not meant to be an exhaustive list of evil raging in each heart. But it’s a call for us to look deeply inside ourselves. 

We should not use the list of sins given here to excuse or condemn oneself, but rather is only showing that if you can do one you can to them all, that sin springs from the same place.