Matthew-045

 

It is important to understand the whole counsel of what the Lord Jesus taught. The Lord Jesus’ concern for his disciples is that they hear but do not necessarily understand. I hope that as we proceed in the Lord Jesus’ teaching that you not only hear but also understand. May we cry out to God to help us. Today, we are studying at Matthew 15:10-20:

 

What’s the root of man’s problems? What’s wrong with the world?

What is the Lord Jesus saying to us here? What spiritual message does he want to convey to us? Now the importance of this passage is extremely great. If I were to ask you, what is the root problem of man? I wonder what your answer would be. What is at the root of man’s problems? What is the problem for the world as a whole? We are dealing with fundamental problems. Would you say that man’s problem is that he doesn’t go to church often enough? What is your diagnosis of the problems of mankind? Would you say that he doesn’t have enough faith or religion? But there are all kinds of religion, and religion is everywhere!

I was in the United States just last week. And you know me, I have a very great weakness. Do you know what that weakness is? Well, my wife, Helen knows my weakness very well. There isn’t a bookshop I don’t rush into when I go to any town or village. The problem is how to keep me out of bookshops, including second-hand ones. I’m always interested in books. I find myself in quite good company with the apostle Paul, who was always looking out for books. Even when he was sitting in prison in Rome, he said to Timothy, “When you come, remember to bring my books” (2 Tim. 4:13). When I went into the bookshop to look around last week, of course, I looked under those sections that particularly deal with the problems of the world.

What sections do you think they would be? What the world needs is more engineering. Oh yes, sure it needs more engineering. What it needs is more bridges, more roads, electrical appliances, communi­cations systems, electronic devices. Certainly, I’m a great admirer of engineering. Had I not become a Christian, and had I not become a military man, I would have become an engineer. Ever since I was a child, I loved to invent things, so I had a whole book of inventions. The problem is that the world certainly doesn’t get any better with all those inventions.

I used to be interested in military science because I thought a big army would solve the problems of the world. So I designed many military weapons, and it’s amazing that one after the other, they have come into being, and are used today, even though I designed them as a boy of 17 or 18! The kind of helmets that are used today are one of my designs in the times when I was inventing. I designed amphibious vehicles that go over rough terrain with balloon tires, and they are being used in military equipment today. I also designed machine guns that fire non-stop because they are multi-machine guns. I have designed all kinds of weapons that are all in use today, which shows that they are all quite practical. However, the world doesn’t get any better. In fact, had I gone into military science, the world would probably be a lot worse in spite of my dreams.

So I thought of engineering. Had I gone into engineering, I think I would also have invented quite a lot of things. The world doesn’t get any better. I’m not in any way trying to say that these inventions are bad, they are good, but they don’t solve the world’s problems. That is why I am preaching the gospel. If engineering could solve the world’s problems, I would be the first one to study engineering.

What about electronics? I find electronics very fascinating. We think that we need more radios and electronic equipment. But would the world be getting better with more of these inventions? No, because it depends on who is using them. Was it not Oppenheimer, the great nuclear physicist, who could hardly forgive himself for having a part in making the atomic bomb, even though that was not his intention in developing nuclear physics? When he turned his back on all that he had contributed to the making of the atomic bomb, because his conscience bothered him, he was accused of being a Communist. The world doesn’t get better with these kinds of scientific inventions. So how is the world going to get better?

 

If religion can solve problems, why don’t people believe in Christianity?

Therefore, when I go into a bookshop, what do I look for? I look under the heading, “Religion.” Does religion make the world better? It’s very interesting that I can hardly find Christian books in the United States. What I find is Zen Buddhism, Sufism, Mysticism, and believe it not, even the Greek gods, Greek legends are being revived today! You can find more books on classics, Transcendental Medita­tion than on Christianity. I wonder why. I wonder what is going on. People have turned away from Christianity in its search for a solution.

And I want to tell you something: the church is to blame. Don’t blame the world. The church is to blame. What’s the reason? Unless you diagnose the problem correctly and profoundly, you don’t give accurate answers. Supposing the doctor diagnoses your disease as being just a weak stomach, when in fact, you have stomach cancer, obviously, the treatment that he is going to prescribe is going to be completely wrong. It’s essential to have the right diagnosis before you can treat the problem correctly. When I listen to the answers that the church gives to the problems of the world, little wonder the world turns away from the church and thinks, “Those kinds of an­swers are not going to solve the problems.” And I don’t blame them.

If the solution to man’s problem is that there is not enough religion, and we need more religion, then we need to have more religious revivals, and count the number of people who make decisions. We should go into this “mass evangelism,” as it is so called, and bring more people into church with more religion. The world somehow knows that is not going to solve the problems. They are not that stupid. If a blind guide is leading you, and you follow a blind guide, you will both fall into the ditch. And that is the last place you want to be! Right now we are in a ditch, and we want to get out of it. What is the problem?

 

The Pharisees’ solution: More religion!

The Pharisees had the wrong solution. Do you know what this passage is telling us? The Pharisees’ solution to the problem was this: You need more religion, and more religion consists of more ceremonials. More ceremonials include ceremonial cleanness, wash­ing of hands. Go to the temple more often to pray. That is more religion. The Pharisees’ solution to the problem was to become more religious. Increase the phylacteries – just do more religious exer­cises. Did you realize that even your quiet time can be nothing more than a religious exercise? Is religion the solution to the problem of man?

If that is the solution, then what is wrong with Transcendental Meditation or Zen Buddhism? They are also religions. What difference is there between one and the other anyway? All religions are the same. They all tell you to be good. Isn’t that what every non-Christian says? They all tell you to be religious. Go to worship on Sunday, Friday, or Saturday, whatever happens to be your religion. What does it matter anyway? Is Sunday better than Friday? Christians may think so, but others don’t. We must get to the root of the problem if we are going to have a sensible solution.

 

Cheap remedies don’t solve problems – only the change of heart

What do we need? If science is not going to solve the problem, what about more education? What about more psychology? Shall we give people more counseling? Do you know that today, there are more people who go to the psychiatrist than to the pastor? And I don’t blame them. The only difference is that the psychiatrist charges you for every half hour, whereas the pastor’s service is free. And when you get something for nothing you don’t feel very good. When you pay $30, you feel, “It must be good. It’s a psychiatrist. The pastor charges nothing, so his counsel is probably also worth nothing.” The psychiatrist charges you $30 for half an hour that means it’s worth $30! Hopefully, it’s worth $30. If not, look for another who charges you $50, and that is even better. The pastor charges nothing because his counsel is worth nothing most of the time. Too often, that is right. It’s worth nothing. What can we say? What is the diagnosis to the problem? We have cheap answers to serious problems. I am worried.

I keep getting stacks of magazines I never subscribed to, and I never have time to read them. I don’t even know where they find names, but as long as you are a pastor, they will send you magazines from this and that organization, hoping that you will publicize for them to get more readers. As I flip through the magazines, I find cheap solutions. Cheap medicines for a serious illness are not going to solve problems.

So what is the problem that is being presented in this very important passage, Matthew 15:10-20? The Lord Jesus is saying, “Your prob­lem doesn’t lie in whether or not you are religious. Your problem lies right there inside your heart.” What comes out of the heart? Look at this list of things in verses 18-19:

Aren’t the newspapers full of that every day? This is what comes out of the heart of man. Your problem and mine lies in the heart, and until something is done about the heart of man, we are never going to solve his problem.

Now we understand why engineering cannot solve the problem because engineering doesn’t do anything to the heart of man. And medicine cannot solve the problem because medicine cannot do anything to the heart of man. The doctor can give you a physical heart transplant, and hopefully, you will live for two or three months after that, but it doesn’t do anything for your spiritual heart. That is why several of my good friends who studied medicine have given up medicine to preach the gospel, because they know that medicine doesn’t solve the problems of man, and they want to get to the heart of the matter. Nothing solves man’s problems unless you can deal with the heart of man.

Can you change man’s heart by Transcendental Meditation? Medita­tion is very good, I have no quarrel with that. By all means have some meditation that is transcendental. “Transcendent” means what is not human but which is divine. It’s very good to keep meditating on what is divine. But meditation doesn’t give you a new heart.

What about Buddhism? Buddhism teaches you to be moral and kind. That is very good, but that’s not going to solve any problem because out of the heart comes all these evil thoughts. It’s no use telling a person who has evil thoughts coming out of his heart, “It’s no good having evil thoughts; you must have good thoughts.” That’s fine, but that doesn’t change the fact that evil thoughts still keep coming out. It’s no use telling him, “You shouldn’t have evil thoughts.” He is thinking, “My problem is how to stop having evil thoughts!” Even the person who is having evil thoughts already knows that he should not have evil thoughts, and religion is not providing the solution. You must find a solution to the problem.

Just giving good advice never solves any problems. If you tell a sick man, “You shouldn’t be sick. It’s not good to be sick, it’s nice to be healthy.” What’s the use of telling him what he already knows? He doesn’t enjoy being sick, so your telling him he should not be sick doesn’t solve any problems. You must deal with his sickness, and have a solution to his problem. When we come to this fact, all religion comes to an end. How are we going to get to the root of the matter?

 

Only God can solve man’s problem

Let us look at the solutions that the church offers. The world has no solution to offer as we have already seen. Neither education, science, nor philosophy can solve the problem, because they cannot give you a new heart. So what can solve the problem? Only God can solve the problem. Only God can deal with this. But how?

Let’s look at the solution the church offers. The church says to you, “Are you saved?” I think we have sometimes asked really stupid questions because if I am not a Christian, and you ask me whether I am saved, I don’t even know what you are talking about. And Christians don’t seem to be afraid to fail to communicate. They just come straight up to people as I used to, and ask that person, “Are you saved?” The person looked at me blankly and either said, “No,” because he didn’t know what I am talking about, or because he didn’t know what is to be saved.

What is “to be saved”? So I proceeded with the Four Spiritual Laws, and I said, “What you must do is take this, the next, and the other step.” Let’s ask first of all, does he understand that these steps are not making him religious? Does he understand that this involves a change of the heart? I fear not. If it does help him understand that his heart is going to be changed, then those laws are wonderful. Make sure that person understands it. But too often, the person is simply being told, “You’ve got to believe in Jesus.” How does believing in Jesus change a man’s heart? Do you know? If you don’t know, how does he know? If we had a Bible study, I would really like to hear what you would say. If someone asked you, “What is the difference between believing in Buddha and believing in Jesus? How does believing in Jesus change a man’s heart?” What would be your answer? That is a very important question to understand.

 

Is “man by nature evil,” so that evil thoughts come out of his heart?

Before we come to the solution to this problem, and answer to these questions, let us look deeper into this. If evil thoughts and desires come out of a man’s heart, is it because man is evil by nature? Too often, the theological answer to that is yes, man evil thoughts come out of his heart so he is by nature evil.

I’m very afraid of quick answers to the meaning of questions which no one seems to understand. What does it mean when we say that man’s nature is evil? Before we come to a solution, we must diagnose our problem very precisely. What is the diagnosis? When we say that a man is evil by nature, what exactly are we saying?

We also have to ask the further question: How is he evil by nature? The theologian has his answer ready again! He inherited the evil nature from Adam. So where did Adam inherit his evil nature? So we are back to square one. Did Adam inherit his evil nature from some­where? Did Adam create an evil nature? He created an evil nature which others then inherit. Now we have been through all this before. It means that we are going to be punished basically for Adam’s sin. And we are evil through no fault of our own. It’s all Adam’s fault. God should twist Adam’s neck. Why is he twisting my neck? Adam created an evil nature and I inherit it, and I’m being punished for it. Let us be careful of these snap answers. I’m afraid of theology and systematic theology that gives this kind of answers.

 

What comes first – sin or the evil nature?

How did Adam create an evil nature? Well, he sinned. Oh, so by sinning you create an evil nature? Is that how we create evil natures? But then we have really said nothing important at all. All that we have said is that a man sinned. That is all. So what comes first? Does sin come first or the evil nature? It’s the chicken and egg story. Is it you sin therefore you have an evil nature, or you have an evil nature therefore you sin? And the strange thing is that the theologian is so confused that he wants to have his cake and eat it, which doesn’t happen, of course. Either you sinned first, therefore you have an evil nature which is part of what they have just said. Or else you had an evil nature first, therefore you sin. But if you had an evil nature first, then Adam must have been created with an evil nature. No! That’s not acceptable because God created everything good. In that case, he must have sinned first before he got an evil nature. Then why is it the other way around in our case?

There is so much that passes for theology which is discreditable because it is just muddle-headed thinking, and I’m going to be very blunt about this. If we want to preach the gospel to the world, we must show the non-Christians that we can talk some sense. If we talk such utter nonsense, saying for one moment that the evil nature comes first, and the next moment that sin comes first, and the next moment we have both at the same time, the non-Christian is going to say, “I don’t think you know what you are talking about so let’s forget it!”

Imagine you came to a doctor, and he is going to give you such a muddle-headed diagnosis, I think you are going to rush off and find another doctor because you will say, “This doctor doesn’t make any kind of sense at all! I’m not sure he knows what he’s talking about.” We’ve got to come to the point where we don’t give slick answers which really don’t make too much sense.

 

The root of sin is: Self-interest used in the wrong way

How do evil thoughts proceed out of the heart? It’s because we have an evil nature. And how did we get the evil nature? Well, we’re back in the problem again. So why do evil thoughts come out of us? Why do we sin? The answer is not that philosophical, and we don’t have to go back to Adam and all the other reasons. The answer is quite basically, we share the same nature that Adam had, and what is that? It’s that we are by nature naturally thinking for ourselves, that is, we are self-centered. That is very natural, and it’s not necessarily evil. Bear that in mind. It may or may not be evil depending on how you use it.

Let’s consider this. If you did not have your own interests at heart, just think for a moment what would happen. A fire is burning. What will happen if you say, “I’m not concerned about my own interest, I’m very unselfish”? You will put your hand in the fire, and it will be so burned that you won’t have a hand. Isn’t it a concern for your own interest that you don’t want to get burned? Of course, that is self-interest. Is there anything wrong with self-interest? So far there isn’t.

Do you see that self-interest is not necessarily evil? It’s a concern to preserve yourself. God wants you to preserve yourself. Now take it this way. If you were not concerned about your own welfare at all, why should you want “to be saved,” to use the Christian phrase? You want to save yourself because you are concerned about your welfare, aren’t you? That’s selfish! So, selfishness is at the very root of Christianity. Tell me, why are you Christians today? Would you say, “I wanted peace.” You want peace? Selfish! You shouldn’t want peace. Oh, I shouldn’t want peace. I should want misery. That’s being unselfish. Can you think straight? Are you still with me?

Therefore, what’s wrong with self-interest? Basically, even our desire for salvation is governed by self-interest, isn’t it? Are you going to say no? If you were not concerned about your self-interest, you wouldn’t care whether you went to heaven or hell, would you? What difference does it make? If you don’t care whether you go to heaven or hell, there’s no self-interest at all. But because you care that you don’t go to hell, and you go to heaven, you want to preserve yourself, so you want to be saved.

If you were drowning, and if you were not concerned about your self-interest, why don’t you just drown? Why do you shout, “Help! Help! Help!” You are disturbing all your neighbors. Just drown quietly; disappear peacefully. You are disturbing all those neighbors who are having a nice holiday when you are yelling at the top of your voice. Does anyone accuse you of being selfish if you are shouting for help when you are drowning? Oh, this is the sinful nature! You only care about yourself. You don’t care about all those people who are having a nice holiday, and disturb their peace. Why don’t you just drown? Do you see what I mean now?

Now you see why the theologian gets so befuddled that he cannot distinguish one from the other. He talks about an evil nature. Is that evil nature if you desire to be saved? Isn’t it selfish that you desire to be saved? If you weren’t selfish, you wouldn’t care whether you’ll be saved. You wouldn’t care whether you’re going to heaven or hell. You wouldn’t care whether you are drowning or not. You wouldn’t care whether or not you are burned. You wouldn’t care about anything for that matter, would you? Can you think straight? When it comes to theology, when it comes to spiritual things, the most brilliant mind is often so dull.

 

Teaching of “Original Sin” stems from confused thinking

Sometimes, I read nothing but sheer nonsense when I look at systematic theology. Forgive me for saying so. I don’t even bother to look at this that is called “evil nature.” Why is it the “evil nature”? The reason is man is selfish. Well, if man were not selfish, he would neither be in hell, nor in heaven. He wouldn’t even be anywhere. There is a so-called “selfishness” which is essential to man. It depends on how you use this desire to preserve one’s self and one’s interest. Can’t you see that? Isn’t that very plain to understand?

So why should a theologian talk about an “evil nature”? It’s because he has confused this desire, this necessity to preserve self with some­thing that is evil, and he calls that an “evil nature.” There is nothing evil about man’s nature in Adam, otherwise, you would have to say, “Adam had an evil nature first, therefore he sinned.” isn’t that right? Then you will have to explain why Adam had an evil nature. You would have to say God created him with an evil nature. Since you don’t want to say that, you will still have to explain where the evil nature comes from. Did the evil nature come from nowhere? Here we go in circles once more: Adam must have sinned first before he got an evil nature. Then why is it the other way around in our case? You can see that all this about inheriting an evil nature, man in his original sin, is simply the result of confused, muddle-headed thinking.

Man was created to preserve himself. The desire to preserve yourself is neither good nor bad; it is quite neutral depending on how you use it. Take for example, you preserve yourself selfishly. You need some money, so you rob a bank. Now preserving yourself in that way is wrong. There is nothing wrong in preserving yourself, but the way in which you preserve yourself is important. That is the point we are talking about. Which way do you preserve yourself? Why does a person commit murder and robbery and the like? It’s because he is trying to preserve himself in the wrong way.

 

The blind leading the blind, and all will fall into the pit

 I don’t know whether Hitler believed what he said or not. Perhaps he was mentally sick, I don’t know, but perhaps he sincerely believed that the Jews were a threat to the existence of himself and the German people. Perhaps being in his distorted mind, he really believed that. Therefore, the massacre of 6 million Jews was the result of an intention to preserve himself and the Germanic race. We certainly don’t agree with this. He was trying to preserve himself in the wrong way, if he really believed what he said. And one has a feeling that Hitler really somehow seemed to believe what he was saying.

How else do you understand the Jonestown incident, where people are killing themselves because they are told to kill themselves? They clearly believed something, but they believed the wrong thing. The Lord Jesus said, “The blind following the blind will both fall into the ditch” (Mt. 15:14). Both will go down into hell, because the ditch is a picture of hell in the Bible. If you follow the wrong person with his muddle-headed thinking and his confused motive, you are in serious danger. In this age, in this generation, you must be very sure who you are following.

That is why I have said so many times, “Don’t follow me either until you have checked and re-checked what I say in the light of God’s Word, whether it is true or not.” Don’t be carried away by a person’s eloquence, that he can present an issue clearly and convincingly. No, check and re-check everything because if you follow a blind man, you will fall into the ditch with him. If he goes to hell, you will go to hell with him. Those who followed Jim Jones all went down into the same pit with him.

We cannot afford this kind of luxury in these days, but if you are not selfish and you don’t care whether you go to heaven or hell, then it doesn’t matter. But if you are “selfish,” in the good sense of the word, and you want to be saved, then you’d better be careful who you follow. It is vital to learn to think with absolute clarity by the grace of God.

 

Spiritual cleanliness is the only way to spiritual clarity

Here we run into the next problem. Why can’t we think clearly when it comes to spiritual things? The most brilliant person can talk about the most unbelievably stupid doctrines that you have ever come across when it comes to spiritual things. I will tell you why. As I have mentioned and I will mention again: the only way to have spiritual perception and spiritual clarity—how not to be blind and follow a blind guide—is to be spiritually clean. Let me tell you, if there is any sin in your life or mine, our spiritual vision becomes very, very blurred. We can’t think spiritually anymore.

You can still think clearly when it comes to engineering or physics, because clarity of thinking in physical things does not depend on spiritual purity. But when it comes to spiritual things, you will talk like any unintelligent fool even if you could be a genius. I have talked with very intelligent people in my time, and the nonsense that proceeds from their mouths when they talk about spiritual things is incredible. My mouth drops open in amazement. I look at this person and think, “This fellow is so highly educated and intelligent, yet he talks absolute nonsense!” Do you know why? It’s not because he is unintelligent, it’s because he has no spiritual perception; and he has no spiritual perception because he is unclean. Believe me, it is absolutely true!

Try it and you will see. Or perhaps you already know from experience. Just try letting sin dominate your life, and you will be amazed how befuddled you are when it comes to spiritual questions. Do you want to understand whether what I am saying is true or not? There is only one way. Go before God and ask him, “God, cleanse me and make me pure within.” And you will find that when God cleanses you, the scales will fall off your eyes. You will remember that is what happened to Paul. Scales fell from his eyes physically and spiritually once he repented of his sins, and he received God’s Holy Spirit when Ananias laid hands on him.

That is why I am so concerned about those in training. I want to share with them that you don’t become well-equipped to serve the Lord because you go to a seminary. By all means buy a book on systematic theology and read it to convince yourself. You are already doing very well if you can make head or tail of what it says. But by the time you have understood what is being said, you will be astonished, and I apologize for saying it again, you will be astonished at how much nonsense goes on under the name of theology.

 

Augustine’s wrong diagnosis led to the wrong solution

Original sin is one example of this: We all go to hell because Adam sinned. What was the solution to this problem suggested by such a brilliant man as Augustine? Can you believe it? I can’t believe it. I wonder whether Augustine has ever read this passage we are studying here. Augustine’s solution to the problem was this: the way to be saved from original sin is to get baptized. Now that’s incredible! That is why we have infant baptism. He said babies would go to hell unless you baptize them. So grab the babies and get them baptized! This solution from Augustine, a man of mighty intellect, could have said better things than that. Now I say this with due apology to Augustine, whom I respect and love. I have read his book and am very impressed with his writing, but at this point, he is completely off the track. And what has the church done? The blind follow the blind, so we have infant baptism. Why? So that babies don’t go to hell. Did the Lord Jesus ever say that babies go to hell? Of course not! But that is what Augustine said, so a great part of the church follows him.

The diagnosis was wrong, and the solution followed suit. The diagnosis was original sin, that man inherited a sinful nature. Why didn’t Augustine ask where that sinful nature came from? Of course he did. From Adam. But why didn’t he ask where Adam got his sinful nature from? Now consider this carefully. If you say that Adam got his sinful nature because he sinned, you have only created a worse problem. How can committing one sin produce a nature? Can an act produce a nature? How do you answer that either philosophically, or from the philosophy of religion? What is the nexus? You have not yet answered any questions, and you still have to solve the next problem.

 

Pray: “O God, please create a clean heart within me.”

Therefore, I say to those in training, training does not depend on how many years you have spent in seminary to be equipped with Bible knowledge alone, but on purity of heart. Purity of heart is what gives you spiritual insight that is as keen as a razor, that enables you to discern the real issues.

You can see things with incredible clarity not because you are bril­liant, but because you are clean. Believe me; try it and see. Go before God and ask him to cleanse your heart. David said, “God, create a clean heart within me.” God creates a clean heart. I cannot create a clean heart, but God can create a clean heart within me. Psalm 51:10 is an important verse to remember.

When you have asked God to create a clean heart within you, then how clearly you can discern all things.

Paul says to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 2:15, that the spiritual man discerns all things and yet is discerned by no one. Where are the spiritual men who discern all things today? Plead with God to give to us spiritual men in this generation! That is what we desperately need. We don’t need more seminaries. We have seminary graduates by the hundreds every year, and I apologize again for saying so frankly, that I have yet to see one who contributes something markedly to the life of the church. What we need is purity of heart. That doesn’t sound very intellectual, but we don’t need to be intellectual, what we need is heart purity, because if we properly diagnose the problem of man, it is the heart.

Whether you are a seminary graduate or not, out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery. Every impure thing comes out of there. Why? It’s because self-preservation has become exploited in the wrong way by man. What is the reason? As long as God is not in the center of your life, your life is surely going in the wrong direction. This was Adam’s problem. If only he had realized that self-preserva­tion or “being saved” (if you like to use conventional evangelical language) depends absolutely and utterly upon God alone.

There was nothing wrong in Eve’s desire to become wise. What is wrong with becoming wise? Becoming wise is essential to self-preservation. But she went about it the wrong way. She tried to bypass God instead of putting God in the center. If that is what you are doing, you are in trouble. That is why you must understand that there is nothing wrong with self-preservation, but it is the way you do it. Either God is the way, or you are going to choose another way: Zen Buddhism, any other religion, or “submitting to regulations according to human precepts and teachings” (Col. 2:20-22). They are all ways, but I beg of you to understand that purity of heart is essential.

 

Don’t be ordinary, but be holy!

There is so much in this passage that it would us take a long time just to get through, but before we close, let us look at this word “defile.” The Lord Jesus says in Matthew 15:18, “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart and this defiles a man.”

Here we have to ask two questions. First, what does it mean “to defile”?

Secondly, why does what comes out of a man’s mouth defile him? Doesn’t it defile him when it stays inside of him? How does what a man says defile a man? Does it mean that if I shut my mouth and put a very big plaster on it, I can’t be defiled? This is a very interesting solution to the problem of being unclean. As it turns out, all we need is a very big plaster to solve this problem. How’s that for a solution? Isn’t it true? Yes, it is true in a way.

First, let us look at this word “defile.” This word “defile” is not a bad word at all. When you study this word in a dictionary, the basic meaning of “defile,” koinos from which you have the beautiful word koinonos, fellowship, all it means is to have something in common.

What is wrong with that? What spiritual lesson emerges from being common? As I have said to those in training, as a Christian, being common is itself a crime. You cannot be common. The Israelites were not to be common. They were to be extraordinary. God’s people are to be extraordinary in the world. Are you common, or are you extra­ordinary? If you are common, you have failed in the task of being a Christian. Christians are called to the high calling to be holy, and to be holy is to be extraordinary in this world. Oh, that’s wonderful! God makes no bones about telling us that he wants every Christian to be extraordinary. He said to the Israelites, “I want you to be uncommon. You must not be common. You must not be defiled.”

When you look at it in Leviticus chapter 11, what does it mean to be defiled? To be defiled means to come into contact with anything that is unclean. That is to say, if your link with the world is not cut, you are in common with the world. If you are in common with the world, certainly, you cannot be distinguished from the world. You are common just like the rest of the world.

Isn’t that what the church is? The church today is defiled, it is unholy, it is common. That’s what it is! And it even tells us that it isn’t necessary to be holy. There is a whole army of pastors out there who want to put me in the dock for preaching that holiness is essential to salvation. Of course, I do! And I don’t make the slightest apology for it because that is what God requires of is people, even in the Old Testament let alone the New Testament.

The whole chapter of Leviticus 11 is about being clean, about being undefiled, and it ends with this exhortation: “Be holy as I am holy,” says the Lord two times in verses 44 and 45. Why does God tell Israel to be clean? It’s because he wants Israel to be holy. The other side of to be defiled in the Bible is to be holy. You see that for example, in 1Thessalonians 4:7. Paul says, “God has not called us to uncleanness but to holiness.” That is essential! He wants us to be clean, pure, holy. Why? So that we can stand out. We can be uncommon in this world. This point is made so clear in 1 Kings 8:60 where Solomon says, “That all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD, Yahweh is God; there is no other.”

The Israelites were to be righteous, they were to be holy, they were to be clean, that the world might know that Yahweh is God, and there is no other God. And it goes on to verse 61 saying the same thing about being holy, being perfect and being committed. I have no time to develop this matter of being common and defiled but common is constantly contrasted with holy. God wants a people who stand out in their generation as lights in the world, as extraordinary people, because God has given them a clean heart, so their hearts have been changed. I pray to God that this church will be extraordinary because God has called us to be extraordinary, not common, defiled, unclean. That is so important.

 

Our speech and actions defile because they affect others

Let us come to the second question: Why does what proceeds out of the mouth defile us? Can we solve this problem by sticking a big tape on our mouths? My heart is unclean but as long as nothing comes out of my mouth, then I am not defiled. How do you figure that one out? I would like the theologians to work on that. Are you defiled or not? According to the systematic theologian, you are defiled whether or not you open your mouth. It’s because if you have an unclean or a sinful nature, then whether or not you open your mouth, you still have an unclean nature, therefore you are still defiled.

Amazingly, that is not the answer of the Bible. What comes out, not what stays inside defiles you. But the Lord Jesus says it is what comes out of your mouth that defiles you. That is very interesting! What is the reason for this? Can you think of the answer?

Let’s come back to the original diagnosis as we come full circle. The Lord Jesus diagnosed our problem in the world. It’s not that we don’t have enough science, education or religion. We have plenty of religion. We have plenty of Pharisees around. Our problem is the problem of the heart: the heart is unclean.

So what is so bad about having an unclean heart? Is it just because it doesn’t please God to see us with an unclean heart? No. Why should that be a problem in the world? Suppose you have an unclean heart, and the next person has an unclean heart, so what’s the problem? The problem simply is this: When you talk, what does it do? Someone else has to hear it. So it affects the other person. In other words, what defiles a person is what affects the other person.

I wonder if you can understand this spiritual principle here. Sin, contrary to the definition so often found in systematic theology, is not a thing by itself that you have inside you regardless of other people. No, the evilness of sin lies in the fact that it affects other people by what you do or say. And God is concerned how you affect other people. Do you understand this point? It is very hard for you to understand it, isn’t it? It’s because we think we live our own lives, we do our own thing, and it’s no one else’s business. What we do is everyone else’s business. What I do is your business because no man lives to himself. I am my brother’s keeper. Here again, it is so hard for us to understand that your life always affects other people either by the sin of commission or the sin of omission.

 

God judges us according to how our actions affect others

Your brother was cold and hungry, but you did not help him. God is going to charge that to your account:” I was hungry, I was in prison, I was naked and you didn’t give me to eat, you didn’t visit me, you didn’t give me anything to wear.” You would say, “If he has nothing to eat, that’s not my problem.” That is your problem.

That is why I thank God for you that you were concerned about the refugees. Did you know that in doing this very thing, you have fulfilled God’s purpose? It is our business. No man lives to himself. Do you know that God will judge us according to how we affect other people? Did you realize that he doesn’t judge you because of the sin that is hidden in your heart? He will judge you according to how you affect other people in your life. This Scriptural thought is an amazing and revolutionary thought.

That is why the Bible says we are not judged according to what we are but according to our works. Amazing! It’s what comes out of you. Now if you could keep it inside you which you can’t of course, because a tree will bear its fruit according to its nature. As the Lord Jesus says in Matthew 12:33-34:

You cannot keep it in. God is going to judge you by the life you live, according to whether or not you affected other people, as you should have.

 

God calls us to be extraordinary by having a clean heart

Now do you understand what we are talking about, why God expected Israel to be extraordinary, why God expects you and me to be extraordinary? It’s because when God has changed my life and made me extraordinary, I am going to affect people in a very definite and very positive way. And I must and should affect people. How does the light affect people? Have you had a power cut? Do you know what happens when there is no light? You grope around in darkness. All your life is completely out of balance. You cannot eat, study, see what’s on the table, or do anything without light. We are to be the light in the world. Our light is to affect people in such a way that it is positive. That is the high calling! Wonderful challenge!

That is why I say again to those who are in training, when you go out to serve the Lord, what will you do? Have I asked you to organize mass evangelistic campaigns? No, I haven’t. Why? Because that is not the solution to the problem. It doesn’t solve problems. Those of us who have been around long enough and observed, we see that mass meetings don’t solve any problems. Out of the masses of people, a small handful of people will genuinely turn to God and continue with him, while 85% or 90% fall away. Without any mass meeting, these few would come to him if they see your light shining. Your task in this world is to be extraordinary, not to organize this and that meeting. Be extraordinary!

People’s lives will change by just looking at your extraordinary life. Did Jesus organize any mass meeting? He didn’t. His life was so extraordinary that it drew people like a magnet. He did not establish an organization. Don’t take the cheap and easy road. You can never improve on God’s way. Don’t try to be clever. Do things God’s way just as Jesus did. God also did not ask us to organize this and that. He just said, “Go out there and be extraordinary, be holy. Be my people in this world.”

Now how can you be extraordinary? It comes back to this solution again: purity of heart! How can you be pure in heart? Allow God to create in you a clean heart!

 

Turn from every evil to have clear spiritual sight

So we come full circle to where we began. We have dealt with the fundamental problems of mankind, the fundamental problem of your life. I wonder if you have understood our message. As I said at the beginning, hearing is not equivalent to understanding. If you have understood, you will know that what is essential right now is to let God create in you a clean heart, to turn away from every form of evil so that God can make you pure. Then what will happen? Then you will be planted by God and be rooted in him. It says in Matthew 15:13, “Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.”

Secondly, you will have clear spiritual sight. You won’t be the blind among the blind. You will see clearly. Your life will be extraordinary. You will have solved the fundamental problem of man. And then when you have solved the problem in your own life, you will be able to go out and solve the problems of the people round about you because now you know what is the problem.

Isn’t it wonderful to know both the problem and the answer? We are in a unique position as Christians. I go out into the world and I feel a tremendous sense of both privilege and responsibility. I look at every person and I know exactly his problem, and I know exactly the solution to his problem because the Lord Jesus has told me. I have tried it and I know it works. Isn’t it wonderful? No doctor is in such a fortunate position. He knows there are a lot of diseases, but he knows that he can’t cure most of them. He can only give some symptomatic relief for most of them. You know exactly what is the problem and you have the solution to it. And I say to those in training, you are in a most extraordinary position: You go out and you know the problem and the solution. Make sure you live it.