June 18, 2026 -- Matthew 15:10, 18-20 -- From defiled to pure

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And he [Jesus] called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person”…"But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
Matthew 15:10, 18-20 ESV
 
To be defiled is to be immoral, unacceptable in the presence of the LORD. The Pharisees and Scribes had come to test Jesus and wondered, out loud, in His presence, if His disciples weren’t ritually unclean because they didn’t wash their hands before eating. Jesus reveals their hypocrisy by showing them what really defiles a person, and makes him not merely ritually unclean, but unacceptable to God. A very important word of caution here. Everyone sins. The true believer in God sins, as does the unbeliever. What distinguishes the true believer from the unbeliever? It is repentance.
 
When Jesus pointed out their sin, the Pharisees and Scribes were offended by Jesus’ answer them (Matthew 15:12). The hardness of their hearts was confirmed. So, their defilement was exposed. The disciples asked more questions (Peter said, “explain the parable to us, Matthew 15:15). They sought to understand their Master, Jesus, and realized His words were exposing their sin they turned to Him.
 
What defiles you? A Christian must read these words of Jesus and thoroughly examine his heart. In the very first place, what defiles you are your evil thoughts. Notice that thoughts are at the head of the list of grievous sins. Thoughts precede action. Evil thoughts include opinions which are not founded on the Word of God but find their origin with the lies of the Devil. Evil thoughts resist examination. Evil thoughts are reinforced by the culture. By the will of a person whose way of life is out of alignment with God. Unchecked, such evil reasoning, and self-justification will lead you on a path that is destructive.
 
Non-Christians and Christians alike have evil thoughts. The Christian examines his thought-life. He rejects anything which is contrary to the Word of God. A Christian follows Jesus, by Whom his defilement has been removed. A Christian is no longer defiled, but in Christ has received righteousness, a moral purity that is not his own. At the cross Jesus was crushed for your sins. At the cross a great exchange happens: Christ is crushed by God’s wrath against sin while the Christian receives Jesus’ pure and undefiled obedience to God. When the Spirit causes the believer to see and acknowledge his sin, he confesses his sin. He is purified. He is cleansed from all unrighteousness. (See I John 1:8-10). The glory of the mercies of God and the love of Christ and the work of the Spirit all these are revealed at the cross. Sinners are set free. No wonder we hate evil thoughts. Anything, in fact, which seeks to tear us away from the lovingkindness God has shown us in Christ has become hateful to us. Instead, we cry out: “What a glorious God we serve!”
 
Father in heaven, forgive me all the times I’ve asked how close I can come to the boundary line of sin, without technically sinning (without even understanding that the question itself is sinful and evidence of evil thoughts). By the powerful work of Your Spirit in my heart, expose all my sinful thoughts and wicked reasoning, and defiled opinions so that I can confess them and receive the promised cleansing which is available in Christ. Righteous Father, forgive me for the times I longed to be purified from every defilement, have confessed my sins and been made clean in Christ—but then have withheld reconciliation from fellow Christian because I have considered their cleansing somehow inferior to my own. Ah, in such moments I see the sinfulness of sin and how deeply rooted evil thoughts are. Blessed be Your Name, Father of Love. Blessed be Your Name, Jesus, the Captain of Salvation and my Reconciler. Blessed be Your Name, Spirit of Truth and Holiness. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/ZRqvXmMYIko?si=ElQ1Cs5Nu5mjhlan Let All Things Now Living
 

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