Transforming Hearts: Embracing Jesus' True Purity

Devotional

Day 1: Hearing and Understanding Jesus' Teachings

True transformation begins with hearing and understanding Jesus' teachings, moving beyond traditions that obscure our vision. This initial step of hearing is crucial, as it sets the foundation for a deeper engagement with Christ. Jesus calls us to listen intently to His words, not just as a ritual, but with a heart open to understanding and change. The traditions and teachings we often cling to can cloud our perception, making it difficult to see the truth of Christ clearly. By focusing on His teachings, we can begin to peel away these layers and see the world through the clarity of His message. [00:08]

"Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it." (Hebrews 2:1, ESV)

Reflection: What traditions or teachings might be obscuring your vision of Christ's truth? How can you actively listen to Jesus' words today to gain a clearer understanding of His message?

Day 2: The Heart's True Defilement

The core issue of defilement lies within our hearts, not in external observances. Jesus emphasizes that what comes out of the mouth, originating from the heart, is what defiles us, highlighting the need for internal purity. Our actions and words are reflections of our inner state, and it is crucial to address the heart's condition rather than merely focusing on outward appearances. This shift from external to internal examination challenges us to seek purity from within, aligning our desires and actions with God's will. [05:20]

"For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil." (Matthew 12:34b-35, ESV)

Reflection: Consider the words and actions that have recently come from your heart. What do they reveal about your inner state, and how can you seek God's help in purifying your heart?

Day 3: Examining Our Desires

Our desires reveal the state of our hearts. We must examine whether our desires stem from a genuine desire to glorify God or from self-preference, as corrupted desires indicate a heart tainted by sin. The Hebrew concept of the heart encompasses our deepest desires, and Jesus calls us to scrutinize these desires to ensure they align with His will. By doing so, we can identify areas where we may be prioritizing our own preferences over God's glory and make necessary changes to align our hearts with His purpose. [09:40]

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psalm 139:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: What desires currently drive your actions and decisions? Are they aligned with a desire to glorify God, or are they rooted in self-preference? How can you realign your desires with God's will today?

Day 4: Understanding Our Sinful Nature

We sin because we are inherently sinners, a condition that traces back to Adam. This understanding underscores the need for a new heart, which Jesus offers through His life, death, and resurrection. Recognizing our inherent sinful nature is crucial for understanding the depth of transformation Jesus offers. It is not merely about changing behavior but about receiving a new heart that reflects His righteousness. This transformation is a gift of grace, inviting us to rely on Jesus for true renewal. [13:12]

"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." (Romans 5:12, ESV)

Reflection: How does understanding your inherent sinful nature change your perspective on sin and transformation? In what ways can you rely on Jesus today for a new heart and true renewal?

Day 5: Embracing True Transformation

Embracing the Gospel requires rejecting false spirituality and traditions that distract from the truth. True transformation comes from a personal encounter with Jesus, leading to a life that reflects His nature. This transformation is not about adhering to superficial rules but about experiencing a deep, personal change that only Jesus can offer. By abandoning empty traditions and embracing the transformative power of Jesus, we can live a life that truly reflects His love and grace. [17:19]

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2, ESV)

Reflection: What false spiritualities or traditions might be distracting you from the truth of the Gospel? How can you seek a personal encounter with Jesus today to experience true transformation?

Sermon Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound transformation that Jesus offers—a renewal from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. This transformation begins with a call to "hear and understand" the truth of Christ, moving beyond the traditions and teachings that often obscure our vision. Jesus challenges us to remove the distorted lenses of tradition and instead view the world through the clarity of His teachings. The first step in engaging with Jesus is hearing His word, a step that precedes any prayer or call upon His name. This hearing must be coupled with understanding, as mere listening without comprehension is insufficient.

Jesus shifts the focus from external observances to the internal realities of the heart, emphasizing that what defiles a person is not what enters the mouth but what comes out of it. This highlights the core issue: our hearts. We can appear outwardly righteous yet be inwardly lost, as true purity is not about external rituals but the purity of our hearts. The Hebrew concept of the heart goes beyond feelings or thoughts; it is the seat of our desires. Jesus calls us to examine our desires, questioning whether they stem from a desire to glorify God or from self-preference.

The message also addresses the misconception that we are sinners because we sin. Instead, we sin because we are inherently sinners, a condition that traces back to Adam. This understanding is crucial as it underscores the need for a new heart, not just a change in behavior. Jesus offers this new heart through His life, death, and resurrection, promising a transformation from the inside out. This transformation requires rejecting false spirituality and traditions that distract from the truth of the Gospel.

Ultimately, the call is to embrace a deep, personal transformation that only Jesus can offer, moving beyond superficial rules to a genuine encounter with Him. For those wrestling with sin, daily repentance and reliance on the Holy Spirit are essential for cleansing and renewal. The Gospel invites us to abandon empty traditions and embrace the transformative power of Jesus, who is worth sacrificing for. As we reflect on our hearts, we are challenged to listen deeply to Jesus, allowing His work to renew us and dismiss the distractions of legalism.

Key Takeaways

1. True transformation begins with hearing and understanding Jesus' teachings, moving beyond traditions that obscure our vision. This initial step of hearing is crucial, as it sets the foundation for a deeper engagement with Christ. [00:08]
2. The core issue of defilement lies within our hearts, not in external observances. Jesus emphasizes that what comes out of the mouth, originating from the heart, is what defiles us, highlighting the need for internal purity. [05:20]
3. Our desires reveal the state of our hearts. We must examine whether our desires stem from a genuine desire to glorify God or from self-preference, as corrupted desires indicate a heart tainted by sin. [09:40]
4. We sin because we are inherently sinners, a condition that traces back to Adam. This understanding underscores the need for a new heart, which Jesus offers through His life, death, and resurrection. [13:12]
5. Embracing the Gospel requires rejecting false spirituality and traditions that distract from the truth. True transformation comes from a personal encounter with Jesus, leading to a life that reflects His nature. [17:19]
** [17:19]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:08] - The Call to Hear and Understand
[00:21] - Turning from Tradition to Truth
[01:14] - Seeing Clearly Through Christ
[01:42] - The First Step: Hearing
[02:50] - Beyond Hearing: Understanding
[05:07] - The Heart of the Issue
[06:28] - The Challenge of Self-Deception
[07:09] - True Purity: Internal, Not External
[09:09] - The Depth of Our Desires
[10:27] - Diagnosing Our Hearts
[12:05] - Sin's Origin: The Heart
[13:12] - Understanding Our Sinful Nature
[16:34] - Transformation Through a New Heart
[21:29] - Embracing True Purity and Transformation

Sermon Clips

The first step of faith is hearing. So Jesus' call to hear is not something that's foreign to us, is it? We get it, but it doesn't just end there. The call is not just to hear; it's also to understand. You see, it isn't simply enough to hear what Jesus is saying because hearing only goes so far. [00:02:40]

Jesus takes aim at the core of the issue, and what's the core of the issue? Our hearts. It's our core; that's the big deal. Now, the heart—we got to understand that we may look and sound like the perfect Christians and be more lost than pagans down the road because at least they know they're not worshiping Yahweh. [00:05:16]

The sinfulness of our hearts, the sinfulness of our desires. Now, the big issue of purity is not whether we observe the outward traditions and rituals that we're used to, but rather if our hearts are pure. Last week, I talked about how I went to all the silver ring things, the purity culture stuff. [00:07:09]

We sin because we are inherently sinners, a condition that traces back to Adam. This is important to grasp because you may have been taught what's called Pelagianism, an ancient teaching that's regularly been condemned by Christians and yet resurfaces every few generations. Pelagianism teaches that humans are born sinless. [00:13:12]

We need a new heart that is not bound by sin. We do not need to blindly make ourselves feel better by observing all the external traditions that our human teachers have told us to follow. We need a new heart. David, in Psalm 51 again, in verse 10, he cries out, "Create in me a clean heart, O God." [00:16:34]

Truly hearing and understanding Jesus requires the willingness to then reject the false views of spirituality. Jesus stops talking to the crowds here in just a second, and he turns now because his disciples come to him. This is exactly what happens here when the disciples come. [00:17:19]

Jesus continues on when Peter is like, "Can you explain the parable to us or the saying of what comes out is what defiles you, not what goes in?" Peter still doesn't understand, so Jesus takes some time and walks through it. He says to Peter, basically, "Purity is a matter of desire, not action." [00:20:11]

The remedy is heart renewal through Christ. Jesus not only exposes the source of defilement but also offers a remedy—a heart that is made new that only he can bring about through his life, his death, his resurrection, and his ascension in the New Covenant. [00:21:29]

The Gospel invites you to abandon a life that is reliant on superficial rules and to embrace a deep personal transformation that only Jesus can offer. For those who are here this morning, we are Christians, but we're wrestling with sin. We need to embrace daily repentance and rely on the Holy Spirit. [00:22:49]

Jesus' life, death, and resurrection not only expose our inner corruption but also empower us to be made new. Jesus' call for the crowd to hear and understand and his dismissal of the Pharisees' distractions point us directly to the heart of the Gospel. We turn to listen to Jesus, to hear and understand. [00:23:51]

The Gospel transforms us from the inside out; it does not transform us from the outside in. Our desires change. In Romans 5:8, God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. The heart of the Gospel is love; it's Jesus' love for his people to rescue them. [00:24:31]

Imagine again one more time the gift to my brother—the beautiful exterior and the disappointing interior. We don't want to get to the end of our lives and be just like that. Reflect then on the condition of your heart. Are you truly listening to Jesus' call, setting aside distractions, embracing the inner renewal that he offers to us? [00:25:10]

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