Q9. Defiled Hearts

[Pastor Ralph]

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20) What does Jesus teach about the heart of man? What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man? Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside? Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly “moral” person in order to be saved?

[Krissi]

Jesus taught that what comes out of us is what we really are. Everything we think, do and say eventually reflects our inner selves. The sum total of thought, words and deeds are our essence, so to speak. And, we know we're never clean enough on the inside.

In my case, recently, I've been very fearful. Fear is contrary to faith. But it is deep within me and is manifesting itself irrespective of my desire to keep fear bottled up within. I need the Spirit's cleansing.

Jeremiah teaches that the heart is deceitful ... terribly so. In fact, it's so tainted by deceit and sin that it is "beyond cure." (NIV) But, in spite of our core deceitfulness, we are sanctified by the Spirit. Yes, we have to obey Him, but prompting and cleansing are His job. We can reject His cleansing ... we can choose to stay dirty, but we cannot clean ourselves. That choice is up to God.

--

Perhaps we try to clean up the outside because we feel so helpless when it comes to cleaning the inside. Again, we can't clean ourselves. Only Holy Spirit cleans within us. This is a big part His job, it seems. 

Baptism washes the outside of the body -- the Spirit washes the inside. From Hebrews: "let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." (NIV)

What's going on in this verse? We're drawing closer to God. Sincerely we want to be better than we are. We are confident and faith-filled that God's Spirit will clean our inner being, and will wash away our guilty conscience. We will be purified with pure water/Spirit.

--

Repentance starts this process. It energizes the Spirit, so to speak, to begin cleaning. Without repentance, the Spirit may not clean us as He would have until we give Him permission to enter into us with His divine mop. Our outside may trick other Christians and people into thinking we're more pure than we are, but repentance shines a light on the inner filth so the Spirit can start cleaning. So, even though we cannot clean our inner selves without the Spirit, we can push the Spirit away or refuse to repent, which has the same effect.

[Bianca]

What comes out of a man's heart make them unclean. Evil starts with entertaining the wrong thoughts and gets into the heart. Jeremiah teaches that we shouldn't be deceived. Deceiving thoughts and ideas starts from the heart and infect others. 

 

Trying to please man some people like to give an outward show of holiness to others so they can impress others and please others but still want to continue on in their old ways behind the scenes.

 

We can't change ourselves and make ourselves better on our own. We need God's power to help us. So people need to repent get clean before God and have a clear conscience.

[Katy]

Q9. Both Mark and Matthew explain to us that what we take into the body through eating and drinking does not defile the body because it goes into the stomach then into the bowel, the goodness from the food is absorbed and the waste is passed out of the body when we defecate. 
It is the sin in our hearts that defiles the body, these things come from our hearts and are responsible for defiling and destroying us. 
Jeremiah 17v9 tells us that our hearts are deceitful above all things and beyond cure!

All of us have a side that we present outside, to try and make ourselves look good and acceptable to others. Often we can be resistant to Jesus to change us on the inside because we are unwilling to give up our sin, or to lazy to make the effort to change, or we don’t care enough about Jesus to realise how vital it is for our Salvation. 
Our hearts must be changed and our sinning stopped , and our lives given to Jesus . In order to do this we must first be truly sorry for sin and turn away from all sources of sin in our lives. The Holy Spirit will help and guide us through this process.

[Christopher Olamiji Taiwo]

On 4/22/2023 at 1:07 AM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20) What does Jesus teach about the heart of man? What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man? Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside? Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly “moral” person in order to be saved?

On 9/7/2023 at 9:13 PM, Krissi said:

Jesus taught that what comes out of us is what we really are. Everything we think, do and say eventually reflects our inner selves. The sum total of thought, words and deeds are our essence, so to speak. And, we know we're never clean enough on the inside.

In my case, recently, I've been very fearful. Fear is contrary to faith. But it is deep within me and is manifesting itself irrespective of my desire to keep fear bottled up within. I need the Spirit's cleansing.

Jeremiah teaches that the heart is deceitful ... terribly so. In fact, it's so tainted by deceit and sin that it is "beyond cure." (NIV) But, in spite of our core deceitfulness, we are sanctified by the Spirit. Yes, we have to obey Him, but prompting and cleansing are His job. We can reject His cleansing ... we can choose to stay dirty, but we cannot clean ourselves. That choice is up to God.

--

Perhaps we try to clean up the outside because we feel so helpless when it comes to cleaning the inside. Again, we can't clean ourselves. Only Holy Spirit cleans within us. This is a big part His job, it seems. 

Baptism washes the outside of the body -- the Spirit washes the inside. From Hebrews: "let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." (NIV)

What's going on in this verse? We're drawing closer to God. Sincerely we want to be better than we are. We are confident and faith-filled that God's Spirit will clean our inner being, and will wash away our guilty conscience. We will be purified with pure water/Spirit.

--

Repentance starts this process. It energizes the Spirit, so to speak, to begin cleaning. Without repentance, the Spirit may not clean us as He would have until we give Him permission to enter into us with His divine mop. Our outside may trick other Christians and people into thinking we're more pure than we are, but repentance shines a light on the inner filth so the Spirit can start cleaning. So, even though we cannot clean our inner selves without the Spirit, we can push the Spirit away or refuse to repent, which has the same effect.

 

[t-c]

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20) What does Jesus teach about the heart of man? What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man? Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside? Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly "moral" person in order to be saved?

That the heart of man is exceedingly wicked and  the problem is not what goes into the stomach (food),  it’s what  proceeds from the heart. (words, actions and thoughts)

That it is more deceitful than all and desperately sick, beyond understanding.

I think we tend to want look good before our peers , pleasing man over God. Real change, on the inside is difficult and requires humility and sometimes hard work. Our pride keeps us from owning up and confessing our sin. We can want to hold on to our sin even though we know that we aren’t fooling God, He know everything about us.

I think that repentance is important for all people, outwardly moral or otherwise. But I think that coming to belief and faith in Jesus Christ precedes that and is the springboard for a life of repentance. Or even being aware of sin and a desire to repent of them comes from that relationship with Jesus Christ. And wanting to be obedient to God’s Word and His will for our lives. We take off the old, ( our sinful ways) and put on the new, (the righteousness of Christ) 

 

 

 

[Janzie]

On 4/21/2023 at 9:07 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20) What does Jesus teach about the heart of man? What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man? Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside? Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly “moral” person in order to be saved?

What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Jeremiah 17:9

We can look really good on the outside but God looks on the heart. We sometimes resist because of stubborness and wanting our own way.  We need to be willing to be willing.

 

Repentance is necessary because we may think we are moral but it is a far cry from what the Lord does in our life when we surrender to Him.  He then cleans us up, delivering us from sin and sinning. Giving us of His Holy Spirit.  It is just not a lot of keeping laws and rules.  We need to have fellowship with the Lord, hearing from Him.

 

[RD35]

What does Jesus teach about the heart of man?  And then [Jesus] added, "It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you." Mark 7:20-23 NLT

What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man?  The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.   Who can understand it?

Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside?  We try to look good on the outside because we want to please men, get applause, sometimes out of fear of rejection or just being legalistic.  We resist to let Jesus change us because change comes at a cost, it is humbling to give away something we have always loved doing.  Only God can change our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh, which obeys him and not rebellious.  There is an underlying selfishness deep down in us that is deceitful, devious, conniving.

Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly "moral" person in order to be saved?  Repentance that turns us away from sin and results in a change behavior cleanses us internally.

[Emmanuel Okunola]

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20) What does Jesus teach about the heart of man? What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man? Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside? Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly “moral” person in order to be saved?

The heart of man is the 'generator' of his soul. Remember, Prophet John the Baptist confronted the Pharisees when they came to be baptized (Matt 12:34-35). Reprimanded their heart for been corrupted with evil. Even so, believers today must submit thier 'generator' for total overhaul (ROM 12:1-2).

Jer 17:9 speaks of wickedness.

The heart is an inheritance of evil (psalm 51:5).

By nature, the heart is corrupt (Mk 7:21-23).

Repentance is the work of the Holy Spirit that is able to break the hardest heart through the Word (Jer 23:29; Ez 36:24-27). Every believer must first have inner groaning before the adoption and redemption in the body

[GeraldG]

Jesus teaches that the heart of man is full of greed, and wickedness. 

Jeremiah teaches that the heart of man is deceitful above all things, desperately wicked, and beyond cure, who can know, or understand it? 

We try to look good on the outside because we know that truly we are corrupt inside, so we try to hide it by making the outside look good. Therefore because of pride we resist letting Jesus Christ change us on the inside. 

Repentance is necessary because we are corrupt on the inside. And no matter how clean we try to make the outside, we can't change the fact that the inside is corrupt and we need saving. The only way to be saved is to lay it all down at the cross and ask Jesus Christ to cleanse us, and save us. 

[garymerkel]

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20) What does Jesus teach about the heart of man? What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man? Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside? Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly “moral” person in order to be saved?

The question for is: Can a person be saved without sanctification?  Is there true repentance with out fruit?  The "heart" with which we are born spiritually is DEAD.  Only through the new birth is a person saved, justified, but when a person is justified, set right with God by NO works of his own, then the sanctification process begins immediately, being set apart for God's use and glory.  The connection must be made.  The old nature will fight it but the battle is GOOD, because it says there is something NEW inside trying to grow.  Resistance to change spiritually is pride, whether King David or anyone else.  No outward morality is acceptable to God without repentance because morality, in itself is idolatry = man's idea of being acceptable to God.  Our righteousness must come from God and then be worked out in practical living through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

[Robomom3]

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20)

What does Jesus teach about the heart of man?

The heart of man is inherently wicked.  Nothing good can come from us without the work of the Holy Spirit within us.  Even what appears good, if done on our own, is steeped in selfish desire for recognition and self-glory.   

What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man? 

There is no hope or cure for man's deceitful heart.  Without Jesus... there is no hope for man's sinful heart.

Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside?

Because, unfortunately, we care about what others think about us and our pride and selfishness lead us to take care of ourselves and our need for acceptance from those around us.  We believe the lie that, as a child of God we should appear perfect... when God's Word teaches us the complete opposite... it is through our weakness that His Glory is seen... we must become humble and obedient... willing to admit our flaws and failures to those around us... we can only do this by falling in love with Jesus, trusting His Word and finding our identity in Him and Him alone.  We fail to understand, that if we give Jesus our whole heart to do with as He pleases... Good will flow from us effortlessly because it will be through the Power of the Almighty God that His Will is being fulfilled through our lives.  Instead, we want credit... we want to be seen as "good"...  so we labor in vain trying to imitate God's Fruit, convincing ourselves it is real... when, it's just a cheap plastic veneer over evil selfish motives and intentions.  Until we can stop caring what others think about us, we will never experience the Joy and Peace promised to us.  We must die to our will if we want to experience His Glory in our lives. 

Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly “moral” person in order to be saved?

Repentance is necessary for every person because there are none righteous, no not one!  The more we recognize the Holiness of God, the more we will be aware of our own guilt and sin... there is no such thing as "outwardly moral".  Godly morality can only come through a pure heart that is seeking God with every fiber of its being. If it's not "inward morality" then it is not morality at all... 

[Sister Evelyn]

Q9 (Mark 7:14-23, Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20)

What does Jesus teach about the heart of man?

The things that come out of our mouths depends on out actions. The heart of man is deceiving when a person is angry, what comes out of their mouths can lots of damage. Many people can look so good from the outside, but there hearts are cold. When a person speaks unclean words this makes them an unclean person both inside and out, because we will see their true selves. 

Luke 6:45- For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. In other words it's like a bad tree producing fruit that we cannot eat. The evil person does bad things. His inner nature produces evil actions and evil words.

What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man?

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? This is why there is so much evil because of the deceitful heart of man. No one can really understand the human heart. It is less honest than anything else. Nothing can heal it when it's so evil we can see this when Jacob cheated his brother Esau about the birth rights. (Gen:27:36). Proverbs 18:4, 20:5- reads as follows God sees our hearts. He will give to people what they deserved.our hearts have been rebellious, sinful, and secretive from the moment we were born. It is easy to fall into the routine of forgetting and forsaking God, but it our choice whether to continue to sin.

Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside?

 

The question says try to look good. This is nothing but a Facade. Many a people have a great outside appearance, but deep down they can have a malicious heart. I call it an (ungodly) heart. The inside conceals the truth about themselves. The Pharisees were an example of this their outward appearance made them look holy and the things they did, but deep down their hearts were evil towards Jesus. Again, Jesus preached the Good News many people hearts were change, but not many including the Pharisees.

Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly "moral" person in order to be saved?

Repentance makes it possible for us to grow and develop spiritually. Repentance is the way to provided for us to become free from our sins and received "Forgiveness" for them. This is why it's so important that when we do sin we can go directly to The Throne of Grace.

Q 10 (Matthew 5:23-26)

Why did Jesus tell the parable of the Guilty Defendant?

If anyone has anything against a brother or sister before you go the altar to pray or worship go to that person repent and make amends. Then you may come and offer your gifts. (Luke 12:53-26). You should decide for yourselves what is right. We all have sinned against God. Therefore, we would be wise to come to him now, before the day of judgement or it may be too late.

 How do people we have wronged and to whom we have not kept our promises get in the way of us worshiping God properly?

Any person we have wronged we are to go and asked for forgiveness. And in not keeping our promises we are consider to be a hypocrite and that will hinder our worship.

In what ways is it hypocritical not to address these matters t the best of our ability?

When we do not address the issue it can create division. Not only that as a believer we are to address these matters in a loving and sensible way in order to Glorified God.

Q 11 Why does Jesus focus on the parable of the wise and foolish builders on "putting into practice' rather than in believing?

This parable reminds me of the Ten Bridesmaids. (Matthew 25:1-13)

The wise bridesmaids were ready for the groom to return. Their lamps were filled with oil which represents the Holy Spirit. We are accountable for our own actions. The ten bridesmaid were waiting to join the groom and partake in the wedding feast. However, the groom didn't come at the expected time, and the foolish ones use their oil and they went out to purchased more but it was to late. In order to build a strong foundation we are to use wisdom. Using wisdom will enable us to construct a solid foundation. The wise person who obeys  the Word of the Lord is like a wise builder. When the storm comes it will not be struct down. Foolish builders are the ones who hears the Word but reject it making them to build a home with no foundation and when the storm comes it will be destroyed.

How can you help young Christians move from believing to true discipleship?

We are believers should set a positive example for the young Christians in worshiping in Spirit and in Truth.

1. We should help them be confident of their Salvation.

2. We should help them take more responsibility for their Spiritual Growth.

3. We should help them understand that Faith is the Foundation of Discipleship.

4. We should help them understand to put God first in everything.

5. We should help them understand that Discipleship involves making a daily effort to overcome selfish desires and ambitions.

Q 12  Why is "seeking" necessary to "find" the narrow gate? (Matthew 7:13-14).

To seek the narrow gate is the gate to safety meaning "Eternal Life." This seeking will enable the believer to obtain the salvation of their souls, or finally gain admission into the "Kingdom of Heaven."

Why do you think Jesus concludes this brief parable with the phrase, "and only a few find it'? 

"Not everyone that say Lord says to Me, "Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 7:21-23). However, those who endure till the end shall be saved. (Matthew 24:13).

How is this parable designed to strengthen disciples to be willing to go against the flow, to be different from others in the culture?

I believe too strengthen the disciples in the sense that this destination leads believers to "Eternal Life" and they know where they want to go and take the steps to get there. Seek and you shall find. 

[hanks]

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20)

What does Jesus teach about the heart of man? What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man? Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside? Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly "moral" person in order to be saved?

Jesus teaches us that it is out of the heart that all evil proceeds. This includes all our evil thoughts, evil deeds, evil deceit, including our attitudes, motives, and desires. As well as envy, slander, pride and foolishness. That all external sins are initially conceived in the heart, and it is not the fault of external factors that we sin. We love to blame our education, our childhood, our financial circumstances, or any other external excuses for our sin.

But Jesus tells us that the problem of sin is internal. In 1 Sam 16:7 we read, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Jer 17:9 tells us that the heart is deceitful. It continually lies to us. Telling us what we want to hear, not what we should be hearing from God. Not only will it deceive us, our hearts are totally depraved, corrupt, sick, and beyond cure. Unbelievers will not understand it. As believers we might be aware of our deceitfulness and wickedness, but God knows our hearts fully (1 Cor 2:11). Prov 28:26 tells us that whoever trusts his own heart is a fool. The Word of God can disclose our own hearts to us so that we can see and not be fooled by the deceit and wickedness that is hidden in our own hearts. We learn this from Heb 4:12 which tells us that the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. It discerns what is within us, both good and evil. We resist Jesus changing us on the inside because we like what our deceitful hearts are telling us. How great we are, how successful, whatever. All lies. Our focus in on self, whereas it should be on Jesus. These are some of the verses that help me to remain focused on the Lord. Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” A person is defiled morally by what he thinks in his heart even though he may be careful to be obedient to the Word of God. We need to have a clean heart and for this to happen we need a new heart. Only the Holy Spirit can give us a new birth and a new clean heart. We need to be regenerated, born again, made a new creature by repenting and by putting our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, trusting Him as our Saviour.

[Debra Grant]

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20) What does Jesus teach about the heart of man? What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man? Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside? Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly “moral” person in order to be saved?

1. What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean. For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'" 

2.  The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond fixing.  

3. We try to look good on the outside but the heart is corrupt on the inside. Therefore we try to hide it by making the outside look good. We have pride and resist letting Jesus Christ change us on the inside. We have selfishness deep down inside of us which is deceitful, devious and conniving.   

4. We need inner cleansing and we cannot do it ourselves.

 

 

[Elizabeth Kuruvilla]

1. Everything that defiles a man comes from within his heart. Hence we are asked to guard our hearts.

2. Outward acts of worship, prayer, giving , fasting are pointless when you don't have a heart for god

3. Out of the Abundance of the heart the mouth speaks

the heart is desperately wicked without christ

Once we give our Life to him, he takes away Stony hearts and gives us a heart of flesh.

Repentance is a change of mind , our outward actions might fool people not God, he does not look at outward appearances but the heart. He is said to weigh our hearts . 

As we realise how impoverished we are , we enter the kingdom of Heaven , then as we keep looking at Jesus we are transformed to be like Him

[Menberu Adane]

Heart of man: we are not good in ourselves, if man is good it is because God makes us good. Psalm 16:2 is true. We have sinful nature that came down from Adam that makes us live in darkness in our heart blined spritually.

That is why we yry to be good and be seen good but we cannot, unless Jesus open our eyes through repentance and believing in Him. Unless with Jesus we are nothing, whatever we are morally excelling, we are still man with rebellious heart that formed animosity with our God which only be reconciled by the blood of Jesus.

[Lisa Wolf]

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20) What does Jesus teach about the heart of man? What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man? Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside? Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly “moral” person in order to be saved?

Jesus teaches that the heart of man can be corrupt.  Jeremiah 17:9 says, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?  “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”  What I like about these verses is that the text goes on to say, "I the Lord search the heart and..."  God is actively involved with our heart--nothing is secret from the Lord.  If we merely look good on the outside but do not allow Jesus to change us, we are no different.  Repentance is necessary for all, that all might be saved through Him.  Without making a complete 'about-face', a marching regimen and OUR SELF can move grow and change.

[Zanele Tlhakanelo]

Jesus teaches us that we need to be mindful of our hearts because they harbor evil thoughts and always plan wicked intentions. It actually not what we eat that defiles us but the pride, arrogance, sexually immorality and all evil that the heart of man keeps. 

Jeremiah 17:9 says the same message that Jesus teaches us about the heart to says it plans wickedness and evil comes from a man's heart. It is also deceitful because a person can laugh with you but deep down, plans evil.

People are good pretenders. We are always concerned about our outward apperances but inside we are full of malice and all evil intentions. Jesus Christ is not concerned about the outside where everyone sees but about what people cannot see. Jesus is concerned about repentance and that is why the Word says "Jesus is knocking at the door and waiting for all of us to open so that He can come and dine with us. We are hardening our hearts and rejecting the wonderful gifts of salvation.

We all have sinned and  fall short of the glory of God that is why repentance is necessary for all of us whether we regard ourselves as moral or not. Jesus Christ sees the heart and He accepted to be the sacrificial Lamb so that we can all receive the wonderful gift of salvation. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 says "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth."

[Lisa Wolf]

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20) What does Jesus teach about the heart of man? What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man? Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside? Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly “moral” person in order to be saved?

Jesus taught that the heart of man was corrupt as Jeremiah 17:9 tells us.  I think we try to look good on the outside and resist letting Jesus change us because we are actually deceived by our corrupt hearts--we believe lies.  The inward heart corruption makes repentance necessary no matter how the outside looks.

 

[Nicolaas A.P. Mostert]

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20)

What does Jesus teach about the heart of man?

Nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him "unclean"? 

For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.

Only what comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.

 For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.

What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man?

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside?

The natural man always looks to the outwards appearance, the hair style, the face reconstruction and the branded clothes been wear.

Most of the time people want to change their inner man themselves, this is not possible, only HOLY SPIRIT can change a person for inside out.

Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly "moral" person in order to be saved?

Repentance is a new way thinking and living. It is a way of putting GOD's Kingdom first. 

It is a way cleaning from inside out and this cause outward to be lighted up.

[Irmela]

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20)

What does Jesus teach about the heart of man?

What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man?

Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside?

Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly "moral" person in order to be saved?

What is in the heart makes a man unholy.  (That is why we say "let Jesus come into your heart and make that clean).  What is in the heart proceeds out of the mouth.  Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustfulness, envy, pride, foolishness,  theft, false witness and slander. 

The heart is deceitful above all things and incurable, is what Jeremiah 17:9 tells us. 

The outside is that which is visible.  This is what is seen by everyone.  Invariably the person who "looks" nice is the one who is the popular one, or the accepted one.  So man in general strives to portray himself as nice, in this way he has favour with mankind.  The inside is what needs to change.  In general we are careful of change, almost scared of loosing control.  We should give over that control to Jesus.  Then repentance will take place where necessary and a change of heart will occur.  

Repentance is necessary so that "put on" moral behaviour is no longer a farce but the natural way of life of that person. It is no longer a pretense but reality.  

I like the picture that NICOLAAS A.P. MOSTERT portrays with his wording  :   It is a way of cleaning inside out and this causes the outward to be lit up.

Yes, the person is all the more likeable when the inside has been taken care of (has been repented of), and fresh and new thoughts fill his heart which can overflow and touch his fellowman.

[Violette]

On 4/22/2023 at 2:07 AM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20) What does Jesus teach about the heart of man? What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man? Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside? Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly “moral” person in order to be saved?

The heart of man shows how a person really is, how he thinks and acts.

Jeremiah 17:9 that the human heart is most deceitful of all things and wicked. Only God knows how bad it really is.

We try to look good on the outside so that people acknowledge us as a good person but sometimes are habits of life and wanting to keep having them resists us from asking Jesus to change us.

We are all sinners and it is vital that we repent and acknowledge Jesus died and was resurrected for our sin and that we receive salvation.

[Niyonka16]

Q9. Defiled Hearts (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20) What does Jesus teach about the heart of man?

ANSWER: Jesus says that what we put in our mouths has nothing to do with being clean or unclean people. Instead, it's the heart that really matters. In in verses 21-23 we are told that out of the heart of man come evil thoughts and the sins those thoughts produce

What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man?

ANSWER: In Jeremiah 17:9, the passage tells us that the heart is not only deceitful above all things, but that it is also beyond a cure. Our hearts cannot be made right apart from the saving grace of Jesus in our lives. We do not need to follow our hearts because they will lead us after sin nature. Jeremiah 17:9 Reminds Us of Our Sin Problem. We are sinners at the core who are in rebellion against God. And we have hearts that are bent away from God. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick,” desperately sick. We can't underestimate our sin problem.

Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside?

ANSWER: Physical appearance is important to God in that it reveals the glory of His creative abilities.  But it should be remembered that God judges our hearts, not our physical appearance (1 Samuel 16:7).  Our hearts, too, are capable of so many thoughts and feelings, reflections of the complexities of God. We should not fall into the trap of believing that our looks are to be a source of pride or envy. Our true beauty should come from inside, not from the fleshly beauty that the world judges us on.

Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly "moral" person in order to be saved?

ANSWER: Repentance means to “turn TO” the the Savior who TAKES away your sin. The moral lesson of repentance is through repentance we can become free from the burden of sin. Repentance lets: 1). God restore, forgive and purify us; 2). helps us to be humble; 3). drives the devil away from us) 4). frees us from the torment of sin; 5). leads us to fullness of life with Jesus. In summation, repentance lets God restore, forgive and purify us.

[haar]

A9. The heart of man is deceitful and from the heart comes all evil thoughts and plans.

We may look good on the outside but unless we receive the Lord Jesus into our hearts and repent and be transformed in our thinking and actions, we would remain defiled in our hearts.