WHEN RELIGION CHANGES THE OUTSIDE BUT CHRIST CHANGES THE HEART
Text: Mark 7:1–23
Theme: God is more concerned with the
condition of our heart than the appearance of our religion.
INTRODUCTION: THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE
HANDS—IT IS THE HEART
In Mark 7, we meet a group of very religious people—the Pharisees and
scribes.
They knew Scripture.
They knew religious traditions.
They knew how to wash their hands.
They knew how to wash cups, pots, vessels, and tables.
But there was one problem:
They had clean hands but unclean hearts.
They looked religious on the outside, but something was wrong on the
inside.
They came to Jesus not because they wanted to know Him, but because they
wanted to criticize His disciples.
They asked:
“Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders?”
—Mark 7:5
But Jesus did not become distracted by their religious question. He went
directly to the real issue—the condition of their hearts.
He said:
“This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from
me.”
—Mark 7:6
This is one of the greatest dangers in Christianity:
We can be close to religion and far from God.
We can attend church and still have a distant heart.
We can sing worship songs and still have a heart full of bitterness.
We can know Bible verses and still refuse to obey God's Word.
We can look holy before people while secretly being controlled by sin.
Jesus is teaching us:
GOD DOES NOT WANT MERELY CLEAN
HANDS—HE WANTS A CLEAN HEART.
1. RELIGIOUS TRADITION CAN BECOME A
SUBSTITUTE FOR GOD'S WORD
Jesus said:
“Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men.”
—Mark 7:7
The Pharisees had traditions.
Tradition itself is not necessarily evil. Traditions can sometimes help
us remember important things.
The problem comes when human tradition takes the place of God's Word.
Jesus said:
“For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men.”
—Mark 7:8
And again:
“Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own
tradition.”
—Mark 7:9
Think about that.
They were so committed to their tradition that they were willing to
reject God's commandment.
There is a warning here for the
Church.
We must never allow:
Tradition to become more important than Scripture.
We must never say:
“That's the way we have always done it.”
Instead we should ask:
“What does the Word of God say?”
The question is not:
“What does my culture say?”
“What does my denomination say?”
“What does my family say?”
“What does my religious tradition say?”
The ultimate question is:
“WHAT DOES JESUS SAY?”
2. RELIGION CAN MAKE US LOOK RIGHT
WHILE OUR HEART IS WRONG
Jesus quoted Isaiah:
“This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from
me.”
—Mark 7:6
Notice the contrast:
Lips were near.
Heart was far.
They were saying the right things, but they were not living from a heart
surrendered to God.
This is called hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy is not simply making a mistake.
Hypocrisy is presenting one image outwardly while living another reality
inwardly.
A person may say:
“I love God,”
but hate his brother.
A person may say:
“I forgive you,”
but continue carrying bitterness.
A person may worship loudly in church but secretly live in disobedience.
A person may preach about holiness but refuse to deal with pride.
Jesus is not impressed by religious appearance.
God looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7 says:
“For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the
heart.”
God sees what people cannot see.
People see our Sunday appearance.
God sees our Monday heart.
People hear our public words.
God knows our private thoughts.
People see our ministry.
God sees our motives.
Therefore, the question is not merely:
“How do I look before people?”
The deeper question is:
“How am I before God?”
3. WE CAN USE RELIGION TO AVOID
OBEDIENCE
Jesus gives the Pharisees a serious example.
Moses commanded:
“Honour thy father and thy mother.”
—Mark 7:10
But the religious leaders had developed a tradition called Corban.
A person could declare his possessions to be dedicated to God and then
use that religious declaration as an excuse not to help his parents.
Jesus exposed the problem.
They had found a religious way to avoid a clear commandment of God.
This teaches us something powerful:
RELIGION CAN SOMETIMES BECOME AN
EXCUSE FOR DISOBEDIENCE.
We can know Scripture and still manipulate Scripture.
We can quote verses and still avoid obedience.
We can become experts in explaining God's Word while refusing to
surrender to God's Word.
James 1:22 says:
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.”
Christianity is not merely knowing the Bible.
Christianity is allowing the Word of God to transform our lives.
4. THE REAL BATTLE IS INSIDE THE
HEART
Now Jesus moves from religious tradition to the deepest issue.
He says:
“There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile
him.”
—Mark 7:15
Then He says:
“That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.”
—Mark 7:20
This is revolutionary.
The Pharisees were concentrating on what entered the body.
Jesus was concentrating on what came out of the heart.
The Pharisees were saying:
“Wash your hands.”
Jesus was saying:
“Let Me deal with your heart.”
The Pharisees were concerned about external contamination.
Jesus was concerned about internal corruption.
5. WHAT IS INSIDE EVENTUALLY COMES
OUT
Jesus gives a frightening list:
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders,
Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness.”
—Mark 7:21–22
Notice the words:
“From within.”
Jesus is teaching us that sinful behavior does not begin with the
behavior.
It begins in the heart.
Before murder appears in the hand, hatred can live in the heart.
Before adultery appears in the body, lust can live in the heart.
Before theft appears in the hand, covetousness can live in the heart.
Before lying comes from the mouth, deceit can live in the heart.
Before pride appears publicly, pride has already taken root internally.
The external action is often the fruit.
The heart is the root.
Therefore, if we only deal with behavior, we may never deal with the
source.
6. JESUS DOES NOT SIMPLY WANT TO
IMPROVE OUR BEHAVIOR—HE WANTS TO TRANSFORM OUR HEART
This is where the gospel becomes beautiful.
Jesus did not come merely to teach us how to behave better.
He came to give us a new life.
Jeremiah 31:33 says:
“I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.”
Ezekiel 36:26 says:
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you.”
And 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.”
The Christian life is not:
“I will try harder to become a better person.”
It is:
“Christ lives in me, and His life
transforms me from within.”
Paul said:
“Christ liveth in me.”
—Galatians 2:20
This is the answer to the problem Jesus identifies in Mark 7.
7. WE NEED MORE THAN EXTERNAL
CLEANSING—WE NEED INNER TRANSFORMATION
Imagine a dirty glass.
You can polish the outside of the glass until it shines.
But if the water inside is polluted, polishing the outside has not solved
the real problem.
That is what Jesus is addressing.
You can change your clothes.
You can change your vocabulary.
You can change your appearance.
You can change your religious activities.
But only God can transform the heart.
David understood this.
After his sin, he did not simply say:
“Lord, help me look better.”
He prayed:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
—Psalm 51:10
That must become our prayer.
“Lord, don't merely change my circumstances. Change me.”
“Don't merely change what people see. Change what You see.”
“Don't merely clean my hands. Clean my heart.”
8. THE HOLY SPIRIT DEALS WITH WHAT
IS INSIDE
The Christian life is an inward work of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:13 says:
“If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall
live.”
The Holy Spirit exposes what is hidden.
He reveals:
- bitterness,
- pride,
- unforgiveness,
- jealousy,
- lust,
- greed,
- anger,
- selfish
ambition,
- deceit,
- wrong motives.
Why?
Not to condemn us.
But to transform us.
God exposes what He intends to heal.
When the Holy Spirit reveals something in our heart, we should not defend
it.
We should surrender it.
Say:
“Holy Spirit, search me.”
Psalm 139:23–24 says:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.”
9. CHRISTIANITY IS NOT ABOUT
APPEARING HOLY—IT IS ABOUT BECOMING HOLY
There is a difference between:
Religious appearance
and
spiritual transformation.
Religious appearance says:
“Look at me.”
Transformation says:
“Look at Christ.”
Religious appearance says:
“I know the rules.”
Transformation says:
“I know Jesus.”
Religious appearance says:
“I can control my behavior.”
Transformation says:
“I surrender my heart to the Holy Spirit.”
Religious appearance says:
“I want people to think I am holy.”
Transformation says:
“I want God to make me holy.”
10. JESUS WANTS THE HEART, NOT JUST
THE HANDS
The greatest message of Mark 7 is this:
God wants the heart.
Proverbs 4:23 says:
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of
life.”
Your heart determines the direction of your life.
If the heart is filled with Christ, Christ will increasingly be expressed
through our lives.
If the heart is filled with bitterness, bitterness eventually comes out.
If the heart is filled with pride, pride eventually comes out.
If the heart is filled with love, love eventually comes out.
What is inside eventually finds a way outside.
Therefore:
WHAT IS JESUS FINDING WHEN HE LOOKS
INTO YOUR HEART?
11. THE CROSS DEALS WITH THE OLD
LIFE
The answer to the heart problem is not simply better discipline.
We need the cross.
Romans 6:6 says:
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him.”
Galatians 2:20 says:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me.”
The gospel does not merely say:
“Control your old nature.”
The gospel says:
“Your old life has been dealt with through Christ, and you now live in
union with Him.”
That is why the Christian life is not merely moral improvement.
It is new creation life.
12. THE FINAL QUESTION: WHAT IS
COMING OUT OF YOUR HEART?
Jesus said:
“All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
—Mark 7:23
So today, we should ask ourselves:
What comes out of me when I am under pressure?
What comes out when someone insults me?
What comes out when I am disappointed?
What comes out when nobody is watching?
What comes out when I do not get what I want?
Because pressure does not necessarily create what is inside us.
Pressure often reveals what is already inside us.
Therefore, we need Jesus—not merely religion.
We need transformation—not merely tradition.
We need the Holy Spirit—not merely human effort.
We need the Word—not merely religious customs.
We need the cross—not merely self-improvement.
CONCLUSION: FROM CLEAN HANDS TO A
CLEAN HEART
The Pharisees were concerned about unwashed hands.
Jesus was concerned about unclean hearts.
The Pharisees focused on the outside.
Jesus focused on the inside.
The Pharisees wanted to preserve tradition.
Jesus wanted to restore the heart.
And today Jesus asks us:
“Is your heart close to Me?”
Not:
“How religious do you look?”
Not:
“How many Bible verses do you know?”
Not:
“How many services have you attended?”
Not:
“How impressive is your ministry?”
But:
“IS YOUR HEART CLOSE TO ME?”
Psalm 51:10 should become our prayer:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
And the good news is this:
Jesus does not merely expose the heart—He can transform the heart.
He forgives.
He cleanses.
He restores.
He gives new life.
He fills us with His Spirit.
He makes us new.
Therefore, let us not settle for religious appearance.
Let us seek Christ-like transformation.
Let us not merely have clean hands.
LET US HAVE A HEART THAT IS FULL OF
CHRIST.
CLOSING PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
We come before You today recognizing that You see beyond our outward
appearance. You see our hearts.
Forgive us whenever we have been more concerned about human tradition
than Your Word, more concerned about appearance than holiness, and more
concerned about what people think than what You think.
Search our hearts, O God.
Remove pride.
Remove bitterness.
Remove unforgiveness.
Remove deceit.
Remove selfishness.
Remove every thought and desire that does not please You.
Create in us a clean heart.
Renew a right spirit within us.
Teach us to walk according to Your Word and not merely according to human
tradition.
Thank You that through Jesus Christ we are not condemned but can be
transformed.
Let Christ live in us.
Let the Holy Spirit govern our hearts.
Let the fruit of the Spirit become visible in our lives.
May our worship come from a genuine heart.
May our words come from a genuine heart.
May our service come from a genuine heart.
And when people see our lives, may they see Jesus.
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
