The laver at the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem has a very important place in the worship of those who come there. The worshipers come to wash. They wash their hands and their feet, they rinse out their mouths, and they wash their faces, but their hearts are untouched. Nothing has happened to their hearts.
Jesus spoke one time of how people are defiled. The Pharisees were concerned because the disciples were coming from the marketplace and had not washed their hands before they ate. So they complained to Jesus about this. Jesus taught a different way. Notice Mark 7:15-23:
There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 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: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
You see, Jesus understood that defilement comes from within, not from without. Oh, many people
would like to clean up the outside and make themselves acceptable to God. I want to tell you, friend,
you can’t do it. You cannot make yourself acceptable to God by trying to clean up the outside. The
reason is He is absolutely holy! He understands the inside as nobody else does. In fact, you cannot hide anything from Him. He has a better plan than trying to clean up yourself outside or any other way. His plan is one that meets our need where we cannot meet it.
Paul lists the works of the flesh in his letter to the Galatians, in 5:19-21:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Now, what can we do? You and I have to confess that we have these problems, we have these situations arising. There must be a way to overcome them somehow. How shall we do it? What can we do? We have to depend upon God’s plan. I wish to show you GOD ’S SUPERIOR PLAN. It is found in I Corinthians 1:26-31:
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
God’s plan is superior because it has certain inherent QUALITIES that we so tragically need.
The fir...
