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Powered Circuits |
WORDS REVEAL HEARTSBy Dr. Jack CanadyRead Matthew 15:11Dear Leaders Chosen of God, The emotional atmosphere could not have been more tense; in front of a huge crowd Jesus had just called the most powerful religious leaders of the land HYPOCRITS. He then turned His back on them and said to the crowd, "It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles a man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man," (Matthew 15:11). Jesus' disciples were stunned. They stared at Him in shock and disbelief. He had openly insulted powerful and dangerous men, not just once, but twice. Visibly shaken they huddled around Him trying to help Him understand what He had just done. These were not just ordinary men. They had the power to have Him killed. He had crossed the line. They were afraid. If what He had just said frightened them what He said next would cause their hearts to fall out of their chests. "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit". With that statement Jesus had revealed the final end of those men. They would be eternally uprooted because they were impostors. Puffed up in their own arrogance they had not been planted by God. Their hearts had never belonged to Him. Incredulously, AT THAT MOMENT, Peter asked, "Explain the parable to us". WHAT! Didn't he hear what Jesus had just said? Perhaps he did and was trying to defuse the moment; change the subject. Most of us have done things like that. Jesus was astonished too; not surprised but astonished. There IS a difference. Apparently neither Peter nor the other disciples understood what He was talking about. (I say apparently because I think they all had more trouble with accepting what Jesus was talking about than understanding.) Jesus said, "Are you still lacking in understanding also? " I am sure Peter - and the others - were embarrassed. Jesus was openly disappointed in them. Have you ever felt Jesus' disappointment in you? I am sorry to admit- I have. When His disappointment turns to GRIEF; and there have been times like that in my life; my soul is torn apart, sometimes for days. But Jesus was not grieved at Peter this time; just disappointed. Typical of our Lord He patiently explained once again. In essence He said, "Food is food; nothing more. You eat it. It passes through the body and is thrown into the latrine." He could not have been more earthy or basic. "But the words you say; they are what are important." Why? "Because they reveal what is in your heart." What the scribes and Pharisees said revealed the evil in their hearts. What is said - or written - also reveals what is inside hearts made beautiful by God. Here is a communication I recently received from a godly young woman who is soon to be married to a young man who has been called of God into the ministry. "God brought us together in a really unique way!" (He used a pastor's wife who knew them both. How often that has happened. She connected them. They took it from there.) "And so we became friends." (The avenue was e-mail. They wrote back and forth all summer.) "We really hit it off and had a lot in common. We talked on the phone and finally met in person after a few months and began courting! In spite of the long distance, God allowed a wonderful friendship and romance to blossom! - God heard the cry of my heart for friendship before romance, and He worked it out in such a beautiful way! I love the ways that He works." And so, separated by more than 2000 years, words revealed two different hearts. The scribes and Pharisees went on to crucify the Savior of all who believe before they went to their eternal doom. This young woman and the one she will soon marry will go on to lift Him high with their words, leading many to faith in Him before the go on to their eternal reward. In His love, Pastor Jack |
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