Jesus teaches about sin, its character and universality (Matthew 15:4,10-11, 16-20)

"For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’...things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them...” - Matthew 15:4,10-11, 16-20

Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who ignored the sin that ruled their hearts while focusing closely on external religious rituals.

Sin is any word, thought, or action that does not meet the holy standards of God. Sin often starts in the eyes, how we see things. Eve saw the fruit was attractive. David watched Bathsheba, Jesus said if you look at a woman with lust. Notice Jesus is now teaching how evil thoughts lead to breaking the second half of the Ten Commandments, "honor your father and mother" "murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander"

• Sin wrecks people progressing from self to family to communities to the whole world. 
• Sin leads people to live for themselves. By nature, we are rebels against God - we omit from our priorities what he has prioritized. This leads to depression and getting stuck in sin that so easily entangles us. 
• Sin so pervades people’s hearts that without the work of the Holy Spirit to convict and deliver us, we would not understand the gospel. We would only resist God, not flee to Him.
• The depth of man’s depravity and the pervasiveness of sin makes God’s grace and Christ’s sacrifice more precious. 
• When I do not believe in the seriousness of sin, I excuse my “mistakes” and “weaknesses” but fail to see the root of my wrong thoughts and actions. Without knowing the sinful desires that permeate my inner being, I do not realize I need a Savior. I live for myself and believe I answer only to myself.
• When I believe that I have sinned and offended the Holy God, I realize that I need a Savior and cannot save myself. The blessedness of forgiveness and deliverance from the sin that entangles me is worth more than any pleasure sin affords. I welcome the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work to expose my sin and to bring me to repentance. I trust God to deliver me from slavery to sin.

It is easier to focus on the external manifestations of sin than the internal root of sin.

• This is not just society’s problem; it is also our own. Even as believers, we still struggle with sin that emerges from our hearts.
• Even when we deal with our sinful words and actions, we can fail to dig deeper and examine sinful appetites, motives, and desires lurking within us.
• What fear, unbelief, self-will, or pride is behind your sinful actions and thoughts?

God lovingly exposes our sin so that we can repent, find forgiveness, and rely on His power to overcome sin.

• God does not expose our sin to shame us but to deliver us. He reveals specific sin, not just our general sinfulness.
• How does daily life and interaction with God’s Word activate God’s purifying work in your sinful heart?
• Do you welcome the Holy Spirit’s cleansing work to expose your sin and lead you to Christ for forgiveness and deliverance?
• God loves sinners. Jesus died to set us free from the sin that holds human hearts captive. He made a way so we can enjoy unhindered fellowship with God.