Everywhere you go, you will find different people who have different views or opinions of what foods they deem are good, or acceptable, to eat. Some people have very strong opinions that people should not drink pop because of all the sugar and caffeine in it. Some people say that because no other adult creatures drink milk naturally that humans shouldn’t either. And then you will have even more people who have very strong opinions that fatty foods are very bad for your health.
Whatever a person’s opinion on the matter, food is just food and drink is just drink. God made them all and He saw that they were good. (Genesis 1:12) If someone doesn’t feel like they can eat a specific type of food, then don’t eat it, but do not judge other people in a negative way if they choose to eat those types of foods. (Colossians 2:16) Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused. (1 Timothy 4:4)
Jesus was teaching in Mark 7, and He was explaining to His disciples that there is nothing that can enter a man that can defile him, but it is those things that come out of a man that defile him.
Mark 7:14-23 “And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
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 can take yourself and throw yourself into a mud pit, but that doesn’t affect how you are inside. It is from within that sin originates. People all the time become angry about firearms when they are misused and used to harm others, but a weapon is just a weapon. By itself it is not a sinful item, but it is when someone decides in their mind that they are going to use it to hurt or kill someone that it becomes a sin and defiles a man.
It really all originates from within a person’s mind. When someone decides to perform an action that is a sin, it all starts from within. One of the most damaging members of a person’s body is also one of the smallest: the tongue. The tongue is a part of our body that can be used for many great, wonderful things such as praying, preaching and singing to God, but it can also be used for many evil, harmful things.
James 3:6 “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.”
Matthew 12:34-37 “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
Because sin starts from within a person, we need to ensure that we fill our soul and minds with the spiritual things of God. We need to live pure lives, but this will not be possible if the the filth of sin resides in our minds. We need to clean out the trash that is sin, and expell it completely from us, because it is the inside that really matters.
So remember, food, drink-they are all good because God had created them. Instead turn your focus to the inside.
In Christ,
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 