Community Group #7 - What is defilement?!

I. Ingredients for a great community group aka our hope for tonight 1. Information vs. Revelation— We would have a change of heart not just change of mind!

But the time we leave here tonight you would not just know God loves you, but you would experience his love at a heart level…

As result your big problems would seem small.

2. Exegete Text – We want to listen to the text, rather than speak to it.

The Bible was written 2000 years ago, so we have to see what it means to them, in their culture FIRST, before we can understand what it means for us today. Exegeteing is like a time machine) 3. Be Real Don’t be fake.

Don’t give religious answers.

If you don’t want to answer, don’t answer!

II. Prayer for those things.

Action: Have student pray.

Sample if no student will pray: Since our goal is too encounter God’s love through community, through listening to text lets ask God to open our heart to be vulnerable with each other, and help us hear what text is saying.

III. PRE-TEXT: Background of Book / Chapter / Occasion 1. Last week -Does anyone remember?

-We need a day off from everything where we rest in God

2. Context for this week

IV. SCIPTURE READING: Mathew 15:10-20 Leader Action: 1) Split up into groups of three 2) Have them read the passage to each other 3) Have them summarize what they get out of it in 2-3 sentences.

Scripture: 10

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. y If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”

16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” 1

1 The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 15:10–20.

1. External Defilement Scripture: 10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

Exegete: The word “defile” is an archaic word.

-Defile literally means to make unclean -There were two ways to be defiled in Jesus’ day: -First is external defilement- defilement of the outside of a person -In Jesus day when an Israelite became externally defiled they were could not participate in the semiannual big symbolic celebrations / festivals (ie The day of atonement, festival of booths) -These festivals were symbolizing outwardly something that was internally true. The festivals often symbolized 3 things: 1) God’s desire to be close to people, 2) people’s separation because of their sin, 3) how far God would eventually go to break down the wall of sin so we could have a relationship with him again like we did in the garden. (not as judge, but as Father) 4 things to keep in mind about external defilement: #1 There were a few ways to be defiled externally. Eating certain foods would do it. #2 If you were defiled you couldn’t participate in the annual rituals of Israel (which were like big celebrations.) #3 Its important to note-eating shellfish, wearing mixed fabrics, touching dead things, would defile you and keep you from participating in these semi-annual rituals BUT doing such things was not sinful, it would just keep you from going to the annual celebrations. #4 If you wanted to go to the big annual celebrations it was generally pretty easy to become undefiled externally = take a bath, wait a few days, changed your clothes, and offere a sacrifice…and voila! your no longer defiled! And you can participate in these symbolical celebrations that symbolize how close God wants to be to Israel, and how he is going to do it one day!

Just like today: Just like you hopefully wouldn’t show up to your own wedding without having cleaned yourself up, without wearing the right clothes, clothes you don’t normally wear. So too, the Israelites were not supposed to come into God’s presence without wearing their best, and being clean! A suit and a dress would seem as arbitrary to them, as mix fabrics and shell-fish seem to us. But it was important way of giving God your best, cause He is worth it!

Tiny-group Questions: 1 If you happen to get married one day what do you imagine you will wear?

2. Defilement from our heart Scripture: 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; Exegete: -There is also internal defilement: defilement that comes from within, that bubbles up from out heart -Internal defilement is what actually keeps us from having a relationship with God -Internal defilement, if we are believers, keeps us from loving God back like we ought to.

Big-Group Question: Jesus lists six things here that come out of heart and defiles us: Murder – anger and bitterness towards another person (Matthew 5:22) adultery – thinking lustful thoughts about others (Matthew 5:28) sexual immorality (greek pornia= Any kind of sex outside of marriage: including sex by yourself) theft lying – can be leaving parts of the truth out to make yourself look better slander - making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation.

QUESTION: Which one of these six comes out of your heart the most?

3. Defilement of our heart doesn’t just harm us.

-People in the OT become externally defiled just by touching dead things.

-This is outward symbolism is meant to help us see the effects our internal defilement, defilement from the heart, has on the world.

-When we are defiled by the things that come from our heart it doesn’t just harm us, and God, it also touches others lives.

-Therefore, no sin is private, even if its done in private, it will have a public effect, it will defile- hurt, others in the world.

An example of private sin that harms the world: Take sexual immortality as an example. A person may consume pornography privately, but this too harms other people: 1. For instance, it influences the way people relate to one another in society.

Men who porn begin to objectify women as sex objects. Women become means to carrying out men’s sexual fantasy’s.

2. When people look at pornography in private it creates a market.

-As the huffington post pointed out, it is pornography than can be credited with growth of sex-trafficing all around the world. Sex-traffic is being driven be individuals in dorm rooms and apartments all over campus this campus right now. There are currently 2 million sex slaves in the US right now. Some are used to make porno, others are used as prostittues when those who watch porn, eventually want to act out their fantasies.

3. There is a portion of college students who were abused by loved ones who started watching pornography privately.

BIG GROUP 1. Have you seen other people’s sin effect your life?

TINY GROUP 1. Have you seen the social effects of your sins? What are they?

The ritual to end all rituals The day of atonement, Yom kipper, is Israel’s highest symbolic celebration.

- It symbolizes our need for God. o On that day a lamb is sacrificed for every person. § Lambs were connected with the people. It was like a pet.

• Yet Israelties new it was just symbolic. That a death of a lamb that did not actually bring them closer to God (as David points Psalm 40:6) but o Instead it symbolized the great pain it would take to truly reconcile Israel with God. § To bring man back into relationship with God like he had in the garden.

The sin, defilement, has created a wide gap between a holy God and people. § there will have to be a great sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins in order for the people to enjoy communion with God as they did in the garden. As sons and daughters of God. So Jesus the spoltless lamb that we need for our atonement of our HEART! And God the Father will give his heart, His Son, to have our hearts clean, undefiled before, Him…totally spotless, We are white as snow, because he is covered in blood. Clean, because he was treated s unclean. Brought in because He was cast out!

V. PRAY/APPLICATION: TINY-GROUP Pray Pray you would remember your cleanliness before God has nothing to do with your works, but his sacrifice for you.

Pray God would help your heart would resist being defiled in someway this week.