Time to Flip the Script and Change for the Better

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

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Introduction

It’s not a matter of can we change, but a matter of needing to change – we must change.  There is no growth in the absence of change.  Without change, we cannot thrive, and if we aren’t thriving, then what are we? A society and a world on the brink of death and destruction.

A Morally Depraved Society

Change is needed today because we are a morally depraved society.  One may ask, ‘Pastor, what makes us a morally depraved society?’ Well, as Jesus said, “A tree is known by its fruit.”

We prove to be a morally depraved society by how we treat each other.  We treat each other with no grace or mercy.  We treat each other unjustly or unfairly.

We prove to be a morally depraved society by what we choose to accept and laugh at.  We laugh at the dehumanization of others, as if it is funny that people are treated lower than dirt.  We laugh at and accept vulgarity, lies, hate, bigotry, and racism.  We laugh at and accept war, violence, and death.

We are a generation that Jesus would call a generation of vipers, because we are corrupt, deceptive, and poisonous.  Of those whom He called a brood of vipers in His day, Jesus asked, “How can you, being evil, speak good things?  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things (Matt. 12:34-35).”

How We Become a Morally Depraved People

Some suggest that we became a morally depraved society through the entertainment complex.  Some suggest our depravity comes from too much TV, movies, and video games, while others blame the internet.

Now, I want you to think this thought over with me for just a moment.  Jesus rebuked the generation of His day for being a brood of vipers, and they didn’t have television, movies, or video games, right?  

The suggestion that the entertainment complex is to blame for mankind’s depravity ignores the fact that the world was depraved before those things came along the way.  Now, we can definitely acknowledge that media has made the immoral more visible and accessible, and encourages it.  Yet, we did not media did not give birth to a deprave society.

Depravity through self-righteousness

Matthew 15 helps to show us where depravity is born from.  Matthew 15:1-2 shows us an occasion when the scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus’ disciples of being transgressors.  Their transgression?  The scribes and Pharisees accused them of not doing according to tradition by washing their hands before they ate.  

Now, you may not think much of this lone act, but it speaks to what our depravity is born from and what it consists of, especially since this wasn’t the only time the scribes and Pharisees brought forth such an accusation.

In Matthew 12:1-8, the scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus’s disciples of transgressing the law because they plucked heads of grain on the Sabbath.  The gospels also show that they accused Jesus of breaking the law because He healed people on the Sabbath.  

To be clear, the scribes and Pharisees were judging, and they were judging Christ.  Now, Jesus and the disciples weren’t the only ones whom the scribes and Pharisees set out against in judgment.  For example, in John 8, the scribes and Pharisees brought an adulterer before Jesus with a desire to see Him stone her to death.  

Let me ask all of you a question:  Do the actions of the scribes and Pharisees sound depraved to you?

How many of you understand it is antithetical to judge or to rule over another, as if you have such authority?  Paul asked, with what wisdom does man judge another man?

The scribes and Pharisees judged from a place of religious beliefs.  Yet, the God they claimed to serve commands, “Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged (Matt. 7:1-2).”  

Understand this:  It is antithetical to judge.  It is antithetical to rule over another.  It is antithetical to condemn others if we have the authority to do so.

First and foremost: We are not God!  God is sovereign; we are not.  God is righteous; we are far from being righteous.  Self-righteousness – disregarding the righteousness of God’s instructions is sin.  Moving in self-righteousness is depraved.

Depravity comes from the heart

Jesus rebuked the self-righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, and in His rebuke, Jesus pointed to where depravity comes from.  

In Matthew 15:8-9, let us note that in Jesus’ rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees, He rebuked their religious behavior, judging that their hearts were far from the Lord.  Then, after rebuking the scribes and Pharisees,  Jesus told the people to hear and understand, “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth defiles (Matt. 15:10-11).”

How many of us understand what Jesus meant by that statement?  The disciples didn’t understand it; they were confused by the statement.  In their minds, they knew they had washed their hands, and so the food they ate had to have been defiled by unwashed hands.  Yet, what Jesus spoke of was not of the flesh, but rather was of the spiritual.

To bring clarity to the disciples about His statement, Jesus said to them, “Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man (Matt. 15:17-18).”

How many of us understand the importance of our heart?  Now, let’s understand that Jesus wasn’t speaking of the flesh, but again, was speaking spiritually.  Therefore, when Jesus spoke of the heart, He was speaking of spirit and soul.

Your soul is incredibly important because every thought and intention is born in your soul.  We are taught that our brain is responsible for our thoughts; however, this teaching ignores the soul.  The brain is incredibly powerful, as it sends signals and messages throughout the body that control the body’s motor functions.  

When God judges the thoughts, the intentions, and actions of man, God doesn’t judge the brain.  In Jeremiah 17:9-10, the Lord said, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

Furthermore, during the days of Noah, when God saw the wickedness of man’s way, once again, He did not scan the brains of mankind. Genesis 6:5 shows us that God looked to the heart and saw that every intent of the thought of man’s heart was only evil.

Your heart is incredibly important because the principles, beliefs, and morals that govern your choices are there.  Your soul directs every action that you take!

Mankind is still morally depraved today because of what lies in the heart of man.  We celebrate war and violence because that’s what is in the heart.  We celebrate injustice because that’s what is in the heart.  We celebrate vulgarity, lies, hate, bigotry, and racism because that’s what is in the heart of man.

A Change of Heart Is Needed

So, would you agree with me that a change of heart is needed?

In recent weeks, I have been stirred up in my spirit at the depravity on display at nearly every level of our society.  Recently, there was a truly tragic accident that occurred at an amusement park here in Atlanta that saddened me.  Yet, what angered me after the tragedy was the disgusting sharing of what should never be shared online.

The heart of man is depraved.  Jesus spoke about what comes out of the mouth so that one’s heart is not defiled.  Jesus also said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted (Matt. 15:13).”  

While the scribes and Pharisees were busy judging Him and the disciples, Jesus was making it clear that the Father will have the final say.  God is going to judge, and when He judges, He will judge the heart according to the fruits it bears.

 God is going to judge, and He will judge the fruits of our hearts.  So, what is it that is coming from your heart?

Consider the fruit you bear

Let us keep in mind what we see Jesus say in Matthew 7:17-18.  Jesus said, “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.”

The fruit a plant bears is dependent on quite a bit, including the soil, water, air, and the sun.  However, even more important to the fruit a plant bears is its seed.  A good healthy seed is going to produce much fruit, but if the seed is corrupted, the chances are low that the seed is going to produce lush, good fruit.

In Jesus’ figure of speech, the seed represents the doctrine that lies in the heart.  Good doctrine will lead to good fruit, and bad doctrine will lead to bad fruit.  In this case, good and bad are not subjective.  The good doctrine is the righteous doctrine of God, and the bad doctrine is worldly (sinful).  

My brother and I were speaking recently, and he asked a question about how someone can claim Christianity but support all of the wickedness of today.  I responded by telling him that their hearts aren’t governed by the principles of the Christ they proclaim to believe in.

How many of us know what we believe in?  Yes, you may say you believe in God, but do you know what you believe in? You see, if you say that you believe in God, then you ought to believe in grace and mercy because is that not what God has shown mankind?  

If you say that you believe in God, then you ought to believe in helping to uplift others, and not to condemn.  Consider this:  Has God condemned us?  Who amongst us are perfect? God could condemn us, but He doesn’t, right?  Not only does God give us second chances, but He continues to uplift.

Consider today how quick you are to condemn those who need a helping hand.  Again, judging others unto condemnation is depraved.  Consider today how quick you are not to show grace and mercy to others, as again, that shouldn’t be in the heart of one who proclaims Christianity.  Otherwise, we move as hypocrites by preaching what we do not do ourselves, which does nothing but stir up strife and contention.

How to Make the Heart Pure

So, how do we ensure our heart is undefiled?  How does one set out to make one’s heart pure so that their fruit is pure and good?

Step one: Turn away from worldly doctrines and turn to God’s doctrine.  In other words, one must repent.

Step two:  Humble yourself.  Yes, we must humble ourselves, especially since repentance requires humility.  

Becoming humble is often the answer to everything, just like how prayer is often the answer to everything.  Some of you may wonder to yourself, ‘Pastor, how do I humble myself?’

Becoming humble is not an easy task!  Yet, becoming humble takes a committed effort daily, dare I say hourly!  You must commit yourself to letting go of self-righteous pride and ego, which, again, is going to take great effort.  Moreover, you must also learn to live in submission to God’s command and direction, which, again, is going to take great effort because so many of us are more comfortable when we feel like we’re calling the shots.

Yet, when you commit yourself to the effort of becoming humble and heeding God’s guidance, your heart will begin to change.  When your heart starts to change, you’ll stop laughing at and accepting what is corrupt.  When your heart begins to become more pure, you will begin to bear much better fruit – the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness.

If we are going to get out of the moral depravity of this day, it is going to take a heart that will not accept that which defiles.  The question we must answer today is whether or not we are going to put in the effort to help bring us out of today’s depravity.