We are talking about how it’s the inside that matters more than the outside.

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Matthew 23:25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.”

Jesus warns the hypocrites. You look clean on the outside, but the inside is robbery and self-indulgence. Your heart and mind are what matters most to Jesus. He sees what is going on inside your mind and heart. He judges your heart. He doesn’t evaluate based on how you present yourself in public. The warning is necessary. It’s not too late to be free from condemnation, but after you die it’s too late. Hear the warning and turn to Jesus.

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Matthew 23:26 "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.”

Romans 8:5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Jesus warns them that they are blind. Clean the inside, so that the outside will be clean also. I love this truth. It doesn’t matter the amount of evil or mistakes you’ve made in the past, if you turn and love Jesus with all your heart, He will clean the inside. If Jesus cleans the inside then the outside also becomes clean. Don’t condemn someone for their past actions if Jesus has cleaned what’s inside. When Jesus makes the inside clean, the outside is also made clean.

Story: You can become a virgin again. I have a friend who did not follow the Lord Jesus in high school. She was not a virgin during high school. Then, she turned around and in college met a wonderful guy. The guy was a virgin and had long prayed to marry a virgin, so that the two would offer themselves to one another as virgins. It is a beautiful idea. The problem was that he found out that my friend was not a virgin during high school. The guy broke off their relationship, and my friend was heart broken. I explained that I believe Jesus cleans the inside when we turn to Him, and then the outside becomes clean. If Jesus says we are clean then that is good enough for me.

How do you clean the inside? Love Jesus with all your heart. That’s first. Then, set your mind on the things of the Spirit. Start here. Involve Jesus in every decision you make. Ask Him what to do. Ask Him what to watch. All day long before you click, include Jesus.

Prayer coaching: “Jesus, help me to be clean on the inside in my heart and mind, and make me clean on the outside too.”