Is Your Eye Evil? - Santosh Poonen - November 2, 2014
http://www.rlcfchurch.org/sermons/is-your-eye-evil River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The speaker warns that the devil seeks to defile every aspect of life—marriage, family, and the church—but the primary source of defilement is not external. Citing Mark 7, he emphasizes that what defiles a person are not external things entering them, but rather the things that proceed out of the man. True purity must come from within.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
What is it that defiles us?The speaker considers what brings defilement into personal lives, marriages, homes, and the church.
It is what proceeds out of the man that defiles himJesus explains that nothing outside a person can defile them; rather, defilement comes from within.Mark 7:14–16
Two absolute sins: Evil eye and gossipJesus lists evil thoughts, fornications, and other sins that proceed from the heart, highlighting the absolute sins of envy and gossip.
The severe danger of an unbridled tongueJames warns that anyone who considers themselves religious yet does not bridle their tongue has a worthless religion.James 1:26
Who is the evildoer in gossip?Proverbs reveals that listening to wicked lips and paying attention to a destructive tongue makes a person an evildoer.Proverbs 17:4
A practical test for gossipA helpful principle for avoiding gossip is determining whether you are part of the problem or part of the solution.
If your eye is evil, your whole body is full of darknessJesus teaches that the lamp of the body is the eye, and if the spiritual eye is bad, the entire inner life is filled with darkness.Matthew 6:19–23
The parable of the laborers in the vineyardJesus shares a parable where workers grumble because the landowner is generous to those who worked only one hour, exposing their evil eye.
Characteristics of an evil eyeAn evil eye is marked by an Earthly-minded sense of fairness and a failure to value the sheer generosity of God.
The destructive results of envyJealousy and selfish ambition lead to disorder and every evil thing, and envy even acts as rottenness to the bones.James 3:16
How do we overcome envy?Overcoming envy requires coming to Jesus for spiritual healing, becoming true worshippers whose only treasure is God, and walking in the Holy Spirit.
