One Filthy Rag Talking To Another Filthy Rag

TITLE: ONE FILTHY RAG TALKING TO ANOTHER FILTHY RAG

SCRIPTURE: ISAIAH 64:6 / ROMANS 3:10 / ROMANS 3:23 / ZECHARIAH 3:1-4

The title of this morning’s message came from a rather exciting and spirit filled Bible Study we had here at ‘First Church’ a few weeks ago. Rev. Finley actually threw out the thought and it set the Bible Study hour and my spirit ablaze. If you are not attending our Bible Study, you are missing a true blessing and a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow in God’s Word.

This text for examination helps us understand all of us are in pretty bad shape as it pertains to believers. The Apostle Paul is rather blunt when he writes to us as a reminder - “NONE IS RIGHTEOUS, NO NOT ONE.”

• Talk about redundant

• We see three negatives in this short section of Scripture

NONE, NO, AND NOT. This is a complete universal declaration against humanity. There is not one single person who is righteous. REVELATION 5:2-3 “AND I SAW A STRONG ANGEL PROCLAIMING WITH A LOUD VOICE, WHO IS WORTHY TO OPEN THE BOOK, AND TO LOOSE THE SEALS THEREOF? AND NO MAN IN HEAVEN, NOR IN EARTH, NEITHER UNDER THE EARTH, WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE BOOK, NEITHER TO LOOK THEREON.”

• Everyone on the planet and there is not a single one that is righteous

• I am not righteous

• You are not righteous

• Your children are not righteous

• The Pope is not righteous

• No one

• The only person who walked the planet that was righteous was Jesus

• Him and him alone

This is why Jesus in ST. LUKE 18:19 when Jesus was called good teacher responds by saying, “WHY DO YOU CALL ME GOOD? NO ONE IS GOOD EXCEPT GOD ALONE.”

• Only God is good, and who is Jesus?

• He is the Son of God, therefore, he is God

• Jesus was not denying his goodness, he was pointing to the reality that he is the righteousness of God revealed

• That no one is good except Him alone

The truth that no one is good is a truth that few people hold. Most of the world sees themselves as good. If you want to test this theory, just go out and ask people if they are going to go to Heaven. A vast majority of the people you talk with will say ‘Yes.’ When you ask them, why do they think so, they will say something about their goodness. They believe that God will reward them for being good. And they are right, if they were good, if they were righteous, God would reward them by allowing them into his presence. But the problem is that no one is righteous, no not one. They fail to see their wickedness, and therefore fail to see their need for Jesus.

• Good people don’t make it into the Kingdom of God

• Saved people do!

Let me park here for a moment - You cannot be saved by your good works, because no matter how hard you try, your “Good” is not good enough for the perfectly holy and completely righteous God who alone grants salvation.

• Nor can you be saved by your moral perfection

• No matter how moral or how perfect you are

• Consider with me what PETER said -- I PETER 4:18-19 “AND IF THE RIGHTEOUS SCARCELY BE SAVED, WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER APPEAR?”

• We only make it into heaven by Jesus' perfect effort and perfect payment on the cross for all of our sin

As the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah points out, your righteousness is about as good as a “Filthy Rag.” The point is, both our acts of righteousness, and the quality of righteousness that we hope they produce, are disgusting to God. So if you are disgusted by Isaiah’s language, think of how God, who inspired Isaiah to choose those coarse words, is repulsed by our efforts to get him to save us.

• We are just One Filthy Rag Talking to Another Filthy Rag

• We are not all that we think we are

• We need to stop trying to act Holier than Thou

• One Filthy Rag Talking to Another Filthy Rag

So what hope, then, is there for our salvation? After all, we do like to sing that Old Spiritual – “None But The Righteous Shall See God.”

• Well, frankly, no hope resides within us

• None whatsoever

• EPHESIANS 2:1 “AS FOR YOU, YOU WERE DEAD IN YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS AND SINS”

• That’s how hopeless we are apart from God’s work to save us

• That’s why the songwriter said – MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS, THAN JESUS BLOOD AND RIGHTEOUSNESS