The Cleansing Power of God
Psalm 51:1-12 Ephesians 3:14-21
Introduction-
Psalm 51: 1-12 read
This is a Psalm by King David.
This is the cry for mercy after he had been found out by the Prophet Nathan for his adulterous and murderous affair with Bethsheba.
King David in a place he shouldn’t be. On the roof when his men were fighting.
Doing something he should not of been doing. Saw and took someone else’s wife.
Covered his sin by committing another sin. After many attempts at covering up his sin, he had Bethsheba’s husband Uriah killed while he was in battle.
Now we can relate to this passage, maybe not to the degree of David.
But we have all been somewhere we should not of been.
Done something we should not of done.
Covered up a sin by deceptive ways.
David has committed a sin against God, and he was being called out for it.
This low down wife stealing, adulterous, murderer, after repenting was called “a man after God’s own heart”.
So how did he do it? What happened to change King David’s heart?
What happen that God looked at King David differently?
DAVID CAME CLEAN BEFORE GOD
He was tired of hiding from God, from others, he was going to cry out to God and allow God to do what is needed to change him.
He cried out for mercy/forgiveness.
He presents his sin before God/ acknowledges that it is a sin against God.
He asked God to cleanse his heart/ take away the garbage.
Create in me a heart that is pleasing to you. Take the old one and give me a new one.
That is the foundation of our denomination. We believe according to God’s word when you present your sin to God that He is able to forgive, cleanse, create a heart in you pleasing to God. It is called Sanctification.
The cleansing power of God working in your life to change you from what you were to what God would want you to be.
Apostle Paul gives us a taste of that transformation recorded in Ephesians 3:14-21.
Remember Saul the pharisee, who had a Damascus road experience with Christ.
Christ changed his name and his heart for the work of God.
Paul here is praying for the church at Ephesus.
Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I prayed that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him that is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever Amen.
He was praying that God almighty would change the heart of the church.
Customary prayer for a Pharisee - standing arms up, palms up, Paul with such a burden and wanting to see God change their lives was prostate on the ground and crying out to God.
Paul wanted to see their hearts changed.
King David was asking God to create a heart pleasing to God.
The inner being- heart.
The place where Jeremiah said was deceitful above all things desperately wicked. Jeremiah 17:9.
The place Matthew says from the abundance of our heart, the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:32.
The place where you either place your trust in God, or you place your trust in man or self.
One promises blessings for faithfulness and one is promised consequences for disobedience.
One is promised to be like a desert, dry, and starving for life.
The other like a tree planted by the river, full exist the freshness of God.
It has been said “The problem of the heart is the heart of the problem.”
Do you want to be at a dry place, no water, or at the river of God refreshed by unlimited supply.
The inner place, that place where decisions are made, place where temptations are broken by the power of Christ or enhanced by our fleshly desires.
Human reason directed correctly can tell you right from wrong.
But God’s wisdom could keep your life pure and safe.
Conscience- most of the time is filled with guilt of the past.
God wants to go deep into your mind, to have you be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading.
That Gods will would become our will.
That we would desire above all else to do God’s will, not our will.
Your inner being (heart) (1)Reason,(2) Conscience,(3) will.
When Christ takes residency in a believer, he wants all three.
Our will is not strong enough in itself to accomplish all that God wants to do in our lives.
The secret of strength is the presence of Christ within our lives.
He will gladly come in, but will never force himself.
Ephesians 3:17:
So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints , to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.
In your heart without Christ is a heart filled with garbage, it is a selfish heart, it is a deceitful heart, it is a broken heart.
He tells us that he wants that heart, just as it is, and he will change that heart.
Because of his great love for us, he desires to cut out all the junk.
Hebrews 4:12
For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart
Human side:
we have to turn that heart over to God, allow him to do surgery.
Create in me a pure heart O God, renew a right spirit in me.
Search me O God, and know my heart, try me, and know my thoughts.
A heart without God is wicked. It is our sin nature. We cannot cleanse our own heart.
½ hearted hearts may work for some things, but God wants all.
Most people are confused, deceived, and delusional on the things of God.
Trying to take short cuts, taking only the part of the word of God that we like.
Divided house will not stand, either will a divided heart.
The central truth of the Christian faith is the approachability of God. Other religions cannot have a relationship with God. They live in doubt their whole lives wondering if they did enough to please their God.
Christ welcomes sinners. That is you and I. But he does not want you to stay that way. He desires us to process into the image of Christ, the longer that we serve Him.
We can approach God, but we cannot forget that He is holy.
How do we get a pure heart?
I By letting God have control of it
some of our hearts are like pieces of cheese we have been hurt so much.
Some here this morning may feel like they have nothing left to give.
God wants your heart, all of it, hurts and all
John Wesley:
No man has ever went to heaven alone. meaning you may be here this morning, and people have let you down. Maybe someone in the church, here or somewhere else has disappointed you.
God never fails you. The church may have it’s faults. There is none perfect. If it were perfect, we could not go or it would not be perfect. It is the fellowship of believers, that we see the love of God in action.
You know your life is a mess
God says let me have control of it. Allow me to renew your mind, cleanse your heart, clean out the junk.
II. Invite the Holy Spirit in
Here’s the great thing- God cleans house. Takes all the garbage out. But, He does not leave you with a void. He wants to fill you to overflowing.
V20- Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever. Amen.
Wow God takes the garbage out, deceitfulness out, selfish nature out, and replaces it with dynamic power of the spirit of God working within us.
God is able My God is so big My God is so strong, He is so mighty
There is nothing that my God cannot do
Talk about getting outside the box. Why live ordinary when you can live extraordinary.
III. By giving your heart.
Give it so that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith
Cleanse me and I will be clean.
Yes you can was started by God, long before it was a campaign slogan. You can do this You can make it Yes you can
God didn’t create just one star- he made a galaxy.
God didn’t make just one bird- he made 1000’s.
God didn’t make one drop of water. He made an oceans.
God is able and He is willing Give Him your life today.
Closing:
One day we will stand before God, our heart will tell no lies. We cannot fool God
Christ love compels us
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come.
Jesus offers reconciliation.
Jesus offers heart surgery.
Jesus offers new life.
Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Having believed, you were marked with a seal with him with a seal. The promised Holy Spirit.
In Him we have redemption.
Garbage gone, new heart, we experience God’s grace and forgiveness and the power to live lives pleasing to Him.
Altar Call
