WASH YOURSELVES
Isa. 1:16-18
INTRO. Last week we discussed the fact that revival would not come without first recognizing and confessing any unconfessed sin that may be hiding in our hearts. The Holy Spirit moved and many of you were touched and led to clean out the basements of your lives.
But what do we do after we’ve confessed our sins and God has forgiven us and restored us to His fellowship? That is where our text comes in. (explain Isa. 1:16)
"Wash me" is our prayer to God; "wash yourselves" is His command to us. Obviously, we can’t wash away our own sins, but we can cleanse our lives of the things that make it easy for us to sin. (I Cor. 11:31) - "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged (by God)."
(Ill.) - I heard about a pious hypocrite in a church who loved to pray long public prayers, each of which he closed with, "And, Lord, take the cobwebs out of my life!" One of the godly elders of the church became tired of hearing this empty ritual week after week. One evening, after the man had concluded his long routine prayer and had mentioned the cobwebs, the elder stood up and prayed, "And, Lord, while You’re at it, kill the spider!"
It was the spider Paul had in mind when he wrote II Corinthians 7:1 (read). This means, Kill the spider.
I. GOD COMMANDS US TO CLEANSE OURSELVES OF TWO KINDS OF SIN: FILTHINESS OF THE FLESH AND SPIRIT.
A. The sins of the flesh are rather easy to spot, though most of us like to measure these sins by degrees.
1. Gal. 5:19-21
a. Adultery
b. Fornication - (from the Greek word, "porneia")-any sexual activity outside the bounds of marriage, set by God.
c. uncleanness - impurity
d. lasciviousness - unrestrained lust
e. idolatry
f. witchcraft
g. hatred
h. variance - quarrellings
i. emulations - jealousy
j. wrath
k. strife
l. seditions - dissensions
m. heresies - false teachings
n. envyings
o. murders
p. drunkenness
q. revellings - (lit.) letting loose
r. AND SUCH LIKE - includes everything else not mentioned here.
2. Now we could all agree that these things should be considered sin and should be confessed and repented of....but Paul mentions another type of sin that should be cleansed.....
B. Our text mentions, not only the filthiness of the flesh, but also filthiness of the spirit. What exactly is filthiness of the spirit?
1. The prodigal son was guilty of sins of the flesh, but his elder brother was guilty of sins of the spirit.
a. Both are wrong but it’s worth noting that Jesus forgave adulteresses and prostitutes but spoke sternly to the proud, self-righteous Pharisees.
b. What were the sins of the elder brother? He wouldn’t forgive his younger brother; wouldn’t attend the feast; angry with his father; pride; boasting; self-love.
2. When David committed adultery, he yielded to a sin of the flesh; but when he covered up his sin and hardened his heart, he yielded to sins of the spirit.
3. Like the Pharisee praying in the temple, we may pride ourselves that we’re better than other people and go home from the prayer meeting in worse shape than when we came.
II. UPON DEALING WITH THESE TWO KINDS OF SIN WE FIND THAT THERE ARE TWO RESPONSIBILITIES WE MUST FULFILL.
A. "Let us cleanse ourselves"
1. We must purify ourselves once and for all of anything that defiles us. It is not enough just to ask God to cleanse us; we must clean up our own lives and get rid of those things that make it easy for us to sin.
2. Too often Christians deal with symptoms and not causes.
a. We keep confessing the same sins because we have not gotten to the root of the trouble and "cleansed ourselves."
b. Perhaps there is "filthiness of the flesh," some pet sin that "feeds" the old nature. (Rom. 13:14) - "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof."
c. Or it may be "filthiness of the spirit", an attitude that is sinful.
B. But cleansing ourselves is only half of the responsibility; we must also be "perfecting holiness in the fear of God".
1. This is a constant process as we grow in grace and knowledge. It is important to be balanced.
2. The Pharisees were keen on putting away sin, but they neglected to mature in holiness.
3. On the other hand, it is foolish to try to grow in holiness if there is known sin in your life.
C. But still and all, meer reformation is not what we are aiming for. What we are talking about is complete consecration of mind, body, and soul, to God and His will, on a daily basis. How can this be done? On what may we focus that will insure our continued sanctification?
III. PAUL GIVES US TWO MOTIVES FOR OBEYING THESE COMMANDS.
A. The first is the promises of God. What promises of God is Paul talking about?
1. In II Cor. 6:14-18, the apostle makes an appeal for the children of God to seperate themselves from the sinful lifestyles and philosophies of the world. He says that if they will come to God completely then God will bless them in ways the world can not.
a. (vs. 16) - the word "dwell" = tabernacle...(lit.) to settle down and live. The last part of the verse is a quote from Lev. 26:12. This is known as "covenant language". The world can neither inherit this blessing nor bestow it. It is solely for the enjoyment of God’s chosen people.
b. (vs. 17) - "receive" = welcome
c. (vs. 18) - literally means that "I will be as a Father to you". Because of Jesus Christ we know that God is our Father, but in the everyday life of so many, sin keeps Him from being a "Daddy" (that is, one who nutures, supports, protects, soothes, calms, etc.)
2. It seems foolish for someone to be offered this kind of relationship and turn it down for something of such far less value. It would be like finding out that your billionaire uncle just died and left his entire estate to you but you do not claim it because you prefer to live in a 1969 pull behind trailer next to the city dump.
B. The other motive for cleansing yourself of sin and persuing holiness is "the fear of God".
1. I Pet. 1:15-17 (This is not a suggestion, it is a command.)
2. But this is not to be abject fear. It is fear with purpose. When the fear of God prompts you to live a holy life it....
a. Vindicates your sonship -- You will manifest your family likeness; people will see Jesus in you. "Be ye holy, for I am holy."
b. Insures your fellowship with God -- He wants it; your heart needs it. But there can be none unless you are holy. "Be ye holy, for I am holy."
CONCLU. How do we go about cleansing ourselves in the sight of God? It begins with honest self-examination: (Psa. 139:23-24) -- "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
As we read the Bible and apply it to our hearts, the Spirit of God can show us what we need to acknowledge and confess to the Lord. Do your library, magazine rack, video collection, and music collection need to be scrutinized and some of those thing removed permanently? The most deceitful sins in our lives are the ones that we think are harmless but that Satan can use to gain control of areas that should belong to the Lord.
The challenge for Christ’s church today is this, "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." It isn’t the cleverness of our methods, the techniques of our ministry, or the wit of our sermons that puts power in our testimony. It is obedience to a holy God and faithfulness to His righteous standard in our daily lives. (Eph. 5:25-27)
We must wake up. We cannot afford to be indifferent. We can not continue our mad pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification. We are called to fight a spiritual battle, and we can not win by appeasing the enemy. A weak church must be made strong and a needy world must be confronted with the message of salvation and there may be little time left.
