IN THE WORLD TODAY THERE ARE MULTITUDES OF BROKEN-HEARTED PEOPLE. WITH FAMILIES BREAKING UP, CHILD ABUSE ON THE RISE, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL TAKING ITS TOLL, AND THE DAMAGING EFFECTS OF HUMANISM TEACHING PEOPLE TO BELIEVE AND ACCEPT THE LIE RATHER THAN THE TRUTH, THIS GENERATION NEEDS TO HEAR WHAT JESUS CHRIST HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE HEART. WHEN HE MET WITH HIS DISCIPLES IN THE UPPER ROOM, JESUS TOLD THEM, "LET NOT YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED. " HE THEN WENT ON TO GIVE REASONS WHY TROUBLED HEARTS COULD REMAIN CALM. IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS I WANT US TO STUDY WHAT JESUS HAD TO SAY ABOUT OUR HEARTS AND MY DESIRE IS THAT WE CAN APPLY HIS WORD TO OUR LIVES THAT WE MIGHT BECOME WHOLE-HEARTED DISCIPLES OF OUR LORD.
THIS MORNING WE WANT TO LOOK AT HOW TO GET AND KEEP A CLEAN HEART. THE EFFECTS OF SIN ARE MUCH LIKE THAT OF SMOKE AND WATER DAMAGED ITEMS AFTER A FIRE. ALTHOUGH A FEW THINGS BURN UP, EVERYTHING AROUND IS LEFT DIRTY AND SMUDGED WITH SOOT AND GRIME, WHEN ADAM FELL, HIS ONE ACT OF DISOBEDIENCE CAUSED THE SMUDGE OF SIN TO FALL ON EVERY HUMAN HEART. AND THROUGHOUT THE AGES MAN HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET HIMSELF CLEAN, BUT WE ARE INCAPABLE OF REMOVING THE STAIN OF SIN FROM OUR HEARTS. ONLY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST CAN CLEANSE US AND MAKE US BRAND NEW.
OUR FAITH AND TRUST IN THE COMPLETED WORK OF CHRIST IS HOW WE GET A CLEAN HEART, BUT HOW DO WE KEEP IT CLEAN? WE ARE SINNERS, SAVED BY GRACE, BUT STILL SINNERS. NOTE.- IN. 13:1-20.
I. THE ILLUSTRATION.
A. THE HISTORICAL CUSTOM.
1. IN THE DAYS OF JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES, PEOPLE WALKED OVER DUSTY ROADS WITH OPEN SANDALS.
2. THEIR FEET GOT VERY DIRTY AS THEY TRAVELED.
3. THE CUSTOM WAS FOR THE HOST TO WASH THE FEET OF HIS GUESTS.
4. WHEN THE DISCIPLES CAME TO THE UPPER ROOM, THERE WAS NO HOST TO SERVE THEM BY WASHING THEIR FEET.
5. NO ONE WAS WILLING TO TAKE THE ROLE OF THE SERVANT BUT CHRIST.
6. AFTER SUPPER, CHRIST REMOVED His OUTER GARMENTS, GIRDLED HIMSELF WITH A TOWEL, TOOK A BASIN OF WATER AND BEGAN TO WASH THE DISCIPLES' FEET. (V5)
7. WHEN HE CAME TO PETER, IT EMBARRASSED PETER, AFTER ALL, SERVANTS WASH THE FEET OF KINGS NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. (v6)
8. JESUS REVEALED TO PETER THAT THERE WAS MORE GOING ON HERE THAN JUST THE WASHING OF FEET. (v7)
9. HE REFUSED TO HONOR PETER'S REQUEST. (v8)
10. PETER MISUNDERSTOOD THE SYMBOLISM. HE HAD ALREADY HAD A BATH; HE DIDN'T NEED ANOTHER ONE, ONLY HIS FEET WERE DIRTY.
B. THE SPIRITUAL MEANING.
1. JESUS WAS ILLUSTRATING THE NEED FOR SPIRITUAL CLEANSING WHILE OFFERING AN EXAMPLE OF HUMILITY AND SERVICE.
2. CLEAN FEET ARE A PICTURE OF CLEAN HEAR TS.
3. THE DUST OF THE ROADS ARE SYMBOLIC OF THE SMUDGE OF SIN IN THE WORLD.
4. FOR YOU AND I TO HAVE CLEAN HEARTS, WE MUST HAVE SPIRITUAL CLEANSING.
5. WE DO NOT HAVE TO GET SAVED AGAIN; JUST CONFESS AND HE WILL FORGIVE US AND CLEANSE US. CF. I JN. I:.9
II. QUESTIONS WE MUST ANSWER.
A. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS CLEANSING?
1. "IF I WASH THEE NOT, THOU HAST NO PART WITH ME."
2. JESUS WAS REFERRING TO FELLOWSHIP.
a. PETER WASN'T ON THE VERGE OF LOSING HIS SALVATION, BUT
b. SIN ALWAYS BREAKS FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. (Ps. 66:18, "IF I REGARD INIQUITY IN MY HEART, THE LORD WILL NOT HEAR ME:")
3. WITHOUT THIS CLEANSING, WE CANNOT HAVE THE FELLOWSHIP WE BOTH DESIRE.
B. HOW OFTEN SHOULD WE BE CLEANSED?
1 . YOU CAN HARDLY PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN ON A ROAD WITHOUT KICKING UP THE DUST.
2. THE THOUGHTS OF THE MIND, THE WORDS OF OUR MOUTHS, ALL OF THESE INTERFERE WITH OUR WALK WITH GOD.
3. WE NEED DAILY CLEANSING, AND MOMENT BY MOMENT CLEANSING AS WE BECOME AWARE OF THE HINDRANCE IN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD.
4. SOME EXCUSES PEOPLE MAY GIVE FOR NOT KEEPING THEIR HEART CLEANSED BEFORE GOD.
a. "I'M GOING TO MESS UP ANYWAY." IMMATURITY, WOULD WE APPLY THAT REASONING TO OTHER THINGS?
b. "I'VE COMMITTED THE SAME SIN SO MANY TIMES THAT I FEEL EMBARRASSED TO COME TO GOD ABOUT THE SAME MATTER." UNBELIEF, GOD HAS PROMISED TO FORGET SINS THAT HE HAS FORGIVEN.
c. "I'LL GET BACK INTO FELLOWSHIP WHEN I'M SURE I WILL BE ABLE TO HOLD OUT." IGNORANCE, CLEANSING IS HIS WORK, NOT OURS. (EX. ONE OF THESE DAYS I WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN AGAIN.)
d. "I WANT TO ENJOY THE WORLD FIRST BEFORE I SETTLE DOWN TO A SERIOUS COMMITMENT TO CHRIST." DECEPTION, WE ARE FOOLING OURSELVES WITH THIS ONE. MARTIN LUTHER SAID, "IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO WILLFULLY COMMIT SIN WITHOUT FIRST THINKING WRONGLY ABOUT GOD. "
CONCLUSION, HOW IS YOUR HEART THIS MORNING? HAVE YOU BEEN TO JESUS FOR THE CLEANSING POWER? ARE YOU WASHED IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB? HAVE YOU KEPT YOUR HEART CLEAN? ARE YOU IN FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST, RIGHT NOW? OR HAVE YOU BEEN GUILTY OF MAKING EXCUSES?