Brand New Life - Part 1 Getting Clean @imagechurch Dumfries, VA

God does not look favorly upon our prayers when they lift us up higher than any other person. God calls us to be humble and contrite in our lives, hearts, and every aspect of our life. Jesus spent all of his time preaching and reaching to those who were lost, especially those who thought they did not need Him. The moment that we think we have "arrived" to the right way of living, is the moment when we need Jesus the most.

Jesus draws crowds, His life and teaching caused people to flock to Him. Most of the people in these crowds did not necessarily "follow" Him, but many of them ended up walking away. They "liked" the teaching and miracles, but would never embrace Jesus. There is a huge difference between liking Jesus and embracing His way of life. Many in the church are simply impressed by Jesus and not really embracing Him and His way of life.

The leper that approaches Jesus in this parable had to constantly shout out "unclean, stay away!" He approaches Jesus and what is deeper is that Jesus touches him, reaching out beyond what other people would do for him.

The whole image here is exactly how Jesus makes us clean. Habits are hard to break, we all struggle to get clean from something. Yet in this passage Jesus was able to quickly and ultimately clean this leper from EVERYTHING. Jesus has the power to INSTANTLY make you clean. The ultimate resolution fulfiller.

How Jesus makes us clean...

  1. He receives us as we are

This is a simple, yet profound truth that we all need to remember because we easily forget.

cf Romans 5:8

This leper understood who Jesus was, he could see there was more than what others could see with their eyes. The leper approached someone he called "Lord" and someone he trusted could make him "clean." Our ailments do not directly correspond with our sin, our trials and struggles help us to grow in trust and understanding of God. Jesus receives us when we are sick and shameful.

Jesus did not say "if you change a few things, get those right, then I will come down." But rather, while we were still wallowing in excrements, He came. Jesus did not come to heal the righteous, but the sinner. A doctor does not need to heal the healthy, but the sick.

Jesus loved us so much that He came to us, while we were unable to even look at Him, and came down to us, to bring us to Himself.

cf Isaiah 1 - leprosy as imagery for what sin is to us. Leprosy spreads across the body, & so does sin. Whatever we do in secret will eventually come out in public.

Only when we come to the understanding of what our sin nature is, can we truly understand and receive the grace of the Cross. Just like the lepers had to announce their unclean leprosy to those around them, there are those of us RIGHT NOW that need to announce our sins to the Holy God. Repent and it will be forgiven. Just as Jesus IMMEDIATELY healed the leper, so can He IMMEDIATELY clean our sins.
  1. Releases us from who were were

cf 2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus did what no one else would do, touched the leper. Jesus took upon Himself the filth of the leper so that this man could be clean, so He does with our sins when we repent.

The ONLY WAY for us to be clean, is by the Holy touch of Jesus. The only thing we need to is humbly repent, and ask forgiveness.

Jesus took upon Himself EVERYTHING that was done and will be done, so that we could be clean; to release us from who we were.
  1. He redeems us for ALL to see

At some point, at the end of days, EVERY knee will bow before Jesus. Jesus redeems and cleans us now so that we can show His glory right now.

When Jesus transforms our lives, do we really need to say anything. If His touch is on our lives, the difference will be obvious. Jesus told the leper to go before the priests so that He could show that this man is not just clean, but redeemed to the coummunity. He was restored to the life his disease took from him.

cf Leviticus 14:1-7 (deep picture of the work of Jesus for all sins)

The church is not perfect, it is made up of broken people. We must become the image of the cleansing of sin EVERY moment in community.

There is a difference between protection and pushing people away. We should not outcast people because of sin, we are filthy without Christ.

Where are you at today? What kind of outcast are you? We ALL NEED THE TOUCH OF JESUS.

Imagine this... being given a brand new chance to live the way Jesus intended for us to live!

Created over 1 year ago