Well, good morning, everyone. I love that song. Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? You might guess that was my favorite, and they asked me if I wanted to sing a song, so I chose that.
The soul cleansing blood of the Lamb. It's gonna tie in with my message because I wanna talk to you today about the cleansing of sin. I just feel the need to pray. So just before we open the scriptures, let's just look to the Lord in prayer.
Father, we thank you for this time that we have together. To be able to gather in your name as a church and open the Word of God. And you have said that we're two or three are gathered in my name. There am I in the midst of them.
And Lord, we just pray that you would be present with us today. Open our hearts to hear your word, and feed our souls by the Spirit of God, and help us all Lord just to be real and transparent. And we just pray that every one of us would go away from this session today enriched and encouraged and built up in their faith. Lord, I would pray today that if there are any here that do not know the Lord Jesus that today, they would come by faith and accept His forgiveness and know in their soul, the cleansing blood of the Lamb and experience the gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
In His name we ask these things, amen. I'd like to read first of all from the book of Mark, and chapter one, Mark chapter one. I'm doing a series on the ministry of Christ, and I'm really enjoying the gospels. And as I read through them again and again, I see so much of a reflection in my own soul.
And my hope and trust today is that as we go through this story, that every one of us would see ourselves and benefit from the Word of God and what He's teaching us. I want to speak to you today about the cleansing of a leper, the cleansing of a leper. Let's read in Mark chapter one and verse 40. Well, 39 for context, it says that, and He that is Jesus preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee and cast out demons.
And there came unto Him a leper, beseeching Him, kneeling down to Him and saying unto Him, if you will, you can make me clean. I love that. If you will, you can make me clean. And Jesus was moved with compassion.
Your Bible might say that He was moved to Shilpity. And He put forth His hand and He touched Him. He touched a leper and said unto Him, I will be clean. And as soon as He had spoken, immediately, the leprosy departed from Him and He was cleansed.
The cleansing of a leper. I don't think it's a surprise to any one of you for me to make this statement, but leprosy throughout the entire Bible is a picture of sin. And many people in the ancient world were affected by leprosy. This was a rampant disease, and it went through countless thousands and thousands and thousands of people that were affected by this.
It was a disease that was really deep inside. If you really want to know the details about leprosy, you can look at Leviticus chapter 13 and 14, and you would see how leprosy affected a person and what it did to them. A leper was a social outcast. They actually had to live outside the city.
In those days, if you discovered that you had leprosy, you could no longer live with your family. You had to actually be taken outside of your own home, away from your wife and children, and you were an outcast outside the city. They dressed in clothes of mourning, and they were required to cry. Unclean, unclean.
And when people came out of the city, they would see a leper. They would literally walk 10 feet around this diseased, unclean person. They would totally avoid this person. In those days, if you had the disease of leprosy, there was really no hope.
It was eventual death, and you lived in separation. It was a horrible thing. And it was so grotesque that they actually had a word in those days that I just learned by reading some commentaries this week, that they referred to this person as the living dead. Yes, they were alive, but they were really dead.
What a picture of sin. What a picture of what sin does to an individual. It actually, it kills from the inside. It is what is in every human heart.
You all look beautiful today, and everybody looks good on the outside. And we dress up, we come to church, we smile, we say we're okay, everything's good. But you know what? I know myself, and so I think I probably know a little bit about you.
If you peel back the layers of every human heart, and you dig deep enough, you're gonna see the effects of sin. Because there's no one that's immune. We are all affected by sin. And here is an amazing story of a man that Jesus did not avoid.
He didn't go around like everyone else. He actually showed compassion to this person, and he touched him, and he cleansed him. You know, I think that this picture is really one of the main reasons why Jesus Christ came into the world. To cleanse lepers.
You know that in 1 Timothy 1 and 15, it says, this is a faithful saying, worthy to be accepted by all. Christ Jesus came into the world to cleanse lepers, to save sinners, really to cleanse lepers. I don't have a pretty picture for you all today, but I have to tell you from the Bible, spiritually speaking, we're all lepers. And Jesus Christ came into the world to cleanse us.
That's amazing. That's why he came to cleanse us from our sin. You know, I was reading in Luke chapter seven this week, and I thought about John the Baptist. Here's this hero, he's a prophet.
He's a man of God. He had a special mission. And one day he finds himself, locked up in a prison. His ministry is over, and he's full of fear about the future, rightly so.
He was about to be decapitated. And here was this man, and he says to his disciples, he said, go ask Jesus this question. Are you really the Messiah? Are you really that sent one?
Or should we look for another? I could just imagine what this was like. So the disciples of John the Baptist, they go to Jesus and they say, Jesus, we got a question. We got a question for you.
John the Baptist asked us, are you really the Messiah? Or should we look for another? Now I think in that moment, Jesus smiled. I can just say, I think he smiled.
And here's what he said. He said, go tell John the blind received their sight, the lame walk, and catch this. The lepers are cleansed. Lepers are cleansed.
That's why Jesus Christ came into the world as a Messiah to cleanse lepers. And what does that mean to you today? Is that Jesus Christ came into this world to cleanse us from our sins? That's an amazing story of God's grace.
I think this is a perfect example of every person that comes to know the Lord Jesus. Just follow this picture for a minute. This poor leper, dressed in rags, half of his body is just withering with decay. Dear knows how long he's been in that condition.
And he sees Jesus coming. This is his only hope. It's Jesus, it's Jesus, he's coming. And so this leper runs up to Jesus and he falls down on his knees and he worships the Lord Jesus.
And he says, catch what he says, Lord. He didn't say master, he didn't say teacher. He said, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. What an expression of faith.
What an expression of faith. He said, Lord, you know what Jesus does? Now I'm too busy today, I can't touch you. I want nothing to do with you and he walks away.
That's the way most of us would react. Jesus in his heart of hearts as almighty God looks at this hopeless, helpless human being. And he has moved with compassion. He shows pity.
Do you know what I want to tell you? The years that I've been involved in street ministry, my heart aches. I remember a day walking through East Pender and Skid Row in downtown Vancouver. And I don't know if you guys have been there or not, but the back alleys are literally full with tens of thousands of people, like tons and tons of people.
And they're drug addicts and some of them are beat up, alcoholics and their lives are just absolute misery. And they're just lying there waiting for their next fix. And when I walk down those back alleys, I can't help but think of the Lord Jesus Christ. What it must have been like when the God of eternity, holy, blameless, spotless, couldn't be contaminated with sin, stepped into our messy world, messy world full of sin.
I'm sure everything inside of him must have been repulsed. But you know what? He didn't judge this leper. He didn't say to him, you filthy wretch.
Look at you. No, he was moved with compassion. Folks, this is the heart of God. He sees us as we are.
He knows our need and he has moved with compassion. This is a perfect picture of every sinner that comes to Christ. This man says, Lord. Do you know what he did?
He acknowledged the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Have you ever done that? Have you ever from the depths of your heart, acknowledged that Jesus Christ is Lord. The Bible says, no man can do that unless the Spirit of God moves him to do it.
If you really honestly can appreciate who Jesus Christ is, that is the first step. And then this man is beseeching the Lord. He's falling down. He says, please make me clean.
Do you know what he does? He knows his condition and he hates his condition. I'd say this, there's two types of people in the world. Those that have sinned against God and actually don't know it and will persist in their own innocence and tell God that they're really not a bad person.
That's one type of people. There's another type of person in this world that realizes that they have sinned against God and they are in desperate need of God's mercy and of his grace and of his grace. And they come to him and they experience forgiveness and cleansing. This man acknowledged Jesus Christ as Lord.
He repented of his sin and he had faith. He said, if you are willing, I know you're able. He believed in him. He knew who he was.
He said, you are able. You alone are able to make me clean. And he surrendered his life to God. Lordship, repentance, faith and surrender to God.
That's how a soul comes to know Jesus Christ. Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. Every knee will bow, Philippians 2 says, and every tongue will one day acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. Wouldn't you be better off to acknowledge that today in this life?
Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. Repent of your sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ alone as the only savior of sinners and you will experience the cleansing of your sin. I thought about this yesterday as I traveled across the country. You know, I see a lot of people and I'm involved in a lot of interaction with people in the business world.
And there's so many things that I see that just are so empty. Have you ever thought about what the greatest need of your heart is? You ever thought about that? You know what most people are looking for in this world?
They're seeking money, power, pleasure and fame. That's what people want. Oh, if I could only have a million dollars. Oh, look how powerful that guy is.
I want to run this company. I want to be the most powerful person in the world. Or pleasure. I just want to feel good.
I want that pleasure. I want every waking moment to feel pleasure. Or I want to be popular. I want to be famous.
You know what folks? All of that is empty. It's short term. We'll never satisfy your soul.
Do you know what I would say is the greatest need of every human heart is to have a clear conscience, is to have a clean heart, is to have rest in your soul, is to know that you have been loved by God and to know that you have a sense of belonging. Do you know that God offers that to every single person that will come to him? A clean heart? No guilt of sin?
A clear conscience? Justified in the sight of God? A soul that is loved by God and has rest in their conscience and rest in their soul. That is what every human heart is seeking.
And the only thing that can satisfy human hearts is the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know him? Have you trusted him? Have you experienced that?
That's the greatest thing that a person could have. Peace with God. I wanna look at cleansing from sin in two ways. I think that a lot of people don't understand it.
And I think that a lot of people don't experience it. Understanding the cleansing for sin and experiencing the cleansing for our sin. You know, this is a message to believers and to unbelievers. This is a message to saint and sinners.
We all need cleansing for our sin. And I wanna read this passage that I think is so beautiful. If you could turn to John 13, and let's just read it at verse three. This was the night before Jesus was crucified.
John 13 and verse three. In verse one, it says that he loved his own that we're in the world and he loved them onto the very end. And then it says, verse three, Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand, that he was come from God and that he went to God. He rises from supper and he laid aside his garments.
And he took a towel and he girded it around his waist. And he poured water into a basin and he began to wash his disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. He comes to Simon Peter and Peter said unto him, Lord, are you gonna wash my feet? Jesus answered and said this, catch this.
What I'm doing, you know not now. You don't understand now, but you will know hereafter. Peter said, Lord, you're never going to wash my feet. And Jesus said, if I wash you not, you have no part with me.
If I don't wash you, you have no share with me. That's a pretty profound statement. Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Folks, this is the most important thing in your entire life. To know for a certainty deep in your heart, you've been washed, washed from your sins. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 6 and he listed this horrific list of sins and he said, such were some of you, but you are washed. You are cleansed, you are justified.
Nothing better than to feel in our inner soul, the cleansing of our sin. And Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus said unto him, he that is washed, need it not. There's no more additional cleansing once you've been cleansed once for all.
However, save to wash your feet. And I'm gonna develop that in a second. Understanding cleansing for sin and experiencing cleansing for sin. Okay, so I'm gonna ask this basic question.
Why do I need cleansing for my sin? I'd really like to read to you what Jesus said in Mark seven. You know, a lot of people will say that Jesus teaching was all about love and it was non-judgmental and you know, everything's acceptable. And just read what Jesus said here in Mark chapter seven.
As I go through the gospels and I'm studying the teaching of Jesus Christ, I'm convicted by some things. And maybe you might be convicted too when you read this. Mark chapter seven, in verse 15. Jesus says he's talking earlier to the Pharisees in their hypocrisy and they all look good on the outside.
Jesus said this. There is nothing from outside of a man that entering into him can defile him. But the things which come out of him, these are the things that defile him. Things that are on the inside, verse 20.
And he said, what comes out of a person is what defiles them, what comes out of them. And then he says from within, this is an ugly picture, but I have to tell you. This is the picture of every human heart. You know what I wanna tell you?
This is what's in my heart. It says this. From within heart of a man, proceed evil thoughts, adultries, sexual immorality, murder, theft, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, la cevicheousness, which is lewdness, and evil eye, arrogance, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. These are the things that defile a man.
Why do we have this in our heart? Like I thought when I got saved, all these things would go away. You know what, they don't. They don't go away.
Sure, true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ that are born of God can experience challenges with sin in their life. And the reason I wanna mention this, I was talking to a young man who actually goes to this church and he said, you know John, it would be really good if we were a little bit more transparent from the pulpit. You know what I wanna tell you? We live in a wicked sinful world and we have a sinful, dreadfully sinful heart.
And it's part of our nature. And we are attracted to these things. That's why we love grotesque movies. That's why we love these video games that are all full of blood and guts and murder.
We love it. We like it. We watch these things. I spoke to a young man this past week, a young man in university, a born again Christian.
I have no doubt. And he's struggling with the addiction of marijuana. He wants to quit. And he knows it's wrong.
And he's asking me, John, I'm going to God. How do I overcome this? You know, there's a lot of people that struggle with addiction to pornography. There's a lot of people that struggle with alcohol abuse and drug abuse and all of these things that affect why.
It's because it's in our wicked sinful hearts and we need cleansing. We need cleansing. And God is able to cleanse us. God is able to make us new.
And so if you're a young person here and you're struggling with sin in your life, I don't want you to think that this is abnormal and you're the only person. You know that Paul experienced struggling with sin in his life? The whole Roman seven experience. What I would do that I do not.
What I hate that I do will wretch it man that I am. There's a natural struggle. But the good news is God is able to give you power over sin. The Holy Spirit is able to have you conquer sin in your life.
And God is able to richly cleanse you from all the defilement that naturally springs up in your heart. Do you know why it's like that? Because of the curse. When God created man in perfect innocence, there was none of this.
But when man sin against God, that sinful worm of nature, of the curse, crept into every human heart. And we all fight this. It's in us. It's because of the curse.
So what did God do to be able to provide cleansing? I want to read you this verse because I think it's so profound. Just go to Hebrews chapter one for a second. Here's what you may not understand.
It says in Hebrews chapter one and verse, well, it says in verse one, that God has spoken. God has spoken. He spoke to the world in times passed by the prophets. And now he has spoken unto us by his son, Jesus Christ.
Who is he? Air of all things. Creator of the universe, spoke the world into existence. He is God.
Jesus Christ is God. Look what it says in verse three. Who being the brightness of God's glory. The very express image of who God is in his person.
Up holding all things by the word of his power. It says this. When he had by himself purged our sins, he sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. This is a summary statement of why Jesus Christ came into the world.
Folks, Jesus Christ came into the world to purge you and me from our sins. He came into the world to provide purification for sins. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Jesus Christ, sacrificed on the cross alone, has made purification for sins. The only basis for a leper to be cleansed is the sacrifice that Jesus gave when he died on the cross. Folks, the only way that your sin will ever be forgiven and you'll be right with God is by Jesus Christ who made purification for sins. That's why he came.
Going to church, this church, any church, won't take away your sins. We could baptize you a thousand times in this Dartmouth water, it will never take away your sins. But if you understand this, the once for all sacrifice that the Lord Jesus made on the cross of Calvary is able to take away your sin. And if you put your faith and trust in him alone, plus nothing, you'll be purified from your sins.
When he had by himself made purification for sins, he finished the work, it's accomplished, it's done. He went back up into heaven. And Paul writes these incredible words without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in flesh, seen of angels, justified in the spirit, preached unto the nations, received up into glory.
And if we read a little bit further in this chapter, it says that the Father saluted the Son, sit thou at my right hand until I make all your enemies your footstool. It says he loved righteousness, hated iniquity, therefore God thy God had the noity to thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Jesus Christ came into the world to cleanse us from our sin. He came to cleanse lepers, it's amazing.
Understanding cleansing. I wanna share with you what it says in John 13. It says that Jesus loved them unto the end. Well, wait a minute, wait a minute.
Does Jesus know who these guys are? Yes. Does Jesus know that after this very incident, they're gonna be walking to the Garden of Kesimani and they're gonna say, who's the greatest? I'm the greatest, no, you're the greatest, no, I'm the greatest.
And Jesus is thinking about these guys, arrogance, pride, foolishness, it's in our very hearts. Does Jesus know that Judas is about to betray him? Yes. Does Jesus know that Peter is going to deny the Lord, swear with oaths and curses?
I've never seen this man. I don't know anything about him. I want nothing to do with him. You know, I take comfort in that because I make a lot of mistakes in my life.
Yeah, I screw up and so do you. And you know what? He loves them unto the end, unto the end. Can I tell you this, it doesn't matter what you've done before or after you were saved.
It doesn't matter how far you have gone into sin. The Bible teaches that God loves us eternally, unto the end, he will never give up on you. If you're living, if you're breathing and you love Jesus Christ, you will experience that love that is unconditional from God. He loved them unto the end.
But here, what a picture. What's spiritual imagery? Jesus, he lays aside his outer garment. What a picture.
He stoops down and bends the knee. The God of eternity begins to wash the disciples' feet. Do you know what this is a picture of? It's a picture of Christ Jesus coming into the world.
Knowing that he came from God and then he went to God. He lays aside his garment. You know what that's a picture of? It's a picture of the Lord of glory laying aside his outward manifestation of his glory for no man can look on God and live.
And he takes that outward garment off and he stoops down into this world of broken humanity. And he takes a towel. The God of the universe becomes a servant to wash the filthy feet of the disciples. Can I tell you this?
If he washed Peter, James, and John's feet, he could wash yours. He loves you. He loves you unto the end. He has come.
And in amazing, almost indescribable grace, the God of the universe becomes a man, is born of a virgin, lives in a peasant home in Nazareth, despised and rejected amongst men and comes to make purification for sins, to give his life a ransom for many, to shed his blood, to cleanse the lepers. That's why he came. Understanding cleansing. You know what's so amazing about this?
He comes to Peter and Peter says, no, okay Lord, that's enough. You're not doing my feet. The Lord says, Peter, if I don't wash you, you have no part with me. You wanna stay in your sin?
You wanna stay in your pride? You wanna stay in your arrogance? You think you're good enough? You think you don't need God?
If I don't wash you, you have no part with me. There is a profound teaching in this verse. If we are not washed by the precious blood of the Lamb, by the person of Jesus Christ, we will never experience heaven. We will never be born of God.
We need this cleansing. But here's what's so amazing. When Peter finds this out, he says, Lord, I'm all in. I'm all in.
No, no, not just my feet, my head, my hands. Just wash my whole body. I want it all. We're like that sometimes.
Flip, flop, flip, flop. That's what we're like. And the Lord says to Peter, Peter, understand something. The moment you trusted in me as your Savior, you were entirely clean.
It doesn't mean you're not gonna sin after this. You're gonna get dirty, filthy feet because of your walk in this world. But he says, you are entirely clean because you've been bathed. That's the bath of regeneration.
But there's gonna be ongoing need in cleansing. This is to get back to God and to confess our sins and to be right with God again. This is complete cleansing. If Jesus Christ has washed you, you are completely clean because you are seen in Christ.
Ephesians one tells us that. I wanna speak a little bit about experiencing sin. Sorry, experiencing the cleansing from sin. Just go to the first John one for one moment.
First John was in the room that night and he saw Jesus wash their feet and he experienced it for himself. And there was profound teaching that I believe was unfolded to John years later by the Holy Spirit. Now he's a mature man and he's writing to believers. And he says this, first John one, look at verse eight, first of all.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, we all have sin and there is sin in our lives. And if we say that we have no sin, we're deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. But verse seven says, if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, God, son cleanses us from all sin, all sin. The way that this text is written, it's clear that we understand, it's a continual cleansing.
The blood of Jesus Christ is unlimited. There's no limitation with the blood of Christ to cleanse us from all sin. And I would say this, there's no limitation to work of the cross. There's not a person that has ever lived that cannot be cleansed from their sin.
There is provision for all. There is availability for all. Now I realize all people will not come to Christ. But if every single person did, I believe there's enough in the work of Christ to cleanse us from all sin, all humanity, the entire human race, God has made provision for all.
You know what we need to realize is our weakness. That's hard for us as humans. John says, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, don't deceive yourself. You have sin.
I have sin. Don't deceive yourself. But walk in the light. If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.
Walking in the light is being transparent in the sight of God. He knows it all anyway. Get down on your knees every day and confess your sins. Open this book and say, Lord, let the light of the word of God search my heart, just like Psalm 139, search me, oh God.
Know my heart today. Be totally transparent. The moment that you realize your sin, confess it before God. Say, Lord, I just did that.
I know that is wrong. Name your sin in the sight of God. It says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Humility in confession is that attitude that God looks for when we come to him.
Brokenness, Psalm 51, David's experience. Create within me a clean heart, oh God, renew a right spirit within me. Take not thy holy spirit from me, David cried. He longed to feel the pulse rate, the nearness of God.
Do you know, beloved, I would say this, every person here can experience cleansing in their daily life. And there's nothing better than walking with a clean heart before God. Clear conscience, confession of sin, and fellowship in the very presence of God. Can I say this?
After we have confessed our sins, we need to accept his forgiveness by faith. Don't beat yourself up. If you have sinned against God, and you have honestly got down in your knees and poured out your heart to him, he's able, he's faithful, he's just, he's ready to forgive you because provision has been made infinitely for all people, for every time and every nation. Provision has been made for sin.
And if you come to God, you don't need to go to a priest, you don't need to go to an elder, you don't need to go to anyone else, you can get alone before God, and you can name your sin before God, and you can ask for his cleansing and forgiveness. You know what? God's in the business of cleansing lepers. That's amazing.
This leper comes to Jesus and he says, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. That's still a promise for today. God is able, ready and willing, to cleanse us all from our sin. So if you struggle with things in your life, don't beat yourself up, just be real.
Just go to God, be honest, confess your sin, and accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior as the infinite sacrifice once for all, for all sin. And if you have never come to know the Lord, maybe you're here today, and this maybe sounds really foreign to you. Could I just challenge you in the sight of God? You think about how old you are, how many sins you've committed in your entire life, the debt that you owe to God.
Have you ever acknowledged that sin? Have you ever really been convicted of how you've lived, and the debt that you owe to God? I would encourage everyone today to get real with God. Go in the presence of God, bow your heart before God, name your sins, and accept by faith his forgiveness.
I love what Paul says in Romans 5 and 1. He says, therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Forgiveness is available. Provision has been made.
It's for you and you and everyone here. It is available. And you know how you take it? You just go to God and you take it by faith.
As a gift, you accept it. The wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life by Jesus Christ. Our Lord, let's pray.
Father, we thank you for the word of God. It encourages us, it searches us, it's a mirror. It's something that we are convicted by. And yet we know that you are able, and ready and willing to cleanse us.
And your word actually does cleanse us. And the Holy Spirit cleanses us. And we just pray that you would help us all today to just come to you on a daily measure and be able Lord to just walk with you in the light as you're in the light. And that we would know that fellowship with God and with other believers.
And that we would experience that the cleansing of our sin. Thank you for the Lord Jesus and the work of the cross and the fact that it's finished. And the provision that you have made for all men. And so we ask you Lord that you would bless us today as we separate and be with us all.
And meet our needs we pray as we put our trust and faith in you once more in the name of the Lord Jesus, amen.