Scripture References;
20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:20-21 KJV
8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10 KJV
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV
6But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:6-13 KJV
Have you ever noticed that a house that has been vacant for a long time can get dirty?
Dust starts to fall and coat things. Spiders come and spin webs, and sometimes mice get in there and make an awful mess. The house cannot clean itself, because it is just a house. Then someone passes by and says, “I would like to buy that house. I know it is an awful mess, but I have tools and the ability to transform it into a beautiful home. I could work on it a little at a time before I move in, but instead I am just going to grab my cleaning supplies and move in right away.”
So he moves in and starts cleaning, and making all kinds of repairs and improvements. Other people in the neighborhood start to take notice, and they remark on the work “he” has done. He has made that little house his home. He still has to clean it because houses tend to get dirty, but because he lives there he is able to work on things whenever they start to need it. He isn’t just visiting there…he owns that house!
We in a sense are like houses. Before we are saved they are full of awful things that stain them, break them down…completely ruin them… things like pride, hate, greed, lust, unforgiveness and all kinds of sin.
Then we hear about Jesus the “son of a carpenter”, but actually God’s only begotten son, born of a virgin. What happens next? Do we hurry and and try to do all kinds of things to make our hearts beautiful, so He will want to live in them? Do we go to the store and buy some special cleaner that will remove all of the ugly sin so Jesus will be willing to move into our hearts? No…No!
There is no cleaner that we can buy, no cleaning process we can follow that will work. We must believe that we cannot clean our hearts; we cannot make them good. Only Jesus can do this. That is why He came. We must believe that what He did is all that is needed, and when we receive him, when we call on Him He will come to live there. He will actually get rid of that old heart, and give us a new heart , the Holy Ghost will dwell there. Sin will still creep in our bodies, and the Spirit will expose it to us. He will say “You just had a sinful thought.”, or “You just said something sinful.”, or “You just did something sinful.” He will tell you to confess that you sinned and then to turn and follow Jesus. But even then It is Jesus that does the cleansing, and He is only able to do that because he is already on the inside.
Think about this: can you mop your floor if you are out in the front yard?Only Jesus can take that sin away.
We sing songs sometimes that mention that we follow the Lord with “all” of our heart, that we love the Lord with “all” of our heart, and in a sense that is true. Believers have an “Inner Man” or “Hidden Man of the Heart” It is this part of us that loves perfectly, that obeys perfectly. We also have “The flesh” or an “Outer Man”. That is the part of us that is completely selfish, filthy, unforgiving…completely sinful. Once we are saved (have received Jesus as our personal Savior) our soul has to decide over and over again every day which part to follow. The greatest commandment is this:
“37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment.” Matthew22:37-38 KJV
But we don’t.
Whenever we sin we demonstrate that we do not obey that commandment perfectly. If we have been saved we still will sometimes discover that there are negative things in our heart. Does that mean that Jesus won’t settle there?, Does that mean that He hasn’t already settled there? Can a person who has believed the message of the gospel and called on the Lord (a saved person) ever say they have “not” found Him?
The answer to those three questions is No, No, and No! They “have” found Him. You know what is even more important than that? Jesus found them! Below are two beautiful hymns that illustrate the message that I have been trying to explain.
Amazing Grace by John Newton
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
T’was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
‘Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.
Nothing but the Blood of Jesus by Robert Lowry
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Refrain
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Refrain
Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Refrain
This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Refrain
Now by this I’ll overcome—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
Now by this I’ll reach my home—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Refrain
Glory! Glory! This I sing—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
All my praise for this I bring—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click here: https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/category/about-salvation-very-important-words/ and make sure.
Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just go to http://www.biblegateway.com. They have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!
Moore to Ponder 