Become Clean

Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean’.
 
NOW you know. Jesus’ parable labels sin “unclean”. But the sin nature wants to say, “I’m clean!” Mankind redefines sin to our own convenience. Adultery is “sexual freedom”. Folly is, “I deserve to have some fun.” Lewdness is, “That’s the language of the day.” Sexual immorality is, “I’m born that way.” Greed is “getting what I deserve.”
   Yes, we’re born into the ways of evil, so we create a vocabulary to turn evil to good. “Choice” “rights” “freedom” are a few words that hide the unrighteousness in  our hearts from our consciousness. We are sinners who begin life far short of the glory God wills for our lives.
   So then, what do you do? We have considered how the Bible can be difficult to understand. But the Bible is quite plain about cleaning your heart. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Yes, you confront your sins. The Bible tells you what they are. You know what they are. You then speak with humility and contrition, “I confess, Lord that I have ________.” You say the sin. You name the sin because it becomes more real to you. You might even write it down to more personally realize its impact on your life, your relationship with others and your relationship with God. The more closely you confront it, the more quickly you will want to repent – to cast it out of your life and turn from it because it becomes too real to keep.
   The second step is to tell Jesus, “Thank you, Jesus, for saving me.” Know and acknowledge he does purify you in your confession and repentance through his eternal work on the cross: 2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. When your confession is real, his salvation for eternal life is real for you.
   Third, continue to pray against temptation. Demonic forces will continue to accuse you. Turn them away with, “Jesus is my Lord, my Savior, my King! Be gone from my life.” Know that Jesus is rebuking the demons for their accusations. And he’s interceding for you. Through the Holy Spirit, the Savior is with you. There is a beautiful passage in Zechariah that gives us picture of Jesus’ redemptive work: Zechariah 3:3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.”
   This is a most remarkable gift! Your salvation is the evidence of God’s cleansing righteousness. His blood cleans you. He is holy and just, faithful to fulfill his promise to save the lost. How precious you are to him! He has paid the full price to welcome you home.
   Confess your sin. Trust his forgiveness. Be clean on the inside.