Sermon Central
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God's Cure For Dirty Feet
Contributed by James Groce on Mar 27, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: We will never reach total perfection in this life, but this does not give us a license to sin
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5This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, welie, and do not the truth:
7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
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•There is something many of us miss when we read this verse. Can you see it?
•If we are really walking in the light, why do we still need to be purified from sin?
•There is only one possible answer …
•Walking in the light cannot mean living a perfect life, without need of cleansing.
•We will never reach total perfection in this life, but this does not give us a license to sin – in fact, it should push us toward more serious consecration. We CAN walk in the light – in FREEDOM from sin!
•You can lead a blameless life, even though you still need to be purified by the blood of Jesus!
•The thirteenth chapter of John gives us clarification and insight …
(TELL STORY) – Jesus was doing more than initiating footwashing!
•(KJV) Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash
his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
•(NLT) Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need
to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you are clean,
but that isn’t true of everyone here.”
•(CEV) Jesus answered, “People who have bathed and are clean all
over need to wash just their feet. And you, my disciples, are clean,
except for one of you.”
•WHAT DID JESUS MEAN? (EXPLAIN CUSTOMS)
•When we get saved, we get bathed from head to toe spiritually – all the years of filth and pollution are washed away, and we are made as white as snow … totally cleansed from sin!
•Isaiah 1:18 - Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they
be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
•1 Corinthians 6:11 - And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the
Spirit of our God.
•Ephesians 5:26 - That he might sanctify and cleanse [the church] with the washing of water by the word,
•Titus 3:5 - Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
•Hebrews 10:22 - Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water.
There is just one problem – we still live in this world!
•We still have to walk along “dirty roads” and sometimes our feet get dirty even though we have been washed. There’s simply no way to avoid all the dirt all the time! (i.e. room full of smokers, profanity on
the job site, lewd dress and behavior all around us)
•We feel dirty, but that doesn’t mean we need another bath!
•Sometimes we momentarily sin, we temporarily fall short, we have a fleeting envious thought, speak a judgmental word, cast a fleeting lustful glance, or quickly become swelled with pride because the Lord
saw fit to use us. OUR FEET ARE DIRTY!
•God required purification from Israel for uncleanness as well as sin – that principle still holds true!
•A child of God will have temporary shortcomings and failures, but that doesn’t mean we need to get saved all over again!
•We know that we are walking in the light when we are quick to repent and also careful to guard our hearts.
•We live in purity to the point that sin is an abnormality – merely dust and dirt on our feet while our whole body is clean.
•This is in total contrast to those who despise the grace of God and go
back to their old ways.
•2 Peter 2:22 - They make these proverbs come true: “A dog returns to
its vomit,” and “A washed pig returns to the mud.”
•BUT WE ARE CAREFUL TO KEEP OUR GARMENTS CLEAN!
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from
everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of
reverence for God.
•We are called to stay free from contamination.
•God commands us to be blameless!
