Cleansing by Christ

CLEANSING
OT & NT
Holy Unholy; Clean & Unclean
Only the Clean can be Holy; but, in order for the clean thing to be holy, it must be sanctified by the altar.
Jesus said that the altar sanctifies the gift. The clean vessels had to be sanctified by water and blood.
For example, clean and unclean animals.....

Interestingly, about animals etc.. Jesus declared them clean by His word
Acts 10:15
And, they are sanctified made holy by word and prayer (1Tim.4:5)

Jesus made it clear that the things from outside don't make us unclean; but, uncleanness proceeds from inside and corrupts a man.
(Matt 15:11)

The OT contained shadows of the NT. It foreshadowed NT truth. In other words, material symbols were used to teach us spiritual truths.

E.g. The Temple; but, the real temple is our body.

In Jesus, the physical and the spiritual blend into unity. Col. The OT is the shadow; but, the Body is Christ.
OT - Leper unclean; Jesus cleansed (The word cleanse the lepers can be understood in physical, social, and spiritual sense too)
Dead body (unclean); Jesus raised a 4 day old corpse to life...

By His word were all things made clean; by His Word the disciples were made clean.

If we want to understand cleansing, the pictures God gave us in the OT can help us understand it a little.

In Matt 8:2, a leper came to Jesus and asked if He could heal him

The Leper was unclean according to the OT law.
Lev. 13:45 "The leper who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry, `Unclean, unclean.

Sin is like leprosy. Jesus said that sinful things come out from inside and make our vessels unclean. He wants us to be clean inside out.

1. Begins as a small spot; but, spreads.
Little Leopards become big...

2. Turns the hair white or yellow: Cannot be hid
You cannot cover it up for long.
The sins of some men are conspicuous, pointing to judgment, but the sins of others appear later.(1Tim.5:24)

3. Turns the skin insensitive
Lack of sensitivity; callous..

4. Consumes flesh
Eats up the organs one by one...
Makes ineffective

5. Contagious
Infects others

OT - No method of healing; only method of cleansing
Cleansing by Priests was just a declaration

NT- Jesus commanded His disciples to go and cleansing
The healing of Jesus has a dual effect: it heals and it also cleanses at the same time

But, still he asks to go and show to the priests.... After healing, he only tells the leper to go show to the priest as a proof.
Lev. 14: The birds; the sin offerings..
Guilt - inadvertent... Adamic
Sin - sins

There is no cleansing without blood.... The OT sacrifices were in order to declare as cleansed..
The NT sacrifice of Jesus cleanses by eliminating leprosy and sanctify .

Caveat:
Miriam - Struck with leprosy for rebelling against Moses
Gehazi - Struck with leprosy for lusting after the world and lying to God's servant (to God)
Uzziah - Struch with leprosy for disrespecting the Temple and its ordinances.

Good News:
The Story of Naaman
Skin as like child..
Lost sensitivity and innocence; He will restore...
Lost effectiveness; He will open a new door....

Remember: Sin is like leprosy... If you dread this diseases, sin is more dreadful.
But, will you ask Jesus to cleanse you

A Tale of Something, or Nothing, and God

In the beginning was God and nothing. Then, God created something out of nothing. But, soon that something forgot she was once a nothing. And, forgetting herself and God, she assumed herself to be everything. And, assuming herself to be everything, she died to everything else and God. After many days, when this something had run out of everything she got, She came to her senses and "Who am I? Where am I?" she thought. Then, she realized she was a nothing without her God, And so returned to her original place in God. In the end was God and something.

Not I but Grace

I worked...yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1Cor. 15:10) I get tired and weary most times; grace, never. I feel weak sometimes; grace, never. I get confused at times; grace, never. I see darkness at times; grace, never. I wish to give up sometimes; grace, never. I fail many times; grace, never. I have misunderstandings at times; grace, never. I am afraid at times; grace, never. I feel broken sometimes; grace comes to heal. I feel estranged sometimes; grace comes to comfort. I feel purposeless sometimes; grace comes to guide. I feel powerless sometimes; grave comes to strengthen. I feel I am that I am because of what I am; grace departs.... For God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

August 15 Speech - School

Honorable Director, Respected Chief Guest, Principal, Teachers, and Dear Friends: It gives me great honor to speak on the occasion of the 66th Independence Day Celebration of India. As we know, our country went through various phases of foreign domination, finally falling subject to the British Crown, before we saw the Sun of Freedom rise over our nation. But we were never slaves to anyone. In our minds we were always a free spirit. Mahatma Gandhi said, "The moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall. Freedom and slavery are mental states." Freedom begins within, first, then comes in action externally. The Austrian psychologist Viktor Frankl said, "Forces beyond control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation." This sense and life of freedom, subject only to the Law of God, to the Law of Justice, Equality, Liberty, and Fraternity, is the spring and fountain...

Marbaniang, Domenic

Search This Blog