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Sermon: Furbish
by Chris Cumming
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MP3-2018
Today is the day of Pentecost. Notice as I read from our doctrine on the
Annual Holy Days.
Pentecost: Pentecost is the anniversary of the founding of the
New Testament Church. It initiates God's plan of salvation for the
world. Just as Pentecost marked the spring or first harvest, so
Pentecost symbolizes the first small harvest of individuals through
God's Church. In the salvation of the individual, Pentecost represents
his receiving of the Holy Spirit after baptism. This Holy Spirit enables
him to do what he could not do before, just as the disciples were able
to go forward in spreading the gospel in a way totally impossible before
the Holy Spirit came. An example is Peter's boldness in proclaiming the
gospel so soon after clear cowardice when Jesus was betrayed. (A
late Jewish tradition holds that ancient Israel received the law from
God at Mount Sinai on Pentecost. This would make sense, since only
through God's Holy Spirit can a person keep God's law in its true
spiritual intent.). ~end quote
I now want to read from our doctrine on the Holy Spirit:
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
The Holy Spirit is the essence, power, mind and spiritual extension of
God. God begets Christians as His sons through this Spirit. It
strengthens a Christian spiritually, converts his mind and serves as an
earnest or guarantee of eternal life.
DOCTRINAL OVERVIEW
The Holy Spirit is described in the Bible as "the Spirit of God," "the
Spirit of the Lord," "the Spirit of Jesus Christ," "the Spirit of
truth," and "comforter" or "advocate." It is the power of God, the mind
of God and the extended means by which God accomplishes His work
throughout the universe. As such, the Holy Spirit is not a separate
entity, it has no independent existence as an individual entity or
person within the godhead.
It was through His Spirit that God created the earth (Genesis 1:2). It
was through this Spirit that David received his moral strength (Psalm
51:10-13). ~end quote
This year for the Day of Pentecost, I want to focus on what is said
about the Holy Spirit in Psalm 51.
Psalm 51:9-10
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within
me.
How does God create a clean heart in us?
When does He do this?
What does it mean, "renew a right spirit within me"?
When should we be asking this of our Father?
Today I am going to answer these questions as I encourage all of us to
maintain a clean heart.
Maintain your clean heart.
We will begin with the word, "create" as in, "Create in me a clean
heart."
CREATE:
2 Corinthians 5:17-18
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus
Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
Note: "all things are of God." This
means that the creating of a new heart is being performed by God.
Notice the commentary;
And all things are of God - This refers
particularly to the things in question, the renewing of the heart, and
the influences by which Paul had been brought to a state of willingness
to forsake all, and to devote his life to the self-denying labors
involved in the purpose of making the Saviour known. He makes the
statement general, however, showing his belief that not only these
things were produced by God, but that all things were under his
direction, and subject to his control. Nothing that he had done was to
be traced to his own agency or power, but God was to be acknowledged
everywhere. This great truth Paul never forgot; and he never suffered
himself to lose sight of it. It was in his view a cardinal and glorious
truth; and he kept its influence always before his mind and his heart.
In the important statement which follows, therefore, about the ministry
of reconciliation, he deeply feels that the whole plan, and all the
success which has attended the plan, was to be traced not to his zeal,
or fidelity, or skill, but to the agency of God.
~Barnes Notes
[See sermon:
Assiduity]
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Now to the word, "Clean" as in, "a clean heart."
CLEAN
Proverbs 20:9
Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
Notice the commentaries:
Who can say, I have made any heart clean -
A warning voice against the spirit, which, ignorant of its own guilt, is
forward to condemn others. ~Barnes Notes
Who can say, I have made any heart clean -
No man. But thousands can testify that the blood of Jesus Christ has
cleansed them from all unrighteousness. And he is pure from his sin, who
is justified freely through the redemption that is in Jesus.
~Adam Clarke
Notice this from the Biblical Illustrator.
Purity of heart
I. Who can say, I have made my heart clean? We read of some who have
clean hands, which implies an abstinence from outward sins. A clean
heart implies more than this; it relates to the inward temper and
disposition, to the bias of the will, and the various operations of the
affections, as being spiritual and acceptable in the sight of God.
1. Purity of heart is much to be desired.
2. It is the work of the Spirit alone to impart it. [That
is, God through the power of the Holy Spirit]
3. There is so much self-righteous pride and vanity in man that many are
apt to think they have made their hearts clean.
~Biblical Illustrator
Here is another piece from the Biblical Illustrator on keeping the heart
clean:
The duty of mortification [feeling of
humiliation or shame].
The trial and examination of our hearts and ways in reference to God is
a duty which, though hard and difficult, is exceedingly useful and
beneficial to us.
I. The duty of mortification. The cleansing of our hearts, to be pure
from sin.
1. The nature of the action. Cleansing. A word implying some change and
alteration that is to be made in us. That which is purged was formerly
impure. God is pure; the saints are purged and purified. This shows us
the nature of sin: it is a matter of uncleanness. Uncleanness is a
debasing quality; a loathsome quality; a thing odious [deserving
or causing hatred; repugnant, disgusting] in itself and for
itself. Cleansing shows the sovereign virtue of grace and repentance. It
is of a purging virtue. It hath a power of cleansing us from the
pollutions of sin. It is compared to clean water, which washes away
filth. To a wind, which, passing, cleanseth. To a fire, that consumes
dross and corruption.
2. The property of the agent. The text makes us agents in this great
work. Sin is cleansed in our justification, when it is pardoned and
forgiven. The act of forgiveness is God’s alone. Sin is cleansed by
mortification, and regeneration, and conversion. The progress of these
acts God works in us, and by us. His Spirit enables us to carry forward
this work which He graciously begins, and to cleanse ourselves.
3. The circumstance of time. “I have cleansed.” Mortification is a work
of long continuance; it requires progress and perseverance.
II. The object that must be wrought upon. “The heart.” The whole man
must be cleansed, but first and specially the heart. The heart is the
fountain and original from whence all other uncleannesses do stream and
flow. The heart is the lurking-hole, to which sin betakes [to
cause to go] itself. The heart is the proper seat and
residence of sin.
III. The measure or degree of mortification. “I am pure from my sin.”
This is the high aim that a Christian must set to himself, to press
forward to perfection. The text lays our sin at our own doors, and so it
concerns us to rid ourselves of it. Sin is the offspring of our will.
There is the sin of inbred and natural inclination; the sin to which our
particular age disposes us: childhood is idle, youth wanton, age
covetous; the sins of our calling and vocation: every calling has its
special temptations.
IV. The difficulty of mortification. This question, “Who?” is not meant
for all sorts of sinners. It is not propounded to the profane man, to
the grossly ignorant man, or to the negligent and careless man. The
question reaches to the best sort of men, those that have made good
progress in this work of cleansing and mortification, who, nevertheless,
are condemned by their own consciences; who have still leaven to purge
out; find some sins of surreption (sur-uh
p-tish-ion) [done or made by
stealth; secret] will steal in upon them. As to the question
itself. It runs thus: “Who can say?” Not “Who doth say?” or “Who will
say?” or “Who dare say?” We may safely resolve the question into a
peremptory assertion, and conclude that no man is clear or free from
sin. The earnest Christian can say, “Through grace I have broken the
strength and dominion of sin.” (Bp. Brownrigg.)
~Biblical Illustrator
Note: Item IV here is speaking
to the fact that the question of Proverbs 20:9 is speaking to someone in
the Salvation Process.
There is a set of scriptures in Ezekiel 11 which talks about Israel
being gathered from the captivity of the Great Tribulation and the Day
of the Lord. It speaks to God cleaning their hearts as they enter into
the millennium and the Salvation Process.
Ezekiel 11:17-19
17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from
the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been
scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
18 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the
detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.
19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within
you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give
them an heart of flesh:
What does God say to Israel in Ezekiel 18 about having a clean heart?
Ezekiel 18:30-32
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to
his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your
transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have
transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye
die, O house of Israel?
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord
GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
This idea continues later in Ezekiel:
Ezekiel 36:25-27
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean:
from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will
give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my
statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Jeremiah is a book about how God tried to save Jerusalem. He sent
Jeremiah there to preach and warn. Along the way he talks about the
cleansing of the heart. Actually he is asking why they won't be clean.
Jeremiah 13:27
I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy
whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto
thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?
As the narrative of Jeremiah continues we get to part where God is
talking about the future in the millennium. Notice what He says.
Jeremiah 32:37-44
37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have
driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I
will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell
safely:
38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me
for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:
40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not
turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their
hearts, that they shall not depart from me.
41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them
in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.
42 For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil
upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have
promised them.
43 And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is
desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the
Chaldeans.
44 Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal
them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places
about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the
mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the
south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD.
Note verse 39: One heart, one way,
that they may fear me forever. God is doing this with us now. This is
what the Day of Pentecost shows.
Did God include the concept of a clean heart in the Sermon on the Mount?
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Notice the meaning here:
Blessed are the pure in heart - That is,
whose minds, motives, and principles are pure; who seek not only to have
the external actions correct, but who desire to be holy in heart, and
who are so. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the
heart. ~Barnes Notes
Notice the Adam Clarke:
Pure in heart - In opposition to the
Pharisees, who affected outward purity, while their hearts were full of
corruption and defilement. A principal part of the Jewish religion
consisted in outward washings and cleansings: on this ground they
expected to see God, to enjoy eternal glory: but Christ here shows that
a purification of the heart, from all vile affections and desires, is
essentially requisite in order to enter into the kingdom of God. He
whose soul is not delivered from all sin, through the blood of the
covenant, can have no Scriptural hope of ever being with God.
~Adam Clarke
Now to the People's New Testament:
Blessed are the pure in heart. - The Jew,
under the tuition of the Pharisees, cared little for the state of the
heart, so that outward forms were duly kept. Jesus, however, demands
that the heart, the affections, the mind, shall be purified, as the
fountain from whence flows the moral and religious life. A pure heart
begets a pure life; an impure heart, a corrupt life.
~People's New Testament
In Acts 15, we find ourselves at the Council at Jerusalem and the
question of Circumcising the Gentile converts. Clearly the circumcising
was an outward cleansing. However the church was now focusing on
internal/spiritual cleansing.
Acts 15:7-9
7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto
them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made
choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of
the gospel, and believe.
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the
Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by
faith.
Next we go to the letter Peter wrote to the scattered churches and
speaking to the Salvation Process.
1 Peter 1:19-22
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but
was manifest in these last times for you,
21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and
gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the
Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another
with a pure heart fervently:
Notice some commentary on verse 22.
Seeing ye have purified your souls - The
apostle passes to another exhortation, namely, to brotherly love; the
ground of which he makes to be, the purification of their souls; and
which supposes that they had been impure; and indeed, their whole
persons, souls and bodies, were so by nature; even all the members of
their bodies, and all the powers and faculties of their souls: it is
internal purity, purity of the heart, that is here particularly
respected; though not to the exclusion of outward purity, for where
there is the former, there will be the latter; but there may be an
external purity, where there is not the inward one: this the apostle
ascribes to the saints themselves, but not without the grace of God, the
blood of Christ, and the operations of his Spirit; as appears by a
following clause; but they are said to purify themselves, inasmuch as
having the grace of faith bestowed on them, they were enabled, under the
influences of the Spirit of God, to exercise it on the blood of Christ,
which cleanses from all sin:
Note: Let me put the first
part of this commentary in summarization: The exhortation is to have a
pure heart. Peter acknowledges that alone, we are not clean or
pure. He also makes a clear distinction between being clean
outside from being clean inside. It is possible to be clean on the
outside only. Wolves in sheep's clothing do this all the time.
Firstfruits know that if we focus on a clean and pure heart, the outside
will be clean and pure also. He goes on to say that none of this
operation is possible without the shed blood of Christ, the Salvation
Process [grace], and without the
Holy Spirit in us. We are to invoke this operation continually.
In obeying the truth - of the Gospel, by
receiving, believing, and embracing it in the love of it; which teaches
outward purity, and is a means in the hand of the spirit of inward
purity, and of directing to the purifying blood of Jesus, who sanctifies
and cleanses by the word:
Through the Spirit - this clause is left
out in the Alexandrian copy, and some others, and in the Vulgate Latin,
Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, but is in the Arabic version, and ought
to be retained; for, as Christ died to purify to himself a peculiar
people, the Spirit of Christ does from him purify the heart by faith in
his blood; by sprinkling that on the conscience, and by leading the
faith of God's people to the fountain of it, to wash it for sin, and for
uncleanness; even both their consciences and their conversation,
garments; whereby they obtain inward and outward purity:
~John Gill
We will end the study into Psalm 51 on this Day of Pentecost by looking
at the words in verse 10, "Renew" and "Right."
Renew: ...as in
"renew a right spirit within me
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
[see sermon:
"Your Reasonable Service"]
Ephesians 4:22-24
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which
is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness.
Colossians 3:10
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the
image of him that created him:
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;
Right: [or,
constant] ...as renew a right
spirit.
Acts 11:23
Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted
them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour
is not in vain in the Lord.
Key Points:
1] Maintain your clean heart. ~Psalm 51:9-10
2] All things are of God. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18
3] God reconciles us to Himself by Jesus Christ. ~2 Corinthians 5:18
4] We are God's workmanship. ~Ephesians 2:10
5] God ordained your clean heart that we should do good works.
~Ephesians 2:10
6] All men are unrighteous and sin. ~Proverbs 20:9
7] A clean heart denotes a cleansing of the firstfruit from the inside
out.
8] Cleansing of the heart is a process over time that demands progress
and perseverance.
9] The whole man must be cleansed but first the heart. The heart is the
residence of sin.
10] We must press forward to perfection.
11] Firstfruits cleansed will be welcome into the Kingdom of God.
12] God wants us with one heart and one way. ~Jeremiah 32:39
13] Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.
~Matthew 5:8
14] A pure heart begets a pure life; an impure heart, a corrupt life.
15] We purify our souls by obeying the truth through the Holy Spirit. ~1
Peter 1:22
16] Be not conformed to this world. ~Romans 12:1-2
17] Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. ~Romans 12:1-2
18] Prove what the will of God is. ~Romans 12:1-2
19] Renew yourself by full immersion in the Word of God.
20] Put on Christ and thus put off the old [impure] man. ~Ephesians
4:22-24; Colossians 3:10
21] Be you stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord. ~1 Corinthians 15:58
Specific answers to your questions...
How does God create a clean heart in us?
1] All things are of God. ~2 Corinthians 5:18
2] God reconciles us to Himself by Jesus Christ. ~2 Corinthians 5:18
3] God cleans the firstfruit from the inside out.
4] We are agents in the cleansing of our heart. This means that God is
doing this with and through us.
5] Cleansing of the heart is a process over time that demands progress
and perseverance.
6] God wants us with one heart and one way. ~Jeremiah 32:39
7] He gives us the Holy Spirit. ~Acts 15:7-9
When does He do this?
1] At one's calling to repentance, baptism and the receiving of the Holy
Spirit.
2] Continually in the Salvation Process.
3] Ultimately, and for all souls, at the return of Jesus Christ and
throughout the millennium. ~Ezekiel 11; Jeremiah 32
4] When we repent. ~Ezekiel 18
What does it mean, "renew a right spirit within me"?
1] Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.
~Matthew 5:8
2] Be not conformed to this world. ~Romans 12:1-2
3] Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. ~Romans 12:1-2
4] Prove what the will of God is. ~Romans 12:1-2
5] Renew yourself by full immersion in the Word of God.
When should we be asking this of our Father?
1] As long as you are in the Salvation Process. ~1 Peter 1:19-22
2] Continually and fervently. ~1 Peter 1:19-22
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