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Be Clean before Worshiping

We all have different levels of dirt tolerance.  I like things clean, but I will let things go a bit longer than some can tolerate if a project or situation takes me away from the house often.  Just like we may like a clean house, God wants our lives to be clean to approach Him.  Psalm 24 says we must have clean hands and a pure heart to ascend God's holy hill. In Moses' account of the desert wanderings, Numbers Chapter 9 some men were unclean and therefore unable to join in the second Passover celebration.  These men seeking advice were acknowledging that God cannot be approached in uncleanness. Being clean is being free from sin.  If we confess our sin, the blood of Jesus cleanses us, according to 1 John 1:9. If we are convicted of sin by the Spirit within us, we can be cleansed by spending time in confession to God which then frees us to worship God. 

Even if we think our conscience is clear, there could be something that we need to address in our lives.  Paul says that if his conscience is clear, he could still be guilty.  It is God who judges us. (1 Corinthians 4:4) Daily confession and connection with God helps us to keep a clean slate and keep short accounts with God.  As we pray and LISTEN to God, not just talk, we can become aware of areas in our lives we need to confess and expose to light so that the blood of Jesus can cleanse us.

Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that we are to reconcile with our brothers before offering our gifts at the altar. (Matthew 5:23-24) The act of reconciliation makes us clean.  Resentment and grudges are sin and create a barrier not only between us and others but also between us and God.  Offering our gifts at the altar is a form of worship but we are not free to worship in any form with sin in our lives. Can we truly worship God if we are carrying around a burden of sin? Approaching a holy God should convict us of our own unworthiness. When Jesus was teaching crowds of people early in His ministry, He got in Peter’s boat “and asked him to put out a little from shore…When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.'
Simon answered, 'Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.' When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, 'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!'  For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,…” (Luke 5:1-9)

CONTRAST - GOD AND OUR SIN

Peter was astonished and blessed by the abundant catch. He knew that Jesus had worked a miracle. Being so close to someone so powerful convicted Peter. He could not comfortably stay close to such a holy God, which is why he asked Him to go away from him. The holiness of God should convict us of our own impurity. A similar reaction is found in the amazing scene found in Isaiah 6. “I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.  And they were calling to one another:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’  At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.  ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’” (Isaiah 6:1-5) Isaiah was undone and repulsed by his own sin when he saw the Lord and this beautiful vision in heaven.

Today we can sometimes find ourselves being too familiar with the Lord. Reading passages like these in the Bible can remind us of how great our God is and the awe and wonder we must maintain in His presence. Let us not take for granted that the God of the universe knows and loves us. It is an awe-inspiring fact.  Our gratitude will give us the mindset which leads to humility and a God-honoring testimony.  Thankfulness leads to confession and service.

Purity in mind and heart is an ongoing pursuit for the believer. Scripture tells us that without holiness we cannot see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Living in this world brings us into proximity to sin and shame and unholy things. It is very easy to fall into old thoughts, feelings or even actions. We must constantly go to the Lord and His Word to be renewed in our minds (Romans 12:2) and cleanse our hearts. I know whenever I hang out with worldly people, I can notice that worldly ways are suddenly in my mind and heart. I don’t like it. I pray immediately for deliverance and cleansing. I spent too much of my life in the world and living for myself so I make it my goal to please the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:9).

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