Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Mark 1:40
What Christ did for the Leper of old, is exactly what He desires to do for you and I today—Make us clean.
He desires to dwell with us, to be with us, but He cannot dwell in the presence of spiritual uncleanness and defilement; that defilement which we inherited from our first parents after the fall.
“For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp… therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you.”
Deuteronomy 23:14
Truly Beloved, our sins have separated us from our Creator, Isaiah 59:2, and because of this Isaiah tells us the following:
…we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.
Isaiah 64:6
Again he laments:
… I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.
Isaiah 6:5
The Apostles tell us on frequent occasions that as believers in Christ, we are part of the priesthood of Believers, with Christ being our Great High Priest. See: 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:10; Revelation 20:6; Hebrews 4:14-16
Notice then what God spoke to Aaron, brother of Moses, and to his sons, who were the priests of the Old Covenant. Pay special attention to what was to be their condition before God:
Say to them: ‘Whoever of all your descendants throughout your generations, who goes near the holy things which the children of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while he has uncleanness upon him, that person shall be cut off from My presence: I am the LORD.
Leviticus 22:3
Notice that spiritual uncleanness found upon any of the ancient priest in the days of old covenant, would result in them being “cut off” from God’s Holy Presence, i.e., they would be struck down in death.
That may seem a bit harsh in our politically correct world but the priests had a great and important work to accomplish. Not only were they to minister on behalf of Isreal before a Holy God, but also, the priests of the Old Covenant were a type and shadow of Christ, the Great High Priest. Their ceremonial cleanness was a foreshadowing of the perfect, sinless life that Christ lived on our behalf.
As a result, we who are likewise the priests of the New Covenant in Christ’s Blood, must not be found with any uncleanness upon us. Uncleanness and a Holy God cannot coexist, one must go, and it surely will not be the Eternal God—for He liveth and reigneth forever.
We all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, therefore we are all unclean, there is no two ways about it. Recognizing the weight of our transgressions is not an easy task; it requires humility and an honest assessment of ourselves in the light of divine truth. Therefore, we should see our need and our true condition before God, understanding that we are imperfect beings, constantly in need of His grace and mercy. Just as David cried out in heartfelt desperation, we too should plead for forgiveness and healing, acknowledging our shortcomings and seeking to restore our relationship with the Creator.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin…. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow….Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:2,7,10
“Do not listen to the enemy’s suggestion to stay away from Christ until you have made yourself better; until you are good enough to come to God. If you wait until then, you will never come. When Satan points to your filthy garments, repeat the promise of Jesus, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37. Tell the enemy that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin. Make the prayer of David your own (Psalm 51)…”
When we, like the leper in Christ’s day, cry out “if Thou be willing, Thou can make me clean”, Jesus will say like He said to that leper who saw his need, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Matthew 8:3
I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me.
Jeremiah 33:8
Beloved, we have an Advocate in Heaven who is ready and willing to cleanse us from all our wretchedness, all our failures, all our weaknesses and all our sins— Only Christ—Our Great High Priest— can make us clean!
The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:7
He stands now in the Most Holy Place of the Sanctuary on high on this antitypical Day of Atonement, to make atonement for us.
For on that Day [of atonement] the Priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.
Leviticus 16:30
Friends, how can we neglect so great the gift of salvation? Woe unto us should we disregard this merciful gift! Woe unto us, should we not seek for cleansing from our iniquities and transgressions, that we may stand in the “Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord.”
Christ desires to remove our filthy garments, stained with sin and self righteousness, and to clothe us in the clean, fine linen garments of the Lamb—His own righteousness.
“Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with clean robes.”
Zechariah 3:4 (Revelation 19:7-8)
Without this cleansing and the putting on of these clean garments, no man can see the kingdom of heaven. For says the Lord:
Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you.
Isaiah 52:1 (Romans 2:28-29)
“And there shall in no wise enter into it, anything that defiles…”
Revelation 21:27
“Into the city of God there will enter nothing that defiles. All who are to be dwellers there will here have become pure in heart. In one who is learning of Jesus, there will be manifest a growing distaste for careless manners, unseemly language, and coarse thought. When Christ abides in the heart, there will be purity and refinement of thought and manner.”
Friends, Jesus is willing to make us clean; do you see your need, do I see my need? This is the question we must confront with humility and sincerity.
He wants to remove our filthy garments, the burdens of guilt and shame that weigh heavily on our hearts, and wash them in His Blood, which symbolizes the ultimate sacrifice and love. He desires to clothe us in the clean, fine linen garments of the Lamb, garments that signify our renewed identity and status before God.
Friends, the Word of God has spoken, let he that has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches…
He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy (unclean), let him be filthy (unclean) still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”
Revelation 22:11-12
Behold, I come quickly and my reward is with Me…
Loud Cry Compendium
Loud Cry Compendium 