How many of you have chores to do at home?
How many of you have the chore of washing the dishes or loading the dishwasher?
Did you know that Jesus knew something about washing dishes.
Matthew 23:25 …You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First, clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean.
You see the people Jesus was speaking to were people who were masters at looking good on the outside, but inside of their hearts there was darkness. Their words seemed decisive and condemning. Other people just didn’t know how to be holy like they were. 2000 years later people haven’t changed much. I guess I should ask you, how many of you have ever washed a dish? Now when you wash a dish, do you leave the remnants of food or drink that was on the dish and put it back in the cabinet without washing it completely?
I did see it in a cowboy movie one time. It was a western and they were on a cattle drive. When they were ready for lunch, they rode into the cook’s wagon. The cook passed out the plates. To their surprise and dismay, food particles from last night’s supper was still on the plates. When they asked the cook why he didn’t wash the dishes, he simply replied, "Good enough to stop eating on, then good enough to start eating on." (I don’t support that perspective) There are a lot of people who believe a lot like that cook. I’m good enough. I have friends that like me. I’ve been to church. To quote Jesus again…”there are none good.”
One of the greatest lies told to all of us is, don’t worry about it. Nobody is perfect. Now while you might say this about some things. But in your spiritual life, you better be careful using that statement that it doesn’t become an excuse for sin. In another passage Jesus said to his disciples, “you be perfect as I am perfect”. Perfection is not a performance; it is about the totality of our commitment, and the attitude of the heart must be, to the best of my ability and understanding, I will fully live in obedience to God. If we willfully sin against God, it is not ok. He even says that those who love him keep his commandments. In 99% of the things we face, we know the right thing to do. If you practice spiritual failure, I believe you will perfect it. But we weren’t created to live in spiritual failure. The gift of the presence of the Holy Spirit changes everything. The Holy Spirit empowers people to live in the knowledge of the will of God. He lives in us to show us the direction we should go and gives us the power to fulfill God’s will in our lives. He purifies the soul and ministers to us, teaches us and works through us.
Does that mean we exchange our clothes for robes and wear halos on our heads? We look a lot like everyone else. What He changes is our heart.The disciples experienced this in their day. They had left their homes and businesses to minister with Jesus. We know they were committed to Christ. But they weren’t always everything they could have been. They were fearful. They were petty. They misunderstood a lot. More than once Jesus had to correct them. One time Jesus said, how long do I have to put up with you guys? He sounds a little exasperated. But after his death he met with them and told them that they would receive the Holy Spirit and he would empower them to live a life of complete devotion to Him.
But you will receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, and Judea, Samaria, and to the very ends of the earth. Acts 1:8
These disciples began to share with their world what God was doing and had done through the gift of His son. And the world was beginning to change. In case you don’t remember, one of his disciples had already committed suicide. And ten out of the remaining eleven would die a martyr’s death. And the 12th, whose name was John, was boiled in oil, but he didn’t die. So they put him on an island with few resources and left him there for years. When they returned, somehow he was still alive. He would go to live in Ephesus until his death by natural causes.
If you have never invited the Holy Spirit into your life, today is a good day. Some might say, I got the Holy Spirit when I asked Jesus into my life. Well that’s fine, but I’m talking about when did the Holy Spirit get all of you? It’s one thing to ask for our sins to be forgiven but it is another, for a believer whose sins are forgiven, to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is involved in every part of the coming to life in Christ. He convicts and convinces us of our sin. He gives us the assurance that God has forgiven our sins. He empowers us to live a life of holy devotion to God. Let the Holy Spirit cleanse your heart today. Surrender your life to Him today. Be filled with the Spirit today.
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The link to this past Sunday's sermon is below
https://www.facebook.com/FriendsCommunityChurchOrlando/videos/1651971255320510