Cleanse the Inward Man

The servants of Christ, serve Him in humility because they know I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Philippians 3:13-14 - Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Jesus taught that we are to keep our focus on doing what is right before God and not on making a name for ourselves or having a title. We have one Master, that is Christ from whom we are to learn, who we are to exemplify, be representatives of Him; and one Father which is God.

Matthew 23:8-9 - But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

Matthew 23:23 - And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

All the righteous acts (good works), most elaborate praises (whether in song or in speech), the most scripture memorized and/or copied by a person are like the tithes of the best spices offered by one who is blind to one's own actions behind closed doors.

It is for this reason that Christ said to cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter (clean out your own vessel – this is you) in order to become a vessel that truly honors GOD, not only in word but in deed also.

Galatians 2:16-17 - Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

We are to show that we are walking in the faith of the Lord Jesus, by our testimony of daily conduct.

I recall the Lord rebuking me because of things I was allowing to be out of order in my house. I say allowing, because I knew to do it, but I was procrastinating and not getting it done.

What He showed me through this experience was fearful, and made me to realize even more:

In order for God to be honored through my life, I have to give every part of my life over to His order. Everything must be brought under the order of God. My life has to be lived as an example of the Order of God.

1. What I have (whether it is house, land, belongings, etc) is not mine, but God's and I am just taking care of it. I must take this responsibility, not as a joke or something to be taken lightly, but VERY SERIOUSLY.

1 Corinthians 4:2 “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

Once I repented of this, and began to be obedient to Him, I had to persevere, be strong and courageous – nothing was ever gained by one who gave up. GOD made me know that He was with me, He strengthened me all the way, and that is how I can be here today sharing this with you.

All Glory to GOD!!!

1. In taking this action, I am sealing myself within and without for the Lord's work by obedience and being a keeper of the house that God intended me to be since the beginning of time.

2. During this process, I have had several encounters where Satan has tried to hinder me in a dream, or tried to wear me down physically by bothering my children, through dreams or ailments in the night. Through these situations, I knew that it was not what it may appear to be on the outside (just organizing the home), it was for me spiritual warfare.

3. He showed me also, that each one of us have to seal ourselves and our homes, our families both inside and outside – just as He instructed Noah to do when he was preparing the Ark of Safety. We will not be safe unless we come under full obedience to God.

He placed it on my heart to share Noah's experience.

Genesis 6:12-14 - And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

Here we see God's vexation with the wickedness on the earth. Noah was in that day, the man who kept himself and his family from evil.

By adding action to his faith through his obedience to God, he destined himself for Salvation on the Ark.

God's instructions to Noah for the Ark in sealing it inside and outside serves as an example to us.

Genesis 7:1 - And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Genesis 7:5 - And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.

Genesis 7:16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.

Here we see the Salvation of the Lord in the life of Noah's family. What he did was because of his faith and loyalty to GOD.

Hebrews 11:7 - By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

He moved in the fear of God, knowing that God is true to His word. What He says is what He will do. In all things He is faithful that promised.

1 John 3:1-3 - Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.

As children of God, though we do not know the end result of the work God is doing in us, we will see it in the end. In the mean time, because of the hope in us we purify ourselves because as He is pure, so we also must be pure. As He brings to mind things of which we need to be aware to stop or start doing, we do this, knowing that the end result is for our good. Praise be to God!

1 John 3:6 - Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him.

When we have seen and know the Lord, we see and know that He is holy, then we are impulsed, because we are His children, to be as He is, that is: holy, pure. (Just as natural children, many of them, want to be like their parents).

1 John 3:8 - He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

We will not want to be disobedient to God, because in doing so we would not be like God, but would be as the devil who lives in complete rebellion to anything that is of God. So these scriptures should be encouraging to us, prodding us on to do what is of God that we may be children of God not only in word but in actions that resemble those words. For example: If someone says 'I am a student' then you would expect their actions to back up that statement. The student would be faithfully studying to achieve a degree in whatever it is that they are studying - or otherwise, if it is taken lightly, all their time would have been in vain. So also this applies to us.

1 John 3:18-21 - My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

Let us not love God in word only, but in actions as well.

1 Samuel 2:3 - ... for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.

We must be pure from sin, abstain from sin, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh (see Jude.

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of the Lord Jesus said this:

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

The Son of man came not to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved (see John 3:17).

See and know the Salvation of the Lord.

Cleanse your heart from sin and be sealed for the Kingdom of Heaven !! We have so much to look forward to.

Ordering the heart and home has to do with discipline. When learn discipline in the physical, it helps us understand and learn discipline in the spiritual. We can learn much through this daily practice.

May God's name be praised for ever and ever, who alone does wondrous things!!

AMEN.