Text :2 Cor.6:14-2 Cor.7:1 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?(vs15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (vs16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.(vs17)Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.(vs18) And will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.(2Cor.7:1)Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
PREMISE
The Pulpit Commentary, Vol.14,Pages,184-185,A Comment On 2 Cor.7:1 “ 1. THE PROMISES OF GOD AN INCENTIVE TO HOLY LIVING.1. How numerous they are. Some are specified in preceding verses. Divine promise is , however, found in all parts of the Scripture. The crown of revelation is thickly studded with the pearls of promise. God encourages his people by multiplying promises to them. 2. How varied. There are promises suited to every condition--- for joy, sorrow, sickness, health, poverty, prosperity, weakness, strength. We change greatly in experience, but in every new condition we find a promise appropriate to it. The manna of promise covers the path of pilgrimage. 3. How needful to us. For our support, guidance, comfort, encouragement, happiness, advance. God’s promises are our rods and staffs. Were it not for such upholdings, we should soon sink in the mire. 4.How precious. What promises are like unto these? How can we compute the value of that which is invaluable? Divine promises are things by themselves. Nothing could compensate for their loss. Of such value are they that only God is rich enough to bestow them. 5.How faithful. What reliance may be placed upon them! They are all “yea” and “amen” in Christ ( 2Cor.1:20). Promises, indeed, are easily obtained from men, but what men fail in is fulfillment. But the word of Jehovah cannot be broken. His promises are precious, but they are not more precious than sure. God’s engagement to dwell in us; God’s continuous adoption of us, whereby we are ever his sons and daughters. If these be ours, then all things are ours.
PREMISE
The Pulpit Commentary, Vol.14,Pages,184-185,A Comment On 2 Cor.7:1 “ 1. THE PROMISES OF GOD AN INCENTIVE TO HOLY LIVING.1. How numerous they are. Some are specified in preceding verses. Divine promise is , however, found in all parts of the Scripture. The crown of revelation is thickly studded with the pearls of promise. God encourages his people by multiplying promises to them. 2. How varied. There are promises suited to every condition--- for joy, sorrow, sickness, health, poverty, prosperity, weakness, strength. We change greatly in experience, but in every new condition we find a promise appropriate to it. The manna of promise covers the path of pilgrimage. 3. How needful to us. For our support, guidance, comfort, encouragement, happiness, advance. God’s promises are our rods and staffs. Were it not for such upholdings, we should soon sink in the mire. 4.How precious. What promises are like unto these? How can we compute the value of that which is invaluable? Divine promises are things by themselves. Nothing could compensate for their loss. Of such value are they that only God is rich enough to bestow them. 5.How faithful. What reliance may be placed upon them! They are all “yea” and “amen” in Christ ( 2Cor.1:20). Promises, indeed, are easily obtained from men, but what men fail in is fulfillment. But the word of Jehovah cannot be broken. His promises are precious, but they are not more precious than sure. God’s engagement to dwell in us; God’s continuous adoption of us, whereby we are ever his sons and daughters. If these be ours, then all things are ours.
For Spiritual Cleansing To Occur And To Be Sustained There Must Be First The Earnest Desire For That Cleansing.
2. THE LIFE TO WHICH THESE PROMISES SHOULD LEAD. 1. Sins of the flesh should be discarded. If we are God’s , our body is the temple of God.(2 Cor.6:16) Such a temple must be kept pure. Such sins as intemperance, gluttony, lust, ect., must be renounced by the child of God. We are to glorify God in our bodies(1Cor.6:20). Many forget how truly they may do so. Sins of the flesh are defilements of the flesh. If we defile the temple of God, God will not bless us, but curse us (1 Cor. 3:17). It is not enough to be pure within, we must be pure without also. Our whole being must be consecrated to God and ruled by his laws. 2.Sins of the spirit must be renounced. Such sins as pride, malice, wrath, envying, falsehood, idolatry, impure conceptions, ect. Many cleanse the exterior only; they whiten the sepulcher, but trouble not about the dead bones within. Many are quite satisfied with external piety ; God is not. Note: Sins of the spirit lead to sins of the flesh and vice versa. 3.We are to seek complete holiness. We are to cleanse ourselves from “all” defilement. We are to “perfect holiness”. We are not to be easily satisfied with ourselves. ‘tis not enough to do a little and then rest’. The statue must be finished; it is begun that it may be completed. The ideal set before us is a high one. We are not to rest until all things have become new. 4. All should be done in the fear of God. Our duty to God must influence us more than our own happiness or the welfare of others. True life is a life which is full of God. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” and the fear of the Lord runs throughout the truly wise life. In our righteousness we must seek to please and satisfy God. Fear of God’s disapproval will spur us to sterner efforts. 5.Earnest effort on our part is necessary. Apostle Paul says, “Let us cleanse ourselves.” Many wait for God when God is waiting for them. Our salvation is ascribed to God; nevertheless, we are enjoined to work it out; and our efforts to work out our salvation are the evidence that God is working in us. All cleansing of our life is voluntary on our side; and there is no high spiritual life without striving.”
DEFINITIONS
Clean --Free from dirt or filth(foul or disgusting dirt), not soiled or stained.(2) Free from foreign matter, pure (unmixed) (3) Free from impurity. Clean is the general term meaning to remove dirt, impurity or stains especially from objects. Cleanse- in the sense of "make clean" is used commonly in the sense of making pure.
EXPOSITION
1. For Spiritual Cleansing To Occur And To Be Sustained There Must Be First The Earnest Desire For That Cleansing.
a.It begins when we see the Lord for who he really is. Concerning the call of Isaiah in Isa.6:5-7 “Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. (vs6) Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: (vs7) And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is take
b. To be spiritually cleansed there must be an ongoing desire for cleansing. Psa.19:12-14 “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.(vs13) Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.(vs14) Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”
Psa. 51: 2&7 “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.(vs7) Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
2. Throughout Scripture We Have Been Encouraged And Extorted To Be Clean. Psa. 119:9 “ Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.”; Jer.4: 14 “ O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?” James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (vs8) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”; 1 John 3:2-3 “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. (vs3) And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”
3.The Necessity Of Spiritual Cleansing.
a. Because of Self Righteousness-- Prov. 16:2 “All the ways of man are clean in his own eyes; but the lord weigheth the spirits.”
b. Because of the utter filthiness of the state of sin man is born in---Isa. 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Psa.53:1-3 “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. (vs2) God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. (vs3) Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Rom.3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the of God;”
c. All Of Our Human Efforts To Cleanse Ourselves Will Fail.--- Jer.2:22 “For though thou was thee with nitre(lye)ASV, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God.”
4. The Promises of Spiritual Cleansing.
a. A New Heart and a New Spirit--- Ezek. 36:25-27---“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. (vs26) 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. (vs27) 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.”
b. Concerning the Church--- Eph.5:26-27 “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (vs27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
c. A Regenerative Cleansing--- Titus 3: 4-7 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, (vs5) 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;(vs6) Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; (vs7) That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
DEFINITIONS
Clean --Free from dirt or filth(foul or disgusting dirt), not soiled or stained.(2) Free from foreign matter, pure (unmixed) (3) Free from impurity. Clean is the general term meaning to remove dirt, impurity or stains especially from objects. Cleanse- in the sense of "make clean" is used commonly in the sense of making pure.
EXPOSITION
1. For Spiritual Cleansing To Occur And To Be Sustained There Must Be First The Earnest Desire For That Cleansing.
a.It begins when we see the Lord for who he really is. Concerning the call of Isaiah in Isa.6:5-7 “Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. (vs6) Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: (vs7) And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is take
b. To be spiritually cleansed there must be an ongoing desire for cleansing. Psa.19:12-14 “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.(vs13) Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.(vs14) Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”
Psa. 51: 2&7 “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.(vs7) Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
2. Throughout Scripture We Have Been Encouraged And Extorted To Be Clean. Psa. 119:9 “ Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.”; Jer.4: 14 “ O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?” James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (vs8) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”; 1 John 3:2-3 “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. (vs3) And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”
3.The Necessity Of Spiritual Cleansing.
a. Because of Self Righteousness-- Prov. 16:2 “All the ways of man are clean in his own eyes; but the lord weigheth the spirits.”
b. Because of the utter filthiness of the state of sin man is born in---Isa. 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Psa.53:1-3 “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. (vs2) God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. (vs3) Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Rom.3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the of God;”
c. All Of Our Human Efforts To Cleanse Ourselves Will Fail.--- Jer.2:22 “For though thou was thee with nitre(lye)ASV, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God.”
4. The Promises of Spiritual Cleansing.
a. A New Heart and a New Spirit--- Ezek. 36:25-27---“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. (vs26) 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. (vs27) 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.”
b. Concerning the Church--- Eph.5:26-27 “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (vs27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
c. A Regenerative Cleansing--- Titus 3: 4-7 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, (vs5) 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;(vs6) Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; (vs7) That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
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