SEVEN THINGS EVERY SAVED SINNER
KNOWS AND CONFESSES BEFORE GOD
"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. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that
stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us,
and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, thou art our
father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy
hand." Isaiah 64:6-8
All who are born of God are taught of him;
and being taught of God, all who look to Christ alone as Savior and Lord know
and confess that which Isaiah here confesses.
1. The Sinfulness and Utter
Depravity of Our Own Hearts before God - “We are all as
an unclean thing.” This metaphor is taken from the Levitical law of the Old Testament. A
person who was unclean could not go up to the house of God. He was unfit for
worship, unfit to make sacrifices, unfit to be in the company of others.
Everything he touched became unclean. That is our condition by nature. And all
who are taught of God confess it. Believers know that their hearts are evil and
confess it. There is no possibility of salvation apart from the honest acknowledgment
and confession of our sin (I John 1:9).
2. Even Our Righteous Deeds are
Abhorrently Evil - ”All our righteousnesses are
filthy rags.”
Our best thoughts, noblest aspirations, and most holy deeds are, in and of
themselves, on their own merit, nothing but filthy rags, rotting, horribly
smelly, corrupt, discarded mens-trous clothes, no more acceptable to God than
such filthy rags are to us!
3. Our Utter Helplessness and
Spiritual Inability - ”We all do fade as a leaf.” We have no ability whatsoever
to help ourselves. Like the dead leaf hanging on the tree in winter, we are
utterly powerless to make any change in ourselves.
4. Our Utter Alienation from God by
Nature - ”Our iniquities, like the
wind, have taken us away.” By nature we are all far off from God, lost, undone, and incapable of
bringing ourselves back to him (Eph. 2:11-14). And every believer also knows
that he has no power in himself to resist temptation (Rom. 7:14-24).
5. Our Total Inability With Regard
to All Things Spiritual - We cannot even pray.”There is
none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of
thee.” No man by nature can or will call upon the name of God (Rom.
3:9-10). Not even true believers can, by their own strength, stir themselves up
to take hold of God in prayer. True prayer must be put in the heart by God the
Holy Spirit (II Sam. 7:27).
6. The Justice of God in the
Judgment of Our Sin - We take sides with God against
ourselves. We say, “Thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our
iniquities.” We deserve God’s wrath. Therefore we justify him in our own
condemnation (Ps. 51:1-4).
7. “Salvation is of the Lord!” That is the meaning of verse
8. “But now, O Lord, thou art our Father;
we are the clay, and thou our Potter, and we are all the work of thine hand.” God
taught souls understand, believe, and confess that salvation is God’s work
alone (I Cor. 15:10). We are the sons of God by divine adoption (I John 3:1).
We are vessels of mercy by divine predestination (Rom. 8:29-30; 9:11-24). We
are believers, we are new creatures in Christ by divine operations of grace
(Eph. 2:8-10).
Grace Baptist Church of Danville - Grace For
Today Radio Message #649
2734 Old Stanford Road -
Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438
Donald S. Fortner, Pastor -Telephone 606-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net