“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.” vs25

First, in the anatomy of sin, we are so filthy that God cleanses us. We make no contribution. We have nothing to give. We are spiritually dead, vile, and depraved, and we not done one thing properly. Jer 3:5, “You do all the evil you can.”

When He chastened us, we continued in sin, because we must be corrected by God, taught the lesson, and given repentance [Isa 57:17-18]! If there’s one thing for us to do, then we get it wrong. If it requires one drop of us, then we don’t have it. We’re totally UNABLE to please God. Rom 8:8, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. in the flesh.” Salvation by grace means there’s nothing in us - no worthiness, no ability, and no will power. He had to choose us, or we’d perish. He had to call us irresistibly, or we’d run in the opposite direction. He didn't take our “No,” for an answer. He saved us.

The blood of Christ bought this cleaning: The Son of God died for us to be saved, because our sins are that offensive. Yes, God’s love is in the cross: love to the most hideous beings on earth, people who are no better than their neighbor, slaves of sin, who deserve hell. Yes, wonder of wonders, God has sprinkled clean water on us (His word,) and we are clean. We are forgiven and accepted through Christ!

Secondly, God gives us a new heart, because the old one is depraved! vs26-27

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

The heart I was born with is unable to see the kingdom of God [John 3:3]; it is cursed and like Satan, which is totally incapable of repentance, even though repentance is offered; it is unable to come to Christ; it doesn’t have the spiritual appetite or the understanding; it doesn’t desire the things of God [Rom 3:9-12].

Man has no fear of God. Rom 3:18, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Imagine that: Man living without fear! He challenges God Almighty, daring Him to punish. He mocks Him to His face. He is wrong, but he doesn’t care. It doesn’t matter that there is hell: he blocks it out of mind. He’s going to have sin! He says things like, “My sin is too strong for me,” or, “I don’t think God will forgive,” or, “I don’t believe in God,” so that he can sin for a season. Luke 14:18, “They all alike began to make excuses.” He doesn’t care about the consequences! Oh, how evil is man - dead and depraved. Oh, how He loves sin!

God delivered us from this horrible pit. He gave us a new heart that came from heaven: A heart to understand and feel! Conviction came by the Spirit, and we were taught by God [John 6:45]. It took a miracle, and He did it. Oh, how blessed we are!

Thirdly, after we are cleansed, then we know how filthy we are! vs31

“Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations.”

I go to many churches and start plowing. I see the look on their faces. If they are angry at the mention of sin, then they’ve never heard the gospel. They look up bewildered, like, “I’ve never heard this in my life. I’m a good church member. We just have a good time and go through the routine, sir. We’re here to take our mind off of things. I came to worship, not to know God.”

Oh, but when the sinner knows his sinfulness, his expression changes. There is conviction and submission. You can’t paint sin black enough. The words vile, unclean, and wretched are biblical terms to describe saved people. Paul said he’s the chief of sinners! When cleansed, we abhor ourselves and repent in dust and ashes. Job 42:6, “Therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” We hate self more than any homosexual abortionist. We hate self worst than all.

Do you have this cleansing? If so, then you trust Christ. You never have your own righteousness, and you’re constantly going back to faith [Phil 3:9]. You rest. You don’t trust your own strength. You know the Spirit works by faith in “no condemnation.” You’ve stopped looking in the garbage of self, and you are OUTWARD FOCUSED, because nothing good dwells within. You believe God, because there’s nothing in you. This is a glorious walk with Christ: Perfect acceptance through the blood of the Lamb. Eyes on Christ only.