A Clean House

Have any of you ever lived in a flood plain? I remember after the what those who lived in or around the little town of Foley call "the Great Flood of 93" A hundred year flood of record setting proportions. The majority of the little town was underwater, and afterwards deemed a Flood Plain. This required all new home and land purchases in the area to include flood insurance.

The little Bible Holiness Church in the town had about several inches to a foot of water. Bro. Lorton who was our pastor at the time - went to check it out and pulled up to the porch in a boat.

I remember helping in the refurbishing and repair of the building. It was a wooden structure and if I remember right paneling over drywall. I remember that even though it was a hard time for the church, that for a 12 year old boy it was also an exciting time to come and get to tear the walls down. It was a dirty job but I look back at some good times. Bro. Wayne Rogers came and stayed in a camper next to the church and led in the repair. I got to know him pretty well during this time.

But I remember that even parts of the building that were never touched by the water, were still mildewed and moldy. It had to be tore out and repaired. New insulation, new drywall, new paneling, new carpet, new doors, new lots of things. But even in 2008 when I left and if you get too close to the Praise and Worship hymnals laying around here, there was still a moldy smell in the church that we never could get rid of.

The Leprosy or the Strakes mentioned in this scripture reading this morning was probably something like mold or mildew that I remember seeing and smelling every time I went to church after that.

Now this passage in Leviticus talks about not a physical cleansing but a ceremonial cleansing. I know we are not familiar with this process because this isn't how we do things today, but the law, was a type or shadow of what was to come with Christ.

This is actually a very promising scripture. These laws pertaining to leprosy and what to do with it, were given to Moses and the Children of Israel while they were still on their way to the Promised Land. And yet it refers to stone houses, and cities. They were still living in tents. God was saying - there is coming a day you won't have to live in a tent, but a nice stone house.

But it also spoke of reality, with the new prosperity would come new problems. There would be this problem of leprosy or a different version might say, "mildew, fungus, contaminate, a diseased infection" getting in the houses.

But says God, it is not the end of the world - there is something we can try, something we can do.

You know that just like every once in a while - it seems like every day at our house - we have to clean house. We also sometimes need to clean our spiritual house - But aren't you glad - we aren't left to do it on our own. In fact there is some we cannot do.

Did you catch the rules in this passage -

Confession (35-35) - This is the first step to cleansing - the Bible tells us the heart is desperately wicked and no one can truly know their own heart - it takes the revelation of the Holy Spirit to show us. But it takes our confession and agreement with God about our true self. Clean up 36- They were to empty everything that they had put in there - sometimes there are things we have to do to clean up messes we've made.

The old timers used to call this restitution. Now these do not merit us salvation - but they do serve a multipurpose role in our salvation -

Reveal to us what we can really be like, Serve as a witness to those we straighten up our lives with. Clear our conscience Close Down 37-38- They were commanded to close up the house for seven days. (Our salvation and cleansing does not come from something we have done or do - it is a supernatural work) It finally gets down to us and God and in reality it comes down to God.

After the wait the priest would come back and look at the house - If the leprosy had grown God had a plan. Clearing Out - 39-43 They were to scrap down into the cracks and walls all the way to the foundation take out all of the stones that were contaminated by the leprosy the strakes the abnormal colors and take them to an unclean place and dump them. Even the dust was to be removed

New stones put in and plastered over. I don't know if you see this - but we are promised by one writer in the Bible that God would take out the stony heart and put in a new one a fleshly one. Do you remember when he did that. scraped out all those dark things in your heart, put his light and love in there. The New Testament said we are "NEW CREATURES IN CHRIST JESUS)

(44-47)Now if this didn't work the house was condemned. The Cleansing 48-52 - After the clearing out and new installation the priest would come in and if the leprosy had not come back he would bring with him some special and specific items.

A Cedar stick Some scarlet thread A couple of birds Some Hyssop.

Priest was to kill one of the birds, take the scarlet thread and tie the living bird it to the cedar stick.

They were to take the living bird tied to the cedar stick, dip it in the blood of the bird that will killed go into the house and sprinkle that blood upon the walls of that house. A ceremonial way of cleansing leprosy.

One time God stepped into my heart, took the precious blood of Jesus Christ and sprinkled it upon the leprous walls of my soul. No wonder the songwriter said, "What can wash away my sin - NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS

What is your house like this morning? Is there leprosy a type of sin growing there. Have you ever had Jesus the Great High Priest come look at your heart? I want you to know there is a cleansing - there is something that can be done about it today.