Lesson 7 The Cross Cleanses Us
Questions 2 and 3
I hope and pray that God is changing your heart as you seek Him.
So, how do we go from being lured by Satan with the sparkling glass of alcohol or the relief of drugs and cigarettes to hating substance abuse so much that we are willing to put it to death?
Seeking the Lord for Change
We must seek the Lord for this change. We can see this principle illustrated in King David's life, whose sins of immorality and murder were mentioned in a previous lesson. Notice how many different ways David cried out for cleansing:
"Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin."
Psalm 51:2
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow."
Psalm 51:7
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10
Maybe you would like to stop right now and read the above verses as a prayer to the Lord.
David knew his heart was dirty when pursuing impurity with another man's wife, and he needed it to be washed clean.
Just as we might launder our clothes after getting them dirty, so too our hearts and minds must be washed clean from the sin stains of substance abuse.
Possibly you want to be washed like this, cleansed from the inside out. Well, there is a way! And when this washing happens the whole world changes for us!
Good news! This washing is precisely what the cross of Jesus Christ does! It's a washing machine of the soul, soap for the heart used to wash us and make us clean. It is needed to remove guilt, cleanse our defiled conscience, and remove all the spots and stains that sin leaves in our souls.
The Cleansing of the Cross
Let's notice a passage where we find this to be true:
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."
Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV
Question 2. According to Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV, what is the evidence of Christ’s love for you?
Log in / create an account to enroll or continue where you left off.
This passage of Scripture tells us that Jesus Christ loved the church (and each member in her), the evidence of which is that He gave Himself up for her.
If you look at Jesus hanging on the cross right now, what you see is selfless love poured out to undeserving people, a love that has pursued you and me, God’s enemies, clear to death and back, a love that would rather hang on a tree than live in heaven without you. Just think of it! Jesus purposefully chose to suffer and die as the expression of His love for you. Now that’s love!
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”
1 John 3:16a NIV
Question 3. According to Ephesians 5:26 NIV, what is the stated purpose that Jesus gave Himself for us? Please fill in the blanks: Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, her by the with water through the word.
Log in / create an account to enroll or continue where you left off.