You Shall Be Clean
A Sermon on Ezekiel 36:25
Originally preached May 20, 1956
Scripture
25¶ 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.
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Ezekiel 36:25 titled “Ye Shall Be Clean,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells listeners that all humans are born into slavery to sin. The first reality that sinners must come to in order for them to be saved by God is their sinfulness. Sinners stand dirty before God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches the good news of the gospel; that all who come to Jesus Christ and repent shall indeed be cleansed by His holy blood. Since God is light and there is no darkness at all in Him, sinners must be first cleansed before entering Heaven. The wonderful news is that Christ washes His people clean as soon as they turn to Him and repent. The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world specifically to atone for sins. He did not only teach or provide an example, though He did do these things. He came to be the propitiation for the sins of the world. Dr. Lloyd-Jones exhorts that the only way that a sinner can enter Heaven is through the eternal blood of Christ, which is sufficient to atone for all sins.
Sermon Breakdown
- The first question we must face is our sinfulness and guilt before God. We cannot have a right relationship with God until this is dealt with.
- God is light and in him there is no darkness. He is holy and righteous. How can sinful men approach such a God?
- The wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. God hates sin and must punish it.
- We are like the prodigal son, away from home and in need of deliverance. We are born slaves to sin and cannot free ourselves.
- The message of salvation is that God will bring us back to the place of blessing. But first, we must be cleansed.
- The first essential thing is to be cleansed from our filthiness and idols. We must be washed and made clean.
- We cannot cleanse ourselves. Our efforts are inadequate. Only God can cleanse us.
- God cleanses us by sprinkling us with the blood of Christ, the "clean water." Christ's blood alone can remove the stain of sin.
- Christ came into the world specifically to deal with our sin. He did not just come to teach or set an example. He came to taste death for every man.
- Christ rendered perfect obedience to the law of God in our place. But he also took our sins upon himself and bore their punishment.
- On the cross, God laid on Christ the iniquity of us all. He was punished for our sins so that we could be healed.
- Christ's sacrifice is sufficient to cleanse us from all our sin and unrighteousness. God remembers our sins no more.
- We can enter into fellowship with God through the blood of Jesus. We can come with boldness and assurance, with our hearts sprinkled clean.
- Do we come to God in prayer with boldness and full assurance of faith? We can because Christ's blood has dealt with our sins.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Spiritual Cleansing: Questions and Answers
What is the main message of Ezekiel 36:25 according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Ezekiel 36:25 contains the first essential step in salvation, which is spiritual cleansing from sin. He emphasizes that before God can bring us into fellowship with Him, we must first be cleansed from our filthiness and idols. The verse presents God's promise: "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." This cleansing is the preliminary step before all other blessings can follow.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the relationship between the Old Testament and the Gospel?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the Old Testament is "full of the gospel" as it "foretells it" and "foreshadows it." He sees the gospel message clearly presented in Ezekiel 36, though in the form of a prophetic message to Israel in Babylonian captivity. He emphasizes that God's message to humanity has always been the same throughout history because human nature and sin remain unchanged. The Old Testament uses types and shadows (like ceremonial cleansing with water) that point to the fuller revelation of the gospel in Christ.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say that sin must be dealt with before any other blessing?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones insists that sin must be dealt with first because God's holy character makes it impossible for sinful humans to have fellowship with Him without cleansing. He states, "a right relationship to God is impossible until the question of our sinfulness has been dealt with and has been solved." God is described as "light" in whom "is no darkness at all" and as "a consuming fire." Our guilt and filthiness create a barrier that must be removed before we can experience God's blessings or guidance.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain our inability to cleanse ourselves from sin?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that we cannot cleanse ourselves from sin because we cannot undo what we have done or erase the stain of sin from our lives. He references Psalm 51 where David cries, "Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin," recognizing his own inability to self-cleanse. Lloyd-Jones quotes a hymn: "Not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law's demands; could my tears forever flow, could my zeal no respite know, all for sin could not atone; Thou must save and Thou alone." Our sin problem requires divine intervention.
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, how does God cleanse us from sin?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that God cleanses us through the blood of Jesus Christ. He explains that Christ came into the world specifically to deal with our sin problem by: 1) Living a perfect life that satisfied God's law; 2) Identifying himself with our guilt; 3) Taking our sins upon himself at the cross; and 4) Being punished in our place. The sprinkling of "clean water" in Ezekiel foreshadows the cleansing power of Christ's blood, which alone can remove the stain of sin completely, as "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the sufficiency of Christ's cleansing?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes the complete sufficiency of Christ's cleansing, highlighting that God says "from ALL your filthiness and from ALL your idols will I cleanse you." He quotes Hebrews where God says, "their sins and iniquities will I remember no more," and says God "has cast them into the sea of his forgetfulness." He references 1 Corinthians 6 where Paul lists terrible sins but declares "such were some of you: but ye are washed." Lloyd-Jones insists there is no sin so terrible that the blood of Christ cannot cleanse it entirely.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the proper approach to God after being cleansed?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that after being cleansed by Christ's blood, we can approach God "with boldness" and "in full assurance of faith." This doesn't mean ignoring our sins but rather facing and confessing them while trusting in Christ's perfect work. We come to God not based on our own righteousness but solely on the merit of Christ's sacrifice. This gives us confidence to enter God's presence not as strangers but as forgiven children whom He delights to receive.
Old Testament
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.