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.
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.