“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but, on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Matthew 23:27-28
Whitewashing is something done on the surface to enhance appearance. Jesus told the Pharisees that they were like the whitewashed tombs; they had a beautiful outward appearance but were dead on the inside. How many Christians today are covering up our sins by trying to improve our appearance to the congregation rather than repenting of our sins and being cleansed from the inside out.
Jesus knows our hearts; the man looks on the outside but God looks on the inside. Whitewash will never hold up against the storms of life. You might have seen whitewash during a good rainstorm? It begins to run and wash away. It can’t hold up to the storms. If we are whitewashed Christian our faith will never hold up to the storms of life. If we have been washed white by the blood of Jesus, we can handle any storm life throws at us.
The blood of Jesus cleanses us from the inside out. Old things pass away. 2Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things become new.” Galatians 2:20 says, “ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Jesus can calm our fears and help us through the storms of life. 1Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” and 1Pe:5:7 says Casting all your care upon him; for He cares for you. Are we washed in the blood? Remember the old hymn? Have we been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are we washed in the blood of the lamb? Are we fully trusting in His grace this hour, so be washed in the blood of the lamb. Are we a new creature or have we just been whitewashing our old selves? Are we fully trusting in His grace?
There are thousands of books written on the deeper life. If we really want a deeper Christian life, we must start trusting Jesus and relying on the Holy Spirit to lead in our lives. Joh:14:16 says “ And I will pray to the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever”
John 14:26 says, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” If we let the Holy Spirit lead in our lives we won’t need any whitewash in our Christian life. Are we ready to let the Holy Spirit bring revival to our lives? Revival starts in each one of our hearts. We will never experience revival in our church and in our community if we’re relying on outward appearance instead of inward repentance.
Question to Ponder:
Am I washed in the blood of Christ?
Have a blessed week that you would let the Holy Spirit to lead your life!
