The Great Whore's Execution

“The Great Whore's Execution” 

REVELATION 17:14-18

THEME: In highly metaphorical language the filthy religious prostitute and her judgment by the Lord Jesus are described. Be assured that God hears the prayers of his persecuted, justice is a divine priority, and martyrs will eventually be vindicated. 

INTRODUCTION: 

John describes the Lamb’s phased and progressive victory over "the beast" and his kingdom. Here the religious system is destroyed; then later the political and economic systems fall also (Rev 18). Afterwards, the Lord Jesus returns to earth; condemns Satan, "the beast" and the false prophet (Rev 19:19-20); and then establishes His kingdom.

Likewise, every age has featured a "Babylon," a rebellious political and economic system that has sought to control people’s minds and destinies. Just as the contrast to the "whore" is the pure bride, so the contrast to "Babylon" is the City of God, the New Jerusalem, the eternal home prepared for the Lamb’s wife (Rev 21:9). Each generation of believers must keep itself pure from the pollution of both the "whore" and "Babylon."

In these two chapters, John prophesies two divine judgments. In Revelation 17 and 18 John revisits that destruction and deals in detail with the fall of Babylon.

MESSAGE:

III. The Great Whore Executed (Rev. 17:14-18)

 The scarlet woman is both a religious system and a city (Rev. 17:18) which will “ride the beast” for a while. However, in the days when John’s prophecy will be fulfilled, an amazing thing will happen: "the harlot" will be made desolate by the very system that carried her!

A.  HER EXCLUSION BY ANTI-CHRIST (Rev. 17:16) 

    1. Finally, when the worship of the Beast is set in place (Rev. 13:4, 14, 15).

    2.  The coalition of kings “these will hate the whore” will resist her choke-hold on their freedom and finances and react with vengeance.

    3.  These kings will destroy the woman but will themselves be destroyed by the Lamb (Rev. 17:14-18). 

QUOTE: “It is important to note that "the beast" carries "the harlot" Satan (and Antichrist) will use the apostate religious system to accomplish his own ends (i.e., attain world power); but then he will do away with "the harlot" and establish his own religious system. And all of this will be the fulfillment of God's Word (Rev 17:17).

Since "the beast" sets up his image in the temple about the middle of the Tribulation, we can assume that "the harlot" and "the beast" work together during those first three-and-a half years. This is corroborated by the fact that the ten kings assist him in desolating "the harlot" (Rev 17:16). These are the same ten kings associated with "the beast" when he sets up the "United States of Europe" during the first half of the Tribulation.”  —W. W. Wiersbe

B.  HER ELIMINATION BY THE BEAST (Rev. 17:16)

Their antagonism to Christ will drive these 10 kings to war against Him but they will be soundly defeated (v. 14) by the Lamb—the Lord of lords and King of kings (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 19:16). They will meet their demise in this battle.

    1.  After using the false religious system to unify the world kingdoms and gain control of all, the Antichrist—with the help of his 10 sub-rulers—will turn against the system, plunder and destroy it, and seize all power and worship for himself.

QUOTE: “Throughout history, political systems have "used" religious bodies to further their political causes. At the same time, church history reveals that religious groups have used politics to achieve their purposes. The marriage of church and state is not a happy one, and has often spawned children that have created serious problems. When dictators are friendly with religion, it is usually a sign that they want to make use of religion's influence and then destroy it. The church of Jesus Christ has been most influential in the world when it has maintained a separated position.

Compare the description of "the harlot's" desolation with that of the death of Jezebel (2 Kings 9:30-37).”     —W. W. Wiersbe

    2.  The vivid picture of evil that the angel showed John -- Beast, kings, Whore -- also displays the destructive nature of selfishness. Past and future kings give their authority and power to the Beast with greedy desire for even greater power. The whore depends (sits on) the Beast. The Beast, the kings, and the whore are allies until the Beast and kings turn on the whore and betray, humiliate, sacrifice, and consume her. Faced with doom, they turn on each other.

    3. Evil proves to be vicious and destructive. It hates everything good that God has made. Evil people may profess values such as loyalty and unity, but in the end, they will destroy their allies to preserve themselves.

    4. Compromises and alliances with evil, to accomplish a "greater good," also prove to be deceptions. Satan uses an effective tactic. He tried it with Jesus himself (Matt 4:1-11) by tempting him to use his power to make a "shortcut" to a good goal. The temptations were real. Jesus could have gained the whole world in a moment, but he would have also abandoned God's plan. Christians face the same kinds of temptations today.

     5.  But "good ends" accomplished by evil means serve Satan, not Christ. Only what we do for Christ and by his power will last.

C.  HER EXECUTION BY GOD.   (Rev. 17:14-15, 17)

 United, they will gather to make war with the Lamb, seeking to prevent Him from setting up His universal messianic kingdom (Rev. 19:19). Armageddon decides their awful fate.

    1.  The Place is Armageddon.

        A.  The kingdom of Antichrist will “make war.”

        B.  A reference to the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:14–16).

        C.  This is where the Lamb will utterly destroy the 10 kings (Rev. 19:17–21).

    2.  The Person is Christ, Jesus the Lord.

“The Lamb,” “Lord of lords and King of kings.” A title for God (Rev. 19:16; 1 Tim. 6:15; Deut. 10:17; Ps. 136:3) that emphasizes His sovereignty over all other rulers to whom He has delegated authority.  The Lamb will overcome and be victorious! 

    3. The People with Him are the Saints of Heaven. (Rev. 17:14)

 The King of kings will bring his chosen ones with him. We will be with Christ then, but we are also with him now. The battle will be won against Satan then, but with Christ in us, we can win the battles against Satan every day.

        A.  If we accept compromise and defeat, we surrender to Satan.

        B.  But if we trust Christ, claim his victory, and live by his power, we can defeat Satan. 

    4.  The Successes of the ‘Whore’ Once Multiplied Globally. (Rev. 17:15)

Rev. 17:1 stated that the woman “sitteth upon many waters.” These “waters” are now interpreted as “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” This indicates that there will be one ecumenical world religious system, embracing all nations and languages.

5. They Will Be Carrying Out God’s Purpose to Condemn Evil (Rev. 17:17).

Gen. 50:20. This is part of God’s sovereign purpose to bring evil leaders into judgment; He has placed it into their hearts to accomplish His purpose by cooperating with the beast to give him their power to rule.

QUOTE: “What do we mean by this expression "the sovereignty of God"? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the godhood of God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that God is God. He is the Most High, doing according to his will, so that none can stay his hand, defeat his counsels, or thwart his purpose.”  —  Arthur W. Pink 

CONCLUSION: 

Finally, note that those who trust the Lord are not influenced by "the whore" or defeated by the kings (Rev 17:14). Once again, John points out that the true believers are the "overcomers.”

Satan's counterfeit religion is subtle, requiring spiritual discernment to recognize. It was Paul's great concern that the local churches he founded not be seduced away from their sincere devotion to Christ (2 Cor 11:14).

In every age, there is the tremendous pressure to conform to "popular religion" and to abandon the fundamentals of the faith. In these last days, we all need to heed the admonitions in 1 Tim 4 and 2 Tim 3 and remain true to our Lord.

If we merely relegate the previous ideas as futuristic or place them geographically in Europe but fail to recognize the source and magnitude of these compromises, then we have missed the entire message the Lord sought to convey to us down through the ages of the Christian Faith. The religious system is a “whore,” who compromises with political systems around the world to serve Satan’s will of securing devotion to himself alone. A whore is not a wife, and she aggressively enters ‘situationships’ with various countries of the world to gain their power and impact in exchange for her control, constraint, and manipulation. These countries are motivated by greed, exploitation, wealth, affluence, power, and control! They will go to extremes to secure or maintain their strength over the masses of humanity. The “whore” will compromise, fornicate, and alley idolatry to keep and maintain her position of influence. She parades herself as useful, enduring, influential, powerful, worthy, and desirable. She can only offer carnal, worldly, temporal, and elevated enticements afforded by the various countries she already influences. Those political systems get what they want with such ‘payments,’ and manipulation is at the heart of the relationship for them. Any religious system presuming to interact with the ‘whore’ and these ‘kingdoms’ must allow the ‘system’ to control their voices and allegiances…not their beliefs or convictions. That religious component cannot say certain things, must toe the line, must stay in their pre-relegated place, and may give mere half-hearted allegiance to Jesus Christ. If certain issues surface occasionally from religious adherents, they are explained away or deem inconsequential by official sanctions, executive procedures, administrative jargon, and approved policies or laws rooted in governmental allegiance! Thus, the political system supports the great whore’s worship and loyalty to the antichrist, Satan. Many ‘Christian movements’ have been seduced into this type of compromise with governments to continue to enjoy certain political benefits, advantages, perks, and bonuses. Most of us are aware of the ‘unholy marriage of the Church and State!’ However, Jesus Christ calls us to worship God alone without any compromise of our beliefs or convictions that are rooted in the Scriptures. The freedom to which Christ calls us may actually look like bondage in the ‘eyes’ of the sophisticated organizations who punishes anyone for their complete loyalty to Jesus Christ. Beloved, it matters now who you pledge your allegiance to. Antichrist or Jesus Christ…Satan or God. There is no room for compromise.

Living by Faith is....

Faith is confidence in the trustworthiness of God. That is, it is deeply rooted in His character and credible statements. It is the conviction that God is honest, what He says is true, and that what He promises will come to pass (Heb. 11:1). Obviously biblical faith must have some revelation from God, some promise of God as its foundation. One cannot believe something until it is first communicated to them (Rom. 10:17). Obviously, then it is not a leap in the dark. It demands the surest evidence in the universe—the Word of God.

In order to appreciate fully what faith is, it is vital to disassociate it from the myths and secular ideas that have eroded its true and rich meaning. Faith is not taking a risk; it is not even a well-informed calculated risk. Faith is not a gut feeling that is followed. Faith is not hoping for the best, hoping that everything will turn out all right. Newell (Hebrews Verse by Verse, pg. 372) says, “Hoping for something is not yet faith!” Faith is not a feeling of optimism. All of these are actually secular ideas or either extra-biblical concepts that have invaded the Christian idea. Faith must always be based on something God communicated or it is not biblical faith. Note again the words of Newell,

Things not seen show there is no consulting the human faculties or “feelings.” The ark is the test of faith. When Noah entered the ark, there was the same conviction of the fact of the coming flood that he had during the years of building the ark. God had spoken! That was all that was before his mind. He never looked at the sky.

Certainly there is a kind of natural faith that relies on nature evidences, but the focus of this writing is on supernatural faith. Living by faith results in supernatural living because one is literally trusting and relying on the Most High God and the supernatural realities He avails through the Cross of Christ.

So, how does Christ and His work fit into the category “of things hoped for” and “things not seen”? Preliminarily, the work of Christ is the primary focus of faith considered in these verses. Two words in Hebrews 11:1, conveys that authentic Bible faith has “substance,” and “evidence.” These words will point believers to what Christ has done for them. They galvanize their convictions about His High Priestly work, and secure God’s approval upon their lives (Heb. 11:1-2).

LIVING BY FAITH IS CONSISTENT WITH BEING SAVED

“The just shall live by faith,” says the writer of Hebrews. The challenges these believers were facing must be faced with confidence in God and what He has communicated. By faith they would be able to get a real grasp on the realities of Christ’s sacrifice, priesthood, New Testament, and the hard things they must face because they continue with Him.  A “just” person is a God-justified person—a believer in Christ. Every believer must settle in their minds that the Christian life can only be realized in its fullness as they “live by faith” (Heb. 10:38). “Faith” as used in verses 38, 39 (“believe,”) 11:1, and verse 3 refers to “conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it” says James Strong (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). This same word appears throughout Hebrews eleven. About living by faith W. Newell said, “not only the first step of faith, but a vital continuing on the path of faith, is set before us as a way of life: not only the obtaining of life, but the manner of life of the true believer….” This is precisely what the writer had been urging these Hebrew Christians to do.

No doubt some were tempted to “draw back” (Heb. 10:38) or shrink away from a bold confession of Christ, but this temptation must be resisted and genuine believers must persevere (Heb. 10:35-36). Such endurance under fire will require faith. God’s favor cannot rest on the believer who denounces his Christian faith—“My soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Heb. 10:38). To draw back unto perdition is to experience physical or moral ruin under the severe chastening of God. The chastening of God can be far worse than anything any human being or organization can bring to bear. Living by faith involves determining to never retreat from or recall one’s profession of faith in Christ. It involves going on with Christ consistently confessing Him and even though the climate and culture are hostile to Christianity. 

LIVING BY FAITH PROVIDES EVIDENCE OF THE UNSEEN

Not every reality is seen, felt, tasted, heard, or placed under a laboratory microscope to be understood. While it is true some things can be scientifically explored, it is equally true that other realities must be grasped by another means—faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” While it would be beneficial to explore this great verse, for now simply consider the phrase, “the evidence of things not seen.” Just because something is not seen does not mean it is not a reality. In Judaism there was an elaborate temple, a human priesthood on earth, the animal sacrifices were real, and all the trappings could be readily seen, but the realities of Christianity and the New Covenant are not visibly obvious. In fact they are not seen by the natural eyes.

The word “substance” literally means “to stand under, to support.” It is the thought of a foundation or basis.  So faith is the foundation supporting the believer’s hope. Faith is to a Christian what a foundation is to a house: it gives confidence and assurance that one will stand. 

The word “evidence” presents the concept of “that by which something is tested or proof” and simply means “conviction.” Thayer commented on its use in this verse defines it as: “that by which invisible things are proved and we are convinced of their reality.” Real faith in the believer’s soul is the proof of the invisible and the persuasion the invisible is absolutely real. The evidence is the inward conviction from God that what He has promised, He will perform. The presence of God-given faith in one’s heart is conviction enough that He will keep His Word.

Now “evidence” is linked to “things note seen” (11:1). We cannot see Christ or His sacrifice, His High Priestly ministry, His Heavenly Tabernacle, or the satisfaction of the Father with Christ’s sacrifice.  But, we have evidence that these are still realities though we cannot currently see them. One simply knows them and understands they are realities because of this knowing in their heart of hearts. Believer’s faith is “the evidence” that these, though invisible, are yet realities—actualities, and factual!

Faith then provides a basic framework for understanding and dealing with Christian reality (Heb. 11:1-3). The first eight verses of Hebrews 11 describe faith and illustrate how faith in God and His Word provides a basic framework for understanding and dealing with reality. This great chapter emphasizes the vision and endurance of faith. Christian faith stands or falls on the truth that the Word of God reveals. Thus Hebrews 11 helps believers realize that it is confidence in the reality of things they cannot see that lies at the root of faith. It is only “by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Heb. 11:3).

Larry Richards observed that much of what Hebrews has communicated about believers’ new lives in Christ is invisible. One cannot presently see High Priest Jesus standing as the link between believers and the Father in heaven. Believers cannot see themselves as God does, holy and cleansed by the one great Sacrifice of Christ. They cannot see they are justified, accepted in Christ, and heir of an eternal inheritance. But when a genuine Christian accept these as fact, and they are convinced of them even though they cannot yet see their full reality revealed, then they are ready to begin to live by faith. Living by faith provides the needed “evidence of things not seen.”

LIVING BY FAITH IS PLEASING TO GOD

This basic truth is rehearsed in verse 11:2, “For by it [faith] the elders obtained a good report.” God approved of the lives of faith of these Old Testament worthies. This is mentioned in verse 11:4, “By faith Abel offered…God testifying of his gift,” and again in verse 5, “By faith Enoch was translated…he had this testimony that he pleased God.” Then notice the phrase in verse 6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him.” These phrases teach that living by faith is pleasing to God, and He bears witness to the faith of the believers listed in this great Bible chapter. Each divine ‘testimony’ is introduced by the words “by faith.” God was most pleased with these individuals who trusted what He communicated to them and boldly acted upon His Word to execute His will. Warren Wiersbe said, “The summary in Hebrews 12:1 calls this list of men and women “so great a cloud of witnesses.” They are witnesses to us because God witnessed to them. In each example cited, God gave witness to that person’s faith.

If God was pleased with the life of faith in the history of the nation of Israel and in the individual lives of the people mentioned in Hebrews 11, then he will be pleased with lives of faith today under the New Covenant. In the context of the book of Hebrews that means taking Christ as the last and greatest communication of God to mankind. It is believing that Jesus Christ is a greater and more faithful Servant than Moses. Faith is knowing Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is greater and better than the angels of God. It is realizing that the priesthood of Christ is far superior to the priesthood of Aaron because it will endure forever in the power of a deathless life. It is believing that the Sacrifice of Christ is the final and satisfactory atonement for all sin forever. It is realizing that Christ did not present the value of His sacrifice at Calvary in a tabernacle on earth, but in the very Heaven itself. God wholly accepted it! He is satisfied!

Rely then on the truth that believers now have real cleansing, thorough forgiveness, an eternal inheritance, and full access to God because of faith in Christ! None of these realities can be seen, but believers know they are real by faith. That means forsaking the old systems of worship under the law and paganism and clinging to the new and living way that enters into the veil to the Heavenly Holy of Holies! The just shall live by faith! 

So then, living by Faith is the highest principle for Christian experience. In doing so, believers are sure to please God, sustain a distinctively Christian confession, secure eternal rewards, and effectively face the hazards of a righteous lifestyle.  Though staggering challenges pervade their lives, confidence in Christ enables them to respond with joyful obedience to still triumph in them all.  Forsaking Christ in fear ceases to be a consideration as they live by faith.  

The Spirit of Burning

This basic convicting and cleansing work of the Spirit in the life of believers can be illustrated by the words of the prophet Isaiah. He said “When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning” (Isaiah 4:4).  Evidently God is quite interested in washing and purging! Isaiah reveals God’s passionate desire to cleanse His people in Jerusalem.

Since this Old Testament passage is not as familiar, it would be helpful to afford some context and consider the primary meaning of this chapter and verse before applying it to Christian experience.  Accordingly, the prophet Isaiah looks beyond the “Day of the Lord” to that time when “the Branch,” Christ’s, kingdom will be established on earth.  In that day Jerusalem and Israel will be marked by holiness. Their sins will be forgiven. They will be saved and inwardly transformed to show forth the holiness of Christ. These will reside there (Isa 4:3) as citizens of the city. 

Isaiah says “the daughters of Zion” (they represent the nation of Israel) will be cleansed “by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning” (Isa. 4:4).  Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (Clarke, 1967, p. 1347) clearly explains this judgment and purging work of God metaphorically as the craft of the refiner:

[Isaiah 4:4] The spirit of burning means the fire of God's wrath, by which he will prove and purify his people; gathering them into his furnace, in order to separate the dross from the silver, the bad from the good. The severity of God's judgments, the fiery trial of his servants, Ezekiel (Ezek 22:18-22) has set forth at large, after his manner, with great boldness of imagery and force of expression. God threatens to gather them into the midst of Jerusalem, as into the furnace; to blow the fire upon them, and to melt them. Malachi, Mal 3:2-3, treats the same subject, and represents the same event, under the like images…. This is an allusion to a chemist purifying metals. He first judges of the state of the ore or adulterated metal. Secondly, he kindles the proper degree of fire, and applies the requisite test; and thus separates the precious from the vile (The Bethany Parallel Commentary on the Old Testament).

This is the work of the Spirit of God! His judgment will be like fire that will burn away the nation’s unwanted filth and sin. God’s new order will not prevail until His Spirit has cleansed and purged the city of its wickedness, carnality, worldliness, and idolatry.  It is the sovereign workings of the Lord that must do this.  No human engineering, efforts, or excellence will be able to achieve this.  God by His Spirit will cleanse the nation (Isa. 4:4; see Zech. 12:10–13:1), revive the fruitfulness of the land, and live with them as He did before (Isa. 4:5–6; Ex. 13:21–22).  The glory of God will be evident in Jerusalem (Mount Zion) providing blessing, security, and peace. Again all of this will be accomplished through the Spirit’s purging fire!  God will produce a holy city to be the capital of the world when Christ reigns. Surely this demonstrates a persistent unrelenting pursuit on the behalf of Jehovah to purify and render his people holy.

The brilliant adaptation in Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (Henry 2000) affords insight into the spiritual implications of this Isaiah passage to the current Christian experience. Note what he said.

By the judgment of God's providence, sinners were destroyed and consumed; but by the Spirit of grace they are reformed and converted. The Spirit herein acts as a Spirit of judgment, enlightening the mind, convincing the conscience; also as a Spirit of burning, quickening and strengthening the affections, and making men zealously affected in a good work. An ardent love to Christ and souls, and zeal against sin, will carry men on with resolution in endeavours to turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Every affliction serves believers as a furnace, to purify them from dross; and the convincing, enlightening, and powerful influences of the Holy Spirit, gradually root out their lusts, and render them holy as He is holy. God will protect his church, and all that belong to it. Gospel truths and ordinances are the glory of the church. Grace in the soul is the glory of it; and those that have it are kept by the power of God. But only those who are weary will seek rest; only those who are convinced that a storm is approaching, will look for shelter. Affected with a deep sense of the Divine displeasure, to which we are exposed by sin, let us at once have recourse to Jesus Christ, and thankfully accept the refuge he affords.

Having recognized the primary interpretation of this passage, and some spiritual implications to modern saints, more specific applications for Christians can now be made. 

First and fundamentally, the spiritual realities of the kingdom age have already begun in the children of God, though not in their entirety (Rom. 8:18-29).  Christians have a foretaste of the glory to come and are spiritual previews, though imperfect, of the reconciliation, righteousness, peace, and fellowship with God that will characterize the kingdom age comprehensively. It is the Spirit of adoption living in the sons of God today who provides the anticipation of worldwide glory for all creation (Rom. 8:14-17).  To draw spiritual implications from this passage in Isaiah is not farfetched at all.  No, not by any stretch of the imagination could it be considered a misapplication.

Secondly, the Spirit of judgment and burning will execute cleansing by convictions, punishments, chastisements, and disciplines.  Today the Spirit of God still judges and condemns sinful behavior and will proceed to chasten wayward believers motivating them to live purer lives.  This is often referred to as conviction by God. Thirdly after such conviction, chastening, and cleansing the glory of the Lord, the character of Christ, will be made evident. This is the Spirit of Grace manifesting Christ in God’s people. Christians can currently enjoy the presence of the Spirit, the production of Christlike fruit, and the blessed peace of the Lord. 

This application is not at all an effort to spiritualize the millennial kingdom predictions or relegate them as unworthy of anticipating.  Not at all, this is simply an application and comparison of these future blessings to the spiritual blessings of Christians today.  Also applying this passage to the Christian experience William Evans (1974, p. 113) in his book The Great Doctrines of the Bible made this observation,

This cleansing is done by the blast of the Spirit’s burning. Here is the searching, illuminating, refining, dross-consuming character of the Spirit. He burns up the dross in our lives….

The “Spirit of Burning” searches the heart, illuminates that which is contrary to Christ, consumes the residual dross in the character, and refines believers for deeper fellowship and service of greater impact and magnitude.  The blessed Holy Spirit actually purifies the Christian’s soul.  Like fire He penetrates the self-assured veneer, probes and pierces the conscious deeply, and He creates aspirations to be right with the Lord and clean.

Often in Scripture fire relates to the process of purification and refinement.  For instance Isaiah 1:25, says “And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin”.  Likewise God endeavors to purge Christians’ attitudes, aspirations, and actions like precious metals to remove impurities and refine them for greater usages—these are chastening and judgment acts of God upon His people (Heb. 12).  Fire is a symbol by which the Holy Spirit’s work in believers’ hearts can be understood.  Taken together the result is spiritually purified hearts by the searching flames of the Spirit of Burning.

The Spirit also purifies the believer by freeing him from the dominance, slavery, and mastery of the carnal fleshly human nature.  Upon the new birth He creates this power and potential in each saint.  But it is through yielding to the Spirit that cleansing can be experienced. Paul conveys this in Galatians 5:16, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Note also Galatians 5:25. Through a faithful “walk in the Spirit” believers realize the blessings of freedom from sinful practices even when sin seems unmovable and extremely stubborn!  Additionally, the Spirit, like fire, will illuminate the faintest sins hiding in the deepest recesses of the soul and purge it so significantly that it no longer tortures believers through their motivations and desires. Then the Spirit of God affords the people of God the power to refuse and deny those base desires satisfaction, expression, and ventilation. This is victorious freedom as one continually walks in the Holy Spirit’s sin-purging fire! This is the purifying role of the Holy Spirit—The Spirit of Burning. Note the following comment from the Bible Knowledge Commentary (Walvoord & Zuck 1985),

The Promise of Victory Over Sin (Gal. 5:16-18). The answer to the abuses described in the previous verse is to live by the Spirit. The phrase literally means to, “keep on walking.” As a believer walks through life he should depend on the indwelling Holy Spirit for guidance and power. But the Spirit does not operate automatically in a believer’s heart. He waits to be depended on. When a Christian does yield to the Spirit’s control, the promise is that he will not in any wise gratify, “complete, fulfill” in outward action) the desires of the sinful nature. Thus, while no believer will ever be entirely free in this life from the evil desires that stem from his fallen human nature, he need not capitulate to them, but may experience victory by the Spirit’s help.

The Spirit of the Lord will ‘burn’—convicting of sin and creating a passionate desire for holiness—to purify the hearts and practices of believers (John 16:8–11).  He will not allow anything to coexist with Him in His temple that is not holy, pure, and righteous.  For that reason, the Holy Spirit convicts believers continually when they sin. They may refuse to yield to His convictions for such a long period that it seems His voice has been reduced to a whisper.  Still He will seek to persuade them of their sin until they face it, confess it, judge it, repent of it, are forgiven for it, and are cleansed of it (1Jn. 1:7-2:2). Our sinfulness is revolting to the Holy Father, and the Spirit of Burning will not allow it to stand unchallenged.

The Lord Jesus identified the heart of man as the center of his spiritual problems.  He taught that corruption, impurity and filth come from the inner motives of the fallen mind and heart (Mark 7:20–23).  No doubt the Holy Spirit targets the heart of the believer with a yearning to cleanse it of all base desires and carnal motives.  The fact is the heart of the matter is the heart!  The Spirit not only wants believers to behave correctly, but He longs for them to also have correct beliefs, values, motivations, and godly desires. The Lord Jesus taught that genuine purification is possible by following Him and giving heed to His message (John 15:3; Ps. 119:9-11).  This is the same as walking in the Spirit (Eph. 5:18-21; Col. 3:16-17).

In light of this each believer should be sensitive to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit in his life.  Christians should respond to Him with a contrite and humble heart. David the Psalmist said that, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Ps. 51:17).  When the Spirit of God identifies something in the Christian’s heart that does not resemble Christ, they must submissively humble themselves before Him recognizing the gravity of their offense to a holy, righteous, and good God.  Remember all sins, big and small, are a vicious assault on the Majesty and Authority of Jehovah God!  Every sin expresses treasonous rebellion and despises God and His Law (Lev. 16:21; 2Sam. 12:9-10).  The Spirit of the Lord presses the enormity of their sin upon their conscious and encourages them to make things right with the Lord immediately.

Recall when King Josiah humbled himself before the Lord, God responded by saying,

But to the king of Judah…Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; ¹⁹ Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord” (2 Kings 22:18-19). 

Josiah’s reaction to this confrontation with his sin and that of the nation is highly instructive for Christians today.  Many are far too tolerant and permissive regarding personal sin. Clearly this attitude is not from God. Believers can become rather insensitive and harden to what violently offends His Majesty. But when the Spirit convinces us of sins we must face, confess, and forsake them (1Cor. 6:9-11; 1Jn. 1:7-2:2; Tit. 2:14). Thank God there is cleansing and purification through the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1John 1:7-9). Only then can we be forgiven of it and restored to the fellowship necessary for the Lord to use us as He desires.

Seeking Wall-To-Wall Forgiveness

Psalm 51:1-19

SUBJECT: FORGIVENESS

THEME: It is vital for us to review the process of receiving complete Forgiveness from God. Everyone of us deals with the reality of sin. Therefore, we all need to understand The Lord Forgives Sins on the condition of confession. Cleansing (Forgiveness) through the Blood of Jesus Christ always follows when we acknowledge our moral failures to God.

RELEVANCE: Far too many people needlessly struggle under the heavy weight of guilt. Even Christians wrestle for months and years with a heavy conscious instead of making things right with God. That sense of responsibility for an offensive or wrongful actions linger in the lives of too many Believers.  Even though society tries to water–down sinfulness and holiness, there remains an acute and painful verdict in the heart of “guilt.” Though people still try to sneak through life while ignoring an absolute sense of right and wrong, there is still a persistent and sharp awareness of having done wrong in the heart of the average person (Lev. 4:3; Ezra 9:6, 13,15).  Terms like sinfulness, guilt complex, remorse, shame, suspicious conduct, guilty feelings, and guilty behavior are all used in our culture to pin down this event that take place in the heart when we have violated God’s view or our own view of right behavior. Clearly Scripture presents us with classic examples of guilt in the Bible such as: Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:7-8), Cain (Gen. 4:8-9), and yes, David (2 Sam. 11; Ps. 51).  In all of these instances the sinner felt they were “under justice,” or answerable to the judgment and condemnation of God.  Not merely accountable to society, or one’s own conscience, but to the Holy One Himself. Thus, we establish the need for the forgiveness and justice of God toward sinful mankind. This article is the second part of my previous post entitled "Securing Wall-To-Wall Forgiveness."

MESSAGE:

I. DAVID'S WALL-TO-WALL CONFESSION.   Psalm 51:1-6  

One thing David did to make things right with the Lord was his refusal to minimize the severity of his actions before God.  David did not say, “Everybody does it,” “What’s the big deal anyway,” or merely “Lord forgive me of my sins.”  No! In absolute honesty he completely confessed to God.

II. DAVID SEEKS WALL-TO-WALL FORGIVENESS.    Psalm 51:7-9.

David had actually been pleading all along for mercy and forgiveness from verses 1 and 2. Here he had already spoken of God blotting, washing and cleansing him. In the verses now before us David is more intense in his request. 

QUOTE:  Martin Luther said, “Two parts constitute true repentance; first that a man recognize sin, then that he recognize what grace is.”

A. “PURGE ME” (Vs. 7) "Purge me with hyssop."

He ask the Lord to remove the defilement of sin.

     1.  David Asked for Reconciliation and Change.

When David spoke of God’s cleansing him with hyssop, he was alluding to the use of hyssop at the religious ceremonies to sprinkle sacrificial blood on the altar. This represented the removal of sin through the shedding of blood.

Hebrews 9:22,  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

With some carefulness we could understand what David was asking the Lord to do when he prayed “purge me.”

           A.  ‘Make My Soul Pure.’

Hyssop is a small bush that is a member of the mint family. It has many hairy stemmed branches that will hold water and other fluids easily.

QUOTE: “Here it conveys the notion of cleansing from sin "by" a sacred rite, or by that which was signified by a sacred rite. The idea was that the sin was to be removed or taken away, so that he might be free from it, or that "that" might be accomplished which was represented by the sprinkling with hyssop, and that the soul might be made pure.”   — (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)

           B.  ‘Use a Powerful Cleanser on Me.’

It was used during the Passover to sprinkle the blood (Ex. 12:22).

QUOTE: “David recognizes that his impurity is of the extremest kind, and needs the remedy which has the greatest purifying power. Legally, this was the hyssop, with its "blood of sprinkling" (Lev 14:6,7); spiritually, it was the blood of Christ, which was thus symbolized.” — (from The Pulpit Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 2001 by Biblesoft)

APPLICATION:  1 John 1:7, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Hebrews 9:14,  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Spiritually there is no more powerful cleanser for the soul of mankind then the blood of Jesus Christ!

           C.   ‘God, You Tell Everyone I’m Restored.’

It was also used in the cleansing and purification of the leper (Lev. 14:1-7).  Basically he viewed sin as a awful disease which required a potent medicine to cure.

QUOTE: “But it is worthy of remark that this ceremony was not performed till the plague of the leprosy had been healed in the leper; (Lev 14:3;) and the ceremony above mentioned was for the purpose of declaring to the people that the man was healed, that he might be restored to his place in society, having been healed of a disease that the finger of God alone could remove. This David seems to have full in view; hence, he requests the Lord to make the sin-offering for him, and to show to the people that he had accepted him, and cleansed him from his sin.”    — (from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Biblesoft)

     2.  David Wanted Sin's Contamination Removed.

The washing had to be done by one that was considered clean under the law. "I shall be clean." David wanted God to deal with sin’s defilement–he could not stand his filth and more.  Sin's defilement was no longer to plague David.

B. "WASH ME." (Vs 7)

The double-dipped sinner now seeks a double cleansing. He had asked to be purged, made clean by the sin being pushed out. Now his desire is to be washed as a fuller who would trample with their feet the soiled garment to bleach it clean.

     1.  He Asked For a Deep Cleansing.

David asked the Lord to give him a thorough deep cleansing.  Much like a person would wash their clothes and not simply like one would wash their skin.

QUOTE: Spurgeon observed, “The hypocrite is content if his garments be washed; but the true suppliant cries, ‘wash me.’”

Our ceaseless prayer should be that the people of God would be stirred to pray for yet another deep cleansing. Consider the Words of this hymn, “Cleanse Me,” as your own prayer.

Search me, O God, and know my heart today; try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray. See if there be some wicked way in me; cleanse me from ev’ry sin and set me free.

I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin; fulfill Thy Word and make me pure within. Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame; grant my desire to magnify Thy name.

Lord, take my life and make it wholly Thine; fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine. Take all my will, my passion, self and pride; I now surrender, Lord—in me abide.

O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee; send a revival—start the work in me. Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need; for blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.

APPLICATION:  Ask God to reveal any attitudes or actions that may be displeasing to Him. Confess each specific one, then claim His cleansing forgiveness and go forth with His joy and power. Use the words of this hymn to guide you— (Leviticus 19:2; Psalm 51:7, 10; 85:6; 139:23, 24; Ephesians 1:4).

     2.  He Asked to be Made Whiter Then Snow.

Isaiah spoke of the scarlet sin becoming white as snow. Here David requested to be washed whiter than snow. Snow is not pure. It may appear to be white and clean clear through, but this is not the case. A two inch snow over the mountains around Lake Tahoe in California also dumps several hundred tons of impurities back to the earth.

APPLICATION: Again the unfailing cure for the disease of sin is the blood of Jesus Christ (1Jn. 1:7,9).  When one is saved, he is washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, and the stain of sin on the soul of man is removed. However, man still lives in the sin-stained body. That second dipping covered him completely. The old nature will still rear up if it is allowed to do so (Rom. 7:14-20). David desired a cleansing that went deeper than the snow. He wanted his garments spotless (Jude 23).

C. "MAKE ME TO HEAR."  (Vs. 8)

David asked that the Lord would make him to experience the joy and gladness that comes with receiving God’s forgiveness. 

     1.  Broken Fellowship.

How quickly sin turns the deaf ear, both of man and of God.

Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: ²But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Psalm 66:18,  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

     2.  Restored Fellowship:   

It was this fear of the broken fellowship, the lost joy and gladness that brought the aching bones of sin to seek forgiveness. David is beseeching the Lord to mend his broken life.

Matt 5:4,  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

     3.  Great Shame:  

David viewed his sins as being so hideous that he asked God to hide His face.   “Hide Thy face from my sins,”. . . .(vs 9).  David was ashamed that God had to behold such disgrace and shame. In great boldness David turned to the grace and mercy of the Lord and asked that his iniquities be blotted out. Can this be done? Can it be smoothed out?

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

David secured Wall-to-Wall Forgiveness because he Fully Sought Forgiveness from God.

The Convicting Comforter!

The Spirit of God, also known as the Comforter and the Holy Spirit, is indispensable to the conversion of the unsaved and the ministry of evangelism. His work in the human heart, upon hearing the Gospel, is so crucial there can be no imparting of new life without it. This is not merely my opinion; the Lord Jesus was roundly convinced of this spiritual reality. In John 16:7-11, our Savior gave this richly informative declaration,

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. ⁸ And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ Of sin, because they believe not on me; ¹⁰ Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; ¹¹ Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged (KJV).

Our Lord Jesus was highlighting the basic convicting/persuading ministry of the Comforter which is vital to the Christian conversion experience. The Spirit’s work in the soul of the unbelievers must precede a genuine new birth. Jesus knew His departure was “expedient” for his disciples and every subsequent Christian witness. The Comforter would replace Him and represent Him in the world after the Lord Jesus returned to Heaven. As His disciples proclaim the gospel throughout the world, Jesus wanted His followers to know the convicting ministry of the Spirit would be at work in concert with them. This was great assurance that the evangelism efforts would be effective and fruitful to the glory of God and the salvation of man. Regarding this crucial endeavor, Christ specified a three-prong conviction strategy of the Holy Spirit during this age of God’s divine economy. It involves sin, righteousness, judgment and their central connection to Jesus Christ the Savior.

SIN

First, the Lord Jesus taught the Spirit would “reprove the world of sin.” From the outset it is important to recognize the fundamental nature of this reproof.  This is conviction as the Holy Spirit persuades the sinner of sin and condemnation before a righteous God. Then he convincingly points the unbeliever to Christ as the only viable solution to man’s sin problem. The active Agent of conviction is obviously the Holy Spirit Himself who is referred to as the “Comforter” by the Lord Jesus (Jn. 16:7). Thus, the Spirit helps the sinner perceive their existing guilt before God and the only remedy to this damning predicament.

What exactly is this convicting work?  Well, to “reprove the world” means to confute, and admonish: convict, convince, tell a fault, or even rebuke.  The idea is to overwhelm with arguments for the purpose of persuading: to refute conclusively by proving wrong with evidence and argument. The Holy Spirit in a sense takes the sinner to “court” and causes him to recognize his sinful nature/condition and the eternal consequences of his fallen state. The convicting work of the Spirit places the truth of the gospel in a clear light before the unsaved person’s conscience so that he acknowledges it as truth whether or not he receives Christ as personal Savior. Conviction then is making the message transparently clear, not the saving of the soul—that’s regeneration.  The Spirit uses the gospel to reveal the “world’s” fault, and overwhelms the conscience with personal responsibility for unbelief and rejection of Christ—like a highly skilled prosecuting attorney the Spirit seeks a “conviction.” In other words, the witnessing Christian who testifies about the saving grace of God must utterly depend on the Spirit to even make that testimony understood clearly. A. T. Robertson (1960, p. 267) astutely observed in Word Pictures in the New Testament, “Without this conviction by the Paraclete such men actually have a pride of intellectual superiority in refusing to believe on Jesus.” Simply put, if there is not conviction in the soul of the sinner by the Holy Spirit, there cannot be a spiritual conversion! None whatsoever, not even a hint.

What truth is it that the Holy Spirit makes clear during conviction? According to the Lord Jesus, it is the truth about “sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8).  First the proof that men are in a state of sin is “they believe not on me” (John 16:9), said the Lord Jesus. Pfeiffer and Harrison (1962, p. 1109) accurately said in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, “The sin of the world came to sharp focus in the rejection of Jesus when there should have been acceptance of Him, the Spirit makes this the important issue.” Jamieson, Fausset and Brown (1983, p. 641) in The Bethany Parallel Commentary on the New Testaments echoed this very same idea stating,

As all sin has its root in unbelief, so the most aggravated form of unbelief is the rejection of Christ. The Spirit, however, in fastening this truth upon the conscience, does not extinguish, but, on the contrary, does consummate and intensify, the sense of all other sins.

The rejection of Jesus Christ—unbelief—is the chief sin of condemnation for “the world” of sinners without Christ. Does this not signal how serious unbelief is from God’s perspective?

RIGHTEOUSNESS

Secondly, the “righteousness” (Jn. 16:10) of Christ is proven because of His resurrection from the dead and ascension to the Father (John 16:10). This is important because the Jewish nation rejected the Lord Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. The religious leaders thought Christ an impostor and fraud as they sought the means to kill Him. In spite of the overwhelming evidence the Lord Jesus presented through His words and works, His nation refused Him believing Him to be an offender of their Law. They questioned His authenticity, nativity, and rejected His honest claims. They did not view Christ Jesus as righteous!

In contrast, the Father in Heaven obviously sees Jesus differently! He raised Him from the dead after His crucifixion, and upon Christ ascension, the Father gladly received Him into Heaven. Not only did the Father receive Him, but He honored and exalted Jesus Christ at His very right hand of power and authority. Jesus is not only righteous, He is God! These actions of God the Father fully venerated all the teachings, claims, actions, miracles, and lifestyle of the Lord Jesus Christ.  There is no fault in Him that He should be rejected as Savior and Lord.  No, Jesus is the spotless Lamb of God!  Charles Ryrie (1995) in A Survey of Bible Doctrine said, “All of His righteous claims were fully vindicated when He returned to heaven.” Pfeiffer and Harrison (1962, p. 1109) in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary concurs saying, “The Father is the true judge of righteousness. His readiness to receive the Son back into glory is the proof that he found in him no deficiency (Rom 1:4; 4:25; I Tim 3:16).”  The verdict of God concerning the Lord Jesus’ righteousness is transparently clear—He is consummately righteous! The Spirit will seek to bring the unbeliever to this same conclusion.

JUDGMENT

Thirdly, the proof of “judgment to come” is based on the past judgment of the prince of this world—Satan (John 16:11). God judged and condemned Satan through Christ’s cross and resurrection (Col. 2:15; 1Jn. 3:8).Once again The Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Pfeiffer and Harrison 1962, p. 1109, 1110) states precisely the intent of this passage.

When those who crucified Jesus saw that God did not interfere, they imagined that the judgment of God was being pronounced on him. Actually, another was being judged there, even Satan, the prince of this world. Satan rules by means of sin and death. Christ’s triumph over sin at the cross and over death at the Resurrection heralded the fact that Satan had been judged. The execution of final judgment is only a matter of time.

In his book, A Survey of Bible Doctrine, Ryrie (1995) explained, “In other words, if Satan, Christ’s archenemy, has been judged (John 12:31), what chance can any man hope to have of escaping judgment if he refuses the grace of God?” The blessed Spirit of the Living God takes “the world” to court and presents convincing evidence proving that it is guilty before God on three counts: (a) their unwillingness to believe on Christ as Savior, which reveals their unsaved condition and the magnitude of their sin; (b) their failure to accept the Lord Jesus as the absolute perfect standard of righteousness in spite of His resurrection and glorious ascension to the Father.  Undoubtedly, the Father’s obvious acceptance of Christ fully vindicated His inherent righteousness; (c) their refusal to accept liability for their impending judgment, which is as surely attested as the North Pole is cold! It is certain because Satan, the god of this world, stands judged before God already. So, the Spirit of God convicts the sinner of the awfulness of unbelief and rejection of Jesus Christ, He shows that Christ is obviously righteous and no sinner measures up, and He persuades the sinner of the certainty of pending judgment for sin.  These are the basic truths the Spirit seeks to make expressly clear in the mind and conscience of the sinner under conviction.

The believer’s responsibility is to be a “witness!”  Our aim is to testify to what we have experienced and know of Christ the Savior.  While it is our responsibility to convince, encourage, and even plead with the sinner, it still remains the ministry of the Spirit to convict and then convert.

RESULTS

Why is the Spirit’s ministry of conviction necessity?  Conviction could lead to conversion—genuine repentance from sin and faith in Christ (Acts 20:21).  There can be absolutely no conversion to Christ without the Spirit’s conviction. The awareness of wrong in the heart develops an eagerness to make things right with God. The Spirit creates a yearning for something different then continuous domination by sin. The Corinthian Christians thoroughly repented after Paul rebuked them for their sin and they evidenced these same motives and desires (2 Corinthians 7:10–13).  Their contrition serves as a brilliant example of this.  Also conviction can result in a willingness and readiness to accept God’s salvation and answers as illustrated on the Day of Pentecost by the Jews who repented and believed the Word (Acts 2:37–38).  They eagerly submitted themselves to God’s plan and came to Him on His terms; they did not propose or craft their own means or terms of reconciliation.  Clearly the mighty Spirit of God must work in the sinner’s heart to bring about this condition in the soul and to enable sinners to arrive at this same place today. Yes, it is true. The Comforter actually makes it quite uncomfortable in the conscience until the sinner trusts the Lord Jesus as Savior and Lord. He remains indispensable to conversion and the work of evangelism.