Amazing Cleanup

Thursday, January 30, 2003

My sister-in-law used to be involved with insurance claims. And it wasn't uncommon for her to have clients who had major messes to clean up. Imagine the damage that flood waters can do to a home, or a major fire, or even frozen pipes that burst in the winter. That's when they called on a major company that is known for their specialty - they come in and clean those grossly-soaked carpet, they restore that damaged furniture and those smoke-saturated drapes. They are known for being the ones who can clean up a mess that folks could never clean themselves.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Amazing Cleanup."

When you have too much to clean up, it's great to know there's someone you can call to remove and restore what you never could. Well, for twenty centuries now, men and women have been calling on Jesus Christ for that reason - and found, sometimes much to their surprise, that He is actually drawn to people who know how much they need Him.

Maybe as you look back over the last few months, maybe even over the years, you see messes you've made that seem so impossible to clean up. There are people we've hurt, things we've done we never thought we'd do, shameful memories, things that have us hooked, things we've hidden and hope no one ever finds out ... so many mistakes, so many sins, so many regrets, so many messes. Like a homeowner feeling helpless in the midst of a disaster-ravaged house, we stand overwhelmed sometimes with the guilt, the shame, the dirty, unworthy feelings inside.

We are in desperate need of someone who can clean up the messes of a lifetime, and that's what Jesus specializes in. It is, in fact, the reason He went to a cross and allowed men He had created to crucify the Son of God. He went there to pay for every sin any of us has ever committed - from the lies to the immorality, to the abuse, to the selfishness, and even the most heinous of human sins. He didn't miss any sin when He took on Himself all the guilt, all the shame, and all the hell for every act of rebellion against God.

No matter how guilty, how dirty, how unforgivable you feel, Jesus stands ready to wash it all away. In Hebrews 10:10, our word for today from the Word of God, we're told, "We have been made holy (that means totally clean before God!) through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." That's one death for all sins! Jesus is drawn to those who know they're sinners - His enemies called Him the "friend of sinners." Jesus only resists those who are too proud, too religious to see how much they need what He did on the cross for them.

For you, this could be the day Jesus moves into every sin-mess of your life with His total forgiving and His power to restore what no man can restore. You woke up this morning dirty inside - you can go to sleep tonight totally clean for the first time in your life. But you have to reach out to the Great Forgiver with total trust that He'll be your personal Savior from your personal sin. The promise of God is that "everyone who believes in (Jesus) receives forgiveness of sins through His name." (Acts 10:43) That could be you - today.

If you've never told Jesus that you're putting all your faith in Him to do what He died to do - to forgive you and change you - you can tell Him that right now, right where you are. And if you want to begin your life-changing relationship with Jesus, I want to send you my booklet, "Yours For Life" - it's all about beginning this relationship. Just let me know you want it.

Today can be what you may have thought impossible - this can be your new beginning.