Cleansing Our Leprous Sins

And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. (Luk 5:12-16 KJV)

This man who’s full of leprosy is not so far removed from our culture as we might first think. Though we don’t deal with leprosy in the same way they did in the days that Christ was on earth, we do deal with the leprosy of the soul that’s found in a sinful heart. Much like leprosy, sin may start out as a small spot….but it quickly grows to full measure, controlling every thought of the sinner. And all of us were completely lost sinners, dead in our leprous soul, until Christ touched us.

Sin spreads like leprosy:

Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? (1Co 5:6 KJV)

The leprous man comes to Christ believing that He is able to make him clean. If we are to come to Christ as the fount to wash away our sins, we must believe that He can make us clean. The leprous man had nothing to bring for his own cleansing, his only hope was in Christ. When we come to Christ for salvation we must understand that we bring nothing…it’s all Christ’s work in us and for us.

And what a blessed response to hear from our Lord, “I will: be though clean!” When we come to Christ and trust in Him alone to cleans us of our sins we are assured that He will forgive us. Christ turns none away who come to Him in faith…a faith that trusts completely in the work of Chirst, and a faith that trusts nothing in our own work.

After the leper is healed, he is charged not to tell anyone, but to be a testimony to the priests. But we see this man spreading the news about Christ all the more because of the exceeding joy of his deliverance…and in this he is not rebuked.

When the joy of our salvation is experienced we can’t keep it to ourselves. There’s something about such joy that compels us to proclaim it as loudly as we can from the most public of places.

What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. (Mat 10:27 KJV)

Have you experienced this salvation that comes from putting all your faith in Christ, and on Him alone? If you have then you can be assured that Christ will not leave you nor forsake you…rather, He will finish the work that He started in you.

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Php 1:6 KJV)

If you have not experienced this salvation then I submit this passage to you:

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2Co 5:19-21 KJV)

For those of you who are saved, rekindle the joy of your salvation, and tell others of the joy that rests in you.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (1Pe 3:15 KJV)