Clean Outside, Dirty Inside

This exhortation came to me one morning last week as I was driving. 

My vehicle was very dirty on the outside and the inside. But I’ve been hesitating to clean it because it has to go into the body shop to fix the bumper that got damaged when a vehicle slammed into my back in December.

When the vehicle goes to the body shop they normally give you back cleaned. Since the new bumper is ordered and on its way, I’m driving around a very dirty car.

That doesn’t really sit too well with me and so I thought about just cleaning the outside and leaving the inside dirty. Because after all, I would feel better walking towards a clean looking car, and people will see the outside clean and assume the inside is clean as well.

And guess what? That sparked a spiritual revelation. And not a moment too soon as my daughter decided to give the jeep a wash down yesterday!

But the exhortation is still valid, so here goes.

You know some Christian people they’re looking all nice and dandy on the outside, always well dressed always smelling nice, always talking right, always the first to enter the church doors, always the first to lend a helping hand to others.

But if we were to delve into their personal lives, if we were to explore whether they have a close relationship with Jesus Christ or not, they would come up so very short, in more ways than we can imagine.

Now, this is not a condemnation, because each and every one of us needs to come up higher in Christ.

Scripture encourages us to have a longing for a closer connection with God. Psalms 42:1 NKJV ”As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.“

Philippians 3:14 emphasises the need for all of us to grow spiritually and strive for a higher calling in Christ. ”I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.“

And James encourages us to seek a deeper relationship with God. James 4:8 - ”Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.“

But unfortunately, in the Body of Christ, there are some Christians who think God sent them for everybody else except themselves because they’re already inside heaven’s gates. And even though they know they have a few areas secretly that they need to work on, they figure they can continue to wave the perfection flag and do that privately with God. 

But how many of us know that God will allow someone who we see as one who has it all going on to fall hard in public, so that the world can see that every one of us must equally hold up the blood stained banner of Christ. 

God is a loving Parent, but sometimes, He allows us to face some serious challenges when we don’t listen to and obey His Voice. Proverbs 3:12 states, ”For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.“

We find, don’t we, that we learn the hard way when we buck up into a brick wall. We say hindsight is 20/20. We say if we only knew. We say experience is the greatest teacher…etc etc.

Family, each of us, from Bishop to Pastor to Evangelist to Elder to Deacon to church member or non church member, is called to proclaim and stand firm in Jesus Christ as the Only Way to truth and life. We cannot leave our lives up to chance. We cannot depend on our own selves to get through the challenges of this world that come from even within our own family and friend circles.

1 Corinthians 1:18 tells us ”For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.“

But as the enemy will have it, some people portray this persona that shows them as perfect little Christians, while going around highlighting faults in every other person.

And many people would see these quote unquote Christians as clean, holy, on their way to heaven, because they can only observe from the outside. 

But many don’t see the inside of these seemingly perfect people. We don’t see their hearts and how they love to gossip, lie, cheat, steal; we don’t see that behind closed doors they create confusion in their homes, workplaces, churches or ministries; we don’t see that they are portraying or reflecting or casting their own weaknesses on others.

Isn’t this just like that account in the Bible? 

Let’s go to it and hear what Jesus says.

In the book of Matthew 23:23-28, we read ”“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.“

This passage highlights the importance of inner purity and righteousness. As we are clean on the outside, we must be clean on the inside. Outward appearances will only fool some people, but it certainly won’t fool the One that really matters - God.

Job 34:21-22 reminds us ”“For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He sees all his steps. There is no darkness nor shadow of death Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.“

Galatians 6:7-8 ”Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.“

Family, our actions have consequences, and hide or pretend as much as you want, God sees and knows. You may try and even succeed in fooling your spouse, but God sees you. And He is the Righteous Judge.

Psalm 7:11 declares, "God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day." 

Are our actions making a mockery of our God?

Are we portraying a false image of who a Christian must be and when put through the fire we quickly explode, we get angry, we curse, we send the Holy Spirit on vacation? 

Are we appearing clean on the outside but we are really dirty on the inside?

Family, if it is one thing I am learning, if it is one thing I have learnt over the years, is not to be fake. 

As believers, we must develop a genuine spirit, rather than merely presenting a front for people to think we are all nice and close to perfection. There’s a lot to be said about being sincere and real when it comes to living for Jesus.

You may know somebody, or you may present as such a person. It cannot be a popularity contest to gain likes. I know someone who I was very close with for over 10 years,  always very happy, in public, always had a good word, literally the life of the party. But when things didn’t go their way in their circle, the confusion, the manipulation, the abuse! Clean on the outside, dirty on the inside. 

And the funny thing about it is that these people would have someone who confronts them look like the villain, the bad person. And those who they’ve fooled will be swept into that web of deception. 

Family, if we are pretending to be clean on the outside and we know our lives are dirty on the inside, may the Holy Spirit convict us. 

May we allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse us thoroughly from the outside in and from the inside out. May we say like David today Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Family, there must be a change in us for the better, as we await the soon coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Let that change start with me Lord, let it start with me.

aub - 19 February 2024

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