cleansing – Matty (Headwind)

August 30, 2021

Removing the Curse

August 30

And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
(Genesis 8:20-21) KJV

Noah’s flood pictures the cleansing that we receive symbolically in baptism. The Earth was baptized and regenerated. Harmful pollutants which had been accumulating since the fall of man were washed into the oceans.

January 11, 2021

Purging and Cleansing

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
(Hebrews 1:3) ESV

The Son of God, through whom all things were made, not only made creation possible but his ongoing role throughout history has been to purge it of all impurity and corruption.

August 30, 2020August 30, 2021

Why are the Oceans Salty?

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
(Titus 3:5) KJV

An interesting question that scientists used to ponder but now generally ignore was, “Why are the oceans salty?“

August 30, 2020August 30, 2021

Create, purge: בֹּרִית – barar

I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
(Ezekiel 20:38) NKJV

Purging ties in with the broad narrative of scripture of refining and purification, the agent of which is the Lord Jesus Christ. Here’s the meaning of the Hebrew root from which their word for soap is derived.

August 30, 2020February 14, 2022

Baptism, Cleansing and Regeneration

Joyful boy being baptized at Redemption Hill Church

And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
(Genesis 8:21) NKJV

God renewed the ground so that it would bear fruit again. The promise that God made to Noah. Noah’s flood washed away the salts and toxic compounds that had accumulated. Earth was baptized.

August 23, 2020September 9, 2021

Wash Your Clothes

And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.
And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.
And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
(Exodus 19:10-11, 14, 17) KJV

Possibly the best advice which is the most sustainable and will avoid falling into the trap of trying to out do the Jones is this: wear clean clothes. The state of our heart is what counts, and only God can see that.

August 23, 2020August 23, 2020

Holy and Profane

Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
(Ezekiel 22:26) NKJV

Holy and unholy (profane) are synonyms for clean and unclean. They’re part of how the Bible describes spiritual condition. We’re either alive or dead, spiritual or carnal, giving or receiving, holy or unholy, clean or unclean.

June 18, 2020June 19, 2020

Prepare Your Heart

I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
(Jeremiah 17:10) NKJV

Preparing our hearts doesn’t involve special diets or exercise, it comes down to taking two simple steps: believing in Jesus Christ, and confessing our sins. The sanctification we receive from faith in Jesus makes us a holy vessel in which the Holy Spirit takes up residence. We’re indwelt by the Spirit of God.

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020

February 20th

Tried Like Silver

For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
( Psalms 66:10 ) KJV

Gravity is the force by which creation is being purified. It lets us reconcile physics, chemistry and biology with the broad narrative of scripture and the concepts of sanctification, refinement and cleansing.

In the Beginning

In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. From the very beginning the Word was with God.
(John 1:1-2) Good News Translation

The deep existed in the beginning, before God began to create the universe as we know it. This means that creation isn’t Ex nihilo, it’s Ex abyssi. It’s obvious but everyone else missed it completely.