“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6). You mean the best our own self righteousness can ever get is like a filthy rag in God’s eyes? Yes, that is what the Bible says, and that is not talking about a regular rag, what that scripture is talking about is a filthy mensterous rag! If you are depending or trusting in your own righteousness, then you are trusting in the worst rag possible.
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6).
“Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!” (Psalm 113:5-6).
“Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.”(Job 15:15).
However, you can never be to bad for Jesus, only too good, by thinking that you are really righteous and holy, and you can make it by yourself and you don’t need Jesus. “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37).
“And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:31-32).
If you think that someday your going to perfect yourself to become some kind of a sinless saint before you can start preaching the Gospel, you might as well forget it, because that day is never coming. Some of the greatest people that God used in the Bible, were big sinners. Some of the biggest regrets of people in Heaven are those who did not preach the Gospel because the devil tricked them into thinking that they were not good enough to preach the Gospel.
Our only hope is in the Blood of Jesus Christ. Nothing in my hands I bring only to thy cross I cling.
The sins of the flesh are almost nothing, compared to the sins of the Spirit, such as self righteousness and lack of love, mercy, and forgiveness.
“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27).
The reason God allowed us to be this way, ever since Adam & Eve, is to show us we need Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son. So if you think after reading this message parts 1 and 2 that you can make it to Heaven by your own good works and self righteousness then you should read this message again very slowly. Heaven is full of a bunch of saved sinners, saved only by God’s grace for the people who asked Jesus Christ into their hearts and realized that they couldn’t get there by themselves and needed Jesus and his Grace, and Love, and Mercy. “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” (Psalm 130:3). “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”(Romans 3:23). “For innumerable evils have compassed me about:
mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head therefore my heart faileth me.” (Psalm 40:12). “for he knew what was in man.” (John 2:25b). “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay,
and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” (Psalm 40:1-2).
Say this prayer if you want to be saved: Jesus, I want to know you, and to live forever in Heaven, I know I have made mistakes and done bad things- and I am sorry. Please forgive me. I know I don’t deserve it, but I accept your love and I accept you as my Saviour. I believed you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. Please come into my heart and life and fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me peace. Amen.