Using verses 13-33 from the 3rd chapter of 1 Peter as the Scripture, this was first given at the Lynnville (IL) UMC on May 1, 2005, and again at the Hartford East Maple Street Chapel ((The former ‘Church of Christ’ that I grew-up in…) on February 24, 2008…

       I learned very early on the joy of truly being clean! And I have to tell you a really dirty story to explain how and why!

If I’m counting right, it was July of 1974 when I first moved up north to run a ‘Cat’ earthmover for one of the large contractors up that way. I started out moving dirt to finish a bridge project near the little town of Hull, but two weeks later they sent the machine and me to the project near Jacksonville to work on digging out where what is now I72 goes under the old highway 36 and hauling it to where it goes over a set of railroad tracks and highway 104. As luck would have it, the truck driver who hauled the machine to Jacksonville had a trailer for rent in Bluffs, and I went that night to look at it… and wound up moving in right then and spending the night in it!

       That interstate was an important project and was behind schedule, so when the weather held we were running 12 hours each week day and 10 hours on Saturdays. By the time I got home each night, all I really wanted to do was get a bath and go to bed… but first I had some chores to take care of. For one thing, to save time in the wee hours of the morning, I would go ahead and make my lunch up the evening before. But the main thing I had to do each night was my ‘laundry’!

       You see, I had been married for less than a year, and as you might imagine, money was still tight. Still, when I was preparing to come up to this job I wanted to look ‘professional’. And so it was that I went up there with two brand-new chambray shirts and one new pair of blue jeans to get me through the week. Now, as you might imagine, riding one of those big machines is far from being very clean… in fact, you spent the entire day driving through and breathing dust and dirt and fumes and exhaust from all of the activities going on around the job-site. And by the time I got back to my trailer in Bluffs each night I was totally covered with a thick layer of dirt that had mixed with my sweat to form dry cakes of mud all over me and my clothes.

       So, each night after my bath I would take that day’s shirt and wash it out by hand in the tiny bathroom sink and hang it up over the bathtub to dry. That next day I would wear the other shirt and repeat the process that night… by the next day, the first shirt was dry, and I would wear it… and so on and so on! But… I only had one pair of pants! By Friday, the legs wouldn’t even lay flat when I took them off… they would just hold their shape… I could almost stand them up on the floor… I used to tell people they could almost get up and walk around on their own!

       Now after about two weeks of this, my then wife and I decided for her to move up there with me, and with the money I had made from working those kinds of hours I could afford to buy more clothes. But for those first two weeks, you might say I cohabitated with my one pair of pants! So, yes! I truly appreciate being and feeling clean today!

       Isn’t water great? I mean, even aside from its live-giving properties… aside from being the only way to quench a really powerful thirst… even aside from the fact that something like 98% our physical body consists of nothing more than water… isn’t it great to just jump in to a cool pond or pool on a really hot August day? Or how about climbing into that tub full of hot water to relax… or if you prefer, a nice warm shower raining down and washing away all of the dirt and crud from the day’s activities? Water is great! It cools, it cleans, it refreshes… what more could a body ask for? What more could a body ask for?

       Peter points out in these verses that only Noah and the seven members of his family were saved… in his words… ‘through water’ at the time of the great flood. And he says that this water symbolizes the baptism that saves each of us… “not through the removal of dirt from the body but through the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand — with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”

       The Life Application Commentary tells us that… “When dealing with symbols in the Bible, we must always ask, what is being symbolized? Otherwise, we lose ourselves in analysis. It was neither the ark nor the water that “saved” Noah, but the power of God conveyed in a promise… Baptism was both a sign and seal of salvation, and it was also a solemn oath made before God (thus it was a warning not to take baptism lightly). The Flood came as a judgment upon evil people, but for Noah it brought deliverance from their mockery and sin, ushering him into a new life. In baptism, believers identify with Jesus Christ, who separates us from the lost and gives us new life. Baptism is a sign of the new covenant, identifying the person baptized with the people of God, the Christian community. It is not the ceremony, the water, nor the removal of dirt from the body (referring not to physical cleansing but to a spiritual cleansing) that saves. The water of baptism does not “wash away sin” literally, although that picture is inviting. Instead, baptism is the outward symbol of the inner transformation that happens in the hearts of those who believe. Baptism does not save anyone, but the belief it represents results in salvation. Its efficacy comes from the power of Christ’s resurrection.

Peter explained that this “baptism that now saves you” results in a pledge of a good conscience toward God. This “pledge” (in Greek) is a technical word for the signing of a contract. The Holy Spirit convicts the person’s mind and heart of sin, calling for a response or pledge of faith. This pledge is confirmed outwardly and tangibly in baptism. This pledge toward God implies that baptism conveys a believers’ desire to please God and therefore asks God for help to live out the reality of that inner transformation… through repentance and forgiveness. By identifying themselves with Christ through baptism, Peter’s readers could resist turning back, even under the pressure of persecution. Public baptism would keep them from the temptation to renounce their faith.”

Now, what all of that is saying is that it is not the act of baptism that saves a person. A good soaking… whether dunked by a preacher, sprinkled from a baptismal font, or lowering yourself in to a tub of hot water… washes away only the dirt on the outside! The baptism is meant to be only an outward pledge of your commitment to God… but we are saved through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! But if that baptism is a pledge, what do we then need to do to honor it?

In chapter 14 of the Gospel of John, in verses 15-21, we hear Jesus tell us … “If you love me, you will obey what I command…” He then promises, in those same verses, the power and protection of the Holy Sprit to all who believe in and follow Him, and then closes by saying… “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

The Life Application Commentary says that… “We who love Jesus demonstrate our love by keeping Jesus’ commands. Love means more than words; it requires commitment and action. If we love Christ, then we must prove it by obeying what he says in his Word. In return, the Father and Jesus himself love us. Furthermore, Jesus reveals himself to those who love him. Since the Greek word translated “reveal” means “to appear,” it is likely that Jesus was speaking of his appearances to the disciples after his resurrection. But the statement extends beyond that special time to include believers of all time. To all those who love and obey him, he reveals himself as an invisible, spiritual presence.

Yet, how many times have each of us thought… “If only God would show me what to do! I wish God would reveal himself!” In personal experience, most Christians admit to wishing God would reveal himself more openly. We want God to show us exactly what he wants us to do. We may think we are asking God for clear directions so we can carry them out, but our practice shows that we want to know first what God wants us to do so we can decide if we want to obey.

Jesus listed obedience before revelation. He said, in effect, “Obey what you know and you will know more.” The Scriptures contain many clear instructions for obedience that are never out of season. If we truly love God, we not only hang on his every word, but we also take our duties seriously. When we feel confused or lack answers, we should ask how we can follow through on directions he has previously given.”

And Peter gives us one such instruction in his passage… “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

There are many in the world who cuss Christians and condemn Christianity! But what is really sad is that there are far too many people professing to be followers of Christ but not obeying His commands… thus giving some warrant to the abuse hurled at us all! Peter says that we are each to give answer to those who question why we believe and act as we do… but to make certain that whatever we are doing is a clear representation of the Living Lord! For it is through us… you and me… that many people will see Jesus for the very first time… and if they only see Him through you… what are they seeing?

Do they see us with the dirt and sins of the world thick upon us and hiding His face… or are we squeaky clean through daily prayer and repentance… washed in the blood of Jesus? Stronger than dirt!!!

Oh, the joy of being truly clean!!!