Subject Forty-nine

MAN’S CONDITION—FOUR COMPARISONS

Scripture: Isa. 64:6

1. Man is like an unclean thing
   In the Hebrew language, the unclean person is called the unclean thing.
   1. Man’s nature is filthy.
   2. Man’s heart is filthy.
   3. Man’s thought is filthy.
   4. Man’s behavior is filthy.
   5. Man’s whole being is filthy.
      Therefore, it says here that man is like an unclean thing. Although you may consider yourself a moral man, you should check whether your mind is really clean or not. A tiny spot of black makes an entire white shirt dirty. Any dirty spot also makes your behavior unclean.
2. Man’s righteousness is like filthy rags
   1. Man is filthy. Although man’s righteousness is good in one sense, it is still filthy. Nothing clean can come out of uncleanness. If you hold a piece of candy with a dirty hand, the candy will be dirty also. Although you give alms to the poor and honor your parents, all these good deeds and efforts are defiled because your being is filthy. You consider yourself a humble person; yet you condemn others. You love one man; yet you hate another. You honor your parents; yet you condemn others who dishonor their parents. Since your righteousness is mixed with filthiness, though you are a gentleman, you are filthy.
   2. Therefore it says here in the Bible that all of our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. Your righteousnesses are not only filthy but also like rags. How can we make clothes out of rags to cover our bodies? Adam sewed leaves together, but his shame could not be covered by his own effort. Therefore, God came in and clothed him. You honor your parents; but you also lose your temper. How many holes you have in your righteousness! So, friend, although you are a righteous person, your righteousness still means nothing because it is filthy and like rags. Emphasize the point of man’s righteousness being like rags. A good presentation of the gospel conquers a self-righteous person.
3. Man fades like a leaf
   It is very meaningful that God brought in the word fading here. Leaves fade under the breeze of autumn; then the wind takes them away.
   1. All self-righteous men are those who will never receive nourishment deep within. The harder they try to do something, the faster they fade away, and the less water they have. This water is just God and God’s grace. You consider yourself a righteous man, but deep within, you lack God and God’s grace.
   2. Man fades away because he is cut off from God.
   3. Man is cut off from God because of sin, but he is cut off further from God because of his self-righteousness. Man’s sin separates him from God. However, man doesn’t confess the sin that he has, and he considers himself to be self-righteous. This self-righteousness separates man further from God.
   4. Since man is cut off from God, he has lost all of his supply and nourishment. Therefore, man fades away.
4. Man’s iniquities are like the wind, blowing man away
   1. Since man has faded, he can be easily taken away.
   2. The iniquities not only cause man to fade away, but have also taken man away from God. Iniquities separate man from God, bring judgment to man, separate man from God’s supply, and bring God’s anger upon man.
   3. Man sinned and gave up God. It would have still been tolerable to God if man had confessed his sins. However, because of self-righteousness, man could never confess his sins. Therefore, man was separated further from God. Man was further dried up. The judgment that sin brought in eventually blows man away.
5. Conclusion—the way for man to be saved
   1. Man must humble himself, not only to confess that he has sinned and sinned against God, but also to confess the self-righteousness which cannot stand before God. In God’s presence our own righteousness is filthy and like rags.
   2. Man must repent and turn to God to receive God’s supply.
   3. Man must receive the Lord Jesus as the Savior of righteousness. The Lord bore our sin on the cross so that we may be justified before God. He has also entered into us to become our righteousness.