This is “Sanitize Your Spirit.” In the midst of this pandemic, washing our hands is a prime defense against COVID-19. But let us not forget the importance of a clean heart. In this message with Jentezen Franklin, learn why keeping clean hands and a clean heart is vital to staying in the presence of God. To hear more inspiring messages from Jentezen Franklin, visit http://jentezenfranklin.org/watch?cid… & subscribe to this channel: http://goo.gl/yfkXHy
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>> I’d like for you to turn
with me to 2 Samuel 6.
In verse 3.
“So they set the Ark of God
on a new cart,
and brought it out
of the house of Abinadab,
which was on the hill.”
Everybody say the hill.
“And Uzzah and Ahio,
the sons of Abinadab,
drove the new cart.
And they brought it out
of the house of Abinadab,
which was on the hill,
accompanying the Ark of God;
and Ahio went before the Ark.
Then David and all
the house of Israel
played music before the Lord
with all kinds of instruments
of wood, and harps,
and stringed instruments,
and tambourines.”
You know why they do that?
‘Cause when you’re in
God’s presence,
you’re supposed
to praise the Lord.
“And when they came
to Nachon’s threshing floor,
Uzzah put out his hand
to the Ark of God
and took hold of it,
for the oxen stumbled.
Then the anger of the Lord
was aroused against Uzzah,
and God struck him there
for his error;
and he died by the Ark of God.
And David became angry
at the Lord’s outbreak
against Uzzah,
and he called the name
of the place Perez Uzzah
to this day.
David was afraid of the Lord
that day; and he said,
‘How can the Ark of the Lord
come to me?'”
And I’m gonna prove to you
that he answers
his own question
in the Book of Psalms
because this is a big question
that has to be answered.
How can I get God’s presence
to come to me?
I wanna talk to you
for a few moments this morning
on sanitize your spirit.
You know if you’ve been
around church that the story
talked about here in 2 Samuel
is David is finally bringing
the Ark of the Covenant
back to Jerusalem.
He goes and retrieves it,
and they put it on a new cart.
Now God had always commanded
that before when the Ark –
which was a God box.
A big box that had the tables
of stone and some manna in it,
and the rod that budded,
and some other things.
But that box also had
the big mercy seat,
but it was to be carried
upon the shoulders
of the priest.
And the scripture said
that they put it on a new cart.
They thought
that they could entertain
the presence of God
with a new cart.
That it would be alright.
And as they were going down
the path that they were going,
the cart hit a pothole,
we would call it.
And suddenly, when the wheel
went into the hole,
the whole Ark was unsteady,
and it began to fall.
And Uzzah reached up,
and with his hands
he touched that Ark.
Touched the Ark,
and instantly he died
because his hands
were not prepared
to touch the holy.
Jeremiah 25:61.
God says, “Provoke me not
to anger with the works
of your hands,
and then I’ll do you no harm.”
But He said, “how your hands
are before me –
if they’re unclean,
if they haven’t been washed,
it matters to me,” God said,
“the works of your hands –
and I don’t want you to take
unclean hands and try
to handle holy things.”
It’s amazing
that we’ve been reminded over,
and over, and over
the last six months
of this pandemic.
It’s amazing the amounts
of millions and millions
of dollars
that have been spent
on commercials,
and advertisements,
and brochures warning people.
Trying to inform people
that one of the greatest
offenses that we have
against this virus
is to wash our hands.
A campaign blitz
has been released
by the greatest scientists,
and people in the medical field,
and even celebrities.
And all kinds of people
have done commercials
trying to get young people,
and children, and older people,
and elders to wash their hands.
How critical it is
that we use sanitizer.
That we do what we need
to do to kill the germs
that are gathering on our hands
all day if you don’t wash them.
The medical world has told you
to wash your hands,
but not to cleanse your heart.
And I think we need to add
to the washing
of the hands outwardly.
The cleansing of the heart
inwardly is the only thing
that can heal America.
America does not have just
an outward issue.
It has an inward heart issue.
Pilate washed his hands,
but his heart was still wrong.
And it’s possible to wash
your hands in public
but to not be clean
in your heart in private.
What we do in private
determines whether God
will use us publicly
in a significant way.
Something was not right
with Uzzah.
Something was wrong
in his private life,
and God knew about it.
And that’s why –
because God doesn’t just send
this kind of judgement
to somebody’s life
because He wasn’t
having a good day
up on the throne.
There was a real reason
that when that man
with his unclean hands touched
that Ark, he died instantly.
As I travel, it amazes me.
I spend a lotta time
in airports,
and when I go in the airport –
I’ve done it so many times.
When I’m washing my hands
in the bathroom,
it absolutely to this day
still astonishes me.
I’ll see it almost every time
I go in there.
I’m washing my hands,
I will see men
come right outta the stall,
and they’re right
on their phone,
and they’ll keep right
on walking.
And it never dawns on them –
I oughta clean my hands.
I oughta wash my hands.
Something is happening
spiritually when we believe
that we can approach God
with dirty hands
and unpure hearts.
And I’m afraid
that this pandemic
has caused many people
to let up
on their spiritual disciplines,
and let up
on their Bible reading,
and let up –
and they been so entertained
with other things
and filled their eyes
with other things.
And we’re facing a flood
with our children
and our grandchildren
of all kinds of things.
And without months of church,
it’s possible
that they have accumulated
dirty hands and unpure hearts.
But it’s alright.
All you gotta do is say Lord,
I wanna be clean again,
and God’ll make you
clean again.
Now here’s what
I want you to see.
In Psalms 24:3,
David asked this question.
Remember he said when he watched
his friend Uzzah die,
he then comes back to the Ark.
And all the commentaries
agree that this is –
this psalm was written by David
after he watched Uzzah,
his friend with unclean hands,
touch the holy Ark
of the Covenant and die.
And then he asked this question.
He picks up the story,
and he says, “Who may ascend
the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand
in His holy place?”
And then look at what he says.
“He who has clean hands.”
That’s a direct
reference to Uzzah.
“He who has clean hands
and a pure heart.”
And what happened to Uzzah
when he didn’t have clean hands
and a pure heart?
He who has not lifted up
his soul to an idol
nor sworn deceitfully.
What he is saying to us is
if we want to ascend the hill
and stand in
the holy place of God –
and notice that in 2 Samuel,
it kept talking about
the Ark of the Covenant
was at a hill.
So what he’s doing
is he’s answering
his own question.
And he says I know the answer.
I know how I can get
into the holy place.
I know how we can bring
the Ark back.
I know what it’s going to take.
We’re going to have to do more
than just sing,
and praise God,
and go through
a routine of church,
but we have to have
clean hands.
If you wanna know
who can ascend the hill,
if you wanna know
who can get in the holy place –
“He that has clean hands
and a pure heart.”
When Uzzah went to that Ark
and he touched it,
his hands were not prepared
for something that holy.
We cannot be casual
about approaching
God’s presence.
And I think
that’s something that I –
when I was, you know,
studying this message –
I never could understand why
it was that I cannot
enjoy Saturdays.
That when I know Sunday
is coming –
it doesn’t start,
of course, on Saturday.
It starts every day
of our life.
But for me,
it’s about preparation.
I cannot approach
God’s presence casually,
and I use that day.
I worship by reading
the Word.
I study.
I listen to worship.
I sing to the Lord in my office.
And I never really thought
about it until I saw this verse.
That the only way
you can really get
into God’s presence,
and thereby cause others
to enter into God’s presence,
is if I approach God
with a spirit that says
cleanse my hands
and purify my heart.
And that’s why Saturday
is a day that I fast
most of the time till sundown.
Because I’m trying
to say sanitize my spirit.
Sanitize my mind.
I can’t approach this holy God
in some casual, easy,
rolling cart
that doesn’t cost me anything.
I wanna feel the weight
of His presence on my shoulder.
And you say well,
Pastor Jentezen,
we really don’t need
to be reminded to live holy.
Why are you preaching
a sermon like this?
If the highest officials
of science and medicine
are spending millions of dollars
to remind people something
they ought to already know –
wash your hands.
Wash them often.
Wash them repeatedly.
Wash them after
you use the bathroom.
Wash them after
you touch something.
Wash them.
Wash them.
If the world
and the science message
of this hour
and health message
of this hour
is wash your hands,
I think we need to stand up
and remind God’s people
that you have to have
pure hearts and clean hands.
It’s the only way
you can approach a holy God.
We still have to be sanctified.
We still have to be holy.
We still have to be different
from the world.
Hands cannot handle –
unclean dirty hands
cannot handle
the holiness of God,
and we need a revival
of clean hands.
Turn to somebody and say
wash your dirty hands
and purify your heart.
1 Timothy 2:8 said, “I desire
in every place
that men lift up holy hands
without wrath
and without doubting.”
I thought about how that we
go into nice restaurants.
You know it’s a nice restaurant
and it’s not a nice one
if you don’t see this
in the bathroom.
On the back of the door
of the bathroom
of a good restaurant
will be these words:
all employees
must wash their hands
before returning to work.
And I thought about –
I think I’m just gonna put
that sign up as we’re coming
back to church.
That all volunteers,
that all pastors,
that all employees,
that all the singers
and the musicians –
don’t you come in here
and treat God’s presence
like it’s some trifle,
common thing.
But let’s get all the filth off,
and let’s approach God
in fear and in trembling,
and know that He’s a holy God.
All the singers,
all the musicians,
all the ushers,
all the volunteers,
every department head.
All employees
must wash their hands
before returning to work.
If you wanna be used by God,
if you want God’s presence
on your life,
and in your work,
and the work of your hands,
you must offer God clean hands.
Not in your own works.
Not in what you can produce.
But it’s a cleansing
I’m preaching about
this morning.
It’s a true repentance
that acknowledges
I picked up some residue.
I picked up some filth.
I need a good ol’ fashioned
Holy Ghost outpouring
of the Holy –
that’s what we need.
We need the Holy Ghost
to rain down on us
and wash our hands
and cleanse our hearts.
[applause]
Everybody clap your hands
like you know you need
to wash ’em.
[applause]
If you’re gonna serve
in the ministry,
if you’re gonna open a door,
if you’re gonna park a car,
if you’re gonna get
on the platform,
wash your hands.
Cleanse your heart.
There’s too much fussing
in the church.
There’s too much cussing
in the church.
Yeah, I meant what I said.
I don’t believe Christians
can be foul-mouthed –
blankity blank blank blank.
I still believe
in that old stuff.
My parents used to wash
my mouth with soap.
They would take a bar of soap,
and if I said a cuss word –
and back then,
a little cuss word
would be darn or dang it.
And if you say that now –
what y’all say now
in this generation,
we need more
than a bar of soap.
We need —
I’m telling you,
every song is filthy.
Come on.
Every —
these songs.
My goodness.
Some of the songs
that are being put out,
and kids are just taking
this in, and taking it in.
Wash your hands,
oh ye sinners,
and purify your heart,
oh you double-minded.
Too much drunkenness
in the church.
Too much smoking
and vaping in the church.
Too much lying
and cheating in the church.
Too much adultery
and fornication in the church.
Dirty hands need a revival.
Dirty hands need a revival.
Dirty hands need God to come
and convict us.
Let us feel the sting
of conviction
until we feel clean again.
Until we feel pure again.
Until we feel like Him again.
Everybody praise the Lord.
And you know what?
The good thing
about the pandemic
is if you don’t praise the Lord,
it don’t bother me.
I preached to empty seats
for six months.
I don’t even need your amens.
I’ve learned how to do it
without you.
[cheering]
You know —
I’ll just teach you this.
You don’t know this.
I’m gonna teach you this.
I read something interesting
the other day.
You know when Jesus says
“Verily, verily,”?
Verily, verily.
Have you ever read that?
Do you ever read the Bible?
Verily, verily.
He doesn’t just say verily.
Verily, verily.
That means I’m really about
to say something, right?
You know what the Greek word
for verily, verily is?
A, M, E, N.
Amen.
Amen.
I love Jesus.
He said I know
I’m not gonna get no amens
on what I’m about to preach,
so I’m gonna just go on
and give myself my own amen.
Amen, amen.
And then He preaches,
and lays ’em in the shade.
I don’t need your amen.
Look at me.
You can blame it
on the pandemic.
But if —
We’re not going
into the stone ages around here.
If you don’t praise Him,
the rocks will cry out
and praise Him.
But somebody’s
gonna praise the Lord.
Hallelujah.
Take a praise break
in the middle of the pandemic.
You been waiting on this.
And shout through your mask.
Shout that you’re here,
and that He’s cleansing
your hands and purifying
your heart.
[applause]
“Guard your heart
with all diligence.”
Not some casual thing.
Don’t let stuff get in your life
and just hang on you.
Guard your heart
with all diligence
’cause you can be deceived.
You can be shipwrecked.
You can lose your marriage.
You can end up in an addiction
you can’t get out of.
So guard your heart
and wash your hands.
Boy.
Hallelujah.
Now if you’re a sinner
and you’re here,
the dirtier the better.
But if you are one
of our leaders
and one of our pastors,
it is required before you
come back to work
that you get a good washing
in your hands.
I wonder if my hands
and my heart have stopped God
from showing up in this house.
Because He said
in Psalms 24:5-6 —
He ends it by saying
that if you get the clean hands
and the pure heart,
“He shall receive
the blessing of the Lord.”
That’s in verse 5.
“He shall receive
the blessing of the Lord.”
Do you understand
that you’re the only Bible?
I hear people all the time
talking about, you know,
do you like
the King James Bible?
No, I don’t like King James.
I like the New King James.
I like The Message Bible.
I like
the International Version.
I like this,
and I like that.
Well, what kind a —
and you know,
the only difference between ’em
is some of ’em
leave out certain phrases
and different wording.
What kind a version
of the Bible are you?
What’s left outta your version?
Because you’re the only Bible
some people are gonna read.
And if we’re slipping
into carnality,
if we know all the latest songs
of extremely wicked people,
and you don’t have clean hands.
If you’re just floating along
in the culture,
the culture is gonna mess
your family up.
It’s gonna mess
your children up.
It’s gonna mess
your marriage up.
It’s gonna mess your morals up.
And it’s gonna mess
your spirit up.
But you gotta get sanitized
in your spirit
and say oh God, cleanse me.
Give me —
Oh Lord, clean my heart.
Clean my heart.
Create in me a clean heart,
David said, in Psalms 51.
And a pure spirit.
When I see what’s going on,
I just wanna say
that we don’t have to
be defiled.
Well, everybody’s doing it.
We don’t have to be defiled.
I don’t wanna be everybody.
God used Noah’s hands
to build an ark
because they were clean.
God used Moses’ hands
to build a tabernacle
because they were clean.
God used the disciples’ hands
to distribute the fish
and the bread
that was multiplied.
I’ve heard people preach
that wrong.
It does not say Jesus
fed the 5,000.
It says that He blessed,
and He broke it,
and He put it in the hands
of the apostles,
and the apostles took it.
And when they would
break it off,
it would multiply.
It did not come
from Jesus’ hands.
He wanted to find clean hands
that He could put
the bread of life in
to feed the multitudes.
[applause]
And He’s looking
in this generation.
He’s looking here.
He’s looking now.
He’s looking in this hour
for clean hands
that He can put
the bread of life in.
He’s looking in this service
for someone who will say, “God,
during the pandemic
I just need a cleansing.
I don’t wanna return back
as though I’m coming
outta the stall
with the phone up to my face,
and I don’t need to stop
by the wash station
and cleanse my hands.
Purify my heart.”
♪ ♪
>> We are so honored that you
would decide to join us
on Kingdom Connection today.
If you felt God pull on your
heart at any point
in this broadcast,
and you would like to make
Jesus Christ your Lord
and your Savior,
I want to invite you
to pray with me
right where you are.
Prayer is powerful.
Right where you are.
Say these words, “Lord, Jesus.
I give you my life,
I believe in you.
I believe you died
and shed your blood to cleanse
me from all my sin.
I am forgiven by faith
in your name, Jesus.
Jesus, be my Lord,
be my Savior,
and I thank you,
and I praise you.
Change me.
Turn me around.
In your name I pray
Amen, and amen.”
If you prayed that prayer
we would love to hear from you.
That’s why we do what we do.
You know, a lot
of the mission programs we do,
and I’mma tell you about one
in just a moment,
they’re all kind of like
the cherry on top of the cake;
but the real purpose
that we’re here
every time we come to you –
everything we do is to lift up
a man named Jesus
and a place called Calvary
where you can find forgiveness
and unconditional love
in Jesus Christ.
And I believe today
that America needs the message
of Jesus Christ
like never before.
We’re at a tipping point
in our nation’s history,
and I want to encourage you
as the election is coming up
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And I want to tell you
and challenge you
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your vote matters.
What you do on November 3rd
not only affects us
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And it will have ramifications
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The sad fact is during Covid-19
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have become more severe.
And that’s why our partnership
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Here’s my announcer
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>> ANNOUNCER: We are entering
a critical election season
in the United States.
And times like these always
require action from the body
of Christ.
That’s why we, as a ministry,
have been fasting and praying.
So this is our three-step
strategy for restoration,
renewal, and revival
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Pray, fast, vote.
The stakes are high for America
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Especially Israel.
We share common values,
and common civilization,
and most importantly,
we share the same God
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Jentezen Franklin Media
Ministries continues to do
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And this month, when you give
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With your gift of $300 or more
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Your support is fulfilling
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Call now, or visit us
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>> Now is the time to make
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>> Cherise and I
wanna invite you to join us
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It’s an amazing trip,
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you’ve ever experienced,
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we get on the busses,
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You’ve been thinking about it,
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>> We hope you’ve enjoyed
this teaching
by Jentezen Franklin,
and thank you
for your continued support
of this ministry.
♪ ♪