Are Your Shoes Dirty?

Text: Exodus 3:2–5
Series: Sermons 2001 Rewritten
Date:
Speaker: Ed Rangel
Location: Waupaca Church of Christ
Bible Version: NASB 1995
Sermon Type: Expository

Learning Objectives

1. Explain why God commanded Moses to remove his sandals at the burning bush.
2. Show how God’s holiness exposes human uncleanness and demands reverent submission.
3. Connect the imagery of cleansing to New Testament obedience, especially baptism for the washing away of sins.
4. Apply the call to holiness to both the alien sinner and the Christian who must remain faithful.
5. Press the hearer to remove the filth of sin by obeying the gospel and living clean before God.

Thesis

No one may approach a holy God while clinging to the filth of sin; God calls sinners to come near on His terms, be cleansed by His mercy, and walk faithfully before Him.

Introduction.

1. Exodus 3 opens with Israel groaning under bondage. a. God heard the cry of His people. b. God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. c. God was preparing to deliver Israel from Pharaoh’s hand.
2. Moses saw something strange in the wilderness. a. The angel of the LORD appeared in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush. b. The bush burned with fire, yet it was not consumed. c. Moses turned aside to see the great sight.
3. God stopped Moses before he came closer. a. Exodus 3:5 says, “Do not come near here.” b. God commanded, “Remove your sandals from your feet.” c. The reason was clear: “for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
4. The issue was not the dirt itself as though soil had magical power. a. The ground was holy because God manifested His presence there. b. Moses had to respond with reverence. c. Nearness to God required submission to God.
5. That question still presses us. a. Are your shoes dirty? b. Are you trying to come near God while holding on to sin? c. Are you willing to remove what God says must go?

I. God’s Holy Presence Demands Reverence.

A. Moses was not approaching an ordinary fire.

1. Exodus 3:2 says the angel of the LORD appeared in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush. a. The bush was burning. b. The bush was not consumed. c. God arrested Moses’ attention in the wilderness.
2. Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight.” a. Curiosity drew him near. b. God’s voice stopped him. c. Holy ground required more than curiosity.
3. Exodus 3:4 says God called to him from the midst of the bush. a. God knew his name. b. God initiated the encounter. c. Moses was not discovering God on his own terms.

B. God commanded Moses to remove his sandals.

1. Exodus 3:5 says, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet.” a. Moses had to stop. b. Moses had to listen. c. Moses had to obey before coming closer.
2. Sandals carried the dust and uncleanness of the ground. a. In many cultures, removing shoes showed reverence. b. It acknowledged the difference between common space and sacred presence. c. Moses was being taught that God’s presence is not approached casually.
3. The command was simple but serious. a. Moses did not need a committee. b. Moses did not need an alternate method. c. Moses needed humble obedience.

C. The Old Testament consistently teaches reverence before God’s holiness.

1. Leviticus 10:3 says, “By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy.” a. Nadab and Abihu learned this after offering unauthorized fire. b. God’s holiness controls worship. c. Man’s sincerity does not excuse disregard for God’s command.
2. Isaiah 6:5 shows a prophet undone before God. a. Isaiah cried, “Woe is me, for I am ruined!” b. He saw his uncleanness in the presence of the King. c. Holiness exposed him before it commissioned him.
3. Psalm 24:3–4 asks who may ascend into the hill of the LORD. a. The answer includes clean hands and a pure heart. b. God has never treated moral filth as harmless. c. Nearness to God requires cleansing.

II. Sin Makes Man Unfit to Approach God on His Own Terms.

A. Sin is not a surface problem.

1. Isaiah 59:1–2 says sin separates man from God. a. The LORD’s hand is not too short to save. b. His ear is not too dull to hear. c. Iniquities make a separation between man and God.
2. Sin stains the person. a. It affects the heart. b. It affects the conscience. c. It affects one’s standing before God.
3. Man often wants access to God without cleansing. a. He wants comfort without repentance. b. He wants blessing without surrender. c. He wants mercy without obedience.

B. Isaiah 1 shows God calling stained people to be cleansed.

1. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, and let us reason together.” a. God invites sinners to face the truth. b. God does not pretend their sin is small. c. God offers cleansing that man cannot provide for himself.
2. The text says sins like scarlet can become white as snow. a. Scarlet pictures visible stain. b. Crimson pictures deep guilt. c. God can cleanse what man cannot hide.
3. The call includes repentance and willing obedience. a. Isaiah 1:16 says, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean.” b. Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do good.” c. Isaiah 1:19 says blessing belongs to those who consent and obey.

C. The New Testament keeps the same moral seriousness.

1. Romans 3:23 says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. a. Sin is universal. b. Sin is personal. c. Sin leaves man short of God’s glory.
2. Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. a. Sin earns death. b. Death is not an exaggeration. c. Grace is needed because guilt is real.
3. Revelation 21:27 says nothing unclean will enter the heavenly city. a. No unclean person will sneak into God’s presence. b. No sin will be overlooked as trivial. c. Only those written in the Lamb’s book of life enter.

III. God Cleanses Sinners Through Obedient Faith in Christ.

A. Saul of Tarsus had to obey the gospel.

1. Saul saw the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. a. He saw the light. b. He heard the voice. c. He learned that he had been persecuting Jesus.
2. Yet Saul was not told he was already saved on the road. a. He was told to enter Damascus. b. He waited there. c. Ananias came with the message he needed.
3. Acts 22:16 says, “Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” a. Saul had seen Christ, but still needed his sins washed away. b. Baptism is tied directly to washing away sins. c. Calling on the Lord’s name was not separated from obedience.

B. Pentecost sinners had to repent and be baptized.

1. Acts 2:36 declared their guilt. a. God had made Jesus both Lord and Christ. b. They had crucified Him. c. The sermon exposed their sin.
2. Acts 2:37 says they were pierced to the heart. a. Conviction alone was not enough. b. Sorrow alone was not enough. c. They asked, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
3. Acts 2:38 gives the inspired answer. a. “Repent.” b. “Each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” c. The stated purpose is “for the forgiveness of your sins.”

C. Repentance must produce a changed life.

1. Acts 26:19–20 records Paul’s later preaching. a. He was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. b. He preached that people should repent and turn to God. c. He also preached deeds appropriate to repentance.
2. Repentance is not empty talk. a. It turns from sin. b. It turns toward God. c. It shows itself in a changed life.
3. Baptism is not permission to keep dirty shoes on. a. Romans 6:3–4 says baptism joins the believer to Christ’s death and resurrection. b. The baptized are raised to walk in newness of life. c. A man washed from sin must not return to the mud as though grace were a toy.

IV. The Cleansed Must Keep Walking Faithfully Before God.

A. The Christian must remain clean before the Lord.

1. Revelation 7:14 describes those who washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. a. Cleansing is found in the Lamb’s blood. b. The redeemed stand before God because of divine mercy. c. They do not boast in self-made purity.
2. Revelation 22:14 says blessed are those who wash their robes. a. They have the right to the tree of life. b. They may enter by the gates into the city. c. Cleansing and entrance belong together.
3. The image presses the point. a. Dirty robes do not belong in the holy city. b. Dirty lives do not belong among the redeemed. c. The Christian must not make peace with sin.

B. Falling away is a real danger.

1. Hebrews 6:4–8 warns those who have tasted spiritual blessings. a. The warning is addressed to people who had real exposure to God’s gifts. b. The danger is not imaginary. c. Apostasy is not treated as impossible.
2. The ground that bears useful vegetation receives blessing. a. God expects fruit. b. Continued barrenness is spiritually dangerous. c. Thorns and thistles bring judgment.
3. The Christian must press on to maturity. a. Hebrews 6:1 calls us to press on. b. Remaining spiritually stagnant is not safe. c. Grace calls us forward, not backward.

C. Faithfulness must continue until death.

1. Revelation 2:10 says, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” a. Faithfulness has a duration. b. Trials do not cancel duty. c. The crown is promised to the faithful.
2. First John 1:7 teaches continued walking in the light. a. If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another. b. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. c. The Christian life is a continuing walk, not a one-time religious claim.
3. The church must teach holiness to the next generation. a. Children need to know that baptism is not a religious ceremony without moral consequence. b. Young Christians need to know that grace does not excuse filth. c. Families must teach reverence, repentance, purity, and faithful endurance.

Application.

1. For the sinner. a. You cannot approach God while refusing His terms of pardon. b. You must hear the gospel, believe Christ, repent, confess Him, and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. c. Do not delay while sin keeps you separated from God.
2. For the Christian. a. Do not return to the sins from which Christ cleansed you. b. Keep walking in the light. c. If you have sinned, repent and seek the Lord’s mercy.
3. For the church. a. Preach holiness without apology. b. Do not reduce baptism to a symbol detached from forgiveness. c. Do not comfort people in dirty shoes when God commands cleansing.
4. For parents and teachers. a. Teach children that God is holy. b. Teach them why sin must be washed away. c. Teach them that obedience to the gospel begins a life of faithful walking before God.

Conclusion.

1. Moses stood before holy ground. a. God stopped him. b. God commanded him to remove his sandals. c. Moses had to show reverence before coming near.
2. Sin makes man unclean before God. a. Sin separates. b. Sin stains. c. Sin must be washed away.
3. God has given the gospel of Christ. a. Saul was told to arise and be baptized and wash away his sins. b. Pentecost sinners were told to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. c. Christians are called to walk faithfully after being cleansed.
4. The question remains. a. Are your shoes dirty? b. Are you still carrying the filth of sin? c. Will you come to God on His terms today?

Invitation.

1. Hear the word. a. Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
2. Believe Christ. a. John 8:24 warns that unless you believe that Jesus is He, you will die in your sins.
3. Repent. a. Acts 17:30 says God commands all people everywhere to repent.
4. Confess Christ. a. Romans 10:9–10 teaches confession with the mouth and belief in the heart.
5. Be baptized for the remission of sins. a. Acts 2:38 commands repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
6. Live faithfully. a. Revelation 2:10 calls the Christian to be faithful until death.

Word Study.

Scripture Interlock Table.