Pastor Weekly - 7/29/26
Hello ICC Family!
All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.
Revelation 1:5 (NLT)
Growing up in Kansas, I don’t remember anybody ever needing to pressure wash something. It was definitely not an appliance that an average family had at home. That is probably due to where we lived in the U.S. (not so humid there). Let me know if any of you owned a pressure washer when you were a kid… Regardless, it is rather helpful to own or at least have access to one if you live in the Goose Creek area in 2026. Mildew spreads incredibly quick here on anything that is outside! We have lived in our house for 3 and a half years and this month we realized that our sidewalk was practically black compared to our neighbors. It was definitely past due time to clean it, which meant buying or borrowing a pressure washer.
To cut to the chase… I have been using one, and our section of sidewalk no longer looks shabby compared to the rest. I don’t know much about pressure washers, but it has been fun trying all of the different nozzles. I have found that no matter how strong of a jet you use, no matter how close you get to the sidewalk… no matter how clean it looks… if you go over that spot again… you will discover there was more dirt there. You can always get it a little cleaner somehow. A sidewalk is not perfectly flat and smooth. It has a texture, and blemishes, and even holes and cracks that hide even more dirt.
Using the pressure washer makes me think about sin. About how we know that we are called to holiness, so we know that we need get rid of the sin in our lives. We need to die to sin. We need to pressure wash our hearts. And yet every time we do… there is more sin to take care of. There is more dirt than needs to be cleaned. And even if we could get it perfectly clean (which we can’t), by next week it will be stained and dirty and sinful once again. We do have hope that as we walk with Christ and we grow in holiness, perhaps at least we won’t have the same type of stain of stain or degree of sin that we previously had. But some sin will remain no matter what.
We need to remember that while conviction of sin and the process of repentance is not easy, it is nonetheless one of the mercies of God in our lives. He opens our eyes and allows us to see that our hearts are in bad shape. Compared to his standard of holiness, they look like a stained and dirty sidewalk. Praise the Lord then that He promises to forgive us of our sin when we confess to him. He cleans and He heals and He brings salvation - over and over again.
But make sure you notice one thing… while this is an ongoing process for us - to be convicted of our sins and see our uncleanness and then repent because it is keeping us from walking with the Lord… God does not see us this way. He only sees perfection. He only sees righteousness. He only sees Jesus! Because the blood of Christ has covered our sin. God forgives us so that we can grow more like him, and we can feel closer to him. But if you are his child, He has never not been close to you. He loves you and is always right there with you, because you are absolutely 100% clean in Christ. Praise the Lord!
…Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.
Isaiah 1:18
I hope that thought is encouraging and comforting to you today! We are going to see this truth in action as we go back to the book of Joshua on Sunday. I hope you all can join us, and don’t forget that we have fellowship meal and discipleship tonight.
Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.
Revelation 1:5 (NLT)
Growing up in Kansas, I don’t remember anybody ever needing to pressure wash something. It was definitely not an appliance that an average family had at home. That is probably due to where we lived in the U.S. (not so humid there). Let me know if any of you owned a pressure washer when you were a kid… Regardless, it is rather helpful to own or at least have access to one if you live in the Goose Creek area in 2026. Mildew spreads incredibly quick here on anything that is outside! We have lived in our house for 3 and a half years and this month we realized that our sidewalk was practically black compared to our neighbors. It was definitely past due time to clean it, which meant buying or borrowing a pressure washer.
To cut to the chase… I have been using one, and our section of sidewalk no longer looks shabby compared to the rest. I don’t know much about pressure washers, but it has been fun trying all of the different nozzles. I have found that no matter how strong of a jet you use, no matter how close you get to the sidewalk… no matter how clean it looks… if you go over that spot again… you will discover there was more dirt there. You can always get it a little cleaner somehow. A sidewalk is not perfectly flat and smooth. It has a texture, and blemishes, and even holes and cracks that hide even more dirt.
Using the pressure washer makes me think about sin. About how we know that we are called to holiness, so we know that we need get rid of the sin in our lives. We need to die to sin. We need to pressure wash our hearts. And yet every time we do… there is more sin to take care of. There is more dirt than needs to be cleaned. And even if we could get it perfectly clean (which we can’t), by next week it will be stained and dirty and sinful once again. We do have hope that as we walk with Christ and we grow in holiness, perhaps at least we won’t have the same type of stain of stain or degree of sin that we previously had. But some sin will remain no matter what.
We need to remember that while conviction of sin and the process of repentance is not easy, it is nonetheless one of the mercies of God in our lives. He opens our eyes and allows us to see that our hearts are in bad shape. Compared to his standard of holiness, they look like a stained and dirty sidewalk. Praise the Lord then that He promises to forgive us of our sin when we confess to him. He cleans and He heals and He brings salvation - over and over again.
But make sure you notice one thing… while this is an ongoing process for us - to be convicted of our sins and see our uncleanness and then repent because it is keeping us from walking with the Lord… God does not see us this way. He only sees perfection. He only sees righteousness. He only sees Jesus! Because the blood of Christ has covered our sin. God forgives us so that we can grow more like him, and we can feel closer to him. But if you are his child, He has never not been close to you. He loves you and is always right there with you, because you are absolutely 100% clean in Christ. Praise the Lord!
…Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.
Isaiah 1:18
I hope that thought is encouraging and comforting to you today! We are going to see this truth in action as we go back to the book of Joshua on Sunday. I hope you all can join us, and don’t forget that we have fellowship meal and discipleship tonight.
Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
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