Mirror and the Stain
Object LessonAnalogy★★★★★Let me illustrate how this works. All right. You see that? I have a problem.
I have 2 problems. 1, is I got this stain on my face. And secondly, is I don’t see it. Now you see it.
Isn’t it funny, by the way, and this represents sin, isn’t it funny how we can always tag out everybody else’s deal but we can’t see our own? So I can’t recognize my own problem but I can see it in others, right?
But as I am looking into God’s holy word and I’m looking at his law, suddenly I become aware I have a problem. So James is saying that’s what the law is. It’s a mirror to show us our condition. But can I use the mirror to get rid of this?
No, it will not take away what I am seeing. So then pastor what do you do?
Take a look at number 6. How can the Christian be cleansed? In 1st John 1 7 it says, the what? The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from what?
From all sin. And so as I then See my problem in the law, I reach for the blood of Christ, that amazing grace.
And with it, then, I cleanse myself of sin. Not cleanse myself, I ask him to cleanse me of my sin. Does that make sense? So the law’s job is to direct me to the solution to my problem.
That’s its job. You do away with the law and you have done away with the solution.
Baute, Jorge, “09 The Most Holy Place” (AudioVerse teaching 25309).
The point
The preacher uses a mirror and a visible stain on his face to demonstrate that God's law acts like a mirror, revealing our sin (the stain) but unable to remove it. The mirror's purpose is to show our need for cleansing, which only the blood of Jesus Christ can provide.
Alternate wording
The Law as a Mirror, Christ's Blood as Cleansing177 words
So if you look in the mirror and you see that there’s something wrong, if you got dirt on your face, what do you do? You put your face against the mirror and rub your face? No, what do you do? You need to wash.
Well, I need something to wash with. How convenient. So, what is this? What does it represent?
The law of God. Is it meant to cleanse the sin? Or it shows us our need for cleansing? What does this red rag represent?
The blood of Jesus Christ. It’s a washcloth, but it’s a symbol of the blood of Christ.
So I look here and I see I have a problem, but this is not meant to help me with my problem. It is powerless. But this can take away the problem.
And now, you know, now I look pretty good. It doesn’t bother me. Matter of fact, no. So, once this has happened, and I’ve gone through an embarrassing experience like this, every now and then I’m going to reference the mirror.