Clothes Washed In The Blood Of The Lamb

Revelation 7:9-17 KJV; All Saints Sunday; There will be no more tears!

One Sacrifice

One sacrifice for sins for ever!

And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 

                                                                (Heb 10:11-14 KJV)

That one offering was the life of Jesus the Christ. The offerings of sheep or goats or birds no matter how unblemished they appeared to be could never atone for all of our sins. Those sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again. But, the sacrifice of the life of the only begotten Son of God could and it did. Jesus willingly sacrificed himself that we might be forgiven our sins and reconciled to our Father. The promise of the Lord as revealed to Isaiah has been fulfilled in the Christ. Our sins are wiped away by faith in his loving sacrifice for us.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isa 1:18)

It is good to consider ones sins and to repent of them. But, all too often the devil and the world around us will remind us of our pasts. The devil will cause us to wonder if we have been truly forgiven. Do not let him cause you to doubt what Christ has done for you. 

In Christ you are forgiven!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Rejoice And Be Glad

Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 

                                                      Rev 19:6b-8 KJV

We have a lot to rejoice in. St. John was exiled on Patmos for his faith; but, he did not give up hope. St. Paul spent a great deal of time in prison and even on his way to his death; he did not give up hope. The many saints before us never gave up hope. In faith that they have been washed by the blood of the lamb; they looked to the day when they would be reconciled to God our Father and our Lord Jesus the Christ in the very home that Christ has prepared for us.

Life can be pretty confusing and tough at times. In those times we remember that today will pass and tomorrow will come whether we are here in this world or in the Kingdom prepared for us. For all who believe in Jesus and his gifts of forgiveness and salvation for us, life will go on. It is eternal.

By the blood of Jesus we have been cleansed and reconciled to God and to one another even now. So, rejoice and be glad and give God the glory! Give God the glory in all that you say and think and do. Whatever you do, do it as if to the Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Scarlet or White?

though your sins be as scarlet
they shall be as white as snow

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

                                                                              (Isaiah 1:2-5 KJV)

Who do you worship? Who or what is your god? Do you really love the Lord enough to repent of your sinful ways? Do you understand that he died to make the unrighteous righteous? 

The Lord's warning through Isaiah to Israel is to be heard by all of us of these generations as well. Is your life laden with iniquity? Iniquity begets more trouble in our lives than anyone needs. However, following in the way of the Lord will be peace to your troubled and angry souls.

There is a promise in this first chapter of Isaiah along with the warning. It is: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isa 1:18)

The guilt of our sins stand out for everyone. Red as crimson they catch the eye of those around us. But, by the red blood of Jesus they are washed away by faith in his life giving sacrifice for us. The unrighteous become righteous by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. 

Step aside from the path of iniquity; turn your life around and follow in the footsteps of Jesus that you and your neighbors might live in peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Good Works Don't Fool God

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
                                                                                  (Rev 3:1-5 KJV)

Sometimes we can seem so faithful to the world outside because of all our good works. But, to the angel of the church in Sardis, Jesus says, "I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but your are dead." (vs 1) Wake up and repent! Walk with Jesus, dressed in the white robes of his righteousness.

May we always remember that our good works might fool some of the people; but, they can never fool God. We are saved by faith alone in Christ alone.

God's Peace - Pr. J

No Gossiping

The Eighth Commandment.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, [think and] speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.

(http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php)

 

"Sticks and stones can break your bones; but, words can never hurt you." Wrong, words can kill! They can destroy life. They can kill a spirit and; yes, they can even lead to death of the body in a whole variety of ways. Think about the one who is on trial and someone would bear false witness against him or her sending them to prison for life or aid in that person receiving a death sentence. Think about the young woman or man who is trying to overcome obstacles and bullies continue to beat them down with words. Not only can this lead to a loss of an abundant and joyful life; it can lead to serious depression and in some cases suicide. Consider the married person falsely accused of adultery, what will their partner, who in their pain and anger, do to the ones he or she feels has betrayed him?

 

Do not deceive yourselves. There are no little white lies when it comes to bearing false witness against your neighbor. Lies will destroy your neighbor. Lies will destroy your family. Lies can divide and destroy whole communities and countries. Lies will destroy you.

 

God does not desire that anyone be harmed in any way. May He help us all to speak with integrity and to help our neighbors when they are down.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J