Divine Washing Machine (Revelation 1:5)

Revelation 1:5, And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

He “loved us”. This shows continual action. His love resulted in action. He washed us from our sins in his own blood. What a price He paid for our redemption! The price was blood. There is only one ransom, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Concerning sin, the Bible declares without shedding of blood is no remission (Hebrews 9:22). Blood is the Divine requirement to pay for sin. The word “wash” means to “cleanse; to be loosed, set free, and released from sin! Jesus shed His blood on the cross and when we trust Him; His blood washes us whiter than snow and cleanses us from every stain of sin (I John 1:7). The text says, …washed us from our sins in his own blood...” Notice: “our sins” and “His Own blood”. All we had to contribute to our salvation was sin. He contributed His blood. And, His blood washes away all of our sins (Ephesians 1:7). The only Source of the cleansing our sins is by and through the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our good works and own righteousness are as filthy rags in God's sight! He has washed us from our sins in His own blood! Jesus shed His own blood on the cross of Calvary in fulfilling that Divine requirement, so that He might wash us from our sins in his own blood.

He loved us before we were washed. He “loved us” all the way through; backward in time and eternity, or forward as far as is possible. Before God created the Heavens and the earth, He loved us. We were stained in sins. Being washed means the stain has been taken away. Nobody can de-stain us like the Lord. The blood of Jesus is so powerful that it can get the stain out. As a matter of fact, the Lord used what you might call a divine washing machine. He takes that washing machine and once He places you in the divine washing machine, when you come out, you're whiter than snow. You are washed and free of stains. He has “washed us from our sins in his own blood.” The cleansing property of the blood of Christ is made clear.

It is not the “washing” but what’s in the “water” that cleanses. Detergent has a synthetic substance that wipes away and cleanses any dirty or foul matter. The blood of Christ is a “detergent” in that it separates us, frees us, loosens us “from our sins.” He is our surfactant for the guilt of sin. A surfactant is a surface-active agent or solution used for purging or cleansing. The detergent has agents that dissolve the dirt from the fabric and attaches the dirt to itself and is then flushed away. This fact can be read on the back of any detergent product.

How did the blood of Jesus Christ set us free from sin? He had lived a sinless and perfect life as a Man upon earth. He was able to take our sins upon Himself and bear the punishment for them. He took our sins off of us, removed them, and died for them. Therefore, we are free and loosed from sin. Sin has been removed from us. We stand before God free of sin and acceptable to Him. But remember how: by the shed blood of Jesus Christ upon the cross. It is the shed blood of Christ upon the cross; His dying for our sins that frees us from sin (Galatians 1:4, Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; I Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 5:9).

John 8:36, If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. God alone can remove sin. This means that, for God, every sin you have ever committed, every evil thing you have ever done, you are still doing, and will continue to do forever, apart from God’s forgiveness. Only the omnipotent, eternal God, who controls all the factors of time, space and matter could ever remove sin. He gives us freedom from the stain of sin. Guilt is the stain of sin. For many people, a visual stain on their clothes leads one to become embarrassed or ashamed. Christ’s cleansing power frees us from any and all guilt before God.

With His own blood, He entered into the holy place (Hebrews 9:12).
The blood of Jesus, believers are washed from their sins (Revelation 1:5).
The blood of Jesus, their robes are made white (Revelation 7:14).
The blood of Jesus, they overcome (Revelation 12:11).
The blood of Jesus, the conscience is purged (Hebrews 9:14).
The blood of Jesus, peace is made (Colossians 1:20).
The blood of Jesus, we enter in also (Hebrews 10:19).
The blood of Jesus, we are made nigh (Ephesians 2:13).
The blood of Jesus, we are justified (Romans 5:9).
The blood of Jesus, we have redemption (Ephesians 1:7).

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for the blood Jesus shed on the cross for my sins. I stand justified before You because of Christ’s sacrifice. In Jesus name, AMEN!

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Building Others Up! (Proverbs 3:27)

Proverbs 3:27, Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

God cares about the smallest details of our lives. The man who owes you money and has the means to pay it back, yet keeps on putting you off is foolish, for God sees him and takes note of his behavior. When someone is due good at our hand, there is great wisdom in rewarding that good. The good may be money owed or a word of thanks. The greater thought is that when we owe someone, there is wisdom in paying the good due to them promptly. Moral principles are entrenched in God's laws, which are all impartial and just. God does not look kindly on people who procrastinate to the point of criminal inactivity.

As believers, we have a Biblical responsibility to be prompt in our obligations and, if we are able, to help and assistance those who need our help (Exodus 23:4-5; Acts 20:35; I Timothy 5:16; James 1:27). Galatians 6:10, As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

When the mantle was passed from Moses to Joshua, God knew Joshua would need all the help he could get in leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. So God told Moses, Joshua’s mentor, the instructions according to Deuteronomy 3:27-28, Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan. Everyone needs encouragement…even you need it!

During the 1920’s the Chisolm’s were the epitome of American high society. Everlina, the Chisolm’s housekeeper, who had been with them for 45 years, and when her niece came over to play, they took the little girl under their wing. She sang beautifully and Mrs. Chisolm, a trained musician, asked if she would like to become a professional singer. She was thrilled. Her most prized possessions were recordings of famous opera singers, and when the Metropolitan was on the radio she was mesmerized. It was on that day she took the first step towards realizing her dream and guests of the Chisholm’s were amazed by the girl who sang with a talent and sensitivity far beyond her years. Elizabeth Chisholm continued to sponsor her education by sending her to study at Julliard. As a result, the world was introduced to the phenomenal talent of Leontyne Price, the darling of the Metropolitan Opera.

The Bible admonishes us to “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it”. One of the highest responsibilities we have is to encourage one another. As followers of the Lord, we are instructed to build others up by emphasizing on others potential. Become the oxygen to others around you who are gasping for hope. Strengthen to persevere for the Kingdom. Encourage then that all things work together for good to them that love God.
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These verses can apply to giving rewards, assistance, or praise to those who deserve them. Another application, however, is the on-time payment of your debts to your creditors or wages to those who work for you. Wisdom is demonstrated by how we respond to and interact with others.

Love places us in debt to our neighbor, so we are morally obligated to do our neighbor good when he is in need if we have the ability or resources to do him good. This good is not to be delayed but promptly performed.

Do not delay to help those who deserve it.
As believers, we have a holy responsibility to be prompt in our obligations and to be generous in helping and giving to those in need. This command relates to the following:
· Paying workers their wages and paying them promptly (Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14-15; James 5:4).
· Providing assistance to those who need our help (Exodus 23:4-5; Acts 20:35; I Timothy 5:16; James 1:27).
· Paying our debts in a timely manner (Psalm 37:21; Romans 13:8).

Four examples of withholding good:
1. Jacob (Genesis 25:29-33)
2. The Ammonites (Deuteronomy 23:3-4)
3. Nabal (I Samuel 25:10-11)
4. The priests and Levite (Luke 10:30-35)

Three examples of not withholding good:
1. Abraham (Genesis 13:9; 14:23)
2. The widow (I Kings 17:9-16)
3. The good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)

Question to Consider:
Who can you encourage today?

PRAYER: Lord, help me to be mindful of others who I can help, encourage or build up in the faith. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Not Famous, But Faithful (I Corinthians 4:2)

I Corinthians 4:2, Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Over a century and a half ago there lived a humble pastor in a small village in Leicestershire, England. He had never attended college and had no degrees. He was just an ordinary faithful pastor. In his church was a young cobbler to whom he gave special attention, teaching him the Word of God. This young man was later to be renowned as William Carey, one of the greatest missionaries of modern times. This same pastor had a son, a boy whom he taught faithfully and constantly encouraged. The boy's character and work ethic were profoundly affected by his father's life. The son was Robert Hall, the mightiest public orator of his day, whose sermons influenced the decisions of statesmen and whose character was as godly as his preaching was phenomenal. It seemed that the village pastor accomplished very little. But his faithful witness and godly life had much to do with giving India its William Carey and England its Robert Hall. God honors and blesses faithfulness.

God places great value on faithfulness. He is looking for men and women faithful to Him. Proverbs 20:6, Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?
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God is looking for faithful people like:
Job - Job 23:11, My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
3 Hebrews - Daniel 3:18, But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Peter & John - Acts 4:19-20, But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
Paul - Acts 20:24, But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Timothy - I Corinthians 4:17, For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

Ministers are stewards of God. It’s been said, “The greatest ability is dependability." If you want to prove your worth, be faithful. Many believe it is more important to be famous, flamboyant, or flashy than to be faithful. Fame often brings great ruin to lives, but faithfulness never does.

Faithfulness for a servant of the Lord involves at least three important topics.
1.Faithfulness to Christ. That is where faithfulness begins for God's servants. He is held accountable and shall be judged for how he ministers. The minister of God must be faithful to his call. He is the minister of Christ. Every minister is to be esteemed highly for his work's sake. He is the servant whom God has made steward over His household, over His church and His people. He has been honored by God.

2.Faithfulness to the Communication. He has been made responsible for the truths of God's Holy Word. The minister does not deal with perishable things such as money and possessions, but with the eternal things of God Himself, the eternal truths that God wants proclaimed to the world. God's servants must be faithful to the Word of God, faithful to proclaim the message of God as it is given to them.

3.Faithfulness in Character. If one is unfaithful in character, he is unlikely to be faithful in any other area of life. Ministers are required to be faithful. Faithfulness is essential to the minister. The minister is not required to be eloquent, successful, administrative, counsellor, socializer, visitor, greeter, etc. Although these are good qualities, the minister’s requirement is to be faithful.

God's purpose for your life is to live faithfully and obey His commands. Sometimes we become discouraged in faithful living. No matter what results you may or may not see, you can have joy knowing that God's will is being done. Take heart in knowing that as you faithfully follow God, you are fulfilling His purpose for your life. He knows what's best and will accomplish His will through you as you're faithful to Him.

Questions to Consider:
Are you faithful in obedience to the Lord?
Are you honoring the Lord with your life?

Points to Ponder:
God's servants must be faithful!
Jesus is worthy of our faithfulness.

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, give me the strength to live my life daily for You, sacrificing my wants and desires for how You would have me live my life. In Jesus Name, AMEN!

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