OUR ULTIMATE STAIN REMOVER!

BIBLE PASSAGE:
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
(John 1:29)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever had an article of clothing that you especially liked and
enjoyed wearing? If you could, you would wear it every day of the week.
But then, you spilled something on it, and it created a stain that ruined
it. It upset you and you wondered if there was some type of miracle stain
remover that could renew it. You liked it too much to discard it without
at least trying everything you could think of to remove the stain.

This gives us a good idea of how God feels about the sin that stains His
creations. Sin entered the world and stained the people God created
(and we know that what He creates is not just good, but very good).
    God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.
    And there was evening, and there was morning—the
    sixth day.
    (Genesis 1:31)

Man and woman whom He loved had been stained with sin.
So, what was God going to do about it? Would He discard
them as damaged and forget about those He had created and
loves?

No! Our omniscient God knew that sin was going to enter the world
and stain mankind, so from the very beginning, He had a plan to for
removing the stain from His creations. His plan was to provide a way
for every person to have the opportunity of choosing His perfect
‘sin stain removal’.

Not only did God create a plan for removing the stain of sin, but
He included the details of His plan in His book, the Bible, so we
could have a better understanding of the ‘stain’ and His ‘removal’.

From the very beginning of time, God required a sacrifice as an
atonement for sin. Before Jesus Christ came to earth in human
form (and yet still divine), people would sacrifice unblemished
animals as an atonement for their sin.

However, when Jesus walked among men, God’s plan was for Him
to become a living sacrifice as an atonement for the sins of each and
every person. John knew this was God’s plan and said,
    “Look, the Lamb of God, who
      takes away the sin of the world!”
      (John 1:29b)

As mentioned earlier, God outlined His sin stain removal
plan (salvation) in the Bible, which includes some defined
responsibilities of man. Here are a few of His instructions:
    Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,
    but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
    (Mark 16:16)

    For God so loved the world that He gave His one
    and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall
    not perish but have eternal life.
    (John 3:16)

    Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but
    whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s
    wrath remains on them.
    (John 3:36)

    “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears My word and
      believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will
      not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
      (John 5:24)

    “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the
      Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I
      will raise them up at the last day.”
      (John 6:40)

    Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only
    true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
    (John 17:3)

    And everyone who calls on the
    name of the Lord will be saved.’
    (Acts 2:21)

    For it is with your heart that you believe and are
    justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess
    your faith and are saved.
    (Romans 10:10)

    Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh
    will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the
    Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
    (Galatians 6:8)

    And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal
    life, and this life is in His Son.
    (1 John 5:11)

In summary:
We must believe in God’s redemption plan
(which is, He loves the people of the world and
gave His only Son as a propitiation for our sins).
Note:
    Propitiation describes how the wrath
    of God is turned away from those who believe.

We must believe that Jesus actually went to
the cross to become a loving sacrifice for our sin.

We must KNOW God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit
    (not just know about them, but have an intimate
      relationship with them through Bible study, prayer
      and worship).

We must call on the name of the Lord (asking Him to save us).

Our belief in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit must be more than
just an intellectual knowledge of facts; it must spring from our
hearts (which means we have developed an emotional attachment
with the Trinity).

We must express our faith with our mouth
(we don’t hide our faith, but we freely tell others about it).

We must sow to the Spirit and not to the flesh.
Note:
    This doesn’t imply that our salvation is based on works;
    it means that we ‘sow to the Spirit’ (in other words, we
    serve God which is the confirmation of our salvation). We
    have shifted our focus from the things that please the 
    flesh, to the things that please God.

ACTION:
Some claim that if Jesus came back today, He would not be crucified,
but would be given a regal reception. The truth is, Jesus does come to
us every day through bibles that are not read, churches that are not
attended, prayers that are not prayed, and songs of praise and worship
that are not sung.

Questions to consider:
    – How is my relationship with the Lord?
    – Do I have a head knowledge
       or a heart awareness of His existence?
    – Do I spend time with Him every day?
    – Do I read His Word and pray to Him
       as a part of my daily walk with Him?
    – Have I expressed my belief in Jesus and what He has done for me?
    – Do I share my faith with others often
       (telling them about how He has changed my life,
        and the blessings I have received from God)?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your plan of salvation.
Thank You, Jesus, for unselfishly pouring out Yourself as
part of God’s plan, so I could receive His salvation. Lord,
help me to be more vocal about my faith in You, and to
dedicate myself to spending more time with You each day.
Forgive me if I have failed to read Your Word, pray, and
spend time worshipping and praising You. Take away any
of my thoughts and deeds which sow to the flesh and not
to the Spirit.”

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