Nothing But The Blood                                                                           11-29-13

Romans 5:9 (NASB) ⁹  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

Man, I am stuffed. Can I get an amen? I got the night off and decided to write my message tonight. It's 2 o'clock in the morning and the peace and quiet is nice as I can hardly move after the gorging I did today. Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving and now let the shopping begin!!

I heard that old gospel hymn this week. It was on one of those Bill Gaither specials that come on from time to time and it touched my heart.

                                        What can wash away my sin?
                                         Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
                                         What can make me whole again?
                                         Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
                                        
                                         Oh! Precious is the flow
                                          That makes me white as snow;
                                          No other fount I know,
                                          Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

The stain of sin. We can't wash it off. We can't go to church enough, can't read our Bible enough, can't pray enough. All the holy living and good works that you and I can muster have no effect; and all the money in the world can't buy it off. As a matter of fact there is NOTHING that YOU or I can do to make it go away. No human merit or work of righteousness is sufficient. Oh, but listen. All anyone need do is get under the flow. Nothing but the blood. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

It appears that we have started a new holiday tradition..black Thursday night. A lot of the stores opened tonight trying to get a head start on the competition for the holiday sales dollar. Even both of our local malls opened early this evening. Listen, I like all the holiday hustle and bustle.It brings back childhood memories and the almost unbearable countdown to the day that the big fat man made his yearly trek to my living room. Those were some good times for sure. Understand however, that this world is in a mad dash for every last dollar that it can squeeze out of us;and Jesus, and His Blood probably don't figure too prominently into the equation

Having said that, the hymn song this week made me think about the upcoming season and provoked me to consider the man Jesus. You know something? we don't serve and worship a babe in the manger any longer. Yes, I love the songs of Christmas and the baby Jesus. The sweetness of spirit that surrounds Christmas and all the rest that goes along with it. But, let me repeat..we no longer serve that babe. No, no.  We serve a crucified and risen savior; a soon coming warrior-king. The world wants to keep Jesus in that Bethlehem manger or on Calvary's cross; but He's no longer in either place. He sits on a throne in unapproachable light and glory. He's coming back to execute His vengeance upon this earth and all the inhabitants that don't know Him as Savior. He is going to set up His kingdom with all the answers to man's feeble attempts to govern the world that God gave him.  Not only does He have all the answers that men are seeking on this earth; but, He has all the answers for the sin sick soul and the weary ones that have lost their way. As they say today, He's the real deal.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB) ²⁸  "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
²⁹  "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
³⁰  "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."


 Even better than all that is that He loves you and me and wants to make us a part of His grand design. An important part! Find some one on one time with Him today. He knows what you are going through. Whether it is a secret sin that is weighing you down or crushing circumstances beyond your control, He has a healing Word for You and You alone. His Word says it's a sustaining word. As the song says, His Blood will wash away your sin AND make you WHOLE again.

Isaiah 50:4 (NASB) ⁴  The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.


 His blood still works. It can, no, it WILL save you from your sin. It will restore and refresh your soul. It will encourage and strengthen you to keep on going against the odds and will give you victory in the end. It is the only true reality in this world that we live in. And to top it off it won't cost you a dime. No standing in line and you get instant approval. Seek Him out.

NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS!

Psalm 34:22 (NASB) ²²  The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.


God Bless