037 Friday, February 6, 2009

037 Leviticus 4 – 7; Hebrews 2 - 3

What can wash away my sin? Once you are aware that you have sin in your life, what do you do? Beat yourself up, beat up someone else, rationalize it, deny it, transfer it--what do you do? Sin is a nasty problem. There are so many sins, even the unintentional sins--God "gets it" that we may not know that we have sinned and will bring those things to our awareness when the time is right. What we need to focus our attention on is the sins that we are aware of. What are the sins that you are aware of right now?

What can wash away my sin? By now you have noticed there is a lot of blood in the O.T.--blood of bulls, goats, lambs. Even pigeons are used to pay for sin--to make atonement for what has been done wrong. Do you see? Somebody has to pay! There are only two kinds of religions in the world. There is the "self-atonement" religion and the "God-pays-for-our-sin" religion. The self-pay plan does not work. Why? How many sacrifices or good works does it take to pay for the wrong? Who sets the standard? When you read Leviticus keep in mind that God was teaching that a sacrifice was needed. This O.T. "payment plan" (animal sacrifice) was not the real thing. It was an illustration, a shadow of the real sacrifice that Jesus would provide with His own body. No animal sacrifice could be sufficient. God is setting the standard and the price to be paid for the wrongs that have been committed.

What can wash away my sin? The answer is nothing but the blood of Jesus. Modern people say Christianity is a bloody religion. They are right that it is bloody. The truth is somebody has to pay. Thank God that in Christ Jesus the debt has been paid and we have been set free from the penalty of sin and are being set free from the power of sin.

Be set free today. If we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteous. 1 John1:9