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As you wipe the sleep from your eyes and enjoy your morning coffee, many of you, if you haven’t already, will soon make your way into the shower; starting your day off feeling clean and fresh. One product has built a fifty year legacy on the assumption that each of us desires to feel clean and fresh. In 1958 Procter & Gamble introduced a brand new product named “Zest.” They did so with the slogan "For the first time in your life, feel really clean." This idea quickly morphed into the popular and catchy Jingle: “You’re not fully clean unless you’re Zestfully clean!"
As I boy, I remember watching these commercials and telling my mother that she needed to buy Zest so we too could be clean. Instead, my mother insisted that the bold claims of the television were simply not true, and the “bargain” soap we bought cleansed our bodies quite well. My mother may have been right, we probably did not need the expensive Zest brand of soap in order to wash the dirt off our bodies. However, there is one thing that our soap could never clean; one that even Zest can not clean. Our sin.
Hebrews 10:1-4 says,
“The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.”
For hundreds of years, God fearing Jews would travel to the temple to offer up sacrifices to atone for their sin. However, this act of repentance and worship was unable to fully cleanse them of their sins. It still remained. Instead Hebrews 4 says, “those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year.” Ironic, isn’t it? That the thing which they did in hopes of cleansing actually brought more guilt upon themselves.
Hebrews continues this thought with the in verse four, “For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” On this side of the cross, this statement seems extremely obvious. Not only is ritual sacrifice a crude and violent practice (one most of us could not stomach) but is not what God requires, nor could anyone receive forgiveness in doing such an act.
Nevertheless, many people are caught up in the same basic belief today. That they can somehow, in some way offer up something that will please God. That in some small (or big) way they can please God with their Good Works; either by what they do, give, or what they abstain from. However, this is simply not true! Nothing we do is ever good enough to take away our sins.
The prophet the Isaiah said “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” and filthy rags can’t clean anything. I believe one Christian Songwriter said it best, “you wash, and wash, and wash, and wash, and you will not be clean.” No matter what we do or do not, we will never be clean.
Hebrews 10 delivers the solution, namely Christ. Verse five states, “That is why, Christ came into the world” and verse ten continues, “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ.”
Jesus Christ came, lived, shed His Blood, giving His body, and His life to fully atone for our sin. It is through Him and Only Him where we find forgiveness, where we are made holy, where we are cleansed, where our sins are taken away, making us Christ-fully clean! Not even Zest can do that.
Labels: Christ, Christfully Clean, Clean, Cross, Devotions, Forgiveness, Fresh, Good Works, Guilt, Hebrews 10:1-4, Isaiah 64:6, Jesus, Procter and Gamble, Repentance, Sacrifice, Sin, Soap, Zest, Zestfully Clean
Anyone, who has lived any amount of years, will testify to the fact that our world is getting worse. For Christians that means the end is near and Christ return is eminent. In light of this reality, rarely does much time pass before someone asks me, “Pastor, do you think we are living in the end times?”
Most people ask this question with a hopeful exception of the things to come, or as a disappointed commentary on the downturn of our culture. Although it is impossible to answer this question with absolute authority (for no one knows the day or hour of the Christ’s coming), one thing is clear, each day lived is closer to the Lord’s Return.
So what should do? Especially if Christ will come back shortly? Should we live in fear of the things to come? Should we stand on the street corner with a sandwich board around our neck proclaiming the impending doom? Should we huddle up in our churches studying, praying, and waiting for Christ?
No. Hebrews 10:24-25 give us a much different direction: one of encouragement. “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
Let us briefly consider three of the encouragements found in this passage.
#1 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
Instead of fearing the end, we should use the time to think how we can motive our fellow believers to love and serve Christ more. To consider who we can come along side, acknowledging their gifts and spurring them to use them for the Lord.
#2 And let us not neglect our meeting together…
It’s easy to stop attending church; and once we stop, it is hard to go back again. Yet, it is at church where our faith is fed, our souls nourished, and we are reminded of our forgiveness through hearing of God’s Word. It is in Church where we experience the blessings of corporate worship, the support of fellow believers, and are afforded opportunities to serve our King. Therefore, we need one another’s encouragement to continue coming and participating in the spiritual life of the church.
#3 …but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
The Christian life is never easy; it is full of temptations, trials, and persecutions. Scripture is clear that during the end times this will only increase, and it will become harder and harder to be a Christ follower. You will need the encouragement and strength of others all the more during this time, and they will need it from you as well.
Instead of looking, waiting, or ever-fearing the end, let’s spend our time thinking about ways we can motivate and encourage each other to love, hold fast, and do great works for God until the end.
Today, would you think of one person whom you can encourage and motivate in the Lord... and do it before the sun sets tonight.
For those who do not know me, I am a proud father to two beautiful little girls. My oldest is seven and youngest is five. As you can imagine with growing children, our home is overflowing with energy and life rarely seems to slow down for us. This is never more true than for the first few months of each year.
Yes, being a ministry family December is full and not long after that Lent begins. Yet, it is not for ministry reasons alone this time of the year is full, but in a matter of four weeks our family celebrates three birthdays, one wedding anniversary, and Valentine’s Day. Back up a few weeks and you can include Christmas and one more birthday. This does not include any of our extended family birthdays or anniversaries which fall between Thanksgiving and St. Patricks day. Needless to say, that by March 12th our family is celebrated out and grateful that we do not need to buy presents for another eight months.
Although we have traveled this journey for seven years now, there is one truth which continues to amaze me; how fast the novelty of a new toy wears off. It never fails, the excitement in their eye, the feverish pace in opening the nicely wrapped package. The enthusiasm and focus shown as all other distractions fade in the light of this new toy. This is quickly followed by refusal to go to bed, for that means a ceasing in play and leaving the state of euphoria they have now found themselves in.
There is no need to worry, this state will not last long. Before you know it, this toy too will be cast aside and share same fate as its older counterparts. Soon it too will rest in a corner, or a shelf abandoned, forgotten, and neglected, as phrases like “I’m bored” or “there’s nothing to do” or “I have nothing to play with” echo through the house.
This phenomenon happens to adults as well. Most of us are happy when we start a new job, yet as the days turn into weeks, the weeks into months, and the months into years, many of us become unhappy and find ourselves wishing for a change. Of course none of us have every said “I have nothing to wear” when our closet is full of clothes we were once elated to don.
Consider the draw of a new sports stadium. The crowds pack it out, opening their wallets wide to be the first to experience it. Yet, as time passes this too will fade, and unless the team continues to win, soon this once sought after stadium will be running gimmicks in order to attract paying fans.
This fate also plagues our faith. Many start off strong, excited, and are deeply involved when they first came to the Lord, and yet as time passes this too seems to wane. Yes, many still attend Sunday morning Worship, but no longer have the same zeal they once did. The excitement is gone, the newness has disappeared, the desire to get into the Word, spend time in Prayer, or tell others is gone. This is a common problem, and in Hebrews 10:32-34 we read this encouragement;
Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.
The call is to remember the joy of our salvation, to remember how willing we were to sacrifice greatly for our King and Savior. To remember the reason why, the fuel for our faith, the complete forgiveness of our sins and promise of eternal life with Christ. For as we remember this great promise, its hard not to be filled once again with excitement and zeal for Him.
Take time today to remember and recapture the zeal of days gone by remembering the great promise that is to come!
Labels: Birthday, Bored, Christ, Complacent, Devotions, Eternal Life, Faith, Family, Forgiveness, Gift, God, Hebrews 10:32-34, Holiday, Jesus, Kids, Promise, Recapture, Remember, Tired, Zeal
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