Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.

 Zechariah 3:1-10

Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. Zechariah 3:3

I continue my study of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For today, my focus is a unassisted review of Zechariah 3:3, which the commentary outlines as the third of six divisions for the text 3:1-10 (3:1, 3:2, 3:3, 3:4-5, 3:6-7, 3:8-10).  Here the actors in this vision include an angel of the Lord, the Lord, Satan, and the high priest Joshua.  Vv1-2 depict Satan accusing Joshua of being guilty of sin and the Lord rebuking Satan. In v3, Joshua stands in filthy garments, reflecting not just how he is guilty of sin but how all of humanity is broken and sinful and in need of forgiveness of sin and salvation.  See also Romans 3:23, 6:23, and 1 John 1:8).  We need this reminder of how our sin leads us to eternal damnation unless we are saved by Jesus Christ, and this salvation is a gift of God, not something we do on our own (Ephesians 2:8). 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who forgives and saves - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving how You impart righteousness and save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love you with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness....But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

1 John 1:5-2:2

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness...But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 1:9, 2:1

This morning, I continue my study of 1,2,3 John using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for these books.  My study today focuses on an unassisted review of 1 John 1:5-2:2, which contrasts light from darkness, as one represents Jesus, those who believe in Him, and the truth which is His Word, while the other represents sin (vv5-6). When we believe in Him, are obedient to Him, repent from our sins, we have both fellowship with other believers that do the same, and God is faithful to cleanse us of our sins (v7).  We cannot deny that sin is part of all humanity and as such each one of us - as this has been true since the Fall in Genesis 3 (v8).  While we all have sin, John reiterates how God is faithful and just to cleanse us of our sins and all unrighteousness (v9).  John also reiterates how we make Jesus a liar when we say we have not sinned - we also lose the right to claim that the Word is in us (v10). John seeks for us to become more like Jesus, to be holy because he is holy - to not sin (v2:1a).  It is inevitable that we will sin, but once again "we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (vv2:1b-2)." 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are so good...You advocate and intercede on my behalf...daily.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving for how You save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

I pause my study of 1 Corinthians to study DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys Daily devotional, which today, looks at how to repent.  When we sin, and are aware of our sins specifically, we inevitably feel shame, remorse and as John Piper describes, "crummy" or "rotten."  Piper shares how "[a] vague, bad feeling that you are a crummy person is not the same as conviction for sin. Feeling rotten is not the same as repentance."  Instead, Piper encourages us to specifically "call to mind the commands [we] frequently break."  For himself, he lists several, including:

• "Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Be as eager for things to go well for him as you are for things to go well for you. (see Matthew 22:39)"
• "Do all things without grumbling. No grumbling — inside or outside. (Philippians 2:14)"
• "Only say things that give grace to others — especially those closest to you. (Ephesians 4:29)"
• "Redeem the time. Don’t fritter away the minutes, or dawdle. (Ephesians 5:16)"

Piper presses in how being specific are out in the open and not hidden - we confront them.  Piper gets angry at his sin and he wants to kill the sin - not himself - his sin.  Piper then offers us encouragement when we take on such battles, even when we know they are uncomfortable.  He rests in 1 John 1:9 and how Christ forgives and cleanses - we must confess, however, specifically.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good as I know You forgive and cleanse sin - thank You Jesus for helping me with my daily battle against sin.  The list is long and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me for my many sins, including how I often fritter away the minutes...please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25

I continue my study of Hebrews, and this morning my focus is Daniel 10:19-25, and my unaided observations of the text. Here, we are encouraged in many ways.  The author of Hebrews builds on the case that Jesus's sacrifice was perfect and abolished the sacrificial system from the Old Testament.  In the process we are cleansed of our sins, including our consciousness - no longer a slave to sin and the ensuing cycle of shame, etc. Instead we are slaves to God (see Romans 6:22)! In light (therefore) of how we are given direct access to God (v19), cleansed of sin (v20) and because we have in Jesus a great high priest (v21), we should draw (and stay) near to God based on confidence knowing that God is faithful to us, so we should be faithful in return (v22-23). We should also remember to build up and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ, particularly as we never know when Jesus will return or when we will be called home to Heaven (v24-25). 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your sacrifice was perfect and believers can rest assured that we are cleansed of sin and can live free and boldly to love and serve You.  What a tremendous blessing and You are faithful!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

 

For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Hebrews 9

 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Hebrews 9:13-14

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 9:11-22, specifically looking at the second division covering 9:13-14, which the commentary entitles "The Superiority of Christ to the Levitical Sacrifices." Here, the text and the associated commentary make clear a stark contrast in what the Old Testament ritual sacrifices were able to do, versus what Jesus did (and still does) for us through His shed blood on the cross.  While the Old Testament sacrifices cleansed the people - they did so only externally, and such sacrifices need to be repeated annually (well, really almost immediately!).  In contrast, the commentary shares that "Christ’s sacrifice of himself internally cleanses those for whom he died. He purifies our consciences....Hebrews remarkably captures the balance of the Christian life. Redeemed people serve God and find fulfillment and joy in doing the very things that we did out of obligation and frantic determination to try to justify ourselves before Christ came. The completed work of Christ rescues us from this foolish attempt and saves us from dead works." Praise God for what He is able to do for us!  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who cleanses my conscience and gives from freedom from the sting of sin and death - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings - my sin continues to be great.  Please forgive my sin and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.   

[H]ow much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Hebrews 9

[H]ow much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Hebrews 9:14

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper looks at how our conscience too often condemn us with shame, guilt, feelings of inadequacy that "make us feel unacceptable to God".  We then, in response, implement responses to compensate or "fill the hole" left by our conscience.  Yet Piper rightly points out that these responses are sometimes harmful, and nothing we can do - even works we deem "good" - in this world can do what ONLY Jesus can do.  Unbelievers, accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior and have faith. As Piper puts it: "[t]urn to the only cleansing agent in the universe that can give you relief in life, and peace in death."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me.  You cleanse me, make me one of Your elect, and You clothe me in righteousness - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings...not by a long shot.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please cleanse me, forgive me, and help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.

Revelation 22

 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Revelation 22:14

This week marks (meeting Monday nights) the final week of my D-Group's study of Revelation - using Stephen Witmer's commentary and study guide. For this week's study, we are collapsing the Epilogue (week 11) and the Summary/Conclusion (week 12) into a single week.  Of particular note this morning is how only those who wash their robes are allowed into Heaven.  Of course this refers to the cleansing of sin that only Jesus provides - God alone forgives and cleanses us of our sin.  This is not of our own doing - no works can do this for us. We all sin, and we all need a Savior (lest we suffer eternal torment). For those who have experienced this cleansing, it is an overwhelming experience where a natural response is praise God - what amazing grace!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who saves me and cleanses my sin - thank You Jesus!  Amazing grace indeed!  I am not deserving as my sin is great and it continues daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

...God put [Jesus] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

Romans 3:25(a)

...God put [Jesus] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. Romans 3:25

This morning, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I moved to the next section of chapter four The Glory of Christ's Salvation, where the focus is on 3:25 and a discussion of propitiation. John Piper defines propitiation as "the removal of the wrath of God against sinners by the death of Jesus".  We receive this removal by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior (see Romans 10:9-10).  My commentary goes on to describe propitiation as involving appeasement of "the righteous wrath of God."  It further expands on propitiation as the mercy seat from Exodus 25:21-22.  My commentary then states that without propitiation we remain under God's wrath per John 3:36.  We are encouraged to see both love and justice in propitiation as "[t]he Father puts the Son forward, and the Son willingly obeys the Father.  Love and justice motivated the cross event."  We are also encouraged to see how we have peace (see Romans 5:1) with God as a result as "[w]e are no longer enemies of God."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and You saved me from being under Your wrath - thank You Jesus.  Yet I am undeserving of such a gift of grace.  My sin continues - worry, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Portions of Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51:2

Day 60 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on directives from God through Moses (Moses' Laws) for health regulations, including skin disease, burns, mold, and bodily discharges.

Believers know that uncleanliness of course extends beyond external bodily conditions.  Due to our sin, we all have stains that many cannot see - yet God can.  This post from DesiringGod.com reminded me of this today.

Sin leaves us stained with the cycle of guilt and shame...and of course we are separated from God.  Yet Jesus came for us so that all of us (Jews and Gentiles alike) could be cleansed of our sin and reconciled to Him.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who has cleansed me of my sin and I need this daily - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such cleansing and love.  I do sin daily, with harshness towards others, etc.   Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here,he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Leviticus 12, 14-15, Numbers 19

But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here,he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9:11-14

Day 54 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues to focus on Moses Laws, with an emphasis on the ritual washing for ceremonial uncleanliness associated with diet, childbirth, bodily emissions and discharges, numerous diseases, and contact with the dead.

John Piper has a great post on how we may view the ritual washings and cleansings as "old and so foreign and so strange" but that these washings and cleansings served God's people at a point in time and that we must understand the purpose of these rituals in the context of that point in time if we are to understand the role of Jesus in our lives.  Using Hebrews 9, Piper writes that we must "[t]urn to the only cleansing agent in the universe that can give you relief in life and peace in death."  Of course this is Jesus Christ.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God that You allow me to come to You directly - that I may have a personal Lord and Savior that I can approach with confidence without having to go through a priest and without ceremonial sacrifices and washings - Your blood and sacrifice on the cross cleanses me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such an incredible act of love.  I sin...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

To stir up wrath and take revenge I put her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered....Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you but you would not be cleansed from your impurity, you will not be clean again until my wrath against you has subsided.

Ezekiel 24

To stir up wrath and take revenge I put her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered....Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you but you would not be cleansed from your impurity, you will not be clean again until my wrath against you has subsided. v8,13

God uses Ezekiel to give us another parable about sin...about the sin of Israel and our own sin.  We all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8).  In the Old Testament covenant, spilling of blood was required for atonement, and as such animal sacrifice was used.  In the New Testament, Jesus is the ultimate and final sacrifice through the shedding of His blood on the cross...no further sacrifice is required.  Unlike the Old Covenant where Israel's blood is not covered, Jesus covers and washes our sin away (Romans 4:7).  

Additionally, today God reinforces how we all need to be more like Him, and this requires sanctification - an often very difficult process where God sometimes uses harsh punishment and difficult circumstances to mold us into who He wants us to be - the refiner's fire.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who died on the cross for me - thank You Jesus.  You paid the ultimate price so that I would have life.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love.  I worry...far too much.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.