1 John 1:7,9, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin… If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Are you tormented with guilt? Is there some sin in your life you feel God can’t forgive you? Or perhaps you can’t even forgive yourself? Dear friend, I want to remind you that there is no sin that God cannot forgive. Jesus shed His powerful, precious, pure blood to atone for all sin. He is the Scapegoat who bore all your iniquities so you could go free. (Leviticus 16:22) Not some sins, but all of them. There is nothing that is too bad for the blood of Jesus. His life-giving blood has power to wash away all sin.

I think God must have known that we would have trouble believing this truth. Therefore, He gives us different pictures in the Bible (not just one, but many) to show us how the blood of Jesus completely eradicates our sins when we repent and confess it to Him. Shall we look at what happens to them? They are…

WASHED CLEAN!

Revelation 1:5b, “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.” (1 Corinthians 6:11, Titus 3:5)

AS WHITE AS SNOW!

Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Psalm 51:7, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Although this Scripture does not mention the blood, it refers to it because it was the hyssop that was used to sprinkle the blood.  (Revelation 7:13-14)

CLEANSED!

1 John 1:7, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (Jeremiah 33:8; Hebrews 9:14) In the New Testament, the Greek word for ‘cleansed’ and ‘purged’ is the same. It means ‘to purify from the pollution and guilt of sin’.

PARDONED!

Micah 7:18, “Who is a God like unto thee, who pardons iniquity, and passes by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retains not his anger forever, because he delights in mercy.” (Jeremiah 33:8)

FORGIVEN!

Ephesians 1:7, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Colossians 1:14)

TAKEN AWAY!

When John the Baptist saw Jesus, He called out, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) God not only forgives, but He takes our sins away out of sight.

We looked at two pictures of this last week – the bird that flew away into the open fields, and the scapegoat that was taken into an uninhabited wilderness.  Other translations of the Bible use different descriptions such as “a land of separation”, “a desolate region”, “a land where no one lives”, “a solitary land”, “a barren waste” and “an isolated place”. They are taken away where we can’t see them any more – into oblivion. The Hebrew word for scapegoat is ‘azazel’ which means ‘an entire and utter removal. It is derived from a root word, which means ‘wholly to go away’.  (Leviticus 16:22)

Dear one, don’t keep looking at your sin and groveling over it. God has taken it out of sight, so why try to retrieve it back again? It is out of sight, beyond the track of man, unseen and forgotten.  Because Jesus paid your price, you are now as free as a bird! (Romans 11:27)

AS FAR AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST!

Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” As we move closer and closer to the west, the horizon keeps shifting. We never come to the end. It’s the same if we go east. Our sins have been taken so far away that we cannot find the end.

BEHIND GOD’S BACK!

Isaiah 38:17, “You have cast all my sins behind your back.” God can’t see them when they are behind His back.

REMEMBERED NO MORE!

Jeremiah 31:34, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Isaiah 43:25) God remembers everything, except our sins. One writer says, Faith transfers them; Christ removes them; God forgets them.”

BLOTTED OUT!

Isaiah 44:22, “I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)

LOST! CAN’T BE FOUND!

Jeremiah 50:20, “In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found…” Once they are under the blood of Jesus, there is no way of finding them again. No matter who looks for them, or how long they look, they will never find them. They are lost forever!

BURIED IN THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA!

Micah 7:19, “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” They have been buried too deep to recover.

Oh the power of the blood of Jesus. It is too wonderful. By faith, live in the blessings of His precious blood that was shed for you.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Dear Lord, I thank you so much for your precious blood that was shed for my sins. I thank you for the power of your blood that totally cleanses me from all sin and all guilt. Help me to have a repentant heart and to daily confess the spots that tarnish my heart. I want to keep washed clean, pure and white, by the power of your blood. Thank you in Jesus name, Amen."

QUOTE:

“I hear the accuser roar

Of ills that I have done,

I know them well and thousands more –

Jehovah findeth none!”

Leviticus 14:51-52, “And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times; and he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water…"

Last week we learned the principles of how to eradicate infectious plagues from our homes. Once we have destroyed these creeping molds, we must then receive by faith the cleansing of the blood of Jesus. Our homes must be cleansed by the power of the blood of Jesus and the “running water” of the living Word of God. These are the two most powerful cleansing agents in the world. We need them in our hearts. We need them in our homes. They bring salvation, healing, protection and deliverance. Through them we conquer the enemy! Revelations 12:11 says, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”

If you have been going through a purging in your home, make sure you plead the precious blood of Jesus over member and every room in your home. Honor the blood of Jesus in your home. Sing songs and hymns about the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus is your only access into the presence of God.

And don’t forget the cleansing water of the Word of God. Speak it out loud in your home. Read it personally. Read it together as a family when you sit at your family meal table. Memorize Scriptures and confess them in every situation. The blood and the Word of God will keep your home washed clean. (John 15:3; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:26) They will deter all future contaminating molds that would try to take over your home again.

However, you cannot use the precious blood of Jesus flippantly. It is holy. It will not cover unconfessed sin. It will not cover unrepentant anger, maliciousness, uncleanness, adultery and such contamination that continue in the home. Leviticus 14:33-53 tells us that the house could not be cleansed until the leprosy was totally scraped out. But once we have confessed, repented, and dealt with the sin, we can receive total healing through the blood of Christ.

After the home was healed, the priest had to take two birds. The first one he killed and the blood was shed. He then dipped the living bird, plus the cedar wood, the hyssop branch and scarlet in the blood of the slain bird and sprinkled the house seven times.  After this, he took the living bird (that had been dipped in the blood) outside the city and let it go into the open fields. Was this just for fun? No, everything that God ordained in the old covenant has a type for us today. It was written for our learning and admonition.

Letting the bird fly away is similar to what happened on the Day of Atonement, which you can read about in Leviticus chapter 16. On that day, God commanded them to bring two goats to the door of the tabernacle and cast lots. One received the Lord’s lot and the other the lot of the scapegoat. The Lord’s goat was slain and Aaron took the blood of this goat into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled it seven times upon the mercy seat to atone for the sins of the people.

By the way, do you know how many times the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement? It was three times. First of all, he went in wearing his linen clothes (speaking of the righteousness of Christ) and carrying a censer of burning coals in his right hand and fragrant incense in his left. The incense filled the Most Holy Place and covered the Mercy Seat to protect Aaron in the holy presence of God. He then returned for the blood from the bullock, which he sprinkled on the Mercy Seat to atone for his own sins and the sins of his own household. He then entered the third time with the blood of the goat to atone for the sins of the nation.

After this he came forth, laid both his hands upon the scapegoat, confessed over it all the sins of the children of Israel, and then like the bird that was let go, the goat was sent away. God commanded in Leviticus 16:21-22 to “send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness… unto a land not inhabited, and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.”

This goat represents the efficacy of the blood of Jesus in taking our sins away. This goat was taken into an uninhabited wilderness and lost – never to be seen or heard of again! This is what the power of Jesus does with our sins – they are taken out of sight! Because Jesus bore our sin upon His own body, we go free – like the bird that flew into the open fields. Isn’t that amazing?

I wonder why the cedar, hyssop and scarlet were also used in the cleansing? I wish I had the deeper understanding that Solomon had. When talking about Solomon’s wisdom it says, “He spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall…”

Scarlet represents the blood of Jesus. The hyssop was used to sprinkle blood on the home (as they also did at the time of Passover, Exodus 12:22). What about the cedar? The cedars of Lebanon are strong, firmly rooted, evergreen trees. The wood is reddish color and they are fragrant. Most interesting of all, insects will not attack them! When you are cleansed by the blood of Jesus, and live by faith under the covering of His blood, the insects of evil will not be able to eat into your home. You will emanate the sweet fragrance of Jesus into your home and to your husband and children.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh Lord, I thank you for the power of the blood of Jesus and the power of your living Word to cleanse my heart and cleanse my home. I thank you that your blood that avails for me in every circumstance. It avails for me today as much as 2000 years ago. I thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

QUOTE:

Precious blood, by this we conquer

   In the fiercest fight,

Sin and Satan overcoming

   By its might.

Frances Ridley Havergal

Leviticus 14:35, “It seems to me there is as it were a plague in the house.” Read the whole passage when you get time – Leviticus 14:33-57.

Can plagues come to houses as well as people? Yes, and not only in ancient times, but in our modern society as well.

We have friends nearby who have had to move out of their home because of a creeping mold that began to take over. Their washing machine overflowed through faulty installation. They cleaned it up, yet silently the mold began to grow. After a few weeks, members of the family experienced rashes, nose bleeds and bad headaches. They called in the experts who ordered them to leave their home immediately. After a year of inspections, the home will now be totally demolished. If you were to look in the huge containers filled with the belongings from their home, you would see green and black poisonous mold growing everywhere. Is this an isolated case? No, our friends are now meeting others in the same position. Claims involving mold damage are escalating into millions of dollars.

Worse than molds that can infect your walls, are leprous plagues that eat into the relationships of the home-dwellers - plagues that contaminate the joy and harmony of the home. They are the creeping molds of arguing and dissension, resentment, anger, bitterness, hate, jealousy, unforgiveness, the ‘silent treatment’ and non-communication, grumbling and complaining, impurity and adultery, pornography, and the invasion of the worldly spirit through TV and worldy literature and music.

What should we do when these plagues creep into our relationships? We must deal with them immediately or they will destroy the home. We cannot let the plague continue. We have to be serious about it. No wonder Ephesians 4:26 enjoins us to “let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” Life is not perfect. Difficult situations will often arise in our marriage relationship and dealing with our children. But if we get mad or angry, we must not hold the grudge! We have to get rid of it, at least before we go to sleep for the night!  Isn’t it wonderful that God has an answer for every challenge we face in our daily lives?

Natural molds, of which there are many variations, can develop within 24 – 48 hours from standing water, if not thoroughly dried in that time. Very soon they multiply, and through the ventilation system put millions of spores into the air. Every spore has a toxin that produces poison. Just as it is in wood and brick, so it is in our daily relationships. We must deal the infection before it spreads and causes more havoc. Sin is never stagnant; it always spreads.

Even back in the Old Testament, God gives us the plan on how to deal with these plagues in our homes. Leviticus 14:40 tells us that we must “tear out the stones with the plague in them and throw them away.” That’s not all! Next, they had to “thoroughly scrape” all around to make sure every bit of the infection was eradicated. (Verse 41.)

Scraping? Oh this hurts, doesn’t it? It hurts our putrid pride. Even the noise of it grates on our nerves. But this is how we have to deal with this “spreading mildew”. We have to scrape it clean, no matter how much is uncovered and leaves us bare and exposed.  We have to humble ourselves and give up our own way. We cannot leave one tiny spore of contamination or it will grow again. Oh I know this is hard, but there is no other way! It’s the only way to save your home from destruction.

But we haven’t finished yet. Once we have scraped every bit of the plague away, we then have to “take other (verse 42). We can’t leave the space empty or more “wicked spirits” will fill the home. (Luke 11:24-26)  By God’s power and grace, we must fill up the gap with “other” stones - stones of humility, meekness, forgiveness, love, blessing, kindness, longsuffering and tolerance. These “other” stones will heal strained relationships. They will mend broken relationships. They will restore hurting marriages. stones and put them in the place of these stones…”

Do you have a plague eating away at your household? God has given you the answer to eradicate it. Obey His principles and you will find healing and blessing.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Dear Father God, I confess my sin before you now (name it before the Lord). I repent of it. I lay down my pride and stubbornness at the foot of the cross and leave it there. Please give me strength to pull out all the infection and scrape it completely clean. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. Fill me to overflowing that I will overflow and pour into my home the beautiful stones of love, meekness and forbearance. I thank you Lord, for showing me the way. Amen."

QUOTE: 

The dearest idol I had known,

Whate’er that idol be -

Help me to tear it from Thy throne

And worship only Thee.

2 Kings 18:3,5-6 NAS, “Hezekiah… he did right in the sight of the Lord… he trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.” 

What a wonderful testimony to be written over a life. The Bible says that there was no other king like Hezekiah. What was the secret of his success? He clung to the Lord. The kings before him and after him were lured away from the Lord, but Hezekiah did not waver. He clung to the Lord with all his heart.

Where did he learn to cling to the Lord? I believe he learnt it from his mother, Abijah. Abijah was married to Ahaz, Hezekiah’s father. Ahaz was a wicked king, so wicked, that when he died they didn’t even bury him in the sepulchers of the kings of Israel. His greatest wickedness was that he followed the way of the heathen nations around about him and actually “burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen…” 2 Chronicles 28:3 

Who were these children? Obviously they were some of the sons of Abijah. Oh fellow mother, can you even begin to imagine the horror, the terror, torture, the torment, the anguish, the despair, the agony and the dreadfulness (I can’t even find enough adjectives) that Abijah must have experienced as her precious little baby was ripped away from her loving arms and thrown into a fiery pit? Oh it is too painful to think about. It would be enough to send her insane.

How did she survive? She must have clung to the Lord. The God who is Enough, was her comfort, her pillar, her rock and her consolation. It was not enough just to pray. She was desperate. She had to cling to the Lord. She held fast to the Lord and would not let Him go. This was her sanity. 

Are you going through something in your life that you feel is too hard to bear? Is your heart agonizing? Dear friend, cling to the Lord. No, don’t just pray a little prayer. Cling to the Lord. Cry out to Him. Stay in His presence until you feel His loving arms around you. As you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you. He will bind up and heal your broken heart. He will keep your mind sound.

Do you have a problem that you don’t know how to solve? Cling to the Lord. Once again, don’t just pray a little prayer. Hold fast to the Lord until you receive His answer. Don’t be swayed by worldly answers. Wait for God’s Word. 

Do you feel that you can hardly bear another moment in your marriage? Can you imagine the heartache Abijah endured as she lived with a man who threw her baby into the fire? Or maybe more than one baby? Dear one, cling to the Lord. Put your trust in the Lord. Have patience and wait for Him. God will work on your behalf, as you trust in Him. And He will work wonders in you while you wait for His delivering power.

What was the fruit of Abijah’s clinging to the Lord? She kept her sanity. She found her victory. She walked in dignity. And she raised a son who became the greatest king in Judah. She raised a godly man who influenced a nation for God. She taught him to “cling to the Lord” and that became the success of his life and his reign as the greatest king of Judah. And Abijah’s name is recorded in the Scriptures as a mother and powerful influence of a godly king. 

Don’t give in, dear one. Cling to the Lord. This is your salvation.

Deuteronomy 13:4 NAS, “You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him and cling to Him.” (Deuteronomy 10:20; 11:22; Joshua 22:5; 23:8; Acts 11:23)

   Deuteronomy 30:20, “Cleave unto Him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days.” 

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, teach me to cling to you. Every other cistern leaks. You are the only one who can support me and hold me. I will cling to you. I will not let you go. I will hang on to you because you are my Source, my Life, my Hope, my Comfort, my Consolation, my Rock and my faithful God.”

QUOTE:

“In Heavenly Love abiding,

No change my heart shall fear;

And safe is such confiding,

For nothing changes here.

The storm may roar about me,

My heart may low be laid;

But God is round about me,

And can I be dismayed?

Anna L. Waring