Cleansed Hebrews 9:13-14 Hebrews 9:19-22 Psalms 51:7-8 Hebrews 10:19-23 Acts 13:38-39 Acts 26:15-18 Ephesians 1:7-8 2 Peter 1:5-9 01.23.19

CLEANSED

BREAD

¹³ 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. ¹⁴ 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 9:13-14 (NIV)

¹⁹ When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. ²⁰ He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” ²¹ In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. ²² In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.  Hebrews 9:19-22 (NIV)

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. ⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.   Psalm 51:7-8 (NIV)

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.   Hebrews 10:19-23 (NIV)

³⁸ “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.”  Acts 13:38-39 (NIV)

¹⁵ “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’” “‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied.  ¹⁶ ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. ¹⁷ I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them ¹⁸ to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’”  Acts 26:15-18 (NIV)

⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ⁸ that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.  Ephesians 1:7-8 (NIV)

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.  2 Peter 1:5-9 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Let’s be careful to remember that God has not chiefly called us to be awesome or to be ‘winners.’ Rather, he has called us to live humble, faithful, forgiven, and free. For that, in truth, is where all the true power is.”   Scott Sauls

“There is a difference between brokenness over one’s sin and living in shame for the rest of our days.  A broken and contrite heart the Lord will never despise.  This means one agrees with the Lord that the sin was wrong and desires not to continue on in it.  It is a turning from it into the ways of the Lord through His power, for His glory, for our good.  This leads to peace with God which passes all understanding not continued shame over the transgression.  Guilt is Satan’s trademark and often keeps the forgiven believer paralyzed in their walk with the Lord believing themselves to be unworthy to be used in kingdom work or even approach the throne of grace through prayer.  If Satan can’t keep us from being saved, he desires to keep us from being used and from feeling the comfort of God’s love and forgiveness.  Believers are accepted in the Beloved.”   BHY

“We need to ask God every day to forgive us for our sins. And as we receive that forgiveness, we should also extend it to others. According to Jesus, our generous and constant forgiveness of others should be the natural result of our understanding of the forgiveness God has extended to us.  To put it simply, forgiven people ought to be forgiving people.”   Greg Laurie

“It is idle for us to say that we know God has forgiven us if we are not loving and forgiving ourselves.”   Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“I don’t know what you’re going through today. Maybe you’re dealing with guilt, and you just can’t seem to get rid of it. Perhaps something in your past just won’t loosen its grip on you. Whatever it is, you can rest assured knowing that God will forgive you. He already has! You just have to accept His forgiveness and move forward. I know that can be easier said than done at times, but know this: there is no peace apart from Christ. If you are struggling with fear, doubt, or guilt, lay it all at the feet of Jesus. Only there will you find hope, forgiveness, and freedom.”  Cathe Laurie

“One reason we don’t grow in ordinary, grateful obedience as we should is that we’ve got amnesia; we’ve forgotten that we are cleansed from our sins. In other words, ongoing failure in sanctification (the slow process of change into Christlikeness) is the direct result of failing to remember God’s love for us in the gospel. If we lack the comfort and assurance that his love and cleansing are meant to supply, our failures will handcuff us to yesterday’s sins, and we won’t have faith or courage to fight against them, or the love for God that’s meant to empower this war. If we fail to remember our justification, redemption, and reconciliation, we’ll struggle in our sanctification.”    Elyse Fitzpatrick

“You only get so much time before here is over. There is only so much time.  There’s only so much time to forgive, to wipe slates clean, to make things right when you’ve gotten things wrongs.  There is only so much time to make love your life.  Because time here will run out one day and one day your heart will stop it’s brave beating and there will be no more time to love here, to change the story here, to make your life say what your heart feels.”   Ann Voskamp

“Every attribute of God should become a fresh ray in the sunlight of our gladness.  That He is wise should make us glad, knowing as we do our own foolishness.  That He is mighty should cause us to rejoice who tremble at our weakness.  That He is everlasting, should always be a theme of joy when we know that we wither as the grass.  That He is un-changing, should perpetually yield us a song, since we change every hour.  That He is full of grace, that He is overflowing with it, and that this grace in covenant He has given to us; that it is ours to cleanse us, ours to keep us, ours to sanctify us, ours to perfect us, ours to bring us to glory – all this should tend to make us glad in Him.  This gladness in God is as a deep river; we have only as yet touched its brink, we know a little of its clear sweet, heavenly streams, but onward the depth is greater, and the current more impetuous in its joy.”   Charles H. Spurgeon   

“Mind if I pray for you?  Jesus, I pray for the dear person reading this prayer. Would you woo them to Yourself? Would You bring peace into whatever chaos they face today? Would you show them how deeply and widely (and wildly) You love them? Remind them in this sweet circle of two that you are there. You are available. You offer grace to approach you—no stern looks, no sighs of disappointment, no tsking or shaking of the head. Your arms, they are wide open, and Your embrace is always available. Take my friend on a journey to deepen their relationship with You. Empower them to run to you when life careens or hope wanes. Invigorate their prayer life. Move mountains. Unleash freedom. Heal wounds. Restore what’s been lost. Demonstrate Your love in them-shaped ways. Thank you that you’re the empathetic Savior who understands what it’s like to walk this dusty earth, clay-footed. Thank you for making a way for them to be safe, forgiven, and welcomed—all because You left the glory of heaven for earth’s sin-scarred shore. Oh, how You love them. Oh, how they need You. Do something new in the heart of the one reading these words. May spiritual growth and freedom spring forth, a new river through a wild land.  Amen and amen.”   Mary DeMuth

HEART SAVOR

• ·         The blood of Jesus cleanses believers’ consciences from acts that lead to death that we may serve the living God.
• ·         It is only through Jesus that we are made clean before a Holy God.  ²¹  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)
• ·         Because of the merits of Christ’s blood we now have confidence to enter the presence of God with thanksgiving and praise and petitions.