…………….Dr Joseph Cook illustration…………………….
In 1893 they had the first World’s Fair held in Chicago, there was an exhibit entitled "The Parliament of Religions." Dr. Joseph Cook represented the Christian religion.
One by one, representatives of the various world religions spoke in behalf of their beliefs.
Dr. Cook was the last to speak.
He turned to English literature for his example and told the story of Lady Macbeth.
She had blood on her hands from murder, and that represented, in Shakespeare’s mind, the evidence, the consciousness of her sin.
There was the famous place in the play where she said, "Out, out, with the spot I say"
She could not get that spot of blood off because it was from murder. It was still on her,
The people there knew of that great play.
Dr. Cook said, "Gentlemen, does your religion have anything that will remove the spot of blood from Lady Macbeth’s hand?" And he waited for anyone to stand and say,
"My religion has a way to remove the blood from Lady Macbeth’s hand," but none did.
The fact of the matter is there is no other religion in the world, or in history, that has the power to remove that bloody spot from Lady Macbeth’s hand. And so, when it was established that no one else had an answer, finally Dr. Cook said,
"The religion of Christ has." Then he quoted, "...the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:7). You see, the only way you can ever have a truly clean heart is to have it cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
That's the message today. It's not a new message, it's not a modern message, it's the old old story of Jesus Christ who shed His blood - but it's as new today as it has ever been!
Now why is that? Because, the Bible says in Ezekiel 18:4 the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Ro 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment
Mt 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
God hasn’t revoked His word. God never changes…He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Gods judgment is still in the future for the wicked. If they would give any thought about it at all, it should strike terror in their hearts.
Its said that we live in a new age with new thoughts and new values but, God hasn’t changed. There is no reason He should change. He knows the beginning to the end. He is the first and the last.
He didn’t learn anything from reading the newspaper this morning or watching the 6 o’clock news. It didn’t give Him any information at all because, He knows all things and God has not changed… the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
He hasn’t changed His mind on killing new born babies….He hasn’t changed His mind on gay rights..the only right they have is to be forgiven by confessing of sin and asking Jesus into their heart and leaving their old self at the foot of the cross. He hasn’t changed His mind on His judgment of Hollywood corrupting our children and grandchildren’s mind by demon possessed movies and junk on TV.
He hasn’t changed His mind on the judgment of the unsaved.
But best of all He hasn’t changed His mind on how we can be redeemed because, just as these things of the world will be gone soon…1 Peter chapter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things… But with the precious blood of Christ
The Bible says that we were not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver or gold. Silver and gold can be purified by putting it in a fire and burning away the impurity’s. but they will corrupt in time. If you have silverware you know that it will tarnish and corrupt over time. We were not redeemed with corruptible things. But with the precious blood of Christ
Let's look at verse of Isaiah chapter 1:18
Isa 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.
God says these words: 'Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord'. It's an invitation, God is calling, God is saying: 'Come to me! Come, I'm calling, I'm inviting, I'm asking you to come to me'. Now, as a Christian, when I look at that verse it speaks to me of a day in my life when I heard - not verbally, but I felt God calling me. Not calling me to service, not to the ministry, nothing like that - but God actually calling me first to Himself, to know what it is to have my sins forgiven, to know what it is to have a real relationship from day-to-day with Almighty God
I think this is, by far, one of the greatest truths and facts about the gospel of Jesus Christ: that the Creator, the almighty sovereign God, the God who spoke the stars into space, the God who set the orbits in their motion, the God who made the universe far exceeding the knowledge of men - that God, the Creator of the sun the moon and the stars and everything that is in the world, that God is personally interested in you!
I wonder can you think how big the universe is? Scientists tell us that we can't measure the length of the universe, the height or the depth, it just goes on for ever and ever.
They say if we could in a space ship at the speed of light …which is 186,000 miles per second…it would take over 100,000 years just to circle our universe.
Can you think of how small, how seemingly insignificant and seemingly unimportant, you and I are in comparison to the universe, and in comparison to God in whom spoke it into existents? But you see, the great message of the gospel is this: that you are not insignificant to God, but in fact this God who is bigger than the universe, bigger than anything that is, this God is specifically and personally interested in you. So much so that this God comes to you and invites you to come to Him.
What does He say? What happens when you come to Him? He says: 'Come unto me, and let us reason together, saith the Lord'. It's that word 'reason' that I want you to notice just for a moment. He says: 'Come and let us reason together'. That word, to me, has a bit of a ring of the law courts to it.
It's as if God wants you and me to come to Him tonight and have face-to-face confrontation with Him. It seems that He is asking us to come to Him to reason and to debate, as it were, to argue a matter over with Him. You might say, hold on a minute, I have nothing to argue with God! I've nothing I want to reason and debate with God for!
Let's see what the word of God says about that. Look at verse 6 of chapter 1 of Isaiah, you read these words
Isa 1:6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment
It's as if this is a picture of us that God has taken. This is the way God sees you and me as He looks at us. He says: 'From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; nothing but, wounds, bruises, and running sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, not even has any ointment been applied. Now, no matter how pretty you are, no matter how pretty you might think you are, as God looks at you in His holiness, in His righteousness, in His perfection
He sees in you nothing but a person who is covered from tip to toe in oozing, sores of sin.
That's why Isaiah says you have been called tonight - but when you are called, and when you come, you must be cleansed. He says: 'Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow'. Do you know what that means?
Now listen: no matter what your sin is - it might be murder, it might be anything under the sun, theft, lying, envying, it could be anything! It could be the biggest sin that you can think of, no matter what that might be, but God says - listen: 'There is no dye, there is no scarlet, there is no shade of red that is too deep for me to cleanse'
Perhaps you're a backslider, and you think you've gone too far in the other direction and God wouldn't want anything to do with you. Listen to me: God says that no matter how deep-dyed a sinner you are He can cleanse your sin and guilt.
We are not cleaned with a man made cleaner….its nothing that any human can do. What does the Bible say? Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot
I'll take your sin and I'll wipe the slate clean, and now your scarlet sin has been made as white as snow.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
What did Dr. Joseph Cook cry? What was his question? It was about a woman who had stains of blood on her hands, she had murdered! She thought that no matter what she could do she couldn't get rid of these stains, she couldn't get the guilt out of her mind, she couldn't get rid of her sin. What did Joseph Cook say? He said the words of John, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin"
Love in Christ Jesus, Ronnie Miller
www.themillersbiblestudy.com
