June 28
Isaiah 28:1-29; 2 Kings 17:5, 18:9-12, 17:6-41; Isaiah 1:1-20
Salvation occurs at that moment when one acknowledges the sinner that they are; repents of those sins, meaning they change their mind and where their ways and God's ways differ, they accept God's ways rather than their own; and they, seeing themselves as the imperfect beings that they are, accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They accept God's perfect payment for their imperfect lives. His payment for our sins. Baptism is not required for salvation, but Jesus instituted and commanded this for the church, in His Great Commission, in Matthew 28:19-20, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Baptism is a beautiful outward display of the inward change in the believer's life. At Bridgefest (a large outreach from our church: Calvary Chapel Old Bridge), the two day event culminates with an invitation for baptism. Hundreds of people descend onto the beach of Ocean Grove, New Jersey and are baptized. It is a beautiful moment for the believer, and it is often very emotional. Very often tears well up as they acknowledge the burden of all of those sins as they enter the water. When they are immersed into the water it is a beautiful picture of dying to the old self, where our sins descend into the water, and the newness of life in Christ as one comes out of the water. It is a beautiful moment when those being baptized confess faith in Jesus Christ, feel the cleansing of their souls in the waters of baptism, and emerge ready to live the live of the sanctified believer, a life set apart unto Him.
We tend to see the world as belonging to multiple groups. We read in Isaiah 1:4, "Oh, what a sinful nation they are— loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him." For some the differences from the ways of God are very apparent. But we see another group in 1:12-13, "When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me!..." The people of Judah were still practicing religion. Many felt they were very good as they displayed their pious religiosity. But we see the reality of the situation in 1:16-18, "Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool."
For many today, they can't miss the sins that they are immersed in. But for many others, they walk around in self-righteousness, deeming themselves worthy to enter heaven because of the good people that they are and the good lives they have lived. But we read in 1 John 1:8-10, " If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts." Separated by around 2700 years from when Isaiah wrote his prophetic words until now, Judah and the United States are not all that different, because humanity doesn't change and sin does not change. The people then needed to acknowledge their sinfulness and repent, as do those in our nation now. God's offering of cleansing was available then, as it is now. As it seems that the end of times are fast approaching if any reading this have yet to make the most important decision of their lives, please do so now. Accept God's offer of salvation through the sacrifice of His Son, and experience the cleansing of your sins as the old self dies, and the new life in Christ begins.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: