November 6, 2024
For All the Saints - Part 3
Revelation 7:13-14
11/06/2024
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ``Who
are these, clothed in white robes, and from where
have they come?''
14 I said to him, ``Sir, you know.'' And he said to
me, ``These are the ones coming out of the great
tribulation. They have washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.'' (ESV)
We believe, teach, and confess that the blood of Jesus
Christ which He shed on the cross paid the complete price of our
sins. We believe, teach, and confess that His glorious
resurrection foreshadows our own resurrection, that death lies
defeated. We believe, teach, and confess, as the author of
Hebrews wrote: ``And just as it is appointed for man to die once,
and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered
once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to
deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for
him.''[1]
As Saint John looked at the heavenly chorus, he engaged in
an interesting conversation.
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ``Who are
these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they
come?'' I said to him, ``Sir, you know.'' And he said
to me, ``These are the ones coming out of the great
tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb.''
Long before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah declared:
``though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as
snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like
wool.''[2] Saint John also wrote: ``the blood of Jesus his Son
cleanses us from all sin.''[3]
This cleansing is God's gift given to us for the sake of
Christ Jesus. Our good works, our desires, contribute nothing to
our salvation. It is by grace alone through faith alone for the
sake of Jesus alone that we have the assurance of eternal life.
May our Lord grant us faith to hold to His promises of
forgiveness and life with Him forever. Amen.
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1. Hebrews 9:27-28 (ESV)
2. Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)
3. 1 John 1:8 (ESV)