Your Guilt is Taken Away

At the approximate age of 12, I remember a certain Bible School teacher encouraging our class to memorize a Bible passage. Many years later, I still have this passage tucked away in my memory and it is still special to me. In my young frame of mind, I thought the passage and imagery were "weird" and difficult to understand. But, today, as I reflect on this passage and the fact that today is Good Friday, the Holy Spirit stirs a deep sense of awe of what Christ did on the cross.

The passage is a vision and prophecy that Isaiah made 740 years before Christ. This vision probably preceded his preaching ministry. The vision Isaiah had has many similarities to John's vision recorded in Revelation 4.

As I think about Jesus taking MY sins, MY ugliness, MY evilness, MY brokenness, and MY dirtiness to the cross with him, I am humbled. I am speechless, to know that a KING without sin, without fault, and with GREAT LOVE took the punishment for me. The pain He bore was supposed to be for ME. 

FOR ME. 

The whippings, the crown of thorns, the mocking, the weight of the splintery cross, the nails piercing through his palms and feet....FOR ME...FOR YOU.

Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robefilled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we can come into the Holy of Holies. 

Because of His sacrifice our guilt is taken away and our sin atoned for.

Because of His sacrifice, God can use our brokenness for His glory. 

As I thought about this passage throughout the week, God reinforced it's powerful meaning through a song on the radio. Then, searching for it on Godtube, I found this moving video.

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=90EM0CNU

Take a moment from your busy day to watch this and reflect on the amazing fact that Christ's blood has cleaned us, made us new, and allows us to experience His power and holiness! 

May you experience God's holy presence in a new way this Easter weekend.