Pastor Sam Crosby
February 11, 2020
San Saba's First Baptist Church
Angel Fire is a village in Colfax County, New Mexico, with an estimated population of about 1,500. It is a popular ski resort with the village itself sitting at 8,600 feet elevation and the mountain summit at 11,078 feet. The winter months can be treacherous with an average annual snowfall of 89 inches and the snow period lasting about 7.7 months out of the year.
Our family spent a week in this village to play in the snow and enjoy time together. Tuesday was especially memorable with snow falling all day long and accumulating over 16 inches! For Texas people, this is a rare and beautiful sight! The heavy snowfall left a deep covering of white on the Aspen trees, porches, outdoor furniture and vehicles. A person literally had to wade through the fresh powder to walk anywhere. Two of our vehicles had to be dug out of the snow before they would move.
One interesting note about snow is that it covers everything – including the trash bags on the back porch. The weather prohibited the removal of the trash bags, which had piled up outside and were an unseemly sight. The heavy snowfall, though, covered them completely. The blanket of snow virtually made them disappear.
While drinking coffee and looking at the disappearing trash, the words of Isaiah came to mind: “’Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’” (Isaiah 1:18, NKJ). As God can cover a porch full of trash with a blanket of snow, He can cover a life full of sin with the blood of Jesus Christ! Our Lord is able to take the worst sins of our past – all the sins we have ever committed – and wash them as white as snow. We may remember them. Our family members and friends may remember them. But the Lord forgets completely. The Bible says, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Hebrews 8:12, NIV).
The wonder of the cross of Jesus is that every sin can be forgiven and forgotten. The great joy of the Christian faith is that God lifts from our soul the burden of the guilt of our past. In fact, the sins that we will commit are also covered by the mercy of God. He is perfecting us continually! The Bible declares, “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14, NIV).
The words of God through Isaiah come as an invitation. The Lord says, “Come now, and let us reason together…” God wants to reason with you today. He has provided a way to cover your sins. He has made a way to make you holy. It would be reasonable to accept His offer through confessing your sins to Jesus and accepting His forgiveness.