Isaiah 1:18 - Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow,
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Approximate running time: 2:02
Discussion questions
1. What is the significance of Jesus' sacrifice?
Jesus died to pay for the penalty of our sin. Without His complete Death and Resurrection, as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15, we would be "men most miserable." Thankfully Jesus took our punishment, was not guilty of sin, and was our once-and-for-all sacrifice, pure and holy before God the Father. God approved of His Son's sacrifice, ultimately raising Him from the dead. This was also a symbol of things to come -- through faith in Jesus, we will not be held down by death forever. Instead, by the same Holy Spirit by which God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, we will be raised to life if our trust is in Jesus Christ. God sacrificing His Son is a very extreme display of both the pain that sin is to God as well as the massive depth of love that God has for us. He desires us to know Him and to experience all the blessings of forgiveness and purity, but we must accept the sacrifice that He has performed by faith.
2. How does human sinfulness manifest itself?
As Romans 3:23 states, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Whether the sin is malice, hatred, envy, idolatry, lying, or whatever the case, all fall into sin, and it's never a good thing to do. The penalty of that sin is death (see Romans 6:23), and if we die in our sin by rejecting Jesus, the eventual destination is the Lake of Fire (see Revelation 20:15). Jesus also describes Hell as an eternal place of torment in passages such as Mark 9, so we need to take this seriously! God has sacrificed His Son Jesus for us so that we don't have to experience that eternity, but we need to respond in faith. Believe in Jesus, accept His work for your life.
3. Have your sins been cleansed, transformed from scarlet to white?
If so, then that's an excellent reason to praise the LORD! Only through Jesus can we have forgiveness of sins and experience newness of life that has eternal significance. Otherwise, our sin remains, and we stand condemned before God. It says in John 3:17 that God sent Jesus into the world to save the world, and through believing in Jesus, we can escape the condemnation that we deserve for our disobedience against God (sin). As it says in Micah 7, God's forgiveness is ultimate -- He casts our sins into the depths of the sea, never to return, and fully forgiven. If you haven't experienced this forgiveness, I'd invite you to visit our page called Know Jesus? Find out more about the Savior of the world, and follow Him. It's the most important decision you'll ever make in life -- whether to accept or reject Jesus. Choose wisely (accept Jesus)! If you need to contact us with more questions about Jesus, send us a message!
Credits
Juggling and Script: Chris Fowler
Editing and Narration: Sterling C. Franklin
Music: "Money, Women, Fame, Cars, and Hype" by S. Franklin
Captions and Subtitles: S. Franklin, M. Oberholster
