http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+1:7&version=NIV1984
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+1:5&version=NIV1984
Edward Naime. I seriously doubt that you have heard of him. He would be great for a trivia question. Naime’s claim to fame (like the rhyming?) is that in 1770 he invented the rubber eraser. You know, that rubber thingy at the end of a pencil. Prior to his invention people used bread crumbs as erasers. Sounds like fun doesn’t it? I can just see school children eagerly eating their erasers because they are hungry! The story goes that one day Naime went to erase something and picked up some rubber instead of the bread crumbs. The rest, as they say, is history. Over the past 250 years, millions of school children, not to mention accountants, bookkeepers and other ‘pencil pushers’, have owed a huge debt of gratitude to Naime for his invention.
Of course, the eraser is what I would classify as a ‘negative’ invention. I mean if no one ever made a mistake when using a pencil no one would ever need to use an eraser, right? But, alas, we are human. And humans make mistakes. Plenty of them. Fortunately, at least as far as pencils are concerned, an eraser can take care of them. Gone. Never to be remembered anymore. That is the enduring value of an eraser.
In this world, we have another eraser. It’s a spiritual one. It’s called the blood of Jesus. That Good Friday when Jesus died on the cross it was His blood that became the universal eraser for sin. It didn’t matter how many sins a person committed. Or how serious they were. When the blood of Jesus was applied to them they disappeared. Completely covered. Gone. Never to be remembered anymore. That is the enduring value of Jesus’ blood.
Of course, the eraser is what I would classify as a ‘negative’ invention. I mean if no one ever made a mistake when using a pencil no one would ever need to use an eraser, right? But, alas, we are human. And humans make mistakes. Plenty of them. Fortunately, at least as far as pencils are concerned, an eraser can take care of them. Gone. Never to be remembered anymore. That is the enduring value of an eraser.
In this world, we have another eraser. It’s a spiritual one. It’s called the blood of Jesus. That Good Friday when Jesus died on the cross it was His blood that became the universal eraser for sin. It didn’t matter how many sins a person committed. Or how serious they were. When the blood of Jesus was applied to them they disappeared. Completely covered. Gone. Never to be remembered anymore. That is the enduring value of Jesus’ blood.
Sadly, many people today don’t know about Jesus and His eraser. They are like a person who has a pencil without an eraser. Remember those days when our eraser was worn down too far to be any good? Or perhaps it broke off because we abused it? What happened then? I’ll tell you what. Severely smudged papers that were unsightly and barely readable. I don’t recall getting very many good grades for those kind of papers. In the same way, people who don’t know about the ‘Jesus’ eraser don’t fare very well in their lives. They try all kinds of things to erase their sins. Good deeds. Charitable donations. Going to church. But none of them works. In fact, these only make things worse! Lives become unsightly. Smudged. Unattractive. And yes, a failing grade is the result.
This is why the cross is so important. The blood of Jesus is the only way to have our sins removed. Jesus mentioned the importance of His blood on the night before He died. While in the upper room with His disciples they celebrated the Passover. Afterwards He instituted what would later become known as ‘Communion’ or ‘The Lord’s Table’. Jesus took the cup of wine. He gave thanks for it. And then He said the following in Matthew 26:27-28 - “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Yes, we owe a great debt of gratitude to Jesus for His eraser. Without it we would be condemned to an eternity in Hell. Now that is what I call one valuable eraser! And it’s available for free. Without cost. Paid for by Jesus Himself. At the cost of His own life. No wonder we love Him so.
Lord, I thank you that my sins are all forgiven. Completely covered and erased by the blood of Jesus. What an amazing act of love and compassion. Jesus sacrificed His life so that I could live. Someday I’m going to see Him. Face to face. And I am going to fall down at His feet in worship. And thank Him for His eraser! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
This is why the cross is so important. The blood of Jesus is the only way to have our sins removed. Jesus mentioned the importance of His blood on the night before He died. While in the upper room with His disciples they celebrated the Passover. Afterwards He instituted what would later become known as ‘Communion’ or ‘The Lord’s Table’. Jesus took the cup of wine. He gave thanks for it. And then He said the following in Matthew 26:27-28 - “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Yes, we owe a great debt of gratitude to Jesus for His eraser. Without it we would be condemned to an eternity in Hell. Now that is what I call one valuable eraser! And it’s available for free. Without cost. Paid for by Jesus Himself. At the cost of His own life. No wonder we love Him so.
Lord, I thank you that my sins are all forgiven. Completely covered and erased by the blood of Jesus. What an amazing act of love and compassion. Jesus sacrificed His life so that I could live. Someday I’m going to see Him. Face to face. And I am going to fall down at His feet in worship. And thank Him for His eraser! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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