Isaiah 1:18

New International Version (NIV)

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
    says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
    they shall be like wool.

For settlement

The little boy sat in his bed reading the children’s Bible his dad had given him for his birthday. His face lit up at the Lord’s invitation to “Come now. Let us settle the matter” (Isaiah 1:18). As he mused on his discovery, his big brother walked in with a devilish smile.

“Go wash the dishes, Andrew. You know the deal.”

Andrew walked past the kitchen to the front porch, where Grandma sat rocking in her chair.

“Grandma, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it Andrew?”

“I broke your flower vase. It was an accident, but I was afraid to tell you until this evening.”

He turned halfway and smiled towards Ben, who stood in the doorway, watching and listening.

“I know you did it, Andrew, and I have forgiven you since. I was just waiting for your confession. But tell me. Why did you allow your brother to blackmail you all this time by offloading his responsibilities on you when forgiveness was waiting for you?”

Andrew threw his arms around Grandma’s neck with a big hug and walked away with a swagger past Big Brother and said,

“I think somebody has the dishes to do.”

This story could be yours this morning. Sin has become your taskmaster, with its burden breaking your neck. Like a champion wrestler, it has a chokehold on you. You have become a Yo-Yo in Satan’s hands—a play toy for his pleasure. All your efforts to free yourself have proved futile and exasperated you. How can you get out of its grip?

Your sin is an offense against a holy God (Romans 3:23), whose justice demands the sentence of death—eternal separation from God (6:23). However, there is good news for you.

Because God loves you, He has made a way through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16), who has become for you the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is what theologians call the “Great Exchange”—your sin for His righteousness.

Christ has carried your sin to the cross and paid its penalty for you by His death. In Him, God has worked forgiveness for you. He invites you to come to Him, have the sin burden you cannot fulfill lifted from you, and then receive rest for the salvation of your soul in Him.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:.28).

Through the prophet Isaiah, God called His obstinate children to come and settle their sin problem with Him and receive a cleansing they had never known (Is. 1:18). Today, this cleansing is in the blood of Jesus, which washes whiter than snow (1 John 1:7).

Why, then, do you allow the enemy to blackmail you when confession is all you need to secure your redemption, the forgiveness of sin? (Acts 2:38; Colossians 1:13-14). Why not take His offer now, be free from sin’s burden, and receive eternal life in Christ?

Pray With Me

Dear God, please work on my heart by your Spirit and give me faith to believe in your Son, Jesus Christ for the exchange of my sin for His righteousness. Thank you for every unbeliever like me who trusts you with their life in Jesus. Amen!