Stain Removal

Isaiah 1:18

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

I was reminded this week how hard it is to remove a stain. A garment was handed to me that had been stained with oil. On a number of other occasions I have been forced to scrap the garment after trying to clean it with a number of different cleaning agents.

I am sure that many of you are able to sympathise with me. I know that if I wear a tie when eating I am sure to drop something on it.

What do you do when you get a stain? Wash it warm water, add some soap or some other type of cleaning agent. On many occasions we are successful but when it goes wrong what are we to do? We may throw the garment out or use it for an old rag. When the stain is on the carpet it’s not just as easy - we might cover it over with a rug or a piece of furniture.

The greatest stain in the world can be found in the book of Genesis in chapter 3 verse 6. The verse reads “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

This verse shows us how Adam and Eve brought the greatest stain on humanity. This stain was called sin; this stain was rebellion against God. Adam and Eve tried to cover their sin by sewing fig leaves together. Ever since that time man has tried to get rid of the stain of sin by:

Going to church
Doing penance
Taking communion or mass
Getting baptised
Giving money to charity
By doing good works

But it has been to no avail. They have scrubbed hard and used the best detergents that the world can provide but the stain still remains. They have tried on the best clothes that man can provide but still the stain remains.

Maybe we should stop looking for help from man and turn our eyes to God. He promises in our verse that He can turn our sins to be as white as snow and as white as wool. God is the great stain remover.

By the way, going back to the garment with the oil stain. I took the garment added some general purpose cleaner and then I took an “Ultrasonic Fabric Cleaner”. This is a small device that utilizes the advanced theory of ultrasonic vibration; the stain remover takes great advantage of fast and easy cleaning, without damage to fabric.
Don’t ask me how it works because I don’t know. But it worked. The stain was removed. I don’t understand but I can say it works because I witnessed it with my own eyes.
How do we get rid of this stain called sin?
Our stain is removed through the drawing power of the Holy Spirit and the applying of the blood of Jesus Christ to our lives. Do I understand it? No but I know it works. The bible says in Romans 5:8&9 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Remember this week that we cannot remove the stain of sin in ours, or in others lives. We are to look toward and point others to Jesus Christ who is the great stain remover. He is the one who can change a life. He can take the dirty and make him clean.
For those of you who have been saved, remember the following verse.
Psalm 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.