Daily Manna

Key Verse

“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9).

TEXT — Revelation 5:8-10

Message

The Guardian reported a story on October 25 2022, about Amou Haji, dubbed “The World’s Dirtiest Man”, who died at the age of 94 in his native town of Dejgah, Iran, on October 23,2022. What’s Haji’s path to fame? Not bathing for over 60 years! He was a hermit, living alone in an ash covered, cinder block shack. It is reported by locals that he survived by eating roadkill and smoking animal faeces in a pipe, all the while, believing that bathing would make him ill. Amazingly, Haji lived a long and mostly healthy life; until locals finally convinced him to bathe and seek medical examination. A few months later, Haji grew ill and died. No, bathing did not kill Haji, as some have speculated, but neither did it save him. He was an old man. Death comes to us all, regardless of our personal hygiene habits.

There is a sense in which we all have much more in common with Haji than just our inevitable mortality. The truth is, spiritually speaking, we are all filthy. No amount of soap and water can washaway the sin that soils, defiles, and darkens our souls. Yet, unlike the ineffectual soap and water the locals used to try to cleanse Haji from his filthy past, there is a washing and renewing which cannot only cleanse us from our past, but also grant us ultimate spiritual health and eternal life. This cleansing agent is the blood of the sinless, Paschal Lamb of God, as detailed in our text today. Jesus is the only one qualified and capable to open the book with seven seals, which no man could open. He is the one who paid the penalty for our sins and died for us on the cross at Calvary.

The Lamb of God was introduced to the world by the forerunner, John the Baptist. John was the first to use the term “The Lamb of God” in describing Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. The lamb in the Old Testament, up to this time, was from the flock, but Jesus is the Lamb from God. Of importance too is the fact that the lamb of the Levitical sacrifices can’t even take away sins completely, but atones for them presently, only for the candidate to come back another day for another sacrifice for sins. Contrariwise, the Lamb of God takes away the sins of not just a person, a city or a nation, but the sins of the whole world. The blood possesses the active cleansing agent to purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

All we need to be saved is just to behold the Lamb of God by faith. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” The Lamb has already been slain. The sacrifice has been offered and accepted. The prayers for our salvation has already been made, and our salvation is complete. All that a sinner needs is to repent of sins, believe and receive Him by faith, and be saved.

Thought for the day

The blood of Jesus, by which we were purchased, purifies and perfects us

• Bible
• in one year
• Matthew 26(Read By Alexander Scourby)