02-15-2026 Come and Be Clean
Text: Isaiah 1:18
As we continue our look Biblical invitations, some may think it’s strange that God would invite people to come to Him. You’d think that we would be knocking on His door. But Luke 19:10 tells us that God looks for us before we look for Him. So it makes perfect sense that our Bible, God’s Word, contains invitations for people to come to Him. So, it make perfect sense that our Bible, God’s Word contains invitations for us to come to Him.
This morning’s text is from Isaiah 1:18 where Isaiah writes: “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.” There’s no greater invitation found in the Bible than this one given by the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah. It’s a wonderful invitation that’s still being extended to all of mankind after more than two thousand years. Let’s take a look at what it’s all about.
It begins with Come now and let us reason together. It’s inviting people to be reasonable in unreasonable time. When Isaiah wrote it, the nation of Israel was in deep trouble. As you continue to read in the first chapter of Isaiah you learn in verse 2 to 4 that the people had rebelled against the Lord. They chose not to think about God at all in verse 3, sin was rampant and corruption was everywhere in verse 4. In verses 5 and 6 we’re told the wayward ones didn’t respond to God’s discipline because they were a sin-sick people. Crime and violence characterized the time even though rebellion didn’t make sense considering the blessings Israel had received from God. But still, God invited them to come to Him and reason together. That my friends is love. And, when we look around us the conditions described sound just like the world we are living in today.
This invitation from God came at an ungodly time. We’re told its source is God when Isaiah wrote: saith the Lord. God was then and still is today calling to those who have rejected His Way and His Word. The people reminded Isaiah of Sodom and Gomorrah where a few righteous ones were saved from destruction. Isaiah called them citizens of those wicked cities in verses 9 and 10. Even their feasts were an abomination to the Lord. Again, just like so many people today. Nevertheless, God kept inviting them to come and be clean, just as He is today.
This is an invitation for cleansing at a sinful time. It’s an offer to be forgiven and turned from scarlet red to white as snow; from crimson red to white as wool This was the desire of David’s heart after his sin as we see in Psalm 51:7 when he asked God to purge him with hyssop to make him clean, and to wash him so he could be whiter than snow. This shows us that God will always meet sinners where they are and cleanse them.
In our text we see that sins are spoken of as scarlet and crimson Scarlet and crimson are references to a deep red permanent dye, the dark stain of which was virtually impossible to remove from clothing. The stain of sin is equally permanent, except for the remedy offered by God. God’s grace is the only cleansing agent that can remove sin’s stain from our lives, and as He promised to do for the Israelites, He will do the same for people today. No one has to go through life permanently stained from the effect of sin. God’s Word assures us that if we’re willing and obedient, Jesus, who died for our sins, will allow us to be forgiven and have the most indelible stain removed from our lives. All that’s needed is to sincerely ask Jesus to make you clean and allow Him to be Lord and Savior of your life.
God is still calling the unreasonable and the ungodly. He will forgive and cleanse all who come to Him. Jesus’ blood still makes guilty ones clean as we see in John 1:9 and Revelation 1:5. It’s reasonable for every person who walks this earth to want to answer with reason to this call from God, our loving Father and Creator. It’s not that difficult to do. If you haven’t done it yet, don’t wait any longer. Simply confess to God that you are a sinner and you want to be clean in His sight by accepting Jesus into your heart and life as Lord and Savior. When you do that, your life will be changed for the better and all the ungodliness in the world will become background noise. For those who have already accepted Jesus, it’s also a time to rededicate your life to Him because it’s easy to push God into the background of our lives with all that we must deal with on a daily basis. Don’t wait any longer. There is good in this world, and we will have help getting through all the difficulties and setbacks we experience every single hour of every single day until we get to Heaven for eternity with Jesus as the reigning King. Always look to Jesus for help and understanding in the good times and the bad. When you do, you will never regret making the choice to do so.
Until we meet again, may God bless you and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.