As you drove onto the church property on Sunday, you may have been a little curious about the small white flags that were all over the grounds, 3,500 hundred flags to be exact. Those flags are symbolic reminders of the words of God spoken over the lives of men and women. They are His promises! Promises that have changed our lives forever.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1–2
White is such an amazing color. One website states …
“Simple and crisp, white is the colorless color that makes a statement by saying so little. There’s debate over white’s status as an actual color. That’s because it’s not technically on the color spectrum. White is what our eyes perceive when all of the wavelengths are being reflected. In contrast, we see black when there is very little light to reflect. White evokes thoughts of cleanliness, neatness, and innocence. It can also bring a sense of vastness to a space. White spaces appear spacious and empty. Additionally, white sometimes has an icy appearance. This icy appearance often intersects with thoughts of blandness and sterility. Of course, many people see a “clean slate” when they look at white. That’s why white is strongly associated with a “new beginning” or “fresh start.” Some of the positive meanings that white can convey include purity, freshness and simplicity.”
I love those words: cleanliness, purity, new beginning, fresh start! White is used in the Bible 43 times to describe everything from being in the presence of God to the robe of righteousness we wear. Parenthetically, people are not white. We are all shades of brown and we are all filled with sin and in need of our Savior who is the only One and Way that we will ever experience the purity. As the prophet Isaiah wrote …
Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18
In the end we will all stand before the Lord in robes of white:
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9–10
White is the color of promise. It is the color of our relationship with Christ. It is the color of our surrender to His love. Spend some time reflecting on the fact that God has given His word, His promises to you, some 3,500 plus promises that mean your forgiveness, your salvation, your future and those of all humanity who call upon the name of the Lord. Spend some time expressing your gratitude to God and ask Him for BIG FAITH to believe and live into the truth of His white flag promises!
-Pastor Jerry