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I’ll never forget the first snow we had at the house we currently live in. In the backyard, we have this picturesque evergreen tree right in the middle of the backyard, surrounded by a forest.

I woke up that morning, looked outside and it took my breath away. My eyes teared up as I admired the beauty of the snow sitting on the trees and the light fog that was in the air.

When you go outside and close your eyes after it snows, you realize that snow doesn’t just change what you see. It also changes what you hear. Everything sounds so serene, so peaceful.

It’s like the noise of the world has been absorbed by the snow and you’re finally able to hear what it truly sounds like outside when there is no noise pollution from the hustle and bustle of life.

Snow purifies what you see and what you hear.

It’s no mistake the Bible likens your transformation in Christ to the effects of snow. The moment you choose to believe in Jesus and follow Him, you are washed white as snow.

It’s like a fresh blanket of snow has fallen on your life. All the noise of the world fades away and you sense the peace of God for the first time.

And from God’s perspective, He no longer sees the dirt in your life. All He sees is this perfect blanket of snow. He admires your beauty as you glisten in your perfection.

It’s not because you’re perfect. That’s not possible. The only explanation here is a miracle. It’s like you’re not even the same person anymore. Everything’s been made new.

Just like it says in Isaiah:

Isaiah 1:18 NKJV – Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow.

The Stains of Sin

When you get blood on a white garment, it’s impossible to wash out. Sure, you can use bleach and other cleaners to fade the stain, but it never truly becomes as white as it was.

This is how sin stains our lives. We do all kinds of things to get the stain out. We try to use our good deeds like bleach and although our sin seems to fade, it’s never truly gone.

That is until the power of God makes us white as snow. He doesn’t just fade the stain from our sin, He removes the stain.

What’s interesting about all of this is that God used blood to remove the stain of our sin. We’re here today to celebrate how God was able to pull this off.

The Savior is Born

It all started when an angel of the Lord visited a woman named Mary. That day she found out that she would birth the Savior of the world. And the seed that entered into her womb that day did not come from a man, but from God.

She carried the baby for nine months, just like any other pregnancy, and gave birth to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus grew up just like you and I grew up. Year after year, He had to learn how to function as a human being. He then worked as a carpenter and didn’t even start His ministry until age 30.

At that point, He spent three years teaching and preaching and healing. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.

Jesus lived in alignment with God. He lived a perfect life. Actually, He even said that when we see Him, we see God. That’s how perfectly He walked with God.

Keep in mind, this is the first human ever to live a blameless life. Adam and Eve couldn’t pull it off. And from that point on, nobody could pull it off until Jesus.

Can you imagine how pleased God was with Jesus? He had been waiting for thousands of years for His creation to live in complete alignment with Him. And finally, there was one.

God and Jesus were inseparable. Every moment of every day, Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing.

The Divine Exchange

Thirty-three years into this blissful relationship, the time came for Jesus to sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world. It was the plan all along, but when the time came, it caused Jesus so much distress that He began to sweat blood.

It’s not that He was afraid to die. No. He just didn’t want to spend even one moment separated from the Father. But the exchange had to take place.

Jesus had to stand in our place so we could stand in His place. He had to take on our sin so we could have His righteousness. He had to become sick so that we could be healed.

When Jesus was on the cross, He became the sin of the world and forfeited His relationship with the Father. The only man to walk in complete alignment with God gave it all up so that we could have what He had.

It’s the divine exchange. Jesus took my sin so that I could have His righteousness. Jesus took my sickness so that I could be healed. Jesus took my shame so I could have His glory. Jesus took the curse so I could live in the blessing.

Jesus took my separation from God and gave me oneness with God.

Everything that rightfully belonged to Jesus now rightfully belongs to me because He exchanged what He had for what I didn’t have.

Hebrews 9:14 NKJV – Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

When Jesus died, the divine exchange was finished. From that point forward, all who choose to believe in Jesus are given righteousness, healing, and oneness with God.

And it doesn’t end there.

Jesus didn’t just pay the penalty of your sin; He took your sin away. 

Let me put it to you this way. When Jesus died, He went to hell. Why? Because in the exchange, He became like us. And the penalty of our sin is eternal death in hell.

When this happened, Satan thought he had won. The Son of God was now in hell. I’m sure he imagined Jesus being locked up in the worst part of hell for the rest of eternity.

Knowing Jesus, He probably made the most of His trip to hell by giving the enemy a couple of days to think that he won before opening up a big ole can of whiptail.

He didn’t just leave quietly. No, Jesus made a public shame out of the enemy, stripped him of his authority, and escaped that hell hole.

Imagine, all the powers of hell trying to keep Jesus there. But even all of their power combined was no match for the power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead.

When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the penalty of your sin. When Jesus defeated hell, He provided freedom from sin.

In other words, you don’t have to settle for forgiveness and then continue to struggle with sin for the rest of your life. No, no, no. Jesus provided you with forgiveness and freedom. Receive the whole package!

How to Live in Freedom

And the way you walk free from sin is by understanding your new identity in Christ. Take a look:

II Corinthians 5:21 NKJV – For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We are no longer defined by our sin. We are defined by the righteousness of Jesus. Our identity is no longer a sinful man. Our true identity is righteousness.

This is who you are when you believe in Jesus. You are right with God, not because of what you’ve done, but because you made an exchange with Jesus.

You gave Him your sin. He gave you His righteousness. And as long as you believe this exchange took place through your faith in Jesus Christ, it’s a done deal no matter how much you sin thereafter.

But the good news is, you don’t have to sin anymore.

The Wealthiest Pauper

Reminds me of a young baby who was separated from his family at birth. He was adopted and grew up with a dad who worked hard day in and day out. But no matter how hard he worked, they always had barely enough to get by.

He would often hear his adopted father say things like, “People like us just don’t get ahead” and “God keeps us poor to keep us humble”.

So, when he became an adult, he had the same outlook on life. Like his adopted father, he became a hard worker but always struggled to provide enough for his family.

One day he became curious about his birth family so he decided to do some research. Imagine his surprise when he found out that a ten million dollar estate had been left to him by his grandparents.

It was available to him all along. The estate planners just weren’t able to track him down. So, he had just lived the last 30 years in poverty even though he had a ten million dollar net worth.

It wasn’t until he discovered his true identity that he broke the chains of poverty and stepped into abundant life.

This is the story of so many Christians with sin. They know they’ve been forgiven, but they don’t know about their new identity of righteousness.

They’re still living like a sinner when they could be living in freedom from sin. It’s been available to them through Christ all along. They just need to realize their true identity.

Washed by the Blood

You’ve been washed white as snow. From God’s perspective, He no longer sees the dirt in your life. All He sees is this perfect blanket of snow. He admires your beauty as you glisten in your perfection.

You’re probably thinking, “Kade, I sure don’t live perfectly.” And I can relate. Neither do I. But every day, I become more aware of my true identity and walk in a greater degree of righteousness.

Our ability to walk in righteousness has nothing to do with how hard we try, or how much we go to church. It has everything to do with understanding who we are in Christ.

You have to identify as righteous before you become righteous. It seems odd, but it’s the gospel truth. Jesus already gave you His righteousness. You just have to learn how to put it on and walk in it.

For everyone reading who believes in Jesus, you’ve been washed white as snow. My message to you today is, God no longer sees your dirt. He only sees the perfection of Jesus.

Don’t waste another day thinking you have to earn God’s attention or approval. Jesus already took care of all of that for you. You have God’s attention and approval. And He’s ready to have the same relationship with you that He had with Jesus.

Your Confession

For anyone reading who has yet to receive what Jesus died to give you, today’s your day baby.

Jesus gave His life not just to forgive you, but to free you from sin. He didn’t just pay the penalty of your sin, He took your sin away.

You’re forgiven. You’re free. That’s who you are when you believe in Jesus Christ. I want to lead you in a short prayer to help you verbalize what you believe. Say this after me:

Jesus Christ, I believe in you. Thank you for giving your life to save mine. I’m forgiven. I’m free. I dedicate my life to following you.

Every one of you have been washed white as snow. God no longer sees your dirt. He only sees the perfection of Jesus.

So take God up on His offer to give you the same relationship He had with Jesus. And as you walk every day with God, He will show you how to walk in this gift of righteousness that belongs to you.