Some of you are familiar with Bible conferences, because you have been to one. But there may be some who have never been to a Bible conference where Christians come together to pray, study the Bible, preach the gospel and remember the Lord Jesus in His death.
Our family was attending one of these conferences held at a college one summer. We slept in one of the dormitories, ate in the college cafeteria, and had the meetings in the gymnasium. I want to tell you about a conversation after one of the gospel meetings between my five-year-old daughter, Marty, and me.
The speaker that evening had read John 1:2929The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29), “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!” These are the words of the prophet John, pointing out the Lord Jesus as the Saviour. The speaker then read John 19:55Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! (John 19:5), “Behold the man!” These words were spoken by Pilate, the ungodly Roman ruler who delivered up the Lord Jesus to be crucified. The speaker made the point that these two verses were like two banners, and each of us is standing under one or the other. If you are standing under the banner of the Lamb of God, your sins have all been washed away by the precious blood of the Lamb (the Lord Jesus). If you are standing under the banner that says “Behold the man!” you are standing with the cruel men who put the Lord Jesus to death. Each of us was born under the second banner because we are born with a nature that wants to sin. I must open my heart and believe that the Lord Jesus shed His blood for my sins to stand under His banner.
As Marty and I were walking back to the dormitory after the gospel meeting, I asked her if she understood what the speaker meant when he said that each of us is standing under one of the banners. She asked, “What is a banner?”
My reply was, “A banner is like a flag with a message on it.” I then asked Marty, “Which banner are you standing under?”
She answered, “Under the first one.”
Then I asked, “How long have you been standing under that banner?”
She replied, “Ever since I have been saved.”
Wanting to be sure that Marty really understood what it meant to be saved and to have all her sins washed away, I said that I had been standing under the first banner ever since I had been saved too. Marty responded, “Then we can stand there together.”
Which banner are you standing under? This very serious question must be decided by every boy and girl (and grown-up) in the whole world. The Lord Jesus loves you and invites you to come and stand under His banner. He will show you the nail marks in His hands and feet from the cross. He will show you the wound in His side when He shed His blood. He truly was God’s Lamb that was sacrificed for sin in our place.
Are you willing to come to Him, admitting that you are a sinner, and let Him wash your sins away? Are you willing to stand under His banner of love?
ML-03/20/1994