107 Coldren Street, Johnstown, Pennsylvania 15904, United States
Upcoming Sermons & Devotional Message
March Sermons 2026
3-8 - The Heart of Jesus
John 17:1-14 , John 17:15-26
3-15 - Betrayed in a Garden
Genesis 2:15-17 + 3:1-6 , John 18:1-6
3-22 - Rooster Memories
John 18:15-18 , John 18:25-27
3-29 - A Crown of Thorns
Isaiah 53:1-10 , John 19: 1-7
Devotional Message : These will change 1-2 times a week. Stop by often to read the new message.
Some Thoughts on What Cleanses our Souls
After committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband killed, King David’s initial impulse wasn't to ask for mercy. Instead, he first ignored the fact that he’d sinned. So God sent the prophet Nathan to awaken David’s conscience. Under conviction, David wrote a remarkable psalm of repentance which began with a plea for mercy:
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.” (Psalm 51:1)
David didn’t shift the blame for his sin like Adam and Eve had done. Nor did he blame God for making him a sexual being, or Bathsheba for bathing in plain sight. He simply begged for mercy. He relied on God as a merciful God.
Later, the prophet Daniel wrote:
“We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy” (Daniel 9:18)
All sinners need to know that God is the most merciful being in the universe, even to the worst of us.
David then asked God to do what only God can do:
“Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." (Psalm 51:2).
The perversity of sin makes us feel dirty whenever we do wrong—if our conscience is working properly. We can bathe ourselves in water and use the strongest soap, but we can't rid ourselves of the sense of being defiled until we’re cleansed by God.
Banks often include packs of permanent dye with stolen money bags to help capture and convict thieves. As soon as the thieves reach into the bag for the cash, the dye clearly marks their hands. They can use any kind of detergent and scrub until they are raw, but the dye won't come off. Their guilt is clear for everyone to see. Nothing can make them clean.
Apart from the cleansing work of Jesus Christ, every sin we commit leaves a permanent stain on our soul. The sin won’t be removed by time, regret, remorse, sacrifice, service, or anything other than the blood of Christ. But, as John reminds us:
“The blood of Jesus . . . purifies us from all sin . . . and cleanses us from unrighteousness" (1 John 1:7).
What can wash away our sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus, my friends!