TomNicholas.org

Washed for the Witness: From Cleansing to Calling

Scripture:

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” — Hebrews 10:22

🌾 Story Prelude — The Table and the Dust

The farmhouse always grew quiet on Friday afternoons.
Even the wind outside seemed to slow down, as if creation itself knew the rhythm.

Inside, the sound of water running in a basin mixed with the smell of bread cooling on the counter. Grandma Ruth hummed softly as she moved about the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, apron dusted with flour. The table was last—it was always the table.

Anna, her granddaughter, stood nearby holding a damp cloth. “Grandma,” she said, “why do we clean everything again? It’s already clean from last week.”

Ruth smiled without looking up. “That’s the funny thing about life, sweetheart. Even when we think it’s clean, dust finds its way back.”

Anna dragged the cloth across the wooden table. The rag came away darker each time. “But the dust doesn’t hurt anything.”

Grandma paused. “Maybe not the table. But dust left too long starts to stick. It becomes part of what it rests on. That’s how hearts work, too.”

Anna frowned. “Hearts get dusty?”

“Oh yes,” Ruth said, folding a white cloth to cover the table when they finished. “All week long we gather little bits of worry, selfishness, hurry, and pride. Preparation Day is when we let the Lord help us wipe it away. It’s not just about a clean house. It’s about a ready heart.”

Anna looked down at her reflection in the polished wood. “So we clean to get ready for Sabbath?”

“Yes,” Ruth said, her voice warm and sure. “And not just for Sabbath. For Him. The One who rests with us.”

She knelt and looked her granddaughter in the eyes. “The Lord doesn’t just visit the table, Anna. He visits the people who sit around it. He loves to rest where hearts are open.”

As the light slanted through the kitchen window and the clock ticked toward sunset, Anna folded the cloth carefully and placed it beside the basin.

“Then I want to be ready too,” she said.

Grandma Ruth smiled and kissed her forehead. “That’s all He ever wanted to hear.”

🌉 The Heart of Preparation Day

Every Friday since Eden has carried this rhythm of readiness.
From the first sunset in Genesis to the day when Christ rested in the tomb, God has called His people to pause, prepare, and enter His rest.

Preparation Day was never meant to be a chore list; it was designed as an act of grace. It invites us to stop rushing long enough to remember what matters most. It teaches us that Sabbath rest begins with spiritual readiness.

We clean and cook so we can still our minds.
We finish our work so our spirits can breathe.
But the deepest preparation is unseen—the cleansing of the conscience and the surrender of the heart.

🕊 The Cleansing That Prepares Us for Rest

The writer of Hebrews says, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.”

That phrase—“sprinkled from an evil conscience”—looks back to the ancient sanctuary.
When a priest entered the holy place, he sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice upon the altar and the mercy seat. Each drop symbolized atonement, cleansing, and restored fellowship.

Through Christ, this symbol has become reality.
We no longer bring the blood of goats or lambs; we come through the perfect blood of the Lamb of God. His sacrifice doesn’t just cover our sins—it cleanses our conscience.

That cleansing is what makes rest possible.
A heart still weighed down by guilt cannot rest. A conscience still burdened by shame cannot hear God’s peace. But when faith receives the cleansing of Christ, the heart becomes still.

And that’s what Preparation Day is about—not perfect order, but inner peace. It’s when heaven’s cleansing touches the soul and says, “You are ready to rest.”

✨ Chosen for Purpose, Not Perfection

When we speak about being a remnant people, we must remember that God’s choosing has never been a medal for the perfect—it has always been a mercy for the willing.

Israel wasn’t chosen because of their purity or strength. God Himself said, “It is not because you were more in number than other peoples… but because the Lord loves you.” (Deuteronomy 7:7–8)

They were chosen to be vessels of His grace, not trophies of their own goodness. Yet even Israel’s story reveals that God’s heart was always bigger than her borders.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God said something that must have shocked ancient Israel:

“In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, ‘Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.’” — Isaiah 19:24–25

Egypt—the nation that enslaved them.
Assyria—the empire that conquered them.
And yet God called them His people.

What kind of God does that?
A God whose mercy is greater than our boundaries.
A God who chooses not out of favoritism, but out of redemptive purpose.
A God who selects a people not to hoard the truth, but to host it.

Israel’s purpose was never superiority—it was service. She was called to reveal the character of God to the nations. But when she lost that purpose, she lost her power to bless.

The same can be true for us.
God raised up this Advent movement not to boast in doctrine, but to embody grace. Not to judge others, but to invite them into truth. Not to build walls of identity, but to build bridges of redemption.

The remnant message is not about being the only ones saved—it’s about being the ones through whom the Savior is revealed.

🌅 The Sacred Rhythm of Rest

Preparation Day reminds us that every act of readiness can become worship.
When we sweep, cook, plan, or pause, each action can whisper the same truth: Christ has done enough.

The Sabbath is not a reward for a perfect week; it is a reminder that even unfinished work rests in finished grace.

When the sun sets and the table gleams,
Our labor fades like passing dreams.
What’s left is love, and rest begun—
The Sabbath whispers, “It is done.”

When the light softens and shadows stretch long, the question isn’t “Is everything done?” but “Is my heart ready to rest?”

Christ isn’t waiting for spotless houses—He’s waiting for surrendered hearts.
The same Savior who ministers in heaven’s sanctuary longs to dwell in the sanctuary of your life.

And when He does, even ordinary tables become holy.

💭 Reflection Thought

You can prepare your home in an hour,
but it takes humility to prepare your heart.

Let Christ cleanse the conscience, reorder your priorities, and refill your peace. Let forgiveness flow like water over old wounds. Let grace do what effort never could—make you ready to rest.

Then, as the sun dips below the horizon and Sabbath peace settles in, you can whisper what Grandma Ruth always said:
“Everything’s ready now… even my heart.”

📖 For Further Study — Inductive Journey

This week’s Preparation Day message invites you to draw near with a true heart and be cleansed for Sabbath rest.
Use the following passages to observe, reflect, and respond to what God is saying personally to you.

1. Drawing Near with a Clean Heart — Hebrews 10:19–23

Observe:

• What makes it possible for us to enter God’s presence with confidence?
• What do you notice about the connection between faith, cleansing, and drawing near?

Interpret:

• How does the image of having our hearts “sprinkled” connect to the Old Testament sanctuary service?
• Why is cleansing the conscience essential to genuine worship?

Apply:

• What hinders you from drawing near to God freely?
• What specific “dust” might need to be wiped away before Sabbath begins?

2. The Sabbath as Covenant — Exodus 31:12–17

Observe:

• How does God describe the Sabbath in this passage?
• What words or phrases emphasize relationship rather than rule?

Interpret:

• What does it mean that the Sabbath is a “sign” between God and His people?
• How does this connect with Christ’s ongoing ministry in the heavenly sanctuary?

Apply:

• In what ways can your Sabbath preparation reflect covenant relationship rather than ritual obligation?
• How can your rest become a testimony to others about who God is?

3. Purpose Over Perfection — Deuteronomy 7:6–8; Isaiah 19:24–25

Observe:

• What reasons does God give for choosing Israel?
• How does Isaiah expand the vision of God’s calling beyond Israel alone?

Interpret:

• What do these passages reveal about God’s character and His mission for the nations?
• How does the inclusion of Egypt and Assyria reshape our understanding of being “chosen”?

Apply:

• How does this truth challenge pride or exclusivity in our own spiritual identity?
• What might it look like to “host” truth instead of hoard it?

4. Entering His Rest — Genesis 2:1–3; Matthew 11:28–30; Hebrews 4:8–11

Observe:

• How is rest described in each of these passages?
• What similarities do you notice between the creation rest, Christ’s invitation, and the promise of eternal rest?

Interpret:

• How does Sabbath rest connect to the finished work of Christ?
• Why does Scripture call us to “strive to enter that rest”?

Apply:

• What does it mean for you personally to “rest in the faith of Jesus”?
• How might Sabbath become more about presence than performance this week?

5. Reflection and Response

Take time before sunset to pause and pray through these questions:

• What has God revealed to me about His character this week?
• What part of my heart still needs cleansing or surrender?
• What new act of preparation will help my home — and my spirit — welcome the Sabbath with peace?

Write your thoughts, then whisper the simple prayer:

“Lord, cleanse my heart and make me ready to rest in You.”

Blessings in Jesus’ Name,
Tom Nicholas, Pastor

We are a Holy Spirit-filled church family who engages deeply, serves faithfully, and reaches our community for Christ.