The Blood Of Jesus
The Blood Of Jesus
March 14, 2012
Topic: Cross
INTRODUCTION
Sin is a serious business with God because it has eternal consequences. Sin of man calls for divine chastisement. When you sin and when you keep on sinning, you set yourself up for divine chastisement. It does not make any difference who you are. It does not make any difference of what your vocation is, it does not make any difference of where you are from, how much wealth you have. There is nothing that matters to God. Sin is disobedience to holy God. God warns us from the beginning of the Bible to the end, that God hates sin because of what it does to us, God’s creation. Sin is a destroyer, a divider etc. So in light of sin, what is the nature of sin?
1 Peter 1:17-21
17Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20He was chosen before the creation of the world but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
This is the heart of the gospel, the blood of Jesus.
Seriousness of sin
Ezekiel 18:20
The one who sins is the one who will die.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What Is The True Nature Of Sin?
1. Sin Deceives
Hebrews 3:13
…none of you maybe hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Sin has already deceived you since deceived Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden.
When we keep on sinning, we say, “It is okay. God loves you. God is forgiving.” If we keep sinning while telling ourselves that God loves us and understands, then we have been deceived, thinking that we are the exception to sin’s consequences. You are deceived.
2. Sin Disappoints
Sin always makes a big time offer. “If you will do this you will be happy.” Sin always promises to satisfy but it cannot produce. The pleasure of sin is only temporary satisfying . In the end, it will always disappoint.
3. Sin Destroys
All you need to do is to look around and realize how destructive sin is. Although sin takes many pathways, they all ultimately lead to the destruction. Sins destroys people, families, marriages, children, jobs, and the future. Sin is destructive by nature.
4. Sin Brings Death
Ultimately, sin brings death. Sin brings death over a period of time. Sometimes it’s gradual death or it may come in an instant. However, the Bible says that those who sin will die.
Ezekiel 18:4
The one who sins is the one who will die.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sin is eternal in its effect.
If I stop right here, man’s life would be terrible but thank God for Jesus because of whom we need not stop over there.
What is the saving power that brings about the forgiveness of sin? It is the saving power of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Go back to Genesis 3. God placed Adam and Eve in the perfect garden. They had everything going their way but God gave them a choice. So they sinned against God.
Genesis 3:20-21
20Adam named his wife Eve because she would become the mother of all the living. 21The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
God killed an animal, shed its blood to cloth Adam and Eve. So in the very beginning of the Bible, with the first sin, God shed blood on their behalf.
God said in the very beginning, if you have to be saved from your sin, the blood has to be shed. There is a cost to sin. The price of sin is big. The price of sin is the blood of Jesus.
Later in the book of Leviticus, the Lord taught the Israelites that the life of the flesh is in the blood.
Leviticus 17:11
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.
Hebrews 9:22
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
1 John 1:7
…the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.
The issue was forgiveness and that required death and shedding of blood. Without the blood, there was no forgiveness. The thousands of sacrifices offered throughout Jewish history pointed to the final sacrifice, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, whose blood would be shed for the forgiveness of our sins once and for all time. Jesus came into the world to die, and as He spent His last night with His disciples at the Last Supper, He told them that His blood would be shed to bring about salvation.
Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, celebrated the Passover with His disciples. He instituted the Lord’s supper with the Passover meal. What was the Lord’s supper all about? It is all about the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ bringing salvation to the world. It is a reminder to us of what happened when Jesus died and shed His blood for us. To this day, we meet for the Lord’s Supper to remember His blood shed for us.
With this in mind I want to give you four words that describe the work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary.
4 Words To Describe The Works Of Jesus On The Cross
1. Redemption
1 Peter 1:18-19
18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
Redemption. To redeem means to purchase something back. We had been sold into bondage to sin because of the fall of Adam and Eve but Christ bought us back for God with His own blood.
The blood of Jesus Christ is the only thing that could take care of man’s sins. He redeemed us. He bought us back from a life of sin.
2. Reconciliation
Colossians 1:19-22
19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—
Sin has separated every one of us from God. Those who are saved are reconciled. When we trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior, and in His sacrifice for us, we are brought back into a loving relationship with the Father.
3. Justification
Romans 5:8-9
8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
To justify means to declare ‘no longer guilty’. The only way this is accomplished by God, is through Christ’s blood applied to those who believe in Him. If a person rejects Jesus, he will remain guilty of all his sin.
4. Sanctification
Hebrews 13:12
And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.
To sanctify means to be set apart for God. When we believe in Christ for salvation, we are immediately sanctified. However, even though it happens in a moment of time, it is also a process, whereby God continually sets us apart for Himself and transforms us into the likeness of His Son. Christ’s blood keeps on cleansing us from sin.
Although we have been redeemed, reconciled, justified, and sanctified through Christ’s blood, we still have sin dwelling in us because of our humanness or sinful nature. Even though it is no longer dominant, we still stumble now and then and are in need of fresh cleansing. This is part of our ongoing sanctification.
We are redeemed once, we are reconciled once, we are justified once but sanctification by His blood goes on and on in our life.
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
The verb tense signifies the continuing process of cleansing that accompanies sanctification. We also have God’s promise in:
1 John 1:8-9
8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Don’t take this verse lightly. Don’t take sin lightly. Sin is so serious that it cost God His only begotten son. The cross is about the holy God looking at whole of humanity drowned in sin and dying on the cross to give us the victory.
These four words cover our Christian life. We are redeemed, we are reconciled, we are justified, and we are sanctified by His blood.
CONCLUSION
Response| The Blood Of Jesus
Have you ever taken your sin seriously, recognizing it for what it truly is? Are you trusting in the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of your sins? If not, on what or who are you planning to rely on when you stand before God to be judged? Have you ever confessed your sin to God? Forgiveness is not cheap, forgiveness costs God His only begotten son. The shedding of blood is the only atonement for sin, and Jesus died for you and shed His blood for you. When you receive Jesus Christ, God will enable you to live a holy and righteous life.
The gospel is all about Jesus, it is all about forgiveness, it is all about God’s restoration in our lives. The gospel talks about being God’s child forever. There is only one person, Jesus Christ, through one time, in all of history, who can forgive your sins and give you eternal life. You would not have to die in your sin because of the substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the gospel.