What I Believe About the Blood

“What I Believe About The Blood”

Hebrews 9:19-22

INTRO. When I refer to the Blood, I am speaking of the Blood of Jesus Christ.

There is a little piece of silk in the museum of Springfield, Illinois, that

could not be bought for any amount of money. Why the value

attached to it? Because of its significance. That little bit of silk is all

covered with blood. It was once a part of a dress worn by a beautiful

girl, who sat by Abraham Lincoln when he was shot; and it was that

beautiful girl who took his head in her lap, as a mother would receive

the head of a baby, and it was that girl who held him while he bled his

life out. The State of Illinois purchased that dress, and cut out this

piece of silk covered with the blood of the great statesman,

emancipator of an enslaved race, and the man who in the programme

of God became a cohesive force in the salvation of this great nation.

If a state would do that for the blood of a man, what should the world

do for the Blood of Jesus with all its emancipating power, and all its

cohesiveness for a scattered race? For, if the race of man, without

regard to nationality or colour or condition of life, is ever to be united

and held, it will be by the cohesiveness of that Blood. (F.E. Marsh-

Illustrated Bible Study Outlines) You will notice in our text that the

Bloodline of Christ goes far back into the Old Testament hundreds

and thousands of years before the Birth of Christ. It goes back fur-

ther yet than Moses. It goes back to the Garden of Eden. Does it

start or stop there? Ten million times no. It goes all the way back

into what the old divines call, the council halls of eternity. Back be-

fore what we call time. 1 Peter 1:18-20—“Forasmuch as ye know that

ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from

the vain conversation received from your fathers; But with the precious

blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who

verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was

manifest in these last times for you.” And Revelation 13:8 tells us,

that Jesus Christ is “..the Lamb slain from the foundation of the

world.”

We love to sing songs about the Blood. We love to hear sermons

about the blood. The story of redemption never grows old. The hymn-

writer wrote:

“Tell me the old, old story of unseen things above, of

Jesus and His glory, Of Jesus and His love; Tell

me the story simply, As to a little child, for I

am weak and weary, And helpless and defiled.”

Tell me the story slowly, That I may take it in-That

wonderful Redemption, God’s remedy for sin.

Tell me the story often, For I forget so soon, the

early dew of morning has passed away at

noon.”

Tell me the old, old story, Tell me the old old story,

Tell me the old old story of Jesus and His love.”

This morning I want to speak on this subject, “What I Believe About

The Blood.” Here’s what I believe about the Blood------

(1) I Believe It Is Existent

Leviticus 17:11—“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I

have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement

for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh an atonement

for the soul.”

Hebrews 9:22b—“and without the shedding of blood is no

remission."

1. One should not read verse 22 of our text without considering the

Implications of being “..without the blood…” If Christ had not died on

the Cross, if His blood had not been shed where would we be? We

would be HELPLESS, HOPELESS, HELLBOUND.

1. Did you know there are many today who are going around denying the

Virgin birth of Christ. Saying that it simply did not happen. If there

was no Virgin birth then there was no Blood. Man’s blood is corrupted,

defiled, dirty because of sin. But Christ’s blood is perfect, undefiled,

and able to save!

1. But, Oh! How I Praise God today! I am one of those who still believes in

the Blood. “The Bible is a book of blood…wholly distinct from all other

books for just one reason, namely, it contains blood circulating through

every page and in every verse. From Genesis to Revelation we see the

stream of blood”-M.R. DeHaan (1).

1. “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission”—The word remis-

sion means “forgiveness”. Why does forgiveness require the shedding

of blood? ….[Because] there is no greater symbol of life than blood;

blood keeps us alive (as Leviticus 17:11 tells us). Jesus shed His blood-

gave His life-for our sins so that we would have to experience spiritual

death, which is eternal separation from God in a devil’s hell. Jesus is the source of life, not death, and He offered His own life so that we might live (2).

(2) IBELIEVEIT IS EXCEPTIONAL

Hebrews 9:14—“How much more shall the blood of Christ , who

offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience

from dead works to serve the living God?”

1. The word exceptional means “unusual or extraordinary.” By this I

simply mean that there is none other like it. We are told that children

get their blood from the father. That being the case we know the old human nature, or “the old man” has existed in all of Adam’s race (Romans 5:12—“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”).

B. Yes, all of us are sinners by birth and by choice, but there is one except-

Ion—Jesus Christ who had no earthly father. He was the seed of the

Woman, but God was His Father. Thus Adam’s blood corrupted and

tainted by sin did not flow through His veins but that of His heavenly

Father. Christ’s Blood is the only blood that can cover us and protect us

from the wrath of God because there is none other like unto it!Jesus

paid the supreme price—His own blood. Note a most precious fact:

Jesus’ blood is said to be the blood of God. As Man, the blood that ran

through His veins was the blood of God; therefore, it was precious, full of

all dignity and value and worth. The blood of Jesus—being of God—is

most precious, the supreme and ultimate in value and worth.

C. Charles Wesley wrote: “He broke the power of cancelled sin, He sets the

the prisoner free; His blood can make the foulest clean; His blood availed

for me.” If anyone reaches Heaven it will be through theprecious Blood of

Christ!

ILLUS. At a great parliament of religions, held at Chicago many years

ago, practically every known religion was represented, and many

were the learned discourses delivered. During one session, Dr.

Joseph Cook, of Boston, suddenly rose and said: "Gentlemen, I

beg to introduce to you a woman with a great sorrow. Bloodstains

are on her hands, and nothing she has tried will remove them.

The blood is that of murder, and nothing will take away the stain.

She has been driven to desperation in her distress. Is there

anything in your religion that will remove her sin and give her

peace?" A hush fell upon the gathering as the speaker turned

from one to another for an answer. Not one of the company

replied. Raising his eyes heavenwards, Dr. Cook then cried out,

"I will ask another question. John, can you tell this woman how

to get rid of her awful sin?" The great preacher awaited, as if

listening for a reply. Suddenly he cried, "Listen, John speaks:

'The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth us from all sin' (1

John1:7)." Not a soul broke the silence; the representatives of

Eastern religions and Western cults sat dumb. In the face of

human need, they were without message of hope. The Gospel of

Jesus Christ alone could meet the need. The sin of the race

demanded the blood of Calvary. - The Evangelist Tan 5258

(3) I BELIEVE IT IS EFFECTUAL

HEBREWS 9:12—“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by

His own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having

obtained eternal redemption for us.”

1. The word effectual means “Capable of producing the desired effect.”

The Old Testament sacrifices were merely shadows of good things to

come. They pointed to Christ the perfect sacrifice. The blood of the

sacrificed animals made the people ceremonially clean, but Christ’s

sacrifice transforms our lives and hearts and makes us clean on the

inside (4).

1. Christ’s Blood is able to:

1)Save (Hebrews 7:25). The Blood of Christ saves to the

Uttermost. The word means “to the greatest possible extent,

to the highest degree, completely.” What does it mean that Jesus is able to save completely. No one else can add to what Jesus did to save us; our past, present, and future sins are all forgiven, and Jesus is with the Father as a sign that our sinsare fogiven (5)

ILLUS. Brother J. Harold Smith, Baptist Preacher now in

Heaven, used to say, “He is not only able to save to the

uttermost,but to the guttermost.”

2)Secure (1 John 2:1-2). To people who are feeling guilty and

condemned, John offers reassurance. They know they have sinned, and Satan, “the Accuser of the brethren,” is demanding

The death penalty…But Jesus Christ, Your Advocate, is the Judge’s Son. He has already suffered your penalty in your place. You can’t be tried again for a case that is no longer on the docket. United with Jesus, you are as safe as He is (6).

ILLUS. My salvation does not depend upon me holding on to

Jesus. Rather, Jesus holds on to me and he does not

have slippery fingers.

3)Satisfy (Psalm 32:1-2). The word Blessed means “happiness,

enjoyment, contentment and peace.” The Blood of Jesus Christ totally satisfies!

ILLUS. God has set Eternity in our heart, and man's infinite

capacity cannot be filled or satisfied with the things of

time and sense. -- F.B. Meyer in Our Daily Walk.

Christianity Today, Vol. 33, no. 8.

See: Ps 17:15; 1 Pe 1:23; Rev 7:16.

ILLUS. The man or woman who does not know God demands an

infinite satisfaction from other human beings which

they cannot give, and in the case of the man, he

becomes tyrannical and cruel. It springs from this one

thing, the human heart must have satisfaction, but

there is only one Being Who can satisfy the last abyss of

the human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

-- Oswald Chambers, Christianity Today, Vol. 37, no.

11. See: Ps 17:15; 103:5; 107:9; Isa 58:11; Mt 5:6.

4)Sanctify (1 Cors. 6:9-11). Sanctification is the process that

begins at Salvation and continues until we reach Heaven. Through the Blood of Christ we are washed from ours sins and sanctified by the Spirit. But sanctification is a continuing process. “To live the sanctified life we must choose to be holy.

Sanctification is a life of Christ-centered choices, made evident in loving obedience to God”-Mel E. DePeal (7). Hebrews 13:12

Note why Jesus Christ died for us: “that He might sanctify the people with His own blood.” The word sanctify means to set apart and separate. Jesus Christ died for us that He might sanctify us—set us apart and separate us unto God. He is the Perfect Sacrifice; it is His blood and His blood alone that purifies us and makes us acceptable to God. God cannot accept any sacrifice other than the sacrifice of the Ideal and Perfect Man. And no man can live a perfect life unless he has the very nature of God Himself. This is the reason that Jesus Christ Himself, the very Son of God, is our Savior. He and He alone has the nature of God; therefore, He alone could live the perfect and ideal life and make the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

ILLUS. A HUNTER, not very bold, was searching for the tracks

of a Lion. He asked a man felling oaks in the forest if he

had seen any marks of his footsteps or knew where his

lair was. "I will," said the man, "at once show you the

Lion himself." The Hunter, turning very pale and

chattering with his teeth from fear, replied, "No, thank

you. I did not ask that; it is his track only I am in

search of, not the Lion himself."

We have too many Christians who are more interested

in following the tracks of Jesus than following the

Master Himself. In doing so, they do not get to

experience all the grandeur and benefits of being a full-

blown Christian.

ILLUS. The conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment,

but the making of a saint is the task of a lifetime-Alan

Redpath, The Making of a Man of God (8)

(4) I BELIEVE IT IS ESSENTIAL

Ephesians 1:7—“In whom we have redemption through his blood,

the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

Ephesians 2:12-13—“That at that time ye were without Christ,

being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers

from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without

God in this world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes

were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”

Colossians 1:20-22—“And, having made peace through the blood

Of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by

Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in

Heaven. And you, that were sometimes alienated and

enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he

reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present

you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.”

1. There are many things which are not essential in order to get to

Heaven. You don’t have to have a certain amount of money, have a

certain look, live in a certain country, keep a certain set of rules, but there is one thing that is essential. That is –THE BLOOD!

1. No ONE can get to Heaven without the Blood (Revelation 5:9). Notice

the words “and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood..” It is by the blood that we are redeemed, it is by the blood that we can call Heaven our home. It is the blood or else we will die in our sins and spend eternity in hell!The one thing man needs to face up to is this: he and his world are sinful and imperfect. He and his world die and waste away. Therefore, he needs to have his sins cleansed and taken away. In order to stand before the holy and perfect God, he must somehow be cleansed of sin and imperfection and be counted perfect. How is this possible? By Jesus Christ—by the sacrifice which Christ has made for man. Jesus Christ is the perfect sacrifice for sins.

ILLUS. Every one must have personal faith and belief in the blood for

himself. It is said that during the war, George H. Stuart, a

princely merchant of Philadelphia, and a Christian man of

largeheart and faith, was President of the Christian

Commission. Oneday he had occasion to go down into

Virginia, and cross thepicket lines, to visit a soldier. He came

along, and thesentinel was pacing up and down. Mr. Stuart

rode up to thelines. "Halt!" Mr. Stuart stopped. "Who is there?"

"A friend." "Advance and give the countersign." Mr. Stuart rode

up, andleaning forward, whispered, "Chicago." "No," said the

sentinel,"that is not the right word today; and it will be death

for meto let you go over without the right word, and death for

me togive it to you. You must go back to headquarters and get

it." Stuart went back to the headquarters, and having obtained

thecorrect word, hastened back. As he approached the lines

the sentinel shouted, "Halt!" Stuart stopped. "Who is there?" "

Afriend." "Advance and give the countersign." He rode forward

andsaid, "Massachusetts." "That is right." Mr. Stuart rode over

thelines, stopped, whirled upon his horse, and said, "Sentinel,

Icame here today to cross these lines, and I had the wrong

countersign; but I had opportunity to go back and get the right

one. But, sir, you are approaching lines of eternal

consequences, and if you come with the wrong countersign,

younever will have opportunity to go back and get the right

one.""Yes, sir, I know what you mean." "What do I mean?" "The

judgment seat of Christ." "That is right." "Sir, have you got

the right countersign?" "I have." "What is it?" "The blood of

Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin?" "Where did

you get that?," said he. "In a prayer meeting where you were."