The Blood

“the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

I. Introduction

From the dawn of our nation’s independence, obtained through the Revolutionary War to our current war against Islamic Terrorism, our nation’s history is wrought with the blood of men and women who have laid down their lives on the altar of freedom. This sacrifice has been made so that we might enjoy “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Freedom is not free, it comes at a great price.

So too, there has been a great price enacted for our spiritual freedom. From the beginning to the end of Scripture, from the closing of the gates of Eden to the opening of the gates of the heavenly Zion, there runs through Scripture a crimson thread. It is the blood that unites the beginning to the end, that restores what sin had destroyed. And grants us freedom from the penalty and the enslavement of sin. The precious blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God.

II. The O.T.

A. The Garden (Genesis 2-3)

· Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed

· At liberty in the presence of God when He walked w/them

· Sinned and recognized they were naked and were afraid, hid from God.

· Why? Knew in their hearts that God was holy and that their sin had resulted in their not being worthy to be in fellowship w/Him

· God clothed them in animal skin, blood was shed as an atonement for their sin.

· A life had to be given for a life … the life is in THE BLOOD

B. Cain and Abel (Genesis 4)

· 1st act of worship recorded in the Bible

· Blood was shed

· By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith

· “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

· Shows that there can be no approach to God; no fellowship with Him; no enjoyment of His favor, apart from faith in THE BLOOD

C. The Flood and Noah (Genesis 8:20)

· 1ST act of Noah was to offer a burnt offering to God

· Sin had prevailed once again

· Shows us that there can be no hope for the future apart from THE BLOOD

D. Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22)

· Isaac, who belonged to God, can only be truly surrendered to God by death.

· For Abraham and Isaac, only by death could freedom from the self-life be obtained – Abraham must offer Isaac on the altar

· Only by death, can a life given over fully to God is possible.

· A ram was provided as a substitute

· By THE BLOOD Isaac was figuratively raised from the dead, and the promise was obtained.

· Shows that there would need to be a Substitutonary shedding of THE BLOOD.

E. Egypt/Passover (Exodus 12)

· When I see THE BLOOD I will pass over

· Shows that life, deliverance and freedom can only be obtained by THE BLOOD

F. Moses and the Law (Exodus 24)

· The covenant of the law had to be established, THE BLOOD was sprinkled first on the altar and then on the law (book of the covenant) – representing God’s side of the covenant.

· Then the blood was sprinkled on the people

“Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with these words.”

· It was by THE BLOOD that the covenant had its foundation and power.

· It is by THE BLOOD alone, that God and man can be brought into covenant fellowship.

· Difference – Abraham, life redeemed by shedding of blood; Egypt, sprinkled on door posts; Sinia, sprinkled on the people themselves. Application: The contact was closer, the application more powerful.

G. The Tabernacle/Temple (Exodus 26)

· God abiding among them

· Blood is the center and reason for all of this

· Altar of burnt offering – continual sprinkling of blood, from morning until evening

· Holy Place – golden altar of incense, veil – continually sprinkled with blood

· Most Holy Place – where God dwells, mercy seat, priest enters once a year to make atonement for the sins of the people – but only by THE BLOOD

· Shows us that the way to fellowship with God is through THE BLOOD alone.

III. Jesus

· Announced as “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”

· Four times He says emphatically:

o “Unless you drink my blood you have no life in you.”

o “He that drinks my blood has eternal life.”

o “My blood is drink indeed.”

o “Whoever drinks by blood dwells in Me and I in Him.”

· At the last supper – “This cup is the new covenant in My blood that is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Drink all of it.” ()

· When He tells us to partake of His blood, He declares that if we do:

o Frees us from sin

o The guilt of sin

o From death

o From the punishment of Sin

o Eternal Life

Without remission of sins there is no life.

By the shedding of His blood, He has obtained a new life for us.

By what He calls the drinking of His blood, He shares His life with us.

The blood, which was shed in the atonement frees us from:

the guilt of sin

the punishment of death

the punishment of sin

The blood, which by faith we receive into our soul, gives us His life.

The blood shed was first for us and then given to us.

IV. The Epistles

“ he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.”

he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

“how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?”

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?

“brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus.”

brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus

“ Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.”

Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.

, “Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood suffered outside the gate.”

“Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant.”

“you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.”

V. Conclusion

V. Conclusion

you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of ChristV. Conclusion

· Trust in His shed blood as that which makes anything you offer to Him through your life as acceptable and pleasing to Him (Abel)

· Trust in His shed blood as the substance for hope in the future. (Noah)

· Trust in His shed blood as a sufficient substitute for your life (Abraham/Isaac)

· Trust in His shed blood as a continual covering of your sins and a powerful means for your deliverance (Egypt)

· Trust in His shed blood as the foundation upon which the requirements established in Law of God have been met (Moses)

· Trust in His shed blood as the means whereby you can enter with confidence into God’s presence to find grace and mercy (Holy Place)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”