The Blood
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
I’ve come to realize in studying God’s Word that God gave His people scientific truth that was centuries ahead of the facts known by men at the time.
Many of our modern practices exist because of the Bible. Many things that have been discovered by science were actually recorded in the Bible...
Many sanitary practices such as washing hands and quarantine were first discovered in the Bible...
The Israelites were the only culture to practice quarantine until the last century, when medical advances finally demonstrated the importance of sanitation and isolation during plagues.
The devastating black plague of the 14th century that claimed millions of lives was not broken until the church fathers in Vienna began encouraging the public to start following the guidelines as set forth in the Bible. The promising results in Vienna compelled other cities to follow suit, and the dreaded plague was finally eradicated.
God spoke often about washing the body under running water. This is a simple form of cleansing that wasn’t even practiced by medical professionals until the latter part of the 19th century. In fact, doctors would often operate on one patient and then go directly to another stopping only to wash their hands in the same basin that had been used by many others.
I could keep going with all sorts of examples, but perhaps the most remarkable of the scientific statements made in the Bible is the statement that is found in our text this morning,
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.
This text speaks of the value of the blood.
Blood is essential for physical life and also, more importantly, for spiritual life and that will be the subject of this morning’s message on “The Blood”...
First of all, let’s look at the fact that:
THE BLOOD IS ESSENTIAL PHYSICALLY
THE BLOOD IS ESSENTIAL PHYSICALLY
Leviticus 17:11 (KJV (WS))
11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood...
The very life of the body is contained in the blood...
Out of the many wonders of our human bodies, blood is unique:
The blood is the only tissue of the body that is mobile. The body produces many fluids, but the blood is literally liquid tissue. Other fluids are limited to certain areas of the body, but the blood touches every single cell in the human body.
There are about 5 quarts of blood in your body. This blood travels through your body every 23 seconds. As it does, the blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells of your body, bringing life as it travels. At the same time, the same blood also removes the waste products from the cells. This waste never contaminates the good things the blood carries which the body needs. Imagine, if you will, the local garbage truck picking up your trash and also delivering your meals uncovered.
While the red cells in the body are carrying oxygen rich hemoglobin, and nutrients to the cells, another part of the blood known as “leucocytes” or white blood cells are present to defend the body against outside invaders. When the body is injured, you may notice a swelling in the area of the injury. This is caused by blood being rushed to the injured area, blood that is rich in white blood cells. These cells have the power to kill and engulf germs and infections. All of this is going on in the blood!
The blood is so vital physically that if there’s an infection in the bloodstream, it has the power to infect the entire body, and then we now today that the loss of too much blood has the power to kill.
In the days when our nation was founded, a common medical practice was to bleed people when they were sick. The thought was that the sickness was a result of too much blood.
George Washington, the first president of our nation, was bled in his last sickness. The bleeding probably killed him as it was estimated on one article I read that as much as 3.75 liters of blood was “let” out of him...
Many others were also bled like this and shortly after they were bled they often died.
Today we know better. We know such practices are deadly. Instead, we give blood to people who are sick. We have blood drives to encourage people to give blood. We have learned that “the life of the flesh is in the blood.”
The Bible is not so out of date as the mockers would insist. In fact, many deaths could have been prevented had people believed this Biblical text.
While the blood and its importance cannot be overstated in the human body, everything we have said about the blood so far also has a spiritual application.
Just as the blood is necessary to physical life, the blood is also necessary for spiritual life! However, the major difference is that in the physical realm, one must have his own blood, in the spiritual realm, we must have the blood of another!
This leads to the next point this morning and that is:
THE BLOOD IS ESSENTIAL SPIRITUALLY
THE BLOOD IS ESSENTIAL SPIRITUALLY
Leviticus 17:11 (KJV (WS))
11 ...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.
God tells the nation of Israel that He is the One Who has given them the blood. He was the Creator of it and He was the author of the sacrificial system.
God devised a system that involved death and suffering.
This had always been His plan:
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
Then we have Exodus chapter 12, known as the Passover chapter - the children of Israel were to take the blood of a spotless lamb and apply it to the sides and top of the doorposts and when the angel of death passed by, it would pass over that house that had the blood applied.
Why did God choose a sacrifice involving suffering and death? Because the sinner needed to know first-hand the penalty and price of sin.
The blood has always been God’s method of dealing with sin and always will be!
22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
The blood of Jesus was so powerful that it was the “once and for all” sacrifice - no more animal sacrifices are necessary to atone for sin, the blood of Jesus was enough! The blood of Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice!
What exactly does the blood of Jesus do for us today?
The blood covers sin!
The blood covers sin!
Look at our text verse again:
Leviticus 17:11 (KJV (WS))
11 ...I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls...
It is stated in this verse that the blood was given to cover sin. That is, when the blood was shed and applied to the altar, God saw the blood and not the sin. It was removed from His sight and He accepted the blood of the innocent sacrifice in place of the guilt of the sinner.
Now, these Old Testament sacrifices could never erase sin, they could only cover them - the sacrifices would have to be made and remade as sin was committed.
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
These sacrifices were never finished as sin was always a problem, but thank God today it all changed with the sacrifice of the darling lamb of God!
The blood cleanses sin!
The blood cleanses sin!
When we arrive in the New Testament and look at the death of Jesus on the cross, we find a sacrifice that had a power that the Old Testament system could never know!
We find that the blood of Jesus has the power to take away sin!
John the Baptist said it,
John 1:29 (KJV (WS))
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
The Word of God declares it!
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Unlike those old testament sacrifices, the sacrifice of Jesus never has to be repeated! It was one-time, for all-time that forever removes the sins of every person who places their faith in Him!
The blood converts the sinner!
The blood converts the sinner!
When a person offered sacrifice in the Old Testament, nothing changed his life. He left the altar, moved by the death of the animal, but otherwise unchanged. But, listen, when a person comes to Jesus by faith and is saved by grace, that person is changed forever!
The blood of Jesus has the power to convert the soul!
Not only will God cleanse away your sins, but He will forever change your life!
The blood of Jesus has the power to make us new creatures!
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
I don’t have time to continue this morning, there’s so much more to say, so much that it would be impossible for human tongue to ever declare!
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.
I’ll close with this:
33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:
34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
When they pierced the side of our Lord, and opened the heart that beat and the blood poured out, the life of our Savior was poured out into the earth and the ground drank it up.
There’s power in the blood! There’s life in the blood!