Nothing But the Blood

1. The greatest evangelist of the Twentieth Century, without question, was Billy Graham. The greatest evangelist before him of the Nineteenth Century undoubtedly was Dwight L. Moody. Both shared a common trait. They were criticized because of a particular subject they preached about.

2. When Billy Graham was getting started, a professor from Cornell University wrote him a letter and said, "Mr. Graham, you have great talent, and you have what it takes to be a successful minister. But if you want to continue to be successful, you are going to have to leave out the preaching on the blood. It is out of date and no enlightened man of the Twentieth Century will swallow it."

3. When Dwight L. Moody started preaching, a woman wrote him a letter and said, "Brother Moody, if you want to be effective, you are going to have to leave out that blood stuff." Dwight L. Moody said, like Dr. Graham after him, "I determined at that moment to preach more on the blood of Jesus Christ than ever before."

4. That’s what I want to do this morning. I want to preach about the blood, the blood of Jesus. Baptists have been know as a people of the book, but I want to tell you that we are also a people of the blood. The Bible is not only a blest book, it is a blood book. The word "blood" is found over 700 times in the Bible. The Bible begins with blood in Genesis when God sheds the blood of an innocent animal to cover the naked sinfulness of Adam and Eve. It ends with blood in the book of the Revelation when the Lord Jesus returns wearing a robe "dipped in blood." (Rev. 19:13)

5. There is a scarlet thread that binds every page of this book. You cut this book and it bleeds. I want you open your bible this morning to just one verse found in Leviticus 17:11.

In His design God provided two ways for the sins of His children to be dealt with.

The first way is no longer in effect because it has been supplanted a second and more perfect way.

Leviticus 17:11 describes God's first plan for dealing with man's sin. "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."

As Israel wandered in the desert God ordained the process called "the scapegoat". Because all life centers in the blood, the blood of a pure and spotless lamb was poured on the Altar of the tent of the Tabernacle and also spread on the horns and head of an unblemished goat. That blood-covered goat became the "scapegoat" and was led far out into the desert and set free. Because it had been taken far away from familiar surroundings it could never find its way back to Israel's camp. Spiritually that meant the sins atoned for by the blood of the spotless lamb could never find their way back into the camp either.

That's why David wrote, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12). The problem with God's first plan to deal with sin through the blood atonement was that it had to repeated over and over and over again day after day after day. Then the Father sent another lamb and His name was Jesus. His singular purpose was to be the eternal spotless lamb whose blood would be shed for atonement but to also become the "scapegoat" who would take away the sins of the world.

Listen to Hebrews 9:11-14. "When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death. So that we may serve the living God!"

Hear it? "Once for all". "By His own blood". And what is the result of Jesus' sacrifice and Jesus' blood? He will "cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!"

When Jesus went to Calvary's Cross He became our lamb and our scapegoat. When He died on that Cross He entered the Holy of Holies in Heaven and the blood He had shed on the ground of Golgotha was spread on the altar of God. When He rose from the grave the sin of every person could be taken away for all time -- not merely for a day as in the old covenant -- but gone, vanished, and remembered no more.

I love 1 John 1:7 that says, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." )

The only spiritual detergent that can remove the stain of sin from the human soul, is the blood of Jesus Christ. Whether you are a Christian or not, I want you to understand why this is true.

I. The Blood Comes From A Supernatural Person

1. This verse tells us that we speak of "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son." This is not ordinary blood. There is no other blood like it. The blood that flowed in the veins of Jesus Christ was the pure perfect sinless blood of God the Son.

One of the most incredible verses in the Bible is Acts 20:28. Here is what it says: "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."

A blood that was shed on the cross was the blood of God.

2. Now this is crucial to understand because if it was God's blood, then it must be innocent blood.

3. Judas said of Jesus in Mt. 27:4, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." Jesus Christ is the only person ever born truly and totally innocent. Every other person ever born is born with a sinful nature flowing through his veins, but not the Lord Jesus.

4. When Jesus was dying on the cross He said in Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."

Now Jesus never one time ever prayed this simple little prayer, "Father, forgive me." The reason why He didn't was because He never did anything he had to be forgiven for.

Heb. 4:15-16 tells us, "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

2 Cor. 5:21 also says, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

6. Now if Jesus had not been innocent He could not have taken my guilt, because He would have had to have dealt with His own. The reason He could die for my sin is because He did not have to die for His sin.

7. Peter said in his epistle, "You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold...but with the precious blood of Christ." (1 Pet. 1:18-19) The word precious literally means "valuable."

8. There is nothing more precious more valuable that the blood of Jesus! That is because it comes from a supernatural person.

II. The Blood Cleanses With Supernatural Power

1. Our verse goes on to say, " it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul."

Remember 1 John 1:7 that says, “the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin,”? That verse does not say that the blood of Jesus Christ "has cleansed us," or "will cleanse us." It says specifically it "cleanses us." That verb is in the present tense. What it literally says is, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us and keeps on cleansing us. It cleanses us now, it cleanses us today, it cleanses us tomorrow. Every day that you need to be cleansed, the blood is available to do the job.

2. So often after someone gets saved, the first question they ask is, "Does this mean that I will never sin again?" Or, "What happens now when I sin?" Let me give you some bad news and some good news. If you get saved today there's a strong chance you're going to sin tomorrow.

3. But now let me give you the good news. You get saved today and tomorrow you lose your temper, just remember "the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us." If you get saved today and you let a bad word slip out tomorrow, just remember "the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us." If you get saved today and you think an impure thought tomorrow, just remember "the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us."

4. If you ever do any grocery shopping, you will notice that today when you buy certain products like milk or something else, it will say "Use by" and it will give you a certain date. Now the reason for that is, if you don't use it by that date it will either lose its potency and its effectiveness, or, like milk, it could get sour and be unhealthy to use. Well, the blood of Jesus Christ never loses its power. It is just as effective in washing the dirt of depravity away today as it was 2000 years ago.

5. But let me give you this caution--the only person who ever gets clean is the person who admits he's dirty. I have found far too many people who just don't understand either that they are dirty because of sin, or just how dirty they are.

They are like a little boy I heard about who hated to take a bath; just despised soap and water. One day his mother, trying desperately to approach the subject from a more successful angle, said, "Son, you do want to be a nice clean little boy don't you?" Her little boy said, "Yes ma'am, but Mama can't you just sort of dust me off?"

6. Well, our hands are dirty because of the deeds we do. Our hearts are dirty in the desires that we have. Our heads are dirty because of the thoughts we think. If you want God to forgive you, you must allow God to cleanse you.

III. The Blood Completes A Supernatural Purpose “atonement”

1. The last part of this verse says, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." Now please hear this next statement. With God a person who is only partially clean is totally dirty. Would you let your dog into your house if only two of his paws were muddy? Absolutely not, and God will not let anyone into His heaven unless they have been cleansed from all of their sins.

2. You see, the shed blood of Jesus Christ is not like STP. It's not an additive that you give to your heart that gives it that racer's edge. The blood of Jesus is not something you add to your religion, or add to your ritual, or add to your righteousness, to cleanse you. His blood alone cleanses from all sin.

3. Just before Jesus breathed his last on the cross, He said in John 19:30, "It is finished." Those three words in the English language are one word in the Greek language that literally means "Paid in full."

4. Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation, had a dream. In fact, I guess you would call it a nightmare. He didn't know what it was, but he awakened in the middle of the night, and standing at the foot of his bed was a figure that he believed to be the devil himself.

6. The devil had a scroll, and on that scroll were the sins that Martin Luther had committed. The scroll was accurate. It was true. The devil was reading them one after another and pointing a fiery bony finger into the face of Martin Luther and condemning him and accusing him and saying, "What hope of heaven do you have as a miserable sinner?"

7. Martin Luther said that he thought his very soul was slipping down into hell. But then the Lord spoke to Martin Luther and said, "Martin, tell him to unroll the scroll all the way down." Martin Luther said, "Unroll the scroll." He said the devil refused. Luther said, "This time I said, 'In the name of Jesus, unroll the scroll.'" The devil did unroll it and there printed at the bottom of all of the sins Martin Luther had ever committed were these words written across the entire thing: "This entire sin account of Martin Luther has been paid in full by the blood of Jesus Christ."

8. The highest holiday of the Jewish faith is Passover. It celebrates both the Exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt, but also that night when God's death angel passed through Egypt and slaughtered every firstborn of every household that did not have the blood of a lamb painted over the doorpost. God made a promise to His people. He said, "You paint the blood of a lamb over your doorpost and when I see the blood, I will pass over you."

9. Now what if God had seen tears in that household, but no blood?--Death would have come. What if God had seen remorse in that household, but no blood?--Death would have come. What if God had seen faith in that household, but no blood?--Death would have come. What if God had seen religion in that household, but no blood?--Death would have come.

10. The point I'm making is this: If there was any other way to be saved, any other way to be cleansed, any other way to be forgiven, any other way to be accepted, then Jesus would not have died nor shed one drop of His blood. But that He did die and that He did shed His blood, tells us that only His blood can cleanse us from all sin.

11. I read a true story one time of a party of six people who began a dangerous descent of a peak in the Swiss Alps. The first man in line lost his foothold and slipped over an icy ledge. The next two men slid after him while the experienced climbers above braced themselves and stood firm to bear the shock. They thought, without any question, they would simply hold and all these men would be saved by the rope they were connected to.

12. But when the rope ran its length, the cord snapped in two. The climbers watched in horror as their friends scrambled hopelessly to stop their slide over the slick precipice. Within seconds the three men fell screaming to their deaths 4000 feet below.

13. For a half hour the other three climbers were frozen in silence and fear, unable to move. Finally, they began that slow painstaking descent down the mountain. Hours later they arrived safely, eager to find answers. Why had the rope broken? They were told that true Alpine Club rope would never break, and that was true.

14. The survivors were shocked when a close examination revealed the rope they had was not true Alpine Club rope. It was a poor cheap fatal substitute. How did they know it was not the true Alpine Club rope that the professional climbers used? Because true Alpine Club quality rope has a red strand running through it, but this rope did not.

15. I don't know what your rope of hope is that you are holding on to; counting on it to take you to heaven. But I can tell you what my rope of hope is. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Because nothing but the blood can save you.

FBI SERMON NOTES

TEXT: Leviticus 17:11

TOPIC: Nothing But the Blood

BIBLE SURVIVOR SERIES, Message 11

Pastor Bobby Earls, First Baptist Icard, NC

November 18, 2001

"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."Leviticus 17:11

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" Psalm 103:12

"When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death. So that we may serve the living God!"Hebrews 9:11-14

"The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."1 John 1:7

I. The Blood ___________ From A Supernatural ____________

"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." Acts 20:28

"I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." Matthew 27:4

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." Luke 23:34

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Heb. 4:15-16

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Cor. 5:21

"You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold..but with the precious blood of Christ." 1 Pet. 1:18-19

II. The Blood _______ ____ With Supernatural _____________

“it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul."Leviticus 17:11

“the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.”1 John 1:7

III. The Blood ______________A Supernatural _____________ “atonement”Leviticus 17:11