Why Was The Blood of Jesus Necessary?
Sunday Morning - Feb. 17, 2008
1) FOR 2000 YEARS THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST HAS NEVER CHANGED.
a) It's still true that Jesus was God, manifested in the Flesh, born of a virgin, suffered and died on Calvary for the redemption of man, rose again and now sits at the Right Hand of the Father until the day every enemy will be put under His Feet.
b) Those who accept Jesus as Savior will go to Heaven.
c) Those who reject Him as Savior will not.
d) That's the Gospel in a nutshell and it will never change.
2) WHAT IS CHANGING IS THE WAY THE GOSPEL IS PRESENTED.
a) Today there is a trend to make churches more sensitive to the wants" of the people.
b) Notice I didn't say to the "needs" of the people, but to the wants".
3) Subjects like sin, salvation, the cross, the Blood of Christ, and hell are being replaced by Starbucks, donuts, strategies, market researchers, rock music, worldly entertainment, and anything else that will draw people into a church.
a) The idea seems to be that in the “modern” church the Gospel and churches have to adjust to the society of today.
4) WHEN I READ MY BIBLE I DON'T SEE WHERE JESUS ADJUSTED TO ANYTHING.
a) His message was "Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand!"
b) If anyone has to adjust it's the sinner.
5) A FAMOUS TV STAR ONCE STARTED A SATELLITE RADIO SHOW CALLED, "A COURSE IN MIRACLES"
a) On the surface it sounded good, we all want to see miracles.
b) But this all came about when a woman heard a voice saying it was Jesus and he gave her a new revelation that was supposed to "help humanity through these troubled times."
c) It went something like this: Just forget the "old rugged cross", there is no such thing as sin, & "evil" is just an illusion that must be overcome by the “right thinking".
d) Also, in their minds there is no such thing as a devil, and god is in you, in everyone, and in everything. There is no such thing as going to heaven because you have never left. We live on mother earth and we must devote much of our time to taking care of it, etc., etc.
6) ONE OF THE BIGGEST & FASTEST GROWING CHURCHES IN THE U.S. BELIEVED THEY HAD THE ANSWER TO FILLING CHURCHES WITH PEOPLE. IT'S IN CHICAGO.
a) A lot of churches around the nation have been influenced by the unique ways the church has pioneered to make the church grow.
b) They appealed to the wants of the people and called it being 'seeker sensitive".
c) They said to throw out the old and replace it with new ways to do church.
d) It worked. . . . and still works for other churches because they are growing large congregations using these methods.
e) However, after attracting thousands of members they decided to do an in-depth study and made an amazing discovery.
f) It didn't work.
g) Oh, they had a big congregation alright, but learned that it doesn't produce disciples, it only produces church members.
h) Here is a quote from the Pastor, "We made a mistake. We have put millions of dollars into programs thinking it would really help our people grow & develop spiritually. When the data came back, it wasn't helping people that much. Other things that we didn't put that much money or staff into is the stuff our people are crying out for."
i) What do you suppose his people were wanting?
k) Could it possibly be the truth of the Gospel such as heaven & hell are real?
l) That Christ suffered & died for us, rose from the grave, that His Blood still washes white as snow, and about His soon return to earth in glory?
m) Isn't that old fashion?
n) Won't that kind of preaching drive people away from church instead of leading them to church?
o) The Great Commission is not to fill a church. The Great Commission is to fill the Kingdom of Heaven with souls and when we're faithful in the little things, God will fill the church!
p) A mega-church in Chicago, and many others around the nation, all forgot one principle that hasn’t changed in 2000 years which is:
q) The mission of the church is to preach the Gospel to change people.
r) The people don't change the church or the Gospel.
7) JESUS NEVER CHANGED HIS MESSAGE.
a) He never condoned sin but He never condemned a sinner.
b) He just walked this earth as an example of righteousness, working miracles, healing, and delivering people from evil spirits.
c) Those who saw and followed Him knew they were the ones who had to change.
8) JESUS IS STILL BUILDING HIS CHURCH AROUND ONE PRINCIPLE.
a) One of the foundational truths of the church is found in Leviticus 17:11,
b) "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.."
9) THE TALK OF BLOOD BEING SHED ISN'T A VERY POPULAR SUBJECT TODAY.
a) At any given time of the day there's blood being shed around the world in wars, murders, physical abuse, and crimes.
b) When people go to church, probably the last thing they want to hear about is more blood being shed.
c) So some churches are taking all references to "blood" out of their messages,
sermons, their teachings, and music.
10) BUT THAT DOESN'T CHANGE ROMANS 3:23 WHICH SAYS:
a) ". . . all have sinned and come short of the glory of God".
b) To fall short of the glory of God means to fall short of God's approval, to miss the mark.
c) So man's got a problem, he's lost the approval of God.
d) But God has the answer.
11) WHAT IS THE ANSWER?
a) The answer to the problem is found in Revelation 1:5
b) "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.”
c) Nothing but the Blood of Jesus Christ can wash away the sins of man.
d) It was shed 2000 years ago but it's still fresh and still able to wash away sin.
e) If everyone in the world would repent and let that Blood wash away their sins, there wouldn't be innocent blood being shed because it would put an end to wars and crime.
12) THE BIBLE USES 3 DIFFERENT WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE BLOOD OF JESUS FOR ANYONE WHO ACCEPTS HIM AS THEIR SAVIOR.
a) NO. 1: REDEMPTION: We have redemption through His Blood.
b) Ephesians 1:7, " In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"
c) The word redemption means "to purchase and set free by paying a price."
(1) In the days of the Roman Empire there were 60 million slaves.
(2) They were bought and sold like any other merchandise.
(3) But they could also be bought and set free.
d) That's what the Blood of Jesus did for us.
f) Look at: Ephesians 1:11, " In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:"
g) He paid the price with His own blood and we were set free, not as poor slaves but as Children of God, rich heirs in Christ, and according to Revelation 1:6, we are Kings and Priests. GLORY!!
h) So redemption deals with our purchase price.
13) NO. 2: REMISSION: WE HAVE REMISSION THROUGH HIS BLOOD
a) Hebrews 9:22 “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."
b) Remission means forgiveness, or pardon.
c) Remission deals with the sins of our past.
14) NO. 3: RECONCILIATION: We have reconciliation through His Blood.
a) Colossians 1:20 "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."
b) To be "reconciled" with God means all barriers have been removed between us and God and now we are at peace with Him.
c) I tried to find another way to say it instead of using the word. 'reconciliation'. The one I liked best is "to cease fire".
(1) When a person rejects Jesus as Savior he's fighting a losing battle.
(2) It's a no-win situation.
(3) So when a person comes to that realization and waves the white flag of surrender, he begins to learn that God was never out to "get him".
(4) Instead, he finds out that God has a new plan for his life. And it's written, signed & sealed in the Blood of Jesus.
d) So Reconciliation deals with our peace.
e) Praise God for these three "R's": Redemption, Remission and Reconciliation.
15) NOW THE QUESTION: 'WHY WAS THE BLOOD OF JESUS NECESSARY?'
a) We have to go back to the fall of Adam to completely understand this.
b) Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
c) It was the only tree in the Garden of Eden that was forbidden to them.
d) But they ate fruit from the tree and sinned against God.
e) Do you remember what happened?
f) God was in the habit of walking with them in the Garden but one day He came looking for Adam and Eve but they were naked, ashamed, and hiding.
g) Before they sinned they were clothed with the Glory of God, a bright light that hid their nakedness.
h) After they sinned the Glory left them and they were naked.
i) They tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves but that wasn't enough.
j) God killed an animal, then took the skin and while it was still steaming with blood, God covered Adam and Eve with it to hide their nakedness.
k) In that one gesture, God was using the bloody animal skin to give a temporary covering for their sin.
l) The blood of that animal wasn't enough but it would do for the moment.
m) Then there was the time when the Children of Israel left Egypt.
n) The night before they left, they were told to sacrifice a lamb at the threshold of every house and sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the lintel and side posts of the door.
o) That was a sign to the angel of death that went through the land to spare the people inside the house from death.
p) The next morning they were able to leave Egypt and the Egyptians were glad to see them go.
q) Think of all the blood that must have been shed that one night when thousands of Israelis were killing lambs.
r) All the blood that was shed was not enough for our redemption, but to God, it would do for the moment.
16) BUT WHY ALL THE BLOOD? - IS GOD JUST BLOODTHIRSTY?
s) God has always wanted a close relationship with man but God is holy and man is not.
t) Man has to be cleaned up of sin and then he can have that personal relationship with God.
u) When God looked down at the blood of those sacrifices, He wasn't thinking about dead animals.
v) In both cases, in the Garden of Eden and in Egypt, and all through the Bible, the blood of the animal sacrifice looked down in time, thousands of years to Calvary.
17) WHEN KING SOLOMON FINISHED BUILDING THE TEMPLE HE HAD A DEDICATION CEREMONY.
a) Someone has figured out that on today's open market the value of all the animals sacrificed for the dedication of the Temple was over 13 million dollars.
b) The blood of just 3 oxen would fill a bathtub.
c) On that day 22,000 oxen were sacrificed.
d) Plus 20,000 sheep.
e) God said that wasn't enough but it would do for the moment.
f) For a long time after that many more sacrifices were made.
g) God always said, that isn't enough but it would for the moment.
18) CALVARY:
a)Then one day 2000 years ago on a hill called Calvary, they nailed this Man named Jesus on a cross and lifted Him up for the world to see.
b) Six hours later, after hanging there naked and bleeding to the last drop, Jesus lifted His Head to His Father in Heaven & said, "It's finished!", then bowed His Head and Died.
c) And God the Father must have wanted to shout from Heaven: "THAT'S ENOUGH! NO MORE BLOOD! NO MORE SACRIFICES! THE BLOOD OF THIS ONE LAMB IS ALL THAT IS NEEDED"
19) WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS?
a) The answer is in 1 Peter 1:18-19, "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
b) Precious blood means you can't put a figure on it.
c) Bill Gates couldn't pay for it. Warren Buffet couldn't pay for it.
d) There are over 3,300 billionaires in the world today and they represent almost $11.8 trillion in wealth. but if they all pooled their finances together it still wouldn't come close to the price Jesus paid for us.
20) GO TO HEBREWS 9:14,
a) “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
b) If you are having a hard time dealing with the sins of your past, you should take a second look at that verse.
c) It says, the Blood of Jesus will cleanse your conscience from acts that lead to
death.
d) That's talking about eternal death.
e) If you have repented of your sins, God has forgotten them and He wants you to forget them too.
f) The only one who will keep bringing them back up is the devil.
g) He doesn't want anyone to forget them.
h) Revelation 12:10, "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night."
i) The accuser is the devil.
j) He's trying to get God to remember your sins 24/7 but God keeps telling him. “What are you talking about Devil? What sin?”
k) The Devil will try anything to get you to remember your sins.
l) Is he succeeding?
m) If he is, remember this, the accuser is a loser, don't listen to him.
n) He will lie to you, he will try to put fear into you and he will try to make you doubt your salvation.
o) The thing we have to remember is this: If we had to do something to receive forgiveness of our sins, we would always wonder if we've done enough!
p) And the devil would keep telling us. "No, keep working".
q) But his fate is sealed to an eternity in hell and yours is sealed to an eternity in Heaven.
r) 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."
21) SOMEONE MIGHT ASK, “SURE, THE BLOOD TOOK CARE OF SIN WHEN WE WERE FIRST SAVED. WHAT ABOUT 10, 20, OR 30 YEARS LATER?”
a) 1 John 1:7, "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."
b) 1 John 2:1, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:"
Altar Call:
Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
