Nothing but the Blood
Palm Sunday Sermon, April 9th, 2006
Prayer: Thank you Lord for your Book, for these are your powerful words of instruction and they give real encouragement and real instruction. Help us to always see the wisdom and authority given to us, your children. And, help us dear Lord to live by your power so that we will bring eternal honor to your Name.
Intro: It is so important for us to look at the Sacrifice of Jesus with eyes of faith and with deep spiritual understanding. It is so important that we “Get this”
We see in the world today attacks against the Word of God and the Nature of Jesus Christ and what all was accomplished through the Cross. We see the cults; false religions and all those who hate God try to undermine the powerful truth of Jesus’ sacrifice.
Hebrews 2:1-3 “We must pay more careful attention therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation.”
It is by Jesus’ Sacrifice and through His Blood that we receive eternal life.
I. It is impossible to Get to heaven without Jesus
God teaches emphatically that all humans will spend eternity in one of two everlasting literal places.
a. The first is the literal place of heaven.
i. Heaven is God’s home and the home of His family. God’s family are those who choose to accept by faith God’s grace and forgiveness of sin.
ii. God’s grace and forgiveness are afforded to us by Jesus sacrificial death on the cross and by His bodily resurrection from the dead.
iii. Upon our realization of God’s goodness and his sacrificial love towards us:
1. Our hearts burst with thanksgiving and love for Him.
2. That love turns into obedience (Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.”)
b. The other literal eternal place is Hell.
i. All people not Saved by grace through faith will most certainly not be welcomed into Heaven.
ii. And they will most certainly face a Judgment without mercy from God.
iii. There is One God, One Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, One Way, One truth and One Life.
All religions don’t lead to the same place; there are not many ways to God.
Matthew 7:13-14 “…For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
- Those who try to deny Jesus as Savior will not inherit eternal life
o Muslims will not inherit eternal life
o Buddhist will not inherit eternal life
o Those holding to Mystical religions: Christian Science, New age, Dianitics
o Secular humanist, Atheists, agnostics and deist will not inherit eternal life.
- Those who try to alter the truth or take away from the truth will not inherit eternal life
o Mormons, JWs, and numerous other cults will not inherit eternal life.
o Things like “extra revelations” come into play. For example: The book of Mormon, Gnostic gospels such as the supposed Gospel of Thomas or Judas.
o And things like the “Da Vinci Code”
o Things like “Free Masonry”
- Those who try to add to the truth.
o In the early church there where those who tried to teach that it was faith + circumcision
o Today we see people teaching that it is faith + works; faith + sacraments; faith + Mary.
- Those who try to ignore the whole thing
o Some just want it all to “go away.” Basically so that they can live however they wish.
o Either they want to totally ignore Jesus, or they want to believe in Jesus without actually having to change their lives.
o What you believe matters; how you live matters!
1 Corinthians 6:9 “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor the idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor greedy nor drunkards nor slanders nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Someone may say, “Man, you seem narrow-minded, intolerant and hateful.”
First, Jesus said the way was narrow and Jesus said, “No man comes to the Father except through me.” But the last statement is not true. Hateful? The most hateful thing you can do to someone is to allow them to pass into eternity without the truth.
- This is why missionaries sacrifice; give their lives to reach the lost.
- This is why we pray and fast for the lost.
- God SO LOVED the world!
The rest of the 1 Corinthians 6 passage says, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
This is the “GOOD NEWS” Regardless of how low and dark our lives are Jesus is able to completely save, completely transform, completely forgive ANY and ALL who come to him by faith!
II. The Blood of Jesus is All Sufficient
a. Why is this so important?
i. The answer is simple; we are saved by grace through faith.
ii. If you change grace at all (Add to, take away from, water down or alter in any way) or how we receive it, or through whom it comes; it isn’t grace anymore.
iii. Or if you change faith at all (Add to, take away from, water down or alter in any way) you no longer have faith. This short circuits faith.
Hebrews 8:5 “They (Old Testament priests) serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
iv. This is important because this is the way it is in heaven!
v. Jesus is the central figure in Heaven, and his Sacrificial Blood is the ONLY sufficient payment for sin.
Jack Hayford says, “The blood of Jesus is the central economic factor in all human order.”
He goes on to say,
“The Lord was providing a way…for the ultimate protection of all humankind from the judgment of death that is upon everyone unless we come under the protective cover of the blood.”
b. The Blood will never loose its power!
Hebrews 10:14 “…by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
i. God’s truth will never be overturned. God’s truths are immutable.
ii. Anyone who would attempt an assault against those truths does so at their own peril.
iii. We need not worry about the Bible.
This is like the ant that was walking along one day and happens upon Mount Everest. This was a great ant. A real hero in the ant world, therefore he was rather full of himself. He was indignant that he should have to climb the mountain and too proud to go around. So he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Get out of my way!” Do you think Everest moved?
No wonder that Satan hates the Blood of Jesus. His fate is sealed; he is doomed for eternal fire and punishment. You however, are still in the balance. Will you accept the Blood of Jesus or will you keep on fighting against the truth?
iv. The risk isn’t in “loosing” the truth; the risk is in “Missing” the truth!
1. People may turn away from the true and living God, forsake the grace of God and thereby forfeit the only hope of salvation.
2. Or those who are searching for the truth be cut off and distracted never to find the truth, never to be saved.
3. The multitudes are in the valley of decision.
On one side are the saints of God made perfect through the blood of Jesus. On the other side are the enemies of God. But most, I believe, are in the middle. They are seeking truth, some are disillusioned by the “Church”, basically good people but are not saved, they are bound in their sin and either they don’t realize it or they don’t really see the way out, but they have some hope
Fellow Christians: Take seriously the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Do not let go! Do not forsake.
Parents: Stand in defense of your children. Don’t allow the enemy to destroy them! Don’t encourage selfishness and sin in your children.
c. The Blood of Jesus is the evidence of God’s great love for us!
Hebrews 10:3,5-7 “but those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins…5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am – it is written about me in the scroll – I have come to do your will, O God.’”
Why anyone would want to turn away from God is unimaginable to me.
What benefit, what life, what freedom and assurance!
No more guilty conscience
No longer a slave to destructive, life robbing sin
No longer subjected to the scrutiny of laws and regulations, that are constant reminder of failure.
New future, full of hope, love and joy
No longer doomed or condemned
Enjoy the rest of God.
Eternal life, safe and secure.
That is the Blood of Jesus
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD!
