The Blood of the Lamb

Paul calls it the purchasing blood in Acts 20:28 and the redeeming blood twice (Eph. l:7); Col. 1:14, see also I Peter l:18-19, Rev. 5:9), thus declaring the shedding of His blood to be the very price of our salvation. Therefore, it is also the justifying blood (Rom. 5:9) and the peacemaking blood (Col. 1:20). Its efficacy does not end with our salvation, however, for it is also the sanctifying blood (Heb. 13:12). There is infinite and eternal power in the blood of Christ, for it is "the blood of the everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20).

The first reference in the New Testament to His blood stresses this aspect. Jesus said, at the last supper: "This is my blood of the new testament (same as 'covenant') which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). Let no one, therefore, even count the "blood of the covenant...an unholy thing" (Heb. 10:29), for the blood of Christ is forever innocent, infinitely precious, perfectly justifying, always cleansing and fully sanctifying.

And they overcame Him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Rev. 12:11) This is the last reference in the Bible to the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ; here it is the overcoming blood, enabling believers to withstand the deceptions and accusations of Satan. There are at least 43 references to the blood of Christ in the New Testament, all testifying to its great importance in the salvation and daily life of the believer. Judas the betrayer spoke of it as "innocent blood (Matthew 27:4) and Peter called it "the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (I Peter l:9). It is the cleansing blood in I John l:7 and the washing blood in Rev. l:5, stressing that it removes the guilt of our sins.

Scripture:

(Acts 20:28) Take care and be on guard for yourselves and the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you bishops and guardians, to shepherd (tend and feed and guide) the church of the Lord or of God which He obtained for Himself [buying it and saving it for Himself] with His own blood.

(Ephesians 1:7) In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor,

(Collosians 1:14) In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.

(1 Peter 1:18) You must know (recognize) that you were redeemed (ransomed) from the useless (fruitless) way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver and gold,

(Revelations 5:9) And [now] they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to break the seals that are on it, for You were slain (sacrificed), and with Your blood You purchased men unto God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

(Collosians 1:20) And God purposed that through (by the service, the intervention of) Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross.

(Hebrews 13:12) Therefore Jesus also suffered and died outside the [city's] gate in order that He might purify and consecrate the people through [the shedding of] His own blood and set them apart as holy [for God].

(Hebrews 13:20) Now may the God of peace [Who is the Author and the Giver of peace], Who brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood [that sealed, ratified] the everlasting agreement (covenant, testament),

(Matthew 26:28) For this is My blood of the new covenant, which [ratifies the agreement and] is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

(Hebrews 10:29) How much worse (sterner and heavier) punishment do you suppose he will be judged to deserve who has spurned and [thus] trampled underfoot the Son of God, and who has considered the covenant blood by which he was consecrated common and unhallowed, thus profaning it and insulting and outraging the [Holy] Spirit [Who imparts] grace (the unmerited favor and blessing of God)?

(Revelations 12:11) And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling to life even when faced with death [holding their lives cheap till they had to die for their witnessing].

(Matthew 27:4) Saying, I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. They replied, What is that to us? See to that yourself.

(I Peter 1:9) [At the same time] you receive the result (outcome, consummation) of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

(I John 1:7) But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].

Yeshua Our Example

Jesus saw sin as wrong but also was able to see sin as springing from deep and unmet needs on the part of the sinner. This permitted him to condemn the sin without condemning the individual. We also can show our love for others even when we... are called upon to correct them. We need to be able to look deeply enough into the lives of others to see the basic causes for their failures and shortcomings. Then help them. He accepted the repentant and readily forgave them. He never held a grudge against the many who persecuted him and wanted to do him harm during his ministry. He even forgave those who killed him. Although he was a forgiving man, he refused to tolerate irreverence to God and drove the moneychangers and merchants from the temple. He had the courage to take a stand against what is wrong. Christ was the greatest teacher who ever taught. He made known the greatest truths ever learned. He revealed the meaning of life, the way to success, and the secret of happiness. And all that he taught was focused on eternal life. He preached no telestial program. He was too busy to preach a terrestrial way of life. His whole message was focused on celestial life. It was his constant theme and he followed it explicitly. His example showed us that isn't enough to simply abstain from temptation and wrong-doing. We must fill our lives with good acts and service to others. Each of us has more opportunities to do good and to be good than we ever use. These opportunities lie all around us. Righteousness requires action. People tend often to measure their righteousness by the absence of wrong acts in their lives, as if passivity were the end of being. But Christ's example shows us we should grow and progress and to serve others. We must remember that those we meet in parking lots, offices, elevators, and elsewhere are that portion of mankind God has given us to love and to serve. It will do us little good to speak of the general brotherhood of mankind if we cannot regard those who are all around us as our brothers and sisters. A man can ask no more important question in his life than that which Paul asked: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (See Acts 9:6.) A man can take no greater action than to pursue a course that will bring to him the answer to that question and then to carry out that answer. What would the Lord Jesus Christ have us do? He has answered that question by saying, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48), and, "Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily, I say unto you, even as I am" (3 Nephi 27:27). Some men are willing to die for their faith, but they are not willing to fully live for it. Christ both lived and died for us. By walking in His steps and through His atonement, we can gain the greatest gift of all -- eternal life.

Bits and Pieces from Christ Our Example

Noah's Ark: A Picture of Salvation

“Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways” (Genesis 6:11-12).

And in the darkness of those days, one man stood out from the crowd. Noah was a bright shining light in the prevailing moral darkness.

In an impure world, he was pure.

In an unrighteous world, he was righteous (Genesis 6:9).

In a world that dismissed God, he walked with God on a daily basis (Genesis 5:24).

He stood alone, believing God, building the ark, no doubt receiving much abuse, always confident that God could be trusted and that the flood would someday come to the world. If his friends called him “Crazy Noah,” it did not bother him. Or if it bothered him, it did not stop him. He stood his ground, and God noticed (Genesis 6:11-12).

His obedience was complete: He did everything the Lord commanded (Genesis 6:22).

During the 120 years before the flood, Noah built the ark and he also preached righteousness to his own generation (II Peter 2:5) .

Like Abraham who would follow him many generations later, Noah believed God and his faith was counted as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).

Jesus made a direct comparison between the days of Noah and the days preceding his return to the earth (Matthew 24:37-39). As it was then, so it shall be again. The past is the key to the future. Go back to Noah’s day and what do you find? Widespread unbelief and skepticism, a generation that had no time for the Almighty. Killing and violence on a daily basis. Human life was cheap. Sexual perversion was the rule of the day. Better yet, there were no rules. Men and women did as they pleased, and the result was a putrefying mass of evil so sickening that God decided to start all over again. On one level it was “business as usual,” on another level it was “sin to the 12th power.” That same combination of moral corruption and “business as usual” will be the order of the day when Jesus returns.

Learning the Right Lessons

1. Don’t miss the boat.
2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.
3. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.
4. Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old someone may ask you to do something really big.
5. Don’t listen to critics, just get on with the job that needs to be done.
6. Build your future on high ground.
7. For safety’s sake travel in pairs.
8. Speed isn’t everything. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
9. When you’re stressed, float awhile.
10. Remember the Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals.
11. No matter the storm, when you are with God there’s always a rainbow waiting.

Only one question remains. Are you in the Ark of Safety? I am not asking about your religion or your alms giving or your good works or your religious background. And I am not inquiring as to your baptism or your church membership or even about your Sunday School attendance. Those things are of small value when it comes to the issue of eternal destiny. If Christ is the ark, are you “in” Christ by faith? Or are you “outside” Christ because you have never trusted in him?

Bits and Pieces of sermon by Keep Believing Ministries.