The Power of the Blood Of Jesus Christ

The ancient man, Job, asked...

"How then can man be justified with God?

or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?"

(Job 25:4)

People today strive to think positive and ignore the obvious wickedness in their hearts.  We are very adept at redefining sin so that we can sooth our consciences that we are not as wicked as some quiet self-searching would reveal.  Lying, is a little white lie.  Adultery is an affair, or a mid-life crisis (as if the person having the crisis is a victim).  Fornication is expressing one's sexuality.  Sodomy is a sexual orientation.  People love to be diagnosed with some disease or condition so they can blame-shift to that disease or condition.

Although a conscience can be made insensitive/hard; nevertheless, people's unrest in their own hearts as to their wicked sinful condition is evident by their rage against anyone that would call sin sin and not accept sin.  You know you are not on a solid foundation when you can be shaken so easily.

In the New Testament Bible book named Hebrews God tells us...

"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?"

(Hebrews 9:14)

Would you please hear God!
1.    The Justifying Work of Christ

To be justified before a holy sin-hating God means that one is made 'just-as-if-I'd' never sinned.  To be justified means that we have received full pardon and forgiveness so that all condemnation is removed.  It is evident that you cannot make yourself just before God.  Not one single good thing you could ever do will ever erase your sin before the living God.  But God did send His sinless holy Son, Christ Jesus, to take away your sin.

A)    Christ Offered Himself.

·         Christ Jesus offered Himself a sacrifice for sin.  The wages of sin is death; this is an unchanging law of God.  In another place in the Bible God tells us, "the soul that sinneth, it shall die."  Jesus died your death by Roman crucifixion outside of the walls of Jerusalem on a hill called Calvary just short of 2,000 years ago.

·         A blood sacrifice (the life of the flesh is in the blood).  A man's life flows in his veins.  Christ Jesus did not died a random death, He died a purposeful death whereby His life's blood was shed.

·         Atoning blood.  Atonement mean to make at one.  Your sins have separated between you and your creator God, and brought you under His just condemnation.  You need your sins removed / forgiven so that you and God can be brought together in peace (reconciled).  Jesus' blood is accepted by God as the covering for men's sin.  Matthew 26:28, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”    Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”    Revelation 1:5, “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,”

B)    Christ Offered Himself to God.

·         It is God’s justice that is inflamed by your sin; and, it is God that must be placated--satisfied that His justice is fully satisfied..    Psalm 7:11, “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”    Romans 2:2, “But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.”  It is God that requires sinners be punished and to God alone Jesus Christ offered Himself to take your punishment.

C)    Christ Offered Himself w/o spot to God.

·         Jesus Christ did not deserve to die for He was (and still is) sinless.  1Peter 1:18-19, " 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;  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:"  1Peter 2:22, "[Jesus Christ] did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:"  Jesus Christ's death was not for Himself, and God will apply it to you.

D)    Christ’s Blood does purge sin.

·         Take note that in 1Peter 1:18-19 that it is the "precious blood of Christ" that redeems--purchases men's souls out of their sin.

2.    Consciousness of Your Dead Works

A)    Read Hebrews 9:14 once again.  If your conscience needs to be purged from dead works that means you have a consciousness that your works are dead.  Dead works = life-less deeds; God will have no part of them.  If your helping of a little old lady across the street (a good deed) took away your sin of lying (a bad deed) then why are you still conscious that you have the stain of your sin upon you?  Why would you still be trying to make excuse for your sin?  The answer is obvious, you still are in your sin and nothing you can do can remove your sin from you before the eyes of the holy living God.

B)    We know we are immoral/sinners—Rom. 2:14-15, “For when the Gentiles [a title for non-Jews], which have not the law [written, Ten Commandments], do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:  which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; ”  God has instilled in each human heart the sense of right and wrong.  Although you excuse your sin, when someone sins against you (lies about you/steals from you) you are conscious you have been wronged.  You realize that this is self-condemning!

C)    We are in the bondage of corruption—Rom. 8:21, “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”  People control their sin acts with manners, religion, civil and criminal law, education, and such, but that does not mean the deep down the corruption of sin is removed.  Man sends men to the moon but cannot stop lying, cheating, stealing, murdering, slandering, fornicating, etc.

D)    When God Almighty, who is absolutely sinless, perfect, pure, and holy looks upon us he judges that even our best works/deeds are corrupt before Him.

·         Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

·         Psalm14:1-4

·         Proverbs 21:4, “An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.”  How is plowing a field (farming) sin?  When you do anything in this life without submission to the God that created all things, gave you life, sends the rain and the sun and the fruitfulness of this earth, you are offending God--sinning.

3.    The Cleansing Blood of Christ—“purge your conscience from...”

Salvation is a Transaction.

A)    2Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

·         “hath made him”—past tense; complete!  The work of salvation that Jesus Christ effected on the cross almost 2,000 years ago was entirely a work of God.  God the Father made Jesus Christ (God the Son) to be sin for us (sinners).  Jesus did no sin, but was punished by God in your place (a substitute) just as if you were on that cross.

·         “we might be made”—

i.    “might”—possibility; you must be willing to receive it; personal.  Jesus died for all men, but salvation is personal between you and Jesus Christ.  You must go to Jesus to have His justifying work on Calvary personally applied to you.

ii.    “be made”—not you make; be made, by God!  You can do nothing to save yourself.  No good works, no baptism, no church membership, no other way.

·         “the righteousness of God”—a gift given; Christ's blood applied.  Although you have greatly sinned against God, for Jesus' sake God will forgive you and apply (impute) Jesus righteousness to you if you are in the right attitude to receive it.  The right attitude toward God is that of a broken-hearted sin-hating repentant soul believing upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

B)    Matthew 11:27-30.

·         Christ Jesus is the ONLY one that can reconcile you to God by cleansing your soul of your sin.  God accepted Jesus's sacrifice and Jesus is declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead. (Romans 1:4).

·         Your part of the transaction—come!

i.    Come by believing on Christ alone.  Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

ii.    Come from your heart.    Romans 10:10, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

iii.    Come with your affections.    Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

iv.    Come with determination.    Hebrews 10:38, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

v.    Come repentant.    Job 42:5-6, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”        Luke 13:3, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”        James 4:6, “Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

4.    New Life in Christ to Serve the Living Lord

Will you again read Hebrews 9:14.  Notice that Jesus Christ saves people so that they can both know and serve the living God.  Wow!

A)    You have been serving sin.  The pride of life (don't need God), the lust of the eyes, and the lust of the flesh is how you have been living.  If it feels good, or advances your desires, do it.  Wrong--you were created by God to glorify Him, love Him, obey Him, enjoy Him, and know Him.

B)    New Creature—2Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  Jesus said, "Ye must be born again."  [I will be posting an article on being born again according to the Bible, which is the only "being born again" that God accepts.]

C)    Grace of God—Titus 3:11-14.  If God gave you what you deserved you would be in Hell right now.  But God is gracious--you are here and you are reading about the truth in Christ Jesus.  Salvation is by the grace of God, where undeserving sinners can be given the gift of Christ's atoning blood applied to them, forgiveness of sin, and eternal life.  The grace of God also teaches us that if Christ graciously died to destroy sin then those who receive Christ's salvation will live their lives consistent with that gift--with their back to sin and face toward God.

CONCLUSION—

Matthew 7:13-14

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

There are not many ways to God.  There is only ONE WAY to God.

Not only is there one narrow way--the person and work of the Jesus Christ of the Holy Bible alone; but, there are many enemies to your soul that would keep you from coming to know Jesus Christ savingly.  (a)  Your own love of sin--repent!  (b)  Your own love of reputation among friends and family--die to it (repent)!  (c)  Your current religion--leave it; there is only one way of life, all others are death.  (d) Your own desire to work yourself to God, to be accepted by God the way you are--repent!  The way you are is why you are condemned before God.

Many walk their own way in their self-righteousness and sin.  This WILL lead to destruction eternally in Hell fire.

Few find life...

John 3:36, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”