Lenten Series #3 Blessings Through The Blood Of Jesus Ephesians 1:7
Lenten Series #3
Blessings Through The Blood Of Jesus
Ephesians 1:7
Pastor Barry Kerner
How many of you donated your blood at least once to a Blood Bank?
I still remember the first time I donated my blood when I was in my early 20s. I have to admit that I was fearful. After donating my blood for the first time, I felt dizzy and I said to myself that I will never donate my blood again. However, I donated my blood a few more times after that.
Now, what motivated me in donating my blood? One thing that motivated me in donating blood was that someone else’s life will be saved because of my blood. I’m sure you might have seen this written in the hospitals – ‘Donate blood, save a life.’
Leviticus 17:11 says, “the life of a creature is in the blood.” That is what the Word of God declares. Blood is essential to human life. The Bible tells us the most powerful cleansing agent in the world is blood. In fact, God created blood to be a cleansing agent. In your body blood takes oxygen and other supplies to cells and removes waste and impurities from those cells. Blood literally cleans out the filth from your body. That is one of its major responsibilities.
There is no other cleansing agent known to man that can purify our bodily system as well as the blood that courses through our veins. So also, there is no other cleansing agent known to man that can rid your soul of its filth and shame than the blood of Jesus. This evening, I’m going to talk about the blessings that we have through the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Would you take God’s Word and turn in your Bibles with me to Ephesians 1:7. Ephesians 1:7 reads, “ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
This is the third message in our Lenten Series looking forward to the Feast of our Salvation and I’ve titled it “Blessings Through The Blood Of Jesus”
Humanity is in a fallen state and all have been born into sin. Romans 3:23 tells us, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Many Christians either don’t know or forget the blessings that we receive through the blood of Christ. We need to remind ourselves of the blessings that we receive through the blood of Christ so that we can enjoy those blessings that God has for us. The following are the blessings that God has graciously granted us through the blood of Jesus Christ:
First. The Blood Of Christ Redeems Us From Sin.
Our verse for today Ephesians 1:7 tells us, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” The price paid for our redemption from bondage to sin was costly beyond measure; it was the very lifeblood of Christ himself, poured out in his death on the Cross. What was foreshadowed in the Levitical system of sacrifices was realized at the Cross when the Son of God laid down his life in death and ransomed us from sin.
I Peter 1:18-19 reminds us, “18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” Here Peter reminds his readers of the cost of redemption, based on the value of the Person of the righteous Messiah himself.
The Greek word for “redeem” goes back to the institution of slavery in ancient Rome. Any representative first-century church would have three kinds of members: slaves, freemen, and freedmen. People became slaves in various ways–through war, bankruptcy, sale by themselves, sale by parents, or by birth. Slaves normally could look forward to freedom after a certain period of service and often after the payment of a price. Money to buy one’s freedom could be earned by the slave in his spare time or by doing more than his owner required. Often the price would be provided by someone else, who purchased a person’s freedom from servitude.
A freedman was a person who formerly had been a slave but was now set free. Christians are freedmen who have been redeemed from the “empty” lifestyle of the world.
Verse 19 stresses the value of the purchase price of redemption and at the same time identifies the blood as that of a spotless lamb—Jesus Christ.
Some of us are like a man who has built up a huge debt and can’t pay it. The man’s wealthy boss comes along and pays the bill without telling his employee — then calls him in to give him the good news. The man sits down, is handed a large pile of papers. He flips through the pages to see the list of bills he has accumulated. He thinks, “I’ll never be able to pay all this. They’re going to throw me in jail!” When the Boss sees the man’s fearful countenance, he is perplexed. He says, “Excuse me — did you look at page one?” The man flips back to the first page, which reads: “Paid in full.”
Many Christians are just like this man: They don’t know their sin has been covered, paid in full! We have to enter into that knowledge by faith in order to have the benefit — which is peace with God!
Jesus’ blood has purchased the whole church of God. Acts 20:28 tells Pastors and Church Elders, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
The Church has been blood-bought for eternity! Since Christ redeemed us from sin, we need turn away from the empty form of life.
Second, The Blood Of Christ Sanctifies Us.
1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” The blood of Jesus keeps on cleansing us from every defilement due to sin. Without Christ’s ongoing cleansing, enduring fellowship would be impossible, for the guilt resulting from sin destroys fellowship.
This ought to put a big faith-smile on your face. You are sanctified — sprinkled clean!This is a continuing work of the Spirit. We clean a lot of things regularly. We need to clean our lives through the precious blood of Christ regularly. Sanctification is possible because of the blood of Christ. Submit to the Holy Spirit to sanctify you!
Third, The Blood Of Christ Gives Us Bold Access To God In Worship And Prayer.
Hebrews 10:19 says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus” Christians approach God confidently, completely at home in the situation created by Christ’s saving work. They enter “the Most Holy Place,” which, of course, is no physical sanctuary but is, in truth, the presence of God. And they enter it “by the blood of Jesus,” on the basis of his saving death. We are to come to our Father boldly — without fear! The Blood of Christ gives us access to God.
The blood of Christ brings us near to God. Ephesians 2:13 says, “But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.”
The blood of Jesus Christ is so precious because the blood of Jesus Christ gives us peace with God. Colossians 1:19-20 tells us, “19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
For by it, we who had been at war with God on Satan’s side, are granted not only peace with God–but also the peace of God. We are no longer under condemnation or fear!
A lot of people have been redeemed and justified by the blood — but they don’t know it because they live in fear and condemnation. We are given this great privilege of entering into God’s presence with boldness. Let’s enter into the presence of God knowing that He accepts us because of the blood of Jesus.
Fourth, The Blood Of Christ Cleanses Our Consciousness.
Hebrews 9:14 declares, “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!”
Christ offered himself in sacrifice, the aim being “to cleanse our consciences.” His saving work operates on quite a different level from that of the Levitical sacrifices. These latter were external and material, as the author repeatedly emphasizes. But Christ was concerned with the sins that trouble the human conscience. Thus, his sacrifice was directed to cleansing the conscience, something that the Old Testament sacrifices could never do.
This cleansing is “from acts that lead to death,” and the final result of those purified by Christ is that they “serve the living God”. The Christian way is positive, not negative.
Do you want to put your head on the pillow at night without any feeling of guilt? Only the blood of Christ can do that. Jesus Christ paid for ALL of our sins. False religions tell us to serve God in hopes that our conscience will be clean. Christ, on the other hand, clears up our conscience so we can and also want to serve Him.
There is a story that one night Martin Luther went to sleep troubled about his sin. In a dream, he saw an angel standing by a blackboard and at the top of the board was Luther’s name. The angel, chalk in hand, was listing all of Luther’s sins, and the list filled the blackboard. Luther shuddered in despair, feeling that his sins were so many that he could never be forgiven. But suddenly in his dream, he saw a pierced hand writing above the list these words: “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. As Luther gazed in amazement, the blood flowed from the wounded hand and washed the record clean.
We don’t have to bear a guilty conscience. If you have sinned, immediately confess your sin before the Lord and repent of your sin. The blood of Christ cleanses our conscience.
Fifth, The Blood Of Christ Helps Us To Overcome Satan.
Revelation 12:10-11 reads, “10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
In times past, Satan’s chief role as the adversary was directed toward accusing God’s people of disobedience to God. The justice of these accusations was recognized by God, and therefore Satan’s presence in heaven was tolerated.
But now the presence of the crucified Savior in God’s presence provides the required satisfaction of God’s justice regarding our sins 1 John 2:1-2 reminds us, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Thus, Satan’s accusations are no longer valid and he is cast out. What strong consolation this provides for God’s faltering people! Any attempt in entering the arena of conflict with our mortal foe without the power of the blood is not only foolish but useless. We often sing of its power in our songs, but live so much of our lives without that power.
Sixth, The Blood Of Christ Breaks Down All Walls.
Ephesians 2:13-14 says, “13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,”
At Delphi Falls United Church we come from different places and different backgrounds. But, we are all one in Christ — a blood-sprinkled church. Indeed, those who are blood-sprinkled no longer have any walls. They’ve all come down! The blood of Christ breaks all the barriers among people.
Finally, The Blood Of Christ Saves Us From The Wrath To Come.
Romans 5:9 – “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”
Because we have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ we are to put sin out of our lives. 1 Corinthians 5:7 says, “Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”
Even as the Old Testament picture of deliverance to the Jews in bondage to Egypt, Christ became our Paschal Lamb (who was slain before the foundation of the world) so that by applying His blood to our hearts, we, too, shall escape the wrath to come.
God’s wrath will be poured upon the unbelievers. But the blood of Jesus saves us from the wrath of God!
God has graciously granted us several blessings through the blood of our Jesus Christ.
I challenge you to put the Word of God into practice by ceasing to live a sinful life.
You are redeemed not to go back to your old, sinful lifestyle but to live a life which brings glory to God!
Let’s be grateful for the Lord’s awesome sacrifice.
There is wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb!