1 Pet 1:17-21
INTRO: Are you washed in the blood, in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb? That is the question asked in the chorus of an old hymn. The question is certainly as relevant today as it has ever been. The blood of Jesus, shed at Calvarys cross, is our only hope for soul cleansing. No wonder, then, that the blood of Christ is noted in various ways throughout the New Testament. Perhaps there is purpose in the variety of ways in which the New Testament gives significance to the blood of Christ to help the limited, frail minds of human beings grasp what God in Jesus has done for us.
I. BLOOD AND REDEMPTION
A. I have a fair understanding of redeem
1. around Fort Hood there are dozens of pawn shops
2. and redeem is a key word in those shops
3. a person can pawn an item of value and receive money in return (rarely the value of the item)
4. the pawned item passes into the control of another
5. but it can be redeemed by payment of the loan
B. Eph 1:7 and 1 Pet 1:18,19 Redeemed ... with ... blood
1. Rom 7:14 and expression sold under sin
2. now notice Acts 26:18 with Eph 2:2,3
3. sin placed us under Satans control - and the value received in sin is minuscule compared to the value of the soul sold under sin!!
4. but through the redemption price of Jesus blood, the pawned soul can be freed from Satans control (not silver and gold)
5. still, the benefit of Jesus blood must be personally claimed in baptism - in baptism a change of status clearly occurs - Col 2:13 from dead in sin to alive
II. BLOOD AND JUSTIFICATION
A. Justification may not be the easiest idea to comprehend
1. things not justified are things out of alignment, out of sync
2. so, we justify margins, align them - we justify check books - harmonize them
3. sin takes us out of harmony, out of alignment with God
4. sin separates us from God
5. unless something can change the dissonance, eternal death
B. Rom 5:8,9 justified by His blood
1. by Jesus blood we are put right again in Gods eyes
2. and because justified, we are saved from wrath
3. just-as-if-Id never sinned! God only sees harmony because He sees Jesus blood
4. Ex 12:13 and when I see the blood ... what was He looking for on that dreadful night? blood
5. Rom 6:3 into His death ... blood - 1 Jno 1:7 ... blood what does God look for? the blood of Jesus Christ
III. BLOOD AND FORGIVENESS
A. And I have a fair understanding of forgiveness
1. if forgiveness is needed, a violation has occurred!
2. in the case of violation of man, however, a penalty is attached to violation ... forgiveness can only be granted by governor, president ... otherwise, penalty assessed
3. 1 Jno 3:4 in the case of sin Gods law is violated
4. and the penalty is death - Jas 1:15
B. Col 1:14 Even the forgiveness of sins
1. this forgiveness is possible because Jesus accepted the penalty for our sins - 1 Pet 2:24 and 3:18
2. it was the grace and mercy of God which allowed this
3. we are not pronounced guiltless ... but forgiven
4. Col 2:12,13 but, again, baptism comes into view
CLOSE: Blood and victory ... Rev 12:10,11. The great victory over sin, death and the grave is ours because of Jesus blood. But are you washed in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb? If not, you have no victory.
Cecil A. Hutson
07 April 2002
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)