22
September
2007
I John 1:7
Last week I preached about reconciliation to God by the blood of Jesus Christ. Today I am not really shifting the focus at all to say that our sins are washed by the blood of Jesus. But John’s verse here (1:7) is not really about salvation per se. It is the blood and only the blood that cleanses us from sin. But John is talking about fellowship in this context. I might summarize it this way, as John spends the letter of first John explaining: if we are reconciled to God, we are going to give evidence of that by how we are reconciled to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
If you read First John, you recognize early on that love for one another – or the lack of it – is an issue in this church. Members were claiming to love God, but not loving one another. Members were acknowledging knowledge of God, but knew nothing about fellowship with God’s children. John rightly calls this sin. In John’s gospel, 8:44, he boldly declares that if a person not does love Jesus and does not walk in the truth, he not only is a liar, but his father is the devil.
Imagine how John might state this in a sermon: “If you don’t love Jesus and His church and do not walk in the truth, you might say you love God, but actually you are of your father, the devil.” A mighty powerful and hard hitting sermon! John offers a requirement for cleaning from sin.
Probably most of us have washed clothes. We all want our clothes to be clean and look nice. Dirt and stains can ruin good clothes. It is a good feeling to wash our white clothes and see that the stain has been washed out. We all know that good feeling of taking a bath when we are dirty and sweaty. None of us would enjoy going to a hospital if it was dirty and contaminated with all kinds of germs. If it was cleansed and disinfected, we would feel better about our visit there. Cleansing is a good feeling.
First, in order to realize cleansing from sin in our lives, we must have a genuine born again experience with God and know Him
IF WE WALK IN THE LIGHT AS HE IS THE LIGHT…
To walk is an idiom for to live. If a person is born again, truly saved – not just good or religious – but truly has met Jesus Christ and been changed, that person will walk in the light. That person will not and can not look like the world any more. There will be a radical difference between that person and a person who does not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You cannot fake it. You will be different. The ways of this world will not interest you. You will not want to be like the secular world, nor adhere to their values. Things of this world you once found pleasure in will now trouble your soul just to be around them. There will be a noticeable difference between you and everyone who does not follow Jesus. No one will have to guess or wonder if you are a Christian. There will be so much convincing evidence in your walk once you have met Jesus, that no one could possibly mistake you for a worldly person.
In Mark’s gospel, chapter 7:5-13, the Pharisees asked Jesus why the disciples did not walk according to the traditions of elders. Jesus replied by calling those Pharisees hypocrites. The Pharisees walked according to tradition. But Jesus said it was all in vain. They actually had rejected what God said and replaced His words with their own traditions, thus rendering the Word of God useless in their lives. The disciple stood out because they walked differently from everyone else.
This same truth can be applied to the church in First John. The members may keep all the customs and laws. They may attend worship and follow all the traditions. But if they do not walk in the light – truly live out God’s Word in their daily lives – they are hypocrites. They may claim to know and love God, but reality is – they are walking in darkness. That is a picture of spiritual blindness. He says in verses 6 & 8, the verses preceding and following our text today, that such people in darkness are not practicing the truth and have deceived themselves. If…is a huge word. If you walk in the light… If you do not, you are a hypocrite, a liar, and a deceiver.
Many religious people, and even church going people, have deceived themselves by believing that they can love God and yet not live it. It is sad to see professing Christians walk in darkness. They acknowledge having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but continue to live like the world. Their values and beliefs, and their daily walk often seem no different from their non professing family and friends. It is sad, but most of all is hurtful. Those very religious people are the reason most non Christians will give for not wanting to come to church. If we can continue to walk in the ways of the world, how can we say that we are walking in the light?
Second, if we are truly born again, we will enjoy wonderful fellowship with other believers.
WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP ONE WITH ANOTHER
I know what some of you may be asking. Some people are hard to get along with. I may give it my best and most loving effort, and people may still not fellowship with me. Yes, that is true. First of all we must consider that the person you are trying to love may not be a genuine born again Christian. You still love them and pray for them, but you will not be able to enjoy Christian fellowship with them. You must also consider that many Christians may be young and immature, still seeking to be grow in the fruit of the Spirit. A Christian may be living with unconfessed sin. He or she may be going through difficult times and have not learned how to trust the Lord’s strength. It may be that they are saved and are struggling in their Christian walk. I am not saying that every time you don’t get along with someone that it means you are not saved.
But the best evidence of a proper relationship with God is our fellowship with one another. If we walk in the light, we will have fellowship, not only with God, but with others. A friendly woman opened the door to her apartment where I and another pastor were making a visit. She identified herself as a Christian, but added, “I don’t go to church. I don’t believe in organized religion.” We continued to have a friendly visit. She even complimented the pastor with me and his church for the community service they had provided. But truth is truth. If you cannot get along with God’s people, you cannot profess a love for God. If you deny the body of Christ that Jesus gave His life for, don’t try to convince people that you are truly born again. This woman had literally deceived herself. She told us she loved God, but, according to John, she lied to us.
It is unimaginable in the church where John preached that one could have fellowship with God and be alienated from the community of believers.
Third, fellowship takes place when the problem of sin is dealt with.
THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST HIS SON CLEANSES US FROM ALL SIN
Again, let me say that John is not addressing salvation here. He is writing to people who are already redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. He is addressing believers – or those who profess to be believers. The problem is sin. Last week we talked about reconciliation. We are reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus. The price has been paid. We are no longer strangers to God. We are brought into the family of God. But, living in this frail body, I still commit sin. Sin hinders my fellowship with God and other people. If I am truly redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, I am saved eternally. My salvation has never been dependent upon my ability to pray, live a good life, or even to remember to confess sins in my life. Salvation is a gift of God with no strings attached.
Since I am saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, I cannot continue to accept sin. A sure sign of your salvation is that you do not desire to do anything that will hinder your walk with God. You desire instead to please Him. But, as I said, this passage is written to believers. Although sin cannot any longer send me to Hell, sin may hinder my walk with God, destroy my testimony, and render me useless for service. It is sin that has crippled the fellowship at John’s church.
Perhaps Christians were gossiping, lying, or slandering. Maybe some believers fell out with each other and refused to talk. They turned the cold shoulder to each other. Obviously, as verse 7 clues us, something was going on in this little church that kept Christians from loving and fellowshipping with one another.
Verse 9 is John’s answer to restore fellowship. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The word for cleanse is a present tense that implies “keeps on cleansing”. The church is a holy fellowship, as we will see next week when we preach about separation by the blood. The church experiences continual cleansing from sin. Fellowship is maintained (or restored if it has been broken) by the cleansing of the blood of Jesus.
Cleansing is so often spoken of as pardon from sin or removal of the guilt. But it is more than that. It must be. If I spill juice on your perfect, new carpet and ruin it, you may pardon me if I say that I am sorry and really didn’t mean to do it. You may forgive me so that I may not feel guilty about it any more. But the stain is still there. Cleansing removes the stain. Last week I preached about the stain of sin that hinders our fellowship with God. The blood of Jesus reconciles us to God. But the cleansing of sin is necessary to enable me to feel better. If I remain dirty from my sin, even though you are willing to pardon me, I am still dirty. Because I am dirty from sin, I will not be any different than I was before. Since sin will not enter into Heaven, I must be cleansed, as well as forgiven.
King David cried out to God in Psalm 51:2-3, “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.” David longed to feel clean because his sin was ever before him. He could not escape it. Wherever he went, even when he closed his eyes, he could see that terrible stain. It had to be removed. He cried out desperate for God’s cleansing touch in verse 7, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
CONCLUSION: Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Paul wrote about the coming of Jesus and spoke of this cleansing in Titus 2:13-14, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
Is that your desire…to be found pure when Christ returns? Then we must strive to receive that cleansing in our lives daily. 2 Corinthians 7:1 instructs us, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
We cannot cleanse ourselves of sin. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can do that. But we can strive to live lives that are pure and holy and pleasing to God. When our sins are washed daily, we will be able to live in harmonious relationship with other believers.
Posted: Thoughts
18
September
2007
Leviticus 8:14-15
Chapter 8 of Leviticus is an historical narrative about the ordination of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. The ordination service follows the guidelines given in Exodus 29. One of the primary parts of the ordination service is the sacrifice that brings Aaron and his sons into a proper relationship with God. Notice verse 15 in our text: “…and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it.” This act of smearing the blood and pouring it upon the altar made reconciliation.
First of all we have to ask, “What does reconciliation mean?” That is a good question. To reconcile means to reestablish a close relationship between two people or objects. It means to settle or resolve a matter of difference. If the arm of my chair broke off and I reattached it, I would be said to have reconciled the arm to the chair. The picture is carried here of mending something broken. If two people fall out with each other over a matter, but talk it over, forgive each other, and make up, they are said to be reconciled.
The root of this word, from which we hear the word conciliatory, means to overcome anger. This is key to understanding what biblical reconciliation means. At the heart of the Old Testament Hebrew word for reconciliation is the idea of covering. Whatever issue has caused the broken relationship is covered. It means that the problem has been taken care of, resolved, forgiven. If that does not happen, two people may find themselves in a situation where they must talk to each other, like on a job where they may have no choice; but since the issue has not been resolved, they are not reconciled. Thus the relationship is still broken.
The most beautiful picture to me of reconciliation is the idea of harmony. In music, different voices may sing in different parts – like tenor, bass, and baritone, but the voices blend together and sound good. Harmony implies the getting along together with someone, although you may be different. If the notes are not sung in harmony, it will sound terrible and we will cover our ears. The thought given here is that the parts are compatible. They go together and get along together. It is like matching clothes or colors in decorating your house. If the colors clash, you know it. It will look bad and feel bad.
This brings me to the final picture of reconciliation – peace. If some- thing is not in harmony, there is no peace. When people fall out with each other, there is no peace. Nothing is in harmony. The relationship is broken.
So, what is the answer? We have to understand that there is a difference between reconciliation of two people and reconciliation of God and people. Two people may learn to forgive and overcome their differences and mend their broken relationships. These people admit they were wrong and are sorry. We are actually commanded to do this is the Bible.
It is a different story altogether being reconciled to God. In this relationship, only we have done something wrong. God has done nothing to hurt the relationship. But, sin has a two-fold effect. It affects us and God.
How does sin affect our relationship with God? Without the pardon from sin made possible by the blood of Jesus Christ, here is our pitiful plight:
1. We are brought under the power of sin and are unable to lift that burden. We refer to this as the old sinful nature. No matter how hard we try to be good, we can never be perfect. Sin has us in its grasp and will destroy us through its destructive power. We are spiritually dead. We are unable to overcome its weight that crushes us.
2. We become guilty before God without possibility of parole. A million years from now we will still be guilty. There is no such concept in the Bible as Purgatory where you work off your sins. Guilt is so deeply rooted in our souls, it will never be lifted.
3. We fall in such a great debt to sin that we can never repay it. If I could work my way into Heaven, I would. If I could only make it up to God for the way I disobey Him and fail Him, I would. No matter how hard I tried to save up all my good efforts, they could never pay the price of sin.
4. We are stained within by sin deeply and permanently. You might picture pouring grape juice or oil on a white shag carpet. You can scrub it and pour bleach on it. All you do is make the mess worse. A forensic scientist can take that carpet and tell you exactly what you spilled on it. It is ruined. Likewise sin stains so deeply, you can never remove its ugly and damaging affects. Your soul is ruined.
5. We are separated from God forever. Since God hates sin and it goes against His character, you can not enter into His presence. You are like the lepers who had to stay outside the city at a great distance. A great wall rises up between you and God. The difference however, is that your separation is eternal in a place called Hell.
6. We are made enemies to God without any negotiation for peace. Sin is rebellion against God. Rebels often describe a group of people who rise up against their government and seek to take control of it. By sin, you seek to remove God from His throne. God cannot and will not negotiate with sin. There is no opportunity to call a truce and make peace.
Sin also affects God’s relationship to us. What is God’s relationship to us without the pardon from sin made possible by the blood of Jesus?
1. Because God is holy, He is compelled to turn His face away from sin. He can have no relationship to us. We cannot even enter into His presence. We are separated from Him. Our sin is so staining that he will not even look upon us.
2. Because God is lawful and true to His character, He is compelled to judge sin. Therefore, He must bring upon us sorrow and death. Romans 3:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death”. His wrath is directed at all of us.
3. Because God is the One, Supreme God, our sin is viewed by Him as an attack on His authority. He sees us as rebels and enemies.
4. Because God is sinless and His character is changeless, our guilt piles up like a wall before His eyes. Even if we do not feel guilty of sin, the flawless Judge has already determined us to be guilty.
You see why we are hopelessly lost in sin. We cannot live good enough to overcome sin and God, because of His character, cannot just overlook our sin. A price must be paid. The root of reconciliation is the idea of covering. Something must cover my sin. Someone must take my punishment. When Jesus’ innocent blood was shed, it had the power to cover my guilt. When He hung on the cross, he took my debt and died in my place. Only when covered by the blood of Jesus can sin be forgiven. Only then can I be reconciled to God.
Look what happens when the blood is applied to our lives by faith in Jesus Christ.
1. Reconciliation through the blood lifts the burden of the power of sin.
Look with me to Colossians 2:10-15, “And you are complete in him, who is the head of all principality and power…Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins…he has quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
2. Reconciliation through the blood provides pardon for our guilt.
Romans 5:8-10, “But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
3. Reconciliation through the blood pays off our debt.
2 Corinthians 5:17-20, “…that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
4. Reconciliation through the blood removes the stain of sin.
Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
5. Reconciliation through the blood brings us into the presence of God.
Ephesians 2:12-22, “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances…
6. Reconciliation through the blood makes peace with God.
Ephesians 2 continues“…for to make in himself of two one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together grows into an holy temple in the Lord: In whom you also are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
Posted: Sermons
13
September
2007
Hebrews 9:7-12
There’s an old song that goes:
“I’ve been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb,
Filled with the Holy Ghost I am.
All my sins are washed away.
I’ve been redeemed. ”
What does it mean to be redeemed? The dictionary gives this definition: “To recover ownership of by paying a specified sum.” It means to buy back with a price.
You pay a ransom to set someone free from captivity – like a hostage or a kidnapping victim. Usually it is money exchanged, or meeting the demands of the kidnapper. Sometimes you will hear of a person trading places with the hostage and becoming the victim Himself. This is great love Christ bought us back from sin and eternal captivity with His blood, taking our place. He was not a victim. He chose to do this even from the foundation of the world. No one took His life. He laid it down for all of us held in captivity by sin. He paid the ransom price, which was his life.
The Apostle Peter writes that we “were not redeemed with corruptible things…but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot.” I Peter 1:18-19
Our text today gives a wonderful theological picture of redemption in the Bible through three short phrases.
1. First Phrase: “Not without blood” Verse 7
There is power to redeem a soul from sin only through the blood of Christ.
You might ask, “Where does the power of the blood lie?” What gives the blood power to save that nothing else can give? The answer is revealed in an obscure passage in Leviticus 17:11 in which God explains to his people why the blood is different from everything else, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.”
The value of the blood of any living thing is based upon the value of the life that is in it. Leviticus 4 makes the comparison between a sheep or a goat and an ox. If you kill an ox, you have made a greater sacrifice than if you had killed a sheep or goat. The ox is more valuable and costs you more to give, so his blood is a great sacrifice.
We make the same comparison. You value a horse more than a rabbit. You might kill a mouse in your house, but it would be harder for you to kill a cow. If you had a valuable, rare breed of a dog, you might expect to get more money for it than for a stray mutt. But if your rare breed had the mange and was sick all the time, you would lose value.
There is power in the blood that corresponds to the value of the life. That is why God commands the first and the best of animals to be sacrificed. If you gave only your mangy and sick sheep to the priest, you have not really given much. So, who can imagine the power that is in the blood of Jesus? He is called the perfect sacrifice, without spot or blemish. Since Jesus is part of the Holy Godhead and is God Himself, the power in His blood is nothing less than the power of God Himself.
2. Second Phrase: “Neither by the blood of goats and calves.” Verse 12
The power of the blood of any other creature is not adequate to save.
Verses 8-10 describe the problem with the old system of sacrifice, referred here as the old tabernacle or first tabernacle. This was the first place of sacrifice. An animal was brought to be sacrificed. The blood of that animal was laid on a second goat, which was run out of the camp carrying the sins of the people. The priest entered into a special place in the tabernacle called the Holiest of Holies. Only the high priest could enter here into the very presence of God one time a year on the Day of Atonement to offer sacrifice for, as verse 7 tells us, “for his own sins and the errors of His people”.
No matter how sorry you were for your sins and no matter how good a life you lived, if the blood did not spill to pay the ransom for your sin, you could not be forgiven. Why? If God simply overlooked your sin, you would still be unclean. No sin will enter into the presence of God. If you are not redeemed by the blood, your sins cannot be forgiven. God states it plainly in Hebrews 9:22, “Without the shedding of blood is no remission (for sin)”.
The old system worked. An animal had to die and give its blood. But the problem with the old system is that the blood of goats and calves, or any other creature, could not forgive sin eternally. It had to be repeated. The animals were good sacrifices. They were the best the person could give. They were the most valuable sacrifice they could make. But it was not enough. Five minutes later, if you thought a bad thought or lusted or lied, you were on your way to eternal damnation again.
Verse 9 tells us that even making the sacrifice himself, the priest was unable to make his own self perfect. Verse 10 tells us that this old system became only a bunch of rites and rituals that could not change a person’s heart or eternal destination. Today, many people practice religion. They go through the services and even participate. It might even make them feel good. They may seek forgiveness and try to live right. But if they are not redeemed by the blood of Jesus, they are still in bondage to sin and just as far from God.
3. Third Phrase: “But by His own blood.”
Jesus shed His own blood to redeem us eternally. Verse 12
Jesus is the great High Priest. He too entered into the Holy of Holies. Instead of once each year, he went once and for all. Look at verses 24-26 as a comparison of the roles of Jesus and the earthly priests. Jesus did not offer sacrifice for Himself, because He is the perfect priest. The Bible describes Jesus as, “He who knew no sin.” He was both priest and the sacrifice. John the Baptist, upon seeing Jesus for the first time, declared in John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Verse 9 tells us that the old priests could not make themselves perfect. His conscience or soul could not be radically changed by the blood of animals. But Jesus, the Son of God, is perfect. By His blood he obtained eternal redemption for us. He paid the price, His own life, one time. For that was adequate, more than adequate to pay the price of sin.
What is the price of sin? When you hear the word sacrifice and the shedding of blood, you think of death. Romans 3:23 alerts us to the wages of sin – it is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Because we are sinners, we deserve to die. Verse 27, “And it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.” We can try to make sacrifices, live the best we can, ask forgiveness, attend all the rituals and services we can, but since we are not perfect, we cannot deliver ourselves from the bondage of sin. We will die and face the judgment.
As the great High Priest, Jesus intercedes for us. His desire is that, “Where I am, there you may be also.” He leads the way. He is our Mediator. Look at verses 14-15, “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? And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”
Conclusion: How do we receive this power in our lives? How are we redeemed? By Faith. There is nothing else you can do. You are not the perfect lamb. You cannot obtain eternal redemption by any means. We receive by faith that Jesus is the perfect Son of God who died on the cross and rose again. Believe that you are a sinner and face eternal death and separation from God. Believe that there is power in the blood of Jesus to save. Call on Him in prayer.
1 John 5:4-13, “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood… And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one… And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
The water refers to baptism. Not simply being baptized, but baptism that follows genuine repentance. The blood refers to the power of Jesus’ life and death that redeems us. The Spirit is He who supplies the power to accomplish this miracle called salvation. Today, if you are a believer, thank God for His precious blood. Thank Him for His love and mercy show to you. If you are not yet a believer, call upon Jesus in prayer, believing that He has the power to save. The Bible says that “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13. If you have called upon the Lord, follow through with believer’s baptism. Baptism is an outward sign of what has taken place on the inside. God commands baptism.
I will continue this four part series on the blood of Christ by preaching next Sunday on reconciliation through the blood. God saves us with the power of His blood, but He does not stop there. He continues to keep us saved through His blood and gives us power to live through the Holy Spirit.
Posted: Sermons