His Blood cleanses

[0:00] 1 John 1 verse 7 it says, But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the! the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.

[0:26] Someone has said the Bible is a book of blood, wholly distinct from all other books for one reason, it contains blood circulating through every page and in every verse.

[0:43] From Genesis to Revelation we see the stream of blood. There was an occasion in San Francisco where there was a minister addressing some folk and people didn't know where he was from or what he was up to, a bit like today.

[1:00] But this guy, he got up and he started talking and people realised he was totally off the planet, totally off the wall, totally unorthodox and he was preaching against the power of the blood of Christ.

[1:11] You know, it was a horrendous thing when this man got up and preached in such a liberal way. And there was a timid elderly woman in the crowd and she softly began to sing these words.

[1:26] And she was saying, And she was saying it quietly but as she was singing there was a hush fell over the assembly.

[1:41] And before she could start the second stanza, others were joining in. Hallelujah. Perhaps a hundred people rose up to join her in song.

[1:53] And by the time she reached the third verse, nearly a thousand were joining in song. In those triumphant strains, dear dying lamb, thy precious blood shall never lose its power.

[2:07] Till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more. And many were moved as this humble believer stood up for her Lord with the light of heaven on her face giving testimony about the blood of his cross.

[2:24] Now the blood of Jesus Christ is the life of the gospel, someone has said. The blood of Jesus Christ, that's what matters and that's what we want to dwell upon at this time.

[2:35] Consider the blood and what it means. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanseth us from all sin.

[2:49] We want to take time to consider that. Another story of a time of terror in Holland. And the king of Spain was in rule over Holland.

[3:05] And he started to really inflict his reign in an awful demanding way on the citizens of Holland. And he sent his army to do damage.

[3:18] There's some rebellion going on. He sent his Spanish army in to the town of Rotterdam. And the city of Rotterdam was holding out valiantly against the Spanish army.

[3:31] But then they started to lose. And the Spanish army was just wiping them out. And they were going from house to house, ferreting out people, slaying them wholesale.

[3:44] And in one house there was a little group of men and women and children huddled together. They could hear the catastrophe that was all around them as people were getting slaughtered, as thousands of, you know, terrors gripped their hearts.

[4:03] And in this house a young man had an idea. He took a young goat and he killed it and then he swept the blood under the entrance of the home.

[4:17] So the blood was coming out of the entrance of the home. And they just waited breathlessly as the soldiers were marching down the street and then right outside their front door.

[4:28] And they saw the blood. And the soldiers said, look, there's blood running down from under this door. The work's already been done here. You know, there's no point going in this place.

[4:41] And the blood was a sign. It was a safety to the people in that home. Just as in Exodus when we know the Passover lamb, the blood was the protection.

[4:56] The precious blood of Christ. We want to think about that today. You know, you cannot survive without blood in your own body. We know that the blood is essential. I heard a reference to how if you put one of those pressure bandages on and hold it long enough that your hand gets so weak.

[5:16] And apparently the reason is it's toxins that are not getting cleansed through the blood. You know, there's cleansing through the blood. There's cleansing today. If you're feeling like you're full of sin, then there is an answer.

[5:29] There is one who can take it away. There is one who can cleanse it. And just a last little story. And it's a man called Finney. And I know there's some who questions some of his views.

[5:42] But nevertheless, Charles Finney was preaching on the text, The blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanseth us from all sin. And after he preached, a stranger came up to Finney and said, Look, I want to have a talk to you, preacher.

[5:56] And others were advising him against it. But this stranger went off with Dr. Finney. And the man took him to a door in the back of a building.

[6:08] And he invited the preacher in. And they sat down in the back of this building. And the preacher was not knowing what was going on.

[6:19] And the stranger locked the door behind him. He put the key in his pocket. And he said, Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you believe what you preached tonight?

[6:30] And Finney said, I most certainly do. The man said, We're in the back of a saloon. I'm sole proprietor.

[6:41] Mother's come in here. Lay the babies on the counter. And beg me not to sell liquor to their husbands. I turn a deaf ear to their cry. We see to it when a man leaves here, he's well under the influence.

[6:56] And more than one night, a man leaving here has been killed by their train at the tracks. Dr. Finney, tell me, can God forgive a sinner like me?

[7:11] Finney said, I have not one authority, the word of God, which says the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleansed us from all sin.

[7:23] But that's not all added to man. In another room, we run a gambling hall. If a man doesn't spend all his money on the booze, we bring him back here with these marked cards and we fleece him out of his last dollar.

[7:36] We send him home penniless to his hungry family. Dr. Finney, I'm sole owner. It's only honestly, can God forgive a man with a heart like that?

[7:49] Finney replied, I have but one authority, the word of God, which says the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleansed us from all sin.

[8:01] The man spoke again. That's not all. Across the street is my home, where my wife and little daughter live. And neither one has had a kind word for me for these last five years.

[8:16] Their bodies bear the marks of my brutal attacks. Dr. Finney, do you think God could forgive a man with a heart like that? And Finney's head lowered and his eyes filled with tears and he said, my friend, you've painted a dark picture.

[8:32] One of the darkest I've ever gazed on. But I still have one authority which says the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleansed us from all sin.

[8:45] The man opened the door and he ushered the preacher out into the night. He didn't leave the room till daybreak, not before ripping up decks of cards and pouring the contents of bottles down the sink.

[8:59] And across the road at home he sat in his living room and his little girl called Daddy. Mother says breakfast is ready. When he answered his little girl kindly, she ran back to his mother, her mother rather.

[9:12] Daddy spoke kindly to me. Something is the matter. The mother followed the little girl to the living room and the man beckoned to them both. Taking one on each knee, he explained to their amazement that they had a new husband and a new daddy.

[9:30] He said, I'm done with that business across the street. And the man later became a member and a leader in a church. And when asked to tell how his life had changed, he replied, The blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleansed us from all sin.

[9:49] Now it's still true today, people today, the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleansed us from all sin. I'll ask the stewards to come. I've not got them prepared, so get four willing men.

[10:03] Let's consider these words. And I trust you can apply them to yourself this morning. However sinful, there is a cleansing agent beyond any dark stain that we have in our past or present.

[10:22] And we'll get the fellows to pass the bread and cup and hold together and join together. Let's prayerfully just wait on one another as we pass the bread and cup. And friends, if you're a believer this morning, you're very welcome.

[10:36] We don't have any particular exclusions other than the Word of God commands us to examine ourselves.

[10:48] And so let us eat and drink of that cup. Just as the blood flowing in our veins cleanses us from those toxins, and it sends that healing power when we have an injury.

[11:17] The blood avails today. It still cleans our heart repentant. Let's pray. . . .

[12:22] In Luke we read, our Lord speaks, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

[12:34] He had a great desire. He longed to be eating this time of Passover with him. For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

[12:47] And he took the cup and gave thanks and said, Take this. And divide it among yourselves. For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come.

[13:02] And he took bread and gave thanks and break it and gave it unto them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you, this stew, in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

[13:17] . . . . . Amen. Let's prayerfully consider the blood.

[13:29] And we'll pray as we think about the body of our Lord, marked more than any man. His face torn, his back whipped and bruised, his head torn.

[13:45] The ugliest thing of all was our sin. It was the pain. The blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleansed us from all sin.

[14:00] Last again to pray as we think about the body of Christ, bruised for us. Substitutional death for the remission of our sins. Yes. And he could only have been the only one who could have done it because of his sinless nature.

[14:16] Amen. I thank you, Lord, for the remembrance. Because you've instituted with the bread. Yes. Amen. Amen. Let us in. Amen. And he comes with the blood as it's pictured in this cup.

[14:30] And we read in Acts 20, The church of God which you have purchased with his own blood. Lord, we thank you for your blood that is an awesome, precious, very precious item.

[14:48] More precious than anything of the world's value. Because it's your blood that you share willingly that we can have life. Thank you, Lord, for that blood that still cleanses lives and hearts.

[15:02] It washes hearts completely of sin. Lord, we thank you that you can do that for us today. Not by virtue of this ceremony as such, but as we put our trust in you.

[15:18] Yes. Our salvation, Lord, it happens in an instant. Amen. We thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Let us partake.

[15:33] Thank you.