HoHum:
Have the children come up front and do a Children’s Minute (http://www.sermons4kids.com/r_w_b.html)
Tomorrow we will celebrate Memorial Day. Who do we honor on Memorial Day?
This morning I want to talk about the flag of the United States of America. (Go over and talk about the flag behind the pews where children sit). What colors make up our flag? Have you ever stopped to think what those colors mean?
Red: Red stands for courage. Many men and women have had the courage to stand up and fight for our country. They have defended our country against our enemies and many have died in the service of our country.
White: White stands for purity. Purity means to do what is right. We hope and pray that our country will always stand for what is right.
Blue: Blue stands for justice. (If not already said, have everyone say the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag) We end with the words: "With liberty and justice for all." That means that in our country, everyone should be treated fairly and with respect.
The colors red, white, and blue remind me of our country, but they also remind me of Jesus.
Red reminds me of Jesus’ blood that was shed when he died on the cross for my sin. That is very important, because the Bible says, "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22)
White reminds me that when I give my heart and life to Jesus (mention baptism), he washes me and I become as "white as snow." (Isaiah 1:18) The Bible says, "you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 6:10)
Blue reminds me of God’s faithfulness. Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” God is faithful to keep His promises.
Red, white, and blue. Yes, I am reminded of our great country, but more importantly, I am reminded of our great Savior, Jesus.
WBTU:
Many soldiers have given their blood so that we can worship freely. In our country’s 235 years the price of freedom has been 12 wars and OVER 653,000 lives. Freedom is not cheap.
The price of forgiveness of sins was not cheap either. It cost Jesus Christ his life.
Christianity has been accused of being a “bloody religion.” We have to plead guilty. The word blood is found 463 times in Scripture. The center of the Christian faith is the cross of Christ, and crucifixion was a bloody death.
“Blood” is mentioned 23 times in Hebrews. It is used 12 times in chapter 9. Over 1/2
A lot of the blood in ch. 9 is the blood of the OT sacrifices. This chapter talks a lot about the earthly tabernacle and the blood of bulls and goats. The Jewish religion was one of the bloodiest known to man. If we count just the official public sacrifices required by the Law of Moses, the number of animals whose blood was shed comes to 1,273 a year- about 2 million animals from Moses to Christ.
This figure does not include personal and private sacrifices that were talked about in the Law. Many more than 1,273 a year. Josephus records that during one Passover around the time of Christ some 256,000 lambs were killed.
The blood was important from these animals. Sacrificial animals were bled to death. That blood was caught in bowls and used in temple rituals. Vs. 22.
Praise the Lord that the sacrifice of Jesus is sufficient for all time and for all people. Once for all is used in Romans 6:10, Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 9:26, 10:10, 1 Peter 3:18.
If we went to the tabernacle, or temple during the time of the Jewish nation under the OT, we would see a lot of blood. It would be everywhere. This morning, as we worship, we do not see blood. However, the blood of Jesus is symbolically displayed all over this auditorium.
Thesis: Where do we see Jesus’ blood?
For instances:
1. Blood like Cup (Point to communion table)
1 Corinthians 11:23-25: For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Christ must have chosen the fruit of the vine because its color reminds us of His blood.
2. Blood drenched cross (Point to cross on front of pulpit, top of Christian flag, top of building on the steeple, on wall behind baptistry, probably necklaces)
Christianity begins with a bloodstained cross. Jesus’ body, as an average man, would have had about 10 pints of blood in it. During the crucifixion, he lost about 3 pints. The blood would have poured down the cross, onto the ground, and soaked into His clothes (what clothes he had).
Through the years rivers of blood have been shed: Some to worship the living God, others to worship pagan gods. However, not one drop of this blood provided the forgiveness of sins until Christ. Hebrews 10:4
3. Blood stained book (Hold up the Bible)
The Old Testament was dedicated with blood. Hebrews 9:19.
The New Testament is no different, except it is not the blood of animals but the blood of the Son of God. Hebrews 9:16-17. The will of Christ is sealed by His own blood.
Christ gives salvation when we meet the terms of pardon listed in His will, just as those under Jewish law were purified when they obeyed the laws and institutions sealed by animal blood. Thus one receives the benefits of Christ’s blood when he obeys the words of Christ found in the blood stained book.
The evangelist Harry Rimmer was speaking to Christians interested in military evangelism. During the speech, Mr. Rimmer displayed his own personal copy of a white Pacific Fleet New Testament. Following the meeting, a member of the audience showed Mr. Rimmer another white Pacific Fleet New Testament, one given to his son prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, one stained with blood. On explanation, the man said, “Yes, this little book is very precious. It’s stained with the blood of my son.” Mr. Rimmer paused for a moment, then held up his personal Bible and said, “God feels the same way about the Book. He loves it too. It’s pages are stained with the blood of His Son.”
4. Blood tinged water (Point to baptistry)
Christ’s blood cleanses but how? We do not have Christ’s literal blood here, and even if we did, we could not apply it to our souls. On the day of the crucifixion, the blood splattered on His crucifiers did not save them, nor could the blood around that scene save them.
One who submits to baptism through faith in Christ is washed from his sins by Christ’s blood. Acts 22:16: And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.
The story is told about the baptism of King Aengus by Patrick in the middle of the 5th century in Ireland. Sometime during the baptism, Patrick leaned on his staff and accidentally stabbed the king’s foot. After the baptism was over, Patrick looked down at all the blood, realized what he had done, and begged the king’s forgiveness. “Why did you suffer this pain in silence?,” Patrick asked. The king replied, “I thought it was just part of the baptism.”
5. Blood sprinkled conscience (Point to myself)
Hebrews 9:14
Isaac Watts- Not all the blood of beasts On Jewish altars slain Could give the guilty conscience peace, Or wash away the stain: But Christ, the heavenly Lamb, Takes all our sins away, A sacrifice of nobler name And richer blood than they.
With a cleansed conscience we are no longer bound by guilt to our past. We are no longer overwhelmed with a sense of our inadequacy.
One night in a church service a young woman felt the need for Jesus Christ. She responded to the invitation and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and sexual immorality. But, the change in her was evident. As time went on she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children. After a while, this faithful young woman caught the eye, and heart, of the preacher’s son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans and this is when the problems began. The problem was that half of the church membership did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was a suitable mate for a preacher’s son. The church began to argue and fight about the matter. The preacher decided to have a congregational meeting. As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand. The young woman in question became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past. The preacher’s son could not bear the pain it was causing his faithful wife to be. As she began to cry, the preacher’s son stood to speak. “I challenge everyone of you to think carefully about what is happening here tonight. It really is not my fiance’s past that is on trial here. What all of you actually are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, what is your verdict? Does the blood of Christ wash away sin and make our conscience clear and cleansed?”
