The Blood Still Works!
By Charles C Jones
Exodus 12:7
And they shall take the blood and strike in on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:7, 13.
Our text focuses on Gods instruction to Israel as He is about to deliver them from Egypt.You know the story of how Israel had been slaves in Egypt for over 400 years. As slaves of the state, they built roads, pyramids, palaces and other works for the Egyptians. They prayed constantly for deliverance. Our text occurs on the eve of their deliverance from Egypt. They are ordered to kill a lamb and to prepare it for eating with bitter herbs. They were also ordered to take the blood of the lamb and use it to paint the exterior door posts of their homes. This strange decoration would be a sign to Gods death angel to spare anyone on the inside of that home from the death of their first born, which was the 10th and final plague against Egypt. As promised, the death angel came. Each home that had the blood applied to the door posts were saved. Those without the blood applied over their doorposts suffered the death of their firstborn, whether they were Israelites or not. Inside the homes of the people who were obedient to God,I can imagine they were filled with joy and hope because it appeared that the terrible midnight of their enslavement was about to end. The joy they shared on the interior or inside their homes was because of the blood that was applied on the exterior or outside of their doors.
As Both the Jews and Christians celebrate Passover and Easter:
For the Jews Passover marks a new beginning for them and it bounds them together as a nation. For it commemorates the children of Israel's deliverance from the hand of Pharoah in Egypt.
In the Bible,Egypt is a type, or symbol, of bondage or sin.
Although the Lord would take the Egyptians through a series of plagues and complications in order for the Israelites to be delivered from Egypt, their deliverance would require the Blood of a Lamb.
How many of you here today know that when the Lord sets you free from bondage, it’s the dawning of a new day and the beginning of a new life?
Whenever you read or hear the words “redeem” or “redemption” in the New Testament, they speak of freedom from slavery.
Whenever you mention words like Deliverance,Bondage,or Redemption to the Jews they immediately think of Passover and Israel’s deliverance from Egypt through the blood of the lamb.
Whenever you mention words like Deliverance,Bondage,or Redemption to the Christian right away we begin to think of the Sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross to set us free from the enemy. He was a Passover Lamb as well.
Now the Jewish nation in the Old Testament had two calendars, a civil calendar that began in our September–October, and a religious calendar that began in our March–April. New Year’s Day in the civil year(“Rosh Hashana”—“beginning of the year”) fell in the seventh month of the religious calendar and ushered in the special events in the month of Tishri: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. But Passover marked the beginning of the religious year, and at Passover, the focus was on the lamb.
One day while going up to the mountain with his Father to be offered as a sacrifice Isaac asked the question Father? Where is the lamb? (Elaborate on this Story) (Gen. 22:7)
When Issac asked this question he introduced one of the major themes of the Old Testament as God’s people waited for the Messiah. Well even though God provided a Lamb in the thicket. The question was ultimately answered by John the Baptist when he pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John1:29).
The Passover lamb is a picture or type of Jesus Christ and it was confirmed in the New Testament by Philip the Evangelist in Acts 8:32–35 when he came across an Ethiopian eunech who was reading in Isaiah 53:verses 7 and 8 that Jesus was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
So the eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
In 1 Cor. 5:7 the Apostle Paul declared that Christ who is our passover was sacrificed for us. Peter also declared in 1 Peter 1:18–20) that Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, and finally John in Rev. 5:5–12 declared in his text about finding someone who was worthy to break the seal and be deemed worthy enough to die for man said, And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
As we look in verses 1-6 we read where the lamb was chosen and examined the Bible says it was on the tenth day of the month and carefully watched for four days to make sure it met the divine specifications.
There is no question that Jesus met all the
requirements to be our Lamb, for the Father said,
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”
(Matt. 3:17).
During the days preceding Passover,our Lord’s enemies questioned Him repeatedly,waiting for Him to say something so that they could go on the attack but Jesus never said a mumbling word.During His various trials and interrogations,Jesus was repeatedly questioned,and He passed every test. Jesus knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21), did no sin (1 Peter 2:22), and in Him there was no sin (1 John 3:5).He was the perfect Lamb of God.
* Verses 6–7, 12–13, 21–24
On the fourteenth day of the month, at evening,the lamb was slain and its blood was applied to the lintel and side posts of the doors of the houses in which the Jewish families lived.It wasn’t the life of the lamb that saved the people from judgment but the death of the lamb. The Bible say's “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and Without shedding of blood there is no remission. Or Forgiveness of Sin. Leviticus 17:11 say's, 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 maketh an atonement for the soul.
There are some people who claim to admire the life and teachings of Jesus but they don’t want to carry the cross of Jesus, yet it’s His death on the cross that paid the price of our redemption. Matthew 20:28 say's Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 26:28 as he prepared to share His last supper with them said of the cup that they were about to drink. For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
In John 3:14-17 Jesus said, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Ephesians 1:7 says In Jesus we have redemption through his blood and the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
1 Timothy 2:5-6 says For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Hebrews 9:28 says So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Revelation 5:9 says And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
My Brothers and Sisters Jesus was our substitute; He died a substitutionary death for you and I Jesus died in our place when He was crucified on the cross. We deserved to be the ones placed on that cross to die because we are the ones who live sinful lives. But Christ took the punishment on Himself in our place—He substituted Himself for us and took what we rightly deserved. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”
He suffered the judgment of our sin Isiah said in
Isaiah 53:4-6 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 1 Peter 2:24 says Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
However, to be effective, the blood had to be applied to the doorposts; for God promised, “[W]henI see the blood, I will pass over you” (Ex. 12:13). It isn’t sufficient simply to know that Christ was sacrificed for the sins of the world. We must appropriate that sacrifice for ourselves and be able to say with with Mary that “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior” Luke 1:46
Somebody say, THE BLOOD STILL WORKS! YOU ASK HOW DO I KNOW? BECAUSE THE BLOOD PROVIDED PROVISION
The Blood Provided Provision
WHEN SOMETHING IS PROVIDED IT IS PREPARED BEFOREHAND TO DEAL WITH A NEED!
For Israel the blood represented God''s provision.
Here it is they were about to take a journey without knowing how long it would take as a matter of fact they didnt even know how they would be fed.
But the Lord Provided Provision for them in the wilderness with manna and quail from heaven.
Yes they ate in haste and carried a minimum of supplies with them.
But they counted on the power of God to provide for them.
Just as Israel carried with them what they could, we today should do the same. Because the Lord is Jehovah Jireh - The Lord my Provider - He has already Provided for our needs! I know that sometimes we come up short but how many know that the Lord still makes a way out of no way?
Like the Widow of ZAREPHETH who trusted God to provide EVEN THOUGH all she had was SOME STICKS, a cup of meal and a cruise of oil.
She did what she WAS TOLD and AND AS A RESULT OF HER OBEDIENCE THE BIBLE SAYS THAT WHEN she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; THAT she and her household ate for many days. HER bin of flour was not used up, nor did HER jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.
HOW MANY HERE TODAY KNOW THAT THE LORD WILL PROVIDE?
The blood of Christ does not promise us prosperity, but it does give us God''s promise of provision FOR our daily bread.
Jesus reminded those who doubted God''s provisionary powers to consider the birds of the air, how they are fed by God constantly.
The song writer added, His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.
ANOTHER REASON WHY I KNOW THAT THE BLOOD STILL WORKS IS BECAUSE
The Blood WAS Good In THE Time of Trouble
For Israel the blood over the door posts was more than simple lamb''s blood over a doorway.
The blood meant THAT when trouble came they would be under the protection of God himself.
The Egyptians were not sure about the Threat Moses gave to Pharaoh, AND EVEN THOUGH there were many who had witnessed other acts of God which demonstrated that His people were in deed protected GOD WANTED THE EGYPTIANS TO KNOW THAT HE WAS THEIR STRONG TOWER IN THE TIME OF TROUBLE!
PSALMS 46:1 SAYS OUR God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 145:18 SAYS The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
SOMEBODY HOLLER "PROTECTION"
BECAUSE : No weapon formed against me shall prosper
Our bodies may fall prey to many of the attacks of Satan but our spirits remain forever COMMITTED to the LORD.
This was the case with Job. His soul was protected while his body was heavily attacked.
Job responded, Yea thou He slay me, yet will I trust him.
We rejoice in the truth that No weapon formed against us shall prosper.
Just as Satan tried to attack Christ himself, he could not succeed at touching his soul.
So we too CAN HAVE AND HAVE ACCESS TO enjoy that same protection.
ANOTHER REASON WHY I KNOW THAT THE BLOOD STILL WORKS IS BECAUSE
The Blood Takes Away Sin
Somebody said how can a brown cow
eat green grass and give you white milk
well if you think thats something
Gods chemical laboratory of redemption
took my black soul and dipped in red blood
and I came out white as snow
Isaiah 1:18 says
Come now, and let us reason together, saith 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.
The transforming power of the blood of Christ affects us personally and it affects our community. It changes lives and it changes the quality of life for those around us today and in the life to come. The first thing that the blood of Christ does for us is that it takes away our sins. Christ''s death on Calvary became the eternal sacrifice that was made on our behalf giving us a chance to the tree of life.
That''s why John would write in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life." Before anyone can think of transforming the world, the community or his own family; first the person must make him or herself available to apply the blood of Christ in his or her own life.
The text from Revelation noted that the Saints were victorious or that they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the words of their own testimony. We must have a story to tell. That says something like this that when i look back over my life and i think things over I can truly say that I've been blessed I've got a testimony Sometimes I couldn't see my way through But the Lord He brought me out Right now I'm free I've got the victory I've got a testimony. The Lord has been good to me!
I'm trying to get you to see that if we are going to transform others around us that we must always be transparent with ourselves because if we are not well then our efforts will not work without first transforming ourselves. Tell your neighbor,"YOU NEED A TESTIMONY" We must know the Lord as our Savior and testify to His transforming power in our lives before we can hope to transform our neighbors, friends and family members. Our lives should be the best testimony about the power of God to completely remake and rebuild lost lives.
I Know It Was The Blood
Finally, brothers and sisters, every chance we get we must testify to the world that we ourselves have been transformed from what we used to be; it was nothing but the blood. There is transforming power in the blood of Christ. Only the blood can transform a nobody into a somebody! Ask Matthew and he will tell you that only the blood can transform a tax collector into a Missionary! Ask Peter and he will tell you that Only the blood can take a man off the fish pond and make him a fisher of men! Ask Paul and he will tell you that only the blood can persecutor of the church and transform him into a perpetuator of the kingdom of God! Ask the woman and the well and she will tell you that only the blood can transform a life so much that should would run through the streets saying "come see man who told me all I''ve ever done!" Ask Esther and she will tell you that only the blood of the lamb can take a lowly Jewish girl and make her the queen of Persia! The power of the blood transforms our despair into a never dying hope. That's why the song writer declared, "My hope Is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. Some may say it was my education that gave me chance in life, but I disagree because I know it was the blood. Some may think their hard work has brought them thus far, but I disagree because I know it was the blood. Some may envision themselves as the source of their own good fortune, but I disagree because I know it was the blood. There are some things in this world that we cannot attain without the blood. There is a fountain from which you cannot drink, but the power of the blood brings you to that fountain! There is a promise that you cannot claim, but the power of the blood allows you to claim that promise! There is a hope that you cannot enjoy, but the power of the blood allows you to enjoy that hope! The song write asked the question, "What can wash away my sins?" Then he answered what every born again Christian already knows, its "Nothing but the blood of Jesus!" What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow, nothing but the blood of Jesus! When you''ve been washed in the blood, you sing with new meaning, "I know it was the blood. I know it was the blood that saved me." I know it was the blood that took my hatred and transformed it into love! I know it was the blood that took my despair and transformed it into hope! I know it was the blood that took my disgrace and transformed it into honor! I know it was the blood that took my enemies and transformed it into friends! I know it was the blood that took my worries and transformed it into confidence! One day when I was lost, he died! He died up on a cross! I know it was the blood that saved me! He died to give me a chance to turn my life around! He died to give me a chance to get a clean start! But early Sunday morning arose, to guarantee my salvation!
