Dakota Community Church
February 9, 2014
There is a Fountain Filled With Blood
Blood is the life-giving and life-maintaining fluid that circulates through the bodies heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries.
The average person’s blood is about 8% of his body weight
The average woman has about 4.5 litres of blood in her body. The average man 5.5
One out of seven people entering hospital needs blood
Someone needs blood every two seconds
One pint of blood can save three lives
Here is an important and undeniable fact: Blood gives and maintains lives.
Christians should know this better than others.
- Anthony Carter (Blood Work: How the Blood of Christ Accomplishes Our Salvation) 2013
There is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains. - William Cowper 1771
Sin will yield to nothing less potent than the blood of him whom God hath set forth as a propitiation. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon 1866
•"Propitiation properly signifies the removal of wrath by the offering of a gift,"
(The New Bible Dictionary).
•"Propitiation signifies the turning away of wrath by an offering,"
(Baker's Dictionary of theology, p. 424).
•The act of appeasing the wrath and conciliating the favor of an offended person (dictionary.com).
•"The act of appeasing the wrath,"
(Webster's dictionary, 1828).
O precious is the flow, That makes us white as snow.
No other fount I know.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. - Robert Lowery 1876
We don’t need to re-imagine Christianity, we need to rediscover it. - Chris Rosebrough 2009
A.) In the beginning
Genesis 4:1-10
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.
Cain and Abel must have been instructed on acceptable offerings - “If you do well”
We are not free to offer any sacrifice we may prefer - Cain likely came assuming his offering would be pleasing to the Lord, he had worked hard to obtain it, especially compared to Abel’s.
Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.
Cain’s offering was the fruit of his effort.
Abel’s offering was the death of a lamb.
Hebrews 9:22
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
The inventor of humanistic religion murdered the first recipient of grace.
Blood speaks.
Genesis 4:10
And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.
Hebrews 12:18-24
For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
The blood of Abel cried out for justice but the blood of Christ pleads mercy on our behalf!
B.) Power in the blood
I.) It is the blood of Jesus that purchases us for God.
Acts 20:28
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
Titus 2:11-14
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
We are not free men who have become convinced to submit to God.
We were slaves with the most wicked owner ever known who were purchased by our new owner
II.) We are justified by His blood.
Romans 5:6-9
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Justification is the act by which unjust, ungodly, wicked sinners are made right in the sight of a just and holy God.
III.) It is the blood of Jesus by which we are sanctified.
Hebrews 13:8-12
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
C.) A proclamation not an instruction
1 Corinthians 11:26
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
It is crucial to remember that the Church has news to proclaim - not instructions to hand out.
Why is that crucial?
1 Corinthians 11:23-24
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
1Corinthians 11:25-26
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
Follow Dan on twitter: @DanCormie
