The Blood – The Cleansing Wave

THE BLOOD – THE CLEANSING WAVE

Isaiah 1:18, Heb. 9:13-14

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: Politician Joke

1. A man was walking down a beach in California when his toe caught on something in the loose sand. Bending down, he tugged out of the sand an ancient oil lamp.

2. As he rubbed the dust off its beautiful exterior, a genie suddenly appeared and bowed to him; “You may ask me for anything and it shall be yours.”

3. The man said, “I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii but I’m afraid of flying and ships scare me. Could you make me a bridge reaching from California to Hawaii?”

4. The Genie looked perplexed; “Do you know how deep the Pacific Ocean is? Or how many 1,000s of miles it is to Hawaii? Or how many trillion of tons of concrete it would take to build such a bridge? Isn’t there anything else you can ask for?”

5. The man thought a moment and then said, “Okay, then explain to me how a politician’s mind works.” The Genie stood speechless for a minute and then said, “How many lanes did you say you wanted on that bridge?”

B. TEXT

“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as [white as] wool” Isa. 1:18. “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” Heb. 9:13-14.

C. THESIS: TITANIC

1. The Titanic definitely catered to people according to their wealth. There were different decks people could stay on.

a. Some for the Rich – Executive Suites or 1st Class.

b. Some for the Middle Class – 2nd Class rooms.

c. Some for the Ordinary People – Steerage.

2. But when the Titanic went down, their offices at New York only listed two classifications: the Saved and the Lost! That’s the same way it’s going to be in eternity.

3. Some of you may be going to Hell in first class, but on the Day of Judgment the only thing that will matter is whether you are Saved or Lost!

4. Today we’re looking at the power of the Blood of Christ – how it is the Cleansing Wave washing the sins of entire world!

I. THE TERRIBLE PRICE OF SIN

A. THE NEED FOR SALVATION

1. All of us want the best out of life, but there’s a major problem: SIN. We think of some people as “bad” and other people as “good,” yet the Bible tells us that “Everyone has sinned.”

2. That Original Sin didn’t just separate us from God, but it put into us a sinful nature. Every person is infected with the “germ” of sin and has a “bent” toward evil. It began a domino effect touching every man, woman, boy, and girl ever born.

3. The Lord Jesus said, “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Mark 7:21-23.

4. The Bible asks, “Can...the leopard change its spots? [NO!] Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil” Jer. 13:23.

5. WE’RE ALL INFECTED WITH THE PLAGUE OF SIN! “There is no one righteous, no, not one.” “For ALL HAVE SINNED and fall short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3:10, 23.

6. In the old days, people hung their washed clothes in their back yards on clotheslines to dry. One lady took special pride in the fact that her laundry was whiter than everyone else’s. Then one day it snowed. Next to that brilliant white, her clothes looked off-white and dingy. That’s just what it’s like when our best righteousness is compared to God’s perfect holiness!

7. Most folks think they’re pretty good people. Let’s assume we only sins 3 times a day. Sounds pretty good! But if we live to 80 years old (even taking off the 1st 5 years of innocence) we will still commit 82,125 sins in our lifetime! Imagine standing before God to account for over 80,000 sins!

B. THREE THINGS SIN DOES TO US

1. ENSLAVES US, Rom. 7:19,23

2. CONTAMINATES US/ defiles us

3. ALIENATES US, separates us from God now, and in the future, it will take us to Hell!

C. THE SOLUTION OF SIN?

1. Is there a solution? Yes! Someone must pay the price of sin – either YOU have to die for your sin, or A SUBSTITUTE FOR MUST DIE FOR YOU.