The Seven Fountains Of The Blood

THE SEVEN FOUNTAINS OF THE BLOOD

Isaiah 53:3-5

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. A man went on a ski trip and was knocked unconscious by the chairlift. He called his insurance company from the hospital, but they refused to cover his injury.

2. He asked them, "Why is the injury not covered?" They answered, "Because it is a pre-existing condition." He said, "That’s impossible! Being hit with a chair lift is not a pre-existing condition!"

3. "No, but no one but an idiot would get hit in the head by a chairlift. That makes you an idiot, and we consider that a pre-existing condition."

4. Today we’re going to celebrate the Lord’s Supper so let’s read a passage about Jesus’ atonement.

B. TEXT

3 “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” Isa. 53:3-5, NKJV.

C. THESIS

1. The suffering of Jesus Christ wasn’t a stop-gap or an after-thought in the plan of God to save mankind after our fall into sin. The Bible tells us that Christ’s sufferings and death were planned from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Nothing about them was haphazard.

2. The specifics of His sufferings were prophesied 100s or 1,000s of years in advance; his rejection (Isa. 53:3), betrayal (Ps. 41:9), sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12), struck & spat on (Isa. 50:6), crucified with sinners (Isa. 53:12), hands & feet pierced (Ps. 22:16), mocked & insulted (Ps. 22:6-8), given vinegar to drink (Ps. 69:21), his side pierced (Zech. 12:10), his clothing divided (Ps. 22:18), buried in a borrowed grave (Isa. 53:9), and feeling separated from God (Ps. 22:1).

3. Since so many aspects of human beings had been effected by the Fall, the sufferings of Jesus were very precise and the myriad of ways He suffered each had a purpose and provided for some aspect of our healing.

4. So we’re going to look at “The Seven Fountains of the Blood” of Jesus and how each fountain administers healing to our lives. The first fountain opened in…

I. THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE

1. The Garden of Gethsemane exposed the first of the seven fountains. It represents the FOUNTAIN OF OUR WILL. This is the place where Jesus prayed, "Not My will, but Yours be done." It was there that Christ experienced hematydrosis, where such intense pressure was placed on the membranes of the skin and arteries that blood passed through His skin in the form of perspiration that had blood in it. His blood hemorrhaged through His skin.

2. Luke the Physician recorded, “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (22:44).

3. What caused the intense pressure that Jesus felt? Possibly, He didn't want to become the embodiment of sin! “For [God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor. 5:21). Imagine that Holy Being immersed in sin! Jesus had to submit His will to the Father’s.

4. We also must be willing to die out to our own will. That’s why the first prerequisite to salvation is, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me” Mt. 16:24. We can’t be saved if we won’t surrender all. The 2nd fountain came from…

II. THE CROWN OF THORNS

1. Before His crucifixion, the Roman soldiers, in mockery, arrayed Jesus as a king – with a scepter, a purple robe, and a crown made out of thorns (Matt. 27:29). The crown was most likely made of the Euphorbia milii plant which usually has 1.2 inch long sharp spines along its stem. This crown of thorns was thrust down on Jesus’ forehead, piercing the skin of His head all around, but especially along His forehead.

2. This FOUNTAIN OF blood impacts THE HUMAN MIND.

The thorns encircling His brain signify the terrible thoughts that our minds experience. Jesus bore our mental anguish (Isa. 53:4). The crowd, the leaders, and the soldiers all mocked. Blood ran down his forehead and into His eyes – atoning for the thoughts & sins our imaginations have entertained. We need our minds purified by the blood of Jesus! The third fountain came from…

III. THE HANDS OF JESUS

1. Both of Jesus’ hands were pierced and poured blood profusely. Our hands represent our activities & abilities; -- what we do, our work, our efforts -- even to save ourselves. Once Christ's hands were nailed to the cross, He was helpless. This is the FOUNTAIN OF OUR ACTIVITIES.