“The Blood of Christ”I Pet. 1:17-21; Lev. 17.10-12
Introduction: Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilks Booth in the Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865. Lincoln’s shirt and overcoat were stained with his blood. Twenty two years after Lincoln’s death in 1876 some people wanted to take a piece of history with them. So, they cut up a sleeve from his overcoat that was blood stained into tiny pieces. It was the stain of the blood on the overcoat that made the cloth a collectable and valuable item. I am here this morning to talk about the blood of Christ which is far more valuable than the blood of Lincoln.
Preview Statement: In this message, I will talk about the blood Christ in terms of redemption, justification, and reconciliation.
Transition: Let’s begin with redemption.
I.The blood of Christ was the price paid for our redemption.
A.I Peter says: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” The blood of Christ was paid for our redemption.
B.In the days of the Bible, slavery existed. A person might become a slave
as a result of war, or filing bankruptcy, or by birth, or by selling themselves into slavery. It was possible to get out of slavery by redemption. Redemption involved paying a price. After the exchange of money, freedom was gained.
C.In the OT, Israel is in slavery in Egypt. God is the redeemer, the one
paying the price to set Israel free. Exodus chapter six verse six says:
“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them and will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.”
Illustration: Back in the days of the Berlin wall, many prisoners gained their freedom from Communist East Berlin by being bought by people living in West Berlin. Over 15,000 people got their freedom from these negotiations. One person commented that “the only way out of East Berlin is to be bought.”
Israel was in slavery to the Egyptians. Their release from slavery is likened to redemption. God pays the price and the
Israelites are made free. God refers to Himself as redeemer. Isaiah 41.14 says “Do not be afraid, O Worm Jacob, O little Israel for I myself will help you, declares the LORD your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
D.The NT tells us that the death of Jesus was the price paid for our
redemption. Jesus said: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mk 10.45
E.A youth made an expensive model boat. One day he sailed the model boat
on the lake. But, he lost the boat somewhere on the lake. A few weeks later he saw the boat he lost in the window of store. The owner of the store said that he found the boat and that he would sell it back to the youth for a great price. The boat was special to the boy so he bought it back. The boy spoke to the boat: “I made you. I lost you. I paid a great price for you. Now you are twice mine.” God says to each one of us. “I made you. I lost
you. I paid a great price for you. You are twice mine.”
Transition: Now that we have looked at redemption, let us look at justification.
II.The blood of Jesus gives us justification.
A. The term justification is a legal term. To be justified means to be acquitted or declared righteous. It is the exact opposite of condemn. The imagery is that of a courtroom with the accused standing before the judge. Illustration: While my son was in school at the University of Pittsburgh, he got a parking violation ticket due to street cleaning. To make matters worse, he did not know about until two months after the ticket was issued. There are sororities that go around Oakland and steal the parking tickets off the vehicles. So, the fine was increased. Tim was unable to go to traffic court due to his classes. So, he asked me to go to traffic court and make a case before the judge. Our argument was that the sign mentioning street cleaning was not near enough to where he was parked and that the ticket had been stolen. I waited for about 2 hours to get a chance to appear before the judge. I can not forget the feeling of standing in front of the bench and making our case to the judge. The judge listened to what I had to say and declared “guilty.” My argument did not persuade him. We had to pay the fine. In the same way, the sinner stands before the Great Judge, God. The sinner stands condemned and is guilty. But, the sinner is declared righteous because of what Jesus did for him and her on the cross
B.Paul the apostle develops the doctrine of justification in his letter to the Romans. Romans 3.23-25 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, though faith in his blood.” We are made righteous before God by faith in his blood. The blood of Jesus changes our standing from guilty to not guilty. J.P. Morgan who was a millionaire wrote this in his will “I commit my soul in the hands of my Savior, and full of confidence that having redeemed me and washed me with His most precious blood, He will present me faultless before the throne of my heavenly Father. I entreat my children to maintain and defend at all cost of personal sacrifice, the blessed doctrine of complete atonement of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ once offered and through that alone.”
Morgan knew that what Peter said was true. We are redeemed not with “perishable things such as silver or gold.” J.P. Morgan realized that his wealth would not get him into heaven. The only way was through the blood of Jesus.
C.Paul continues to speak about justification in Romans
Chapter 5 verse 9. “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”
Illustration: In the 16th century, the King of Spain Philip II ruled over Holland. He hated the Dutch. He tortured, imprisoned, and exiled thousands of Dutch people. The Dutch rose up against King Philip. So, the King sent an army to put down the rebellion. The city of Rotterdam held out, but finally fell to the Spanish army. The Spanish soldiers were going from house to house and executing the Dutch. In one house a group of men, women, and children huddled together awaiting their fate. Suddenly, a young man had an idea. He took a goat and killed it. Then he swept the blood of the goat under the door of the house. Footsteps approached the house. The Spanish soldiers began to knock down the door. Suddenly, the Spanish soldiers stopped. One soldier called out “Look at the blood running under the door. Come away, men, the work here is already done.” A little while later the Spanish soldiers left the city and the band of thankful Dutch people came out safe and sound saved by the blood of a goat. In the same way, we are saved from the wrath of God by the blood of a lamb-Jesus the lamb of God.
Transition: We have looked at redemption as a result of the blood of Christ, and we have secondly looked at justification and the blood of Christ. Now let us look at the third concept-reconciliation.
III.The blood of Jesus reconciles us to God.
A.The imagery used reconciliation is that of relationships that are alienated. Sin alienates us from God. The Bible says in Isaiah 59.2 “But your iniquities have separated you from your God.”In Luke Chapter 15 Jesus tells a story about a son who demanded his share of the estate. The son went off and squandered his inheritance. The son became alienated from his father due to son’s selfish and sinful lifestyle. Sin places a strain on our relationship with God and alienates us from God.
B.The blood of Jesus reconciles us with God. Paul writes about the reconciling work of Jesus in his letter to the Colossians. “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight” Col. 19-22 Because of the reconciling work of Jesus’ blood, our status changes from hostile enemy to reconciled friend.
C.Paul picks up on the theme of reconciliation in Romans chapter 5 verse 10. “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled shall we be saved though his life. Not only is this so, but we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, though whom we have now received reconciliation.” Our relationship with God has been made right because of the reconciling work of Jesus Christ.
D.
Summary: Suppose you ask for a map of Pittsburgh. Instead of one map you are given three maps. The first map shows only the streets of Pittsburgh. The second map shows only the subway and its stops. The third map shows only the water ways of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. All three maps of Pittsburgh. You can get the complete view of Pittsburgh by using all three maps. In the same way, we get a complete view of our salvation by looking at 3 themes: redemption, justification, and reconciliation. All three themes hold in common the blood of Jesus.
Conclusion: President Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas Texas. Jackie, President Kennedy’s wife accompanied the coffin of President Kennedy back to Washington aboard Air Force One. She was still wearing the clothes she had on at the time of the assassination. The clothes were stained with the blood of her husband. Many encouraged her to change her clothes, but her reply was “No, let them see what they have done.”Let us see what God has done for us in the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ.
“The Cure for Anxiety” Ps. 55.20-23 I Pet. 5:4-7
Introduction: There is a little cartoon that shows a woman sitting on chair thinking. In the first box, she says to herself “God can relieve our anxieties about daily problems.” In the next box, she says to herself, “We are not to worry with Him in control.” The third box simply shows her thinking and has no caption. In the fourth box, she yells out “But, is there and scripture that says I can’t bite my nails just a little.”
It is estimated the 24 million Americans suffer from panic attacks and related anxiety disorders. Before I begin the message let me share the definition of anxiety according to Webster’s dictionary. Webster defines anxiety as “distress or uneasiness of mind caused by apprehension of danger or misfortune. In other words, anxiety is when we are expecting bad things to happen in our lives.
Preview Statement: In this message, I am going to talk about the sources of anxiety, the consequences of anxiety, and the cure for anxiety.
Transition: First let’s begin with the sources of anxiety.
I.There are five sources for anxiety.
A.The first source of anxiety is our struggle to provide for the basic necessities of life such as shelter, food, and clothing. Jesus referred to this type of anxiety in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said: Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Matt. 6.25 The struggle to provide for basic needs can be one source of anxiety.
B.The second source of anxiety is not knowing what is in store for us in tomorrow. Some people may have anxiety about driving a car because they fear being in an auto accident. Some people may be anxious about flying because they fear the jet will crash or be hijacked. Some people may be anxious about their health and fear getting some dreaded disease. Again Jesus mentioned this type of anxiety in the Sermon on the Mount. He said: Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.” Matt. 6.34
C.The third source of anxiety comes from our daily chores or our routine schedule of work. Anxiety can come because of all that we have to do in our busy schedules. Martha was a person filled with anxiety. She was a hard worker who was obsessed with her work. Martha was upset with her sister Mary because Mary was not helping with the work necessary to prepare for a meal. Martha came to Jesus and protested “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Overcome with anxiety, Martha wanted Jesus to side with her point of view.Jesus did not justify her point of view. Instead, he offered to Martha a cure for her anxiety. Jesus said: Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things, but only one ting is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10.41-42
D.The fourth source of anxiety is the anxiety of believers witnessing or sharing our faith. I think that this why many believers chose to remain silent rather than say something about their faith. We often fear that others will judge us harshly because of our faith. Jesus knew that the disciple would one day be brought before the authorities because of their faith. Jesus wanted them to know that any anxiety felt in that situation would be taken care of because the Holy Spirit would provide the words. Jesus said: “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you are to say: for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Luke 12.11-12 The Holy Spirit will give us the right words to say in any situation if we are open to hear those words.
E.The fifth source of anxiety comes from living in a nuclear age. We are living in an age where there is enough nuclear weapons to destroy the whole earth over again an again. Every day we are either directly or indirectly confronted with the possibility of nuclear war. I experienced anxiety when it was announced that Sadaam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction. This claim has not currently been substantiated but the mere thought of it at the time brought anxiety to millions of people. Not only do we get anxiety from the threat of a nuclear war, but we also get it from the threat of terrorism. People today are more cautious and are considering the possibility of terrorism right here in America.
Internal Summary: So far we have looked at five sources of anxiety. The sources are: the struggle for basic necessities, not knowing what is in store for us tomorrow, our busy work schedules, witnessing, and the nuclear age.
Transition: Let us now go to the second main point which is the consequences of anxiety.
II.Anxiety has four negative consequences in our lives:
A.The first negative consequence of anxiety is that is prevents growth. In 1996 a study was done on the effects of anxiety on teens. The study found out that those teen girls with high levels of anxiety were twice as likely to end up less than five feet four inches tall. The authors of the study theorized that anxiety inhibits the body’s production of growth hormone. In a physical sense, anxiety prevents growth. This is also true spiritually as well. Jesus told a parable about a sower that sowed seeds. Some seed never took root. Other seed were chocked by the “cares of this world.” The word “cares” is the same Greek word that Peter uses and is translated as “anxiety.” So in the parable of the sower the seeds grow but never develop because of the anxieties of life.
B.The second negative result of anxiety is that is keeps us from being with Jesus. When anxiety hits us, we get so focused on the negative that we can not focus on our relationship with Jesus. Mary sat the feet of Jesus, but Martha got all caught up in the preparations for the meal. Mary took time to be with Jesus. But, Martha did not. Jesus rebuked Martha’s anxious ways by saying Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
C.The third negative consequence of anxiety is that leads to making unacceptable excuses. The priorities of the anxious person are not in the order that God desires. Jesus called a man to follow him. But the man had an excuse.The man said: “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”The father mentioned may or may not have actually been dead. But, the point is that the man was filled with anxiety about the family situation that he could not follow Jesus’ command. Instead, the man came up with an excuse. The same is true for the next example cited by Jesus. “Still another said: ‘I will follow you Lord: but first le me go back and say good-bye to my family.” Following Jesus produced anxiety within this man’s heart because he thought it meant the end of his relationships in his family.
D.The fourth negative result of anxiety is that can cause us to not be prepared for the second coming of Christ. Speaking about his second coming Jesus said: Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.” Luke 21.34
Internal summary: Anxiety has four negative consequences in our lives: it prevents growth, it keeps us from being with Jesus, it causes us to make excuses, and it could cause us to not be prepared for the second coming.
Transition: We have looked at the sources of anxiety and the consequences of anxiety. Now let us move onto our third point-the cure of anxiety.
III.Anxiety can be cured by casting the anxiety on Him.
A.Peter says that we can be cured of anxiety if we release it to Him. Peter said: “Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you.” The Greek word for casting has to do with releasing something from the hands and putting it onto something else. The same Greek word was used by Luke in Luke 19.35 where the disciples took off their cloaks and cast them on the colt on which Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem. The same Greek word is used by Matthew in reference to Judas throwing down the thirty pieces of silver on the temple floor.
B.How do we cast our anxiety on Him? Paul tells us that we release our anxiety through prayer. In Philippians 4.6 Paul says “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God.” Prayer and petition is the antidote for anxiety. If we pray and release our anxiety, then God will send us His peace. “And the peace of , which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
C.Peter tells us to cast our anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Peter was writing in the Greco-Roman culture. The gods of the Greeks and the Romans were not really concerned with the lives of ordinary people. So, for Peter to say that He cares for you was a radical departure from the beliefs of those who worshipped false gods that did not care about their daily lives. The wonderful news of the gospel is that God cares for each one of us. God express that care in very personal ways in our lives.
Summary: In this message, I have reviewed the sources of anxiety, the negative consequences of anxiety, and the cure for anxiety.
Conclusion: Let me conclude with a story about India. When walking through the rural roads of India, you will occasionally find a post with sturdy shelf about shoulder height. These posts are called “Soma Tonga” which means resting place. As people travel on foot, they can stop at a “Soma Tonga” and place their heavy load on the shelf for relief. Once rested, they can continue their journey.In India, Jesus is called “My Soma Tonga.”Peter tells us put all our anxieties on Jesus. Let us pray.
