May it please God to bless us
together this evening as we consider his word. Let us turn to the
first epistle of John and the first chapter, and we'll read
verse 7. That's the first epistle of John,
the first chapter, and reading verse 7. But, if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all
sin." It is Almighty God's divine way
of cleansing sinners from their sin through the shed blood of
the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is a vital theme. It is a most important theme. And it's a theme which runs right
from Genesis right through to the end of Revelation. And therefore,
how important it is that we should have a very particular and close
interest in the value of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and to desire to meditate upon it and to understand what it's
about. You know, it's much we speak
about it, but perhaps little is really understood. And yet
it is a very important thing, a very important doctrine for
us to understand what the blood of Christ really means. Because
these words here are so true, the blood of Jesus Christ, his
son, cleanseth us from all sin. And if we go back to the book
of Leviticus and that speaks about this situation, it speaks
about blood and how important it is and in the 17th chapter
and the 11th verse we read these words for the life of the flesh
is in the blood we understand that I'm sure because if there
was no blood in our body we would not be alive, would we? 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 your soul." Of course, the
word atonement means to bring us back to God at one mint. And how important it is then,
as it was in these days, the days of Moses, when he was bringing
to the people of Israel the tremendous significance of this, although
of course they had been carrying this out, you know, in Abraham's
time he offered sacrifices, and as we know the Lord himself,
when he gave those skins to cover Adam and Eve in that sad time
in Eden, Quite clearly, blood was shed when the animal skins
were taken. And so, right from the very beginning,
there is this very important situation of the shedding of
blood. And that signifies, of course,
death. Without shedding of blood, also,
there is no forgiveness, there's no remission. And we read together
that beautiful chapter in Hebrews, the ninth chapter, and how It
really runs through this whole theme so very clearly and pointing
out to us the importance that this blood means. And it goes
through the Old Testament ceremony on that Day of Atonement when
the high priest entered into the most holy place and that
not without blood. He couldn't enter in without
blood. That was the great and glorious
law. He could not enter in without
blood. And therefore, the Apostle, who
was taught by the Spirit of God, and it's wonderful to think that
the Apostle was so well-versed in Old Testament scripture, brought
up at the feet of Gamaliel, but only understood, of course, the
Old Testament, didn't understand the value of Christ. until of
course he was struck down on that Damascus road and then he
went into the desert for those three years when no doubt the
Holy Spirit instructed him so gloriously in such things as
these which we read of in this epistle to the Hebrews and the
apostle then tells us here He says, the Holy Ghost, this signifying
that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest
while as the first tabernacle was yet standing. Well the first
tabernacle we know was there, was erected by the people under
the direction of Moses but he tells us which was a figure for
the time then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices
that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining
to the conscience. So we must remember that the
tabernacle and the temple, wonderful illustrations as they were, they
were but figures. and they directed the worshipper
to none less than the Messiah, the great and glorious Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And surely today, it directs
us to the Saviour today, which stood only in meats and drinks
and divers washings and carnal ordinances imposed on them until
the time of reformation. But Christ being come, and high
priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood,
he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us." And of course, we are directed here to the holy
place being in heaven itself. You see the holy place, the most
holy place, was only a symbol in the tabernacle and the temple. But today we know that Christ
has ascended up into the holy place. And we know that all the
blood of bulls and goats could not really satisfy the whole
demands of God. And so we read, and how much
more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit
offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God." Now then, he then
goes on to give us a wonderful picture. He tells us, for where
a testament is, we know that, we realise that, we call a will,
don't we? When somebody makes a will, that's
a testament. In legal terms, it's a testament,
it's a will. That when somebody dies, that's
what they desire should happen after they died. But it cannot
be in operation until that time, because they might change it.
So it only becomes into a position which is right, when that person
dies and so we have the illustration here for where a testament is
there must also necessity be the death of the testator for
a testament is a force after men are dead otherwise it is
of no strength at all while a testator liveth whereupon neither the
first testament was dedicated without blood for when Moses
has spoken every precept to all the people according to the law
he took the blood of calves and of goats with water and scarlet
wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book and all the people
saying this is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined
unto you and so he goes on and then we're told it was therefore
necessary the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified
with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better
sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence
of God for us." And what is he? He's a mediator. there he is
in glory today and so we were told the last verse 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 well surely there we have set before us by the Apostle
the great need there was that there should be that perfect
sacrifice and therefore that valuable shed blood that should
be shed and the saviour should die and that was an acceptable
sacrifice unto almighty God and what occurred of course was his
blood was shed and therefore we have this these words here
and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all
sin now May the Spirit of God show to us that we do need cleansing. That we do need cleansing. It's
not something which is new. It's something which was evident
right through the Old Testament and illustrated very clearly
on so many occasions in the Old Testament. And Zachariah, when
he wrote his prophecy, again wonderfully under the Spirit
of God, He says in the 13th chapter, he tells us, in that day there
shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the
heavens of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. Well, what was that fountain
opened? It was, of course, the great
and glorious Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. indeed who did
come and was that fountain opened for sin." What a mercy it is
for us to know that that came to pass, as all the prophecies
in the Old Testament did. They all came to pass. even Ezekiel who speaks of this
same wonderful blessing and he tells us in the 36th chapter
25th verse then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall
be clean from all your filthiness and from all your idols will
I cleanse you. He goes on to say those glorious
words, a new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will
I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your
flesh and I will give you a heart of stone and I will put my spirit
within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall
keep my judgments and do them. So we have this evidence of the
need for cleansing. And so it is. So it was. And it is today. And all of us
today need to be cleansed from our sin. No unholy thing can
enter into glory. No sin is found in heaven. It is a holy place. And we are
all sinners, without exception. And we're all great sinners,
without exception. And we all need to be cleansed. And we all need to have our sins
taken away. We all need to have our sins
forgiven. And the only way, the only way
that can be done is through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we have these words, and
the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, God's Son, cleanseth us
from all sin. Well I wonder tonight if we are
perhaps realising our desperate need of cleansing, desperate
need of having our sins taken away. Can't seem to get rid of
them, there they are about us and they cling to us. Well, the
remedy is to look out of ourselves, out of ourselves to the great
and glorious work of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, the apostle
wrote much about the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the shed
blood of the Saviour. And you may remember that there
was that occasion when the Lord Jesus Christ came on this earth
and baptized by John the Baptist. And John the Baptist made this
wonderful statement when he said, Behold the Lamb of God. And he didn't stop there. Behold
the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Now, if you and I are in need
of our sin being taken away, then surely the Lamb of God,
the Lord Jesus Christ, will be attractive to us. We will have
some little understanding of His great value. and the wonderful
value of his shed blood and desire, indeed, that we may truly rejoice
in it. The Apostle, when he wrote to
the Ephesians, he tells us, according as he has chosen us in him, before
the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good
pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace,
wonderful words, aren't they, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."
Grace is a charming sound, isn't it? When it is to a sinner made so by the Holy
Spirit, it's a joyful sound, grace. And here we have this
statement, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of His grace. How much grace there is. with
gods to come to us as such unworthy sinners and he tells us wherein
he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence how humbling
to think this grace of God abounds toward us having made known unto
us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he
hath purposed in himself. The mystery of his will, not
known, you see, to unbelievers, but the mystery of his will is
made known to those whom he hath chosen, to those whom he has
called by his grace. He makes known to them this great
and glorious mystery of this shedding of blood, Without shedding
of blood there's no remission, there's no forgiveness. But oh
to know the power, the power of this great truth and the wonder
of it, the mercy of it. when he wrote to the Corinthians,
you remember that wonderful statement when he gives that list of what
sinners the Corinthians were, and indeed what sinners we are,
when he tells us, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not
inherit the kingdom of God? Be ye not deceived? neither fornicators,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of
themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards,
nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of
God." And I suppose our reaction would be, well, there's no hope
for me, because I am condemned by those words. Well, there is
hope. Because the Word of God tells
us, and such were some of you, but ye are washed. How are we washed? Washed in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore you see, we may feel
condemned, we should feel condemned, but we should look beyond that
condemnation to what the Saviour has done to realise this great
truth and such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are
sanctified but ye are justified how? in the name of the Lord
Jesus and by the Spirit of our God This is the glorious work
of salvation, the glorious work of redemption, the glorious work
of the Holy Spirit of God. And do we not thank God for it? Should we not thank God for it?
I hope we do. I hope we really rejoice in it,
in the wonder of this shed blood upon Calvary. As I said, the
Word of God is full of these truths, and so often, you know,
we fail to appreciate it. We fail to take it in. We can
become so familiar with the Word of God, which is not a bad thing,
it's a good thing of course, but we don't read it as carefully
as we should. And when John was on the Isle
of Patmos, you may remember, he had that wonderful vision
given to him and the vision spoke like this John to the seven churches
which are in Asia grace be unto you and peace from him which
is and which was and which is to come and from the seven spirits
which are before his throne and from Jesus Christ who is the
faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead and the
prince of the kings of the earth unto him now listen that loved
us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and hath made
us kings and priests unto God and his father to him be glory
and dominion forever and ever Amen. What a truth that is. It's
beyond our comprehension, really, isn't it? Naturally, to think
of the grace and love of God so great to such unworthy sinners
described in that sixth chapter of the Corinthians, and yet to
think that this gracious God comes, has come, to seek and
to save that which was lost, that which was undone, those
who have no hope in themselves, They realise they're lost and
ruined in the fall unto him that loved us and washed us from our
sins in his own blood. You see that's why we sometimes
think of that Balladus being precious which it is and I do
often refer to and it's worth referring to and that's what
the Apostle Peter says in his first epistle and in the first
chapter he speaks of these great truths which are so necessary
and he says for as much as ye know, that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things as silver and gold." He brings it down
to a level that we can imagine naturally, can't we? We know
the value of silver and gold, but however much you and I might
have, we would never be able to purchase the forgiveness of
our sins. The price is beyond silver and
beyond gold. However much we had, it wouldn't
be sufficient to take away our sin. And so the apostle tells
us, you're not redeemed with corruptible things as silver
and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your
father. So what's going to happen? What
are we going to do? What are we going to say? Well
the remedy is very clear and it's very powerful and it's very
glorious and here it is. with the precious blood of Christ,
as of a lamb, without blemish and without spot." He goes on
to give us the greatness of God, who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you. How humbling, isn't it, to think
of that? It's personal to you and to me. For you, says the
word of God, who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from
the dead, and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might
be in God." See, there's no room for pride here, is there? Everything
you and I have received comes from the good hand of God. Do
we not have to say, to Him be the glory, forever and ever. Amen. It's your faith and hope
might be in God, seeing you purified your souls in obeying the truth
through the Spirit. We only obey the truth through
the Spirit. We don't obey it naturally. It's all the work
of the Spirit of God. It's all of grace. Isn't it wonderful? through the spirit unto an unfain
love of the brethren see that ye love one another with a pure
heart fervently being born again not of corruptible seed but of
incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth
forever you see we have the truth of scripture to hold on to things
of time fade, things of time vanish away but things of scripture
remain forever they do not fade away they are eternal and can
we not therefore bless God for these great and glorious truths
and be so thankful for it and the blood of Jesus Christ his
son cleanseth us from all sin so such a comprehensive statement
isn't it doesn't say well just for those sins which are really
very big and very bad, no, every sin, every sin, completely washed
away in the precious blood of the Saviour. The Apostle, again,
writing to the Colossians, follows this wonderful theme, and it's
a theme I'm quite sure that the Church of God will never be weary
of. It's a theme which they will
rejoice in and love to hear. And when he wrote to the Colossians,
the Apostle wrote like this, he said, giving thanks unto the
Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear
Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness
of sins. Redeemed through his blood. If Christ had not died, there
would have been no redemption. But Christ did die, he paid the
ultimate price. There is no greater price to
pay than to give our life. But of course, if we'd given
our life, it would have been a sinful life, and it would not
have been acceptable unto Almighty God, who is holy and just. But the Lord Jesus Christ, he
lived that perfect life on this earth, and he was therefore a
right person, a suitable person, the only person who could redeem
us, in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness
of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
of every creature. Well, is our hope tonight in
the finished work of the Saviour? Is our hope tonight to be forgiven
in the shed blood of the Saviour? Do we have that good hope that
we are redeemed, and redeemed through this only way? Through
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because it says here, in whom
we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of
sins. And that is comprehensive. It
is complete. That's why the apostle, when
he wrote to the Romans, when having confessed his own sinful
situation, He looks beyond that and says, there is therefore
now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. It's that which
God has done for them, or how the Apostle rejoiced in it, didn't
he? Do you and I tonight rejoice
in these great and glorious truths, to be able to thank God for them,
for the redemption of the redemption that the Lord Jesus Christ has
brought about. So the Apostle John rejoiced
in it as well, didn't he? We've had Peter, we've had Paul,
we've got John. They rejoice in this great and
glorious truth of forgiveness of sin and You see, blessed with this, the
apostle brings forth an important point. We don't intend to go
into this at all tonight really. But if we walk in the light,
as he is in the light, we have fellowship. one with another
and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all
sin. So if the Lord has brought us
into the light, the glorious light of the gospel, it is to
see the great and wonderful truth of this verse here, the blood
of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin. When we're in
darkness, when we're not in the light, such a truth will not
have any real effect upon us. We might understand it naturally,
but it won't touch our hearts. But you know, when we come before
God as a guilty, hell-deserving sinner, then the blood of Jesus
Christ means something to us. It meant something to Israel
of old, didn't it? You know, when they were to come
out of Egypt, there was only one safe place and that was to
be under the blood if they hadn't carried out that instruction
that Moses gave where the lamb was slain and the blood taken
and put upon the doorpost and lint was so they weren't under
that blood and in that dwelling there was no safety the firstborn
was to be slain and it's the same today there is only safety
for you and me If we are under the blood, that means that you
and I have possessed that gift of God, of faith to believe that
Lord Jesus Christ came in this world to save sinners, as the
Apostle said, of whom I am chief. Now you won't glory in your sin,
but your glory in the Saviour. Your glory that there's such
a Saviour to save the worst of sinners. He saved the Apostle
Paul. And Paul tells us, doesn't he? He exclaims about it. How often
he refers to it. This grace of God and this blessing
of his shed blood and the fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. And
you see, our fellowship will not be there. unless we appreciate
what the Saviour has done for us, so that He is then precious. There's no preciousness, is there,
unless we know the cost of our salvation, how much it costs,
and therefore to realise that the Saviour so willingly came
into this world to suffer and to bleed and to die, that we
might one day live with Him forever in perfect harmony, in perfect
holiness, in glory. the blood of Jesus Christ his
son cleanseth us from all sin. Well sinners can say and only
they how precious is the Saviour. And of course the apostle when
he came on and He wrote many things and also when you come
to that last book in the Bible, the Revelation, if you read words
there again, speaking about this redemption and this shed blood,
you know, it's a wonderful theme, isn't it? It's a theme which
we should never tire of. and the Apostle says in the fifth
chapter of the Revelation, he speaks about the Church of God,
and he said, And lo, 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 says, 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 and twenty
elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps
of gold and vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints."
It's worth pondering, isn't it? You know, true prayer is a sweet
odour to God. And they sung a new song, saying,
Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seven 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 has
made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign on
the earth. What a wonderful thing it is
then to have by faith a view of glory and a view of the Lamb
in the midst and recognise that there we have our great and blessed
Saviour and to fall down and to desire to worshipping now
upon the earth We shall by His grace worship Him in glory, for
I believe the true Church of God may bow down and worship
Him on this earth because of what He's done in redeeming their
souls with his precious blood. And not only do we have this
reference in the fifth chapter in Revelation, but we also have
it in the seventh chapter, where the Apostle tells us, and he
says, and after this i beheld and lo a great multitude which
no man could number of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues
stood before the throne and before the lamb clothed with white robes
and palms in their hands and cried with a loud voice saying,
Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne and unto the
Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about
the elders, and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on
their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen. Blessing and glory
and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be
unto our God forever and ever. Amen." You know, we can't think
of words coming really to praise God and to thank him for his
great and glorious grace and for his wonderful salvation.
And one of the elders answered saying unto me, what are these
which are arrayed in white robes and whence came they? And I said
unto him, Sir, thou knowest. He said unto me, These are they
which came out of great tribulation." We don't like to think perhaps
that life on this earth is great tribulation, but more as it is,
that's what we're told and that's what we're promised. But we should
not settle down and think, well, therefore it's going to be a
terrible time for me. No, they'll be looking forward.
So he says here, came out of great tribulation and have washed
their robes. How? And made them white in the
blood of the Lamb. It's only the death, it's only
the shed blood of the Saviour that can cleanse us from our
sins and make us white. Oh how important it is, oh how
valuable is this blood, how important it is to know that blood was
shed for you and me. So it's not a theory, it's not
a fact, it is a fact, but we want to know that truth of it
applies to us individually. To know that Christ Jesus, the
almighty God, the ruler of the universe, the second person of
the trinity, came in this world to die. that we might live, that
we might receive the forgiveness of our sins, all our sins. They
might be washed away and therefore he says, these are they which
came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they
before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his
temple And he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among
them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither
shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, the
blessed Saviour, which is in the midst of the throne, shall
feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters. And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes. That's the blessed lot. of those
who are redeemed, the blessed lot of those who have been washed
in the blood of the Lamb, those who have had all their sins taken
away. Now surely, I hope we can all
appreciate how necessary and how important it is that we realise
the need to know this great truth, the blood of Jesus Christ, His
Son, cleanses us from all sin and to plead that we may have
the wonderful evidence in our souls that it is well with our
soul because of what Jesus has done that great work of salvation
and to have some little understanding of the great cost it was the
agony the Saviour passed through in order to satisfy the holy
demands of the holy law that we have failed to keep that we
have sinned against and we are guilty and hell deserving and
to think that the Lord Jesus Christ died so that we might
live he shed his precious blood oh tonight may we go home rejoicing
in the truth of these words and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleansed
us from all sin. Amen.