Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 153, part 2. And we'll sing the first five
verses. And why, dear Saviour, tell me
why Thou thus would suffer, bleed, and die? What mighty motive could
Thee move? The motive's plain, it was all
for love. hymn 153 part 2 and we'll sing
the first five verses. Thou art the Son of the Virgin,
and Thou art the Holy One, there can be one. The work is done, the work is
done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is done, the
work is done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is
done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is done, the work
is done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is done,
the work is done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is done,
the work is done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is done, the
work is done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is
done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is done,
the work is done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is
done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is done, the
work is done, the work is done, the work is done, the work is
done How long can the river wait That water tremble on its bow? Tum is the roots of God. Then rocks and mountains rend
with dread, And in vain praise gave up the
dead, When on the sun it grew. And it is good to share. then stood the wretch of human
right, and weighed his debt, and showed his face. Take a bow and stop and sit and
count. O'er the land of the mountain
top, O'er the land of the mountain top, O'er the land of the mountain
top, ? And build on earth ? ? Thy ploughed
streams ? ? Nor e'er the grave ? ? Be blown over ? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 13. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews,
chapter 13. Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain
strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds
as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity as being
yourselves also in the body. Marriage is honourable in all,
and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content
with such things as ye have, For he hath said, I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee, so that we may boldly say, the
Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto
me. Remember them that have the rule
over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith
follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ,
the same yesterday, and today and forever. Be not carried about
with divers and strange doctrines, for it is a good thing that the
heart be established with grace, not with meats which have not
profited them that have been occupied therein. We have an
altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the
sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the
camp. Wherefore Jesus also that he
might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without
the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto
him without the camp bearing his reproach. For here have we
no continuing city but we seek one to God. By him, therefore,
let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that
is the feet of our lips, giving thanks to his name. But to do
good and to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices
God is well pleased. Obey them that have the rule
over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls,
as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy
and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you. Pray
for us, for we trust we have a good conscience in all things
willing to live honestly. But I beseech you the rather
to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. Now the God
of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that
great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, make you perfect in every good work, to do his will,
working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through
Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. And
I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exultation, for I
have written a letter unto you in few words. Know ye that our
brother Timothy is set at liberty, with whom, if he come shortly,
I will see you. Salute all them that have the
rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you. Grace
be with you all. Amen. May the Lord bless the
reading of his own precious word, and grant unto us a spirit of
real prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
which is an art, an art to come, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, we
bow before thy glorious majesty, we desire to worship thee, we
desire now to approach unto thee, we would humbly come, and I The
prophet of old says, he putteth his mouth in the dust, if so
be there may be hope, and we would indeed humble ourselves
before thee. We're not worthy of the least
of thy tender mercies, of any of thy loving-kindnesses, but
we come to thee in that wonderful all-prevailing name of Jesus
Christ, thine only begotten Son. We're thankful, Lord, that we
have a heavenly Father, who has loved us with an everlasting
love, and therefore with loving kindness has drawn us. We pray
that thou wouldst graciously send thy Spirit in our midst
this afternoon, and grant, O Lord, the word of power, that we may
be able to witness as the Apostle did, for our gospel came unto
you not in word only, but in power, in the Holy Ghost, and
with much assurance may we have that assurance of the truth in
our hearts. May we have that assurance, O
Lord, that we're poor, lost, ruined, wretched sinners. We're
undone. We need thy mercy, thy love and
thy grace. May we have that assurance, Lord,
that there is a day of judgment when we must stand before thee
and we must give an account of our lives before thee. And may
we have that assurance, O Lord, that thou art righteous and holy
altogether. O gracious God, we think of the
prophet Udol, thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabited
eternity, whose name is holy. So we come to confess our sins,
our wanderings, our backslidings. We come, Lord, as poor, wretched
sinners, the fallen sons and daughters of Adam. born in sin,
shapen in iniquity. We come, most gracious Lord,
with that desire, sirs, we would see Jesus. And that is our desire
as we come here this afternoon, as we gather round thy word and
subsequently gather round thy table, our desire is that we
may see Jesus. maybe there's one and another
here like that dear woman if i might but touch the hem of
his garment i shall be made whole ah do grant that that may be
so here this afternoon some poor sinner may touch the hem of thy
garment lord jesus and draw from that sacred fullness is in thee
we do humbly beseech thee and we pray Most gracious Lord, that
those in darkness, spiritual darkness, may be brought into
light, those in bondage may be brought into liberty, those far
off may be made nigh. Gracious God, incline thine ear,
we do humbly beseech thee, and have mercy upon us, we pray thee,
for thy great namesake. We pray, O Lord, that Thou in
thy great mercy wouldst breathe thy word into our hearts. Remember
our brethren, the deacons, and give grace, wisdom, and help
in all their responsibilities. Remember each one of our brethren
and sisters in church fellowship. Remember us for good. Remember
us with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people, and
visit us with thy great salvation. Help us to love each other, serve
each other, bear each other's burden, thereby fulfilling the
law of Christ. May we esteem each other better
than ourselves to be, for thy great name's sake. And, O Lord,
we do pray that thou would remember the little ones and the children
and bless them indeed, and remember parents as they seek to bring
up their children, that they may be given wisdom and grace
to do so, to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord. Remember, O Lord, all in the midst of the journey of
life, all that thou wilt be gracious and help and support and sustain
and strengthen and undertake for each one. Remember, O Lord,
we beseech thee that those that are not able to gather, and we
lovingly commend them to thee, that whatever that reason may
be that they're not able to Remember those, O Lord, that could be
here but have no desire to be here. Remember the prodigals
that have wandered from the sanctuary and cause them to return and
cause them to come and give us hearts, gracious hearts, to receive
them with open arms. We do humbly beseech of thee. Let thy work appear unto thy
servants and thy glory unto their children. Remember the young
friends on the threshold of life's journey, with life before them,
and no doubt full of desire and ambition, that we pray that they
may be wrought upon by the Spirit, they may be brought to living
faith in Jesus Christ, and that we each may be enabled to lay
aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us,
and run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame
thereof, and is now set down at the right hand of the majesty
on high. Gracious God, make us a truly
spiritually minded people. Set our affections on things
above and not on things of the earth. Remember our dear aged
sister, Mrs. Field in hospital and graciously
in her great weakness to draw near and grant that she may feel
the support of those everlasting arms surrounding and supporting
her, strengthening and upholding her. Lord, remember her for good
and remember the family we do humbly pray thee for thy great
namesake and give her and abundant entrance into thy heavenly kingdom. Lord, we pray that the glory,
light, and power of gospel truth may shine into this village and
the surrounding villages and hamlets and many, many, many
precious souls may be gathered in. That there may be, Lord,
this house of prayer filled with hungry, longing souls pressing
into the kingdom of heaven. Lord, we long to see thy work
and thy power and thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. Remember all thy servants as
they labour upon the walls of Zion today. Set them free, set
them at liberty, and those that have long journeys, grant journey
and mercies unto them, O Lord, and take them home in peace and
safety at the appointed time. Remember thy people everywhere.
Remember those from among us that labour in the nations of
the earth, and graciously give them good success, we do humbly
beseech thee, and return among us, O Lord. We are minished and
brought low, and the congregations are small, and we pray that there
may be a rebuilding, a renewing, a reviving. Chapels are continually
closing, O that we could see chapels opening, and thy word
prospering and thy name honoured and glorified. Oh, for thy great
name's sake, have mercy upon us. Fulfil that wonderful word,
for I am returned unto Jerusalem with mercies. Oh, Lord, grant
that it may be so. Grant that we may see thy work
and thy power and thy glory. Grant that we may see the pulling
down of the strongholds of Satan and the setting up of the kingdom
of the Lord Jesus in the hearts of sinners. Hear us, O Lord,
we pray thee. Remember those, O Lord, that
are ensnared in Satan's snare, and thou hast promised that thou
wilt deliver from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome
pestilence. And we pray that we may see those
wonderful deliverances from sin and Satan's power. Thou, O Lord,
are able to do abundantly more than we can even ask or think. We long for prodigals to return
and to see that wonderful grace of God in bringing those that
were far off to bring them nigh. Hear us, Lord. We think of those
wonderful promises. Oh, bring thy sons from far and
thy daughters from the ends of the earth. And I will work, and
who shall let it? Lord, we plead those precious
promises. We thank thee for thy word. We
thank thee for the promises of thy word. We thank thee for every
mercy of thy kind providence. We thank thee for the sacred
and profound glories of our Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest in
the flesh, our Emmanuel. We thank thee for him. We thank
thee for that holy life he lived as a man here upon earth. We
thank thee for the holy law he has fulfilled and honoured and
magnified. and brought in everlasting righteousness. We thank thee for Calvary where
the lamb was slain, where sin was put away, where divine justice
is satisfied, where God and sinners are reconciled. We thank thee
that he died for our sins and rose again for our justification
and has now bodily ascended into heaven and sit is at thy right
hand. Gracious God, fill our hearts
with gratitude, with adoration, with thanksgiving and praise
for all thy wonderful mercies and thy loving kindnesses. O
Lord God, come and touch one's lips with a live coal from of
the heavenly altar. We ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Turn again to hymn 153, the second
part, and we will sing from verse 6 to the end. The tune is Colwall 315. Such was the race of sinful men
that gained that great salvation then, Such and such only still
we see, such they were all and such are we. Hymn 153, second
part, verses six to ten, tune Coldwall 315. ? Who hath made the heavens ? ?
And the earth ? ? Who hath made the heavens ? ? And the earth
? ? Who hath made the heavens ? ? And the earth ? ? Who hath
made the heavens ? ? And the earth ? ? Who hath made the heavens
? ? And the earth ? ? Who hath made the heavens ? ? And the
earth ? ? Who hath made the heavens ? ? And the earth ? ? Who hath
made the heavens ? ? And the earth ? ? Who hath made the heavens
? ? And the earth ? ? Who hath made the heavens ? ? Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave In each sense of the word, There
flows and flows, In each sense of the word. ? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave ? Thank ye, my brethren, so dearly. It shall always be true. How
great Thou didst be true and true. O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? Make every note from high to
low. Once I write a note to call you
to, Greatly feel indeed the Lord's
gracious help or direct your attention to the epistle to the
Hebrews in chapter 13 and that we will read verses 11 and 12
and 13. Hebrews chapter 13, reading verses
11 to 13. For the bodies of those beasts
whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest
for sin are burned without the wherefore Jesus also that he
might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without
the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto
him without the camp bearing his reproach. The Apostle as he does right
the way through the Hebrews remember he was writing to the Jews Hebrew
church hence the epistle to the Hebrews it was what is called
a general epistle to the Jews in the early church who understood
the rites and the sacrifices of the Old Testament they had
been brought up in it and they were steeped in that Levitical
religion and so he brings forth Christ out of those types and
sacrifices of the Old Testament. And here he does the same. He
speaks of the tabernacle worship and he says in verse 10, we have
an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serves the
tabernacle. The tabernacle worship was Levitical, it was typical. and
he says in the New Testament those types and those shadows
are done away they're finished with the sacrifices of the Old
Testament are no longer relevant because they pointed to the coming
of Christ the Messiah and they pointed to the cross of Calvary
where he was to shed his blood to redeem his people from sin
and Satan's power and so you see my beloved friends those
things were to be done away if we just look for a moment at
chapter 10 and the beginning of that chapter 10 and the apostle
there so beautifully lays these things before us with such clarity
for the law having a shadow now just think what he's trying to
say here what does a shadow mean? it looks like something from
a distance but when you get there there's nothing and so and he's
saying that this was so with these sacrifices the old testament
there was no substance in them for the law having a shadow of
good things to come and not the very image of the things can
never with those sacrifices which they offer year by year continually
make the comers there unto perfect for then would they not have
ceased to be offered because that the worshippers once purged
should have had no more conscience of sins but in those sacrifice
there is a remembrance again made of sins every year for it
is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should
take away sins wherefore when he cometh into the world he says
sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not but this is Christ but a
body hast thou prepared me in burnt offering and sacrifice
of sin, thou hast no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come. In the
volume of the book it is written to me that, that's a quotation
from Psalm 40. You see, my beloved friends,
those that serve the tabernacle have no right to Jesus Christ. We have to be brought to the
end of everything that we can do We have to be brought to the
end of all types and shadows. The apostle, when he writes to
the Galatians, he says, for they that will perish with the using
thereof. I like what Isaac Watts says
in one of his hymns, but we have no such lengths to go. What does
he mean? Three times a year the Israelites
all had to gather in Jerusalem. And there they offered sacrifices
and offerings. There was the Feast of the Passover,
the Feast of Tabernacles, and one other feast. They had long
distances, they had to take animals, they had to do divers washings.
All manner of things that they had to do under the Levitical
dispensation. But we have no such lengths to
go. Why? because Christ has come,
the great antitype, the true Messiah. The Jews rejected him
by and large. There was of course a large company
that did believe in him. We read of many on the day of
Pentecost, 3,000 souls that were saved and probably the vast majority
were Jews. And it was so throughout the
church. And this is who the apostle is
writing to. We have an altar. What does he
mean, an altar? Well, they had an altar. Central
to their worship was an altar. He says we have an altar. What
does he mean? Christ. I've often explained
to you the meaning of the altar and the sacrifice on the altar.
The altar, if we're looking at Christ, the altar in a typical
sense represents the Son of God. The sacrifice on the altar represents
his human nature. So in that altar and the sacrifice
there is the typical, the altar is the Son of God, the sacrifice
on the altar is his holy human nature. He offered himself without
spot God. This is most clearly shown in
the ninth chapter of the Hebrews here and it says in the 14th
verse, how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the
eternal spirit, that term there the eternal spirit is referring
to the divine nature of the Son of God, who through the eternal
spirit offered himself as the Son of God and His sacred human
nature. He offered His holy human nature
on the altar of His divinity. How much more shall the blood
of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without
spot to God, purge your conscience and dead works to serve the living
God. For this cause He is the mediator
of the New Testament that by means of death, for the redemption
of the transgressions that were under the first testament, that
of course is the law, they which are called might receive the
promise of eternal inheritance. You see my beloved friends, these
things are written for our instruction and may the Lord, and we read
do we not, then opened he their understanding and may the Lord
open our understanding that we might understand what these things
mean. We no longer have types and shadows. We have the reality of what they
typified and pointed to. The reality is the son of God
manifest in the flesh. That virgin that was with child,
she brought forth her son. It says that he shall be called
the son of the highest. He's the eternal son of the eternal
father in the glorious person of Jesus Christ. is God. God. We read great is the mystery
of godliness that God was manifest in the flesh. We have an altar
whereof they had no right to eat which served the tabernacle
for the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the
sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the
candle. And what the apostle here is
saying, wherefore Jesus also, he was saying that because the
bodies of those beasts were taken without the camp and burned without
the camp, he said that typified that Christ was crucified outside
of the city of Jerusalem, at the place that is called Calvary. Wherefore Jesus also that he
might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without
the gate. We have to go out. You know,
in a sense, he's writing to the Hebrews, he said we have to separate. That's what he's saying here.
We have to go without the camp. The Jews in particular suffered
terrible persecution from their own families. because they followed
the despised Nazarene, Jesus Christ. And they suffered greatly
for that. And one of the great burdens
of the Apostle in writing to the Hebrews is that because of
the great persecution and trouble they had because they had come
out from that organized Jewish religion, He was writing, if you might
put it this way, the watchword of Hebrews is hold fast, hold
fast. Don't give up, don't look back,
don't turn back, but hold fast. That's the great burden of the
epistle to the Hebrews. Now, he says, wherefore Jesus
also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood,
suffered without the game. He was despised and rejected
of men. He was falsely accused by the
Roman rulers and by the Jewish leaders. Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him! That
is what they said. And of course he was holy and
pure and righteous altogether. He did no sin, neither was God
found in his mouth. And yet he was condemned as a
criminal. One of the great accusations against him, while they crucified
him, he made himself the son of God. My beloved friends, he
was the son of God. He couldn't deny himself. He's
the eternal son of the eternal father. He's God manifest in
the flesh. He is despised and rejected of
men. A man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief. I love, what? Dr. Cromacher puts, when he's speaking
of the suffering saviour, speaking of Calvary where the lamb was
slain, he said there was that place outside of the city of
Jerusalem, he calls it the place of naked justice, where no mercy
could come, the condemned criminal, condemned within the city in
the courts, and then taken out to the place of execution, the
place where no mercy could come. That's where the holy spotless
Son of God was taken. One of the chief accusations?
He made himself the Son of God. You see, my beloved friends,
He is the Son of God. He is declared to be the Son
of God with power. You know, the Lord Jesus in his
teachings he said if they call the master of the house Beelzebub
how much more you? How much more you? If Christ
was treated in that way how much more we his followers? We must
expect the same pathway despised and rejected of men. Wherefore
Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood,
suffered without the gate. And he says those beasts taken
without the camp and burned, typical of Christ. He suffered
without the camp. Now, the exhortation here, let
us go forth, therefore, unto him. Without the camp, bear in
his reproach. Let us go forth unto Christ without
the camp, bear in his reproach. You know friends, it's the path
of the true believer. Now we thankfully do not suffer
much outward persecution in the day in which we live. If you
read of our godly forefathers, the Puritans in particular, And
they suffered terrible persecution. They lost their lands, they lost
whole estates. Why? Because they followed the
Lord Jesus Christ. And they rejected the false doctrines
that were principally in the Church of England. At that time,
you were only allowed to worship in the Church of England. And
the vast majority of the ministers were not godly men. And because they decided to separate
from them, they were called Puritans, they wanted everything pure.
They wanted to worship according to the Word of God. They didn't
want crosses and altars. They wanted that basic, fundamental,
New Testament worship. And therefore they were despised.
And they were rejected. Persecuted, they were imprisoned.
Some of them were executed because they followed the Lord Jesus
Christ. Because they followed the Word of God. Because they
believed the Word of God. And the exhortation to us, let
us go forth therefore unto Him. You see, what he's saying here,
you won't find Him within the camp. You'll only find Him without
the camp. Bear in mind, he's talking to
the Jews. He's writing to the Jews. You won't find him in that
organized religion of the Levitical dispensation. You'll find him
without the camp. Let us therefore go forth, let
us go forth therefore unto him without the camp. You know friends,
that's a very difficult thing to do. It is. when the Lord shows
you something and you've got to separate from it something
perhaps like the Jews you were steeped in it it's part and parcel
of your religion and you have to separate that's a really painful
thing to do when we're brought to separate but we must do it
for the right reason go in unto Jesus let us therefore
Let us go forth, therefore, unto him without the camp, bearing
his reproach, despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief. Oh, my beloved friends, you know,
and then we have that lovely word following, for here have
we no continuing city. but we seek one yet to come. He says in this epistle strangers
and pilgrims strangers and pilgrims without the cap despised by the
organized religion of the day and many of the Lord's people
have had to walk this pathway to come out and separate and
the Puritans, it was particularly separating from the Church of
England. But in the generation previous, Martin Luther, John
Calvin, and those reformers, they separated from the Roman
Catholic Church. It was a tremendous battle, and
it was a tremendous thing for them to do. But by the grace
of God, they did just that. They went out of that organized
religion, and they started their own churches and they were sorely
persecuted, they were burnt at the stake. Many of them lost
their lives purely and simply because they could see so clearly
that this was a worldly religion. This was a carnal religion, this
was not the religion of the Spirit of God. So they separated. You've got Martin Luther standing
at the Day of Worms. He holds the Word of God. He
says, here I stand. I can stand at no other place
but here upon the Word of God, upon the truth of God. And of
course he was a mighty man able to expound the Word of God, open
the Word of God. He knew the Word of God in the
Hebrew and the Greek and he could open that Word in a very clear,
logical way and confound his enemies. And the Lord blessed
his testimony. Many, many thousands were brought
out of the Catholic Church and brought into the Protestant Church.
He was a mighty man of God. John Calvin was another one.
Delivered wonderfully from the chains of Romanism and brought
unto Jesus Christ to say that he is the way, the truth and
the life. No more sacrifice, no more priests, but the New
Testament worship. see that they had to come out
as we read it in the epistle to the Corinthians come out from
among them come out from among them touch not the unclean thing
and i will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters
saith the lord god almighty come out from among them and be ye
separate to separate you know The word sanctification, one
of the essential meanings of it is separation. We're to separate
from this world, and the things of this world, and the ways of
this world, and the fashion of this world. We're to separate
from it. In the Thessalonians, in the
Epistle to Titus, he calls the Lord's people a peculiar people,
zealous of good works. Wherefore Jesus also, that he
might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without
the gain. Let's just look at that aspect
of our text, because it's very central to it, that he might
sanctify the people with his own blood, the precious blood
of Jesus Christ. You know, when the ancient Israelite
came up to the tabernacle worship and they brought sacrifices and
some brought bullocks, some brought sheep, some brought turtle doves
and the beast's blood was shed and it was burned on the altar
as a sacrifice. The lamb that was brought on
the day of the Passover, its blood was taken and it was painted
on the side posts of the doors their houses and the Lord said
when I see the blood that the blood of the lamb of the sacrifice
is Christ and it's precious blood when I see the blood I will pass
over you I will not condemn you when I see the blood that's why
it's called the Passover the destroying angel was surpassed
through the land of Egypt that night and the firstborn of man
and beast were all to be slain But where the blood was, no death. There was a complete
deliverance. That blood delivered them when
I see the blood. But oh, it points to Calvary.
It points to the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son. And when the
Israelite came up to the tabernacle worship and the blood was shed
of the beast and the Basins were full of blood, and the hands
of the priest dripped with blood, and the blood poured out from
the altar. There was blood everywhere. And
the apostle takes it up here in the Hebrews. What did he speak? Without the shedding of blood,
there can be no remission of sins. Not all the blood of beasts
on Jewish altars slain. could give the guilty conscience
peace or wash away the stain. But Christ, the heavenly Lamb,
bears all our sins away, a sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood
than they. Oh, the blood of Jesus Christ,
God's Son. Notice the emphasis, my beloved
friends. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son. It was holy blood. It was pure
blood. And the reason of all those sacrifice
and offerings in the old Levitical dispensation, it was forbidden
that they should drink blood or eat blood. It was something
that was totally forbidden. But even in the New Testament,
in the Acts of the Apostles, it's laid down very clearly that
even the Christian believer should not drink blood. What way is
that? My beloved friends, In the sight
of God there is something so precious in the blood of man. But there's something even more
precious in the blood of Jesus Christ. And why there is those
sanctions put around blood is because it was by the means of
the blood of the Son of God that we should be redeemed. It cleanseth
us from all sin. Oh, the precious blood of Christ. What is that name? that speaks
for me in heaven's high courts above and from the curse has
set me free. It is Jesus' precious blood. It's through that precious blood
of the Lamb of God. The Lamb of God slain from before
the foundation of the world. In actual fact it's in the first
chapter of the first epistle of Peter that he speaks there
of the blood. in verse 18, for as much as ye
know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver
and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times
for you. You see, precious blood of Christ. It's precious to our Eternal
Father. It is. It's the blood of Christ
that cleanses us from all sin. And that blood is of infinite
worth. He's the Son of God. He's the
Son of God. He's declared to be the Son of
God with power. Jesus, the Son of God. And it's
His precious blood. and that is of such worth and
of such power that it cleanses from all sin, it delivers us
from the curse of the law. See in Acts chapter 20 and we
read in verse 28 the Apostle Paul here speaking to the elders
at Ephesus, take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the
flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers,
to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own
blood, with his own blood. But what a tremendous thing then
is the blood of Christ. What a tremendous thing. It's
the blood of Christ that has shut the gates of hell for the
church of God. It's the blood of Christ that
has opened the gates of heaven for the church of God. The blood
of Jesus Christ, God's Son, that cleanses us from all sin. From all sin. Not just some sin,
but all sin. It takes the stain of sin and takes it right away. We are made perfect in Christ. I've often quoted that word to
you, it comes from the Colossians, for we are complete in Him. Now that word complete, in other
places is translated perfect. So that's what it means, we are
perfect in Him. You may look upon yourself, you
may have a sense of your sinnership, of your unworthiness, of your
wretchedness. We have to look out of self. We have to look
to Christ. We have to look to his precious
blood. And in him there is complete salvation. A perfect salvation. We read in Revelation and in
the seventh chapter concerning the church of God and John, he had a vision, he said
in verse 13, and one of the elders answered saying unto me, what
are these which are arrayed in white robes and whence came they?
He had a vision of the church, the redeemed church. And I said
unto him, sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, these are
they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their
robes and made them white. in the blood of the lamb. Then
we have that word, therefore. They washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the lamb, therefore. So notice the
connecting word. Because they are washed 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, nor shall the sun light on them,
nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the
midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto
living fountains of waters and God shall wipe all tears from
their eyes. But central to the whole of that
vision, wash their robes and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb. Therefore, if you and I are ever
favoured to reach heaven, there'll only be one reason. The blood of Christ. One hymn writer says, the blood
of Christ, a precious blood, cleanses from all sin. Doubt
it not. Oh, my beloved friends, may the
Lord impress upon our hearts and upon our minds the preciousness,
the vital need, necessity, of the blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, to cleanse us from all sin, to sanctify us, to separate us,
The more we have experientially to do with the blood, the more
separate we shall be. It works by love. And the more
we have the preciousness of the blood, the more we love that
precious Redeemer. And the more we love Him, the
more we shall live like Him. And the more we shall follow
Him. And it will be easier to discard all those things that
so ensnare us. is when we have to do with the
blood. It has a sanctifying influence
in our hearts and in our souls. For the bodies of those beasts
whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest
for sin are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also that
he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without
the gain. Let us therefore Let us go forth
therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have no continuing
city, but we seek one to come. May the Lord add his blessing
to these few remarks.