I suppose if I were to select
two themes, if I had just two messages to deliver to the Church
of the Lord Jesus Christ, to those who profess to be believers,
I believe that what I preached last Sunday and what I'll be
preaching today are the two themes that I would choose. Last Lord's
Day, I brought you a message on he that loveth not knoweth
not God, on the subject of love. Let us love one another. This
morning, I want to bring you a message on the blood of Christ,
on the blood of Christ. I believe this twofold thing. This is the foundation of what
I'm trying to preach, of what the Bible is speaking, and of
what we believe. Love for God and trust and faith
in the blood of Christ. Now, here's the title of the
message. Now, both of these messages are on the same tape. I want
you to listen to this message today. And if you'd like to have
this tape with the message on love and the message on blood.
At the end of the broadcast, you'll see the address where
you write to receive the tape. Now, here's my text today. Let's turn to the book of Exodus,
chapter 12. I believe this is the best text
to serve as our foundation for the message on the blood of Christ
or the saving promise. Exodus 12, let's read verse 12
and 13. Do you have your Bible? Follow
along with me as I read. God says, I will pass through
the land of Egypt this night. Now, nothing is said of a death
angel. We hear people talk about the death angel passing through
the land of Egypt. God doesn't say, I'm going to
send a representative or send a messenger or send a death angel.
He said, I will pass through the land of Egypt this night,
and I will smite all the firstborn of the land of Egypt, both man
and beast. I will smite all the firstborn. And against the gods, that's
a little G there, against the leaders or princes of Egypt,
I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. I am the Lord. And he says to Israel, and the
blood shall be to you for a token upon the house where you are.
And when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. When I see the
blood, I'll pass over you. And the plague, the judgment,
the wrath of God shall not be upon you to destroy you when
I smite the land of Egypt. When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you." Is not this the word that we want to hear? Is this
not what you're interested in? I confess this is what I'm interested
in. This is the greatest promise
that a man can have from God on this earth. This is the greatest
promise that a man can realize. What is God saying? He's saying,
when I deal in judgment with Egypt, I deal in mercy with you.
And that's what He's saying to us in this passage. When I deal
in judgment with the world of sin, when I come in wrath and
judgment and condemnation upon this world, I'll cover you with
my grace. Now, that's what He's saying.
When I execute wrath for sin, I'm going to extend to you my
mercy. When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. Now, when this scripture was written, an angry God was
walking through the streets of Egypt. Someone said God with
sword drawn and sharpened for the conflict was walking through
the streets of Egypt that midnight and slaying on either hand the
firstborn in every home. God in judgment, God in wrath,
God in condemnation falling upon this land of Egypt and destroying
the pride of every home, the joy of every home, the firstborn
of every home, from Pharaoh's palace to the cattle in the barn
and the cattle on the field. Will he smite all? Will he condemn
all? Will he judge all? No, the voice
of mercy speaks. When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. I'll pass over you. God in judgment
walking through the streets of Egypt, God in wrath, God dealing
with sin, God dealing with men's rebellion, but God speaks to
a few, and He says, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you.
God's people are safe. They're safe. They're safe. Why are God's people safe? God's
people are safe. Now, God's people are honored
and saved, but they're safe. They're secure. There's no judgment
can come upon them. Paul said, there's no condemnation
to them who are in Christ. There's no judgment to them who
in Christ. Who can condemn me? God has justified me. Who can
lay anything to the charge of God's delight? Well, why are
they safe? Let me give you four reasons. God's people are safe,
number one, because they're in His heart. He said, I have loved
you with an everlasting love. In loving kindness, I've drawn
you. God's people are safe because they're in His heart. It's in
His heart to save them. It's in His heart to keep them.
It's in His heart to sustain them. It's in His heart to protect
them. Not only are they in His heart,
but they're in His hand. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, My
sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. My Father
which gave them Me is greater than all, and no man is able
to pluck them out of My hand. My Father which gave them Me
is greater than all, and no man can pluck them out of My Father's
hand. They're in His hand. No one can
get to them. They're secure, and they're safe.
God's people are safe. When the angry God, when the
God of vengeance, He said, Vengeance is mine, I'll repay, saith the
Lord. When He stalked through the land of Egypt at midnight,
and that horrible, bitter wail, a cry such as had never been
heard before, God said, ever would be heard again in the land
of Egypt, God's people were safe. Because they were in His heart
and in His hand, and not only that, but in His covenant. He
said, I'll make a covenant with you. I'll make a covenant with
you, and I'll write my law in your hearts and on your minds,
and your sins and iniquities will I remember no more. But
not only are they in his heart, in his hand, in his covenant,
but they're in his Son. There is no condemnation to them
who are in Christ Jesus. But this is what I want you to
see. God's people are saved. When God in judgment, He said,
when I visit the land of Egypt in judgment and wrath, you're
safe. But now watch it. Here's the
key. God's people are safe only under the blood, only in the
blood. He told Israel, He said, take
a lamb without spot or blemish of the firstling of the flock.
Put it up for four days. At the end of those four days,
slay that lamb and put the blood on the doorpost and on the lintel
on either side. And you go inside. And you eat
the lamb, all of it. Don't leave any till the morning.
If a family is too small for a lamb, then go in with the people
next door. But put the blood on the door.
Put the blood on the door. When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. God's people are safe only through
the blood. It's the blood that makes the
atonement for the soul. That's what the Scripture says.
Without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sin.
I know that this is not the day. when you hear a lot of preaching
about the blood. I know that people have spoken in a derogatory
fashion. They say, well, we don't want
to talk about slaughterhouse religion and old first century
doctrine and talk about the blood under the blood of Jesus and
are you washed in the blood and nothing but the blood and power
in the blood. Let me tell you something. God's
Word plainly says, it's the blood that maketh atonement for the
soul. It says without the shedding of blood, there's no remission
of sins. And I'll tell you where God's people are safe. Under
the blood of Jesus, safe in the shepherd's fold, under the blood
of Jesus, safe while the ages roll, safe though the world may
crumble, safe though the stars grow dim, under the blood of
Jesus Christ. And only under that blood are
we secure in Him. Now, God spared Israel that fearful
night in Egypt. God spared the firstborn in the
homes of every Israelite. Why? Well, he said, when I see
the blood, I'll pass over you, because the blood was on the
door. Where there was no blood on the door, there may have been
flowers out there. There may have been anything
out there. Where there was no blood on the door, death struck. God vested in wrath. And so it
is, my friend, with us in the day when God shall judge the
world, when God shall come forth in wrath against sin. We'll be secure, we'll be kept,
we'll be safe if we're covered with the Savior's righteousness
and sprinkled in his precious blood. That's what Augustus'
top lady was talking about, rock of ages cleft for me. Let me
hide myself in thee, let the water and the blood from thy
wounded side which flowed be of sin the double cure, save
me from its wrath and power. It's the blood of Christ that
maketh atonement for the soul. This is what Peter said in summing
it all up. He said, we're not redeemed with
corruptible things such as silver and gold from the vain conversation
received by tradition from our fathers, but with the precious
blood of Christ as of a lamb without spot or blemish. I recently
read a story about the great missionary Judson. Some of you
are familiar with that name, Judson. He went to Burma. This
was many, many years ago. But Judson went to Burma as a
missionary, stayed there for 30 years, and endured in that... This was back many years ago,
back before the days of modern provisions, and modern transportation,
and modern highways, and telephones, and television, and all these
things. This was back in the days of hardship and trial. And
he stayed there for 30 years, 30 years. ministering the gospel of Jesus
Christ, suffering untold hardships. When he came back to America
and he was scheduled to preach before a huge throng of people
in one of our cities, and the people came. His name was famous.
They came from many miles. They came from everywhere. That
auditorium was packed with people that night. And this old man,
after 30 years of ministering the gospel in Burma, Sitting
there on the platform, they had the usual service, and the preliminaries,
and the song service, and the special music. And then the master
ceremonies introduced Mr. Judson. And according to the
writer, he got up, and for about 20 minutes, he told that congregation
with tears streaming down his cheeks, how that God loved him
from all eternity, and how that God, in mercy and grace, sent
His Son into the world, how that Christ, born of a virgin, and
walked this earth as a man in perfect obedience to the holy
law of God, went to the cross of Calvary, and there He bore
our sin and our shame and our guilt and our filth in His body
on the tree, and how He suffered all the soul agony and bodily
agony and all the suffering and shame and humiliation, died for
our sins and was buried and rose again and ascended back to heaven
where He is our Mediator And he praised God during all that
time for the love and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
the old man sat down and the service closed. And on the way
back to the hotel that night, there was a young man accompanying
Mr. Judson. And he said, Judson said
this about the young man, said he was strangely quiet. And in
a moment he looked at me and he said this, he said, Mr. Judson, he said the people were
disappointed. They wondered that you did not
talk of something else." And Mr. Judson said, well, what did
they want to hear? And the young man said, well,
a story, a story perhaps. He said, I told them the most
thrilling story in the universe, the story of God's love and grace
and the death of God's Son. Yes, but the young man said they
wanted to hear something of your adventures in Burma. And with
that comment, the old man stopped the young man and laid his hand
on his arm. And he said, son, then I'm glad. I'm glad to know
and glad to report that a man, after 30 years in Burma, has
nothing more thrilling, more exciting, more wonderful to tell
than the love of God, which gave the Lord Jesus Christ to die
on the cross, or the grace of Christ, which took him to Calvary's
suffering mountain, or the grace of Christ which caused Him to
die for our sins, I know of no more thrilling story or more
wonderful message. And I'll tell you this, son,
I remembered tonight when I stood before those people where I may
meet them the next time, at the judgment bar of God. How could
I appeal to their curiosity? How could I tickle their ears
with adventures My adventures, this is not what Christ sent
me to do. Christ sent me to preach the gospel. So my friends, listen
to me. If there's a preacher listening
to me today, hear me and hear me clear. If that great missionary
like Judson, after 30 years in the jungles of Burma, could find
nothing more exciting or more thrilling or more wonderful or
more appropriate to preach to his congregation than the blood
of Jesus Christ, who are we to try to tickle men's ears? with
our fresh ideas, back to the cross. That's what Paul said,
back to the cross. I am determined to know nothing
among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. God forbid
that I should glory save in the cross of Jesus Christ. It's the
blood that maketh atonement for the soul. What can wash away
my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole
again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
There's a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins,
and sinners plunge beneath that flood, lose all their guilty
stance. This is what the Bible teaches.
When I see the blood, I'll pass over you. That's what God said
to Israel, and that's what He's saying to you and me. When I
see the blood, not your church membership, not your morality,
not your self-righteousness, not your religious deeds, not
even your decision. When I see the blood, pass over
you. It's the blood that maketh atonement
for the soul. I have given it to you, God says,
upon the altar. It's the blood that maketh atonement
for the soul. In Old Testament days, under
the types and shadows and symbols and pictures, almost all things
were sanctified by blood. The priest was sprinkled with
the blood, the book was sprinkled with the blood, the altar was
sprinkled with the blood, the tabernacle was sprinkled with
the blood, everything. And without the shedding of blood,
no forgiveness. This is what Isaac said to Abraham
when they started up that mountain, Mount Moriah. He said, Father,
here is the wood and here is the fire. I want to know where
is the lamb? There can be no worship of God
without blood. There can be no acceptance by
God without blood. There can be no redemption without
blood. There can be no sin offering without blood. A bloodless religion
is a salvation. with a salvation-less religion. It has no salvation. It has none. It has no hope. It has no promise
without the blood. Now, let me point out four things.
There are four things we need to see here. First of all, very
briefly, the blood itself. The blood itself. Secondly, now
watch this word. I'll explain it later. Most of
you know what it means anyway, but we'll get at the efficacy
of the blood. The efficacy. Now, and then thirdly,
I want to talk about One condition. Preacher, do you preach a conditional
salvation? Yeah, there's one condition. And we're going to
look at the one condition. And then let's see if we can
learn something. Now, first of all, the blood itself. Here's
God passing through the land of Egypt in wrath and judgment
and condemnation. Men are dying on every hand.
The scream is going up from the land of Egypt at midnight. God
has fallen upon the people in wrath. But He said, when I see
the blood, I'll pass over you. Now, what kind of blood is it?
What kind? Well, first of all, the blood
on that door was the blood of a divinely appointed victim. It wasn't just any blood. God
said to Israel, take a lamb. Take a lamb. God designated what
it was to be, a lamb. A lamb. You take a lamb. Now,
God has designated our sin offering, our sacrifice. That's right.
John the Baptist came preaching, prepare the way of the Lord,
salvation's coming. pointed to Jesus Christ and said,
there he is. Behold the Lamb of God. There
he is. There's the Lamb. There's the
ordained, appointed, designated victim. Sacrifice. The Lamb of God. He was led as
a lamb before her shearers as dumb, as a sheep before her shearers
he opened not his mouth. In the fullness of time God sent
his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. He was ordained
and appointed of God. The high priest didn't take that
office upon himself. It was given to the man that
God appointed for that office. And Jesus Christ is God's Lamb.
Now notice the second thing about the blood. It was the blood of
a divinely appointed victim. Secondly, it must be a spotless
victim. They couldn't take a sheep that
was diseased or had broken bones or was sickly. They had to take
a lamb, the first thing of the flock, in the first year, full
strength, without spot or blemish, and they put it up in a pen for
four days and observed it to make sure there was no spot.
Our lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, is without sin. He knew no sin. He had no sin. He did no sin. No gowl in his mouth. Our Lord
Jesus Christ was tempted as we are, yet without sin he was holy,
harmless, and undefiled. He had no sin. All right, thirdly,
our lamb, their lamb was an animal. The blood of animals cannot put
away sin. Hebrews tells us all the blood
of bulls and goats on Jewish altars slain could not wash away
sin or put away one stain. Those were types in pictures.
But this blood is the blood of God Himself. Now, let it be understood
what I'm saying. I want you to understand exactly
what I'm saying. Back in Old Testament days, Aaron
and the sons of Levi and these priests brought the lamb and
slew the lamb and put its blood on the mercy seat. That was a
picture. That blood didn't put away anybody's sin. If it did,
if it could have, those sacrifices would have ceased to be offered.
But they repeated them again and again and again. Christ came,
this man, offered one sacrifice, and with one sacrifice perfected
forever those that are sanctified, those that believe, because it
is the blood of God. Preacher, what are you saying?
I'm saying this, that Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who died on the
cross, is God Almighty in human flesh on this earth, walking
on this earth. That's exactly what Scripture
teaches. He's not a representative. He's not a messenger. He's not
an ambassador. He's not even a son of God. He
is the Son of God. Now listen to these Scriptures.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. All things were made by him,
and without him was not anything made that was made. And the Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us. The angel said to Joseph,
Call his name Jesus. He'll save his people from their
sins. That it might be fulfilled, written by the prophet, Behold,
a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son, and thou shalt call
his name Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus Christ said, I and my Father
are one. He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father. Paul said, feed the church of God, which God purchased
with God's own blood. Our Heavenly Father said of Christ,
Thy throne, O God, is forever. That's exactly what I'm saying,
and that's what the Bible's teaching. If Jesus Christ is a mere man,
He's the biggest liar, the greatest imposter and phony that ever
walked on this earth. His soul's in hell at this moment,
and His bones are rotten in a grave in Jerusalem, and He didn't rise
from the tomb. If He's a mere man, But He's
not a mere man, He's the God-man. When Jesus Christ came to this
earth, God walked among men. When He went to the cross in
human flesh, God Almighty reconciled the world to Himself by providing
Himself a sacrifice. He provided the sacrifice to
Himself and of Himself. That's exactly what I'm saying.
Would you be free from your burden of sin? There's power in the
blood. Would your evil of victory win? It's the blood of a divinely
appointed victim. It's the blood of a sinless victim.
It's the blood of God himself. Can you imagine the value of
it? Can you imagine the power of it? Can you imagine the glory
of it? It's not how much blood was shed
on that cross. It's whose blood. Somebody said
one time, how can the blood of one man atone for so many who
he was? Now, in Egypt, each family had
its own lamb. You see, representatively. But
now, all believers have the same lamb. The efficacy of the blood. He said, when I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. I'll pass over you. Now, what
do we mean by efficacy? This is what we mean. I mean
the blood of Christ, the blood of the Son of God, is sufficient
to save. Not only that, but it's able
to save. He is able to save to the uttermost
them that come to God by Him. He's able. Not only that, but
His blood is enough to save. Now, here's a question. Jesus
Christ came down here and died. And He was buried. How do I know
that God Almighty accepted His sacrifice for me and for you? That's a good question. They
all stood there and watched Him die. Suffered, bleed, agonized. They took Him down from the cross
and put Him in a tomb. Everything's quiet. Heaven is
quiet. Earth is quiet. Everything's
still. How do we know? I hear people
say, I'm satisfied with Jesus. I'm not concerned about what
you think of Jesus Christ. I'm not concerned whether or
not you're satisfied with Him. I'm concerned with one thing.
Is God satisfied with Him? You see, my debt is not owing
to you, it's owing to God. You don't owe anything to me,
but I've sinned against God. God's the one against whom we've
sinned. David said, "...against thee, thee only have I sinned,
done this evil in thy sight." I want to know if Jesus Christ
is my representative, my substitute, my sin offering, is God satisfied
with Him? Well, how do I know God's satisfied
with Him? Two things. One is by His Word. By His Word. It says in Ephesians, "...in
Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sin." That's as clear as it can be made. In Christ, we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. But here's the second
way I know that God has accepted the offering and sacrifice of
Christ. He raised him from the dead. It was still that Sunday
morning. After three days in the tomb,
the angel came down from heaven and touched that stone, and it
rolled away. And our Lord Jesus Christ came
out of the tomb and ascended back to the Father. and sat down
at the right hand of God. And that's how I know that God
accepted His sacrifice for me. He is declared to be the Son
of God by the resurrection from the dead. Paul said, if Christ
be not risen, we're false witnesses. If Christ be not risen, your
faith is vain. If Christ be not risen, you're
yet in your sins. If Christ be not risen, folks
who have died and buried will never arise, they'll perish.
Thirdly, the one condition affixed to the promise. What did He say? When I see the blood, that's
the main thing, the blood, the blood. I'll pass over you. That encourages us, that interests
us. I'll pass over you. Now, what's
the one condition? When I see the blood. God said,
when I see the blood. The sacrifice for sin is not
toward you and me. Christ didn't die to win your
sympathy. Christ died to win the Father's approval and acceptance
of all for whom He died. The blood is always sacrificed
toward the Lord or before the Lord. It's not when you see the
blood. God says, when I see the blood. How can God be just and
justifier? He saw Christ in the covenant.
He saw Christ in the types. He saw Christ on the tree, he
saw Christ in the tomb as our scapegoat, and he sees Christ
at his right hand as our Redeemer. And the song of heaven is unto
him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood
and made us kings and priests unto God his Father." The payment
was toward God. And when God the Father said,
when I pass through the land of Egypt and when I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. We need to think on some things,
some lessons to be learned, my friend. And here are the lessons
to be learned. There are four things I want you to see. This
was the basis of the Reformation. Number one, the Scriptures alone.
If we want to find the way of salvation, let's go to the Scriptures.
Let's don't go to the writings of men, the dogmas of the church.
Let's go to the Scripture. Not only the Scriptures alone,
but Christ alone. There's no one that can add to
His redemptions, Christ alone. And it's grace alone, not of
works, lest any man should boast. And it's the right of individual
private judgment. When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. You. The issue has to be settled
right here. Now, these two messages I mentioned,
the love and blood, let us love one another in the blood of Christ.
When I see the blood, I'll pass over you. If you want them, send
two dollars right to me, and we'll get the messages to you
in the mail on cassette tape, both messages on one tape. Until
next Lord's Day, God bless you, everyone.