The Blood Of Jesus – Introduction!

INTRODUCTION

1. When we focus on the blood of Jesus, we are in safe territory
2. We are talking about the very blood which Jesus shed when he was crucified nearly 2,000 years ago.
3. The first evidence of Jesus shedding his blood was in the Garden of Gethsemane.

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44)

1. The second time Jesus shed blood would have come from his flogging by Pilate’s order. Matt. 27:26; John 19:1.
2. The third would have followed the Roman soldiers’ having set a crown of thorns on his head. Matt. 27:29; John 19:2.
3. The fourth and main part of Jesus’ shedding of blood was the act of crucifixion itself.

(1)          They nailed spikes through his hands and feet into the wooden cross.

(2)         This cross was hoisted upwards and dropped into a hole in the ground.

(3)         While hanging in extreme agony the blood dripped to the ground. flowing from his brow, his hands and feet – and possibly other parts of his body from the flogging.

34. The fifth evidence of shedding blood, immediately following this death, was when a soldier `pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.’ John 19:34.
35. We are therefore referring to the actual blood that came from the body of the Son of God.
36. Abel’s blood, shed at the hands of his brother Cain, dripped to the ground and cried out to God from the ground. Gen. 4:10-11.
37. Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross, would also have fallen to the ground; it too cried out to God.
38.            This blood was precious in God’s sight.
39. Jesus was God’s beloved Son who was very pleasing to him. Matt. 3:17; Matt. 17:5.
40. How precious was that blood to the Father – and to us. I Pet. 1:19.
41. We therefore can be sure that any respect and honour we show to the blood of Jesus will be honouring and pleasing to God.
42. I fear that the rising number of ministers in this country who have either avoided or poked fun at the blood of Christ shows no sign of abating.

(1)          If Bible-denying liberals despise this teaching, it must be right.

(2)         If the devil hates this teaching, it must be right.

5. We are on safe and solid ground.
6. The purpose of this lesson is not only to redress the balance but also to clarify the meaning of the blood of Jesus in our day.
7. We will deal with these questions:
8. What is the meaning of the blood of Jesus?

(1)          Is it a phrase that simply refers to the cross, or Jesus’ death?

(2)         Is there value in the literal blood of Jesus itself?

1. What does the blood of Jesus do:

(1)          For God?

(2)         To Satan?

(3)         For us?

2. We will also deal with the meaning of Atonement, how the work of Christ on the cross is applied to our lives and its relevance in spiritual warfare.

Why is this study important?

1. It focuses on the greatest event in the history of mankind: the death of Jesus on the cross.
2. It focuses on the meaning and purpose of Christ’s death: atonement.
3. It comes to terms with a phrase or word (`the blood of Jesus’, `the blood’, etc.) which appears no fewer than thirty-five times in the New Testament.
4. It shows the connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
5. It shows what is the basis of our fellowship with the Father.
6. It shows what must be preached and taught in a generation that knows so little about Christ’s atonement.
7. It brings us face to face with one of the most essential ingredients in spiritual warfare.