Sermons and Outlines

1 Peter 1:18-25 NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS

Intro: Ill. When a large religious service was being conducted at the Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco, many people quickly became aware that the minister delivering the main address was not thoroughly orthodox. Although a gifted speaker, he began to direct most of his eloquence against the power of the blood of Christ. Ruth E. Marsden relates that when his fluent oratory ended, a timid, elderly lady stood up in the midst of the crowd and softly began to sing a great hymn by William Cowper as a touching rebuttal to the modernist's remarks. A hush fell over the assembly as they heard those faint but familiar words: "There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains." Before she could begin the second stanza, approximately a hundred people rose to join her. By the time she reached the third verse, nearly a thousand Christians all over the audience were singing that blessed song of faith. The triumphant, thrilling strains rang out loud and clear: "Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power, till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more." Many were deeply moved as that humble believer stood up for her Lord and with the light of Heaven upon her face gave testimony that she had found peace through the blood of His cross!

We live in a sad hour. An hour in which many, both within and without the church see no need for old-fashioned, Bible-centered, blood-bought salvation. They say things like, "Man doesn’t need the Blood in order to be saved." We live in a time when many main line denominations have moved to proclaiming a social Gospel instead of a Gospel proclaiming salvation through the Blood of Christ. Some have even gone so far as to remove songs dealing with the Blood from their modernistic, liberal hymnals. Listen to this quote from a female theologian named Delores Williams, "I don’t think we need a theory of atonement at all…I don’t think we need folks hanging on crosses and blood dripping and weird stuff."

Well, I am afraid it doesn’t much matter what Ms. Williams or others of her variety think. What matters is what God has said! You see, just as a body emptied of blood becomes a corpse, so faith devoid of the cleansing Blood of Jesus is DEAD! The Blood is the bedrock of our faith and practice. The Church, the Bible, the Gospel and our faith, apart from the Blood, are all dead! But, thank God for the Blood! I am glad that I can report to you that the Blood is still there!

Others may flee from the truth of a Bloody salvation, but I will cling to the Blood. Religion may decry it and call it out of date, repulsive and barbaric, but I’ll just stick with the Blood of Jesus. Robert Lowery got it right when he penned that old song, "Nothing But The Blood." This morning, I am going to preach for a little while on this thought, Nothing But The Blood.

If you have never trusted Jesus Christ in saving faith, this message is designed to show you what only Christ’s blood can do in your life. If you are saved, then this message will serve as an encouraging reminder of what you possess in Jesus Christ today.

Notice with me what only the Blood can do for you as we look together at "Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus."

Nothing But The Blood Can:

I. v.20 PRODUCE A SAVIOR

A. According to this verse, Jesus was "foreordained", before the world was ever created to become the Sacrifice for sin. (Ill. Rev. 13:8)

B. He accomplished many things during His walk on earth:

1. God became flesh – John 1:1, 14; Phil. 2:5-8

2. Jesus Fulfilled Many Old Testament Prophecies:

a. Virgin Born – Isa. 7:14

b. Born in Bethlehem – Micah 5:2

c. Seed Of David – Jer. 23:5

d. Man of Sorrows – Matt. 8:20; Isa. 53:3

e. A Man of Compassion – Isa. 42:3; Ill. His many miracles and outreaches to fallen men.

3. Jesus Lived A Sinless Life – 1 Pet. 2:22; 2 Cor. 5:21

4. Jesus Taught A Better Way To Live – Ill. Matt. 5:27-48 – "Ye have heard it said….But, I say unto you."

5. Jesus Zealously Defended The Truth Of God – He cleansed the Temple – John 2:15. He was always on the side of right!

6. Jesus Perfectly Modeled God Before Men – John 14:9

7. Jesus did so many things that John declares the world to be too small to hold all the books that could be written about His deeds – John 21:25.

C. However, Jesus never became the actual Savior of men until He climbed Calvary, was nailed to the cross and shed His Precious, (held as of great price and especially dear), Blood. (Ill. It isn’t the life of Christ or His teachings that save the soul, it is His Blood and that alone – Heb. 9:22.

D. In His death, He became our Savior! (Ill. John 15:13)

Nothing But The Blood:

II. v. 18-19 CAN PURCHASE THE SINNER

A. Verse 18 declares us to have been "Redeemed." This word means, "To liberate by the payment of a ransom."

B. Sinners need redemption. Why?

1. They are slaves to sin – Rom. 3:23; Rom. 3:10; Eph. 2:1-3; Jn. 8:44.

2. They are lost and separated from God – Isa. 59:2

3. They are Hell bound and hopeless apart from Jesus – Psa.

9:17.

C. Christ’s Blood offers the redemption sinners need.

1. The Blood frees us from sin’s power – Rom. 6:14

2. The Blood brings us into fellowship with the Father – Rev. 5:9

3. The Blood gives peace and assurance – Rom. 5:1

4. It changes our eternal destiny – Rom. 5:9 (Ill. Rev. 7:9-14)

D. Try anything you will, only the Blood fits men for Heaven!

(Ill. Theologian Emery Bancroft wrote, "Some years ago a Parliament of Religion was held in Chicago, in connection with the World's Fair. At that Parliament the great ethnic faiths of the world were represented. One by one the leading men arose and spoke for Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and [Islam]. Then Dr. Joseph Cook of Boston, who had been chosen to represent Christianity, arose to speak. 'Here is Lady Macbeth's hand,' he said, 'stained with the foul murder of Duncan. See her as she perambulates through the halls and corridors of her palatial home, stopping to cry, "Out [cursed] spot! Out I say! Will these hands ne'er be clean?"' Then turning to those seated on the platform, he said, 'Can any of you who are so anxious to propagate your religious systems offer any cleansing efficacy for the sin and guilt of Lady Macbeth's crime?' An oppressive silence was maintained by them all....Only the blood of Christ ...can purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God." He then quoted 1 John 1:7, "And the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." With that, he sat down.)

E. Those who are saved can sing the song of the redeemed. (Ill. The joy of knowing that you are eternally saved through the Blood of Jesus.)

Nothing But The Blood:

III. v.22 CAN PURIFY FROM SIN

A. Verse 22 declares that obedience to the truth of God’s Word purifies the soul from sin.

B. This has always been God’s plan:

1. Adam and Eve – Gen. 3:21

2. Cain and Abel – Gen. 4:2-4

3. Noah after the flood – Gen. 8:20-21

4. When God gave worship guidelines to the Jews, He demanded Blood – Lev. 4:4-5; Lev. 17:11.

5. Under this New Covenant, He still hasn’t changed His mind – Heb. 9:22.

C. However, even with all the millions of gallons of blood that was shed over those many hundreds of years, not one single sin was cleansed away. They were only rolled up until the time when Jesus would go to the cross and shed His Blood for our sins. (Ill. Heb. 9:11-14; Heb. 10:4-14)

D. Religion can’t do it, good works can’t do it, wishful thinking can’t do it, heartfelt promises can’t so it, but one trip to an old-fashioned altar can!! (Ill. The woman at the well – John 4:13-14)

Nothing But The Blood

IV. v. 23 CAN PRESERVE THE SAINT

A. What the Blood does in us is a forever work! (Ill. Incorruptible seed.)

B. It guarantees us eternal security. (John 3:16; Eph. 4:30)

C. The Blood gives security! (Ill. If good works is what I trust, what if they turn bad? If I am counting on being good, what if I go bad?) The Blood promises absolute security in Jesus – John 10:28.

Ill. For many years in the marketplace of Rotterdam, Holland, stood an old corner house known as "the house of a thousand terrors." In the sixteenth century King Philip II of Spain ruled over Holland. In his barred of the Dutch, he tortured, maimed, imprisoned, and exiled thousands. When the people rose up in defiance, he sent a Spanish army under the Duke of Alva to put down the rebellion.

The city of Rotterdam held out valiantly for some while, then finally fell before the Spanish army The victors went from house to house, ferreting out the citizens, then slaying them wholesale in their houses. In one house a group of men, women and children huddled together, a thousand terrors gripping their hearts as the Spanish soldiers approached.

Suddenly a young man had an idea. Taking a young goat belonging to the premises, he killed it, then with a broom swept its blood under the door of the house. Then they waited breathlessly as footsteps approached. Soon the Spaniards were bartering at the door Then the)’ heard one of them say "took at the blood running under the door Come away, men, the work here is already done!"

A little later the army withdrew, allowing a band of thankful people to emerge, safe arid sound. They lived because a goat had died.

Ill. During the Boor Wars in South Africa, several wounded British soldiers became trapped in a depression and were under heavy fire from the enemy. In desperation, they used their own blood to paint a red cross on a piece of white cloth. This they tied to a rifle and lifted it out of their hole. Their enemy saw the gruesome symbol and had respect for it, turning away their fire.

Ill. After Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, he would often point to a red spot on that map that covered the area of Waterloo. Then he would say, "If it were not for that one red spot, I would be the Emperor of the entire world!" Satan must spend much time pointing to a red spot called Calvary and declare, "If it were not for that one red spot, I would be the owner of many more souls." Thank God for that red spot called Calvary!

Ill. Only in the Blood of Jesus, does a person find true, eternal salvation!

Ill. To be "Saved", means to be "Rescued from all harm and danger." If I am still in danger, then I am not saved! If there is the slightest danger that I can lose my salvation, then I am not saved.

Ill. Imagine a man is drowning in the middle of a lake. If I row out to him and give him a book on swimming, and nothing more, then he isn’t saved. If I tell Him to swim harder, he isn’t saved; if I drag him within 10 feet of shore, then he still isn’t saved. But when I get into the water, lift him out and place him safely onto the shore, then and only then is he saved! We are SAVED in Jesus!

Ill. Col. 3:3 – We are hid WITH Christ IN God – A double wall of protection!

Nothing But The Blood

V. v.24-25 CAN PROMISE SALVATION

A. If you are unsaved today, only the Blood of Jesus offers you any hope whatsoever of salvation. (Acts 16:31)

B. That Blood has never, and will never lose it’s saving power – Heb. 7:25; Eccl. 3:14.

C. It’s power is still available today to all who will come, Rev. 22:17; Rom. 10:13; John 3:16.

Conc: Ill. Many days ago in Detroit, Michigan, the well-known evangelist, Dr. Charles Finney, preached on the text "The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin" see I John 1:7~. After the service a strange asked Dr. Finney to walk home with him. Advised against it by church officials who knew the man, Dr Finney went with the man.

Ushering the preacher into the rear of a building, the stranger locked the door, put the key in his pocket, and said, "Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to ask a few questions. Do you believe what you preached tonight?’

Dr. Finney said, "I most certainly do."

The man continued, "We’re in the back of a saloon. I’m sole proprietor. Mothers come in here, lay their babies on the counter, and beg me not to sell liquor to their husbands. I turn a deaf ear to their cry. We see to it when a man leaves here he’s well under the influence. More than one night, a man leaving here has been killed by the express at the tracks. Dr. Finney,. tell me, can God forgive a man like me?"

Dr Finney replied, "1 have but one authority the Word of God which says, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin.’"

"But that’s not all,’ added the man. "In another room we run a gambling hail. If a man doesn’t spend all his money on liquor, we bring him back here and with marked cards see to it that he’s fleeced out of his last dollar We send him home penniless to a hungry family Dr. Finney, I’m sole owner. Tell me honestly can God forgive a man with a heart like that?"

Again Dr Finney replied, "1 have hut one authority, the Word of God which says, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin.’"

The man spoke again. "That’s not all. Across the street is my home where live my wife and little daughter. Neither one has had a kind word from rue for five years. Their bodies bear marks of my bmtal attacks. Dr Finney, do you think God could forgive a man with a heart like that?"

Dr Finney’s head lowered. His eyes filled with tears as he said, "My friend, you have painted one of the darkest pictures I have ever gazed on, but I still have one authority which says, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.’"

The man opened the door, ushered the preacher into the night, then never left that room till daybreak—not before ripping up decks of cards and pouring the contents of bottles down the sink. Across the road at home he sat in his living room. His little girl called, Daddy Mother says breakfast is ready" When he answered his little girl kindly she ran back to her mother, "Daddy spoke kind to me! Something is the matter!" The mother followed her little girl to the living room. The man beckoned them both. Taking one on each knee, he explained to their amazement that they had a new husband and daddy He ended, "I’m done with that business across the street!" The man later became a member, then an official in a leading Detroit church. When asked to tell how his life was changed, he would reply "The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin."

What can wash away your sin? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus! What can make you whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow, no other fount I know. Nothing but the Blood of Jesus. Are your sins under the blood of Jesus today? My dear friends, if you are not saved, please turn loose of whatever it is that holds you back and come to Jesus right now.