THE BLOOD OF CHRIST By Ps Martin Vanderpuye
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When a man has forgiveness for cleansing before Christ, it was done through the shedding of blood. The writer of Hebrew says that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. It means that you can agonise, you can roll on the floor or show great repentance, but if blood does not come in, your sin cannot be forgiven.
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The writer of Hebrews tells us that the Old Testament is shadow of things to come. It is like a man who walks on the street and you can see his shadow. So what is to happen in the New Testament cast a shadow in the Old Testament until the reality was made manifest.
We see that in the Old Testament there is The Passover and then in the New Testament we see the reality of The Passover.
Because blood is key to cleansing or restoring a man God emphatically says no one should eat blood. In some part of Ghana, some people eat blood, but God was very categorical in saying no one should eat blood.
When the Gentiles got saved, in Acts 15, The Apostles in Jerusalem had to write to them. There were three things that non-Jews had to do. One of them was that they were to abstain from eating blood. Eating of blood is forbidden by the Lord.
Lev. 17:1- 12
Lev 17:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 17:2 Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying,
Lev 17:3 What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp,
Lev 17:4 And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people:
Lev 17:5 To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD.
Lev 17:6 And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Lev 17:7 And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.
Lev 17:8 And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice,
Lev 17:9 And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.
Lev 17:10 And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
Lev 17:11 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 the soul.
Lev 17:12 Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.
God is saying in the above Scripture that it is the blood that has the life in it and it is that life that is in the blood that is used to atone for the soul of man. As far as God is concerned therefore is a life for a life.
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When you take the blood of an animal it is the life of the animal. So when you take the blood of the animal which is the life of the animal, it is used to exchange for your life so that you can live. So if you eat the blood of the animal which is rather to atone for your life, God says I will stand against you and cut you off. This is in the Old Testament.
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When God came to the point where He wants a life for a life, God required of him to bring another life and the life they brought was the life of bulls, goats and lambs. So where somebody wants to live or have his life, and will go before God and wants his life given to him, he had to bring the life of a bull or goat or lamb.
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Now that life is brought in the form of the blood and that blood is offered and God on that will say go another year and then live. The Scripture says if the blood of goats and bulls and lambs can buy your life, how much more will the precious Blood of Jesus buy for you. So blood always is used to preserve life. Life for life.
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We see an example of that in Exo 12. In Exo 12 Israel has been in slavery in Egypt for a long time. For 430 years, they have been in slavery and they have served the Egyptians and they felt that it was time for them to be freed. But they have been in this bondage not because they did something wrong but it is because the life of their ancestor Jacob was saved from hunger. Therefore they stayed in Egypt for a long time until the Scripture says a king came who did not know of Joseph nor what he did.
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Now for them to be freed there were the plagues that God brought across the land. They had their whole water turned into blood but Pharaoh will not let them go. All said and done God decided that this is the time to show that some can be preserved whiles some can be destroyed. And this is how God went about it in Exo 12. From verse one it says
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Exo 12:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
Exo 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
How many of you know that prior until this time they have been living and having seasons. But God came this time and said that this month shall now be regarded as the beginning of the months for you. it is important because of what happened in that month, that is why it is beginning of their month and season.
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Exo 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
Exo 12:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
Exo 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
Exo 12:7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
Exo 12:8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
From verse 21 it says
Exo 12:21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.
Exo 12:22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
Exo 12:23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
Exo 12:24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
This time what God is instituting is that He wants them to take the life of a lamb and kill it and collect the blood into a basin and then pick a hyssop which is a plant and dip it inside the blood and mark the doorpost, the side and side and then more importantly after they have marked it they should stay indoors - don’t go out. Now the blood is that blood that preserves life.
What we see in this context when God says kill the lamb is to preserve their life. So imagine a certain father who feels that he is not going to kill any lamb which he says it is his right. He is free to do so. he can choose to do so. Like today somebody can choose freely i don’t want to believe. You are entitled to that but there are consequences.
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God said they should collect the blood in the basin. The animal is supposed to be killed in the evening and the blood is supposed to be collected in the evening and they were supposed to mark it at the door post. After that they are to mix the flesh with herbs and roast it not cook it. After that they were to knead the fresh dough without it rising or unleavened or no yeast. Moses told them how they were to eat it and that is if they have to eat it they have to be dressed like they are ready to go out. They have to have their staff in their hand, wear their shoe and eat it in a hurry.
I have always said that the word of God is to be believed. So if you kill the animal and you collect the blood in the basin and put it down and not do anything what do you think will happen to you?
As Moses gives that instruction the first thing that would go through somebody’s mind is that if you are standing and eating will the food settle? or someone will say me i want to take my time and eat. Fine! but there is a price to pay for that. Now if you believed it and obeyed God there is also a reward for that.
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The question I will like you to ask yourself is this - in case somebody killed the animal, collected the blood in the basin and then decided to rest a while and then some sleep overtakes you and by the time you open your eyes it is like one o’clock, what do you think would be the result? The destroyer would have passed over your house and would have entered your room and you would have been killed you and your household.
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The reason is that the blood as it is collected in the bowl is not what preserves. It is when that blood has been transferred from the bowl unto the doorpost and unto the lentil that you are preserved. so you can have two bowls of blood in your house and if that blood does not move from the bowl unto the lentil and door frames you will not be preserved.
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You can even go for the blood from your next door neighbour and bring it inside your house but once you have not marked your doorpost with the blood the destroyer will walk in and destroy you.
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Church, the only distinguishing fact that preserves was that they marked their doorpost with the blood. so the blood in itself though it has been shed does not preserve. it is only when it is applied that it becomes a preservation. The blood on its own is the life of the animal sitting in the bowl and does not preserve. But pick the blood from the bowl with a hyssop and mark the post with it and more importantly stay indoors and don’t go out then you will be preserved. Now we are talking about the blood of Jesus and i need to give you the shadow then from the shadow you will begin to see the reality.
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So Church, there is something you have to do and there is the need for obedience as well. so you can apply the blood on the doorpost and say that I want to go to this other house to see if they have done their own, the destroyer could have met you on the doorway or outside. so stay inside. So this is the shadow and that is how Israel was preserved.
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When you read exodus 12 you will find out that as morning came there was weeping and wailing including the pharaoh who is sitting on the throne – their first born sons were killed including their animals. The Bible says pharaoh at dawn sent for Moses and Aaron and asked them to get out of the land and go serve their God but before they go they should bless him. the Bible says they blessed him and they left.
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now the Scripture says as they went there were mixed multitudes with them. They were not Israelites but they also went with them. so how were they preserved? The only preservation is that the blood was to be applied at the doorpost and at the lentil.
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So if there were people who were not Jews who lived in Egypt and had friends they went to them and asked them what is going on? for they have seen all the plagues going on; they saw all the flies, they saw all the frogs and when the water turned to blood yet the Jews did not have it. The Jews would respond to them that “our God is fighting for us”. The mixed multitudes would ask what Moses asked them to do and if not done the manner he had prescribed they would be left behind.
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So these mixed multitudes equally went out and picked a lamb and killed it and used the blood to mark their doorpost and waited inside. As soon as they heard the sound to break camp, they also gathered their things and followed the Israelites. So Church It is not because of the nature of the people inside it is because of the blood on the doorpost that the people inside were saved.
So whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, it is not about where you come from or your family background, it is about somebody who believes that calls on the name of the Lord that will get saved. That was the shadow so what is the reality?
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1Cor 5:7 says
1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
When you read exodus 12 what God has said to them was that if they had any leavened bread they should clear it out and what they were supposed to eat is the unleavened and also observe as an ordinance. Today as you go to Israel many people practice that. There are some gentiles who today behave like Jews and also practice that.
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So the reality is that Apostle Paul, a Jew who understood the shadow is telling you to purge out from amongst you any unleavened, that is anything that is of the old take it out for you to have the new, a new creation that God has made.
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more importantly The Scripture says Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us. So for you and for me Christ was sacrificed as a Passover lamb. The same way that the blood was collected in the basin out of that lamb, the blood of Christ was shed on Calvary Street.
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Now how was the blood that was shed 2000 years ago before you and I or our great great parents were even conceived and born move from Calvary Street to become a mark on our doorpost for preservation? how? in the shadow they used the hyssop and dipped it into the basin and marked the doorpost and they were preserved. In the new how does the blood move from Calvary to the believer? If you go to Israel you might not even find where Calvary is you can’t find it, but the blood of Jesus was shed on Calvary Street 2000 years ago. How does that blood with its efficacy work for you and me today?
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Rev.12:11 says
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
This is the Apostle John that God in His own mercy had shown him the end when it has not yet arrived. At the tail end John saw and wrote “and they overcame him by the Blood of The Lamb and by the Word of their testimonies and they loved not their lives unto the dead.
So the three things with which they overcame the devil were:
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Blood of The Lamb
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Word of their testimonies.
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they loved not their lives unto the dead
The third one “they loved not their lives unto the dead” is a state of being - Meaning they developed a certain attitude that they did not care if they died or lived. They just want to see to it that what God said about them comes to pass.
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Church, with such an attitude satan cannot frighten you or overcome you because you are as good as dead than alive. So that is how they overcame the devil.
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The reason why you have a lot of people being used in the Middle East and committing a lot of crime is that they have reached the point they are not afraid to die so he will come and blow up himself and kill others. He is not afraid of that.
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The Scripture says they overcame with the Blood of The Lamb and by the Word of their testimonies so how did they overcome him by the Blood of The Lamb. How?
This is how the blood of Christ leaves the Calvary Mountain and becomes preservation for you and for which reason you overcome the devil:
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It is only when you as an individual come to affirm and declare and confess what the Word of God says the Blood of Jesus does for you. That is only and only how the Blood of Christ leaves the Calvary Mountain and becomes preservation for you.
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So Church by coming to affirm and declare and confess what the Word of God says the blood of Jesus does for you, you are picking that blood that was shed on Calvary Street 2000 years ago and you are moving that unto your doorpost. Otherwise the blood remains there and you have no preservation.
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So by agreeing with the Word of God and affirming what the Scripture say the blood of Jesus does for you and me and drawing that out in terms of testimony and in terms of proclamation you are agreeing with it.
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It is when you pick the Blood of Jesus and you mark your doorpost with it which comes in the form of affirming and declaring then your life is preserved.
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The reason why Christians over the years get wasted and wasted yet God has made provision upon provision for us is because what God require you to do, you expect God to do it.
think about the children of Israel – anyone who took the blood and put it into the bowl and tells himself and say this blood that is in the bowl me I will not use the hyssop to mark my doorpost with it, he will die by the destroyer, his first born child will die, death will be in that house. The only way death passover them is that they believed that if they transfer the blood from the basin unto the doorpost they would be preserved. And the only way you transfer the Blood of Jesus unto the doorpost is that you come to that place that you come to believe what the Word of God says the Blood of Jesus does for you and you affirm it and affirm it and declare it.
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What does the Scripture say regarding the blood of Jesus?
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SEE CONFESSIONS ON THE BLOOD OF JESUS
Preached 18th March 2018