THE BLOOD OF CHRIST

Acts 5:28

Morning Meditation 7/27/17

Acts 5:28, "Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us."

The apostles were preaching the gospel in Jerusalem and it was upsetting the Jews. They said, "And behold. Ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us." In Matthew 27:25 they said, "Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children." They were willing to take the responsibility for His crucifixion. They said, "Not only on us but on our children as well." But those poor blinded people had very little knowledge where this would all go to. Had they understood they would have withdrawn that offer.

Adam Clark's comment: Verse 11. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood. This sentence, which contains a most important truth, had existed in the Mosaic writings for 3600 years before the attention of any philosopher was drawn to the subject. This is the more surprising, as the nations in which philosophy flourished were those which especially enjoyed the Divine oracles in their respective languages. That the blood actually possesses a living principle, and that the life of the whole body is derived from it, is a doctrine of Divine revelation, and a doctrine which the observations and experiments of the most accurate anatomists have served strongly to confirm. The proper circulation of this important fluid through the whole human system was first taught by Solomon in figurative language, Ec 12:6; and discovered, as it is called, and demonstrated, by Dr. Harvey in 1628; though some Italian philosophers had the same notion a little before. This accurate anatomist was the first who fully revived the Mosaic notion of the vitality of the blood; which notion was afterward adopted by the justly celebrated Dr. John Hunter, professor of anatomy in London, and fully established by him by a great variety of strong reasoning and accurate experiments. To support this opinion Dr. Hunter proves:"

"The people are commanded to bring all the cattle they intend to kill to the door of the tabernacle, where they are to be made an offering to the Lord; and those who disobey are to be cut off, 1-5. The priest is to sprinkle the blood, 6. They are forbidden to offer sacrifices to devils, 7. The injunction to bring their offerings to the door of the tabernacle is repeated, 8, 9. The eating of blood is solemnly forbidden,10. It is the life of the beast, and is given to make an atonement for their souls,11, 12. If a bird or beast be taken in hunting, its blood must be poured out and covered with dust, for the reasons before assigned,13, 14. None shall eat an animal that dies of itself, or is torn by beasts; if any act otherwise he must bathe his clothes and his flesh, or bear his iniquity,15,16.2. 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. 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, Deut. 12:5,15,21 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:"

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST IS TYPIFIED IN ALL THE OLD TESTAMENT SACRIFICES

They were to be spotless and they were to follow the rules that the LORD had given in the offering of the sacrifice. The Old Testament Sacrifices never took away sins. They just delayed punishment and pushed it forward another year. Hebrews 10:3-5, "But in those sacrifices 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 saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:" Then in Hebrews 10:10, "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Then again in Hebrews 10:14, "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." The blood is typified in the old testament sacrifices but it is fulfilled in Jesus dying on the cross.

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST WAS TAKEN BY HIM INTO THE HOLIEST

Hebrews 9:11-14, "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Jesus after His resurrection took His literal blood into a literal heaven and applied His blood to the literal altar in heaven and obtained eternal redemption for us. His blood is there as an eternal testimony to His death on the cross, He Himself being the High Priest that put it there, and He makes intercession on the ground of that sacrifice.

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST IS THE BASIS FOR FORGIVENESS

Ephesians 1:7, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"

It is redemption through His blood. The words "we have" is a present tense verb and means that he have it in our hands right now. Salvation for the believer is no pie in the sky by and by. It is salvation here and now. And this is exactly what the verse says. The word "redemption" translates "apolutrosis" and means, "a releasing effected by payment of ransom." We were bought out of the slave market of sin and the price was the precious blood of Jesus. 1 Peter 1:18-19, "Forasmuch 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:"

Paul says in Colossians 1:14, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:"

PEACE WAS MADE BETWEEN GOD AND MAN THROUGH THE BLOOD OF HIS CROSS

Colossians 1:20, "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."

Hebrews 13:20, "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,"

Man has peace with God through the blood of the Cross of Jesus. Romans 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:"

RECONCILIATION IS THE OUTCOME OF THE CROSS

2Corinthians 5:18-19, "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

Several important things are stated in these verses:

1. We are reconciled to God by Jesus Christ. Since Jesus is God incarnate in the flesh we are told in this verse that He reconciled us to himself.

2. He has given us the ministry of reconciliation. This is soul winning and mission work. Jesus built the Church when He was here on earth and gave it the Great Commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every Creature.

3. The statement of the incarnation is in the words, "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself."

THE PRESSURE OF HIS VICARIOUS DEATH CAUSE HIM TO SWEAT BLOOD BEFORE THE CROSS

Luke 22:20, "Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

Some believe that this is symbolic and that the sweat appeared like blood. I choose to believe that Jesus sweat blood. I am told by doctors that this is possible when the body goes into shock. However, I do not believe that He sweat blood because it was possible. I believe He sweat blood because the Scriptures say it.. Why is it so hard for those who claim to believe the Bible to question whether Jesus sweat literal blood. You say, "That is not possible." Neither is it possible for one to have a child without a man implanting the seed. Neither is it possible for a dead man having life restored to him, yet Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave after having been dead for four days. How many miracles do you believe Jesus did that was impossible for a man to do? I believe all the miracles of the Bible. I do not believe that a single miracle presented Jesus with the slightest problem.

The blood of Christ is the element that secured our forgiveness. We are saved, not because we deserve it, but because He paid the price by the shedding of His blood and we are saved eternally because of it.

If you read this meditation and you have not yet trusted Jesus as the one and only Saviour of lost mankind, I invite you to do that now. You will never be sorry that you did. Jesus will come into your life and give you a New Birth and He will also give you the assurance of your salvation. God isn't an Indian giver. He will give and never take it back. What He does He does for ever.

May God bless us with these great truths

In Christ

Bro. White