Sermon Tone Analysis

There Is Power in the Blood of the Lamb

Colossians 1:12-14

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - Sept. 30, 2012

*“There is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the Lamb.”

To the Christ-rejecters of our day those words sound strange, barbaric and even repulsive.

But we know better!

*And Christians, we are here today to worship the Lamb of God who poured out His precious blood for our sins.

-This is what Jesus Christ did when He died on the cross for us all.

-Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us.

-He gave His life to take the punishment for our sins.

-And now, our Risen Savior offers His everlasting life to everyone who will trust in Him as Savior and Lord.

*Today, as believers, we will worship the Lord through the Lord’s Supper, understanding that these little pieces of dry bread and cups of grape juice are symbols of the Lord’s sacrifice.

His sacrifice was by far, the most important sacrifice the world will ever see: The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ which He gave on the cross for you.

*Before we take the Lord’s Supper today, let me remind you of the wonderful power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Here in God’s Word we see four great powers of the blood for all who will believe in Jesus Christ.

1. First: The blood of Jesus Christ has the power to make us ready for Heaven.

*In vs. 12, Paul said the Father has “qualified” us to take part in “the inheritance of the saints in the light.”

This is what the KJV means when it says the Father has “made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.”

*The Living Bible says the Father has made us fit to share all the wonderful things that belong to those who live in the Kingdom of light.”

Through the cross of Jesus Christ all believers are made fit and ready to go to Heaven.

*Christians: There is nothing else we need to do to be qualified for Heaven.

-All believers are qualified to be part of God’s royal family.

-All believers are qualified to be part of God’s eternal Kingdom.

*I am not qualified to do brain surgery or drill teeth or fly an airplane or fix your car.

I am not qualified to play for the Saints or LSU.

-I am not qualified to do a lot of things.

-But I am qualified to go to Heaven because of the blood of Jesus Christ!

*The Apostle Paul explained how this works in 2 Cor 5:17.

Here Paul said: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

*Then in vs. 21, Paul explained: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

In other words: God the Father made God the Son, Jesus Christ, who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

*Jesus never sinned, but He took all of our sins on Himself when He died on the cross, so that we could have His righteousness when we have Him as our Savior and Lord.

*Bill Bouknight explained this amazing exchange this way: “A sinless Christ took upon himself the sin of all people, bore it to Calvary, suffered and died for it, and in exchange covered all believers with his perfect righteousness. .

.”

*Then Bill said: “Let's suppose that I am wearing a coat that reveals the state of my soul.

-Every commandment I ever broke.

-Every needy person I ever ignored.

-Every lustful thought I ever had.

-Every profanity I ever uttered all have left dirty marks on my coat.

*What a filthy garment it is!

I must wear the coat.

And no cleaner on earth can remove its dirt, stains, and smudges.

Let's suppose that Jesus approaches me.

I try to hide because I don't want him to see my filthy coat.

It reveals everything bad about me.

But Jesus finds me and says, ‘Bill, I know all about your coat.

I love you anyway.

Give me the coat.’

*Miserable with shame, I turn the coat over to him.

Then I watch as he marches off to Calvary.

He wears it on the cross, bearing the penalty for every smudge and stain.

And at that very moment when he cries out from the cross, ‘It is finished’ and breathes his last, suddenly I, become aware that I am wearing a new coat.

*Instantly I recognize it.

It is Jesus' coat!

Not a smudge or a stain on it, it's a coat of perfect righteousness.

Now I can walk into the very presence of God, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus.

What a trade!” (1)

*Only it’s more than a new coat.

It’s a whole new life!

-The blood of Jesus Christ has the power to make us ready for Heaven.

2. And it has the power to rescue us.

*The blood of Jesus Christ has the power to rescue us from Satan’s death grip.

Paul stressed this power of the blood in vs. 13, when he said that our Heavenly Father “has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated (or moved) us into the kingdom of His dear Son.”

*That word “deliver” means “to rescue someone.”

And it has the idea of rushing to rescue someone.

Without Jesus Christ, we are trapped by Satan in spiritual darkness and death.

But Jesus came to rescue us from darkness and death!

*Hebrews 2 explains it to believers this way.

First in vs. 9&10:

9.

But we see Jesus (by faith that is), who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

10.

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

*Now in vs. 14&15:

14.

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

15. and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

*No matter how hard you try, there is nothing you can do rescue yourself from Satan’s death grip.

*King Duncan explained: “There are some situations in which we can not deliver ourselves.

If a large ocean liner stops in the middle of the Atlantic, the passengers simply cannot get out, get behind the boat, and push.

Or as one old time preacher put it: ‘If a man is drowning, he cannot save himself by grabbing his hair and pulling himself up.’” (2)

*The rescue of salvation for us can never come from within.

It must come from above.

So, everyone without Christ is in great danger, because all of us have sinned.

And the wages of sin is everlasting death.

*But Christians can say: “God has rescued me from the power of death!”

And He did it through the cross of Jesus Christ.”

Or as Paul said in vs. 13: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.”

-The blood of Jesus Christ has the power to rescue us.

3.

And it has the power to redeem us.

*The blood of Jesus Christ has the power to redeem us from spiritual slavery.