The Pa.s.sover was to be to the Jews the beginning of months. "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you" (Exodus xii. 2). All the 400 years that they had been in bondage went for naught, because this was the first month of the year to them. And in like manner throughout all the years that we have served the devil, and all the time that we have been in Egypt, whatever good we may have done in this world is to be reckoned as naught. Everything dates back to the Pa.s.sover night--to the time the blood was put upon the door-posts. All the time we are serving the world goes for naught. If you have not come to Calvary you are losing time. Everything you do on the wrong side of the cross counts for naught; the first thing is to be saved by faith in Christ, and then we commence our pilgrimage to heaven. We don"t start, as some people suppose, from the cradle to heaven. We start from the cross. We have got a fallen nature that is taking us h.e.l.lward. We must be born of the Spirit, and
SHELTERED BY THE BLOOD,
and then we become pilgrims for heaven.
Each man was to take a lamb for his house. "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." The lamb was not too little for a household, but the household might be too little for the lamb. Christ was enough for every household, enough and to spare, and we ought to pray that salvation may come to every member of our households.
Let us next turn to Exodus xxix. 16: "And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar." Even Aaron could not come to G.o.d until he sprinkled blood round about the altar; and when the high priest went into the holy of holies, he had to take blood with him. From the time when Adam fell there has been no other way by which a man can approach G.o.d than by the blood. You cannot have an audience of G.o.d until you come by that appointed way. So it has been for 6000 years. When Adam fell in Eden he broke the golden chain that linked humanity to the throne of G.o.d, but Christ came and made atonement for that fall.
Again, observe in Leviticus viii. 23: "And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron"s right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot." I used to read a pa.s.sage like this, and say it seemed absurd. I think I understand it now. The blood _upon the ear_ means that we are to hear the voice of G.o.d. The unconverted man does not understand the voice of G.o.d; and we are told that when the voice of G.o.d was heard, the uncirc.u.mcised said that it thundered. They did not know the difference between G.o.d"s voice and thunder. Without the blood we cannot hear the voice of G.o.d and understand it. A man must be sheltered behind the blood before he can hear G.o.d"s voice.
The blood _upon the hand_ signifies that a man may
WORK FOR G.o.d.
You cannot work for G.o.d until you are sheltered behind the blood; and until you are sheltered it all stands for naught. You may build churches, endow colleges, pay ministers and missionaries; but it all goes for naught until you are sheltered behind the blood. Don"t let any one deceive you on this point. Don"t let Satan deceive you by telling you that you can get to heaven by some other way. They asked Christ, "What must we do that we may work the works of G.o.d?" Perhaps these men had got their pockets full of money, and were ready and willing to build churches. Christ told them that the work of G.o.d was that they should believe in His Son. But they were not willing to do such a small thing; they would rather do some greater thing; but that was not what was wanted. You cannot do anything to please G.o.d until you believe.
"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." People may work day and night, and even work themselves to death; but they never will do right until they do what G.o.d requires them to do.
The blood _on the toe_ of the right foot was to show that Aaron was to walk with G.o.d. When Adam fell, communion with G.o.d was broken. Before he had walked with G.o.d; but the moment he sinned he fell out of communion with Him; and from that time to this G.o.d has been trying to get man back into communion. G.o.d is full of truth and justice. His justice must be met; and after that has been met He is satisfied. G.o.d never walked with men until He put them behind the blood at Goshen.
What could stand before them then? They pa.s.sed through the Red Sea, and G.o.d said to Joshua, "Take this country, and no man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life." In the days of Joshua there were whole regiments of giants; but one stripling from the Lord"s hosts defeated the giant of Gath. If G.o.d is with us, the giants will be like gra.s.shoppers; but if G.o.d is not with us, it will be different. I would rather have ten men separated from the world than ten thousand nominal Christians who go to the prayer-meeting to-night and the ball to-morrow.
In Leviticus xvi. 14 it is said: "He shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat eastward; and before the mercy-seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times." It seems as if G.o.d originally gave Adam a life by which he held communion with Him; but on the day that he broke the command he lost that communion. And ever since G.o.d has been trying to get men back into communion with Himself. But how could G.o.d be just and the justifier of sinners? That is done through the Blood of Christ. "The life of the flesh is in the blood." G.o.d demands blood to atone for sin.
MAN"S LIFE WAS FORFEITED,
and he had to die, or pay the wages of death. He could not pay the penalty and live; so he wanted a subst.i.tute. Every man had sinned, and could not be a subst.i.tute for his fellow; but Christ was sinless, and could become the subst.i.tute for man; and He has become that subst.i.tute, because He has died in the room and stead of man to satisfy the law. Then the question for each and every one to answer is, whether they will love Him and serve Him who has died to redeem them by His precious Blood.
In Leviticus xvii. 11, we read: "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." There may be some who are saying, Why does G.o.d demand blood?
Some one said to me: "I detest your G.o.d; He demands blood. I don"t believe in such a G.o.d; for my G.o.d is merciful to all." I want to say, My G.o.d is full of mercy! But don"t be so blind as to believe that G.o.d is not just, and that He has not got a government. Suppose Queen Victoria didn"t like any man to be deprived of his liberty, and she threw all her prisons open, and was so merciful that she could not bear any one to suffer for guilt, how long would she hold the sceptre?
how long would she rule this empire? Not twenty-four hours. Those very men who cry out about G.o.d being merciful would say: "We don"t want such a Queen."
G.o.d IS JUST.
G.o.d is merciful, but He will not take an unredeemed sinner into heaven. If He did, the redeemed would plant the banner of indignant remonstrance round the throne, and there would be a revolt in heaven.
G.o.d said to Adam, On the day thou sinnest thou shalt surely die. Sin entered, and brought death into the world. G.o.d"s word must be kept. I must either die, or get somebody to die for me; and in the fulness of time Christ comes forward to die for the sinner. He was without sin; but if He had committed one sin, He would have had to die for His own sin. The life of the flesh is in the blood; and it is not blood He demands really; it is life, and life has been forfeited. We have sinned, and death must come, or justice must take its course. Glory to G.o.d in the highest because He sent His Son, born of a woman, to take our nature and die in our stead, tasting death for every man. You take this blood out of this body of mine, and life is gone.
G.o.d DEMANDS BLOOD.
He demands life. Man has sinned; therefore life must be forfeited, and I must die, or find somebody to die for me. My friends, I have only just touched this subject. If you read your Bibles carefully you will find the scarlet thread running through the Bible. It commenced in Eden and flows on to Revelation. I cannot find anything to tell me the way to heaven
BUT BY THE BLOOD.
This book (holding up the Bible) wouldn"t be worth carrying home if you take the scarlet thread out of it; and it doesn"t teach anything else; for the blood commences in Genesis, and goes on to Revelation.
That is what this book is written for. It tells its own story; and if a man should come and preach another gospel, don"t you believe him. If an angel should come and preach anything else, don"t believe it. Don"t trifle with the subject of the Blood. In your dying hour you would give more to be sheltered behind this Blood than for all the world.
A MOTHER"S LOVE.
In the time of the Californian gold fever a man went to the diggings, and left his wife to follow him some time afterwards. While on her voyage with her little boy, the vessel caught fire; and as there was a powder-magazine on board, the captain knew when the flames reached it the ship would be blown up. The fire could not be got under, so they took to the life-boats; but there was not room for all. As the last boat pushed off, the mother and boy stood on the deck. One of the sailors said there was room for another. What did the mother do? She decided to perish herself in order to save her boy. She dropped him into the boat, and with a mother"s last look, said: "If you should live to see your father, tell him that I died in your place." Do you think when that boy grew up he could fail to love that mother who died to save him? My friends, this is a faint type of what Christ has done for you and me. He died for our sins. He left heaven for that purpose.
Will you go away saying, I see no beauty in Him. May G.o.d break every heart here! You will need Him when you come to cross the swelling of Jordan. You will need Him when you go up to the bar of G.o.d. G.o.d forbid that when death comes it should find you without Christ, and without G.o.d, and without hope!
Not only is the vitally important subject of the "Blood of Christ"
referred to frequently in the Old Testament, but likewise in many places in the New Testament.
Let us turn to the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, and verses 22-26, "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of G.o.d, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." What is this but the bloodshedding and death of Christ? Read also Acts iv. 10; v. 28; vii. 52; viii. 32; x. 39; xvii.
3; xviii. 21; Hebrews ix. 22; 1 Peter i. 19; and many other pa.s.sages will be found if the word _Blood_ is referred to in a Concordance.
REDEMPTION.
A friend of mine was in Ireland, and saw a little Irish boy who had caught a sparrow, and the poor little bird was trembling and panting in his hand, from which it wanted to get away. It was evidently very much affrighted. The gentleman told the boy to let it go, as the bird could not do him any good; but the boy said he would not let it escape, for he had been chasing it for three hours before he could catch it. The gentleman then offered to buy the bird, and the boy agreed to a price, which was paid. He took the poor bird and held it out on his palm, where it sat for a time, scarcely able to realise the fact that it had got its liberty; but at last it flew away, chirping, as if to say to the gentleman, "You have redeemed me."
That is an ill.u.s.tration of what is meant by redemption. Satan is stronger than any man upon earth, and there is no match for him but Christ. The lion of Calvary--the lion of the tribe of Judah--He is stronger than the lion of h.e.l.l. When Christ on Calvary said, "It is finished!" it was the shout of the conqueror. He came to redeem the world by His death.
Once when I was re-visiting my native village I was going to a neighbouring town to preach, and saw a young man coming from a house in a carriage, in which was seated an old woman. I felt interested in them, and asked my companion who they were. I was told to look at the adjoining meadow and pasture, and great barns that were on the farm, as well as a good house. "Well," said my companion, "that young man"s father drank that all up, and left his wife in the poorhouse. The young man went away and worked until he had got money enough to redeem that farm, and now it is his own, and he is taking his mother to church." That is another ill.u.s.tration of redemption.
In the first Adam we have lost all, but the second Adam has redeemed everything by His death. A friend of mine who was in Paris went to a great meeting of Jews, at which one of the leading men presided, and that man said the Jews had the honour of killing the Christian"s G.o.d; and those Jews stamped and applauded at the statement. They were proud of the act, and cried out, "His blood be upon us, and upon our children," and that imprecation has been literally fulfilled in their history. Now His blood either cries for our peace and salvation or for our condemnation.
PEACE.
In Colossians i. 20 it is written, "Having made peace through the blood of the cross, by Him to reconcile all things to Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." That is what the blood of the cross does, it brings peace. In Romans v. it is written, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with G.o.d through our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of G.o.d." In this three things are stated: there is _justification_ for the past as well as peace. As the believer looks back to Calvary, the blood speaks peace and pardon for guilt. Then there is _grace_ for the present, and _glory_ for the future.
In John xix. 34 it is written, "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water." There is a striking fact intimated in this verse. The spear that went into the side of the Son of G.o.d was the crowning act of sin, the culminating crime of earth and h.e.l.l. I don"t see how they could have done a more cruel thing than that. What act could have been more black and h.e.l.lish? And the blood came out and covered the spear, and a fountain was thus opened in the house of David for sin. The blood touched the Roman spear, and it was not long before the Roman government became at least nominally Christian. The blood ran down from His side upon the earth, and this earth has been redeemed by Him; for He will have the world by and by. He is
THE TRUE SOVEREIGN,
and He will ere long cast out the prince of darkness, and sway His sceptre from end to end of this earth. A little longer, and He will personally return and set up His millennial kingdom and reign over this earth. He has redeemed the earth by His blood, and He will have all He has redeemed.
ONENESS IN CHRIST.
Has the Blood touched you? The blood of Christ makes us one, brings us into the family of G.o.d, and enables us to cry, "Abba, Father." At the time of the American war, during the days of slavery in America, when there was much political strife and strong prejudice against the black men, especially by Irishmen, I heard a preacher say, that when he came to the cross for salvation he seemed to find a poor negro on one side and an Irishman on the other side, and the blood came trickling down upon them and made them one. There may be strife in the world, but those whom Christ has redeemed He has made one family. We are blood relatives.
When I go before an audience, there is hardly a person I have seen before; but as I begin to talk about the King their eyes light up, and I see they are kinsmen, they are blood relatives, and in a short time I become attached to them. A man may go into a town a perfect stranger, but as soon as he finds out those who love G.o.d, they will be one. I wish Christians had more of this oneness. I hope the time will soon come when sectarian walls will be broken down, and people will not want to ask whether you belong to the Established, Wesleyan, or Baptist Churches. If washed in the blood, we are blood relatives. I believe
G.o.d WILL JUDGE THE WORLD BY THE BLOOD.
"What have you done with that blood?" will be the great question in that day. If we make light of it, and send back an insulting message, saying we don"t stand in need of it, we shall stand speechless before G.o.d"s tribunal. If we make light of that blood, what is going to become of our souls?
JUSTIFICATION.
The only way a man can be brought within the family of G.o.d is by the blood, as it is said in Romans iii. 24, "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"; and again in Romans v. 9, "Much more then, being now _justified by His blood_, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." Justified from all things from which we could not be by the law of Moses. When G.o.d looks into His ledger, there is nothing found against the man who is washed in the blood. One plunge in the crimson fountain, and the sinner is justified in the sight of G.o.d. Christ was raised from the grave for the justification of all who put their trust in Him, and such are not only pardoned men but justified men. Justification is more than pardon. It is said of an emperor of Russia that he sent on one occasion for two n.o.blemen who were charged with some conspiracy, and one he found to be perfectly innocent, so he sent him home justified; but the other was proved guilty, but was pardoned. They both returned home, but ever afterwards would stand very differently in the estimation of their sovereign and neighbours. From that may be seen the difference between pardon and justification.
CONFIDENCE.
When a man is justified he can go through the world with his head erect. Satan may come to him, and say, "You are a sinner"; but the reply would be, "I know that, but G.o.d has forgiven me through Christ"; as it is written in Revelation i. 5, "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto G.o.d the Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever."
Many people try to come to Christ, but think they cannot come unless they first become good. But He loves all Christians even before their sins are washed away. He loves them, and then washes them in His own blood. It is wonderful love! To think that He loves them first and then washes them in His blood from their sins! There is no devil in h.e.l.l that can pluck them out of His hand. They are perfectly safe; for they are washed in the blood of the Lamb.
NO REMISSION WITHOUT BLOOD.