Title Page

Lesson Six

Hebrews 9:12-14

Hebrews 9:12-1412 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.13 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:14 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?

Hebrews 9:15-17

Hebrews 9:15-1715 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Hebrews 9:18-20

Hebrews 9:18-2018 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

Hebrews 9:21-22

Hebrews 9:21-2221 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Focus Verse

I John 1:7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the

blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Focus Thought

There is a scarlet thread that weaves its

way from Genesis through Revelation.

Every drop of blood that was shed pointed

the way to Calvary’s Lamb where the

blood of Jesus Christ paid for sins—past,

present, and future!

IntroductionIntroductionAlthough few people discuss blood in their daily routines, organizations like the International Red Cross and Red Crescent talk about it every day. These entities, and others who work in the medical field, use blood daily and constantly make pleas for more so that a bank of blood supplies is readily available. Some have even referred to blood flow in the human body as the “river of life,” for it is medically impossible for anyone to live without it.

Leviticus 17:11

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11).

IntroductionMankind has never been able to reproduce or duplicate blood. Evidently, God has reserved that ability for Himself. Those five quarts of blood that make the circuit through a healthy human body every twenty-three seconds provide oxygen and nutrients to every cell. Marvelously the blood is cleansed in the liver so that it can maintain the health of the body continuously.

I. The Old Testament Bloodline (A-C)

The Old Testament Bloodline

A. Began in EdenGod commanded Adam to refrain from eating the fruit of only one tree in the Garden of Eden. His and Eve’s eating the fruit of that forbidden tree directly violated God’s instructions and required atonement. After their feeble attempts to cover themselves, God gave them “coats of skins” to clothe them (Genesis 3:21). God shed the blood of innocent animals so that He could clothe Adam and Eve by His standards rather than by their own. The shedding of blood in the Garden of Eden began the long path toward the atonement of the sins of mankind and the ultimate restoration of his relationship with God.

I. The Old Testament Bloodline (A-C)

B. Trail of Sacrifices and Offerings

Before his death, J. Pierpont Morgan, noted American financier and multimillionaire, composed a will consisting of thirty-seven articles and ten thousand words. While Morgan had been involved in transactions involving millions of dollars during his lifetime, he left no doubt in his will as to what was the most important transaction he had ever made.

I. The Old Testament Bloodline (A-C)He wrote: “I commit my soul into the hands of my Savior, full of confidence that having redeemed me and washed me with His most precious blood, He will present me faultless before the throne of my heavenly Father. I entreat my children to maintain and defend, at all hazards and at any cost of personal sacrifice, the blessed doctrine of complete atonement of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ once offered and through that alone.”

I. The Old Testament Bloodline (A-C)

A bloodline flows throughout the Scriptures. From inside the gates of Eden until we pass through the gates of the New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation, the Bible places supreme importance on blood in mankind’s salvation and reconciliation to God. Abel offered an acceptable sacrifice to God, and that sacrifice was a lamb (Genesis 4:4). When Isaac was about to die on Mount Moriah, the blood of a substitute ram saved his life (Genesis 22:13). Whether it was the consecration of a priest, the birth of a son, the deepest penitence due to sin, or the highest religious festival, the way to fellowship with God in the Old Testament was through the shedding of blood—each pointing toward the supreme sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I. The Old Testament Bloodline (A-C)

C. Pointed Forward to Christ

The New Testament presents the same principle of blood’s involvement in the atonement and redemption of mankind. What the Old Testament portrayed through pictures and figures, the New Testament presents in person and fact. New Testament writers Paul, Peter, and John presented the importance of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. (See Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 1:2; I John 1:7.) While on Patmos, John penned the beautiful words, “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Revelation 1:5.)

I. The Old Testament Bloodline (A-C)Throughout Scripture, we find one dominant theme—salvation through the shedding of blood. All hope of heaven and forgiveness of sin comes through the shed blood of Jesus Christ in His atoning death on the cross.

Hebrews 9:22

“Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

II. Jesus, Our PassoverJesus, Our PassoverWhen God looked upon fallen, unregenerate mankind, He purposed that He would view individuals through “rose-colored glasses.” To complete that purpose, He planned for a mediator between God and mankind—the man Christ Jesus. Certainly, Jesus’ atoning blood was the catalyst that brought a beautiful reconciliation between God and mankind.

I Timothy 2:5-6

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the

man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due

time” (I Timothy 2:5-6).

II. Jesus, Our Passover (A)A. The Old Testament Passover

When God looked at His beloved Israel incarcerated in the land of Egypt, He commanded the father of every household to select a lamb for his family on the tenth day of the first month of the year and to carefully nourish that lamb until the fourteenth day of the same month. The lamb had to be a male of the first year, without blemish, and it could not be sickly, diseased, or lame. God wanted the best that each father could provide because it was to make atonement for his family and all who were in his house. The night of the Passover was at hand, and the time for Israel’s escape to freedom from Egyptian imprisonment had arrived.

II. Jesus, Our Passover (A)Each father killed the male lamb on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month, and he applied the blood of that lamb to the two side posts of the door and to the upper doorpost. According to the commandment of the Lord, the families were then to roast the lamb and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (Exodus 12:1-14). This night would be the time of their victorious deliverance!

II. Jesus, Our Passover (B)B. The Lamb of God

Jesus’ shedding of blood and sacrificial death as the heavenly Lamb of God provided the ultimate and final means of atonement for sins. John the Baptist, the son of the aged Zacharias and Elizabeth, saw Jesus approaching and stated to his followers and disciples: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The apostle Peter declared, “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: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (I Peter 1:18-20).

II. Jesus, Our Passover (B)The blood of Christ was sacred blood. It was the blood of a perfect human—the God man (John 1:1, 14). Since Jesus Christ was perfect God and perfect human, He alone was qualified to give His blood as the atonement for sin. (See Philippians 2:5-8.) His blood was also sinless blood, like that of a lamb without spot or blemish. All other human blood has been tainted by the corruption of sin resulting from Adam’s fall (Romans 5:12; I Corinthians 15:22), but the blood of Jesus Christ contained none of the sinful corrupting components that permeated all other humanity.

III. Jesus, Our Sacrifice (A)Jesus, Our SacrificeCosting Him everything, Jesus Christ shed His blood for the sins of all mankind (John 3:16). At Calvary, God separated Himself from His flesh in order that we might never have to be separated from Him. He did this in order to make atonement for degenerate mankind. Thus Jesus cried from the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

III. Jesus, Our Sacrifice (A)Regarding the matter of sexual sin that was contaminating the church at Corinth, Paul declared, “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” (I Corinthians 5:7). He admonished them to get rid of the sin in the church, and the sacrificial blood of Calvary’s spotless, unblemished Lamb would cover them.

III. Jesus, Our Sacrifice (A)A. Redeemed by His Blood

“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be

partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his

dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even

the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:12-14).

III. Jesus, Our Sacrifice (A)Balak, king of Moab, hired Balaam to pronounce a curse on the people of Israel because of his fear and dread of them. However, God would not allow Balaam to curse them since they were His children. Thus, Balaam could only tell Balak what the Lord had caused him to see: “Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it” (Numbers 23:20). The Lord did not see iniquity and perverseness in that vast group of people who were following Moses, because He was looking at them through the blood of the sacrificial lamb.

III. Jesus, Our Sacrifice (B)B. The Blood on the Altar

of HeavenIsrael’s first high priest, Aaron, had to enter the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle once a year with blood from the brazen altar in order to make atonement for the sins of the people. He then sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat, the golden covering of the ark of the covenant. Since the high priest himself was not perfect, he had to atone for himself as well. Performed annually on the tenth day of Tishri, which is equivalent to our month of October, this ritual foreshadowed the work of our great High Priest, Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:24-26“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the

figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: nor yet that he should offer himself

often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself”

(Hebrews 9:24-26).

IV. Purchased by Blood (A)Purchased by BloodCountless North Americans have given their lives that we might have freedom in both Canada and the United States. Wars and conflicts since the Revolutionary War have involved men and women who gave their life’s blood at home and abroad for this noble cause. However, all of that pales in light of the blood of Jesus Christ that He voluntarily shed so that we could enjoy freedom from sin and its vicious tentacles. (See I Peter 1:18-20.)

IV. Purchased by Blood (A)A. The New Birth

Jesus taught Nicodemus, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:5-7). On the Day of Pentecost, Peter explained the formula for this new birth: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). Therefore, repentance, water baptism in Jesus’ name, and the infilling of God’s Holy Spirit bring a believer into a new life. He is now born again of water and the Spirit to walk in a new way of life.

IV. Purchased by Blood (B)B. Cleansed and Washed

from Sin

Repentance and water baptism in Jesus’ name applies the atoning blood of Calvary’s spotless, unblemished Lamb to an individual. (See Romans 3:24-25.) Saul of Tarsus, who became the apostle Paul, gave his testimony of what Ananias said to him following Saul’s experience on the Damascus road: “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).

IV. Purchased by Blood (B)Mandated by Jesus, repentance of sins and water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ constitute the washing away of sins. Moreover, these two actions prepare a person to receive and enjoy to the fullest extent the crowning work of redemption—receiving the Holy Ghost, as evidenced by the individual’s speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance.

IV. Purchased by Blood (B)Although some believe that the blood of Jesus Christ is applied only through water baptism, we should remember that blood was also on the brazen altar, which is a type for repentance. Furthermore, blood was also at the brazen laver, which is a type for water baptism, and the priest then sprinkled that blood on the mercy seat, which is a type for Holy Ghost baptism. Indeed, blood was involved throughout the whole Tabernacle operation, and the blood of the sinless Lamb cleanses us from our sin through the entire new-birth experience.

I John 1:7

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all

sin” (I John 1:7).

IV. Purchased by Blood (C)C. Eternal Redemption

The Lamb of God offered Himself once for all in order to purchase eternal redemption through His priceless blood. (See Hebrews 9:12.) His work at Calvary provided payment for our sin. Therefore, Jesus stamped the words “Paid in Full” across our lives through His shed blood. Indeed, we have the promise of eternal redemption because of His death, which forever settled the debt.

Hebrews 9:15

“And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the

first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal

inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15).

V. Overcoming by the Blood (A)

Overcoming by the Blood

A. Communion through the Blood

At the final Passover supper that Jesus attended before He was to endure the night of an illegal trial, He stated to His disciples, “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). After giving thanks, He drank of that cup and invited them to do the same. (See Matthew 26:27-28.) He likened the liquid in the cup to His blood that He was about to give for them.

V. Overcoming by the Blood (A)Not only does the blood supply oxygen and

nutrients to the human body, but it also passes through the liver, which purges and cleanses the blood by divine design. Likewise, through communion, we remember and celebrate the work of Christ’s blood as it cleansed our lives from the harmful impurities of sin. During communion, it is essential that the redeemed remember the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection until He returns.

V. Overcoming by the Blood (A)

But communion is more than only a time of remembrance and celebration of the work of Jesus Christ for believers; it also is something we enjoy with fellow believers as we live redeemed lives for Christ. Some people who have been in the church for many years do not have much fellowship or communion with the other members of their local assemblies. However, because we have so much in common with fellow believers, for which we all are grateful, we should place more value on godly fellowship and togetherness. The apostle John indicated that if one walks in the light of God, he will have fellowship with the other members of the body of Christ. (See I John 1:7.)

V. Overcoming by the Blood (A)In this fellowship, the believers continue together to

celebrate the cleansing process of the blood of Jesus Christ. The word cleanseth indicates the continuous action of cleansing that the members of Christ’s body enjoy as they continue to live in Christ Jesus. What a glorious cause for continued godly communion and celebration with fellow believers in the body of Jesus Christ!

V. Overcoming by the Blood (A)

“In the normal human body there are about five quarts of this fluid, and this blood pumped by the heart circulates through the system about every twenty-three seconds, so that every cell in the body is constantly supplied and cleansed and at the same time is in constant communication with every other cell in that body. This blood is the most mysterious of all tissues, being composed of scores of elements and compounds and strange chemical bodies, whose function is not yet fully understood, but all of which have to do with the mystery of life, for the life . . . is in the blood. Once the blood fails to reach the cells and members of the body, they promptly die and no man ever dies until his blood ceases to circulate. This life is in the blood” (Martin R. DeHaan, The Chemistry of the Blood, 14-15).

V. Overcoming by the Blood (A)

B. Victory by the Blood

In our home church during the 1940s, a short, faithful old man of God that always wore a three-piece tweed conservative suit would occasionally walk to the front of the church holding a Bible in his gnarled hand. While waving his Bible, he would sing the following song without musical accompaniment:

V. Overcoming by the Blood (A)

My hope is built on nothing lessThan Jesus’ blood and righteousness;I dare not trust the sweetest frame,But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand;All other ground is sinking sand;All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,Support me in the whelming flood;When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.

V. Overcoming by the Blood (A)

The writer of the Book of Revelation stated, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 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” (Revelation 12:10-11). Certainly, our victory over sin and its nature is only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We are overcomers because His blood now covers us through the new-birth experience.

ReflectionsWe rejoice in Jesus Christ, our substitute, in that He took our place on the cross. He willingly and lovingly shed His precious, priceless blood for everyone in the world to have redemption. If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and we rejoice together because His blood has cleansed us from all sin! (See I John 1:7.)

ReflectionsWhat fellowship we enjoy through interaction with others who have come under the covering of Christ’s blood through the new-birth experience. In the church—Jesus Christ’s body in the earth—we have spiritual cleansing and nutrition through the constant flow of the blood of the Lamb. Thank God for the blood!