Creflo Dollar - The Bloodless Savior
The bloodless savior is not a phrase we often hear, but when I explain what it means you're going to be amazed. See, we have recognized what we have because of Jesus Christ. It's vital that we understand exactly who we are in him and because of him. Now, this is a powerful, powerful message that you don't want to miss. So we're talking about the bloodless Savior today. Stay tuned.
I call this "The Bloodless Savior," the bloodless Savior. You know how we do. The way we get into this thing is we just get in the Word, and the way I have to get into this is I just get in the Word. So get your Bibles ready. Get your pens. Let's go through it. We're going to dig, dig, dig until we hit a gusher, all right? Matthew chapter 26 and verse 28. Now, we're talking about rightly dividing the word of truth, correctly analyzing the word of truth, and you can't do that if you don't see the contrast between the old and the new covenant. You see, there is something worse than being blind. It's when you have sight and cannot see. You have sight, but have no vision. And you can be right in the middle of the light and still can't see it and still can't recognize it.
Verse 28 says, "For this is my blood," notice this, "of the new testament". Now, he's talking about communion and he says, "This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins". Couple of things here. Number one, it took the blood of Jesus to get God to create the New Testament. It took the blood of Jesus to get God to create the New Testament. So the first thing I want you to see here is that the blood of Jesus is responsible for the New Testament.
So now let's compare the blood that's responsible for the New Testament versus the blood of animals that was responsible for the Old Testament. So I'd say it like this: The blood of the Old Testament was the blood of an animal, the blood of the New Testament is the blood of Jesus. Now, say it this way: the Old Testament is a vow, covenant, a promise to Jewish people sealed by the blood of an animal. The New Testament is an irrevocable promise, vow, unconditional covenant sealed by the blood of Jesus. So the Old Testament was that which came by the blood of animals. The New Testament sealed and ratified and given birth to by the blood of Jesus. Now, what's the significance of this? I want you to hold on to what I just showed you.
Now, think about for a moment. How then can you dare compare the Old Testament to the New Testament? To compare the Old Testament to the New Testament is to compare the blood of Jesus with the blood of an animal. There is no comparison with the blood of Jesus versus the blood of an animal. To have an argument or a debate over the Old Testament versus the New Testament is having an argument or a debate over the blood of an animal versus the blood of Jesus. Somehow that just seems dishonorable, wrong, and almost despicable 'cause they cannot compare to what the blood of Jesus has done. Does everybody understand what I've said so far?
Now, go to 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 6, 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 6. Now, he says, "Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament". We've been made able ministers of the New Testament. "Not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life". All right, now here's the first thing I want you to see in this Scripture. We who are born again are all products of the New Testament and we are all able ministers of the New Testament. Please think with me for a moment here. Nobody was born again under the old covenant. Who you are as a Christian is not a result of the old covenant. There were zero Christians before the new covenant came into place by the blood of Jesus. Please understand.
So you're fighting to have a right to a old covenant that has nothing to do with your Christianity and you being born again. Nothing at all. We all benefit as a result of this new covenant. Think with me just for a moment. No new covenant, no born again. Nobody can be born again under the old covenant. There was no new nature under the old covenant. Calm down. Every born-again Christian became born-again as a result of the new covenant that came forth by the blood of Jesus, and somebody ought to say amen over that right now, amen.
Now, "Who also hath made us". So now we're able ministers of the New Testament. We have this weird fantasy with the Old Testament that we need to break up with. This weird thing we got with the Old Testament, we go to the Old Testament and we get certain principles and we go through, and you do it without the understanding of the New Testament. You can't even understand the Old Testament unless you understand the new covenant 'cause the new covenant that gives you the lens that are necessary to see what you couldn't see in the Old Testament because everything in the Old Testament was a shadow and everything in the New Testament was just a shadow in the Old Testament.
So the Old Testament could be properly renamed the book of shadows 'cause it was nothing but a shadow. The Sabbath was a day which was a shadow of Jesus, and the manifestation of Jesus is the total fulfillment, an object that's responsible for everything prophetic that you see in the Old Testament, and you're trying to live by a book of shadows. It's good because it gives you some insight of who Jesus is, but don't you dare try to cause competition between Jesus and animals or Jesus and shadows 'cause everything you find in the old covenant leads to one place or one person: Jesus.
All right, now watch the rest of this now. "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament". Say out loud, "I am a minister of the New Testament". Everything about how in the world are you going to forget that you were born again by the New Testament and not tell nobody about the New Testament from what you were born again and become a Old Testament preacher? Nobody's going to like what I'm saying 'cause you know what I'm saying. I preach out of the Old Testament, I read the Old Testament, but I do it with the lenses of grace so that I can see what it's about. So I won't pull out old stuff like, God is going to kill you, and God is a judger, and God's going to destroy you, and God's condemning you.
See, you can't see properly, to talk about it properly unless you understand this new testament of grace. I guarantee you to try to do anything in that Old Testament without properly understanding the new covenant of grace by which the blood of Jesus was shed so you can have, it's going to be off, it's going to be walked in its understanding, and it's going to mislead people and it'll show you a wrong nature of who God is. I know this is radical, and I told you this is, this series is Grace 2.0. It's everything I wanted to say in Grace 1.0, but I couldn't say it. Done I had lost the whole church. I'm going to say it on this one.
Now, he says we're the ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. Now guess what he was saying. The letter here means and it is defined as performance-based religion where you have to try to work and do something to get God to show you favor or to give you blessings. He says you're not ministers of the letter or under the covenant where you have to perform to try to get God to do something. You're not being called to be a minister under that performance-based Christianity where you're trying to do something to get God to do something. You are not a minister of that.
He says, "But you're a minister of the Spirit". And the covenant of grace functions because you have the Holy Ghost who's moved on the inside of you, the Holy Ghost who's going to lead and guide you and give you the desires in your heart and give you new want tos. And it's no longer going to God, "What do you want me to do"? But it's going to God and say, "I believe what you've already done". If you'll start doing more believing in what Jesus has already done and less, "What am I going to do"? To try to get him to do that, you're going to see more impact in your life than you've ever seen before.
Christians today have taken on the letter, performance-based Christianity. I wrote it down in my Bible. I knew it would be something that I always wanted to read when I got to this point. The phrase "the letter kills," for us today is a system of performance-based Christianity where we try to serve God and work to please him in order to earn his blessing and his love. That's what that means. We've not been called to do that anymore, and well over 90% of the churches in this world are still trying to do that. They're being taught to do that. They tell you to fast for 30 more days to do that, and there is no emphasis being put on rather focusing on what Jesus has done and believing and receiving that, you still try to focus on how much more do I need to do to see if I can get God to do that so I can get his favor.
I believe the Bible calls that in Hebrews chapter 9 dead works, and you have not been called to dead works. You've been called to be ministers of this New Testament that came forth because Jesus poured his blood out and the Spirit of God which gives you life, amen? Now, let's move on down here just a little bit more. Luke 22, verse 20. We're still talking about the power of his blood before we locate it. Luke 22 and 20. Now, verse 20 says, "Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new testament in my blood.'" Again, talking about communion. "This cup is the new testament in my blood, and my blood was shed for you".
So, again, the New Testament comes to us by the blood of Jesus. It was for our sake that the blood of Jesus was shed. So the New Testament comes as a result of the blood, but the blood was also shed for our sake. Go to Hebrews 9:22 real quick. The blood of Jesus was also shed for our sake. Now, Hebrews 9:22 tells you that certain things can't happen without the shedding of blood. So it had to happen. If his blood was poured out for our sake, then what was that reason that his blood was poured out? "And almost all things are by the law, they're purged with blood". But then he says, "Without shedding of blood, there is no remission".
Now, the blood of animals under the Old Testament when it was shed, the blood of animals covered sin, but it could never get rid of it, Hebrews 10:4. It could never get rid of sins. It would cover it, but it would never get rid of it. So they would have come back every year and bring another sacrifice to get the blood to cover the sins for the next year, and they could never ever get rid of it. So Jesus knew that if he would shed his blood for your sins, oh my God, for the remission of your sins... now, to cover or to atone is one thing, but we're talking about to remit. To remit your sin means to kick it out of its socket, to get rid of it.
So Jesus said, "I had to shed my blood to get rid of your sins". But if you're being trained on the Old Testament, every day you're trying to get rid of your sin. Then -every day you're carrying a sin consciousness. You're worried about getting rid of your sins, worried about getting rid of your sins, and I am telling you that the blood of Jesus did not fail. Your sins have been dealt with. I said your sins have been dealt with. How have they been dealt with? They've been dealt with because Jesus shed his blood, has taken care of all of your sins, and all of your sins are now charged to his body. So they'll never be charged to your account, or I think the Bible uses the word, it's an accounting word in Romans, impute. He says he will not impute your sins into your account. It won't be done.
Now, for most people who are not saved use that as a license to say, "Well, I'm just going to go sin anyway". But you don't even understand. You got to be unsaved to keep doing that. "Well, I go to church". Yeah, but it didn't take, you still got to be unsaved to do that. 'Cause when you realize what Jesus has done, there is something on the inside of you that says, "I got to love him more 'cause I cannot fathom how someone could die and to take the responsibility for every sin that I've ever committed, that I will commit past, present, and future". That's powerful. I'm going to try to convince you to stop struggling to try to deal with your sins when they've already been dealt with. I said they've already been dealt with. Your sins from the past, handled. Your sins from today, handled. Your sins in the future, handled.
Somebody says, "So if they're already handle, that means I can sin". No, you don't even understand, bro. You don't even understand. That's not what this life is about. When the Holy Spirit is living on the inside of you, he's changing your desires. You assume that since the sins have been taken care of that you're going to desire to want to keep doing them. You don't understand that he who took care of your sins is also he who's going to change your desires. People always tell me, "Yeah, but, you know, what if they serve God now and now they serve Satan, they're involving Satan worship"? That's so off the page. That's not in the equation. You forgot to factor in the Holy Ghost, and this Old Testament covenant is operating by the Spirit which gives life. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So all of Jesus's blood was drained from his body for us to have the New Testament.
Now, go to Hebrews chapter 10, verses 19 through 20. "Boy, you sure taking your time". Oh yeah, 'cause I got some outrageous things to show you and you got to see what I'm saying here. Hebrews 10:19 and 20, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness". Underline that word boldness. We will define it according to the King James Bible liberty, freedom. "Having therefore boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus". So now because of the blood of Jesus, you now have the liberty to enter boldly into the Holy of Holies. Verse 20, "By a new and a living way". Underline that: a new and a living way.
See, now that the New Testament has come by the blood, there's a new and a living way. Isn't it sad that some people are stuck in the old way of living according to the testament and there's a Scripture right here that says, "Now that Jesus blood has been shed, there is a new and a living way"? How many of you know as Christians we've got to constantly discover the new and the living way which he hath consecrated for who? For us through the veil, that means his flesh. Now, under the Old Testament, the way to God was through the blood of animals. If you understand that say, "Amen".
Well, let me show it to you. It was through the blood of animals, but the blood of animals could never take away sins. Hebrews chapter 10 and 4, I just want you to see it real quick. The way to God under the Old Testament was through the blood of animals. That was the only way they could get to God, was through the blood of animals, but the blood of animals could never take away sin. It could never do it. You go every year, and you will still have to go year after year after year. The priest could never sit down. He stood up all the time because he knew this was going to be happening over and over and over again. Verse 4 says, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin". Can't do it. Under the Old Testament to live that way, your sins can't be dealt with except to cover them up for a year.
And think about going in, taking your sacrifice, taking to the priests, and then as soon as you walk out you and your wife get into it on the way home and you got to carry that with you for the whole year until you can come back and get it taken care of. So now you got sin consciousness the whole year. And then Leviticus 5 says and you're going to be responsible for your sin, and you might get in trouble and something is going to happen to you for sin you don't even know you did. Wow, all right, now watch this. So the way to God under the Old Testament - now this is going to be heavy. The way to God under the Old Testament was fear.
Listen to me carefully. It was fear. Deuteronomy 6:13. Someone says, "What are you talking about? I never heard that before". Because in most churches, they mix the old with the new and it kind of put things in that they want to, but the way to God was fear. It was total fear. Watch this. Deuteronomy 6:13, he said, "Thou shall fear the Lord thy God, serve him, and shall swear by his name". Now, I'm used to reading fear under the New Testament where it talks about reverence and respect. And so I had to rightly divide. I said, "Now, hold on a minute now. Where are we"? We are dealing with the law, and when you deal with the law and you understand the consequences for breaking the law, people walked in fear of the curse that they will be stoned, that they will be killed, and a lot of people died because they were walking in the fear of the punishment that comes from breaking the law. That kind of fear brings what? Bondage. That kind of fear brings bondage.
So after Jesus came and shed his blood, a new and a living way to God was introduced. Let's talk a little bit about that. Look at Hebrews 4:16. Hebrews 4:16. They came with fear, afraid that I didn't keep the law or I can't keep the law and there is a consequence. If you keep his commandments, you'll be blessed. If you don't keep his commandments, you will be cursed. And then if you read 15, 16, 17, the end of Deuteronomy 28, it tells all the disease that come upon you. Listen, in those days if I lived under the law and the consequences for not keeping the law would be most of the time death. Those people died.
When you read the curse, it wasn't, "Oh, the curse". No, they died as a result of that, and certain part of the curse said they're going to keep doing this until you die. One guy picked up sticks on the Sabbath and was stoned to death. Children rebelled against you, you don't send them to psychiatric institute. You stone them and kill them 'cause rebellion was dealt with. And whenever there was rebellion in the tribe, God would call for everybody in a tribe to die: women, men, children, ox, animals. Everybody had to die to wipe out rebellion because why? Nobody could get born again. So you either allow the demonic culture to continue to grow or you had to do something to cut it off or curb it until Jesus could come.