Joseph Prince - Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus (Good Friday Special)
Why is the cross such a powerful thing? Because at the cross Jesus shed his blood. God says, "When I see the blood," even though there's an innocent lamb, the guilty parties, the people guilty of death, judgment of death in the house. But God says, "When I see the blood, I'll pass over you. I won't even allow the disease to come in to destroy you". Because of what? The blood. Who sees the blood? Is it for the world to see the blood? No. Is it for us to see the blood? Is the blood put inside the house? No. Is it for me to estimate the blood? No. It's for God to see the blood. When I see the blood, I just need to put faith that God sees the blood. And what blood, what better blood than the blood of Jesus. First thing we need to know about blood is that there's a voice in the blood.
Based on the law of first mention of Bible interpretation, the first time blood is mentioned was Cain murdering his brother, killing his brother Abel. When Abel died, God said to Cain, "What is this that you have done? The voice", say, "The voice". "The voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the ground". So, the first mention of blood in the Bible tells us, blood has a voice, amen? Blood has a voice. And then, Hebrews 12, verse 24, hallelujah, I love this verse. The blood of Jesus that speaks better things than the blood of Abel. Obviously, the blood of Abel cries out from the ground. Even though Abel is dead, his blood is not. The blood cries out, "Vengeance, vengeance, on the perpetrator. Vengeance, vengeance". The blood of Jesus speaks better things.
What does the blood of Jesus speak of? Forgiveness, forgiveness on all the perpetrators. Forgiveness on all those who are behind his death, and not only that, forgiveness on all who have sinned against my Father. And I love the way in the book of Exodus, when God first introduced the Passover, God says, "At midnight". Midnight is the darkest time. One of the darkest time is midnight. God say, "At midnight, the destroyer. I'll go through the land, the destroyer". And God says, "When I see the blood on your door, I'll pass over you". Show them that verse. "When I see the blood, I will pass over you". Say, "Pass over". See, God doesn't see your good works and then pass over you. "When I see the blood". Blood always represents the life of...Leviticus 17 says: "The life of the flesh is in the blood".
The doctors, to examine what kind of condition you're suffering from, or whatever disease you have, you go for a blood test. The blood work will tell the doctor what disease you're suffering from. Your blood will speak about your life. So a long time ago, God says, "The life of the flesh is in the blood," Leviticus 17. And here, God says, "When I see the blood, I'll pass over you". Not only that, God says, "And the plague," the disease, "shall not be on you to destroy you". The plague will not be on you to destroy you. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. You know how I know your family will be blessed? Because of the cross. The cross is an established fact in divine history, amen. As far as God is concerned, because of the cross, you'll be blessed. "But I'm not perfect". You'll be blessed because of the cross.
"Pastor, I'm still not there altogether". You'll be freed. You'll see the goodness of God in the land of the living because of the cross. Now, God made a covenant with all of us through his Son. If God made a covenant with you directly, then you are liable if you ever break it, all right, you ever break the covenant in any shape, form, or fashion, and we are most prone to breaking it before the day is over, right? Because we are the weak link in this agreement, in this covenant. No, God did not cut a covenant with us. God cut a covenant with another man, the perfect man, the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, his Son. Although divine, he lived as a man, anointed by the Holy Spirit. And he cut a covenant with this man, and you and I are the beneficiaries.
So the covenant today, the new covenant, is cut between two immutable force, unchangeable: God and Jesus. God, as divine; Jesus, as man. And we are all beneficiaries of what Jesus did in cutting the covenant. That's why Jesus had to die on the cross, because for all our sins, he became liable. He became responsible. So he died on the cross for our sins so that the blessings of the covenant will keep on keeping on in your life, in the lives of your families, amen.
Do you know that in all the sacrifice that we know of, the animal is brought to the tabernacle, the temple, and then they will find a vein here where a very sharp blade, knife, the priest will just slice it, or the offerer will have to do it. Sometimes the priest does it, sometime the offerer does it, depending what kind of offering is it. And he will expose that vein and then with a quick stroke, painless, the animal lose conscious and dies. And then it's offered there. It's a picture of Jesus on the cross, right? Am I right?
But Jesus wasn't painless. All the sacrifices that Israel offered, they offer in a merciful way. Even the Jewish tell you which vein to choose. Even a big bullock, they have a special vein here. They make them unconscious before they kill them, or offer them on the altar of burnt offering. But Jesus was scourged, most likely 40 minus 1, which is 39 times. Do you know what that does to your back, when the leather thongs of metal and crushed glass and hooks and spikes, just one lash, wraps around your body? It's not like you're hit with the rotan, you know? We call it a cane. It is something that wraps around your body, and then they jerk, and flesh will fly off. That's one stroke.
All the animal sacrifices were never tortured before they are killed. Jesus was. He's the only one who was tortured before he was put on the cross; why? I never saw this until I saw the love of God, because "with his stripes you are healed". And there is something beyond the sacrifices they offer in the temple. It was straight killing the animal and then putting on the altar of burnt offering. Jesus went through scourging. It wasn't a mistake on the part of Pilate. It was the sovereign will of God. As sure as the stripe fell on his back, just as sure your cancer died. That disease has lost its hold over you, amen. People are being healed even right now in Jesus's name. Thank you, Lord, thank you. Just receive it in Jesus's name. Everyone that's watching this right now, receive it in Jesus's name.
Amen, why did Jesus wear the crown of thorns? He didn't just go straight and die for our sins at the cross. Why must there be a crown of thorns on his head? Because God cursed the ground. And when God cursed the ground, God told Adam, "This was never meant to be". God didn't create man to live under stress, but God says, "By the sweat of your face, you will eat bread". And from then on, man had to toil, man had to be in stress. And Jesus sweat blood, and when his blood and sweat mingled because of the redeeming quality of Jesus's blood, he redeemed all of us from the curse of sweat. And he wore the crown of thorns because thorns represent the curse. The ground that God says, "Cursed is the ground for your sake, Adam".
And that ground, wherever you walk, I'm telling you is blessed ground. And instead of...because he wore the crown of thorns, amen, and all kinds of thorns, represent all the cursed thoughts, all the dark thoughts, that you have, thoughts that torment you, thoughts that rob you of joy, thoughts that rob you, even right now; maybe you can't even focus on what I'm saying because there are thoughts that is bothering you and trying to rob you of the peace, the joy, that God has. It's all in your thoughts. But I want you to know, Christ redeemed you from those thoughts. There are individual thorns, represent individual thoughts, cursed thoughts, dark thoughts, negative thoughts, sinful thoughts. He redeem us from it when he sweat blood. Can I have a good "Amen"?
That's your inheritance. He was totally destitute of material goods when he hung on the cross. All the paintings, you know, cannot represent what happened at the cross. The Bible says his visage was marred more than any man, and his form, more than the sons of men, so his...and the way he looked was hideous; why? He carried all kinds of goiters, tumors, and growth at the cross, and he was so hideous, the Bible says, it was beyond that of any man. His visage, his face, was so marred, more than any man, so that you can look good, man. And he was destitute of all earthly goods. One of the last things he saw at the cross was the soldiers gambling for his clothes. You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that "though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor that you, through his poverty, might become rich," amen?
I want you to know something; it is of the last importance you understand this, that at no point... at any point, even, in Jesus's life was he compelled to go to the cross. There was no command that he must go and die for us. Nothing said that he has to die for us. In fact, any time he says, "Father, the rejection is too much, I'm going home," the Father say, "Come back home". Do you know what he said one time when they came to arrest him in the Garden of Gethsemane? He said, "Peter, put back your sword. Don't you know, Peter, that right now I can pray to my Father and he will send 12 legions of angels"? Now, if God want him to go to the cross, God will not send the legions of angels.
Now, the choice was his. If he chose to remain, God says, "All right, there's nothing". God allowed him to die for our sins, amen? Of course, God's desire is that he dies for our sin. But it doesn't mean that it was imposed on him, he should die. He had a choice. Even then and there, he wants deliverance, the Father will send 12 legions of angels. Think carefully. Twelve legions of angels. One legion of the Roman Army is about 2000 people. Twelve legions, my friend, will wipe out the entire Roman outpost that was there throughout Jerusalem. So, friend, Jesus said, "I could pray right now and God will send 12 legions of angels". In fact, towards the end of Jesus's ministry, towards the end of Jesus's ministry in Luke 9: "Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up".
Now, at this point in time, it was the time of the Mount of Transfiguration where he was transfigured, towards the end of Jesus's ministry, the rejection of the leaders of Israel is final, all right? He knew that he will not, they don't accept him as the Messiah. And the Bible says he went up to the mountain and he was transfigured. It's as if God is saying, "If men on earth will not receive my Son, heaven will receive him". This is who he really is. And his face shone with the glory he had with the Father before he came as the baby. His face shone, the glory of the King. And the Bible says that Peter, James, and John, they were stunned when they saw him, and Moses was there, and Elijah was there. But then, that was the moment I believe he could have gone up and went back to heaven.
But it's the language of the Hebrew servant: "No, I will stay. I love my Master," his Father. "I love my church," his wife. "And I love the children," the believers, as well as the children of Israel. And he came down. He came down the mountain. Aren't you glad he came down? And the Bible doesn't say, "The time came for Him to go to the cross". It says, "Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up," what did he do? "He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem," where he would die, outside Jerusalem.
It's his last trip to Jerusalem. He chose. He came so close to the doorpost, amen? And outside is liberty. He could go back to the Father, and he won't have his face spat upon; he could go back to the Father, he won't have his beard pulled on; he can go back to the Father, and won't have his back scourged or "With his stripes we are healed". He doesn't have to carry our diseases, and a nature that never knew sin, that hates sin, loves sinners, a nature of love, a nature of holiness, to become sin; the very thought of becoming sin, the very anticipation of that event, in the garden, caused him to sweat blood. How much more when he was hanging there on that cross? We can never understand because we are used to dirty filth. We are used to uncleanness. For us, it's easy to wallow in the mire. But for a being who is sinless to become sin at a cross, that is suffering beyond all sufferings. But he chose to do it because he loves you. "I love my Master, I love my wife, and I love my children".
When Jesus came, he died on the cross for our sins, but he died on the cross. Now, for our sins to be cleansed, we just need the shedding of his blood. No other blood will do. You cannot die for my sins, I cannot die for your sins; why? Both our blood is tainted with sin. But all that's needed for our forgiveness of sins is the shedding of his blood. Without the shedding of blood, the Bible says: "There is no forgiveness of sins," in the book of Hebrews. Now, if that is so, then why must he hang on the cross? Because dying on the cross is not normal for the Jewish execution; it's usually stoning.
But why did he die on the cross? Because there's a verse in the Bible in Galatians 3, it says: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree')". In other words, Jesus's blood did not just forgive us our sins. The fact he died on the cross and the quality of the man, he can redeem every man who live from Adam all the way to the very last man, amen? So he redeem us from the curse. You have been redeemed from the curse of disease and sickness, ancestral curse, and every curse, amen. So if he had just shed his blood, it's forgiveness of sins, but the fact is that he had to be put on the cross. How many can say, "Amen"?
So Jesus had this true knowledge of God. One is that he knew fully, more than anybody. It's impossible for men to know the love nature of God, and he knew his Father's heart is love. On the other hand, he knew his Father's righteousness, God's righteousness, which is at a level no one can fully comprehend. It's perfect, amen. Therefore, our offense against God is great. So, Jesus, in order for him to express God's heart, he had to fully meet God's righteousness, and he came as us. He was born like us. He came as a man, and his whole purpose to die on the cross is so that his death fully met all the claims of divine holiness and righteousness on your life and my life. He fully met it all.
And that's why the cross, listen, all the claims of God on you, on your family, all the claims of righteousness are fully met in the cross of Jesus Christ. Oh, in the cross, Jesus Christ has fully established the righteousness of God. He fully met all the claims of righteousness and holiness of a thrice-holy God upon our lives. He met it all. He paid all. And it's not just a meager payment, it was an overpayment, because if you know who is the man that died on that cross, my friend, it is as if you owe God 100 million, but Jesus paid 10 billion. Overpayment. God is glorified. God is glorified. It's the blessed gospel of the happy God.