LWF: The Scarlet Thread Through the Bible - Joshua 2

A Bible study adapted from a sermon once preached by Adrian Rogers

Calvary was in the plan of God before He ever made the world. The Bible tells us that Christ was “…slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).

LWF: The Scarlet Thread Through the Bible - Joshua 2

There are two threads that run all the way through the Bible.

One is the scarlet thread of blood redemption, the other is the golden thread of the second coming of The LORD Jesus Christ, and it's wonderful to trace both of these things all the way through the Bible.

Now some people don’t like the idea of preaching about the blood because to them it’s so gory, but it’s not a gory story, it is a glory story.

The Bible says, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our LORD Jesus Christ…” (Galatians 6:14).

In today's study we will look at three simple yet POWERFUL points:

1. The Prophesy of the Blood

Let's go back to eternity past and very quickly we’ll go right on through the Old Testament.

So let's see in how many ways through illustration, type, statement, prophesy, illusion, and commandment, that God has spoken to us of the blood.

From Genesis to Revelation there's a scarlet thread through the Bible.

From Genesis to Revelation there's a highway stained with blood.

Every page of this most blessed of books is marked with the royal scarlet of Jesus’ blood, and that’s because the blood redemption was planned before God ever made this world.

Did you know that before this planet was ever swung into space that God had determined in His heart that He would send His Son to die upon the cross?

Calvary is not incidental or accidental; it is fundamental.

Calvary was in the plan of God before He ever made the world.

The Bible tells us that Christ was “…slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).

That means Calvary was in the heart and mind of God, before He ever laid the foundations of this world, before He ever scooped out the seas, and heaped up the mountains, and flung out the stars, before anything existed in the material realm.

God Almighty and His bosom accepted Calvary as a principle.

A. Adam and Eve (first sacrifice)

And, then we come to the book of Genesis, the first man, and the first woman.

The Bible says, “Unto Adam also and to his wife did The LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21).

So right away in the very beginning of the Bible we see the blood being shed, because an animal cannot be skinned without shedding blood.

So Adam and Eve there in the Garden of Eden disobeyed The LORD, and immediately they were stricken with guilt.

Now before this they had lived in innocence and in bliss.

How wonderful that was, they were in communion with one another, communion with God, and in communion with nature.

Every river in that garden was God’s love in motion, every flower was God’s love in blossom, the stars above them were God’s love in diamond.

What a beautiful, wonderful life they lived, and then they sinned, and when they sinned distrust, guilt and frustration came into their lives.

Now at first they tried to cover it by making suits and aprons of fig leaves.

So mother Eve took her needle and she began to sew.

The Bible says, “…and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of The LORD God…” (Genesis 3:8).

So, what looked good to one another was not able to stand the gaze of the thrice-Holy God.

The truth is that many of us have dressed in the rags of our self-righteousness and in the fig leaves of our own doing, which represent the works of the flesh, but God demands something else.

So God shed innocent blood and gave them coats of skin to cover themselves with.

This was a picture of the covering of righteousness that we receive when The LORD Jesus Christ died for us.

And so here in the very beginning of human history God begins the scarlet thread which runs through the Bible as the coats for Adam and for Eve.

B. Cain’s and Abel’s offerings

So as we continue on down through the Bible, we come to Abel’s lamb and Cain’s offering.

See Genesis 4:3-5
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto The LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And The LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

So what happened here was that Adam and Eve had two sons named Cain and Able.

Now man instinctively wants to worship God, but Adam and Eve had been expelled from the Garden of Eden their fellowship with God so now they had to make sacrifices to God.

You see when there’s a consciousness of sin there’s a need to sacrifice.

So Cain says, “Well, I know what I’ll sacrifice. I’m a farmer so I’ll sacrifice the fruit of the ground.”

And I’m certain he did a wonderful job and probably said, “Here LORD, this is for you.”

Now Able, who had a very aware spiritual nature, had already learned the lesson that God demands blood.

The Bible says “…without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

So Able brought a lamb and that lamb was a prophecy of The Lamb of God.

The Bible says, “God accepted the sacrificial lamb.”

The blood of the lamb God accepted, but God did not accept Cain’s offering from the sweat of his brow.

Cain offered vegetables but you can’t get blood out of a turnip.

Remember the Bible says, “…without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

So continuing right on through The Bible notice.

C. Noah’s offering

Now the way man had been living was terrible and the imagination of their thoughts was only evil continually.

And, so God destroyed that entire antediluvian civilization by a flood, and God sent judgment.

After Noah came out of the ark, preserved through the flood by the ark, which is also a picture of The LORD Jesus Christ.

The Bible says, "And Noah builded an altar unto The LORD and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar” (Genesis 8:20).

Here again we see the shedding of blood.

And then after thousands of years of human history, there's the beginning of a new dispensation upon coming out of the ark, but there's still that same need built upon the blood redemption.

“…without shedding of blood is no remission 'of sin'” (Hebrews 9:22).

Then turn to Genesis chapter 22 and look at:

D. Abraham and Isaac

God is getting ready to teach Abraham, the father of the faithful, one of the greatest lessons of his life.

God promised Abraham that he would have a son, and through that son named Isaac, all of the nations of the world would be blessed, but Abraham and Sarah could not believe God.

They were incredulous at first, and yet God gave this son to them, and this son was a picture of The LORD Jesus Christ.

Isaac was the son of prophecy, the son of promise, the son of a miraculous birth, and the son of sacrificial death.

So we see in Isaac a type and a figure.

For The LORD said to Abraham, who was then Abram, “Take Isaac, your only son up upon a place that I will show you.”

Which was called Mount Moriah,

“Take him there and offer him unto Me for a burnt offering.”

So Abraham took Isaac there to sacrifice him knowing the Bible says that God was able to raise him from the dead.

Oh, what a faith Abraham had, what a lesson Abraham learned.

The New Testament says that the gospel was preached to Abraham.

In this incident Abraham saw the death, burial, and resurrection of The LORD Jesus Christ in type and in figure.

Just before Abraham was ready to plunge that dagger into the quivering heart of his son, Isaac, the angel says, “‘…Abraham, Abraham…’ don’t you do it, don’t do it, stay your hand” (See Genesis 22:11).

And then the Bible says, “And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son” (Genesis 22:13).

Here Isaac was ready to receive the judgment, yet a ram was substituted, the blood is spilled, and Isaac is set free.

An innocent animal dies as a substitute.

Notice how clearly God preached the blood atonement, for “…without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

So as we go on through the Bible we see this theme continue.

Let's look in Exodus where Abraham’s descendants have gone down into Egypt, and become slaves to Pharaoh the cruel taskmaster.

Now God wants to deliver his people and set them free from bondage and from the land of Egypt which began at:

E. Passover

The particular night when they’re ready to go out that we know as the Passover when God said, “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you…” (Exodus 12:13).

So God told them to take a lamb, again an innocent animal, to slay that lamb, and to take the blood of the lamb and put it on the lintel and on the doorpost of the house.

God said, “When I see that blood then I will Passover you, they’ll be no judgment.”

Now the truth is that there could have been no substitute for the blood.

Suppose some well-meaning Israelite said, “Well, I’ll just put some jewels on my doorpost. Jewels are a lot more attractive than blood. I’ll put some diamonds and rubies on the lintel and the doorposts.”

Or another says, “Well, I’ll overlay my doorpost with gold.”, and someone else says, “I think a beautiful poem would be nice if I tacked that up on the doorpost.”

Well they all surely would have perished, next we see the period of:

F. Temple sacrifices

Now it’s amazing how many people want to offer the rubies and diamonds of this world.

It is sad how many people want to offer their sentiment rather than God’s sacrifice.

God said, “…when I see the blood I will pass over you…” (Exodus 12:13).

So all the way down through the Bible until the time of The LORD Jesus Christ animal sacrifices were offered.

G. The crucifixion

And then finally, The LORD Jesus Christ died upon that old rugged cross.

Now when Jesus Christ died upon that cross He was the fulfillment of all of this symbology.

Now I won't attempt to describe the crucifixion to you, but will I share the words of another right now.

“Tongue cannot tell, throat cannot sing, hand cannot paint the tragedy that was enacted on that hill.”

So he's talking about Calvary, and then he said,

“Gather the wail of the icy winds that howl through the north, extract the heart despair of a mother watching while beasts tear at the throat of her baby.

Capture all the helpless groans and the hopeless shrieks of the damned and with all of this at your command you will still be unable to paint the picture that is Calvary.”

Jesus, the Lamb of God, died upon that cross and Jesus when He died upon that cross did not die as a martyr.

So many people think of Jesus Christ as a martyr but He wasn’t.

A martyr is a person who dies when he perhaps did not want to die or did not plan to die, and people also speak of the blood of the Lamb as being spilled.

It was not spilled; it was poured out at Calvary.

Jesus Christ Himself said: “No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself…” (John 10:18).

The LORD Jesus Christ, when He was on that cross, said that He could call twelve legions of angels if He wanted to, if it were necessary.

So that's seventy-two thousand angels He could call if He wanted to.

Now the Bible says that one angel slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians.

So just imagine what He could do with seventy-two thousand angels!!!

The LORD did not hang on that cross because He could not get out of it.

The Bible says, He was crucified before “…the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).

He came to die,
He planned to die,
He lived to die,
He was born to die.

So there’s a scarlet thread that goes all the way through the Bible and we call this the prophecy of the cross.

The next point to notice is

2. The Power of the Cross

The Bible says “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Think of the power of the cross: What does the blood of the Lamb do?

There is power, power, wonderworking power in the precious blood of The Lamb.

In the first place it’s the blood that redeems us.

A. The blood redeems us.

Look at 1 Peter 1:18,

Now it’s one of the most precious verses in all of the Bible,

“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” (1 Peter 1:18).

That verse tells us that it is the blood that redeems us!!! We were sold as slaves.

There was a price against us that we could not pay and The LORD Jesus Christ redeemed us when He died on the cross He uttered these words, “…It is finished…” (John 19:30).

That phrase in the Greek is tetelestai which means "it is finished" .

Notice that it is one word, and that one word was a word that was marked upon bills that were paid in full.

"Tetelestai"

It was the word that was marked on a prison record when the sentence had been fulfilled.

It means: it is finished, it is done.

So when Jesus Christ died upon the cross He bowed His head and He cried “Tetelestai,” meaning it is finished.

Thank God it was, because in that blood, His Blood, He redeemed us, but not only does His Blood redeem us, it brings us nigh.

The Bible says: “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).

Do you know where a man is without the blood?

He’s a long way from God.

So it’s the blood that brings us nigh “…without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

Our sins have separated us from God and it’s the blood of The LORD Jesus Christ that makes us nigh, hence.

B. The blood brings us into fellowship with God.

Tom Clayton said this many years ago, “If you’re not as close to God as you use to be someone has moved and it wasn’t God.”

Now that’s a good thought.

Someone has moved and it isn’t The LORD.

So it’s The Blood, that brings us close The Blood that makes us nigh.

But, not only does The Blood redeem us, not only does The Blood bring us into fellowship with The LORD, but it makes peace with God.

C. The Blood makes peace with God.

The Bible says “And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself…” (Colossians 1:20).

Did you know that man by nature is at war with God and we can only come to God on God’s peace terms?

And God’s peace terms are the blood atonement.

So we will never, ever have peace with God, peace with ourselves, or peace with our fellowman until we come The Blood sprinkled way.

That’s the only way to have peace.

So there’s power in The Blood.

The Bible says He hath “…made peace through The Blood of His cross…” (Colossians 1:20).

There’s NOTHING we can do, we rest in the power of The Blood that makes peace, but not only does it make peace,

D. The blood cleanses.

The Bible says in 1 John 1:7: “…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

So not only does it remove the punishment, it removes the pollution.

One other thing The Blood does, it that gives us power over the devil.

The devil doesn’t want you to learn about the blood.

E. The blood gives power over the devil.

Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist who took two continents and shook them toward God and toward Heaven was used mightily in his day; perhaps more so than Billy Graham was used.

And he said that when he was a young preacher someone came to him and said, “Mister Moody, if you want to be used, and if you want to speak before cultured audiences, you better leave out that blood business.”

Moody said, “I determined then to preach on the blood more than ever before.”

The devil doesn’t want us to hear the message of The Blood of Christ.

The devil hates it.

The Bible says: “And they overcame him by The Blood of the Lamb…” (Revelation 12:11).

So it’s The Blood that Satan fears, not our efforts, but “…The Blood of the Lamb…” (Revelation 12:11).

The Bible says, “…Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Yes, there’s power in The Blood.

But not only the prophesy of The Blood, and the power of The Blood, but let's conclude with...

3. The Place and the Preciousness of The Blood

There are some people who hate The Blood, they really do.

The Bible says in Hebrews 10:28-29
28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted The Blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?


Now I had rather fall dead than to do such a thing, but there are those who do, they wipe their feet on The Blood of Jesus.

They trod the Son of God, the bleeding form of the Son of God underneath their dirty feet.

So we will either be under The Blood or walk over it.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Folks, I’d hate to face God knowing that I had trampled beneath my feet the precious blood of The LORD Jesus Christ.

Yes, some hate The Blood, others scorn The Blood, and still others even laugh at The Blood.

The Bible says, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness…” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

So, to some it’s foolish, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness…” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

So while some hate it, and while some laugh, to those of us who are saved it is precious.

The precious Blood of the Lamb!!!

Now I don’t know about you, but I want to sing

“Rock of Ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee, let the water and the blood from thy wounded side which flow be of sin the double cure saved from wrath and make me pure.”

PTL for The Blood!



SDG!

ken

bro...ken - now made whole in Jesus Christ!