ARE YOU WASHED IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB?

MIKE CUNNINGHAM

OCTOBER 21, 2007

Most of you folks know the reunion with my family from Alaska after a separation of a year or two, is something my wife and I have been looking forward to very much. Regardless of the fact that things would be somewhat hectic in our two bedroom home with four adults and six grandchildren ranging in age from two months to ten and a half years, our family knew the love everyone has for each other would make the housing arrangement nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Although staunch baseball fans don’t ordinarily spend their time living in such close proximity, everyone also knew the love my grandson’s Zac and Michael and their parents have for the Alaskans would pale in comparison to their intense feelings of admiration towards the Red Sox, and that they would be eager to share their much larger home with a mess of Yankee fans on weekends. This promised to be interesting because fans of these two teams not only love watching and cheering for their favorite, but they also love to root against and boo the other one. A good case in point was last night when I asked my Yankee grandson Jake who was watching the Red Sox/Cleveland game which team he was rooting for and he quickly answered, Cleveland.

I’m glad they shortened the word to fan as opposed to using the whole word fanatic. Fan sounds nicer and I love each of the fans I have been speaking about. I’m a little league fan, and I root for whatever team my grandchildren are on. I also hope the Lord never allows me to be tempted by having to watch any of them play on opposing teams, especially if one of them is a pitcher. As for the major leagues, I’m really not all that interested in watching a bunch of millionaire businessman doing their thing in those multi-million dollar playgrounds which were built all or in part with tax payer money. But I sure do love and enjoy watching the game of baseball.

I’m not suggesting there’s anything wrong with being passionate and enthusiastic about whatever it is which is close to your heart. If fact I love it, unless it is something evil such as a religion other than Christianity. And I can’t remind you folks often enough; any religious conviction which rejects the cross of Christ and His Gospel is leading its followers straight into Hell and eternal torment. It is an evil faith which must be lovingly and passionately exposed regardless of how nice many of their adherent’s are. It’s sad that lots of these folks are quick to tell you how wonderful their belief is, while many Christians don’t.

I’m also embarrassed and disgusted by those fanatical TV “evangelist’s” ranting and raving about how people or nations which oppose the State of Israel for anything including its well documented human rights violations; how such people or countries will incur the “wrath of God,” or an enthusiastic crowd of misguided “worshippers” hooting and hollering in response to another “evangelist” tapping one by one a long row of big bruiser’s and grinning from ear to ear as they watch each guy fall down like a stack of dominos, or some other silly antic.

At this time of year I can’t help wondering what our Creator God thinks about all that enthusiastic energy being generated at a major league ball game, especially by the followers of His beloved Son who are sprinkled throughout the huge crowd. Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting that it’s wrong for Christians to attend sporting events and cheer for their favorite team. But I often wonder what God thinks about all those fans and their eagerness to speak about their love of a favorite team or a hobby or some cause they passionately believe in, compared to how he or she responds to what His beloved Son’s incomprehensible love has accomplished for them on Calvary. And I can assure you Jesus agonizing sacrifice was not a minor inconvenience such as having my Alaskan family crammed into our home for a few weeks.

Why do you suppose some people are enthusiastic about telling non-Christians about their faith, and love looking forward to seizing every God given opportunity to let them know what Christ has done for them, while others appear to be indifferent and hardly say a word? Of course someone afflicted with a judgmental spirit will be quick to conclude the seemingly apathetic person is a phony Christian. To anyone with this kind of demonically deceived mind set it’s as simple as that. Case closed! Sometimes they hit the nail on the head, but very often they miss the mark completely.

Nevertheless, the fact is that some Christians genuinely enjoy sharing their appreciation for their faith and speaking passionately about the humiliation and agony Jesus had to suffer on their behalf, and others are somewhat reluctant to and so they don’t. I’m not referring those laid back Christians I spoke about in a previous sermon whose God given temperament is such that they feel uncomfortable speaking about their faith.”[i] On the contrary, the ones who are often like this have not added very much knowledge to their gift of faith. They may also have been handicapped by being exposed to erroneous Christian teaching during their childhood. Allow me to explain. One day while Jesus was teaching He was confronted by a certain man.

Luke 10:25-28 (AMP) ²⁵ And then a certain lawyer arose to try (test, tempt) Him, saying, Teacher, what am I to do to inherit everlasting life [that is, to partake of eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]? ²⁶ Jesus said to him, What is written in the Law? How do you read it? ²⁷ And he replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. ²⁸ And Jesus said to him, You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live [enjoy active, blessed, endless life in the kingdom of God].

Now ask yourselves this question: Can I honestly say that I continually love God with all of my heart, and with all of my soul; and with all of my strength and with all of my mind? If you can’t, you are constantly breaking the first commandment of our Creators holy law. You are what the Bible calls a sinner and you stand condemned to eternal death (Romans 6:23). In the Old Covenant times our Creator God reminded people of this fact. Consider the following verse. Ezekiel 18:4 (AMP) ⁴ Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine; the soul that sins, it shall die. Starting with the Apostle Paul and continuing throughout this New Covenant age we live in, faithful pastors and teachers have echoed these eternal truths.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (AMP) ⁹ Do you not know that the unrighteous and the wrongdoers will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled): neither the impure and immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality, ¹⁰ Nor cheats (swindlers and thieves), nor greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foulmouthed revilers and slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21 (AMP) ¹⁹ Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency, ²⁰ Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), ²¹ Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:5 (AMP) ⁵ For be sure of this: that no person practicing sexual vice or impurity in thought or in life, or one who is covetous [who has lustful desire for the property of others and is greedy for gain]—for he [in effect] is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Do any of you folks know people who break these kinds of laws of the Lord God? Of course you do, they are in and outside of Christian churches. These kinds of lawbreakers are all over the place. Our society is infested with them. In fact they are so common that unless we are personally affected, we are apt to become desensitized as to their gravity. And self serving politicians, much of the media and entertainment industry together with our educational system do their utmost to keep us this way.

Although Bible believing Christians correctly view the deviant behavior I quoted earlier as sinful, and all sin is deviant behavior; and because it is so common; then when it is coupled with enormous societal pressures, many Christians are tempted to “live and let live,” and not lovingly confront non- Christians the Lord has brought into their life with their perilous condition.

Christians who are seemingly reluctant to speak enthusiastically about their faith are also apt to insist they never committed any of those big sins I quoted earlier. After all, they never murdered or swindled anyone or done anything like that. Besides they are quick to point out many of the good things they have unselfishly done and the sacrifices they have made over the years for other people. Suppose you folks are sitting in a courtroom right now instead of this sanctuary. Each of you are members of the jury. The defendant is charged with beating up a blind man who accidently bumped into him and knocked his tray of food to the ground in McDonalds. There were lots of witnesses and the crime was videotaped on a surveillance camera. In spite of all this evidence the guy insists he isn’t guilty. Sure I beat up the clumsy guy, but look at this list I’m holding in my hand of all the good things I’ve done in my lifetime. You have to be an idiot not to see that they far outweigh what I did that one time in McDonalds. If you juror’s are going to be fair you have to let me go because that’s what justice demands. I demand that you don’t punish me.

Now allow me to ask you folks this question, what would you do if you were a member of that jury? Raise your hand if you would vote not to punish the guy. Well, it looks like we have a unanimous verdict; guilty as charged.  Remember what I said earlier that many church’s handicap people at a very early age into believing that being baptized and attending church regularly and doing good things is going to get them into God’s Heaven. And this is often the reason some folks are not all that interested in telling others about their deep appreciation for their faith and speaking passionately about the humiliation and agony Jesus had to suffer on their behalf or warning other people of the eternal consequences of their sinful behavior. They don’t think they or those other people sins are all that bad, and that their good points will far outweigh the bad on “Judgment Day.” Surely God will let them into Heaven.

At the end of this sermon my son Mike and his wife Veronica are going to dedicate their six children to the Lord Jesus Christ. These parents are about to make a public commitment, that with God’s help; they will raise their children in a Christ honoring environment and do everything they possibly can to lead each of them to a saving faith in the Risen Savior. And I know they will continue to do everything possible not to handicap these precious children who are on loan from God by exposing them to erroneous teaching concerning good deeds such as I mentioned a moment ago.

James 2:10-11 (AMP) ¹⁰ For whosoever keeps the Law [as a] whole but stumbles and offends in one [single instance] has become guilty of [breaking] all of it. ¹¹ For He Who said, You shall not commit adultery, also said, You shall not kill. If you do not commit adultery but do kill, you have become guilty of transgressing the [whole] Law.

Romans 3:28 (AMP) ²⁸ For we hold that a man is justified and made upright by faith independent of and distinctly apart from good deeds (works of the Law). [The observance of the Law has nothing to do with justification.]

Romans 11:6 (AMP) ⁶ But if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness), it is no longer conditioned on works or anything men have done. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace [it would be meaningless].

Galatians 2:16 (AMP) ¹⁶ Yet we know that a man is justified or reckoned righteous and in right standing with God not by works of the Law, but [only] through faith and [absolute] reliance on and adherence to and trust in Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). [Therefore] even we [ourselves] have believed on Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law [for we cannot be justified by any observance of the ritual of the Law given by Moses], because by keeping legal rituals and by works no human being can ever be justified (declared righteous and put in right standing with God).

John 5:24 (AMP) ²⁴ I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the person whose ears are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment [does not incur sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation], but he has already passed over out of death into life.

Acts 13:39 (AMP) ³⁹ And that through Him everyone who believes [who acknowledges Jesus as his Savior and devotes himself to Him] is absolved (cleared and freed) from every charge from which he could not be justified and freed by the Law of Moses and given right standing with God.

Romans 3:20 (AMP) ²⁰ For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character].

Romans 5:1 (AMP) ¹ THEREFORE, SINCE we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Sinners must be washed in the Blood of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God if they are to escape eternal punishment.

Matthew 26:28 (AMP) ²⁸ For this is My blood of the new covenant, which [ratifies the agreement and] is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Acts 20:28 (AMP) ²⁸ Take care and be on guard for yourselves and the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you bishops and guardians, to shepherd (tend and feed and guide) the church of the Lord or of God which He obtained for Himself [buying it and saving it for Himself] with His own blood.

John 19:34 (AMP) ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came (flowed) out.

Romans 5:9 (AMP) ⁹ Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ’s blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God.

Colossians 1:20 (AMP) ²⁰ And God purposed that through (by the service, the intervention of) Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross.

Hebrews 9:14 (AMP) ¹⁴ How much more surely shall the blood of Christ, Who by virtue of [His] eternal Spirit [His own preexistent divine personality] has offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God, purify our consciences from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the [ever] living God?

Hebrews 9:22 (AMP) ²² [In fact] under the Law almost everything is purified by means of blood, and without the shedding of blood there is neither release from sin and its guilt nor the remission of the due and merited punishment for sins.

1 Peter 1:18-19 (AMP) ¹⁸ You must know (recognize) that you were redeemed (ransomed) from the useless (fruitless) way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver and gold, ¹⁹ But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot.

1 John 1:7 (AMP) ⁷ But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].

Romans 3:21-29 (AMP) ²¹ But now the righteousness of God has been revealed independently and altogether apart from the Law, although actually it is attested by the Law and the Prophets, ²² Namely, the righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah). [And it is meant] for all who believe. For there is no distinction, ²³ Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives. ²⁴ [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ Whom God put forward [before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith.

In closing I urge each of you folks to seriously ponder the following vital life and death question and be absolutely certain of your answer. Are you covered by the Blood of the Lamb?