We don’t often stop to think about how strange it might seem in our culture that Christians talk about blood so much. To many, it must seem so primitive, so superstitious, to talk about blood cleansing us from our sin. We can’t seriously believe in that kind of mythical mumbo-jumbo, can we?

Yet, Scripture again and again talks about blood being the only sufficient offering for sin. In the Old Testament, when God first brought Israel ought of slavery, he ordered that a unblemished lamb be slain and the blood of that lamb be put on the doorposts in order to protect them from the plague he was about to bring on all the Egyptian firstborn. He then ordained a sacrificial system for Israel in which they could make atonement, or be made one with God again, through offering goats, bulls and such, spilling their blood on the altar. Why the blood, though? In Scripture, blood is equated with the life of a creature. The imagery of blood sacrifice means that a life has been taken in order to pay a penalty. The blood isn’t magical. Rather, it conveys the seriousness of sin. When the infinite God’s glory is dishonored by His image-bearers, the offense is infinite. The cost is death, as God promised Adam and Eve in Genesis 2. Sin equals separation from God, which is, eternally, death. There is no way around this reality. Yet, God, in his great mercy, went to great lengths to undo the separation brought on by our sin. The Old Testament sacrifices served as a consistent reminder to Israel that their sin must be dealt with. God could not merely overlook it. But it was also clear that the life-exchange of animals for the sin of man was not sufficient to deal with the stain of sin. As the writer of Hebrews unpacks for us, these sacrifices were not sufficient to “purify the conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (Heb. 9:14)

The Old Testament sacrifices instead pointed to the greater reality: the sacrifice of Christ himself on the cross. The perfect, infinite sacrifice of Jesus - fully man and fully God - was the only sacrifice able to truly deal with the penalty and power of sin. Again, as the writer of Hebrews says, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (10:4). With Christ, on the other hand, “by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (10:14). With the shedding of Jesus’ blood, the perfect, infinitive life was given to atone for our sins. His life for ours. God’s justice was satisfied, so that he could see us and make us pure and clean. This is our only hope.

So we are a people “washed in the blood of the lamb.” We need to rejoice in this truth, celebrate it, and remind each other of it. Because ultimately, we attempt to cover our sin in countless other ways. Adam and Eve took fig leaves for themselves in the garden, and we have repeated this behavior ever since. Instead, we need to remind each other that it is only the sacrifice of Christ that makes us able to stand before God. And that sacrifice removes all shame and enables us to stand boldly before him, clothed in righteousness. The more we understand the sufficiency of Christ’s blood, the less we will give in to the temptation to perform for God and each other. We will rest, knowing that our penalty is paid and our new life is bought by Jesus’s blood. So, Karis, let’s never shy away from singing about that blood. It is the only thing that will cover us when we stand before God.

This week, we’ll be teaching a new song, one that is a rework of an old Isaac Watts text from our friends at Sojourn Community Church. It’s called “Only Your Blood Is Enough.” I’m incredibly excited to sing this together. The lyrics capture well how deep our sin is rooted. We can’t understand why only Jesus’ blood can cleanse us unless we see how deep the stain really is. As the lyrics proclaim, the seed of death is in us from the moment we begin our lives. We need the perfect sacrifice to deal with the sin that is woven in to the fabric of our being. Here are the lyrics below. You can find a sample of the song at sojournmusic.com (scroll through the player at the bottom to find it). Let’s ready our hearts to proclaim this to one another as we walk through the story of Jesus’ trial and death together.

Only Your Blood Is Enough

Words & Music by Neil Robins (Words based on “Psalm 51, Pt. II” by Isaac Watts)

Verse 1:

I am ashamed, conceived in sin, I’ve always been

Born in a world where Adam’s fall corrupts us

Rooted is the seed of death in life’s first breath

The law demands a perfect heart, but I’m defiled in every part

Chorus:

For only your blood is enough to cover my sin

Only your blood is enough to cover me

Verse 2:

All this guilt disturbs my peace, I find no release

Who will save me from this crime, I’m helpless

Behold I fall before your face in need of grace

So speak to me in a gentle voice, for in your mercies I rejoice

Chorus

Bridge:

Lord, create my heart anew (Father come and make us wise)

Only you are pure and true (Lead us away from our demise)

Lord, you are the remedy (For only your blood can set us free)

Only your blood can set us free, only your blood can set us free

Verse 3:

No bleeding bird, no bleeding beast

No hyssop branch, no priest

No running brook, no flood, no sea

Can wash away this stain from me

Chorus

As we prepare to dive into our new sermon series, which we’ve entitled Wounded, I’ve tried to set aside much time to reflect on what God may have for us in the coming months. After walking through the Gospel of Luke for over 2 years together, we have come to the final three chapters, which slow down to zoom in on the events of Jesus’ trial, suffering, death and resurrection. We chose the title “Wounded” to reflect the meaning of Isaiah 53:4-6, which speaks of us as a people wounded by our sins and sorrows. Jesus, though he was perfect and in no need of healing himself, willingly took on our griefs and transgressions - their full weight - in order to heal us. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa. 53:6) May God reveal more deeply to us the wounds of our sin and the great healing that is offered to us “by His wounds.”

With this in mind, I wanted to share some hymn lyrics that greatly encouraged me recently. This text, by Charles Wesley (set to great new music by the folks at Red Mountain Church), captures well how the Gospel ought to deeply pierce us to the heart. It’s a prayer that in looking at Jesus, willingly wounded for us in His great love, God would grant us broken hearts that are no longer cold and stone-like toward him. Many of the songs I have been listening to and considering teaching during this series focus on this idea of setting our eyes intently on the cross, that God there might do his mighty, heart-changing work. This is our hope. No new set of rules and morals or trying harder will bring about true heart change. Pondering deeply the work of Jesus on the cross is the only thing that can do that. I pray these words encourage you this morning. Take time to unpack them and reflect on what it would mean for you to truly make this your prayer.

Jesus let thy pitying eye

Call back a wandering sheep.

False to Thee like Peter, I

Would fain, like Peter, weep.

Let me be by grace restored;

On me be all it’s freeness shown

Turn and look upon me Lord;

And break my heart of stone

And break my heart of stone.

Savior, Prince, enthroned above,

Repentance to impart,

Give me, through Thy dying love,

The humble, contrite heart;

Give what I have long implored,

A portion of Thy love unknown;

Turn, and look upon me, Lord,

And break my heart of stone.

And break my heart of stone.

Look, as when Thy pitying eye

Was closed that we might live;

“Father,” at the point to die

My Savior cryed, “forgive!”

Surely, with that dying word,

He turns, and looks, and cries, “’Tis done!”

O my bleeding, loving Lord,

This breaks my heart of stone!

This breaks my heart of stone!

“One of the marks of a certain type of bad man is that he cannot give up a thing himself without wanting every one else to give it up. That is not the Christian way. An individual Christian may see fit to give up all sorts of things for special reasons – marriage, or meat, or beer, or the cinema; but the moment he starts saying the things are bad in themselves, or looking down his nose at other people who do use them, he has taken the wrong turning.”
- C.S. Lewis

Matt Chandler is a pastor in our network, Acts 29.  At the last Desiring God conference, he gave a sermon where he said what follows.  I want Karis to look distinctive in our community for sharing this amazing gospel.

The great theologian D.A. Carson defines the gospel in this way:

Thus the gospel is integrally tied to the Bible’s story-line. Indeed, it is incomprehensible without understanding that story-line. God is the sovereign, transcendent and personal God who has made the universe, including us, his image-bearers. Our misery lies in our rebellion, our alienation from God, which, despite his forbearance, attracts his implacable wrath. But God, precisely because love is of the very essence of his character, takes the initiative and prepared for the coming of his own Son by raising up a people who, by covenantal stipulations, temple worship, systems of sacrifice and of priesthood, by kings and by prophets, are taught something of what God is planning and what he expects. In the fullness of time his Son comes and takes on human nature. He comes not, in the first instance, to judge but to save: he dies the death of his people, rises from the grave and, in returning to his heavenly Father, bequeaths the Holy Spirit as the down payment and guarantee of the ultimate gift he has secured for them—an eternity of bliss in the presence of God himself, in a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. The only alternative is to be shut out from the presence of this God forever, in the torments of hell. What men and women must do, before it is too late, is repent and trust Christ; the alternative is to disobey the gospel (Romans 10:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17).

From here: http://s3.amazonaws.com/tgc-documents/carson/1996_biblical_gospel.pdf

Tom Ascol over at the Founders Blog has these words of gospel for the NFL’s most outstanding quarterback.  You’re right, Tom.  Football was never meant to totally satisfy you.

Every once in awhile, I read something or hear something that is lifechanging.  It comes along and radically impacts the way I see reality.  It refines how I understand our Lord.  Reading Desiring God by John Piper back in the mid to late-90s had that sort of impact on me.  Sometime in the last two or three years, I came across Tim Keller’s ministry, and, particularly, his article entitled, “The Centrality of the Gospel.”  In last night’s Katalyst meeting, we discussed this article, among other things.  In preparation for this meeting, I was reminded just how powerful Keller’s words hit me the first time I read it, and, now, each time I read it again, it seems like God teaches me even more.

There are two key things he argues in the article.  First, the gospel applies to not just the unbeliever, but the believer.  All of the Christian life should be lived in light of the gospel.  This may seem obvious, but I don’t think it is for most of evangelicalism.  Second, the gospel stands opposed to two things, not one.  Both legalism or moralism and relativism or hedonism are contrary to the gospel of our Lord.  I encourage you to read Keller’s article.

As a church planter, and particularly in these times, I receive a lot of criticism– internally, externally, from every direction. I really, really appreciated this word from rapper Curtis “Voice” Allen. Voice rapped up at Piper’s Bethlehem Baptist and had a super time there, but then got all sorts of hits from the Christian community. Listen to these helpful words. They really ministered to me.

We must avoid the view that, while the Gospel provides a sort of escape ticket from judgment and hell, all the real life-transforming power comes from something else–an esoteric doctrine, a mystical experience, a therapeutic technique, a discipleship course. That is too narrow a view of the Gospel. Worse, it ends up relativizing and marginalizing the Gospel, stripping it of its power while it directs the attension of people away form the Gospel and toward something less helpful.

D.A. Carson, For the Love of God, Volume II, March 10

C.J. Mahaney has written a helpful article, encouraging us to fight legalism and cling to the gospel. He writes:

Pause for a moment and remember.

Remember where you were, and what it was like … that moment when you understood the cross for the first time … when you really grasped what happened at Calvary, and what it truly means that Christ died for your sins, what it truly means to be saved.

Remember the passion for Jesus you had? Remember the joy and overwhelming gratitude to God that came from knowing your sins were forgiven?

Now think about your Christian life today. Have you moved on to other things? Maybe you’re primarily focused on fighting lust, or pursuing godly relationships with the opposite sex, or battling pride, or cultivating patience.

If so, life is probably quite different for you now. Perhaps you often lack joy, or wonder why you can’t make greater progress in spiritual maturity, or feel condemned when you sin. So you study your Bible more, or attend another small-group meeting, or serve in new ways at church, or read the latest book.

All these practices are good. Some are vital. But let me suggest the likely root cause of your problems: Perhaps you have simply drifted from the message that saved you. If you lack passion for God, if you sometimes wonder where the joy went, then consider: Are you still clinging to the gospel? Whether you grew up in church or were saved on the streets, you were saved by the same simple message: Christ died for your sins.

The way we began this walk of faith should be the way we continue. We began with the gospel. We should continue with the same simple faith in the same profound gospel. Our tendency to drift away from the message we began with isn’t new. Paul the Apostle addressed this tendency when he wrote:

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Gal 3:1-3, ESV)

Paul reminds the church of the message the church began with: “Jesus Christ … crucified.” The cross is where we should be planted. The cross reminds us that our best efforts could never achieve forgiveness from God. And the cross reminds us that Christ’s work on our behalf is forever finished, so our best efforts can never add to His work.

How quickly we drift from this essential message! We begin basing our relationship with God on our performance. We want to substitute our works — our Bible reading, our church attendance, our church participation — for Christ’s finished work. We easily fall into the subtle but serious trap of legalism, because every one of us has a legalist lurking within.

If you’re unfamiliar with this term, here is how I like to define legalism: Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God, justification before God, and acceptance by God, through our obedience to God.

In other words, a legalist is anyone who behaves as if he or she can earn God’s approval and forgiveness through performance. At its heart legalism is self-atonement for the purpose of self-glorification and ultimately self-worship. Many of us (and I include myself here) can approach legalism casually. But legalism is serious and it is deadly.

I can assure you that in the next 24 hours you and I will face the temptation of legalism — we will once again be challenged and confronted by the legalist within. In order to combat this sinful tendency in our own hearts, it’s critical for us to stay planted in the good of the gospel — to continue in the message we began with.

Here are three ways you can seek to remain planted in the good of the gospel on a daily basis.

First, remember the cross. “It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.” Paul reminded the Galatians of the cross, and he reminds us as well, because our daily tendency and temptation is to forget the cross. Recognize this tendency in yourself and remind yourself often of the cross. Read cross-centered books, listen to cross-centered preaching, and memorize Scripture verses pertaining to Christ’s work on the cross.

Second, recall your conversion. “Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?” With this question, Paul points us all back to the message that saved us. He wants us to begin interrogating the legalist within, whenever legalism rises up to try to dilute or deny the unique saving power of God’s grace. To recall how we were converted is to be reminded of grace. As a practice, I seize every opportunity to share my testimony with other Christians, and I ask them to share theirs. I find this practice helps us marvel at grace together.

Third, review your hope. “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” Here is another telling question for your inner legalist and mine. So please be very clear about this: You will never be more justified — more accepted by God and righteous in his sight — than you are right now or than you were that first moment you exercised the gift of faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Our hope for each day is not in trying to earn God’s forgiveness, but to look outward and upward, trusting in the work of God’s Son on our behalf, for our justification is in Him, permanently and forever.

I recommend these practices because I’m very aware of my temptation and tendency to attempt to smuggle some of my own character into God’s work of grace. I try to add what I do to what Christ has already done. I face the constant temptation to legalism. But planting myself near the cross helps me, by God’s grace, to turn away from legalism.

There is hope for us in the gospel. The gospel helps us break free from legalism. The gospel takes my eyes off myself and puts them on God. So in your fight against the legalist within, remember the cross. Recall your conversion. Review your hope.

Only in the sure and certain hope of the gospel can we find again that fullness of God-centered joy, passion, and gratitude. You began with the gospel, so stick with the gospel.