Focus on the Blood of Jesus Christ
I want to focus in on the blood of Jesus Christ today. We believe that the blood of Jesus Christ saves us from our sins. To start, I want to go through when Jesus was actually losing his physical blood. Remember, Jesus is God in the flesh. He was made just like us. He had this same physical blood that we do, but he’s perfect. He’s never sinned.
Sweating Blood in Gethsemane
Before Jesus was betrayed the night before he died on the cross, he sweated blood.
Luke 22:44
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
The agony started for Jesus the night before he went to the cross. “And being in agony.” Agony means extreme pain of body or mind. Anguish. Violent contest or striving. He was sweating blood. So great drops of blood were already falling to the ground.
This was the beginning of the bleeding of Jesus Christ. This happened before he was arrested. We are talking about the blood of Jesus Christ.
Beaten by the Jews
I am going in chronological order here of the way things happened to Jesus.
Luke 22:63-64
And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. 64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?
Now they are smiting Jesus or striking him or hitting him.
Matthew 26:67-68
Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, 68 Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?
Buffeted means striking and beating him. Blood was being shed by Jesus Christ. He was already being tortured. Blood was leaving the body of Jesus Christ.
Losing Blood from Your Body
Please hear this today. The typical adult male has about 1.2 to 1.5 gallons of blood in their body. We’ve all seen a gallon of milk. We have about 1.2 to 1.5 gallons of blood in our bodies. Same thing with Jesus Christ. He was made just like us.
If you lose 15% of your blood, you can usually tolerate that. You get a slight rise in heart rate. For example, this past week, I lost a lot of blood. It scared me. I wasn’t feeling great. I looked at Pam and said, “I think I’m in trouble.” She could see it in my eyes. I was very weak.
If you lose up to 30% of your blood, you get an increased heart rate, weakness, pale skin, and anxiety. Losing 40% of the blood within your body, and remember you only have about 1.5 gallons of blood, but 40% loss will lead to a drop in blood pressure, confusion, and rapid breathing. Jesus was losing blood. He was shedding his blood for you and I.
Over 40% loss of blood is life threatening. Lose a half gallon of blood in your body, and you’ll be nearly dead or dead. You will go into shock, unconsciousness, and likely death. Your organs need blood to function. They will shut down without blood. Your heart will not function. So over 40% loss of blood leads to death. And why is that?
The Life is in the Blood
Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
I want you to understand this today. Look at that closely. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.” The life of your body is in the blood. Lose that blood and your body dies. The life of the flesh is in the blood. “For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”
That Scripture is foreshadowing the blood of Jesus Christ. Not just any blood, God’s blood, life giving blood. The life of Jesus Christ was in his blood. And he was shedding that blood for us. He was giving his life for us. He was sacrificing himself for us.
There are many Scriptures that tell us the life is in the blood. Leviticus 17:14 says, “For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof. Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof.” Life = blood.
Deuteronomy 12:23 says, “For the blood is the life.” Genesis 9:4 says, “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.” The life of Jesus Christ is slowly being taken from him as he loses blood.
We’ve seen Jesus sweat drops of blood. We’ve seen him being beaten by the Jews.
Scourged by the Romans
Matthew 27:26
Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
He was beaten by the Jews and now scourged by the Romans. The Jews and the Gentiles. Scourged means whipped, lashed, punished severely. The flesh on his body was most likely torn open from the scourging. He was bleeding more and more.
Mark 15:15
And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
Jesus has sweated blood, been beaten by the Jews, and scourged by the Romans. He is bleeding. Remember, after only a 40% loss of blood, about a half gallon of blood, life is lost. He’s bruised and bleeding, and he did nothing wrong. We do wrong. He did nothing wrong. And he took it all for you and for I. That’s not fair. But he loves you so he died for you. He was tortured for you.
Crown of Thorns
Matthew 27:29-30
And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
Imagine thorns being pressed into your head. Blood will come out. Your head is very sensitive. They hit him on the head with a reed while the crown of thorns was on his head.
He is bleeding. His blood is being shed for you and for I. He is “THE” sacrifice for sins.
Then Jesus had to begin to carry his own cross. After all of this, they forced him to carry the cross. And then a man named Simon helped Jesus. But imagine the blood already dripping from his body. He’s already losing blood.
Then they take Jesus to crucify him.
Nails in His Hands and Feet
Psalm 22:16
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
They nailed Jesus to the cross. They pierced his hands and his feet. Blood was coming out of his body. And the blood is the life. He was slowly losing his life.
He was physically shedding his blood. He hung on the cross from about 9 am to 3 pm. He finally died and gave up the ghost. He was tortured to death. He shed his blood for you and for I.
Jesus Died and Gave Up the Ghost
John 19:30
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
He was still speaking. That’s a strong man, the strongest of any man in existence, the Son of God, and God in the flesh. Just four verses later, we see this:
John 19:34
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
So, the rest of the blood of Jesus Christ, had to be most of his blood, left his body. There was still blood left in his body when he died four verses earlier. Remember, losing about 40% of the blood in your body, about a half a gallon, will lead to death. So, the soldier pierced his side and the forthwith came there out blood and water.
Where Did Jesus Lose His Physical Blood?
Let’s go over a quick summary and remember that Jesus lost his physical blood in different areas. He lost blood in the Garden of Gethsemane east of Jerusalem. He was beaten by the Jews in the court of the high priest in Jerusalem. He was scourged by the Romans in Pilate’s hall inside Jerusalem. They placed a crown of thorns on his head in Pilate’s hall in Jerusalem.
He was losing his blood all over the place in different physical locations. He carried his cross from Pilate’s hall to Golgotha. He was bleeding and losing blood along the way. He traveled that path and was losing blood. All the blood wasn’t just shed at the cross.
They nailed him to the cross at Calvary of Golgotha. He lost more blood there. And the soldier pierced his side after he died on the cross and lost his blood. The life is in the blood. His blood was shed for us. His life was given for us.
He lost blood in Gethsemane, at the high priest palace, at Pilate’s hall, along the way from Pilate’s hall to Calvary, and at the physical location of the cross. Where did this physical blood go? His blood was shed back to the earth.
Did His Physical Blood Magically Heal People?
Some of his blood had to be on the people who beat him, whipped him, and scourged him. Blood from the crown of thorns probably hit the people that smote him with the reed on his head. When that blood splashed on them, they weren’t physically healed or saved forever.
His blood is just like our blood physically. Was his blood special? His blood wasn’t physically different than ours. He was made just like us. His blood is only special because he is God in the flesh. But his blood didn’t have magical powers physically. You can’t take his physical blood, drink it, or wipe it on you and you are healed from disease or sickness.
It wasn’t the molecular structure of his blood that made it powerful – it was whose blood it was: the blood of the sinless Son of God.
Blood is very complex. It’s God’s design. It’s the life of the flesh. Blood is made up of plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, enzymes, and chemical signals. It’s absolutely amazing. Blood isn’t just a red fluid but it’s a living river, full of life, healing, lower, and defense.
I always tell people it’s important to eat healthy foods that are packed with nutrients and then exercise to get the blood flowing throughout your body. That blood carries nutrients and can heal you of many things. Eating right and exercising is very important. The life is in the blood.
By His Own Blood
Hebrews 9:12-14
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Jesus shed his blood for us. What does that mean? The shedding of his blood on the earth was Jesus giving his life for us. The Bible never once says he took his physical blood to heaven. Not once does it say that or even imply that. Some people love to change the words that God wrote.
And God takes that very seriously. He gives warnings in the Bible not to change his words. Verse 9 right there says exactly, “But by his own blood.” The Bible doesn’t say “with his own blood.” The New Living Translation, a false Bible version, says: “With his own blood.” But there are fake pastors out there that proclaim to be King James Version Only but like to change the words to “with his own blood.”
By his own blood and with his own blood are two totally different meanings. The Bible never once says with his own blood. The blood of Jesus Christ was shed into the earth. The first altars are made of earth. We come from the earth and were made from the dust of the earth. His blood spilled out into the earth. That’s where his physical blood went.
No More Fairy Tales
The Bible doesn’t say someone gathered up his blood or caught his 1.5 gallons of physical blood and kept it for Jesus three days and three nights so he could take it into heaven and sprinkle it on the mercy seat. That’s a fairy tale. It’s not in the Bible.
Let’s honor what God actually said in his word – not what traditions or imaginations have added.
Proverbs 17:4
A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.
Proverbs 30:6
Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
The Veil Was Rent in Twain
Never accept fairy tales and lies about the Bible. Never. The Bible says that the veil was rent in twain when Jesus died on the cross. That veil is the way into the most holy place.
Matthew 27:50-51
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
Jesus died. The moment he died, what happened? It’s right there. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Through the death of Jesus Christ, through the shedding of his blood, through his life that he sacrificed for us, BY HIS BLOOD, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God?
By His own blood means he entered because of the merit of his shed blood. The blood is the reason not the tool in his hand. With his own blood means he entered carrying it or using it to do something inside the holy place. The Bible says “but by his own blood.” The Bible doesn’t say “but with his own blood.”
It’s rather easy to distinguish the difference in by his own blood and with his own blood. I am tired of lying pastors that teach false doctrine. We’re going to stick to the Bible here and what God actually says.
The Significance of the Blood of Jesus Christ
Matthew 26:28
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Romans 3:25
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Romans 5:9
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Ephesians 1:7
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Ephesians 2:13
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Colossians 1:14
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Hebrews 10:19
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Hebrews 13:12
Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
1 Peter 1:18-19
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; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Revelation 1:5
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
And there’s more than that throughout the Bible. We are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. He died on the cross. He shed his blood for us. The life is in the blood. He gave his life for us. Obviously, the Bible isn’t saying we have to find a physical drop of his blood to be saved.
We don’t have to go find his physical blood. It’s all about the sacrifice he made for us. He gave his life so that we can live forever.
Conclusion: By His Own Blood
The blood of Jesus was shed on earth. He bled from his head, his back, his hands, his feet, and his side. From top to bottom, he bled. The blood feel to the earth. His blood was real, human blood. His blood wasn’t something else. His blood was real, human blood. His blood wasn’t something different or it wouldn’t be called blood.
His blood was perfect because he was perfect in every way. His blood is special only in that way because he was perfect. The physical makeup of his blood wasn’t different. But his blood was special and is special. If I went to a cross to die for you, my blood shed wouldn’t mean anything. I am not perfect.
The men who died on the crosses next to Jesus also spilled blood. Their blood doesn’t save us. It’s not special blood. The blood of Jesus is special in the way that Jesus is the Savior.
Jesus didn’t die and shed his physical blood in heaven. He didn’t carry his physical blood to heaven. The Bible never says his physical blood was collected or saved. No one caught it in a cup. No apostle bottled it for heaven.
His blood fell in the Garden of Gethsemane. Some most likely fell at the palace of the high priest. Some most likely fell at Pilate’s hall. Some fell on the way to Calvary from Pilate’s hall. And we know some of his blood was shed at the cross. His blood fell to the earth just like Abel’s when Cain killed him.
Genesis 4:10
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
The blood of Jesus cries out from the ground just as Abel’s did FROM THE GROUND.
Hebrews 12:24
And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
And just to be clear, the blood of sprinkling there doesn’t mean the mercy seat. Some people will take anything they can and misapply the Scriptures. The blood of Jesus saves us from all our sins. It is not our blood, sweat, and tears. It’s not the good works that we do. It’s the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us to pay our penalty. Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow. Jesus died my soul to save.
We are only saved by his own blood, the blood of Jesus Christ. Thank you Jesus. Friend, today, if you aren’t saved – come to the cross. Trust in the blood that was shed for you. He spilled his blood to save your soul.
Let’s pray.
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