He demands life. Man has sinned; therefore life must be forfeited, and I must die, or find somebody to die for me. My friends, I have only just touched this subject. If you read your Bibles carefully you will find the scarlet thread running through the Bible. It commenced in Eden and flows on to Revelation. I cannot find anything to tell me the way to heaven
BUT BY THE BLOOD.
This book (holding up the Bible) wouldn’t be worth carrying home if you take the scarlet thread out of it; and it doesn’t teach anything else; for the blood commences in Genesis, and goes on to Revelation. That is what this book is written for. It tells its own story; and if a man should come and preach another gospel, don’t you believe him. If an angel should come and preach anything else, don’t believe it. Don’t trifle with the subject of the Blood. In your dying hour you would give more to be sheltered behind this Blood than for all the world.
A MOTHER’S LOVE.
In the time of the Californian gold fever a man went to the diggings, and left his wife to follow him some time afterwards. While on her voyage with her little boy, the vessel caught fire; and as there was a powder-magazine on board, the captain knew when the flames reached it the ship would be blown up. The fire could not be got under, so they took to the life-boats; but there was not room for all. As the last boat pushed off, the mother and boy stood on the deck. One of the sailors said there was room for another. What did the mother do? She decided to perish herself in order to save her boy. She dropped him into the boat, and with a mother’s last look, said: “If you should live to see your father, tell him that I died in your place.” Do you think when that boy grew up he could fail to love that mother who died to save him? My friends, this is a faint type of what Christ has done for you and me. He died for our sins. He left heaven for that purpose. Will you go away saying, I see no beauty in Him. May God break every heart here! You will need Him when you come to cross the swelling of Jordan. You will need Him when you go up to the bar of God. God forbid that when death comes it should find you without Christ, and without God, and without hope!
Not only is the vitally important subject of the “Blood of Christ” referred to frequently in the Old Testament, but likewise in many places in the New Testament.
Let us turn to the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, and verses 22-26, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” What is this but the bloodshedding and death of Christ? Read also Acts iv. 10; v. 28; vii. 52; viii. 32; x. 39; xvii. 3; xviii. 21; Hebrews ix. 22; 1 Peter i. 19; and many other passages will be found if the word Blood is referred to in a Concordance.
REDEMPTION.
A friend of mine was in Ireland, and saw a little Irish boy who had caught a sparrow, and the poor little bird was trembling and panting in his hand, from which it wanted to get away. It was evidently very much affrighted. The gentleman told the boy to let it go, as the bird could not do him any good; but the boy said he would not let it escape, for he had been chasing it for three hours before he could catch it. The gentleman then offered to buy the bird, and the boy agreed to a price, which was paid. He took the poor bird and held it out on his palm, where it sat for a time, scarcely able to realise the fact that it had got its liberty; but at last it flew away, chirping, as if to say to the gentleman, “You have redeemed me.”
That is an illustration of what is meant by redemption. Satan is stronger than any man upon earth, and there is no match for him but Christ. The lion of Calvary—the lion of the tribe of Judah—He is stronger than the lion of hell. When Christ on Calvary said, “It is finished!” it was the shout of the conqueror. He came to redeem the world by His death.