The blood that speaks

The book of Genesis chapter four, Genesis chapter four and verse number one and Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived and bear Cain and said I have gotten a man from the Lord and again she bears brother Abel and Abel was a keeper of sheep but Cain was a tiller of the ground and in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord and Abel he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof and the Lord had respect unto Abel to his offering but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect and Cain was very wroth that is he's angry his countenance fell and the Lord said unto Cain why art thou wroth and why is thy countenance fallen if thou does well or doest well shalt thou not be accepted and if thou doest not well sin lieth at the door and unto thee shall be his desire and thou shalt rule over him and Cain talked with Abel his brother and it came to pass when they were in the field that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him the Lord said unto Cain where is Abel thy brother he said I know not am I my brother's keeper and he said what hast thou done the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground now the new testament the book of Hebrews please in chapter 12 Hebrews chapter 12 and verse number 24 we're really breaking into the end of a passage here but verse 24 says this and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant into the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel the blood that speaks I want you to think with me for the first part of our gospel meeting about the blood now I'm not going to discuss the the chemical composition of the fluid that runs through your veins nor am I interested in anything biological or physical when the bible speaks of the blood it really is speaking in terms of death blood equals death in the old testament we read that it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul because the life of the flesh is in the blood so in picture terms when the bible uses the word blood it is really speaking of the life having come out of that individual or that animal and death having occurred so blood is equal to death if you come to the new testament you will find that what happened at Calvary is spoken of in different terms the bible speaks to us of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ we are thankful for the death of the Lord Jesus Christ when it comes to the book of Romans especially the focus is on the death of the Lord Jesus Christ and the death of Christ is really dealing with the penalty of sin because you'll remember that the wages of sin is death so the death of Christ is focused on that penalty for sin in the legal sense when you take it in the book of Romans you will find that there is nothing greater that the law could ask of someone than to die and if a person is dead then they have fulfilled their sentence to the law and there are all kinds of doctrinal and theological implications to the death of Christ you will find in the new testament that what took place at Calvary is described by these terms the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ now that term is speaking of the same event we're not splitting hairs here we're just taking biblical terms and seeing what they're focused on if the death of Christ is focused on the penalty for sin and the death of Christ is focused on the fulfilling the law's penalty against sin the cross of Christ has more to do with the shame of sin with the curse of sin and with the separation from this world that that cross caused for we know if we were to watch a man in those days going out to the cross or carrying his cross to a place of crucifixion we would know this the man hanging on that cross is completely done with this world he is crucified to this world and this world is crucified onto him so the death of Christ deals with the penalty of sin the cross of Christ is focused on the shame and the curse and the separation of sin but the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is a term that the bible uses to describe the value of that death as a sacrifice to God to describe the value of that death in its cleansing power from sin to describe the value of that death and its redemption price that was paid don't miss the significance of the blood thank God for the death of Christ that satisfied the penalty for sin thank God for the cross of Christ and the shame and the curse that he bore but thank God for the blood of Christ which cleanses from all sin but we read about two different bloods if you will tonight and both of these are blood that speaks blood that speaks Jesus in the case of Cain and Abel the blood of Abel Cain's brother was crying the blood of Abel was crying unto God from the ground but what was it saying what was it crying up what was it indicating and what does it mean to us the blood that cried from the ground but in Hebrews chapter 12 we read about the blood sprinkling it really is the blood of the Lord Jesus that speaks better things better things than that of Abel so while Abel's blood has a voice and while Abel's blood speaks remember this the blood of Christ speaks better things than Abel's blood ever could the blood of Christ is not only superior to the blood of Abel's it is totally different in nature and character and value and implication the blood of Christ speaks better things than that of Abel the reason we read in Genesis chapter three or four sorry is because we wanted to see exactly what happened for Abel's blood to be shed we know that Abel was born in sin according to the Bible after the fall in the garden when Adam sinned all of his posterity was plunged into sin very simply everyone born into this world apart from the Lord Jesus himself has been born in sin born in Adam is born in sin but they would have known both Cain and Abel that God was approachable approachable but only with blood only with blood I think we should understand that because if you come to the New Testament you will find that the explanation given for the day of atonement in Leviticus chapter 16 when you read in the book of Hebrews is that once a year the high priest would go in and offer for the people but this phrase really rings right in your ears as you were reading it not without blood it was impossible for an individual to ever approach unto God without blood you see blood speaks of the value of a death and if death is a penalty for sin then blood is required in order to atone for that sin in an approach to God so nobody can approach God without blood and I am absolutely sure that Cain and Abel would have known this very fact so they both had to make a choice do I bring blood or do I not now I understand that these are very primitive terms that we are using but the simplicity really is there God would never have expected these men to do anything that they didn't know about I am quite content to say that both of these men knew what was required and both of these men had access to that which was required there was a point in the life of Cain where he decided to be a tiller of the ground nothing wrong with being a tiller of the ground right but if you look at the word literally it really is a servant of the ground Cain decided that this was going to be his life he wasn't interested in looking up he was going to look down he wasn't interested in heaven he was interested in the earth he wasn't interested in God he was interested in his own works and as Cain was toiling and laboring and trying his best to till the ground so that the fruit and the crops of his labor would be prosperous and plentiful you remember this he was proud of his works and he had no time for God it's not that he wasn't aware of God now I'm looking out at an audience tonight and I'm quite sure that everyone here is aware of God and it wasn't even so much that he didn't know people who had a relationship with God because we know that Adam and Eve had a connection to God after that sacrifice in the Garden of Eden we understand that he knew people who had a connection to God just like there are people in our audience here tonight you know about God you know people that have a real living connection to God but your focus is here I challenge all of my young audience tonight is there a reality to what you have I have no doubt that Cain would have been interested in someday somehow in some way achieving that connection to God achieving that relationship with God approaching on to God but he never did want to turn from his way and you see when it comes down to it it's not just Cain's way and Cain's works and and Cain's efforts but the New Testament tells us that Cain was of that wicked one Cain being of that wicked one reminds us of the work of Satan in trying to encourage souls on a way that is a way that is away from God that's what I'm trying to say going away from God Satan is holding something out to attract him Satan is encouraging him that he doesn't need to turn Satan is holding something there that is tempting and I see it I see it all the time as the gospel is preached in an audience like this tonight there are people who are actually weighing up the matter of salvation and remember the matter of salvation is not simply turning to Christ it is a turning from sin to Christ there can be no salvation without what the Bible calls repentance and there can be no salvation without acknowledging your sin but when we preach to people in an audience like this we know that there are those of you who love your sin you don't think of it in those terms you don't think of it in those terms but if you were to go out of here and perhaps even in here I'm not sure and knock on doors and find the person whose life has been ruined by drugs and alcohol and you talk to them about their problem and they admit yes this has ruined my life it's ruined my relationships it's ruined my health it's ruined my mind I can't think right I can't work I can't take care of my children it has absolutely devastated me and you tell them that you have all of the resources and all of the people put in place so that if they are interested in recovery all they have to do is turn and come and receive it and I know sometimes it gets masked and sometimes it gets confused with the idea of I can't but you know what most of the time it is I won't I want this sin more than I want my family I want this sin more than I want my health I want this sin more than I want my mind I just want this sin and while I might not be talking to drug addicts or alcoholics tonight here in the audience I am speaking to people and the reason you've never turned to Christ is because you love your sin there's some aspect of sin that attracts you that you're not willing to turn from that was Cain a man looking down but Cain's down-looking turned into pride that pride produced works that he thought were good enough now I'm not going to get into all of the implications of Cain's fruit of the ground but it really is a picture of a sinner who now decides I'm going to come to God on my own terms I'm going to come to God my way I am going to come to God with my religion I am going to come to God with my works I am going to come to God my way Cain came to God his way and he put those fruit of the ground on that altar and God looked at the altar and he said that is not acceptable because there is no blood then he looks to Cain now listen to this he said your acceptance can only be in an offering of blood and because there is no blood there is no acceptance just get that very straight because there is no blood there is no acceptance with God God didn't look at Cain and say Cain you are a worse sinner than Abel so I can't accept you God didn't look at Cain and say Cain you've lived longer and you've had your chance and you've kept on sinning so I can't accept you that's not what he said it was not the degree of sin it was not the the extent of sin it was simply that the sacrifice was not acceptable so the offerer was not accepted and Abel comes along and Abel takes of the firstling of his flock the best of his flock and he offers it by shedding his blood and he puts all of it there the fact thereof the best of it and as he puts that on the altar remember this now God is not looking at Abel's innocence God is not looking at Abel's lifestyle and God is not looking at Abel's uh acceptability God is looking at the offering and because the offering is an offering of blood and a life was given the offering is acceptable and the offerer is accepted those were the simple terms of a sacrifice if the offering is right the offerer is accepted and you know it's the same terms when it comes to the gospel God requires satisfaction for sin the Lord Jesus died on the cross and he shed his blood for our sins in dying on the cross he has completely satisfied God I can tell you tonight nobody in this room ever needs to bring an offering the offerings already been offered I can tell you tonight that nobody has to doubt the offerings acceptability the offering is absolutely acceptable and the offering has already been accepted so now when I come to Christ by simple repentance and faith God is not looking at my innocence God is not looking at my acceptability and God is not looking at my lifestyle God is looking at the offering and because the offering is accepted I'm accepted it's all about the offering it's all about Christ it's all about the blood so then in typical fashion Cain with his pride decides to slay his brother Abel and when he slays his brother Abel he thinks nobody saw it but God comes and God confronts him and says Cain there's something you need to know and that's that Abel's blood is crying from the ground Abel's blood is speaking up to God I wonder what Cain would have felt like when here he is confronted with his sin face to face with the God of eternity face to face with the God that he is turned from face to face with the God that he is guilty before and now he has to explain himself when it comes to the sin that he has committed and then I wonder about people in gospel meetings like this when you meet God and you have to give an answer for your sin you know what the blood of Abel spoke to God of the guilt of Cain it spoke to God of the sin of Cain spoke to God spoke to God of the judgment and condemnation of Cain in the ears of God there was a cry from the ground Cain is guilty in the ears of God there was a cry from the ground Cain is a sinner in the ears of God there's a cry from the ground Cain is condemned the blood of Abel spoke of condemnation sin and guilt that's why in the new testament we read that there is better blood than the blood of Abel but it is blood that speaks I would take it that is blood that speaks to the entire universe blood that speaks first and foremost to God himself as God's holiness and righteousness demanded a payment for sin the blood of animal sacrifices could never do I hope we understand that tonight the blood of animal sacrifices could never do if you took all of those sacrifices individually that were offered throughout the entire universe or the entire world there were no offerings offered in outer space throughout the entire world and he would take them all together at once and offer them in one place it would never be enough to put away sin it was always just to remind us of sin it was always just to cover sin for a season but it would never put away sin that's why when the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world he said sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not but a body as thou prepared me in that body he went to the cross in that body he died on the cross in that body he shed his blood and that blood now speaks in the ears of God of satisfaction keep keep in mind now and be very careful it's not like God gets some kind of of of pleasure from suffering but God got satisfaction God received satisfaction from the blood of Christ and in the blood of Christ the righteousness of God is satisfied in the blood of Christ the law of God is satisfied and the blood of Christ speaks not of guilt and condemnation and sin but the blood of Christ speaks of eternal satisfaction and propitiation of God can I tell you tonight the blood of those old testament animals they could cleanse the outside that's what Hebrews tells us cleansing of the flesh but the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ goes beyond just cleansing your outside and it gets beyond just your thoughts beyond your feelings and emotions right into your conscience and it can actually cleanse the conscience from guilt that's powerful stuff that the blood of Christ is able to cleanse the very conscience from guilt is a phrase that I love to repeat because this blood speaks to me of absolute forgiveness absolute forgiveness one time and for all time it is a popular misconception that we have to confess our sins every day to God so that we will be forgiven and be in heaven that's foreign to the scriptures the scriptures teach that believers should confess their sins so that they can have a communion and harmony in their fellowship with God but when it comes to sinners wanting to go to heaven you're not forgiven day by day you're not forgiven every time you sin you're forgiven one time and for all time why because the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin from all sin the blood that was shed on the cross of calvary goes beyond just the exterior cleanses the conscience the blood that was shed on the cross of calvary gives me forgiveness not just for one sin and not just for many sins and not just for my sins only but for the sins of the whole world why because the blood that speaks better things speaks to me of absolute cleansing from all sin you see it and I see you can remain like Cain and love your sin refuse to turn or you can turn from sin and turn to Christ and find out that that blood is precious blood that blood is cleansing blood and that blood speaks better things than that of evil