2014.11.02_Drink the Blood of God

Those Who Drank of God’s Blood

God is the only true God. There are countless spirits in heaven and earth, yet none of them have blood. Only God is the Spirit who has blood. He shed His own blood by sending His only begotten Son who was in His bosom.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible testifies of Jesus (John 5:39). If we were to record everything that Jesus did, there would not be enough room in this world to store all the books that were written (John 21:25). Only a portion of it has been written in the Bible because that is sufficient for man to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and have eternal life in His name (John 20:31).

The reason God sent Jesus was for us to obtain eternal life (John 3:16). In order to receive eternal life, one must know Jesus whom God has sent (John 17:3). People falter and even fall in their faith life because they do not know Jesus. When Peter confessed, “Lord, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16) Jesus answered, “I will build my church on this rock” (Matt 16:18). We should not perish because of a lack of knowledge but know for certain who Jesus is (Hos 4:6).

There is a certain person who claims to be the Christ and deceives many people. There is a way to test whether such a person is the Christ or not. Check if he has the marks of the nails and spear in his hands and side. When Thomas did not believe in Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus told him to check his hands and side (John 20:27). As Jesus rose again with the same body that He died, the marks of the nails and spear would still remain on his body.

If we hear that Christ has returned while we are still on the earth, then that would actually be a huge problem. That is because a true Christian would be transformed instantly when Jesus returns and meet Him in the air. Hence, the saints do not need to worry about the Lord returning when they are unaware. Some people claim that the Savior is here or there, but they are merely a deception.

Believers are deceived because they do not know the Scriptures. We have to know the Scriptures. That doesn’t mean we should memorize Bible verses. It means we have to know that Jesus is the Son of God, just as the Bible testifies. Jesus is not a Jew; He is the Son of God. And God Himself has testified to this (Matt 3:17). Christians are those who drank of the blood of Jesus. In other words, they did not drink of the blood of a Jew but of God’s blood.

Man is subject to perish under the condemnation of the Law and his conscience. He cannot escape the eternal lake of fire without having God’s blood. Thus, God sent Jesus Christ in order to deliver man from destruction. Blood can atone for sin because there is life in the blood (Lev 17:11). However, the original sin which led man’s spirit to death cannot be atoned for with the blood of animals. Only the blood of Jesus can save man from Hell.

Not Forgiving the Sin of Others Proves that One Despises the Lord’s Blood

If anyone drank the blood of Jesus, it is natural that his heart is filled with joy. However, some people forfeit that joy not long after they have fervently started their faith life. They would not fall into such condition if they really treasure the blood of Jesus. One of the chronic illnesses in the modern man is depression. The news of suicides we hear on a daily basis speaks for itself. Moreover, the majority of suicides occur among young people (teens). What is more regrettable is that even Christians are being influenced by such trend. The reason Christians have such loss of joy is they do not rely on the power of the Blood within them.

This is also clearly evident in the fact that they do not forgive the sins of others. God forgives the person who has repented and remembers his sins no more. Yet people are constantly trying to uncover the sins of others. They ignore God’s righteousness and keep showing their own. While the blood of Jesus is full of God’s righteousness, they are full of their own righteousness. Even if someone sinned, he would have repented before God is he is a Christian, and Jesus Christ would intercede for him before the Father (1 John 2:1). The Lord did not condemn the woman who was caught in the act of adultery and brought before Him. Who can condemn the one the Lord accepted as righteous?

Jesus said to His disciples to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matt 6:12). Then He stressed, “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt 6:15). Whoever has been forgiven by the power of the Blood would be thankful for God’s grace and tell others of the news of the forgiveness of sins. However, there are people who always find fault with others in the church. Can such people be said to have faith in the blood of Jesus? Jesus Christ shed His blood to take away man’s sin. Now would it be right for a person who claims to have received God’s grace, to remember other people’s sins and criticize?

The Bible says that the spirit that acknowledges what Jesus Christ did in the flesh belongs to God, and the spirit that denies it is the spirit of the antichrist (1 John 4:3). We must test ourselves to see which spirit we are of. How can you be condemning the person who is joyful after being forgiven by relying on the blood of Jesus? There is not one person who can be saved by the righteousness of his own conscience. Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you” (Matt 21:31). That is because harlots acknowledge they do not have any righteousness.

Whoever does not forgive others in the church and remembers their sins, denies the power of the blood of Jesus. He is sinning willfully and consequently subject to judgment. We must forgive the sin of others, even seventy times seven. If anyone claims to believe in the power of the Blood yet does not forgive others, he is eating and drinking judgment to himself. There is no sacrifice for sins for such a person who sins willfully but only a fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries (Heb 10:26-27).

It says in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.” Whoever does not know whether Jesus’ blood is in him or not is disqualified. The one who knows that Jesus’ blood is within him will be joyful and would confess and testify of the precious blood in him.

Drink the Cup of the Lord in a Worthy Manner

First Corinthians 11:25-26 says, “In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” We drink of the cup to commemorate the Lord’s blood which took away our sin. The one who drinks of the cup must confess with his lips and testify to others that he has received the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus.

Then it says in 1 Corinthians 11:27-28, “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” We must not drink the cup in an unworthy manner. Whoever drinks of the cup must acknowledge the power of the Blood, as befitting his action. Otherwise, he is guilty of the Lord’s blood by drinking the cup and acting in accordance with the spirit of the antichrist.

Cain was of the wicked one and murdered his brother (1 John 3:12). When God asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen 4:9). God had already warned him, “sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Nevertheless, Cain murdered his brother in the end (Gen 4:7-8). As is shown in Cain’s words, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” indifference towards one’s neighbor is a trait of a murderer. If a person truly drank of Jesus’ blood, he cannot be indifferent towards his neighbor. Just as Moses took branches of hyssop, dipped it in blood and sprinkled the people, we must also be used as the branches of hyssop in sprinkling others with the blood of Jesus.

First Corinthians 11:29-30 says “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” To eat and drink judgment to himself means to sin willfully. Hebrews 10:25-27 says, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.” The reason saints do not forsake assembling together but eagerly gather on the Lord’s Day is to break bread and drink the cup (Acts 20:7). What does it mean to break bread and drink the cup? It means to proclaim the works of Jesus Christ of how He tore His flesh and shed His blood. When a person eats of the bread and drinks the cup yet does not confess or testify of the fact that Jesus’ flesh and blood is in him, he is essentially eating and drinking his own sins.

It says in 1 Corinthians 11:30, “For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” Within the church today, there are many in despair and always depressed, many who are sick, and many who succumb to sudden death. Ananias and Sapphira were so full of the Holy Spirit that they sold their land to offer it to God. However, they deceived the Holy Spirit and consequently, both of them died on the same day.

First Corinthians 11:31 says, “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.” Those who believe in Jesus have escaped judgment. However, as some do not believe in the blood of Jesus, they eat and drink their sins all over again. This is them willfully sinning.

First Corinthians 11:32 says, “But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” Many are weak and sick, and many sleep, for that is the result of the Lord’s chastening upon them. There is no need to be surprised when everything seems to have run against a wall. One needs to realize he is being chastened by the Lord and think about the reason why. We must not ignore the warning that the farmer will remove the branch that bears no fruit (John 15:2).

Whoever drank of the Lord’s blood should be filled with joy in his heart. Jesus wants us to have that joy in fullness (John 17:13). The absence of joy in one’s heart is because he does not believe in the blood of Jesus. The person who does not believe in Jesus’ blood does not believe that his sins are forgiven although he repents. Hence, even after a year, he still repents for the same thing again. Likewise, a person has no freedom or joy in his heart because he is being deceived by the spirit of the antichrist.

We must not forsake the assembling of one another as some are in the habit of doing and eagerly gather together on the Lord’s Day in order not to be chastened by the Lord. If anyone denies the blood of Jesus even after having received forgiveness through it, he is eating and drinking his own sin. Such a person will be subject to the Lord’s chastening. By taking part in the Lord’s Supper, saints have to confess and testify of the fact that Jesus’ blood is in them.

Save Souls with Maternal Love

Saving the souls of our neighbors is our mission. The reason people fail to do that is because they do not have love. Man’s love is full of empathy, affection and emotions. Even a wicked person knows how to show compassion, to be in a relationship, and be moved to tears. When Jesus gave the new command to love one another, he didn’t mean to have empathy, affection and emotion, but the love of a mother, that is, maternal love toward souls.

Although the church of Ephesus was commended by the Lord in many aspects, they were rebuked for having forsaken their first love (Rev 2:4). The Lord warned them that He would remove their lampstand from its place unless they repent. If the One who walks in the midst of the golden lampstands removes the lampstand from its place, it means He will no longer be in communion with that church.

What is the ‘first love’? We were born into this world through pains and labor of childbearing. We were utterly helpless when we came into this world. At that time, we could not say anything even when we were sick, hungry and cold. Yet, we were able to develop into a complete person because of our mothers’ maternal love. That love is the first ever experience we had when we came into the world, the first thing we came to know, the first love we ever received. The church of Ephesus was outstanding in many respects. However, they were rebuked by God because they had no maternal love.

People criticize the sins of others because they have no maternal love. Even if her child does wrong, a mother does not criticize in front of others but instead covers up her child’s mistakes. A person might uncover the faults of other church members saying, “I know how that person sinned and yet he’s brazenly so bold and says he repented.” However, even such a person would try to conceal the mistakes of his own child. Not only that, he would also be happy to see his child happy and not disheartened.

There are people who once had power in the past but not anymore, who received the gift of speaking in tongues but cannot experience that gift anymore. That is all because they lack in maternal love. Souls will gather and come to those who have maternal love. Chickens body temperature is similar to that of humans. But when hens incubate their eggs, that temperature reaches up to 39 degrees (Celsius). The hen is actually ill during the time she is incubating her eggs. There are instances when the hen actually dies because she continued to incubate an infertile egg without giving up. The Lord embraced us with such maternal love (Luke 13:34). We also need to embrace our neighbors with maternal love.

We should not judge others with our own righteousness as a standard. We must not deny the merits of Him who came in the flesh to shed His blood for us. We have to believe in the power of the Blood. There should not be any whispering of another’s sin. We should be able to embrace the lost souls and weep together with them. We should not be deceived by the works of the Devil that strive to destroy the maternal love. The reason we could be God’s field is because God gave us maternal love. If God sows the seed in us, there has to be a hundred times fruit produced from us. Thus, we need to be determined to lead a hundred souls before the Lord in our lifetime. That is the duty of the saints who drank the Lord’s blood.