Overview

1. The Father’s heart revealed in the gift of His Son
2. We have redemption through the blood of Christ
3. His blood is our sure foundation
4. His blood has redeemed us from the curse of toil and striving
5. The continual cleansing power of Jesus’ blood
6. Walking in the light and understanding 1 John 1:9
7. Grace empowers us to walk in true holiness

The Father’s heart revealed in the gift of His Son

Love is the very essence of who our heavenly Father is, and the fullest expression of His love was revealed when He gave you and me His only begotten Son—our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is exactly what Romans 5:8 shows us:

Just think about that for a moment.

Can you imagine how much the Father loves His Son? As earthly parents, none of us would willingly give up our own child, not even for a good man. Yet our Father gave up the One dearest to His heart for us, not when we had everything together or when we were doing everything right, but while we were still sinners.

What amazing love!

Friend, there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. We are saved by His grace alone (Eph. 2:8). If man could save himself through works, there would have been no need for the Father to send His Son, the Son of His love.

We have redemption through the blood of Christ

Even today, many believers in the body of Christ struggle to rest in the assurance of the Father’s love and their position before Him. Instead, they fall back into self-effort, trying to earn their right standing before God.

But when the Lord cried out, “It is finished,” every requirement for our redemption was fully accomplished. Hebrews 10:12–14 tells us that through His one sacrifice, we have been perfected forever.

This is what makes Jesus’ sacrifice so different from the sacrifices under the old covenant. The blood of bulls and goats could only provide a temporary covering for sins, which is why those sacrifices had to be repeated year after year. Those offerings were only shadows pointing to our Lord Jesus, the true Lamb of God.

The perfect, sinless blood of Christ fulfilled what the blood of those sacrifices could never accomplish!

Ephesians 1:7 tells us:

Notice that the gift of redemption includes the forgiveness of sins.

And how much are we forgiven? Not according to our performance, our behavior, or our efforts and works. We are forgiven according to the riches of His grace—the infinite, inexhaustible riches of His undeserved, unearned, unmerited favor!

Beloved, when this truth settles in our hearts, we no longer live trapped by guilt, condemnation, and sin-consciousness. To be constantly occupied with our sins, mistakes, and failures only leads to more defeat and discouragement (Rom. 7:8–9).

Even under the old covenant, the priests who handled the sin offerings on behalf of the people became ceremonially unclean because they were continually occupied with sin. By the end of the day, they themselves needed cleansing.

That is why we are not called to be occupied with sin. We are called to behold our Lord Jesus and the perfection of His finished work!

Under the old covenant, when a sinner brought an offering to the priest, the priest did not carefully examine the sinner. Instead, He examined the lamb for any spots, blemishes, and defects. In the same way, God does not want us to be preoccupied with our weaknesses and failures, but with our Lord Jesus, the true Lamb of God.

The Bible tells us:

This is a beautiful invitation to fill our hearts and minds with the truth of what our Lord Jesus has accomplished for us at the cross. We are called to meditate on what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and praiseworthy—to be occupied with Christ and His finished work rather than with our failures and shortcomings.

The more we behold our Lord Jesus, the more transformation begins to flow effortlessly in our lives (2 Cor. 3:18). And as we come to understand the fullness of what His precious blood has accomplished for us, we begin to live with freedom, confidence, and the power to walk in true holiness!

His blood is our sure foundation

The blood of Jesus has not only redeemed us from our sins, but it is also the sure foundation of our standing and confidence before the Father.

The Passover gives us a powerful picture of what it means to be protected and accepted through the blood.

In Exodus 12, God instructed every household to take a lamb and place its blood upon the doorposts of their homes. Then, He gave them this promise: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exod. 12:13).

Notice that the children of Israel were not protected because of their good behavior, their achievements, or even the strength of their faith. Their safety did not depend on how they felt or how fully they understood the significance of the blood. Their deliverance rested entirely upon God seeing the blood of the lamb.

Imagine two Israelite families on the night of Passover. Both houses have the blood upon the doorposts.

In one house, the family is filled with peace. They are gathered together, rejoicing over the Lord’s promise to deliver them. There is joy, confidence, and faith in their hearts.

In the other house, the family is fearful and anxious. Every sound they hear causes them to tremble as they wonder if judgment will still come upon them.

Which house do you think was more secure that night?

The truth is, both families were equally protected and secure. Why? Because their safety did not depend on their emotions, their confidence, or even the strength of their faith. Their protection rested entirely upon the blood.

In the same way, our standing before God today is not based on our feelings, our performance, or whether we think we have had a “good” or “bad” day. Our security rests entirely upon the blood of Christ.

Now, the Bible tells us that the blood was applied upon the lintel and the two side posts of the doors. Doesn’t that remind you of something? That’s right, it forms the picture of a cross, pointing us to our Lord Jesus and His finished work at Calvary.

Just as God looked at the blood of the lamb on that Passover night, when our heavenly Father looks at us today, He is not focused on our failures, weaknesses, or shortcomings. He sees us covered by the blood of His Son, and He sees us in Christ.

Today, we can come boldly before the Father without fear, guilt, or condemnation, resting confidently in the power of Jesus’ blood!

His blood has redeemed us from the curse of toil and striving

Many people today live under constant pressure and striving. There is always the feeling that they must work harder, do more, and prove ourselves. Even as believers, we can easily slip into a life of self-effort instead of resting in the Lord’s grace.

But this was never God’s original design for man.

Before Adam fell, man lived in perfect rest and unhindered fellowship with God. He freely enjoyed the Father’s presence and provision. There was meaningful work in the garden (Gen. 2:15), but there was no toil and striving.

But when sin entered the world, everything changed.

Genesis 3:17–19 says:

Sweat speaks of human effort, stress, and painful striving. From that moment, man came under the curse of toilsome labor.

But what the first Adam brought upon mankind, the last Adam came to redeem.

Before going to the cross, our Lord Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane. There, He was under such intense anguish that “His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).

Why is this so significant?

By the sweat of Adam’s brow, mankind came under the curse of toilsome labor. But the divine blood of Jesus carries redeeming power! As His blood mingled with His sweat and fell upon the ground, our Lord Jesus redeemed us from a life of striving and dependence upon human strength.

Today, this means we no longer have to live driven by stress, anxiety, or the pressure to prove ourselves. We are not called to strive, but to work from a place of rest in our heavenly Father’s love and provision.

Now, this does not mean there will never be challenges in our work. Every job comes with pressures and difficulties, and there may be seasons where we feel tired, stretched, or weary. But work itself is not the curse.

Work was always part of God’s original design for man. It was meant to be a gift—a way for us to express the gifts and talents God has placed within us and to glorify Him in the places He has called us to.

When we learn to rest in His grace, we can begin to enjoy the work of our hands instead of being driven by stress and self-effort. We can labor with peace in our hearts, trusting that our heavenly Father cares for us and faithfully provides for every need.

The continual cleansing power of Jesus’ blood

Today, every believer who has placed their trust in our Lord Jesus has been brought out of darkness and into His kingdom of light. We are no longer identified by our failures or shortcomings, but by our new position in Christ as sons and daughters of God.

Notice that John says we are to walk in the light. He does not say we walk according to the light in order to earn righteousness through our conduct and performance. We walk in the light because we have already been brought into the light through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And as we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ continually cleanses us from all sin.

In the original Greek, the word “cleanses” is in the present continuous tense. It doesn’t say the blood “cleansed” us or “will cleanse” us. This means that the blood of Jesus continually cleanses us from every sin.

Andrew Murray, a well-known Christian author and minister, beautifully described it this way:

Notice how he says, “It is not a matter of ‘I must be cleansed again,’ but rather an abiding under the constant, uninterrupted flow of that fountain.”

What a powerful picture of the Christian life!

Just as a stone placed under flowing water remains continually clean, we too are continually cleansed as we rest beneath the precious flow of Jesus’ blood. And because we have placed our trust in Christ and His finished work, we do not move in and out of righteousness, forgiveness, or fellowship with God based on our performance.

Every failure, every wrong thought, and every moment of weakness has already been fully paid for at the cross. Even when we stumble or fall short, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us.

Today, we stand fully accepted before the Father through the blood of His Son. And the more conscious we become of His grace, His forgiveness, and the cleansing power of His blood, the more we begin to reign over destructive habits and walk in true victory.

Walking in the light and understanding 1 John 1:9

Now, perhaps you’ve heard it said that in order to be forgiven, restored, or accepted by God, there are certain things you first need to do.

Or perhaps passages such as 1 John 1:9 have raised questions such as:

“Have all my sins really been forgiven?”
“What about the confession of sins?”
“If I fail, does that mean I fall out of fellowship with God?”

Many believers read this verse with fear and condemnation, thinking they must constantly confess every failure in order to be forgiven or accepted by God. For many, this has become a major stumbling block to fully receiving the gospel of grace and the truth of total forgiveness through Christ’s finished work (Eph. 1:7; Heb. 10:14).

But beloved, the Father’s heart is not for us to live trapped in fear, insecurity, and sin-consciousness. His desire is for us to be established in the gospel and in the assurance of our forgiveness in Christ, so that we can walk in the freedom, joy, and holiness that Jesus purchased for us at the cross.

This is why it is so important to understand 1 John 1:9 in its proper context.

In the opening chapter of 1 John, the apostle John was addressing false teachings—particularly the heretical Gnostic doctrine that denied man’s sinful condition and even denied the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is in this context that John writes:

Here, John was speaking about acknowledging one’s sinful condition apart from Christ and receiving the complete forgiveness and cleansing that can only be found in His finished work.

And how often do we need to do this? Only once.

That is why 1 John 1:9 is primarily a salvation verse. It points the sinner to acknowledge his sinful condition and receive a brand-new righteous standing through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

But what about believers who still fail after they are saved?

Just two verses later, John writes:

Here, John is now referring to believers’ committing of sins. And what does he remind us of? The truth that we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Even when we fail, we remain accepted before God because of Jesus and His finished work at the cross. The answer to overcoming sin is not greater sin-consciousness, but greater Christ-consciousness and a deeper revelation of our righteous identity in Him!

Grace empowers us to walk in true holiness

One of the most common accusations against the gospel of grace is that teaching complete forgiveness gives believers a license to sin. But nothing could be further from the truth!

Grace does not give us a license to sin. In fact, grace is what empowers us to live holy lives.

The reality is that, no matter how hard we try, true and lasting transformation can never come through self-effort alone. True holiness does not begin with trying harder or striving more, but with being established in our righteous identity in Christ and allowing His grace to transform us from the inside out.

Now, sin is destructive and brings painful consequences. God’s heart has never been for His children to live under the bondage of sin. But freedom from sin is not produced through guilt, condemnation, or fear. In fact, condemnation often drives people deeper into defeat.

Pastor Prince gave a simple but powerful illustration. When someone already feels dirty, they often do not care about becoming dirtier. But when someone knows they are clean, there is a desire to remain clean.

In the same way, when believers are constantly conscious of guilt, shame, and failure, they often remain trapped in cycles of defeat. But when they become established in their righteous identity in Christ and are conscious of the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood, something begins to change from within.

The more conscious we become of Jesus’ finished work and our complete acceptance in Him, the more our hearts are drawn toward Him, and the more we desire to walk in ways that are honoring and well-pleasing to Him.

This is how true holiness flows in the believer’s life—not through self-effort, but through grace and a deeper revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ!

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These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.