Communions/Blood of Jesus Sermon Illustrations

1. Charles Finney and the Most Sinner Man: At a revival in Detroit Dr. Charles Finney, preached on
the text "The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:7). After the
service a strange asked Dr. Finney to walk home with him. Ushering the preacher into the rear of a
building, the stranger locked the door, put the key in his pocket, and said, "Don’t be afraid. I’m not
going to hurt you. I just want to ask a few questions. Do you believe what you preached tonight?’
Dr. Finney said, "I most certainly do. "The man continued, "We’re in the back of a saloon. I’m sole
proprietor. Mothers come in here, lay their babies on the counter, and beg me not to sell liquor to
their husbands. I turn a deaf ear to their cry. We see to it when a man leaves here he’s well under
the influence. More than one night, a man leaving here has been killed on the train tracks. Dr.
Finney,. tell me, can God forgive a man like me?" Dr Finney replied, "I have but one authority the
Word of God which says, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin.’" "But
that’s not all,’ added the man. "In another room we run a gambling hall. If a man doesn’t spend all
his money on liquor, we bring him back here and with marked cards see to it that he’s fleeced out
of his last dollar We send him home penniless to a hungry family Dr. Finney, I’m sole owner. Tell me
honestly can God forgive a man with a heart like that?" Again Dr Finney replied, "I have hut one
authority, the Word of God which says, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all
sin.’" The man spoke again. "That’s not all. Across the street is my home where live my wife and
little daughter. Neither one has had a kind word from rue for five years. Their bodies bear marks of
my brutal attacks. Dr Finney, do you think God could forgive a man with a heart like that?" Dr
Finney’s head lowered. His eyes filled with tears as he said, "My friend, you have painted one of the
darkest pictures I have ever gazed on, but I still have one authority which says, ‘The blood of Jesus
Christ cleanseth us from all sin.'" The man opened the door, ushered the preacher into the night,
then never left that room till daybreak—not before ripping up decks of cards and pouring the
contents of bottles down the sink. Across the road at home he sat in his living room. His little girl
called, Daddy Mother says breakfast is ready" When he answered his little girl kindly she ran back
to her mother, "Daddy spoke kind to me! Something is the matter!" The mother followed her little
girl to the living room. The man beckoned them both. Taking one on each knee, he explained to
their amazement that they had a new husband and daddy He ended, "I’m done with that business
across the street!" The man later became a member, then an official in a leading Detroit church.
When asked to tell how his life was changed, he would reply "The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son,
cleanseth us from all sin."
2. When evangelist John Wesley (1703-1791) was returning home from a service one night, he was
robbed. The thief, however, found his victim to have only a little money and some Christian
literature. As the bandit was leaving, Wesley called out, “Stop! I have something more to give you.”
The surprised robber paused. “My friend,” said Wesley, “you may live to regret this sort of life. If
you ever do, here’s something to remember: ‘The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin!’”
The thief hurried away, and Wesley prayed that his words might bear fruit. Years later, Wesley was
greeting people after a Sunday service when he was approached by a stranger. What a surprise to
learn that this visitor, now a believer in Christ as a successful businessman, was the one who had
robbed him years before! “I owe it all to you,” said the transformed man. “Oh no, my friend,”
Wesley exclaimed, “not to me, but to the precious blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin!”
3. THE SHEPHERD'S BLOOD
In 1972, a shepherd had brought his sheep into a walled-off, enclosed area for the night, and he
had just gone to sleep when he heard a commotion. He quickly rushed over to where the sound
was coming from and to his horror he discovered that a wolf was in the process of dragging off one
of his sheep through a hole in the wall. He was mauling this sheep and blood was flying. The
shepherd quickly began hitting the wolf, and the wolf turned on him and began attacking him. He
bit him over and over while the shepherd was striking him with his staff, and finally with one final
blow of his staff, he killed the wolf as he himself collapsed into a bloody heap. He managed to crawl
over to the half-dead sheep and began to bandage its wounds. He gave it some water, and then
 took it in his own bloody arms, and shepherd and sheep went to sleep together. The next morning
the shepherd was found dead, his body literally draped over the sheep to comfort it and keep it
warm. The following day the headline in the Jerusalem paper said, “Sheep Alive, Covered in
Shepherd’s Blood.”
4. How Can Blood Cleanse Sin?: A preacher was speaking from the text, “The blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Suddenly he was interrupted by an atheist who asked, “How can
blood cleanse sin?” For a moment the preacher was silent; then he countered, “How can water
quench thirst?” “I do not know,” replied the infidel, “but I know that it does.” “Neither do I know
how the blood of Jesus cleanses sin,” answered the preacher, “but I know that it does.”
5. The Blood Covers: Objects: A British or American Flag. White Sheet, to illustrate God's
righteousness—(wrap about a boy or girl). Story is told, boys and girls, that many years ago a British
subject in Mexico was falsely accused of a crime, and sentenced to death. The morning of the day
for the execution arrived; the innocent man was led out to meet his death. But, just as the fatal
shot was about to be fired, up rushed the British ambassador carrying the British flag. Quickly to the
side of the condemned man he went, and wrapped about him the flag, crying to the executioners
as he did so, "Fire if you dare!" At that very time, the American ambassador appeared on the scene
carrying the flag of the United States. Like the British ambassador, he rushed to the side of the
condemned man and covered him with the Stars and Stripes. Then he, too, cried, "Fire if you dare!"
Needless to say, the life of the condemned man was spared. The soldiers dared not fire on such a
covering. Boys and girls, the sinner stands before God today CON-DEMNED . . . "He that believeth
NOT is condemned already."— John 3:18. He is guilty, for "all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God."—Romans 3:23. The penalty is death, "the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23.)
What a sad picture! Is there no one to provide a covering that he might escape God's wrath and
judgment? Yes, I'm glad to tell you, boys and girls, there is One, even the Lord Jesus Himself, who
has provided a covering, by shedding His own blood on the cross of Calvary. "But God commended
His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."—Romans 5:8. This is the
blessed story of the Gospel. When the sinner turns to the Lord Jesus and receives Him as Saviour,
then it is that the covering is provided. Only the blood-red banner of the cross will avail. What a
costly covering! In Isa. 61:10 we read that God covers the saved sinner in a "garment of salvation
and a robe of righteousness." Not only are his sins forgiven, but God declares him as righteous as
His Son, and looks on him as though he had never sinned. This is justification (Rom. 3:24). Oh, what
marvelous grace! (Illustrate by wrapping white sheet about boy or girl.) Boys and girls, are you
standing with the condemned today, the ones who have never received the Lord Jesus as Saviour,
or are you among those who are covered with the robe of righteousness? The British and American
flags spared the life of the condemned man in Mexico—but the cross of Calvary provided a covering
that gives LIFE EVERLASTING to the one who will RECEIVE and BELIEVE.
6. Martin Luther once had a dream in which he stood, in the Day of Judgment, before God. Satan was
there to accuse him; and when the books were opened, he pointed to transgression after
transgression of which Luther was guilty. Luther's heart sank in despair. Then he remembered the
Cross and, turning upon the devil, he said, "There is one entry which thou hast not made, Satan."
"What is that?" asked the devil. "It is this," answered Luther: "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:7).
7. A. Fallaize, for many years a missionary in North Africa, addressing a large audience at a missionary
meeting, told of a lady missionary whose service in the Gospel led her to visit the tents of nomadic
Arabs who passed, and camped near the town where she lived On one of her visits she came to a
tent where a woman stood, engulfed in deep sorrow and anxiety. Entering, she saw lying on a mat
on the floor an Arab lad, sick, emaciated and evidently dying of tuberculosis. She asked the mother,
`May I tell him a story?' Receiving a nodded assent, she knelt down beside the lad and began to tell
the story of the Lord Jesus and his sufferings and death for sinners. She described how he was
beaten, crowned with thorns, led out of the city of Jerusalem, nailed to a cross and left to die, and
explained simply how He there bore our sins and now lived in Heaven to forgive the sins of those
who came to Him. The lad lay with closed eyes, but toward the end of her narration he opened
 them and appeared to take some interest in the story. She left, to return the next day, when she
told the same story, emphasizing the fact that the blood of Jesus Christ was shed on the cross for
the forgiveness of the lad's sins if he would only come to Jesus. This time the sick boy showed a
greater interest and his face seemed to lighten up toward the end of her narration. Next day,
thinking it might be well to introduce something new into her message, she began to tell of the
birth of Christ and was describing the place where He was born when the sick lad raised his hand
and said, 'Not that! Not that! Tell me about the cross and the blood and the forgiveness of my sins.'
And again the same moving and marvellous story was told.When the lady missionary returned
again she found the woman still sad and weeping bitterly: but there was no lad on the mat inside
her tent. She asked the mother how he had died. The mother, when she saw he was dying, had
called the Mohammedan priest who came with his copy of the Koran and began to read aloud to
the dying lad. Then she described how he had feebly raised his thin hand and said, 'Not that! Tell
me about the cross: about the blood and the forgiveness of sins.'
8. Cleaning Out The Files: A certain businessman was notorious for saving almost everything that
came across his desk—especially correspondence. Consequently, the files in his office were bulging.
One day his secretary asked if she might dispose of all the old, useless material. The man was
reluctant, but finally said, “Well, all right, but be sure you make a copy of everything before you
throw it away.” That’s the way some Christians handle their sins. They know that Jesus paid the
penalty, but somehow they can’t let go of the guilt. It’s as if Christ’s suffering were not enough, and
they must contribute some of their own anguish by continually lamenting their failures. They want
to keep copies of everything they’ve done. How foolish! The apostle Paul wanted nothing of this.
He accepted as an accomplished fact the removal of all his guilt before God because Christ’s death
had marked PAID IN FULL over his account. The memory of earlier days remained vivid, but it didn’t
weigh him down. Everything that happens to us is retained in that remarkable filing system called
“memory.” A wise forgetfulness based on Christ’s atoning sacrifice can keep all guilt feelings from
cluttering up our life. —
9. No Lost Legacy: For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the
testator (Hebrews 9:16). Robby Flockheart, a street evangelist in Edinburgh, often told two stories
to stress the importance of two truths—that Jesus died but also lives. In the first story, Robby told
about becoming friends with a man who was later condemned to die. The prisoner called for Robby
and in his presence made out his will, leaving Robby what little money he had. But on the day of the
man's scheduled execution, he was pardoned. Recounting the circumstances, Robby said, "He lived,
but I lost my legacy. A testament is not in force while the testator lives." In the second story, Robby
told of another person who left him a small legacy. But Robby never got any of that inheritance
either because, as he told it, "some rogue of a lawyer came along and I never saw a penny of it. I
used to say, `If the man who left the will had been alive, he would have made sure his old friend
Robby got his money.' But being dead, he had no power to see his will carried out." Jesus, the great
testator of the new covenant, did die; there is no question about that. Therefore, the will, certified
by His precious blood, is valid. He has secured eternal redemption for us through His atoning death.
But the Savior did not remain in the grave. After three days He arose, and today He lives to make
sure that His will is fully carried out. His life ensures that every blessing promised by the New
Testament will be given to everyone who trusts the Savior. Christ died, making His will valid; and He
lives, guaranteeing our priceless inheritance. —P.R.V. Only a living Savior could rescue a dying
world.
10. Wayne and Red served in the same platoon when the Allied forces marched across Europe in
World War II. Wayne volunteered to be "point man," leading the platoon into enemy territory. Red
backed him up. The two led their men through several battles until they reached the famed
"Siegfried Line." They ran across no-man's land and jumped into the enemy trench. When a live
grenade exploded in front of them, Wayne, who was in the lead, was wounded by the blast. Seeing
his helplessness, Red stepped forward, grabbed Wayne, whirled around, and shielded him from
gunfire. A few seconds later Red was hit by an enemy bullet and died instantly. Wayne, who
survived, later wrote, "No one has ever valued me more." In a sense, Jesus "took the bullet" that
 was intended for us. We were born in sin, and "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Because
of God's great love, the Son of God became man, lived without sinning, and took our penalty by
dying on the cross (1 Peter 3:18). Because Jesus died, we can have eternal life. Do you have that
life? If not, put your faith in Christ today. Then you too will be able to say, "No one has ever valued
me more."
11. In my lifetime, I have never owned a Rolex or a yacht. I have never known anyone who did. In my
lifetime I have never, nor will I ever slam dunk a basketball because I am too short. I will never
know the joy of riding the Derby-winning filly because I am too big to be a jockey. I will never pastor
a mega church because there are simply things in this life that are not for me. These things never
were and never will be for me. APPLICATION: But there is, however, something that was meant for
me and it's greater than all of the things that are not; the blood of Jesus. When his body was broken
and His blood was spilled, it was for me and it was for you. "And he took bread, gave thanks and
broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of
me.'" (Luke 22:19). "Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the
blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?" (1
Corinthians 10:16). [If You don’t have wealth to boast of, just stay calm and know that you have 2
most precious things on earth: (1) You precious faith which is precious then the gold and silver (2)
the blood of Jesus which is priceless.]