(1Th 2:2) But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.
(1 Peter 4:17 KJV) For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Blood Of New Testament
Bro. Sowders Books
QUESTION: Brother Sowders, will you please speak on the first resurrection and what it takes to make it?
ANSWER: Well, I covered it already pretty well, but the first resurrection means this to be in it: Be converted and receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost and then walk in newness of life in Christ--a new creature. Then begin to learn the Word of God and taking an interest in the law of God, for how could you be in the first resurrection that will rule this world by the law of God unless you knew the law of God? Impossible! "O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is they victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law." (1CO 15:55-56)
Consequently, if I don't get the law of God, I'll get light and chaffy and I will not be able to rise above sin and live a pure, holy consecrated life. You say, "Doesn't the blood take away your sin?" Yes if you walk in the light as he is in the light. "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1JO 1:7) How can the blood cleanse us from all sin, just the shed blood which was shed on the cross of Calvary? No! -- It is the covenant brought in effect by the shedding of blood. You have got to know about the blood. Why it was shed and then know it was shed to bring a new covenant into existence--and then walk in the light of that new covenant and since I am walking in the light of the new covenant that shed blood cleanseth us from all sin.
There are many things go to making up that which will eradicate sin beside the blood shed on Calvary. Lots of people get angry because we don't preach that the blood of Christ that He shed is sufficient to wash every individual that comes to Him since His dying on the cross. If that be the case, He would have to be worse than an elephant and then He would not have had enough. That is what makes infidels. A preacher preaching that everyone is washed in the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary. Lots of people do away with songs pertaining to the blood because they have no explanation for that. To say the blood of Christ washes you and every individual that comes to him -- that cannot explain it. And they say the washing of the blood cleanses you from sin. As much as to say, "I'm to be washed in the blood shed on the cross and you are to be washed m the blood." Say when Jesus Christ carried His cross up old Golgotha's hill, He did not have enough blood left to amount to anything. When He was praying before that, He sweat great drops as it were blood. Tradition says when He was going up Golgotha's hill and while He was resting on the hill a lady came along and with pity she began wiping His forehead and He was actually so near dead He was eating what blood He did have out. It was coming out of His pores. Then to say His blood is sufficient to wash everybody that comes to him? --That wasn't the fountain opened. But that fountain was that which was flowing out of His pierced side as the scripture said, "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the Inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." (ZEC 13:1)
He Had to Go Away--Why
When that fountain was opened up--it was Jesus Christ shedding the last drop of blood in His body and it ran out on the ground. Ran down his body and was dripping out on the ground from His feet. I see Him going to the grave and then resurrecting and going about gathering up that 120 and said to them before He was crucified, "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart, I will send him unto you." (JOH 16:7) It was necessary for Him to leave here. Why? Because He was not in place and He was the great main line that came from the fountain-head of life. That great main line had to go up and get connected with the Father and let that stream of life flow through Him Let a preacher get out of God's will and he is a piece of pipe disconnected from the main fountain-head! Jesus had to go from here to take His place and let the fountain of all life flow through Him into the twelve ministers and into the rest of the 120 and then out into the three thousand and so forth--on it went. That is why He said "For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you;" (JOH 16:7) If He stayed here, it would have never come. He had to be in order--in place.
Take a preacher out of place and he can cause more trouble than one hundred in their place. It is so necessary that I stay where I ought to be. This past week I never felt better in my life. I had an appetite that was great and could sleep well at night. I had asked the Lord to gird up my mind and if I ought to go to Olmstead, let me go. I saw about Saturday an arrow pointing to Olmstead. All I could do was to go. Say, it is wonderful to be in the will of God. I understood why He led me to Olmstead. Why? Because of the spirits there. (Telling of different ones there)
Jesus Christ kept telling them for years, "I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but If I depart, I will send him unto you." (JOH 16:7) Jesus, didn't you shed your blood to bring it? Didn't you provide a plan on the cross to bring it into existence? "Yes, I did," He would say. "But there are some more steps to take, "It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you;" It would have been a lopsided affair. God does things in a perfect way. God called Him on back to Him. When the blood of the lamb was shed the High priest, he would take the blood and go into the holy place and offer the blood up to God. If that lamb was without spot or blemish, the Lord knew it! The Lord watched when it was being killed--when it was being brought in and when the high priest laid his hands on it, the Lord was watching and if He had not laid his hands on it, the Lord would not have taken it. Then when the high priest did lay his hands on it and if it was without a blemish the Lord took it--He accepted it. The high priest took the blood of the lamb on into the holy place and on beyond into the holy of holies-- getting out of the sight of everybody, getting away from everybody and getting close to God. Then among all that holy furniture God accepted it and acknowledged it. And when He did, the priest rose to his feet and walked back out, stood at the door of the holy place and sprinkled the furniture inside and outside. He sprinkled everything. He went over to the books on the table of shew bread and sprinkled all of it with the blood of the lamb. When he was doing that, all of Israel was down praising God. What did that mean?
The high priest was a type of Jesus Christ who shed His own blood. He resurrected and took His own blood When He resurrected they tried to touch Him and He said, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father:" (JOH 20:17) That did not mean a natural, but a spiritual touch. He takes His own blood and declares He must go away. It is expedient. He must go. I see the high priest of our profession--went to the Father in the Holy of Holies -- Himself to appear before God in heaven itself with His own blood and the Father accepted it-- said, "Son it is pure, I accept it." God said one time, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (MAT 3:17)
I see the 120 and I see the high priest coming out of the portals of heaven sprinkling the blood on the people who were blessing and praising God. I hear the Jews then saying "These men are full of new wine." "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, "Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye Suppose. seeing it is but the third hour of the day." (ACT 2:14-15) They were drunk, but they were drunk on the wine made out of a bunch of grapes--and the grapes that wine was made out of was the fruit of Mary's womb - the sweetest fruit that ever came from a woman. The Jews took that bunch of grapes and tramped it beneath their feet and crushed the wine out of it and I see Him in the glory world and I see the 120 on this earth right under that great big wine press when the Lord began to pour it out ah-ah-ah there was the 120 with their mouths wide open. I see Jesus pouring the wine in their mouth 120 Jews under the wine press.
That is typified by the two spies who went into the land of Canaan and searched out the land to see what kind of fruit was there. And they got a bunch of grapes--the grapes of Eschol--a bunch of grapes so big they had to tie it to a pole. And when they did, old Joshua and Caleb came toting that bunch of grapes. And some of the Jewish people said it was wonderful over there but there were giants over there and we can't take it.
God bless your hearts, that bunch of grapes typified Jesus Christ the fruit of Canaan. God had never produced a bunch of grapes like that bunch of grapes that came from Mary. The natural Jew came from the natural land and we now are born of a spiritual land. There are many precious things there that go to prove that the blood could not be poured out on the day of Pentecost until Jesus Christ went back to His father and was in order and got the fountain to flowing. It wasn't that red blood. He poured out His life's blood. He poured it out! I don't want that. No, but I want the blood that gave Him life to resurrect Him.
Paul said, If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." (ROM 8:11) Therefore, I don't want that red blood He shed, no sir! He had battled with that for thirty-three and one- half years and condemned sin in that red blood. It was that red blood that gave Him trouble. It was that red blood that gave Him sorrow. I don't want that! He gave me something better than that. I have something that came from that spiritual bunch of grapes. That which comes from the natural bunch of grapes, makes men get in a bad mood, but that which comes from the spiritual makes men mellow, kind patient and tender.
If I did not elevate a people above the few drops of blood that came out of His side, I would be making infidels. But God's word will save infidels. An infidel came to our meeting one night over on Market Street. He was watching them tarry and I walked up to him and said, "What do you think about it?" He said, "That is what I am doing. Thinking about it." "I haven't decided." I said, "This is real Bible salvation, what they received on the day of Pentecost. They were doing it just like we are doing it here." He said, "Say, do you believe in the Bible?" I said, "If I don't why would I be situated the way I am." I said "Sure I believe it. He said, "Do you believe the Lord created the earth in seven days and rested on the seventh?" I said "Sure, but it was not twenty-four hours days. He is not through creating yet, we are still in the creation."