1. A River Of Blood
#6 – Drinking The Blood

2. Multiple Purposes For The Blood
Redemption
Cleansing
Sustaining
Satiating

3. John 6:53-56
John 6: So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

4. 1 Corinthians 10:16-22
Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God…

5. … and I do not want you to become sharers in demons
… and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?

6. Exploring The Fountain Of Blood
Water used in different ways
Washing
Refreshing/hydrating
Blood used in different ways
Refreshing/Satiating
External/Internal

7. Image of a cleansing fountain
Zechariah 13:1 – “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.”

8. But…Drinking Blood?
Vs.53 – “…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.”
Without drinking the blood there is no eternal life.

9. The Symbolic Nature Of The Blood
Obviously we are not accessing PHYSICAL blood.
The PHYSICAL blood was given to God at Calvary.
We are dealing with the symbolic properties of the REAL blood.
Eating/Drinking/Cleansing symbolic blood.

10. The Blessing Of Drinking Blood
Drinking blood has deeper results than cleansing in blood.
Externally, blood cleanses us – what blood does TO us.
Internally, blood nourishes us – what blood does IN us.

11. Eternal Life In Eternal Food
Eternal life is nourished with eternal bread/drink
Vs. 54 – “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

12. Not About Communion – But…
In the Lord’s Supper we have a reminder of the properties of His flesh and blood.
1 Cor. 10:16-17 – “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread that we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.

13. His Blood/Flesh Are REAL Food
Vs – “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.”
An image of SEAMLESS union

14. Indeed! True food and true drink
Same word as is found in Mark 15:39 – “When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His ast, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”
Really! Indeed! Truly!

15. We Are His Body
1 Corinthians 12:27– Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.
As His body, we must share His flesh, His blood, His Spirit

16. It Is Through The Spirit We Drink
John 6:63-64 – “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.

17. How Do We Drink The Blood?
There is work only the Holy Spirit can do
1 Thessalonians 5:19 – “Do not quench the Spirit….”
Our part is through the word