The Precious Blood
1 Peter 1:18 “Forasmuch as ye know that
ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as
silver and gold, from your vain
conversation
received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot:
20 Who verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, but
was manifest in these last times for you,
21 Who by him do believe in God,
that raised him up from the dead, and gave him
glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.”
1. The Silver and Gold
2. The Perfect
Lamb
3. The Blood
4. Our Sure Future
1. The Silver and Gold
Verse eighteen: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;”
Silver and gold has always been part of the
measurement of one’s riches in this world. The first
instance of a phrase in the
Bible that includes
the words “silver” and
“gold” is located in Genesis chapter
thirteen: “And Abram was very rich in
cattle, in silver, and in gold.” [Genesis
13:2]
Now, God calls silver and gold … “corruptible things”.
Now, consider this for a moment. The things of this world [including all the silver and gold in this world] are, at very best, temporary! Why? Because they will not survive the fire with which God will burn this earth with in the future … at the end of the Millennium [known in the Bible as the Kingdom of Heaven]. [2 Peter 3:7]
The corrupt things will not make it through the fire. They will be burnt up … they will be gone!
Now, there is something else, that we need to see
while we are here. We need to understand that
these “corruptible things”, the
silver and gold of this world, or the riches of this
world, form a real present danger to us … in that
they will tend to lure us … to ensnare us … to our
very hurt and to our destruction.
This is what Jesus was warning us of in Mark chapter four, verse nineteen: “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” [Mark 4:19]
We have received “by tradition” from our parents [it’s in the blood] a VAIN habit to put too much stock in the riches of this old world.
Listen to me. Riches tend to DECEIVE us, or as they say, “pull the wool over eyes” concerning the TRUE riches to be found in Jesus Christ. Do not let the silver and gold of this world fool you and cause you to miss the most important things in life.
2. The Perfect Lamb
Now for verse nineteen: “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”
Let’s look at this lamb we see here for a moment. According to the BOOK, in Exodus chapter twelve, verse five, we see: “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:” [Exodus 12:5].
This was a requirement of the LAW as given to Israel by GOD. The lamb had to be … a PERFECT lamb [“without blemish and without spot”] to qualify before GOD.
No satisfaction [involving a lamb] for a sin offering was possible without a perfect lamb!
3. The Blood
Verse nineteen: “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”
Life in itself is wrapped up in and sustained by the blood.
LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD!
Do you believe this? Check it out. Turn to Leviticus chapter seventeen, verse eleven. Let the Bible define what life in the flesh is all about. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” [Leviticus 17:11]
Now, we are ready to read verse fourteen:
“For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is
for the life thereof: therefore
I said unto the
children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no
manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the
blood thereof:
whosoever eateth it shall be cut
off.” [Leviticus 17:14]
The word “blood” appears 375
times [375 verses] in the Bible. There is no
way to minimize the importance of the blood
atonement
to God. Do you believe me?
Well, do not believe me, believe the BOOK.
The BOOK says [in Hebrews chapter nine, verse twenty- two]: “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” [Hebrews 9:22]
Did you get it? There is no remission of sins … without the shedding of blood!
If God gives great weight to “the
precious blood of Christ” in order to
“make an atonement” for our very
souls, who are we to
argue with Him?
• It is through the blood … that we have the
forgiveness of sins: “In whom we have
redemption through his blood, even the
forgiveness of sins:” [Colossians 1:14]
• It is through the blood … that we have the
cleansing from sin: “But 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.” [1 John
1:7]
• It is through the blood … that we have peace
with God: “And, having made peace through
the blood of his cross, by him to
reconcile all
things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be
things in earth, or things in heaven.”
[Colossians 1:20]
• It is through the blood … that we have
fellowship with God: “But now in Christ
Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are
made
nigh by the blood of Christ.” [Ephesians
2:13]
• It is through the blood … that we have
justification with God: “Much more then,
being now justified by his blood, we
shall be
saved from wrath through him.” [Romans 5:9]
Here is the bottom line. “This cup is the
new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
[Luke 22:20a] Jesus Christ shed
HIS BLOOD to save you and I … from
eternal damnation in Hell.
Look at what the blood did in Acts chapter twenty, verse twenty- eight: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” [Acts 20:28]
HE shed HIS BLOOD so that HE could purchase us and take us to Heaven to be with forever HIM.
4. Our Sure Future
Now, we are ready for verse twenty and twenty-one: “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.”
There is something in this world even surer than death and taxes.
Do you want to know what it is? Why, it’s right there in front of you and I in this Bible. It is the testimonies of God.
Let me rehearse to you what it says in Psalm 93. Here we go. “Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever.” [Psalm 93:5]
The believer in Jesus Christ [the true Christian] has a sure future because it is based on the “sure” testimonies of the LORD GOD.
SURE TESTIMONIES = SURE FUTURE
These “sure” testimonies of God concerning our salvation through the Lamb of God ensure our future hope. “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;” [Hebrews 6:19].
What foundation could be more solid and sure? Look at what is found in the book of Second Timothy chapter two, verse nineteen:
“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” [2 Timothy 2:19]
We will finish this study with Romans chapter four, verse sixteen.
Friend, our future is tied to a PROMISE
of God, made by God, to all the seed of Abraham who
come through the door of FAITH by
GRACE. Let’s read it!
“Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,” [Romans 4:16]
My friend, are you saved?
If you are, you have a SURE future. Amen!