Christ having come a high priest of the good things to come….through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9:11

If I would appreciate the value of the Blood of Christ, I must accept God’s valuation of it, for the blood is not primarily for me, but for God. Nothing illustrates this fact so clearly as the account of the Day of Atonement. In Leviticus 16 we read how that day blood was taken from the sin offering and brought into the Most Holy Place, and there sprinkled before the Lord seven times. The offering, of course, was public, in the court of the tabernacle and in full view of the people. But into the sanctuary itself o man entered save the high priest. Alone he sprinkled the atoning blood there before God away from the eyes of the men who were to benefit by it. We must be very clear about this. The precious Blood of Christ is in the first place for God, not man to see. A holy and righteous God has accepted it and professed himself satisfied, and our valuation of it stems from this profound fact.

Watchman Nee

So often so many take lightly the price that God and Christ paid for our redemption. Even those who have been Christians for a long time take for granted their salvation. Oh to be sure, we sing songs about the blood of Jesus. We just observed the crucifixion and celebrated the resurrection of Christ, but somehow in the activities, we can easily overlook the preciousness of the blood that Christ shed for us.

To better understand and profoundly appreciate and value the Blood of Christ, we must journey in time back to the beginning. In the order of creation, God made Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden. Every day they enjoyed His provision and presence until the day they chose their own way- the way of disobedience. Sometimes when we read or hear that story, we may think that it was such a small thing for them to eat of the fruit. In reality it was huge for they chose the side of rebellion against the authority of God in the same way as Lucifer had previously. We must understand that our sins, even if they seem small or insignificant, especially if we choose to compare them from the human view, are huge transgressions.

I think most of us are aware of the seriousness of breaking the laws of man, but that pales in comparison to breaking the laws of God- even the smallest. Lucifer began a campaign to overthrow the throne of God and break His authority over His creation. To understand this, we might compare that act to someone wanting to overthrow an established government, except in this case it was an attempt to seize the power that belonged to God alone. That’s what sin does. Adam and Eve were given a single restriction- don’t eat the fruit. It wasn’t a hard rule and it certainly didn’t oppress them. But Satan enticed them to stand against God and rebel.

The righteousness and justice of God had established that the punishment for treason and rebellion was death. Paul will say, “For the wages of sin is death.” In other words sin- the act of rebellion against God- results in death, both spiritual and physical. Prior to the sin of Adam and Eve, death did not exist. Every time we lose someone through death we are reminded of the penalty of sin. If you want to understand the seriousness of sin, there is no better example than that. On the day that Adam and Eve sinned, they hid themselves from God in fear. They knew well that death was waiting for them just as a convicted criminal sentenced to death knows.

But as they met God, they met grace and mercy. Facing the justice and the established penalty for sin-death- they had no defense. They were guilty. But mercy that day paid the price. That day God revealed there would be the ultimate sacrifice that would pay the penalty of sin- His Son. Scripture tells us that “the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world.” That day an innocent animal would give its life and shed its blood so Adam and Eve could live- a life for a life. For centuries, thousands of sheep, goats, calves would give up their lives to pay for the sins and rebellion of humans. Along the way there would be those who rejected the sacrifice and died for their sins. We read of those who perished in the flood or those who died in the wilderness and some will view those events with the thinking that God is unkind and mean. The truth is those who so perish are doing so because of their own actions. God doesn’t send anyone to hell. Those who end up there do so because they reject the sacrifice and the One who died in their place.

In Genesis a principle was established: “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.” Our salvation and the gift of eternal life hangs not on our goodness or good deeds. It rests solely on God’s willingness to accept the Blood of Christ as it was sprinkled on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies in heaven.

May I ask you today what you would you feel about someone if they gave their life for you? If you were in a burning house and a firefighter rushed to your rescue and while you made it out they perished, would your gratitude for them be minuscule?

The condemnation of those who stand before the Great White Throne of God and are banished to hell won’t be just because they sinned. It will be because they saw no value in the precious Blood of Jesus. The welcome of those who enter heaven for eternity won’t be because they were good people. Their entrance will be based solely on the fact that they placed their trust in the Blood of Christ as all-sufficient to pay the penalty for their sins.

The old hymn “Nothing But the Blood” captures the essence of appreciation for the Blood of Jesus:

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Oh precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow

No other fount I know

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

This is all my righteousness

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

When God sees the precious blood of Jesus, He accepts it as sufficient payment for our sins. What do we think when we think about the blood of Jesus? Will we let the value of it move us to gratitude and worship? Will we only give it a passing thought and continue in our sinful ways? Will we consider how much God loved us and what it cost to redeem- buy back- us from the slavery of sin? Will our response be to give God a token, to place Him and His kingdom at the bottom of our list of priorities? When we gather will we choose to truly worship and when we separate will we give ourselves as His witness to those who have eternal death hanging over them? Will our response to God be worthy of His extreme and costly sacrifice?

I hope today that you stop, that you take the time and reflect and meditate on the preciousness of the Blood of Jesus. May our lives, our attitudes, and our conduct reflect the value we place on the Lamb of God and His precious blood that was poured out for us.

I end with the words of another song;

When I Think about the Lord,

How He saved me, how He raised me,

How He filled me, with the Holy Ghost.

How He healed me, to the uttermost.

When I Think about the Lord,

How He picked me up and turned me around,

How He placed my feet on solid ground

It makes me wanna shout,

Hallelujah,

Thank you JESUS,

LORD, your worthy, of all the glory, and all the honor,

And all the praise!

Dr. John Thompson