INTRODUCTION
The precious blood of Jesus is a subject that is rarely taught in churches today
But there is a sacredness about the blood, especially the blood of Jesus
Much of the research I am gleaning from David Alsobrook, a leading authority on this teaching
WHY HIS BLOOD IS PRECIOUS
sacrifice = to give up something of value
2 Sam 24:24 – King David refused Aranuah’s offer of oxen to sacrifce saying, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing."
A Hebrew would search out the best of the flock & bring that animal to the priest to offer
1 Kings 8:62-64
62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the LORD. 63 And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD. 64 On the same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the LORD; for there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before the LORD was too small to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.
What a tremendous cost for a sacrifice
In today’s standards it would definitely be over $10M (probably $15M)
The Bible does not state how many priests worked on this but no doubt it took hundreds of priests, hours and hours
Some would call this a big waste
Solomon was sacrificing by revelation
He foresaw the immeasurable cost of the perfect lamb
Solomon’s costly sacrifice was still just a grain of sand on a beach compared to the blood of Jesus
1 Peter 1:18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Precious means "costly, valuable, honorable, highly esteemed & beloved"
If we are not redeemed by corruptible things, than we are redeemed by incorruptible things – the blood is incorruptible
Lev 17:11 "For the life of the flesh is in the blood…"
His blood is not like man’s, it was created by the Father, formed by the Holy Spirit
Heb 10:5 "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me…"
Mary was the carrier, but the body of Jesus was a creative miracle of God
The Blood that flowed in Jesus was pure, holy, incorruptible
THE GREAT EXCHANGE
In Gen 2 – God commanded Adam & Eve not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil for if they did, they would surely die
When they ate, a death occurred inside of them & immediately they saw their nakedness, they needed to be covered again
Gen 3:21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
The covering was no longer God’s glory, but a coat of skin
It was not divinely created this time, but a gruesome event
By this, God demonstrated the gruesome reality of sin and it’s wage – death
Likewise, Jesus’ death provided payment for the penalty of sin
His death was a gruesome sight
His death was vicarious
His sinless life was a substitutionary death for our sinful lives
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
There are 5 foundational truths in Gen 3:21
1. God requires the shedding of blood for sin (Heb 9:22 & Lev 17:11)
2. The sinner must be covered with blood
3. God provides the sacrifice
4. God himself covers the sinner
5. The innocent dies for the guilty
THE ACCEPTED OFFERING
We cannot downplay the necessity of the blood of Christ, and emphasize His death instead
Sin cannot be atoned for without blood (Lev 4,5,6 & Heb 9:22)
Satan is wants to minimize the importance of Christ’s shed blood
In Gen 3, we have the first example of blood being shed for sin
In the very next chapter, we see first example of man’s refusal to accept the blood sacrifice
Gen 4:1-12
4:1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD." 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
Humanism began when Cain attempted to approach God and find His favor the bloodless way
His attempt ended in complete failure
When Cain’s parents told him of blood sacrifice, he did not receive the word
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous,
Gen 3:17 "Cursed is the ground…", Obviously Cain was clearly in rebellion by offering to God something that was cursed
Bloodless Doctrines Are Evil
Cain hated the blood because he was of the devil
1 John 3:12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
Note: The fist mention of anger and murder came on the basis of religion
In the body today, there is "cain-spirit" moving
Brother rising against brother and killing with words, (gossip, slander and back-biting), wanting to do it our own way & not heed instruction
JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD
Looking at the mosaic lamb requirements, there is indeed a picture of the nature of Jesus and the qualifications required of Him as the perfect lamb
The Lamb Must Be Perfect
Ex 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year.
Lev 22:20 Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf.
Lev 23:12 And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD.
Jesus fulfilled these requirements given in the Law
He was a male
In the prime of his life "Of the first year"
Physically he was without blemish, not just spiritually
Spiritually he was without sin (Heb 4:15)
The Lamb Was A Sin Offering
Throughout the Bible we see the lamb offered instead of the sinner
1 John 2:2 He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
The Lamb Had To Be Slain
The law clearly states that a lamb must be slain for the offering to cleanse sin
Lev 14:12 And the priest shall take one male lamb and offer it as a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. 13 Then he shall kill the lamb in the place where he kills the sin offering and the burnt offering, in a holy place; for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering. It is most holy.
Rev 5:11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom,And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"
CONCLUSION
In Gen 4:4 & 22:13, we see a lamb for a man
The Passover pictures a lamb for a household
The Day of Atonement pictured a lamb for a nation
But in the New Covenant, we see a Lamb for a world
John 1:29 John said "…Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
