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As that morning broke on the first Easter Sunday; Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome made their way to the tomb. Two angels appeared there who said, “He is not here; he has risen!” The women left the sepulchre and told the other disciples all these things. Two disciples along with Mary Magdalene ran back to the tomb and not finding Jesus there, the disciples went back home while Mary stood there crying. Suddenly Jesus appeared to Mary.
John 20:14-17 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”Jesus said to Mary, “Don’t touch me.” There is something yet to take place on that day and no none was to touch him until that had been taken care of.
Later that night Jesus appeared to the 11 disciples in a house. Jesus shows them his hands, his side, and I am convinced that they touched him and had a fellowship with Jesus.
Now something had taken place that day post resurrection between Jesus’ appearance to Mary and his disciples. What had taken place, took place against the backdrop of the OT Covenant and the New Covenant with regard to his blood that he shed at Calvary.
Hebrews 9:11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, not of part of this creation.
When the children of Israel were travelling through the wilderness, there was for a brief period of time a temporary kind of tent where God meet with Moses. But the day came when God gave Moses the instructions for building the tabernacle which will travel with them the rest of the way through the wilderness. The tabernacle in the wilderness and then the temple which followed were simply pictures, they were built after the pattern of the reality which is in heaven. Hebrews 8:5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” There is a tabernacle, a temple of God in heaven. So what was built in the OT was a replica of the tabernacle in heaven.
In that earthly tabernacle before it could be used, it had to be cleansed. You see man is a sinner. Romans 5:12 By one man (that is Adam) sin entered into the world. So that tabernacle in the wilderness had be purified because that tabernacle was built by sinful men. They used their hands and their tools. So it was cleansed through sacrifice, specifically through blood of animals.
In that tabernacle were two rooms. There was the holy place and the priest could enter the holy place daily to carry out their duties. But the inside room, only the high priest could go inside after blood sacrifice has been made for his own sins. This room was entered only once a year on the Day of Atonement, where the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat for the sins of the people of Israel. God dwelt among men in that Holy of Holies.
There was no artificial source of light in this room but it was always lit because there on the Ark of the Covenant were the outstretched wings of the cherubim. You find the cherubim where God is. They give glory to God. The real cherubim are located in heaven at the throne of God. There were the two golden cherubim. They had their wings outstretched above that mercy seat and there in that space beneath their wings and above the mercy seat shined forth the magnificent glory of God. It was the place where God dwelt among men.
Now see the importance of blood here. Once a year, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies after offering a blood offering for his own sins. He would sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice there on the mercy seat where the presence of God was located to for the forgiveness of the sins of the children of Israel. Now that is the OT covenant against which this event took place on the resurrection day.
Hebrews 9:11-14 11But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Hebrews 9:22-24 22In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.24For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.
So here it is on that first resurrection Sunday. Between Jesus seeing Mary Magdalene and his disciples, Jesus went to heaven. Jesus took with him his blood and entered into the holy place in heaven and there peace was made with God on your behalf. Hebrews 9:12 … but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. Permanent redemption of our sins, no more sacrifice needed. Isn’t that a wonderful thing?
Your heart ought to be rejoicing. You ought to be saying in your heart, Hallelujah, because victory over sin was gained as Jesus presented his blood. Now, with the background of this wonderful event I want to speak to you very important things about the blood of Jesus.
1. The blood of Jesus is necessary.
Hebrews 9:22 In fact, the law (OT) requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Jesus could not have died for our sins through any other way; drowning or suffocation. Jesus had to die for our sins in a way in which his blood would be shed because without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Jesus had to die shedding his blood.
Jesus did not come into the world just to be a good man and set an example for us. He did that. He led a model lifestyle and did compassionate ministry but that is not enough to take care of our future, to take care of the penalty of our sin because there is no remission without the shedding of blood. So Jesus’ blood was necessary. He not only had to die but he had to shed his blood.
2. The blood of Jesus is incorruptible.
Some say the blood of Jesus while it is very important simply ran down into the earth at the foot of the cross. That is not true.
1 Peter 1:18-19 18Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things (redemption means bought back from the slave market. You have not been bought back from your sins with corruptible things), as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; (You have not been redeemed with wonderful things such as gold and silver which are corruptible. You have not been bought back from empty traditions from the past.) 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: The blood of Jesus is incorruptible.
3. The blood of Jesus is precious.
1 Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: The blood of Jesus is in a category all to itself, it is precious blood.
Whatever you find in this world that would be precious to you, the blood of Jesus is far more precious than that. You have been purchased back from sin through the precious blood of Jesus.
Notice in that verse that it is without spot and blemish. There in the OT when the Jews yearly would take a lamb to offer as a sacrifice, it could not have a bad spot in its wool. It could not have a deformity in it because it was a picture of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ with no sin whatsoever. 2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
The blood of Jesus is necessary. The blood of Jesus is incorruptible and precious. Now that brings me to this question. What does all of that do with us: I am speaking to two groups of people today. First of all a majority of us today have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his blood which he gave for us. So you are born again. You are a believer today. What does the blood of Jesus have to do with us?
4. The blood of Jesus is our advocate.
The blood of Jesus pleads for you and me. 1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Hebrews 12:24 ..to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
That blood of Jesus is still there pleading for you and me. I am speaking to believers now those who trusted Jesus as savior. When you sin, God knows that you have sinned. That sin comes in between us and God. It breaks our fellowship. But there is the blood of Jesus pleading for you and me. Forever that incorruptible blood of Jesus is there in the tabernacle, the temple of heaven, pleading on your behalf and mine. There is pleading for you and me every moment, every day.
5. The blood of Jesus cleanses us.
1 John 1:7 But if we (believers) walk in the light, as he is in the light, (that is if we walk uprightly before God and obey him) we have fellowship one with another, (right walking yields fellowship with each other and with God) and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Cleansing is available to those who confess their sins. 1 John 1:8-9 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (Surely you as a believer would not claim never to sin. The Bible says: If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves.) 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Did you notice that expression: He is faithful and just? When you and I as God’s people sin, if we would simply come to God and confess, “I have sinned, I have sinned against you. Please forgive me.” God looks and he sees the blood of Jesus and forgiveness takes place instantly and there is that fellowship with God restored.
The blood of Jesus provides for us constant forgiveness and washing of our sins.
6. The blood of Jesus gives us boldness.
The blood of Jesus gives us boldness to find mercy in time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-16 15For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.16Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
You have trusted Jesus as savior? You have believed in him. What are the difficulties you are facing in life today? What are the things which are great burdens on your shoulder? Is it a matter of health problems for you or your family? Is it a matter of wayward ones in your family who have gone and living without the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it finances or job or family? What is the difficulty which you face today? Because of the blood of Jesus you can enter the Holy of Holies. Because of the blood of Jesus, you and I have been commanded to walk right up to God in order to find mercy and grace to help in our time of need.
Hebrews 12:24 ..to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Abel’s blood cried out vengeance but the blood of Jesus speaks, constantly out for deliverance of God’s children.
a. Protection.
Passover explain. God was supposed to bring the 10th plague on Egypt but God wanted to protect his children, the Israelites. God said you have to kill a lamb and put the blood on the top of the doorframes of the Israelite houses. See what happens.
Exodus 12:13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
The blood of the lamb protected the Israelites from any harm. The blood of Jesus protects us.
b. Healing.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Physical
Emotional healing.
Mental healing.
Financial healing.
The blood of Jesus cannot dry up neither can it lose its power.
c. Deliverance.
Hebrews 2:14-15 14Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil – 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. The blood gives us deliverance, freedom from sin and Satan.
So dear friend, you know Jesus as your savior, take your burdens to him. We have constant access to God himself there in the Holy of Holies to find mercy and grace in time of need. The blood of Jesus constantly cries out on our behalf.
I am speaking to some who do not know Jesus in a personal way. Accept him as your personal savior today and be covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. Altar Call. Prayer.
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