One of my favorite family board
games growing up was Password, which included
something that amazed me at the time — a red transparent lens and cards with
some light blue text that was obscured by a myriad of red words. When you slid
the cards under the red lens, the red words would disappear, and the text would
magically appear. This fascinating game reminded me of a profound spiritual
truth, exemplified in these two powerful story illustrations.
A pure heart is one that isn’t tainted with the stain of sin. A pure heart is one that has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. A retired pastor from Maine told how he used to sell lighting for new buildings. He was talking to the pastor of a newly built church when he looked out the window and saw a pretty white sports car. He told the pastor to look out his window, but the pastor explained that the car was red. When he walked down to the pastor’s window he saw that the car was in fact red. You see, the pastor’s window was made out of clear glass but his was tinted red. Somehow, by looking through the red glass the car appeared white. That’s what happens when God looks at us through the blood of Jesus Christ. Even though we have been tainted with the stain of sin, God sees us as free from sin. He sees us as pure white.
How does God do it? How does God forgive a man's sin? How does God take him when he's like scarlet and make him as snow, when he's like crimson and make him as pure, white wool? How does God do that? That's the gospel of the Good News. God does that through the sacrifice, and the atonement, and the Cross, and the blood, and the suffering of Jesus Christ. In Him, in our Lord Jesus Christ, God washes our sins away; gives us right standing in His presence, and accepts us as beloved—as sons and daughters—as pure and sanctified, whole, forgiven, washed, and clean. God does it through the blood of Jesus Christ.
A pure heart is one that isn’t tainted with the stain of sin. A pure heart is one that has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. A retired pastor from Maine told how he used to sell lighting for new buildings. He was talking to the pastor of a newly built church when he looked out the window and saw a pretty white sports car. He told the pastor to look out his window, but the pastor explained that the car was red. When he walked down to the pastor’s window he saw that the car was in fact red. You see, the pastor’s window was made out of clear glass but his was tinted red. Somehow, by looking through the red glass the car appeared white. That’s what happens when God looks at us through the blood of Jesus Christ. Even though we have been tainted with the stain of sin, God sees us as free from sin. He sees us as pure white.
How does God do it? How does God forgive a man's sin? How does God take him when he's like scarlet and make him as snow, when he's like crimson and make him as pure, white wool? How does God do that? That's the gospel of the Good News. God does that through the sacrifice, and the atonement, and the Cross, and the blood, and the suffering of Jesus Christ. In Him, in our Lord Jesus Christ, God washes our sins away; gives us right standing in His presence, and accepts us as beloved—as sons and daughters—as pure and sanctified, whole, forgiven, washed, and clean. God does it through the blood of Jesus Christ.
There is another illustration of
this truth: a father and his little
boy were in London, watching a parade of red-coated British soldiers with their
scarlet jackets. The father was looking through the window, watching the parade
of those red-coated British soldiers pass by. His little boy was watching the
same parade, exclaimed to his father, "Daddy, look at their beautiful
white uniforms." The father said, "Son, they're not white, they're
scarlet, they're red." "No," said the little boy. "Look!
They are white; they are pure white!" The father, in astonishment, looked
closer and then saw: around the window out of which they were viewing the parade,
there was a band of red glass embellishing the window. His little boy, being
unable to stand high enough to look through the clear pane, was watching the
parade go by in that red glass. When you look at red through red, it is pure
white. Take a red, red rose, and look at it through a red glass. It will look
pure and virgin white. That is what God does with our sins in Christ. He looks
at us—we who have found refuge in Him; we who have taken our sins, and our
weaknesses, and all of the things that hurt us, and destroy us, we who have
taken them to Jesus—the Lord looks at us through the blood of Jesus Christ. When
He looks at us in the love and mercy of Jesus Christ for us, He sees us clean
and pure and forgiven, “These are they who have washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Rev. 7:14
And blotted out the charges proved against you, the list of his commandments which you had not obeyed. He took this list of sins and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross. In this way God took away Satan’s power to accuse you of sin, and God openly displayed to the whole world Christ’s triumph at the cross where your sins were all taken away.
These wonderful story illustrations, along with my fascination with the board game
Password, with its red transparent
lens and cards, inspired me as I listened to this very compelling rendition of The Blood of Jesus by Wayne Watson, It was the blood of Jesus, The blood of
Jesus, That opened heaven's door to let me in, It was the blood of Jesus, The
blood of Jesus, That washed away my guilt, That washed away the guilt of all my
sin . . . What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus . . .
Amplified: He went once for all into the [Holy of]
Holies [of heaven], not by virtue of the blood of goats and calves [by which to
make reconciliation between God and man], but His own blood, having found and
secured a complete redemption (an everlasting release for us).
NLT: Once for all time he took blood into that
Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves. He took his own blood,
and with it he secured our salvation forever.
Phillips: It was not with goats' or calves' blood but
with his own blood that he entered once and for all into the holy of holies,
having won for us men eternal reconciliation with God.
Wuest: nor even through the intermediate
instrumentality of the blood of goats and calves, but through that blood of His
own, He entered once for all into the Holy of Holies, having found and procured
eternal redemption.
Pastor J. B. Phillips writes: “As a candle fades into total insignificance before the full blaze of the noonday sun, so the Old Testament priesthood fades into nothing before that of Christ. Who needs a candle when standing in the full blaze of day? As the majesty of the sun obliterates whatever majesty a candle might have had in the darkness of the night, so Christ's majesty obliterates that of the Levitical priesthood.”
Greek Scholar Kenneth
S. Wuest states, “The blood
offered was different. In the case of the Aaronic priests, it was the blood of
goats and calves. In the case of Messiah, it was His own blood. The words His
own are the translation of idios. Had the personal pronoun
autos been used, the reference would be merely to the fact that it was by means
of His blood that He entered the Holy of Holies. But the word idios speaks
not merely of ownership, but of a personal, private, unique ownership. For
instance, John in his Gospel (5:18) states the fact that the Jews tried to kill
our Lord because He had said that God was His personal unique Father. Had John
used autos, there would have been no justification for their
accusation, for each one of these Jews claimed God as his Father. John
used idios, reporting the Lord Jesus as saying that God was His
private, unique Father. God was His Father in a different sense from that in
which He might be the Father of others. Our Lord claimed unique Sonship, and,
therefore, Deity. And these Jews recognized that fact. Now, the efficacy of our
Lord's blood rested, not in the fact that it was human blood, but that it was
human blood of a unique kind. It flowed in the veins of One who was as to His
humanity, sinless, and as to His Person, Deity. And the combination of these
two, sinless humanity, and Deity, made it unique, efficacious. It was the only
sacrificial blood that could be sprinkled on the Mercy Seat in the heavenly
Holy of Holies, the only blood which the High Court of Heaven would accept as
atonement for human sin. It was this blood poured out on Calvary's Cross that
gave Messiah access as High Priest into the Holy of Holies of
heaven."
Through (dia)...speaks of the instrument
by which something is affected. Notice that the Greek word is not sun or meta which
would be "with." The Greek word states that He entered Heaven
not with His own blood, but through (or by)
His own blood. The preposition dia may be translated through, by
reason of, or by virtue of. This would lead one to
understand that Christ is now seated in Heaven as the High Priest by
virtue of His sacrificial death and precious blood. On the Cross Jesus
stated, "It is finished," ("paid in full") indicating that
His blood was efficacious the moment it was shed, an interpretation that is
also supported by the fact that veil in the temple was torn in two from top to
bottom.
Wuest concludes: "We are not to
understand that our Lord took His blood into heaven. That precious blood was
poured out on the Cross and dripped into the earth. But it was by virtue of
that fact that He entered heaven, having accomplished salvation by the
sacrifice of Himself. It was in that bloodless, glorified human body which is
an eternal testimony that sin is paid for, that our blessed Lord entered
heaven."
Pastor Steven Cole concludes: "The author is showing
the complete supremacy and finality of the blood of Christ over the old system.
Through His death, our guilt is atoned for once and for all, for all eternity!
The penalty has been paid. There is nothing that we can add to what Christ did.
Through Him we have direct access to God!”
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle writes, “A small detachment of British troops, surprised
by an overwhelming enemy force, fell back under heavy fire. Their wounded lay
in a perilous position, facing certain death. They all realized they had to
come immediately under the protection of a Red Cross flag if they wanted to
survive. All they had was a piece of white cloth, but no red paint. So they
used the blood from their wounds to make a large cross on that white cloth. Their
attackers respected that grim flag as it was held aloft, and the British
wounded were brought to safety. In the same way, our enemy not only must
respect the blood of Christ shed on Calvary's cross, he also is helpless
against it. Christ's blood represents the sacrifice of One whose death removed
the guilt and condemnation of our sin and broke its hold over us. It is
absolute protection against the accusation of Satan and the defeating
remembrances of past sins. No wonder we glory in the cross.”
He entered the Holy
Place...Jesus entered the
"better" Holy Place. In the Old Covenant the Holy Place was on earth,
while the believer's Holy Place is now in heaven. The Old Covenant Holy Place
was made with human hands, but the believer's is a "more perfect tabernacle,
not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation.”
Once for all...unlike the sacrifice of the high priest,
who repeatedly entered the Most Holy Place with blood once a year, Jesus'
sacrifice was complete and did not need to be repeated. The work of atonement
is done and therefore, praise the Lord, it cannot be undone!
Having obtained...(heurisko gives us our
English eureka from the exclamation attributed to Archimedes
on discovering a method for determining the purity of gold) means that they
attained a state previously not known. Heurisko or eureka expresses
triumph on a discovery and what a "discovery"...eternal redemption!
Eternal...(aionios from aion)
means perpetual eternal, everlasting, without beginning or end (as of God),
that which is always, not mere duration is contemplated, but quality; a
redemption answering in its quality to that age when all the conditions of time
shall be no more...a redemption—not ritual, but profoundly ethical and
spiritual.
Redemption...(lutrosis from lutroo =
to release on receipt of a ransom; lutroois derived from the root
verb luo = to loosen that which is bound, freeing those in
prison, release from prison, opening of what is closed, destroying of
foundations, putting off of fetters) describes a ransoming, a liberation, or a
deliverance.
Pastor Charles Spurgeon writes, “The Jewish high priests went once a year into the holy of holies. Each year as it came round demanded that they should go again. Their work was never done; but “Christ entered once,” and only once, “into the most holy place, obtaining eternal redemption.” I love that expression, “eternal redemption”—a redemption that really does redeem, and redeems forever and ever. If you are redeemed by it, you cannot be lost. If this redemption is yours, it is not for a time, or for a season, but it is “eternal redemption.” Oh, how you ought to rejoice in the one entrance within the veil by our great High Priest who has obtained eternal redemption for us! What if I say that the inner shrine has expanded itself and taken in the holy place, and now all places are holy where true hearts seek their God? Had our High Priest merely lifted the veil and passed in, we might have supposed that the veil fell back again. But since the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom, there can be no need for a new entrance, for that which hinders is taken away. No veil now hangs between God and His chosen people; we may come boldly to the throne of grace. Blessed be the name of our Lord who has entered in “once!” Christ has entered into the true holy place—not into that which was curtained with a veil, which was but a type, and which was put away when the veil was rent from the top to the bottom as Jesus died. He has entered into the immediate presence of God, and He has entered there once for all, “obtaining eternal redemption. Do you "wrestle" with your eternal security experiencing fiery missiles like, "Am I saved forever? Can I lose my salvation?" If you are attacked by such thoughts, you would do well to meditate on the eternality of the Messiah's redemption. May your mind be continually renewed by the Spirit "as you learn more and more about Christ, Who created this new nature within you."
Pastor Charles Spurgeon writes, “The Jewish high priests went once a year into the holy of holies. Each year as it came round demanded that they should go again. Their work was never done; but “Christ entered once,” and only once, “into the most holy place, obtaining eternal redemption.” I love that expression, “eternal redemption”—a redemption that really does redeem, and redeems forever and ever. If you are redeemed by it, you cannot be lost. If this redemption is yours, it is not for a time, or for a season, but it is “eternal redemption.” Oh, how you ought to rejoice in the one entrance within the veil by our great High Priest who has obtained eternal redemption for us! What if I say that the inner shrine has expanded itself and taken in the holy place, and now all places are holy where true hearts seek their God? Had our High Priest merely lifted the veil and passed in, we might have supposed that the veil fell back again. But since the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom, there can be no need for a new entrance, for that which hinders is taken away. No veil now hangs between God and His chosen people; we may come boldly to the throne of grace. Blessed be the name of our Lord who has entered in “once!” Christ has entered into the true holy place—not into that which was curtained with a veil, which was but a type, and which was put away when the veil was rent from the top to the bottom as Jesus died. He has entered into the immediate presence of God, and He has entered there once for all, “obtaining eternal redemption. Do you "wrestle" with your eternal security experiencing fiery missiles like, "Am I saved forever? Can I lose my salvation?" If you are attacked by such thoughts, you would do well to meditate on the eternality of the Messiah's redemption. May your mind be continually renewed by the Spirit "as you learn more and more about Christ, Who created this new nature within you."
When Jesus was
crucified, He entered the Most
Holy Place once and for all by shedding His own blood as the perfect sacrifice
for our sins. When He died, the thick veil separating the people from the Most
Holy Place was torn. Think of it! Because of Jesus, we have unlimited access to
the Lord. We don’t have to wait for a once-a-year meeting with God. We don’t
have to ask someone else to go to the Lord on our behalf. We can enter His
throne room anytime night or day. Since Christ died on the cross, we no
longer need to offer animal sacrifices because Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God,
was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins! We forget that God offered His perfect
Son, whom He loved and prized. Have you thanked Him for the sacrifice He gave
for you? God the Father beckons us also to come to Him and to entrust our hopes
and dreams, our possessions, our families, and our careers to His control. He
calls us to commit every worry or burden to His care, and He graciously summons
us, through the shed blood of His Son, to leave even our lives in His powerful
hands. And He has provided prayer as our means of doing this. When we “let go
and let God,” we will begin to experience His power transforming our lives more
and more into the image of His Son, Jesus. He frees us from striving to fulfill
the letter of the law and draws us into intimate communion with Him. This new
covenant through our rebirth in Christ Jesus provides a brand new relationship
so that everyone might know Him. When we realize that God takes the
initiative to work within us by His Spirit what is pleasing to Him, we can rest
from our futile attempt to live the Christian life in our own strength. This is
such great news—it doesn’t depend on me! God has forgiven us, cleansed us
through the blood of Jesus Christ, and given us His Spirit, and He will complete His
work in us as we trust in Him.
Lord Jesus, thank You for giving Yourself as an
offering so that I could be free! As I receive the Father’s forgiveness through
Your offering of Yourself, I will praise You and thank You for the freedom that
forgiveness gives! I entrust my spirit, my very life, into Your hands this day.
You are mighty beyond my ability to imagine, and You have made the way for me
to do so . . . through the blood of Jesus Christ. How I praise You for prayer, for through
it I can let go and give over control of my life to You! With all my heart I
thank you, Jesus, for being the perfect sacrifice for my sins and the sins of
the whole world. When Your blood was presented on the heavenly mercy seat and
You offered up Your Spirit, the veil of the temple was forever rent, providing
me access into the very presence of the Father. How I thank You. Lord, I come,
I come . . . in Your precious name I pray, amen.
Look in – Meditate on Hebrews 9:12. Pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: “Because God is ______________, I will ______________.”
Look out – Meditate on Hebrews 9:12. Pray to see how you might apply it to your
relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship,
for your good, and for His glory.
Weekly LinkUps…
