<b><i>“It Is The Blood . . . .”</i></b>

 Text: Leviticus 17:11

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”

Ol Suit.

Introduction: Our text presents us with a difficult subject. Although it is not mentioned by name, the subject of sin is the focal point of this fragment from the pen of Moses. Everybody has some notion of what sin is and most will admit to having committed it at one or another. But what do we do with our sins? Where do we put them? How may they be taken away? That is what our study will aim to answer – and answer from God’s holy Word.
                During the season of the year that our Jewish friends call, “Yom Kippur” – “The Day of Atonement”. sacrifices would be made to deal with the sins of the Israelites. By doing this, it was promised that a man’s sins would be covered from the sight of God; that he might be forgiven.

          Jews around the world consider Yom Kippur to be one of the holiest of religious memorials.[1] And to this very day the orthodox observance of their ritual involves taking a chicken (a rooster for a man and a hen for a woman) or money in their right hand and revolving it over their head while reciting a prayer. The prayer concludes with the following declaration:

“This is my exchange, this is my substitute, this is my atonement. This chicken will go to it’s death (or, if using money, “this money will go to charity”) while I will enter and proceed to a good long life, and peace.”

          Our text tells us something striking. It says, “it is the blood that makes atonement.” Long ago God revealed to man that sin produces death. This death begins the moment one sins, for sin affects the powers of a man’s mind, spirit and body. His relationships are all tainted with it and there is no part of his life that will not be polluted by its awful contamination. And the blood of chickens can do nothing to bring us back to God and spiritual health.

          You will, perhaps, remember that the Bible teaches, “the wages of sin is death”.[2] Such is the terrible shadow which sin casts over all of life.

          But… in the words of the one verse comprising our text, we are given hope – hope that God has provided a remedy for this thing that ceaselessly works to bring us to destruction. The name of that hope is – ATONEMENT.

          My task is to show God’s plan for dealing with man’s sin and, in so doing, proving His love for us.

The History of the Atonement

The Fall of Man

In the book of Genesis we are presented with the story of man’s marvelous creation.  We are also confronted with his rebellion and sin against God.

Tragic as this account is, it is tempered with one solitary ray of hope. In Genesis 3:15 God tells of One Who will come to avenge and deliver mankind from deception and sin. In speaking to the devil God said, this promised One will “crush your head, and you will strike at His heel.” We will return to this statement in a few moments.

The Choosing of a Man & Nation

In His determination to bring man back from sinfulness and misery God selected a man and tried him with many tests. God was not looking for a faultless, flawless man for already the taint of Adam and Eve’s sin had so corrupted humanity as to mar everyone with its evil mark. No. God was looking for someone who would trust him; someone who would believe whatever God said regardless of whether he understood it or not; someone who, after failing, would rise again in faith that God would receive him and use him for holy purposes. That man’s name was Abraham.

The story of Abraham is one which most of you know by heart. And although it is not our focus this worship hour, you need to know two things about this man whom God chose and used:

He was not perfect.

But he trusted God.

And God used Abraham like a Southern cook uses sour-dough; Abraham wasn’t the finished product but he was excellent starter material. His faith was the kind of faith God wanted to replicate in the hearts, minds and lives of others. And that’s exactly what God did.

 Through Abraham God gave birth to the nation of Israel and through Israel God gave the world a Savior. Someone to make “atonement” for our sins. Someone Who would not merely cover sins but cleanse them away through His blood.

The Perpetual Object Lesson

As we mentioned, God promised Adam and Eve that, in spite of their sinful rebellion, He would one day send a Savior/Redeemer to earth Who would utterly break the devil’s power (or, as He said, “crush [the devil’s] head”). But since sin always produces death, someone must die for humanity’s sin…someone Who, unlike humanity, was pure, holy and sinless. Someone Who was harmless and kind, a friend to all whom He would meet. This One would have to die for humanity’s salvation; in fact, because “the life is in the blood”, this One would shed His own blood (until He was dead) and His righteous death would be a substitute for our deserved death. The Holy One would die for the unholy ones, the Loving One would die for the unloving ones. And to remind the world that such a Savior was coming, God had a powerful object lesson prepared.

God required His people annually to take a healthy, perfect lamb and raise it almost as one of the family.[3] In one place in Scripture, this lamb – this pet lamb – was even considered to be “like a daughter” to the family. And when the time had passed; when the season had run its course and the children of the house had grown attached to this soft, fleecy, white lamb, then God required that this innocent creature be taken to the priests and offered at Yom Kippur as a sacrifice for the sins of that family.

Why would God demand this? Was He inflicting cruelty on sinners for the mere joy of watching them squirm? No. But He Whose very essence is love, wanted men to know how Heaven would one day feel when it sent forth His “only begotten Son” – “the Lamb of God” – to take away the sins of the world.

And God’s Lamb would die. He would die an awful – even indescribable – death on Calvary’s…cross for us. Yes. There he would shed His life’s blood to take away your sin and mine.

That is exactly what Jesus did. And that is why every sacrifice made in Old Testament days, only pointed to the great day when He would not only cover our sins from God’s sight, but would take away those sins by washing them from our hearts and minds by His own blood. What an awful price for such a wonderful salvation!

 

 The Power of the Blood

“It Is The Blood” that…

…Redeems from Sin and Saves from Hell

 1 Peter 1:19 “[You were not redeemed with silver and gold] but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

 …Removes the Wrath of God

 Romans 5:9 “Since we now have been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him?”

…Provides Continual Cleansing

 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His son, purifies us from all sin.”

 …Gives Freedom from Sin

 Revelation 1:5 “To Him Who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood.”

 …Gives Victory Over the Devil

 Revelation 12:11 “They overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;”

“It Is The Blood…for one’s life”

           In the aftermath of the Spanish/American War one highly publicized incident occurred which illustrates the value of the blood of Jesus to the believer. A prominent American businessman, a relative of a highly placed United States politician, was detained and falsely accused of espionage while on business in the country of Spain. For weeks the man was held without counsel or comfort until one day, quite unexpectedly, he was able to escape.

          His predicament was, however, far from over. Although he was no longer a prisoner, in hiding for his life he was not free to leave the country. News reports were circulated which stated flatly that if he should be captured, he would be shot on sight.

          Finally, the day came when he could bear the stress of hiding no more. In fact, the man became so bold as to send an announcement to the papers – telling them of the day on which he would be presenting himself to take passage on a ship bound for America and freedom.

          The government repeated its threats and, true to their word, on the appointed day, armed soldiers ringed the port. A great crowd gathered to witness what would transpire. In hushed tension the crowd scanned the area, expecting that at any moment, a burst of gun fire would be heard.

          Suddenly, out from the midst of that crowd the wanted man appeared – draped in an American flag and attended by the American Ambassador. The Ambassador cried aloud the name of the man whom he was escorting to the ship and made this simple declaration. “I am authorized to say, by order of the President of the United States of America, that if any man, in any way, injures the flag of the United States it shall be deemed an act of war and will be swiftly and severely punished.”

          Without another sound, without so much as a hand reaching out toward the man or a voice rising in anger, the harried businessman swiftly boarded the ship to home and freedom. His enemies couldn’t get at him without going through the flag.

          In ourselves, we are little to nothing in the face of the power and wrath of the devil. BUT! When we are cleansed and covered with the Blood of God’s Lamb, we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us (as Paul said in the book of Romans!) “It is the Blood…” It is still the Blood!

The Cleansing Wave
Words by Phoebe Palmer
Music by Mrs. J.F. Knapp

Oh! now I see the crimson wave,
The fountain deep and wide;
Jesus, my Lord, mighty to save,
Points to His wounded side.

Chorus
The cleansing stream, I see, I see!
I plunge and oh, it cleanseth me!
Oh! praise the Lord, it cleanseth me,
It cleanseth me, yes, cleanseth me!

I see the new creation rise,
I hear the speaking blood;
It speaks! polluted nature dies!
Sinks ‘neath the cleansing flood.

Chorus
The cleansing stream, I see, I see!
I plunge and oh, it cleanseth me!
Oh! praise the Lord, it cleanseth me,
It cleanseth me, yes, cleanseth me!

I rise to walk in heav’n's own light
Above the world and sin.
And Jesus, only Jesus know,
My Jesus crucified.

Chorus
The cleansing stream, I see, I see!
I plunge and oh, it cleanseth me!
Oh! praise the Lord, it cleanseth me,
It cleanseth me, yes, cleanseth me!

 

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[1] See http://www.ahavat-israel.com/torat/yomkippur.html

[2] Romans 6:23

[3] see 2 Samuel 12:1-4