The Eternal Sacrifice

We never tire of hearing good things about someone we love. And we never tire of hearing a person we love tell us they love us in return. Such messages are choice messages.

Likewise, we never tire of hearing a choice Word regarding Jesus. He is the great love message of all time. The book of Hebrews says, Christ came as High Priest . . . Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all. . . . (Heb. 9:11a,12a NKJV)

Jesus made it possible to approach God! Only the high priests could enter the Most Holy Place of the Temple where God's Pesence dwelled. And the high priest entered only once a year with a blood sacrifice. Jesus changed that when He gave Himself—the eternal Blood Sacrifice for all people.

Originally published August 31, 1990.
Picture: Como Park Conservatory, St. Paul, 2009. Photo by Solveig

The Prescribed Sacrifice

Moses followed direction he received from God on Mount Sinai when he sprinkled blood over the Israelite nation to ratify a covenant—to seal God’s solemn agreement with His people. (Ex. 24:8)

It’s not likely that each person actually received blood upon his person, but by faith each person identified with God’s prescribed blood sacrifice and became a member of God’s kingdom.

God made several covenants with His people in the Old Testament. Each revealed more of His nature until finally, in the New Testament Jesus ratified the final or New covenant. Jesus became the final offering for Sin when He shed His blood on a cross.

Since that time, all who receive Jesus—all who identify with His sacrifice through faith—become members of His church, God’s Kingdom on earth.

Old Testament prophets foretold that Jesus would offer the perfect His sacrifice. Isaiah said, I will . . . give You as a covenant to the people . . . That you may say to the prisoners. ‘Go forth,’ to those in darkness. (Is. 49:8b,9a NKJV)

Originally published March 29, 1991.

God Incarnate

Jesus revealed that He believed He was God Incarnate when He said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, He will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” (Jn. 6:51 NKJV)

The claims of the statement are fantastic and audacious. Jesus was saying He had come from heaven, even though it was well known that He had grown up and lived most of His adult life as a resident of Palestine. He was claiming to be the key to eternal life, a concept about which even the religious leaders of His time could not agree. And He was referring to a sacrifice that would save the entire world, a sacrifice no one could understand because He had not yet died on the cross.

Jesus' claims were absurd in the ears of all who heard Him. They were guaranteed to confuse the general population and antagonize the religious leaders or the powers-that-be.

Jesus risked everything for Truth.

Originally published January 15, 1993