Gospel Insights
by Michael Smith
Chapter Four
SOME OF THE VICTORIES
WON FOR US AT CALVARY
AND THE POWER OF SACRIFICE
| "God paid a ransom to save you from the impossibility of getting
to heaven in the way your fathers tried, and the ransom God paid
was not with gold or silver, but He paid for you with the precious
lifeblood of Jesus, the sinless and spotless Lamb of God, which was
shed on the cross of Calvary. God chose Him for that purpose
long before the world began to be a blessing to you" [1]. All through the Bible God makes it plain that blood is so important to Him that it must not be eaten, or even stepped on, and the shedding of someone's blood by another in violence has serious consequences for the one who does so. It is so precious to God because it represents life [2]. Life is something that can only come from God Himself, and because He is its creator [3] and therefore its owner, only He must determine when life ends.
The blessings we receive from the shed blood of Jesus on the cross are many if we accept them by faith and continue to hold them fast (Colossians 1:23): (1) All our sins have been washed away, making us as clean as if we had never sinned (1 John 1:7b), (2) The way into heaven has been reopened and our fellowship with God is restored (Luke 23:45; Hebrews 10:19-20), (3) We are free to grow as a Christian because God the Holy Spirit comes to work within us to make us holy (Ephesians 4:23-24; 1 Thessalonians 3:13), (4) Our new access to the throne of God the Father means that our prayers are heard and answered because they are now acceptable and pleasing to Him (Hebrews 10:19-22), (5) We can now receive Holy Communion at which we remember what the Lord did for us on the cross and look forward to His coming again to make a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1-5), (6) We know that when we die we shall go to be with Him forever (Luke 23:39-43; Revelation 12:11). Many years ago a shepherd boy in the highlands of Scotland was looking after his sheep one night when a severe storm suddenly blew up destroying a nearby railway bridge over which trains passed every day. Aware of how dangerous this was, and seeing the first train of the day in the distance, the boy ran to the railtrack to warn the driver to stop. As the train approached he tried frantically to attract the driver's attention, but in the dim light of early morning the driver thought the boy was simply waving to him, and waved back as he had done on other occasions. Realising the train wasn't going to stop and that everyone aboard would plunge to their deaths, the shepherd boy ran further along the track and stood on the line knowing he would die, but that the train would then stop. The shepherd boy lost his life but in so doing saved the lives of
many others. His sacrifice enabled over one hundred passengers
on that train to arrive safely at their destination. When
Jesus willingly died on the cross He did so in order to save the
lives of all those who lived then, now, and in the future, who by
faith accept what He did for them on Calvary. He opened the
doors of heaven to everyone throughout the ages whose desire it is
to be with God for ever in eternity. The thoughts in the poem below further remind us that Jesus' death and shed blood resulted in many blessings for all those who will accept by faith what He did for us: Proclamation: We overcome Satan when we testify personally to
what the Word of God says the Blood of Jesus does for us Through the Blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of
the hand of the devil Through the Blood of Jesus, all my sins are
forgiven Through the Blood of Jesus, I am continually being
cleansed from all sin Through the Blood of Jesus, I am justified, made
righteous, just-as-if-I'd never sinned Through the Blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made
holy, set apart to God Through the Blood of Jesus, I have boldness to
enter into the presence of God The Blood of Jesus cries out continually to God in
heaven on my behalf
At the Passover the ancient Israelites were told to cover the lintels and doorposts of their homes with the blood of a lamb, then stay inside where they would be protected when the LORD "passed over". If they stepped outside, they would no longer be covered by the blood, and so would lose their protection against the "destroyer" (Exodus 12:21-23). Likewise, we are PROTECTED when we believe and testify to what the Bible says the blood of Jesus Christ does for us. Like the word 'Amen', it is saying 'I believe that to be true'; the words of our mouth agree with the Word of God (Revelation 12:11). Through the blood of Jesus we are REDEEMED from the power of evil. We are redeemed - or, bought back - from the control of the enemy with the price of Christ's blood shed at Calvary (Ephesians 1:7). The blood of Jesus Christ CLEANSES us from all sin if we continue to walk in the Light and have fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7,9). Suppose you are on trial in a court for a capital offence. Your life is at stake, but you are found 'not guilty'. To be JUSTIFIED is to be acquitted and then brought back into a right relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:9). Through the blood of Jesus we are SANCTIFIED; made holy and set apart to God (Hebrews 13:12). Through the blood of Jesus we have boldness to enter into the presence of God. It is His blood that continually cries out to God in INTERCESSION on our behalf (Hebrews 10:19; 12:24). In Kenya a boy appeared at a hospital with a gaping wound in his
foot. He had been accidentally injured while cutting grass in
the jungle, and had somehow stepped into the path of a long sharp
knife wielded by a companion. With part of his heel severed,
the boy and his friend set out across the country to find the
mission station where they knew help would be available. Every
time the boy's foot touched the earth it left a trace of blood.
The child's mother, hearing of her son's accident, followed his
trail and eventually found him in the mission's hospital. "How
did you find us so quickly?", asked the doctor. "It was easy",
said the mother, "I just followed the trail of blood". And so
we likewise, in a much more profound way, need to follow the trail
of Jesus' blood shed at Calvary in our lives.
What can wash away my stain? Nothing but the blood of Jesus, What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow that makes
me white as snow; For my cleansing this I see - nothing but the blood of Jesus; for my pardon this my plea - nothing but the blood of Jesus. Nothing can for sin atone, nothing but the blood of Jesus: Nought of good that I have done, nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my hope and peace - nothing but the blood of Jesus: He is all my righteousness - nothing but the blood of Jesus. Now by this I overcome: nothing but the blood of Jesus: Now by this I'll reach my home: Nothing but the blood of Jesus! R. Lowry
Some further scriptures:
Footnotes [1] Paraphrased from 1 Peter 1:18-20. See also Colossians 1:20-23. [2] Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10-14. [3] Colossians 1:16.
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© Michael Smith 2013
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