Tag: Christ’s blood

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Matthew Devotionals

Christ’s blood upon us

Matthew

All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” (Matthew 27:25)

When the people said that, they were saying, “We take responsibility for Jesus’ death. Put the blame on us.”

Yet ironically, there on the cross, Jesus took the blame for all of our sin. He took the punishment for our sins.

And now, in a different sense from how the people meant it, Jesus’ blood is on us.

When God made the first covenant with the people, they were sprinkled with the blood of calves and goats, and Moses said, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.” (Hebrews 9:20)

Why were they sprinkled with blood? Because without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22)

But the blood of bulls and goats could not truly take away sin. Those sacrifices only reminded people of their sin and pointed to what Jesus would later do on the cross. (Hebrews 10:1-4)

But now Jesus has entered the true tabernacle, the true temple which is heaven, with his own blood, and he has bought our salvation. (Hebrews 9:11-12)

That’s why the curtain was torn in the earthly temple when Jesus died. That curtain was a sign of the separation between God and his people.

But by tearing that curtain, God was saying, “You have now been sprinkled with the blood of the new covenant. Your sins are forgiven. And now you have free access to me.” (Matthew 26:28)

So let us remember the words of the author of Hebrews.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus—he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)—and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22)

Christ’s blood is upon us. Let us rejoice, and draw near.

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1 Peter Devotionals

Sprinkled by his blood

1 Peter

To those chosen…to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:1-2)

Peter’s words seem to come from Exodus 24:7-8. At that time, the Israelites were agreeing to the covenant God had written out.

At that time, they said,

We will do and obey all that the Lord has commanded. (Exodus 24:7)

After they said that, Moses took the blood of the bulls, sprinkled it on the people, and said,

This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you concerning all these words. (Exodus 24:8)

Just like the Israelites, we have been chosen to be obedient to Jesus Christ.

Just like the Israelites, we often vow to God that we will be obedient.

And just like the Israelites, we often fail to keep that vow.

But while the Israelites were sprinkled with blood that could not truly cleanse them (Hebrews 10:4), we have been sprinkled with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect (19).

And by his blood we have been cleansed and forgiven (Matthew 10:28, 1 John 1:7).

Because of that, we have grace and peace with God. And not just grace and peace, but grace and peace in abundance. (2)

Are you always feeling guilty for failing to measure up as a Christian?

Set your hope not on your ability to be perfectly obedient to God.

Instead, set your hope on the grace that will be given you when Jesus Christ comes back. (13)

And until that day, keep on walking, following after our Lord.

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John John 11 Luke 19

A cleansing that goes beyond the surface

The gospels

Right after Jesus’ parable about those who were determined to reject him as king, we see the actual people whom Jesus was speaking of.

Jesus was fast approaching Jerusalem, and a lot of people were already there to celebrate the Passover. And everyone was asking,

What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the Feast at all? (John 11:56)

But the Pharisees and chief priests had already given orders that anyone who found Jesus should report him to them so that they could arrest him. The irony of all this?

Before celebrating the Passover, people had to purify themselves, that is to have a ceremonial cleansing. (John 11:55)

But while these priests and Pharisees may have been outwardly clean, their hearts were full of murder.

What can we learn from all this? A spiritual cleansing goes beyond ritual. It goes beyond doing a lot of good things.

A spiritual cleansing starts by receiving Jesus as your King. It starts by saying, “I can’t cleanse myself. All my efforts, all the religious rituals that I do can’t cleanse me. Lord Jesus, help me.”

John tells us in his first letter that in the end, it is,

the blood of Jesus, [God’s] Son, [that] purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

There is no other way for us to become right in the sight of God. We must come to the cross of Christ and accept the work he did for our salvation.

Only by putting our faith in him will we truly become clean in the eyes of God.

How about you? Are you truly clean before God?