CHAPTER 1
The Ultimate Sacrifice Paid Through the Blood of Jesus
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"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
The Blood Atones
The blood atones, and is found woven throughout the Bible from the very beginning in Genesis to the final ending in Revelation where Jesus returns wearing garments dipped in his own blood. Immediately after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they were driven out of the garden, but not before God responded by killing an animal in order to provide them with clothing. I have no doubt that God forced them to watch as that innocent life was shed and they saw his bright crimson blood pour out into the earth.
In the beginning, the price of atonement was the blood of sacrificial animals which foreshadowed what Jesus would later do as the sacrificial Lamb who covered the sins of all mankind. Jesus gave his life; his blood was spilled so that others may live. Leviticus 17:11 states "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul." Blood supplies the body with nutrients, oxygen and helps with waste removal. When the blood stops circulating, physical life ceases to exist. It is an unexplainable but proven fact.
Today, animal sacrifices are no longer needed because Jesus paid the price by being the ultimate blood sacrifice, which was clearly notated and prophesied by Isaiah: "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).
John the Baptist also saw Jesus as the Lamb of God, proclaiming that the Messiah would come and be manifested before Israel. His prophecy came to pass as he declared: "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
God provided the sacrifice in the image of His son Jesus. This is important because the bible states that even if God were to offer forgiveness to us, that act alone will not clear us of the guilt resulting from our sin. "And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation." (Exodus 34:6–7).
The ultimate sacrifice is the blood of Jesus. The price for this sacrifice did not come at a bargain-basement price. The blood of Jesus is precious beyond anything else in the universe. Moreover, precious is defined as "rare, highly esteemed, or very valuable." Precious indeed is the blood of Jesus Christ. Nothing can be compared to its preciousness or exceed its value. "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:19).
To understand the importance of the ultimate sacrifice is to acknowledge that the price of Jesus' blood far exceeds that of the animal sacrifices that were once acceptable in times past. Its price far exceeds that of silver and gold. The suffering, persecution, and humiliation that Jesus went through exceeded any mere suffering the average Christian can withstand, as pointed out by the prophet Isaiah.
"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth." (Isaiah 53:3-9).
God allowed Isaiah to pull back the curtain of time and peek into the future when the Messiah would come to redeem mankind from their sin. The ultimate sacrifice came at great price: "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand" (Isaiah 53:10). Jesus, who was numbered among the worst of transgressors, was willingly brought as a Lamb to the slaughter. The Son of God literally poured out His soul onto death.
The Cost
What did that ultimate sacrifice cost God? It cost God His only begotten Son. God gave his son a ransom to provide everlasting life to all that would accept Jesus as Savior. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
What did the ultimate sacrifice cost Jesus, the creator of all things? The ultimate sacrifice was to suffer humiliation, which He willingly and joyfully embraced. It cost Him His heavenly position — but for a moment. He was mocked, spat upon, stripped of His clothing, pierced, and whipped; yet, He willingly endured it all with gladness and paid the price.
What did this ultimate sacrifice cost you? The ultimate sacrifice cost you nothing except to believe in the wonder working power of the blood of Jesus. In return for your belief in the blood of Jesus, you are able to partake in its undeniable supernatural, healing, protecting and saving power. As the songwriter said, "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow."
REFLECTION
The Ultimate Sacrifice Paid Through the Blood of Jesus
In the beginning, the price of atonement was the blood of ___________ which foreshadowed what Jesus would later do as the sacrificial Lamb who covered the sins of all mankind. Jesus gave his life; his___________ was spilled so that others may live. Leviticus 17:11 states "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make ___________ for your souls: for it is the ___________ that maketh atonement for the soul."
Today, animal sacrifices are no longer needed because ___________ by being the ultimate blood sacrifice, which was clearly notated and prophesied by Isaiah: "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a ___________, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).
What did that ultimate sacrifice cost God? God gave...