The Precious Blood of Christ

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This is a message based on 1 Peter 1:19 and it was the sermon used for a communion service.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

In just a little while we will be commemorating the sacrifice of our Lord for our salvation by sharing the elements of communion.

So, with the Lord’s help, I would like to draw your attention to the phrase found in verse 19 – “the precious blood of Christ.”

(Wuest's Word Studies – Volume 2) The Greek word "precious" has a two-fold meaning, "costly" in the sense of value [such as precious ointment Mary used for Jesus], and "highly esteemed or held in honor."

I have come up with five reasons that the blood of Christ is so precious.

1. It is divine. (Acts 20:28; Heb. 9:14)

Acts 20:28 (NKJV) Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

Hebrews 9:14 (NKJV) how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

(Wuest) The blood of Christ is costly, essentially and intrinsically precious because it is God's blood, for Deity became incarnate in humanity. For that reason it is highly honored by God the Father. The order of the words in the Greek text is beautiful.

In the Greek NT, the word Christ is found at the end of the verse, which is unusual, so it is probably meant to place emphasis on who’s blood we’re talking about here.

What a contrast to the pagan deities that were so familiar to the people of that day and culture. Deities who were so unpredictable and vindictive, that people lived in fear all the time that the gods would pour out retribution and judgment upon them.

But here, the God of creation, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is offering Himself as a sacrifice for humanity rather than sacrificing humanity for Himself.

2. It is pure. (Ex. 12:5; Lev. 22:20; James 1:27)

The comparison being made here by Peter is with the Passover and sacrificial lambs that were used in the OT. No lamb could be offered up to God if it had any noticeable or observable defects.

In fact, in the case of the Passover, the lambs had to be chosen days before the actual slaughter so they had time to observe it to see if there were any defects.

We’ve already mentioned that the blood is precious because it was divine (i.e. God’s own blood). The reason why it needed to be His blood, was because the Law required a sacrifice that was pure.

There was no human being on the planet that was good enough or pure enough to be a fit offering for the sins of humanity.

I want to also point out the reference in James 1:27. James tells his readers that pure religion is to care for the fatherless and widows and to keep one’s self unspotted from the world. That means, untainted, or unpolluted.

If we apply this to Christ, He is the perfect example of one who was in the world, but He never became tainted and polluted by the world.

3. It is permanent.

Money (silver and gold) is “corruptible,” i.e. it is related to the ideas of decay; that which is perishable.

Peter’s words here seem to highlight the fact that, as a general rule, people tend to place less importance and value on things that are prone to perish and decay.

The more permanent things are, the more value we place on them. And, the blood of Jesus is more valuable than even the two things we humans tend to esteem with the most value.

It is interesting that he chooses to compare silver and gold, which most of us would consider to be the most enduring precious metals we know of in this world.

Yet, he reminds us that those are still earthly, material, and therefore temporary. See verse 7 earlier in this 1^st chapter.

1 Peter 1:7 (NKJV) that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ

Even gold that has been tested (purified) by fire, is less precious than faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Why? It must surely be due to the fact that faith and salvation are eternal and permanent. Gold is only temporary.

4. It is effective. (Heb. 10:4)

Hebrews 10:4 (NKJV) For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

One of the main points of the book of Hebrews is to show us that all of the sacrifices required in the OT system were merely symbolic of the only truly effective sacrifice – the blood of Christ.

The temporary system served its purpose, but we are told that they really had no ability to take away sins.

The context in chapter 10 emphasizes the fact that rather than take away the sins, the sacrifices served as a frequent reminder of their sins. It is only the blood of Jesus that can take away sins.

“What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”

5. It is voluntary. (Heb. 9:14)

If we look back again to Heb. 9:14 again for just a moment, I want to point out the obvious point that Jesus offered His own blood. There are other references in Hebrews that emphasize the same point.

This is not a story about some criminal that was bound and executed against his own will and without his consent.

No, we are speaking about the loving, merciful and gracious Son of God; the Savior of the world, willingly and knowingly laying down His life so sinners like you and me could be redeemed and saved from the wrath of God.

Conclusion:

Today we are sharing the elements of the Lord’s Supper to be reminded once again of how precious His sacrifice really is for us.

Let’s take our hymnals and sing the first two verses of # 330, “Are You Washed in the Blood?”