Chapter 5: Blood that Satisfies
CHRONICLE OF REDEMPTION – PART 1
Ch 5: Blood That Satisfies
Dr. David Platt
2/14/10
If you have a Bible, and I hope you do, I invite you to open with me to Exodus 12. And this story that the choir has just sung about – you know the problem with this Bible-reading plan is this week we have read about ten plagues in Egypt; the Passover; God delivering his people to the middle of the Red Sea; leading his people by a pillar of cloud durin’ the day and a fire by night and feeding his people with bread from heaven and water from a rock; bringing his people to Mount Sinai where he reveals himself as a consuming fire; he gives the Ten Commandments; the Book of the Covenant; starts, confirms the Mosaic Covenant, and I’ve gotta pick one of these passages to preach on.
Like, there is an entire seeker church here, and we could settle in for a good six hours, dive into this picture, but what I wanna do instead is I want us to look, kind of a bird’s eye view at two particular chapters, Exodus 12 and Exodus 24, and I want us to trace a theme in these two chapters that will point us to Christ. And that theme is “Blood That Satisfies.” It’s the title at the top of your notes there. Isn’t that a great title for Valentine’s Day? I wanted to do somethin’ really kinda lovey-dovey, romantic-like, and so “Blood That Satisfies” is what came to my mind. I wanna show you indescribable, unfathomable love on this Valentine’s Day. And this picture of blood is just so much better than any Twilight series could even begin to touch.
So, here’s the deal, let’s recap what happened up until this point in Exodus 12 that we have read. We know, saw last week, God reveals himself as Yahweh the Lord to Moses. Him and Aaron are told to go to Pharaoh. And so they go to Pharaoh and say, “Let my people go.” And Pharaoh’s heart is hard. And so this begins the process of plagues.
The first plague, Aaron spreads out the staff over the waters of the Nile and the turn to blood. This god-like source of life and really source of worship in Egypt is turned into a picture of death.
Second plague, staff is spread out and frogs come out of the water and onto the land, frogs everywhere. What I love about the second plague is the magicians that are standing there with Pharaoh decide they want to show their power as well, and so they bring out more frogs. Like, you’d think if they wanted to show their power, they would, like, send the frogs back. But instead, they make the problem worse and there’s frogs everywhere.
Things are not going well in Egypt, which leads to the third plague, the plague of gnats. The magicians can’t replicate this one. They conclude, “This must be the finger of God,” as gnats are covering everything.
Fourth plague, the first plague we see a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites, the plague of flies. And flies are covering all of the Egyptians, including those magicians. And they’re not touching at all the Israelites.
All that leading to the fifth plague, the livestock. The livestock in Egypt die, but the livestock among the Israelites lives, there in the Land of Goshen.
Sixth plague, Moses throws soot from the kiln into the air, and all of a sudden, all of these Egyptians, including the magicians again, are covered in boils, setting the stage for the seventh plague.
When you have boils all over your body then the last thing you want to do is be touched by anyone or anything. And so hail begins to fall from the sky. And hail and lightening like Egypt had never seen since it became a national comes crashing down, ruins everything.
Plague number eight is the locusts, who eat away everything that is green.
Plague number nine, the plague of darkness. Picture this, this contrast, you have total darkness for three days over they Egyptians, they can’t even – I mean, this is no electricity. They can’t even see each other. They stay inside. And yet, over in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites are, there is the light of day. Contrast between the two.
All of that leading to plague number ten, when God says to Moses and Aaron, “Go to Pharaoh and warn him that if he does not let my people go then at midnight, I will strike down the first born in every single house. Every man, every animal, first born will be struck down.” A picture of death pervading the land. Families, the promised heirs, so to speak, totally wiped out.
And over and over and over and over and over again Pharaoh’s heart is hard toward God. He is resisting God. He is asserting his own lordship instead of submitting to the lordship of Yahweh, which sets the stage for the Passover in Exodus 12. And what I want us to think about is the difference that separates the Israelites from the Egyptians in Exodus 12. This moment in redemptive history when God’s people, after 400-plus years in slavery, are delivered out of Egypt. Why? How were they delivered? And the answer, you’ve got this at the top of your notes, the captives were delivered by blood. The captives were delivered by blood. This is how God chose to deliver his people from slavery in Egypt, by blood. It’s what Madison just read. Now, we’re not gonna read over it; Madison just quoted it for us, this picture in Exodus 12 of the blood of a lamb.
Now, we talked last week about the attributes and the characteristics of the Lord, of Yahweh, and we talked about a variety of different characteristics. I want us to hone in in Exodus 12 on two particular portraits of the Lord. First, we see him in Exodus 12 as the holy judge. We talked last week about how God is holy. The Lord is completely separate, perfectly unique, absolutely pure. He is holy in all of his ways. He is untouched by sin. He is totally intolerable of sin. He is holy and he is just. He is dead set against sin. He hates sin, and his very character mandates that he pour out judgment on sin. And so this is the portrait of the Lord here, he is the holy judge.
And sinful man before a holy judge deserved destruction. This is the word that is used in Exodus 12:13 and 23. We see a picture of the destroyer, “The destroyer will come over your house.” And don’t miss it, Exodus 12, the destroyer is gonna come to every single house, Israelite and Egyptian alike, no one immune. The destroyer will go to every single house because all the people, Israelites and Egyptians alike, deserve destruction. All are sinners, all are sinful men and women before Holy God. And so the picture we see here is the judgment of God in a serious, severe, significant way in Exodus 12.
Makes us uncomfortable a little bit because we think, well, a destroyer, all the first born, I mean, the cries coming out from Egypt. But this is where we need to realize that sin before Holy God is serious. It is deadly serious. And man deserves destruction.
At the same time, we see a holy judge in the portion of the Lord. We also see the loving Savior. And we see that God gives grace. And he makes a way of salvation for his people. How? How does God enable his people to escape his wrath? And the answer is his provision, the blood of a spotless what? Lamb. This is the love and the grace of God, that he enables his people to escape his wrath by providing a substitute instead. The blood of a spotless lamb is the decisive difference between the cries of sorrow in Egypt and the shouts of freedom among the Israelites. It’s not because the Israelites were better than the Egyptians. It’s not because the Israelites had done anything to earn the favor of God. The picture is God had shown them, “There is a substitute for you, that when the destroyer comes to your house, here’s what you were to have done. Take a lamb who is spotless, bring it into your house for four days.”
Now, a little background here. Like, I’m not a big animal guy. I’m not a big fan of animals in the house. I grew up with animals in the house and that persuaded me not to be a fan of animals in the house. And I don’t want to offend animal lovers across this room, but it’s just – we have a gerbil and a fish and that is as far as we’re going. I don’t have to touch or do anything with either of them and that is good. But I know enough, and you know, that when you bring an animal into your house, like, there is a bond that is created with this animal, a dog, a cat, whatever it might be. So, you bring a lamb, this nice innocent lamb into your house for four days for you and your children to play with and to care for and to feed and provide for, to bond with. And then God says, “After four days, you slaughter the lamb.”
Imagine being a child in one of these households, four days with this nice cute lamb. Then daddy takes the lamb and slaughters it and takes the blood of the lamb and puts it over the door post of the house. If you’re a 5-year-old, that’s an image that doesn’t leave you; that sticks with you for a long time. And you go up to your daddy and you say, “Why did you kill the lamb? Why are you putting its blood over our door?” And the father would say, “This lamb’s a substitute. Death would come to our house and our family if this lamb did not die instead of us. And when you look, son,” or daughter, “at the door post and you see the blood of the lamb over there, you can know that when every other house in Egypt is crying out because death has come, we can know that we are safe because we have the blood of the lamb over us.” That’s the picture that God was ingraining in his people.
Holy judge, destruction, loving Savior, he graves grace at the blood of a spotless lamb, and by grace, this sacrifice is acceptable to God. It must be done the way God has said, “A lamb without spot or blemish, don’t break the lamb’s bones,” it’s a picture of a whole lamb sacrificed for you. Its blood symbolizes its life, “And when it is shed on your behalf, in your place, then you will live. You deserve death, but when the destroyer comes, you will live because this sacrifice is acceptable to God, and by faith, this sacrifice is applied to you.” This is the picture.
The only people that were exempt from the judgment of God on that dreadful night in Exodus 12 were the people who believed that by having blood over their door post they would be saved. Through faith, it was applied to them. It’s not because – don’t miss it – it’s not because the Israelites were better people than the Egyptians. It was because they believed in the sacrifice that God had prescribed, and they trusted in the blood of this lamb. The captives were delivered by blood.
The story continues from that point. God gives instructions for how they were to remember this. And he leads them, as I mentioned, with a pillar – just imagine. Can you imagine the scene, as a community of faith, following after the presence of God, a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, how awe-inspiring? And God leads them, of all places, to the edge of the Red Sea. The Egyptians are running after them by this point, ready to overtake them. And God leads them to a dead end and right into this body of water. Why? So that, Exodus 14:4, so that he might gain glory for himself. Split that sea in half, send his people through on dry land. They would look in their rearview mirrors, and the water would come crashing down over the Egyptians. And God says, “Pharaoh and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD. And I deliver my people and bring my judgment upon the Egyptians.”
And Moses sings in Exodus 15, you know it’s a memory verse from this week, “The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” And then we see the people on a journey with God, where he is providing them food, bread from heaven. When there is no water, he provides water from a rock. And he leads them - go to Exodus 19 with me – leads them to Mount Sinai.
Now, you remember last week, Exodus 3, when Moses saw the burning bush, conversed with the bush, God said, “I’m going to bring my people out of slavery, and I’m gonna bring you to this land, this place to worship me, on this mountain.” And now in Exodus 19, we’re back there. We’re on the Mountain at Sinai. And listen to his words, God’s words to Moses in verse 3, “Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.’”
Listen to those words: “my treasured possession,” “I will be your God, you will be my people,” “a kingdom of priests.” “You have intimate access to the glory of God, a holy nation.” “You will be set apart.” “You will be distinct from all other peoples.” And what will set you apart? And that’s the picture we see in Exodus 20, is he gives him his laws, the Ten Commandments. “Here’s how you will experience life in me and walk with me and be distinct.”
First four of those Ten Commandments dealing with love toward God, honoring him and him alone, not making images, revering his name, worshiping him on the Sabbath. And then the last six commands, showing us how love toward God is expressed in love towards others and not murdering or stealing or lying, not coveting but honoring your neighbor.
So, we have then Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. Chapter 21-23, God continues to give laws, regulations, guidelines to Moses, case laws, the Book of the Covenant, all leading now – come with me to Exodus 24:1. And here’s where I want us to see what may be - amidst everything else that’s going on in Exodus, it is just breathtaking. Exodus 24 may be most important in the entire book of Exodus because this is where God confirms his covenant with his people through Moses, the Mosaic Covenant. And we cannot overestimate the significance of this.
One writer said, “There is no way to describe adequately the implications of this chapter. Everyone from Moses to Jeremiah to Jesus to Peter and every other biblical writer who has anything to say about covenant reflects directly or indirectly on this passage. This is the climax where God confirms his covenant with his people.” And what I want us to see is that the covenant is confirmed by what? By blood. Captives delivered by blood; the covenant confirmed by blood. Read it with me, Exodus 24:1.
God, the Lord, “said to Moses, ‘Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship him from afar.’” The picture of the whole nation represented in that number seventy. “Moses alone shall come near to the LORD, but the others shall not come hear, and the people shall not come up with him.’
Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.’ And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we ill be obedient.’ And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, ‘Behold, the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.’
Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.”
Covenant, relationship with God confirmed on this mountain by blood. I want you to see two things here. Behold, first, the significance of God’s law. Exodus 24:3, Moses came and told the people all the words of the law, the words, the ten words, the Ten Commandments and the rules. The Book of the Covenant that we see, Exodus 21-23, he reads – basically Exodus 20-23, he reads the word of the law to him. This is the first picture, really, of public worship that we see in scripture. And all the elements of public worship are here. A call to worship, a reading of God’s Word, the response of God’s people, a sacramental meal, it’s all happening here. This is a picture of worship on the mountain; it’s what God had said he was going to do and now it’s happening. God gives his Word, Moses reads over his people, the people respond, “We will obey all the Lord has said,” the significance of God’s law. His covenant is grounded in his Word, his Word toward us, his Word received by us; that’s the picture of covenant here.
But not just the significance of God’s law, also behold the beauty of God’s mercy. At the center of this covenant is not just the Word and the people saying, “Yes, we’ll obey it,” that’s not all there is. In addition, there’s an altar. And wherever we see worship anywhere in scripture, there’s always a picture of sacrifice. Wherever there is worship from sinful man going toward Holy God, it requires – don’t miss this – it requires a sacrifice. Sinful man cannot approach Holy God on his own merit. Sinful man cannot stand in the presence of a holy and just God, and so there is always sacrifice involved in worship. We’ve seen this from the very beginning in Genesis 3 and 4, and it’s all the way to this point, we’ll see it in the days to come. There’s always an altar involved there. So, Moses says two offerings, a whole offering, a burnt offering consumed by fire, and peace offerings, fellowship offerings.
And the picture is – now, this is where it gets really interesting – he takes the blood from the animals, and he throws part of it on the alter, a picture of the fact that God’s people are forgiven by blood. You can strike his from your notes there; his shouldn’t be there. God’s people are forgiven by the blood of a sacrifice. This is what blood on the altar always represents, forgiveness of sins. That a Holy God must pour out judgment, wrath, payment on sin, and so there must be a picture of that judgment, that payment having been paid. And that’s the picture of the sacrifice, blood on the altar, people forgiven by the blood of a sacrifice.
But then, this is where it gets kinda weird, Moses takes blood and pours it into a basin and then he goes toward the people and he throws blood on them. Huh, like, aren’t you glad we don’t do this in our worship? Can you imagine me getting a bucket and just walking throughout the room and splattering blood on you? Like, it’s not very seeker sensitive. That’s one way to solve the traffic problems on Sunday mornings. You bring out the blood in the worship gathering, and you - solved. Like, people aren’t comin’ back if blood’s been sprinkled everywhere. It almost seems barbaric, just foreign. But this is where we need to realize the significance of blood.
Do we realize this is obviously not something we talk a lot about in contemporary Christianity? Blood doesn’t draw the crowds. But if we miss the significance of blood in scripture and blood in the relationship we have with God, we will miss the whole point of the gospel. In our efforts to pretty up the gospel and make it as attractive as possible, we may undercut the very foundation of the gospel. And so blood is poured out, cast out over the people. A picture of how God’s people are not just forgiven by blood, God’s people are covered with blood. And God is binding his people to himself through the blood of the covenant. That’s Exodus 24:8, he “took the blood and threw it on the people and said, ‘Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.’” It’s blood that is that is reconciling man to God. It’s blood that is enabling, making this relationship with God possible.
And see what happens right after this, right after God’s people are covered with blood, bound to him in covenant through the blood of the sacrifice – listen to what happens in verse 9, “Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up,” verse 10, “and they saw the God of Israel.” Underline the beginning of verse 10 there, that is an astounding statement, “They saw the God of Israel.” This is the same – we just saw back in Exodus 19, when God was revealing himself on Mount Sinai, like, “Don’t get near the mountain. Don’t even touch the mountain. Moses, go tell the people that if they try to break through to see the LORD, they will be consumed.” And now, because of the blood of a sacrifice that has forgiven them and covered them, they see God.
Now, obviously, they don’t see his face in all of his glory, what’s described here is – that was just under his footstool, and even that is too glorious to even be able to describe without comparison, “as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.” But don’t miss it, he did not lay his hand on them; they beheld God. Literally – here it is in your notes – they gazed upon his glory. That’s literally what it’s saying. They gazed upon the glory of God and they ate and drank, huh! To eat at the same table, picture of fellowship and peace with God, communion with God, they gazed on his glory and they celebrated in his presence. This is not just a solemn picture, this is a joyful celebration. Deity and humanity communing together with one another on this cosmic mountain; this is an incredible scene of worship. They see his glory and they celebrate in his presence, all because of the blood of a sacrifice that forgave them and covered them.
So, we have these two stories: Exodus 12, captives delivered by the blood of the spotless lamb; Exodus 24, covenant confirmed by the blood of a sacrifice. And this is where I want you to see how these two pictures in redemptive history are pointing us supremely to a much, much greater picture that has implications for every single one of our lives in this room. Captives delivered by blood, covenant confirmed by blood, pointing us to the day when Christ will shed his blood. And this is where I want to show you the gospel in these pictures in Exodus and what they point us to in Christ.
Here’s the deal, you’ve gotten in your notes there what I would call the question of the Bible. From Genesis 3 on, the question that the Bible must answer is the supreme question in all the universe. And the question is this: How can a just God be loving toward rebellious sinners who are due his wrath? That’s the question. How can a Holy God who is just in all of his ways be loving toward rebellious sinners who are due his wrath. How can God love, be kind to, be merciful to sinners if he is just? Now, that’s not the question we think about very often. It’s not often the way we look at it. There’s not a lot of people today that are losing sleep over how God could be so kind to sinners. Instead, we reverse it and we point the finger at God. And we say things when we read passages like Exodus 12. Or we see the effects of sin around us. Or we think about the reality of hell. We point the finger at God and we say, “How could you be so judgmental towards sinners? How could you show such judgment and wrath and punishment toward sinners? We deserve love, and you showing wrath, how can this be? How can you be God and show wrath?” We don’t think like that because we think from a man-centered perspective.
And the Bible looks at things from a very God-centered perspective. And the question is the Bible then is how can God be supremely holy and supremely worthy of all worship and supremely just? And for those who rebel against him, who assert their authority against him, spurn his authority over them and turn from them, how can God be just and love them and forgive them and snow mercy to them at the same time? Feel the tension here. How can God express his holiness, the full breath of his infinite holiness without consuming us in our sin? How can you stand before a Holy God?
Isaiah 6, his immediate response to the holiness of God was what? “Woe is me! Woe is me! There’s no way I can be in the presence of a Holy God.” In the same way, how can God express his love toward us without condoning us in our sin? How can God express the full realm of all of his attributes toward us in our sin?
Think about it this way, 2 Samuel 12:13, remember King David, guilty of adultery, lying and murder. And Nathan, the prophet Nathan comes to confront David, “You’re guilty of adultery and lying and murder,” and David says, “I’ve sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan says, “The LORD has forgiven you.” And that’s it. Now, how is that possible? Is this just? Put a judge on the courtroom in our day. Put an adulterer and a murder before him and the judge just says, “Well, I forgive you.” Is that judge just? Now, we’d have that judge off the bench in a heartbeat, wouldn’t we? Where is the justice in that? That’s not true and right justice. This is where we realize that God’s forgiveness of sinners is a threat to his very character.
John Stott said, “God’s forgiveness towards sinners is the profoundest of problems.” We’ve got to see this. We’ve got to feel this tension. We don’t think this way. How can God be completely holy and completely just and yet forgive us when we rebel against him. To put it another way, you’ve got this in your notes, how can God satisfy his character and save our souls at the same time? That’s the question that the gospel must answer.
Let me give you another picture. So, I told you about 2 Samuel 12, look up here on the screen with me at – and we don’t have time to turn there, but I wanna show it to you because I want you to think through this with me, Proverbs 17:15. Look up here on the screen with me. Let’s read it together and I want us to think about it; we’ll read it out loud together. He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.” Now, did you catch what we just read? We’ll keep it up there for just a second. “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both are an abomination to the LORD.” To justify the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. Now, what is salvation all about? Isn’t salvation God saying to those who are wicked, “You are justified.” Saying to those who are guilty, “You are innocent.” And Proverbs 17:15 makes it clear that it’s an abomination of the very character of God.
So, how can God justify the wicked and still be holy and good and just? And this is where we come to the beauty of the gospel. How can God satisfy his character and save our souls at the same time? Satisfaction – we’re gonna unpack this. Satisfaction through substitution brings salvation. I want you to follow with me really closely here. Stay in your notes, but I want you to catch this, let this soak in. Divine satisfaction on the cross, the totality of God’s character is expressed. Look at the cross and see the justice of God. Does he judge sin? Absolutely. He judges it to the full. Does he pour out wrath, holy wrath on sin? Yes. See that in the cross and at the same time. Does he love sinners? Yes. Is he merciful toward the wicked? Yes. Because at the same time he is pouring out wrath, he is substituting himself, divine substitution. Jesus, God in the flesh is the one who bears the wrath and takes the payment and sheds the blood, and salvation through God’s son is achieved. He shows his justice, holiness, love and mercy by substituting himself in our place.
2 Corinthians 5:21, God made the one who had no sin to be sin for us, instead of us, in order that we might become the righteousness of God. Divine satisfaction, divine substitution leads to divine salvation. Picture this, the essence of sin: man substitutes himself for God. Isn’t that the essence of sin? Sinful heart. It is you and I saying, “I’m God. I’m in control.” It’s the pride in our hearts that says, “I do what I want to do. I spurn the authority over me. I direct my life.” It’s Pharaoh, isn’t it? It’s Pharaoh asserting himself as God. He’s the one who calls the shots, hardening his heart toward God. Don’t miss the point, we are Pharaoh. See yourself, brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, see yourself in Pharaoh, substituting ourselves for God. And the glorious, beautiful reality of scripture, the essence of salvation is that when we substitute ourselves for God, God saves us by substituting himself for man. And he puts himself in our place under the payment of our sin. And this is what the blood of Christ is all about. Keep there in your notes, the blood of the Lamb of God satisfies the wrath of God and saves the children of God. Yes, that’s the gospel.
God substitutes his son, fully man, fully God, on the cross sheds his blood, satisfies his wrath and saves our souls. This is what happens because of the blood of Christ. And it’s why all throughout the New Testament we read words like, “We are justified by his blood.” We are redeemed - Ephesians 1, 1 Timothy 1, 1 Peter 1, we are redeemed by his blood. 1 John 1:7, we have forgiveness through is blood. Romans 3:25, God presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. It’s all about the blood of the Lamb of God. And by grace, this sacrifice is acceptable to God. There is no one else in all history who is perfect, blameless, pure and spotless that could pay the price for our sins. No one else who could take the full wrath of the Father upon himself, no one else. By grace, his sacrifice is alone acceptable to God. It is a better sacrifice, Hebrew says, than everything in the Old Testament put together. And a better mediator than Moses, a better lamb than all the lambs that were offered year after year after year, he, he alone is able to take the full payment of our sin. By grace, his sacrifice is acceptable to God. Through faith, it is applied to us. Same picture that we saw in Exodus 12, these men and women in slavery on that night of the Passover knew that they were safe because of one thing; they knew they were safe because there was blood over their house.
And so know this, to every man and woman in this room, no matter how dark your sinful past is, no matter how guilty your conscience is, no matter how filthy your past is, when you are trusting in the blood of Christ over your life, you are saved in the presence of God and you are free from the power of sin. Not because you’re better or have done more or you’re religious or you’re checked off the boxes, only through faith, only through trust in his blood, that’s all. That was the decisive difference on that night of the Passover, and it is the decisive difference in every single one of our lives, when one day you and I will stand before a Holy God to give an account for our lives. The ultimate question on that day is did you trust in his blood? Are you trusting right now in his blood? Oh, Christian, don’t miss this. We leave this glorious truth behind and we begin to live our Christian lives like our acceptance before God is now based on what we are doing, how often we are praying, how much we are reading the Bible. What are we doing here and here and here and here? And yes, obedience flows in a relationship with Christ. But don’t miss this, your acceptance before God at this moment is still totally based on the blood of Christ over your life. And whenever the adversary comes to you with condemnation, you trust with confidence in the fact that you are under the blood of Christ and you are free from condemnation. And you have access to God, which is the beauty, we now gaze upon his glory! We have been forgiven by the blood of sacrifice, covered by the blood of sacrifice, and we behold God! We have access to God! We see him and we know him. What Old Testament saints longed for, we experience in a glorious, grand way. We see and we behold the glory of God, and we celebrate in his presence. We have peace with him.
Put up your notes, I wanna show you another verse up here on the screen. Remember when Moses said in Exodus 24, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you, and this results in this fellowship meal”? Well, Jesus, right before he prepares to go to the cross uses the same words except he changes one very pivotal word. In Matthew 26, he does not say, “This is the blood of the covenant.” He says, “This is,” what, “my blood of the covenant.” Moses is pointing to another’s blood, the sacrifice of another. Jesus comes to his disciples and he says, “I am going to the cross where I’m going to give my blood, and your relationship with God is going to be sealed by what I do.”
Ch 5: Blood That Satisfies
Dr. David Platt
2/14/10
If you have a Bible, and I hope you do, I invite you to open with me to Exodus 12. And this story that the choir has just sung about – you know the problem with this Bible-reading plan is this week we have read about ten plagues in Egypt; the Passover; God delivering his people to the middle of the Red Sea; leading his people by a pillar of cloud durin’ the day and a fire by night and feeding his people with bread from heaven and water from a rock; bringing his people to Mount Sinai where he reveals himself as a consuming fire; he gives the Ten Commandments; the Book of the Covenant; starts, confirms the Mosaic Covenant, and I’ve gotta pick one of these passages to preach on.
Like, there is an entire seeker church here, and we could settle in for a good six hours, dive into this picture, but what I wanna do instead is I want us to look, kind of a bird’s eye view at two particular chapters, Exodus 12 and Exodus 24, and I want us to trace a theme in these two chapters that will point us to Christ. And that theme is “Blood That Satisfies.” It’s the title at the top of your notes there. Isn’t that a great title for Valentine’s Day? I wanted to do somethin’ really kinda lovey-dovey, romantic-like, and so “Blood That Satisfies” is what came to my mind. I wanna show you indescribable, unfathomable love on this Valentine’s Day. And this picture of blood is just so much better than any Twilight series could even begin to touch.
So, here’s the deal, let’s recap what happened up until this point in Exodus 12 that we have read. We know, saw last week, God reveals himself as Yahweh the Lord to Moses. Him and Aaron are told to go to Pharaoh. And so they go to Pharaoh and say, “Let my people go.” And Pharaoh’s heart is hard. And so this begins the process of plagues.
The first plague, Aaron spreads out the staff over the waters of the Nile and the turn to blood. This god-like source of life and really source of worship in Egypt is turned into a picture of death.
Second plague, staff is spread out and frogs come out of the water and onto the land, frogs everywhere. What I love about the second plague is the magicians that are standing there with Pharaoh decide they want to show their power as well, and so they bring out more frogs. Like, you’d think if they wanted to show their power, they would, like, send the frogs back. But instead, they make the problem worse and there’s frogs everywhere.
Things are not going well in Egypt, which leads to the third plague, the plague of gnats. The magicians can’t replicate this one. They conclude, “This must be the finger of God,” as gnats are covering everything.
Fourth plague, the first plague we see a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites, the plague of flies. And flies are covering all of the Egyptians, including those magicians. And they’re not touching at all the Israelites.
All that leading to the fifth plague, the livestock. The livestock in Egypt die, but the livestock among the Israelites lives, there in the Land of Goshen.
Sixth plague, Moses throws soot from the kiln into the air, and all of a sudden, all of these Egyptians, including the magicians again, are covered in boils, setting the stage for the seventh plague.
When you have boils all over your body then the last thing you want to do is be touched by anyone or anything. And so hail begins to fall from the sky. And hail and lightening like Egypt had never seen since it became a national comes crashing down, ruins everything.
Plague number eight is the locusts, who eat away everything that is green.
Plague number nine, the plague of darkness. Picture this, this contrast, you have total darkness for three days over they Egyptians, they can’t even – I mean, this is no electricity. They can’t even see each other. They stay inside. And yet, over in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites are, there is the light of day. Contrast between the two.
All of that leading to plague number ten, when God says to Moses and Aaron, “Go to Pharaoh and warn him that if he does not let my people go then at midnight, I will strike down the first born in every single house. Every man, every animal, first born will be struck down.” A picture of death pervading the land. Families, the promised heirs, so to speak, totally wiped out.
And over and over and over and over and over again Pharaoh’s heart is hard toward God. He is resisting God. He is asserting his own lordship instead of submitting to the lordship of Yahweh, which sets the stage for the Passover in Exodus 12. And what I want us to think about is the difference that separates the Israelites from the Egyptians in Exodus 12. This moment in redemptive history when God’s people, after 400-plus years in slavery, are delivered out of Egypt. Why? How were they delivered? And the answer, you’ve got this at the top of your notes, the captives were delivered by blood. The captives were delivered by blood. This is how God chose to deliver his people from slavery in Egypt, by blood. It’s what Madison just read. Now, we’re not gonna read over it; Madison just quoted it for us, this picture in Exodus 12 of the blood of a lamb.
Now, we talked last week about the attributes and the characteristics of the Lord, of Yahweh, and we talked about a variety of different characteristics. I want us to hone in in Exodus 12 on two particular portraits of the Lord. First, we see him in Exodus 12 as the holy judge. We talked last week about how God is holy. The Lord is completely separate, perfectly unique, absolutely pure. He is holy in all of his ways. He is untouched by sin. He is totally intolerable of sin. He is holy and he is just. He is dead set against sin. He hates sin, and his very character mandates that he pour out judgment on sin. And so this is the portrait of the Lord here, he is the holy judge.
And sinful man before a holy judge deserved destruction. This is the word that is used in Exodus 12:13 and 23. We see a picture of the destroyer, “The destroyer will come over your house.” And don’t miss it, Exodus 12, the destroyer is gonna come to every single house, Israelite and Egyptian alike, no one immune. The destroyer will go to every single house because all the people, Israelites and Egyptians alike, deserve destruction. All are sinners, all are sinful men and women before Holy God. And so the picture we see here is the judgment of God in a serious, severe, significant way in Exodus 12.
Makes us uncomfortable a little bit because we think, well, a destroyer, all the first born, I mean, the cries coming out from Egypt. But this is where we need to realize that sin before Holy God is serious. It is deadly serious. And man deserves destruction.
At the same time, we see a holy judge in the portion of the Lord. We also see the loving Savior. And we see that God gives grace. And he makes a way of salvation for his people. How? How does God enable his people to escape his wrath? And the answer is his provision, the blood of a spotless what? Lamb. This is the love and the grace of God, that he enables his people to escape his wrath by providing a substitute instead. The blood of a spotless lamb is the decisive difference between the cries of sorrow in Egypt and the shouts of freedom among the Israelites. It’s not because the Israelites were better than the Egyptians. It’s not because the Israelites had done anything to earn the favor of God. The picture is God had shown them, “There is a substitute for you, that when the destroyer comes to your house, here’s what you were to have done. Take a lamb who is spotless, bring it into your house for four days.”
Now, a little background here. Like, I’m not a big animal guy. I’m not a big fan of animals in the house. I grew up with animals in the house and that persuaded me not to be a fan of animals in the house. And I don’t want to offend animal lovers across this room, but it’s just – we have a gerbil and a fish and that is as far as we’re going. I don’t have to touch or do anything with either of them and that is good. But I know enough, and you know, that when you bring an animal into your house, like, there is a bond that is created with this animal, a dog, a cat, whatever it might be. So, you bring a lamb, this nice innocent lamb into your house for four days for you and your children to play with and to care for and to feed and provide for, to bond with. And then God says, “After four days, you slaughter the lamb.”
Imagine being a child in one of these households, four days with this nice cute lamb. Then daddy takes the lamb and slaughters it and takes the blood of the lamb and puts it over the door post of the house. If you’re a 5-year-old, that’s an image that doesn’t leave you; that sticks with you for a long time. And you go up to your daddy and you say, “Why did you kill the lamb? Why are you putting its blood over our door?” And the father would say, “This lamb’s a substitute. Death would come to our house and our family if this lamb did not die instead of us. And when you look, son,” or daughter, “at the door post and you see the blood of the lamb over there, you can know that when every other house in Egypt is crying out because death has come, we can know that we are safe because we have the blood of the lamb over us.” That’s the picture that God was ingraining in his people.
Holy judge, destruction, loving Savior, he graves grace at the blood of a spotless lamb, and by grace, this sacrifice is acceptable to God. It must be done the way God has said, “A lamb without spot or blemish, don’t break the lamb’s bones,” it’s a picture of a whole lamb sacrificed for you. Its blood symbolizes its life, “And when it is shed on your behalf, in your place, then you will live. You deserve death, but when the destroyer comes, you will live because this sacrifice is acceptable to God, and by faith, this sacrifice is applied to you.” This is the picture.
The only people that were exempt from the judgment of God on that dreadful night in Exodus 12 were the people who believed that by having blood over their door post they would be saved. Through faith, it was applied to them. It’s not because – don’t miss it – it’s not because the Israelites were better people than the Egyptians. It was because they believed in the sacrifice that God had prescribed, and they trusted in the blood of this lamb. The captives were delivered by blood.
The story continues from that point. God gives instructions for how they were to remember this. And he leads them, as I mentioned, with a pillar – just imagine. Can you imagine the scene, as a community of faith, following after the presence of God, a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, how awe-inspiring? And God leads them, of all places, to the edge of the Red Sea. The Egyptians are running after them by this point, ready to overtake them. And God leads them to a dead end and right into this body of water. Why? So that, Exodus 14:4, so that he might gain glory for himself. Split that sea in half, send his people through on dry land. They would look in their rearview mirrors, and the water would come crashing down over the Egyptians. And God says, “Pharaoh and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD. And I deliver my people and bring my judgment upon the Egyptians.”
And Moses sings in Exodus 15, you know it’s a memory verse from this week, “The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” And then we see the people on a journey with God, where he is providing them food, bread from heaven. When there is no water, he provides water from a rock. And he leads them - go to Exodus 19 with me – leads them to Mount Sinai.
Now, you remember last week, Exodus 3, when Moses saw the burning bush, conversed with the bush, God said, “I’m going to bring my people out of slavery, and I’m gonna bring you to this land, this place to worship me, on this mountain.” And now in Exodus 19, we’re back there. We’re on the Mountain at Sinai. And listen to his words, God’s words to Moses in verse 3, “Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.’”
Listen to those words: “my treasured possession,” “I will be your God, you will be my people,” “a kingdom of priests.” “You have intimate access to the glory of God, a holy nation.” “You will be set apart.” “You will be distinct from all other peoples.” And what will set you apart? And that’s the picture we see in Exodus 20, is he gives him his laws, the Ten Commandments. “Here’s how you will experience life in me and walk with me and be distinct.”
First four of those Ten Commandments dealing with love toward God, honoring him and him alone, not making images, revering his name, worshiping him on the Sabbath. And then the last six commands, showing us how love toward God is expressed in love towards others and not murdering or stealing or lying, not coveting but honoring your neighbor.
So, we have then Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. Chapter 21-23, God continues to give laws, regulations, guidelines to Moses, case laws, the Book of the Covenant, all leading now – come with me to Exodus 24:1. And here’s where I want us to see what may be - amidst everything else that’s going on in Exodus, it is just breathtaking. Exodus 24 may be most important in the entire book of Exodus because this is where God confirms his covenant with his people through Moses, the Mosaic Covenant. And we cannot overestimate the significance of this.
One writer said, “There is no way to describe adequately the implications of this chapter. Everyone from Moses to Jeremiah to Jesus to Peter and every other biblical writer who has anything to say about covenant reflects directly or indirectly on this passage. This is the climax where God confirms his covenant with his people.” And what I want us to see is that the covenant is confirmed by what? By blood. Captives delivered by blood; the covenant confirmed by blood. Read it with me, Exodus 24:1.
God, the Lord, “said to Moses, ‘Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship him from afar.’” The picture of the whole nation represented in that number seventy. “Moses alone shall come near to the LORD, but the others shall not come hear, and the people shall not come up with him.’
Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.’ And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we ill be obedient.’ And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, ‘Behold, the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.’
Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.”
Covenant, relationship with God confirmed on this mountain by blood. I want you to see two things here. Behold, first, the significance of God’s law. Exodus 24:3, Moses came and told the people all the words of the law, the words, the ten words, the Ten Commandments and the rules. The Book of the Covenant that we see, Exodus 21-23, he reads – basically Exodus 20-23, he reads the word of the law to him. This is the first picture, really, of public worship that we see in scripture. And all the elements of public worship are here. A call to worship, a reading of God’s Word, the response of God’s people, a sacramental meal, it’s all happening here. This is a picture of worship on the mountain; it’s what God had said he was going to do and now it’s happening. God gives his Word, Moses reads over his people, the people respond, “We will obey all the Lord has said,” the significance of God’s law. His covenant is grounded in his Word, his Word toward us, his Word received by us; that’s the picture of covenant here.
But not just the significance of God’s law, also behold the beauty of God’s mercy. At the center of this covenant is not just the Word and the people saying, “Yes, we’ll obey it,” that’s not all there is. In addition, there’s an altar. And wherever we see worship anywhere in scripture, there’s always a picture of sacrifice. Wherever there is worship from sinful man going toward Holy God, it requires – don’t miss this – it requires a sacrifice. Sinful man cannot approach Holy God on his own merit. Sinful man cannot stand in the presence of a holy and just God, and so there is always sacrifice involved in worship. We’ve seen this from the very beginning in Genesis 3 and 4, and it’s all the way to this point, we’ll see it in the days to come. There’s always an altar involved there. So, Moses says two offerings, a whole offering, a burnt offering consumed by fire, and peace offerings, fellowship offerings.
And the picture is – now, this is where it gets really interesting – he takes the blood from the animals, and he throws part of it on the alter, a picture of the fact that God’s people are forgiven by blood. You can strike his from your notes there; his shouldn’t be there. God’s people are forgiven by the blood of a sacrifice. This is what blood on the altar always represents, forgiveness of sins. That a Holy God must pour out judgment, wrath, payment on sin, and so there must be a picture of that judgment, that payment having been paid. And that’s the picture of the sacrifice, blood on the altar, people forgiven by the blood of a sacrifice.
But then, this is where it gets kinda weird, Moses takes blood and pours it into a basin and then he goes toward the people and he throws blood on them. Huh, like, aren’t you glad we don’t do this in our worship? Can you imagine me getting a bucket and just walking throughout the room and splattering blood on you? Like, it’s not very seeker sensitive. That’s one way to solve the traffic problems on Sunday mornings. You bring out the blood in the worship gathering, and you - solved. Like, people aren’t comin’ back if blood’s been sprinkled everywhere. It almost seems barbaric, just foreign. But this is where we need to realize the significance of blood.
Do we realize this is obviously not something we talk a lot about in contemporary Christianity? Blood doesn’t draw the crowds. But if we miss the significance of blood in scripture and blood in the relationship we have with God, we will miss the whole point of the gospel. In our efforts to pretty up the gospel and make it as attractive as possible, we may undercut the very foundation of the gospel. And so blood is poured out, cast out over the people. A picture of how God’s people are not just forgiven by blood, God’s people are covered with blood. And God is binding his people to himself through the blood of the covenant. That’s Exodus 24:8, he “took the blood and threw it on the people and said, ‘Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.’” It’s blood that is that is reconciling man to God. It’s blood that is enabling, making this relationship with God possible.
And see what happens right after this, right after God’s people are covered with blood, bound to him in covenant through the blood of the sacrifice – listen to what happens in verse 9, “Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up,” verse 10, “and they saw the God of Israel.” Underline the beginning of verse 10 there, that is an astounding statement, “They saw the God of Israel.” This is the same – we just saw back in Exodus 19, when God was revealing himself on Mount Sinai, like, “Don’t get near the mountain. Don’t even touch the mountain. Moses, go tell the people that if they try to break through to see the LORD, they will be consumed.” And now, because of the blood of a sacrifice that has forgiven them and covered them, they see God.
Now, obviously, they don’t see his face in all of his glory, what’s described here is – that was just under his footstool, and even that is too glorious to even be able to describe without comparison, “as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.” But don’t miss it, he did not lay his hand on them; they beheld God. Literally – here it is in your notes – they gazed upon his glory. That’s literally what it’s saying. They gazed upon the glory of God and they ate and drank, huh! To eat at the same table, picture of fellowship and peace with God, communion with God, they gazed on his glory and they celebrated in his presence. This is not just a solemn picture, this is a joyful celebration. Deity and humanity communing together with one another on this cosmic mountain; this is an incredible scene of worship. They see his glory and they celebrate in his presence, all because of the blood of a sacrifice that forgave them and covered them.
So, we have these two stories: Exodus 12, captives delivered by the blood of the spotless lamb; Exodus 24, covenant confirmed by the blood of a sacrifice. And this is where I want you to see how these two pictures in redemptive history are pointing us supremely to a much, much greater picture that has implications for every single one of our lives in this room. Captives delivered by blood, covenant confirmed by blood, pointing us to the day when Christ will shed his blood. And this is where I want to show you the gospel in these pictures in Exodus and what they point us to in Christ.
Here’s the deal, you’ve gotten in your notes there what I would call the question of the Bible. From Genesis 3 on, the question that the Bible must answer is the supreme question in all the universe. And the question is this: How can a just God be loving toward rebellious sinners who are due his wrath? That’s the question. How can a Holy God who is just in all of his ways be loving toward rebellious sinners who are due his wrath. How can God love, be kind to, be merciful to sinners if he is just? Now, that’s not the question we think about very often. It’s not often the way we look at it. There’s not a lot of people today that are losing sleep over how God could be so kind to sinners. Instead, we reverse it and we point the finger at God. And we say things when we read passages like Exodus 12. Or we see the effects of sin around us. Or we think about the reality of hell. We point the finger at God and we say, “How could you be so judgmental towards sinners? How could you show such judgment and wrath and punishment toward sinners? We deserve love, and you showing wrath, how can this be? How can you be God and show wrath?” We don’t think like that because we think from a man-centered perspective.
And the Bible looks at things from a very God-centered perspective. And the question is the Bible then is how can God be supremely holy and supremely worthy of all worship and supremely just? And for those who rebel against him, who assert their authority against him, spurn his authority over them and turn from them, how can God be just and love them and forgive them and snow mercy to them at the same time? Feel the tension here. How can God express his holiness, the full breath of his infinite holiness without consuming us in our sin? How can you stand before a Holy God?
Isaiah 6, his immediate response to the holiness of God was what? “Woe is me! Woe is me! There’s no way I can be in the presence of a Holy God.” In the same way, how can God express his love toward us without condoning us in our sin? How can God express the full realm of all of his attributes toward us in our sin?
Think about it this way, 2 Samuel 12:13, remember King David, guilty of adultery, lying and murder. And Nathan, the prophet Nathan comes to confront David, “You’re guilty of adultery and lying and murder,” and David says, “I’ve sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan says, “The LORD has forgiven you.” And that’s it. Now, how is that possible? Is this just? Put a judge on the courtroom in our day. Put an adulterer and a murder before him and the judge just says, “Well, I forgive you.” Is that judge just? Now, we’d have that judge off the bench in a heartbeat, wouldn’t we? Where is the justice in that? That’s not true and right justice. This is where we realize that God’s forgiveness of sinners is a threat to his very character.
John Stott said, “God’s forgiveness towards sinners is the profoundest of problems.” We’ve got to see this. We’ve got to feel this tension. We don’t think this way. How can God be completely holy and completely just and yet forgive us when we rebel against him. To put it another way, you’ve got this in your notes, how can God satisfy his character and save our souls at the same time? That’s the question that the gospel must answer.
Let me give you another picture. So, I told you about 2 Samuel 12, look up here on the screen with me at – and we don’t have time to turn there, but I wanna show it to you because I want you to think through this with me, Proverbs 17:15. Look up here on the screen with me. Let’s read it together and I want us to think about it; we’ll read it out loud together. He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.” Now, did you catch what we just read? We’ll keep it up there for just a second. “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both are an abomination to the LORD.” To justify the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. Now, what is salvation all about? Isn’t salvation God saying to those who are wicked, “You are justified.” Saying to those who are guilty, “You are innocent.” And Proverbs 17:15 makes it clear that it’s an abomination of the very character of God.
So, how can God justify the wicked and still be holy and good and just? And this is where we come to the beauty of the gospel. How can God satisfy his character and save our souls at the same time? Satisfaction – we’re gonna unpack this. Satisfaction through substitution brings salvation. I want you to follow with me really closely here. Stay in your notes, but I want you to catch this, let this soak in. Divine satisfaction on the cross, the totality of God’s character is expressed. Look at the cross and see the justice of God. Does he judge sin? Absolutely. He judges it to the full. Does he pour out wrath, holy wrath on sin? Yes. See that in the cross and at the same time. Does he love sinners? Yes. Is he merciful toward the wicked? Yes. Because at the same time he is pouring out wrath, he is substituting himself, divine substitution. Jesus, God in the flesh is the one who bears the wrath and takes the payment and sheds the blood, and salvation through God’s son is achieved. He shows his justice, holiness, love and mercy by substituting himself in our place.
2 Corinthians 5:21, God made the one who had no sin to be sin for us, instead of us, in order that we might become the righteousness of God. Divine satisfaction, divine substitution leads to divine salvation. Picture this, the essence of sin: man substitutes himself for God. Isn’t that the essence of sin? Sinful heart. It is you and I saying, “I’m God. I’m in control.” It’s the pride in our hearts that says, “I do what I want to do. I spurn the authority over me. I direct my life.” It’s Pharaoh, isn’t it? It’s Pharaoh asserting himself as God. He’s the one who calls the shots, hardening his heart toward God. Don’t miss the point, we are Pharaoh. See yourself, brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, see yourself in Pharaoh, substituting ourselves for God. And the glorious, beautiful reality of scripture, the essence of salvation is that when we substitute ourselves for God, God saves us by substituting himself for man. And he puts himself in our place under the payment of our sin. And this is what the blood of Christ is all about. Keep there in your notes, the blood of the Lamb of God satisfies the wrath of God and saves the children of God. Yes, that’s the gospel.
God substitutes his son, fully man, fully God, on the cross sheds his blood, satisfies his wrath and saves our souls. This is what happens because of the blood of Christ. And it’s why all throughout the New Testament we read words like, “We are justified by his blood.” We are redeemed - Ephesians 1, 1 Timothy 1, 1 Peter 1, we are redeemed by his blood. 1 John 1:7, we have forgiveness through is blood. Romans 3:25, God presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. It’s all about the blood of the Lamb of God. And by grace, this sacrifice is acceptable to God. There is no one else in all history who is perfect, blameless, pure and spotless that could pay the price for our sins. No one else who could take the full wrath of the Father upon himself, no one else. By grace, his sacrifice is alone acceptable to God. It is a better sacrifice, Hebrew says, than everything in the Old Testament put together. And a better mediator than Moses, a better lamb than all the lambs that were offered year after year after year, he, he alone is able to take the full payment of our sin. By grace, his sacrifice is acceptable to God. Through faith, it is applied to us. Same picture that we saw in Exodus 12, these men and women in slavery on that night of the Passover knew that they were safe because of one thing; they knew they were safe because there was blood over their house.
And so know this, to every man and woman in this room, no matter how dark your sinful past is, no matter how guilty your conscience is, no matter how filthy your past is, when you are trusting in the blood of Christ over your life, you are saved in the presence of God and you are free from the power of sin. Not because you’re better or have done more or you’re religious or you’re checked off the boxes, only through faith, only through trust in his blood, that’s all. That was the decisive difference on that night of the Passover, and it is the decisive difference in every single one of our lives, when one day you and I will stand before a Holy God to give an account for our lives. The ultimate question on that day is did you trust in his blood? Are you trusting right now in his blood? Oh, Christian, don’t miss this. We leave this glorious truth behind and we begin to live our Christian lives like our acceptance before God is now based on what we are doing, how often we are praying, how much we are reading the Bible. What are we doing here and here and here and here? And yes, obedience flows in a relationship with Christ. But don’t miss this, your acceptance before God at this moment is still totally based on the blood of Christ over your life. And whenever the adversary comes to you with condemnation, you trust with confidence in the fact that you are under the blood of Christ and you are free from condemnation. And you have access to God, which is the beauty, we now gaze upon his glory! We have been forgiven by the blood of sacrifice, covered by the blood of sacrifice, and we behold God! We have access to God! We see him and we know him. What Old Testament saints longed for, we experience in a glorious, grand way. We see and we behold the glory of God, and we celebrate in his presence. We have peace with him.
Put up your notes, I wanna show you another verse up here on the screen. Remember when Moses said in Exodus 24, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you, and this results in this fellowship meal”? Well, Jesus, right before he prepares to go to the cross uses the same words except he changes one very pivotal word. In Matthew 26, he does not say, “This is the blood of the covenant.” He says, “This is,” what, “my blood of the covenant.” Moses is pointing to another’s blood, the sacrifice of another. Jesus comes to his disciples and he says, “I am going to the cross where I’m going to give my blood, and your relationship with God is going to be sealed by what I do.”