1 Peter 1, we want to read about
four verses. Beginning at verse 18. We just
read about the Passover that night in Egypt. Now we want to
read about that one who is the fulfillment of what that picture,
Christ, our Passover, what He did, what it means to us. Verse
18, for as much as you know, you were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold from your vain conversation, received
by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily
was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest
in these last times for you." For who? you who by him do believe
in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him a glory
that your faith and hope might be in God. The Lord allows me,
I want to speak on this subject. Precious price of redemption. The precious price of our redemption
will conclude our worship service today by observing the Lord's
Supper. He commanded us to do this. And
we do it here on the last Sunday of every month. On the night
that our Lord instituted this ordinance, the night before,
he went to the garden where he knew everything that was going
to come upon him. John tells us that in chapter
18 of his gospel. Jesus, knowing all things that
should come upon him, went forth. He didn't try to hide. No, he
came to be baptized with that baptism that only he could endure. He came to trod the wrath of
God alone. In Matthew chapter 26 we read
that night after they had observed the Passover
for the very last time. The Passover was now to be fulfilled. We read in Matthew's Gospel that
the Lord took the cup He took the cup of wine and held it out
to his disciples and said, take ye, drink ye from it. All of
you, drink from it. For this is the blood of the
New Testament, shed for a minute for this reason, for this purpose. This is why I'm doing this, for
the remission of sins. That's what we'll remember. In
Hebrews chapter 9, we read these words. Without the shedding of
blood, there is no remission. That's what Peter told us here.
Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. That makes
the blood, not just any blood, no, not the blood of animals
or animal sacrifices, but that makes the blood of Jesus Christ
an infinite, immense value, doesn't it? That makes it absolutely
essential of vast importance. That makes it, as Peter says
here, precious. Precious. If you look up the
word precious, and I didn't do this, I got a pretty good idea
what it means. It means something valuable.
It means something rare, precious. We talk about our grandchildren.
Every grandparent talks about their grandchildren precious,
aren't they, Bobby? That grandson, that tall grandson
you got, he's just precious. All of our grandchildren are
one of a kind, not another like them. The multitude in Revelation,
we read about a multitude. John saw a multitude so vast,
so great, so many, that he couldn't even imagine how many they were.
He didn't begin to try to count. He said, it's a multitude that
no man can number. That's a testimony. That's an
evidence. That's proof of the worth of
Christ's precious blood. It got the job done. Otherwise,
they wouldn't be there. They wouldn't be there. These
are they which came out of the great tribulation, the elder
told John, and they washed their robes in the blood of the lamb. In Revelation chapter 14 we read
this, And I looked, and lo, a lamb stood on the mount Zion, and
with him the lamb and his company. These are they which follow the
Lamb wherever He goes. My sheep hear my voice and they'll
follow me. They'll follow me in life when
I call them to faith and life. They'll follow me through the
grave and they'll follow me to glory. With Him was a hundred
and forty and four thousand. That's a specific number. That's a specific number representing
all of God's elect. They're having His Father's name
written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven
as the voice of many waters, as the voice of a great thunder.
And I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps. And
they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before
the four beasts and the elders. And no man could learn that song
but the hundred and forty and four thousand which were redeemed
from the earth. Redeemed from men. And that which
is the theme of that song that they sang, that only they knew,
is the redemption by the blood of Jesus Christ. That was the
theme of their song. We're told this in chapter 5.
And they sung a new song saying, thou art worthy, they're speaking
of Christ, the Lamb, thou art worthy to take the book and to
open the seals thereof, for thou was slain and has redeemed us. I like that. That just doesn't
leave any room for doubt or question. This is not an ambiguous statement. It says very matter-of-factly,
when you were slain, when you were slain, you redeemed us to
God by thy own blood out of every kindred and tongue and people
and nation. Notice this song sings of Christ's
worthiness. It says you're worthy because
of the success of what he done. Otherwise they wouldn't sing
about it. It said you were slain. And by being slain, you redeemed
us to God. Past tense. You redeemed us when
you died. We're not redeemed when we believe.
We're not redeemed when we repent. We were redeemed when Jesus Christ
shed his blood for us on the cross. If Christ merely attempted
to redeem his people, are only partly redeemed as people. There
would be little worth singing about, would there? But we're
told that the very reason they sing of His worthiness is because
of His success. You have redeemed us to God. Billy, that's what we're going
to remember today. That's what gives us joy. That's
what gives us hope. That's the very foundation of
our hope. Christ entered in one time into the very presence of
God because he had already obtained eternal redemption for us and
God Almighty accepted that sacrifice. Oh, that deserves a song of praise,
doesn't it? More than that, that demands
a song of praise. Were it not for the blood of
the Lamb, the blood of the Lamb of God, there would be no redemption.
Peter just told us silver and gold didn't purchase our redemption.
There would be no atonement. Without that, there would be
no reconciliation. There would be no justification,
no sanctification. Without the shedding of Christ's
blood, there would be no such thing as forgiveness of sins. And therefore, no acceptance
for us by God. Were it not for the sacrificial
blood of Christ as our substitute, God could not, God could not
in justice put away sin. God could not forgive a sinner
unless he does it on the grounds of satisfied justice, and Christ
did that very thing. By the blood of Jesus Christ,
God Almighty is now just, not setting aside any attribute,
not setting aside His holy justice or law, but Christ set aside
those, and now God in absolute justice, as well as mercy, forgives
us of our sins. Were it not for the blood of
Christ, there would be no peace with God. Oh, what a sweet, sweet
thing that is. Peace with God. In the world
you have tribulation. Oh, but I'll have peace with
God. In the world I have sorrow. Oh, but I'll still have peace
with God. The Lord told his disciples that night before he went to
the garden, I'm leaving my peace with you. I'm going away, but
I'm going to leave my peace with you. I'm leaving you, but my
peace won't. My peace I give unto you, not
as the world gives, temporary, fleeting. Oh, I give you permanent,
everlasting peace, the peace of God that passeth understanding. And we have that because of the
blood of Christ. Were it not for the blood of
Christ, the shed blood of Christ, there would be no gospel. As
you know, the gospel, the very word means good news. If Jesus
Christ didn't redeem his people, if he didn't attain their eternal
redemption, there would be no good news. There would be no
good news. There would be no gospel at all,
no good news for sinners. Apart from the blood of Christ,
all God is, all that He can be, if He's truly God, all that a
sinner can expect from Him is wrath and condemnation. It's
only when God, as we read in Exodus 12, when God sees the
blood, when God sees the blood, He will pass over those to whom
the blood has been applied. While they intend, it seems,
the day of modern religion is to say the very least possible
about the blood, we rejoice in it. All the day modern man has
become so refined, so educated, they don't need the blood, don't
want to hear about atonement by the blood of Christ, but a
believer rejoices in it. He says, this is all my hope.
This is all my desire that when Jesus Christ died, he died for
me. He succeeded in accomplishing
my salvation. Because they know that without
the shed blood of Jesus Christ, they would never be redeemed.
They would never be redeemed. That's what Peter said. Nothing
else could do it. It's not easy, is it? When Christ
died for us, when he shed his blood, he put away our sin. That's
not easy. It's not easy for sin to be put
away. No carnal animal sacrifice could
put away sin. Peter said, so here, you know,
you know this, that ye were not redeemed. You were not redeemed,
in verse 18, with corruptible things, as silver and gold. No
work of man can put away sin. No amount of repentance can put
away sin. Faith, genuine faith, the faith
of God's elect, the faith that's a gift of God, that doesn't put
away sin. My faith doesn't put away sin.
Oh, but the blood of Christ does. Old Toplady wrote to him, not
all the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law's demands. Could
my zeal no lanker know? Could my tears forever flow?
All these, for sin could not atone. Christ must save, and
Christ alone. Hebrews 10 and 4, Paul said concerning
those animal sacrifices, it's not possible. It is not possible
that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin. One
hymn writer expressed it this way, not all the blood of beasts
on Jewish altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace
or wash away the stain. Listen, even God himself, God
in his pure absolute character as a just and holy God, cannot
put away sin. Think about that. That's why
Jesus Christ was made flesh. God became man, and as a man
he satisfied God. God came in judgment that night.
We read about it, didn't we, in Exodus 12. He came into judgment
that night in the land of Egypt, and the firstborn of every family
From Pharaoh's palace, to the maid behind the mill, to the
cattle in the barn, the firstborn were slain. My soul, we read
that there wasn't a cry heard like that, a cry of mourning,
a cry of loss, a cry of grief. Oh, did they think, will God
not stop? Will this never stop? Is God
going to smite us all? Is he going to condemn us all?
Is he going to destroy us all? Oh, but in wrath, as he promised,
he remembers mercy. And the voice of mercy speaks
and says this, when I see the blood, when I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. God in judgment walking through
the streets of Egypt, God in wrath, God dealing with sin and
rebellion speaks to a few of many. A nation within the nation,
he says, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. I know I've
told you the story about dear Hubert Montgomery. a brother
in the church at Danville, brother or sister of Judy Astor's father,
Maurice Montgomery. There's an article in the bulletin
today by brother Maurice. Hubert was his father. In his
latter years, when his mind began to begin to lose some of his
ability to think clearly and so forth, he called Don, his
pastor, and he said, oh Don, he said, I'm concerned. What's
the matter Hubert? He said, Don, I can't see the blood. I just
can't see the blood. And Don said, you? God says,
it's not when you see the blood. God says, when I see the blood.
It's when I see the blood that I'll pass over you. Oh, I'd whole
lot rather that God sees the blood, that my salvation depends
upon his sight and not my own. The blood by which we are redeemed
and justified and saved is the blood that God sees that was
shed for us by His Son. And when God sees it, He sees
it with approval and everlasting satisfaction. The blood of Jesus
Christ speaks perpetually, perpetually speaks peace, satisfaction to
God the Father. It's God seeing the blood that
is our redemption and salvation. Those Israelites inside the house,
they couldn't see the blood. You can't see outside that door
to the church. They couldn't see the blood.
Oh, but God saw it. God saw the blood of Jesus Christ,
his son, from everlasting, accepted it from everlasting, and accepted
everyone for whom the blood was shed from everlasting. Job chapter
33, verse 24, we read these words, then he, that is God, then he
is gracious unto him. When? When is God gracious to
a man? Then he is gracious unto him
and says, deliver him from going down to the pit. I found a ransom. I found a ransom. 1 Peter 1,
verse 19. We're redeemed, not with silver
and gold, but this is what did it. This got the job done. This
succeeded. This satisfied God. But with
the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot. If sin is to be put away, it
must be put away by the sin-atoning death of our substitute, the
incarnate God, the God-man mediator, Jesus Christ himself. And his
sacrifice is enough. He died one time. One time. Once was enough. That's the meaning
of those words. Now, once, in the end of the
world, hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself. Once was enough. That's why we
sing. What can wash away my sins? Nothing. Nothing but the blood
of Jesus. What can make me whole again?
Nothing. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh, precious. That makes it precious is the
flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing
but the blood of Jesus. It may be truly said, concerning
the blood of Christ, that it's precious, precious to God, to
whom it was offered. God said it was a sweet-smelling
Savior, with which He was well pleased. This is the ransom price,
the atonement for His chosen ones. So it is to all that believe. It's precious to them as well,
because they know by it they're justified. By through it they
have forgiveness of sins, they have peace with God. Reconciliation
with God is made by the blood of Christ. They're sanctified
and they have boldness to enter into the holiest of all, into
the very presence of God, only by this avenue, by this means,
the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Peter says in verse 18, believers
know a few things. Now there's a lot we don't know.
There's a whole lot we don't know. But Peter said there are
some things that believers know. Men and women that's been taught
of God, they know some things. Others may have opinions, and
they do, and they're very eager to let you know what their opinions
are, their theories, their speculation, their thoughts, their conjectures.
Peter says believers know some things. We know that we were
not redeemed with corruptible things. Money cannot buy grace. Redemption must be bought with
something far more precious than gold. We know, Peter says in
verse 19, that we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ.
This is the doctrine of Holy Scripture. Take out the blood.
Did you notice throughout the Word of God that blood is so
prominent? Old Testament or new, it always
talks about blood. The blood of Christ, that's the
doctrine of Holy Scripture. In the Bible, wherever you find
forgiveness, you won't find it without blood. Wherever you find
atonement, you find blood. Wherever you find mercy, I mean
real mercy, genuine mercy, mercy from God, mercy that's great
and grace that's free, you won't find it without blood. Wherever
you find the sons of Adam worshiping God in spirit and in truth, you'll
find Him doing so through the blood. of the sacrifice lamb. No wonder God said, when I see
the blood, I'll pass over you. We know, Peter says in verse
20, we know this as well, that our redemption by Christ was
arranged, it was on purpose. You like that, don't you? I do
too. It was on purpose. The salvation
of God's people wasn't an afterthought. It wasn't that God had to back
up and reconsider things, had to back up and punt when Adam
fell. Oh, no. The fall of Adam was
included in God's purpose of grace. The blood of Jesus Christ,
his sin-atoning death, his substitutionary sacrifices was not an afterthought. He was the lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. That's what we read in Revelation.
And in verse 21, Peter says, we know this as well. The redemption
in Christ was purposed, purchased, and provided for a particular
people. He said, oh, I don't like that.
I would rather have an atonement that actually atoned for somebody,
a multitude that can't be numbered, than an atonement that didn't
really atone for anybody, wouldn't you? I would rather have a particular
effectual redemption than a so-called redemption that after all doesn't
redeem anyone. What comfort can there be in
a redemption that was just as much for Judas who went to hell
as it was for Peter? How can you get any comfort out
of such a thing as that? All know the redemption of Jesus
Christ was purposed and by it he purchased the redemption of
his people. It was provided for a particular
people. God's saints know that the blood
of Christ was not shed in vain. Could not be shed in vain. He
died for someone in particular. Jesus Christ died, what does
it say here? For you. For you in verse 21,
who by him do believe in God. He shed it for them. For you
who obey his gospel. For you that are born again by
the power of his grace. God did it. Christ rather did
it. He did it completely and he did
it successfully. Look at this verse in Hebrews
chapter 1 verse 3. I love this verse. Hebrews 1
and 3. Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ,
it says, who? Christ. Being the brightness
of his glory and the expressed image of his person, that is
of God, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when
he had by himself, I look for some to help and there was none.
I've trod the winepress alone and of the people there were
none with me, the prophet said. He had by himself purged our
sins. He sat down at the right hand
of the majesty on high. The Lord Jesus Christ, when he
had finished all the work which God the Father sent him into
this world to do, as our substitute and our surety, he sat down at
the right hand of the majesty on high. Why? Why? Why did the Lord Jesus Christ
sat down upon the throne of grace at the right hand of God? Why?
He sat down because his work was done. He sat down because
His work was finished. Now I know He's calling out those
for whom He died. He now in glory applies the benefits
of His redemption that He accomplished while He was on earth. But He
accomplished everything that God Almighty sent Him into this
world to do. When He was upon the cross, we
read in John's Gospel, chapter 19, He knowing that all things
that should come to pass said this, It is finished. It is finished. Oh my soul, that still reverberates,
that cry of victory, that cry of completion, that cry of success,
that cry of redemption obtained, of righteousness brought in,
of sins put away, that reverberates through the halls of glory even
this day, effectually, eternally, everlastingly. Christ did it,
and he did it successfully. Why did he sit down? Because
God the Father accepted his sacrifice. He accepted the sin-atoning substitute,
or rather the substitution made by His Son. Otherwise, Christ
would still be in the grave. God Almighty demonstrated His
acceptance, His satisfaction of the death of His Son when
He raised Him from the dead. The Lord God Almighty sees the
travail of the soul of His Son and is satisfied. The law and
justice of God, the righteousness of God, the holiness and purity
of God cannot demand more than Jesus Christ paid for the sins
of His people. Now because of that God is faithful
and God is just, just as just as He is merciful. to forgive
his people from their sins. Now God can be and is both just
and the justifier of all who believe on his dear son. He's
a just God and Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ sat down
in heaven as our great high priest upon the throne of grace because
he is now, as the God-man, our mediator. He's the sovereign
ruler and monarch of the universe. Father, you've given me power
over all flesh. Everything's under his feet.
God's highly exalted his son and given him a name among all
names. The Lord Jesus Christ took his
place in glory, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on
high because this man is himself God. The throne of God is his
throne. He was given this place as a
man but it was always his as God and he took it. He sat down
as the God-man, our Savior, a man in glory. The Lord Jesus Christ
sat down at the right hand of God as the representative and
forerunner of His people. Paul tells us in Hebrews 6 and
20, He now appears in the presence of God for us. No wonder God
accepts His people. No wonder God is satisfied with
His people. No wonder God forgives His people.
Christ appears as their representative and intercedes on their behalf.
They're in glory. upon the very throne of God is
a man, the God-man, that man who is himself God, who pleads
our cause with the Father, because our forerunner is there. The
very fact that he is there, that he's already entered into heaven,
is the certain proof that we also shall be there with him.
He's there representing you and I. Jesus Christ sat down in heaven,
because now he's opened the way for sinners to come to God. The
Lord Jesus Christ sat down in heaven as the mighty victor,
the conqueror of all of his enemies. Those enemies are put under his
feet because Christ sat down in glory as the mighty captain
of our salvation. That makes our salvation a matter
of certainty. There's just no other possibility. Call his name Jesus, he shall
save his people from their sins. And that same one, 33 years later,
exclaimed, it is finished. Either it was or it wasn't. We
are now more than conquerors, Paul said, through him that loved
us. In Hebrews 9, verse 11, we read
this. But Christ, unlike those animal
sacrifices that could never take away sin, but Christ, being come
a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more
perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not
of this building, neither by the blood of goats and calves,
but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place,
having obtained eternal redemption for us. The Holy Spirit tells
us that Christ, our great high priest, our sin-atoning substitute,
by the sacrifice of himself, has actually accomplished and
obtained eternal redemption for God's elect, by the infinite
merit and efficacy of His own shed blood. The Lord Jesus Christ
has, by the sacrifice of Himself, fully satisfied the law and justice
of God, and that's why a salvation, rather a redemption, is obtained. At God's appointed time, Christ
came, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem and save His
people. He came to bring many sons to
glory, He came because they be made like unto his brethren,
and in that body, that flesh, he tabernacled as a man on this
earth. In him men meet God, and in him
God deals with men. He's our representative, our
wisdom, our righteousness, our redemption. By the merit of his
blood, our great high priest entered into the true holy place,
into heaven itself. having obtained our eternal redemption.
By his one offering, the Lord Jesus Christ perfected forever
those who are sanctified, those who are set apart by God in eternal
election. Now, because Christ has made
us priests, believing sinners can come boldly before the throne
of grace, pleading his merit, his worth, his preciousness. Not only is the blood of Jesus
Christ effectual with God, God's blood is effectual to purge the
conscience of every believing sinner when it's applied to our
hearts by the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Lord God looks
on the blood of Jesus Christ, he said, that's enough. That's
enough. Enough. Enough. When the believing
sinner looks on the same blood, his conscience says, enough. It's enough. Thus redemption
was obtained, and thus redemption is applied. Christ's sufferings
and death for sin are of infinite value and merit and efficacy. Therefore, he suffered for sin
only one time. When you read through the book
of Hebrews, you read that word over and over again. Once. He
came once. He died once. He shed his blood
once. One time he entered into the
holy place. Once got the job done. Our Lord Jesus Christ put
away this guilt of sin by his atoning sacrifice. He put away
the punishment of sin by his sufferings and death on our behalf.
He put away the penalty of sin by his obedience unto death.
He put away the dominion of sin in his people by the power of
his grace. Sin shall not have dominion over
you because grace abounds. He put away the filth of sin
by his sanctifying grace and power. And soon, soon he'll put
away the very being the very existence of sin. How about that?
How about that? No sin. No sin. This work of
putting away sin was accomplished by Him bearing our sin in His
own body upon the cursed tree. He carried it away and He took
it away. This is what was pictured in the Old Testament type of
a scapegoat. The Lord Jesus removed our sin
as far as the east is from the west. He made an end of it. Our
sins being forever affectionately put away by the sacrifice of
Christ, listen to this, shall never be found. They were so
completely put away, carried away, drowned in His precious
blood, they can never be found. Therefore, if they can't be found,
they can never ever be charged to us again. No. They were charged
to Him. Let me read you this verse from
Jeremiah chapter 50. In those days, And in that time,
saith the Lord, the iniquities of Israel shall be sought for,
and there shall be none. And the sins of Judah, and they
shall not be found, for I will pardon them whom I reserve. O my sins, the hymn writer said,
O my sin over bliss of his glorious thought, my sin not in part,
but the whole, were nailed to his cross, and I bear them no
more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
O my soul. That which did this must be precious. It must be rare. It must be unique. That can remove sin's punishment. That can remove sin's guilt.
That can remove sin's defilement. That can remove sin's dominion.
That can remove sin's very being. That can remove the sorrow of
sin. It's written that God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes. In heaven's glory, there shall
be no more sorrow, there'll be no more sin. The removal of sin's
consequences, as soon as he shall remove us from the slime of the
serpent's trail in this creation. Isaiah chapter 43, listen to
this verse one. But now, right now, saith the
Lord that created thee, O Jacob, And he that forethee, O Israel,
fear not, fear not. And here is why he tells us to
fear not, for I have redeemed thee. You're mine. Fear not, for I have redeemed
thee. I have called thee by thy name,
thou art mine. I have redeemed thee, a personal
redemption, thee, a particular redemption, and an effectual
redemption. I have redeemed thee by the price
of my blood, by the power of my grace. Dear dying lamb, when
we drink this wine, eat the bread. Oh, remember, dear dying lamb,
by precious blood shall never lose its power till all the ransomed
church of God be saved to sin no more. Let us remember our
blessed redeemer who has purged our sins with his own precious
blood. I think I've probably told, I've
been here 10 years now. I've probably told you most of
my stories and illustrations, but I think I told you about
when I was a young boy living back in West Virginia, one of
my friends would come and tell the rest of us, hey, I discovered
a new swimming hole. Like it didn't exist until he
found it or it never would have been known if he hadn't found
it. So we would hike across the mountain to find it. And someone
would make their way down the rocks and swim out and dive down. Then they would come back up
and tell us, still standing on the cliffs, you can jump. You
don't have to be afraid. I didn't touch the bottom. I
didn't touch the bottom. Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Don't be deceived. Neither
fornicators, nor adulterers, nor adulterers, nor effeminate,
nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covenants,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit
the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but,
but, what? You jumped. You jumped in that
fountain of Christ's cleansing blood and now, now, now you're
washed. But you're sanctified, but you're
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit
of our God. Oh, thank God that there is a
fountain filled with blood. drawn from Emmanuel's veins,
and sinners plunged beneath that flood, they come out, and they've
lost all their guilty stain. Let us come to the Lord's Supper,
knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ, his precious blood cleanses us
from all sin. E'er since by faith I saw the
stream, thy flowing wounds supply, redeeming love has been my theme,
and shall be. till I die. Amen. Amen. God bless you.