The Believer's God-Appointed Pit Stop

Well, I spent considerable time thinking about the focus of this evening's message, knowing that we were installing deacons and wondering if I should bring a message that drew attention to ecclesiology, that is the doctrine of the church and its organization and its structure and its office at the same time knowing we were going to have the Lord's table service. So do I bring focus upon issues of soteriology and Christology. So rather than focus upon the office of the church and the institution of the church, I chose to give attention to the head of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And what he did for us on Calvary. Let me give you a little title. Let me give you the title of my message tonight and then give you some of the benefit of my thinking.

And it's a bit odd, I think, in terms of a title. But my title tonight is The Believers, God-Appointed Pit Stop. Carton and I spent several days at the end of last week visiting my oldest brother who lives in Ormond Beach. Daytona Beach is just a few miles away. And for those of you that may not be aware and really maybe don't even care, next Sunday will be the running of the Daytona 500. It is one of the more prestigious races in the NASCAR circuit. I am not a big NASCAR fan, but I do know a little bit about the sport.

And I was humbled some years ago when I came to the Wednesday night service prepared to lead the service and I detected a very gloomy, heavy spirit in the church. And that particular, this was on a Wednesday, on that particular Sunday prior, Dale Earnhardt lost his life on the last lap of the Daytona 500. And I said to this particular person, I said, come on now, I know Dale Earnhardt died, but Jesus didn't, so let's, I touched a nerve, a nerve. So I was like, okay, I'll have you know Dale Earnhardt.

Okay, okay. So, NASCAR, we usually think of it as an individual sport. We usually think about the man in the car doing the driving, but NASCAR is a team sport. There are owners, there are drivers, there are people who work in the pit. And before any race begins, the various race teams develop a pit strategy.

What do I mean by pit strategy? Well, depending on the length of the race, they begin to strategize and think about how many pit stops they will make, and when and how much of a gamble they're going to take on the tires and on gasoline, getting them to the finish line without an additional pit stop. And it's amazing how meticulous they have gotten in the calculation of that and how sometimes that gamble pays off and sometimes that gamble doesn't pay off because I recall a few races where the lead car ran out of gas on the last lap. Now on one particular occasion, the lead car ran out of gas in the fourth turn and finished and still won the race. My point is, although most pit stops are only ten to fifteen seconds long where expert crews change tires, tweak the engine, adjust the suspension, and refuel the race car, executing those pit stops efficiently often is the key to winning or losing.

You cannot run a successful race without strategically taking pit stops. You say, well, where are you going with this? Because that's what's true of the Christian life. Listen to the writer of Hebrews in this metaphor of the Christian life being a race. Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Verse three, four, consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, why, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. The New Testament writers and the writer here of Hebrews keenly write to encourage us to fuel our spiritual race, lest we grow weary and discouraged, lest we lose heart, and if I can say it like this, lest we run out of gas.

Eugene Peterson in his New Testament paraphrase called The Message renders Romans chapter 12 verse 11 this way, quote, don't burn out, keep yourselves fueled and aflame. The Lord's table is a means of grace for the people of God. It is a time where we conspicuously focus our attention on the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And my challenge to you tonight as we consider the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we would, as the people of God, feed on Christ by faith, be nurtured in our faith as we think upon him and what he's done for us.

That we would be strengthened in the inner man, that we would have ourselves fueled to live this life that he's called us to live. So tonight, let us consider from 1 Peter chapter 1 four aspects of the blood of Christ. One of the great Puritans, Thomas Watson, had this to say, he believed that redemption was God's greatest work. Great was the work of creation, but greater, he says, the work of redemption. It costs more to redeem us than it did to make us. In the making there was but the speaking of a word, in the latter, the shedding of blood, the giving of blood.

Let's consider number one, the uniqueness of Christ's blood. The word precious needs to be rescued from our contemporary understanding. When we say something is precious, we're speaking words of admiration, of affirmation, of how much we value it. But the Greek word that's employed here in verse 19, speaking of, we were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold, but with verse 19, the precious blood of Christ. The Greek word translated precious means unequaled in value, costly or irreplaceable. So as we work through this message tonight, I don't want you to bring to bear in your mind those familiar thoughts we have toward those things that are precious, but this understanding, precious in the sense that it's unequal, that it's costly, that it's irreplaceable.

That's what I want us to think about. So, number one, the blood of Jesus Christ is precious in its uniqueness, in its uniqueness. We sing, what can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. It's unique in that way. It's irreplaceable in that way, the uniqueness of the blood of Christ. And here the contrast is between those things that are corruptible and perishable.

Notice how Peter speaks of it. Here's something that we're to know, and not just know, but continue to be reminded of, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold. I don't tend to think of silver and gold as corruptible things, but in terms of contrast, it is a corruptible thing. Isn't it ironic that people will do most anything for the accumulation of silver and gold in this life? It is esteemed, it is sought after, it is chased after, men will give their life for it, and yet the Bible says that the streets in heaven are paved. We'll be walking on silver and gold.

It'll be so common that it's like asphalt, if we can think of it that way. We were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. This blood is precious because of who shed it. The blood of Christ is precious because Christ is precious, and Peter goes on to say that. Notice in chapter 2, he's talking about Christ. He says in verse 6 of chapter 2, Therefore, it's also contained in the scriptures, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious. What's he referring to?

Or more precisely, who is he referring to? Who is the chief cornerstone, elect and precious? He says, And he who believes on him by no means be put to shame. Therefore, to you who believe, he is precious.

But to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. So the blood of Christ is precious because of its uniqueness, offered as a sacrifice for sin by the only perfect person who ever lived. Notice how the writer of Hebrews gets at this idea. In Hebrews chapter 7, he says this, Verse 25, Therefore he, speaking of Christ, is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Verse 26, For such a high priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens, who does not need daily as those high priests to offer us up sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for the peoples.

For this he did once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness. But the word of the oath which came after the law appoints the Son who has been perfected forever. There's a contrast there being drawn between the Lord Jesus Christ and his priesthood and his priestly work with the old Levitical priests. His priesthood was a unique priesthood.

It was irreplaceable. It was unqualified, valuable in a way that the old covenant priest and priesthood never could be. So, the blood of Jesus is, number one, unique in its preciousness. But not only unique in its preciousness, but the blood of Christ is precious because of its value.

Because of its value. You remember Jesus asked two questions, recorded in Matthew chapter 16 and verse 26, to cause us to ponder the value of a soul. What will it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul, or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? What's the point that Jesus is making? Jesus is making the point that the worth of the whole world cannot compare to the value of a single soul. We're thinking about the preciousness of Christ and at this point about its value. At no time in human history has such a premium been put on the value of a soul than when Jesus paid for the souls of all the elect of God with the purchase of his own precious blood. Not only is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ precious in its value, that is valuable enough to redeem, to purchase sinners unto himself, but also precious in the sense of its value to satisfy the justice of a holy God.

Both had to take place. That's why the blood of goats and beasts and the Old Testament system was inadequate. They covered for sin, but they couldn't put away sin.

And that's why they had to be repeated continually. There was a perpetual priesthood because that system was only temporary, was only preparatory for Christ and his coming to offer himself on Calvary. So we're thinking again about the preciousness of Christ and his blood. His blood is precious in its uniqueness, it's precious in its value, but number three, it is precious in its superiority. Precious in its superiority. And again, I've already spoke a little bit about this, but superior to the Old Testament priesthood and the Old Testament sacrifices, there's a contrast here being drawn between the Old Testament Passover lamb.

Notice again how Peter writes about this. He says, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. And that harkens back to the Old Testament system. A lamb. The instructions were for the head of a household to go and select a lamb.

It had to be a lamb without blemish, without defect, and to bring that lamb into the home for a period of time, and I think 14 days. They were to observe this lamb to see if there was any defect with this lamb, and on the 14th day they were to slaughter the lamb, take the blood from the lamb, and coat the door posts and the door frame outside the home. That was the instructions. And God said, where the blood was applied, He would pass over, it would cover, it would protect.

That were the instructions. And now, the New Testament is picking up on that. Peter is picking up on that. Christ is the Passover Lamb. He is who was being prefigured. John pointed to Jesus and said, Behold who? The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.

So Christ's blood is precious in its superiority. Paul comments that our redemption has been accomplished through Christ Jesus because God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement. Romans chapter 3 and verse 25. Again, I read from Hebrews a moment ago where the writers declaring that Christ did not enter the most holy place by means of the blood of goats and calves, but He entered once and for all with His own blood, having obtained eternal salvation. Hebrews 9-12. And John, the revelator, says this about Christ in Revelation chapter 5 and verse 9.

You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were slain and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. I don't have the time to get into it tonight, but there are some very insightful things being spoken of here in verse 20. There's a reference to time in this passage and it goes back to verse 13 where he begins and says, Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. At the revelation of Jesus Christ. That's a reference to the second coming. But then he goes on and says in verse 20, He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world.

When were we chosen? When did God set His affections upon the elect before the foundations of the world? But he's speaking of Christ here. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you. That manifestation is a reference to the incarnation.

But he indeed was foreordained. Now for those of you that love theological debates, this raises the issue of superlapsarianism and inflapsarianism and I'm not going there tonight. But my interest has been piqued as I think about this.

And perhaps on a Wednesday night we'll speak to it. But just to whet your appetite and to think about what is being said here. About He was foreordained before the foundation of the world. Before any human being was created. Before Adam and Eve ever walked this earth, Christ was foreordained. To be the redeemer.

To come and shed His blood. Hmm. We'll have to give some thought to that, won't we? We're thinking tonight about the preciousness of the blood of Christ. It is precious in its uniqueness. It is precious in its value. It is precious in its superiority. But number four, we see the preciousness of the blood of Christ in its intent. In its intent. The blood of Jesus Christ redeems.

It redeems. People who struggle with sovereign grace, people who struggle with the doctrines of grace, have a bit of a generic, not a very deep understanding of what Jesus did on the cross. So you begin to talk to somebody and you ask them, so what did Jesus accomplish? What did He do? Well, He died for us.

What does that mean? And then you begin to get to the point of what does the Bible say about what Christ did? Well, He redeemed. He offered His life as a propitiation. He atoned.

And then you start getting down to specificity. The blood of Jesus Christ redeems. It doesn't just make redemption possible.

You can't get around this. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says. Speaking of Christ, he says, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood, He entered the most holy place, once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. He obtained eternal redemption. Didn't just make it possible. He obtained it.

And the question is, obtained it for who? Well, Peter speaks to that. Back to 1 Peter 1, where he says, He was manifest in these last times for you.

He's writing to the church. He secured eternal redemption for His people, for the elect of God. So the blood of Jesus Christ redeems. It doesn't just make redemption possible. It saves. It doesn't just make salvation possible. And I'm glad tonight that the work of Jesus Christ is all that's necessary for you and I to be reconciled to God. It's not that Jesus did 95% of the work and you and I have to add 5% because you and I don't have anything we can add. You say, well, don't I get a little credit?

Isn't there a little merit? No. There's none.

Zero. Salvation is all of God from A to Z. He's the Alpha. He's the Omega.

He's the beginning and the end and everything in between. And God has designed it so, so that no man would boast in His presence. You just have to, you have to holistically look at the five points that make up the doctrines of grace. When you start with total depravity and you understand what total depravity means, that a man is dead in his trespasses and sins, then the question becomes, how does a dead man who's dead spiritually to God bring any merit, offer anything that's acceptable to God?

Well, he can't. And if he's ever going to be saved, God's going to have to do the saving of him through the finished work of Jesus Christ. That's why the Bible talks about obtaining, he obtained eternal redemption for his people. So that's the intent, to diminish and to take away from the work of Christ by saying, well, yes, he went to the cross and he died, but he just made salvation possible for those who will have enough sense to call on him and believe on him. It's robbing Christ of his glory. So church, when we come together around the table and we feed on Christ, we're feeding on and being nurtured by a Christ who's obtained eternal redemption for us. We're resting in him and his perfections.

There's no credit for us to take. So we're talking about the preciousness of the blood of Christ in its intent. He shed it for an exclusive group, for believers, for those who will believe in God through him. Wonderful intent.

Fabulous intent. God honoring Christ's glorifying intent. Man humbling and obeying intent, and that's the intent of the salvation that God has wrought in Christ. Think with me about these Old Testament priests. For all their dedicated sacrificial work, the Old Testament Levitical priests were part of a system that was earthbound.

It was temporary, and it was ultimately ineffective. And Jesus came as the better priest. He was heaven-sent.

And his priestly work was effective. He offered himself once and for all. And when the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom, God was making a statement that the work of Christ made the work of the Old Testament system obsolete, unnecessary. Because Christ has come, and Christ has offered himself once and for all, never to be repeated. But Christ was not only the perfect substitute for all the Old Testament priests, he was the sacrifice himself as well. So as the perfect priest, he offered to God the perfect acceptable sacrifice of himself forever, ending any further need for any sacrifice for sin. So we've considered tonight the preciousness of the blood of Christ.

Precious in its uniqueness, precious in its value, precious in its superiority, and precious in its intent. Church, that's preparation to come and fellowship and commune with Christ, and to rejoice afresh in the salvation we have in him for what he's done for us that we could have never done for ourselves. He's worthy. Let us pray. Father, how we thank you tonight for your word and for how it draws attention to the person and work of Jesus Christ and how that work was a perfect work and it was an acceptable work and it was a satisfactory work and that you are pleased with him. And if you're pleased with him and what he did, oh, how the church ought to be pleased and satisfied in him. Lord, we take no credit for anything. We realize that our acceptance before you is based solely upon the blood and righteousness of your dear son. Thank you for that tonight and may your people rejoice afresh in him who loved us and gave himself for us, even our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.