The Great Escape

The story goes that during the 16th century, the Dutch people rose in revolt against the cruel King Philip II of Spain. Philip sent a great army under the Duke of Alva to suppress the rebellion. Rotterdam held out for a time but finally capitulated. From house to house the victors went, searching out citizens and then killing them in their houses. A group of men, women, and children were hiding in a corner house when they heard soldiers approaching. A thousand terrors griped their hearts. Then a young man had an idea. He took a goat in the house, killed it, and with a broom swept the blood under the doorway out to the street. The soldiers reached the house and began to batter down the door. Noticing the blood coming out from under the door, one soldier said: “Come away, the work is already done here. Look at the blood beneath the door.” And the people inside the house escaped.

How did the children of Israel escape the night that Lord smote the land of Egypt? The Lord saw the blood on the doorposts of their houses. How do we escape the wrath of God and an eternal hell? It is when the blood of the Lord Jesus has been applied to the doorposts of our heart.

As the songwriter said:

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 

For my pardon this I see—Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

For my cleansing this my plea—Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 

Nothing can for sin atone—Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

Naught of good that I have done—Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 

This is all my hope and peace—Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

This is all my righteousness—Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 

O! precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

The writer of Hebrews declared in Hebrews 9:11-12, “But Christ being come an 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.”    

He offered not the blood of goats and calves, but instead offered His own blood. He entered not into the Holy Place time and time again on the Day of Atonement, but once! The one and only sacrifice of the Lord Jesus was enough to obtain eternal –I repeat – eternal redemption for each of us.

The Bible says in Hebrews 10:11-12, “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.” Every day the priests would offer sacrifices for sin. Each year the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies with the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkled the blood upon the mercy seat to make atonement for sin for one more year. Yet all those sacrifices only covered sins.     

The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus did more than cover sin. As John the Baptist said, His sacrifice took away sins. Furthermore, the Bible said that Jesus, once He offered Himself as a sacrifice for sins, sat down at the right hand of God. The implication being, that the work was done. The High Priest under the Jewish system never sat down in the Holy of Holies. He entered with the blood and left as soon as His work was done. The same process was repeated year after year on the Day of Atonement. But in the case of the Lord Jesus, He sat down indicating that the work was done and the last sacrifice had been offered.

What does this say to each of us? It tells us that the work of salvation is finished. It tells us that salvation is not in what we do, but in what the Lord Jesus has done. Salvation is not by our works, but by His work! It is not in how good we live, but by His death. It is not a matter of “do” but “done.”