Brother Michael's Devotional

"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." Hebrews 9:11-12

After His crucifixion, our Lord went to heaven with all of His literal blood to the tabernacle that was the pattern for the Old Testament tabernacle. There He placed His blood on the judgement seat thereby changing it from a place that a holy God must move in judgement against a sinful world into a place that a God of all grace could extend mercy.

But now think on this. When Lazarus died and was buried and Jesus came and told them to roll away the stone that covered his grave, what did Martha say? She said, "Lord, by this time he stinketh." (John 11) Why was it that Lazarus had a smell? Because of corruption. You see friend, you and I have a corruptible body because of Adam's sin in the garden. When we die our flesh and blood shall rot. But this is not so for Jesus, for we read concerning Him in Psalm 16:10, "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."

Now you may ask, "What does the fact that our Lord presented His blood in heaven on the mercy seat and that His blood does not suffer corruption have to do with us?" It has everything to do with us. Leviticus 17:11 tells us that, "the life of the flesh is in the blood." But if we turn to I Corinthians 15:50 we learn that, "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." We also know that our body in the resurrection shall be "fashioned like unto his glorious body," and that Jesus had not flesh and blood but, "flesh and bones." (Philippians 3:21 and Luke 24:39)

So, if in the resurrection we shall have flesh and bones like our Lord, how is it possible that the life of the flesh is in the blood? Remember when we talked about that incorruptible blood of Jesus in heaven. That same blood that He put there 2,000 years ago is there today and will be there for eternity future. And not only is it a testimony to the grace of God but it will be the life of the flesh of His body, the Church. Friend there is life in the blood, your life is in the blood and my life is in the blood and 10,000 years from now the life of the church will still be in the blood.

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by the tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" I Peter 1:18-20