Many people say, there are good days and there are bad days. Why is that? Why are some days better than others? Is it a superstitious thing, cross your fingers and hope it is a good day? Sometimes we know what kind of day it is going to be and sometimes we do not know. What kind of day is today? Does anyone here know? According to the book of Hebrews, today is a bloody day. But it is not the first of its kind or the last.
There will be a bloody day. We heard from our Old testament reading in Daniel and from our gospel lesson, blood violence and destruction will mark the Last Day and even the days before it. This is what the world has coming on account of sin. Remember Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Who will be delivered from this body of destruction, this time of trouble? They will be the saints, the excellent ones in whom the Lord delights, who will not see corruption, but walk in the path of life. Psalm 16 says this much. They are the ones who receive the free gift of God in the second half of the verse Romans 6:23. Are you in the category of Saint that the Psalm talks about?
Listen to our reading from Daniel again: “They will be ‘those who are wise and therefore shall shine like the brightness of the sky above, and those who may turn many to righteousness , like the starts forever and ever. Are you wise? Have you turned many to righteousness?
Or listen to what Revelation chapter 7 says about the Saints. “They will be the ones coming out of the great tribulation, they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.”
Will you be delivered from bloody destruction? Yes, for their already has been a bloody day for you!
There was a bloody day. Jesus sacrificed himself. On the day of his bloody destruction, Jesus fulfilled all prior sacrifices. The whole priesthood and even the temple were destined for destruction with a single sacrifice. Where none of our sacrifices and self justifications can do anything, Jesus did it all with that one sacrifice.
Jesus was delivered over to a bloody death and he was destroyed in order to deliver you from the coming destruction you deserve. He the righteous was delivered for you the unrighteous.
Jesus knew this was coming, he told the disciples that the chief priests and the scribes would condemn him to death and deliver him to Gentiles who would mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him.
Normally Jewish people went to Jerusalem to worship the LORD by making animal sacrifices. The innocent blood of the animals paid for the sins of the people. Jesus went to Jerusalem to be the sacrifice himself. The sinless sacrifice that took away the sin of the world.
As Jesus sacrificed himself, Jesus made you holy, He sanctified you. Jesus has cleansed you by his blood and Jesus has forgiven you all your sins. Jesus has claimed you by His blood to be his holy one, his saint. “As for the Saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”
Jesus opened for you by his body and by his blood the “new and living way” to approach God and stand before him in holiness now and forever.” Our reading from Hebrews talks about this new and living way that Jesus brings for us to come into God’s presence.
In the Old testament time people were kept from the holiest presence of God with the curtain of the Tabernacle. We are now on the other side of the curtain! What no one could ever have dreamed of, we are right there in the holy presence of God- this is the new and living way!
Because Jesus opened this way for you this is a bloody day. Jesus is present with you in His body and blood, and He is your new and living way to enter the presence of God in confidence. Hebrews 10:22 talks about drawing near to God with a true heart. If you think about the beginning of our worship service, we draw near with a true heart through the practice of Confession.
Before we dare approach our God in the Heavenly Sanctuary as we do in our worship service, we must confess our sins and receive absolution from Jesus our great High Priest. As the Concordia Commentary series puts it: “The Father’s Word of pardon opens the door for entry into the heavenly realm and admits pardoned sinners into God’s Holy presence.”
During those Sundays when we have a cross processional, this occurs right after confession and absolution. The processional cross is meant to illustrate to us that it is by Jesus’ blood and with Jesus himself that the congregation enters the presence of God.
The processional cross in this way provides a picture of Jesus walking down the aisle and leading us to the throne of God’s mercy at the altar. We come before God this day because we have entered by his blood.
And now that we have entered into his presence Jesus calls us to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. Christ calls you to embrace the future he has prepared for you. You are called to remain steadfast in your faith until you stand before God on the last Day.
Jesus calls us to consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. He calls you to forget yourself and remember others, not neglecting them, but being compassionate for them- just as he has had compassion for you by his blood.
May we continue here at Christ Lutheran to stir up one another to do the works of love God calls us to do. We stir up one another through encouraging one another to not be content with what good works we have done, but to instead strive to serve in new and more meaningful ways, reaching our potential as the Holy Spirit would guide and direct us.
And the Holy Spirit is working in us through God’s Word. As you draw near, the Holy Spirit descends to destroy you and deliver you through Jesus’ blood. He destroys you.
The Spirit aims to destroy every idol, including your own righteousness. The Spirit aims to release us from the bonds of our sins which we have brought upon ourselves. The Spirit aims to put to death self centered ways in you by writing his laws on your heart and mind. There is indeed destruction today.
And he delivers you today. Just as he delivered you on the day you were washed, when your name was written in the book. Just as he forgives your sins today and forgets them again, just as he brought you near by the blood of Christ, so he brings you near today by Jesus blood in His Supper.
Today is a bloody day as the Spirit sanctifies you, makes you holy by Jesus’ blood, and gives you all the gifts Christ won for you by his sacrifice on the cross. Therefore everyday is a bloody day. By the blood of Jesus, you, God’s Church are the excellent ones in whom the Lord delights, who will not see corruption but walk the path of life.
By the blood of Jesus you will shine with the brightness of the sky above like the stars forever and ever. Now every day is a day to be the Church by the blood of Jesus. Everyday you are cleansed by the blood of Christ, every day you are confident by Jesus’ blood, and every day you are compassionate by Jesus’ blood. There may be good days you have or bad days, but every day is defined by Jesus’ blood for you. Amen.