The Power of Jesus’ Blood Gives Us Hope

The saints who have gone before came from different walks of life. Some served up front; others worked quietly in the background. Their common hope was not their accomplishments, but the blood of Jesus Christ. Their lives can be celebrated because salvation rests on his grace, not on anything they earned.

The sacrificial system provided acts of worship and repentance, but the blood of animals could not permanently cleanse sin. Worship became distorted when sacrifice was treated as a “get out of hell free card,” as though the right offering could make God give forgiveness. That same temptation remains whenever religious faithfulness becomes an attempt to prove that someone deserves mercy. God desires mercy and acknowledgment of him rather than impressive offerings. He seeks people as they are, with their strengths, weaknesses, righteousness, and sin.

Jesus comes for sinners, just as a doctor comes for the sick. Hebrews declares that he entered the most holy place once for all by his own blood, obtaining eternal redemption. Jesus does not merely bring the sacrifice. He is the sacrifice. His blood offers forgiveness and redemption, cleansing and purification. The great irony is that what is red makes sinners white as snow.

That cleansing opens a new way of living. Forgiven believers are not meant to embrace salvation and then ignore the rest of life. A conscience cleansed from dead works is freed to serve the living God. Through Christ and the Holy Spirit, believers also receive nearness to God and confidence that the Creator hears their prayers.

Christ mediates the new covenant and secures the promised eternal inheritance. That victory allows grief and joy to stand together on All Saints Day. The saints are remembered for their love and service, but their hope rests in Christ’s perfect grace. The same grace gives living believers hope for the day they join them.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Faithfulness Cannot Put God in Debt. Religious acts become distorted when they are used to prove that forgiveness is deserved. Sacrifice was meant to acknowledge God’s power, not become a way to control his response. God desires mercy and acknowledgment of him, calling people into relationship rather than a bargain built on their performance. [40:17]
• 2. Jesus Is the Sacrifice Himself. The old priest entered the most holy place with a sacrifice, but Jesus entered by his own blood once for all. Forgiveness rests on who Christ is and what he has done, not on a sinner’s ability to bring the right offering. His finished work gives redemption a foundation that human effort cannot provide. [43:08]
• 3. A Cleansed Conscience Opens New Life. Christ’s forgiveness does not leave believers trapped in the identity of their failures. His blood cleanses the conscience so that a new day can become an opportunity to honor, love, and serve God. Salvation is not permission to ignore the rest of life, but freedom to live differently because of grace. [44:57]
• 4. Access to God Means Real Nearness. Christ opens the door to a relationship with God that is more than acknowledgment of a distant being. Through the Holy Spirit, believers discover that God is not only present but within. Prayer therefore carries the confidence that the Creator of the universe hears and responds. [46:53]
• 5. Grief Can Stand Beside Victory. Remembering the saints includes gratitude for their love and service, but those good works did not earn their place in heaven. Their hope rests in the grace of Jesus Christ and his blood shed on the cross. That same grace allows remembrance to hold both the sadness of loss and the joy of an eternal inheritance. [49:43]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [37:28] - Remembering the Saints in Christ
• [38:09] - The Sacrificial System and Its Limits
• [39:29] - When Worship Becomes a Bargain
• [40:36] - Mercy Rather Than Sacrifice
• [41:43] - Jesus Comes for Sinners
• [43:08] - Once-for-All Redemption Through Christ’s Blood
• [44:44] - Cleansing and a New Way of Living
• [46:23] - Access to God Through Christ
• [47:30] - Victory and the New Covenant
• [48:46] - Joy Amid Grief on All Saints Day
• [49:43] - Grace Alone and the Hope of Heaven

Bible Reading

Hebrews 9:12
“he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” [36:14]

Hosea 6:6
“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” [40:48]

Matthew 9:12-13
“But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” [42:14]

Observation questions

1. What contrast does Hebrews 9:12 make between how Jesus entered the most holy place and how the earlier priests entered? What did Jesus accomplish through his entrance? [43:26]
2. How did sacrifice become distorted when people treated it as a way to make God forgive them? How does that attitude contrast with what God desires in Hosea 6:6? [39:31]
3. In Matthew 9:12–13, how does Jesus’ comparison with a doctor explain his willingness to eat with people regarded as sinners? [41:56]
4. What did the saints have in common despite their different lives and forms of service, and how does that connect with the redemption described in Hebrews 9:12? [38:18]

Interpretation questions

1. In light of Hosea 6:6, what distinguishes religious faithfulness offered in gratitude from religious faithfulness used to bargain with God? What signs might reveal the difference? [40:04]
2. How does Jesus’ comparison with a doctor in Matthew 9:12–13 challenge the belief that someone must become good enough before approaching him? [42:30]
3. Why does Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice in Hebrews 9:12 give a believer a firmer foundation for forgiveness than a record of religious accomplishments? [43:33]
4. How can confidence in Christ’s finished work lead someone to take sin seriously without remaining trapped in shame? What is the difference between serving God to earn forgiveness and serving because forgiveness has been received? [45:47]

Application questions

1. When have you caught yourself thinking that attending church, giving, or helping others should earn you God’s favor? What might help you approach those same activities with gratitude rather than as a bargain? [40:22]
2. God seeks people with their weaknesses and sins, not just their strengths. Is there something you find difficult to bring honestly before him? What would approaching him as you are look like this week? [41:11]
3. Jesus calls sinners rather than waiting for them to become worthy. Is there someone you tend to keep at a distance because of their reputation or choices? What might showing them mercy look like without overlooking what is harmful? [42:06]
4. Christ’s cleansing frees believers to live differently. Is there a past failure that still shapes how you see yourself? Without sharing more than you wish, how might trusting his forgiveness help you take one concrete step toward loving or serving someone this week? [45:47]
5. Through Christ, you can approach God with confidence that he hears you. What concern have you been hesitant to bring to him, and how might that confidence shape your prayers this week? [47:17]
6. If you feel comfortable sharing, who is someone whose faith and love you remember with gratitude? How does knowing that their hope rested in Christ’s grace, rather than their accomplishments, make room for both grief and hope in your own life? [49:43]