Usually we think of the blood of Jesus Christ in Holy Communion only in relationship to cleansing, to forgiveness of sin, and the work of atonement. We fail to see that the blood of Jesus Christ also serves to bring us nigh to God, to position us in the presence of the Lord. The Old Testament contains illustrations of this fact and the New Testament references develop it more clearly. These passages will build your faith in your position before the Lord so that you’ll see your claim to your place in the presence of God.
Leviticus 10:1–7 records a rather grim and gruesome story. And Nadad and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And there came forth fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me. Coming into the presence of the Lord is a dangerous act if you don’t have a basis for coming, if you come in a wrong manner, or minister in a wrong manner. Because these two sons of Aaron had introduced strange fire—not the fire from the altar—the fire from the Lord came and devoured them.
I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Draw near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. So they drew near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Let not the hair of your heads go loose, neither rend your clothes; that ye die not, and that he be not wroth with all the congregation: but let you brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord hath kindled. And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting, lest ye die; for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.
Aaron and his other two sons were not even allowed to have sympathy. They didn’t say a word. The burned remains of Nadab and Abihu were carried outside the camp and disposed of. Some of the people were permitted to mourn, but not the sons of Aaron. They could have no sympathy for their own brothers or they would find themselves in rebellion against the Lord.
The presence of the Lord is very special. God says, “I will be sanctified in them that come near Me.” Anyone who comes near to the Lord must have a certain preparation of heart, a basis for coming. The eighth chapter of Leviticus relates how the sons of Aaron were first consecrated and prepared to come and stand in the sanctuary, in the presence of the Lord. Verse 6: And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. Keep this phrase in mind, for then you will better understand some of the strange passages in the ninth and tenth chapters of Hebrews, speaking about coming before the Lord, having our bodies washed with pure water and our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience (Hebrews 10:22).
These New Testament passages refer to the way God prepared the priests to stand in the presence of the Lord. By looking at the Old Testament picture we will see how we draw near with a true heart and the full assurance of faith. Verse 7: And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle. He describes also how he clothed him with the breastplate, the ephod, the mitre and the crown.
Verses 18–24: And he presented the ram of the burnt-offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. By confessing their sins as they laid their hands upon the head of the ram which was presented as the burnt-offering, their unworthiness was transferred. All sacrifice involves transference. On Jesus Christ the Lord was laid the iniquity of us all. Our sins were transferred to Him and He died for them.
And he killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. And he cut the ram into its pieces; and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat. And he washed the inwards and the legs with water; and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar: it was a burnt-offering for a sweet savor: it was an offering made by fire unto the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses. And he presented the other ram, the ram of consecration. Notice the difference. The burnt-offering was a sacrifice taking care of their inner need, giving them a cleansing of heart. The ram of consecration was different. And Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood thereof, and put it upon the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. This presents a beautiful picture. They must be prepared to stand as the ministering priests of God in the presence of the Lord. The blood of the sacrifice must be placed upon the unworthy ears which do not have a natural capacity to hear from the Lord, so they may have conveyed to them the word of the Lord. The blood must be placed upon the thumb of the hand, for this represents their actions. Everything they do is with the authority of the Lord. They can’t be unworthy in their ministry, for they will be laborers together with God doing the work of God. The blood was placed on the great toe of the right foot, for now they must be led. No longer will they follow their own path, but the Lord will order their steps and direct their lives. The blood of Jesus Christ has opened the way. The vagaries are gone, the mist of uncertainty and confusion is gone. They are anointed by the blood to walk a path that God has ordered.
And he brought Aaron’s sons; and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. Verse 30: And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it (that word “sprinkled” is found again in the book of Hebrews) upon Aaron, upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons’ garments with him. When the Old Testament law was given, the blood was sprinkled upon the scroll and upon the people. They didn’t wipe it off; it remained. When Jesus said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20), he included everything that had been confirmed, ratified, and sealed between God and the people by the sprinkling of the blood.
This is not the blood of the Passover that averts judgment; this is the blood that purges the conscience from dead works. It looses the inner man, the inner spirit. We’re not speaking about forgiveness so much as about a place, a way of life. Many people who get something from God seem to become good—but there’s no purpose in their goodness. They’re not going anyplace with it. Figuratively speaking, they have a beautiful car with an empty gas tank. We want the Lord to loose us so that we have a flow into doing the perfect will of God.
Verses 33–36: And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting seven days, until the days of your consecration be fulfilled: for he shall consecrate you seven days. As hath been done this day, so the Lord hath commanded to do, to make atonement for you. And at the door of the tent of meeting shall ye abide day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, that ye die not: for so I am commanded. And Aaron and his sons did all the things which the Lord commanded by Moses.
Seven is the number of perfection. The seven days were indicative not only of specific length of time, but of the continual abiding in the presence of the Lord. It meant God had completely consecrated them. Hebrews 10:14 explains this: “By one sacrifice He hath perfected them forever that are sanctified.” God was bringing them into a priesthood that would be perfect and complete. Other passages in the New Testament will help us to understand and interpret this beautiful picture. The best commentary you can find is the Bible itself; it explains itself.
Much truth has been expressed in the book of Ephesians. The second chapter alone merits a lifetime of study. Verses 11–13: Wherefore remember, that once ye, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in flesh, made by hands; that ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. What a dismal picture—but that’s what you were. But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ.
This is speaking of people who were nobody, out nowhere. God says that by the blood of Christ they are made nigh. In modern English the phrase “made nigh” sounds awkward. Notice however that it doesn’t say you were “brought” nigh—you were “made” nigh, as if you were standing with Him. We are to live in the presence of the Lord. Through the blood of His Son God did more than just forgive your sins; He made the provision for you to live in His presence, to be His holy priests for all time and eternity. God intended the blood of Christ to be more than a fire escape from Hell. He intended it to be an open door through the veil, so that you can stand in His presence. We not only invoke the blood of Jesus for forgiveness of sin and protection, but by faith in that blood we abide and live in the presence of the Father.
This is not some great secret mystical experience requiring you to meditate on it enough and finally back into it. It’s never achieved on the basis of human discipline and worthiness, or even human comprehension. It’s based on faith in the blood of Jesus Christ positioning you before the Father.
The ninth chapter of Hebrews explains many of the Old Testament pictures of the tabernacle, the lampstands, the altar, the holy place, the showbread—but with one interesting discrepancy. Verses 2–4: For there was a tabernacle prepared, the first, wherein were the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the Holy place. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holy of holies; having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant.… Is that correct? Was the golden altar of incense in the Holy of Holies? No, it was not. Did the writer of the book of Hebrews make a mistake, saying the altar of incense was inside the veil? Let me explain. Now that the veil has been rent, the altar of incense—representing worship—is in the Holy of Holies. That is our place of worship. It wasn’t always. Before Christ’s death they worshiped outside the veil. But after the veil was rent, the altar of incense was moved.
In the Old Testament tabernacle and temple, the Holy of Holies contained the ark of the covenant, symbolizing the holy presence of the Father. It was a beautiful place. The walls were covered with tapestries woven of gold threads. But the floor was only dirt. What a picture of the throne room of God. When Jerusalem was beseiged by Antiochus Epiphanes during the reign of the Maccabees, the Jews fought to the death defending the “gold room.” That room was their treasure: to them it was the place for the presence of the Lord, even though by that time the ark and the glory had departed. The Greek generals must have wondered what great treasures that room contained and were probably quite shocked to find it completely empty.
In the New Testament we find the amazing account of the day when an unusual darkness struck at mid-day, followed by an earthquake and even the strange phenomenon of the dead brought to life and appearing on the streets of Jerusalem. Imagine the shriek and the cry of the priests, when about three o’clock in the afternoon the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom. For the first time there was no longer a veil keeping people out of the presence of God. By His blood Christ was opening the way for you to be made nigh. No longer is there any barrier or distance between you and God. In the Spirit by the blood of Jesus Christ, you’re positioned in the presence of the Lord.
Verses 7–15: but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offereth for himself, and for the errors of the people: the Holy Spirit this signifying, that the way into the holy place hath not yet been made manifest, while the first tabernacle is yet standing (In the tabernacle the high priest was the only one who entered the Holy of Holies, and then only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. By offering blood for himself and for the errors of the people he came into the presence of God. This signified that the way into the presence of God had not yet been opened up). which is a figure for the time present; according to which are offered both gifts and sacrifices that cannot, as touching the conscience, make the worshipper perfect, being only … carnal ordinances, imposed until a time of reformation. But Christ having come a high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his blood, entered in once for all (that phrase appears repeatedly in Hebrews) into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto cleanness of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of a new covenant, that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, they that have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
Verses 19b–24: He took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded to you-ward (referring back to Moses). Moreover the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry he sprinkled in like manner with the blood. And according to the law, I may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and apart from the shedding of blood there is no remission. It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifice than these. For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us.
Hebrews 10:22–25: But he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; henceforth expecting till his enemies be made the footstool of his feet. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also beareth witness to us; for after he hath said, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws on their heart, And upon their mind also will I write them; then saith he, And their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having a great priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: having our body washed with pure water (referring to the preparation of the priesthood in the Old Testament), let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not;…and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh.
Let us draw near—keep that phrase in your mind. “How do I draw near to God?” Through the blood of Jesus Christ. “How do I have a walk with God? Through the blood of Jesus Christ. “Through my worthiness?” No. “Through my efforts?” No. Don’t think that we begin in the Spirit and then finish in the flesh. From beginning to end, everything is done through the gracious sacrifice of the Lord on our behalf.
We recognize that we are forgiven and cleansed by the blood, but we must have a new concept of other things the blood is to do for us when we come to the Communion Table. It also opens up a position, giving rights and privileges to those who are believing and appropriating the blood of Jesus Christ for themselves. The blood of Christ gives you the right to dwell in the presence of God. It tells you to come boldly. In the Old Testament they came with fear and trembling before Him; but you can come boldly because you’re not coming on the basis of who you are or what you are, of what you’ve done or haven’t done. You’re coming on the basis of what He is and what He has done. Because that blood, as a sacrifice, is applied to us, we have the right to dwell in God’s presence. We have the right to stand as the priests of God and minister to the Lord in His presence. Remember that now the altar of incense is in the most holy place. That’s where we offer our praise and our worship—standing in the presence of the Lord. We have the right to bless one another and minister from the presence of the Lord.
In the Old Testament, the priests carried the sins and needs of the people into the presence of God where they made intercession for them, and obtained the power and authority to declare the pardon of that sin and the right to bless the people. A priest performed two functions. He was an intercessor interceding before God, but he was also an instrument in the hand of God to execute God’s will and purpose and to minister of the fullness of the Lord. Keep that in mind, for we too are both intercessor and instrument. Standing in the holy place of the Lord, we’re the instruments of God who will bring forth His will. As intercessors we see the heart of God and from the depths of our heart we voice an echo of the thing God wants us to pray for. Let us draw near with a pure heart, to believe God with a full assurance of faith. You have a right to dwell in the presence of the Lord, to stand there and minister to the Lord. You have a right to stand and praise God.
Don’t stop and let your heart smite you, “Oh, I’ve failed God so much this week. How can I come and offer praise to the Lord? What a hypocrite I’d be to feel that I can come and prophesy or praise and exalt the Lord.” How many people have been defeated by such thoughts—not recognizing the fact that the minute the blood of Jesus Christ is applied, another righteousness is seen by the Father. When God looks upon you He sees the purity and righteousness of His Son. It’s a matter of transference. By the precious blood that you carry, you can hear from God—not because you’re worthy, but because Christ was worthy to always hear the things the Father had to say, and His precious blood opens your ears too, to hear what God has to say. Jesus did always those things that pleased the Father (John 8:29). It’s not worthiness or past actions and service, but it’s the blood which is upon the thumb that consecrates our service that Christ brings forth out of us. It’s the blood of Christ upon our feet that guides us, regardless of how wayward our steps have been in times past. Let us draw near, by the precious blood.
In the prayers that come up through the blood of Jesus Christ, I think we sometimes say one thing and the Father hears it another way. The blood must serve as a merciful filter, so that even when we’re vindictive and subjective, when we’re despondent and discouraged, somehow by the Spirit He makes intercession for us before the Father with groanings which cannot be uttered. He that maketh intercession knows what is the mind of the Spirit (Romans 8:26, 27); and so the will of God is still being prayed for. When we know not what to pray and we give way to the exercise of tongues, we stand in the presence of the Lord mindful that our understanding is unfruitful, as Paul says (I Corinthians 14:14); but God understands it. “This is God speaking in me to You, Lord.” The Spirit of the Lord is crying out. God speaks to God. As it echoes back, these humble yet audacious creatures, snatched out of a fallen, degenerate race, are recreated into sons of God—deity itself—because they received Him. He clothes their ignorance, their limitations and unworthiness with His precious blood and says, “Stand before Me.”
What’s your address? The Lord has been our dwelling place (Psalm 90:1). When they asked Elijah, “Who are you?” he replied, “I am Elijah, who stands in the presence of the Lord.” “Suppose we want to get in touch with you, Elijah. You’re a hard man to reach at times. What’s your address?” “I don’t know just where I’ll be. I’m Elijah who stands in the presence of the Lord. You can contact me there any time.” The Lord is saying to you, “Be My people who stand in My presence.” And by faith you do it. By the blood of the Communion Table you do it. We are not only cleansed, but we are made nigh by the blood. So let us draw near with a pure heart.
Don’t be a straggler, dwelling on the outskirts, just a little beyond everything that’s happening. That’s a dangerous place to live. Draw a little closer to the Lord. If you’ve been failing God it may be because you’ve never appropriated that closeness and proximity to the Lord that is your right and privilege to claim by the blood of Christ. Maybe you’re like Peter—blowing hot and cold, never too accurate. He almost missed the high priest’s servant completely that night in the garden, and just managed to cut off one ear which the Lord healed. When they finally led Christ away, the Scripture says that He followed afar off (Matthew 26:58). Later in the courtyard, as he sat warming his hands in the cold of that bitter morning, he denied his Lord. Following the Lord too far off—with no prayer, no believing, no drawing into His presence—is a dangerous place. That’s where you could deny Him and find your own flesh betraying everything that your heart wants to be to God. Don’t follow afar off. You have a right to dwell in the presence of God. Draw near to the blood of Jesus Christ. It is deeply mystical; but it is not a philosophical discipline. It is merely a simple childlike acceptance of what the Father had done through His Son.
In the past, people have often talked about standing in the presence of the Father, making it sound like some great mystical accomplishment, attained only by the superspiritual. This message is an answer for people who feel as if they are not spiritual because they don’t seem to have that sensitivity or mystical touch that others have. Forget it. The Word doesn’t emphasize what you have to feel or be aware of; it tells what God has opened the door for you to have. By His precious blood you can stand in His presence. Just draw near.
It is not a matter of worthiness. When God looks at you He will see the righteousness of His own Son. The precious blood transfers His righteousness to the unrighteous and transfers your unrighteousness to Christ. He was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (II Corinthians 5:21). We are so completely identified with Him that we will be made into righteousness because He was made into sin.
Don’t struggle with the feeling, “Others will make it; they’ll be prophets and prophetesses of God, but I’ll never make much.” You will, if you believe. It’s by the blood of Jesus Christ that you’ll come in. If you are in this walk—if God had given you that much revelation that this is truly Scriptural, that the Word of God is not being twisted or perverted by anyone, but in its simplicity it is being expounded to you heart, and that you can walk in these truths—then you’re in; you’re included. Claim it. Believe it.
Throw off the works of darkness. Have your conscience sprinkled from dead works. In other words, get rid of that faulty conscience. I think a conscience sometimes serves a purpose for people who are not Christians—if it is a good strong conscience. At least it keeps them from enjoying their sin too much. But God has something better for us. In my opinion, conscience is not always a safe guide because most people have developed some distorted conscience regarding what they should be as religious people, so that self-condemnation becomes a basic part of their conscience. Put that idea right in the pit where it belongs. Have your conscience purged from dead works. Forget about mortifying the flesh by climbing the steps of St. Peter’s Cathedral on your hands and knees, or sleeping on nails or in a burlap sack. We’re delivered from that kind of conscience. We’re delivered from the oppression of conscience to dead works. The blood of Jesus purges us from it. Only one thing counts—“Do I believe for that blood to be applied and to position me in God, clean and holy before Him?” By one sacrifice of that blood He hath perfected them that are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14).
The life of the flesh is in the blood and when you apply the blood of Jesus, you’re applying His life. Jesus said, “Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood you have no life in you” (John 6:53). The life of Jesus coming into you replaces the old, burned-out, degenerate human life that could never, under any circumstances, please God. Come into His presence. This is the grace of God.
Where do people get the idea that they have to hold their mouth a certain way and have a certain feeling in order to pray or commune with the Lord? It’s nice when you have the glow, the overflow, the feeling, “Oh, this is heaven.” But many times when you pray it’s difficult; you can’t even concentrate very well. You don’t have to concentrate. God never said that it was dependent on your ability to focus intellectually. All He said was, “By the precious blood.” He focused on your need and all you have to do is accept His provision. I believe for that walk with God for every one of you. Draw near.
If it ever dawned on you who you are and where you are, there would be no holding you down. God has done so much for us. We just haven’t yet come into the awareness of what we really are and have.
Are you aware that you need to appropriate that blood? to have your conscience sprinkled from dead works? Can you believe that everything dead and unworthy in your life will leave as you apply the precious blood?
The sins of the flesh loom up so great, but how shall we evaluate the sins of unbelief, the sins of unawareness; that we refuse to be perceptive of our privilege and our place in God, that we have scorned the great thing God has given to us by ignoring it instead of opening our hearts and accepting it? We have sinned against ourselves in our failure to take of His goodness in the measure He gave it to us. We stagger away from God laden with problems and heaviness of heart when we could cast the whole load upon the Lord. We cry to the Lord for crumbs to survive when the Lord has prepared a banquet feast of complete, perfect provision and victory for us to walk in.
Let us partake of the body and the blood of the Lord with a new understanding—not only to be cleansed, but also to be positioned in His presence as a people laboring for the Lord from now until the Kingdom fills the whole earth. We will never lay down the weapon of war or the tools to build. We’ll never stop in the warfare or in the labor, or in the worship. We shall be positioned in the perfect will of God, not be striving or yearning, but because we believe by the blood of Jesus Christ to be positioned in the presence of the Lord, effectively and realistically. We are the people who, like Elijah, stand in the presence of the Lord.