The Power of the Blood of Christ

JESUS BLOOD IS AN OFFERING TO GOD FOR SIN

God is a holy God who hates sin. God's justice must manifest itself.

What hope is there for any of us if "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God"? The blood of Jesus!!!

Isaiah 53:6
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

The first power of Jesus blood is as a sin offering, providing a target for and a satisfaction of God's holy wrath at sin. He is "our passover" (1 Cor. 5:7). All of His holy justice is fully appeased through the blood of our Savior.

1 John 2:2
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

By the shed blood of Jesus, a basis is provided on which God can deal mercifully with the whole world. It covers the vilest sinner and the most stubborn unbeliever and blasphemer.

In the very Garden of Eden, the blood of sacrifices that pointed to the true sacrifice began to flow. It is the power of the blood that has given men the security of God's mercy since sin arrived.

Revelation 13:8
8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

During World War I the Prince of Wales visited 36 severely wounded men in a hospital in the outskirts of London. The Prince and his escorts went through the main ward and shook hands with most of them. As preparations were made to leave, the Prince indicated that he had only seen 30 men. "Where are the other six?" Although he was informed that the six others were extremely severe cases and in a different section of the ward, the special visitor demanded to see the others. Five other maimed and bruised men were viewed. "But where's the last one?" again the Prince inquired. Although the Prince was told that the grotesqueness of the man's appearance would be unbearable, the Prince insisted on seeing him. The Prince stood silent for a moment, and then moved toward the man and stooping down, kissed him! With a breaking voice the Prince of Wales was heard to say, "Wounded for me."

"But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed" (Is. 53:5).

Jesus blood was shed for us!

FORGIVENESS

Ephesians 1:7
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Forgiveness of sin is not something we are to do; it is not something to secure. It is not something we are to look for in the future. It's already ours! The blood has already secured it and our faith simply appropriates and enjoys it.

1 John 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

The blood has power to cleanse the believer of "all sin." The cleansing here is from guilt. Your past may be as bad as bad as a past can be, laden with countless, enormous sins, but they are all - every one, the greatest and the smallest - washed away. The record is absolutely white in God's sight. It's as white as the record of Christ Himself.

Romans 8:33
33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies..

Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

JUSTIFICATION

The blood has power to justify.

Romans 5:1

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

As glorious as forgiveness is it is a negative thing. Our sins are put away and it's just as if we had never sinned. But justification is positive. It means we are counted as righteous. The perfect righteous of Jesus Christ is credited to our account.

It is a good thing to be stripped of vile and filthy rags, but it is far better to be clothed with garments of glory and beauty. In forgiveness we are stripped of our filthy rags and in justification we are clothed with the beauty and glory of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

In shedding His blood for our sin He took our place: when we believe in Him we step into His place.

When the government phased out its surplus commodity food program, one man went early to the last distribution to secure a place in line before the foodstuffs ran out. A few hours later, he was near the door where the cheese, butter, dry milk and peanut butter were handed out. He saw a friend walking by and called him by name. He knew the man. Neither his wife nor he had any work for some time. They had four children. The man confirmed that his prospects were poor. The man in line knew the food would run out soon, but he told the unemployed family man to take his place in the line. The poor man did so and the other went back to the end of the line. Within a short time the distribution ended and the one who gave up his place had also given up his food.

This is like Jesus Christ, who drew us into His place, while He stepped in ours, taking upon Himself all the consequences of our failures and enabling us to receive all the blessings of His obedience.

CLEANSE THE CONSCIENCE FROM DEAD WORKS

Hebrews 9:14
14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Many , after discovering that they are sinners in God's eyes will feel that they must do something to atone for there sin or to please God. These self - efforts are "dead works."

But when we see that the shed blood of Jesus has washed away our sins and justified us before God, making us pleasing and acceptable in His sight, then our consciences are not only relieved from the burden of guilt, but also from the burden of our self - efforts.

We are now at liberty to serve the living God, not in the slavery of fear, but in the freedom and joy of those who know they are accepted and beloved sons.

It is the blood that delivers us from the awful bondage thinking we must do something to atone for our sins and please God. The blood shows us that it is already done.

There are three kinds of people. The first are not at all burdened by their sin. The second are, but attempt to get rid of it by their own works. The third kind are those who see the awfulness of sin and are burdened by it but know the power of the blood of Jesus and that it puts their sin away forever. Out of joyous gratitude they serve who perfectly justifies.

POWER TO PURCHASE

Acts 20:28
28 "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

The blood has power to redeem us to God and make us His own property.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

If we belong to God then we are accountable to Him. We must surrender to Him completely. He will certainly take care of what belongs to Him. Remember the Passover? When judgement came to Egypt those whose homes were marked by that blood of a lamb were spared the judgement. Their deliverance had been purchased by a blood sacrifice.

Is your heart marked by that blood from the blood sacrifice of Calvary? One day God is sending Jesus back to collect His purchased property. How will He know who will belong to God? By the blood!

TO GIVE BOLDNESS

Hebrews 10:19-22
19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,21 and having a High Priest over the house of God,22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

The blood of Jesus has the power to give a believer boldness to enter the very presence of God. Once a year the high priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies to offer atonement on the mercy seat for the children of Israel. God was teaching three lessons - that God was holy, that man is sinful and that sinful man can approach a holy God only through the shedding of blood.

Because of the shed blood of Jesus we can boldly and confidently approach the throne of grace in full assurance. That blood is there to forever testify that the sin debt we owed has been paid up in full. Because of that blood we can enter His presence as the sons and daughters that He dearly loves.

A million years from now we will be praising God around that throne and thanking Him for the precious blood of His Son that has made it possible for us to be His forever. It is not our goodness or our worthiness or our good works that makes us fit for heaven. It is faith in the shed blood of the Son of God.

How we should rejoice and rest in the knowledge of the power of the blood of Jesus.

Jesus plainly stated that he came to save sinners. The man who refuses to be called a sinner puts himself beyond the possibility of salvation.

A wealthy industrialist was traveling in California in search of better health; while spending a few days in an inland town, he learned that in this village there resided a man who owed him a large sum of money. The young man had come here after an unsuccessful career in the East, and was beginning to prosper in a small way. "The young man seems to have been trying to help himself,' said the rich man, "and I am going to destroy the note I hold against him." The note, however, was miles away among his papers, and he realized that he might not live to return. Not knowing the exact amount of the note, he sent his private secretary to the young man, to make inquiry concerning it, and to offer to give the debtor a receipt against it; thus protecting him from proceedings that might in future be entered against him, should the capitalist die before he reached home. To the surprise of the secretary, the young businessman put on an indignant manner and denied the debt. "When I owe your employer it will be time enough for you to be talking to me about forgiveness," he said. The debt remained unforgiven and the heirs of the rich man insisted upon the collection of the note. This was done, to the ruin of the man who remained unforgiven because he was not willing to admit that there was anything to forgive.

Your debt of sin has been forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary. Receive it today!