We all know the blood is wonderful but why?
This video is a full length service at Edinburgh Elim on the 22/08/21 but the sermon starts at about 22 minutes into the video. Below is a full transcript of the prepared message.
What is so special about the blood of Jesus Christ?
The bible is a book dripping with blood! It almost seems that if we squeezed our bible that blood would drip from it.
There is something special about the blood of Jesus Christ.
When we begin to talk about the blood of Jesus Christ, something dynamic happens in the spiritual realm, it is as though angels bow and demons tremble at the very thought of it.
When we speak of the blood of Jesus Christ, we are walking on holy ground!
Even as I begin today, something is happening.
It is hard to say what exactly, but it is something good, something holy and true.
The life is in the blood, and we when bring the blood today, so we bring life.
The blood of Jesus is so special and central to the Christian faith.
That is why when Jesus gave us Holy Communion, he said do this in remembrance of me.
He specifically wants us to remember his body and his blood.
Testimony
Blood is a subject close to my heart in that in my past career as a biomedical scientist I specialized in immunohaematology i.e. the study of human blood groups from a medical perspective.
Interestingly, I think I know what blood group Adam was (AB) and if you want to know the theological and scientific reasons I have for my theory. Please get in touch sometime.
Having studied the blood scientifically for many years I read something in the bible, which no haematology textbook had taught me, which was that blood can talk! The blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of Abel. What does Jesus’ blood say… it says, ' forgive them’!
The relationship between the life and the blood
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.
I find it interesting that where most people would describe the location of their spirit (i.e. the abdomen or belly) it is in the area with the most blood in it.
Our physical blood is multi-functional and contains various cells and proteins that combat infectious microorganisms (another vital function is to permit our blood to clot to prevent excess bleeding).
Likewise the blood of Jesus Christ covers and removes the infections of sin and guilt from our hearts and minds.
What was blood used for in the Old Testament?
In the Old Testament there were at least 6 major applications of blood.
1 Daily sacrifice found in Leviticus chapters 1-6, four of these sacrifices involve blood peace, burnt, sin, and trespass.
2 Consecration of priests Leviticus 8:22 applied to ear, thumb, big toe Aaron's sons.
3 Cleansing of defilement (red heifer) Numbers 19
4 Calendar sacrifices Passover, Tabernacles etc.
5. Cutting a covenant
6. Victory celebration sacrifices
The New Testament sacrifice of blood and its applications
1. The Blood of Jesus is a weapon of our warfare!
2 Corinthians 10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.
God has given his church mighty weapons to war against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
We need to be trained and ready to use the weapons that God has provided.
Laser-guided weapons that defeat all our guilt, shame, and disgrace. Our mighty weapons include.
i. Authority in the name of Jesus when we put our hand up and say stop in the name of Jesus, Satan’s juggernaut must come to a halt!
ii. The sword of the spirit (and the whole armour of God). The sword of the spirit is the rhema word i.e. the living word energised by the Holy Spirit.
iii. The cross to crucify our flesh, living sacrifice or even martyrdom!
iv. The blood of Jesus Christ takes away all our sin, guilt, and shame which things Satan uses to paralyse us in our spiritual warfare against him and his demons.
2. The Blood of Jesus, what does it do?
There are several scriptures in the New Testament that clearly describe the various wonderful things that Jesus’ blood achieved for us. These will give you an appreciation of why we call Jesus’ blood precious.
(i) Purchased our salvation.
(ii) Faith in Jesus’ blood turns away the wrath of God.
(iii) We are justified by the blood.
(iv) We are redeemed by his blood and have forgiveness of our sins.
(v) The blood brings us who were far away, near to God.
Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. The sacrifice of Jesus’ blood purchased his church, there was no other price that could have secured the church!
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God … faith in his blood turns away the wrath of God. We only escape the wrath of God for our sins because Jesus gave every drop of his blood to turn away God’s wrath (which we fully deserved) from us.
Romans 5:8b But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! We are justified by Jesus’ blood i.e. we are made legally righteous before our Holy God, and God’s wrath is no longer directed towards us.
Ephesians 1:7 in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. His blood brings us forgiveness of our sins i.e. this is called our redemption.
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Jesus’ blood brings us (who were nowhere spiritually speaking) near to our Holy God. Wow!
In conclusion the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood brings our salvation, turns away God’s wrath, justifies us (makes us righteous), redeems us by forgiving our sins, and brings us near to God.
In the Old Testament, the blood of bulls, goats and lambs were only a shadow of the true blood, which would take away the sins of the world.
For Christ our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed [1].
However just as the blood of the Passover Lamb was no use just sitting in the bucket but had to be applied to the doorpost and the lintels of the door (using a hyssop branch) to prevent the angel of death entering, so must we apply the blood of our Passover lamb to our lives.
How do we apply the blood?
1 We apply the blood by faith, to cleanse us from sin to consecrate our lives etc.
We must get the revelation of the blood of Jesus. We must ask God to reveal the importance of the blood to us so that we can apply it by faith to the various areas of our lives.
2. We can apply the blood by giving testimony, Revelation 12:11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Where can we apply the blood: The trail of Jesus precious blood?
First a bit of background. Jesus’ blood is effective against the curses of the fall.
The curse of the fall of Adam and Eve is described in Genesis 3:14-19 [2] and includes.
The curse on the serpent
The curse of enmity between the serpent and the woman, and between the serpent and the woman’s offspring
The curse of pain in childbirth and the headship of the man over the woman.
The curse on the soil producing thorns and thistles meaning that it will take hard work to get its produce all the days of Adam’s life. Man will sweat and toil to make a living an eventually return to the ground where he was taken from.
Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Jesus’ blood was poured for forgiveness of our sins and sprinkled onto the mercy seat in heaven.
But Jesus blood was shed in other places too.
We can also follow the trail of Jesus blood and apply it specifically to situations.
Jesus’ blood was not only sprinkled on the true mercy seat in heaven but was sprinkled on the fallen creation here on earth. The trail of where Jesus’ blood was spilled shows us where the blood of the new covenant can be applied. If you follow the trail of Jesus blood you will see that it was applied to various parts of the original curses that came upon Adam and the earth (Galatians 3:13).
Luke 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground.
He sweated (sweat was one of the first effects of the curse on Adam) blood in the garden of Gethsemane (for our emotional agony, anguish, and toil). Doctors report some patients going through great emotional distress have reported sweating blood.
Luke 22:63 And the men that held Jesus mocked him and smote him. 64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? 65 And many other things blasphemously spoke they against him.
His blood trickled through palace and barracks. They mocked him, his blood covers derision and mockery.
John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
His blood flowed when his back was lashed (for healing).
Isaiah 53:4 Surely, he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and his wounds heal us. By his stripes we are healed, healed means literally 'sewed back together'. His wounds released the blood to heal sickness, physical healing is part of the covenant blessing he has purchased for us through his blood. His blood covers the pain and cruelty of man.
His blood flowed when the crown of thorns pierced his scalp (could be for our mental suffering)
His blood trickled on the streets of Jerusalem, one day it will be redeemed.
Sin started at a tree and the blood of Jesus will eventually restore the creation.
His blood flowed from his hands and feet.
John 19:32 Then came the soldiers, and break the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
And finally the water and the blood flowed from his pierced side, a ruptured heart, his heart burst for the love of sinful mankind.
His blood flowed onto his dead body showing that the dead who receive his blood shall be resurrected.
Receive the blood, apply the blood now. You are an able minister of the new covenant and a priest!
In the Old Testament, the blood of bulls, goats and lambs were only a shadow of the true blood, which would take away the sins of the world.
Blood Covenant God's new covenant with us- I shared this some weeks ago at communion.
A blood covenant is the most sacred or solemn type, also the most significant and unbreakable. Marriage should be a blood covenant at consummation! In a blood covenant you promise to give your life, your love, and your protection forever.
The New Covenant and You
Anyone who will enter covenant with Jesus by accepting His death on your behalf, Jesus will give you the Holy Spirit and apply the blood covenant exchange and benefits to your life personally. The Holy Spirit will come and live inside you so that through Him you can partake of the divine nature of God. The Holy Spirit will be the divine scar on your heart that is God's personal seal and guarantee that Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you. You will be "born again" as a new person as the Holy Spirit joins you to Jesus in a spiritual union, filling you with His own glorious life.
The Covenant Invitation
God has provided for every human need through Jesus Christ by the sacred covenant in His blood. And now you can experience this for your own life. If you have not yet entered this wonderful covenant with God. You may do so right now. As an act of faith, pray the following prayer from your heart, and then find a group of fellow believers who can help you live in the fullness of God's covenant life.
Your Blessings of the New Covenant
We are now going to focus in on certain passages in the book of Hebrews, which pertain to the new covenant.
The emphasis is on Jesus, the perfect High Priest, providing a new and better covenant which is not based on the peoples’ behaviour.
When we enter the new covenant with God, he puts the fulfilled law [1] into our hearts. Jesus exchanged his life for ours and died for us on the cross. Because of this we ought to live holy lives and not use the grace of God to behave sinfully. Because Jesus completely fulfilled the Law, he swapped robes with us, we became righteous, and he dealt with our filthy rags.
Because the fulfilled law is inside us, all the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 apply to us; here is what Jesus left for us in his will!
Jesus was the perfect Mediator of the new covenant (Hebrews 9:15), providing an eternal inheritance in a way the old covenant could not (compare with Hebrews 12:24).
The New Covenant is Everlasting
Christ's blood established an everlasting covenant in Hebrews 12:20 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Conclusion
As born-again believers we have been given a new spirit and God has written his law in our hearts. Even better is the fact that the law in our hearts is the fulfilled law, the Old Testament law that was completely fulfilled (all 613 parts) by Jesus Christ.
We have an everlasting covenant with God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Our eternal life has already begun. Our sins have been completely forgiven, eternal judgement avoided, and we have been admitted into the royal family of God. We will rise from the dead and live with him forever. In this life all the blessings of Abraham are ours through Jesus Christ. Study the word of God, day by day to see all that you have been freely given through the blood covenant of Jesus Christ. We need to apply it into every situation, God wants and expects you to know the terms of the covenant. This will bring greater victory in your life and consequently more glory to God. David knew the old covenant and took on Goliath. How much more should we conquer the giants in our lives by knowing our covenant relationship with the living God.
Let us always remember that we have been purchased by the blood of our Passover Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Summary
So what is so special about the blood of Jesus Christ?
We can declare the truth about Jesus’ blood.
Because Jesus’ blood is so special, we can declare these specific truths today…
1 John 1:7 Through the blood of Jesus, I am continually being cleansed from all sin.
Romans 5:9 Through the blood of Jesus I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I had never sinned.
Hebrews 13:12 Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.
Hebrews 10:19 Through the blood of Jesus, I have boldness to enter the presence of God.
Hebrews 12:24 The blood of Jesus cries out continually to God in heaven on my behalf.
The Covenant Prayer
"God, I thank you for the covenant you have made for me through the blood of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge that I am a sinner in need of your forgiveness and salvation. I willingly turn from my sins and commit my life fully to you. I now accept and receive Jesus as my covenant Lord and Saviour. I ask You to forgive me of my sins and send the Holy Spirit to come and live inside me and fill me with Himself so that I can walk with You and enjoy the fullness of Your covenant life forever.
Amen!
Please contact us if you want references to study the blood in more depth.
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