There’s Power in the Blood

 

I’d like to call your attention to the words of  1 John 1:6-7.   “If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanses us of all sin.” 

 

I assume that we all realize and appreciate, the value and the power of the blood of Christ.  Because without it, we’re quite helpless as we move toward eternity.  In  Mathew 16:16,  the apostle Peter, made this declaration about Jesus..  “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  But Peter didn’t fully realize what being the Christ entailed.

For instance; it says in V-21,  “From that time, Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be KILLED, and be raised up on the third day.” 

Peter didn’t understand how that could be true.  He said in  V-22,   “God forbid it Lord!  This shall never happen to you!”   Peter didn’t understand that “Nothing but the blood of Jesus” was going to save anyone.

 

 

Nothing but the Blood

 

There’s a hymn that we sing called, “Nothing but the Blood”.   And it’s a very scriptural song.

“What can wash away my sins?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” 

Acts 22:16  says,  “..Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins..”   The blood washes us, in baptism!

1 Cor 6:11  says,  “..but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified..”  

 

“Nothing can for sin atone..  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Rom 5:10  says,  “..but we also joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we now have received the atonement.” 

Atonement means reconciliation.  We are reconciled with God.  In other words, we’re brought back into friendship with God, by NOTHING, but the blood Jesus Christ.

Eph 1:7  says,  “We have redemption through His blood.”

Eph 2:13  says,  “We are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” 

Col 1:20  says,  “We have peace through the blood of His cross.”

Heb 9:14  says,  “..the blood of Christ..  will cleanse your conscience from dead works..” 

Nothing but the blood of Jesus can do all that!

 

“What can make me whole again?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus”

 

Universal Power

 

If you look at  1 John 2:2,  it says..  “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world.”  In other words, the blood of Christ has universal power.  It’s for everyone!

Jesus said, in  Mathew 26:28,  “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins.” 

 

 

 

 

Rom 3:23  tells us..  “We have all sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God.”   

And what’s the cure for that broken trust?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

 

We’ve Been Created Sinless

 

God has given us all, the greatest opportunity that we could ever ask for.

Ezekiel 38:15  says,  “You were blameless in your ways, from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you.”   God created us, blameless!

 

In the parable of the sower, from  Luke chapter 8,  Jesus speaks of the seed that fell on the “good” soil.  V-15

And that word “good” doesn’t JUST mean good, it means “intrinsically good”.  And intrinsically good, means, good by it’s very nature.  So then, when God creates us, He creates us “good” by nature.  Not with an evil, sinful nature, but “good”, He created us in His own image, “in the likeness of God”.  We are created in goodness!   And God gives us ALL the chance to live, just like we were created, in goodness, and in godliness.

 

And God puts His trust in us.   God didn’t create a bunch of robots..  He wants us to choose to do good.  When we send OUR children out into the world, don’t we put our trust in them?  We have to!  We do the best we can, to teach them and to prepare them..  even though, maybe at times, we’ve failed them, but we do our best, and then we trust that they will do their best.   And we would probably give our blood, for our children.  Wouldn’t you give your blood for your children?

That’s exactly what God did!  He gave His blood for His children.  He created us blameless, and intrinsically good.  And even though we’ve failed Him, He has never failed us.  Instead, He gave His blood for us!

 

Rom 5:8  tells us how,  “God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 

God gave His blood, the blood of Christ, for you and for me.   Rev 1:5  says,  “To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins, by His blood.” 

1 Peter 1:19  calls it,  “..precious blood, as of a lamb without spot or blemish, the blood of Christ.” 

Hebrews 9:20  says,  “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.” 

The blood of the covenant, is the blood of an agreement, between you and God.  Between me and God.  It’s an agreement between an individual, and the God of heaven.  And the agreement says;  I will come to this world, and suffer everything that any of you suffer, and more!   And I will give MY blood, to cleanse you of YOUR sins, if you, in return, will love Me, and keep MY commandments.

There’s a whole lot of loving, and a whole lot of giving involved in the new covenant.   And nothing but the blood of Jesus, could put that covenant in force.

 

The Mediator of a better Covenant

 

Remember how even under the old covenant, blood played a key role?  And even from the time of Adam and Eve, and Cain and Abel, a blood sacrifice was required.

But listen to  Hebrews 9:13-14.. 

“For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh..”

“How much MORE, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?” 

 

If the blood and the ashes of an animal sacrifice, could cleanse the flesh, then how much more cleansing can be done by the blood of the very Son of God?

The word “cleansing”, in  verse 14  means..   “a CEREMONIAL washing, which makes something or someone acceptable”.  It made the people temporarily acceptable”,  but it didn’t cleanse their sins.

“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats, to take away sins.”   Heb 10:4   That’s why it took the blood of Christ!  “How much MORE, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?”  

 

The word cleanse”, in THIS verse, is a different word from the word “cleansing” in the previous verse.  This word doesn’t just mean, to make someone acceptable, it means..  “I MAKE CLEAN”!   It means to totally purify and  cleanse.   That’s the difference between the blood of Christ, and the blood of animals.  Christ’s blood makes your spirit clean.  It completely washes away your sins.  It brings you back to your original condition.  When as the scripture says..  You were blameless in your ways, from the day you were created..”  That’s the condition that God created us in.  Intrinsically good!  Pure and sinless!  In His own likeness.  And because of the blood of the pure and sinless lamb of God, we are brought back to that sinless condition.

 

Christ’s blood, cleanses our conscience from dead works.  Are we sometimes involved in “dead works”?

We might all want to sit down, and make a list of ALL our activities, all our works.  All the things we spend our time with.   Then go back and check off which activities, really matter to God.  Check off which activities matter to our salvation.

How many of the things on that list are actually helping us get to heaven?  How many of the things on our list, really matters to God?  Or will it just be a list of things that matter to us?  Fun things maybe, but DEAD works.

 

The Church of God

 

In  Acts 20:28,  we read these words..  “..the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.”

God, through Christ, purchased the “called out assembly” (that’s the church) with His own blood.   And that assembly is made up of individuals.

1 Cor 12:27  tells us..  “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually, members of it.” 

1 Cor 6:20  says..  “For you have been bought with a price..”  And of course we know, that the price was the blood of Christ.

 

How much of Christ’s blood went towards the purchase of His spiritual body?  Did half of it go towards the purchase of the church?   Did 90% of it go towards that purchase?   No, the fact is;  100% of the blood of Christ, went into purchasing the church?  So then God, through Christ, has made a very large investment in each and every one of us.  God invested 100% of Christ’s blood, in us.  Think about that.   Nothing BUT the blood, but ALL the blood, of Christ!

 

What do we get, out of the investment that God has made in us?  The forgiveness of our sins, and the promise of eternal life in heaven..  That’s all!

Jesus said, in  Mat 26:28,  “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many, FOR the forgiveness of sins.”  

Heb 10:19  tells us,  “..we have confidence to enter the holy place, by the blood of Jesus..”    The holy place referred to, is heaven.  The forgiveness of our sins, and the promise of eternal life in heaven.

 

Receiving the Benefits

 

100% of the blood of Christ, went into the church.  That’s where the investment lies.  So how do we receive the benefits?  We’ve got to receive them through the church.  That’s where the blood is invested, so that’s where WE have to BE, to receive the benefits.  We have to be IN the church, and we have to be INVOLVED in the church, to receive the benefits.

Remember that activity list that I suggested?  How many things having to do with the church, are on that  list?  100% of Christ’s blood is invested in the church.  How much of your TIME, is invested in the church?  Can you get ANY benefits from the blood of Christ, if you’re NOT involved with the church?   I’d have to say, you can’t!

 

This lesson was adapted from a sermon called “The blood of Christ”, delivered by N.B. Hardeman, in 1923 at the Ryman Auditorium, in Nashville Tenn.  Here’s a little analogy that he made..

He said;  “Suppose I have five dollars, and I use it to buy a new hat.  (New hats must have been cheap in 1923)  So If I invest five dollars into that hat, how am I going to get anything back on my investment.  Well, the only way I can get a return on my investment, is to wear that hat.  If I just let that hat hang on the hat rack, or sit on the shelf in the closet, I’ll never receive any benefit from my five dollar investment.

And so it is with the church.

 

You see the connection, don’t you?  The blood of Christ can do wonderful things.  But it’s totally invested in Christ’s church.  You’ve got to BE, where the blood is.  You’ve got to be involved, where the blood is involved.  How can you possibly receive any benefit from the BLOOD of Christ, if you’re not involved in the CHURCH of Christ?

If you bought a hat, and wore it just ONE day, then that’s all the benefit you’d get out of it.

Gal 3:27  says,  “For all of you who have been baptized into Christ, have PUT ON Christ.”   But what if the day you’re baptized, is the ONLY day that you put on Christ?   I don’t mean you should be baptized every day, I mean you should WEAR Christ every day!   “Put Him on” every day, just like you’d put on your clothes, or a HAT, and “wear Him”, be involved with Him, and be involved with His church.

 

You can think about that, as I offer this invitation.  If you’re not a Christian, then Christ’s blood isn’t doing you any good.  But you can become a Christian today;  By believing that Jesus is.. “the Christ, the Son of the living God”.   Mat 16:16

And you’ll probably need to change your activity list.  You’ll need to do away with things that are contrary to God’s word, and fill the list with the things He’s commanded us to do.

That’s called repentance.  Turning from the world, and turning to God.   “Unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish”.   Luke 13:3

And you’ll need to be willing to confess your faith in Him, and to be buried with Him in baptism for the forgiveness of your sins.

Mat 10:32  says,  “If you confess me before men, I will confess you before My Father who is in heaven.” 

Acts 22:16  says,  “Why do you delay?  Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” 

That will make you a Christian, it’s as easy as that.  And that will also make you a member of the body of Christ, the church of Christ, and it will put you in contact, with the blood of Christ.

And then of course, you’ll need to “wear” Christ every day.  Along with getting dressed in the morning, you’ve got to “put on Christ”, every day.  You’ve got to be involved!  That’s how we,  “remain faithful unto death”.  Rev 2:10.

So we need to check our activity list often, and make adjustments, as required.

 

May God bless you in the study of His word, and may you receive the benefits of the blood of Christ.

I encourage you to leave your comments or questions in the space provided below.