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THE POWER OF THE BLOOD EIGHT ATTRIBUTES OF BLOOD 1. BloodAgent Of Purification 2. BloodLife Supply 3. BloodClimate Control 4. Blood-The Power Plant 5. Blood-Emergency First Aid 6. Blood-Your Security Patrol 7. Blood-The Peacemaker And Arbitrator 8. Blood-Environmental Perfection The Blood Seals Our Faith Contract With God The Blood Speaks To God For Us The Blood Provides Us With The Promises Of God The Blood Brings A Loving Friendship With God The Blood Helps To Overcome Satan The Blood Engraves Your Name In Heavenly Places The Blood Protects All Future Generations The Blood Represents Christ's Sacrifice For Us
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
It was the shed blood upon the altar, the death of a spotless animal, which brought about the atonement or covering for sin. After it was shed, the animal's blood was sprinkled on the mercy seatthe golden lid on the Ark of the Covenant. The very presence of God was above the mercy seat by virtue of the shed blood sprinkled there. Because the penalty for sin is death, the animal's death in the place of the sinner symbolized the ultimate sacrifice by Jesus for man's sin. According to Hebrews 10:4 the blood, or death, of bulls and goats was not sufficient to take away sins: an animal death was not an adequate substitute for the death of a sinful humanthat required the death of a spotless human lifethe life of Jesus. The Bible says, "... we have redemption through His blood,..." (Ephesians 1:7). To seal our redemption after His death, Jesus ascended to heaven, and through His own blood He entered the Holy place once for all mankind and offered Himself to God (Hebrews 9:12,14). Because of His death, we enjoy
the benefits of God's grace and mercy, we enjoy His very presence, and we call ourselves "Christians." It is faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ that obtained God's favor for us, giving us our new name. Many times, as Christians, we have only thought of Jesus' blood as the agent that cleansed sin from our lives; but His shed blood has accomplished far more! It's that "far more" which has remained a mystery to many Christians. To grasp the power that is available to us through the blood of Jesus, I want to compare the physical facts about human blood to the supernatural facts about Jesus' blood. The physical qualities of blood provide a stunning picture of all the spiritual realities we can enjoy because of the shed blood of Jesus, our "Great Physician."
1. BLOODAGENT OF PURIFICATION
As blood moves through your system, it removes waste material from your body. Likewise, the Bible explains that "If we confess our sins, (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). This cleansing is powerful! Jesus warned the Pharisees, "You appear beautiful on the outside, but your hearts are like the insides of tombs filled with death and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27). The cleansing power of the Lord's blood purifies our hearts from the inside out. Just as your blood carries away wastes from your system, Jesus' shed blood removes the filth of sin and uncleanness from your daily life. His blood purifies your heart perfectly so that you actually become a temple of God!
2. BLOODLIFE SUPPLY
Blood is the central life supply to each of your body's cells, of which there are millions. Each cell in your body receives new blood-new lifeevery 50 seconds! The life-giving substance of blood constantly supplies your body with strength to continue living. The shed blood of Jesus gives us continual life too:
"Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:54).
Through the blood of Jesus, you now have a full supply of abundant lifedivine, eternal life that sprang forth the moment you were born again! From that moment you stepped into a new lifethe life of God became your life, to sustain and strengthen you forever!
3. BLOODCLIMATE CONTROL
The blood flowing through your body warms your system to a temperature of around 98.6 degrees. The blood of Jesus also prevents our spiritual temperatures from growing cold. Matthew 24:12 speaks of coldness in a person's life: "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." But in Romans 12:11 the apostle Paul admonished us: "Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord" (RSV). In a sense, Jesus' blood is your spiritual "climate control." How can you stay "on fire" for God in this sinful, cold world? Stay energized with the blood of Jesus! His shed blood provides you with spiritual fuel. Recognition of all that the blood has accomplished will warm up your relationship with Godit will raise your spiritual temperature! After denying Jesus, Peter followed the Lord from "afar off (Mark 14:54). What separated Peter from the Lord? Peter had become spiritually cool because of fear. That fear drove him to warm his hands by an enemy's fire. Peter's spiritual temperature plummeted that created a distance between himself and God. Sometimes we see Christians backslide-usually due to unconfessed sin that cools their spiritual temperatures. How heartbreaking! Especially when Ephesians 2:13
tells us that Jesus' blood draws us nigh, or close, to God. The blood was shed by Jesus to bind our hearts and wills to our Maker. In Revelation 3:16 God warned, "... because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." God wants us to be hot! He has provided us with the shed blood of His Son to keep our spiritual temperatures turned up to "high."
The word reconcile in this scripture means basically the same thing as coagulate. Reconcile means "to bring together." We were reconciled, or "brought together" with the Father when Jesus shed His blood to remove our sins; we became joint heirs with Christ and at peace with God. We were not only made one with God in heaven, but we also have peace with
people on earth. Once, after reading that scripture, I prayed, "God, if Colossians 1:20 will reconcile me with others, then I am going to experiment with it." Have you ever experimented with the Bible? I don't think it hurts to say, "God, I'm going to experiment with Your Word to see how it works." In fact, I have discovered that such experimentation pleases God! My experiment with Colossians 1:20 centered around a woman in our church who was very upset with my husband Wally and me. As a surprise she had painted one of our church classrooms. My husband was more than surprisedhe was totally shocked! He thought the color was unsightly. When the woman heard that Wally didn't like the color, she responded angrily, "I have taken all this time and trouble to help, and you don't like the color!" "We appreciate your help," we replied, "whether we like the color or not." Despite our apologies, the woman remained furious so furious that she refused to speak with us. When I tried to call her, as soon as she heard my voice on the telephone, she hung up!
I prayed, "Lord, let the blood of Jesus reconcile our relationship according to Colossians 1:20." Just a few hours later my telephone rang, and it was the same woman but she was no longer angry. "I have been so upset with you," she began, "and I'm sorry." Then she said, "I recently discovered that my father is sick. Would you pray with me for him?" It was the power of the shed blood of Jesus that dissolved the wall of division and reconciled us in Christ. Never again did my husband or I mention the color of paint in that classroom. The room could have been painted red with purple stripes, and I would never have said anything about it! Since that time I have been praying Colossians 1:20 for people with marital problems and even for couples who are divorced or separated. Marriages have been reconciledbrought together by Christ shedding His blood on the Cross. Old wounds have been healed and left behind. My experiment proved to me that the blood of Jesus is powerful enough to coagulate even the most impossible relationships.
8. BLOOD-ENVIRONMENTAL PERFECTION
In our bodies, blood bathes each cell in fluid to maintain the proper environment and atmosphere for cellular functions. We also need a proper spiritual atmosphere. In the Old Testament the sacrificial blood was spread on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. Afterward, God's presence would rest over the mercy seat because there was the covering of shed blood. Do you realize that you are cradled in an abiding atmosphere of the Father's presence through Jesus' shed blood? His blood covers us in God's presence so that we may call on Him at any time:
... draw near [to God] with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, . . . (Hebrews 10:22).
God's presence is our eternal resting place because we're covered by the shed blood of Jesus. Do you dwell in God's presence just when you are at church? Of course not! You can experience His presence in your car, in the kitchen, at work
anywhere! And that's exactly what He wants you to do. The shed blood brings in the Father's presence. In review, the eight attributes of Jesus' shed blood are 1. A purifying agent from the filth of sin 2. A central supply that endows us with Jesus' abundant and eternal life 3. The provider of climate control to keep our hearts from growing cold 4. A power plant that energizes and empowers us through prayer 5. Emergency first aid to make us spiritual overcomers in crises 6. A security patrol for protection 7. A peacemaker and arbitrator that harmonizes our relationship with God and with others 8. The way to keep us in the perfect, abiding environment of God's presence
As amazing as the comparison is between physical blood and Jesus' shed blood, the spiritual benefits go far beyond anything in the natural realm. The shed blood is actually the sign of God's covenant or contract with us; its importance goes all the way back to Adam and Eve!
hearing, Abel had heard God's Word and therefore knew that only a blood sacrifice was acceptable to God. If Abel knew that, then so did Cain; but he ignored what he was told by offering the fruit of the groundthe very ground that had been cursed by God. Cain's offering displeased God because it was a sacrifice produced from human effort rather than complete faith in God's provision. Mankind will always hit a dead end when it tries to do everything by human effort. Unfortunately, we often carry this over into the Spirit-filled walk. Have you ever tried to help God? God doesn't need your help; He wants your complete faith in the shed blood of His Son to meet your every need. One time on an airplane, I led a man to Christ. He was thrilled about having received the Lord, but afterward he said, "This is just too good to be true. I've been an evil and immoral person; I need to do something to make things right." "There is nothing you can do to please God," I told him, "except believe in the finished work of Christ on the Cross. Faith in Jesus' shed blood is all that God requires in order for you to receive forgiveness!"
God said, "Abraham, we are making a covenant in which blood will be shed through circumcision." Henceforth, all Jewish males were to bear the mark of circumcision in their flesh to show their covenant relationship with God. The Hebrew word for covenant in this text really means "to cut." This covenant cut a new relationship between God and man. God gave Abraham legal ground for all of heaven's provisions through a covenant cut with shed blood. For us, the shed blood of Jesus is our legal ground to have the promises in God's Word, whether it is
protection, purification, or a close relationship with Him. And Paul says that our circumcision is "... of the heart, in the spirit, ..." (Romans 2:29).
The covenant that bound God and Abraham was based upon the foundation of friendship between them. This covenant, however, was not only between God and Abraham; but it was also between God and all of Abraham's seed. The blood, in essence, "coagulated" all of Abraham's seed in a covenant relationship with God. I looked up the word friend and found several
meaningsone meaning is "neighbor" and another is "companion." Although God and Abraham were, indeed, close companions, the word friend in these scriptures means "loving ones." The shed blood in this covenant showed the closeness between God and Abraham. The shed blood of Jesus brought us into a covenant where God is loving toward us. We, in return, have become loving onesnot only toward Godbut also toward each other. Jesus described this powerful love in John 13:35: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." The evidence of God's love in our lives is the proof that Jesus' blood has made us partakers in a covenant relationship with God! This covenant made us more than just friends with God: it caused us to enter the fullness of His love. Jesus said, "This time, man will not be cut in making this covenant. I will be cut. I will lay down My life and have My side pierced and My back scourged for My friends, My loving ones":
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay his life down for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you (John 15:13,14).
In I John 5:8 we are told that three things bear witness to the blood covenant in the earth: the Holy Spirit, the water of God's Word, and the blood of Jesus. These three all " . . . agree in one." They cannot be separated, and together they bring us close to God.
This covenant included the men's children's children! Similarly, Jesus didn't shed His blood just for you: He shed it for your household. God told Abraham, "Circumcise your sons; tell them to circumcise their sons." Why? Because God's intention was for the agreement to continue throughout all generations, and His intention still stands for you and your family today!
Included in the covenant were a lamb and a well. Abraham later planted a tree in commemoration of the pact. Compare this with our covenant. We came to Jesus and accepted the shedding of His blood as sufficient to cleanse our sins. We said, "You shed Your blood for me personally." We sacrificed nothing. We only believed that the covenant was cut in Him and that the nail prints in His hands were for us. Believing caused us to enter into an enduring
relationship with God. A lamb is involved in the relationship, because Jesus is the "... Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). A well is involved, because when we received the covenant cut with Jesus' blood, we also received "... the washing of water by the word" (Ephesians 5:26). And our covenant includes a tree, because it was Jesus "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,..." (I Peter 2:24). Without the Cross upon which Jesus was crucified, there would be no covenant. A second covenant similar to ours was sealed between Jacob and his father-in-law, Laban (Genesis 31:4355). To signify their agreement, they gathered a heap of stones. Why stones? Because Jesus is the foundation stone, the cornerstone upon which His Church is being built (I Peter 2:5,6), and in verse five, Christians are called 'living stones" of that spiritual house. Yet another covenant was cut between Jonathan and David. The two agreed, "We will protect and love each other, and we will be kind to our children's children" (I Samuel 20:42). In that covenant three things were exchanged: a robe, a weapon, and a girdle (I Samuel 18:4). Such exchanges can signify the
beautiful spiritual exchange that transpired between ourselves and Jesus when we were saved. Upon coming to Jesus, He told us, "Give Me your sins and unrighteousness. I will clothe you with My robe of righteousness" (Revelation 19:8). Jesus disposed of our filthy rags of sin and gave us His clean robe so that we could be the righteousness of God in Christ. It is said that "Clothes make the man," and we, according to Ephesians 2:15, are the "one new man" of God's own making, dressed in our spotless heavenly garments. David and Jonathan exchanged weapons. We, too, have exchanged our former weapon of hatred for one of love. We fought against God in our old "self; but, when we received the covenant provision of Jesus' blood, we laid down fleshly weapons and picked up the sword of God's Word which speaks of loving our enemies. "Girdlesor "beltswere also exchanged by David and Jonathan. What is our belt? It is the belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14). Because of the shed blood, God gave us His Holy Spirit to lead us into the truth of His Word. Remember, the blood and the Word go together, to be administered by the Holy Spirit.
Far more than spiritual cleansing is yours through the shed blood of Jesus. The covenant cut by virtue of the crucifixion provides for your every spiritual and physical need, including your purification, eternal life, spiritual energy, and power. It provides emergency provisions, divine protection, reconciliation, and the very presence of God! I pray that the shed blood of Jesus is no longer a mystery to you and that you will begin enjoying all the spiritual realities it provides. Rise up and walk confidently in your covenant rightsGod is on your side! Each and every benefit of the blood belongs to you. Share with family and friends all that God has made available for you to live a victorious, abundant life. Then rejoice as you start experiencing daily the power of the blood.