“There’s Wonder Working Power in the Blood”
Hebrews 9:1-28
Let’s recap: Heb 8-10 describes numerous aspects of the Old covenant, such as worship regulations and sacrificial ritual in the tabernacle, it discusses various rooms and furniture of the OT worship center. The author’s purpose is two-fold: 1) contrast the high priest’s service in the earthly sanctuary under the old covenant with Christ’s ministry as high priest in the heavenly sanctuary under the new. AND 2) to show how these various aspects in the old covenant foreshadow the ministry of Christ. If you want to know what God is going to do, look at what He has done.
Under the old covenant, salvation and a right relationship with God came through faith expressed by obedience to His laws and sacrificial system. These had three main purposes: 1) they taught God’s people the gravity of sin. Sin separated sinners from a holy God, and they could only be reconciled to God and find forgiveness only through the shedding of blood; 2) the covenant provided a way for Israel to come to God through faith, obedience and love; 3) this system foreshadowed Christ’s perfect sacrifice for sins.
Hebrews reveals that the first covenant was imperfect and incomplete, “for finding fault with them” (the people), it was a temporary provision until such a time that God’s perfect provision in His Son would be given. The new covenant was not an afterthought in God’s mind, rather it was always necessary and in God’s plan from the beginning until a perfect time and season in history.
The purpose of Jesus’ death is to put away sin, removing it entirely, not just covering over sin as did the blood of animal sacrifices. He entered once into the Holiest place in heaven to sprinkle His blood on the mercy seat v.21 “He (Moses) sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry” as I mentioned the OT sacrificial system foreshadowed Christ’s work in the heavens, v.23 “Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these” Chris blood being poured out on the altar in the heavenly tabernacle once and for all settled in heaven.
The blood of Jesus is central to the NT concept of redemption. On the cross He shed His innocent blood in order to remove our sins and reconcile us with God. Jesus’ position as mediator and high priest of the new covenant is based on His sacrificial death and shed blood. There can be no mention of the love of God apart from the shed blood of our Savior.
Scripture tells us, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge”, when we are ignorant of God’s ways, His Word, His precepts, His plans; we are destroyed. I want to give you knowledge of the power of His blood. His blood accomplished the following:
His blood forgives the sins of all who repent and believe.
Hebrews 9:22 New King James Version (NKJV)
22 And according to the law almost all things are [a]purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no [b]remission.
Matthew 26:28 New King James Version (NKJV)
28 For this is My blood of the [a]new covenant, which is shed for many for the [b]remission of sins.
This is not a universal thing- in which some teach that there is no need to repent, there is no need to do anything; it is a fact that He died and because He sacrificed Himself for humanity; we are all good. Scripture does not teach that. Jesus is not all-inclusive. The CALL is universal. It is true that ALL are invited, but it is the few that find the way and will take the narrow path. For whosoever will, yet only some will.
Those who REPENT and believe will receive His sacrifice. As it was during the days of the Passover; only those who applied the blood of the lamb according to God’s directions were passed over by the angel of death. Salvation is God’s plan, not man’s therefore it is according to God’s plan, not man’s.
WE can and do receive a complete washing away of our sins when we do things the Bible way. When we repent and realize our need for a Savior- that I cannot save myself, I cannot redeem myself, I cannot deliver myself; I need a Savior. When we realize that I am a sinner. MY sin not only destroyed my life; but it separated me from a holy God. I cannot draw near to Him without my sins being cleansed. I would die in His holy presence. My sins MUST be eradicated once and for all and His shed blood is the only remission for sin. WE are only considered children of God if we are washed in His blood. Otherwise, you are still children of the devil and the wrath of God abides on you.
Have you truly repented and turned away from a life of sin? If you have not, I question if you even recognize your need for a Savior.
And if you have, you are washed clean and He gave you power to be a new creation in Jesus Christ. Hold fast to this truth.
2 Corinthians 5:17 New King James Version (NKJV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
His blood ransoms all believers from the power of Satan and evil powers.
Revelation 12:11 New King James Version (NKJV)
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
1 John 3:8 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Not only do we have complete forgiveness of sins, we have power to overcome our enemy. WE can actually resist the devil because of the power of the blood of Christ. Satan has no more control over me. Fear has no more control over me. The Bible tells me that my whole life I was in bondage to the fear of death, yet through His blood and because He overcame death; I am not subject to its fear. Fear has torments, he that fears has not been made perfect in love. God has given us a “sound mind” The idea is a mind that is saved and protected. It is the opposite of a mind given to fear, panic or unfounded and unreasonable thinking. WE have power to think “soundly” or correctly.
I am not in bondage to anything because of His shed blood. I can overcome all things. I can do all things through His blood. IT is not just forgiveness, but it is power. In fact, the NT word for grace is Greek “charis” and its only definition is “The power of God on the heart and its affect in life”. His blood gives me the power to be victorious over this world and my enemy.
This is why I tell you that having a victim mindset is demonic, it is un-Scriptural and therefore, not of God. What control are you giving to the enemy? To fear? Or to any other thing that would seek to control my life? I was ransomed from the power of the enemy! What entity’s are you giving power to?
His blood justifies all who believe in Him.
Romans 3:24-25 New King James Version (NKJV)
24 being justified [a]freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a [b]propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
“Justified”- means to “show or regard as innocent”; to be declared “not guilty”. It is directly related to God’s forgiveness in Christ of the guilty and repentant sinner who then becomes as if he has never sinned. Justification is the judicial aspect of the conversion experience in which I am viewed from God’s POV. Because of Christ’s shed blood, God imputes or credits the righteousness of Christ to me (the believer). It is not my own righteousness, it is HIS righteousness. It is best understood in a legal sense- Jesus is my advocate and He presents me before the Father as being credited with His righteousness and therefore found “not guilty”.
NO ONE is justified apart from the redemptive blood of Christ. This is how we also can recognize those who are in Christ and those who are not:
I John 3:6-8 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
His blood cleanses our consciences that we might serve God without guilt in full assurance of faith.
Hebrews 9:14 New King James Version (NKJV)
14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without [a]spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Hebrews 10:22 New King James Version (NKJV)
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.
Greek word for conscience is defined as “to see completely”, a moral consciousness, to understand and become aware.
Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience – By the blood of Jesus. This was prepared to make the conscience pure. The Jewish cleansing or sprinkling with blood related only to what was external, and could not make the conscience perfect, but the sacrifice offered by the Savior was designed to give peace to the troubled mind, and to make it pure and holy. Again, a “sound mind”, free from all guilt and shame of my past. Free from wrong thinking and the taint of evil thoughts. I have freedom now and the power to overcome evil thoughts the enemies shoots at me.
An “evil conscience” is a consciousness of evil, or a conscience oppressed with sin; that is, a conscience that accuses of guilt. We are made free from such a conscience through the atonement of Jesus, not because we become convinced that we have not committed sin, and not because we are led to suppose that our sins are less than we had otherwise supposed – but because our sins are forgiven, and since they are freely pardoned they no longer produce remorse and the fear of future wrath.
Guilt and shame of my sin no longer has any control over me because of His blood! Wonder working power indeed!
I have regret for my past, and I am ashamed of some things I have done- but I do not live in my guilt and shame. The power of His blood has given me a clean and clear consciousness and I have been made aware and can see completely. I once was blind, but now I see. (conviction v. guilt- conviction arises when I sin, the HS pricks my spirit to correct me and lead me into repentance. Guilt arises typically when my forgiven past is shoved back in my face) When the preacher mentions sin, It does not affect me because I know I have repented and I live in His forgiveness. Conviction is good and cleansing, be aware that if you are not convicted while living in your sin; your heart is in a hardened condtion.
His blood sanctifies the people of God.
Hebrews 13:12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might [a]sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
1 John 1:7-10 New King James Version (NKJV)
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. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
1 Peter 1:2 New King James Version (NKJV)
2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
Sanctification means to make holy, to consecrate, to set apart from the world, and to be set apart from sin so that we may have intimate fellowship with God and serve Him gladly. It does not imply an absolute perfection, but an ethical righteousness of unblemished character demonstrated in purity, obedience and blamelessness.
By His blood, we have died with Christ and have been set free from sin’s power and dominion and therefore we are ABLE to not sin and find victory from temptation to sin. His blood enables us to live separated lives from the lifestyles of the evil world we find ourselves surrounded by. Sanctification is a requirement for believers in Christ. Scripture teaches that “without holiness, no man shall see the Lord”, and we achieve this by the blood of the Lamb. Yet, sanctification is both a work of God and a work of His people—we are participants in the Spirit’s sanctifying work by separating from the world, ceasing to do evil, purifying ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh, and keeping ourselves from being polluted by the world. We must be engaged with the process of sanctification.
His blood opens the way for us to come directly before God through Him in order to find grace.
Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness[a] to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Ephesians 2:13 New King James Version (NKJV)
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Hebrews 4:16 New King James Version (NKJV)
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The real meaning of this last verse is to receive compassion in our weakness and trials.
“The most dangerous of all temptations is to believe that one can avoid or overcome them by our own strength, and without asking the help of God”.
“Let us, therefore with confidence approach the throne of grace”. The Greek is used in a semi-technical sense for the approach of a worshipper to God, come boldly — Without any doubt or fear, trusting in His sacrifice and intercession for our acceptance; we are united to God as a loving Father, who has remitted to us the guilt and punishment of sin.
that we may obtain mercy — not only to pardon all our past sins, but to have compassion on our condition, amidst our various infirmities and sufferings;
and find grace to help in time of need — for a seasonable help; which the Greek implies. The word signifies help obtained in consequence of crying aloud, or strong crying for His help. Though every time may be properly termed a time of need, in which we want supplies of grace, yet this renders there are specific times such as: seasons of affliction, of persecution, and temptation; or times when God chastens us for our lukewarmness and sloth, our hypocrisy or pride, self-will, discontent, or impatience; our neglect of prayer and watchfulness, our foolishness, or any other fault or failing…. We are commanded to approach Him for His grace. Though He slay me, yet will I praise HIM! Where else am I going to go?
His blood is a guarantee of all the promises of the New Covenant
1 Corinthians 11:25 New King James Version (NKJV)
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
Hebrews 13:20-21 New King James Version (NKJV)
20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you [a]complete in every good work to do His will, working in [b]you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
ALL these promises are ours because of His blood. It is a done deal. It is finished “tetelestai” one word, it is finished and the work will continue until HE returns to take us home.
The saving, reconciling and purifying power of the blood is continually appropriated to believers as we come to God though Him.
Hebrews 7:25 New King James Version (NKJV)
25 Therefore He is also able to save [a]to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
We have a lifetime of help as long as we continue to approach Him in truth and sincerity, humbly as one who is reliant on Him to see us through this life and help to overcome all manner of sin and evil.
Yet, with all these great and precious, better promises come multiple real and serious warnings to never return to our old life of sin, or to treat His blood as a common thing, trampling on His blood and counting it unworthy of our love and devotion. His blood came at a high cost and not to be taken lightly, but soberly.
And lastly, “He shall appear the second time” Under the old covenant, the Israelites watched intensely for the reappearance of their high priest after he had gone into the sanctuary to make atonement. Likewise, knowing our high priest has entered the heavenly sanctuary as our advocate, we wait with earnest hope and anticipation for His reappearance to bring our salvation to completion.
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