18-1-15 Accessing God's Power-The Power of the Blood of Jesus
Accessing God's Power-The Power of the Blood of Jesus
Date 18, January, 2015
Scripture Reading Revelation 12:10-11
from series Accessing God's Power
Scripture Reading
Let us rise to our feet and together read Revelation 12:10-11
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 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 death.”
This is the word of God. Thanks be to the LORD. May the sweet Holy Spirit add His manifold blessings to our text this morning .... Amen! You may be seated in God's Presence.
About The Power of the Blood of Jesus
“Without a doubt, the blood of Jesus Christ is the most precious gift our heavenly Father has given to His church. Yet so few Christians understand its value and virtue. Christians often sing about the power of the blood. Indeed, the anthem of the Pentecostal church is, "There is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb. David Wilkerson says that - " But most believers seldom enter into the power of that blood.”
There is immense power in the blood of Jesus, but it is one of the
most misunderstood themes of the Bible. Many people try to use the
blood almost like a good-luck charm. So if the blood of Jesus has such
power, exactly what does it have the power to do?
This sermon is on The Power of the Blood of Jesus explores three
key areas where Christians should access the power of the blood.
Ill. A workman was repairing a stained-glass window when the
pastor came along, so they went outside together to admire the
workmanship. "That looks very good, but isn't that piece a bit loose?"
asked the pastor. Just as he finished saying it, a piece of glass
dislodged, fell out of the window, and cut the workman's ear off.
"Aughh", screamed the workman. "I've lost my ear." Immediately the
pastor remembered the way Peter had cut off the ear of the high priest's
servant, and how the Lord had healed him, and he thought, "This is it!
This is it! This is my moment. I was born for such a time as this. I
can be a man of faith and power." He bent down and picked up the ear,
held it out to the workman and asked, "Is this your ear?" "No! That's
not mine!" the workman yelled. "Mine had a pencil behind it."
So often, we look for the kind of power that works miracles, does
signs and wonders, and brings blessing, but we don't use the power that
is available to us every single day. There is tremendous power that God has put at our disposal.
This is our third message in our series Accessing God's Power. So far we've looked at the power of the name of Jesus and the power of praise and worship.
In this study, we're looking at something which is right at the foundation of the Christian faith: The Power of the Blood of Jesus. We're going to look at three things the Scriptures teach us are achieved by the precious blood of Jesus.
1. Cleansing
Stains can be a real problem.
If you've ever dropped something down your front while you're eating, you know exactly what I'm talking about. We've got a book at home called How To Clean Practically Anything, and it's got a whole chapter devoted to stain removal. Detailed instructions tell you how to remove stains caused by acids,
alkalis, glues, blood, antiperspirants, pens, BBQ sauce, bird droppings,
beetroot juice, beer - the list is huge.
How can you deal with all these stains?
You need a complicated kit containing lemon juice, ammonia, vinegar,
glycerine, methylated spirits, soda water, turps, salt, borax, and a
gazillion other items. But there is a stain so deep that absolutely nothing on that list can remove it. It's a spiritual stain - the stain that sin leaves on the human soul.
But thanks to God He has made available to us the universe's most powerful stain remover to deal with it - the blood of Jesus.
Rev 1:5-6 … To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His
own blood, (6) … to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
He cleansed us from the stain of sin by washing us in His own blood.
Of course, all stain removers need to be used according to the
manufacturer's instructions, and the blood of Jesus is no exception.
So how does this whole thing work?
There are two kinds of sin that the blood of Jesus deals with powerfully.
Both kinds of sin are cleansed by the blood of Jesus, but the blood is activated differently in each case. The first is known sin; sins in our lives that we are aware of. When we become conscious that we have committed a sin, how can we appropriate the cleansing power of the blood?
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Isn't that so simple?
To confess means to admit it, take responsibility for it, no excuses, no ifs, no buts, no blaming someone else for what we've done. The blood of Jesus cleanses sin, but it doesn't cleanse excuses.
Our problem is our tendency to try to cover up.
Ill. I saw a postcard once. It had two goldfish in a bowl. One
is looking out at the world and whistling innocently. The other says,
"Don't try to hide it. I can see the bubbles." Covering up achieves nothing; but confession brings cleansing.
Ill. They reckon that one of the tests for potential paratroopers
is a psychological evaluation where they ask you, "If you're looking out
from a high-rise building, do you ever have the desire to jump?"
Apparently the correct answer is yes. That's the kind of person they're
looking for. But most of us feel just a little bit uneasy. So you might be a bit like me, that when you hear of a guy slinging a
tightrope between two high-rise buildings, it makes your mind boggle
and your spine tingle.
I just don't get it; thirty metres is a long way to fall, and people don't bounce. If I were a tightrope walker, I would think that the risks are so
high that I would need a very important piece of equipment - a safety
net. Just in case I fall. That's exactly what God has done for us.
Ill. Imagine if salvation worked like this: I give my life to the
Lord, and God says to me, "I forgive you for all your past sins." And I
say, "Thank you so much, Lord. That's a great relief." Then God says,
"However, if you ever sin again, you go straight to hell." What hope would there be for any of us? But God in His grace has provided for us a safety net, the blood of Jesus. So that if we fall, if we sin in any way, we can have access to ongoing cleansing.
But here's a problem. That deals with the sin that we are aware of: What about the stuff that we're not aware of? You can't confess something you're not aware of.
Ill. Sin is like icebergs - great big masses of frozen fresh water
floating in a salty sea. The largest iceberg ever, was discovered in
1956, and was 333 km by 100 km.1 And the specific
gravity of an iceberg is such that 6/7 (85.7%) of the iceberg is below
the water level. So guess what? The most dangerous part of an iceberg
is unseen.
Well, Sin is like that. Human nature is such that it is so riddled with sin, but most of it we are not aware of till the Holy Spirit puts His finger on it.
How can you deal with something you're not aware of? How can you be cleansed of something that you can't even confess because you are unaware of it?
Here's the solution:
Yet another vital provision of the blood of Jesus is cleansing from sin. This provision for cleansing from sin is stated in 1 John 1:7: "But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" (NASB). If we walk in the light, then, the first result is fellowship with one another, and the second result is that we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
Although we may claim the cleansing of the blood of Jesus, if we are not meeting the conditions, we will not really be cleansed. The blood of Jesus does not cleanse in the dark, but only as we walk in the light. The first test of whether we are walking in the light is whether we are having fellowship with one another. If we are not enjoying fellowship with our fellow believers and with the Lord, then we are not in the light. And if we are not in the light, the blood of Jesus does not cleanse us.
The next question, then, is how we walk in the light.
The first condition is that we must walk in obedience to the Word of God. Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (NIV).The second requirement is that we must have fellowship with one another.
This is summed up by Paul in Ephesians 4:15 where he says, "Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ" (NIV). In this passage, walking in the light is defined as relating to our fellow believers in truth and in love. We must be willing to act out the truth in our relationships with one another, but we have to do it in love. To walk in the light is to be obedient to the truth God has already revealed. If we are obedient to the things God has already shown us, according to this verse two things will happen.
One, we will have fellowship with other Christians. The natural result of walking in the light is that Christians want to be with other Christians. If a Christian doesn't want to be with other Christians, it's evidence that they aren't walking in the light.
The second thing that happens is that the blood of Jesus Christ
cleanses us from all sin, including the stuff we're not even aware of
yet. So the blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin that we know about when we confess it. And it cleanses us from sin that we aren't aware of as we walk in the light. So the first great benefit of the blood of Jesus Christ is cleansing.
Today we are very conscious of the physical pollution of the atmosphere around us. But the spiritual atmosphere around us is also polluted — by sin, corruption and ungodliness. In order to be kept clean, we need the continual cleansing of the blood of Jesus.
Having made sure that we are meeting the conditions for cleansing, we are in a position to make the appropriate confession. Our testimony should be this: "As I walk in the light, the blood of Jesus is cleansing me from all sin now and continually." If we believe that, we will begin thanking God. And as we thank Him, we will feel pure and clean in a new way.
2. Access To God's Presence
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.Wow! Bold access to the very throne of God.
I wonder if we can appreciate what that means, the magnitude of what God is offering us?
Ill. Because when I was thinking about this, I was reminded of the
time in the book of Esther when Mordecai was encouraging her to
petition King Ahasuerus. Her response was, "I can't do that! The king
has but one law. Anyone who goes into the inner court of the king
without being invited must be put to death, unless the king holds out
the golden scepter to them."
And even though she was the queen that law applied to Esther. The king was completely unapproachable except by invitation. But God is no ordinary earthly king: He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, Creator and Master of the universe.
So how approachable is He?
According to Ex 33:20, no one can see God and live.
His presence is too holy.
Nobody was allowed to touch the Ark of the Covenant which represented the presence of God. When the Ark was being transported to Jerusalem and began to tip,
Uzzah stretched out his hand to steady it and was immediately struck
dead. When the Ark of the Covenant was finally in the Holiest Place in the temple, nobody could go in and see it except the high priest once a
year. God's presence was regarded as very holy, and access into God's presence was extremely limited. But the moment Jesus died, the curtain cordoning off the Holiest Place was torn in two "from top to bottom". (Mk 15:38)
Heb 10:19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus…
The blood of Jesus had bought for us free access into the holy presence of God.
3. Redemption
Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. This is how redemption used to work under the Law of Moses. (Ex 21:28-30)
Ill. A man is dragged before the judge. The accuser says, "This
man's ox gored my son to death." The judge replies, "That's a fairly
simple matter. The ox shall be destroyed." The accuser: "No, it's not
that simple. He's been warned before that his ox is dangerous." "Are
there any witnesses to this?" "Yes, I've warned him too", says a
witness. "So have I", says another. "Then the matter is still very
simple. The ox shall be destroyed, and this man shall be stoned to
death. Take him away and execute him." "Wait, wait, wait," the owner
of the ox cries out. "I've got money. I've got gold. I can pay. Just
spare my life." So they work out a deal, and the man pays a sum of money in exchange for his life.
But why in the world would I need to be redeemed?
1 John 5:19 … the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
Rom 6 tells us we were slaves to the power of sin.
Rom 8:15 says we were in bondage and had a spirit of bondage.
This whole world is enslaved to the evil one, and our lives are forfeit. Except the blood of Jesus paid the full price to redeem us.
Acts 20:28 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.
You might ask, "What's so special about the blood of Jesus? How can
the blood of one man pay the price to redeem the whole world?"
Ill. Imagine a bank robbery and everything has gone wrong. The
robbers have about a dozen hostages they are threatening to execute. A
public-spirited citizen walks past, notices the plight of all the
hostages, and calls out to the robbers, "Don't harm them. Take me
instead. You release them and take my life in exchange". The abductors
respond, "Why would we want to exchange twelve hostages for one? You
volunteering to die? Fine, we'll release one person and take you, but
you can't swap your life for all of them. You're just another human."
Value for value. One life for one life.
This same principle is taught in the Old Testament and it's called the law of talion.
Exodus 21:23-25 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life
for life, (24) eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for
foot, (25) burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
It's a spiritual principle that you can only be compensated by the same amount as your loss.
Ill. But let's go back to our siege. Imagine that the man
offering to swap places with the hostages suddenly identifies himself as
the President of the United States. What do you think would be the
response of the abductors now? Do you think that they would be willing
to swap their twelve hostages for the PM of our country?
Of course they would! The reason is that the PM is of far more
value to them than twelve ordinary citizens.
This same principle carries over into the spiritual realm. If Jesus were just a human, He would be able to give His life for only one other person.As a sinless perfect human, He would have to choose which sinner He would give His life for. One life for one life, value for value, the law of talion. But because He is fully human and fully divine, that makes Him worth infinitely more than an ordinary human being. His infinite value means that He could die for everybody - all the sinners who ever lived or will live.
So the third thing that the blood of Jesus has accomplished for us is redemption. His blood has bought and paid for us and released us from bondage. The blood of Jesus Christ has awesome power. If you need to know
today that you have been cleansed of all sin, totally forgiven, you can. You can put your trust in the blood of Jesus, it never fails. You can have instant access into God's presence through the blood. And we have redemption through the blood.
Invitation And The Final Challenge
Satan, the Blood of Jesus is Against You!
“Jesus' blood breaks down all walls. "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and broken down the middle wall of partition between us" (Ephesians 2:13-14).
At The Potter's Home International Church, this has great meaning. More than Seven linguistic families worship here, but our church has no walls, no nationalities. We are all one in Christ -- a blood-sprinkled church. Indeed, those who are blood-sprinkled no longer have any walls. They've all come down!
Here then is our testimony by which we apply the blood to our lives. The references precede each confession:
Ephesians 1:7, “Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.”
Ephesians 1:7, “Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven.”
1 John 1:7, “ The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses me continually from all sin.”
Romans 5:9, “ Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified made righteous, just-as-if I’d never sinned.”
Hebrews 13:12, “Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, cleansed, sanctified by the blood of Jesus. Therefore, Satan has no place in me, no power over me, through the blood of Jesus.
Confession From Derek Prince Say this with me...
"Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil. Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses me continually from all sin. Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned. Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, sanctified by the blood of Jesus. Therefore, Satan has no place in me, no power over me, through the blood of Jesus. I renounce him, loose myself from him, and command him to leave me in the name of Jesus. Amen"
Prayers
that Rout Demons - John Eckhardt
“I cover my mind and thoughts with the blood of Jesus. I cover my doorpost and possessions with the blood of Jesus (Exod. 12:13).
I overcome the devil through the blood of Jesus (Rev. 12:11).
I sprinkle the blood of Jesus and receive multiplied grace and peace (1 Pet. 1:2).
I am made perfect through the blood of the everlasting covenant (Heb. 13:20-21).
I have boldness to enter into the presence of God through the blood (Heb. 10:19).
My conscience is purged from dead works to serve the living God through the blood of Jesus (Heb. 9:14).
I eat the body of Jesus and drink His blood (John 6:54).
I have redemption through the blood of Jesus, and I am redeemed from the power of evil (Eph. 1:7).
I rebuke all spirits of torments and fear because I have peace through the blood of Jesus (Col. 1:20).
I receive the benefits of the new covenant through the blood of Jesus (Matt. 26:28).
I receive healing and health through the blood of Jesus. I receive abundance and prosperity through the blood of Jesus.
I receive deliverance through the blood of Jesus. I receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the anointing through the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus bears witness to my deliverance and salvation (1 John 1:7).
Jesus resisted unto blood, and His blood gives me victory (Heb. 12:4)
I rebuke and cast out all spirits of guilt, shame, and condemnation through the blood of Jesus. I break the power of sin and iniquity in my life through the blood of Jesus (Heb. 10:17).
My heart is sprinkled and purified by the blood of Jesus from an evil conscience (Heb. 10:22).
I rebuke Satan, the accuser of the brethren, through the blood of Jesus (Rev. 12:10).
I command all of my accusers to depart through the blood of Jesus (John 8:10).
I rebuke and cast out all spirits of slander and accusation through the blood of Jesus (Matt. 12:10).
I release the voice of the blood against demons and evil spirits that would accuse me and condemn me (Heb. 12:24).”
Confession from David Wilkerson
“I proclaim the victory of the blood of Jesus! I am blood-washed, blood-brought, blood-justified, blood-safe, blood-ransomed. And I proclaim the victory of the blood of Jesus!”
Finally, From Derek Prince
“Thank You, God, for the precious blood of Jesus. Thank You for the redemptive blood of Christ. Thank You for the justifying, sanctifying, precious blood of the Lamb of God. Blessed be the name of the Lord. I praise You, Jesus for You paid the price of my redemption. You shed Your precious blood on the cross. You are the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And now, Lord, I have taken the blood from the basin and transferred it to my own personal needs by the hyssop of my testimony. Amen.”
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