TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE POWER OF THE BLOOD

EIGHT ATTRIBUTES OF BLOOD

1. Blood—Agent Of Purification

2. Blood—Life Supply

3. Blood—Climate 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

THE POWER OF THE BLOOD

Don't you just love being in on a secret! There's a real excitement in knowing something others don't know. Do you remember the last time you were enthralled by a good mystery? It's hard to "let go" until the answer is revealed.

The Bible speaks of mysteries—Jesus spoke of the "mystery of the kingdom," while the apostle Paul spoke of the "mystery" of the rapture, and the "great mystery" of Christ and the Church. One subject that is still a mystery to most Christians is the blood of Jesus. However, God never speaks of the blood as a mystery, so I believe that He wants you and me to know all about the dynamite benefits that are ours through the blood. The answers to the question, "What is the power of the blood?" will revolutionize your Christian experience and produce powerful results on a day-to-day basis.

To properly comprehend the power of the blood of Jesus requires an understanding of its Old Testament counterpart: the blood of sacrificial bulls and goats.

In Leviticus 17:11 God provided the condition for atonement by saying:

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 seat—the 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 human—that required the death of a spotless human life—the 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 super-natural 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. BLOOD—AGENT 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 out-side, 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. BLOOD—LIFE 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 life—every 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 life—divine, eternal life that sprang forth the moment you were born again! From that moment you stepped into a new life—the life of God became your life, to sustain and strengthen you forever!

3. BLOOD—CLIMATE 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 God—it 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."

4. BLOOD-THE POWER PLANT

Blood infuses your physical body with energy. Hebrews 10:19 explains how the blood of Jesus gives you boldness to pray, which results in spiritual power: "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, . . . ."

The blood of Jesus is a hidden power plant to energize God's Word in your life. The energy comes one way—by entering God's presence to pray. As soon as you boldly enter the Father's presence through prayer, you are basically saying, "I'm here because of Jesus' blood that cleansed me." God's Word goes to work in your life when your prayers are based upon the privileges wrought by Jesus' shed blood.

5. BLOOD-EMERGENCY FIRST AID

We all know the panicky feeling that comes after a "close call"—the same feeling that causes us to bolt upright after narrowly escaping an automobile accident or something similar. More importantly, it's the same feeling that makes us act quickly in high pressure situations. In such emergencies when we must act quickly, our blood rushes the necessary hormones and adrenaline to muscles that will help us. Blood brings emergency first aid to our physical bodies.

When we hit spiritual crises, the blood of Jesus can also rescue us. When we hit the unexpected, His blood makes us spiritual over-comers. In the book of Revelation, the apostle John told us how we can have victory over the devil and all his devices: "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, …"(Revelation 12:11). The shed blood of Jesushas destroyed the power of Satan—claim that truth in every spiritual emergency!

6. BLOOD - YOURSECURITY PATROL

Patrolling your blood are tiny microbes that constantly attack sickness and weakness. This provides a protective system of defense.

Just before the Exodus, the Israelites smeared blood from sacrificial lambs over the doors of their houses. The blood provided protection for their firstborn from the angel of death. In itself, the blood was not protective; it was, however, a token, or sign of divine protection that the Israelites received by faith.

The shed blood of Jesus is your assurance and sign of divine protection—your security patrol. It may be unseen to the natural eye, but by faith its import is powerful enough to defend you from sickness, weakness, or any other affliction that Satan brings your way.

7. BLOOD-THE PEACEMAKER AND ARBITRATOR

Coagulation is one of your blood's most essential functions. The word coagulation actually means "bringing together" or "tightening up." When your blood "tightens up" outside a wound, it forms a scab on your skin. Were it not for coagulation, you would lose your blood through that wound. Of course, if you lost too much blood, you would die—because the life of the flesh is in the blood.

This aspect of blood takes on a whole new meaning in light of Colossians 1:20 which says of Christ:

. . . having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

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 surprised—he 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 reconciled—brought 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!

THE BLOOD SEALS OUR FAITH CONTRACT WITH GOD

The first reference to shed blood in the Bible is hidden in the passage where, after man's fall, God clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins (Genesis 3:21). Blood was shed to provide Adam and Eve with a covering. In so doing, God made atonement, or a "covering" for their sin. From that time forward, God always required the shedding of innocent blood to cover man's sin.

The second reference to blood is the sacrifice to God made by Abel, the son of Adam and Eve. Abel, a shepherd, offered God the sacrifice of a lamb. Cain, his brother and a tiller of the soil, offered fruits and vegetables that he had grown. God accepted Abel's sacrifice, but rejected Cain's.

In past readings of that account, I have argued, "God, that was unfair! Cain was a farmer and Abel raised animals. Doesn't it seem only right that the farmer should bring what he had raised?"

One day while reading Hebrews 11, I realized why God rejected Cain's sacrifice. This passage says that "by faith" Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain. And Romans 10:17 says that "... faith cometh by

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 ground—the 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!"

THE BLOOD SPEAKS TO GOD FOR US

Did you know that blood has had a voice from the earliest of times in the Old Testament? It does! After Cain slew Abel, God declared to Cain that "... the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground" (Genesis 4:10). The blood of Jesus has a voice, and Hebrews 12:24 tells us that it speaks "better things" than the blood of Abel. The "better things" declared by Christ's blood are words of mercy, whereas Abel's blood cried for vengeance.

No matter what your need may be, the blood of Jesus is speaking to God for mercy on your behalf. When you need reconciliation, the blood speaks for you; when you confess your sins, Jesus' blood speaks words of cleansing. Right now, the divine blood of Jesus is interceding to the Father on your behalf.

THE BLOOD PROVIDES US WITH THE PROMISES OF GOD

In Genesis chapter 17, God spoke to Abraham about making a covenant, the foundation of which was the shedding of blood:

And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised (Genesis 17:9,10).

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 BLOOD BRINGS A LOVING FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD

The covenant between God and Abraham indicated a special closeness of lifelong friendship. In both the Old and New Testament Abraham is called God's friend:

But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend (Isaiah 41:8).

And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God (James 2:23).

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

meanings—one 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 thiscovenant 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 ones—not only toward God—but 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).

THE BLOOD HELPS TO OVERCOME SATAN

The importance of our blood covenant with God begins in the Old Testament and ends in Revelation, the conclusion to the New Testament. Revelation 12:11 declares that believers overcome the wicked one by " ... the blood of the lamb, and the word of their testimony; . . . ." From Abel's sacrifice—to the saints' victory over Satan— the blood works powerfully on man's behalf.

Notice how the blood and the Word go together. The blood reconciles people to God based upon His Word in Leviticus 17:11. It also binds God to His people by His oath (Hebrews 6:17,18). When God gave His Word to Moses, He told him to sprinkle it with blood (Hebrews 9:19). The blood and the Word arethe two components of our covenant with God: we must have both to overcome Satan!

THE BLOOD ENGRAVES YOUR NAME IN HEAVENLY PLACES

The Jewish people originally carried scriptures in little books, called phylacteries, which were tied about the men's heads and wrists. The phylacteries signified the Jews' covenant with God through the blood and the Word.

Ancient Jews believed that God also wore a phylactery. God says in Isaiah 49:16, "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands;

Your covenant with God includes a phylactery—your name is forever engraved upon the palm of His hand. Because of Jesus' blood, you have God's Word, and He has your name.

When Jesus saw Mary after the resurrection,He commanded her, "... 'Touch me not;(John 20:17). Why couldn't Mary touch Jesus? Because He hadn't yet bodily ascended to the Father, thereby sealing our blood covenant with God. After Jesus ascended into heaven, He presented Himself to the Father through His shed blood for one reason—to establish the fact that every person who believes on Him has entered a blood covenant with God.

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.

THE BLOOD PROTECTS ALL FUTURE GENERATIONS

Upon the shed blood of Jesus rests every facet of our covenant with God. Every promise, every provision in God's Word, is ours through the blood of Jesus. Yet so many Christians have claimed only the cleansing from sin and missed the rest of what God has provided. The Old Testament covenants fore-shadowed a great many of God's provisions for us today:

And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest: Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. And Abraham said, I will swear. And Abraham reprovedAbimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away (Genesis 21:22-25).

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!

THE BLOOD REPRESENTS CHRIST'S SACRIFICE FOR US

Notice the elements involved in the covenant between Abraham, Abimelech, and Phichol:

And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well (Genesis 21:27-30).

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 31:43-55). 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.

"Girdles—or "belts—were 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 rights—God 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.