Part II - The Power of His Blood ~ Blood is Thicker Than Water!
I. Text: Revelation 12:7-12
A. There is little that the devil knows about the future. But, one thing’s for sure, he knows his own fate. He knows that his time is short!
B. We overcame him by the blood of the Lamb!
C. Too many are trying to get rid of the blood! But you can’t! There’s nothing but the blood!
D. When You Make Much Out of the Blood, the Blood Will Make Much Out of You!
1. Jesus’ blood bought our redemption! Jesus didn’t die for Himself! He died for you! You see Jesus didn’t need redemption. There was nothing for Him to be redeemed from! He did it for you! It is a gift! A treasure!
2. Aren’t you glad for gifts!? When you receive a gift from someone it’s never because you did something that caused you to earn that gift. If you earned it, it would be a “wage.” A gift is something that someone gives without you doing anything in recompense!
3. There is always more value in a gift…than in something earned! (As when children hand-make cards for you).
II. Why Is His Blood So Important?
A. Aren’t We Supposed to Be Meek? Should we really preach this way?
1. After all, didn’t Jesus say that if we were meek we would inherit the earth?
2. We did inherit the earth…. Twice!!!
(a) God gave Adam dominion over the earth in the Garden. It was his inheritance for being created in God’s image!
(b) However, because of Adam’s sin, he gave the dominion over to Satan.
(c) Then, there had to be a second Adam in order for us to get in right standing with God.
(d) You see God is a law-abiding God. He abides by law. His Word is law! It was unlawful for Him to give dominion to man and then take it back. So, it had to be bought back…through redemption! Through the Blood of Jesus!
(e) Jesus is called the “Son of Man.” The original Greek for “Son of Man” is Bar Adãm. Which is translated “Son of Adam.”
B. The Blood is the Basis for Our Salvation
1. Blood is Life Giving!
2. Rev. 7:13-17 John the Revelator speaks of his vision when he says: “Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and were did they come from?’ And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb Who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
3. Rev. 1:4-6 John said in his introduction of the book of Revelation: “…Grace to you and peace from Him Who is and Who was and Who is to come, and form the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
C. We Are Overcomers Because of the Blood He Shed!
A. Our text confirms this. Verse 11 tells us: “And they overcame him (the accuser of the brethren) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”
B. Listen to I John 5:1-8 “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves Him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world --- our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is He who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.”
C. Then, to enforce this more, listen to I Peter 1:18-19 “…knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, form your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
D. We can now see God’s glory because of Jesus’ blood! Hebrews 10:19 reminds us that we now have “boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus.”
E. Hebrews 9:22 states: “And according to the law (remember, God is a lawful God) almost all things are purified (cleansed) with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission (forgiveness).”
F. We have been given overcoming power over the forces of darkness because of the blood! Colossians 1:13-14 “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed (transferred) us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
G. Paul, in the introduction of his letter to the church of Ephesus writes: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians. 1:7)
H. A.E. Mitchell wrote, “Let us never forget that the subject of the blood lies near to the heart of God, for it has to do with the death of His Son.”
III. Honor The Blood Covenant!
A. The Jews, even now, always speak of “completing the circle.” What does a circle have to do with anything?
B. Their culture states that, if the rabbis teach a lesson that has begun with a song they will end the lesson with the same song. It’s called “completing the circle.”
C. The Jews understand about the completion of God!
D. John 8:23-24 “And He said to them, ‘you are from beneath; I am from above, you are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
1. As the Body of Christ, we need to think the same way. We must have the mind of Christ!
2. Philippians 3:20 says, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly await for the Savior…”
3. We are to operate as He does, and He always operated as though He was from above, an alien to this earth.
E. John 16:27-28 Here’s the circle. Jesus is speaking saying, “…for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believe that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”
E. Circles represent covenant! (The ring; the rainbow). When we fulfill our end of the covenant relationship with God, the Father, He will fulfill His end of the covenant, and then, we will fulfill our end, and then He….and so on.
F. Every good and perfect gift comes from God, to the earth and will always return back to God!
G. The end of the Gospel is God-ward!
H. Jesus sent the Gospel us-ward. But it was to lead us God-ward!
I. Isaiah 55:8-11 {read} A circle of completion!
J. Romans 11:36 “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”
K. So, there is a circle that must be completed. God sent His Son to shed His precious blood, and die for our sins, so that we may return to Him in heaven! That’s the purpose for the blood!
IV. The Power of the Blood!
A. Besides redeeming us back to the Father, which is certainly enough, what else does His blood do for us?
B. It gives us victory over the enemy! Victory over sin, victory over death, victory over sickness, victory over poverty, it’s all ours through the blood of Jesus!
1. Again, John the Revelator said, in Revelation 15:2, “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name…” (That’s you and I!)
2. Again, I John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.”
3. Romans 8:35, 37-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing (Satan is a created thing), shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
C. What Kind of Victory Have We Received?
1. Spiritual Food ~ “…To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7)
2. A New Name ~ “To him who overcomes I will give him…a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” (Revelation 2:17)
3. Authority ~ “…he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations.”
(Revelation 2:26)
4. Robes of Righteousness ~ “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” (Revelation 3:5)
5. A Memorial Pillar ~ “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God…” (Revelation 3:12)
6. Enthronement ~ “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21)
7. An Eternal Inheritance ~ “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”
(Revelation 21:7)
D. Satan cannot cross the Bloodline!
A. This is where he has to stop!
B. Jesus’ Blood is:
1. Atoning
2. Cleansing
3. Healing
4. Delivering
