The Power Of The Blood

--"The Power of the Blood"

Exodus 12:21-28

Exodus 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

I. The Significance of the Blood -- "...the blood..."

There is a crimson stream running throughout the Word of God, a stream filled with blood and to quote a popular song, "It's all about the blood, it's all about Calvary..." One can't help but notice the progression of this idea of a blood sacrifice:

a. The blood for a person

Genesis 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

b. The blood for a family

Exodus 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

c. The blood for a nation

Leviticus 16:34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.

d. The blood for a world

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

II. The Sign of the Blood -- "...shall be to you for a token..."

It shall be the sign to the destroying angel, that the house on which he sees this blood sprinkled is under the protection of God, and that no person in it is to be injured. Clarke

a. The integrity of the blood

One thing more must be observed about this blood. All of the lambs mentioned above had to be without blemish or spot.

Exodus 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

This lamb was to be observed for four days to insure that there was no defect in it. Rev. Jerry Shirley writes: "For almost four years the world observed the life and ministry of Jesus and we have a record of what they found:"

Pilate -- "...I find no fault in Him..."

Pilate's wife -- "...Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him..."

Judas -- "...I have betrayed the innocent blood..."

Thief -- "...this man has done nothing amiss..."

Centurion -- "...surely this man was the Son of God..."

Peter -- "...But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot..."

"...Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth..."

b. The implications of the blood

Another important aspect of this "sign" was that in order for the blood to be effectual the lamb had to die. There was a death in every household in Egypt that night with no exceptions, not even one. What do you mean preacher? I mean that in every house in all of Egypt there was a death. Either the first born of every family or a lamb; for blood to be sprinkled it had to be shed and for blood to be shed the lamb had to die! If the death angel passed over and didn't take the firstborn, it was because there had already been a death there...a lamb had to die!

c. The importance of the blood

Leviticus 17:11, 14 (cp. Deuteronomy 12:23) "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....For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof ..."

Hebrews 9:22 "Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins."

1 John 1:7...the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

Revelation 1:5 "...Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."

III. The Safety in the Blood -- "...and when I see the blood, I will pass over you..."

a. The perusal

The death angel looked for the blood and if he saw it, it made the difference, all the difference. There will come a day when God will look for the blood once again. Not the blood of a lamb but the blood of the Lamb!

b. The passing

"Christ our Redeemer died on the cross,