There Is Power In The Blood

There Is Power In The Blood

Scripture: Hebrews 9:11-28; First Peter 1:13-19; Romans 5:9

When I was growing up in Church, we sang songs about the blood of Jesus.

We sung this song that some of you might not be familiar with. It says, “There is a fountain, filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains. Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains. And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.”

Then there is this one that I know you know this one because we sing it here, “I know it was the blood; I know it was the blood; I know it was the blood for me. One day when I was lost, He died upon the cross, I know it was the blood for me.”

Then there is the song that says, “The blood that Jesus shed for me. Way back on Calvary. The blood, that gives me strength, from day to day, it will never lose its power. It reaches to the highest mountain. It flows to the lowest valley. The blood, that gives me strength, from day to day, it will never lose its power.”

One of my favorites says, “Oh, the blood of Jesus. Oh, the blood of Jesus. Oh, the blood of Jesus. It washes white as snow.”

Finally this last song for which the title is taken says, “Would you be free from your burden of sin? There is power in the blood, power in the blood. Would you over evil a victory win? There’s wonderful power in the blood. There is power, power, wonder working power, in the blood, of the Lamb. There is power, power, wonder working power, in the precious blood of the Lamb.”

As you listened to the few words of these songs, what was the one thing they each have in common? The power of the blood of Jesus! Each of these songs talked about the power of the blood of Jesus. The title of my message this morning is “There is Power in the Blood.”

Turn with me to Hebrews chapter nine and let’s read verses eleven through fourteen. “11) But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12) and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13) For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14) how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:11-14) In these verses, the writer talks about Jesus becoming the final high priest. If you read the first ten verses of this chapter, you see how, and after what manner, the Levitical priests executed their office. In verses six and seven we read, “6) Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, 7) but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.” (Hebrews 9:6-7) Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies to make sacrifices for the sins of the people. But the way into the Holiest of All had not been made manifest yet (vs. 8), as that happened only after Christ died on the cross. When Jesus entered into the Holiest of places, He did not enter through the blood of goats or bulls, but through His own blood. The high priest could enter the holy of holies in the tabernacle once per year and had to do so every year. Jesus entered through His own blood and did it once and for all – there would never need to be another sacrifice for sin.

Verse fourteen tells us that Jesus’ blood will “cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” The blood of Jesus has the power to cleanse us from sin and to equip us to serve God. Our High Priest entered into heaven once for all, and has obtained eternal redemption for those who will accept Him. The Holy Spirit further signified and showed that the Old Testament sacrifices only freed the outward man from ceremonial uncleanness, and was not able to cleanse the conscience of the sin nature that lived in man. What gave such power to the blood of Christ to affect the conscience? It was Christ’s offering Himself without any sinful stain in His nature or life. This cleanses the guiltiest conscience from dead or deadly works so that it can now truly serve the living God. It is the power of Jesus blood that cleanses and nothing, and I mean nothing, more destroys the faith of the gospel than any attempt to weaken the direct power of the blood of Christ as some are attempting to do.