PRECIOUS, PRECIOUS BLOOD

Bar’ka da Sallah. Welcome to November. I have a word for November. That is why I am writing. But let me tell you a few things about October. October was great. I was one year in marriage that month. That is one month my family must have its retreat. Call it our ‘Sabbath Month’. I would not want to break that period of renewal if I were given a million dollars. It was the period I bonded in a very special way with my first child. That was the period I received new pair of eyes to look at my jewel of inestimable virtues- my wife. We are one year old in marriage, but ten years in friendship. Over the years of friendship, we have marked several dates; the day we first met- August 18th; the day our courtship started- April 23rd; the day we received the name of our first child- January 26th. Did I tell you my wife’s birthday is next to mine? Let me not bother you with those dates; let me just say they are special days to us. We mark each one in our unique ways. However, October 23rd stands out among our list of anniversaries. That was the day we were married. That singular day made sense of all the other days in our life. Our life together began that day. Two lives became one, signed, sealed and delivered by God Himself and witnessed by men and angels alike. So, we were one year in marriage last month- and Daniel clocked three months then. I wish to say ‘Thank you’ to everyone that sent us a message on that day. Sounds of rejoicing shall not cease from your households.

On that last day of October, I received a word from God that I believe, would benefit you too. That word would colour the whole of November and beyond if you have a good grasp of it. That word is ‘Blood’, so you can guess the colour. I know many people have the phobia for red- yes; this is one red that scares the devil to pieces. The Blood of Jesus does more than colour, it covers. Happy are you, if you are so covered in the times that we are in. I want to expose you to some covenant benefits in the Blood that Jesus shed on Calvary. The Bible recorded that His side was pierced, and immediately blood and water came out (John 19:34). The same John later told us that here on earth, the Spirit, the water and the blood bear witness and agree as one (I John 5:8). Theologians have argued whether John was referring to the same event at Calvary- but blood did flow at Calvary and John should know. He recorded most of the last week to Jesus’ death. Jesus was beaten many stripes. Those whips drew more than tears from Christ, they drew blood. Remember that a crown of thorns was worn on His head. As those thorns pierced His scalp, more blood flowed. Have you seen that film? Some believe ‘Passion of the Christ’ was exaggerated, but I think no film could paint the agony of the cross effectively. Blood, blood and blood everywhere. So what was all that fluid for? How could the Father turn away when His Only Begotten was being so handled? Come on, it was either a waste of Christ’s precious blood- or there is more to it.
Cain shed the first human blood on earth; ever since, blood flows endlessly. All kinds of crime and wars have remained avenues to add to earth’s ever increasing blood bank. And then, of course God instituted the Levitical shedding for the remission of man’s sins. I read an account of an average Passover Feast in ancient Israel by William Barclay in his book ‘The Mind of Jesus (p.5)’:

‘The hundreds of thousands of worshippers. Each one of them slitting the throat of the lamb …blood drain(s) away, … bowls of blood passed from hand to hand … to be dashed against the base of the altar. … the odour and the reek of blood … the Temple slippery with the blood of lambs, the atmosphere of a large slaughter house…
That was how ‘bloody’ Passover was. God established blood as an essential feature of this very important feast for the Jews. So let us see how Passover actually began. The stage was Egypt. Israel had been slaves in Egypt for four hundred years and God was about to deliver them. And a man called Moses was chosen to lead the Great Exodus. By this time, God had repeatedly warned Pharaoh – the mighty king of Egypt, through Moses to let His people go. Pharaoh refused. So it was going to be his ‘last straw’ and God had to prepare and preserve His own people so that they would not be casualties. Hear God talked to Moses in Exodus 12:2-14:
‘This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all… Israel … every man shall take for himself a lamb… a lamb for a household. … And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat… It is the LORD’s Passover. I will pass through the land of Egypt … and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgement: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign for you … And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy when I strike the land of Egypt. So …you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. (Abridged)
That was how Passover started. But much more than just a memorial feast, Passover was a Covenant Feast. Let us check Moses in a later account in Exodus 24:7-8:

‘Then (Moses) took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, ‘all that the LORD has said we will do… And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words.’

The Book of the Covenant contained the words (commandments and blessings) of God. But all of those words were brought to life by the blood. As at those times, it was the symbolic blood of a lamb. Jesus came many years after and declared in Matthew 26:28:

‘For this is My blood of the new covenant…’

That was when He instituted the Lord’s Supper or ‘Holy Communion. Okay, let me tell you this- for me, every meal I take is a communion. But that is for another day. Let us look at that statement Jesus made at the dining table. They are exactly the same words Moses declared except for ‘My’ and ‘new’. Jesus came and established the New Covenant. The writer of Hebrews called Him the ‘Mediator of the new covenant’ (Heb. 12:24). The new covenant is about the blood of Jesus and He mediates between man and God. ‘Mediates’ is not a strong word like ‘judge’. In law, a mediator seeks to find a common ground between two opposing parties. Jesus found a common ground between God and us- and that in His Blood. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? Jesus paid the entire price and there He is- still begging us to enjoy the privilege! I just want to spell out four of those privileges today. That blood does not- and will not- bear witness in heaven; here on earth is where the blood is needed. Quickly, four Covenant Privileges in the Blood of Jesus Christ:

1. Remission of Sins.
In simple terms, forgiveness. He was wounded for our transgressions. (Isa. 53:5a). The blood of Jesus is our claim to God’s forgiveness. God used to forgive people before Jesus came, so what is the Jesus’ dimension to forgiveness? Scriptures say that it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats would take away human sins (see Heb. 10:4). It amazes me that all those ‘priest(s) … (were) ministering daily and offering sacrifices, which can NEVER take away sins’! So, what was all those animal blood for? Ah, thank God I wasn’t around then. Thank God I came after ‘this Man (Jesus), (who) offered one sacrifice for sins FOREVER…’ (Heb. 10: 11-12 paraphrased). By that covenant in His blood, God declared ‘There sins I WILL remember no more.’

How do I prove that the blood of Jesus covers even your yet-to-be-committed sins? If Jesus’ blood could only go as far as your ‘hitherto’ sins, than he has done no better than a ‘Presidential pardon’. What no human pardon could assure you is forgiveness for your next sin. I have never met one believer who remained sinless after his accepting Jesus as Lord. Yet all sincere believers are on their way to heaven. John says we call God a liar if we claim we have no sins, that if any man sins we have an Advocate with the Father who is the propitiation for our sins. (see I John 1:5-10;2:1-2). The Mediator is the propitiation for our sin and still, He is our Advocate. In the Law, they found the Mercy Seat in the place of Judgement, in Christ the Mercy Seat is upgraded to the Throne of Grace (see Heb 4:16). We do not get the license to commit sin, but there we get the warrant to arrest sin. Sin- past, present and future- no longer dominates us. (see Rom. 6: 14). Once sin oppressed us, now we mesmerize it. It just cannot understand how we come out each time. Oh, thanks to the Mediator, the Propitiation, and the Advocate. Thanks for the Blood. Let us therefore, continue in grace (privilege of Christ’s cleansing) that sin may abase.

2. Healing.
The blood of Jesus flushes away sicknesses and diseases out of our body. Isaiah prophesied that we are healed by His stripes. (Isa. 53:5c). I cannot recall that Jesus came across one sick person and He found an excuse for not healing the person. Yes, I know so many believers who are sick and I do not mean that they are less godly or less spiritual. i am only saying that that sickness must be so much a part of your purpose in life for God to leave it on you if you are His child. And that is true- when you read the exploits by a blind and dumb woman like Helen Keller; you wonder what people need eyes for. And if that ailment is a parasite on your purpose- you have a Healing privilege in the blood of Jesus. Just because we have modernized medicine, we should not give excuses for falling sick. One of the first responsibility God took as the One who delivered Israel was to be their Healer. (Ex. 15:26; 23:25). Why would God do less by the stripes of His only begotten Son?

See, I find some ‘medical sense’ in the Healing privilege of the blood of Jesus. Medicine will define blood as the ‘life maintaining fluid that circulates nourishment, hormones, heat, antibodies, and oxygen among other valuables through the body’. The blood also carries away waste matter and carbon dioxide. One primary function of the blood is to help heal wounds, and help fight infection. How much more would the blood of Jesus avail for us against diseases?

3. Victory over Satan.
I capitalized ‘S’ because it is an English word and it is a noun. In Revelations chapter 12, an account was given of how Satan was thrown out of heaven. He was humiliated out of his place in heaven- and that by his colleagues Michael and co. Since then, Satan had no place and no say whatsoever in heaven. He was thrown down to the earth and the angels cried ‘Woe!’ to the inhabitants of the earth. But just before then, we had an insight into how they defeated the devil- by the blood. Hmmm. Since there is no devil in heaven to defeat, it is on earth here that we need the blood of Jesus. You can stamp the devil permanently out of your life and household- by the blood of Jesus! That guy is scared of RED! It is up to you, is that not?

4. ‘…Speaks Better Things…’.
Hebrews 12:24 says that the blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of Abel. In Africa, we know that blood speaks- in fact, cries. Is it not interesting that the blood of Abel has been speaking since it was shed by Cain? (Gen. 4: 10). Jesus said in Luke 11:51 that ‘from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias … verily I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation’. And even righteous Abel cries for vengeance. If you are not in Christ, you are of ‘this generation’ who will answer for the blood of those people. I begin to feel many of these natural disasters are responding to blood that were shed wrongly. And every day, crimes of blood increase. I seriously pity ‘this generation’. But in Christ, we have the blood that shields us from evil, and proclaim better things for us. The Bible even said ‘Let us come boldly (by the blood of Jesus- Heb 10:19) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace …’ (Heb. 4:16). The blood speaks mercy and grace. Mercy covers what you have done and cannot undo; grace covers what you cannot even do at all.

What more shall I say? Why stand bythe pool? Take a dive.