Activating the Power of God Series - No. 5

Activating the Power in the Blood of Jesus

I grew up in Ghana, where often, traditions for some tribes, including festivals, as well as some indigenous religious practices have involved animal sacrifices. As a child growing up in a Christian home, I always questioned such practices and even labeled it as vile. As one would imagine, the accepted belief underlying such practices was that the sacrifice bridges the gap between the sacred and non-sacred. An important aspect of this "bridging the gap" role of the sacrifice was the blood of the animal. It is believed that the blood is a vehicle of the life offered and it provides life not only to the deity to whom it is offered but also to the donors. Similar practices were dominant in ancient Israel, as recounted in the Old Testament, except that in the case of the Old Testament, the sacrifices were made to the Almighty God alone; whereas in the case of the traditional practices in Ghana, these sacrifices are made to other gods, justifying why I still consider the practice to be vile. Presently, these practices are not as pervasive in Ghana as they used to be in the past due to entrenchment of Christianity in modern Ghanaian culture.

Why animal sacrifice in Ancient Israel?
In almost all the instances in the Old Testament where animal sacrifices were made to God, a clear pattern that emerges is that the donor/s used the sacrifice as a means of appealing to God for acceptance, forgiveness, cleansing, deliverance, and/or blessings. Often, these sacrifices also served as a mode of worship to the Almighty God. We read below:

"And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done." (Genesis 8:20-21 KJV)

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.... An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." (Exodus 20:22-24 KJV)

"And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel." (1Samuel 7:9-10 KJV) 

"And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually." (Job 1:5 KJV)

"And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD.."
(Numbers 29:2, 8, 13 KJV)

The Covenant of Blood
What is important to note is that these sacrifices were an essential part of both the Abrahamic (Genesis 15) and Mosaic (Exodus 19-24) covenants between God and the people of Israel. Without sacrifice, it was virtually impossible to meet God's standards as they related to the laws in order to receive forgiveness, let alone qualify to receive God's deliverance, blessings, cleansing etc. What is clear is that the shedding of blood was necessary to sustain the covenant God had made with the people of Israel: 

"That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool. Then he said, “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you. And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals." Hebrews 9:18 - 23

However, as the books of Hebrews and Luke make clear, these sacrifices were only shadows of the real Covenant of Blood which is through the precious blood of God's son, Jesus Christ. We read from Luke 22:20 below:

"After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you." Luke 22:20 NLT

And also in Matthew 26:28, "for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." NLT

Jesus Christ, The Passover Lamb
The significance of the Passover lamb in the lives of the Israelites cannot be overemphasized. As directed by God, every household was expected to sacrifice a year-old lamb without blemish (Exodus 12:5) on the night God struck the firstborn sons of every Egyptian household, also the last and final plague issued by God against Pharaoh. The instructions from God included applying some of the blood of the slaughtered lamb on the top and sides of the door-frame for each household. And God promised that when He saw the blood on the door-frame of a house, He will pass-over that house. We read below:

"For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 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." (Exodus 12:12-13 KJV)

"For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you." (Exodus 12:23 KJV)

As the word of God makes clear in 1 Corinthians 5:7, "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed for us."  Imagine the power the blood of a lamb invoked, how much more the power in the blood of Jesus. Beloved in Christ, it is important to understand that Christ made a once and for all sacrifice through his death on the cross, meaning, there is no need for animal sacrifices to atone for our sins and to bring us blessings and deliverance. We read in Hebrews 9:24-26

"For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice." Hebrews 9:24-26

Activating the Power in the Blood
It is important for us Christians to recognize that there is tremendous power that can be released from the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. When I began this series on Activating the Power of God, I pointed out that the everlasting covenant we have through the blood of Jesus is basis upon which we can petition God.

Beloved in Christ, the blood of Jesus has the power:

(1) to break the chains (redemption) (Hebrews 9:1 - 15)

(2) to cleanse us from our sins, weaknesses, and infirmities:

"For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Mat 26:28 KJV)

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" (Rom 3:25 KJV)

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7 KJV) and (also Colossians 1:14)

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" (1Pe 1:18-19 KJV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1John 1:7 KJV)

"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 1:5-6 KJV)

(3) to justify us and save us from God's wrath:

"Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." (Rom 5:9 KJV)

"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." (Revelations 7:14-17 KJV)

(4) to give us life:

"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." (Leviticus 17:11 KJV)

"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me." (John 6:53-57 KJV)

"For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, 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. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:" (Colossians 1:19-22 KJV)

(5) to enable us to overcome the devil

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Revelation 12:11 KJV)

(6) to make us perfect: 

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (Heb 13:20-21 KJV)

If the true believer will stand in faith and begin to activate the power in the blood of Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb, I believe we will begin to experience the supernatural power of God in our lives just as the blood of the Passover lamb brought deliverance to the ancient Israelites who were being held in bondage in a foreign land. There is mighty power in the blood of Jesus, begin to activate this power now!

Stay blest!