Treasure His Blood
“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” Revelation 12:10-11
Have you ever heard someone "pleading the blood of Jesus” over this or that or declaring over someone’s life or home, "I cover you with the blood of Jesus?” What does that mean? The truth is many professing Christians who plead the blood of Jesus in prayer do so because they heard someone else doing it, but they really don't know what they're saying. And they plead the blood like it's some kind of magic incantation to get what they want from God.
There’s a great old hymn that says, “I need no other argument, I need no other plea, it is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me.” The hymn writer is clearly speaking in this chorus of the sufficiency of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross for our salvation. But when you hear someone pleading the blood today, it’s not about salvation. More often than not, it’s about getting prosperity or protection. Moreover those pleading the blood for health and wealth do so wrongly believing that healing on this side of heaven is guaranteed in the atonement. Those who pray over others the prayer, "cover them with your blood,” also wrongly find their authority for doing so in the Old Testament account of the Passover.
I want to submit to you that unless the person being prayed for has trusted Christ for themselves for salvation, you can't "cover” them with the blood. You can’t apply the blood to their lives. The Apostle Paul wrote: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” (Romans 3:24-25)
I can’t apply to others the propitiating power of the blood, which satisfies and appeases the justifiable wrath of God towards sinners. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus is sufficient for all but only effectual upon those who receive Jesus by faith as Savior and Lord. As a redeemed sinner saved by faith in the shed blood of Jesus, I can pray for others. And I can, for example, ask God in Jesus name to protect someone from danger, as I do regularly for my four sons who are police officers. The blood of Jesus has given me and all believers access to the throne room of God and the confidence to petition the Father to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). The blood of Jesus also gives us the confidence that God's will and answers to our prayers are always good and best.
The blood of Jesus not only gives us faith to pray boldly and confidently, His blood gives us courage to live for God. In Revelation 12:11, how do the saints overcome the enemy/accuser during a time of great tribulation? The passage reads: “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:10-11) The tribulation saints overcome not because they pleaded the blood, but because they treasured the blood of Jesus and what it accomplished more than their own lives. They didn't plead the blood for health and wealth, or to escape persecution. They treasured the blood of Jesus above all and as a result, were willing to give their lives for Christ knowing it would be worth it all!
Because of the precious blood of Jesus, like the Apostle Paul, we can confidently declare: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39)
The precious blood of Jesus is not a magic incantation that we plead for earthly prosperity. The blood of Jesus, which sets us free from sin and Satan so that we might be reconciled to God, is to be treasured.
In an article on the power of the blood, David Mathis wrote, “Jesus did not shed his blood by accident. This was no random death. Tragic as it was, it was deliberate and voluntary. He was executed unjustly, and his blood was spilled on purpose at the cross, both by sinful men and the holy God-man. They took his life, and he gave it. In doing so, he absorbed the righteous wrath of God, granted us his full legal acceptance, purchased our true freedom, restored our most important relationship, and made peace for us with God himself. This is how, as Paul says elsewhere, he secured ‘the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood’ (Acts 20:28).”
When we know the preciousness of the blood Jesus shed to purchase our redemption, we won’t cheapen it by using it as means for obtaining our best life now. Rather, the preciousness and power of the blood of Jesus is our chief motivation for living a life that is worthy of the gospel and bringing glory to His name. When exhorting believers in exile to live holy lives, Peter writes: “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:17-19)
May the precious blood of Jesus move us to pray confidently for the grace to conduct our lives in a manner that demonstrates that Jesus is the greatest treasure. And may the power of the blood give us the confidence to know that to risk it all for Jesus is the end of all risk.
In your service,
Pastor Marco
Have you ever heard someone "pleading the blood of Jesus” over this or that or declaring over someone’s life or home, "I cover you with the blood of Jesus?” What does that mean? The truth is many professing Christians who plead the blood of Jesus in prayer do so because they heard someone else doing it, but they really don't know what they're saying. And they plead the blood like it's some kind of magic incantation to get what they want from God.
There’s a great old hymn that says, “I need no other argument, I need no other plea, it is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me.” The hymn writer is clearly speaking in this chorus of the sufficiency of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross for our salvation. But when you hear someone pleading the blood today, it’s not about salvation. More often than not, it’s about getting prosperity or protection. Moreover those pleading the blood for health and wealth do so wrongly believing that healing on this side of heaven is guaranteed in the atonement. Those who pray over others the prayer, "cover them with your blood,” also wrongly find their authority for doing so in the Old Testament account of the Passover.
I want to submit to you that unless the person being prayed for has trusted Christ for themselves for salvation, you can't "cover” them with the blood. You can’t apply the blood to their lives. The Apostle Paul wrote: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” (Romans 3:24-25)
I can’t apply to others the propitiating power of the blood, which satisfies and appeases the justifiable wrath of God towards sinners. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus is sufficient for all but only effectual upon those who receive Jesus by faith as Savior and Lord. As a redeemed sinner saved by faith in the shed blood of Jesus, I can pray for others. And I can, for example, ask God in Jesus name to protect someone from danger, as I do regularly for my four sons who are police officers. The blood of Jesus has given me and all believers access to the throne room of God and the confidence to petition the Father to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). The blood of Jesus also gives us the confidence that God's will and answers to our prayers are always good and best.
The blood of Jesus not only gives us faith to pray boldly and confidently, His blood gives us courage to live for God. In Revelation 12:11, how do the saints overcome the enemy/accuser during a time of great tribulation? The passage reads: “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:10-11) The tribulation saints overcome not because they pleaded the blood, but because they treasured the blood of Jesus and what it accomplished more than their own lives. They didn't plead the blood for health and wealth, or to escape persecution. They treasured the blood of Jesus above all and as a result, were willing to give their lives for Christ knowing it would be worth it all!
Because of the precious blood of Jesus, like the Apostle Paul, we can confidently declare: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39)
The precious blood of Jesus is not a magic incantation that we plead for earthly prosperity. The blood of Jesus, which sets us free from sin and Satan so that we might be reconciled to God, is to be treasured.
In an article on the power of the blood, David Mathis wrote, “Jesus did not shed his blood by accident. This was no random death. Tragic as it was, it was deliberate and voluntary. He was executed unjustly, and his blood was spilled on purpose at the cross, both by sinful men and the holy God-man. They took his life, and he gave it. In doing so, he absorbed the righteous wrath of God, granted us his full legal acceptance, purchased our true freedom, restored our most important relationship, and made peace for us with God himself. This is how, as Paul says elsewhere, he secured ‘the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood’ (Acts 20:28).”
When we know the preciousness of the blood Jesus shed to purchase our redemption, we won’t cheapen it by using it as means for obtaining our best life now. Rather, the preciousness and power of the blood of Jesus is our chief motivation for living a life that is worthy of the gospel and bringing glory to His name. When exhorting believers in exile to live holy lives, Peter writes: “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:17-19)
May the precious blood of Jesus move us to pray confidently for the grace to conduct our lives in a manner that demonstrates that Jesus is the greatest treasure. And may the power of the blood give us the confidence to know that to risk it all for Jesus is the end of all risk.
In your service,
Pastor Marco