"HONOR THE BLOOD!"
The Lord compares the intense battles of the Christian life with floods. “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19). A flood comes in waves – wave after wave. It mercilessly battles whatever is in its way. Sometimes the sinister buildup its evident. At other times it comes unannounced in a tidal wave. It is out to do damage. The frantic efforts of men to stop it are more often feeble than effective.
The flood strategy of the archenemy, Satan is to leave a wake of destruction, to make debris out of God’s design. He made a shambles out of David’s morals. Peter was swept off his feet by the waves of worldly fellowship as he warmed himself at the enemy’s fire, by blasphemy, and by outright denial of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Demas was submerged in his love for the world. The same satanic strategy is successfully used against the saints of today. His “wiles” and “darts” are innumerable.
Floods referred to, in connection with the enemy, cover a wide area of satanic intrigue. They are vile and vicious. Satan, their instigator, is a murderer. He is out to kill. He wrecks family love. He divides husbands and wives. He attacks the human body. He robs the mind of sweet peace. Anxiety, fear, worry, hate, jealousy, and vain imaginations are just a few of his methods of breaking down the spiritual and physical life of the saint of God.
There is no saint, weak or strong, who goes unnoticed by the Destroyer. Satan’s “flood” approach is no match for soulish ingenuity. The strongest efforts of resistance will crumble under the force of hell’s fury when met by any other than God’s way.
À BLESSED REMEDY_________________________________________________________
“The Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” What is that “standard?” It is blessed Calvary. The accomplishment of the shed blood of Christ on the cross can meet any raging “flood” emergency in the spiritual life of the believer at any time, anywhere and successfully deal with it. It is the effective answer to all of Satan’s onslaughts.
There must be a personal application of the blood of Christ in order to stem the tide of spiritual destruction in the life of the child of God. It was said of Moses that, “Through faith he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of [the] blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them” (Hebrews 11:28). It is a personal matter. “The blood shall be to you for a token” (Exodus 12:13). “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). The blood, applied by sprinkling, was all that was required for peace of mind and rest of heart. It took away all fear of the destroying angel. It was not mere interest in the blood, nor belief in its power, nor appreciation of its worth that availed. It was the applied blood that counted. Truth was translated into action. So it is with the blood of the Lord Jesus. It is effective against satanic floods when applied by faith. A proper application of His blood to a given situation, if the believer is operating from a cleansed position, always brings deliverance. It never fails.
The blood of animals used in the Jewish sacrifices was symbolic. It had no power in itself. A type resembles the antitype but is inferior to it. It presents a figure of the real. It is a shadow of the substance. The blood of animals did not have power to cleanse, shelter, or preserve. The slain lamb of the Old Testament was a picture of the slain Lamb of God of the New Testament. By observing the various rituals, the Old Testament people of God were testifying to their faith in the coming Messiah whose blood would redeem and sanctify them. What is the New Testament counterpart of these Old Testament ceremonies? They made much of the blood. How do we make much of the blood? They covered many things with the blood of animals. How do we cover many things with the blood of Christ? These are important questions. As we look with the eye of faith we can see much blood in the tabernacle ministry in the wilderness which was a pattern of the church which is His Body. As Christ, the Head of the church, looks at us individually and corporately does He see His blood honored?
“And they overcame him [Satan] 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). The Holy Spirit, Who is the Infallible Teacher, will make real to each one, His way of working this “mystery” of the wonder-working power of the blood of Christ to meet every thrust of Satan. In this verse He has given three general guide lines. 1. The basis of our power and authority over all the enemy: “the blood of the Lamb.” 2. The word of our testimony. This is the practical application of our belief in “the blood of the Lamb.” When the conflict is close and fierce with the Adversary, our testimony will be directed to him. Jesus practiced this truth. Under the protection of the blood of Christ and with the authority vested by Christ himself, unafraid and unflinchingly notify Satan that he is a defeated foe, that he has no right or power in a given situation because you are moving against him and his activity with the “standard” provided by God, the precious blood of Christ. God promised His people that when He saw the blood He would deliver. God will keep His part of the covenant. Our responsibility is to “sprinkle the blood.” It is God’s part to deliver. 3. All aspects of the self-life must be reckoned “unto death” if Satan is to be defeated. The redeemed saint who is cleansed from sin must become a selfless saint in order to become a victorious warrior. When these three premises are met, then the child of God is able to exercise his heritage of spiritual authority. The unlimited power of the blood of the Lord Jesus will be loosed.
Some successful warriors that I know take this simple stand of faith, “I cover my home with the blood of Jesus to protect occupants and possessions from any influence, Satan, that you or your evil spirits would try to exert. I bring to bear the power of the blood of Jesus to bind you.” It is also helpful to remind him that God said that we “bind on earth” He would “bind in Heaven.” The applied blood of Jesus always calls his bluff. He was stripped of his power of Calvary. He is utterly helpless against the blood of Christ.
As God built a hedge around Job, which limited Satan, so today He will do the same for any child of God who applies the blood to a given situation. The blood is the hedge that stops the Destroyer. It is possible to be so hedged in by this blood-protecting wall that nothing can happen to you which is not God’s absolute will. This is true in any area of your life. This principle can be applied to travel, to loved ones, to possessions. It is not a ritual. It is a living experience.
“For the life…is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). This is saying that blood contains life. It is also stated in John 6:53, “Then said Jesus 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.” It is a quickening power. We are not only to be sprinkled with it outwardly, but we are to receive it inwardly, to drink it. This appropriation of applied blood inwardly and outwardly will bring life to an individual, to the home, and to the Body of Christ. The lack of appropriation will bring spiritual desolation and death.
À BLESSED AVAILABILITY_____________________________________________________
The “precious blood” is made available. It is within reach. Hebrews 9:12 points out the heavenly access of Christ’s blood, “…by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” It was through His blood He cleansed the heavenly things and entered the holiest on our behalf, “It was therefore necessary that the pattern of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:23-24).
The blood of Jesus is not a dead substance. It did not dry up on the cross of Calvary. It is enlivened, activated, and potent through the Holy Spirit. It was the “Eternal Spirit” (Hebrews 9:14) who enabled Jesus to shed His blood and present it in Heaven. The same “Eternal Spirit” brings the living reality of the blood of Jesus to the saints on earth. “And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one” (I John 5:8). The Spirit and the blood are witnesses here on this earth. How can this be explained? The answer is found in John 19:34, “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.” Water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was crucified “blood and water” flowed together. There was a mingling of the blood of the Lord Jesus and the person of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is omnipresent. Therefore, He is able to bring the reality of the blood of the Lord Jesus right into a present need. He brings it into the range of the saint so there can be a “sprinkling of the blood” of the Lord Jesus.
À BLESSED RESULTS_________________________________________________________
The scarlet thread in the window of Rahab, which was typical of the blood, was a sign that she and her family and her possessions would be saved from judgment, (Joshua 2:18-20). Rahab had a responsibility. She had to put the scarlet thread in her window and gather her relatives and possessions back of it. It worked. When the fortified city of Jericho was destroyed, the blood completely protected the property and people. God kept His promise to all who, by an act of their own faith in it, put the token of blood on the houses of Egypt, (Exodus 12). Not one person back of that applied blood was harmed. They had two responsibilities – to put the blood on their houses; and then keep back of that blood. This exercise took away their fears and frustrations and gave them peace, strength, and Divine deliverance. The safety of the saints is behind the blood of Jesus.
God calls it “the blood of the everlasting covenant” (Hebrews 13:20). The principle of protections behind the blood for the Egyptians and for Rahab is for us today. In I Peter 1:2, Christians are described as “elect…unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood” are intermingled. “Obedience” is our responsibility. In “sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ” we experience the mighty power of the blood of the Lord Jesus in cleansing, safety, and deliverance.
The blood of Jesus is the answer to that insurmountable problem, that heart-breaking experience, that nagging worry, that pulsating anxiety, that awful fear, that nerve-wracking environment or any other spiritually debilitating experience. There are those who are bound by Satan’s shackles. The Eternal Spirit, through the blood of Jesus, is the Great Deliverer. Both in Egypt and Jericho, the blood token was to be displayed when help was needed, or help would not be given. If they would have just believed the Word and not been obedient in using the blood sign, all would have been lost. The blood of Jesus, to be effective, must be applied by faith, sprinkled by faith.
À BLESSED POSSIBILITIES____________________________________________________
The scope of the “sprinkling of the blood of the Lord Jesus” is very great. It is not limited to people. It can be applied to things. “Moreover he sprinkled (likewise) with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry” (Hebrews 9:21). “For when Moses had spoken every precept…he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water…and sprinkled both the book and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you” (Hebrews 9:19-20). It was applied to the two side posts and the upper door post of the Egyptian houses (Exodus 12:7). “And Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about” (Levitcus 8:24).
God told Moses to apply the blood in the consecration of the priests who were to minister to the people of God. “The ram of consecration…Moses took the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot” (Leviticus 8:22-23). This was also done to Aaron’s sons. The “everlasting covenant” dictates that all of us constantly need this covering. A blood-covered ear is needed to “hear what the Spirit sayeth to the churches.” A blood-covered thumb is needed to render service to lost humanity and the Body of Christ. A blood-covered foot is needed to consistently walk in the Spirit.
The Lord has made the saints of today to be “kings and priests unto God” (Revelation 1:6). The total person needs the total covering of the blood of Jesus to become a normal, effective Christian. His blood not only redeems but it also sanctifies, “How much more shall the blood of Christ…purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14). The unsanctified ear will be dominated by the inner voice of self. The unsanctified hand will reach out to satisfy the fleshly appetites. The unsanctified foot will delight to walk in the ways of the world. These are the three great avenues of approach which Satan makes to the human race – inflate the ego, satisfy the flesh, and love the world. Jesus was victorious in all three such attempts as recorded in Luke 4:3-10. Christ makes His victory possible for all saints who trust His Spirit to apply His blood. The Spirit and the blood are inseparable. In Leviticus 8:30, “Moses took of the anointing oil [symbol of the Holy Spirit], and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron…and upon his garments.” There was a mingling of the oil and blood in the consecration of the priest. There is a mingling of the Spirit and the blood for cleansing and sanctifying all Christians who desire to be effective “priests unto God.”
There are bound ones among the people of God. Zechariah refers to them as “prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water” (Zechariah 9:11). God promised to deliver Jerusalem’s exiled people from their foreign captivity (Babylon) by “the blood of they covenant.” Jerusalem represents the religious systems of men. God wants His people out of dead, dry, formal religion. The way out is through the blood. Make much of the blood of Jesus. Honor the blood. The systems of men will crumble and the “spiritual habitation,” the Church which is His Body, will triumphantly emerge.
Do not limit the power of the blood of Christ to what you understand. There is no greater mystery in the Christian life than the worth and power of His blood. Apply it by faith. Be a child of God who practices the “sprinkling of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Sprinkle it anywhere there is evidence of pressure, tension, or any kind of satanic effort to thwart the complete will of God in your life. God wants it for a witness, “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things…” (Hebrews 12:24). Praise the Lord the blood speaks!
-W.B.Y.
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