The Blood of Jesus
Jose Alvarez
July 14, 2001
Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new (the freshness of something
new) testament, (covenant) which is shed for many for the remission of
sins.
· Testament In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the word
for testament is more correctly translated as covenant. The idea of a
covenant as defined by W.E. Vine in "An Expository Dictionary of Biblical
Words" is a "mutual undertaking between two parties or more, each binding
himself to fulfill obligation."
· Many saints fail to realize that we are in covenant with the Lord
Jesus and our ability to experience all that He has already accomplished for
us is conditional to our obedience. The Lord took it upon Himself to
accomplish most of the responsibilities of this New Covenant. Our
responsibility lies in serving the Lord by the voice of His Spirit, with
uncompromising obedience.
· New : This is a most interesting word. It is defines as the
freshness of something brand new, as is the case of a new car. The New
Covenant has the ability to convert all things and make them brand new in
quality, if we fulfill our obligations in keeping covenant with the Lord
through obedience.
2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature
(creation): old (archaic) things are passed away ; behold, all things are
become new
· Second Corinthians five and seventeen utilizes this exact word for
"new". At the instance of our becoming born again, every thing that was
within us of the old creation passed away. At that same moment, the Lord
made all things fresh and brand new. Of course, we all get old and die, but
everything that pertains to our spiritual life has become like the brand new
car.
· Paul uses the perfect verb tense to describe all things as
becoming new. The perfect tense describes an event that has occurred in
time but its results and impact goes on forevermore.
· Being in Christ has caused all, which is not of Him to be abolished
forever and to be replaced with a fresh newness, which will never get old
again.
· Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new (the freshness of
something new) testament, (covenant) which is shed for many for the
remission of sins.
· Shed Means to pour out lavishly and abundantly. The blood of Christ
is poured out for us in this way. I say, is poured out, rather than saying
was poured out, because the verb tense is in the present. In Mark 14:24 and Luke 22:20, the Lord, likewise, uses this same present tense. What was
going through the mind of Jesus when He described a future event in the
present? The New Covenant can only maintain its eternal "newness" through the blood, which is eternally poured out to keep it new. The question for you and me is, what happens when we start to disobey and fail to keep covenant with the Lord? The blood of Christ is found only in the New Covenant. If we willfully move out from the confines of the New Covenant in disobedience, the blood is not available and we will remain in the archaic condition of bondages and sins.
· The next scripture, First John 1:7 follows the same train of
thought.
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship ( sharing in common) one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
· Greek (my paraphrase): But if we should conduct our life in the
light, in the same manner as He (conducts Himself) in the light, we
associate one with the other. This association allows for the Lord and us
to participate and share with one another. This sharing in common allows us to obtain the things of God as the blood of Jesus Christ His Son
continuously cleanses us (so that we can obtain)
· In the measure that we order our lives in obedience to the Lord is
to the same extent that we will have fellowship with the Lord. Fellowship,
or the sharing in common, allows us to participate in the things of God so
that we can obtain from Him. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us in
proportion to our obedience and we obtain proportionally to the cleansing by the blood. Conduct, association, participation, obtaining, and the blood
of the New Covenant present with ever act of obedience so that we may
obtain.
Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new (the freshness of something
new) testament, (covenant) which is shed for many for the remission of
sins.
· Remission - Remission is defined as the sending away of something.
The blood belonging to the New Covenant constantly sends away sins as we fulfill our obligations with the covenant through obedience. Wherever we step out of covenant, "the blood that sends away," will not be present.
2 Timothy 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
· Greek: That they may return to soberness out of the snare of the
devil, having being hunted down and caught alive by him, in order to do his
will.
· Watchman Nee, talked on the issue of passivity, the devil, and the
Christian. Though the Word of God never uses the term "passivity" in
reality this ia Satan's most effective method of lying against the body of
Christ. The Lord always seeks to bring our will in conformity to His will.
Our will however still remains free. True freedom, is the freedom to obey
God. The devil likewise wants to conform us to obeying his will. The Lord
allows our will to be free, as He lovingly compels us to obey Him. Satan,
as "the one who hunts down and catches alive," wants to take us captive
through our passivity to his will.
· Any time that we give ground to the enemy through disobedience,
Satan immediately tempts us with feelings of guilt, condemnation,
oppression, passivity, and complacency until we are captured alive by him if we continue in our disobedience. Much of the body of Christ today is
generally passive. We are passive in our study of the Word of God. We are
passive in our prayer life. We are passive in our commitment to the Lord.
I can guarantee you that the devil's methods of passivity are at work upon
us. Passivity to the Word keeps us in ignorance to the will and the ways of
God that is our only avenue to obtain the blessings of God.
· Let me expound a bit on this. Please look with me at the following
scriptures out of Ephesians one, six through eight.
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us
accepted (charming and lovely) in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption (the ransom payment of slaves that has
freed us) through his blood, the forgiveness (sending away) of sins,
according to the riches of his grace;
Greek ( my paraphrase) In whom we have the liberation of slaves brought
about by the Lord Jesus' satisfactory ransom payment. This ransom payment is His blood. The blood serves as God's ransom payment because it has the ability to send our sins away.
· Verse six and seven of Ephesians chapter one tells us that because
the blood of the Lord has sent away our sins away, we are now ("accepted")
charming, and lovely, in the eyes of the Father.
8 Wherein(Greek: which) he hath abounded (caused us to abound) toward
( into) us in all wisdom and prudence;
· I am uncertain in verse eight if what the Lord caused us to receive
in abundance is His grace and the riches that make it up, or if it is His
redemption. It matters not much at this point. The importance of verse
eight is that the abundance of the Lord's blessings to us is limited by
wisdom and prudence. Wisdom is our understanding of the will and the ways of God, and our submission of every part of our lives to that will.
Prudence is our step-by-step, daily execution of this will, as we are guided
by the voice of the Holy Spirit. The abundance of God's riches and blessings are released in proportion to how much we conform our daily conduct to God's wisdom and prudence.
· Toward is a wonderful word. In reality it is the word "into."
The saints who have become charming and lovely to God are now the
receptacles "into" which God desires to funnel all that He is, and all that
He has. The more obedience, the more funneling!
· The devil knows that the more passive and complacent that he can
keep us in our study of the Word, the less that we will know of God's wisdom and prudence, and the reduction will be in the abundance of the blessings of the Lord to us. Remember, it is not what we think that we are performing of the word of God but in reality are not, that releases the riches of God. The Lord's blessings are only funneled upon what we do in accordance to accurate reality of the Word in His wisdom and prudence. This is why we witness so many ministries and churches that sow much and reap little. The Lord will not bless the doctrines of men, which is our continuous and inaccurate performance of the Word of God; no matter how good they sound or look.
· Likewise, the devil will take us alive and keep us complacent and
lazy in our prayer life. He knows quite well that only what is accomplished
through intercession in God's dwelling place (in the third heaven) that will
have any eternal effect for us (in the first heaven.)
· Finally, a successful Christian life that is a threat to the devil
is one of spiritual athletic agony and wearisome labor. Such a life is
accomplished by violent spiritual believers who take the kingdom of God by
violence; never passivity!
Luke 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new
testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
Luke twenty-two and twenty is a very powerful scripture. In my blood is in
the Greek "dative case of location." Let me explain this fancy terminology
to you. Where do you and I live? We live on the earth or are located in the
earth. Because we are located in the earthly world we are affected by, and
are part of everything that belongs to the world. The New Covenant is
located in the blood, or more accurately in the world of the blood of Jesus.
All that the blood of Jesus accomplishes affects everything in the New
Covenant. As long as we maintain ourselves in covenant with the Lord, we
automatically live inside of the world of the blood of Jesus Christ. Wow!
My beloved, our uncompromising obedience to the Lord is our safety and
protection from the devil, and our cleansing from all sin and bondage. You
and I plea the blood of Jesus daily, and rightfully so. It is vital to
claim the blood, especially before the devil. More powerful though is to
live constantly inside the world of the blood of Jesus as we keep covenant
with the Lord. As I was sharing this revelation with my wife Mary the Lord gave her a two-fold picture. The first part of the picture was that of the believer traveling through one of the Lord's arteries as he or she kept obedience to the Lord.
The second part of the picture was similar to the kid's TV show, "The Magic
School Bus." In some of its episodes, the teacher, Miss Frizzle and her
class, ride in the magic school bus, which becomes small and traverses
through the blood vessels of a human body. The Lord showed Mary that the magic school bus is the rhema word of God with us inside traveling through the Lord's veins as we obey it. My friends, if you are doing your very best to obey the Lord in all that He commands, confess with boldness to the devil that you live in the world of the blood of Jesus.
For those of you who witness to the cults that deny that Jesus Christ is
God, the next scripture is for you. Does it not say that God purchased the
church with His own blood?
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over
the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Romans 3:25 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; Propitiation- The Greek tells us that God has placed before the public eye "CHRIST AS A PROPITIATION."
To propitiate, from God's mindset, is His becoming favorably inclined
towards us. This is because Jesus paid the blood ransom money that sent our sins away, making us charming and lovely to His eyes. God now has the legal ability to shower all of His blessings upon us. The fullness of His
blessings is His inheritance, which will take an eternity for us to receive.
Ephesians 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will:
Romans 3:25 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; Through faith in his blood We are required to place our faith in the blood of the Lord Jesus and all that it does for us.
1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the
communion ( "a" communion, not "the" communion)of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
· Marvin Vincent, the Greek scholar translates the first part of First Corinthians ten and sixteen in the following way. " The cup over which
the familiar formula of blessing is pronounced."
· The communion of the blood Communion is the word for
fellowship. As we have discussed in First John one and seven, fellowship is
defined as an association, participation, and a sharing in common. In this
case, the cup represents our spiritual participation and sharing in all the
benefits that the blood of Christ has in store for us.
· 1 Corinthians 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup,
when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
· We are told that that the cup is likewise the New Covenant of the
Lord. Let us see why.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the
Lord's death till he come.
Greek: For at any time that you choose to eat this bread and drink this cup,
you publicly proclaim and declare with thoroughness all that the death of
the Lord Jesus signifies, until the time that He chooses to come.
· The New Covenant located in the blood of Jesus is inaugurated with
the death of the Lord Jesus by the shedding of the same. Our partaking of
the cup becomes a spiritual display of the New Covenant and the death of
Christ, which it fully declares.
· We must receive all of these things by faith. The importance of
this can be found in two scriptures that we studied; Romans 3:25 and 1
Cor.10: 16. Our faith in the blood of Christ releases our communion with
it and allows us to obtain from it in proportion to our faith.
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are
made nigh by the blood of Christ
· Greek paraphrase; you were once far off, not only in distance but
alienated from God and without access to the things that belong to Him.
Now by His blood, you have become close to Him and enjoy full access to Him and His things.
· This scripture is a good example of how we must commune with the
blood of Jesus in order to receive by faith its benefits.
Colossians 1:20 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.
Greek ( paraphrase) He brought about the state of freshness and newness to the whole universe through the blood of His cross. He is able to harmonize all things back to Himself whether upon the earth or in heaven through the blood of His cross.
· By "harmony" I mean that the all that pertains to the universe is
subjected to Christ, under His headship, and can now be restored to its
original condition and purpose, which God had for them prior to the fall.
Christ shed His blood for the whole universe, partially in preparation for
the eternal ages to come. We can therefore confess before Satan, that Jesus has harmonized everything in us to His original plan and state. Satan, therefore, cannot touch us.
· Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his
own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained ( to find,
discover, or to meet upon) eternal redemption( loosening) for us.
Greek: By His own blood He entered once and for all, and remains in the
holiest place. He has obtained for us therefore an everlasting loosening
not only of our sins but also from the penalties associated with them.
In the Old Testament, once a year, on one day, that being the Day of
Atonement, the high priest would go into the holiest place with the blood of
animals and purge the sins of the nation of Israel. We have a better
sacrifice than the nation of Israel. Through His spotless blood, the Lord
Jesus entered permanently into the holiest place of the heavenly temple
securing for us a permanent and everlasting purging of sins. We are free
from sin forever!
Hebrews 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an
heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Greek: For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer
sprinkling what is common (what is in the world at large) and profane is
able to separate unto God (from the world at large and towards His purposes) in regards to the purity of the flesh
Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself without spot (to be without moral stain or
blemish.) to God, purge your conscience from dead works ( corpse like
works) to serve the living God?
The blood of bulls and calves could only furnish the house of Israel with
purity of the flesh. On the other hand, the blood of Jesus not only
purifies our flesh but also cleanses our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Our conscience is a simple barometer of what lies within us whether good or evil. A dead work is anything that we do outside of the voice of the Holy Spirit whether by performance, guilt, religious programs and fleshly strivings. The blood of bulls and goats could never purify the spirit and soul of man or woman from these fleshly efforts to serve the living God. Serving the living God, is serving God as an adopted son or daughter. Our service as sons and daughters is a simple obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit apart from the performance, guilt and compulsion brought about the dead works of fleshly efforts.
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and
without shedding of blood is no remission.
· Greek: And almost all things with blood are cleansed according to
the law. Apart from the blood shedding (through the giving up of a life)
can there be the sending away of sins.
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the
heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves
with better sacrifices than these.
· Greek: It is necessary that the earthly copy of the things which
are in the heavens themselves be purified with the blood of bulls and goats,
but the heavenly original with more excellent sacrifices than these.
24 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:
· Greek: Christ did not enter into the holies made with human hands
which is merely a copy resembling the authentic. He entered into heaven
itself to make Him visible before the face of the God on our behalf.
· For one, Christ has done exceedingly above what the earthly high
priest could do. The high priest could only enter into an imperfect earthly
copy of the tabernacle that dwells in heaven. There, he could present the
blood before the glory of God, which dwelt on the mercy seat above the Ark
of the Covenant. Jesus, however, when into heavens itself, into the
authentic tabernacle, and presented Himself before the very face of God, not just His earthly glory.
· This has insured us with an absolute purging of our sins and an
assurance of a completely thorough salvation. As we live in this imperfect
world, we can still believe for total freedom in every part of our lives, or
at least our continual progress towards it.
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost (
completely, perfectly, utterly) that come unto God by him, seeing he ever
liveth to make intercession for them
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the
heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves
with better sacrifices than these.
· In verse twenty-three we observe that the earthly tabernacle was
cleansed with the blood of bulls and goats so that priestly ministry could
take place. How much more effective can our ministries be if the authentic
heavenly tabernacle has been cleansed with the blood of Jesus? There is no excuse for each of us to be powerfully used by the Lord if we serve the
living God and not dead works.
Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk ( military steps
in rank and order) in the Spirit.
· Greek: If we are living in the Spirit, let us march in the steps of
a soldier with the Spirit's wishes.
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by
the blood of Jesus, Greek: We have at all times therefore a fearless
confidence before God that gives us an entrance into the holies by the blood of Jesus.
· Boldness is one of my favorite New Testament words. It simply
means, " to tell it like it is." Because the blood of Christ has made us
charming and lovely before the eyes of God we now have boldness with Him.
· Boldness urges us to come before God, having nothing to hide from
Him, without shame or guilt, fully confident and assured, and with the
ability to speak intimately, frankly and with reverential bluntness.
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Greek: Let us continuously approach God with a heart that is genuine and
real (not religious) because we are fully confident. This confidence comes
through our faith in all that Christ has done for us. We base this faith on
the fact that our hearts were once in the past sprinkled from an evil
conscience, but the impact of this event has a lasting and eternal impact.
Likewise, our bodies were once in the past washed with pure water (the blood of Christ), but the impact of this event has a lasting and eternal impact.
· We see the perfect tense used in Hebrews ten and twenty two. The
salvation of the Lord accomplished for us two thousand years ago continues effective now and forevermore.
Hebrews 11:28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of
blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Greek: By faith he; Moses performed the Passover and the pouring of the blood lest the destroyer of the firstborn might do them violence and cause them injury.
· This is a very important scripture in spiritual warfare. Our
claiming of the blood of Jesus towards Satan will stop in part the violence
and injury that he would cause to our loved ones and us.
· However we must not forget to perform the Passover in conjunction
with claiming the blood of Jesus so that our protection will be complete.
· For us to day, the Passover signifies our complete exiting from
the land of sin; our eating of the unleavened bread, which is a holy life
before God; our not fearing man or Satan, but stepping out instead into a
life of faith and obedience, which will take us into the promised land of
freedom and our spiritual vocation.
1 Peter 1:18 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;
· Greek: Knowing that with things which perish such as silver and
gold (which cannot pay the sufficient ransom payment to liberate slaves) you were bought, from your empty manner of life handed down to you from your ancestors.
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish
(internal purity) and without spot.(external staining by sin)
· Greek: But by the precious and highly honored blood as of a lamb
void of internal blemishes and thus unspotted externally by the world and
Satan.
· This is the costly price of our deliverance that is ever before God
and allows us to have boldness with Him. Likewise this must be our
confession before the devil.
God Bless You,
Jose
