Hebrews 12:23-24 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that it speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Who is this Abel guy and if his blood spoke, what did Abel’s blood say, and what does Jesus’ blood say? Abel’s blood was the first human blood ever spilled. It was shed without his consent. He was murdered by his brother, Cain, in Genesis 4. Genesis 4:10 says that Abel’s blood cried out from the ground. The blood of Abel cried out to God from the ground, as if to say, “Do something about this, God.” God confronted Cain and meted out his consequences. Abel’s death demanded justice, retribution. Unlike Abel, Jesus’ life wasn’t taken from Him. He laid it down. He shed His blood of His own free will, John 10:17. Oh, I know He was crucified on a cross after being falsely accused and unjustly arrested, but He didn’t die because of a sentence handed down from Rome. He died because it was the plan of God from before the foundations of the world for Him to lay down His life for the sins of the world. Like Abel’s blood, Jesus’ blood also has something to say. Let me suggest three messages the blood has to say to us.
The BLOOD OF JESUS says I am clean. I John 1:7- “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
The blood of Jesus has cleansing power, and cleansing is something we all need. Each one of us is born with a stain on our souls. Each one of us is born with a sinful nature. We are born sinners, Romans 5:12. We can’t remove the stain of sin. It is dark. It is ugly. It is disfiguring. It is spiritually stifling. There is nothing we can add to our lives to take away the stain. There is nothing we can subtract from our lives to take away the stain. The stain reminds us we are guilty. The stain of sin comes with a heavy burden. It isn’t like a spot that just takes up an isolated space, but it covers us completely. It changes who God made us to be. We are marred by sin. We are born in bad shape because of the stain of sin, but the Good News of the Gospel is that the blood of Jesus can remove it from us completely.
His blood, John says, purifies us from ALL sin. There is no person who has sinned beyond where the blood of Jesus can reach.
Second, The BLOOD OF JESUS says I have access into God’s presence. Listen, Isaiah 59:1-2 helps us understand that sin separates from God. It cuts off or limits our access to God. We all know that access is really important. Try to do your job today without internet access. How much does it complicate your life when you don’t have that access? Being separated from God, without full access, is the absolute worst possible thing that a person could endure and having that perpetuated day after day over a lifetime would be the most awful thing to happen to anyone. Life without God, a life without access to God, is a life without hope, power, support, strength, wisdom, purpose, and peace. It is a life of vulnerability, leaving you open to the evil schemes of Satan.
Here’s the awesome news. You don’t have to live without access to God! Jesus died so that we could have access. He died so that you and I could walk right into the throne room of God with our needs, our petitions, our longings and boldly ask God for what we need. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews has to say about this access: Hebrews 10:19-22 19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience…
I don’t have to live separated from God’s power, from God’s comfort, from God’s support. I don’t have to live isolated from His presence. I can commune with Him and converse with Him any time I desire to do so. The blood has removed every barrier to the presence of God for me.
Third and finally, The BLOOD OF JESUS says I can overcome!
Revelation 12:10-11 says, 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
Satan is the accuser of the brethren, but what does this text say? It says he, Satan, has been hurled down. He went down. His opportunity to accuse is nullified. What took him out? What took him down? Oh, church the very next verse gives us the answer. Those who were being accused by Satan suddenly, verse 11, triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
When you have the blood of Jesus applied to your heart through cleansing and you live in your access to the presence of God, you have what it takes to overcome anything. The blood of Christ says you don’t have to fear Satan or anything he might say or do to you. He cannot condemn you because of the blood that has been shed for your victory. Christ’s victory becomes your victory. How cool is that? Not only does Christ impart His righteousness to you when you are saved, but you also get His victory over Satan. You can daily live in daily victory over evil in and through the blood of Christ. The blood of Jesus, shed for you, has satisfied every charge against you. Satan has no rightful claim on a Child of God. Hallelujah!
Claim today that because of the blood you are an overcomer. You might struggle at times. You might be hard-pressed. You might wonder how things are going to work out. You might feel burdened or overloaded, stressed out and strained, but lift up your head, Child of God, you are going to make it if you are covered by the blood.
I think these verses in Revelation 12 make it clear that there is no overcoming apart from the blood of the Lamb, which means there is no testimony without the blood of the Lamb. Once you are covered by the blood, you have a testimony. You have moved from lost to found. You have moved from bound to free. You have moved from eternal death to eternal life. It is the blood that makes your testimony possible. You cannot bypass the blood and overcome. The blood of Jesus is what gives you the opportunity to experience the power of God, and in turn will create the testimony you can share.
The BLOOD OF JESUS says I am clean.
The BLOOD OF JESUS says I have access into God’s presence.
The BLOOD OF JESUS says I can overcome.
Listen and live according to what the blood of Jesus says about you!
