                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                        The Precious Blood of Jesus!

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By David Wilkerson
April 15, 1996
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          Without a doubt, the blood of Jesus Christ is the most
          precious gift our heavenly Father has given to His
          church. Yet so few Christians understand its value and
          virtue.

          Christians often sing about the power of the blood.
          Indeed, the anthem of the Pentecostal church is, "There
          is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious
          blood of the Lamb." But most believers seldom enter
          into the power of that blood.

          We simply do not comprehend the great significance of
          the blood. For example: We constantly "plead the blood"
          as some kind of mystical formula of protection. But few
          Christians can explain its great glory and benefits.

          If I were to ask you what the power of the blood means,
          you might answer, "It means that my sins are remitted
          -- that I'm free from the bondage of iniquity -- that
          all my sins are covered." Yet, beyond forgiveness, what
          does the blood of Jesus Christ mean to you? Can you
          explain to me, to your family, to a coworker the value
          and virtue of the blood of Jesus?

          I want to give you a fuller understanding of the
          preciousness of Jesus' blood -- and how it can work
          wonderful changes in your life!

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                        1. In Scripture the Blood Is
                          Spoken of in Two Ways --
                      Blood Shed and Blood Sprinkled!

                      -------------------------------

          Most Christians know about the blood Jesus shed for us.
          When Christ lifted the cup at the last Passover, He
          said,

          "...This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is
          shed for you" (Luke 22:20).

          We memorialize His sacrifice every time we have
          communion. But that is the limit of most Christians'
          knowledge of Jesus' blood. We know only about the blood
          being shed -- and not about its being sprinkled!

          The first biblical reference to the sprinkling of blood
          is in Exodus 12:22. The Israelites were commanded to
          take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood of a slain
          lamb, and sprinkle it onto the lintel and two
          side-posts of their front door. That night, when the
          death angel came and saw the blood on the door posts,
          he would pass over the house.

          Please understand -- as long as the blood was left in
          the basin, it was of no effect; it was merely blood
          that had been shed. The blood had power to save only
          when it was lifted out of the basin and sprinkled!

          Why couldn't the Israelites have simply laid the basin
          of blood at the threshold and said, "It doesn't matter
          what we do with it. After all, blood is blood"? Suppose
          they had put the basin on a linen-covered table, or on
          a pedestal just inside the door?

          I'll tell you what would have happened: The death angel
          would have struck that home! The blood had to be lifted
          out of the basin and sprinkled on the door to fulfill
          its purpose of protection.

          This blood in Exodus 12 is a type of the blood of
          Christ. The blood that flowed at Calvary was not wasted
          -- it did not fall to the ground and disappear. No,
          that precious blood was collected in a heavenly
          fountain.

          There is a gospel song that says, "There is a fountain
          filled with blood, and sinners plunged beneath that
          flow lose all their guilt and stain..." Yet this
          concept isn't scriptural; we don't plunge into the
          blood or swim in it. No -- it is sprinkled on us!

          If Christ is Lord of your life, then your door posts --
          your heart -- have been sprinkled by His blood. And
          this sprinkling is not for forgiveness only -- but also
          for protection!

          When you are sprinkled, you are totally under the
          protection of Christ's blood, against all the
          destroying powers of Satan. When his forces see
          Christ's blood on your door posts, they must pass over
          you. They cannot touch you -- because they cannot touch
          anyone sprinkled with Christ's blood!

          So, you see, the preciousness of the blood has to do
          with much more than forgiveness. Jesus' blood has not
          been left in the basin -- but has been lifted out and
          sprinkled on your heart. And it is waiting to be
          sprinkled on the door posts of hearts around the world!

          There is also a sprinkling of blood mentioned in Exodus
          24:1-11. In this passage, God made a covenant agreement
          with Israel. He promised, "If you will obey My words, I
          will be a God to you, and you will be My people."

          After Moses read the law to the people, they answered,
          "We understand -- and we will obey."

          They agreed to the covenant with the Lord.

          Now, this covenant had to be sealed -- to be ratified
          and made valid -- and that could happen only through
          the sprinkling of the blood upon it. Hebrews tells us
          Moses "...took the blood ...and sprinkled both the
          book, and all the people..." (Hebrews 9:19).

          The shed blood of the burnt offerings was contained in
          a basin. Moses took some of this blood and poured part
          of it by the altar. Then he took a hyssop, dipped it in
          the basin and sprinkled some of the blood on the twelve
          pillars (representing the twelve tribes of Israel).
          Finally, Moses dipped the hyssop into the basin and
          sprinkled the blood on the people. This blood covering
          the people, sealed the covenant!

          It is clear from the passage that the sprinkling of the
          blood gave the Israelites full access to God, with joy.
          On this occasion it had nothing to do with forgiveness
          and remission of sin -- but, rather, with communion.
          They were now sanctified, cleansed -- fit to be in
          God's presence.

          Then Moses, Nadab, Abihu and the seventy elders went up
          to the mountain to meet God. And the Lord appeared to
          them, coming down a sapphire-stone walk. These men saw
          a table spread before them -- and Scripture infers that
          with ease, comfort and no fear of judgment, they sat in
          God's presence and ate and drank with Him:

          "And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid
          not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink"
          (Exodus 24:11).

          This is simply amazing! These men could eat and drink
          in the very presence of God -- whereas shortly before,
          they had feared for their lives. It was because the
          blood had been sprinkled -- and they understood the
          safety, the power, the security in that. They didn't
          fear!

          Beloved, today we are in a new covenant with Jesus
          Christ -- a covenant sealed by His own blood. And
          likewise today, when His precious blood is sprinkled on
          your soul, it is for purposes of communion. It is so
          that you can go boldly -- with ease, without fear of
          judgment -- into God's presence for communion. You are
          given access to Him, with no sin condemning you. You
          are free to talk to God and enjoy His company!

          One of the most important sprinklings of blood was done
          by the high priest. Once each year he went into the
          Holy of Holies to make atonement, which means
          "reconcilation." This act was meant to wipe away the
          people's sins, so they could be reconciled and have
          communion again with the heavenly Father.

          The priest would carry into the Holy of Holies a
          handful of incense, a censer of burning coals of fire
          from the altar, and a container of blood from a slain
          ox. Within the Holy of Holies was an ark, on top of
          which sat a flat, golden top with a lip around it. This
          was the mercy seat, where God "sat"; it was His very
          presence. The mercy seat had two golden cherubim on
          either side, with wings spread over the seat.

          After cleansing himself in an elaborate ceremony, the
          priest went inside the Holy of holies with great
          reverence and fear. He dropped the incense into the
          fire, causing an aroma and smoke to ascend. (This
          represented the prayers of Christ, interceding for His
          people. Jesus ever sits at the right hand of the
          Father, interceding for the saints.)

          Then the priest dipped his finger into the blood and
          sprinkled it seven times on the mercy seat:

          "And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and
          sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat
          eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle
          of the blood with his finger seven times" (Leviticus
          16:14).

          When the blood was sprinkled on God's seat, forgiveness
          of all sins was accomplished, and all past sins were
          covered. When the high priest came out, the people knew
          God had accepted the sacrifice, and their sins were
          pardoned. Israel never doubted it!

          Beloved, we too have a high priest -- Jesus, our Lord.
          And He is our High Priest not just once a year, but for
          all time -- to the end of the world! Jesus took His own
          blood to the true mercy seat -- into God's presence,
          the Holy of Holies -- and presented it for the
          remission of all sins, of all believers, of all time.
          It was a final sprinkling!

          Scriptures says of this act:

          "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his
          own blood he entered in once into the holy place,
          having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Hebrews
          9:12).

          "How much more shall the blood of Christ...purge your
          conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
          (verse 14).

          "...now to appear in the presence of God for us"
          (Hebrews 9:24).

          Jesus took His own blood into heaven for us! And it
          isn't reserved there simply as a memorial. It is to be
          sprinkled on all who come to Him by faith!

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                        2. How Is the Blood of Jesus
                         Sprinkled Upon the Heart?

                      -------------------------------

          It is tragic that so many believers do not enjoy the
          power and virtue of the blood of Jesus. Scripture makes
          it clear -- it is important for us to know how the
          blood has been sprinkled on our hearts. This is done in
          two ways:

             * The blood is sprinkled on us by the Spirit of
               Christ, who dwells in us.

          Jesus sprinkles His own blood on us when, by faith, we
          receive His finished work at Calvary. This isn't a
          physical sprinkling; rather, it is a legal, spiritual
          transaction. He sprinkles the blood on our hearts in
          response to our faith. And until we truly believe in
          the power of His sacrifice at Calvary, the blood of
          Jesus cannot produce any effect upon our souls!

          "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [a
          reconciliation] through faith in his blood..." (Romans
          3:25).

          Churches around the world partake of communion
          regularly. Yet, Paul warns us not to "drink [the cup]
          unworthily." This doesn't mean merely partaking of a
          communion service after we've failed in some way; we
          know that if we repent of our sin, Jesus will forgive
          us and cleanse us of all iniquity.

          No -- I believe Paul is saying we are to discern
          Christ's body properly. He's talking about coming to
          the Lord's table, drinking of the cup symbolic of His
          blood -- and yet not believing in the power of that
          blood! It has to do with sitting in condemnation and
          fear -- not believing that Christ's blood has justified
          and sanctified us in God's sight.

          Many believers are condemned out of the wonderful
          experience of the Lord's table, because they do not
          come to the blood in faith. Paul is saying, "No wonder
          so many are sickly among you. You are left weak because
          you do not believe in the total victory of Christ's
          blood!"

          Such Christians are saying, in essence, "I know it's
          wonderful to be justified through the blood of Jesus
          Christ. But I still have trouble believing the Lord
          reckons me righteous. After all, I still haven't
          arrived. I still struggle."

          Beloved, the truest evidence of faith is rest! If you
          believe with all your heart, it brings your conscience
          and soul into rest. And when you come to the Lord's
          supper and partake of the cup, you can say, "I believe
          I am saved, forgiven, healed, because I believe in the
          blood. I trust in it!"

             * The blood of Jesus is sprinkled on our soul
               through Holy Ghost preaching.

          When you hear Christ and His blood being exalted in
          Holy Ghost preaching, you can know the blood is being
          sprinkled!

          When Philip preached the gospel to the eunuch, that
          man's heart was ravished by the Word. Immediately, he
          begged to be baptized. Philip said to him, "...If thou
          believest with all thine heart, thou mayest..." (Acts
          8:37).

          Likewise, every time you take to heart
          Holy-Ghost-anointed preaching, crying, "Lord, please,
          give me all Your truth" -- you are being sprinkled with
          Christ's blood, by faith!

          At this point, you may be wondering, "How can I know
          whether the blood has been applied to my heart?" Here
          are three ways you can know if you have been sprinkled
          by the blood:

            1. If you are now willing to walk in the light and
               allow the Holy Ghost to expose all darkness in
               you, you can know you've been sprinkled.

               "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" (1 John 1:7).

               John is clearly talking about someone who is in
               love with the Word, unafraid of reproof -- who
               says, "Lord, shine Your Holy-Ghost light into
               every crevice of my heart. I want to walk in the
               light." If you love the light, it's a sure sign
               you've been sprinkled!

            2. If you call on the power and authority of Christ's
               blood when you're under enemy attack, you can know
               you've been sprinkled.

               When those who have not been sprinkled are in
               trouble, they call their best friend or a
               counselor, or they wallow in fear and
               condemnation. But those sprinkled with blood
               immediately stand on Jesus' blood!

               We often hear the phrase "pleading the blood" used
               in Christian circles. But that is not a Scriptural
               term. The word plead here means "argument"; it
               suggests begging, beseeching. And that is a
               defensive mode.

               I believe our attitude must be stronger than that.
               We are warriors -- blood-bought, blood-saved, more
               than conquerors through Jesus Christ! We are not
               in a courtroom with the devil, pleading a case. No
               -- we are victors! Jesus has won the victory for
               us; His blood has prevailed. And I believe our
               battle cry should be, "I proclaim the victory of
               the blood of Jesus! I am blood-washed,
               blood-bought, blood-justified, blood- safe,
               blood-ransomed. And I proclaim the victory of the
               blood of Jesus!"

            3. When you are so secure in the cleansing,
               justifying power of the blood that your conscience
               no longer condemns you, you can know you've been
               sprinkled.

               Your conscience does an evil work when it does not
               wake you or stir you to obedience to the gospel.
               It does evil when it unnecessarily condemns you,
               accuses you, constantly reminds you of how you
               failed God, causes depression and fear.

               But when you fully rest in the cleansing,
               justifying power of the blood of Jesus -- when you
               take command of your conscience in the Spirit --
               your conscience is no longer an accuser, but,
               rather, does its work properly. When the devil
               rises up with an evil accusation, your conscience
               proclaims the victory of the blood!

               "Let us draw near with a true heart in full
               assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled
               from an evil conscience..." (Hebrews 10:22).

          A peaceful, purged conscience is a sign of being
          sprinkled with His blood!

                      -------------------------------

                          3. What Are the Benefits
                          That Flow From the Blood
                         of Jesus, Once Your Heart
                            Has Been Sprinkled?

                      -------------------------------

             * Jesus' blood redeems us from sin and the power of
               darkness.

          "In whom we have redemption through his blood..."
          (Ephesians 1:7).

          We are no longer under condemnation or fear!

          A lot of people have been redeeemed and justified by
          the blood -- but they don't know it, because they live
          in fear and condemnation. They've given faith to the
          Lord -- but they haven't entered into the glory of
          being justified by the blood.

          They're like a man who has built up a huge debt and
          can't pay it. The man's wealthy boss comes along and
          pays the bill without telling his employee -- then
          calls him in to give him the good news.

          The man sits down, is handed the dossier of debts, and
          flips through the pages to see the list of bills he has
          accumulated. He thinks, "I'll never be able to pay all
          this. They're going to throw me in jail!"

          When the CEO sees the man's fearful countenance, he is
          perplexed. He says, "Excuse me -- did you look at page
          one?" The man flips back to the first page, which
          reads: "Paid in full."

          Many Christians are just like this man: They don't know
          their sin has been covered, paid in full! We have to
          enter into that knowledge by faith in order to have the
          benefit -- which is peace with God!

             * Jesus' blood has purchased the whole church of
               God.

          "...feed the church of God, which he hath purchased
          with his own blood" (Acts 20:28).

          Christ's church is not for sale! Forget the idea of
          Satan bringing down His church. Don't wring your hands
          and moan, "Oh, no, the church is going to hell." No --
          it is going to heaven! Why? It has been blood-bought
          for eternity!

             * Jesus' blood breaks down all walls.

          "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off
          are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our
          peace, who hath made both one, and broken down the
          middle wall of partition between us" (Ephesians
          2:13-14).

          At Times Square Church, this has great meaning. More
          than seventy nationalities worship here, but our church
          has no walls, no nationalities. We are all one in
          Christ -- a blood-sprinkled church. Indeed, those who
          are blood-sprinkled no longer have any walls. They've
          all come down!

             * Jesus' blood sanctifies us.

          "...the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from
          all sin" (1 John 1:7).

          This ought to put a big faith-smile on your face. You
          are sanctified -- sprinkled clean! This is a continuing
          work of the Spirit.

             * Christ's blood overcomes Satan and puts him to
               flight.

          "And they overcame him [the devil] by the blood of the
          Lamb, and by the word of their testimony..."
          (Revelation 12:11).

          What is the word of the testimony? It is simply this:
          "I believe in the blood! I testify to the prevailing,
          overcoming power of the blood of Jesus -- and I
          proclaim its total victory!"

          If you want to overcome the devil, stand on the blood
          -- and proclaim its power!

             * The blood gives us access to the Holy of Holies --
               to our heavenly Father -- without reproach.

          "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the
          holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Hebrews 10:19).

          We are to come to our Father boldly -- without fear!

                      -------------------------------

                         4. What Does God Expect of
                          Us Once We Are Sprinkled
                         With the Blood of Jesus?

                      -------------------------------

          Are we obligated in any way by this sprinkling? Yes --
          very much so! If we have been sprinkled by the blood of
          Jesus, we are commanded to do two things:

          1. We are to go in peace -- and doubt no more!

          When Moses sprinkled blood on the sinning Israelites,
          they never once doubted they were pardoned and accepted
          by God. They trusted in that sprinkling!

          Today, the blood sprinkled on us is not that of bulls,
          goats or sheep -- but of Christ, the Lamb of God. And
          yet we have more doubt, more fear than those
          Israelites!

          Martin Luther said it is blasphemy to take back to
          ourselves all the sins that were laid on Christ. I
          agree! It is absolute sacrilege to go about in fear,
          guilt, condemnation -- to say, "The Bible says that by
          faith I am cleansed, justified and protected from
          Satan's power -- yet I can't believe such a glorious
          thing is possible!"

          2. We are to praise God with a thankful heart -- never
          doubting!

          We are commanded to thank God for the precious blood of
          Jesus, with high praises:

             * "...we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus
               Christ, by whom we have now received the
               atonement" (Romans 5:11).

             * "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice ye righteous:
               and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in
               heart" (Psalm 32:11).

             * "Blessed is the people that know the joyful
               sound..." (89:15).

             * "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall
               be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with
               the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with
               the robe of righteousness..." (Isaiah 61:10).

          Proclaim the victory of Jesus' blood in your life. And
          begin praising Him now for the promise of that great
          day of redemption ahead.

          Amen!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

          This material is solely for personal use and is not to
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          on its web page. You are free to download, copy, print
          and distribute this material, so long as you do not
          post it on a different Internet site. You may, however,
          link this site to reference these messages.

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