Benefits of the blood of Christ
The main purpose for which Jesus came was to shed His blood. As the old hymn said, “There is power, power, and wonder working power in the blood of the lamb.” There are numerous benefits in Jesus’ blood. Let me share a few of them. As I share them, think about how you should apply them, in faith, to your life. The benefits are there but they do us little good unless we apply them. The bible says, “For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them; but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Hebrews 4:2). Apply faith to the good news you hear from this message.
Cleansing and Forgiveness (1 John 1:7). When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, His blood immediately cleanses all your sins. You are clean! As righteous, in God’s sight, as Jesus Himself. God looks at you through Jesus’ righteous blood. Not only has that but His blood automatically cleansed you whenever you sin. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light.” Walking in the light doesn’t mean we are walking in perfect righteousness. If that were the case, we would not need cleansing. It is walking in the light of His exposure. Our life constantly exposed, not trying to hide anything from God (1 John 1:9).
Redemption (Ephesians 1:7 & 1 Peter 1:18-19). Redemption means to buy back. We were sold in slavery to sin and under Satan’s control. When Jesus shed His blood for our sins and we apply it to our life, we are set free from the power of sin and Satan. The bible says, “who has translated (transferred or delivered) us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). You were purchased by the blood of Jesus.
Deliverance – (Ephesians 1:7). The word in verse seven can also be translated deliverance. We were sold into slavery and Jesus purchased our deliverance by His own precious blood. Deliverance has to do with more than being delivered from sin and Satan. It is being delivered from all that was in the curse. When Israel left Egypt the angel of death passed over all who applied the blood to their door posts. They not only were delivered from death and the bondage of Pharaoh but they left with much of Egypt’s riches (Exodus 12:31-36). Praise God there is delivering power in His blood. Whatever you may be struggling with, claim the delivering power of His blood right in your situation.
Life –Leviticus 17:11. “The life of the flesh is in the blood.” Even so, our spiritual and natural life is in His blood. This is why Jesus said, I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly. Our life is in His blood. Let’s stop letting life beat us down and claim the life He purchased for us on Calvary.
Victory (Revelation 12:11). There are many scripture pertaining to victory for the believer (Romans 8:37; 1 John 4:4; 5:4-5). In Revelation 12:11 there is a three step process to victory. The first of which is the blood of the lamb. “They overcame him (Satan – the Anti Christ) by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death”. This was referring to believers in the midst of the tribulation period. A time when evil is let loose on this world in full force. (Sound Familiar?) Our world is going through a lot of turmoil at this time as well. As blood washed believers, let’s claim the victory provided for us through Jesus’ blood.
Access (Romans 5:2). We were separated from God because of sin. Access is right of entry through the favor of another. Because of Jesus’ flesh being torn and His blood shed, the veil that kept man out of the presence of God was ripped into providing access to all. All who come to God, through the blood of Jesus, have access into His presence. Let’s take advantage of this divine privilege purchased for us at such a great price.
Wholeness (Isaiah 53:3-5 Exodus 15:26). Though the blood is not mentioned in these verses the context signifies His blood being shed. “By His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). The entire context implies more than mere physical and spiritual healing but emotional and mental healing as well. Exodus 15:26 was also in the context of the Passover blood (Exodus 12). Jesus became our Passover lamb. Let’s claim the complete wholeness He has provided for us through His blood.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, please forgive us for not applying all the benefits of your shed blood to our lives. Right now I apply your blood to the door post of my heart and claim all the benefits thereof. Help us to stand in faith and apply these benefits to our life in every situation of life. In Jesus name, Amen!
Benefits of the Word of God – Part 1
The Word of God will benefit us in more ways than we can possibly count. The writer of Hebrews says, “The Word of God is alive and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). What is so great about the bible is that it is not just some ordinary book but it is the living Word, inspired by God almighty. It is literally “God breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). It will do for you what no other book or anything else will do. It is the very Word of God spoken to man. It was written by men but God is the author. Peter said, “Holy men spoke (wrote) as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). If the Word is going to be of full benefit to us, there are at least eight prerequisites that we must apply.
Prerequisites to the Word being of full benefit in our lives:
It must first be used in our own personal re-creation process. Peter said, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, by the word of God which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23). When the word is preached, we are convicted of sin (John 16:8-9), see our need of Christ, accept Him as our Lord and Savior, His Spirit enters us, unites with our human spirit and brings it to life. Without this taking place, none of the benefits of the Word applies to us.
We must read it. “Blessed is he that reads” (Revelations 1:3). So many born again believers (Christians) seldom open the pages of God’s word. It may be laying on our coffee table looking nice but we never pick it up, dust it off, open its pages and begin reading. The blessings of the bible are only there for those who read it. When is the last time we read our bible?
Listening to the Word being taught and preached. “Blessed is he that reads and they that hear the words of this prophecy” (Revelation 1:3). Hearing the Word has to do with being taught and/or hearing it preached. That is why church is so important. If we are to receive the full blessing from the Word of God we have to sit under it being proclaimed. This is the context in which Paul said our faith is able to grow (Romans 10:13-17).
Doers of the Word. “Blessed is he that reads and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand” (Revelation 1:3). In order to have the Word of God be of full benefit in our lives we have to put it into practice. When we put the Word into practice we are promised we will be blessed in all we do (James 1:25 and Joshua 1:8). Otherwise, we are just deceiving ourselves (James 1:22).
Meditating on the Word. We are to make the Word of God our meditation day and night (Psalms 1:2-3, Joshua 1:8). The only meditation we are encouraged to do is on God and His Word. There may be times we take one verse or phrase and maul it over and over in our mind. This takes place, at least in part, when we are memorizing scripture.
Memorizing the word. There is something about hiding the Word of God in your heart. There is so much about this in the bible, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart” (Psalms 119:11); “I have written unto you young men because you are strong and the Word of God abides in you” (1 John 2:14); “If you abide in me and my words abide in you” (John 15:7). I could go on and on. If the Word is in us it’s more than a casual reading. We know it and can pull it out at any time. I challenge you to begin putting the Word to memory. It will be the best thing you will ever do.
It must be mixed with faith. The writer of Hebrews says, the Word preached will not profit us until we mix it with faith (Hebrews 4:2). When we hear or read the word we have to exercise faith by applying it. Whenever God shows you something through the Word it is imperative that you step out in faith, in some way, and apply it to your life. Otherwise, the Word profits us nothing.
Use it. The bible likens itself to a sword (Hebrews 4:12 and Ephesians 6:17). It is part of the armor of God. It is our main offensive weapons. A soldier, with a sword (rifle in our day), must use it for it to benefit him. If a soldier was in the midst of a battle, with enemy soldiers coming at him, and he failed to use his sword he wouldn’t last very long. Jesus used His sword in the temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Every time the devil came at him He drew His sword and used it. Because of this the devil left him (Luke 4:13). Let’s study and hide the Word of God deep within our hearts and use it. End.
Benefits of the Word – Part 2
The teaching on Benefits of the Word part 1 dealt with prerequisites to the Word of God benefiting our lives. God wants His Word to benefit us. This is precisely why He gave it to us. In Benefits of the Word part 1 we saw, at it’s conclusion, that in order for the Word of God to be of full benefit we must not only know it’s content but we must use it. If we will study His Word, put it into practice and use it we will find it to be of immeasurable benefit. Isaiah said that when His Word is used properly it would not return to Him void but would accomplish the very purpose for which He sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11).
Benefits of the Word:
Answered prayer (John 15:7 and Proverbs 28:9). Jesus said that if we would continue in a vital relationship with Him and His Word remained in us we could ask for whatever we wanted and it would be granted. Now, if we consider that His Word is in us, we must conclude that we would be praying in accord or consistent with His word and will (1 John 5:14-15). On the other hand, The wise man wrote that whoever turned their ear away from hearing His Word, their prayer would be an abomination to God (Proverbs 28:9).
Victory over sin (Psalms 119:9 and 11; 1 John 2:14; John 8:31-32; Psalms 37:31). His Word abiding deep within us makes us aware of sin, spiritually strong and keeps us from sliding down the slippery slope of sin. It doesn’t mean we will never fail but we won’t continue to slide downward. We will be able to rise up victorious over our failure. I believe that was one of the main reasons Peter was able to rise up after his denial victoriously and minster with power on the day of Pentecost (approximately fifty days after his failure). Someone once said, “This book will keep one from sin as sin will keep you from this book.”
Spirit filled (controlled) living (Ephesians 5:18-19 and Colossians 3:16). There are myriads of teachings on how to be filled with the Holy Spirit, which is another teaching altogether. Suffice it to say, there is no easy step to getting and staying full of God’s Spirit short of time with Him in prayer and the Word. If you notice the context of both passages above, they are both nearly identical. One refers to being filled with the Spirit and the other to letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. The obvious conclusion would be that a major key to being filled and remaining full of the Holy Spirit is to saturate ourselves with His Word.
The Word brings purpose to life (John 17:17-18). Jesus prayed, in His high priestly prayer, that God would sanctify us through His Word. He went on to say, “As you have sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:17-18). Jesus came into the world with purpose. Even so, as we get into His Word we will begin to find purpose in Him. Sanctification is not only setting us apart from sin but it is also setting us apart unto His divine purpose. If you want to know His purpose for your life, get into the Word of God until He reveals it to you. It may not come all at once but one step at a time. In this way, we are able to show ourselves faithful and we are not overwhelmed by the revelation of His will (Purpose) all at once.
Spiritual Growth (Romans 10:17 and 1 Peter 2:2). We simply cannot grow spiritually apart from the Word. If we do not eat we not only do not grow but we’ll eventually die. We grow from the Word in two ways:
–Spiritual Maturity. Peter said that we must desire the milk of the Word in order to grow in respect to our salvation but we can’t stop with milk. We only grow so far on milk. We must begin to eat solid food as well if we are to grow unto maturity (1 Corinthians 3:1-2 and Hebrews 5:12-14).
-Faith. Most would love to have more faith. Even the disciples desired this (Luke 17:5). One of the major ways for us to grow our faith is through time in the Word or time with the Word in us. Paul said, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word” (Romans 10:17). It is interesting that it says hearing. Our faith will never grow sufficiently through personal study alone. The context refers to the proclaimed Word (Romans 10:13-17). If we are to grow our faith we must spend adequate time in the Word personally and hearing it proclaimed – church!
Fruitfulness (Psalms 1:2-3). How many of us desire to be spiritually fruitful? The Psalmist gives us a picture of a tree planted near a river with its roots going deep into the ground and drinking of it’s water. The result was fruitfulness. As we immerse ourselves in the Word and are filled with His Spirit (read point three) fruitfulness is the natural result. This is the purpose for which Jesus chose us for Himself (John 15:16).
I will conclude this series on the benefits of the Word next time. In the meantime, let’s repent of our negligence and ask God to give us a hunger and thirst for His Word like never before. Don’t stop there – discipline yourself to daily time of diligent study and intake of His Word, along with weekly times of hearing the Word proclaimed.
Benefits of the Word – Part 3
As we continue on in this series it must be noted that God’s Word is the foundation for all faith and practice. Our lives and beliefs must be founded on His Word. If what we believe and stand for is not grounded in the Word we are standing on sinking sand (Matthew 7:24-27). Let’s go on and explore the remainder of its benefits.
Defeats the powers of darkness (Matthew 4:3-11; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5). The Word of God is the main offensive weapon for believers. If we want to have victory over the enemy we will do so through the Word. Make no mistake about it, we are in a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12). Jesus said that Satan desired to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31). His desire is nothing less toward us. Jesus used the Word to defeat Satan and so must we. The Word equips us and makes us strong for the battle (1 John 2:14). We must use the Word if we are to have victory over the enemy. Knowing it isn’t enough. A sword must be drawn and used or it benefits us nothing.
Brings success to life (Joshua 1:8; Psalms 1:2-3; James 1:25). God told Joshua the Word was not to depart from his mouth and he was to observe to do according to all that is written therein (Joshua 1:8). The principles in the Word works. God promises that if we will continue in the Word and put it into practice we will be blessed in all that we do (James 1:25). Lets make the Word of God our meditation day and night (Psalms 1:2-3).
Equips us to be competent counselors (Romans 15:14; 2 Timothy 3:16). True biblical counseling is listening to a person’s problems or struggles and applying God’s Word to them. Moses said concerning the children of Israel, “When they have a dispute; I judge between a man and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and His laws” (Exodus 18:16). This is exactly how we are to counsel. When I was first saved, God laid it on my heart to know His Word. So that if anyone ever had a problem I could give them what He said about their situation and not just what I think. What I think does a person little good but what God says is of infinite value. It’s the Word that has the power to change lives.
When used it brings the purposes of God to pass (Isaiah 55:10-11). Don’t be afraid to use the Word and speak it out loud. God’s spoken Word is powerful – use it. When going through difficulties, claiming a promise or ministering to someone speak forth His Word. He promises it will not return to Him void or empty. It will accomplish His purpose. As rain watering seed sown in the ground, it may take a season to come to fruition but it will. When the Word is spoken it is released into the spiritual realm or into a person’s life and continues working until it fulfills His plan and purpose.
It’s a cleansing agent (Ephesians 5:25-27; John 15:3). The Word has a cleansing effect in our lives. Have you ever done something wrong? You confessed it as sin and knew God had forgiven you (1 John 1:9) but still felt guilty and dirty? It’s during those times we need to get into the Word and it will cleanse us. The Word is both a mirror showing us our sin (James 1:23-24) and a wash basin to cleanse us from impurities.
It gives comfort and hope (Romans 15:4; Hebrews 6:17-20). Many can testify to being down, discouraged and feeling hopeless, opening the Word or hearing a message and as a result being filled with hope, comfort and encouragement. During times of despair we usually don’t feel like reading the Word but this is exactly when we really need to. When your feeling down and hopeless get into the Word and let God minister hope and encouragement to you.
It gives guidance and direction to life (Psalms 119:105). The Psalmist said, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105). It gives direction and guidance to our lives. The Word shines light on our path so we will know the direction we need to go. It doesn’t necessarily show us where to go and what to do way out into the future. Notice it says His Word shines light on our path. Light shines on our path only so far out in front of us. As we continue walking forward it continues to shine out in front of us as we walk ahead. We must continue to walk in the light we have before receiving any additional light (Matthew 25:29).
Joy (Jeremiah 15:16). Jeremiah says God’s Word was the joy and rejoicing of his heart. Why? Because he is called by His name. I wonder about those who claim to be called by His name and yet have no desire for His Word. His Word should be the joy and rejoicing of our heart. He apparently did more than a casual reading of the Word in that he said he ate it. In other words, he devoured it. Let’s devour the Word and absorb it into our very being. When we do so we will find it filling us with “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8).
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