THE POWER OF THE BLOOD!
Kay Keith Peebles 07/23/2021 21.28
The room was dimly lit. There was a hush of reverence as each team member entered to take communion before the revival meeting began. Our prayer time had ended and we were consecrating our hearts for what the Lord was going to do in the service. It was our job to intercede for those coming, serve those being baptized, and minister to those needing prayer. I was sitting at the table holding the communion wafer in my right hand while my eyes were transfixed on the cup of red juice nearby. It felt as if the heavens opened above me and the Spirit of Revelation expounded upon a greater understanding of communion while infusing it in my heart!
That which we do not reverence will quickly become a meaningless ritual.
That which we do not honor and adore will become ordinary and powerless.
The song “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus” came to mind. It was written by Robert Lowry and published in 1876. The Lord had given him the Revelation of the power of the Blood of Jesus! “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh! Precious is that flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.” (Research all the powerful verses.) Each of the verses are directly connected to the book of Isaiah 53. Lowry captured what the Prophet was declaring to the Israelites about the promised Messiah who was coming to heal the nation and the world! This song had to be a powerful healing balm to America, being published just 12 years after the Civil War.
“Who has given credence to what we have heard? And who has seen in it a revelation of Yahweh’s arm (He Who makes that which has been made, Elohim)? Like a sapling He (Jesus) grew up before Him (Father God), like a root in arid ground. He had no form or charm to attract us, no beauty to win our hearts; He was despised, the lowest of men, a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering, one from who, as it were, we averted our gaze, despised, for whom we had no regard. Yet ours were the sufferings He was bearing, ours the sorrows He was carrying, while we thought of Him as someone being punished and struck with affliction by God; whereas He was being wounded for our rebellions, crushed because of our guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on Him, and we have been healed by His bruises (stripes).” (Emphasis mine).
“We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and Yahweh brought the acts of rebellion of all of us to bear on Him…It was Yahweh’s good pleasure to crush Him with pain; if He gives His life as a sin offering, He will see His offspring and prolong his life, and through Him Yahweh’s good pleasure will be done. After the ordeal He has endured, He will see the light and be content. By His knowledge, the upright one, my servant will justify many by taking their guilt on Himself…for having exposed Himself to death and for being counted as one of the rebellious, whereas He was bearing the sin of many and interceding for the rebellious.” Isaiah 53:1-12 The New Jerusalem Bible.
Taking a closer look at Isaiah 53, let’s examine each of the terms of Jesus’ suffering to understand what He truly accomplished through his life, scourging, beatings and death on the cross.
“Surely He has borne our griefs”: sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses (AMPV), mental, physical.
“And carried our sorrows”:consuming grief, pain, distress, pains of punishment (AMPV).
“But He was wounded (to lay on blows which can cause death- Vines), for our transgressions”: an act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct, an offense.
“He was bruised (to crumble, beat to pieces- Strongs; break off pieces-scourging) for our guilt and iniquities”: lawlessness, wickedness- Vines; immoral or grossly unfair behavior.
“The chastisement(meted out corporal punishment, the infliction of evil and calamities-Vines) required for us to obtain peace”: (well, happy, friendly; health, prosperity-Strong’s) nothing missing, nothing lacking, nothing broken.
“By His stripes(a blow, wound-Vines)we are healed: made whole spiritually and physically (mentally), free from diseases and their effects-Vines.
Looking at the wafer and the cup of juice, I remembered the words of Jesus. “I am the Bread of Life [that gives life—the Living Bread]. Your forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and [yet] they died. [But] this is the Bread that comes down from heaven, so that [any]one may eat of it and never die. I [Myself] am this Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever; and also the Bread that I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh (body)…And Jesus said to them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, you cannot have any life in you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood [unless you appropriate His life and the saving merit of His blood]. He who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has (possesses now) eternal life, and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day.” John 6:48-54.
Do we really believe Jesus’ death truly paid for our forgiveness and freedom from the guilt and shame of our sin? Did His blood and broken body provide for our complete wholeness? Are we truly applying our faith in what He accomplished in His suffering and crucifixion when we take communion, or has it become a ritual with casual thought and no power? Do we seriously believe that by His stripes we were/are healed in mind, body and spirit? Do we have understanding of the true power in the blood that Jesus shed for us? I must confess I hadn’t seen the fullness of it until I got this revelation.
The Apostle Paul addressed the subject of taking communion in 1 Corinthians 11. In the context of the scripture Paul is admonishing the people because they were taking communion selfishly, disagreeing, and were not courteous toward others. I believe the Lord is also speaking of our mental attitudes when we take communion and it is to our benefit to hear what the Lord is saying within these verses.
“For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are representing and signifying and proclaiming the fact of the Lord’s death until He comes [again]. So then whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a way that is unworthy [of Him] will be guilty of [profaning and sinning against] the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and [only when he has done] so should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discriminating and recognizing with due appreciation that [it is Christ’s] body, eats and drinks a sentence (a verdict of judgment) upon himself. That [careless and unworthy participation] is the reason many of you are weak and sickly, and quite enough of you have fallen into the sleep of death. For if we searchingly examined ourselves [detecting our shortcomings and recognizing our own condition], we should not be judged and penalty decreed [by divine judgment]. But when we [fall short and] are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined and chastened, so that we may not [finally] be condemned [to eternal punishment along] with the world.” 1 Corinthians 11:26-32
That is a powerful and eye-opening statement! Paul is saying that if we take communion asking for our own forgiveness but harbor un-forgiveness, bitterness or resentment toward another, we could be judged in our bodies with sickness, bondage and or pain. That doesn’t mean every believer who is in pain or sick has done so but some may be experiencing that judgment in their bodies. Healing is the children’s bread. See Matthew 15:22-29. The Israelites were healed the entire 40 years in the wilderness. Healing was a promise in the Blessing God gave Moses for the people in Deuteronomy Chapter 28. Sickness is a part of the curse in the same chapter! Bondage and captivity is also a part of the curse but freedom is a part of the blessing.
It is good for us to carefully examine the benefits of communion and the power of the blood of Jesus so that we can compare our situation to see if there could be some area we are not living correctly which is blocking our breakthrough. Unbelief in the power of communion and its benefits can also be a cause for our sicknesses and bondages. Our faith, trust and obedience are necessary for us to live and maintain the wholeness, peace and prosperity the Lord promised His people.
Through one man, the first Adam, sin, death and destruction came into the world. Through one man, the second Adam Jesus, forgiveness, life, peace, wholeness and blessing was bought back through the shedding of His perfect, holy blood. The world will not be flawless until Jesus returns, but I dare say we have not begun to tap into our potential, freedom, healing and blessing He provided for us!
Lord, forgive us for not understanding the power of communion and the blood You shed for our redemption. Remove the veil of deception the enemy has placed upon our eyes blinding us from Your great love and provision which You gave us through the shedding of Your blood. We cry for mercy for those times we begged to be forgiven yet we failed to forgive others their trespasses against us. We thank you for the un-imaginable sacrifice You made in living and dying for our sins in order to redeem us from our transgressions and restore us unto new life!
There is truly power in the blood of Jesus! There is life in the blood of Jesus. There is healing, forgiveness, reconciliation and freedom in the blood of Jesus! There is hope, restoration and communion in the blood of Jesus. Our blood covenant with Jesus gives us all the benefits of the Kingdom of Heaven and places us seated with Him in heavenly places. All victory is ours through the blood of Jesus. “Oh, precious is that flow that washes white as snow. No other fount I know nothing but the blood of Jesus”!
