September
2, 2017
Power in the Blood
Hebrews 13:20-21
“May God, who puts all things
together, make all things whole,
Who made a lasting mark through
the sacrifice of Jesus,
The sacrifice of blood that
sealed the eternal covenant
Who led Jesus, our Great
Shepherd, up and alive from the dead,
Now put you together, provide
you with everything you need to please him.
Make us into what gives him
pleasure,
By means of the sacrifice of
Jesus, the Messiah.
All glory to Jesus forever and
always!
Oh, yes, yes, yes!”
Just one week after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas many organizations
are looking for ways to help out. Just prior to the storm I was contacted by my
local blood center saying that it was time to give blood again since it has
been about 8 weeks since I gave last. They are always looking to take my blood,
not just because they are a blood center but because I have a rare blood type
that can be used in multiple applications.
Per my conversation with those at the blood center they told me
that they would be giving me a tee shirt for giving blood. I don’t really pay much
attention to what they give away as they have given me cooler bags and blankets
before, but this particular shirt peaked my interest once they gave it to me. As I read it, it took me back to an old hymn
that I probably haven’t heard in decades, but remember my mom singing when I
was a little boy. This is what the shirt read….
“The Power to Heal is in My Blood.”
As I sat there with my blood flowing into a bag, pondering this saying,
I could not help but think about that hymn my mother used to sing many years
ago…
“There is power, power wonder working power,
in the blood of the Lamb.
There is power, power wonder
working power in the precious blood of the Lamb!”
It is easy to forget the calling and power of those things we
do, but more importantly the things that God is doing through us and the
importance of giving that to others.
As I happened to take all of this in I needed to ask the
question “What is the true purpose of blood?” Now I know you cannot live
without blood, but why? What is so
important about it? So I looked it up and found out why blood is so important
to bringing life to our very being.
There are 3 main purposes of blood-
-
Blood allows for oxygen and nutrients
to be carried throughout the body. Without the appropriate levels of oxygen or
nutrients our bodies would start dying off.
-
Fascinating enough our body
produces platelets, which are found in our blood, for the purpose of carrying
off waste and bad cells that are throughout our bodies. It is a natural homeopathic
remedy to heal our bodies.
-
The third purpose of blood is to
create homeostasis. This means to bring life to our organs allowing them to
function together in the environment and purpose they were created to function.
As I thought about this a little further my mind raced about
many different things:
-
The importance of sacrifice in
the Jewish faith and why the Passover was so important.
-
Just how important the sacrifice
of Christ’s death was on the cross and His resurrection.
-
And how we can be like blood to
those in our surroundings.
First let me expound on the Jewish faith of Passover. The very
last plague God instituted against Egypt was the death of the firstborn. You
see the first born was the lifeline to both the heritage and future of a
family. Without the firstborn son the family would die off.
In order for the families of Israel to be protected they needed
to kill a lamb and paint the entrance of their homes with the blood. Back in those days blood too was consider very
holy and depending upon the animal the blood was even more sacred than others simply
because it meant life. In Exodus 12 though, scripture talks about the
significance of taking the blood and putting it on the door frame for their
protection.
Many may not understand the significance and symbolism of the
door. Doors where the entrance to a given building but the frame was (and still
is) comprised by three separate elements; two door jambs (one on either side)
and a lintel or header which is used to protect the weight that is over your
head. You see the header is there to give way to the path but the jamb is there
to transmit the weight coming down on the header to the foundation so the
opening is made without being crushed. Exodus 12 clearly talks both about the
header and the 2-jambs or door posts being covered by the blood, we cannot
understand the significance of the blood used for their protection. God spoken
those very three components to show the Israelites that He was going to be
their full protection; above them and beside them and as long as they move in
obedience the blood would give them life, protection and direction.
Unless you understand this concept you cannot fully understand
the second concept about Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Although the
church ties the two stories from the Old and New Testaments together very few
may pick up on even the symbolism there. First you have a crown which was
placed on his head causing blood to flow from above. Secondly you have two
posts from the cross which one held his arms as the other held his body. Both
posts were covered with His blood due to the severe beating He obtained. It is
through the cross (the door) where He shed His blood that we have been redeemed
and protected from the weight of sin and death.
All of this brings me to my final point of being like blood to
those in our surroundings. It is through the blood that life, healing and
oxygen are found. Likewise it was through the sacrifice that Christ did on the
cross that we find life (through salvation), healing through His sacrifice
(Isaiah 53:5-6) and our breath where He has made us whole.
As I pondered about this I remembered what Christ said before
His ascension to His disciples….
-
“Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father
is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see- these works. The
person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things,
because I, on my way to the Father, am
giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. From
now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll
do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who is in the Son. I mean it.
Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do. (John 14:12-14)
So if you align this with the power of the blood and our mission
we need to realize that we are like blood. We are called to breathe life into
people and their situations. We are called to bring healing in sickness and in
brokenness. We are called to flow out of the abundance of our faith so we can
grow and bring growth as God created us to be. When we do this through Christ
and move in obedience, having the lintel over our heads painted with the blood
of Christ to protect our minds and our ears and the posts (our right and our
left) to guard our heart and those who stand by our side. We can then find
ourselves in the center of what God designed us to be. We are called to bring
life!
CAL
