Hebrews There is Power in the Blood

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Hebrews 9:14 “ The Power of the Blood of Jesus Christ”

“ There is Power in the Blood”
Lew­is E. Jones,1865-1936.  attended Moody Bible Institute, a class mate of Billy Sunday.  Did you know that one of our Bishops of the Reformed Episcopal Church was President ?  Bishop William Culbertson.  Jones wrote hundreds of hymns. 1899. Jones wrote this song at a camp meet­ing at Mount­ain Lake Park, Mar­y­land.
Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful power in the blood.
Refrain
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.
Would you be free from your passion and pride?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide;
There’s wonderful power in the blood.
Refrain
Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Sin stains are lost in its life giving flow.
There’s wonderful power in the blood.
Refrain
Would you do service for Jesus your King?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you live daily His praises to sing?
There’s wonderful power in the blood.
I  could not get this tune out of my mind as I was thinking about Hebrews 9, “ How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”  There is another hymn that says, “ What can take away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus” written by Robert Lowry in 1876  Hebrews 10:11 “ and every priest stand daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.”   Vs 12 tells us “ but this Man , after He had offered on sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” 
No matter how much we try we cannot push our way into heaven by our own good thoughts , deeds or sacrifices.  Being nice will not get us there either and trying to persuade someone else with something other than the One Man or the One Sacrifice will not either.  Nothing but the blood of Jesus can say, “ Peace within”.
A reason for turning our lives around is Hebrews 9:14, “ How much more shall the blood of Christ …purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”  The incentive of the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf is a prominent and primary reason to live holy lives.
In Hebrews chapter 9 is reviewed the beauty of the old covenant.  “ The first covenant had ordinances of divine service” There was the sanctuary of the table.  The second veil though was the “ Holiest of all” which had the ark of the Covenant and the tables of the covenant ( 10 cmdts) where the high priest went once a year with blood on what was called the “ Day of Atonement”.  I have never forgotten at our little chapel in the army where orthodox jewish services were held that they did that.  But I wondered why there was no sacrifice.  It seemed very solemn yet empty and quite sad.  Yet they did it in their faith without the blood of Jesus which was not enough. 
No work or faith can make substitute for the eternal sacrifice of the blood of Jesus Christ.  There is power in the blood.  As the hymn said, “ wonder working in the blood of the lamb…there is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the lamb.”
Not by the blood of bulls and calves which can never take away sins.  That is why the sacrifice has to be repeated.  But Christ has “ obtained eternal redemption for us”  You need not see a repetition of that sacrifice.  “ But this Man after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God. “ 10:4  “ We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” 10:10 No other absolution can give us eternal life on our journey to heaven.  We cannot offer our good deeds as a substitute on our way to heaven. “ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” John 3:6  Apart from the cross there is no life.
There is power in the blood of Jesus Christ.  Let us never forget that.

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