“Wonder-Working Power” FBC Morning Light (10/25/2023)

Well, good Wednesday morning to you. Today we're finishing up in our Bible reading the book of Jeremiah, chapters 51 and 52, and then also reading

Hebrews chapter 9, and rounding out our reading today with Ecclesiastes chapter 11, a poetical book.

By the way, we're getting to the near the end of our reading in the poetry books, another chapter in Ecclesiastes, and then the

Song of Solomon, and then we'll be done for the year with poetry books. Well, anyway,

I want to focus on Hebrews 9 today, and as I read this, I was reminded of an old gospel song entitled

Power in the Blood. It goes like this, would you be free from your burden of sin? There's power in the blood.

There's power in the blood. Would you or evil or victory win? There's wonderful power in the blood.

And then the chorus, I remember the chorus because it's very lively, and it's got these echoes in it, and it goes, there is power, and so as the congregation is singing, most are singing, there's power, and then some of them, men or whatever, echo power.

There's power, power, power, power, wonder -working power in the blood of the Lamb. There's power, power, power, power, wonder -working power in the precious blood of the

Lamb. Okay, the old gospel song, it's not in too many hymnals, but I remember it from my childhood.

Well, what is the basis for that hymn? Where does it come from? Why is it described as the wonder -working power of the blood of the

Lamb? It comes from Hebrews chapter 9. We see the theme of this chapter, chapter 9, the blood of Christ, as the high priest, the great high priest, who sacrificed not the blood of animals and of goats and so forth, of bulls and goats, but his own blood.

We see this in verses 11 and 12, it says, Christ came as a high priest of the good things to come, and then verse 12 says, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood he entered the most holy place once for all.

And what did this blood do? It says, having obtained eternal redemption.

And then he draws a comparison, or a contrast, actually, with the Old Testament sacrifices, and he says in verse 11, if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, okay, let's pause there a minute, he's referring to the

Old Testament sacrificial system, and there was this elaborate system of offering the blood of bulls and goats, and taking the ashes of the heifer and sprinkling and so forth.

And following that prescription in the Old Testament sacrifices would result in a temporary cleansing from sin, but it was temporary, it had to be repeated over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Every year on the Day of Atonement, this was a major day in the

Hebrew calendar for the atoning of sin. But this passage is telling us that Christ became a high priest of better things, and the better thing is eternal redemption, the offering of his blood once for all, and never having to offer another sacrifice.

So this passage goes on to say that because of what Christ has done, he is the mediator of a new covenant in verse 15, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

And in verse 24 it says, Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, again a reference to the

Old Testament, a tabernacle and then the temple, which are copies of the true, but he has entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

Not that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters the most holy place every year with the blood of another, again a reference to that Old Testament system.

Christ doesn't do that, because it says then he would have to suffer often since the foundation of the world.

But now, now, once at the end of the ages, once at the end of the ages, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

So Christ, in his blood, has offered a sacrifice that is so powerful that it only has to be offered once.

Would you be free from your burden of sin? There's power in the blood to free you from that burden of sin.

There's wonder -working power in the precious blood of the Lamb. Has that blood been applied to your sin, that one -time sacrifice?

Has it brought forgiveness and pardon for you, your sin, for all eternity? Well, if so, you have a wonderful thing to look forward to.

The end of this chapter, chapter 9, ends this way. He says, and as it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.

And he says this, to those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time, apart from sin, he's going to appear a second time, not to deal with sin, not to offer another sacrifice for sin, like he did his first appearance.

He will appear the second time for salvation, to secure his people for all eternity when he comes for them in his return.

What a wonderful effect of the precious blood of the Lamb, the wonder -working power of the blood.

Let's give thanks for that work of Christ on the cross today. Our Father and our

God, we do thank you for the one -time sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, our great

High Priest, who offered himself once for all, for all time, for all who will come to him in faith.

Thank you for that wonder -working power of the precious blood of the Lamb. Bless these thoughts to our hearts today, we pray, and we ask it in Jesus' name and for his sake.

Amen. All right, well listen, I hope you have a good rest of your Wednesday, the Lord will bless you in it.