calvary

1 John 1:7 
Matthew 26:26-28
Hebrews 2:10-15
1 Peter 1:17-19  

Would you be free from the burden of sin?
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
Would you be free from your passion and pride?
Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide.
Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
Sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow.
There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r
In the blood of the Lamb
There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r
In the precious blood of the Lamb. 

I’ve just celebrated Resurrection Sunday as I write, the day marking Jesus’ triumph over death and the grave. This old hymn is especially poignant today. Tears of joy stream down my face when I sing this song today. Jesus was the Lamb who was willingly sacrificed for the sins of the world. But he did not remain in the tomb. Hallelujah! 

Jesus performed many miracles during his earthly ministry, including giving sight to the blind (John 9:1-25), making the lame walk (John 5:1-9), turning water into wine (John 2:1-11), and even resurrecting the dead (John 11:38-44)!
He was able to do these miracles because of the Power that He has as God the Son.
There is power in His blood. 

The same blood that dripped from His forehead where the thorns pierced His skin.
The same blood that splattered from His back as He was struck with whips,
then ran down His body from open wounds.
The same blood that leaked from His nail-pierced hands and feet,
and gushed with water from His side. 

This blood has power that none other has.
His blood was human, just like ours, but it was precious.
Precious because it was flawless.
This wasn’t about physical makeup,
it was about the fact that God Himself had become one of us. 

God Almighty had put on human flesh,
human blood ran through His veins,
human DNA spun through every cell.

Fully human, yet fully God, so that He could live the human life, just like us, with one very big exception: He did it perfectly on our behalf.
Perfectly obeying the Law of God, maintaining His holy righteousness before God the Father.
WHILE ALSO 
Taking the human consequence for all of humanity’s sin.
…you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 
but with the precious blood of Christ, 
like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb. 
(1 Peter 1:18-19)

Jesus, the unblemished and spotless lamb,
is the only One who has the power to forgive sins
because of His precious, sacrificial blood. 

In the Bible, Matthew chronicled an encounter that Jesus had with a paralyzed man. Instead of demonstrating healing of the paralysis by telling the man to walk,
Jesus first stated, “…your sins are forgiven.”
Jesus alone could say this because only Jesus has the power to set us free, cleanse us from sin, and make us whiter than snow. 

Do you wish for victory over an area of sin in your life? I know I do!
But I can’t do it in my own power…no matter how many good deeds I do,
or how obedient I think I am.
I can’t work my way to “forgiven.” (Oh, how I wish I could sometimes!)
Forgiveness from sin that separates you and me from a holy, righteous God
comes only through grace.
And grace comes only through the blood that was shed by Jesus.

If there’s anything in your life, dear one, that you’re trying to master but can’t…
Tap into the “wonder-working pow’r” of Jesus.
Since He conquered death and the grave, there’s nothing He can’t do!

But if you’re like me…. It’s easy to forget. 
The chaotic fast-paced rhythm of this life can easily trick us into thinking our agendas are more important than taking time each day to be with Jesus, time to be reminded of truth about His precious blood.

I can tell you from experience, sisters,
the more days you spend without Jesus, 
the harder it is to maintain this mad rush of hurry. 

We need this powerful truth of the gospel.
We need the reminder of His precious blood that forgives sins and gives us hope. 

And we need it every day.  

Jesus’ blood covers our sin, and with that gift of forgiveness comes the Holy Spirit to fuel and equip us to love others and live life to the fullness that Jesus has invited us into. The power of the blood does more than forgive sins, it brings eternal hope.

Because we are so apt to forget, 
it’s absolutely necessary to daily remind ourselves of the sweeping magnitude of God’s sacrifice by sending his Son to die in our place, taking the consequence for sin.
It’s only then does my heart swell with joy,
and my mouth burst forth with songs praising my Lord.
It’s only then do I long to give of myself all over again,
in order to share the love of Jesus with others.

His power forgives my sin, frees my heart, and fuels me to love! 

So sing it with me, ladies, and let’s rehearse this truth to ourselves each day:
There’s power in the blood of Jesus! 

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