Derek Prince - The Blood Of Jesus Is Pleading For Us In Heaven
This is a clip from the full sermon: How To Apply The Blood Of Jesus
We want to talk about just two more effects of the blood of Jesus. The sixth one is intercession. We’ll turn to Hebrews 12 and we’ll read verses 22-24. Hebrews 12:22. I want you to notice the tense. It begins with the words: we have come. We’re not going to come. In the Spirit, not in the flesh, but in the Spirit we have come. We have come to Mount Zion, that’s number one. Number two, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Not the earthly Jerusalem, but the heavenly Jerusalem.
Number three, an innumerable company of angels. And I prefer the translation which says: in festal array. I can’t go into all the reasons why you can translate it either way. But I think the NIV says: an innumerable company of angels in festal array. They’ve put on their best clothes for our benefit. I mean, seeing an innumerable company of angels in any guise would be wonderful, but in festal array!
Ruth and I were in Belfast three years ago now and we were in a little group of leaders meeting in a home. And the presence of God moved in amongst us, as we humbled ourselves before the Lord and before one another. And for about ten minutes, Ruth saw an innumerable company of angels, just passing, passing, passing all the time. Then one of them came into the room. And after that, she closed her eyes. This is all within the bounds of our possible experience today. We’re no different from the people in the New Testament. They were no different from us. We have come to Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, an innumerable company of angels in festal array. The church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven. Those who’ve been born again, whose names are written in heaven.
Number five, God, the Judge of all. Thank God there’s more than God the Judge there, brothers and sisters. Otherwise we’d never make it. Number six, to the spirits of just men made perfect. I believe that’s the Old Testament saints, who through a lifetime walk of faith, achieved what we achieve through the new birth. What we don’t achieve through the new birth, what is given to us through the new birth. Number seven, to Jesus the mediator of the New Covenant. That’s why we can be there. If it were only God the Judge, we’d never get there. But with God the Judge there is also Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant. And finally, the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. The sprinkled blood of Jesus that speaks on our behalf in heaven, contrasted with the blood of Abel.
There are three main points of contrast. Abel’s blood was shed against his will. Jesus willingly gave His blood. Abel’s blood was sprinkled on earth. Jesus’ blood is sprinkled in the holiest of all. Abel’s blood called out for vengeance. Jesus’ blood pleads for mercy. This is such a beautiful revelation, I wouldn’t want any of you to be deprived of it. There are times when we are weak, when we’re under pressure, we just can’t pray. We just wonder if we’re going to be able to draw the next breath. It’s good to know at those times that the blood of Jesus sprinkled in the immediate presence of God is always speaking on our behalf. Calling out for mercy. Let’s make a little confession just to appropriate this truth.
I’ll do it, I haven’t thought this out in advance, but Thank you, Lord, that even when I cannot pray, the blood of Jesus is pleading for me in heaven. All right, are you ready to say that? Thank you, Lord, that even when I cannot pray... I thought you were going to say it after me, you are ahead of me. We say it together then. Thank you, Lord, that even when I cannot pray, the blood of Jesus is pleading for me in heaven. Let's say that once again, we weren't very certain. Thank you, Lord, that even when I cannot pray, the blood of Jesus is pleading for me in heaven. Amen.
And finally we have access through the blood of Jesus. These last two provisions of the blood take us out of the realm of time and into the heavenly and eternal realms. Which is where we want to end up anyhow. Turn back to Hebrews 10 verse 19 and following. Significantly, this verse has already been quoted in the worship this morning. I think that was part of God’s provision. Hebrews 10, beginning at verse 19: Therefore brethren, having boldness or confidence. The Greek word means freedom of speech.
It’s very important that our boldness gives us freedom of speech. In other words, let’s remember it’s our testimony. If we don’t testify we don’t have it. Therefore brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us through the veil, that is His flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near, that's into the holiest of all, with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Note the next words: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. Hebrews 3:1 says Jesus is the high priest of our confession. Hebrews 4:14 says hold fast your confession. But Hebrews 10:23 says hold it fast without wavering. What does that tell you? When you’re in an airplane and they say: Buckle your seatbelts, what do you expect? Turbulence, that’s right. When the word of God says: Make the confession, hold fast the confession and hold it fast without wavering, that’s like God saying: Buckle your seatbelts, because there will be turbulence. Don’t let it cause you to unbuckle your seatbelt. Keep on making the right confession. Even when it seems totally contrary to everything around you, God’s word is true. You’ll notice that we have access into the holiest by a new and living way.
Go back for a moment to the scene in Leviticus 16 where the high priest entered once every year and what did he do? He entered with a censer full of incense that cast a fragrant cloud and covered the mercy seat - that’s worship. But he also entered with the blood of the sacrifice and he sprinkled it seven times between the veil and the mercy seat. Once, twice, three times, four times five times, six times, seven times. And then he smeared it on the east side, the front side of the mercy seat. And when the writer of Hebrews says we have boldness through the blood of Jesus by a new and living way, he’s thinking about that seven-fold sprinkling of the blood and the blood on the mercy seat. We can approach the throne of Almighty God and the holiest place in the universe with boldness, because of the blood of Jesus. We have access.
What are we going to say about ourselves? Let’s say this. Thank you, Lord. I’ll say it first because I don’t even know what I’m going to say yet. Thank you, Lord, that through the sprinkled blood of Jesus I have access into the presence of Almighty God, into the holiest place in the universe. Do you think I can say that again? Let’s try. Thank you, God that through the sprinkled blood of Jesus I have access into your presence into the holiest place in the universe.