A number of Christians today are not experiencing victory in their Christian walk because they have no faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore, in this series on the blood of Jesus, we want to build our faith in the blood of Jesus through a diligent search of the Scriptures (Col. 1:14; 1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Pet. 18-19; Rev. 5:9).
In Romans 10:17 the Bible says, “…Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
Today, we are going to start by looking at “THE SEVEN PLACES JESUS BLED FOR YOU AND I.”
From the Scriptures we establish that Jesus shed His precious blood to redeem man. Many think that Jesus shed His blood for us at the cross of Calvary only. But this is not true. Jesus shed His precious blood for us not once but seven times. Jesus shed His precious blood for us:
- At the circumcision (Gen. 17:1-12; Lev. 12:3; Lk. 1:59-60). What was redeemed here? The blessing upon you will catch up with your posterity as you circumcise your heart.
- At the Garden of Gethsemane (Lk. 22:44). What was redeemed here? Our will power!
- At the humiliation (Isa. 50:6; Lam. 3:30). This blood made a way for us to have the boldness to go to the very throne of God where we can now see Him face to face.
- At the whipping post (Matt. 27:26; Isa. 52:14; 53:4-5; Matt. 8:17; 1 Pet. 2:24; Jam. 5:14-16). What was redeemed there? Our health!
- At the crowning with thorns (Jn. 19:2). What was redeemed there? Our prosperity.
- At the nailing to the Cross (Ps. 22:16; Col. 2:14-15). What was redeemed here? The power to succeed, prosper and the ability to receive spiritual inheritance.
- At the piercing of the side with a spear (Jn. 19:32-34). What was redeemed here? Wholeness of heart and fullness of joy.
1. At the circumcision. The first place Jesus bled for me was when He was circumcised. Circumcision is the removal of all or part of the foreskin from the genitals.
Luke 2:21 says, “And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, His name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before He was conceived in the womb.”
One of the ceremonies that Jewish families went through soon after a baby’s birth is the Circumcision of the baby. Every boy was circumcised and named on the eighth day after birth (Lev. 12:3; Lk. 1:59-60). Circumcision symbolized the Jews’ separation from Gentiles and their unique relationship with God. Notice that the site of circumcision is the organ for reproduction. That implies that the blessings upon you as a result of your seed will catch up with your posterity. The Jews are still reaping from the seed Abraham sowed.
2. At the Garden of Gethsemane. The second place Jesus bled for me was at the Garden of Gethsemane before His betrayal. At the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus sweated heavy drops that were like blood (Lk 22:44, NASB). Bloody sweat is a rare medical condition. It is thought to result from haemorrhage of small blood vessels into the sweat glands. It occurs only in extreme emotional stress.
Certainly, Jesus was seriously emotionally stressed because of our sins. Because of the fall of Adam (Gen 3:17-19) God cursed the ground and said that man shall eat bread by the sweat of his face. But after the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane during which He shed those drops of blood, we no longer eat bread by the sweat of our face. Rather we eat bread by the grace (unmerited favour) of God. It is no longer by labour, but by favour. As the blood of Jesus touched the ground at the Garden of Gethsemane, every curse pronounced on the ground was immediately cancelled. The blood of Jesus replaced the sweat man was supposed to sweat and brought us into the season of sweatless victory. Hallelujah.
3. At the humiliation. The 3rd place Jesus bled for me was during the humiliation. In Lamentations 3:30 the Bible says, “He giveth His cheek to him that smiteth Him: He is filled full with reproach.” Jesus gave His cheeks to those who pulled out His beards. As they pulled out His beards, blood was on His face.
This blood made a way for us to have the boldness to go to the very throne of God where we can now see Him face to face.
4. At the whipping post. The 4th place Jesus bled for me was when those wicked Roman soldiers flogged Him after tying Him to a whipping post (Isa 52:14; 53:4-5; Matt 8:17; 1 Pet 2:24). When He was flogged 39 stripes, I believe that for each stripe, when Jesus shouted a shout of pain, He was saying, “Cancer you are defeated, stroke you are defeated, epilepsy, asthma, malaria, migraine, arthritis etc you are defeated.”
The Roman soldiers did not whip Him in the chest but at the back. Why? The chest represented the future, the things ahead. The back represented the past. Therefore, the greatest pain you have to endure is in your past already. Jesus was flogged and disfigured beyond recognition. In His suffering, the Messiah was so bruised, beaten, marred, disfigured, mutilated, injured, spat upon, torn apart, that His outward appearance was awful to behold (Isa. 52:14). His body was broken that ours might be put together. Jesus became so disfigured and destitute of His natural beauty and handsomeness that men were stricken with amazement, disgusted and heart-sick at what they saw.
5. At the crowning with thorns. The 5th place Jesus bled for me was when those wicked Roman soldiers cruelly drove the crown of thorns into His head. What is the significance of the crown of thorns of thorns? The crown of thorns symbolizes the curse of poverty. He took this curse for us, that we through His poverty might become rich. The ground was cursed when Adam and Eve disobey God – they moved out of the blessings of God. Jesus went to the cross to reconnect us to these blessings - the blessing of total prosperity (Jn. 19:2; Gen. 3:18).
God said cursed is the ground because you messed up. The soldiers desired to use the thorns, a product of the curse, to produce a crown. Because of the blood of Jesus, every curse in your life is changed to a crown.
6. At the nailing on the rugged cross. The 6th time Jesus bled for me was as the Roman soldiers drove those wicked nails into His hands and feet and nailed them to the cross (Col. 2:14-15). As Jesus was nailed to the cross, every petition the devil ever wrote against you was also nailed to that same cross. They nailed Him to the cross with 9-inch nails. They drove these nails through the palms of His hands and feet. Hands and feet are the symbols of economic strength. They are the symbols for work. The devil planned to keep Jesus out of work. But the devil made a grievous mistake in that wherever Jesus walked after that experience, there was a bloody footprint. Therefore, wherever you walk as a child of God, you are bound to record success in your life, in your business, your marriage etc. Whatever you touch is bound to come with profit, all because of the blood.
What is the significance of Jesus on the tree (cross) with the nails on His hands and feet? The significance is the blood dropping. Why? The blood was dropping so that “the blessing” might come upon the Gentiles (Gal. 3:13-14). So, the only way anyone can have access to “the blessing” is through the blood of Jesus Christ.
7. At the piercing at the side. The 7th place Jesus bled for me was when that Roman soldier pierced His side with a spear, a mixture of water and blood came flowing out from Emmanuel’s veins. For this kind of mixture to come out, it means that the person has been dead for at least 30 minutes. Now Jesus was already dead. What else did the Roman soldiers want from Him? They wanted to break His legs. The two thieves on the cross already had their legs broken. Pilate and the Jews wanted His legs broken but God blocked it. There are some things the devil had planned to happen to you but God blocked them (Isa. 54:15, 17). God did not want Jesus’ legs broken because He knew that Jesus had more work to do. Jesus is working all things everywhere right now for your own good.
This 7th time was the last time Jesus bled or will ever bleed for us. It is done! Seven is the number of God. Whatever you are going through right now, it is the last time it will ever happen in your life again. Affliction shall not arise a second time. You are going right away from crucifixion to resurrection because 7 is the number of completion. It is the conclusion of the matter! It is done!
Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!
- Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor).
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