Stephanie Okafor - Jesus: His Sacrifice Explained

The spiritual realm is a legal realm. If you don't know God as a judge, you would lack in your understanding of him. If all you know God to be is father, it will not make sense to you when crying and good intentions don't work when those things don't move him. Because God is also a judge, and a judge proceeds over legal matters. A judge is not moved by emotions. They are moved by evidence and law. Welcome to blog pod with me Stephanie E. K okafor and this is your invitation to return to what matters the most, our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now today we're gonna be talking about the blood of Jesus, understanding his sacrifice. In episode one, I was teaching about when Jesus spoke of himself that he is the Way, the truth, the life. Now to further understand this because these are these are like the foundational concepts of our faith. When we say to someone that Jesus is the only way to God, right, Jesus is the only way that we can be reconciled back to God. These things could cause sometimes some barriers with people because the first thing everyone talks about is like, but what about this other religions and this and this and that. But we have to get back to truth, right, and so how do we explain further? We have to understand the sacrifice of his blood, right, And so, first of all, why blood? Now? The Bible is full of blood. The Bible talks about blood at least three hundred and sixty times it talks about blood. But here's the thing. It's not just this bloody book. You know. The Bible talks about blood because Leviticus seventeen eleven tells us that the life of the flesh is in the blood. Blood speaks to life. The Bible is a book of life. So it's no coincidence that we're gonna see so much blood right now. When you read the Old Testament, you know, you may wonder why is there so many animal sacrifices? Right again, why is there such an emphasis on blood? Then in the New Testament, you know, sometimes I don't know if you've asked yourself this question, but it's like, why did Jesus even have to die? Right? Why did God have to go through all this stuff to bring his only son to the earth and for him to die why was that the way in order for us to be reconciled back to Him? Right? And so from the animal sacrifices to the wants and for all sacrifice of Jesus, the mentioning and the evidence of blood is not random. There is something profound that it is going to teach us about God's holiness, his justice, and his love. Right. You see, sometimes when we open up the scriptures and there are things we don't understand, it's not for us to question it with doubt, right, Like, Okay, there's all these sacrifices, there's all these things, and we start looking at it from a lens of doubt. We have to humble ourselves and acts the Holy Spirit, open my heart, what are you teaching me about God through this? So when we see all this sacrifices, sacrifices, animals, bulls, goats, you know, all these things, we have to pause, humble ourselves and say, Holy Spirit, open my heart, what is it you want me to learn about God through this? So let's get to the first on seen sacrifice in the Bible, the first place that we have the understanding of blood being shed. Right now, to understand this mystery of blood Revelations thirteen eight reveals Jesus as the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This is so powerful that even before creation, God had already factored in the sacrifice of Jesus. Now what again, what is this teaching me about God? Why is it that before I was even thought of, before God had created me, he already had a plan for redemption. That redemption was not an afterthought. It was not that when man sinned, God was now scratching his head wondering, how are we going to bring them back to us? But that before he even created a man, he already factored in Jesus. Right, So this tells us that this was always part of his eternal purpose. Now here's here's the beautiful thing about man. Right, So when we look at why you know, when God created man, this was not God's first act of creating. The Bible tells us about angels, right there. There are all types of there're different types of angels that we would read about in the Bible. Their their makeup is different and things like that. Right, that's you can see that in the scripture. But then man was so unique because this is the first creature made in God's image. This is the intention where we're going back to the intention of why God created man. He you know, he said, let us make man in our own image, after our own likeness. Right, So humanity became the crown, the zenith of God's creation. This was the highest level of his creation. That is also why the scripture talks about how He made us a little lower than Elohim write a little lower than God. It's interesting there as some translations. When you read it, it will say he made us a little lower than the angels. It's almost as though the person translating could not comprehend the fact that we were made lower than God, not angels, because when you study the scripture, you will see that angels are actually servants to man, not that we command them. No, it is literally at God's command. But we are when you look at the order of creation, we have a higher rank than angels because the intention of mankind was to be created in the image and after the likeness of God. Right. And so he made us in a way that we could host him, we could have communion with him, that we could carry his authority, we could be an extension of him. But now something so interesting happens Genesis one one tells us in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, but the next verse says, and the earth was without form and void. Now, when you understand, you know, based on just seeing the nature of God in the scripture, why would God create something to be without form and void? In the nature of God, whatever God created was perfect. It actually suggests that something there was something that happened that caused destruction to the original earth that was made by God before it became without form and void. And why do I And the fact of why I say is the evidence rather in what I'm saying, We can find it in Genesis one eight. Because now when God makes man right, and man he made them male and female right, and then Adam and Eve and all of that. When God makes man, he says to them be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. Now that's where the code is because when he says replenish, the word replenished means to restore to a former condition, to feel again. So the earth was not made to be without form and void. There was an original condition that was destroyed. You see, when reading the scriptures, verse one and verse two could be millions of years apart. It's just when we it's not we're not reading it like today and then tomorrow. This happened right verse one. In the beginning, God created the heavis and the earth. But we don't know how long it took or what happened when all of a sudden there's destruction. There are many things people believe when you know, when Satan had was cast to the earth and all these things. Okay, why was the man created? I'm not here for the different theories, right, but what i will tell you is that God created a perfect earth, and then there's destruction. Perhaps it does make sense because say, and was cast down to the earth, right, But hey, but there's destruction. And then when God, you know, steps in again and starts talking about the things should start to reveal themselves, right. And God said, let there be light, and there was light, and that word actually speaks to light, reveal yourself. Right. And so God starts bringing creation back into its original order. And so he tells the man replenish the earth, bring the earth back to its former condition, fill it up again. That is so profound to me. But but the reason I'm sharing this is, first of all, want you to understand how the project of man was so precious to God that even when there was disruption in the place, man would be a resident over, Man would have authority over, man would have dominion over when there was a disruption to earth. God did not give up on you. He did not give up on creating you. He did not give up on the project of man. He continued in his plan. You have to know how precious you are. You see Psalms one, one hundred and fifteen, Verse sixteen says the highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind. So earth was always factored in that this would belong to mankind. So, yes, there was a disruption, a little hiccup in God's plans. He continued on, he brought it back to his original condition. And then he tells the man replenish the earth. Right. So Earth was never created in isolation. It was designed for man. And again, when I say man, I'm talking about male and female, right, And why why is it? Why is it that God cared so much about And I'm gonna just call this project man. You know, like God had different projects that had projects for the angels. Okay, let us create the angels, let us do this, let us create you know, X, Y, and Z, the Seraphim's all this stuff, right, But when it came to project man, what is it about you that is so precious to God? Because only the man God intended to create had the ability to commune with him. I'm talking about intimacy, fellowship. No other being has that. Only man could carry the capacity to commune with him. Why because man would be created in the image of God. You see, God is so holy that he cannot commune with anything outside of himself. In order for him to have communion with you, he has you have to carry his nature and his likeness. Now, communion is something intimate, right, I'm not talking about to be in the presence of I'm talking about there's a level of intimacy that God could not have with any other being except man, because man will bear his image and his likeness. Even we will see in First Samuel to to verse two when it says there is none holy like the Lord. This is why the Lord will also command us be holy, for I am holy. And what does this holiness point into? Separation? Separate yourself from that which is unclean, Separate yourself from that which is on Godly, separate yourself from that which is ultimately beneath you. Because God is separate. There's some things that cannot even come in his presence. So in his holiness, if he will be able to commune with a created being, that being must be made in his image and in his likeness. But then here is the thing, knowing that what He would create in man. Actually, let me even read the scripture that talks about how we are a little lord that ellow him, because there's something so beautiful in him. In Psalms eighty five when it says you made them a little lord than ello him, and then right after that it says, and crown them with glory and honor. Right, But here is the thing. God creates man in his image, after his likeness, all these beautiful things. He knows that they will be crowned with glory and honor. But what also comes with that is that they would have a choice, and in that choice, man will have the capacity to choose wrong. And God knowing that if I'm really going to create a being that can commune with me, a being that would be in my image and in my likeness, if they choose wrong, they will no longer be created in my image or my likeness. If they choose wrong, they will take on the nature of what they chose, and it will disconnect our fellowship. So something has to be factored in to the eternal plan of man. So even before man was created, God factored everything that we could do wrong that if we choose wrong, because He has a desire for to create that which he could commune with. And there is still there's so many mysteries about who you are that we will continue to dig into. Because even though when the world will said, before I formed you, I knew you, So you've always been with him. So for the Lord to bring you into existence, he knew that Jesus has to be the lamp slang even before the foundation of the world. So let's let's like just land, you know, kind of like latest foundation, right, because we see that even when we look at you know, what happened in the garden, they disobeyed God everything. Adam and Eve were cast out. They lost access to the Tree of life, and with that eternal fellowship to God. It's not even just about the tree of life. The moment Adam and Eve literally disobeyed God by doing that which the enemy desired. They legally gave themselves into submission to the enemy, and they took on that nature. That is why. And we're gonna expand more on this in the next episode. But even when we talk about there is a difference between sin and sins, sin and sinning. Sin is a nature. Sinning is what is produced out of that nature. That's what the Bible talks about. Jesus became sin. Jesus wasn't a sinner. Jesus didn't commit sins, but he became sin so that we may have the righteousness of God. Right, So he became the name of sin so that they could be an exchange for his nature, which is righteousness. So when Adam and Eve, when the first man fell, everything produced after him took on his nature. That's why when Adam had children, the Bible will tell us that he had them in his likeness and in his image. It was no longer the image of God. Man was created to bear the image of God. The image of God is not about flesh and blood. It's not about I have five fingernails, so God has five I mean five fingers. God has five fingers, right, it's not about that. The image of God is spirit. So there was the image God wanted us to bear and have the likeness of, and then he formed a body to put that image in. And then when the spirit touches the body, the man becomes a living soul. Now the soul is now the realm where man has choice, right. So image. So sometimes we say things like all humanities formed the image of God. No, not really, just just the truth. The first time God achieved his desired intents was in the man Jesus. That's why Jesus is called the last atom, because now Jesus fulfills what God desired in the beginning. Let us make man in our image and after our own likeness. So when Jesus, who is God became, took on flesh and took and he because there was no other flesh that could carry this, because all flesh had a sinful nature. Jesus fulfilled what God desired in the beginning. And that is why when we come in Jesus. You see when the Bible talks about how you know Galatians two twenty and I'll get into that, and I'm going ahead of myself, but just flow at me. When it now shows us that you know, I have been crucified with Christ. Right, So I the old nature died with Christ, and now He lives in me, because in order for me to take have the image and the likeness of God, I have to appear in Christ. But we're gonna get more into this. But all I'm trying to show you for now is the fact that from the beginning God desire to have communion with you. From the beginning, God created you with the intent that you would have His image and his likeness. When man fell, man took on a sinful nature, man no longer had the image of God and the likeness of God. But man becoming sin could not have intimacy or communion with God either, because God is holy and he will not dwell or have communion with that which is not of him. And so here is where blood is now introduced. Right, So we see blood from the beginning, even before man sin, Jesus was already factored in, because only his sacrifice would have the capacity to bring us back to the Father. But now we get into blood, right because when you know they fell in all these things, everything we will see was pointing back to the cross. All the animal sacrifices. Was always pointing back to the cross. But let's dig into it. So first of all, we have to really talk about the significance of blood and why in the significance of blood we see that the blood of Jesus stands out right. So there are four key things that I wanna talk about when it comes to blood and why Jesus's blood was necessary the first thing, and you can write down the four and then we're going to dig into it. So number one blood brings atonement and forgiveness. Number two blood seals covenant, Number three blood gives access, and number four blood speaks. Now let's kick off with the first one, blood brings atonement and forgiveness. Romans six twenty three says for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Something so key to understand is that, first of all, the spiritual realm is a legal realm. If you don't know God as a judge, you would lack in your understanding of him. If all you know God to be is father, it will not make sense to you when crying and good intentions don't work. When those things don't move him because God is also a judge, and a judge proceeds over legal matters. A judge is not moved by emotions. They are moved by evidence and law. So there are certain things in the spiritual realm that if you don't meet the justice system, if you don't if it doesn't match up to if there's no evidence, if it's not factored in the law, you're not going to gain a suitable outcome. The problem is many of us don't see God as a judge. We just see him from this loving father who just should give you everything you want. That doesn't it doesn't work like that. He is a father, he is love, and he is a judge. When we understand him as a judge, that is when we have the capacity, we truly have the capacity to carry the fear of the Lord, the reverence of God. Oftentimes, when we only see him as this teddy bear father, we abuse our relationship with him because the relationship you have with your father and the relationship you have when you enter a courtroom completely different. Have you ever been in the courtroom and you were fighting something, Even before the judge walks in, all rise, you are the first to rise right, smiling, looking polite. Wanted them to know your kind. Right, You're well behaved, well mannered. You came in with facts and evidence with your father who ate the meat out of the cooking pot. You will blame a teddy bear, no evidence. The Taylor can't talk or eat, But your father is loving. They would laugh about it. They will cuddle you. Oh, come hear you. You know if your father was abusive. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just putting it out there now. The point I'm trying to make, guys is there is a difference in relationship with father and judge. Now. The first episode, I shared how I knew the Lord. I encountered the Lord at nine years old, but I knew him as father, and I abused it because as I got older, I wanted to party, I wanted to drink, I want to do all kinds of things. And he would tell me, Stephanie, the Lord is more real to me than even people. So when I even talk about how he will talk to me, it was just so clear. And he would just tell me, Stephanie, don't go to that party. You know, not he won't say it like that, you know, but just trying to translate, and you know what I will say to my father, close your eyes because I am going. Because it's a loving relationship. He understands that I am going to this party. And I'm not kidding you. I said, Lord, I know you're everywhere, but you can choose to not be at that party because I am going. You can shut your eyes from this ride because I am going right, and I will come back and I'll be like, oh man, Dad, I'm so sorry, you know, and guess what I will do again the next weekend, the same thing, the same apology. But when you come to know God as judge, there is a fear of the Lord that comes upon you. And I'm not talking about this crippling fear, this torment. No, this reverence for God really kicks in because there's a difference in how you approach him. He's still my loving father, but now I'm getting another understanding of Him as a judge who will be the judge over my life in the end times. When I mean, when we're called to be with him, he will judge the intent of my actions, the things I said. Now I'm more careful with my words. When I'm doing a thing, I question why I'm doing it because I'm aware that even my intentions, it's not just what I do, but the motive behind what I do, will be judged before him. I'm not worried about you know, am I making it a heaven? But how am I getting in there? What am I going to receive when I get in there? There's a judge over that. And the reason I'm not worried is also because I have the consciousness that my Lord is my judge. So when no one sees what I'm doing, there's a judge watching me. So I'm not trying to just be Christian for the public. Now, this is my life because the judge sees the things in the secret, not just a father that would just pat you on the back and say it's all right, you can do better tomorrow. There is a judge watching over my life, right, So when we know him as judge, we grow in our revelation of how he moves right. And so now let's get back to Adam and Eve. When they sinned, the legal penalty was death right because literally when it talks about the wages of sin is death. So the legal penalty of what they were going to receive is death. And the only substitution, because remember life is in the blood, right Liviticus seventeen eleven. So the only substitution, what, the only thing that could substitute death would be blood, because there is life in the blood. Do you remember that after they sin they tried to they all of a sudden they realize that they were naked. But they were always naked and they were not blind, so there was something else that covered their nakedness, which many believed that it was the glory of God that was their covering. But the glory of God cannot cover what is not connected to him, So when man submitted himself to Satan, the glory was no longer their covering because God cannot cover what is the enemy. And then all of a sudden they realized that they're naked, and in their thinking, they just thought it was about covering themselves that they had because remember the scripture talks about how because of their nakedness they were afraid and had shame. But yet they covered themselves with fig leaves, but they still carried the same shame, They still carried the same fear because fig leaves cannot be a substitute for what just took place. The only thing that could substitute it would be blood. So when God steps into the scene and these and I want you to you got to study this in Genesis. When God steps in, you know, Adam, where are you? All the conversation happens. In the end, what happens? God dresses them up. God the Bible talks about how He made skins to dress them up. Those skins must have come from an animal. So what are we talking about? Blood was shed? If you know, the trees would suffice because the Bible Liver says Adam and Eve were hiding in the trees. So first of all, they get some fig leaves, then they hide in the trees. If the if the leaves could suffice as a covering, God would have made them an amazing garment with some trees. I mean, have you seen what's happening in fashion today? People are doing some incredible things with leaves, right. I saw this lady create this whole gown out of leaves. You know, And I'm digressing, But what I'm trying to say is that the creativity is there, right. So God could do some amazing things with leaves. But there was something he was teaching even in the garden. That leaves will not suffice as a coverin because the only thing that can substitute death is life, and the only place you would find life is in the blood. Right, So let's just hang in there for a second. Right. So then as we we obviously start to see this journey of all these things that now the Lord will begin to require. Something that is so critical for every believer is to study the Book of Leviticus, because the Book of Leviticus was given for a sinful man to know how to transact with God. That book was given so that we don't understand that in order to even have something with God on a temporary basis, blood would be required and how it needed to be offered. Right, It's so critical because again all of this is going to be pointing to Jesus, because this was this were all a foreshadowing of what what would be permanent in Jesus, because nothing else could suffice, nothing could hold weight like the sacrifice of Jesus. So when you see this constant sacrifice what is called you know when God established that what is called the sin offering. These were things they had to do year after year, year after year, because this is the blood of bulls go to a lamb. It couldn't suffice. And this was based on this. This had like provisional basis. It was not permanent. They will have this sacrificeis where literally the priests would have to would get what I believe was the goat, and when he would lay hands on the goat, he would now put the sins of the people on the goat, and then the goat has to leave the camp, right, because then it's like the sins are being taken away. And this again points us to the cross, because when Jesus was in Jerusalem, Jesus off all of a sudden, it's getting weak, he's carrying the cross. But Jesus needed to get out of Jerusalem because again it's a mirror to what was happening when that goat needed to leave the camp because he was carrying the sins of the people. So Jesus has to leave Jerusalem because again he's not just coming for the Jews, He's coming from the world. He couldn't be sacrificed there, he couldn't die there. And then they drag a man to help him in carrying the cross. Right, So all of this is pointing us to Jesus. But even when it comes to the blood, the blood is what provided atonement, right, a covering for sin. Only in the blood could we see that they would be atonement. Look at what and Hebrews, if you study Hebrews chapter ten, verse one to four, it talks about this so well that you can see that in the blood when it comes to like the blood of animals, they couldn't truly take away sins, but they could just hide it for a little bit, right. But then in the blood of Jesus everything changes. But even before we get there, here's the thing that is so key, because the blood needed to cover the people's sins, because if it doesn't cover the people's sins, then what is what they would receive would be God's wrath. Because here's the thing sin demands judgment. Now remember Roman six twenty three. The wages of sin is death. The wages now we're talking about transaction. The wages of sin is death. So there is sin earns a payment, and that payment is death, which separates us from God, which is literally separation from God. And so when there is no sacrifice to stand in the gap, what will be left is the wrath of God. And the wrath of God is not like God just losing his mind and being angry. It is the accurate response from holiness. Right, the wrath of God is not just like God can't control his anger, but it is what holiness responds to sin, as when holiness sees sin, what he responds by is wrath because God cannot commune. God cannot fellowship with sin because remember sin, the nature of sin came from who. When Adam and Eve submitted to Satan, what can say and received from God only his wrath in its appropriate time. Right, the Bible talks about his time has not yet come, but when his time comes. The Bible even tells us Hell was created for Sayan, not for God's people, not for you. Hell was created for say and Satan is just trying to take as many people as he can when his time comes. So when you see the flow of things, the sinful nature came from the enemy. The only thing the enemy can receive from God is his wrath. When man takes on that sinful nature. That is why the wages of sin is death, because where it originated from, that is its destination. Satan. There is no life found in Satan. The destination of Satan is eternal damnation, eternal fire. He's not there yet, but when his time shows up, that's where he will be. And so you have. So that's why God can only respond to sin through wrath. But when blood shows up, blood can cover it, can hold it. Right, when covering something doesn't mean it's not there. If I cover this microphone, the microphone is still here, but it can hide it for the meantime, right, And that way it withholds God's wrath. But then in order for this to be permanent, we can only see it fulfilled in Jesus. Right. Jesus doesn't only atone for our sins. He gives forgiveness of sins, and forgiveness is and it just it's like he wipes it clean. Right, And that is why now we have the ability to be reconciled back to God. Right. Look at what Paul says and first Tessalonians want ten He says, Jesus rescues us from the coming wrath, right, because that's the only thing sin deserves. Because again, when you want to fully understand the thing, you need to go to its origin. Where did this come from? The first man fell and became sin. But why did the first man fall and became sin? Because who did he fall to? Who did he fall in submission to the enemy? Who he was? The voice speaking to him was the voice of saying. So when he listened, that's who he submitted himself to and took after its nature. And so God cannot give that nature anything good, So it has to be hidden. But in Jesus we now see that in his sacrifice, for those that receive him can come into the place of forgiveness of sin when your sin is washed away. One of the questions that people often ask me is, Stephanie, how do I actually study the Bible? When we desire to go deeper, sometimes it can feel a little intimidating. And I'm here to tell you about an amazing Bible study too, and it's called Logos. It's an incredible app that helps you engage with scripture in a more meaningful way. So, for example, you can type in what does the Bible say about holiness and it will give you scripture, scholarly insides, historical background, and so much more. Logos helps you to understand what you're reading and why it matters. So, whether you're new to the faith, or you've been following Jesus for some time. This is going to help you study the word with so much confidence. And we have received such an incredible gift for every plog pod listener. You can use Lagos today for free for the next sixty days. All you have to do is go to lagos dot com. Backshot Stephanie to get started. Now, let's go back into the episode just to even give more clarity to this, because again, even when I was just in prayer about this topic, I'm like, Lord, this is such a big topic to discuss in one episode. But to further understand, even when we talk about, you know, the sinful nature and all of this, what would even help us is Second Corinthians five twenty one. And look at what it says God made him and this is Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Now, again, when you look at this scripture we talked about this briefly in the last episode, when it says that Jesus who knew no sin singular right, this is not sins plural right. So again, Jesus was not a sinner, right, Jesus became sin. Sin is a nature. Sin is the nature that ultimately really reflects its father. That's why there are times in scripture that Jesus would talk about you belong to your father, the devil. Why because the nature they're displaying is what comes from him, lying, murder, all this stuff. It's what comes from him. So sin, the nature of sin, is not what Jesus became. Why And we're gonna and you're gonna see that in the next episode, will unpack this a whole lot more. Because salvation, when when we talk about salvation and God, it's not about change. It's not about you have to change to follow God. It's about exchange. Jesus became the nature of sin. He took that and killed it on the cross, so that now he can exchange his nature for yours. Right, you can because when you have the nature of sin, when you believe in him, he takes on that nature, and that nature was killed on the cross. That's why again, Galatians two twenty says that I have been I have been crucified with Christ. The nature of sin was crucified on the cross, and now it is Christ that lives in me. So when Jesus comes on the sin. His purpose was to take on the nature that the fallen man had inherited and to kill it in order that anyone who comes in him would now receive his nature, which is righteousness. Do you see that this goes beyond just about you know, I need to receive Jesus just to make it a heaven and of hell. There is a legality in this from the beginning that when man fell, the penalty of that sin was death, and the only person that could reverse that was Jesus, because it was going to require one who is eternal to sacrifice his life and shed his blood in order to bring us into eternal life. No one else could do that. That is why this was not a task that the Lord looked on someone on the earth and said, I've called you for a grat This was not something like what Mary did. It was not something that an angel of the Lord could go to someone and say, you know, Stephen, oh favorite one of the Lord. Today, the Lord has called you to die. There were martyrs in the Bible, people died on account of the Gospel. Right. It was not that because the nature of man was sinful, the only blood that could cover and not just cover, but to cleanse and wash away, to discard it for good is the blood of one who is eternal. So Jesus, who is God, had to leave the comfort and the beauty of where he was to take on flesh, because again blood and these spirits don't shed blood. He has to take He has to become like us in the righteousness of his nature and take on on the cross. That's what he put to death. It was the sinful nature of man he put to death so that when we receive him, we can receive his righteous nature. Right. So again, when we look at when we when we go through this, you will see that this has nothing to do with feelings or you know what that is. So mean, what about other religions. It is your knowledge of this that makes you want to share the gospel. It is your knowledge of this that makes you want to find if there's anyone in your family, if there's anyone in your community, in your workplace that does not know the Lord, that you begin to pray and intercede for them. That you desire for anyone who you have access to to know the Lord, whether it's ensuring the Gospel, whether it's in your prayers and your intercession, because this is not something about emotions or feelings. This has to do with a legal matter. God's justice demanded payment. If there was going to be something to counsel out what the wages of sin was going to produce. Only life could do that, and only the life of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, could make it permanent. So when you think of blood, think about it being a legal payment for sin. That is why it's not just my idea. The scripture literally says we were bought with a price. It is the legal payment for sin. And since we were bought with a price, now what are we gonna do with this life? Right? How are we going to serve the Lord with this life? But number two, blood seals covenants. Now in the scripture you will see that covenants are often sealed with blood, even when you think about marriage from God's design, right, not what culture has done to you know, and just the the brokenness of humanity when especially they're you know, there are people who unfortunately, you know, lost their virginity due to abuse, rape, and just things that are so disheartening that really just shows the evil in the world. But when I talk about this, I'm talking about the original intent of God. Right, that when a man and woman come together. You know, you're talking about a woman as a virgin, what happens, what happens when a woman loses a virginity blood? Right, And so even when you look at marriage as a covenant, that was also speaking to the fact that blood seals covenant, not just that they were intimate, but that when her husband would sleep with her, blood was shed sealing their covenant. Right. And this is not to say that, you know, if you were not a virgin when you got married your marriage, I'm not saying any of that. I'm just trying to show you. I'm just trying to show you in the intent of God and what the Lord is speaking through you know, because marriage is an institution that God created, right, It's not an institution that man did or any thing. That's why when it comes to marriage, if you want your marriage to be successful, you should look at it in what God desires out of the marriage. Right. It's a picture to Jesus and his bride, right, the bride the church. But anyway, but what I'm trying to show you is that blood seals covenant. Right. Blood is not again, blood is not about emotion. Blood is about life. So when blood is shed, it binds an agreement on the life that it represents right. And so the shedding of blood is not what brings something together because spirits, spirit beans respond to blood. It because of the power in it. You cannot come into agreement with the spirit based on your good intentions. That's why even in the demonic realm, in the occultic kingdom, right in the Kingdom of Darkness, a lot, not even a lot, all of their covenants involves blood. I know. Recently, I was listening to a lady who was very deep in the occult and she talked about how that there were sometimes where musicians when they would come into and maybe they would make a deal with the enemy about their career, or they want fame, they want money, whatever, that the part of that covenant would be that their concerts would be giving over to the angel of death. And this is when you start seeing how that in some concerts people just die. You know, random things happen, People just start dying. You know, some of these things are not coincidence. It's not just that there was a stampede and people died. There is a transaction you don't know about in the spirit. And by you attending that conference, you came under the It's not it's almost like you come under the ambience and submission to the spirit that reigns over that artist's life. Right. And so unfortunately that's when we see where random things just start happening and people just die in concerts. Right. But you see this all the time. I grew up in Nigeria, West Africa. It's more exposed there. These things happen every day. In the United States, it's just more hidden here. Their people have counseled through things that I can't even begin to share some of these stories. But basically there are people that have not even just counsel but just really walk with them deliverance all kinds of things. But people come into blood covenants, blood money, they want fame, they want things like this from Satan, and you have to seal it with blood, and depending on what level, sometimes it's blood of animals. And unfortunately, there are times where people would sacrifice even their own family members, right for all kinds of things. They will sacrifice their children, just weird stuff that happens. But why I'm saying this is that there is blood has the power to seal a covenant, so you see it. Unfortunately, the enemy, who had spent time, you know, with the Father before he was cast down, there are things that he has manipulated for evil. Right, But we just see that blood in the Bible, blood seals covenant. And so what I'm pointing to now is the new covenant right between God and humanity, and that had to be sealed with blood. And so it is the blood of Jesus that declares you as righteous. This is something that is sealed. This is so powerful to me because oftentimes in life, when you are maybe you're there's a breakthrough, you're about to enter a new season, there's something God is speaking to you about yourself, or there's something God has called you to do, and the enemy begins to whisper You're unworthy, You're not good enough. Do you remember what you did in your past? Do you remember this? Because again remember Satan is called the accuser of the brethren. He starts to bring things back to your imagination. How you felt about this? How could you be the one? I come by the blood. I'm not coming by my past. I'm not coming by my prayer life. I'm not coming because I just fasted forty days and that made me worthy of what God told me to do. No, I come by the blood, because when I came in Jesus, he sanctified me, he cleansed me, he marked me with his blood. Blood is so powerful. You know, the enemy trust to bring all this imagery up. And you know what, if you walk into this, you're not equipped for it. So you start thinking about all the bad things that would happen. Blood is so powerful that even when and even with the blood of a lamb, which pointed to Jesus. Now in when the Israelites we're still at captives in Egypt and all that stuff, and when the plague where God was going to take the first born of every household, and he tells them that Israelites to mark the doorpost with blood, with the blood of a lamp. It was the blood of a lamb that when the angel came, that death passed by the home. Blood is so powerful that it had the ability to protect you from the wrath of God, even with the blood of an animal. Then what more the blood of Jesus. Whence the devil sees it. You see, there's some things that when we begin to grow in the understanding of there's some stuff you don't have to be anxious about anymore. You don't have to give depression room in your life anymore, because when you know what it means to be marked by the blood, if blood could protect me from God himself, the blood of a lamb that was pointing to Jesus when the Lord said he would come and take the first born of every home, except where he sees the blood. And there's more to that. Then, what does the blood on my life prote me from the enemy? You see, there are things, even as a minister, there are times where you know you're going to preach and maybe it's a new territory and you don't feel equipped because maybe you know, life happens. Right. We're ministers, but we're mothers, we're fathers, we are sisters, we're brothers. We are all kinds of things. We wear many hats. You have a business, you have all kinds of things going on, and so there are times that you don't feel as equipped. Right, maybe this time you didn't have you didn't pray the way you would normally pray. You didn't spend five hours or two hours or you know whatever, and prayer like you would normally do, or you didn't fast like you needed to do because you maybe just had a baby like me. Right, So there are all these things going on, and then you have to go minister, and then the enemy comes and starts whispering. You're not ready. Oh, there are witches in the room. They will take you out. Da da da da da da da. I don't come by fasting. I don't come by my prayers. I come by the blood. I come by the blood. I am marked by the blood. When I step into a place. It's no longer I. You have to meditate. Tho was the time that the Lord showed me meditate on Galatians two twenty, that I have been crucified with Christ Jesus. That it is no longer I that lives, but Christ who lives in me, because I am covered. Just think about it. If you've ever watched all this like Viking movies, you know this olden day movies, warm movies. Just people just blood everywhere, just bloody people. Right, Just think of yourself just covered. And this might sound weird, but I'm going somewhere in the blood of Jesus. They what a person. The first thing they see is not like, wow, look at the features of your nose. No, what they see is blood, and we're gonna get to it. But you will learn that the blood speaks. The blood has a voice. Jesus declares you righteous. Jesus the claars you worthy. Jesus declares you're forgiven. There are times that even as women, maybe there are the things you did in your past. There are things you did in your life that you no longer feel worthy. I've met women who felt like they were not worthy to be married because of how they lived there, they spent their their their twenties. No, no, no, no, no, I'm not. I'm not. You know, my ability to receive from God is not because of how good I lived or how bad whatever, how you know how perfect I was. My ability to receive from God is that I am in Christ Jesus. That seals it. There is a covenant I have with the Lord, my rest My relationship with God is restored because the blood of Jesus has sealed the new covenant. So whenever you start feeling anxious, I just want you to meditate. I come by the blood. I am not coming because, oh man, I didn't do this. You know days are fascinating. You know I didn't live the perfect life. I didn't do X, Y and Z. No, Lord, I am marked by the blood of Jesus, saying you cannot harm me, saying you cannot take this child, saying you can because you see what the enemy. If the enemy, because of your ignorance, can get you to agree with fear, then you give him a way in. So he's after your mind. He wants to get your mind to come in agreement with what he speaks about you. So there are things that people don't even know how to receive about themselves because why he is the accuser of the brethren. He starts to bring up things about your life why it could never be you. And that's when you read it. Know, I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. It is not about my past. It is not about what I did. I am marked by the blood of Jesus. Look at what the scripture says in Revelation twelve. This is verse ten to eleven, and it says, then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven now salvation and strength and the Kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ have come for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night has been cast down, and they overcame. Look at where overcomeing comes from. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. And they did not and they did not love their lives to death. Now, first of all, they overcame by the blood of the Lamb. Who is that Jesus, the sacrifice of Jesus. And they overcame by the blood of their testimony. Many of us have thought this is about, you know, stories like personal story time God healed me. No, no, no, this is about what they were testifying about. What the blood has accomplished. This was their testimony about the blood, and so what is an example of this. By the blood of Jesus, I am forgiven by the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed. By the blood of Jesus, I am made worthy, I am made whole. This was not about personal stories. This was about the blood. What has the blood done? This is how they overcame the enemy. Because remember in the scripture, who did they What is the phrase they used to to describe him. They're not calling him the destroyer of the brethren, they're not. They're calling him the accuser. So what is happening here is an exchange accusation on one hand and the blood on the other. You're accusing me for things the blood has already dealt with it. You're accusing me for things that the Blood has wasked the way. So while the enemy is trying to accuse them, and he can only accuse you of things that you know are in your record, but how do they overcome him the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony? You have to speak. The creation was formed by words. There are certain things you cannot defeat in your personal life if you don't speak up. Because there are times that you know, I want you to try. Even just when you try something, even in this moment, right, count to ten in your head. Just count to ten or count to twenty. Right, just start actually, before you start counting to twenty, bring out a scripture, open your Bible something. If you don't have a physical Bible, get one. If not, open your Bible app. And if you don't have the Bible app, well, we have some ways to go. Go to Google, just go to Psalms. You know there's all these long psalms. Go to Psalms one nineteen. Right, have it ready, Now start counting one to twenty in your head. Count one to twenty while you're counting, read out loud Psalms one nineteen. You're gonna experience this when you finish reading. You may have lost track of where you stop counting. It is. I don't know if someone has a special skill to do this, So I would just say it is almost impossible for you to be conscious of what you're thinking about while speaking at the same time. So why am I saying this? When the enemy wants to attack your mind and tell you about why you are not the person, why you're unworthy, why you know, starts bringing imaginations to your mind, all these things to your mind. You have to speak something, just begin to declare the word of God. And sometimes you have to remember that it is not my right, my righteousness. The Bible says, it's as filthy rags. It is because I'm in Jesus, you gotta speak. A lot of battles are lost because we just stayed it. We left it in the realm of thought. Something is literally trying to take over your mind, and you just stay there and dwell on it. And next thing what happens. Your mood is affected. You become just irritated. Everything just irritates you. Just even even the wind irritates you. Just why can't I see air? You know, you just start having random arguments. But you gotta speak the word of their testimony. Right now. Another thing is blood gives access. This is the third thing. Now, this is so what is powerful and beautiful about this is when we go to the tabernacle. Right now, look at what the Lord says. And the tabernacle is where you know, the Tabernacle was built with three main areas. Right, there was the outer court, there was the Holy Place, and what was called the most Holy Place, also known as the Holy of Holies. Right, and this is where you know, you have to go into the tabernacle in order for them to atone. They will bring the blood and they will sprinkle it, you know, on the mercy seat and all all these things. Right. But in Exodus twenty five, verse forty, God said to Moses, see to it that you make everything according to the patterns shown to you on the mountain. God was very particular that Moses, do not build this according to your own wisdom see to it that the tabernacle is built according to the patent shown to you on the mountain. Why because the earthly tabernacle was only a copy and a shadow of what existed in heaven. So on earth what they had the capacity to do in the tabernacle was to present, you know, on the day of atonement. It was to present the blood of animals. Once a year, on the day of atonement. The high priest would enter with the blood. And this was for the sin offering, right, and so they will sprinkle it on the mercy sid Again, this is in Leviticus. You can study all of Leviticus sixteen, but I definitely encourage you to study the book of Leviticus right. And so in order to do that, he would make atonements right, the covering of sin for himself and for the people. But then when you read Hebrews eight, verse five, it says that they serve as a sanctuary that is a copy. And this is talking about the priests. That the priests served at a sanctuary that is a copy and a shadow of what is in heaven. Right, So the earthly sanctuary pointed us to a heavenly one. The reason I'm sharing this. You know, when the scripture talks about as it is in heaven, let it be on earth. But there is this, there is this beautiful thing taking place because all along that's why it's so difficult when people tell me they don't believe in the Bible, like they don't you know, the Bible was just written by men and all these things. The Bible has many writers, but one author, the Holy Spirit. Because all of it connects. You can't tell me that this book is put together in such a way. It is perfection when you see it through the lens of the spirit. Because what they were doing in the Old Testament was not in isolation to what Jesus would do. So they have the Tabernacle. The priest goes into Holy of Holies. He sprinkles the blood on the mercy. See why, because he's trying to cover right the sins of the people, to atone for the sins of the people. But then look at who finishes it up. It is made permanent in Jesus, who is known as our Great High Priest. So the people had their earthly priest, but then Jesus is now called our great High priest. Because in Hebrews nine verses eleven to twelve. Let's read it together. But when Christ came as high priests of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made of human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. So the tabernacle you everyone saw on earth, the real thing is in heaven. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and cows. Right, So now he's not coming as the priest used to enter in the Old Testament. He's not bringing the blood to just atone, to just cover once a year. He entered the most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. So the same way the priests would bring the blood of animals, Jesus brought his own blood into the Holy of Holies, the real Tabernacle in heaven. This is so powerful and this is what now gave us access. Because remember when Jesus died, one of the key things that happened was the veil was torn, the veil between the Holy Place and the most holy place, the Holy of Holies. What does that speak to you? No longer need a priest on earth? To access God. But the blood of Jesus now gives you access to communion and intimacy to be reconciled to the Father. You don't get this from Buddha. You're not going to get this in Hinduism. When you see the original intent for man, you came from somewhere. When you see the original intent for man, you're not going to get it from Islam. You will see that in order for God to get back to that, it was blood had to be shed, and in order for it to be permanent, it had to be the blood of one who is eternal. This was not just something that happened on earth. Jesus literally had to go offer his his own blood on the mercy seat in heaven. Legal these are legal things. It was not something that was just this, you know, dramatic event on earth and then it ended there. There were legalities to this, and that's why we were bought with a price. His blood literally brought us back to reconciliation with the Father. And last thing is that blood speaks. Now. After Cain had killed his brother Abel, right, you're going to read about this in Genesis four or Genesis four ten says the Lord said, what have you done? And these are like the first offsprings you know in creation, the Lord says, what have you done? Listen, your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. You see Abel's blood crying out for justice and vengeance. Right, the focus there is vengeance. But in contrast, so that's the blood of Abel. But then, just like we were gonna read in a little bit and Hebrews twelve twenty four would say, to Jesus, the mediator of the new Covenant, and to the blood of Sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel. Why because the blood of Jesus speaks for mercy, for forgiveness, and for reconciliation. The blood speaks, but the blood of Jesus speaks better things, is speaking for us to be reconciled. To get back to the original intent. Right. Earlier, I was talking about how when you know, God's intent for man was that man would be created in his image, after his own likeness. Right, but when man fell, look at what it says in Genesis five, verse three, when Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he had a son in his own likeness and in his own image, and he named him seth And so why why did it why did they need to put why why was it in the scripture that the son Adam had was in his own likeness and his own image. Why because this nature, this is about the nature that he has now acquired his from the due to the fall of man, that when man fell, sin became their nature. So no longer were we create where we reflecting the image of the likeness of God. When we say it today is just like a thing people just say because it has always been said, like, oh, you know you were you are created in the image of God, And no, you're not unless you're in Christ. Unless you're in Christ Jesus, you don't have the nature and the likeness of God. Then what you say about people that have six fingers? You know, do we all have five fingers and then someone has six? Does God have six fingers? It's not. It's not a flesh thing, it's a spirit thing, right, And so you see that when now that we have access back to the Father, we can take on his image. There was no other sacrifice that would have been worthy, and that's the point of this teaching. There was no other sacrifice that would have reconciled us back to God to get back to his original intent for the creation of man. And so next week what we're going to be teaching on is to understand salvation because some there are things that sometimes can you know, when when I say things about how like the blood just washes away sin, you know, I think sometimes those things could have can be the teaching of that can can can sometimes have some deception to what that could mean to your life, you know. And then for others, as you are coming to a place of conviction about who Jesus is, or maybe you're questioning, Okay, have I really received him because you know, I've been walking with him, maybe because I was just born Christian, no, my friends go to church, or I don't know. Right, But next week we're really going to talk about, you know, knowing if you're really saved, knowing if you really encountered the Lord Jesus and not you know, a fake counterfeit version of him. Right, Knowing if you're really saved, and what does that look like? What does that mean? Because there's a scripture will unpack and that's a scripture that has always been just like, oh my goodness, when the Lord will say many will come to me. You know many who said Lord, Lord and he will say get away from me. I never knew you. You don't want to fall into that category, right, And maybe it's not even for you, but maybe they that even as we teach on this together, that there are things that you would be able to also share with the people in your life, you know, to really find out, like have you really given your life to the Lord? So next week we'll talk about knowing if you are really His, knowing if you really belong to Jesus, and if you are watching this and you have not accepted the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and savior. I don't know if you're waiting to watch next week episodes, but listen, the time is always right now, okay, because we have to live each day like He's gonna come back today. And so I want you to listen to this video that comes next so we can pray for you. You're watching this, then, I believe that there is a hunger in your heart. There is something that has moved you with a desire to want to make Jesus Christ your Lord and savior. Now, this is not just a decision that we make out of being convinced by something. But there is a conviction of the Holy Spirit that ministers to us that I need to be saved from this path of destruction that my life has been on. I need to be saved from this sinful nature to come into life, to receive the life of God. Salvation is about an exchange that the Lord has put that sinful nature on the cross. When we believe what Jesus did, when we believe that he died and he was raised up with all victory and all power. You see on the cross, Jesus took captivity, captive. That's what the Word of God says. And what is that captivity Everything that has tried to keep you bound, including that sinful nature that we have received as from the fallen man. You see, when man fell, he took on the nature of sin, and that is the image that every other man has been born into. But in Jesus you have righteousness. You can be made righteous in Christ. And salvation is to be saved from death into life, to come out of bondage into freedom. And so I want to pray with you, but I want you to know that as you say yes to the Lord, you are saying yes to his life. You are saying yes to the ways of Jesus. You are saying yes for Jesus to live in and through you. Your body, your life becomes a home for the Holy Spirit, and he wants to express the nature of Jesus through your life. And so just join with me in prayer, because this will be the start. But salvation is a journey and we're gonna have There's gonna be a link in the description, especially if you are listening to this or you're watching this from YouTube, You're going to see this in the description, and I want you to click on that because it's going to help guide you into things about what comes next, how to study the Bible, just little things that are going to be very beneficial to your walk with the Lord. And so I just want you to pray with me, Lord Jesus, and just repeat after me. And when I say repeat after me, it's not just for you to just use words and they're empty before you. After this prayer, meditate on those words and just really have a moment of personal prayer with the Lord and let the Holy Spirit minister to you beyond what I could do. And so just repeat after me, Lord Jesus, I confess with my mouth as I have believed in my heart in this moment, that indeed you are the son of God, that when you came to the earth and you are crucified on the cross, that you put to death my sinful nature. And as I receive you, I receive your life. I receive the righteousness, the righteous nature that you have brought to give me. I exchange the sinful nature for the righteous nature. And so, Lord, come into my life and make my life your home. Have your way in and through me. Whatever is in me that is not pleasing to you. Convict me of these things. Lord, that I will not identify with the way of the flesh, but I will come in agreement with the way of life. I choose life. I choose you in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen,