Spiritual Weapons - The Blood, the Word, Our Testimony

In our previous study we saw that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed to His disciples on earth, at the close of this age, two special responsibilities. First of all, to restrain the outworking of Satan’s purposes on earth until God’s purposes of grace have been fulfilled. And secondly, to cast down Satan’s kingdom from the heavenlies. And we saw, but we will see again, at the introduction of this study that God has given us the spiritual weapons that are needed for this spiritual warfare and that are guaranteed to bring total victory if used aright.

Let’s begin with this statement about the spiritual weapons again in 2 Corinthians 10:3–5. We will not dwell on these verses but just take them as a starting point for this present study. Second Corinthians 10:3–5:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of [Satan’s] strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (KJV)

So God has given us weapons that are appropriate to our warfare. Our warfare is not carnal, it’s not in the carnal or material realm. And likewise, our weapons are not carnal, they’re not material, they’re not bullets or guns, or tanks or airplanes. But they are spiritual weapons for spiritual warfare. And in verse 5 the apostle Paul says that through these weapons we can cast down every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God. That’s an amazing statement. We can read it many times without appreciating what’s contained in it. But God has committed to us the weapons that can cast down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And the one thing above all others that is high and exalted against the knowledge of God is Satan’s kingdom in the heavenlies. And to us are committed the weapons that can cast that kingdom down. This, as we saw also at the close of the previous study is clearly stated in Revelation 12:11, speaking about the great conflict that will be enacted in heaven, or in the heavenlies should we say, at the close of this age. We see in Revelation 12:7 and onwards that there’s to be war in heaven. Michael and his angels opposing the devil and his angels. And as a result of this final conflict in the heavenlies, the devil and his angels are cast down into the earth and the final culminating power that brings them down out of the heavenlies is the power of the spiritual weapons used by the believers on earth. This is stated in Revelation 12:11:

“And they [the context shows that this is the believers on earth] overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony ...” (KJV)

Now in that 11th verse we have the first presentation that I wish to deal with of spiritual weapons. And the weapons there stated are the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. I would, first of all, point out that the Lamb is, of course, “the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world,” the Lord Jesus Christ. So it is the blood of Jesus. And then there is the word, and that is the Word of God. And there is the personal testimony of the believers. So, to try to make this very simple and clear and practical, I want to put it to you this way. We, as believers, must testify personally to what the Word says that the blood does. You see, I’ve heard many people, mainly Pentecostals, God bless them—and this is not a criticism—talk about “pleading the blood” and “it’s under the blood,” and so on. But in many cases, it’s nothing but religious phrases. There’s no practical application to it. And lots of people talk about overcoming Satan by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, it sounds good, it’s religious, it’s scriptural, but what does it mean? And over the years I’ve meditated on this and I’ve come up with this which I believe is the correct explanation. We must testify personally to what the Word says that the blood does.

Now the thing that makes it all operative is testifying. If we do not testify, nothing goes into operation. The thing that triggers the whole process that brings Satan’s defeat is our personal testimony. I think this makes it clear why we always experience a special kind of opposition when we begin to testify. Because at that point we’re really beginning to do the devil some harm. You can believe anything you like and the devil isn’t much disturbed until you start to testify. But when you start to testify, he’s going to do everything he can to discourage you and frighten you and keep you from doing it. Because it’s your testifying that makes these weapons effective.

I’d like to illustrate this from one of the great patterns of the blood in the Old Testament. In fact, I think the greatest single type of the blood of Christ and its power, which is the sacrifice of the Passover lamb for Israel when they were in Egypt. You will recall, I’m sure, that the entire deliverance of Israel out of Egypt turned around the blood of the lamb that was killed and applied to their homes. And I’d like to read just a few verses from the twelfth chapter of Exodus to bring this clearly before you. Exodus 12:6–7 talking about this lamb that every Israelite’s father had to choose for his household, it says:

“And ye shall keep it up [or keep it under careful guard and inspection because it had to be without blemish] until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening [or between the evenings in the period towards the close of the day]. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.” (KJV)

And then we can read verses 12–13, the Lord is telling the children of Israel why this is necessary.

And He says:

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” (KJV)

And then a little further on in verses 21–23 the exact details of how the blood was to be applied. I think it is obvious is you stop to consider, that if you simply kill a lamb out in the open its blood will pour out upon the ground and not be available. There will be no way to retain the blood and use it. So this Scripture makes it clear that when the lamb was killed its blood was carefully caught in a basin and kept in the basin so that it could be available for use. This comes out in verses 21–23:

“Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.” (KJV)

You see, the protection for Israel was only through the blood of the lamb. It’s very interesting to notice they were not saved because they were Israelites. Natural descent from Abraham did not protect them. The only thing that protected them was meeting the requirements with the blood of the lamb.

Now when the lamb was killed, its blood, as I said, was caught in a basin. Now the sacrifice was complete, the blood was available. But this was vital. The blood in the basin did not protect a single Israelite family. They could have all killed a lamb, caught the blood, left it in the basin and the same judgment that came upon the Egyptians would have come upon the Israelites. Because God required that the blood be transferred from the basin to the most conspicuous place in the front of every Israelite home: the door. And it had to be applied to the door, to the lintel, and to both side posts, but not to the threshold because in Hebrews it talks about trampling on the blood of Jesus, trampling it underfoot. The blood was never to be placed where it could be trodden upon. This would have been a sign of irreverence. But it was to be applied to the lintel and each side post on the outside where it could be plainly visible to anyone who passed by. And God says, “When I see the blood upon the lintel and on the doorposts, then I will pass over you.” That is why it’s called Passover. “And I will not suffer the destroyer to enter into you.”

Now what I want to bring out to you is this: That only when the blood was transferred from the basin to the door did it protect the Israelite family that lived inside that house.

Now all this is a type of what Jesus has made available to us. If you want a Scripture comparing Jesus to the Passover lamb, just look in 1 Corinthians 5 for a moment. First Corinthians 5:7, and only the second part of the verse:

“For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” (KJV)

There is the clear lining up of Jesus as the Lamb of God with the Passover lamb that was killed in Egypt.

Now the point that I want to bring out to you and it is of vital personal importance for every one of us, is this: that Jesus has already been sacrificed. His blood has already been shed. To refer back to the type, the blood is in the basin. It’s available. But the blood in the basin protected no one in Egypt and the fact that Christ has died and shed His blood on the cross protects no one now. There are no benefits to any individuals from the blood merely because of the fact that Christ died and shed His blood. In the land of Egypt, the Israelites had to transfer the blood from the basin to their own home, their own situation, the place where they lived, the place where the need was. And when the blood was transferred, then it became effective, then it did its work.

Now they were only given one means to transfer the blood from the basin to the home and that was a little bunch of a very common plant that grows everywhere in the Middle East called hyssop. They had to pluck the hyssop, dip the hyssop in the blood in the basin and then strike the hyssop against the lintel and the door post. And, of course, in that way the blood came off the hyssop and remained on the door.

Now exactly the same is true in principle with you and me. We believe in Jesus Christ, we believe He’s the Lamb of God, we believe His blood has been shed, we believe that everything we need—full salvation—is available through the blood. But as long as it remains in the basin it doesn’t do any good to any of us. It’s there potentially, but as far as effective application is concerned, it does nothing.

Now in the Old Covenant, God gave Israel one means to transfer the blood to the place where it was needed and that was a bunch of hyssop. In the New Covenant we don’t use hyssop. What corresponds to the hyssop? What makes the blood available and effective in our lives, in our situation? The answer is found in Revelation 12:11: it’s testimony. When I testify, then I make the blood available to my situation. My testifying about the blood in the New Covenant is exactly analogous to the Israeli father in the Old Covenant dipping the hyssop in the basin and striking it on the door post of his home. When the blood was applied, its protection was perfect. And so it is with you and me. There is complete, total, perfect protection in the blood of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. But it protects nobody until it’s applied. And so unless we learn to testify personally of what the Word of God says the blood of Jesus does, we have no benefits from the blood. All our believing doesn’t do anything unless we testify. You see now why the battle centers around your testimony. The moment you begin to testify, Satan will turn loose everything he has to frighten you, to make you feel shy, embarrassed, ashamed. But in any way he can to prevent you coming out with a clear, bold, scriptural testimony because when you do that, he can’t touch you any more. The destroyer was not allowed to pass in, or under, and through the blood.

This means that if we overcome Satan by testifying personally to what the Word says the blood does, one essential requirement is that we know what the Word says about the blood. Because we cannot testify if we don’t know.

Now in the remainder of this study I’m going to give you a certain number of basic statements of Scripture concerning what the blood of Jesus does for us as believers. You’ll find there are altogether five or six statements that are put forth, numbered, on your outline, we’ll go through them. The first Scripture that we’ll turn to is Ephesians 1:7:

“In whom [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” (KJV)

Notice, first of all, that to receive these benefits we have to be in Christ. We have to be true believers in Christ. That when we are in Christ, then the first thing that we have is redemption through His blood. To redeem means “to buy back, to pay a ransom price.” We were in the hands of the devil, we belonged to him, but Jesus paid the ransom price of His blood on the cross to buy us back. This is confirmed also in 1 Peter 1:18–19:

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (KJV)

By what were we redeemed? By what were we bought back from our old, evil, ungodly way of living? From the grip of Satan, from the condemnation of sin, from being open to the attacks of the devourer and the destroyer? How were we bought back? By the precious blood of Jesus Christ as a lamb, without blemish (without original sin), without spot (without personal sin). The sinless lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. But it is only through His blood that we are redeemed. There was no other price that could redeem us.

Now turn, in the light of that, to Psalm 107. If you want to keep your finger in Ephesians if you have enough fingers, do so, as we’ll come back there in a moment. Turn to Psalm 107:2:

“Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.” (KJV)

Notice what we have been redeemed from. We have been redeemed from the hand of the enemy. Who is the enemy? The devil. We were in the hand of the devil but we have been bought back out of the hand of the devil by what? By the blood of Jesus.

Now some of you may not know that, but I know full well where I was before Jesus came. I was in the devil’s hand. I have no doubt whatever about that. I know what it’s like to be in the devil’s hand, and I never want to be there again. And I know, by Scripture, what price was paid. It was the blood of Jesus that got me out of the hand of the devil and into the hand of the Good Shepherd. And Jesus said, “No man shall pluck them out of My hand.” That was the transfer from the devil’s hand to the hand of the Lord. But notice, this transfer is only effective—we only get the benefits from it—when we do something. What’s that? “Say so”: Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. If you’re redeemed, say it. Because if you don’t say it, it isn’t effective. It’s the word of your testimony that makes the blood effective.

Notice one other example in the psalms: Psalm 91. Psalm 91 has been called “the atomic age psalm,” “the psalm of perfect protection from every kind of evil and danger and harm,” however it may come, by whatever means at whatever time. We will not read this beautiful psalm, but many Christians know it well. But just notice the first two verses:

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (KJV)

The word abide in Hebrew normally means “to pass the night.” It’s a word that’s frequently used to spend the night. So, during the hours of darkness the true believer will be under the shadow or protection of the Almighty. Now notice the second verse:

“I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” (KJV)

That’s the antechamber, that’s the entrance, the way into the complete protection of the remaining verses. It’s your testimony: “I will say.” If you don’t say it, you don’t have it. And it takes some courage to say what follows in Psalm 91. But only those who say it have the scriptural right to live in it. It’s the word of our testimony that makes it effective.

All right. What is my testimony in the light of Ephesians 1:7 and Psalm 107:2? It’s printed there for you in capitals: Through the blood of Jesus I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil. Maybe you’d like to say that once. Through the blood of Jesus I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil. Now you have the blood on your door posts.

All right. Turn back to Ephesians 1:7, notice the next thing. The same verse makes the second statement about the blood:

“In whom [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” (KJV)

Another thing purchased for us by the blood of Jesus is the forgiveness of our sins. Compare what Jesus said at the Last Supper in Matthew 26:28, as He gave them the cup which was the emblem of His blood. He said:

“This is my blood of the new testament [covenant], which is shed for many for the remission [or forgiveness] of sins.” (KJV)

And elsewhere it says “without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.” So the blood of Jesus was shed that our sins might be forgiven.

Now you’ll notice in Ephesians 1:7 Paul makes these two things coextensive. Redemption through His blood—the forgiveness of sins. This is very important to understand because we only have the full legal rights of redemption insofar as our sins are forgiven. If all our sins are forgiven, we have the total rights of redemption. But if there is any sin in our life—unconfessed and unforgiven—in that area we do not have the full legal rights of redemption. Satan still has a claim in that area. And I’ve proved this many times in the ministry of deliverance. If he has a claim, he’ll not give it up. You can shout in his face, you can fast for a week, you can do what you like. But that will not change him because he knows he has a legal claim that still has not been settled in that area.

Another very common reason why believers give Satan a legal claim in their own lives is their failure to forgive others. For Jesus has taught us that we are forgiven of God in the same measure in which we forgive others: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us.” We are not entitled to claim forgiveness from God above the measure in which we forgive others. Therefore, if there is any person whom we do not forgive, in that measure correspondingly, we are not forgiven of God. And that means to say that that area of unforgiveness in our own lives is an area that Satan still has a legal claim of. Do what you will, you cannot dislodge him until you’ve forgiven whoever it may be that you need to forgive.

Redemption is coextensive with the forgiveness of your sins. If all your sins are forgiven, then you have the total rights of redemption. Satan has no legal claim outstanding against you. But if there’s any area in your life in which sin has not been totally dealt with, Satan still has a legal claim in that area. You can get all the preachers in America to preach and pray for you, but you won’t dislodge the devil because he knows he’s got a legal claim. One thing that you need to remember about the devil is this: He’s a legal expert. And he knows it. However, God’s Word offers us total forgiveness of sin. And it’s most important that we hold on to the total forgiveness, that we don’t leave anything unforgiven. In the light of Ephesians 1:7, if I’m willing to confess and renounce all sin, if I’m willing to forgive all other persons who’ve ever trespassed against me or harmed me or wronged me, as I would have God forgive me, on that basis I’m then able to make this second testimony: Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. If you’d like to join me we’ll say that together. Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven.

All right. The third statement about the blood is found in 1 John 1:7 which says this:

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (KJV)

Now I want you to notice, first of all, before we take the application of the blood in this passage, that there are three things that are interrelated, that are bound together, in the Word of God that cannot be separated. These three things are: walking in the light, fellowship one with another, and the cleansing of the blood. Now I have met scores and scores of people who claim the cleansing and protection of the blood, but who did not meet the conditions that entitle them to receive it. For the blood of Jesus Christ cleansing is a consequence that follows from something that is stated by an if. It’s conditional upon our fulfilling the condition stated in the if. If we walk in the light as He is in the light. Then two results follow—not one, but two. The cleansing of the blood is the second result. The first result is we have fellowship one with another. The second result is the blood of Jesus cleanseth us from all sin.

Now logically, if we are not in fellowship one with another, that is proof that we are not walking in the light. And if we are not walking in the light, logically again, it follows that we cannot claim the cleansing of the blood of Jesus. So we come to this conclusion: That if we are out of fellowship, we are out of the light. And if we are out of the light, the blood no longer cleanses us. The blood of Jesus cleanses only in the light. This is one of the most important principles.

I have heard literally scores of Christians deceive themselves about their right of access to the blood. They kept quoting the latter part of 1 John 1:7, but they never fulfilled the condition stated in the if. We have to walk in the light as He is in the light. And the evidence that we are walking in the light, first and foremost, is that we have fellowship one with another. Out of fellowship, out of the light. Out of the light, no longer under the cleansing of the blood. This is exactly the way it is. Fellowship is the place of light. That’s why fellowship is testing. Because the closer the fellowship, the brighter the light until you come to the place where there are no hidden corners. No shadows, nothing swept under the rug, nothing covered up. And that’s a very frightening place for the natural man. But that’s the only place where the blood of Jesus fully fulfills its function of cleansing. If you want cleansing, it’s in the light. If you are in any way wrong with God, or wrong with your neighbor, you’re not fully in the light. And the blood will never be applied except in the light.

What do you have to do? Come to the light. What is coming to the light? Confessing your sins, bringing it to the light. Now that’s the hardest thing for natural man to do. The light seems so bright. “Oh, I couldn’t bring that terrible thing, that awful memory, that guilty secret, I couldn’t expose it to the light.” The natural man shrinks from it. But the truth is when it gets to the light it disappears. Because then the blood cleanses it. But if you don’t bring it to the light, you keep it. This is a tremendous principle. The blood operates only in the light.

All right. Now supposing that we have met the conditions; we’re walking in the light, we’re in fellowship with our fellow believers, then we have the right to make this testimony. And I’ll read it from the outline. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is cleansing me, now and continually, from all sin. It’s very important to see this is a continuing present tense. The blood continually cleanses while we continually walk in the light. They are two continuing things. Continuing to walk in the light, we continue to receive the cleansing of the blood. Neither of these is just an instantaneous operation. This is the total, continuing work of the blood.

All right. Join me and we’ll read that third testimony once again. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is cleansing me, now and continually, from all sin.

We’ll move onto the fourth statement about the blood which is made in Romans 5:9. Romans 5:9, we’ll read verse 8 to get the context. Romans 5:8–9:

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (KJV)

Take the middle phrase of Romans 5:9: We are justified by the blood of Jesus. Now justified is one of those religious words that many people use and don’t understand and which scare other people. But remember, wherever you read in the Bible the word just, you can substitute the word righteous. That’s true in the Old Testament Hebrew and in the New Testament Greek. There is one word which the King James translators alternately translate righteous or just. When it’s a matter of legal processes, they tend to use the word just. When it’s a matter of practical living, they tend to use the word righteous. But remember, it’s one and the same word.

Now the problem is with the use of the word justified is that people have tended to reserve it for a kind of legal atmosphere. A kind of legal transaction. Well, somewhere up in the dusty courts of heaven something happened and now it’s all right. But you see, this is taking only half the meaning of the word. To be justified means to be made just or righteous. I always use the word righteous because it brings it right down to where I live: my home, my business, my personal relationships. Just sounds as if it’s just a legal formality that has to be transacted in some remote court somewhere and doesn’t have much application to my living. But righteous immediately brings it down to the daily life.

And the Scripture says, and this is a perfectly legitimate and correct translation, we have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus. And I’ll tell you, you aren’t much justified if you haven’t been made righteous. It’s more than a legal ceremony, it’s more than a change of labels. It’s a change of character and life. And it’s produced by the blood of Jesus. I like this definition of justified, which some of you have probably heard before. What does it mean, justified? “Just-as-if-I’d” never sinned. That’s right. Why? Because I’ve been made righteous with a righteousness that is not my own, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Look in Romans 3 for a moment, verses 24 and 25. Romans 3:24–25:

“Being justified [made righteous] freely [without deserving it]...” (KJV)

I’m glad the word freely is there. You see, the problem with religious people is they’re always trying to earn it and they never arrive. They’re never satisfied and they’re never relaxed because they think they got to do just a little bit more to get made righteous. It never will work.

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood ...” (KJV)

We’re justified through faith in the blood of Jesus. And I’d like to read on in chapter 4 of Romans too. Chapter 4, verses 4 and 5:

“Now to him that worketh [that’s the religious person] is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.” (KJV)

If you’ve always lived right and always done your duty, God owes it to you. See? God has to give it to you. It’s a debt. But in actual fact, God doesn’t owe anything to anybody. But, notice verse 5:

“To him that worketh not ...” (KJV)

What’s the first thing you have to do? Stop doing anything. Stop trying to make yourself righteous. Stop trying to be a little better. Call a halt to all that. “To him that worketh not.” What do you do? Just believe. Is it that simple? If it isn’t that simple, you’ll never make it.

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” (KJV)

God makes unrighteous people righteous. That’s what the Scripture says and I believe it.

Turn also to 2 Corinthians 5:21 if you wish, or let me read it to you. Second Corinthians 5:21. Just this one simple verse, the King James says:

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (KJV)

I like to change the order and put in a few names and places of pronouns. For God hath made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. There is the complete exchange. Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with His righteousness. This righteousness is available through faith in His blood. We are made righteous through faith in the blood.

Now righteousness produces certain immediate and definite observable results. And I just want to take a few moments to point out some of them as stated in Scripture. Actually, the whole of our living, our attitude, our relationship, and the effectiveness of our Christian life and service will depend on how far we realize that we have been made righteous. Proverbs 28:1:

“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” (KJV)

There isn’t very much boldness in most Christians today. They’re timid, apologetic, tend to back down when confronted with evil or the devil. The real root cause is they have not appreciated the fact that they’re righteous in God’s sight, as righteous as Jesus Christ Himself. When we appreciate that, it makes us bold.

And then in Isaiah 32 we have other results of righteousness. Isaiah 32:17:

“And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.” (KJV)

There’s three products of righteousness: peace, quietness, and assurance. They all come from the realization that I’ve been made righteous with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It brings boldness, peace, quietness, and assurance.

And then in Romans 14:17, a familiar Scripture:

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (KJV)

All these things are products of righteousness. If we don’t receive the righteousness by faith, we’ll struggle and try for all these other things and not achieve them. It’s pathetic to see Christians trying to be joyful, trying to have peace, trying to relax, trying to be assured. Because somebody’s told them they ought to. But my experience is when they really get the assurance of sin’s forgiveness and righteousness by faith, they find it just happens. Joy flows naturally. Peace isn’t an effort. Assurance is there. Boldness expresses itself. The root problem is getting people to realize they’ve been made righteous with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, justified, “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned.

See, the majority of religious people actually think they’re pretty holy if they go around pointing out how sinful they are. This is the general religious attitude. You’d be very conceited if you claimed to be righteous. But you’re very religious if you keep speaking about your failures, your inconsistencies and how many things you do wrong. I was brought up in a church where we have to do that. Every Sunday morning we had to do it. We had to say, “Pardon us, miserable offenders.” Well, I always felt a certain, what shall I say— I didn’t feel I wanted to be a miserable offender. When I looked at the other offenders I surely agreed they were miserable. But I eventually said to myself, “If all religion can make me do is be a miserable offender, I can be an offender without religion and not half so miserable.” And that’s what I eventually became. But this was the language of religion. “Pardon us, miserable offenders, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, we have done those sins which we have not ought to have done and we have left undone those things which we ought to have done. And there is no health in us.”

Now I could not say those words now, I’d be a hypocrite. First of all, I believe I have divine health in Jesus Christ. Secondly, how could I pray for victory over sin on Monday morning if I know that six days later, on Sunday morning, I’ve got to be saying that I’ve erred and strayed, I’ve done those things which I oughtn’t have done and left undone those things I ought have done? See? It completely undermines the basis of my faith. And yet it sounds so good. And I know that some of the people that listen to this tape will be horrified when they hear Brother Prince say what he just said. But I tell you, wherever you are when you listen to this tape, that I mean every word of it. And I’ve been through it. Twenty years is enough!

All right. Let’s come to our testimony, what the Bible says. Not what some human institution teaches. Are you there with me? Section four, my testimony. I’ll read it first, then you read it after. Through the blood of Jesus I am justified, made righteous, “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned. All right. Join me the second time. Through the blood of Jesus I am justified, made righteous, “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned.

We’ll move on to the fifth which is sanctified. And we’ll take two Scriptures in Hebrews for the sanctifying power of the blood of Jesus. Hebrews 10:29 which speaks about the apostate, the person who turns back from the Christian faith, having known it, into a deliberate denial and rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it speaks about all the sacred things that he renounces and, in a sense, defiles.

“Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace.” (KJV)

You’ll notice there it speaks, in a sense, about treading under foot the blood of Jesus. This is in relation to the Passover ceremony where the blood was applied to the lintel and the door posts, but not to the threshold. You are never to show disrespect for the blood of Jesus. But here is a person who has been sanctified by the blood of the New Covenant and then turns back. We’re not concerned this morning with the people that turn back, but the fact that we are sanctified by the blood of the covenant.

And in Hebrews 13:12 the same truth is brought out again.

“Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.” (KJV)

So the blood of Jesus sanctifies the believer.

Now sanctifies is another religious word that often causes problems. The word sanct, or the sound sanct

is directly related to the word saint, which is another way of translating “holy.” So “to sanctify” means “to make saintly,” or “to make holy.” And you just as well say “made holy.” To be sanctified is to be made holy. And holiness includes within it always, the thought of being set apart to God. The one who is sanctified is in an area where God has access to him, but the devil does not. To be sanctified is to be removed from the area of Satan’s visitation and reach and placed in an area where you’re available to God, but not at home when the devil calls. That’s what it is to be sanctified. Set apart to God, made holy.

And just like righteousness, it does not come by works, it does not come by efforts, it does not come by religion, it comes by faith in the blood of Jesus. “Jesus, that He might sanctify the people with His blood, suffered without the gate.” To be sanctified is to be set apart to God. You belong to God, you’re under God’s control, you’re available to God and anything that is not of God has no right of approach to you, it is kept away by the blood.

In this connection let me give you just one verse in Colossians. Colossians 1:13, beginning with verse 12 and speaking in the plural, in the first person on behalf of all believers Paul says:

“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet [or capable] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light [notice the word saints, the holy ones. It’s the inheritance of those who are made holy by faith in the blood of Jesus]: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness [the authority of darkness, the area of Satan’s authority] ...” (KJV)

And notice, darkness has power. Satan has authority over the disobedient because of their disobedience.

“... and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son [the Son of his love].” (KJV)

Notice, through faith in the blood of Jesus we have been removed from the area of Satan’s authority, and translated into the kingdom of God and of Jesus Christ.

Now the word translate means “to carry over from one place to another place.” And in the Scripture it’s used of a total transfer. In the Old Testament there were two men who were translated from earth to heaven, Enoch and Elijah. And both of them went entire. All that Elijah ever left behind was his mantle, but his body went with him. And as I understand Scripture, this is the truth. We have been totally translated. We aren’t going to be, we have been. Spirit, soul and body. We are not in the devil’s territory. We’re not under the devil’s laws, we’re in the territory of the Son of God, and we’re under His laws.

Now the devil’s law is stated in Romans 8, the law of sin and death. And the law of God’s kingdom is stated in Romans 8: it’s the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Maybe you would like to look at that verse for a moment, because here are the two kingdoms with their opposing laws in operation. Romans 8:2, Paul says and he makes it his personal testimony, and notice this:

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (KJV)

I’m not in the devil’s territory, I’m not under the devil’s law. His kingdom doesn’t apply to me because I’m in another kingdom. I’ve been translated, carried over, spirit, soul and body. That’s what it means. And it’s through the blood of Jesus. It’s through being sanctified (or set apart) to God, by the blood of Jesus.

So we come to my testimony number five: Through the blood of Jesus I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Perhaps you’d like to join me, we’ll say it together once. Through the blood of Jesus I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.

Now I want to take this one step further in relation to the body of the believer. And let me say, by experience, I have learned that this is where it really begins to operate. It’s when we bring it down to the realm of the physical bodies. And the testimony that I’ve given you there in section six which we’ll go into in a moment is the most powerful testimony that I have yet to discover for dealing with Satan and evil spirits. And I’ve learned it by experience and I’ve seen how it works.

Let’s look, first of all, at what the Scripture says about the body of the believer in 1 Corinthians 6:19–

20:

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy [Spirit] which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (KJV)

Notice, “bought with a price” takes us back to the theme of redemption. Bought back out of the hand of the devil with what price? The blood of Jesus. How much of us was bought back? Just our spirit? No. Our spirit and our body both belong to God because Jesus paid the total redemption price of His blood.

And it says we are to “glorify God” both in our body and in our spirit because both belong to God, because both have been redeemed out of the hand of the devil by the blood of Jesus. Neither my spirit or my soul or my body are under the dominion or control of Satan.

Let me say clearly I do not have a resurrection body, I have a mortal body. But that mortal body, with every fiber, every cell and every tissue is God’s property, not the devil’s. And the devil, if he comes on that territory, is a trespasser. And if I understand my rights in Jesus, I can put up a sign and say “No trespassing,” get out. Because legally my body does not belong to the devil, it belongs to Jesus. And Jesus has a special purpose for my body, to be the place of personal residence of the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. That’s why my body is sacred. Because it’s the appointed dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Scripture says clearly many times over, “God does not dwell in temples made with hands.” Neither the First Baptist Church, nor the Episcopal Church, nor the Catholic Church, nor the Presbyterian Church are the temples where God will dwell. Nor the synagogue. He dwells in a temple that was not made with hands; it was made by divine workmanship according to divine purpose. And that temple is the body of the believer, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. And in 1 Corinthians 6:13 Paul says this, the latter part of that verse:

“... the body is not for fornication ...” (KJV)

It’s not for unclean, immoral purposes. And you’ll notice just above it talks about food for the belly and the belly for food. Neither is it for fornication nor it is for gluttony.

I was reading in the book of Proverbs the other day and it arrested me, “the righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul.” The righteous does not overeat. This is a mark of righteousness. Why? Because my body is the Lord’s temple and I’m not to defile it either by gluttony, nor by drunkenness, nor by immorality, nor by any other misuse. The body is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. When I present my body to the Lord then I have the rights of the Lord for my body. You see, if I purchase a property, I become responsible for its maintenance. If I live in a rented property, the landlord is responsible to maintain it. Now if you just let Jesus have a kind of temporary right over your body, He doesn’t accept responsibility for the maintenance. But if He owns it, He’s responsible to maintain it. And that’s the relationship that He desires. The body is for the Lord, the Lord for the body. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Now let’s come to this testimony. I’ll read it the first time and then we can read it through together. Let me say before I read it, I have proved in experience this testimony is literally dynamite. People sometimes say to me in a deliverance service, “Brother Prince, how do I know if I’m really free?” Well I say, “One thing to do is start testifying to the blood.” Now this will not work unless the Holy Spirit is present. I’ll show you why before we close this study. But if the power of the Spirit of God is in a meeting and people begin to testify to the blood, then I say anything that resists the blood is the devil. Go on till there’s nothing more inside you that resists the devil and you can be pretty well assured you’re clear.

We overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony. Now this testimony I have proved in experience. It’s when you get it down to your body that things are really going to start to happen. Some people’s religion is so spiritual that it’s altogether rather worldly. It just doesn’t deliver any results here and now.

All right, I’m going to say it. I feel good every time I say it. I feel better every time I say it than the time I felt before. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, sanctified by the blood of Jesus. Therefore, the devil has no place in me, and no power over me. Now you might find it a little fearful to say that. You think, well if I say that all hell is going to turn loose. Well if it does, don’t worry. That’s a sure sign you’ve hurt the devil. Just sit there and keep onto your testimony and when the storm is cleared, you’ll find you’re in possession of the territory still. I can well remember when I first began to make this kind of testimony. I thought, Well, I wonder where the devil will hit me next? And I know people that don’t testify because they’re afraid of what will happen when they do. But friend, that’s just playing the devil’s game. That’s his way of keeping you from doing the thing that’s going to put you outside his reach. It’s only by the word of your testimony that you get the benefits of the blood. So you say it once and all hell breaks loose. All right, praise the Lord. Say it again. The Bible says “hold fast the word of your confession.” And then when everything really turns loose it says “hold it fast without wavering” but keep on saying it. It doesn’t depend on your feelings, it doesn’t depend on situations or symptoms or circumstances, it’s as true as the Word of God. It’s eternally true. Forever God’s Word is settled in heaven. Did I say it? I did. Now this time I’ll give you the privilege of saying it with me. Why should I be selfish? Are you there with me? Near the bottom, section six, my personal testimony. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, sanctified by the blood of Jesus. Therefore, the devil has no place in me and no power over me. Amen.

Now let me just point out in closing, I think we have just time to do this, that there’s a relationship between the testimony of the Word to the blood and the operation of the Holy Spirit. And you cannot leave the Holy Spirit out. But by testifying to the blood, you bring the Holy Spirit into operation. Let’s turn to 1 John 5:6 for a moment. First John 5:6, speaking about Jesus:

“This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.” (KJV)

Now I do not have time to go into this but I understand the water there to mean the Word of God. Jesus came as the Great Teacher teaching the Word, sanctifying and cleansing by the washing of water by the Word. He came as the Great Redeemer, shedding His blood as the redemptive price. These are the two main aspects of His redemptive ministry: redeeming by the blood, sanctifying and cleansing by the washing of water by the Word. He did not come by the Word only, He did not come as a Teacher only, but He also came as the redemptive Savior to give His life a ransom for many. But this does not set aside His other ministry as the Teacher. It says in Ephesians 5:26–27:

“That he might sanctify and cleanse it [the church] with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” (KJV)

So we have the double ministry of Jesus: by the water of the word and by the shed blood of redemption.

Now, when we bring the Word and the blood together, then it says the Spirit of God bears testimony because the Spirit is truth. So as you begin to use the Word, stating what the Word says the blood does, the Spirit comes to you and bears testimony to the truth. All this is just religious language. It may be very good language, it may be doctrinally very correct, but it doesn’t do anything till the Holy Spirit bears testimony. But when the Holy Spirit bears testimony, then it is irresistible. See, there are no little rules and regulations in the Christian life that if you do this, automatically it works. Nothing works without the Holy Spirit. But, you can bring the Holy Spirit to work by testifying to the water and the blood, the Spirit bears witness. Then you have three eternal, unchanging forces at work in your behalf: The Word, the blood, and the Spirit.

Turn in closing to Ecclesiastes 4:12 and notice this little, shall I say, parable or application there. In Ecclesiastes 4:12, we don’t really need to turn there because I’ve got the words in the outline:

“... a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (KJV)

When you begin to testify to what the Word says the blood does, the Spirit comes to you and you have the threefold cord: the Word, the blood and the Holy Spirit.