The God bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes. And if you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our services. These are the finest people in Houston, Texas, right here at Lakewood. But glad to have you come out sometime.

I like to start with something funny and I heard about this pastor. He was new in town and he was going door to door inviting people to come to his church. He knocked on this one door and he could tell someone was there but nobody would answer.

So he took his church card out and wrote on the back the scripture reference revelation 320 and left it on the door.

The next Sunday after service and usher handed him the same card under what he had written was the scripture reference Genesis 310. Here's what they say. The pastor's words, Revelation 320, the hold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone answers, I will come in.

The reply was Genesis 310. It says, I heard your voice but I was afraid because I was naked.

Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same in Jesus name. God bless you.

I want to talk to you today about the power of the blood. In the Old Testament the only way they could have forgiveness for sins was to sacrifice an animal. Without the shedding of blood there was no remission for sin.

Every year the high priest would go into the holy of holies. That was the most sacred place in the temple. He would offer a sacrifice for his sins and the sins of all the people. It was called the day of atonement. If the sacrifice was acceptable their sins would not be taken away they would be covered. They were good for another year. This was an ongoing process.

The priest had to make sure everything was perfect. That the animal didn't have spot or blemishes. That it was the right age. All these requirements. If they didn't meet the requirements the sacrifice wouldn't be acceptable. They wouldn't have God's blessing.

This is the constant pressure they lived under. Is our sin going to be forgiven for this year? Is the sacrifice going to be good enough? The blood of animals only offered them temporary forgiveness.

God told Abraham there was a day coming that he was going to get rid of the old covenant or the old way of doing things. God was saying it was fine for a time but I'm going to make a new covenant to permanently take care of sin.

The problem is it couldn't happen with the blood of bulls and goats. That wasn't good enough. It was going to take a special kind of sacrifice.

One day John the Baptist was out ministering and he saw Jesus coming and said look the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

John knew that Jesus was the sacrifice that God told Abraham about. Jesus was God's Lamb. When he died on the cross and shed his blood it says in Hebrews that he went once and for all into the holy of holies.

Not with the blood of bulls and goats but with his own blood to secure a complete redemption for us all. One translation says and everlasting release from our sins.

His blood put an end to the old system of sacrificing again and again hoping that we would be forgiven. Now we can live with the confidence that all of our sins past, present and future have not just been covered, not just temporarily a tone for they have been washed away.

We have an everlasting release. This is the power of the blood. When Jesus hung on the cross suspended between heaven and earth. He took all of our mistakes, all of our failures and weaknesses, all of the times we blown it and the times we ever will blow it and he forgave it.

The good news is not that God will forgive you. The good news is he has already forgiven you. Like John declared the Lamb of God has taken away the sin of the world.

Now this sacrifice won't do you any good if you don't receive it. If you go around guilty, condemned, trying to pay God back for your mistakes, no the price has already been paid.

Receive his mercy, receive his love. Every day, Father, thank you that I am forgiven, thank you that I am redeemed. The accuser will tell you just the opposite. God is not going to forgive you. Look what you've done. Look at the way you lived. You knew better than that.

It's easy to believe these lies and go around with a heaviness with no passion for life. I talked to a gentleman recently and he was so down on himself telling me all the mistakes that he had made.

Here's my question. Do you think your mistake was too much for the blood that Christ shed? Do you think what you've done somehow has tipped the scales and now God is thinking,

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