*Hebrews 13:12
And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.
In 2009, The Blind Side brought the story of Michael Oher to cinema screens everywhere. The movie tells the story of an African American boy who spent his childhood moving from foster home to foster home due to his father's absence & the inattention of his mother, who struggled with drug addiction. Although he had grown up in one of the poorest & most dangerous parts of the city, various circumstances standing in his favor meant that he was accepted into a Christian school far away from the neighborhood he had grown up in. That was where he met the family who would later become his own. Without any self-interest, they adopted him & gave him the opportunity to study at an incredibly prestigious college in the United States, where he became one of the best American football players in the country. The life of this young man would have been so different had he never left the adverse circumstances that surrounded him to become part of a family where he could develop, both as a person & professionally.
Just as this young man found favor in the eyes of this family & they adopted him as their son, each & every one of us who has believed in the Lord Jesus has also found favor in the eyes of our heavenly Father. He has made us His children & enabled us to become all that we were created to be in intimate & perfect communion with Him. God fixed His eyes on us to separate us from evil, to cleanse us & to sanctify us according to His kindness. He delivered us from the power of the evil one & gave us life in abundance through the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus. That is also what the Jewish people experienced on the night the last plague came upon Egypt.
It was a night like no other. Jews & Egyptians alike knew that something was about to happen.
Rumors ran through all of Egypt: death would come in the night.
All the Israelites had seen the power of God demonstrated through the plagues the Lord had sent upon the entire nation. Everyone wondered what the next judgment would be.
When they received confirmation that it would be the death of all firstborn, the atmosphere became tense among the Egyptians.
Some asked the Hebrews how they could protect their children. The only answer they could give was, "You must celebrate the Passover."
But there was peace among the people of Israel as entire families gathered together to celebrate the Passover.
The father of every household, along with his wife, called his children together & told them, "Nobody is to leave the house today. Tonight the angel of death will strike the firstborn of every Egyptian, but it will be unable to enter our homes."
He then poured the blood of the lamb he had just sacrificed into a bowl & as he painted onto the lintel & doorposts of the house, he told them that this would be the sign of God's protection on their lives.
Most of the Israelites families stayed awake that night. Just after midnight they began to hear cries coming from the homes of the Egyptians as the terror of death swept through the nations.
The events of the Passover night came to represent the most important celebration for the people of Israel.
Although no father of the children of Israel dared to leave their house that night, the Scriptures teach us that there was one who "suffered outside the city gate": Jesus.
Although death wounded Him, it did not defeat Him & His blood became for us our greatest protection.
As well as redeeming us, His blood has sanctified us - this means we have been set apart for God.
Remember if you confess with faith the benefits of His blood, the atmosphere & the circumstances will immediately change, the heavens will open & hell will pull back.
Demons cannot stand it when we remember the redemptive work of the blood of Jesus.
If you confess what the blood of Jesus has done for your life, it will speak in your favor.
When faced with any kind of attack from the enemy, use the powerful weapons you have at your disposal: the blood of the Lamb & the confession of the Word.
By the blood of Jesus, I have been redeemed from the power of the enemy. Satan has no power over my life because I have been brought into the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
By the blood of Jesus, all my sins have been forgiven.
Because I walk in the light & have fellowship with other Christians, the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cleanses me now & continually from all sins.
By the blood of Jesus, I have been justified & God sees me as if I have never sinned.
By the blood of Jesus, I have been sanctified & set apart for God.
REMEMBER:
I HAVE BEEN SET APART TO SERVE JESUS.
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