SET FREE BY THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT

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“He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”

Hebrews 9:12

God is a god of covenants. The first thing He did when He established man in the Garden of Eden was to warn him that his future depended on being obedient to God’s Word. The first couple fell into Satan’s snare and their nature was completely altered. They became contaminated by sin and their entire nature was corrupted. Sin took them out of Paradise, separating them from God, and leading them on a journey of oppression, enslavement, sickness and sadness.

Paul described the effect of this on us by saying, “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:21-25).

The Apostle became aware of his rebellious and sinful nature, and he understood that in his own strength it would be impossible to change. However, his spiritual eyes were opened, and he received the revelation that it was only possible through Jesus Christ. In his letter to the Ephesians he added, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—(it is by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:1-5).”

There is only one way for a rebellious person to become righteous and that is through Christ’s sacrifice. The grace of God goes far beyond our imagination; Jesus decided to take our place and pay for our sin. By the blood that He shed, He reconciled us to God. At the last supper, Jesus “…took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you’” (Luke 22:19-20). These were the words Jesus pronounced some hours before His torturous death began. The cup represents His blood that was shed.

The most intimate place with our Heavenly Father is known as the Holy of Holies. When Jesus died, the first thing he did was enter into the Holy of Holies with His blood. The Father felt satisfied by the success of His Son’s mission who, having kept Himself holy, preserved the purity of His DNA. Hebrew 9:12 declares that Jesus was the one who opened the way so that many of us could enter into the presence of the Father. “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…” (Hebrews 10:19).

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Dr. Derek Prince spoke about a family who had a violent, alcoholic father, who always mistreated his wife and children, both physically and verbally. Every day he would spend long hours in front of the television watching immoral movies, with a bottle of liquor and a pack of cigarettes close to hand. Even though his wife and children became Christians, this man remained a slave to his vices. One day the family returned from church to the house to find a completely different scene. The man no longer drank liquor, smoked cigarettes, or spoke obscene words. He had stopped mistreating his family, and finished his habit of watching immoral videos. Despite this, these actions alone could not save his soul. Later that night he suffered a stroke and died. We cannot assume that a rebellious and sinful man can be saved purely through good deeds. This would be like trying to ‘straighten out a snake with good advice’. The only destiny for a rebel is death. However, if a person accepts Jesus’ sacrifice and is willing to be cleansed by His blood, everything inside will change.

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“Jesus’ grace reached out to me, His blood redeemed me and He gave me a new nature.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume One.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

    • Old Testament: Genesis 5-8; Psalms 3
    • New Testament: Matthew 2:1-12; Acts 2:1-21

SET FREE BY THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT