SANCTIFY YOURSELF III

Heb. 13:12-13, “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.” Jesus went outside the gate of the Church, outside the tabernacle, outside the political party, beyond personal ambition, beyond selfish interest that he might sanctify. We need to go beyond the gate. You want to see the wonders of God? You cannot find it at the gate.

To be sanctified means to be made holy, it means to be made a saint. Jesus died to make saints out of us sinners on our way to hell with no hope; bound by the fear of death, bound by the fear of condemnation. Jesus went beyond the gate to lay down his life and shed his blood. The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the blood of sanctification. There is cleansing by the blood. The blood of Jesus is the greatest agent of sanctification. Without the blood of Jesus, no sinner can become a saint. Jesus went beyond the camp.

Today, people find it difficult to think beyond their enclaves, denominations, religious affiliations, personal ambitions, ethnicity, families, clan and geographical locations. Without going beyond the camp, there cannot be sanctification; you must decamp in order to encamp. Decamp from idolatry and encamp in Christ, park with Christ, embrace Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Make him your pursuit. Make him your first love. Make him your portion. Enthrone him as your propitiation. Receive him as your sanctifier, justifier, glorifier, redeemer, blessed hope, and lively hope.

1 John 1:7-10, “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. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not is us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” The light is the revealed will of God. The Bible is a book of ‘ifs’. Wherever you see the word, ‘if’, it connotes decision. It takes a quality decision to follow God. It is a choice. We can decide not to walk in the light. It is painful but it is possible. Wherever you see the word ‘if’, there is an automatic ‘if not’ (otherwise). Every decision has a price.

Prov. 19:3 says, a man may ruin his chances by his own foolishness and then blame it on the Lord. That was exactly what Adam did. Decisions determine everything. I have seen this play out in homes, schools and especially in the lives of teenagers. If you are an undergraduate, don’t ever think that you are now an adult and no longer need to be monitored or cautioned. The spirit of ‘let us alone’ is the spirit of self destruction. Every decision has a price. One beautiful thing about life is that everything will be tested by the fiery crucibles of life itself.

Pray –

• Heavenly Father I thank you for all that you have done for me in sending your son Jesus Christ to sanctify me through His blood. Grant me the grace to walk in the light of your word all the days of my life and never to depart from it in Jesus’ name. Amen.