Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY200020A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello, and welcome to another 3ABN Today program. 01:12 I'm Jill Morikone, 01:13 and we're so glad that you have taken time 01:15 from your day to join us. 01:17 On the Today program many times 01:18 we feature stories of missions, stories of testimonies, 01:22 what God is doing in and through people's lives, 01:25 stories of ministries 01:27 and how God is impacting the world 01:29 through various ministries. 01:30 But today is one of my favorite times 01:33 for 3ABN Today. 01:34 That is when we just get to sit down 01:36 and have a study of the Word of God. 01:39 I almost feel like we're having Sabbath School panel, 01:42 but it'll be a little bit different 01:44 because we're discussing. 01:45 Our topic today is Sanctification. 01:49 This is a topic that used to scare me 01:52 if I'm being very honest with you, 01:54 but we don't have to be afraid, 01:56 it is a biblical topic 01:58 and sanctification is a gift from God. 02:01 So we're going to be talking today 02:03 about the biblical definition of sanctification, 02:06 how sanctification connects with other doctrines 02:09 like the second coming and the Sabbath, 02:12 and salvation and sanctuary? 02:14 How does sanctification connect with justification? 02:18 And if you're just new in the Word of God, 02:20 you might be saying, 02:22 "I don't even know what those words mean," 02:24 and we will unpack them today. 02:27 We'll talk about how we are sanctified. 02:29 What is the purpose of sanctification? 02:32 And what's our part? 02:33 What is our role to play and what is God's role? 02:37 So I want to introduce our family at this time, 02:40 to my right, Brother Ryan Day. 02:42 So good to have you here. 02:44 You work in our 3ABN pastoral department, 02:46 and you're Assistant 02:48 to the General Manager for 3ABN Praise Him, so. 02:50 Amen. 02:52 It's blessing to be here, 02:53 and I'm definitely excited about this topic, much needed. 02:55 Absolutely. 02:56 And to your right, Pastor John Lomacang, 02:59 pastor of the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church 03:02 and 3ABN Director of World Evangelism, 03:04 and delighted to have you here. 03:05 I could already tell, 03:07 we need three hours on this subject, you know. 03:10 As I said you earlier, 03:11 are you ready for what you have on, 03:13 for what you have activated. 03:15 This is a powerful topic. 03:17 One I believe that's... 03:19 I could use the term grossly misunderstood. 03:22 And sometimes it's become almost cliché 03:25 in the sense of the phrase of work of a lifetime. 03:29 So today, we're going to really unpack it, 03:31 and do whatever we can 03:32 with the time we have remaining. 03:34 So let's read a scripture verse and then we'll pray 03:36 and we'll jump right into our study. 03:39 So let's start with 1 Corinthians 6:11. 03:41 Hope you have your Bibles at home 03:43 and get ready to open them up 03:45 and study with us and your notepad, 03:46 so you can take notes. 03:48 1 Corinthians 6:11, "And such were some of you." 03:52 Now, if you read the previous verses, 03:54 there's an entire list of sins 03:57 of those fornicators and idolaters, 03:59 adulterers, thieves, covetous, homosexuals, 04:02 drunkards, all of these, 04:03 those people, that's all of us really. 04:06 All have sinned and fallen short 04:07 of the glory of God, 04:09 that we will not inherit the kingdom of God. 04:11 And then verse 11 gives us hope, 04:13 "And such were some of you. 04:16 But you were washed, you were sanctified, 04:21 you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus 04:24 and by the Spirit of our God." 04:27 That verse gives me incredible hope 04:29 'cause no matter our past, no matter what we have done, 04:34 God says He can wash us, 04:35 and justify us, and sanctify us, 04:39 and prepare us for an eternity with Him. 04:41 So let's pray and we'll jump in. 04:43 Ryan, you want to pray for us? Sure. Absolutely. 04:45 Our Father in heaven, Lord, 04:47 we take this time to dedicate it to you, Lord, 04:49 in the study of Your Word. 04:51 And it would be irresponsible of us, Lord, 04:52 to not first come to You humbly 04:54 and ask for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 04:56 into our hearts and minds at this hour. 04:58 Lord, as we take on this very precious 05:00 and as pastor said, 05:02 somewhat misunderstood topic in the Christian world. 05:05 Lord, I pray that You give us understanding. 05:07 Help us to understand what Your Word is saying. 05:10 Give us the spiritual mind of Jesus. 05:12 That is we discuss and we talk 05:14 about these important things in Scripture. 05:18 Lord, I pray that the people that are watching, 05:20 those at home, those around the world, 05:21 wherever they're listening to this, 05:23 may they be blessed, 05:24 may the church be edified, Lord, 05:26 and may we come to a better understanding 05:28 of who Jesus Christ is and His will for our life. 05:31 We praise You, Lord, and we thank You as always. 05:34 And we ask this in Jesus' holy name, amen. 05:36 Amen. 05:37 So let's just start off 05:39 with a biblical definition of sanctification. 05:40 Someone's watching and says, 05:42 "I don't even know what sanctification is, 05:43 or maybe the way my church teaches it." 05:46 It might not be in line with what the Word of God says. 05:48 So what does the Bible say? 05:50 What's the definition of sanctification? 05:51 Well, it's beautiful when you look at it 05:54 because sanctification is not only a process, 05:59 but it's an immediate act. 06:01 It's seen in both ways, and I'll give you an example. 06:04 But to summarize it, 06:05 I looked at various dictionaries 06:07 one that I really settled with 06:08 was one from the Entenmann's dictionary. 06:12 It's a common dictionary, 06:15 common in the sense that it's used 06:16 across the levels of the Christian world. 06:18 But it says, "The act or end process 06:24 of making something or someone clean and holy." 06:27 That's right. 06:28 The act and process of making 06:30 someone or something clean and holy. 06:32 That's the simple processes. 06:34 It says, "In Christian theology, 06:36 sanctification is usually understood as an act 06:39 or process subsequent to salvation, 06:42 which renders the believer holy in fact. 06:46 I like that. So holy in fact. 06:48 Right. You are holy. 06:50 So when the Bible says, 06:51 "Be therefore holy 06:53 as your Father in heaven as holy." 06:54 He declared you holy, 06:55 and then but now he's, he declared you holy, 06:59 but now he's gonna make you give you a holy life. 07:02 Okay, there's one thing to be separated for holiness. 07:06 Now, it's like you buy a brand new tool. 07:08 So you just bought a brand new shovel. 07:11 And you've never used one before. 07:12 Well, the shovel is brand new, 07:14 but now you got to learn how to use it. 07:16 So the purchasing of the shovel is justification, 07:20 the learning how to use the shovel 07:23 and become good at it, 07:25 almost to the point where it's second nature 07:27 is sanctification. 07:29 Amen. It's a continual thing. 07:30 Could I give a couple of examples? 07:32 Please. 07:33 You know sanctification. 07:35 I would, as you pointed out, 07:36 all have sinned and fallen short 07:37 of the glory of God. 07:39 But when we go to 1 John 1:9, let's go there first. 07:42 I'm going to show the... 07:43 I'm going to show this verse is a verse that is, 07:46 is often the one we cite. 07:49 It's like if the person got caught 07:50 and they're guilty of a crime, they just run to this verse. 07:54 If we confess our sins, 07:56 He is faithful and just to forgive us 07:57 of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, 07:59 but they missed the process, 08:01 because this verse is the immediate 08:02 and the continual contained in one. 08:05 Oh, good. How do you say that? 08:07 It's the immediate, 08:08 He is faithful and just to forgive us 08:10 our sins that are justification. 08:11 Immediate. Good. 08:13 And to cleanse us 08:14 is sanctification from all unrighteousness. 08:17 I like that. That's beautiful. 08:18 So it's both together. 08:20 See, so forgiveness or justification 08:23 is the immediate act of pardon. 08:26 But it has to be followed by the sanctifying process 08:30 of reversing the effect of the sin. 08:34 An alcoholic, how long have they been in out, 08:36 what makes an alcoholic somebody who had incessantly, 08:38 repetitively drank alcohol. 08:41 It leaves an impact. 08:42 So now they're forgiven of the act. 08:45 But they're now cleansed and you know the body. 08:47 My mom was a smoker for many, many years 08:49 and an alcoholic before she knew the Lord. 08:52 I wasn't raised with her, but she smoked 08:54 two to three packs of cigarettes a day. 08:56 And that was her out 08:57 because of abandoning her children. 08:59 But when she gave her life to the Lord and stop smoking, 09:02 I even could tell her voice 09:03 when I met her for the first time, 09:05 her voice had lightened. 09:06 And she lost the desire 09:08 for the appeal to smoking and alcohol altogether. 09:10 And the body which is naturally made by God, 09:13 to begin to restore itself, 09:17 the body began to sanctify itself, 09:19 getting rid of all the ill affect, 09:21 all the impact. 09:22 So here it is. 09:24 So we don't, we just don't confess our sin. 09:29 But notice, He says 09:30 He is faithful and just to forgive. 09:32 Now let me add 09:33 the sanctifying process to confess. 09:35 Go to Proverbs 28:13, 09:37 because we confess that says, "Okay, I did it. 09:41 Lord, please forgive me, you confess. 09:43 But if you just want to be declared just, 09:47 then that's not all the Lord wants to do. 09:49 Proverbs 28:13, and you see the word again. 09:53 There's something else we have to do 09:55 for the process of sanctification 09:56 to be important. 09:58 "He who covers his sin will not prosper. 10:01 But whoever confesses and" what else? 10:04 "Forsakes them will have mercy." 10:07 Somebody asked me, "What does forsake mean? 10:09 To abandon. 10:11 That sin needs to die for lack of oxygen. 10:14 That sin needs to be rendered ineffective. 10:17 That's where we come to the point 10:18 of laying aside every weight 10:21 and the sin that so easily besets us 10:23 because here's the process and I throw to you next. 10:25 If we don't lay that aside, 10:27 then we are only laying it aside for a convenient time. 10:30 Some people become great Christians on Friday. 10:34 You know, I'm talking about an Adventist. 10:37 Some Christians that keep Sunday 10:39 become great Christians on Saturday night, 10:41 they go to church on Sunday. 10:43 Yes, I've been smoking a week, drinking a week. 10:44 That's why it's ridiculous to belong to a church 10:47 that supports the intoxication of the body 10:54 while saying you're a Christian, 10:56 because the Lord 10:57 doesn't want to just sanctify us, 10:58 He wants to sanctify our body, 11:01 as well as our mind 11:02 to make us a living sacrifice holy and acceptable 11:06 is what sanctification talks about. 11:08 Ryan? Yeah, absolutely. 11:10 I just, you know, 11:11 pastor did a beautiful job here. 11:12 I want to give a couple of texts 11:14 when we clearly see in Scripture, 11:16 a clear biblical definition within the text of Scripture 11:20 that spells out or defines what sanctification is. 11:23 Leviticus 20:7-8. 11:27 I'll just read it here, it says, 11:28 "Consecrate yourselves therefore..." 11:30 Leviticus 20:7-8. 11:33 Okay, this is, you don't think of Leviticus as you know 11:37 giving you a text that might clearly define 11:39 or tell us what sanctification is. 11:42 But if you read the context clues, 11:43 and I was always taught that in school, 11:45 and I tend to do that now when I study, 11:47 I look for little words in a passage or in a text, 11:50 a series of texts that clearly spell out 11:54 or show within that text what it is I'm looking for, 11:56 and this is a good example. 11:58 So Leviticus 20:7-8. 12:00 It says, "Consecrate yourselves therefore..." 12:02 So notice will automatically consecrate yourselves. 12:05 There's a certain amount of consecration 12:07 that must occur in the process of sanctification 12:10 and we'll talk about that more in a little bit. 12:12 It says, "And be holy," okay? 12:15 "I am the Lord your God, 12:17 and you shall keep my statutes and perform them." 12:20 And then notice this closing part. 12:21 "I am the Lord who sanctifies you." 12:24 And we're going to probably come back 12:25 to this question in just a moment, 12:27 which is, who does the sanctifying? 12:29 We clearly, obviously the Bible says 12:31 that the Lord does the sanctifying. 12:33 And the word for sanctify here 12:34 and the general word for sanctify in the Hebrew 12:36 is the word qodesh, 12:38 which means to be made clean 12:40 as pastor beautifully brought out 12:41 a few minutes ago, to be purified, 12:44 to be set apart for a holy use. 12:47 Okay? 12:48 Another text that comes to mind is 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, 12:53 okay, and we're probably going to revisit 12:54 some of these texts through this. 12:56 This is 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8. 12:59 And I'll probably just read verses 3 and 4, 13:01 and then 7 and 8. 13:03 But notice what it says here beginning of verse 3, it says, 13:05 "For this is the will of God." 13:07 And so, I just want to pause there for a moment 13:08 because we're going to talk about this in a few moments. 13:11 But the importance of sanctification, 13:12 not only does the Bible define what sanctification is, 13:15 but it clearly spells out 13:16 the importance of sanctification. 13:18 I grew up in a church 13:19 in a series of churches actually, 13:21 because I visited and studied 13:22 with many different Christian denominations. 13:25 And in the gospel 13:26 that was taught to me growing up, 13:28 there was no room for sanctification. 13:30 Sanctification was kind of a, you know, back seat type of, 13:33 you know, reality or a back seat 13:36 secondhand concept. 13:37 You know, if you are sanctified by the Lord, 13:39 that's a great thing, 13:40 but justification was made 13:42 more important than sanctification. 13:43 But notice here, 13:45 Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4 13:46 beginning with verse 3, 13:48 " For this is the will of God, 13:50 your sanctification: 13:51 that you should abstain from sexual immorality, 13:54 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel 13:57 in sanctification and honor." 14:00 Now notice verse 7 and 8. 14:02 It says, "For God did not call us to uncleanness, 14:06 but in holiness. 14:08 So notice the context closing in, 14:10 "Uncleanness, but in holiness. 14:13 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, 14:18 who has also given us His Holy Spirit." 14:22 Now that word holiness, 14:23 he's not called us to uncleanness, 14:24 but in contrast to that holiness. 14:26 Holiness in the original Greek here 14:29 is the word hagiasmos, 14:31 hagiasmos which basically means to purify 14:34 or to sanctify, to be made holy. 14:37 And then the last text 14:38 that kind of pulls this together, again, 14:39 speaking of defining what the Bible says 14:42 about sanctification, Romans 6:19 and 22. 14:47 And again, like I said earlier, 14:48 we'll probably read 14:49 some of these again in the study, 14:51 because there's so many great concepts. 14:52 Romans 6:19-22. 14:55 The Bible says, 14:56 "I speak in human terms 14:58 because of the weakness of your flesh." 15:00 So notice the terms that he's bringing up, 15:02 the weakness of the flesh. 15:04 "For just as you present your members as slaves of, " 15:08 there it is again, "uncleanness and of, " 15:11 and I throws in another one, 15:13 "lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness." 15:17 So now, 15:19 here's the contrasting thoughts. 15:20 So now present your members as slaves of righteousness for 15:25 and there it is, hagiasmos, holiness, sanctification. 15:30 And then verse 22, you got to read that one too. 15:33 "But now having been set free from sin." 15:36 What is sanctification? 15:38 What's the process of sanctification? 15:39 And we're going to define that a little bit more. 15:42 It means to be set free from sin. 15:44 So right here, he says, 15:45 but now having been set free from sin, 15:47 and having become slaves of God, 15:50 you have your fruit of and there it is, again, 15:53 hagiasmos, holiness, sanctification and the end, 15:57 notice this, everlasting life. 15:59 So it's clearly defined in Scripture 16:01 that not only is sanctification important, 16:03 but God makes it very clear as to what sanctification is. 16:06 It's the process of purification 16:08 of making one holy, 16:09 setting one apart from the world, 16:12 the lust of the world, the pride of life to be holy, 16:15 and to replicate the character of God. 16:16 Amen, that's beautiful. Thank you, both of you. 16:19 You know, it's incredible to me 16:20 that sanctification 16:21 is the will of God for our life, 16:23 he desires that and with that justification 16:26 in 1 John 1:9 as you talked about, 16:27 Pastor John, connected with the forgiveness 16:30 with the cleansing, 16:31 with being set free as it were from sin. 16:35 So we already talked, you touched on it, Pastor John, 16:37 the connection 16:38 between justification and sanctification. 16:40 But what if someone's saying, 16:41 is sanctification really necessary for salvation? 16:45 Is sanctification connected with salvation? 16:48 What would you say to that? 16:49 I would say definitely, and here's the reason why, 16:51 because there's a process. 16:53 Now purification is one thing 16:54 but alienation is something altogether different 16:57 'cause alienation separates you. 17:00 Because remember now, sin separates, 17:02 your sin has separated you. 17:05 Righteousness separates. 17:07 Sin separates from God, 17:09 righteousness separates from sin. 17:12 So the power of sin is so affected humanity 17:15 that in their natural state, they are servants of sin. 17:19 So how do you become servants of righteousness? 17:22 Anybody that takes the job of a servant 17:24 has to learn the process. 17:26 Okay, carry this way. 17:27 Make sure you ask. 17:28 A servant is the life that you learn. 17:30 That's why Jesus said, 17:32 "I've come to serve not to be served." 17:34 But look at the four things 17:36 that makes sanctification necessary. 17:38 Sanctification purifies and alienates us 17:40 from the domination of sin. 17:43 Oh, that's good. I like that. 17:45 Also sanctification destroys 17:46 the corrupt propensities of our fallen nature. 17:49 You got to do something over and over, 17:51 somebody says, like, 17:52 I've read the story where in the days gone by 17:55 maybe in the 1600s, 1500s, 1400s, 17:57 there was a thought 17:59 that people that were left handed 18:00 were wicked. 18:01 Okay. 18:03 I'm crawling under the table now. 18:04 I'm left handed. 18:06 And so what happened, 18:07 people would tie their children's hands 18:09 if they left handed 18:10 and forced them to learn right handed. 18:12 Within a matter of time, 18:13 they would learn how to be right handed. 18:15 Some basketball coaches 18:17 to develop the left handed game, 18:19 they say no, tie, put your right hand behind, 18:22 learn how to dribble, shoot, layup with your left hand, 18:24 in and out, of course, well, you know, in the NBA. 18:26 I did it all the time. 18:27 A dangerous player is the guy 18:29 that could shoot left and right, okay? 18:31 You know, Kyrie Irving, okay, dexterous. 18:34 So it has to destroy the corrupt 18:36 or the natural propensities 18:38 and alienate us from the fallen things 18:40 that we do naturally. 18:42 Thirdly, sanctification rectifies 18:44 or corrects our affections and inclinations. 18:48 That's powerful to me 18:49 because correcting meaning is recalibrating. 18:52 We are naturally out of line with God. 18:54 But sanctification says, wait a minute, 18:55 I'm going to bring you in line with God. 18:57 So I'm going to rectify the factors in your life 18:59 and watch this, it doesn't do it instantly, 19:01 we are instantly accepted 19:03 into the process, justification. 19:05 But then the Lord is saying, you're out of line, 19:07 you're out of line, I gotta line you up. 19:08 So purification rectifies or corrects 19:12 the affections and inclinations. 19:13 And then fourthly, 19:16 sanctification brings the entire nature 19:19 into subjection to the will of God 19:21 so that we may be properly called 19:24 servants of righteousness. 19:27 So all those processes purifies and alienates 19:30 from the domination of sin. 19:31 So after a while 19:33 when you continue in the process, 19:34 after a while you say, 19:36 I don't even remember what it was like to smoke. 19:38 Matter of fact, the very smell of that just irritates me. 19:42 The very thought of having done that just sickens me 19:47 because you have been lined up 19:49 with what is right all the time. 19:51 And I'll give you one example. 19:53 Look at 1 John 3:1-3, 19:56 one of my favorite passages in the Bible. 19:58 1 John 3:1-3, this is, 20:01 this brings into beautiful clarification, 20:04 what this process is all about. 20:06 Now we love the verse 1 and 2, 20:08 but verse 3 as there cannot be ignored. 20:11 "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, 20:14 that we should be called the children of God. 20:16 Therefore the world does not know us 20:18 because it did not know Him." 20:20 So here's the question I'll throw out there 20:21 and I'll answer in just a moment. 20:23 How does a person who is a sinner 20:24 get to the point 20:25 where the world can't even recognize you? 20:27 Hmm. 20:28 There's a change. Watch this. 20:31 Verse 2, "Beloved, now we are children of God, 20:34 and it has not yet been revealed, 20:36 " because you're in the process, 20:38 "what we shall be but we know in the assurance 20:41 that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, 20:43 for we shall see Him as He is." 20:44 We love to stop there, 20:46 but it calls on an action on our part. 20:48 That's right. 20:49 "However, everyone who has this hope in Him 20:53 that is in Christ 20:54 purifies himself just as he is pure." 20:57 Why do I have to purify myself if I'm pure? 21:00 The Lord told Peter that not just my feet 21:02 but my head only he said, Peter, you're already clean. 21:05 I just need to wash your feet. 21:06 Relax. 21:08 And here's my explanation. 21:09 Now, I've given the John Lomacang translation, 21:13 here it is, to those three verses. 21:15 Because I love you, I justified and forgave you. 21:19 So you can now be called My child, from now on, 21:24 make choices to maintain your holy connection 21:27 to your Holy Father. 21:28 When you do that, 21:30 the world won't be able to identify you 21:31 because you will look less like the world 21:33 and more like me. 21:35 If you keep making pure choices, eventually, 21:39 you won't recognize who you were. 21:41 Don't be discouraged, it takes time. 21:43 But since I am the one doing the cleaning, 21:46 I am so complete in what I do that when you see Me, 21:49 you will look just like Me. 21:52 That is John Lomacang translation. 21:53 That's beautiful. Wonderful. 21:56 I can't even speak right now. 21:57 That is beautiful, 21:59 the love of our Father to take us, 22:01 and to clean us, and to change us, 22:04 and to make us look like Him. 22:06 Now that brings a question 22:07 to my mind when you were talking. 22:09 We're kind of jumping forward here. 22:12 How much is our part 22:13 because it says 22:15 everyone who has this hope in Him 22:16 purifies himself as he is pure. 22:18 So what is my role to play in this sanctification process 22:23 and what is God's part? 22:24 Because clearly, 22:25 my righteousness is filthy rags. 22:27 That's right. 22:28 And I'm just being honest, I tried for years to be good, 22:30 and it certainly didn't work. 22:32 So I know that me just gritting my teeth 22:35 or trying harder, it's not going to purify me. 22:37 Right. 22:39 since I spoke, I'll give Ryan a shot at this one. 22:40 No, absolutely, 22:42 and you can chime in on this as well. 22:43 You know, this has been something 22:44 I've struggled with for years. 22:46 Just as you just mentioned, you know, 22:48 growing up in a Christian, 22:50 very conservative Christian home, 22:51 one can easily adopt a, 22:54 almost a legalistic mentality to the gospel, 22:57 especially when we read certain texts 22:59 where God very clearly demands righteousness from His people, 23:04 not as a sinister, you know, dictatorship but more or less, 23:07 God's saying, look, 23:09 if you're going to inherit my kingdom, 23:10 these are My ways. 23:12 And so, it's very easy for one 23:14 to adopt a works approach to salvation 23:17 to where it very much becomes. 23:20 And this is where 23:22 the sanctification comes in what is my part? 23:24 What is God's part? 23:25 Back in the day 23:27 I used to have this mentality of, 23:28 well, it was 50% my work and 50% God's work, 23:31 you know, I've got to meet Him halfway, 23:33 you know, He's done, 23:34 He's already done all the work on the cross, right? 23:36 The least I can do is try to do something 23:38 to help Him clean me up, right? 23:40 But the truth of the matter is, the clear answer is, 23:43 it's 100% God's work. 23:46 Now, that doesn't mean we don't do something 23:48 or that there's not a response that we give. 23:50 But as far as the cleansing act of sanctification in our life, 23:54 the clear answer is, it's 100% God's work in us. 23:58 Let me give you 23:59 a couple of scriptural examples for this. 24:01 Again, I read this earlier, 24:02 I started with this, Leviticus 20:7-8. 24:05 And the ending part of that is what I want to, 24:07 I want to emphasize, but I'll just read it through. 24:10 Leviticus 20:7-8, 24:12 again says consecrate yourselves, 24:14 therefore, okay, so right there 24:15 automatically somebody says, 24:17 "Well, I can't consecrate myself. 24:18 So obviously, that must mean something else." Right? 24:20 Well, consecration is different. 24:22 They're a little bit different 24:24 than you doing the work yourself in you 24:26 to clean you up, right? 24:28 Consecration is bringing your will 24:31 in submission to God, okay? 24:33 And we're gonna isolate that 24:34 and talk about that in just a moment. 24:35 But consecrate yourself therefore and be holy. 24:38 Well, Ryan, I can't be holy. 24:40 Only God can be holy, that is true. 24:42 But God wants to be holy in you and through you. 24:45 And so it goes on to say, I am the Lord your God, 24:49 and you shall keep My statutes. 24:51 Wait, Pastor, I've been told many times, 24:53 I can't keep the statutes of the Lord, 24:55 I can't keep the commandments of God. 24:57 You're right, in and of ourselves, we cannot, 25:00 but God can will and do His good work in us, 25:03 so that it's Him doing the work through us, 25:06 not ourselves. 25:07 But then notice this last part and perform them, 25:10 well, I can't perform them. 25:11 That's correct. God performs them. 25:13 In fact, He confirms it in the last part of this verse. 25:16 I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 25:20 Now I want to tie a couple of more texts 25:22 to this first, 25:23 this is Philippians 1:6, my favorite verse. 25:25 Oh, yes. 25:26 This is my favorite verse in all Scripture. 25:28 This is the verse I hang on to, Lord, Ryan's a sinner, 25:31 and sometimes I can be rebellious. 25:33 And I hang on to this verse because I read this 25:35 and the Lord reminds me, son, 25:36 I've begun a good work in you 25:38 and I will complete it as long as you remain humble 25:40 and submit your will to me on a daily basis. 25:42 I love this scripture. 25:43 Philippians 1:6, 25:45 "Being confident of this very thing that He, 25:47 not me, 25:48 but He who has begun a good work in you 25:51 will complete." 25:53 So who's doing the completing? God. 25:54 Okay, He will complete it unto the day of Jesus Christ. 25:58 Now, I know that this is a Bible study. 26:01 But I want to read a quote 26:03 that I think summarizes 26:04 what I've just said very clearly. 26:06 While God does, 26:07 and I want to be very clear on this, 26:09 while God does 100% of the sanctifying work in us, 26:12 there is a part that we must do and that is surrender. 26:15 It's good. 26:16 You say, Ryan, but I can't surrender. 26:18 That's not true. 26:19 If we couldn't surrender, then we can't be saved, 26:22 that we must do something, 26:24 and the doing that we must do is submit. 26:28 Now, what do I mean by that? 26:29 I love this text that I'm about to read, 26:31 comes from Testimonies, volume 5, page 514, 26:34 that I believe summarizes 26:35 what we've just studied and read in Scripture. 26:37 Notice this, beautiful. 26:39 Again, Testimonies, volume 5, page 514. 26:43 "It is for you to yield up 26:45 your will to the will of Christ. 26:48 And as you do this, 26:51 God will immediately take possession." 26:53 I love what pastor said earlier. 26:55 There's an immediateness to this and, of course, 26:57 then there's a process. 26:58 So notice this, 26:59 "As you yield up your will to Christ and you do this, 27:02 God will immediately take possession 27:05 and work in you to will and do his good pleasure. 27:09 Your whole nature will then be brought 27:12 under the control of the Spirit of Christ." 27:15 I love that. 27:17 "And even your thoughts will be subject to Him. 27:20 You cannot control your impulses, your emotions, 27:24 as you may desire, but you can control the will." 27:28 Notice that. 27:29 We may not be able to control our emotions, 27:33 our impulses and our desires, but we can control the will. 27:36 In other words, our free will and our free choice. 27:38 We have a choice, right? That's right. 27:40 I love this next part, 27:41 "And you can make an entire change in your life 27:46 by yielding up your will to Christ, 27:48 your life will be hid with Christ in God 27:53 and allied to the power 27:54 which is above all principalities 27:57 and powers." 27:59 So that is our part. 28:00 What is the link 28:01 between our part and God's part? 28:03 We surrender our will to Him. 28:04 Lord, I give you myself today. That's right. 28:07 You know what does that beautiful prayer 28:09 that Christ taught us that you know, 28:10 our Father which art in heaven, 28:12 hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, 28:13 thy will be done on earth that is it is in heaven. 28:15 Give us this day our daily bread, 28:17 and lead us not, what is it? 28:19 Into temptation. 28:20 Notice how were you automatically work, 28:22 that the emphasis is on what God is doing, 28:24 not what I'm doing. 28:25 So we simply approach God and say, 28:27 "Lord, You have justified me." 28:29 And I'm going to probably come to this in a few minutes. 28:31 But the results of justification 28:34 is sanctification, because He has justified me, 28:37 now I yield up my will to Him, my free will to choose, 28:41 Lord, not my will as Christ prayed, 28:43 "Not My will, but Your will be done." 28:45 Amen. 28:47 Pastor John, I can see you anxious here 28:48 and I'm going to toss it back to you right now. 28:50 I want to focus specifically on and, Ryan, 28:53 we already did a wonderful foundation 28:55 with God's part and our part, 28:57 but let's focus on how we are sanctified 28:59 and you already talked about that, me surrendering. 29:01 And if I could be so bold that just jumping forward, 29:04 Pastor, in your response, however you want to share, 29:07 but if you could share Romans 7:17 sin in me, 29:14 it's not me but sin, 29:15 and then Galatians 2:20 Christ in me 29:17 somehow in your, I love or whatever you did. 29:19 I'm actually going there right now. 29:20 I love when you share that, 29:22 that just really minister to me. 29:23 I'm actually going there right now 29:24 actually because, hey, that's providential 29:27 because that's exactly where I'm headed right now. 29:29 It's a three stage process. 29:30 It starts with Romans 6:16. 29:36 Let's look at that together. 29:37 And this is the part and I know what you're saying. 29:40 The beautiful part about this 29:41 is I've said and I'll preface it 29:43 with the statement. 29:44 We don't choose what to do. 29:47 We choose who to serve. 29:49 Okay, that's very important, 29:51 because the servant in the Bible term 29:53 that is used is slave. 29:55 I've never seen a slave make a choice. 29:59 I have never seen a slave make a choice. 30:02 Now they may in their mind say, I don't want to do that, 30:04 but do it to master. 30:07 Okay, I'll do it. 30:08 Now that's the indentured servant 30:10 has, okay, I don't know. 30:12 But let's look at Romans 6:16. 30:14 And in here the two categories 30:16 that we are each confronted with. 30:18 Do you not know 30:20 that to whom you present yourselves 30:21 slaves to obey? 30:23 You are that one's slave whom you obey, 30:26 whether of sin leading to death, 30:29 or of obedience leading to righteousness. 30:33 In both cases, somebody is leading, 30:35 there's a leading to death or leading to righteousness. 30:38 What do you do? 30:39 You present yourself. That's right. 30:41 You present yourself, you say, 30:42 "Okay, this is who I want to serve." 30:45 And that's why the die daily is a sanctifying process. 30:47 You have to choose each day who you want, you have to die. 30:50 But now, this process of dying 30:55 comes out of the presenting aspect. 30:57 Not just say, I die daily, but how do you die daily? 31:00 A lot of people say, "Okay, I die daily. 31:01 How do I do that?" 31:02 You have to present yourself to one or the other. 31:04 Okay. Okay. 31:06 I'm going to serve you Lord today and Lord says, 31:08 "Okay, you want to serve me?" 31:09 Well, what did He tell Peter in John Chapter 21. 31:12 When you were young, you went where you want to go, 31:14 you did what you wanted to do, somebody else dress you, 31:16 but now, I mean, you dress yourself. 31:18 But now I'm in charge. 31:20 I'm going to send you where you don't want to go, 31:21 sanctification. 31:23 I'm going to dress you 31:24 maybe the way you don't want to be dressed. 31:25 And you're going to do what I've asked you to do. 31:27 That whole process of surrendering completely. 31:29 So the first step in sanctification is, 31:32 you've got to choose who to serve. 31:35 When you choose who to serve, 31:37 that person decides what you do. 31:40 For it's God who works in you both to will. 31:43 Now Romans 7:17, 31:45 and that's the second part of it. 31:47 Romans 7:17, and this is very significant. 31:50 Now, when you choose who to serve, 31:52 what happens, 31:54 you are right now immobilized because something happens. 31:58 For it is now for, 32:00 but now it is no longer I who do it, 32:03 but sin that dwells in me. 32:04 When you choose the wrong master, 32:08 sin is now taken over. 32:11 Sin is doing it or you are now a slave to sin. 32:15 It has dominion over you. That's right. 32:17 And right now because you are a slave, 32:20 you are saying to yourself, I can't believe I did that. 32:23 Well, actually, you didn't. 32:24 You just submitted to a power greater than you, 32:27 which you, like, as Paul says, 32:28 "This power is so much greater than me 32:30 that that power is taken over." 32:31 But now let's look 32:32 at what happens when you submit to the other power, 32:34 Galatians 2:20. 32:37 This is a passage also, Ryan, 32:39 that fits so beautifully 32:42 into another aspect of our walk with Christ, 32:44 but Galatians 2:20, 32:46 "I have been crucified with Christ." 32:49 Now Romans 7:17. 32:52 Go there, Jill, because I want to play 32:53 ping pong here. 32:55 Sure. Sure. Okay. 32:56 Romans 7:17. 32:58 Look at that. 33:00 So I'm going to read Galatians 2:20, 33:01 then I'm gonna throw Romans 7:17 33:03 and tell you what it says. 33:04 It says, "It is no longer I who live but Christ." 33:07 Romans 7:17, Jill. 33:09 "It is no longer I who do it, but sin." 33:10 Okay. 33:12 It is no longer I who live, but Christ. 33:14 It is no longer I who live, who do it but sin. 33:16 In both cases, 33:17 it is no longer either one in both cases. 33:21 Right. That's right. 33:22 You all, you did was decide who to serve. 33:24 Right. Yay! 33:26 In both cases, 33:27 you became his slave or his slave. 33:31 And I love to be God slave, 33:33 because I'm in a house that's filled with love. 33:36 That's that servanthood, I no longer call you servant, 33:40 but friend, or master but friend. 33:43 So we don't have a master slave relationship. 33:47 We have a father and son relationship 33:50 from which we cry out Abba Father. 33:53 So when you know that in, that case, 33:55 that's why now look at the sanctification. 33:58 Once you now yield to Christ, 34:01 He's in charge and look what's going to happen. 34:04 And the life which I now live in the flesh, 34:07 I live by faith in the Son of God, 34:10 who did what? 34:11 Loved me and gave Himself for me. 34:14 And then you can add, you can't miss verse 21. 34:17 "I do not set aside the grace of God, 34:19 for if righteousness comes through the law, 34:22 then Christ died in vain. 34:24 In that inference there, 34:25 whether it's referring to the commandments 34:27 or the ceremonial law, 34:28 righteousness doesn't come through either one. 34:30 Righteousness is the character of God. 34:32 The Ten Commandments reveal His character, 34:34 but the Ten Commandments can't fix you. 34:37 It's the Lord who works in you both to will and to do 34:39 of His good pleasure. 34:41 And here's the quotation 34:42 I want to read to you very quickly. 34:44 You know, Jill, we need two more hours. 34:45 That's good. 34:47 Right now I feel like I'm at a... 34:50 I feel like I'm at a smorgasbord 34:52 and I only have one little fork. 34:57 Don't you feel it, Ryan? That's the truth. 34:59 Okay. Here's a quotation, okay. 35:02 The book Temperance, the book, Temperance, is a page 112. 35:06 We must to, 35:08 God has given us the power of choice, 35:09 it is ours to exercise. 35:11 We cannot change our hearts, we cannot control our thoughts, 35:14 our impulses, our affections. 35:16 We cannot make ourselves pure, fit for God's service, 35:20 but we can choose to serve God. 35:23 We can give Him our will, 35:24 then He will work in us 35:26 to will and to do according to His good pleasure. 35:28 Thus, our whole nature will be brought 35:30 under the control of Christ. 35:32 And I leave the next quotation for later on. 35:35 But so, once we choose who to serve, 35:37 they decide, okay, you ready for the process? 35:40 And then we become holy or corrupt. 35:42 You know, it's amazing, 35:43 because everything you just described 35:44 is put on display 35:46 in the Garden of Gethsemane by Christ. 35:47 Oh, yes, it is. It's powerful. 35:48 As you were walking through that, 35:50 I'm seeing vividly in my mind, 35:51 because Christ had already chosen. 35:53 I think this is at the end of His ministry. 35:55 So you have to consider, He's three years, 35:58 three and a half years into this, 36:00 He's been serving His Father. 36:01 He had already chosen to serve His Father. 36:04 But did the test stop 36:06 just because He chose in the beginning 36:07 to serve His Father, the test continued on. 36:09 And we see interestingly there, 36:11 that in the Garden of Gethsemane, 36:13 the nature, the nature of the first Adam, 36:15 the fallen Adam comes out in Christ when He says, 36:18 "Man, I don't want to do this. 36:20 I do not want to have to drink of this cup." 36:22 However... 36:23 Lord, if there's any way that I can, you know, 36:27 do and complete what You want me to do 36:30 without having to drink this cup. 36:32 But if not, Lord, as you said, however... 36:35 Nevertheless... 36:36 Nevertheless, not my will. 36:39 So He placed Himself 36:41 not only as a slave to His Father, by serving Him. 36:46 But once you do that, once you say, 36:47 Father, I'm serving You, 36:49 then as the slave master relationship 36:52 to the slave, 36:53 the slave now must place his will 36:56 at the feet of the slave master and say, 36:58 not my way, but yours. 36:59 That's right. 37:01 And then I love what you described earlier 37:02 because there, you know, there are stories 37:04 and I'm a history major, I love reading history. 37:05 There are many, many slaves who lost their life 37:08 that even though 37:09 by identification they were a slave. 37:13 They refused in their own mind to be a slave 37:15 and they lost their life for it, 37:16 because they refused that even though by legally 37:20 they were bought and sold into slavery, 37:23 they in their mind said, 37:24 I'm not going to serve this man. 37:26 And so we see 37:27 that Christ placed Himself humbly at the Father, 37:29 you know, speaking in righteousness terms here, 37:31 He placed Himself at the feet of the Father and so Lord, 37:33 not my will, but yours. 37:35 That's powerful. That's powerful. 37:37 Amazing. Amen. 37:38 So we've talked in the sanctification process 37:40 we need to make a choice who we will serve, right? 37:44 Then I know there's the choice, 37:46 but is there any other aspect within sanctification? 37:49 I'm thinking of a biblical principle 37:51 that talks about what you feed grows. 37:55 That's right. And what you starve die. 37:57 So how does that relate to our experience as Christians 38:01 through the sanctification process? 38:03 Romans 12:1-2. 38:04 Right. Yeah. 38:07 Even Isaiah 1 says, "Cease to do evil, 38:09 learn to do good." 38:11 There's somewhere, there's a training process. 38:14 What did I say? Romans 12:1-2. 38:16 Okay, great. 38:17 I knew what I said, but for some reason in my mind, 38:20 my brain was... 38:22 You were on Isaiah. I was so far ahead. 38:24 The one thing I have, 38:25 you know, I praise God, my mind, 38:27 I'm so far ahead in my mind where I'm headed next. 38:30 Sometimes I say, why am I at this intersection? 38:32 Which way do I go? 38:33 Romans 12:1, it says, "I beseech you therefore, 38:36 brethren, by the mercies of God," 38:38 and here it is, 38:39 "remember, do you not know 38:40 that whom you present yourselves," 38:42 here it is again, 38:43 "that you present your body a living sacrifice, 38:47 holy, acceptable to God, 38:49 which is your reasonable service." 38:51 Living sacrifice, you know, that means? 38:53 It is no longer I who live. That's right. 38:55 Good. See? 38:56 Living sacrifice, you got to put something down, 38:58 but how does it happen? 38:59 This is our part 39:01 which we oftentimes try to sidestep this. 39:04 And do not be conformed to this world. 39:06 You literally, you've literally, 39:08 my wife and I, 39:09 we rejoice in this particular passage 39:11 because we literally, 39:13 if something comes on television 39:14 that we know is not good. 39:16 We say, "I'm not watching that. 39:17 I am just not watching that. 39:18 I'm not watching that." 39:20 You got to say, I'm not watching that. 39:21 I'm not listening to that. I'm not going to do that. 39:23 I'm not going there. I refuse to participate. 39:26 You literally have to be not be conformed 39:29 because the world is continually pressing you 39:31 like a crowded train to go through that door. 39:35 And you say, I'm not, hold your ground. 39:37 Why? 39:38 Transformed by the renewing of your mind. 39:41 This is where Bibles, 39:42 that you may prove only then 39:44 what is that good and acceptable 39:46 and perfect will of God. 39:47 Now let me add one more component. 39:48 This is huge. 39:50 So when you refuse to go one route, 39:51 and determined to go the other, 39:53 only then can you prove what is God's perfect will. 39:56 But here's one thing I'm gonna throw 39:57 just completely different left turn. 39:58 Are you ready for it? Hold on, left. 40:00 This is one of the reasons 40:02 why so many Christians reject the Sabbath 40:04 'cause they think it's about a day. 40:06 Yes. Right. 40:07 Let's go to Genesis 2 very quickly. 40:08 They think it's about a day but it's not about a day. 40:11 The day is the proving... 40:13 The day is the proving 40:15 what is the good and acceptable, 40:16 and perfect will of God. 40:17 The day is proving 40:19 what is the good and acceptable, 40:20 and perfect will of God. 40:21 But Genesis 2:1, what does it say? 40:23 Let's do verse 3. Verse 3? 40:25 "Then God blessed the seventh day 40:27 and sanctified it, 40:28 because in it He rested from all His work 40:31 which God created and made. 40:33 So He blessed it and then He sanctified it. 40:34 So what does it have to do with us? 40:36 Now, Ezekiel 20:12. That's right. 40:40 It's a process. It's a process. 40:42 This is connection between sanctification 40:45 and the Sabbath. 40:46 Yes! It's a process. 40:48 A lot of people say, "I prefer Sunday." 40:50 Well, you know, Ryan, you just made the point. 40:52 If it's what you prefer, 40:54 the nevertheless never comes into play. 40:56 Right. I prefer Sunday. 40:57 Nevertheless, I'm going to keep Sabbath 40:58 because the Lord said, remember to keep it... 41:01 Right. Keep it holy. 41:03 Okay, that's right. Sorry. 41:05 I just thought, oh, you were waiting for that. 41:07 Keep it holy. 41:08 Holy is another word for sanctified. 41:10 Absolutely. 41:11 Notice what it says, now, Ezekiel 20:12 and 20. 41:14 This is the reason. 41:15 Now if you're Christian 41:16 that's not a Seventh-day Adventist, 41:18 this is the reason for the Sabbath. 41:19 Why does the Bible ask? Why does the Lord ask us? 41:22 Jill, read verse 12 for us? 41:24 "Moreover, I also gave them my Sabbath, 41:27 to be assigned between them and Me, 41:29 that they might know 41:30 that I'm the Lord who sanctifies them." 41:32 It's a sign of sanctification. That's right. 41:34 When you honor the Sabbath, you're saying, okay, Lord. 41:37 Look at verse 20 now. 41:39 "Hallow My Sabbaths, 41:40 and they will be a sign between Me and you, 41:42 that you may know that I am the Lord your God." 41:44 Right. 41:45 So watch this, is the Sabbath truth? 41:47 Absolutely. Is Jesus truth? 41:48 Absolutely. 41:49 Sanctify them, by that truth I, word is truth. 41:53 Jesus is truth, the Sabbath is truth, 41:55 the commandments are truth. 41:56 You cannot be sanctified. 41:58 You cannot be in the process of sanctification 42:02 and refuse the very identifying mark 42:04 of sanctification, it's not possible. 42:06 That's right. Amen. 42:07 Yeah, absolutely. 42:09 No I, you know, you would ask earlier, 42:12 in reference to, you know, 42:13 basically the purpose of sanctification. 42:16 I wanted to just talk about that for a moment 42:18 and add a couple of texts. 42:19 Acts 26:18, let's start there. Oh, yeah. 42:22 Acts 26:18, how am I sanctified? 42:26 What does it look like? 42:28 What should I do in order to make sure 42:30 that I'm in this process of sanctification? 42:33 Acts 26:18, 42:35 Paul was called to open their eyes. 42:38 Of course, this is the work of the Holy Spirit 42:39 through Paul, 42:40 and ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit 42:42 in order to turn them from darkness to light. 42:44 That's the purpose of sanctification. 42:46 God wants to transform us, 42:48 take us out of that darkness 42:49 and bring us into His marvelous light. 42:50 It says and from the power of Satan to God, 42:53 that they may receive forgiveness of sins, 42:55 but does it stop there? 42:57 Many people's gospel stops right there. 42:59 That Jesus died on the cross that I might have forgiveness. 43:02 Jesus, my friends, died on the cross 43:04 for a whole lot more than just forgiveness. 43:06 Yes, forgiveness was the avenue, 43:09 but over the paved path, 43:12 but Christ died on the cross 43:13 for much more than just forgiveness. 43:15 Christ died on the cross 43:16 that we might have complete victory over sin. 43:19 And that's what this is saying here. 43:21 Notice, that you might receive forgiveness of sin 43:23 and inheritance among those 43:24 who are sanctified by faith in Me. 43:27 That sanctification process comes, 43:29 but notice 2 Corinthians 3:18. 43:31 Yes. Okay. 43:32 Now we're dialing this in, 2 Corinthians 3:18. 43:35 How can I make sure 43:37 that I am experiencing true biblical sanctification? 43:42 2 Corinthians 3:18, 43:44 "But we all with unveiled face 43:47 beholding as in a mirror of the glory of the Lord." 43:50 So what are we beholding? 43:51 We're looking at Him. Jesus. 43:53 Okay, there's not an actual text 43:54 that says for word for word, 43:56 by beholding we become changed, 43:57 but this is where we get that concept from, 43:59 because you notice this text says, 44:01 that by beholding in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, 44:04 we are, notice, 44:05 being transformed into the same image how? 44:08 From glory to glory. 44:09 Paul would say through step by step, 44:11 faith to faith, and in this case, 44:13 glory to glory, 44:14 just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 44:16 This reminds me of the conversation 44:19 that Jesus had with Nicodemus. 44:21 And actually Miss Ellen White makes this very clear. 44:23 She says that in no other part of scripture is salvation 44:27 made more clear, 44:28 the plan of salvation made more clear 44:29 than in John Chapter 3 44:31 in the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus. 44:33 This is powerful. 44:34 By beholding, we become changed. 44:36 When we behold Christ, 44:38 and we place our will at His feet, 44:41 and we put self on the cross. 44:44 Remember, Jesus said, 44:46 "If you desire to come after Me and follow Me, 44:48 take up your cross, deny yourself, 44:50 take up your cross, 44:51 that is take up your instrument of death, 44:53 sacrifice self, put self upon the altar, 44:55 we have to do that. 44:56 But notice this, John Chapter 3, 44:58 the key verse in John Chapter 3 in my opinion is verse 14. 45:02 Many people are gonna say, verse 16, 45:04 because that's the most popular verse, 45:06 but you don't have a verse 16 45:08 unless you first experienced verse 14. 45:10 Okay. 45:11 He says here, 45:13 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 45:15 even so must the Son of man be lifted up." 45:16 That's right. 45:18 And many people will read that and go, 45:19 "What? What does that mean?" 45:20 Well, when you go back to Numbers 21 45:22 and you read that story. 45:24 How were the children of Israel saved 45:27 when those serpents 45:29 started going throughout the camp 45:30 and biting and killing them? 45:32 That's right. Looking at Jesus. 45:33 Jesus is referencing that story here. 45:34 He's saying, if you really, 45:36 He's explaining this to Nicodemus 45:37 who was a Pharisee, who was the, 45:39 a theological scholar of his day. 45:41 And He's telling this man, 45:43 "Look, if you really want to understand 45:44 all that I've told you how to be born again. 45:46 How sanctification 45:48 is vitally important to salvation." 45:50 He says, "If you want to be born again, 45:52 and you want to see the kingdom of God." 45:54 Notice this, just as Moses 45:55 lifted up the serpent in the wood 45:57 and so shall the Son of man be lifted up. 45:58 So how can I make sure that I'm not just saying, 46:01 I'm justified and that's it, 46:02 because most people's gospel stops right there. 46:04 Justification only, no sanctification, 46:07 and that's where you just brought up clearly 46:09 the Sabbath issue. 46:10 Most people don't find Sabbath important, 46:12 because their gospel only consists of justification. 46:15 If I'm already justified, 46:16 why do I have to keep a Sabbath? Right? 46:18 Well, the Sabbath is a part of that sanctifying process, 46:21 also the sanctuary truth as well. 46:23 If you study the sanctuary model, 46:24 what's the purpose of the model? 46:26 Most people stop at the altar of sacrifice 46:28 and there's, the courtyard there, 46:30 they go to that altar of sacrifice. 46:31 Jesus is dying as that lamb that's being slain, 46:34 but they don't go any further. 46:35 They might go to the laver and be baptized, 46:37 but they're not going to enter the Holy Place, 46:39 and they're certainly not going to enter 46:41 the Most Holy Place. 46:42 And if they do, most people believe 46:43 that they can go right from the courtyard, 46:45 skip the Holy Place 46:46 and go right into the Most Holy Place. 46:48 It's very vitally important that we understand 46:51 that right back to the story here, John 3, 46:54 just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. 46:57 They had to look, in fact, 46:59 by faith they have to behold the serpent on a stick, 47:02 on that stick that was raised. 47:05 And if they behold, beheld that in faith, 47:07 they were saved. 47:09 Now, what is the point of this? 47:10 By beholding, there is a life and a look at the Savior. 47:13 If we are focusing our attention more on self, 47:16 the desires of the flesh and the pride of life, 47:19 then we're not beholding Christ, 47:21 we are beholding self. 47:23 And just as Christ there in that wilderness, 47:25 in the Garden of Gethsemane, it's very clear. 47:27 Christ had a choice there, He could have said, 47:29 you know what? 47:31 "I really don't want to go through with this." 47:32 He would have actually sent their pastor 47:34 because He would have been submitting Himself to His self. 47:39 Okay. 47:40 But rather He submitted Himself to His Father. 47:42 So how can we make sure 47:44 that we're walking in that sanctifying process, 47:46 that we're experiencing true biblical sanctification. 47:48 We have to behold Jesus and obviously, 47:51 not literally in the sense of, 47:53 you know, a picture in your house or, 47:55 you know, but with focusing on Christ, 47:57 spending time with Christ, 47:59 making your everyday life, every choice, 48:01 everything you do, every thought, 48:03 everything that you possibly do, 48:04 you shroud it, 48:06 you cover it in Christ Jesus and His righteousness. 48:09 By beholding His righteousness, you shall become changed. 48:12 Amen. That's right. 48:13 That's right. Pastor John? 48:15 One of my favorite quotations 48:17 and I'll end with this particular Bible verse, 48:19 Education, page 29. 48:21 The will is the governing power in the nature of Christ, 48:25 not my will, but yours be done. 48:27 The power of decision or choice, 48:29 every human being possessed of reason has power 48:32 to choose the right. 48:34 In every experience of life, God's Word to us 48:36 is choose you this day whom you will serve. 48:39 Everyone may place his will on the side of the will of God, 48:42 and they may choose to obey Him, 48:44 and thus by linking himself with divine agencies, 48:48 he may stand 48:50 where nothing can force him to do evil. 48:54 Nothing can. How does that happen? 48:56 Here's the last text I'm going to give. 48:58 Ezekiel 36:25-27. 49:00 By the way, sanctification is Old and New Testament, 49:03 it's not just New Testament. 49:04 It always has been the process by which God cleanses us. 49:08 Ezekiel 36:25-27. 49:11 The Lord says, 49:12 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, 49:15 baptism, and you shall be clean. 49:18 I will cleanse you from all your filthiness 49:21 and from all your idols." 49:23 He's continued, that's the sanctification. 49:25 "I will give you a new heart 49:26 and put a new spirit within you. 49:28 Create in me a clean heart. 49:30 I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh 49:33 and give you a heart of flesh. 49:35 I will put my spirit within you 49:37 and cause you to walk in my statutes, 49:39 and you will keep my judgments and do them." 49:41 What a difference between what the devil said 49:43 I will, and it was for me. 49:46 And the Lord said, I will do this for you. 49:49 I will do this for me. 49:51 And the Lord looked at me and said, John, 49:53 I will do this for you. 49:54 That gives me hope. Praise the Lord. 49:56 He's gonna do that for me, Jill. 49:57 Amen. That's powerful. 50:00 Amen. 50:02 Get rid of all my idols, all my filthiness. 50:04 That's right. 50:05 Give me a new heart, a new spirit. 50:07 Take out the stone, give me the heart of flesh, 50:09 put a spirit with me 50:10 and enable me to walk the way that I should. 50:14 It's beautiful. That always gets to me. 50:15 Me too. 50:17 He said, "I'm gonna do that for you." 50:19 Who else would I want to serve? 50:21 Sanctification, that's it. 50:23 That's the beautiful thing 50:24 because our God is a God of love. 50:26 That's right. 50:28 Our God is, I love that analogy, Pastor, 50:30 I have never thought of that. 50:32 You think about Isaiah 14, in Ezekiel, 50:34 and you read about Satan 50:35 and how he wanted to lift himself up above God 50:39 and he wanted to be on the mount 50:40 of the size of the north and he wanted to be like God. 50:44 If we serve that master, 50:46 if we make a choice to be a slave to that master, 50:49 it will end in destruction and death. 50:53 But if you make a choice to serve the God who says, 50:57 I will clean you, 50:59 I will cover you, I will cleanse you, 51:03 I will sanctify you, 51:05 I will give you a new heart and a new spirit. 51:10 I will change you. 51:11 I want to serve that God. 51:13 We have just a moment left, 51:15 we're going to go to a news break 51:16 but, Pastor John, would you pray for those 51:17 right now who are struggling? 51:19 Loving Father in heaven, 51:20 there's so many who are watching this program 51:22 and even listening possibly. 51:24 They are saying, "Lord, that's what I need, 51:25 but I don't know how to do it. 51:27 Lord Jesus, right now I pray that they'll just simply say, 51:29 Father come and do in me 51:31 what I could never do for myself. 51:33 Rescue me, Lord, forgive me, 51:36 and then begin the process 51:38 of everything You promised to do. 51:40 Lord, give me that willing heart 51:42 to submit to Your will. 51:43 Lord, I know right now somebody's saying, 51:46 I want that. 51:47 And, Lord, where that willing heart is 51:50 you can begin to take that person 51:52 who has been alienated, 51:53 make him or her Your son or your daughter. 51:56 And Father, right now, 51:57 we thank You for Your willingness. 52:00 We thank You for what You will make us. 52:02 And may all the glory be given to you in Jesus' name. 52:06 Amen. Amen. 52:08 Thank you so much. Thank you both so much. 52:09 We'll come back in a moment with a closing thought. 52:12 The scripture came to mind, 52:13 I'm trying to see if I can find it 52:15 real fast here in closing. 52:18 Ephesians Chapter 2, "He is our peace. 52:20 He has broken down 52:22 that middle wall of separation." 52:24 So the Lord Jesus wants to reconcile us 52:26 back to the Father, 52:28 restore in us the image of Jesus 52:31 and set us free from sin. 52:33 That is sanctification. |
Revised 2020-06-15