Chapter 7

Sanctification

           

            What do we mean when we talk about sanctification? It means behaving like God would in the situation. What would God say? How would He act? Whatever the answer, that’s sanctification. That is what God is after in our lives. Those of us who are parents wanted our children to grow up to the point where we didn’t have to “keep after them to behave” … that is, they would “naturally” do the right thing.  Well, that’s what God wants. He wants us to grow up to the point where we will “supernaturally” behave the way we should without Him having to remind us. That is what sanctification is all about. We were legally in the spirit sanctified when we came to Christ. It is the outworking in our soul of that inward legal act in our spirit that brings us into the sanctification He is after. Some people believe that sanctification is a separate act of grace. We are not here to agree or disagree. What we are saying is that there has to come a point in your life where you say, “I am going to follow God and do what He wants me to do in my life.”

Calling/Chosen:

            Holy calling in sanctification:  

1 Thessalonians 4:7
7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.

2 Timothy 1:9
9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

            If God had wanted us to act like the people of the world, He wouldn’t have bothered to save us. He wouldn’t have needed to deliver us, because we would simply keep acting the way we always had. But God has a better plan for us. He called us to a holy life; one patterned after the one His Son lived on earth. This is not only a desire on His part … it is our destiny. This is what we were meant to do when He decided before the beginning of time to choose us to be His.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, I would hold you in My arms and speak peace unto you; for you have chosen the better way. You have chosen to walk in My Son’s footsteps. He walked in the way of holiness and chose to not sin. You have that privilege too. You can decide to walk in holiness and not sin. It is your choice. You have the ability to choose and you have the ability to lose. You can choose to walk in righteousness or in the path of sin. You can choose to not sin. It is not an easy path, but it is one that will bring pleasure unto Me and peace unto you. You have the choice. I cannot choose for you. You must decide to walk in the paths of righteousness. I cannot do that for you. I can only help you to walk in that path. I cannot walk it for you. I will however tell My Spirit to help you to walk in that path.”

            67. God has called me with a holy calling in sanctification. Therefore, I will walk in a manner worthy of my calling.

You Shall:

            Go in and out and find pasture:  

John 10:9
9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

            We’re not “locked” in the sheepfold. We are free to go in and out. We don’t have to stay where the grass is not plentiful. We can seek His pasture. Be sure to stay in His pasture and not wander looking for greener ones, especially by yourself. The pastures may look greener, but there are wolves in them. We have all we need in His pasture.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You have come unto Me. I am the Good Shepherd. I will never leave you nor forsake you. I have bought you with a price, and I shall not soon forsake those who have come unto Me. I am yours, and you are Mine. I would not throw away those that are Mine. Come unto Me and find rest for your souls. There is peace in no one else. There is hope in no one else. There is salvation in no one else. You are My sheep, and I am your Shepherd. You shall never roam alone. You shall always have Me; for I am the Good Shepherd and I forsake not My own.”

            66. I shall go in and out and find pasture wherever I go.

            These were just a few of the many results that are our destiny. We are free to enjoy them, but if we don’t know they are ours, we may never experience them the way we should. Each day we should repeat all the results that are our destiny. As we do, our faith rises and we begin to experience them in our lives.

All Things:

            The spiritual appraise all things:  

1 Corinthians 2:15
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.

            As Christians, we are judged by those of the world. If we fall, they say, “See, it doesn’t work.” Even though their judgment is unjust and we shouldn’t let it bother us, we usually do let it disturb us and keep us from living the kind of life we should. We, through the Spirit, should be able to judge the actions of others. It is difficult sometimes to allow Him to do the judging. Some people seem to get too much pleasure judging others.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Do not fear the criticisms of those around you who say, ‘You are stupid for believing that God is real and that He loves you’. You have no need to fear them. They are but a vapor that will dissipate into the wilderness. You shall stand forever because you have trusted in Me for your salvation. Do not listen to their taunts and jokes about you. You cannot be defeated by them and so you should not fear their insults. You shall reign forever with Me, so why pay attention to their insults. They are the ones that shall soon be sorry that they have not believed in Me.”

            65. I am spiritual through Him who indwells me and I appraise all things.

Salt:

            Salted with fire:  

Mark 9:49
49 “For everyone will be salted with fire.

            We’ve probably all heard messages on salt (adding flavor; being a preservative; etc.) and on fire, and they all say it better than I could. What I want to look at is the statement that we will be salted with fire. It is the fire that brings about the flavor and preservative characteristics of this salting. The fire burns away the dross from our old life and leaves the “flavor” of the new. Fire hurts, but this fire is beneficial. It leaves us much stronger than before. Many Christians resist the inward fire. It is necessary for us to experience this in our lives. We need to determine, though, if this is God’s cleansing fire or the devil’s tempting one. He sends his fire to destroy us. We must resist that one.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "There is a fire coming upon the world. It is a fire that will burn up the chaff of mankind. It is a fire that will destroy the works of the devil. It is a fire that will purify My people. You are My special one, and I desire that you come to know Me in My cleansing fire. You will either be cleansed by My fire or destroyed by it. It is a cleansing and redeeming fire. It is a fire of purity and grace. All who go through the fire and are not scorched by it shall come into My blessings on the earth as well as in Heaven.”

            64. I shall be salted with fire and shall come through unscathed like the three Hebrew children.

Conscience:

            Hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience:  

Hebrews 10:22
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

            Whenever they touched a dead body in the Old Covenant, they had to be sprinkled with pure water prepared in a special way. They could then after a short time be considered clean. They could not participate in anything spiritual until they followed the formula for cleansing that God had established. They couldn’t come before God and have their sacrifices acceptable until then.

            When we made Jesus Lord of our lives, our hearts were sprinkled clean from all the evil our old (now dead) man had done. Our conscience was now clear. We hadn’t done those evil things. Our old man did them. Now we can come near to God with a sincere heart, being fully assured that we are acceptable to Him.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You can before boldly, My children because you have been bought with a price. It is a price of untold riches. It is a price of untold grace. It is a price of untold boldness. It is a price of untold suffering. You are not some unwelcome piece of trash, but one of delightful longing. I have desired to know you from the beginning of time, but it is only recently that you have come to know Me. You are Mine from the beginning of Creation, but you are just recently My special one. You have known My grace and you will know My favor as you rest in My love for you. You shall not know hardship as My Son knew hardship on the cross. But you shall know My love in your heart for you have come unto Me and have accepted Me as your Savior.”

            63. My heart has been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience. Therefore, I can trust it when it tells me that I have done something right or something wrong.