WEBVTT 00:00:00.699 --> 00:00:06.900 Well, sir, a lady writes to me and let me see, 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:08.820 where does this come from? It comes from Los 00:00:08.820 --> 00:00:12.320 Angeles. No, it comes from Sacramento. Sacramento, 00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:21.140 California. And she said, Miss Gorman, I want 00:00:21.140 --> 00:00:29.739 to be fully consecrated. I try, but fail. There 00:00:29.739 --> 00:00:36.340 must be more to it than crying. Would it be possible 00:00:36.340 --> 00:00:41.380 to tell someone how this full consecration comes 00:00:41.380 --> 00:00:50.719 about? I have struggled. I have worked. I have 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:56.780 agonized. But nothing happens. She signs her 00:00:56.780 --> 00:01:03.149 full name. There's a postscript. Please pray 00:01:03.149 --> 00:01:08.450 especially that God will give me a good dose 00:01:08.450 --> 00:01:15.250 of consecration. That's simple. That's down to 00:01:15.250 --> 00:01:21.069 earth. The same question that literally thousands 00:01:21.069 --> 00:01:27.719 are asking right now. And so again today. We're 00:01:27.719 --> 00:01:31.920 going to have another one of those old -fashioned 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:35.040 heart -to -heart talks. You know, I've been talking 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:37.560 to you about this thing of victorious living, 00:01:37.640 --> 00:01:43.239 a victorious life. I want you to remember something. 00:01:44.579 --> 00:01:48.900 If you forget everything else that I might say 00:01:48.900 --> 00:01:53.000 in the next 20 minutes, remember this one thing. 00:01:54.640 --> 00:02:02.840 This life is a gift. The victorious life is a 00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:09.840 gift by the greatest of all givers, the Lord 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:16.900 Jesus Christ himself. When I see people agonizing, 00:02:16.939 --> 00:02:23.639 when I see them struggling, I feel so sorry for 00:02:23.639 --> 00:02:29.060 them. I'll tell you something truthfully, and 00:02:29.060 --> 00:02:34.240 I'll make a confession. This thing of sanctification 00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:40.159 nearly made an infidel out of me when I was not 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:44.780 more than 15 years old. I'll just take the lid 00:02:44.780 --> 00:02:46.560 off of my heart and be perfectly honest with 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:48.900 you about these things, because you can't give 00:02:48.900 --> 00:02:52.740 any more to anyone else than what you have experienced 00:02:52.740 --> 00:03:00.050 yourself. Now, I believe in sanctification. I 00:03:00.050 --> 00:03:05.090 believe in holiness. I have to. The Word of God 00:03:05.090 --> 00:03:13.169 teaches it. But in my stupidity, I didn't understand 00:03:13.169 --> 00:03:20.389 it, and it almost threw me. Oh, sure, in Oskaloosa, 00:03:20.509 --> 00:03:24.150 Iowa. Years and years, and it's been years ago. 00:03:24.150 --> 00:03:25.969 Well, you can imagine how many years ago it has 00:03:25.969 --> 00:03:29.870 been. Because right after my conversion, I was 00:03:29.870 --> 00:03:35.090 only about 15 years of age. And how many years 00:03:35.090 --> 00:03:37.310 ago that's been is, well, I'm not going to tell 00:03:37.310 --> 00:03:43.930 you. Anyway, I was so hungry for more of God. 00:03:44.990 --> 00:03:53.479 Oh, beloved, you'll never know. I was so hungry 00:03:53.479 --> 00:03:58.120 that on the inside, actually, it hurt. You know 00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:01.439 what I'm talking about? Every part of my being 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:06.979 just cried out. I wanted to be sanctified. I 00:04:06.979 --> 00:04:13.039 wanted to be made holy. I wanted a complete consecration. 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:18.060 And they were having a holiness camp meeting, 00:04:18.220 --> 00:04:22.939 preaching holiness. I was too young to understand 00:04:22.939 --> 00:04:28.199 most of it. But every time there was an altar 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:32.540 call, in the morning session, in the afternoon 00:04:32.540 --> 00:04:37.160 session, at night, they would give an altar call 00:04:37.160 --> 00:04:41.379 for those who wanted to be consecrated, those 00:04:41.379 --> 00:04:45.639 who wanted to be sanctified. The first one down 00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:52.990 the sawdust trail was a red -headed, freckle 00:04:52.990 --> 00:04:59.009 -faced teenage girl. And I would kneel down and 00:04:59.009 --> 00:05:05.209 cry and cry and cry until my eyes were almost 00:05:05.209 --> 00:05:07.990 swollen shut. Sometimes they did swell completely 00:05:07.990 --> 00:05:13.990 close. Agonizing, struggling. What happened? 00:05:14.649 --> 00:05:22.100 Nothing. I... was struggling for something that 00:05:22.100 --> 00:05:25.959 was a gift and the Lord Jesus Christ was more 00:05:25.959 --> 00:05:30.220 willing to give to me than I was to receive from 00:05:30.220 --> 00:05:34.480 him but in my ignorance I didn't know how to 00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:42.420 receive this gift. A gift is a gift. This victorious 00:05:42.420 --> 00:05:48.180 life is a gift and it's not to be secured by 00:05:48.180 --> 00:05:52.149 any struggling or striving or agonizing on our 00:05:52.149 --> 00:05:57.269 part. It's not a thing to be attained by long 00:05:57.269 --> 00:06:03.569 and laborious effort. It's not a thing that we 00:06:03.569 --> 00:06:08.569 can reach gradually by growing more and more 00:06:08.569 --> 00:06:12.589 like Christ. These things that I'm saying to 00:06:12.589 --> 00:06:16.329 you right now are most important to you. They're 00:06:16.329 --> 00:06:20.129 vitally important. And I'm telling you these 00:06:20.129 --> 00:06:22.970 things so that you don't make the same mistake 00:06:22.970 --> 00:06:27.589 that I made when I didn't have anyone to teach 00:06:27.589 --> 00:06:34.430 me. All life comes as a gift. Our physical life, 00:06:34.550 --> 00:06:39.089 we just receive it. Our spiritual life is the 00:06:39.089 --> 00:06:44.149 gift of God. Read it. 6th chapter, Romans, the 00:06:44.149 --> 00:06:48.800 23rd verse. The life more abundant. And believe 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:54.860 me, there is a life that is more abundant. It's 00:06:54.860 --> 00:07:01.860 a gift. We cannot receive a gift gradually. There 00:07:01.860 --> 00:07:04.639 may be some hesitation or there may be delay 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:08.339 in taking it. There may be a struggle before 00:07:08.339 --> 00:07:13.750 we are willing to receive it. But a gift... is 00:07:13.750 --> 00:07:20.730 accepted, not gradually, but in a moment. The 00:07:20.730 --> 00:07:26.209 victorious life, then, can be received by a definite 00:07:26.209 --> 00:07:32.009 act. Now watch something. There is, of course, 00:07:32.069 --> 00:07:36.649 a growth in grace in the man who has been wholly 00:07:36.649 --> 00:07:43.449 sanctified. A going on to perfection as his capacity 00:07:43.449 --> 00:07:49.629 increases. Oh, don't think that I don't believe 00:07:49.629 --> 00:07:55.050 that there is a growth. There is a daily growth. 00:07:56.110 --> 00:08:00.310 For instance, you'll never know how often I have 00:08:00.310 --> 00:08:06.029 wondered recently, dear Lord Jesus, you're putting 00:08:06.029 --> 00:08:09.829 such responsibility on me. There are thousands 00:08:09.829 --> 00:08:14.230 of doors that are opening everywhere. Why didn't 00:08:14.230 --> 00:08:19.149 you do this years and years ago? Why? And you 00:08:19.149 --> 00:08:22.449 know he gives me the same answer. Child of mine, 00:08:22.529 --> 00:08:25.589 you couldn't have handled it years and years 00:08:25.589 --> 00:08:30.769 ago. You weren't the mature Christian years and 00:08:30.769 --> 00:08:37.649 years ago that you are now. You didn't have the 00:08:37.649 --> 00:08:40.970 deep spiritual experiences years and years ago 00:08:40.970 --> 00:08:46.639 that you have now. There has been a constant, 00:08:46.980 --> 00:08:55.620 a continual growth every day and every day. And 00:08:55.620 --> 00:09:00.960 if there isn't a daily continual growth in your 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:04.960 spiritual life, there's something wrong someplace 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:08.720 with your relationship between the Lord and yourself. 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:13.289 There's your little baby. Maybe at this very 00:09:13.289 --> 00:09:16.769 moment, that child is just an infant in your 00:09:16.769 --> 00:09:22.149 arms. Or maybe a child is there crawling near 00:09:22.149 --> 00:09:25.289 your feet on the rug beside the chair where you're 00:09:25.289 --> 00:09:31.330 sitting. Now, if that child is a healthy child, 00:09:31.590 --> 00:09:35.610 if it's a healthy baby, every day there will 00:09:35.610 --> 00:09:40.370 be a growth in that physical body. Constantly. 00:09:41.870 --> 00:09:47.169 If it's healthy, if it's strong, if it's nourished 00:09:47.169 --> 00:09:52.409 properly, if it gets the right food, it'll continue 00:09:52.409 --> 00:09:58.350 to grow and grow. There's a daily growth. It 00:09:58.350 --> 00:10:03.070 will not remain a baby for the next 12 years, 00:10:03.309 --> 00:10:09.909 5 years, 3 years. And so it is in our spiritual 00:10:09.909 --> 00:10:17.649 life. Of course, there is a daily, a constant 00:10:17.649 --> 00:10:24.970 growth. But this life, this life that is more 00:10:24.970 --> 00:10:33.789 abundant is a gift. And we receive it. Now watch. 00:10:37.190 --> 00:10:43.730 This life that I am talking about, is in His 00:10:43.730 --> 00:10:49.590 Son. When we accept the Son as the Lord of all 00:10:49.590 --> 00:10:53.169 of our being, when we accept Jesus, we say, as 00:10:53.169 --> 00:10:59.769 our personal Savior, we receive as a gift this 00:10:59.769 --> 00:11:05.750 life, this life that is eternal. It is something 00:11:05.750 --> 00:11:10.850 that God does for us, but not only for us, but... 00:11:11.340 --> 00:11:15.639 in us. That's the reason we become a new creature 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:23.259 in Christ Jesus. This is our second birth. The 00:11:23.259 --> 00:11:26.399 first birth is the physical. That is something 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:29.899 that we all have in common. The first birth. 00:11:30.100 --> 00:11:35.039 The physical birth. But there is a spiritual 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:38.000 birth. That's the reason we call it the second 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:42.379 birth. The new birth. And Jesus said, ye must 00:11:42.379 --> 00:11:46.100 be born again. For that which is born of the 00:11:46.100 --> 00:11:48.600 flesh is flesh. The one thing we all have in 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:51.519 common. But that which is born of the spirit 00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:57.519 is spirit. And when we accept the son as the 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:02.919 Lord of all of our being, we receive as a gift. 00:12:04.580 --> 00:12:07.259 We haven't worked for it. We don't deserve it. 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:15.269 It is a gift. the gift of life. It is something 00:12:15.269 --> 00:12:21.710 that God does in us. It's not a long struggle 00:12:21.710 --> 00:12:24.649 before surrender. Many a Christian has a terrific 00:12:24.649 --> 00:12:26.710 struggle before he's willing to yield himself 00:12:26.710 --> 00:12:33.370 wholly to Christ. But this is before the victorious 00:12:33.370 --> 00:12:39.169 life begins. Victory begins only when... gruggling 00:12:39.169 --> 00:12:44.090 ceases. The moment you surrender yourself entirely 00:12:44.090 --> 00:12:47.029 to Christ, the very moment that you look to him 00:12:47.029 --> 00:12:51.389 in faith to dwell in your entire heart, that 00:12:51.389 --> 00:12:57.049 moment he comes and takes control of you. Now 00:12:57.049 --> 00:13:00.690 this indwelling is quite independent of any feeling 00:13:00.690 --> 00:13:04.750 on your part. It's independent of any ideas of 00:13:04.750 --> 00:13:07.610 your own as to how he should manifest his spirit. 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:10.500 presence. You must just take him at his word, 00:13:10.620 --> 00:13:15.000 rest upon his word. That's where trust, that's 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:19.220 where confidence enters in. It doesn't rest upon 00:13:19.220 --> 00:13:24.360 any feeling. It rests upon facts. You may have 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:28.120 a wonderful thrill of joy, or you may feel nothing, 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:32.740 nothing unusual whatsoever. It is a definite 00:13:32.740 --> 00:13:37.940 transaction. You take God at his word, a God 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:43.100 who has never lied. When you read his promise, 00:13:43.259 --> 00:13:48.740 when you read God's word, remember something. 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:57.419 A God who cannot lie has promised. You take God 00:13:57.419 --> 00:14:00.360 at his word and you can stake your very life 00:14:00.360 --> 00:14:07.559 on thus saith the Lord. You trust his word. It's 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:12.740 a definite transaction. Whether there's any feeling 00:14:12.740 --> 00:14:17.759 or not. My goodness, a life. Think of the important 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:22.240 transactions that you make daily or that you 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:27.399 make during your lifetime. Important transaction. 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:32.740 Much is involved. Millions of dollars can be 00:14:32.740 --> 00:14:38.720 involved. the property that's involved. And yet 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:43.100 there may not be any feeling, physical feeling, 00:14:43.159 --> 00:14:50.779 or any emotion whatsoever. It's there. It's a 00:14:50.779 --> 00:14:55.740 transaction. Do you know why so many people are 00:14:55.740 --> 00:14:57.659 still crowding to the altar every time there's 00:14:57.659 --> 00:15:04.200 an altar call given? Still seeking. for this 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:06.720 experience of being born again, it's because 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:12.639 they're seeking feeling. They expect some feeling, 00:15:12.740 --> 00:15:16.779 some great thrill, some great emotional experience. 00:15:20.100 --> 00:15:23.440 Search the Bible. You'll not find that he promised 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:27.620 anything like this. It's a definite transaction. 00:15:29.639 --> 00:15:36.679 You take him at his word. Now watch it. Every 00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:40.840 Christian has to decide whether he'll be wholly 00:15:40.840 --> 00:15:44.659 consecrated to God or whether he'll remain content 00:15:44.659 --> 00:15:50.559 to live the Christian life on a low level, which 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:55.700 is always a powerless one. Always. And a person 00:15:55.700 --> 00:15:58.720 like that will never receive anything more than 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:03.840 his second best, his third best. Don't be satisfied 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:08.399 to live this Christian life on its lowest level. 00:16:09.659 --> 00:16:15.419 When I sold out to the Lord Jesus Christ as a 00:16:15.419 --> 00:16:21.620 teenage girl, I went into it lock, stock, and 00:16:21.620 --> 00:16:27.539 barrel. I never did anything halfway. When I 00:16:27.539 --> 00:16:32.009 was a kid, When I did anything bad, it was all 00:16:32.009 --> 00:16:37.210 for bad. Oh, my, that's the reason I got so many 00:16:37.210 --> 00:16:44.429 beatings. Nothing was ever done halfway. Never. 00:16:45.570 --> 00:16:49.730 I went out for it for everything there was in 00:16:49.730 --> 00:16:53.029 it. And that's the way I determined to serve 00:16:53.029 --> 00:16:58.409 the Lord Jesus Christ. I wanted everything he 00:16:58.409 --> 00:17:02.820 had for me. Let me change that. I continue to 00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:11.480 want everything that he has for me. It's like 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:18.599 that. Now watch. This decision for holiness is 00:17:18.599 --> 00:17:24.039 a crisis in a Christian's life. There are many 00:17:24.039 --> 00:17:28.680 who are... Absolutely satisfied just knowing 00:17:28.680 --> 00:17:31.759 if their sins are forgiven. And that is wonderful. 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:37.660 That's glorious. Now, if you feel that that is 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:41.279 all that there is for you as a Christian, just 00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:44.079 to be satisfied that you've been born again and 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:46.599 you've received the gift of salvation, then so 00:17:46.599 --> 00:17:51.420 far as you are concerned, that's all there is 00:17:51.420 --> 00:17:54.859 for you because you're not... expecting anything 00:17:54.859 --> 00:17:58.539 more. You're not desiring anything more. And 00:17:58.539 --> 00:18:02.460 so you just stop. But it doesn't change the fact 00:18:02.460 --> 00:18:04.599 one iota that the greatest saint that ever lived 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:07.019 never received all of God that God had for that 00:18:07.019 --> 00:18:17.839 one. There is a place that Christ can and does 00:18:17.839 --> 00:18:22.140 give victory over all known sin not gradually 00:18:22.140 --> 00:18:26.880 but instantaneously let me give the scripture 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:29.339 it's in second corinthians the seventh chapter 00:18:29.339 --> 00:18:35.660 having therefore these promises let us cleanse 00:18:35.660 --> 00:18:40.180 ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and 00:18:40.180 --> 00:18:46.440 spirit perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. 00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:57.660 There it comes. After this definite step of wholehearted 00:18:57.660 --> 00:19:01.900 dedication of oneself to God, there comes a lifelong 00:19:01.900 --> 00:19:07.940 process of sanctification, a going on from strength 00:19:07.940 --> 00:19:11.579 to strength, from glory to glory. to glory, a 00:19:11.579 --> 00:19:15.299 process under which the believer becomes more 00:19:15.299 --> 00:19:19.180 and more conformed to the life and the character 00:19:19.180 --> 00:19:26.920 of the Lord Jesus Christ. The new birth experience 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:35.549 is a gift. It's instantaneous. But when it comes 00:19:35.549 --> 00:19:39.289 to this thing of consecration and sanctification, 00:19:39.690 --> 00:19:46.750 it is a marvelous, daily, day -by -day process. 00:19:47.650 --> 00:19:55.170 A constant and continual growth. The baptism 00:19:55.170 --> 00:19:58.029 of the Holy Spirit, the fullness of the Holy 00:19:58.029 --> 00:20:02.069 Spirit, is not what I have just been talking 00:20:02.069 --> 00:20:07.009 about. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is instantaneous. 00:20:10.650 --> 00:20:20.410 Get it? But when you talk about sanctification, 00:20:20.589 --> 00:20:29.509 my friend, it is not agonizing. It is not struggling. 00:20:30.089 --> 00:20:35.809 It is not straining. is not torturing yourself. 00:20:36.509 --> 00:20:44.089 It is as natural a growth, a spiritual growth, 00:20:44.269 --> 00:20:53.549 as there is a physical growth in a little baby's 00:20:53.549 --> 00:21:01.549 physical body. I pray that this little heart 00:21:01.549 --> 00:21:05.859 to heart talk with you today will have meant 00:21:05.859 --> 00:21:09.940 much in your spiritual growth. God bless you.