WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.519 The Holy Spirit. Glory to Jesus Christ. Glory 00:00:04.519 --> 00:00:10.660 forever. When we are baptized and chrismated 00:00:10.660 --> 00:00:14.140 into Christ's Church, it is only the beginning. 00:00:15.119 --> 00:00:20.559 For some cradle Orthodox, it begins right after 00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:25.019 birth, this event. For others, converts as myself, 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:31.219 it begins later in life. whenever that is. But 00:00:31.219 --> 00:00:36.100 in all cases, it is just the beginning of us 00:00:36.100 --> 00:00:40.899 being sanctified, of us being made holy, of us 00:00:40.899 --> 00:00:47.520 becoming close to God. And for this process to 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:52.679 happen, it requires our participation. It requires 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:59.250 our desire. It requires us to make choices. To 00:00:59.250 --> 00:01:03.630 make choices of things not to do and choices 00:01:03.630 --> 00:01:09.069 of things to do. And so today, perhaps this is 00:01:09.069 --> 00:01:13.909 a moment where you will decide, I am going to 00:01:13.909 --> 00:01:19.709 not do that anymore. Or perhaps it's a day where 00:01:19.709 --> 00:01:24.030 you will decide, I'm going to begin doing that 00:01:24.030 --> 00:01:28.680 now. And I hope that would happen for you, however 00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:32.319 God would work it in your heart. Wherever you 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:37.180 are in your Christian walk this day, may your 00:01:37.180 --> 00:01:40.760 life no longer be static as it has been. May 00:01:40.760 --> 00:01:43.980 you feel the growth. May a year from now there 00:01:43.980 --> 00:01:47.760 be change that has brought you closer to God 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:51.760 because of your participation in walking with 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:58.379 Him. Today's epistle reading read so well by 00:01:58.379 --> 00:02:03.019 Deacon Aaron says, What agreement has the temple 00:02:03.019 --> 00:02:06.920 of God with idols? For you are the temple of 00:02:06.920 --> 00:02:10.860 the living God. As God has said, I will dwell 00:02:10.860 --> 00:02:13.159 in them and walk among them. I will be their 00:02:13.159 --> 00:02:16.919 God. They shall be my people. Therefore, come 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:20.719 out from among them and be separate, says the 00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:26.800 Lord. the area that you need to think about maybe 00:02:26.800 --> 00:02:30.139 you're still living in the world somewhere perhaps 00:02:30.139 --> 00:02:32.740 there's a part of your life that you haven't 00:02:32.740 --> 00:02:36.500 given to god that maybe there's even an idol 00:02:36.500 --> 00:02:42.240 still in place that you haven't torn down christ 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:48.120 says that we need to come to him come out from 00:02:48.120 --> 00:02:51.550 among them and be separate Do not touch what 00:02:51.550 --> 00:02:55.030 is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be 00:02:55.030 --> 00:02:58.330 a father to you. You shall be my sons and daughters. 00:02:58.509 --> 00:03:02.150 What could be greater than that opportunity? 00:03:02.750 --> 00:03:05.969 And so now, therefore, having these promises, 00:03:06.129 --> 00:03:11.770 let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness 00:03:11.770 --> 00:03:15.669 of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness 00:03:15.669 --> 00:03:20.219 in the fear of God. God will do this. If we just 00:03:20.219 --> 00:03:23.500 turn away from the things of the world and say 00:03:23.500 --> 00:03:28.259 goodbye to them and not do the things that the 00:03:28.259 --> 00:03:32.159 world does. The world is filled with uncleanness, 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:35.419 with idols, with ungodly teachings that lead 00:03:35.419 --> 00:03:39.759 many away from God. These are the things not 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:45.020 to do. And in today's world, too often you will 00:03:45.020 --> 00:03:49.099 see churches often especially Protestant churches, 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:52.840 which instead of impacting the world with the 00:03:52.840 --> 00:03:56.979 gospel, they have their teachings changed by 00:03:56.979 --> 00:04:01.300 worldly thinking. May we not go there. It should 00:04:01.300 --> 00:04:04.599 not be this way. The teachings of the church 00:04:04.599 --> 00:04:08.699 should be transforming the culture and each one 00:04:08.699 --> 00:04:12.759 of us in our own lives. Don't listen to the world 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:16.800 and worldly teachings. Listen to God. and what 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:19.579 is in the Holy Scriptures, and what the Holy 00:04:19.579 --> 00:04:23.540 Fathers have told us. An idol is anything that 00:04:23.540 --> 00:04:27.560 you make more important than God's will. Perhaps 00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:30.779 there's something in your life that you've thought 00:04:30.779 --> 00:04:35.459 of, just as I've been talking this morning. It's 00:04:35.459 --> 00:04:40.079 time to get rid of it, to tear it down, to cast 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:44.459 it away, to let God heal you. and move you forward 00:04:44.459 --> 00:04:50.720 in the process of sanctification. Some of you 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:54.759 may be aware that God recently gave me quite 00:04:54.759 --> 00:05:01.000 a gift, a journey to Mount Athos. And on that 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:06.860 journey, one part of my pilgrimage was on a hike 00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:11.319 from the town of Careus to Ivoron Monastery. 00:05:11.720 --> 00:05:15.079 A beautiful hike in and of itself. But halfway 00:05:15.079 --> 00:05:21.639 along that journey is a cell, a dwelling of a 00:05:21.639 --> 00:05:26.680 man, a very holy man named Elder Gabriel. And 00:05:26.680 --> 00:05:30.720 sometimes he's so ill that pilgrims are not able 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:34.680 to visit him. But we were blessed, our group, 00:05:34.839 --> 00:05:39.920 to go into his cell, to sit with him, to have 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:44.730 him pray for us. and have him look at each one 00:05:44.730 --> 00:05:47.310 of us. I could not speak the language that he 00:05:47.310 --> 00:05:51.350 spoke. There was some translation going on. But 00:05:51.350 --> 00:05:56.629 when I went up to him, and I looked in his eyes, 00:05:56.689 --> 00:06:01.170 and I kissed his hand, no language was needed. 00:06:01.689 --> 00:06:07.769 He knew my struggles, and he was praying for 00:06:07.769 --> 00:06:11.889 me. I knew. And he gave words for me to bring 00:06:11.889 --> 00:06:15.829 to all of you. He gave it to our whole group. 00:06:15.829 --> 00:06:18.750 It was translated into English for me. On the 00:06:18.750 --> 00:06:22.449 things that we should do, that we need to do 00:06:22.449 --> 00:06:26.889 to be sanctified. And so I bring the words of 00:06:26.889 --> 00:06:33.329 this Elder Gabriel from Mount Athos to you. He 00:06:33.329 --> 00:06:39.720 says we need to do these seven things. One. regular 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:46.220 confession to a spiritual father. Two, regular 00:06:46.220 --> 00:06:53.879 attendance at church. Three, Holy Communion after 00:06:53.879 --> 00:07:00.199 the blessing of a spiritual father. Four, fasting 00:07:00.199 --> 00:07:05.300 on Wednesday and Friday and other days designated 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:12.399 by the church. Five, charity, helping one of 00:07:12.399 --> 00:07:16.459 the poor families or doing good deeds, doing 00:07:16.459 --> 00:07:20.519 things in kindness with compassion for those 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:27.220 that God brings into your path. And six, to study, 00:07:27.319 --> 00:07:32.339 to read the Holy Scriptures. And he said, even 00:07:32.339 --> 00:07:37.500 a little, five to ten minutes. but every day 00:07:37.500 --> 00:07:43.959 to read the scriptures. And seven, unceasing 00:07:43.959 --> 00:07:47.819 prayer, to remember the Jesus prayer, to bring 00:07:47.819 --> 00:07:51.100 it with you everywhere. And when you're tempted 00:07:51.100 --> 00:07:54.839 to say, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, 00:07:54.939 --> 00:08:00.660 or most holy Theotokos, save us, to begin remembering 00:08:00.660 --> 00:08:05.410 God throughout your whole day. to start to live 00:08:05.410 --> 00:08:09.170 a life with unceasing prayer, to the best of 00:08:09.170 --> 00:08:14.550 your ability today. And these seven things are 00:08:14.550 --> 00:08:18.649 things that we need to do. Maybe there's one 00:08:18.649 --> 00:08:22.670 of these that you have been failing at. Begin 00:08:22.670 --> 00:08:26.689 to turn it around this very day. Perhaps you 00:08:26.689 --> 00:08:29.550 mean to read the Holy Scriptures, but somehow 00:08:29.550 --> 00:08:32.840 you don't. Make a new commitment this day that 00:08:32.840 --> 00:08:36.559 you will read the scriptures, even if it is as 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:39.519 little as five to ten minutes, to do it daily. 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:43.860 And take on whatever the Lord has touched your 00:08:43.860 --> 00:08:48.679 heart to do. So look at your Christian life today, 00:08:48.820 --> 00:08:53.000 where it is, and make sure it's not in the same 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:58.940 place one year from now. Begin to not do the 00:08:58.940 --> 00:09:02.149 things of the world. Remove them from your life. 00:09:02.370 --> 00:09:06.909 And begin to do the things on Elder Gabriel's 00:09:06.909 --> 00:09:12.370 list. And watch as the Lord works in you a work 00:09:12.370 --> 00:09:16.730 of sanctification, of making you holy in ways 00:09:16.730 --> 00:09:20.389 that will bless you and bless many around you. 00:09:20.629 --> 00:09:25.570 The path of sanctification is not an easy journey. 00:09:25.730 --> 00:09:29.940 But the blessings gained are eternal. May God 00:09:29.940 --> 00:09:33.240 grant us all strength and wisdom to make right 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:37.120 choices that lead us closer to him. Glory to 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:37.840 Jesus Christ.