WEBVTT 00:00:04.720 --> 00:00:08.320 Thank you. Would you open your Bible please to 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:20.219 Hebrews chapter 10? One man tried to do it by 00:00:20.219 --> 00:00:23.019 having himself buried up to his neck and remaining 00:00:23.019 --> 00:00:27.940 there for several months. When he didn't feel 00:00:27.940 --> 00:00:32.439 he had accomplished it, he had himself dug out 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:35.820 and then climbed on top of a pillar that was 00:00:35.820 --> 00:00:39.140 30 feet high and lived there for many years. 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:46.679 Another man tried a different approach. He decided 00:00:46.679 --> 00:00:50.420 not to bathe or to change his clothes until he 00:00:50.420 --> 00:00:55.039 had attained it. He said, what did these men 00:00:55.039 --> 00:01:01.840 try to do? They tried to become holy. One of 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:05.819 the good gifts of God is sanctification. We often 00:01:05.819 --> 00:01:09.359 identify that with holiness. I wonder if there 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:12.739 are any words or ideas that create more misunderstanding 00:01:12.739 --> 00:01:18.480 and mystery than the word sanctification. For 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:23.180 some, the word immediately connotes altars and 00:01:23.180 --> 00:01:30.629 incense, robes and barriers. I've been in buildings 00:01:30.629 --> 00:01:34.430 of worship where the front was called an altar 00:01:34.430 --> 00:01:38.129 and there was a fence or a railing to keep out 00:01:38.129 --> 00:01:42.370 ordinary people. Only those who were sanctified, 00:01:42.430 --> 00:01:46.310 so called, were able to go into that front area 00:01:46.310 --> 00:01:52.930 of the church near the altar. For others, sanctification 00:01:52.930 --> 00:02:01.260 connotes an unattainable piety. An illusory standard 00:02:01.260 --> 00:02:07.400 of living that can never quite be reached. For 00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:11.000 some, sanctification has a lot to do with ice. 00:02:11.879 --> 00:02:17.800 Both are frozen. Sanctification is hard to get 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:20.819 your hands on. What does it mean when it says 00:02:20.819 --> 00:02:24.560 in our text as it does that God has sanctified 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:31.180 us? One of the good gifts of God is the gift 00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:34.819 of sanctification, and it is a wonderful truth 00:02:34.819 --> 00:02:37.400 that applies to every child of God, and so this 00:02:37.400 --> 00:02:40.419 morning I want us to think about what that means. 00:02:41.479 --> 00:02:46.219 Let's first consider some basic facts about sanctification. 00:02:47.020 --> 00:02:50.659 Notice again in our text verse 10, by this will, 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:56.259 that is the will of God, We have been sanctified 00:02:56.259 --> 00:02:59.479 through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ 00:02:59.479 --> 00:03:05.259 once for all And then again in verse 14 by one 00:03:05.259 --> 00:03:08.979 offering he has perfected for all time those 00:03:08.979 --> 00:03:15.439 who are sanctified The word sanctify is really 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:20.740 very simple it means to set something apart from 00:03:20.740 --> 00:03:26.310 the rest You ladies sanctify your good dishes. 00:03:28.629 --> 00:03:31.689 You may even have a china closet in your home 00:03:31.689 --> 00:03:36.530 where you keep your sanctified dishes. You don't 00:03:36.530 --> 00:03:38.949 use those every day of the week but only when 00:03:38.949 --> 00:03:42.250 you have special company. And there's nothing 00:03:42.250 --> 00:03:46.389 wrong with that. But the fact is you are setting 00:03:46.389 --> 00:03:50.469 those dishes aside for special use. That's the 00:03:50.469 --> 00:03:56.009 very idea of sanctification. It involves first 00:03:56.009 --> 00:04:01.889 of all a cleansing and a preparation and then 00:04:01.889 --> 00:04:06.370 a preservation for the special purpose for which 00:04:06.370 --> 00:04:10.750 something is set apart. This word is used in 00:04:10.750 --> 00:04:12.930 the Bible in a number of different contexts. 00:04:14.509 --> 00:04:17.430 For example, and you need not turn to these verses, 00:04:17.610 --> 00:04:21.189 Genesis 2 -3 tells us that God sanctified the 00:04:21.189 --> 00:04:26.910 seventh day. He ordered seven days to this period 00:04:26.910 --> 00:04:31.050 of time that we call a week, and that final day, 00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:34.790 the seventh day, God rested and he sanctified 00:04:34.790 --> 00:04:37.290 the Sabbath. He set it apart from the others. 00:04:38.629 --> 00:04:42.810 In Exodus 31 -13, we see that God sanctified 00:04:42.810 --> 00:04:46.879 the nation of Israel. From all of the nations 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:52.379 of the world God set apart the Jew the children 00:04:52.379 --> 00:04:57.939 of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Among them 00:04:57.939 --> 00:05:01.579 it says in numbers 313 that God sanctified the 00:05:01.579 --> 00:05:06.720 firstborn The firstborn of man and beast God 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:11.680 says set apart for me the firstborn is mine he 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:16.860 says And we also see that God ordered the construction 00:05:16.860 --> 00:05:22.259 of a tent of meeting for His people. It's usually 00:05:22.259 --> 00:05:27.139 called the tabernacle. And it is called in the 00:05:27.139 --> 00:05:33.399 Old Testament the sanctuary. The sanctuary. The 00:05:33.399 --> 00:05:38.740 place that is set apart. And clothing, vessels, 00:05:39.139 --> 00:05:43.480 and sacrifices associated with it were also set 00:05:43.480 --> 00:05:50.660 apart and thus became consecrated. Jesus said 00:05:50.660 --> 00:05:55.319 that we should prayerfully sanctify the very 00:05:55.319 --> 00:06:00.500 name of God. We are to acknowledge the set -apartness 00:06:00.500 --> 00:06:05.139 of His name. He said, when you pray, say this, 00:06:05.220 --> 00:06:09.319 our Father who art in heaven, what? Hallowed 00:06:09.319 --> 00:06:16.389 be thy name. Set apart. In a special sense of 00:06:16.389 --> 00:06:21.750 reverence and awe. Hallowed be thy name. God 00:06:21.750 --> 00:06:26.110 is to be reverenced. And Jesus says in John 17 00:06:26.110 --> 00:06:34.009 and verse 19, I sanctify myself. What did he 00:06:34.009 --> 00:06:38.129 mean? He said, I am setting myself apart. As 00:06:38.129 --> 00:06:40.509 he prayed that night before his crucifixion. 00:06:41.129 --> 00:06:46.329 I am setting myself apart for their sake, the 00:06:46.329 --> 00:06:52.649 sake of those who were His. And he says, sanctify 00:06:52.649 --> 00:06:57.449 them, Father, through Thy word. Thy word is truth. 00:06:58.269 --> 00:07:01.209 And so he prayed for our being set apart as well. 00:07:01.730 --> 00:07:04.329 You see, in every case where it's used, the essential 00:07:04.329 --> 00:07:08.769 meaning of this word means to set apart for a 00:07:08.769 --> 00:07:16.579 specific purpose. or mission or destiny. That's 00:07:16.579 --> 00:07:20.100 why I am saying to you this morning that one 00:07:20.100 --> 00:07:22.899 of the good gifts of God, the gifts we've been 00:07:22.899 --> 00:07:27.459 studying through the summer, is the gift of sanctification. 00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:33.120 Because what that means is that God has chosen 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:39.720 to set you as His child apart from all of the 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:46.680 rest of the world for a special purpose and mission 00:07:46.680 --> 00:07:53.439 in the world. But God cannot set apart for His 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:58.879 use what is unclean or sinful. And we are that 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:03.819 by our birth. And so God had to do something 00:08:03.819 --> 00:08:07.519 to cleanse and prepare us. That is why it says 00:08:07.519 --> 00:08:10.699 in verse 10, by this will we have been sanctified 00:08:10.699 --> 00:08:15.579 through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ 00:08:15.579 --> 00:08:20.180 once for all. If you noticed when this text was 00:08:20.180 --> 00:08:22.620 read earlier, there is the repetition of that 00:08:22.620 --> 00:08:30.100 idea. Once for all. Once for all. The very idea 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:35.289 of a mass. where Jesus Christ is said to be offered 00:08:35.289 --> 00:08:39.809 again and again and again for sins is blasphemous 00:08:39.809 --> 00:08:44.070 and contrary to the Word of God, which tells 00:08:44.070 --> 00:08:50.190 us that he was offered once for all. He never 00:08:50.190 --> 00:08:53.330 needs to be offered again after that time 2 ,000 00:08:53.330 --> 00:08:57.610 years ago in Calvary. And through that sacrifice, 00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:01.740 We have been cleansed and prepared so that God 00:09:01.740 --> 00:09:07.659 can set us apart It says in Ephesians chapter 00:09:07.659 --> 00:09:13.379 5 he loved the church and Gave himself up for 00:09:13.379 --> 00:09:19.519 her that he might sanctify her Having cleansed 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:23.539 her by the washing of water with the word that 00:09:23.539 --> 00:09:27.480 he might present to himself the church in all 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:32.000 her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any other 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:38.240 such thing, that she should be holy and blameless." 00:09:38.240 --> 00:09:40.980 God intends for the church to be both without 00:09:40.980 --> 00:09:46.559 spot and without wrinkle. When you wash your 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:48.980 clothes, they get clean. You put them in the 00:09:48.980 --> 00:09:54.139 dryer or you hang them out in the line. And what 00:09:54.139 --> 00:09:56.059 happens when they come out of the dryer, you 00:09:56.059 --> 00:09:58.879 take them off the line, they are wrinkled still. 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:03.860 Unless they're some of this more modern fabric. 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:12.179 And you have to get an iron hot and iron out 00:10:12.179 --> 00:10:16.659 the wrinkles. I like to think of it this way, 00:10:16.659 --> 00:10:21.840 that our Lord has washed us. He has cleansed 00:10:21.840 --> 00:10:25.950 us. But now he is in the business of ironing 00:10:25.950 --> 00:10:30.809 out the wrinkles that remain. And one day when 00:10:30.809 --> 00:10:33.870 we are with him in glory, that day we heard sung 00:10:33.870 --> 00:10:37.389 about earlier that's coming soon, we're going 00:10:37.389 --> 00:10:41.710 to be holy and without blame, without spot and 00:10:41.710 --> 00:10:45.690 without wrinkle or anything like that. God has 00:10:45.690 --> 00:10:48.730 chosen to set apart for himself and for special 00:10:48.730 --> 00:10:54.600 purpose. and unworthy and sinful people who first 00:10:54.600 --> 00:10:58.580 have to be prepared and cleansed so that they 00:10:58.580 --> 00:11:02.019 then can go on to experience their special destiny. 00:11:04.620 --> 00:11:08.659 Common, ordinary people who have no understanding 00:11:08.659 --> 00:11:13.379 or fear of God and who are hostile toward Him 00:11:13.379 --> 00:11:19.240 in mind and in actions. are by the blood of Jesus 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:24.620 Christ, cleansed and sanctified for the Master's 00:11:24.620 --> 00:11:28.620 good use. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 00:11:28.620 --> 00:11:33.019 6 where we see this being said about some people 00:11:33.019 --> 00:11:43.549 who came out of a pretty rough background. The 00:11:43.549 --> 00:11:47.450 apostle says, or do you not know that the unrighteous 00:11:47.450 --> 00:11:51.690 shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not 00:11:51.690 --> 00:11:55.190 be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, 00:11:56.210 --> 00:12:01.149 nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 00:12:01.389 --> 00:12:04.429 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, 00:12:05.149 --> 00:12:10.649 nor revilers, nor swindlers shall inherit the 00:12:10.649 --> 00:12:18.519 kingdom of God and such were some of you." He 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:23.120 reminds them of where they had been, but then 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:29.799 he says, but you were washed, you were sanctified, 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:34.799 but you were justified in the name of the Lord 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:40.879 Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. The 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:46.080 means that God uses to set us apart is the sacrifice 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:52.000 of Jesus Christ. God has purposely chosen the 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:58.159 unlovely, the unholy, the sinful, the wicked 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:04.519 for a special destiny. And in order that we might 00:13:04.519 --> 00:13:09.039 experience that destiny, He has cleansed us. 00:13:11.210 --> 00:13:18.009 He has prepared us. He has sanctified us. And 00:13:18.009 --> 00:13:20.809 the result is, going back to our text in Hebrews 00:13:20.809 --> 00:13:27.870 chapter 10, this time verse 14, He has perfected 00:13:27.870 --> 00:13:32.809 for all time those who are being sanctified. 00:13:34.090 --> 00:13:36.029 Now if you notice something, if you're an astute 00:13:36.029 --> 00:13:39.860 reader, you'll notice That the first time in 00:13:39.860 --> 00:13:45.120 verse 10 it says you have been sanctified and 00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:48.360 Here it says you are being sanctified and which 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:56.360 is true The answer is they're both true Because 00:13:56.360 --> 00:13:59.779 the Bible says that we are sanctified in three 00:13:59.779 --> 00:14:04.179 tenses There's a past tense in which we have 00:14:04.179 --> 00:14:08.320 been sanctified It is passive. It happens to 00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:13.220 us. And it emphasizes the completed state we 00:14:13.220 --> 00:14:17.779 have when we trust Jesus Christ. It is an abiding 00:14:17.779 --> 00:14:22.179 standing with God. It is our position in Christ. 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:27.179 We have by God's divine action been set apart. 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:32.779 And that cannot change. That's one truth of sanctification. 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:37.740 But it's also used in a present sense. We are 00:14:37.740 --> 00:14:45.120 being sanctified. A present tense. Here he's 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:47.460 talking about not our position in Christ, but 00:14:47.460 --> 00:14:54.200 our condition in life. For God's purposes we 00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:57.200 have been set apart, but right now in time we 00:14:57.200 --> 00:15:01.159 are being cleansed. Or we're being ironed. Might 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:05.289 be a better way to say it. God is right now continuing 00:15:05.289 --> 00:15:09.509 to prepare us. We are a people in process. We 00:15:09.509 --> 00:15:15.250 are not a people of perfection. There is progression 00:15:15.250 --> 00:15:19.669 in the Christian life. There is growth in the 00:15:19.669 --> 00:15:24.610 Christian life. And by this we are increasingly 00:15:24.610 --> 00:15:33.669 set apart for God's special purpose. God has 00:15:33.669 --> 00:15:39.250 a work to do in us yet. There aren't any of us 00:15:39.250 --> 00:15:42.710 who are thinking rightly and certainly biblically 00:15:42.710 --> 00:15:45.809 who would say that we are beyond the point of 00:15:45.809 --> 00:15:51.730 sin. Though we have been cleansed, there is still 00:15:51.730 --> 00:15:56.370 within us a struggle with sin. And we are tempted 00:15:56.370 --> 00:16:02.429 every day Sometimes we are victorious and other 00:16:02.429 --> 00:16:08.470 times we succumb to it. The fact is that as we 00:16:08.470 --> 00:16:12.470 grow and mature in Christ, we experience more 00:16:12.470 --> 00:16:16.590 victories and fewer defeats. But never will we 00:16:16.590 --> 00:16:19.990 in this world, in this life, get beyond the point 00:16:19.990 --> 00:16:25.830 of temptation and sin. Have you ever had a mole 00:16:25.830 --> 00:16:32.000 in your yard? Had one in ours several years ago. 00:16:32.980 --> 00:16:37.039 Oh, it was a fun battle This little creature 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:40.200 would dig around in my grass and the flower beds 00:16:40.200 --> 00:16:45.679 and I was out after him The only problem was 00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:50.279 we had different hours He liked to do that in 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:52.139 the early morning hours And I didn't particularly 00:16:52.139 --> 00:16:53.799 care to get up at four o 'clock in the morning 00:16:53.799 --> 00:16:59.690 to to go looking for him So I bought some peanuts 00:16:59.690 --> 00:17:07.589 that were special peanuts and I carefully dug 00:17:07.589 --> 00:17:11.150 a hole down in his little tunnel and I dropped 00:17:11.150 --> 00:17:17.029 in his snack and I covered it over very carefully. 00:17:18.869 --> 00:17:24.789 Guess what? Didn't fool him. It wasn't his kind 00:17:24.789 --> 00:17:27.430 of peanut. He didn't like the taste of the coating, 00:17:27.430 --> 00:17:31.430 you see. And I found out something very interesting 00:17:31.430 --> 00:17:33.910 about these little creatures. You can set traps 00:17:33.910 --> 00:17:38.789 for them and there are some elaborate ones. The 00:17:38.789 --> 00:17:42.730 way to really get rid of moles is to treat your 00:17:42.730 --> 00:17:47.230 lawn to get rid of the grub worms. Because that's 00:17:47.230 --> 00:17:51.430 why they're there. He's not out to destroy my 00:17:51.430 --> 00:17:54.450 lawn as much as he does that. He is there to 00:17:54.450 --> 00:17:58.460 eat. and he likes those little grub worms. They 00:17:58.460 --> 00:18:01.440 don't look too appetizing to me, but he gets 00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:04.940 fat on them. So what do I really need to do? 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:07.559 Forget about the mole and go after the grub worms. 00:18:09.819 --> 00:18:12.859 So often we go after the symptoms of our lives, 00:18:14.460 --> 00:18:21.529 and not after the root cause. We go after the 00:18:21.529 --> 00:18:24.509 symptoms by listening to tapes to try to calm 00:18:24.509 --> 00:18:30.769 down and relax. Or we take pills to try to stop 00:18:30.769 --> 00:18:35.309 doing this or to start doing that. We need to 00:18:35.309 --> 00:18:37.670 remember that there are some root things that 00:18:37.670 --> 00:18:43.410 we should go after. God is in the business of 00:18:43.410 --> 00:18:46.690 going after the root causes in our lives. He 00:18:46.690 --> 00:18:49.950 is sanctifying us now. That's why He deals with 00:18:49.950 --> 00:18:52.490 us through the Word, through our fellowship with 00:18:52.490 --> 00:18:55.029 one another, through our worship, through the 00:18:55.029 --> 00:18:57.690 Lord's Supper, through prayer. All of these are 00:18:57.690 --> 00:19:01.750 what are called means of grace by which God is 00:19:01.750 --> 00:19:04.450 working away at the root causes in our lives. 00:19:06.890 --> 00:19:11.589 But there is another aspect, and that is a future 00:19:11.589 --> 00:19:14.710 aspect. In 1 Thessalonians 5 .23 it says, And 00:19:14.710 --> 00:19:17.990 may the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely. 00:19:18.879 --> 00:19:22.460 And may your spirit and soul and body be preserved 00:19:22.460 --> 00:19:25.880 complete without blame at the coming of our Lord 00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:30.539 Jesus Christ. We are sanctified in the sense 00:19:30.539 --> 00:19:33.220 that we have our position in Christ. It does 00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:38.579 not change. That's past. And it's abiding. We 00:19:38.579 --> 00:19:40.880 are being sanctified in the sense that right 00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:44.940 now our condition in life is being worked on 00:19:45.019 --> 00:19:52.000 by our Lord and He is ironing away at us. And 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:55.059 we are being sanctified, I should say we will 00:19:55.059 --> 00:20:00.799 be sanctified in the future in the sense of our 00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:05.019 expectation, position, condition, expectation. 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:09.279 And on that day when our Lord comes we will stand 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:14.170 before Him in His presence without any sin. And 00:20:14.170 --> 00:20:17.190 we will finally come to the destiny for which 00:20:17.190 --> 00:20:23.190 God set us apart when we were saved. I like what 00:20:23.190 --> 00:20:25.650 that song says. I think I have the words right. 00:20:26.190 --> 00:20:29.690 I'm not what I want to be. I'm not what I'm going 00:20:29.690 --> 00:20:34.470 to be. But thank God, I'm not what I was. We 00:20:34.470 --> 00:20:39.589 are a people on the way. You see, the gift of 00:20:39.589 --> 00:20:43.849 sanctification is the gift of destiny. Thank 00:20:43.849 --> 00:20:47.049 God we will not share the destiny of the world, 00:20:48.369 --> 00:20:52.329 those without Christ, a destiny of judgment and 00:20:52.329 --> 00:20:56.789 hell. But God in his grace and goodness has called 00:20:56.789 --> 00:21:02.029 us to be a part of his family. And as such we 00:21:02.029 --> 00:21:05.809 have been given a new destiny. We have been sanctified 00:21:05.809 --> 00:21:10.049 and set apart for God's purpose. And he is in 00:21:10.049 --> 00:21:16.009 the process of making us a holy people. What 00:21:16.009 --> 00:21:19.450 kind of an application can we draw from all of 00:21:19.450 --> 00:21:22.369 this for our lives? I'd like just to turn to 00:21:22.369 --> 00:21:25.170 one verse. It's in 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 00:21:25.170 --> 00:21:35.869 15, where again we see the word sanctify. This 00:21:35.869 --> 00:21:38.390 time it is not God doing the sanctifying, but 00:21:38.390 --> 00:21:41.890 you and I are commanded to do the sanctifying. 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:47.339 He is not sanctifying us, but we are sanctifying 00:21:47.339 --> 00:21:51.079 Him." You say, what in the world are you saying? 00:21:51.160 --> 00:21:56.140 Well, look at it. 1 Peter 3, 15. But sanctify 00:21:56.140 --> 00:22:02.980 Christ. What does that mean? Set apart Christ 00:22:02.980 --> 00:22:09.720 as Lord in your hearts. What does that mean to 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:16.710 us? It means that we are to call Him Lord, to 00:22:16.710 --> 00:22:19.509 set Him apart from everything else in our lives 00:22:19.509 --> 00:22:25.069 and say, you alone are Lord. All of the demands, 00:22:25.289 --> 00:22:28.710 all of the desires, all of the loyalties are 00:22:28.710 --> 00:22:32.670 to be set aside and He is to be set in that special 00:22:32.670 --> 00:22:38.230 place as Lord. Sanctify Christ alone as Lord. 00:22:39.109 --> 00:22:43.259 That's what He's saying. And he tells us the 00:22:43.259 --> 00:22:45.579 result of that will be, we'll always have an 00:22:45.579 --> 00:22:49.019 answer ready to give to those who ask us for 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:52.440 a reason of the hope. He goes on to tell us another 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:55.039 result is that we will live before God with a 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:59.519 good conscience, sanctify Christ as Lord. How 00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:03.140 do you do that? Well, just in closing, I'd like 00:23:03.140 --> 00:23:05.880 to suggest that there are three thoughts. There's 00:23:05.880 --> 00:23:09.990 a once for all. There's a day by day. And there's 00:23:09.990 --> 00:23:14.970 a moment -by -moment aspect to this. A once -for 00:23:14.970 --> 00:23:17.490 -all aspect. That's really what he says here. 00:23:18.430 --> 00:23:22.630 Sanctify in one deliberate historic act in your 00:23:22.630 --> 00:23:29.250 life. Sanctify Christ as Lord. He's talking to 00:23:29.250 --> 00:23:32.750 Christians. There are some people who say, well, 00:23:32.750 --> 00:23:35.970 you can't make Christ Lord, He is Lord. And there 00:23:35.970 --> 00:23:40.089 is truth in that, of course. But Peter says here, 00:23:40.589 --> 00:23:44.690 you set apart Christ as Lord. You make Him Lord 00:23:44.690 --> 00:23:49.150 in your life. You Christians, you determine that 00:23:49.150 --> 00:23:53.930 He is going to be the sovereign. Once and for 00:23:53.930 --> 00:23:56.849 all do that. Make that the position of your life. 00:23:57.250 --> 00:24:03.990 Drive that stake down deep. It says Jesus Christ 00:24:03.990 --> 00:24:10.529 is the Lord. my life. It is an act of the will 00:24:10.529 --> 00:24:14.529 and of the heart, setting him apart from and 00:24:14.529 --> 00:24:19.970 above everything else. There's also a day -by 00:24:19.970 --> 00:24:25.430 -day aspect to it. If it's a once -for -all consecration, 00:24:27.069 --> 00:24:33.039 it requires a day -by -day application. So that 00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:36.079 every day as I'm in the Word of God and as I'm 00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:41.099 in prayer with him I renew this commitment Jesus 00:24:41.099 --> 00:24:48.299 is Lord in my life Dr. Andrew Bonar Great Scottish 00:24:48.299 --> 00:24:52.859 saint in the last century Wrote this in his diary 00:24:52.859 --> 00:24:58.319 Tonight I gave myself to a time of waiting upon 00:24:58.319 --> 00:25:02.369 the Lord I had not been much in the spirit of 00:25:02.369 --> 00:25:06.029 prayer, but now several things have become clear 00:25:06.029 --> 00:25:09.849 to me. I realize I have not communed enough with 00:25:09.849 --> 00:25:13.289 the Lord, nor come to Him as often as I should. 00:25:14.509 --> 00:25:17.150 Little forethought has been given to the requests 00:25:17.150 --> 00:25:21.150 I have made. There has been much conversing and 00:25:21.150 --> 00:25:24.950 outward engagement with men, but I have not been 00:25:24.950 --> 00:25:31.789 occupied enough with God. himself. I also realize 00:25:31.789 --> 00:25:34.410 that a closeness to him gives abundant strength 00:25:34.410 --> 00:25:37.329 and is like sunlight shining through the clouds 00:25:37.329 --> 00:25:42.690 on a gloomy day." See, Bonar came back to that 00:25:42.690 --> 00:25:45.769 point in life. He says, I'm with a lot of people. 00:25:45.930 --> 00:25:49.710 I converse. I engage in business, etc., etc. 00:25:50.589 --> 00:25:52.829 What I have forgotten is that every day I need 00:25:52.829 --> 00:25:59.500 to be with Christ. To sanctify Jesus Christ as 00:25:59.500 --> 00:26:02.839 Lord not only is a once -for -all consecration, 00:26:03.240 --> 00:26:07.619 it requires a daily application. There's a third 00:26:07.619 --> 00:26:10.059 aspect in closing and that is that there's a 00:26:10.059 --> 00:26:12.460 moment -by -moment realization of this wonderful 00:26:12.460 --> 00:26:17.299 truth. A moment -by -moment realization of His 00:26:17.299 --> 00:26:23.220 purpose in my life and of His presence in my 00:26:23.220 --> 00:26:30.109 life. Someone penned the poem that is heart -searching 00:26:30.109 --> 00:26:34.250 in this way as it speaks to this theme. Some 00:26:34.250 --> 00:26:38.029 selected verses say this, Friend, I wonder if 00:26:38.029 --> 00:26:41.869 the Savior spent a day or two with you. Would 00:26:41.869 --> 00:26:45.250 you be content in doing the same things you always 00:26:45.250 --> 00:26:49.789 do? Would your family conversation still keep 00:26:49.789 --> 00:26:54.069 up its usual pace? Or would you find it hard 00:26:54.069 --> 00:26:58.750 at meals to say a table grace? Would you sing 00:26:58.750 --> 00:27:01.269 the songs you always sing and read the books 00:27:01.269 --> 00:27:05.450 you read? And let him know the things on which 00:27:05.450 --> 00:27:10.410 your mind and spirit feed? Could you take the 00:27:10.410 --> 00:27:12.750 Savior with you everywhere you had planned to 00:27:12.750 --> 00:27:16.390 go? Or would you maybe change your plans for 00:27:16.390 --> 00:27:20.460 just a day or so? Would you be glad to have him 00:27:20.460 --> 00:27:24.859 meet your very closest friends? Or would you 00:27:24.859 --> 00:27:29.500 hope they'd stay away until his visit ends? Would 00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:33.460 you rejoice to have him stay forever on and on? 00:27:34.440 --> 00:27:38.480 Or would you sigh with great relief when at last 00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:43.259 he had gone? It might be interesting to know 00:27:43.259 --> 00:27:46.720 the things that you would do if Jesus came in 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:54.640 person. Just to spend some time with you And 00:27:54.640 --> 00:28:00.480 he has You see the poem is not merely I wonder 00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:06.480 what would happen if Fact is he has come and 00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:13.549 he is in you every day and that's why we in response 00:28:13.549 --> 00:28:16.309 to the great destiny that Jesus Christ has given 00:28:16.309 --> 00:28:19.109 us to be like Him and to reign with Him forever, 00:28:20.069 --> 00:28:23.630 are right now, every day, to sanctify Him as 00:28:23.630 --> 00:28:27.269 Lord in our hearts. And make that not only a 00:28:27.269 --> 00:28:30.990 daily application, but a moment -by -moment realization. 00:28:31.710 --> 00:28:37.549 He's with me and how I live must therefore be 00:28:37.549 --> 00:28:46.500 different. Let's pray. With our heads bowed and 00:28:46.500 --> 00:28:49.039 our eyes closed, just how would the Spirit of 00:28:49.039 --> 00:28:57.539 God lead you to respond? Is Jesus Christ your 00:28:57.539 --> 00:29:04.839 Savior? Have you confessed Him as Lord? If you 00:29:04.839 --> 00:29:08.680 have, is that truly the way you're living? Have 00:29:08.680 --> 00:29:14.789 you set Him apart as Lord in your life? Oh, dear 00:29:14.789 --> 00:29:17.230 friend, understand the great gift God has given 00:29:17.230 --> 00:29:23.789 you, this good gift of being set apart to a wonderful 00:29:23.789 --> 00:29:28.769 purpose and destiny. And respond in love and 00:29:28.769 --> 00:29:33.130 gratitude by sanctifying Him now as Lord in your 00:29:33.130 --> 00:29:38.170 life. Lord Jesus, may all of us respond today 00:29:38.170 --> 00:29:43.339 with a willing surrender. and in very practical, 00:29:43.400 --> 00:29:48.500 meaningful ways, prove that you are the Lord 00:29:48.500 --> 00:29:54.119 of our lives. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.