0:05 [Music]
0:07 welcome to back to the Bible Radio
0:09 featuring bestselling author and
0:11 internationally known Bible teacher Warren
0:12 Warren
0:16 weby and now let's pray together once
0:18 again father we open the word and it is
0:21 so easy for us to study it and
0:24 understand it but not practice it and we
0:26 don't want just a head knowledge we want
0:30 a heart appropriation of your truth and
0:32 so I pray as we study today you will
0:35 teach us by your spirit and again I pray
0:39 say far more to us than this speaker
0:42 says may your spirit Enlighten us all
0:46 and enable us all I pray in the name of
0:50 our Lord Jesus Christ
0:53 amen the word of God is a lamp in a dark
0:57 place we're living in a dark world uh
0:59 standards are changing attitudes are changing
1:00 changing
1:02 things that used to be wrong are now not
1:05 only considered right but they are
1:08 promoted they are applauded all were're
1:12 living in a dark difficult dangerous
1:15 world and Paul wrote first Thessalonians
1:17 to a group of Christians in a big city
1:20 uh thessalonica was probably the largest
1:23 and the most important city in Macedonia
1:27 some 200,000 people there and Paul
1:29 arrived with Silas and Timothy
1:31 established a church and these people
1:35 were being tempted they were being tried
1:37 there was persecution there was
1:40 Temptation and Paul wrote this letter to
1:43 help them know how to live the Christian
1:46 Life 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 beginning
1:50 at verse 22 abstain from every form of
1:53 evil now may the God of Peace himself
1:56 sanctify you completely and may your
1:59 whole Spirit soul and body be preserved
2:01 blank aess at the coming of our Lord
2:04 Jesus Christ he who calls you is
2:09 faithful who also will do it there's a
2:12 negative admonition abstain from every
2:16 form of evil this ties back to chapter
2:19 4:3 where he also uses the word abstain
2:21 for this is the will of God your
2:24 sanctification that you should abstain
2:26 from sexual
2:29 immorality Peter wrote and said abstain
2:32 from flesh lust that war against the
2:35 soul we're told today that we should be
2:38 tolerant and that the balance life is
2:40 important well yes we should have
2:43 tolerance and yes we should have balance
2:44 but there are some things we should say
2:47 no to we should learn to say no to every
2:51 form of evil hold off is what he's
2:54 saying here just keep at a distance from
2:56 every form of evil it's the opposite of
2:59 verse 21 hold fast what is good but hold
3:03 hold off from what is evil we let these
3:05 things into our lives the devil moves in
3:07 and before long there is
3:11 tragedy he's talking here about
3:13 sanctification now may the God of Peace
3:17 himself sanctify you completely and may
3:19 your whole spirit and soul and body be
3:22 preserved blameless at the coming of our
3:27 Lord Jesus Christ the God of Peace I get
3:28 the impression there had been some
3:31 division in the Thessalonian Church
3:33 perhaps it had to do with their public
3:36 worship Services Paul had to admonish
3:39 them do not quench the spirit do not despise
3:40 despise
3:42 prophecies in other words there were
3:44 some in the church who were uh very
3:46 careful about the excesses well we
3:48 should be we should be careful there are
3:51 no excesses we should be balanced in our
3:54 worship but we can be so careful and so
3:58 rigid and so mechanical that we quench
4:01 the Holy Spirit and we resist the work
4:04 of the Lord whenever Paul uses this
4:07 little phrase the God of Peace it often
4:10 is in connection with church
4:12 Unity sometimes it's in connection with
4:16 with sanctity living a holy life but in Romans
4:18 Romans
4:20 15:33 and Romans
4:23 16:20 and 2 Corinthians
4:27 131 he's talking about the unity of the
4:29 church I think he uses it again in
4:33 second Thessalonians chapter 3 and um
4:35 verse 16 now may the Lord of Peace
4:38 himself give you peace always in every
4:42 way the Lord be with you all well let's
4:43 talk about
4:46 sanctification this is his prayer that
4:47 they might be
4:50 Sanctified and this sanctification is
4:53 very practical he's telling them how
4:55 they can go about obeying all of these
4:57 exhortations that he's given to them
5:00 he's urged them to love their leaders in
5:03 the church verse 12 and to esteem them
5:07 highly verse 13 then he adds be at peace
5:09 among yourselves you get the impression
5:12 there is division perhaps it was because
5:14 some people thought they were more
5:17 spiritual than others I don't know then
5:19 he exhorts those who were unruly the
5:21 people who were out of Step they would
5:24 not be ruled there are the faint-hearted
5:26 and the weak and then there's that
5:30 danger of retaliation verse 15 then he
5:33 wants them positively to Rejoice always
5:35 pray without ceasing and everything give
5:38 thanks how do you do that well may the
5:41 God of Peace himself sanctify you let's
5:43 look at several aspects of this subject of
5:44 of
5:47 sanctification as Paul presents it here
5:49 in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 first of
5:51 all what is the meaning of
5:54 sanctification well it does not mean a
5:57 gradual change of your old nature so
5:59 that your old nature becomes more of a
6:02 new nature the word sanctify simply
6:05 means to be set apart for God's
6:10 exclusive use in John 17: 19 Jesus said
6:14 he Sanctified himself now the nature of
6:16 our Lord Jesus certainly required no
6:18 refinement he was the perfect Son of
6:21 God when he said I for their sakes I
6:23 sanctify myself what was he meaning he
6:26 was saying I am setting myself apart I
6:28 have set myself apart to accomplish the
6:31 work the father s given me to do in the
6:34 Bible you'll find that a day can be
6:37 Sanctified Genesis 2:3 God Sanctified the
6:37 the
6:40 Sabbath Israel was Sanctified a whole
6:42 nation Exodus
6:45 19:10 Aaron the high priest was
6:47 Sanctified the temple was
6:50 Sanctified the altar is Sanctified
6:52 according to Matthew 23:
6:54 23:
6:58 17-9 in fact in 1 Peter 3:15 Peter tells
7:01 us to sanctify Jesus Christ as Lord in
7:04 our hearts now how can I make Jesus more
7:07 holy I can't but I can give him the
7:09 first place in my heart I can have him
7:13 set apart in my heart and my heart is
7:15 for his exclusive
7:19 use I can go to London England and I can
7:21 rent the Palladium but I can't rent
7:24 Buckingham Palace or Windor Palace out
7:26 at Windsor can't do that why they're set
7:29 apart for the exclusive use of the
7:32 British royalty I can go to Washington
7:35 DC and I can rent the um Arena I can
7:37 rent the stadium I can't rent the White
7:40 House why it has been set apart for the
7:43 exclusive use of the president of the
7:45 United States when two people are
7:48 married they are set apart for the
7:52 exclusive enjoyment and living of these
7:55 two people and if either party goes out
7:58 and violates those vows it is sin now
8:01 sanctification it simply means to be set
8:05 apart for God's exclusive use we belong
8:10 to him you see God's goal is to make us
8:14 more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ
8:18 conform to the image of his son now in
8:20 the Bible we're taught that
8:23 sanctification is a position that we
8:27 have we are Sanctified we have been Set
8:29 Apart chapter 4: 7 of first
8:33 Thessalonians for God did not call us to
8:36 uncleanness but in Holiness now that
8:38 word Holiness is the same as the word
8:40 sanctification up in verse three God
8:43 called us not to sanctification but in
8:46 sanctification we have been set apart we
8:49 belong to him that is positional
8:52 sanctification now here in chapter 5: 23
8:55 he's talking about Progressive
8:57 sanctification he's talking about more
9:00 and more becoming like like the Lord
9:02 Jesus and being set apart for God's exclusive
9:04 exclusive
9:09 use Ephesians chapter 5 talks about this
9:12 uh verse 25 husbands love your wives
9:14 just as Christ also loved the church and
9:17 gave himself for it that he might
9:20 sanctify and cleanse it with the washing
9:22 of Water by the word now that's
9:26 Progressive sanctification now verse 27
9:29 of Ephesians 5 that he might present it
9:32 to himself a glorious Church ah there's perfect
9:33 perfect
9:36 sanctification one day we are going to
9:40 be perfect at the Throne of God I think
9:42 one reason we've lost our excitement is
9:45 we have lost the
9:49 motivation of the return of Jesus Christ
9:51 in first Thessalonians the Apostle Paul
9:54 emphasizes the coming of the Lord Jesus
9:57 Christ and these people in thessalonica
9:59 were excited about Jesus because they
10:02 were expectant they were looking for him
10:04 to return now he did not return in the
10:07 first century he has not returned in the
10:09 20th century so far but he's going to
10:12 come again and living in the light of
10:16 his coming living in the future tense is
10:18 what brings excitement to the Christian
10:20 Life to wake up in the morning and say
10:22 this may be the day oh what a difference it
10:23 it [Music]
10:25 [Music]
10:28 makes so sanctification just means that
10:31 day by day step by step Moment by moment
10:35 I am set apart for God's exclusive use
10:38 he is the sanctifier now what is the
10:41 measure of
10:43 sanctification God is Not content that
10:46 you and I be out of balance now may the
10:49 God of Peace himself sanctify you
10:51 completely oh what does that mean and
10:55 may your whole Spirit soul and body be
10:57 preserved blameless at the coming of our
11:00 Lord Jesus Christ did you notice that
11:02 your body is involved in
11:05 sanctification not just your spirit and
11:07 your soul but your body now we don't
11:10 make an issue of whether man is
11:13 dichotomus material and spiritual or
11:16 trotus Spirit soul and body I want to
11:18 take the word of God right here for what
11:22 it says the spirit the soul the body I
11:24 think this is a comparison with The
11:27 Tabernacle in the Tabernacle you had the
11:31 outer court with a fence around it and
11:34 then you had a tent with two parts to it
11:36 now from the outside you couldn't see
11:38 those two parts the only people who knew
11:40 that those two parts were there were the
11:41 priests who worked in and out of the
11:44 tent and people who knew their Bibles
11:46 the Bible said there is a holy place and
11:49 there's a holy of holies now the holy of
11:52 holies in our lives is the spirit this
11:56 is where God comes to dwell the holy
12:00 place is uh the soul uh this is my mind
12:04 my emotions my will now the unsaved
12:06 person doesn't have anybody dwelling in
12:09 the spirit the spirit is dead when the
12:11 unsaved person trusts the Lord Jesus
12:13 Christ then the Holy Spirit comes in and
12:15 gives life and God's spirit Bears
12:18 witness to our spirit that we are the
12:20 children of God you recall that when
12:24 Moses dedicated the Tabernacle in Exodus
12:28 chter 40 the holy spirit of God in glory
12:31 god in glory came down and moved into
12:33 the holy of holies and then that Glory
12:35 moved out throughout the entire
12:37 Tabernacle that is entire
12:40 sanctification when I was saved God
12:43 moved into my spirit now he wants to
12:45 move out from the holy of holies and
12:48 take hold of my soul so that my emotions
12:52 are set apart for God my will my mind
12:55 and then out through my body to serve
12:58 other people by the way that outer Court
13:01 could could be taken down and it did not
13:04 affect the tent one of these days my
13:06 outer court is going to be taken down if
13:08 the Lord Jesus doesn't come back I'm
13:10 going to die but it won't affect the
13:13 tent it won't affect the spirit and the
13:16 soul I will go home to be with the Lord
13:21 God wants every part of my whole being
13:24 to be so filled with his spirit and His
13:28 glory that I am for his exclusive use my
13:30 thoughts are God's thoughts and my
13:33 emotions are God's emotions and what I
13:36 do is what God wants me to do the will
13:40 of God serving the lord completely now
13:43 it begins within it starts with that
13:46 inner person taking time every day for
13:48 the word of God In Prayer being
13:52 sensitive to sin doing the will of God
13:55 rejoicing praying giving thanks not
13:58 quenching the holy spirit of God so that
14:02 by Body and Soul and Spirit are taken up
14:06 and wholly used by God this involves
14:09 every area of our lives our eating our
14:12 sleeping our playing our spending of
14:16 money totally set apart for God it's a
14:19 joyful experience to be made one in the
14:22 Lord to have this kind of spiritual
14:25 Integrity where my body and my spirit
14:27 are not fighting each other where my
14:31 emotions and my spirit are not at War to
14:33 have this beautiful
14:36 integrity and this comes as we walk with
14:39 the Lord It's a battle sometimes it's a
14:43 struggle there is Agony but sometimes we
14:45 have to get on our faces before God and
14:48 just cry out for his help and you know
14:52 he always answers that's why he says in
14:55 verse 24 he who calls you is faithful
14:58 who also will do it God's Commandments
15:03 enablement well we've looked at the
15:04 meaning of sanctification and the
15:07 measure of sanctification let's spend
15:09 some time on the means of
15:11 sanctification obviously one of them is
15:14 prayer he's praying for their
15:17 sanctification God answers prayer we
15:20 need to cry out to God for Holiness
15:23 David says as the dear pants for the
15:27 water Brooks my heart pants for you oh
15:30 God the Apostle Paul started his
15:34 Christian Life with prayer in Acts
15:38 chapter n God said behold he's praying
15:39 that's a good evidence that you're born
15:42 again behold he's praying he's talking
15:46 to God Paul's example of prayer is seen
15:47 throughout the Book of Acts and
15:49 throughout his Epistles over and over
15:54 again in chapter 3: 10 Paul says night
15:57 and day praying exceedingly now there's
16:00 a statement for you not just praying but
16:03 praying in the daytime praying in the
16:06 nighttime and praying exceedingly the
16:08 word exceedingly means a river
16:11 overflowing its banks abounding out of
16:15 all bounds praying
16:17 exceedingly I wonder if I pray like that
16:20 Paul did prayer is important to the
16:24 Christian Life do you have a deep desire
16:29 in your heart to enjoy and worship God
16:31 or are you satisfied to read a few
16:33 devotional thoughts in the morning and
16:35 say a quick prayer and rush out into
16:40 life do you take time to be holy oh we
16:43 sing that song but do we obey it now the
16:44 means of
16:47 sanctification are the word of God and
16:51 prayer worship fellowshipping with God's
16:54 people and the experiences of Life the
16:57 holy spirit of God uses the word
17:00 sanctify them through thy truth Thy word
17:03 is truth John
17:06 17:17 he uses prayer here is Paul
17:08 praying for their
17:11 sanctification he uses other Christians
17:14 forsake not the assembling of yourselves
17:17 together because the day is approaching
17:19 it means we assemble together it means
17:21 that we know each other we greet each
17:23 other we encourage each other we show
17:27 love to each other Christian love oh how
17:29 we need one another
17:32 in the polishing up of Our Lives I have
17:35 been so encouraged by other people and
17:38 been helped in my own Christian walk we
17:40 need worship the public worship of God
17:42 he just told them don't quench the
17:46 spirit don't despise prophecies test all
17:49 things hold fast what is good he says to
17:51 them get in there and Worship the Lord
17:54 with the people of God and you will grow
17:57 in your
17:58 sanctification finally what are the
18:01 marks of sanctification how can a person
18:05 know whether or not he or she is truly
18:08 living a Sanctified life let me make it
18:12 very clear that sanctification is very
18:14 practical Paul is not exhorting us to go
18:17 up on a Mountaintop someplace and put on
18:19 a white robe and wait for the Lord to
18:21 come back and while we're there just get
18:24 more and more Sanctified if
18:27 sanctification doesn't lead us into the
18:30 Practical Ministry of life it is a counterfeit
18:31 counterfeit
18:33 sanctification the Lord Jesus on the
18:35 Mount of
18:38 transfiguration was revealed in his
18:40 glory Peter said let's stay up here it's
18:42 a great place to be we can have good
18:45 preaching Moses and Elijah and here's
18:47 the Lord Jesus but they had to come down
18:50 from the Mountaintop and when they came
18:51 down into the valley what did they find
18:55 a little boy who was demon-possessed you
18:56 see Jesus could have stayed on the
18:58 mountain and let his face shine but in
19:01 instead he came down and he let his
19:05 power flow and he delivered that boy we
19:08 take time to be holy but then after we
19:10 have had this experience with the Lord
19:13 in the word of God In Prayer in Worship
19:16 in reverence then we go out into a needy
19:19 world and we keep ourselves clean
19:23 sanctification means contact without
19:25 contamination it means we're out there
19:27 in the work a day world but we're
19:29 spreading the light While others are
19:33 sharing Darkness we are sharing love
19:36 While others are hating we are bringing
19:39 truth when others are lying we are
19:42 sacrificing and giving when others are
19:45 grabbing and trying to get more that is practical
19:46 practical
19:49 sanctification Mr Moody used to say that
19:51 every Bible should be bound in shoe
19:54 leather I like that take your Bible and
19:56 turn it into shoe leather and get out
19:59 and walk and work and serve the Lord
20:01 what are the marks of sanctification
20:03 well number one there is a balanced life
20:06 the whole Spirit soul and body are
20:10 balanced in Holiness our emotions our
20:13 thinking our speaking it's all
20:16 controlled by the Lord secondly there's
20:18 a blameless life that you might be
20:20 preserved blameless now this has to do
20:22 with our motive it doesn't mean
20:25 faultless it doesn't mean sinless it
20:28 means at the state of growth Where We
20:30 Are we're doing the very best we can
20:33 blameless our motive is to honor the
20:35 Lord Jesus Christ yes we are going to
20:39 make mistakes yes we may say things we
20:41 shouldn't say and we regret them but our
20:44 motives are right we want to serve the
20:46 Lord It's a burdened life we're burdened
20:49 to become more like the Lord Jesus we're
20:51 burdened to help others to come to know
20:54 him and of course it's a blessed life
20:57 it's a life of God's blessing upon us
20:59 the marks of sanctification ification
21:02 primarily our balance and blamelessness
21:06 and a burdened heart to help others well
21:09 why should we be uh Sanctified what are
21:12 the motives to please God who has called
21:16 us chapter 4:7 God did not call us to
21:19 uncleanness but in Holiness to please
21:22 the Holy Spirit who indwells us verse 8
21:25 of chapter 4 therefore he who rejects
21:29 this does not reject man but God who has
21:31 also given us his Holy Spirit and to be
21:35 pleasing to the Lord Jesus when he comes
21:39 blameless at the coming of our Lord
21:41 Jesus Christ may the Lord help us to be a
21:42 a
21:46 sanctified people gracious Father in
21:49 heaven now may we grow in our faith may
21:51 we grow in Our Hope May the second
21:53 coming of our Lord Jesus become so
21:57 precious to us may we grow in our love
22:00 for one another and for you help us now
22:03 to apply this word to our hearts and our
22:06 lives I ask in the name of our Lord
22:10 Jesus Christ
22:12 amen if you missed part of the program
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