128 Sermon Illustrations on Sanctification

We grieve the spirit by failing to keep our hearts clean. The late

John MacNeil, of Australia, said that a new heart is not necessarily a

clean heart, but many of us have been thinking that it was. David

committed a great transgression, and was pardoned, and prayed, "Create

in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." John

says, "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse

us from all unrighteousness."

MacNeil uses the illustration of a mother who puts a clean dress on

her child in the morning, and tells her to keep it unspotted all day

long. When night comes, the child's dress is so soiled that it is hard

to tell whether it is white or black but the mother cleanses it. The

child had the will to keep it clean, but the nature of the child made

her get it soiled. The same thing takes place every day, but if that

mother could only impart some of her own spirit to that child, so that

the child would not only have the will but the ability to keep clean.

That is exactly what God wishes to do for us and will do. This is the

secret of victory over sin. -- J. W. C.

[Transcriber note: When J. Wilbur Chapman says, "The late John

MacNeil, of Australia, said that a new heart is not necessarily a

clean heart, but many of us have been thinking that it was," he

confounds the power received in the New Birth with that power which is

only received in the second work of grace, Entire Sanctification.

Further, when he illustrates the possibility of a mother imparting to

her child "some of her own spirit" so as to enable her child to keep

clean, he misses the more proper application of the type: First, the

becoming a child in The New Birth -- Second, the Impartation of God's

Spirit in sanctifying power to enable His child to keep clean. The

gift of a "new heart" and the gift of "a clean heart" are not one and

the same, and should not be so confounded.]

By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."

Two men were discussing the experiences of the deeper Christian life. One asked, “Is heart holiness a crisis or a process?” The other replied by asking a question: “How did you get from the town where you live to this place?” “I came by train,” was the answer. “And did the train bring you by one sudden jump into this town?” “Oh, no,” he replied. “I kept coming along more and more.” “But when you boarded the train, how did you do it? Was it ‘more and more’?” “No,” said he, “I stepped in all at once.” “Exactly,” said the godly minister; “you stepped in instantly -- that was a crisis; and as you journeyed you kept getting nearer and nearer to your final objective -- that was a process.”

________

Choice Illustrations” W.W. Clay, pp. 18-19

At this time, he met a minister by name of Cockrill, who was seeking for, and later obtained, the glorious experience of entire sanctification. On receiving a letter from Rev. Cockrill, Dr. Morrison excused himself from the evangelist who was working with him at the time and read the letter. “As I read it, the scales fell from my eyes. My mind fully grasped the doctrine of instantaneous sanctification. I saw it was for me and wept for joy. I said, ‘It is God’s will. It is His Word. Now is the time and my whole heart desires it and it will now be done.’ At that instant, the Holy Ghost fell upon me. I fell over on the divan utterly helpless. It seemed as though a great hand had taken hold upon my heart and was pulling it out of my body. Several moments must have passed when it seemed to me as if a ball of fire fell upon my head, upon my face; the sensation of my heart ceased and, I cried out, ‘Glory to God!’”

Dr. Young, the evangelist who was assisting him in a meeting, was present in the room at the time, and when he asked what had happened, Dr. Morrison said: “It is the Lord working with me. I have received my Pentecost.” Dr. Young warned, “Say nothing about it, but live such a consistent devout life that you will impress people you are filled with the Spirit.”

Dr. Morrison followed that advice, but he relates how it was the mistake of my life. It was ignorance on my part, but I paid dearly for it. Within three months, the new power that had come into my life had gradually leaked out, and I became painfully conscious of a great loss. After some seeking and neglecting, I set myself to recover the experience or die in the attempt.” For fifteen days and nights he fasted and called upon God. During the time, he became so weak that he fainted three times in one day. The doctor pronounced his trouble nervous prostration and prescribed this and that. “I kept my secret and struggled on,” said Dr. Morrison. The Spirit gave me a view of the corruption in the human heart and a conception of the wickedness of sin I had never known before.”

Great success marked the young minister, and after a brilliant pastorate he resigned and devoted his time to evangelistic labors. But for three years he struggled with this battle within his inner nature, which somehow or another kept him from enjoying full salvation, or the blessing of entire sanctification. During this time, he prayed and labored to the best of his ability, and came under the influence of the holiness movement. (continued Part C)

A few days after my conversion, I felt I should try to get other folks converted as well. I witnessed to friends and neighbors, telling them of the peace I had found. At the same time, I also began to feel the need of something more in my religion. My quick temper caused me to say or do things I knew displeased God. Swearing and cursing the horses or other animals on the farm was a habit I had carried over from the time I was a little fellow. I knew I would have to get victory over all of this.

Through reading the Bible, praying, hearing people testify, along with my continued battle with a sharp temper, I was soon convinced I needed to be sanctified. I somehow felt that receiving this experience must be my objective at the next prayer meeting to be held. Although the little Free Methodist church we were now attending was in charge, the prayer meeting was held in a private home.

All day before the meeting, I was confident in my heart I would come through. My fear was that perhaps the pastor wouldn’t like it, for someone had told me he didn’t believe in sanctification. Obviously I was misinformed, for the pastor spoke on the subject of sanctification in the prayer service. He concluded his message by placing five chairs in front of the room and inviting those who wanted to be sanctified and were ready to make a lifelong commitment to God to kneel at the chairs. I stepped out and knelt at the middle chair.

A 45-year-old brother from Kansas, who happened to be visiting in our community, knelt by my side. Three others came and knelt at the other chairs. We all prayed. After I had said yes to God on every proposition presented to me, I put up both hands in total surrender. Someone said, “Believe, young man.” I said, “I do believe.” The question went further. “What do you believe?” I said, “I believe I’ll be lost if I don’t get sanctified.” I was then admonished to trust Christ to keep His Word.

I thought for a moment and said, “I do trust Him.” My burden was lifted. The Holy Spirit took possession and sanctified me that night. That was a great night, May 20, 1909, just over two months after my conversion.

The brother from Kansas next to me also prayed through. I can hear him yet as he declared, “Oh, that 20 years ago I could have had this experience. I would have been spared such an up and down life.” Many years later I saw him again in Kansas. We rejoiced together because of a wonderful experience we had received in that prayer meeting back in Missouri.

________

D. I. Vanderpool

Romans 6-8 deals with sanctification and holy living in the Christian life. It answers important questions such as these: If salvation is by grace without works and the believer is not under the law, does it matter how the Christian lives? Can he live as he pleases? How can the believer live a godly life and have victory over sin? Can the believer gain complete freedom from sin in this life?

This important passage of Scripture refutes many false teachings about sanctification and Christian living:

THE FALSE DOCTRINE OF ERADICATION AND PERFECTIONISM

According to this doctrine, the believer can achieve sinless perfection in this life. It is called “entire sanctification.”

Harry Ironside, who wrote many helpful Bible commentaries, encountered this teaching as a young preacher in the Salvation Army. He was taught that he could achieve entire sanctification and thereafter not be subject to the struggle against indwelling sin. Seeking this experience, he traveled away from the city and spent some time fasting and praying in a forest. On that occasion he had a powerful emotional experience and was convinced that he had “found it.” He hurried back to the Salvation Army testimony services and stood to tell his brethren that he had “it” and that they must rejoice with him in his newfound victory. After some days he fell from this emotional plateau and realized that the struggle with sin was still present. He became so discouraged and confused that he was admitted to a hospital with an emotional breakdown. There he was visited by some godly believers who gave him some literature that refuted the error of entire sanctification and taught the biblical doctrine. He was established in his understanding of the Christian life and went on to have a long and fruitful preaching and writing ministry. His testimony can be found in the book “Holiness: The False and the True.” This is available at the Way of Life web site (http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/holiness1.htm) as well as in the Fundamental Baptist CD-Rom Library.

ANSWER:

Throughout Romans 6-8 and throughout the New Testament epistles it is assumed that the believer still has the sin nature and that he has to learn to deal with this reality. There is no promise in Scripture that the flesh will be eradicated in this present life.

1. Perfectionism is refuted by Paul's acknowledgement that the believer can sin (Rom. 6:1, 15; 8:12; 13:13-14). Paul everywhere assumes that the believer can continue in sin.

2. Perfectionism fails to distinguish between position and practice, standing and state, relationship and fellowship (Rom. 6:3-4; Eph. 4:1; 5:8). Paul carefully makes this distinction in Romans 6-8:

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:3-4).

The believer has a new standing as dead in Christ and resurrected with Christ. Therefore, because of this new standing, he is instructed to “walk in newness of life.”

This is the teaching of the book of Ephesians. Chapters 1-3 describes the believer's standing in Christ, while chapters 4-6 describes the believer's walk in this world. The two things are seen in the following verses:

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of that vocation wherewith ye are called” (Eph. 4:1).

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8).

The believer has full salvation in Christ (that vocation wherewith ye are called), therefore he should walk worthy of it. The believer is light, therefore, he should walk in the light. He is a child of God, therefore he should live like one.

Thus there are two aspects of sanctification, position and practice, eternal and temporal. The believer has complete eternal sanctification in Christ (1 Cor. 1:30). He is therefore exhorted to work out that sanctification in his daily life (1 Thess. 4:3).

3. Perfectionism is refuted by Paul's description of the struggle with the flesh (Rom. 7:18-25; Gal. 5:16-17). It has been described as having two dogs living inside of me, a black dog and a white dog, and the one I feed and the one I say “sik 'em” to is the one that dominates.

My maternal grandmother was one of the godliest Christians I have known. I am confident that her prayers had a lot to do with my salvation after I had gone so far out into the world. She only lived a couple of years after I was saved, but I got to spend some time with her before she passed on to Glory. I had so many moral scars and struggles because of all of the foolishness of my former life. Several months after I was saved I asked her, “Granny, do you still have any struggles with sin?” I was hoping that she would tell me that those struggles had ended decades before and that it had been only smooth sailing after that, but she replied, “Oh, yes, Dave, there are still many struggles.” She was 79 or 80 years old and had walked with Christ for more than 60 years, but there were still struggles. The only time the child of God escapes the struggle with sin is when he leaves this veil of tears.

Here we must give a loud WARNING. God will judge us if we allows the flesh to dominate (Rom. 8:12-13; 1 Cor. 9:27). The child of God can live a careless life, but he will live to regret it at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:13-15).

4. Perfectionism is refuted by the Bible's description of the Christian life. The Bible does not describe the Christian life as only believing in Christ's finished work; it is not described as passive but as active -- as yielding (Rom. 6:16), walking in (Gal. 5:16), putting off and on (Eph. 4:22-24), putting away (Eph. 4:31), mortifying (Col. 3:5), fleeing (2 Tim. 2:22), laying aside (Heb. 12:1; 1 Pet. 2:1).

5. Perfectionism is refuted by the doctrine of confession (1 John 1:8-10). The subject of John's first epistle is the believer's fellowship with Christ (1 Jn. 1:3). He teaches that fellowship is a matter of walking in the light and confessing one's sins (1 John 1:7-10). He plainly states that the Christian life is not a matter of sinlessness. If the true Christian life is a matter of sinless sanctification, why does John instruct us to confess our sins?

Those who teach some form of sinless perfectionism often lower the standard of sin. They can claim that they are living in a state of sinless perfection because they have redefined sin down to their level. I remember a godly woman who made that claim, but she did not count her failings as sin. If she bossed her husband, for example, that was not sin!

WHAT WOULD COMPLETE SANCTIFICATION LOOK LIKE?

Michael Pearl of No Greater Joy ministries claims: “We should and can sin no more! ... I have been preaching and living this gospel of sanctification for many years. It is not a theory. It is practical, Scriptural reality” (No Greater Joy, Jan.-Feb. 2005, p. 21).

If this were true, what would it mean in a practical sense? It would mean that not once during this time has Michael sinned in heart or practice, that not once has he disobeyed or ignored even one of God's laws. It would mean that not once has he been angry with another person without a cause (Mat. 5:22); not once lusted after a woman (Mat. 5:28); not once been conformed to the world (Rom. 12:2); never thought of himself more highly than he should (Rom. 12:3); never dissembled in love (Rom. 12:9); not once failed to be patient in tribulation (Rom. 12:12); not once allowed any corrupt communication to proceed from his mouth (Eph. 4:29); not once spoken any sort of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, or evil speaking, (Eph. 4:31); not once allowed any malice to dwell in his heart (Eph. 4:31); not once allowed any moral uncleanness in his heart and life (Eph. 5:3); not once had fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but has at all times and in all situations reproved such works (Eph. 5:11); that he has walked circumspectly at every moment and has never failed to redeem the time (Eph. 5:15-16); that he has been at every moment kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving (Eph. 4:32); that he has continually walked in love (Eph. 5:2); that he has been filled with the Spirit at every moment (Eph. 5:18); that he has loved his wife with Christ-like love at all times (Eph. 5:25); that he has never provoked his children to wrath (Eph. 4:4); that he has set his affection on things above in a perfect and continually manner (Col. 3:2); that he has never lied or prevaricated (Col. 3:9); that he has been forbearing and forgiving on every occasion (Col. 3:13); that he has done every single thing in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 3:17); that he has never been bitter against his wife (Col. 3:19); that he has continued in prayer at every moment and been thankful in all things (Col. 4:2); that he has continually abstained from all appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:22); that he has been perfectly holy, as holy as God, in all manner of life and at all times (1 Pet. 1:15-16); that he has perfectly and continually laid aside all malice, all guile, all hypocrisies, all envies, and all evil speakings (1 Pet. 2:1); that he has submitted to every single ordinance of human government at all times (1 Pet. 2:13-14); that on every occasion he has honored all men, loved the brotherhood, feared God, and honored the king (1 Pet. 2:17); that he has given honor to his wife at all times (1 Pet. 3:7); that at every moment he has exercised compassion, love as brethren, pity, and courtesy (1 Pet. 3:8), that he has sanctified the Lord in his heart at all times (1 Pet. 3:15), that he has been sober and watching unto prayer at every moment (1 Pet. 4:7); that he has never neglected the assembly (Heb. 10:25); that he has obeyed pastoral authority perfectly (Heb. 13:17); that he has at all times been peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated (Jam. 3:17); that he has no partiality or hypocrisy (Jam. 3:17); and that he has performed every other commandment and duty in the New Testament Scriptures.

In the case of a Christian woman who is sinlessly and completely sanctified, this would mean that she submits to her husband as unto the Lord on every occasion (Eph. 5:22); that she is in subjection to her husband even if he is not saved (1 Pet. 3:1); that she perfectly and continually exemplifies a meek and quiet spirit (1 Pet. 3:4); that she adorns herself modestly and demonstrates shamefacedness at all times (1 Tim. 2:9); and that she is a silent learner and that she never attempts to usurp the man's authority in any manner or on any occasion (1 Tim. 2:11-14).

There is only one who has lived sinlessly sanctified in this world, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

THE FALSE DOCTRINE OF A SECOND BLESSING

This teaching takes many different forms, but the crux of the doctrine is that the believer does not receive everything when he is born again and he must seek a second blessing or touch or experience whereby he is lifted above the struggles of the Christian life into a realm of complete and abiding victory.

Some call it the baptism of the Holy Spirit; some say there are two baptisms, the first for regeneration and the second for sanctification. Some have even held that there are three baptisms, the baptism of regeneration, the baptism of sanctification, and a third baptism of fire.

In the early 1980s a Pentecostal preacher claiming to be a prophet came to Nepal from England. He preached in one of the churches and promised the believers that they could experience “fresh baptism” and be lifted above the struggles with sin. He invited the believers to come forward to “receive your Spirit baptism.”

Others present this experience in the form of the “exchanged life” or a “deeper life.” Roy Hession, author of Calvary Road, is one of the popularizers of this doctrine. Consider these excerpts from his autobiography My Calvary Road:

“I recounted my struggles with self and acknowledged the new relationship with Jesus which I had entered by faith. ... In the light of our own recent experience of Christ, we preached a two-fold message: full salvation for the Christian quite as much as an initial salvation for the non-Christian. ... If consecration is thorough and complete, it need not be repeated. 'Reconsecration' is the language of piecemeal surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ” (Roy Hession, My Calvary Road).

Thus Hession is saying that it is necessary for the believer to enter into a second experience of Christ, a “full salvation,” and that if one achieves this experience he will be completely surrendered and will not have to surrender again.

ANSWER:

There is no instruction in the New Testament for the believer to seek a “second blessing” or another baptism. The only reference to the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the epistles is in the past tense. See 1 Corinthians 12:13.

If there were some sort of second experience whereby the believer could find complete victory, the New Testament epistles would say so plainly and each epistle would offer that experience as the solution to the believer's struggles and needs, but no such experience is ever described.

There simply is no one secret or a “second blessing” for a victorious Christian life. Those who teach this have departed from the Bible.

The Christian life is a walk, not a leap or a flight! It is so described 40 times in the New Testament epistles. See Romans 6:4; 8:1, 4; Gal. 5:16, etc.

The genuine Christian life is a matter of walking step by step in God's will, hour by hour and day by day doing those things that I know that God wants me to do, being sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit: laying aside the sins of the flesh (1 Pet. 2:1), desiring the Word of God (1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Tim. 2:15), presenting my body as a living sacrifice for God's will (Rom. 12:1), not being conformed to the world (Rom. 12:2; Jam. 4:4; 1 Jn. 2:15-17), exercising my spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:3-5), having no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11), being filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), giving thanks always to God (Eph. 5:20), submitting to my husband (Eph. 5:22), loving my wife (Eph. 5:25), obeying my parents (Eph. 6:1-2), being a diligent and honest employee (Eph. 6:5-8), being a just master (Eph. 6:9), confessing my sins (1 Jn. 1:9), fleeing temptations (2 Tim. 2:22), not forsaking the assembly (Heb. 10:25), etc.

This is not as exciting as seeking a “second blessing” and thereafter being able to leap above the struggles with the world, the flesh, and the devil, but it is the true Christian life.

Those who teach these errors, when they are honest, admit that they struggle and that they have to grow! For example, I had a conversation with the aforementioned “prophet” in Nepal, and I asked him if he still struggled with sin. After much “beating around the bush,” he finally admitted that he did have struggles with the flesh. So much for his “higher” or “deeper” experience!

Roy Hession also admits this. In his autobiography My Calvary Road, which we quoted earlier, even though on the one hand he discounts the idea of “piecemeal surrender” to the Lord, he admits that he had lots of ups and downs in his Christian life even after he allegedly learned the “secret” and entered the “deeper” or “crucified life.” He got angry and short-tempered with his wife, even slamming the car door on her hand one day. He had dry preaching meetings and periods of spiritual deadness, a spirit of pride and a lack of repentance toward sin. In other words, in spite of the idea that the believer can enter into a special realm that is beyond the struggles with the flesh, in reality there is no such experience or “secret.”

THE FALSE DOCTRINE OF LICENSE

According to this teaching, the believer is free from “laws, resolutions, and rules.” For example in his book Grace Awakening, Chuck Swindoll teaches that fundamentalists who strive for doctrinal and moral purity are legalists who need to learn grace. He claims that it is legalistic to make prohibitions against immoral movies, sensual dancing, etc. Popular evangelical author Jerry Bridges says the same thing in his book Transforming Grace. He says it is legalistic to expect faithful church attendance, to be concerned about the length of a man's hair, to set up standards about worldliness. He warns about setting up fences and having “cast iron opinions.”

ANSWER: The believer's liberty in Christ does not mean that he does not keep rules and commandments. Though the believer is not a servant of the Mosaic law, he is a servant of righteousness (Rom. 6:18) and the servant of God (Rom. 6:22). Compare 1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 5:13.

The apostles taught that though we are saved without works we are also saved unto works (Eph. 2:8-10). By my count, there are 88 specific commandments for believers in the book of Ephesians alone, the book that says salvation is by grace through faith and not of works.

The believer is not under the Mosaic law, but he is not free from all law. He lives according to a new law.

It is the law of the Spirit (Rom. 8:2), because the Holy Spirit leads and empower us to obey God.

It is the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2), because Christ is our example and our goal (Rom. 8:29).

It is the law of liberty (Jam. 1:25), not because we are free to do as we please but because our condemnation fell upon Christ and we are free from condemnation.

It is the royal law (Jam. 2:8), because the sum of the law is to love my neighbor as myself.

THE FALSE DOCTRINE OF LORDSHIP SALVATION

The term “Lordship salvation” has been given many definitions, but I am using it to describe the teaching that says the true believer will make Christ Lord of every area of his life when he is saved and he will not struggle with sin thereafter. According to this view, those who struggle with sin have not properly yielded to Christ's Lordship and are not yet saved. Those who teach this usually deny that there is such a thing as a carnal Christian.

ANSWER:

This teaching is contrary to the message of every epistle in the New Testament. If the true believer is one who has no struggle with sin, why did the Apostles spend so much of their time warning believers not to sin?

This teaching is refuted by Paul's epistle to Corinth. When Paul wrote to the church at Corinth to correct their many sins and errors, he did not tell them that they were lost and needed to be saved. He said plainly that they were in Christ (1 Cor. 1:2-5). At the end of his last epistle, Paul does urge them to examine themselves to make sure they were in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5), but it is obvious from his greeting to them that he did not doubt the salvation of the believers at Corinth in general. And yet he told them that they were carnal and needed to walk in the Spirit (1 Cor. 3:1-3).

Paul described three types of men in 1 Corinthians: the natural man, or the man who is unsaved and does not have the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:14); the spiritual man, or the believer who walks in the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:15-16); and the carnal man, or the believer who walks after the flesh (1 Cor. 3:1-3).

Any teaching that claims there is no such thing as a carnal believer has erred from the Word of God.

Further, this teaching of a lordship salvation is contrary to the Bible's description of the gospel. The gospel is not difficult. Even children can be saved. Jesus said to allow the children to come unto Him (Matt. 19:13-14). In fact, Jesus said that to be saved a person must become like a child (Matt. 18:3). Salvation is not difficult. The Lord Jesus Christ did not suffer so on Calvary so that salvation would be hard to find or achieve. It is the gift of God. Gifts are not difficult to receive! When the Philippian jailer asked Paul what he needed to do to be saved, Paul replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31).

Salvation is that simple. Yes, it involves repentance, but repentance is simply turning to Jesus Christ from one's false gods and the life of sin and self. It is a change in direction that results in a change of life. It is not a complicated thing or a long process that one must undergo.

THE FALSE DOCTRINE THAT THE BELIEVER CAN CONTINUE IN SIN WITH NO CHANGE

According to this doctrine, a sinner can pray a sinner's prayer and be “saved” even though his life might not change. On a trip to London, England, in the 1990s, I met a Baptist missionary who told me about his evangelistic work on the streets of that big city. He told me that many were being saved. When I asked him how many were attending church, he replied that only a few attended and that it was difficult to get them to come to church after they were saved. When I questioned whether they were actually getting saved, he got upset and replied, “You can't judge whether or not a person is saved.”

Answer:

Every true believer is born again, and the new birth changes his life. This is what Paul describes in Rom. 6:3-9. While it is true that I cannot judge perfectly whether a person is saved (the apostles thought Judas was saved), nowhere in the New Testament do we see an example of someone who is genuinely saved whose life was not radically changed.

Salvation requires informed faith from the heart, not a mere prayer with the mouth (Rom. 6:17).

Salvation is by grace but it produces the fruit of holiness (Rom. 6:22).

The saved man minds the things of the Spirit; if a man still minds the things of the flesh, he is not saved (Rom. 8:5, 9, 14).

CONCLUSION

1. Have you repented and changed directions? Repentance simply means to turn around, to submit to Jesus Christ as God. “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Lk. 13:3). “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).

2. Have you trusted Jesus Christ for salvation? As we have seen, salvation is not difficult; it is as simple as receiving a gift. Jesus Christ paid for that gift with His blood and death. He now offers the sinner eternal salvation, and it is the sinner's part to open his heart to Christ and received the Gift.

3. Have you been deceived by some false teaching in regard to Christian living? Then repent of it!

4. Are you living victoriously in Christ? There is no promise of sinless perfection in the Bible, but there is a promise of victory over sin.

Some suggestions for those who are struggling

a. Fill your mind with the Scripture (1 Pet. 2:2). Read it; study it; memorize it. I suggest that you take the course on “How to Study the Bible,” which is available from Way of Life Literature. The Scripture is powerful and life changing. It has been well said, “The Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible” and “A dusty Bible points to a dirty heart.”

b. Put away anything that is hindering you, tempting you, feeding your carnal nature (2 Tim. 2:2; Rom.7:6-9). Avoid tempting situations. Be especially careful about things such as the Internet; trashy movies, television, and novels; ungodly video games; sensual music; the beach; malls that feature sensual clothing in posters and models; etc.

c. Guard the meditations of the heart; the imagination (Prov. 4:23; Ps. 19:14; Rom. 1:21, 28). Beware of forms of entertainment that bring the mind into ungodly or strange realms, such as strange or ungodly television programs, movies, novels, and video games.

d. Defeat sin one at a time (Rom. 6:12-13; Heb. 12:1). The only way to defeat sin is one sin at a time, one day at a time. When the child of God faces a certain sin and lays it aside one time, he will find that he grows in spiritual strength and can more easily lay it aside the next time he is faced with that temptation.

e. Yield to the Spirit rather than to the flesh (Eph. 5:18). Being filled with the Spirit is a daily matter, not a once for all event. It is the business of yielding to the indwelling Spirit as He prompts and guides. It is a matter of yielding my day to Him as it begins and of yielding my decisions and my activities to Him as I go through the day. It is the opposite of being drunk with wine, which takes control violently and overwhelms the human will. The Spirit of God leads gently and lovingly. To be filled with the Spirit is to yield the reigns of my heart and mind and life to Him hour by hour.

f. Be faithful to the Lord's house (Acts 2:42; Heb. 10:25). The church is a crucial part of God's program; it is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). The individual believer is an important member of the body (1 Cor. 12:12) and has gifts for the building up of the work of God through the church (Rom. 12:3-8). The early Christians continued steadfastly in the fellowship and business of the church, and this is the will of God for every believer today. To neglect the house of God is to put oneself into a position of spiritual danger. I do not know how many times I have seen believers backslide when they began to neglect the church. This also reminds us of how important it is to be in a strong Bible-believing, Bible-practicing church.

g. Be busy in the Lord's service (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 15:58). God has a part for every believer in His great program for this age, the Great Commission. Finding the will of God is not a matter of waiting and hoping for something in the future; it is a matter of doing something today. As the believer gets involved in the Lord's service in small and simple ways and continues to be faithful week by week, God leads him in His perfect will. It has well been said, “Idle hands are the devil's workshop.”

h. Be careful about associations (1 Cor. 15:33; 2 Tim. 2:22). The Bible warns that “evil communications corrupt good manners.” The wrong associations will always weaken good Christian living. Be very careful about your friends and close associates. It was neglect of this in my youth that resulted in great spiritual devastation and many dark years of living far from God.

i. Practice biblical fasting. “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Mat. 17:1). The Lord Jesus taught us that there are some types of demonic strongholds that can be overcome only by prayer with fasting.

j. Practice confession and prayer. “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (Jam. 5:16). As a young Christian I was struggling with smoking. I had smoked heavily for about six years and I found it extremely difficult to give it up. I tried and failed many times during the first few months after I was saved. Finally I stood up during a Wednesday prayer meeting and told the brethren about my problem. I confessed my fault and they prayed for me, and I have never smoked again since that day! There is power in confession and prayer.

________

Updated March 8, 2006 (first published February 9, 2004) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143)

Distributed by Way of Life Literature's Fundamental Baptist Information Service, a listing for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. http://www.wayoflife.org

*

[Original illustration at this number was added to HolwickID #9127]

{ The Velveteen Rabbit} is a classy book for children with a

message for adults. In it is a revealing nursery dialogue between a

new toy rabbit and an old skin horse. As they are lying side by side

one day, Rabbit asks Horse:

###### "What is REAL? Does it mean having things that buzz inside you

and a ######stick-out handle?"

###### "Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a

thing that ######happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long

time, not just to ######play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become

REAL."

###### "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. ###### "Sometimes," said the Skin

Horse, for he was always truthful. "When ######you are REAL you don't mind

being hurt." ###### "Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,"

he asked, "or bit by ######bit?" ###### "It doesn't happen all at once," said

the Skin Horse. "You become. It ######takes a long time. That's why it

doesn't often happen to people who break ######easily, or have sharp edges,

or have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the ######time you are Real,

most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop ######out and you

get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't ######

matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to

people ######who don't understand."

Take a long look at {you}, suggests Skin Horse. Going

through a lot of activities? Staying busy? In a hurry most of the

time? Spinnin around the squirrel cage? Seldom pausing to ask why?

Still reluctant to be loved . . . to be real? Still keeping a

distance between yourself and your family members? Still substituting

{doing} for {being}?

It'll never satisfy. You cannot play cover-up forever. What does

God suggest? Having a heart of compassion, being kind, tender,

transparent, gentle, patient, forgiving, and lovable. All those

things spell R-E-A-L.

- Charles R. Swindoll, {Man to Man }(Grand Rapids, MI:

Zondervan Publishing House, 1996) 12-13

Title: The Cross Divides the Vertical from the Horizontal!

000306-5

Subject: Focus; Rebirth; Regeneration; Sanctification

Reference: Colossians 3:1

Illustration: In Bible study the dependent or conditional clause of a conditional sentence is extremely important. For example, "If it rains" is the conditional part of the sentence, "If it rains, the game will be canceled." "The game will be canceled" is the main or independent clause. Mark Twain wrote, "If we get left on this wreck, we’re in a fix."

Application: Paul writes, "If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above ... ." The condition is quite literally: IF YOU ARE SAVED? The main point of the condition is: Then KEEP YOUR EYES ON HEAVEN WHERE GOD IS! The importance is this: if one condition is met, the other will follow. It has the sense of "if this holds true, then this will result."

One has to ask, in the light of the surveys we’ve seen in recent years, if so many of our people are "born-again," why do so many seem to have a horizontal focus rather than a vertical one?

Source/Attribution: John Gillmartin

The saintly Horatius Bonar, reflecting on this subject, realized that the little things can either make or break the Christian. He wrote, "A holy life is made up of a multitude of small things. It is the little things of the hour and not the great things of the age that fill up a life like that of the apostles Paul or John, or David Brainard, or Henry Martyn. Little words, not eloquent speeches or sermons; little deeds, not miracles or battles, or one great heroic effort or martyrdom, make up the true Christian life. It's the little constant sunbeam, not the lightning, the waters of Siloam that go softly in their meek mission of refreshment, not 'the waters of the rivers great and many' rushing down in torrent, noise, and force, that are the true symbols of a holy life."

See: 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; 1 Timothy 4:7-8

1. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword —

His truth is marching on.

Chorus

Glory! Glory, hallelujah!

Glory! Glory, Hallelujah!

Glory! Glory, hallelujah!

Our God is marching on.

2. I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,

They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;

I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps —

His day is marching on.

3. He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never sound retreat,

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgement seat;

O be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant my feet!

Our God is marching on.

4. In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;

As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free,

While God is marching on.

[Tune “Battle Hymn”]

*

"Called to be saints." - Romans 1:7

We are very apt to regard the apostolic saints as if they were "saints" in a more especial manner than the other children of God. All are "saints" whom God has called by His grace, and sanctified by His Spirit; but we are apt to look upon the apostles as extraordinary beings, scarcely subject to the same weaknesses and temptations as ourselves. Yet in so doing we are forgetful of this truth, that the nearer a man lives to God the more intensely has he to mourn over his own evil heart; and the more his Master honors him in his service, the more also doth the evil of the flesh vex and tease him day by day. - Charles Spurgeon

The fact is, if we had seen the apostle Paul, we should have thought him remarkably like the rest of the chosen family: and if we had talked with him, we should have said, "We find that his experience and ours are much the same. He is more faithful, more holy, and more deeply taught than we are, but he has the selfsame trials to endure. Nay, in some respects he is more sorely tried than ourselves." Do not, then, look upon the ancient saints as being exempt either from infirmities or sins; and do not regard them with that mystic reverence which will almost make us idolaters. Their holiness is attainable even by us. - Charles Spurgeon

Sermon on construction as a theme for life. 1 Corinthians 3:9-15

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

==================

I. Construction theme for Vacation Bible School.

A. Construction as a metaphor for the Christian life.

II. Get the foundation right.

III. Construction is ongoing.

A. Great projects are not done overnight.

B. We are not complete.

C. You should see some progress.

IV. We are all building something bigger than we think.

A. Most building metaphors in NT have primary focus on church.

B. Christians are stones that build up church.

C. Use your talents to make this a great church.

V. Be sure to build with quality.

A. You have a choice of materials.

B. We must build according to code - the Bible.

C. Our work will be inspected.

Sermon in Spiritual Recovery series. Ephesians 5:3-6

ZERO DEFECTS

============

Step #6: "We are entirely ready to have God remove all our defects

of character."

Step #7: "We humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings."

I. The devil is in the details.

II. God wants all of us.

A. We prefer to make deals with God.

B. God demands everything.

C. Our salvation is at stake.

III. Where do you fall short?

A. Entire generations have had spiritual blindspots.

B. Individuals can also be blind to their most pressing problems.

IV. Start a quality control program.

A. Your spiritual inventory should list areas of concern.

B. Accountability to another Christian.

C. Exposure to God's Word.

D. Disciplined prayer.

V. The goal is nothing short of perfection.

A. Strive to have all defects removed.

B. When can it happen?

C. Make a beginning, keep trying.

VI. Victory over moral defects requires God's help.

A woman was asked by a co-worker, "What is it like to be a Christian?" The co-worker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then he cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., and then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

*

Years ago, Walter A. Maier, an eloquent radio preacher, told about an African tribal chief who was presented with a mirror by a visitor. He peered curiously into the glass and commented on the ugliness of the person he saw. When he realized he was looking at himself, he became enraged and smashed the mirror on a rock.

The apostle James described God’s Word as a mirror in which we can see ourselves reflected (1:23-24). It shows us that although we were created to reflect God’s character, in our fallen condition we are spiritually ugly and marred by sin.

But when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are spiritually reborn (John 3:3-8). Then, as we look into God’s Word, we see ourselves as God sees us — our ugliness has been transformed into the beauty of Christ’s likeness. And we grow in His likeness from that point on.

What do you see as you look into the mirror of Scripture? Do you hesitate to read the Bible because it shows you the ugly appearance of your unbelief? Or do you read it gratefully, seeing yourself as God the Father sees you — as His spiritually reborn child, who is becoming more and more like His beloved Son? (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Having Jesus in your life makes the difference. — VCG

The Bible, O Lord, is just like a mirror

That shows me the need of my heart,

For in it I see an accurate image,

A portrait of me — every part. — Hess

The Word of God is the only mirror that can transform our appearance.

1. Love divine, all loves excelling,

Joy of heav'n, to earth come down;

Fix in us Thy humble dwelling,

All Thy faithful mercies crown,

Jesus, Thou art all compassion,

Pure, unbounded love Thou art,

Visit us with Thy salvation,

Enter ev'ry trembling heart.

2. Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit

Into ev'ry troubled breast!

Let us all in Thee inherit,

Let us find that promised rest.

Take away our bent to sinning,

Alpha and Omega be;

End of faith, as its beginning,

Set our hearts at liberty.

3. Come, Almighty to deliver,

Let us all Thy liFe receive;

Suddenly return, and never,

Nevermore Thy temples leave.

Thee we would be always blessing,

Serve Thee as Thy hosts above,

Pray and praise Thee without ceasing,

Glory in Thy perfect love.

4. Finish, then, Thy new creation,

Pure and spotless let us be;

Let us see Thy great salvation

Perfectly restored in Thee:

Changed from glory into glory,

Till in heav'n we take our place,

Till we cast our crowns before Thee,

Lost in wonder, love and praise!

[Tune: Beecher or Hyfrydol]

*

”When you come to a roadblock, you don’t stand there and curse the detour sign, you take the road that is available and enjoy the new scenery.”

You know this verse: Romans 8:28 (NIV), “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Take notice of this wonderful wording — read it again — out loud. I believe His purpose for me was and is election. What is His purpose for you?

Sanctified by the Spirit

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 1 Peter 1:2

There is a sanctifying of the human spirit. It does not matter what you say, if your human spirit does not get wholly sanctified, you will always be in danger. It is that position where the devil has a chance to work on you.

Therefore, we are taught to come into sanctification, where the rudiments, the uncleanness, the inordinate affections and corruptions pass away because of incorruption abiding. In sanctification, all kinds of lusts have lost their power. This is the plan. Only in the ideal pursuit of this, does God so bless us in our purifying state that we lose our earthly position and ascend with Him in glory. The saints of God, as they go on into perfection and holiness, understanding the mind of the Spirit and the law of the Spirit of life, are brought into a very blessed place … the place of holiness, the place of entire sanctification, the place where God is enthroned in the heart.

The sanctified mind is so concentrated in the power of God that the saint thinks about the things that are pure and lives in holy ascendancy, where every day he experiences the power and liberty of God.

God highly honors him … but He never exalts him. The devil comes to exalt him, but it cannot be under the lines of the sanctification of the Spirit. There is a sanctifying of the human spirit where the human spirit so comes into perfect blending with the divine mind of Christ that the saint does not desire to be exalted. The Spirit can sanctify your spirit until you will never vaunt yourself and will never say “I … I … I,” but it will be, “Christ, Christ, Christ!” He, not “I,” will be glorified.

I ‘m told most people in 16th Century England got married in June because they took their annual bath in May. It seems they still smelled pretty good in June. Still, many were starting to ripen, so brides began carrying a bouquet of flowers to hide the aromas. [Adapted from Life in the 1500’s, author unknown]

Commentary:

Christ is God’s supernatural bouquet for believers; He covers our sins and hides our natural odor.

LOOK AT THE FRUIT

(a phrase sometimes heard when I enter the pulpit each week)

I was a portrait of lawn care expertise. My driveway was littered with a lawnmower, three rakes, two bags of grass seed, a gas can, and a fertilizer spreader. As I surveyed the scene, I thought to myself, “I look like a real pro here.”

Of course it wouldn’t take long to dispel that myth; one glance over at my front yard would reveal that this lawn care prince is actually a lawn maintenance pauper whose green thumb tends toward tannish brown. Rather than a seasoned pro I was actually a practiced procrastinator, trying once again to remedy a year’s neglect with a single day’s hard work. Perhaps this year that technique will work (it never has before), but for the moment, the yard tells the real truth. “Just wait till next year … “

One of Jesus’ most useful teachings was this: “By their fruit you will recognize them.” His subject was teachers and he was offering a practical test to help believers determine which teachers are righteous guides and which are actually ravenous wolves. Jesus solution? Look at the fruit (the results) of their work.

A new preacher arrives and starts doing things a little differently; is he a heretic or a hero? Don’t get too focused on the particular methods he uses or superficial measures of success (like your church’s attendance). Instead, look at the fruit. Is his work moving people closer to Christ and to one another, or creating division within the body? Does his work push their gaze toward Christ … or pull it toward himself?

I often read about new ministries, new programs, and new opportunities for our congregation; how do I know which ones are going to be truly beneficial and which will be useless or even dangerous? I look at the fruit. Do people who have participated leave with a deeper love for God? Are they forced to re-examine their commitment to discipleship? Do they make meaningful, lasting changes in their lives or merely experience a weekend high? The fruit tells the tale.

Most importantly, how do we know where we stand in our growth as individual believers? Outward measures are notoriously unreliable and easily manipulated. Instead, we can most accurately gauge our progress by looking inward for signs of fruit in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. The “fruit” of the spirit grow within and spill over into our daily actions as we mature in Christ. And while you may measure your growth by other criteria, these are the harvest that God checks for.

Want a quick check of your Christian walk? It’s easy. Just look at the fruit.

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the wonderful stores there. They both liked antiques and pottery, and they especially loved teacups. On this particular occasion, the couple was celebrating their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. One day, they wandered into a quaint shop and saw a beautiful teacup. They said, “May we see that? We’ve never seen one quite so beautiful.” As the sales clerk handed the teacup to them, suddenly the teacup spoke:

“You don’t understand, “ it said. “I haven’t always been a teacup. There was a time when I was simply red clay. The master potter took me and rolled me, patted me over and over until I yelled out, ‘Let me alone,’ but he only smiled, ‘Not yet.’”

“Then I was placed on a spinning wheel,” the teacup said, “and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. I screamed, ‘Stop it! I’m getting dizzy!” But the master only nodded and said, ‘Not yet.’” Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head, ‘Not yet.’”

“Finally when the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. ‘There, that’s better,’ I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag, crying, ‘Stop it, stop it!’ He only nodded, ‘Not yet.’”

“Then suddenly, without warning, he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, ‘Not yet.’”

Then I knew there wasn’t any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door finally opened, and he took me out, placing me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, ‘Look at yourself.’ And I did. I said, ‘That’s not me; that couldn’t be me. It’s beautiful. I’m beautiful.’”

‘I want you to remember,’ he said, ‘I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you’d have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if hadn’t put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn’t done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any color in your life. And if I hadn’t put you back in that second oven, you wouldn’t have survived for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.’”

Final Thoughts: God knows what He’s doing (for all of us). He is the potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing, and perfect will. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not tempt you beyond what you can bear.

~~~~~~~~~~

I Corinthians 10:13. Also, read Isaiah 64: 8.

Knowing and Doing — Read: Psalm 104 (the “creation psalm”)

The Lord … has compassion on all He has made. — Psalm 145:9

Calvin DeWitt, environmental science professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, has developed a neat diagram to assist students in making proper use of scientific knowledge. Picture an upside-down triangle. At the left corner write “science” (what we know about the creation). Near the right corner write “ethics” (what we should do with what we know). Then at the bottom corner write “praxis” (what we do with what we know).

Now, what do you do with this diagram? Cal explains: “Putting these terms into a three-part relationship, I have depicted what I had learned in my youth: science and ethics must go hand in hand, and these together should guide one’s actions. More precisely, I had learned that creation (described by science) and the Bible (from which we Christians derive our ethics) share the same Author.” He continues: “By understanding God’s work in the world and God’s will in the Scriptures, we can apply our talents to doing God’s work in the world.”

As a scientist, Dr. DeWitt has learned that he needs to have high regard for both true science and the Bible. God is the Author of both the world and the Word. They each reveal truth that has its ultimate source in the Creator. Cal’s enthusiasm for environmental science is the result of that understanding. For 30 years or so, he has been “preaching” to Christians about how we are to act (praxis) toward the awesome creation that surrounds us. He compares our ill treatment of God’s handiwork to damaging a beautiful piece of art. If we had a warm personal relationship with Rembrandt, would we carelessly handle the paintings he had placed under our care? What grief would it cause Rembrandt if he learned that we were abusing the gifts he so lovingly crafted for our enjoyment!

As Christians, we need to examine our attitudes about the creation. We need to respect what scientists are revealing to us every day about the treasure we have in the natural environment that surrounds us and provides us with health and sustenance. The facts we learn about the creation should cause us to rejoice as the psalmist did: “How many are Your works, O Lord! In wisdom You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures” (Psalm 104:24). — DO

REFLECTION

• Have I ever considered who should be the best caretakers of the creation: those who know and love the Creator or those who don’t?

• Have I been guilty of having a bad attitude toward those who don’t know the Creator but love the creation? Have I shared the “good news” with them?

Love what the Creator loves.

"I am not what I might be, I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I wish to be, I am not what I hope to be. But I thank God I am not what I once was, and I can say with the great apostle, 'By the grace of God I am what I am.'”

-- John Newton, author of "Amazing Grace"

*

One of the most liberating concepts to be actuated by the sanctified is: “I don’t belong to me. I belong to Jesus. I have been bought with a price, His blood!” When that becomes a sancti- fied reality, the Christian is set free from his own manipu- lations and dreads. He is liberated from his self-drive and concentration on “getting ahead.” There are no more com- parisons with others’ lives and ambitions.

The believing yet carnal mind is forever professing Jesus as Savior while ignoring Him as Lord. It is a mindset which, according to Scripture, is double-minded. Naturally this state has to be the most miserable plight for any religious person to endure. One side is with God; the other side is on self-drive.

Sanctification is a conscious surrender of one’s entire existence to Jesus, not only as Savior, but even more importantly as Master and Lord. Therefore, the sanctified must activate in practical living the “I don’t belong to me; I belong to Jesus” mindset. After all, it was this Jesus who bought us with His blood. We are indeed purchased with the priceless gift of divine blood shed at Calvary.

Why is this not a once-and-for-all submission to our inner experience? Because the human being activates his free will in every conscious moment. Life is fluid. Therefore, the crisis experience of sanctification must be followed by the continuing experience of sanctification.

This day will call forth from you your choices for self-drive or Jesus control. To decide on the former is to be carnal. To choose the latter is to be sanctified. When the Christian no longer seeks his own security, position, and acclaim, then he is free to be a love slave to Jesus. Until then, the Christian connives, many times subtly, to provide his own security, position and acclaim.

Do you complain to God about the small church you pastor, struggling, dealing with persons who don’t seem to care that much about eternal matters? If you are a layman, do you exist in a similar stressful situation? If so, then say to yourself, “I don’t belong to me; I belong to Jesus. I have been bought with His blood. This is where Jesus has placed me. As a love slave to Him, I will accept this for this is where He, in all His wisdom and love, has placed me.” This is spiritual minimalism at its freest.

Do you sit back and, scanning the other peoples lives, wondering why it is that you are left in the dust while they are flying high in the sky? Do you wonder why it is that servers are not given the applause that getters seem to come by? Do you wonder why you are left at the back of the line while others are glowing at the front of the line?

All of this must ultimately be of no concern to the sanctified, for they no longer work on self-drive; they are under directives from the Lord Jesus, completely. What happens with others’ places in life does not matter.

Someone once said to me, “where are you in your career?” I answered, “I don’t have a career. I have a calling. And where I am is not up to me. It is up to Jesus. Frankly, I hardly ever know where I am; and in that I am free.”

The world is large. Human history is long. Where we “fit” into the positioning of others is ultimately beyond our comprehension anyhow. We could never take it in for we do not have the analytical equipment by which to do so.

Jesus views the large world. He oversees human history’. Thus He knows just where HE needs each sanctified servant to fit in, especially you. All decisions regarding your biography are always with Him. Live with that and be at peace. Accept that and be set free. I don’t belong to me; I belong to Jesus. I have been purchased by His blood.

To those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours (1 Corinthians 1:2).

Have you noticed that one of the most frequently used words of identity for Christians in the New Testament is saint? A saint is literally a holy person. Yet Paul and the other writers of the Epistles used the word generously to describe common, ordinary, everyday Christians like you and me. For example, Paul's salutation in 1 Corinthians 1:2 reads: “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.”

Notice that Paul didn't say that we are saints by hard work. He clearly states that we are saints by calling. Some of us have bought into the mentality that saints are people who have earned their lofty title by living a magnificent life or achieving a certain level of maturity. No way. The Bible says you are a saint because God called you to be a saint. You were “sanctified in Christ” -- made a saint by participating in the life of the only true holy one, Jesus Christ.

Many Christians refer to themselves as sinners saved by grace. But are you really a sinner? Is that your scriptural identity? Not at all. God doesn't call you a sinner; He calls you a saint -- a holy one. If you think of yourself as a sinner, guess what you will do: You'll live like a sinner; you'll sin. Why not identify yourself for who you really are: a saint who sins. Remember: What you do doesn't determine who you are; who you are determines what you do.

Since you are a saint in Christ by God's calling, you share in Christ's inheritance. That which is true of Christ is now true of you, because you are in Christ. It's part of your identity. You are not the great “I Am,” but with Paul you can say, “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Your grace and Your calling in my life are totally undeserved, but it is my privilege to claim my inheritance. Thank You, Father. Thank You, Jesus.

*

”He shall build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory.” Zechariah 6:13

Christ Himself is the builder of His spiritual temple, and He has built it on the mountains of His unchangeable affection, His omnipotent grace, and His infallible truthfulness. But as it was in Solomon’s temple, so in this; the materials need making ready. There are the “Cedars of Lebanon,” but they are not framed for the building; they are not cut down, and shaped, and made into those planks of cedar, whose odoriferous beauty shall make glad the courts of the Lord’s house in Paradise. There are also the rough stones still in the quarry, they must be hewn thence, and squared.

All this is Christ’s own work. Each individual believer is being prepared, and polished, and made ready for his place in the temple; but Christ’s own hand performs the preparation work. Afflictions cannot sanctify, unless they are used by Him to this end. Our prayers and efforts cannot make us ready for Heaven, apart from the hand of Jesus, who fashions our hearts aright. As in the building of Solomon’s temple, “there was neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron, heard in the house,” because all was brought perfectly ready for the exact spot it was to occupy so it is with the temple which Jesus builds; making it ready is all done on earth.

When we reach Heaven, there will be no sanctifying us there, no squaring us with affliction, no planing us with suffering. No, we must be made meet here all that Christ will do beforehand; and when He has done it, we shall be ferried by a loving hand across the stream of death, and brought to the heavenly Jerusalem, to abide as eternal pillars in the temple of our Lord.

Beneath His eye and care,

The edifice shall rise,

Majestic, strong, and fair,

And shine above the skies.

We all get what we seek in the end — let me say it differently,

“The God we seek, is the God we find.” This truth becomes our hope of glory — or the cause of our destruction. John says, “we shall be like him for (because) we shall see him… “ 1 John 3:2. The problem with the church today is that we’ve not seen the Son of God but rather we’ve been shown a distorted picture of the Son of God.

The church has presented an image of God, not engraved in stone, but rather engraved in words by the reasoning of man’s mind and the influences of the age in which we live. The phony word games of the present political sphere are but a pale reflection of the unconscionable manipulation of spiritual truth within the church. We’ve “taken away” and “added to” until the Christ revealed in the Word by the Spirit has become the Christ of our convenience and our comfort… But we only fooled ourselves; we can’t “take from” or “add to” God.

As a nation, and also as the nominal church throughout the world, our time has run out. For us, as individuals only, there is time to decide what it is that we really seek. The self-gratifying images conjured up by our minds will not meet the test of reality. The world hastens hell-bent to destruction. Only a true vision of the true Christ can meet our needs. We must see Him as He is or we must perish.

The abundance of the life of Christ awaits us,

not as the answer to our declarations of faith, but as a filling of the empty vessel of our lives given to Him:

not because of our strength but because of our need,

not because of what we are but because of what He is.

I believe God will form for Himself new people-

a people whose eyes have been opened to see Him,

a people who esteem all things loss for the knowledge of the Son of God,

a people who seek the heavenly unmixed with any of the goals of this world’s hopes, or fears, or ambitions,

a people who, out of weakness and total human inadequacy, are made strong through His indwelling Spirit.

God is seeking.

A people who will leave the old life with its values and priorities.

A people who will put God first.

A people whose eyes are not on the earthly kingdom and what it can offer them.

A people whose home is in the heavenlies and whose life “dwells with Christ in God.”

A time is upon us when all that can be shaken will be shaken. Those of God’s people who have built on shakable things will be desolate. But those whose heart is fixed on the unshakable dimensions of God will rejoice as they see with clearer vision the beauty, the glory, and the eternal fullness of those things which remain.

The Word is still true: if we seek… we shall find.

The God we seek is the God we find. He will reveal — and in that revelation we will see the purpose of life and know its life-giving flow in our whole being.