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LIVING A HOLY OR SANCTIFIED LIFE
PART 1--SANCTIFICATION IS BOTH A WORK OF GOD AND A WORK OF GOD'S PEOPLE
HEBREWS 13:12-13
Introduction
Jesus gave Himself for us, not only that He might save us from death, hell, and destruction, but that he might sanctify us for Himself.
The words “sanctify” and “holy” all come from the same Greek word that means “to set apart for a special particular purpose.”
In the Bible many things, as well as people, were said to be sanctified.
The Sabbath Day was sanctified by God.
Genesis 2:3–“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”
Moses sanctified the people of God.
Exodus 19:10-11–“And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,
11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.”
Exodus 19:14–“And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.”
Mount Sinai was said to be sanctified.
Exodus 19:23–“And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.”
The furniture in the Tabernacle was sanctified.
Exodus 40:10-11–“And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy. 11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.”
Aaron and his sons were sanctified to minister in the priests office.
Exodus 40:12-13–“And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.”
Leviticus 8:10-12–“And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them. 11 And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them.12 And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.
Our food is sanctified when we ask God to bless it.
1 Timothy 4:4-5–“For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”
We are even told as believers to sanctify God in our heart.
1 Peter 3:15–“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”
That means we are to set apart Christ as Lord of our lives!
In the Old Testament, there is an account given of some priests who tried to minister before the Lord but had not sanctified the Lord God in their hearts.
(See Leviticus 10:1-3)
Alexander Maclaren wrote, “Only he who can say, ‘The Lord is the strength of my life’ can go on to say, ‘Of whom shall I be afraid.’”
He was referring to Psalm 27:1–“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
We need to understand that “to sanctify” or “make holy” does not mean to purify or make sinless, but rather it means to set something apart for God and for His service.
But we need to understand some other things about LIVING A HOLY OR SANCTIFIED LIFE or HOW TO LIVE A HOLY OR SANCTIFIED LIFE.
Today we will just deal with the first thing:
SANCTIFICATION IS BOTH A WORK OF GOD AND A WORK OF GOD’S PEOPLE!
I. SANCTIFICATION IS A WORK OF GOD!
A. It Is Said To Be A Work Of Jesus.
Hebrews 13:12–“Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.”
Ephesians 5:25-26–“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
B. It Is Said To Be A Work Of The Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11–“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? . . .11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13–“13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:”
C. It Is Said To Be A Work Of God The Father.
Jude 1:1–“Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:”
In Leviticus 20:26, the LORD God Jehovah told Israel that He was the one who sanctified them.
Leviticus 20:26–“And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.” (i.e. He sanctified them)
1 Thessalonians 5:23–“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
SANCTIFICATION IS A WORK OF GOD!
II. SANCTIFICATION IS A WORK OF GOD’S PEOPLE!
Leviticus 11:44–“For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy. . .”
Leviticus 20:7–“Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.”
Joshua 3:5–“And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
1 Thessalonians 4:3-4–"3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;”
1 Peter 1:13-16
In relation to the Christian, sanctification or holiness refers to our being set apart from sin to God. It is not a matter of becoming sinless, but separating ourselves from sin in our lives so that we may yield ourselves to the Lord.
Conclusion
So, today we have seen this: Sanctification is both a work of God and a work of God’s people.
1 Thessalonians 5:23–And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The sanctification process begins with God. It begins with our salvation!
Have you been sanctified by God? Not if you haven’t been born again!
Home Page Contact Us Service Times Sermons Are You Going To Heaven?
NOTICE: THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!