Today’s post is personal. I think it’s helpful for those that preach and teach be transparent when they face trials and struggles. As some of you know, my wife and I own a real estate brokerage. It started on half of a kitchen table in 2007. We dedicated the business to God and operate it on Biblical principles. The Lord has blessed the business. It is now a multi million dollar company. This week, through no fault of our own, an important revenue source for us ceased. Potentially, almost a million dollars annually was removed. So, how did we respond? What did we do to face this adversity?
Revelation 12:11 reads: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.” Now I know this verse is dealing with overcoming the enemy of our souls, but if I may, I want to show you how I spiritualized the verse to help us in our time of need.
First, recognize that you can be an overcomer. You don’t have to be defeated. You don’t have “to just take it.” Second, we have the blood of the Lamb! There is power in the blood! This is not just for salvation and sanctification. It is for daily living. You can plead the blood of Jesus for protection over your life, your family, your employment, your business, etc. I began to plead the blood of Jesus over our business. Third, we have our testimony. My reality is the Word of God not our circumstances. You can be ruled by sensory knowledge or revealed knowledge found in the Word of God. I read the Word; I believe the Word; I speak the Word; and I act on the Word.
Here’s what we did after we received the difficult news on Wednesday at 5pm:
1. Informed our agents and employees that everyone’s job was safe. There will be no layoffs.
2. Began to develop other business opportunities that we had wanted to do for some time, but we just had not done so. Based on my belief and understanding, what we lost will be made back plus three times. It was as if we were pushed from the nest and forced to fly.
3. I had determined in my heart to make a donation to a Christian organization of several thousand dollars. After the news on Wednesday, I decided to increase our gift by an additional 50%.
We have no fear. Fear and faith cannot co-exist. You get to choose how to live and what to believe. For me and my house, we choose faith. So my advice on facing adversity, run right at it like David and 5 stones! Hit your adversity between the eyes with stones of faith, the blood, confession, and testimony. The giant will fall.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Friday, August 30, 2019
Reasons Why Every Christian Should Be Entirely Sanctified Part 2
Today, we continue examining reasons every Christian should seek to be entirely sanctified. The first three reasons were listed yesterday.
Fourth, because if our hearts are not cleansed from inbred sin, the work of grace will be so interrupted and obstructed by it, that we cannot become “rooted and grounded in love.” No man can become throughly settled and established, like a tree whose roots strike deep and extend without obstruction in every direction, while sin remains in the heart.
Fifth, because without Christian purity our growth in grace will be obstructed and unsteady. Christian purity secures the best possible ground for rapid growth in love, knowledge, power and grace. While sin remains in the heart, like ancient Israel, our Christian life will be unsteady, and we will be prone to wander in the wilderness, subject to all the workings and dangers of “indwelling sin.”
Sixth, because without entire consecration our knowledge of personal salvation is necessarily superficial, as we know only in part. Without an experimental knowledge, we cannot know personally that “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Some things can be known only by experience. The pure in heart have the “witness of the Spirit,” and a consciousness of full salvation. “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.”
The final point is a good one to end on. I know of many people that while professing faith in Jesus Christ still try to earn salvation by works. Salvation is by faith paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. Entire sanctification is also by faith paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. Entire sanctification has the human element of entire consecration, but when one is entirely sanctified, it is by a Divine act. Read Acts 2 and you will see the Divine act of God when He filled the believers with the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is not by works as some believe. It is not “trying harder.” It is a way of holiness. It is the best way. Are you on the highway or simply pretending?
Fourth, because if our hearts are not cleansed from inbred sin, the work of grace will be so interrupted and obstructed by it, that we cannot become “rooted and grounded in love.” No man can become throughly settled and established, like a tree whose roots strike deep and extend without obstruction in every direction, while sin remains in the heart.
Fifth, because without Christian purity our growth in grace will be obstructed and unsteady. Christian purity secures the best possible ground for rapid growth in love, knowledge, power and grace. While sin remains in the heart, like ancient Israel, our Christian life will be unsteady, and we will be prone to wander in the wilderness, subject to all the workings and dangers of “indwelling sin.”
Sixth, because without entire consecration our knowledge of personal salvation is necessarily superficial, as we know only in part. Without an experimental knowledge, we cannot know personally that “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Some things can be known only by experience. The pure in heart have the “witness of the Spirit,” and a consciousness of full salvation. “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.”
The final point is a good one to end on. I know of many people that while professing faith in Jesus Christ still try to earn salvation by works. Salvation is by faith paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. Entire sanctification is also by faith paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. Entire sanctification has the human element of entire consecration, but when one is entirely sanctified, it is by a Divine act. Read Acts 2 and you will see the Divine act of God when He filled the believers with the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is not by works as some believe. It is not “trying harder.” It is a way of holiness. It is the best way. Are you on the highway or simply pretending?
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Reasons Why Every Christian Should Be Entirely Sanctified
We will spend a few days looking at some reasons why every Christian should be entirely sanctified. I still remember a discussion some 20 years ago with a pastor from a denomination that did not believe in entire sanctification. He was asked, “Tell me, if it was possible would you want God to remove your inbred sin, your carnality from you?” He was so protective of his theology, he shouted, “No!” It is God’s will that you be sanctified (1 Thessalonians 4:3), so let’s find out why.
First, because without being sanctified, we can neither do, nor be all that God commands. His greatest command is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” We certainly cannot love God with all our heart, while indwelling sin remains in us. The commands enjoining holiness are just as numerous, positive, and imperative as any in the Bible.
Second, because without entire sanctification it is impossible to be free from indwelling sin, the foundation of the “carnal mind,” which is enmity against God. These disturbing, discordant elements, the “roots of bitterness” will continually spring up and trouble us. The death of the “old man” by crucifixion is imperative.
Third, because without entire sanctification, the remaining evils of our sanctified hearts will often prevail in our passions and actions, and our Christian testimony will be marred and defective. While any forces remain in the heart, antagonistic to grace, the Christian is not fully prepared for the conflicts and race before him. We are to be holy because He is holy,
I sometimes am amazed at believers that refuse to accept the truth about entire sanctification. Certain theological persuasions, most notably Calvinists or Reformed Christians, insist that they sin every day in thought, word and deed. They seem insistent on holding to their sin. At some point I always ask them, “So which particular secret sin are you clinging to?” That generally ends the discussion. I end today with the same question that was asked 20 plus years ago, “Tell me, if it was possible, would you want God to remove your inbred sin, your carnality from you?”
First, because without being sanctified, we can neither do, nor be all that God commands. His greatest command is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” We certainly cannot love God with all our heart, while indwelling sin remains in us. The commands enjoining holiness are just as numerous, positive, and imperative as any in the Bible.
Second, because without entire sanctification it is impossible to be free from indwelling sin, the foundation of the “carnal mind,” which is enmity against God. These disturbing, discordant elements, the “roots of bitterness” will continually spring up and trouble us. The death of the “old man” by crucifixion is imperative.
Third, because without entire sanctification, the remaining evils of our sanctified hearts will often prevail in our passions and actions, and our Christian testimony will be marred and defective. While any forces remain in the heart, antagonistic to grace, the Christian is not fully prepared for the conflicts and race before him. We are to be holy because He is holy,
I sometimes am amazed at believers that refuse to accept the truth about entire sanctification. Certain theological persuasions, most notably Calvinists or Reformed Christians, insist that they sin every day in thought, word and deed. They seem insistent on holding to their sin. At some point I always ask them, “So which particular secret sin are you clinging to?” That generally ends the discussion. I end today with the same question that was asked 20 plus years ago, “Tell me, if it was possible, would you want God to remove your inbred sin, your carnality from you?”
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
When Courage Is Needed
”He took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah.” II Chronicles 15:8
This passage is in reference to Asa who reigned in Judah. There had been a time, “a long season” verse 3), that “Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.” “God did vex them with all adversity.” Verse 6 However, when Asa heard the word of the Lord, he took courage and removed the idols. It takes courage to stand against sin, but the believer must do so.
Cowardice asks, Is it safe? Expediency asks, Is it polite? Vanity asks, Is it popular? But Conscience asks, Is it right? Francis Asbury said: “Whosoever I please or displease, I will be faithful to God, to the people and to my own soul.”
Who walks with God must take His way
Across far distances and gray
To goals that others do not see,
Where others do not care to be.
Who walks with God Must have no fear
When danger and defeat appear,
Nor stop when every hope seems gone,
For God, our God, moves ever on.
Who walks with God Must press ahead
When sun or cloud is overhead,
When all the waiting thousands cheer,
Or when they only stop to sneer;
When all the challenge leaves the hours
And naught is left but jaded powers.
But he will some day reach the dawn,
For God, our God, moves ever on.
The world is in desperate need for men, women, and children to have the courage to stand for truth. God is moving on and He has an army of believers. Will that army be strong and courageous, or will it compromise with the world by watering down the gospel message. The best soldiers are dead; dead to the world, dead to sin and dead to self. That is the sanctified life. A life sold out for God and not afraid to call sin, sin.
So, whose army are you in? What type of soldier are you?
This passage is in reference to Asa who reigned in Judah. There had been a time, “a long season” verse 3), that “Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.” “God did vex them with all adversity.” Verse 6 However, when Asa heard the word of the Lord, he took courage and removed the idols. It takes courage to stand against sin, but the believer must do so.
Cowardice asks, Is it safe? Expediency asks, Is it polite? Vanity asks, Is it popular? But Conscience asks, Is it right? Francis Asbury said: “Whosoever I please or displease, I will be faithful to God, to the people and to my own soul.”
Who walks with God must take His way
Across far distances and gray
To goals that others do not see,
Where others do not care to be.
Who walks with God Must have no fear
When danger and defeat appear,
Nor stop when every hope seems gone,
For God, our God, moves ever on.
Who walks with God Must press ahead
When sun or cloud is overhead,
When all the waiting thousands cheer,
Or when they only stop to sneer;
When all the challenge leaves the hours
And naught is left but jaded powers.
But he will some day reach the dawn,
For God, our God, moves ever on.
The world is in desperate need for men, women, and children to have the courage to stand for truth. God is moving on and He has an army of believers. Will that army be strong and courageous, or will it compromise with the world by watering down the gospel message. The best soldiers are dead; dead to the world, dead to sin and dead to self. That is the sanctified life. A life sold out for God and not afraid to call sin, sin.
So, whose army are you in? What type of soldier are you?
Monday, August 26, 2019
Soul Bathing
”Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” John 15:3
“That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word.” Ephesians 5:26
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.” Psalm 119:9
After spending a few hours shopping or traveling, or all day at work, you may have inescapably become contaminated with the soil and grime of the city. The effects are clearly visible on your face and hands as you look in a mirror. So, you might cleanse yourself with soap and water.
In the same way, when mixing with the world, or even among some Christians who are not grounded in the Word, the soul comes home to relax only to see itself in the mirror of God’s Word, begrimed by the filth of the world’s opinions and materialism. You need a soul cleansing that comes from the washing from the cleansing Word. Your standards of conduct and thinking are once again re-adjusted to God’s; minds smudged with conversation, light and worldly, even suggestive of moral filth, eyes that have of necessity seen much that is likely to contaminate the soul—all need washing under God’s Word.
An early church father Chrysostom warned: “As people’s bodies, when deprived of the benefit of the bath, become all full of dirt and filth, so also the soul, deprived of spiritual instruction, becomes mottled over with many brand of sin. And our exercises here form a spiritual bath which, subjected to the warming of the Spirit, removes every uncleanness. Or rather, it is not merely the uncleanness itself, but even the color of it, which the fire of the Spirit removes. For, saith He, though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow.”
Unless you have the privilege of not working with others, especially the unsaved, you will have to deal with this issue. Take time each day when you have left outside work, to seek the cleansing power of the Word of God to renew your spirit. You will stay clean and be ready to meet the next day.
“That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word.” Ephesians 5:26
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.” Psalm 119:9
After spending a few hours shopping or traveling, or all day at work, you may have inescapably become contaminated with the soil and grime of the city. The effects are clearly visible on your face and hands as you look in a mirror. So, you might cleanse yourself with soap and water.
In the same way, when mixing with the world, or even among some Christians who are not grounded in the Word, the soul comes home to relax only to see itself in the mirror of God’s Word, begrimed by the filth of the world’s opinions and materialism. You need a soul cleansing that comes from the washing from the cleansing Word. Your standards of conduct and thinking are once again re-adjusted to God’s; minds smudged with conversation, light and worldly, even suggestive of moral filth, eyes that have of necessity seen much that is likely to contaminate the soul—all need washing under God’s Word.
An early church father Chrysostom warned: “As people’s bodies, when deprived of the benefit of the bath, become all full of dirt and filth, so also the soul, deprived of spiritual instruction, becomes mottled over with many brand of sin. And our exercises here form a spiritual bath which, subjected to the warming of the Spirit, removes every uncleanness. Or rather, it is not merely the uncleanness itself, but even the color of it, which the fire of the Spirit removes. For, saith He, though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow.”
Unless you have the privilege of not working with others, especially the unsaved, you will have to deal with this issue. Take time each day when you have left outside work, to seek the cleansing power of the Word of God to renew your spirit. You will stay clean and be ready to meet the next day.
Dealing With Giant Doubt
Sometimes people begin to question their consecration. They have made a complete surrender, died to self, exercised faith, believed they were sanctified wholly, but doubt begins to whisper its purpose into your mind. Then, you decide to start the entire process over again. You consecrate, die to self, believe and claim the blessing, and doubt arises again. If the enemy can keep you crossing and recrossing the Jordan, he can effectively eliminate you from the blessing of living in the Canaan land of entire sanctification. Your faith will grow weaker each time you cross and recross. Is there help for you? The answer is a resounding, “Yes!”
The conversation between a person we shall call, Pilgrim and Giant Doubtful might sound like this:
Pilgrim: “By the grace of God, I solemnly promise never to doubt my experience of entire sanctification again, no never. Lord, Hear my vow, never, never to doubt again!
Giant Doubtful: “Good morning Pilgrim. Are you sure you got your memorial stone right this time? Isn’t it doubtful you really crossed the Jordan? Should not you have had a more definite experience? Your consecration is likely incomplete. You know your faith is weak. Better be careful. You don’t want to be deceived.”
Pilgrim: “That is true, I should be able to get a more definite experience than what I had. To be safe, I should go back and recross the Jordan.”
Giant Doubtful: “There certainly can be no harm in being sure.”
So off Pilgrim goes to retrace his steps, never exploring the Canaan land of holiness.
Pilgrim’s answer is found in God’s Word. It is God’s will that you be sanctified (1 Thessalonians . 4:3); Jesus prayed for you to be sanctified (John 17:17); Paul prayed for you to be sanctified (1 Thessalonians 5:23); Peter commanded you to be holy (1 Peter 1:15-16); and Jesus paid the price for you to be sanctified (Hebrews 13:12-13). When doubt raises questions, you quote the Word of God right back at him. Do you think Jesus’ prayers will be answered? Of course! What Paul’s or Peter’s? Yes, indeed. When facing doubt, you look to the Word of God.
This is the answer for doubt of all types. When you are feeling down and depressed, quote the Word of God. What is reality? What your senses inform you, or what God’s eternal Word says about the situation! You can face doubt, depression, fear, and uncertainty with a knowledge of what God says about the situation. And, that will silence Giant Doubtful every time.
The conversation between a person we shall call, Pilgrim and Giant Doubtful might sound like this:
Pilgrim: “By the grace of God, I solemnly promise never to doubt my experience of entire sanctification again, no never. Lord, Hear my vow, never, never to doubt again!
Giant Doubtful: “Good morning Pilgrim. Are you sure you got your memorial stone right this time? Isn’t it doubtful you really crossed the Jordan? Should not you have had a more definite experience? Your consecration is likely incomplete. You know your faith is weak. Better be careful. You don’t want to be deceived.”
Pilgrim: “That is true, I should be able to get a more definite experience than what I had. To be safe, I should go back and recross the Jordan.”
Giant Doubtful: “There certainly can be no harm in being sure.”
So off Pilgrim goes to retrace his steps, never exploring the Canaan land of holiness.
Pilgrim’s answer is found in God’s Word. It is God’s will that you be sanctified (1 Thessalonians . 4:3); Jesus prayed for you to be sanctified (John 17:17); Paul prayed for you to be sanctified (1 Thessalonians 5:23); Peter commanded you to be holy (1 Peter 1:15-16); and Jesus paid the price for you to be sanctified (Hebrews 13:12-13). When doubt raises questions, you quote the Word of God right back at him. Do you think Jesus’ prayers will be answered? Of course! What Paul’s or Peter’s? Yes, indeed. When facing doubt, you look to the Word of God.
This is the answer for doubt of all types. When you are feeling down and depressed, quote the Word of God. What is reality? What your senses inform you, or what God’s eternal Word says about the situation! You can face doubt, depression, fear, and uncertainty with a knowledge of what God says about the situation. And, that will silence Giant Doubtful every time.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
8th Bible Study: I Am With You
Today’s Bible study continues with the prophet Haggai. Haggai’s first message was delivered on the first day of the sixth month. Nearly a month has elapsed and God moves on Haggai to give a second message to encourage the Jews in their efforts to finish the construction of His Temple. Some of the people were discouraged because the new Temple would not be as beautiful as the first one. Discouragement was sitting in. God always has an answer for discouragement.
The first section is “I Have Covenanted.” God tells Zerubbabel to, “be strong” in verse 4. We are not to faint and give up just because the way seems hard. The reason we are not to give up is found also in verse 4: “for I am with you.” This is a renewed promise of God’s faithfulness. I learned years ago, that you should move into the future like you were rowing a boat. When rowing a boat, your back is facing in the direction you are going while you are looking back to where you are coming from. As we walk this life, when uncertainty is before us, we are to look back to the faithfulness of God in the Bible, as well as in our lives. “Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6 Looking to the promises of God will help eliminate discouragement.
The second section is “I Will Shake.” God told the people to be strong. God is telling His people that He will cause a great shaking of temporal things. It would only be “a little while.” Some of the people in Haggai’s day had seen the splendor of Solomon’s temple. There was much gold in the first temple. Verse 8 was a statement to the people about the gold: “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.” The people did not need to worry about the lack of gold in the new temple because it would be filled with the radiant glory of God Himself. God would bring all this about in His time. We are to keep God’s long range plans in view and when the world seems to be falling apart, look up because the Messiah is coming! One question we should ask ourselves: are we building a material temple or a spiritual temple?
The third section is “I Will Bless.” The people had been working on the temple for three months. Verse 18 speaks of the time prosperity returned. It was not sixteen years earlier when Zerubbabel set the foundation. It was when the decay from that foundation was cleared away and the work resumed. God was saying your prosperity had returned. God leads their thinking by asking, “Is the seed yet in the barn?” While it was not a harvest time in the natural, it was in the spiritual because God said, “From this day will I bless you.” The old saying is: God said it, I believe it, that settles it. This is shouting ground. God had promised that prosperity would return to His people. As Matthew Henry the commentator wrote: “When you begin to change your way towards God, you will find God changing His way towards you.”
Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
My summary points:
1. God wants to encourage us when we are obedient to Him.
2. No matter what temporal circumstances look like, we are to look upward spiritually for deliverance and assistance.
3. We should ask what are we building: a material temple or a spiritual temple?
4. When we walk in obedience to God, He will bless you, guaranteed.
Next week: Joshua Cleansed and Clothed.
Don’t forget to read the Sunday School Beacon. If you know someone who would like the Bible study materials, please contact me. They are free of charge.
The first section is “I Have Covenanted.” God tells Zerubbabel to, “be strong” in verse 4. We are not to faint and give up just because the way seems hard. The reason we are not to give up is found also in verse 4: “for I am with you.” This is a renewed promise of God’s faithfulness. I learned years ago, that you should move into the future like you were rowing a boat. When rowing a boat, your back is facing in the direction you are going while you are looking back to where you are coming from. As we walk this life, when uncertainty is before us, we are to look back to the faithfulness of God in the Bible, as well as in our lives. “Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6 Looking to the promises of God will help eliminate discouragement.
The second section is “I Will Shake.” God told the people to be strong. God is telling His people that He will cause a great shaking of temporal things. It would only be “a little while.” Some of the people in Haggai’s day had seen the splendor of Solomon’s temple. There was much gold in the first temple. Verse 8 was a statement to the people about the gold: “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.” The people did not need to worry about the lack of gold in the new temple because it would be filled with the radiant glory of God Himself. God would bring all this about in His time. We are to keep God’s long range plans in view and when the world seems to be falling apart, look up because the Messiah is coming! One question we should ask ourselves: are we building a material temple or a spiritual temple?
The third section is “I Will Bless.” The people had been working on the temple for three months. Verse 18 speaks of the time prosperity returned. It was not sixteen years earlier when Zerubbabel set the foundation. It was when the decay from that foundation was cleared away and the work resumed. God was saying your prosperity had returned. God leads their thinking by asking, “Is the seed yet in the barn?” While it was not a harvest time in the natural, it was in the spiritual because God said, “From this day will I bless you.” The old saying is: God said it, I believe it, that settles it. This is shouting ground. God had promised that prosperity would return to His people. As Matthew Henry the commentator wrote: “When you begin to change your way towards God, you will find God changing His way towards you.”
Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
My summary points:
1. God wants to encourage us when we are obedient to Him.
2. No matter what temporal circumstances look like, we are to look upward spiritually for deliverance and assistance.
3. We should ask what are we building: a material temple or a spiritual temple?
4. When we walk in obedience to God, He will bless you, guaranteed.
Next week: Joshua Cleansed and Clothed.
Don’t forget to read the Sunday School Beacon. If you know someone who would like the Bible study materials, please contact me. They are free of charge.
The Witness of Entire Sanctification Part 2
Yesterday, we studied the witness of the Holy Spirit. When you are entirely sanctified, you will have the witness of the Spirit that the work has been completed. There is a sweet knowing that God has purified your heart from its inner corruption that we call inbred sin. We spoke of the importance of building a memorial to remind you of the work being done in you. Today, we further consider the witness of the Spirit. Can you know for sure you have been sanctified?
Notice that the memorial was large and too big to carry around all the time. The memorial was twelve large stones. When you are entirely sanctified, it is an event that will forever stand out as a time when you knew God had done something special in you. You will carry the experience around in your heart and mind. There will be spiritual realizations that are different from all your other spiritual experiences of simply being blessed. What are these spiritual realizations?
First, there is the realization that you have been brought to a knowledge of God’s Will to sanctify you. Second, that you have definitely and solemnly dedicated yourself to God to be His and His alone forever. Third, that you have asked God to sanctify you according to His Word. Fourth, that you believed that the work was done. All of these steps are in direct harmony with what God said for you to do, and they, being carried out with the help of the Spirit, constitute the charter or receipt or evidence of your entire sanctification. You have met all the conditions, and the grace is yours. You are sanctified wholly, filled with the Spirit, and you drop your memorial stone on the Canaan side of the Jordan. That is shouting ground! You have the Word of God to carry around with you and the promises of God, the faithfulness of God, and your testimony will be your witness.
As long as you remain true to your vows, your promise and consecration, you will continue in possession of your experience. You have no need of ever going back into the wilderness, much less to Egypt of sin, but the fair land is before you. Go forth and explore the land of Canaan which represents the experience of entire sanctification. Enjoy for yourself the boundless riches of God’s grace and eat honey from the rock.
Notice that the memorial was large and too big to carry around all the time. The memorial was twelve large stones. When you are entirely sanctified, it is an event that will forever stand out as a time when you knew God had done something special in you. You will carry the experience around in your heart and mind. There will be spiritual realizations that are different from all your other spiritual experiences of simply being blessed. What are these spiritual realizations?
First, there is the realization that you have been brought to a knowledge of God’s Will to sanctify you. Second, that you have definitely and solemnly dedicated yourself to God to be His and His alone forever. Third, that you have asked God to sanctify you according to His Word. Fourth, that you believed that the work was done. All of these steps are in direct harmony with what God said for you to do, and they, being carried out with the help of the Spirit, constitute the charter or receipt or evidence of your entire sanctification. You have met all the conditions, and the grace is yours. You are sanctified wholly, filled with the Spirit, and you drop your memorial stone on the Canaan side of the Jordan. That is shouting ground! You have the Word of God to carry around with you and the promises of God, the faithfulness of God, and your testimony will be your witness.
As long as you remain true to your vows, your promise and consecration, you will continue in possession of your experience. You have no need of ever going back into the wilderness, much less to Egypt of sin, but the fair land is before you. Go forth and explore the land of Canaan which represents the experience of entire sanctification. Enjoy for yourself the boundless riches of God’s grace and eat honey from the rock.
Friday, August 23, 2019
The Witness of Entire Sanctification
After one has entirely consecrated himself or herself to God, and has exercised faith, one has the promise from God that He will entirely sanctify you. When He does, you will have the witness of the Holy Spirit that the work has been done. What is this witness? Is it a feeling? Is it an assurance? Is it a peace? What exactly is it? Is it equally strong at all times, or does it come and go? We will spend a few days on this subject so you will have clarity on this subject.
When the children of Israel crossed the Jordan to enter into Canaan (which typifies the experience of entire sanctification), Joshua selected twelve men, one from each tribe, to do a special service. After all the people had passed over and the twelve priests were standing still in the River’s bed, with the ark of God, Joshua commanded the twelve men to go to the middle of the Jordan and each take up a stone, place it on his shoulder, and carry it across to the camp in Canaan. The stones were to constitute a memorial: “And these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:7)
We can call these stones the “stones of testimony.” They testified to a great fact, a great miracle, a great crossing, to the beginning of a new era in the lives of those hundreds of thousands of Israelites that had crossed over into Canaan. This is a lesson for us. As you cross the Jordan of entire consecration, the line between the place where you are not wholly consecrated and where you are wholly consecrated, the line between the time when you hope to be sanctified and the time when you shall know you are, as you cross this, carry over your stone of testimony. You have never passed this way before, and you need not pass it again; so get your stone of testimony now. Note that the memorial was stone. It was not wood that it could burn up or float away to the Dead Sea. It was a stone, it was solid and enduring as is the Word of God.
For me, I made a written record in my journal that I kept at the time. It described my experience of entire sanctification. Many times I have gone back to my memorial. Sometimes in our lives, the witness is not as strong as in other times. However, praise God, I have a memorial! When the enemy shouts, you are not sanctified. I can take him back and say, “Look at the memorial!” It is a reminder and a testimony of what God has done for me. I recommend listing the Bible verses that were influential to you when you crossed the Jordan into spiritual Canaan.
It is generally, but not always, a battle to become entirely sanctified. Self-will does not like to die. Further, it does not like to stay dead. Having a memorial will assist you to keep walking in faith on the highway of holiness.
When the children of Israel crossed the Jordan to enter into Canaan (which typifies the experience of entire sanctification), Joshua selected twelve men, one from each tribe, to do a special service. After all the people had passed over and the twelve priests were standing still in the River’s bed, with the ark of God, Joshua commanded the twelve men to go to the middle of the Jordan and each take up a stone, place it on his shoulder, and carry it across to the camp in Canaan. The stones were to constitute a memorial: “And these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:7)
We can call these stones the “stones of testimony.” They testified to a great fact, a great miracle, a great crossing, to the beginning of a new era in the lives of those hundreds of thousands of Israelites that had crossed over into Canaan. This is a lesson for us. As you cross the Jordan of entire consecration, the line between the place where you are not wholly consecrated and where you are wholly consecrated, the line between the time when you hope to be sanctified and the time when you shall know you are, as you cross this, carry over your stone of testimony. You have never passed this way before, and you need not pass it again; so get your stone of testimony now. Note that the memorial was stone. It was not wood that it could burn up or float away to the Dead Sea. It was a stone, it was solid and enduring as is the Word of God.
For me, I made a written record in my journal that I kept at the time. It described my experience of entire sanctification. Many times I have gone back to my memorial. Sometimes in our lives, the witness is not as strong as in other times. However, praise God, I have a memorial! When the enemy shouts, you are not sanctified. I can take him back and say, “Look at the memorial!” It is a reminder and a testimony of what God has done for me. I recommend listing the Bible verses that were influential to you when you crossed the Jordan into spiritual Canaan.
It is generally, but not always, a battle to become entirely sanctified. Self-will does not like to die. Further, it does not like to stay dead. Having a memorial will assist you to keep walking in faith on the highway of holiness.
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Helps To Understanding Consecration Part 5
Today, we conclude the examination of understanding consecration. We have looked at different words to help us understand what consecration is. However, the question is, how shall you know when all is given up and the living sacrifice of yourself is acceptable to God?
First of all, remember that your will is your own, and that you yourself know what your intentions are. When you decide to buy a coat, you have no trouble knowing your mind, do you? Of course not! And you can be just as sure of your mind or will in the matter of consecration to God. Is it your intent to surrender, abandon, die to self, and give all to God?
You might begin this way: I desire to be wholly the Lord’s: my will I desire to surrender; and my life I wish to be lived for God. Since the Lord in His Word has said, “By the mercies of God...present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1), you may rest assured that God only awaits this surrender, and will be glad to accept it.
Now, do not only desire to be consecrated, but at once begin to count yourself the Lord’s permanently irrevocably, for time and for eternity. Some people in the solemn hour of their complete and definite hour of their consecration write it out on a piece of paper, making a memorial of the promise of surrender. You don’t have to make a writing because whether it is written on paper or be simply the unchangeable determination within your heart, the point must be to come to the place where all is yielded. There must be a final “yes” to God.
Do not ask yourself do you feel consecrated. Feelings can be deceiving. Your personal will is the issue not your feelings. What’s next? Ask God to purge your soul until He is satisfied concerning its purity. Ask Him to kill all the things which displease Him, and destroy the last remains of inbred sin. Ask Him to restore the image of God in your soul, to come and fill you up with Holy Spirit. Swing wide open your heart’s door to the Spirit. Believe that God does what He promised to do; believe He sanctifies you wholly. Let your faith wrap its arms around God’s promise, and the work is done!
First of all, remember that your will is your own, and that you yourself know what your intentions are. When you decide to buy a coat, you have no trouble knowing your mind, do you? Of course not! And you can be just as sure of your mind or will in the matter of consecration to God. Is it your intent to surrender, abandon, die to self, and give all to God?
You might begin this way: I desire to be wholly the Lord’s: my will I desire to surrender; and my life I wish to be lived for God. Since the Lord in His Word has said, “By the mercies of God...present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1), you may rest assured that God only awaits this surrender, and will be glad to accept it.
Now, do not only desire to be consecrated, but at once begin to count yourself the Lord’s permanently irrevocably, for time and for eternity. Some people in the solemn hour of their complete and definite hour of their consecration write it out on a piece of paper, making a memorial of the promise of surrender. You don’t have to make a writing because whether it is written on paper or be simply the unchangeable determination within your heart, the point must be to come to the place where all is yielded. There must be a final “yes” to God.
Do not ask yourself do you feel consecrated. Feelings can be deceiving. Your personal will is the issue not your feelings. What’s next? Ask God to purge your soul until He is satisfied concerning its purity. Ask Him to kill all the things which displease Him, and destroy the last remains of inbred sin. Ask Him to restore the image of God in your soul, to come and fill you up with Holy Spirit. Swing wide open your heart’s door to the Spirit. Believe that God does what He promised to do; believe He sanctifies you wholly. Let your faith wrap its arms around God’s promise, and the work is done!
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Helps To Understanding Consecration Part 4
“Die” or “dying to self” is a favorite expression with other teachers of holiness; die out to God, die to all but Jesus. The expression is full of vital meaning. Mrs. Cleaveland, in her delightful poem on the river of death, pictures the clergymen of various denominations as losing all their distinguishing marks as they cross the river, and over on the other shore not one can be told from another so far as sectarian peculiarities are concerned. This is true of entire consecration, or crossing the Jordan River into the promised land of Canaan (a symbol of the experience of entire sanctification); for in Canaan there is a delightful absence of sectarian conflict because everyone is busy doing the will of God.
Dying is used to express consecration because some felt that the consecration was so acute that it seemed they had to suffer the pains of death. Others have not so felt. Whatever the feeling, there must be the dying. Another similar term is “death-route.” By the term “death-route” we mean, taking our stand against carnality and turning over every revealed carnal trait to the Holy Ghost, for its slaying. Carnal traits, however, are not crucified one at a time. They are surrendered (died out to) one at a time, under the searching light of the Holy Spirit, when one is seeking a sanctified heart. Then, when the Holy Spirit strikes the death blow to one’s corrupt nature, all of the carnal traits are destroyed in one master stroke of divine power. Thus, the heart is purified and made perfect in the holy love of God which is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost (Romans 5:5). Only dead people fully live; dead to self and alive unto God!
The “death-route” has been described as the divine pathway through which God leads the seeking soul.”
“Break off the yoke of inbred sin,
And fully set my spirit free:
I cannot rest till pure within,
Till I am wholly lost in Thee.”
So what is your status with God? Are you dead, yet? Or, is self still in control? You will not walk in the fullness of God until you have died to self.
Dying is used to express consecration because some felt that the consecration was so acute that it seemed they had to suffer the pains of death. Others have not so felt. Whatever the feeling, there must be the dying. Another similar term is “death-route.” By the term “death-route” we mean, taking our stand against carnality and turning over every revealed carnal trait to the Holy Ghost, for its slaying. Carnal traits, however, are not crucified one at a time. They are surrendered (died out to) one at a time, under the searching light of the Holy Spirit, when one is seeking a sanctified heart. Then, when the Holy Spirit strikes the death blow to one’s corrupt nature, all of the carnal traits are destroyed in one master stroke of divine power. Thus, the heart is purified and made perfect in the holy love of God which is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost (Romans 5:5). Only dead people fully live; dead to self and alive unto God!
The “death-route” has been described as the divine pathway through which God leads the seeking soul.”
“Break off the yoke of inbred sin,
And fully set my spirit free:
I cannot rest till pure within,
Till I am wholly lost in Thee.”
So what is your status with God? Are you dead, yet? Or, is self still in control? You will not walk in the fullness of God until you have died to self.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Helps To Understanding Consecration Part 3
So far we have looked at abandonment and surrender as terms that describe consecration. Today, we examine the phrase, “Lay all on the altar.” This expression is a favorite with many teachers of full salvation, that is holiness. The figure comes from the sacrifices made under Moses’ law. Every Israelite had to offer sacrifices. The main thing about the sacrifice was, whether sheep, goat, lamb, dove, or something else, it had to be a perfect, unblemished sacrifice. God would not accept any lame, maimed, blemished, or otherwise marred sacrifice. It had to be the best of its kind. It had to be perfect. After it was brought to the priest and dedicated to the Lord, it was laid on the altar and consumed by fire. It was wholly the Lord’s. The one offering it had no more to say about it whatever.
Then on God’s altar you should lay all—time, talents, earthly goods, soul, body, and will. I like to add the future as part of the description of consecration. Once Abraham had made a sacrifice, birds came to steal it. Abraham was careful to drive away the birds. A beautiful figure is found in Abraham’s action. We might say that after you have laid all on God’s altar you may need to guard the offering; for the birds of self-will, pride, unbelief, and evil desire may carry off your sacrifice.
Our offering is a live offering. We are alive to Jesus Christ, yet we are willing to die to our own desires. Paul in Romans 12:1-2 wrote: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Paul is telling us to present our bodies in a definite act of consecration, meaning that there is a specific definite act of our making our presentment of our bodies. Our minds, however, are renewed daily. We renew daily by reading the Word of God, meditating on it (that is to mutter it), and prayer. While your entire being is consecrated, you cannot neglect your mind. The world and it’s systems and beliefs will try to bombard you with its way of thinking. It will try to convince you that love is tolerance to sin. It is not tolerant to let someone stay in a burning building and you not tell them to get out before it is too late.
In the days we live, believers need to be entirely sanctified in order to stand up to the pressures of compromise and sin. Believers who have laid their all on the altar are “dead men and women,” and dead people don’t give in to the pressures of the world. So, where are you at today? Are you on the altar, all of you?
Then on God’s altar you should lay all—time, talents, earthly goods, soul, body, and will. I like to add the future as part of the description of consecration. Once Abraham had made a sacrifice, birds came to steal it. Abraham was careful to drive away the birds. A beautiful figure is found in Abraham’s action. We might say that after you have laid all on God’s altar you may need to guard the offering; for the birds of self-will, pride, unbelief, and evil desire may carry off your sacrifice.
Our offering is a live offering. We are alive to Jesus Christ, yet we are willing to die to our own desires. Paul in Romans 12:1-2 wrote: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Paul is telling us to present our bodies in a definite act of consecration, meaning that there is a specific definite act of our making our presentment of our bodies. Our minds, however, are renewed daily. We renew daily by reading the Word of God, meditating on it (that is to mutter it), and prayer. While your entire being is consecrated, you cannot neglect your mind. The world and it’s systems and beliefs will try to bombard you with its way of thinking. It will try to convince you that love is tolerance to sin. It is not tolerant to let someone stay in a burning building and you not tell them to get out before it is too late.
In the days we live, believers need to be entirely sanctified in order to stand up to the pressures of compromise and sin. Believers who have laid their all on the altar are “dead men and women,” and dead people don’t give in to the pressures of the world. So, where are you at today? Are you on the altar, all of you?
Monday, August 19, 2019
Helps To Understanding Consecration Part 2
On Saturday, we looked at abandonment as descriptive of consecration. Today, we continue by looking at other terms that describe what consecration is. Remember, there is no entire sanctification (God’s work) without entire consecration (man’s work).
“Surrender” implies the cessation of rebellion. Of course the sinner, to be converted, must surrender, and does surrender. And you have already surrendered in that way. This refers to the surrender from committing acts of sin. Yet there is a self-life or a self-will that shrinks more or less from the will of God until we enter the Canaan of entire sanctification. Canaan is often used to describe someone who has been sanctified. Referencing the children of Israel being delivered from Pharaoh’s bondage. Life in Egypt typified the unsaved in bondage to sin. Crossing the Red Sea symbolizes being born again. Crossing the Jordan into the promised land, that is Canaan symbolizes being entirely sanctified.
The rebellion we speak of that needs to be surrendered takes the form of refusing or objecting to some of the Lord’s ways with us. For example, we may feel a call to special service—to the ministry, or to the missionary service, or to personal work—and we may have mapped out an entirely different life for ourselves and hate to submit to God’s leadings.
Surrender of the will is a part of the consecration. There can be no inner soul rest so long as our wills pull us one way and God’s will pulls us another. When Jesus said his yoke is easy and his burden light he meant it is easy if we pull with him, not against him. How can two walk together except they be agreed? Then lay your will down; or, rather, actively, enthusiastically, delightedly will that God’s will be done in and with you.
The question today, where are you? Are you still in bondage in Egypt? Have you left Egypt, but are you wandering in the wilderness? Or, have you entered the blessed Canaan?
“Surrender” implies the cessation of rebellion. Of course the sinner, to be converted, must surrender, and does surrender. And you have already surrendered in that way. This refers to the surrender from committing acts of sin. Yet there is a self-life or a self-will that shrinks more or less from the will of God until we enter the Canaan of entire sanctification. Canaan is often used to describe someone who has been sanctified. Referencing the children of Israel being delivered from Pharaoh’s bondage. Life in Egypt typified the unsaved in bondage to sin. Crossing the Red Sea symbolizes being born again. Crossing the Jordan into the promised land, that is Canaan symbolizes being entirely sanctified.
The rebellion we speak of that needs to be surrendered takes the form of refusing or objecting to some of the Lord’s ways with us. For example, we may feel a call to special service—to the ministry, or to the missionary service, or to personal work—and we may have mapped out an entirely different life for ourselves and hate to submit to God’s leadings.
Surrender of the will is a part of the consecration. There can be no inner soul rest so long as our wills pull us one way and God’s will pulls us another. When Jesus said his yoke is easy and his burden light he meant it is easy if we pull with him, not against him. How can two walk together except they be agreed? Then lay your will down; or, rather, actively, enthusiastically, delightedly will that God’s will be done in and with you.
The question today, where are you? Are you still in bondage in Egypt? Have you left Egypt, but are you wandering in the wilderness? Or, have you entered the blessed Canaan?
Sunday, August 18, 2019
7th Bible Study: Consider Your Ways
Today’s study comes from the book of Haggai. The nation of Judah had been conquered, the city of Jerusalem burned, the Temple demolished, and the people carried away to Babylon. After 70 years captivity, about 50000 Jews had returned to their own land and had begun to rebuild the Temple. The work had been stopped after they laid the foundation due to the actions of enemy neighbors. Nothing was done for 15 years. A new king, Darius, takes the throne for Persia and he was kindly disposed toward the Jews. Under the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah, work was resumed and the Temple completed in four years. The wall was built about 70 years later by Nehemiah. Today, we examine some challenging words from Haggai.
The first section is, “Is It Time?” The people had returned to build the Temple. In verse 1, we are told the time had not yet come to build the Lord’s house. The people were procrastinating their spiritual duty. The people had invested their time and money in providing fancy homes for themselves while neglecting God’s house. They were remiss in fulfilling the one task to which they should have been committed. The lesson challenges us to answer the question, “Are we more concerned about the house of God, or own houses? About the advancement of God’s kingdom, or the gratification of our own desires?” I knew a minister in Michigan who lived a very frugal lifestyle. He would not even turn the heat on in the cold winter. Instead, he would warn himself by keeping a fire in the fireplace. He had very limited furniture. The minister did not make a lot of money, but due to his manner of living, he was able to make substantial contributions to the cause of missions. The people in these verses were more interested in building their kingdom, than God’s kingdom. We need to examine where our true interests lie.
The second section is “Consider Your Ways.” In verses 5-11, God calls us to reflection and self-examination. By looking at their lives, the Jews saw that their lives had been both unproductive and unsatisfying. Their procrastination had robbed them of blessings. In verse 6, we see that they just couldn’t get ahead. This was not an act of an angry God, but instead it was because God loved them. God deals with us to change us. The change must be in the heart, but the change in the heart will lead to a change in our actions. Thank God that He causes us to examine ourselves and He allows us to make U turns. And, that is exactly what occurred here.
In the third section, “I Am With You,” we learn that the people changed and obeyed the voice of the Lord. They purposed in their hearts to immediately obey. Old time holiness preachers would say never walk against light. This meant that they should never go against what they have seen as truth. As soon as you have “seen the light,” obey it. The passage ends with the people of God being told that God is with them and they did work in the house of the Lord, their God. The difficulties, drought, and procrastination ended when the people of God obeyed His voice. That is shouting ground!
My summary points:
1. Whenever you have a mission from God, that should be your first priority.
2. Don’t delay in being obedient, because blessings follow obedience.
3. Disobedience brings frustration, lack, and turmoil.
4. No matter what, God is with you and allows U Turns. His forgiveness is immediate.
Next week, we continue in the book of Haggai on the topic, “I Am With You.” Don’t forget to read the Sunday School Beacon and be inspired.
Remember, if you know someone who wants to join the study, just let me know. The materials are sent free of charge.
The first section is, “Is It Time?” The people had returned to build the Temple. In verse 1, we are told the time had not yet come to build the Lord’s house. The people were procrastinating their spiritual duty. The people had invested their time and money in providing fancy homes for themselves while neglecting God’s house. They were remiss in fulfilling the one task to which they should have been committed. The lesson challenges us to answer the question, “Are we more concerned about the house of God, or own houses? About the advancement of God’s kingdom, or the gratification of our own desires?” I knew a minister in Michigan who lived a very frugal lifestyle. He would not even turn the heat on in the cold winter. Instead, he would warn himself by keeping a fire in the fireplace. He had very limited furniture. The minister did not make a lot of money, but due to his manner of living, he was able to make substantial contributions to the cause of missions. The people in these verses were more interested in building their kingdom, than God’s kingdom. We need to examine where our true interests lie.
The second section is “Consider Your Ways.” In verses 5-11, God calls us to reflection and self-examination. By looking at their lives, the Jews saw that their lives had been both unproductive and unsatisfying. Their procrastination had robbed them of blessings. In verse 6, we see that they just couldn’t get ahead. This was not an act of an angry God, but instead it was because God loved them. God deals with us to change us. The change must be in the heart, but the change in the heart will lead to a change in our actions. Thank God that He causes us to examine ourselves and He allows us to make U turns. And, that is exactly what occurred here.
In the third section, “I Am With You,” we learn that the people changed and obeyed the voice of the Lord. They purposed in their hearts to immediately obey. Old time holiness preachers would say never walk against light. This meant that they should never go against what they have seen as truth. As soon as you have “seen the light,” obey it. The passage ends with the people of God being told that God is with them and they did work in the house of the Lord, their God. The difficulties, drought, and procrastination ended when the people of God obeyed His voice. That is shouting ground!
My summary points:
1. Whenever you have a mission from God, that should be your first priority.
2. Don’t delay in being obedient, because blessings follow obedience.
3. Disobedience brings frustration, lack, and turmoil.
4. No matter what, God is with you and allows U Turns. His forgiveness is immediate.
Next week, we continue in the book of Haggai on the topic, “I Am With You.” Don’t forget to read the Sunday School Beacon and be inspired.
Remember, if you know someone who wants to join the study, just let me know. The materials are sent free of charge.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Helps to Understanding Consecration
Entire sanctification is when God through the blood of Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit purifies the heart of the believer who has consecrated his all and in faith believes the work has been done. I have been asked how can you know that your consecration is complete. We will spend a few days discussing this important topic. How can you know if you are consecrated? Your consecration must be complete before you can be sanctified.
While I have posted a brief testimony of my experience, I will not repeat it here because you are not to copy mine or any others experience. We are all different and have different emotional make ups and those differences will result in people having different experiences. We are to seek the Lord not someone else’s experience.
First, what is consecration. Several phrases describe it: abandonment, surrender, lay it all on the altar, die to self, subject to the will of God, and let Christ have His way. Abandonment expresses the idea that from now on your soul, your life, your interests, your time, your talents, your future are no longer your own, but are abandoned to the will of God. Just like someone abandons himself to a life of vice, they know no limit, but give themselves completely over to the sin. As a believer seeking holiness, you are to abandon yourself to a life of holiness and service to God.
Sometimes at this point, the enemy will whisper to you, what will happen to you if you surrender completely to the will of God? He will say, you will be ruined and destitute. If you are a parent consider what your response would be if your rebellious son or daughter all of a sudden came to you and said, “Mom and Dad, I have decided that from this moment forward, I bend my will to yours, whatever you say goes.” As a parent you would rejoice and want what is best for your child. You would never hurt your child because they had finally come to a place of surrendering their all to you.
Today, examine where you are with the Lord. Have your sins been forgiven? Are you born again? Have you surrendered your all to Him? Are you seeking to be sanctified? Are you entirely sanctified? If so, testify to what God has done for you!
While I have posted a brief testimony of my experience, I will not repeat it here because you are not to copy mine or any others experience. We are all different and have different emotional make ups and those differences will result in people having different experiences. We are to seek the Lord not someone else’s experience.
First, what is consecration. Several phrases describe it: abandonment, surrender, lay it all on the altar, die to self, subject to the will of God, and let Christ have His way. Abandonment expresses the idea that from now on your soul, your life, your interests, your time, your talents, your future are no longer your own, but are abandoned to the will of God. Just like someone abandons himself to a life of vice, they know no limit, but give themselves completely over to the sin. As a believer seeking holiness, you are to abandon yourself to a life of holiness and service to God.
Sometimes at this point, the enemy will whisper to you, what will happen to you if you surrender completely to the will of God? He will say, you will be ruined and destitute. If you are a parent consider what your response would be if your rebellious son or daughter all of a sudden came to you and said, “Mom and Dad, I have decided that from this moment forward, I bend my will to yours, whatever you say goes.” As a parent you would rejoice and want what is best for your child. You would never hurt your child because they had finally come to a place of surrendering their all to you.
Today, examine where you are with the Lord. Have your sins been forgiven? Are you born again? Have you surrendered your all to Him? Are you seeking to be sanctified? Are you entirely sanctified? If so, testify to what God has done for you!
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Objections to a Sinning Religion Part 2
Today, we continue to look at “Uncle Bud” Robinson’s sermon “My Objections to a Sinning Religion.”
My next objection to a sinning religion is found in the fact that the least religion a man can have to have any at all must settle the Sinning question. We read in 1 John 3:9, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” The new birth is a tremendous experience, and sorry to say, so much bigger than the average man has nowadays in the church. We need to teach that the new birth, being born again, creates a radical change in a person’s life, so much so, that they quit the sin business.
My next objection to a sinning religion is found in the fact that a sinning religion would make no distinction at all between a sinner and a Christian. There should be a distinction between them, and the lines of separation between the two should be clearly marked that anyone could detect it. We read in 1 John 3:8, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.” The we read the ninth verse, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin”; and then in the tenth verse, “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil.” Sin is the dividing line between God’s children and those that belong to Satan.
If this means anything in the world, it means God’s children don’t commit sin and the devil’s children do. We have just read in the preceding verse that if a man is born again he cannot commit sin, and that doesn’t mean if a man professes holiness that he can’t commit it. It simply means that any man that is born of the Spirit of God has been brought into such a relationship with God that he has gone completely out of the sin business.
So there you have the case. Like a jury in a trial, you have to make a decision. Based upon the Scriptures, a sinning religion is no religion. When God saves a man, He saves him from his sins, not in his sins. It is time for preachers and laymen alike to proclaim this glorious truth. Today, too often, there is a tendency to preach a salvation without repentance. We are told to just believe. While faith and believing are essential to salvation, it will do you no good unless you have repented from your sins, that is turned away from them and left them. The term “easy grace” is often used to describe those that believe they have been born again, yet remain in their sins.
I agree with “Uncle Bud” that God’s true religion is a religion that the follower of Jesus Christ has quit the sin business. What is your verdict?
My next objection to a sinning religion is found in the fact that the least religion a man can have to have any at all must settle the Sinning question. We read in 1 John 3:9, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” The new birth is a tremendous experience, and sorry to say, so much bigger than the average man has nowadays in the church. We need to teach that the new birth, being born again, creates a radical change in a person’s life, so much so, that they quit the sin business.
My next objection to a sinning religion is found in the fact that a sinning religion would make no distinction at all between a sinner and a Christian. There should be a distinction between them, and the lines of separation between the two should be clearly marked that anyone could detect it. We read in 1 John 3:8, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.” The we read the ninth verse, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin”; and then in the tenth verse, “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil.” Sin is the dividing line between God’s children and those that belong to Satan.
If this means anything in the world, it means God’s children don’t commit sin and the devil’s children do. We have just read in the preceding verse that if a man is born again he cannot commit sin, and that doesn’t mean if a man professes holiness that he can’t commit it. It simply means that any man that is born of the Spirit of God has been brought into such a relationship with God that he has gone completely out of the sin business.
So there you have the case. Like a jury in a trial, you have to make a decision. Based upon the Scriptures, a sinning religion is no religion. When God saves a man, He saves him from his sins, not in his sins. It is time for preachers and laymen alike to proclaim this glorious truth. Today, too often, there is a tendency to preach a salvation without repentance. We are told to just believe. While faith and believing are essential to salvation, it will do you no good unless you have repented from your sins, that is turned away from them and left them. The term “easy grace” is often used to describe those that believe they have been born again, yet remain in their sins.
I agree with “Uncle Bud” that God’s true religion is a religion that the follower of Jesus Christ has quit the sin business. What is your verdict?
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Objections to a Sinning Religion
Back in the 1970s, when Rev. Herbert Norton first began to share the truth of holiness to me, I read several books by “Uncle Bud” Robinson. Bud Robinson was an early evangelist for the Church of the Nazarene. He had a wonderful ability to share the truth of God’s Word in a simple and direct way. He represented the heart and soul of the early Nazarene church. Today’s post is a summary of a sermon he preached entitled: “My Objections to a Sinning Religion.”
Some people announce that they sin every day. That they will always be in the flesh. They say everybody sins like they do, but they never stop to compare that sinning lifestyle with the Word of God. James 1:27 states: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” The fact that there is a pure religion denotes that there is also an impure religion. If you have a genuine dollar, it means that you don’t have a counterfeit dollar. A pure religion denotes that a man has been saved from all sin, and purified, made pure. An impure religion is the opposite: not being saved from all sin, not purified, and not made pure. A sinning religion would not be a pure religion.
Another objection to a sinning religion is that the atonement provided by Jesus Christ provides a salvation from all sin, for all men. Titus 2:11-14 states: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” The Scripture above tells us that we were redeemed from all inequity and purified. Further, that we are to live lives of holiness and righteousness in this world, not to wait until we are in heaven. A sinning religion is inconsistent with someone redeemed, purified and walking in holiness.
The Scripture tells us that the saved are a “peculiar” people. Are we peculiar because of our dress or what we eat? No; we are peculiar because we are saved from all sin, and then good common sense will regulate our eating and our wearing of clothes. We expect to live Holy lives in heaven, but a pure religion, a religion that is not a sinning religion, begins to live that way now while we live in this world.
When I heard these truths many years ago, they convicted me that there was a deeper walk in Christ than I had experienced in the charismatic churches I had attended. Learning the truth of Entire Sanctification changed my Christian faith. God had provided through Jesus Christ, the means to be both saved and sanctified. I learned that a sinning religion was not the religion that followed Jesus Christ. We are to walk as He walked. “Uncle Bud” was right. He had good reasons to object to a sinning religion. We will read some more tomorrow.
Some people announce that they sin every day. That they will always be in the flesh. They say everybody sins like they do, but they never stop to compare that sinning lifestyle with the Word of God. James 1:27 states: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” The fact that there is a pure religion denotes that there is also an impure religion. If you have a genuine dollar, it means that you don’t have a counterfeit dollar. A pure religion denotes that a man has been saved from all sin, and purified, made pure. An impure religion is the opposite: not being saved from all sin, not purified, and not made pure. A sinning religion would not be a pure religion.
Another objection to a sinning religion is that the atonement provided by Jesus Christ provides a salvation from all sin, for all men. Titus 2:11-14 states: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” The Scripture above tells us that we were redeemed from all inequity and purified. Further, that we are to live lives of holiness and righteousness in this world, not to wait until we are in heaven. A sinning religion is inconsistent with someone redeemed, purified and walking in holiness.
The Scripture tells us that the saved are a “peculiar” people. Are we peculiar because of our dress or what we eat? No; we are peculiar because we are saved from all sin, and then good common sense will regulate our eating and our wearing of clothes. We expect to live Holy lives in heaven, but a pure religion, a religion that is not a sinning religion, begins to live that way now while we live in this world.
When I heard these truths many years ago, they convicted me that there was a deeper walk in Christ than I had experienced in the charismatic churches I had attended. Learning the truth of Entire Sanctification changed my Christian faith. God had provided through Jesus Christ, the means to be both saved and sanctified. I learned that a sinning religion was not the religion that followed Jesus Christ. We are to walk as He walked. “Uncle Bud” was right. He had good reasons to object to a sinning religion. We will read some more tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Procrastination’s Payday
“The Old-time holiness people used to urge their new converts to seek holiness without delay. True conversion should cause people to desire to press on into the sanctified experience until they know beyond a shadow of doubt that the work is done. It was unbelief that kept the carnally-rebellious Children of Israel from entering Canaan Land (Heb. 3:19). Unbelief will cause people of our day to feel that their need is not as great as God describes it, and that holiness is not entirely necessary, and that God’s command: “Be ye holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16), is not imperative. Such people will disregard the warnings of Hebrews 3 and 4 and will die in the spiritual wilderness.”
“Any unnecessary delay in getting sanctified is always a bad risk.”
“The old-time holiness people used to talk about dying like a yellow dog under a back porch. By that expression they meant for the “dying to self” to be without delay, quickly accomplished, and with a finality akin to the death of a dog. The true holiness people have always believed in the crucifixion of self, and anyone who did not believe it was considered a heretic.”
God will not force you to seek holiness. He will not assume the controls of your life until you voluntarily give them unconditionally to Jesus Christ. Carnal self hates to do that and will do everything it can to stop it. Sometimes carnality lays low and is quiet. The believer may assume he is sanctified without dying out. I have seen this too many times. Then, under times of stress or when things don’t go the way the person wants, the carnal self awakes and demonstrates that the believer never paid the price to die out all the way. The only safe course is to die out in full surrender, and do it without delay.
So what are you waiting for?
“Any unnecessary delay in getting sanctified is always a bad risk.”
“The old-time holiness people used to talk about dying like a yellow dog under a back porch. By that expression they meant for the “dying to self” to be without delay, quickly accomplished, and with a finality akin to the death of a dog. The true holiness people have always believed in the crucifixion of self, and anyone who did not believe it was considered a heretic.”
God will not force you to seek holiness. He will not assume the controls of your life until you voluntarily give them unconditionally to Jesus Christ. Carnal self hates to do that and will do everything it can to stop it. Sometimes carnality lays low and is quiet. The believer may assume he is sanctified without dying out. I have seen this too many times. Then, under times of stress or when things don’t go the way the person wants, the carnal self awakes and demonstrates that the believer never paid the price to die out all the way. The only safe course is to die out in full surrender, and do it without delay.
So what are you waiting for?
Monday, August 12, 2019
Pride—-The Deadly Subtle Sin
Yesterday’s Bible lesson was from Obadiah and focused on carnal pride. Today, we continue looking at the sin of pride. Let us admit from the beginning that there is nothing so difficult and dangerous as pride. Pride is the root of every sin and evil. It was when the now fallen angels began to look upon themselves with self complacency that they were led to disobedience and were cast down from the light of heaven inter outer darkness. “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 “Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: thoughhand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.” Proverbs 16:5
There are many kinds of pride. There is pride within—-in the heart, and pride without—-in the clothing, the furniture, a car or a house. Pride may be in thought, in speech, or in action. There are people whose conversation is nearly all about themselves. Pride tries to make oneself great. However, the Scripture says: “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.” Proverbs 29:23 Carnal pride must be dealt with, it must receive a death blow from the Holy Spirit.
The proud person easily becomes jealous of others. Anger is a form of pride which is a result of selfishness. To every Christian the command comes from the throne of Hod Himself: humble yourself! The earnest attempt to listen and obey will be rewarded—yes, rewarded with the painful discovery of two things: the one, what depth of pride—-that of unwillingness to count oneself and to be counted nothing, to submit absolutely to God in that one never knew. This is total surrender to God’s will. The other: what utter uselessness there is in all our efforts to destroy the hideous monster—-pride. Blessed is the man who now learns to put his hope in God and to persevere. It is in surrendering our all to God, acknowledging our pride, and asking Him to send the fire of the Holy Spirit and purify us in entire sanctification that we will finally have relief.
A final pride question: How much time do I spend for God and how much time do I spend for myself??? G.K. Chesterton said: “If I had only one sermon to preach it would be a sermon against pride.” Think about it.
There are many kinds of pride. There is pride within—-in the heart, and pride without—-in the clothing, the furniture, a car or a house. Pride may be in thought, in speech, or in action. There are people whose conversation is nearly all about themselves. Pride tries to make oneself great. However, the Scripture says: “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.” Proverbs 29:23 Carnal pride must be dealt with, it must receive a death blow from the Holy Spirit.
The proud person easily becomes jealous of others. Anger is a form of pride which is a result of selfishness. To every Christian the command comes from the throne of Hod Himself: humble yourself! The earnest attempt to listen and obey will be rewarded—yes, rewarded with the painful discovery of two things: the one, what depth of pride—-that of unwillingness to count oneself and to be counted nothing, to submit absolutely to God in that one never knew. This is total surrender to God’s will. The other: what utter uselessness there is in all our efforts to destroy the hideous monster—-pride. Blessed is the man who now learns to put his hope in God and to persevere. It is in surrendering our all to God, acknowledging our pride, and asking Him to send the fire of the Holy Spirit and purify us in entire sanctification that we will finally have relief.
A final pride question: How much time do I spend for God and how much time do I spend for myself??? G.K. Chesterton said: “If I had only one sermon to preach it would be a sermon against pride.” Think about it.
Sunday, August 11, 2019
6th Bible Study: As Thou Hast Done
Today's lesson comes from the book of Obadiah. He was a prophet to Judah during Babylon’s reign from 612-539B.C. The book is about the doom of Edom. The nation of Edom were descendants of Esau who was Jacob’s brother. The nation of Edom consistently demonstrated enmity toward God’s people the Jews. They were bitter enemies of the Jews, perpetuating the conflict between Esau and Jacob while they lived. You can read more about that conflict in Genesis 25:23; 27:41. Also, they refused passage to Moses (Numbers 20:14-21) and were always ready to aid an attacking army coming against God’s people. Obadiah predicted that the Edomites would be “cut off forever,” and “be as though they had not been” (10,16,18); and that a remnant of Judah would be saved, and that the kingdom of Judah’s God would yer prevail (17,19,21).
The first part of today’s lesson is entitled “Judgment on Edom.” As the lesson states, while Edom was small in geographic size, they were large in pride. Edom’s fell because of its pride. Pride is the source of so many lives. Pride can keep a person from becoming saved or entirely sanctified. The fear of what others will say about us if we give one hundred percent of ourselves to God. The commentator Matthew Henry stated: “Carnal security is a sin that most easily besets men in the day of their pomp, power and prosperity.” Edom thought its natural strong fortifications would protect them from invasion. They were wrong. Within four years after Jerusalem was burned, Edom was raided and desolated (582B.C.), by the same Babylonian army whom they had aided against the Jews at Jerusalem. Pride is always the gateway to destruction with God.
The second part of the lesson is “Reasons for Judgment.” The carnal pride of Edom engendered hatred for others, even for those who are relatives. God would not overlook the fact that Edom helped the enemies of His people. Verse 10 references, “For thy violence against thy brother Jacob....” Verse 12 states that the Edomites “spoke proudly in the day of distress” regarding the problems experienced by the Jews. Edom demonstrated carnal pride in their insensitivity, gloating, malice, presumption, greed and persecution. The carnal pride was the reasons God brought judgment.
The third section of the lesson is “Judgment Certain.” I’m reminded of the verse, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Our God is faithful to protect us, although it may take a while. Not only did God bring certain judgment on Edom, verses 17-21 foretell of the day of “deliverance...holiness; and...possessions.” Edom would be destroyed and God’s people will ultimately triumph. What will be the essential element of that reign? “There shall be holiness.” (Verse 17) we have God’s promise that we will ultimately prevail and that is shouting ground!
My summary points of the lesson:
1. God sees when others try to harm you and He keeps a record.
2. Since we all have free will, God will allow others to treat us unkindly, but He also will give them a harvest of what seeds of they have sown.
3. Carnal pride leads to destruction.
4. There is deliverance from carnal pride through the blood of Jesus Christ when we are entirely sanctified.
5. We will ultimately triumph.
Next week: “Consider Your Ways.”
Don’t forget to read the Sunday School Beacon for your edification.
If you know someone who would like the study materials, please contact me at bljenkins7@yahoo.com.
The first part of today’s lesson is entitled “Judgment on Edom.” As the lesson states, while Edom was small in geographic size, they were large in pride. Edom’s fell because of its pride. Pride is the source of so many lives. Pride can keep a person from becoming saved or entirely sanctified. The fear of what others will say about us if we give one hundred percent of ourselves to God. The commentator Matthew Henry stated: “Carnal security is a sin that most easily besets men in the day of their pomp, power and prosperity.” Edom thought its natural strong fortifications would protect them from invasion. They were wrong. Within four years after Jerusalem was burned, Edom was raided and desolated (582B.C.), by the same Babylonian army whom they had aided against the Jews at Jerusalem. Pride is always the gateway to destruction with God.
The second part of the lesson is “Reasons for Judgment.” The carnal pride of Edom engendered hatred for others, even for those who are relatives. God would not overlook the fact that Edom helped the enemies of His people. Verse 10 references, “For thy violence against thy brother Jacob....” Verse 12 states that the Edomites “spoke proudly in the day of distress” regarding the problems experienced by the Jews. Edom demonstrated carnal pride in their insensitivity, gloating, malice, presumption, greed and persecution. The carnal pride was the reasons God brought judgment.
The third section of the lesson is “Judgment Certain.” I’m reminded of the verse, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Our God is faithful to protect us, although it may take a while. Not only did God bring certain judgment on Edom, verses 17-21 foretell of the day of “deliverance...holiness; and...possessions.” Edom would be destroyed and God’s people will ultimately triumph. What will be the essential element of that reign? “There shall be holiness.” (Verse 17) we have God’s promise that we will ultimately prevail and that is shouting ground!
My summary points of the lesson:
1. God sees when others try to harm you and He keeps a record.
2. Since we all have free will, God will allow others to treat us unkindly, but He also will give them a harvest of what seeds of they have sown.
3. Carnal pride leads to destruction.
4. There is deliverance from carnal pride through the blood of Jesus Christ when we are entirely sanctified.
5. We will ultimately triumph.
Next week: “Consider Your Ways.”
Don’t forget to read the Sunday School Beacon for your edification.
If you know someone who would like the study materials, please contact me at bljenkins7@yahoo.com.
Saturday, August 10, 2019
What Degree of Faith is Necessary for Entire Sanctification?
“No degree. Faith is necessary. Sanctification is by faith. ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.’ Sanctification requires no greater degree of faith than justification. Faith, in the two instances, does not necessarily differ in degree, but in the object for which it is exercised.”
“The idea that faith for entire sanctification, and faith for pardon, differ in degree, has no foundation in either Scripture or reason. The question of faith, for full salvation (i.e. entire sanctification), is not how strongly you believe, but in what you believe and do you believe, or, have you real faith for the object desired? The important item being real faith, for entire sanctification, rather than any particular degree of faith for it.”
How do we get faith for entire sanctification? The Scriptures tell us, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” If you want faith for holiness, get in your Bible. As you read and study, you will see God’s plan for you is holiness. Isaiah 35:8 tells us that there is a “way of holiness.” It is a crisis experience subsequent to salvation, but also a lifestyle that is to be lived every day. Holiness is a way of life. A life lived with a heart cleansed from inbred sin and a life fully surrendered and committed to God’s will.
Are you on the way of holiness? If you aren’t and you are a born again believer, you can be. Read the Scriptures John 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16; 1 John 3:8-9. As you do, faith will arise within you. So what are you going to do about it?
“The idea that faith for entire sanctification, and faith for pardon, differ in degree, has no foundation in either Scripture or reason. The question of faith, for full salvation (i.e. entire sanctification), is not how strongly you believe, but in what you believe and do you believe, or, have you real faith for the object desired? The important item being real faith, for entire sanctification, rather than any particular degree of faith for it.”
How do we get faith for entire sanctification? The Scriptures tell us, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” If you want faith for holiness, get in your Bible. As you read and study, you will see God’s plan for you is holiness. Isaiah 35:8 tells us that there is a “way of holiness.” It is a crisis experience subsequent to salvation, but also a lifestyle that is to be lived every day. Holiness is a way of life. A life lived with a heart cleansed from inbred sin and a life fully surrendered and committed to God’s will.
Are you on the way of holiness? If you aren’t and you are a born again believer, you can be. Read the Scriptures John 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16; 1 John 3:8-9. As you do, faith will arise within you. So what are you going to do about it?
Friday, August 9, 2019
What is the Proximate Condition of Sanctification?
Faith! “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
“Faith is the immediate condition of sanctification, and God always saves the moment true faith is exercised. You ask, ‘Believe what?’
1. Believe that God has promised it (entire sanctification) in the Holy Scriptures.
2. Believe what God has promised he is able to perform.
3. Believe that he is able and willing to do it now.
4. Believe that he doth it.
If you are earnestly seeking holiness, will you examine yourself thoroughly by the following interrogations?
1. Do I clearly see my inbred sin, and consequent need of holiness?
2. Am I willing, anxious, and resolved to obtain it?
3. Am I willing to give up all to God—self, family, property, reputation, time, talents, every thing—to be his, used for him, trusted with him, and never withheld or taken from him?
4. Do I believe he is able to sanctify me?
5. Do I believe he is willing to sanctify me?
6. Do I believe he has promised to sanctify me?
7. Do I believe that having promised, he is able and willing to do it now, on condition of my faith?
8. Do I then, seeing all this, believe that he now will do it—now, this moment?
9. Am I committing all and trusting in Christ?”
If one has been following this week, you have seen there are steps that must be taken before you reach the point of exercising faith for holiness. There must have been a “death route deliverance.” By “death route,” I refer to taking a stand against carnality and turning over every revealed carnal trait to the Holy Ghost, for its slaying. Carnal traits, however are not crucified one at a time, but you surrender them one at a time.
After reading the blog this week, what have you done to seek holiness? Are you on believing ground and ready to move forward? Take some time and be honest before the Lord. When you have settled the issue, swing out on faith and take the blessing that has been provided for you.
“Faith is the immediate condition of sanctification, and God always saves the moment true faith is exercised. You ask, ‘Believe what?’
1. Believe that God has promised it (entire sanctification) in the Holy Scriptures.
2. Believe what God has promised he is able to perform.
3. Believe that he is able and willing to do it now.
4. Believe that he doth it.
If you are earnestly seeking holiness, will you examine yourself thoroughly by the following interrogations?
1. Do I clearly see my inbred sin, and consequent need of holiness?
2. Am I willing, anxious, and resolved to obtain it?
3. Am I willing to give up all to God—self, family, property, reputation, time, talents, every thing—to be his, used for him, trusted with him, and never withheld or taken from him?
4. Do I believe he is able to sanctify me?
5. Do I believe he is willing to sanctify me?
6. Do I believe he has promised to sanctify me?
7. Do I believe that having promised, he is able and willing to do it now, on condition of my faith?
8. Do I then, seeing all this, believe that he now will do it—now, this moment?
9. Am I committing all and trusting in Christ?”
If one has been following this week, you have seen there are steps that must be taken before you reach the point of exercising faith for holiness. There must have been a “death route deliverance.” By “death route,” I refer to taking a stand against carnality and turning over every revealed carnal trait to the Holy Ghost, for its slaying. Carnal traits, however are not crucified one at a time, but you surrender them one at a time.
After reading the blog this week, what have you done to seek holiness? Are you on believing ground and ready to move forward? Take some time and be honest before the Lord. When you have settled the issue, swing out on faith and take the blessing that has been provided for you.
Thursday, August 8, 2019
Fourth Direction for Obtaining Holiness
This is the fourth direction for Obtaining Holiness:
“Make an entire consecration of yourself to God—your soul, body, time, talents, influence, and your all—a complete assignment of all to Christ. Search and surrender, and re-search and surrender again, until you get every vestige of self upon the altar of consecration. There is no sanctification without entire consecration.”
“You must consecrate yourself in detail, and get every item upon the altar. In order to grasp the whole, you must take in the items. The consecration must be perfect before the offering will be received. God will have a thorough work, and purity will never be given or retained but on condition of entire, universal, unconditional abandonment of all sin, and acceptance and approval of all the will of God.”
This is the point that many resist and fail to enter into the place where God sends the fire and sanctifies the seeker. We consecrate and God sanctifies. You don’t sanctify yourself. You place yourself in a position where you are ready for God to cleanse your heart from inbred sin. I have seen ministers that would not surrender their ministry to the will of God. I have seen business people that would not surrender their business to the will of God. There is a Christian movie called “Facing the Giants.” In one scene, the wife who desperately wants to have a child. The nurse has just informed her that the pregnancy test once again reveals that she is not pregnant. The woman walks to her car with tears streaming down her face and says, “Lord, I will still love you.” Even though this was a movie, the woman’s surrender to the will of God demonstrates a complete surrender of her will to God’s will. Of course, in the movie she has a child and it has a happy perfect ending. Real life is not always like that.
You may be living with a financial crisis, a health crisis or a relationship crisis. A movie type happy conclusion is not guaranteed, but are you willing to surrender your will to God’s will in the matter? We pray for answers we think best, but are you surrendered to the fact that He knows best? As you search and surrender every aspect of your life and your future, know that when you have completed this direction, you are ready for the final step.
“Make an entire consecration of yourself to God—your soul, body, time, talents, influence, and your all—a complete assignment of all to Christ. Search and surrender, and re-search and surrender again, until you get every vestige of self upon the altar of consecration. There is no sanctification without entire consecration.”
“You must consecrate yourself in detail, and get every item upon the altar. In order to grasp the whole, you must take in the items. The consecration must be perfect before the offering will be received. God will have a thorough work, and purity will never be given or retained but on condition of entire, universal, unconditional abandonment of all sin, and acceptance and approval of all the will of God.”
This is the point that many resist and fail to enter into the place where God sends the fire and sanctifies the seeker. We consecrate and God sanctifies. You don’t sanctify yourself. You place yourself in a position where you are ready for God to cleanse your heart from inbred sin. I have seen ministers that would not surrender their ministry to the will of God. I have seen business people that would not surrender their business to the will of God. There is a Christian movie called “Facing the Giants.” In one scene, the wife who desperately wants to have a child. The nurse has just informed her that the pregnancy test once again reveals that she is not pregnant. The woman walks to her car with tears streaming down her face and says, “Lord, I will still love you.” Even though this was a movie, the woman’s surrender to the will of God demonstrates a complete surrender of her will to God’s will. Of course, in the movie she has a child and it has a happy perfect ending. Real life is not always like that.
You may be living with a financial crisis, a health crisis or a relationship crisis. A movie type happy conclusion is not guaranteed, but are you willing to surrender your will to God’s will in the matter? We pray for answers we think best, but are you surrendered to the fact that He knows best? As you search and surrender every aspect of your life and your future, know that when you have completed this direction, you are ready for the final step.
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Third Direction for Obtaining Holiness
The third direction for Obtaining the experience of holiness is:
“Humble yourself under the hand of the Almighty. Spiritual poverty is the prelude to spiritual enlargement. ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit.’ Do not seek too easy a way. Be willing to die to sin. Endeavor to feel the deep, malignant, hateful nature of your depravity, and your need of purity.”
“If you have but little sense of need, you will make little progress. The feeling that is required is represented by the sensations of hunger and thirst. Our Saviour says, ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.’ Your efforts in seeking holiness will be likely to harmonize with the strength of your desires. The necessary feelings of penitence, self-abatement, and of strong desire for holiness, may be secured by prayer, searching the Scriptures, meditation, and self-examination.”
It is very difficult for those in positions of church leadership to humble themselves to seek holiness if they obtained their positions of authority while unsanctified. The carnal trait of pride has been the downfall of many who refuse to acknowledge their need. I remember in the 1970s, asking Rev. Herbert Norton to dinner. I asked him did he have any dietary restrictions. His response, “I don’t like mustard or mayonnaise.” He was a very simple and humble man. When someone asked me later whether I had the great Bible scholar Rev. Norton to my house, my reply was that I didn’t think he knew he was a Bible scholar. He simply lived a life of complete surrender to Jesus Christ.
Years ago, I would say show me your checkbook and I can tell what is important in your life. Today, I would change that expression to show me your browsing history and I can tell what is important in your life. The point is you need to have a honest evaluation of your hunger for holiness. Start with your checkbook if you have one, and then on to your browsing history. It will reveal where your heart is. Are you more concerned with social media, or the Word of God and prayer. The good news is that you can change your diet today, and begin to focus on hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Now, we are getting to the root of the matter, the carnal root.
“Humble yourself under the hand of the Almighty. Spiritual poverty is the prelude to spiritual enlargement. ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit.’ Do not seek too easy a way. Be willing to die to sin. Endeavor to feel the deep, malignant, hateful nature of your depravity, and your need of purity.”
“If you have but little sense of need, you will make little progress. The feeling that is required is represented by the sensations of hunger and thirst. Our Saviour says, ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.’ Your efforts in seeking holiness will be likely to harmonize with the strength of your desires. The necessary feelings of penitence, self-abatement, and of strong desire for holiness, may be secured by prayer, searching the Scriptures, meditation, and self-examination.”
It is very difficult for those in positions of church leadership to humble themselves to seek holiness if they obtained their positions of authority while unsanctified. The carnal trait of pride has been the downfall of many who refuse to acknowledge their need. I remember in the 1970s, asking Rev. Herbert Norton to dinner. I asked him did he have any dietary restrictions. His response, “I don’t like mustard or mayonnaise.” He was a very simple and humble man. When someone asked me later whether I had the great Bible scholar Rev. Norton to my house, my reply was that I didn’t think he knew he was a Bible scholar. He simply lived a life of complete surrender to Jesus Christ.
Years ago, I would say show me your checkbook and I can tell what is important in your life. Today, I would change that expression to show me your browsing history and I can tell what is important in your life. The point is you need to have a honest evaluation of your hunger for holiness. Start with your checkbook if you have one, and then on to your browsing history. It will reveal where your heart is. Are you more concerned with social media, or the Word of God and prayer. The good news is that you can change your diet today, and begin to focus on hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Now, we are getting to the root of the matter, the carnal root.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Second Direction for Obtaining Holiness
The second directive for Obtaining Holiness is:
“Come to a firm and decided resolution to seek until you obtain a pure heart. It will require a resolution which will not cower when the knife is put to the heart to amputate its idols. Your purpose must be settled, decided, uncompromising, unconquerable. None but an invincible resolution will answer. ‘The day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.’”
This is part of what I and many others before me refer to as the “death route.” Be aware that many so called “Christians” will try to deter you at this point. They are “death route dodgers.” Any believer on earth who preaches a false holiness, a sinning religion, or that you must keep your inbred sin in your heart until death, is an enemy of true Scriptural Holiness. Ministers and lay leaders who have not paid the price and crucified self will try to stop you. However, if you have followed the second directive and made a firm resolution to to seek until you obtain a pure heart, you will not be deterred.
Ponder this thought, why wouldn’t God want to give His people pure hearts? Why wouldn’t He want them to be set free from anger, lust, envy, jealousy, greed, etc.? Think about how powerful the church would be if it’s people were sanctified wholly. The world would see something that many would want. Evangelism is best done by those who are fully committed to Jesus Christ and are dead to self, that is they have crucified self.
Consider that sanctification is the will of God for you. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 states: “This is the will of God for you, even your sanctification.” When the Word of God clearly states His will, we need to stop and take notice. Some people argue over how believers should be baptized, whether immersion, sprinkling or pouring. Can you imagine if there was a Scripture that said, this is God’s will for you baptism shall be by ——. It would settle the issue. In the same way, sanctification is a settled issue. It is God’s will for you! So, have you made the decision to seek holiness until you are entirely sanctified? It is God’s will for you. Think about it.
“Come to a firm and decided resolution to seek until you obtain a pure heart. It will require a resolution which will not cower when the knife is put to the heart to amputate its idols. Your purpose must be settled, decided, uncompromising, unconquerable. None but an invincible resolution will answer. ‘The day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.’”
This is part of what I and many others before me refer to as the “death route.” Be aware that many so called “Christians” will try to deter you at this point. They are “death route dodgers.” Any believer on earth who preaches a false holiness, a sinning religion, or that you must keep your inbred sin in your heart until death, is an enemy of true Scriptural Holiness. Ministers and lay leaders who have not paid the price and crucified self will try to stop you. However, if you have followed the second directive and made a firm resolution to to seek until you obtain a pure heart, you will not be deterred.
Ponder this thought, why wouldn’t God want to give His people pure hearts? Why wouldn’t He want them to be set free from anger, lust, envy, jealousy, greed, etc.? Think about how powerful the church would be if it’s people were sanctified wholly. The world would see something that many would want. Evangelism is best done by those who are fully committed to Jesus Christ and are dead to self, that is they have crucified self.
Consider that sanctification is the will of God for you. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 states: “This is the will of God for you, even your sanctification.” When the Word of God clearly states His will, we need to stop and take notice. Some people argue over how believers should be baptized, whether immersion, sprinkling or pouring. Can you imagine if there was a Scripture that said, this is God’s will for you baptism shall be by ——. It would settle the issue. In the same way, sanctification is a settled issue. It is God’s will for you! So, have you made the decision to seek holiness until you are entirely sanctified? It is God’s will for you. Think about it.
Monday, August 5, 2019
First Direction for Obtaining Holiness
This week we will look at specific directions for those seeking to be entirely sanctified. The following is the first direction:
“Endeavor to obtain a correct and distinct view of the blessing promised and needed. What is it? The extermination of indwelling sin—carnal nature from the soul. It is such a destruction or removal of inbred sin, as to make the heart—the fountain of thought, affection, desire, and impulse—pure.”
I had come from a theological viewpoint that taught that the manifestation of a spiritual gift, that is speaking in tongues, was the evidence that one was filled with the Holy Spirit. So when I encountered. Rev. Norton in 1976, I was confused because he was talking about something much different. I knew people that spoke in tongues, yet they cussed, got angry with each other, and generally speaking acted just like the world when things didn’t go right. Yes, when there was no problem to be dealt with, they acted holy and righteous. It was when the trials of life became difficult, what was in their heart spewed out and it was generally ugly.
I learned from Rev. Norton, that the filling with the Holy Spirit, or entire sanctification, did a work in the heart. Acts 15:8-9 states: “And God, which knowest the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” The Apostle Peter was discussing what took place on the Day of Pentecost more than a decade earlier. He could have said, God put no difference between us (he is referring to Jewish and Gentile believers) and them because we both spoke in tongues. No, Peter didn’t see that gift as the conclusive evidence. It was the pure heart that was the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
On this first day of the work week, examine what is in your heart. Do you find carnal traits, e.g. anger, jealousy, hatred, envy, lust, greed, and others that manifest an attitude unbecoming Jesus Christ? If so, know there is a deliverance from carnality. You can have a pure heart that manifests love for everyone. That is the essence of entire sanctification, pure love from a pure heart. Don’t despair, don’t condemn yourself, but be honest about what you see. Know that there is an answer. That is the first directive.
“Endeavor to obtain a correct and distinct view of the blessing promised and needed. What is it? The extermination of indwelling sin—carnal nature from the soul. It is such a destruction or removal of inbred sin, as to make the heart—the fountain of thought, affection, desire, and impulse—pure.”
I had come from a theological viewpoint that taught that the manifestation of a spiritual gift, that is speaking in tongues, was the evidence that one was filled with the Holy Spirit. So when I encountered. Rev. Norton in 1976, I was confused because he was talking about something much different. I knew people that spoke in tongues, yet they cussed, got angry with each other, and generally speaking acted just like the world when things didn’t go right. Yes, when there was no problem to be dealt with, they acted holy and righteous. It was when the trials of life became difficult, what was in their heart spewed out and it was generally ugly.
I learned from Rev. Norton, that the filling with the Holy Spirit, or entire sanctification, did a work in the heart. Acts 15:8-9 states: “And God, which knowest the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” The Apostle Peter was discussing what took place on the Day of Pentecost more than a decade earlier. He could have said, God put no difference between us (he is referring to Jewish and Gentile believers) and them because we both spoke in tongues. No, Peter didn’t see that gift as the conclusive evidence. It was the pure heart that was the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
On this first day of the work week, examine what is in your heart. Do you find carnal traits, e.g. anger, jealousy, hatred, envy, lust, greed, and others that manifest an attitude unbecoming Jesus Christ? If so, know there is a deliverance from carnality. You can have a pure heart that manifests love for everyone. That is the essence of entire sanctification, pure love from a pure heart. Don’t despair, don’t condemn yourself, but be honest about what you see. Know that there is an answer. That is the first directive.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
5th Bible Study: The King in the Midst of Thee
The 3rd chapter of Zephaniah is about the coming of “pure language.” This is the calm after the storm. Three times the prophet speaks of a remnant being saved (2:3, 7; 3:12-13). Two times, he speaks of their return from captivity (2:7; 3:20). The “pure language” is a correct system of thought about God. “Language is the vehicle and expression of Truth. It is the prediction of a complete and perfect revelation of God to man (obviously meaning the Gospel of Christ), as a result of which converts from among all nations would be brought to God, joyful with glad songs of redemption, all the earth resounding with the praise of God’s people.”
The first part of the lesson speaks of a People Restored. God had a plan to save a remnant that would be a people who did not live a life of sin. The “pure language” was the gospel message that He came to save us from our sins, not in our sins. 1 John 3:9: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.” There is a good chance you won’t hear that message from most pulpits today, and certainly not from television preachers. We have been reading the last few lessons of God’s judgment because of the sins of the people of Israel and Judah. God’s plan was to remove iniquity from His people. It is very significant that once the Israelites returned from captivity, they never had a problem with idolatry again! They were restored. As the lesson reminds us, “God keeps His promises. God’s people must keep their faith on Him, and know that He will do justly.”
The second part of the lesson is “A People Adored.”verse 17 is a familiar verse: “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” That is shouting ground, friend! If you have worries or fear this morning, read verse 17 a few times and believe what it says. As the people of God, He rejoices over you! Regardless of what you may be experiencing today, God is with you and He will deliver you from your circumstances. This is the promise of God; when you apply your faith to the promises of God, you have a recipe for joy! God promises to be with you.
My final thoughts on the lesson:
1. God has a plan to deliver you from sin, and that plan is found in the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for you at Calvary on the cross. That plan includes full deliverance for you, both salvation and entire sanctification.
2. God always keeps His promises, but you need to add your faith to those promises to see joy manifested in your life.
3. You are never alone. God is always with you, no matter the circumstances.
4. If you are walking with God, you have been restored! And, that is great news today!
Don’t forget to read your Sunday School Beacon because there are very inspirational stories that will bless you. Next week: “As Thou Hast Done” from the book of Obadiah.
Remember, if you don’t have the study book or Beacon, they are free and postpaid, just contact me at bljenkins7@yahoo.com.
The first part of the lesson speaks of a People Restored. God had a plan to save a remnant that would be a people who did not live a life of sin. The “pure language” was the gospel message that He came to save us from our sins, not in our sins. 1 John 3:9: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.” There is a good chance you won’t hear that message from most pulpits today, and certainly not from television preachers. We have been reading the last few lessons of God’s judgment because of the sins of the people of Israel and Judah. God’s plan was to remove iniquity from His people. It is very significant that once the Israelites returned from captivity, they never had a problem with idolatry again! They were restored. As the lesson reminds us, “God keeps His promises. God’s people must keep their faith on Him, and know that He will do justly.”
The second part of the lesson is “A People Adored.”verse 17 is a familiar verse: “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” That is shouting ground, friend! If you have worries or fear this morning, read verse 17 a few times and believe what it says. As the people of God, He rejoices over you! Regardless of what you may be experiencing today, God is with you and He will deliver you from your circumstances. This is the promise of God; when you apply your faith to the promises of God, you have a recipe for joy! God promises to be with you.
My final thoughts on the lesson:
1. God has a plan to deliver you from sin, and that plan is found in the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for you at Calvary on the cross. That plan includes full deliverance for you, both salvation and entire sanctification.
2. God always keeps His promises, but you need to add your faith to those promises to see joy manifested in your life.
3. You are never alone. God is always with you, no matter the circumstances.
4. If you are walking with God, you have been restored! And, that is great news today!
Don’t forget to read your Sunday School Beacon because there are very inspirational stories that will bless you. Next week: “As Thou Hast Done” from the book of Obadiah.
Remember, if you don’t have the study book or Beacon, they are free and postpaid, just contact me at bljenkins7@yahoo.com.
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Directions for Obtaining Holiness and a Testimony
The facts of salvation are knowable—they may be known by experience. You know when you are saved. There is no guess so or hope so, there is a know so! There are three things that are distinct in the experience of holiness or entire sanctification:
1. There is a consciousness of inbred sin (carnality) and moral deficiency after conversion, and the more devoted and faithful the justified soul, the clearer and stronger this conviction. You know there is something inside of you lurking that you have to suppress.
2. There is conviction, in light of gospel provisions of duty and privilege of being “cleansed from all sin,” and made “pure in heart.”
3. It is prayerfully sought and experienced as an instantaneous cleansing by faith in the blood of Christ.
By way of testimony, I was saved in 1974 and spent a few years in a very popular Charismatic church in Virginia Beach. Being filled with the Holy Spirit was part of the teaching that I heard on a regular basis. When I left Virginia Beach to move to Williamsburg, VA to attend the College of William and Mary, I thought I had my Christian life together. Yes, I had occasional issues that would cause me to repent, plead the blood and be restored, but I believed I had reached the pinnacle of Christian experience. That was until that day in August, 1976, when I discovered the Maranatha House operated by Rev. Herbert J. Norton. When I met this man born in the late 1800’s, there was something very different about him. He spoke of being entirely sanctified and the experience of holiness. I met others at his house that spoke of the same experience. It didn’t take long for me to realize that these good people had something I did not have. Their “being filled with the Spirit” was much deeper than what I had known.
Those three years were a learning experience and not just at the College. I learned about old fashioned Scriptural Holiness. I thank God that He moved on the heart of an 80+ year old retired minister to start an outreach right across from the building that I would spend three years at. I’m thankful that when the denomination told Rev. Norton that he was too old and they would not financially support him, that he took a step of faith and started the ministry anyway. I am fruit of that ministry. If you are being blessed by our ministry, then you are fruit of his ministry also.
Today, we begin looking at directions for obtaining holiness. It begins with you looking at your Christian life. Do you still struggle with carnality? Is there something inside you that rises up that you have to suppress? If so, after the Bible study tomorrow, next week will be filled with Scriptural instruction to guide you into the experience of holiness.
1. There is a consciousness of inbred sin (carnality) and moral deficiency after conversion, and the more devoted and faithful the justified soul, the clearer and stronger this conviction. You know there is something inside of you lurking that you have to suppress.
2. There is conviction, in light of gospel provisions of duty and privilege of being “cleansed from all sin,” and made “pure in heart.”
3. It is prayerfully sought and experienced as an instantaneous cleansing by faith in the blood of Christ.
By way of testimony, I was saved in 1974 and spent a few years in a very popular Charismatic church in Virginia Beach. Being filled with the Holy Spirit was part of the teaching that I heard on a regular basis. When I left Virginia Beach to move to Williamsburg, VA to attend the College of William and Mary, I thought I had my Christian life together. Yes, I had occasional issues that would cause me to repent, plead the blood and be restored, but I believed I had reached the pinnacle of Christian experience. That was until that day in August, 1976, when I discovered the Maranatha House operated by Rev. Herbert J. Norton. When I met this man born in the late 1800’s, there was something very different about him. He spoke of being entirely sanctified and the experience of holiness. I met others at his house that spoke of the same experience. It didn’t take long for me to realize that these good people had something I did not have. Their “being filled with the Spirit” was much deeper than what I had known.
Those three years were a learning experience and not just at the College. I learned about old fashioned Scriptural Holiness. I thank God that He moved on the heart of an 80+ year old retired minister to start an outreach right across from the building that I would spend three years at. I’m thankful that when the denomination told Rev. Norton that he was too old and they would not financially support him, that he took a step of faith and started the ministry anyway. I am fruit of that ministry. If you are being blessed by our ministry, then you are fruit of his ministry also.
Today, we begin looking at directions for obtaining holiness. It begins with you looking at your Christian life. Do you still struggle with carnality? Is there something inside you that rises up that you have to suppress? If so, after the Bible study tomorrow, next week will be filled with Scriptural instruction to guide you into the experience of holiness.
Friday, August 2, 2019
Depravity is Disastrous
By depravity I refer to the carnal nature that remains in a person after they are saved. Salvation saves us from our acts of sin, whereas entire sanctification removes the sin nature, i.e. carnality or depravity, and we are filled with the Holy Spirit. It is the charge to every believer to be filled with the Spirit of God. Ephesians 5:18 The rejection of this truth can lead to disastrous results. The following account reveals how totally disastrous the carnal nature can be in a Christian’s life when it is allowed to remain.
“Unsanctified heart, do you want relief? You’ll never—you’ll never stand with that carnal thing in your heart. If I could take you back several months ago—I was in a meeting in Pennsylvania, and a man came to me and said, ‘Will you go with us and talk with our daughter? She’s in jail.’
I went in to where this girl was. She was just writhing. And she kept saying, ‘Oh, my carnal nature.’
She said, ‘Do you know I was saved when this thing rose up in me?’ She said, ‘Do you know that I have never in all my life, that I can remember, stolen anything?’ She began to name her virtues. She said, ‘I have been a Sunday School teacher. I was a Sunday School teacher and a saved woman when I committed this crime.’
She said, ‘We had a revival meeting and the Lord dealt with me about my carnal nature—and I didn’t do anything about it, and now here I am three weeks after the meeting.’ She said, ‘Oh, it’s my carnal nature that caused it. If I had known I would have let the Lord take it out of my heart.’ She went on and on, and I felt like I was standing in the chills of hell.
She said to me, ‘As you travel across the country, will you tell young people—will you tell older people to let God deal with their carnal nature?’”
Certainly, most people will not end up in jail due to their carnal nature. The story points out the danger of not dealing with carnality when you hear the truth about entire sanctification. Carnality should be dealt with as soon as you learn that there is a cure for it. Resisting the Holy Spirit always leads to tragedy. That tragedy might be sitting in a pew every Sunday knowing you are not right with God, but being comfortable. It might be interfering with the work of God because your depravity likes things the way they are and you don’t want preaching that gets close to your sin. Reader, we are to seek holiness. We are to die out to our carnal traits and let the fire of God cleanse us from our sin nature. That was Jesus’ prayer (John 17:17), Paul’s prayer (I Thessalonians 5:23), and Peter’s charge (I Peter 1:15-16). Today, will you acknowledge that depravity is disastrous and take steps to remove it from your life?
“Unsanctified heart, do you want relief? You’ll never—you’ll never stand with that carnal thing in your heart. If I could take you back several months ago—I was in a meeting in Pennsylvania, and a man came to me and said, ‘Will you go with us and talk with our daughter? She’s in jail.’
I went in to where this girl was. She was just writhing. And she kept saying, ‘Oh, my carnal nature.’
She said, ‘Do you know I was saved when this thing rose up in me?’ She said, ‘Do you know that I have never in all my life, that I can remember, stolen anything?’ She began to name her virtues. She said, ‘I have been a Sunday School teacher. I was a Sunday School teacher and a saved woman when I committed this crime.’
She said, ‘We had a revival meeting and the Lord dealt with me about my carnal nature—and I didn’t do anything about it, and now here I am three weeks after the meeting.’ She said, ‘Oh, it’s my carnal nature that caused it. If I had known I would have let the Lord take it out of my heart.’ She went on and on, and I felt like I was standing in the chills of hell.
She said to me, ‘As you travel across the country, will you tell young people—will you tell older people to let God deal with their carnal nature?’”
Certainly, most people will not end up in jail due to their carnal nature. The story points out the danger of not dealing with carnality when you hear the truth about entire sanctification. Carnality should be dealt with as soon as you learn that there is a cure for it. Resisting the Holy Spirit always leads to tragedy. That tragedy might be sitting in a pew every Sunday knowing you are not right with God, but being comfortable. It might be interfering with the work of God because your depravity likes things the way they are and you don’t want preaching that gets close to your sin. Reader, we are to seek holiness. We are to die out to our carnal traits and let the fire of God cleanse us from our sin nature. That was Jesus’ prayer (John 17:17), Paul’s prayer (I Thessalonians 5:23), and Peter’s charge (I Peter 1:15-16). Today, will you acknowledge that depravity is disastrous and take steps to remove it from your life?
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Spiritual Shoplifters
“Those who object to the ‘death route’ will tell you they ‘took it by faith.’ When terminology shifts, the whole doctrinal (of entire sanctification) structure of Christian experience shifts with it. If we get sanctified at all, we will get it by faith, but not without crucifixion of self. Leaving out time honored terms (that are Biblical terms) will lead to leaving out a needed emphasis, which in turn will cause many to fail to enter into the experience of holiness. It shifts to the idea of getting goods without paying the price—shoplifters! That would be like seeing something in the store and ‘taking it by faith’ and walking out without paying the price! The ‘death route’ costs one everything. The ‘take-It-by-faith route,’ as some advocate, costs one nothing—just take it and walk out! The whole idea of seeking to escape the surrender of self to its own crucifixion is foreign to the basic principles of the Christian religion. The ‘faith-route,’ when the ‘death-route is rejected, is a compromise tactic.”
Consider these Scriptures:
1. Romans 6:6 “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
2. Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, Brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
3. Hebrews 12:14 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”
4. Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ....”
We are to seek to live a crucified life for our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us, so we are to go outside the camp, bearing His reproach (Hebrews 13:13) and live a crucified life for Him. Not our will, but His will must be our desire. So few even in described holiness churches today are really entirely sanctified. My belief is that many were “spiritual shoplifters” who heard a sermon, shed a few tears, and “took it by faith” instead of paying the price, to die to self, to surrender carnal traits, and to wait for the sin killing fire of the Holy Ghost to fall on them and fill them. That is Entire Sanctification. It destroys pride, self promotion, envy, jealousy, anger and it is exactly what the 21st century church needs.
Don’t be a shoplifter. Pay the full price.
Consider these Scriptures:
1. Romans 6:6 “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
2. Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, Brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
3. Hebrews 12:14 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”
4. Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ....”
We are to seek to live a crucified life for our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us, so we are to go outside the camp, bearing His reproach (Hebrews 13:13) and live a crucified life for Him. Not our will, but His will must be our desire. So few even in described holiness churches today are really entirely sanctified. My belief is that many were “spiritual shoplifters” who heard a sermon, shed a few tears, and “took it by faith” instead of paying the price, to die to self, to surrender carnal traits, and to wait for the sin killing fire of the Holy Ghost to fall on them and fill them. That is Entire Sanctification. It destroys pride, self promotion, envy, jealousy, anger and it is exactly what the 21st century church needs.
Don’t be a shoplifter. Pay the full price.
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