Archives
Tag Cloud
Abandonment Abomination of Desolation Abortion Abraham’s Bosom Abuse Acceptance Accounting Accusation Activism Adoption Adultery Adversary Adversity Affection Affliction Afterlife Allegory Alliances Altar Ambition America Analogy Angel of the Lord Angels Anger Anointed One Anointing Antichrist Anxiety Apologetics Apostasy Apostles Armor Armor of God Arrest Ascension Ashamed Assembly Atonement Attitudes Authorities Authority Baal Babylon Bad Baptism Belief Believer Believers Benevolence Bethlehem Betrayal Bible Bitterness Blasphemy Blessing Blessings Blindness Boasting Body of Christ Boldness Bondage Book of Life Borders Born Again Borrowing Bottomless Pit Bride Bride of Christ Bridegroom Brokenness Brother Burden Caesar Calling Capital Punishment Care Cares Carnal Cast Away Casting Lots Caution Celebration Chaos Character Charity Childbirth Children Children of God Choice Choices Chosen Christ Christian Life Christianity Christians Christmas Church Circumstances Citizenship Civil Disobedience Clay Cleansing Comfort Commands Commune Communion Community Comparison Compassion Complacency Complaining Conception Condemnation Conduct Confession Confidence Conflict Conformity Confrontation Confusion Connect Connection Conscience Consecration Consequences Contempt Contention Contentment Contrition Conversion Conviction Cornerstone Correction Cost Counsel Courage Covenant Coveting Creation Creator Crisis Cross Crowd Crowds Crowns Crucifixion Cults Culture Curse Darkness David Davidic Covenant Day of the Lord Deacons Deaf Death Deceit Deception Decisions Defense Defilement Delegation Deliverance Demon Demon Possession Demons Denial Dependency Design Desire Desolation Desperation Destruction Devil Direction Disaster Discernment Disciple Disciples Discipleship Discipline Discontentment Discouragement Disease Disgrace Dishonesty Disputes Dissension Distraction Diversity Divine Divine Appointment Divinity Division Divorce Doctrine Dominion Donation Double Fulfillment Doubt Drought Drugs Duties Duty Earth Earthly Earthquakes Easter Edification Edom Education Elders Elect Elijah Elohim Emmaus Emotions Employment Encouragement End Times Endurance Enemies Enemy Environment Environmentalism Envy Equality Equipped Esteem Eternal Eternal Life Eternity Evangelism Everlasting Life Evil Evil Spirits Evolution Exaltation Exalted Example Exclusion Excuses Exorcism Expectations Eyes Failure Fairness Faith Faithful Faithful Servant Faithfulness Fall Away False Christs False Conversion False Doctrine False Gods False Prophet False Prophets False Religion False Religions False Teachers False Teaching Family Famine Fasting Father Father God Father’s Day Fathers Favoritism Fear Fear of the Lord Feasts Feasts of the Lord Fellowship Female Fervor Fig Tree Fights Finances Fire First Coming First Resurrection Firstborn Flattery Flesh Flock Folly Foods Foolish Foolishness Foreigner Foreknown Forgiveness Fornication Forsaken Foundation Free Will Freedom Friends Friendship Fruit Fruit of the Spirit Fruitful Fruitfulness Fulfillment Function Future Gehenna Gentile Gentiles Gentle George Wood Gifts Giving Globalism Glorified Body Glory God God’s Will God’s Word Godliness Godly God's Will Golden Rule Good Good News Good Shepherd Good Works Goodness Gospel Gospels Government Grace Gratitude Great Commission Greatness Greed Grief Grow Growth Guilt Hades Hardship Harvest Hate Hatred Healing Heart Heaven Heavenly Heavenly Father Hedonism Hell Help Herod Hidden High Priest Holiness Holy Holy Spirit Home Homosexuality Honesty Honor Hope Hopelessness Hostility Human Frailty humanity Humility Husband Hypocrisy Hypocrite Hypocrites Identity Idolatry Ignorance Image Image of God Immanuel Immigration Immortality Impossibility Incarnation Individuals Indulgences Indwelling Infilling Inheritance Injustice Inner Battle Innocence Instruction Instructions Insults Integrity Intercession Intermediate State Interpretation Intervention Intoxication Israel Jerusalem Jesus Jewish Temple Jews John the Baptist Joy Judas Judge Judging Judgment Judgment Day Judgments Justice Justification Justify Key Keys Kids Kindness King Kingdom Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Kinsman Knowledge Labor Lake of Fire Lamp Last Days Law Law of Moses Law of the Lord Lawlessness Lawsuits Leader Leaders Leadership Leading Leftism Legal Legalism Leprosy Lies Life Life-Span Light Like-minded Listening Lonely Lord Lost Love Lowly Loyalty Lust Lusts Luxury Lying Magdalene Magic Malachi Male Manipulation Marriage Martyr Martyrdom Martyrs Mary Master Materialism Maturity Meditation Men Mentoring Mercy Messiah Metaphor Millennium Mind Mind of Christ Minister Ministry Miracle Miracles Mission Missionary Missions Mocking Money Morality Mortal Mortality Mother’s Day Mothers Mother's Day Mt. Sinai Murder Mystery Nations Natural Natural Gifts Naturalism Nature Nazareth Near-Far Fulfillment Necessities Neglect Negligence New Birth New Covenant New Creation New Earth New Jerusalem New Man New Testament Oaths Obedience Obstacles Obstructions Offense Offenses Offering Old Covenant Old Man Old Nature Old Testament Omnipresence Omniscience One Mind Others Outcast Overseers Pagan Pain Palm Sunday Parable Parables Paradise Paranormal Parenting Passion Passover Path Patience Patriotism Peace Peer Pressure Pentecost People of God Perception Perfect Perfection Persecution Perseverance Persistence Personal Injury Personal Testimonies Perspective Perversion Perversity Pestilence Peter Petition Pharisees Philosophy Piety Pilate Plans Pleasure Politics Poor Pornography Position Possession Possessions Posture Power Praise Prayer Preach Preaching Preparation Presence Pretense Pride Principles Priority Prison Privilege Prodigal Profane Profession Promise Proof Prophecy Prophet Prophets Prosperity Protection Protestant Reformation Proverbs Providence Provision Pruning Punishment Purgatory Purity Purpose Purposes Questions Racism Ransom Rapture Readiness Reason Rebellion Rebuke Receiving Reconciliation Redeemer Redemption Refuge Regeneration Rejection Rejoicing Relationship Relationships Relativism Reliability Religion Remember Remnant Renewal Repentance Reputation Resolve Rest Restoration Resurrection Retribution Revelation Revenge Revival Reward Rich Riches Ridicule Righteous Righteousness Rights Riot Risk Ritual Rivalry Robbery Roman Catholic Church Rule Rulers Rumor Sabbath Sacred Sacrifice Saint Saints Salvation Sanctification Sanctuary Sarcasm Satan Satisfaction Savior Schemes Science Scoffers Scripture Seal Seasons Second Coming Secret Sedition Seed Seek Self Self Control Self-centered Self-Control Self-Denial Selfish Ambition Self-Preservation Self-Righteous Servant Servant-Leadership Servants Serve Service Serving Sexual Immorality Sexual Sin Sexuality Shame Share Sharing She’ol Shepherd Shepherds Sickness Signs Signs and Wonders Silence Simplicity Sin Sincerity Sinful Nature Singing Singleness Sinner Sinners Slave Slavery Sober Socialism Society Sojourner Sojourners Son Son of God Son of Man Sons of God Sorcery Sorrow Soul Source Sovereignty Speech Spirit Spirit Baptism Spirit Beings Spirit Realm Spirit-Led Spirits Spiritual Spiritual Adultery Spiritual Battle Spiritual Birth Spiritual Condition Spiritual Death Spiritual Gifts Spiritual Growth Spiritual Maturity Spiritual Rulers Spiritual Warfare Stewardship Storms Strength Stress Strife Strong Stumble Stumbling Block Subjection Submission Suffering Suicide Supernatural Supper Surrender Survival Swear Symbols Syncretism Tabernacle Tags: Patience Taxes Teacher Teachers Teaching Teachings Tears Technology Temple Temptation Temptations Terminal Illness Test Testimony Testing Tests Textual Issues Thankfulness Thanksgiving The Beast The Curse The Day of The Lord The End The Faith The Fall The Gospel The Grave The Great Tribulation The Holy Spirit The Lamb of God The Law The Law of Moses The Secret Place The Way The Word The World Theft Theology Thought Life Threats Throne Time Time of Visitation Times of the Gentiles Timing Tithing Tongues Tower of Babel Tradition Tragedies Tragedy Training Transfiguration Transformation Traps Treachery Treasure Tree Tree of Life Trial Trials Tribulation Trifles Trinity Triumphal Triumphal Entry Trouble Trust Trustworthy Truth Tyranny Unbelief Unbelievers Uncertainty Underground Church Understanding Unfaithfulness Ungrateful Unity Unpardonable Sin Utopia Value Vengeance Victory Vigilance Vindication Virtue Virtues Vision Visions Visiting Ministries Voice of God Volunteer Vow Vows War Warning Warnings Wars Watch Watching Water Baptism Water of Life Weak Weakness Wealth Weary Wicked Wicked Plans Wickedness Widows Wife Will Wineskins Wisdom Witness Witnesses Witnessing Women Word Word of God Word of Knowledge Word of the Lord Work Works World World View Worry Worship Worth Worthy Wounds Wrath Yahweh Yeast YHWH Yoke Zion
Tuesday
Apr162013

The Holy Spirit and Sanctification

Today we will start in Romans 15:14-16 as we look at the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of a believer.  As you read this passage you will see that Paul is concerned that the Gentile Christians live a life that is pleasing to God.  In this context he reminds them that they are “sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

The word “sanctify” or “sanctification” is the process by which one is made holy.  Though the word may sound strange, it really focuses on separating someone for God’s purposes.  The holy person now belongs to God.

The Holy Spirit Makes The Believer Holy

This word is related to the word “saint.”  When we hear the word, we are tempted to think that it can only refer to a small number of people within the church who do miracles and such.  However, throughout the New Testament “saint” is used to describe anyone who has believed on Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.  At that moment they are instantaneously given spiritual life and become God’s possession.  Thus being holy or set apart has an immediate aspect in which we do nothing but believe on Jesus.  God looks upon us and sees us covered by the work of Jesus.  We now belong to him.  Thus we are holy.

However, there is a progressive side to this.  The Holy Spirit continues to work in our life every day to make us more like Jesus.  We see this in 1 Thessalonians 4:1, “Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.  For this is the will of God, your sanctification:  that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.”

I Need To Cooperate With His Work

It is clear in the Thessalonians passage that God expects us to be careful how we live.  Why?  This is the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in us.  He is sanctifying us and making us to look like Jesus.  Thus if we really trust and love Jesus we should do all we can to cooperate with this process.  As much as we may like, God is not going to miraculously do the work of fighting against our flesh ourselves.  For every testimony of miraculous deliverance from a specific temptation are umpteen other places where God required that person to battle with the giants in their life.  One day we will stand before Jesus and be rewarded for the things done for Him while in this flesh.

Thus this difficult truth: my cooperation will be over the top of the desires of my flesh.  Our flesh is hostile to the things of God and when we come to Christ it is over the top of the fears and desires of our flesh.  Even after we have embraced faith in Jesus, our flesh can subvert that faith by encasing itself in a shell of "accepted religious duties."  Thus sanctification is no small battle and no light matter.

When I wrestle and fight to cooperate with the Holy Spirit's work in my life it will make changes both internally and externally in my life.  This is pictured as the "Crucified Life" in Scripture.  We have to die to the desires of our flesh every day in order to continue following Jesus.  But, if we fail in a moment we have an advocate who calls us back to himself in repentance.  Thus, though we will not perfectly follow Christ's example in every moment, the overall thrust of our life is enabled by the Holy Spirit to be towards Jesus.

Paul simply states that sanctification is God's will for the believer.  Please be convinced today that your salvation is wholly based upon the work of Jesus and your faith in Him.  However, a true faith in Him will hear the call to "Pick up your cross and follow me."  This is not in order to save yourself, but for you to learn to be like Jesus.  The Spirit of God only does this in the life of God's Children.

In fact here is a strong statement by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:8, "Therefore, he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit."

Final Thoughts:

We need to ask ourselves the question: In what area is my flesh resisting the Spirit of God?  It is a meditative thing that is not meant to result in a shopping list of areas, but rather to focus us on where the frontlines of the battle are currently.  Pray for God to help you take those things and put them on the altar in worship to God by sacrificing them (i.e. putting them to death).  This can only be done by the cooperation of our desire and God's enabling.

This may not sound fun, but we are not to stop doing this until we see Jesus.  Really?  Even if I am 80 years old and have been a Christian for 75 of them?  Yes, even such a person.  Until, like Enoch, you gotten so perfect that God personally takes you up into heaven, your battle on this earth isn't done.  But take heart.  God promises us that in the day that we stand before Him, we will be like Him and the impossible task will be finished.  O give thanks unto the Lord, for His loving kindness is everlasting!

Holy Spirit Sanctification Audio