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Sanctification
in General
Quarterback cum ESPN
commentator Joe Theismann
allegedly explaining to his soon-to-be-ex second
wife why he had an affair: "God wants Joe Theismann to be happy."
Source Unknown.
A holy life will make the
deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns
they just shine.
D.L. Moody.
Once
as an experiment
the great scientist Isaac Newton stared at the image of the sun reflected in a
mirror. The brightness burned into his retina
and he suffered temporary
blindness. Even after he hid for three days behind closed shutters
still the
bright spot would not fade from his vision. "I used all means to divert my
imagination from the sun
" he writes
"But if I thought upon him I
presently saw his picture though I was in the dark." If he had stared a
few minutes longer
Newton might have permanently lost all vision. The chemical
receptors that govern eyesight cannot withstand the full force of unfiltered
sunlight.
There is a parable in
Isaac Newton's experiment
and it helps illustrate what the Israelites
ultimately learned from the wilderness wanderings. They had attempted to live
with the Lord of the Universe visibly present in their midst; but
in the end
out of all the thousands who had so gladly fled Egypt
only two survived God's
Presence. If you can barely endure candlelight
how can you gaze at the sun?
Philip Yancey
Disappointment
With God
Zondervan
p. 74.
How little people know who
think that holiness is dull. When one meets real thing
it is
irresistible.
C.S. Lewis
Letters to
an American Lady
New Bible Commentary
p. 28.
"Holiness does not
consist in mystic speculations
enthusiastic fervours
or uncommanded
austerities; it consists in thinking as God things
and willing as God wills."
John Brown
Nineteenth-century Scottish theologian
quoted in J. Bridges
The Pursuit of
Holiness
p. 51.
Phillips Brooks
former
minister of Boston's Trinity Episcopal Church
is perhaps best known as the
author of "O Little Town of Bethlehem." He was a very busy pastor
yet he always seemed relaxed and unburdened
willing to take time for anyone in
need. Shortly before Brooks died
a young friend wrote to him and asked the
secret of his strength and serenity. In a heartfelt response
Brooks credited
his still-growing relationship with Christ.
He wrote
"The more I
have thought it over
the more sure it has seemed to me that these last years
have had a peace and fullness which there did not used to be. It is a deeper
knowledge and truer love of Christ.....I cannot tell you how personal this
grows to me. He is here. He knows me and I know Him. It is the most real thing
in the world. And every day makes it more real. And one wonders with delight
what it will grow to as the years go on."
Our Daily Bread
October 14
1994.
God
make me good
but not
yet.
St. Augustine.
When a person becomes a
Christian
he usually undergoes some radical life changes
especially if he has
had an immoral background. Through the first steps of spiritual growth and
self-denial
he gets rid of the large
obvious sins. But sad to say
many
believers stop there. They don't go on to eliminate the little sins that
clutter the landscape of their lives.
Gordon MacDonald
in his
book Ordering Your Private World
told of an experience in his own life
that illustrates this truth. "Some years ago
when Gail and I bought the
old abandoned New Hampshire farm we now call Peace Ledge
we found the site
where we wished to build our country home strewn with rocks and boulders. It
was going to take a lot of hard work to clear it all out....The first phase of
the clearing process was easy. The big boulders went fast. And when they were
gone
we began to see that there were a lot of smaller rocks that had to go
too. But when we had cleared the site of the boulders and the rocks
we noticed
all of the stones and pebbles we had not seen before. This was much harder
more tedious work. But we stuck to it
and there came the day when the soil was
ready for planting grass."
Our Daily Bread.
The story is told of a
young girl who accepted Christ as her Savior and applied for membership in a
local church. "Were you a sinner before you received the Lord Jesus into
your Life?" inquired an old deacon. "Yes
sir
" she replied. "Well
are you still a sinner?" "To tell you the truth
I feel I'm a greater
sinner than ever." "Then what real change have you experienced?"
"I don't quite know how to explain it
" she said
"except I used
to be a sinner running after sin
but now that I am saved. I'm a sinner running
from sin!" she was received into the fellowship of the church
and she
proved by her consistent life that she was truly converted.
Our Daily Bread.
At the village church in
Kalonovka
Russia
attendance at Sunday school picked up after the priest
started handing out candy to the peasant children. One of the most faithful was
a pug-nosed
pugnacious lad who recited his Scriptures with proper piety
pocketed his reward
then fled into the fields to munch on it. The priest took
a liking to the boy
persuaded him to attend church school. This was preferable
to doing household chores from which his devout parents excused him. By
offering other inducements
the priest managed to teach the boy the four
Gospels. In fact
he won a special prize for learning all four by heart and
reciting them nonstop in church. Now
60 years later
he still likes to recite
Scriptures
but in a context that would horrify the old priest. For the prize
pupil
who memorized so much of the Bible
is Nikita Khrushchev
the former
Communist czar.
As this anecdote
illustrates
the "why" behind memorization is fully as important as
the "what." The same Nikita Khrushchev who nimbly mouthed God's Word
when a child
later declared God to be nonexistent -- because his cosmonauts
had not seen Him. Khrushchev memorized the Scriptures for the candy
the
rewards
the bribes
rather than for the meaning it had for his life.
Artificial motivation will produce artificial results.
Moody's Anecdotes
p. 99.
A man once testified in
one of D.L. Moody's meetings that he had lived "on the Mount of
Transfiguration" for five years. "How many souls did you lead to
Christ last year?" Moody bluntly asked him. "Well
" the man
hesitated
"I don't know." "Have you saved any?" Moody
persisted. "I don't know that I have
" the man admitted.
"Well
" said Moody
"we don't want that kind of mountaintop
experience. When a man gets up so high that he cannot reach down and save poor
sinners
there is something wrong."
W. Wiersbe
The
Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers
p. 202.
I am not what I might be
I am not what I ought to be
I am not what I wish to be
I am not what I hope
to be. But I thank God I am not what I once was
and I can say with the great
apostle
"By the grace of God I am what I am.
John Newton.
It is easier to cry
against one-thousand sins of others than to kill one of your own.
John Flavel.
When I was a child
I
often had a toothache
and I knew that if I went to my mother
she would give
me something which would deaden the pain for that night and let me get to
sleep. But I did not go to my mother--at least not till the pain became very
bad. And the reason I did not go was this: I did not doubt she would give me
the aspirin; but I knew she would also do something else. I knew she would take
me to the dentist the next morning. I could not get what I wanted out of her
without getting soemthing more
which I did not want. I wanted immediate relief
from my pain; but I could not get it without having my teeth set permanently right.
And I knew those dentists; I knew they would start fiddling about with all
sorts of other teeth which had not yet begun to ache. Our Lord is like the
dentists. Dozens of people go to him to be cured of some particular sin. Well
he will cure it all right
but he will not stop there. That may be all you
asked; but if you once call him in
he will give you the full treatment.
C.S. Lewis.
The Scottish preacher John
McNeill liked to tell about an eagle that had been captured when it was quite
young. The farmer who snared the bird put a restraint on it so it couldn't fly
and then he turned it loose to roam in the barnyard. It wasn't long till the
eagle began to act like the chickens
scratching and pecking at the ground.
This bird that once soared high in the heavens seemed satisfied to live the
barnyard life of the lowly hen. One day the farmer was visited by a shepherd
who came down from the mountains where the eagles lived. Seeing the eagle
the
shepherd said to the farmer
"What a shame to keep that bird hobbled here
in your barnyard! Why don't you let it go?" The farmer agreed
so they cut
off the restraint. But the eagle continued to wander around
scratching and
pecking as before. The shepherd picked it up and set it on a high stone wall.
For the first time in months
the eagle saw the grand expanse of blue sky and
the glowing sun. Then it spread its wings and with a leap soared off into a
tremendous spiral flight
up and up and up. At last it was acting like an eagle
again.
John Mcneill.
The Australian coat of
arms pictures two creatures--the emu
a flightless bird
and the kangaroo. The
animals were chosen because they share a characteristic that appealed to the
Australian citizens. Both the emu and kangaroo can move only forward
not back.
The emu's three-toed foot causes it to fall if it tries to go backwards
and
the kangaroo is prevented from moving in reverse by its large tail. Those who
truly choose to follow Jesus become like the emu and kangaroo
moving only
forward
never back (Luke 9:62).
Steve Morrison.
A man once bought a home
with a tree in the backyard. It was winter
and nothing marked this tree as
different from any other tree. When spring came
the tree grew leaves and tiny
pink buds. "How wonderful
" thought the man. "A flower tree! I
will enjoy its beauty all summer." But before he had time to enjoy the
flowers
the wind began to blow and soon all the petals were strewn in the
yard. "What a mess
" he thought. "This tree isn't any use after
all." The summer passed
and one day the man noticed the tree was full of
green fruit the size of large nuts. He picked one and took a bite.
"Bleagh!" he cried and threw it to the ground. "What a horrible
taste! This tree is worthless. Its flowers are so fragile the wind blows them
away
and its fruit is terrible and bitter. When winter comes
I'm cutting it
down. But the tree took no notice of the man and continued to draw water from
the ground and warmth from the sun and in late fall produced crisp red apples.
Some of us see Christians with their early blossoms of happiness and think they
should be that way forever. Or we see bitterness in their lives
and we're sure
they will never bear the better fruit of joy. Could it be that we forget some
of the best fruit ripens late?
Misty Mowrey.
Professor Drummond once
described a man going into one of our after meetings and saying he wanted to
become a Christian. "Well
my friend
what is the trouble?" He
doesn't like to tell. He is greatly agitated. Finally he says
"The fact is
I have overdrawn my account" -- a polite way of saying he has been
stealing.
"Did you take your
employer's money?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
"I don't know. I have never kept account of it."
"Well
you have an idea you stole $1
500 last year?"
"I am afraid it is that much."
"Now
look here
sir
I don't believe in sudden work; don't steal more
than a thousand dollars this next year
and the next year not more that five
hundred
and in the course of the next few years you will get so that you won't
steal any. If your employer catches you
tell him you are being converted; and
you will get so that you won't steal any by and by."
My friends
the thing is a
perfect farce! "Let him that stole
steal no more
" that is what the
Bible says. It is right about face. Take another illustration. Here comes a
man
and he admits that he gets drunk every week. That man comes to a meeting
and wants to be converted. Shall I say
"Don't you be in a hurry. I
believe in doing the work gradually. Don't you get drunk and knock your wife
down more than once a month?" Wouldn't it be refreshing to his wife to go
a whole month without being knocked down? Once a month
only twelve times in a
year! Wouldn't she be glad to have him converted in this new way! Only get
drunk after a few years on the anniversary of your wedding
and at Christmas
and then it will be effective because it is gradual! Oh! I detest all that kind
of teaching. Let us go to the Bible and see what that old Book teaches. Let us
believe it
and go and act as if we believed it
too. Salvation is
instantaneous. I admit that a man may be converted so that he cannot tell when
he crossed the line between death and life
but I also believe a man may be a
thief one moment and a saint the next. I believe a man may be as vile as hell
itself one moment
and be saved the next. Christian growth is gradual
just as
physical growth is; but a man passes from death unto everlasting life quick as
an act of the will -- "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting
life."
Moody's Anecdotes
pp. 99 - 100.
Why would Christians
choose to sin rather than choose what they know God wants them to do? Four
answers are commonly given today.
1. Some would point to
Romans 8:16 and explain that Christians who willfully sin have forgotten their
true identity as "children of God." While it is true that Christians
can forget who they are and sin as a result
Christians can also be well aware
of who they are and sin anyway.
2. Some say Christians
choose to sin because they have lost sight of what God has done for them. 2
Peter 1:9 indicates that Christians can be "blind or short-sighted
having
forgotten [their] purification from [their] former sins."
3. Some wisely state that
Christians consciously choose to sin because they have forgotten that God will
severely discipline disobedient believers.
4. Some have said that
Christians who consciously sin have lost their focus on the future. These
Christians have forgotten that God will reward in heaven only those who have
lived faithfully for Him here on earth (1 Cor 9:24). Christians who fail to
keep eternity in mind often sin in the here and now.
J.Kirk Johnston
Why
Christians Sin
Discovery House
1992
p. 31.
BLAMELESSNESS.
Blameless. Faultless we can
never be; blameless we must be.
Ⅰ. Blamelessness of Heart. “
To the end that He may stablish your hearts unblameable” (1. Thess.3:13).
Ⅱ. Blamelessness of Life. “
Unblameably we behaved ourselves” (1. Thess.2:10).
Ⅲ. Blamelessness in
Testimony. “ That ye may be blameless and harmless……in the midst of a crooked
and perverse nation” (Phil.2:15).
Ⅳ. Blamelessness in Service.
“ Walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” ( Luke 1:6).
Ⅴ. Blamelessness in the
Whole Being. “ I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless” (1. Thess.5:23).
──
F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》
"TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY"
INTRODUCTION
1. Our songs in worship are designed to instruct as well as praise... a. For in them we teach and admonish one another - Co 3:16 b. By them the Word of Christ can dwell in us richly - Co 3:16 2. A familiar song with an important message is "Take Time To BeHoly"...
a. Words written by W. D. Longstaff b. Music composed by George C. Stebbins -- In "Hymns For Worship"
it is song #118 3. Certainly the children of God are to be holy... a. We are to be holy in our conduct - 1 Pe 1:15 b. Even as our Father who calls us is holy - 1 Pe 1:15-16 -- Indeed
holiness is to be pursued
for without it one will not seethe Lord - He 12:14
[In this lesson
we will let the words of this song serve as the basisfor our study. Note first that the song assumes...] I. THE NEED TO TAKE TIME
A. THE WORLD RUSHES ON... 1. As expressed in the beginning of the second verse 2. Our lives are certainly hectic and fast-paced 3. Filled with activities that consume our time 4. And our lives are but a vapor - cf. Ja 4:13-14 -- Before we know it
time will have slipped by B. IT TAKES TIME TO BE HOLY... 1. The key presumption upon which this song is based 2. Holiness must be pursued - He 12:14 3. Holiness is the fruit of service to God - cf. Ro 6:22 4. Holiness must be perfected - 2 Co 7:1 -- If we are not careful
time to develop holiness will be gone [So we must "Take Time To Be Holy." It needs to be a priority in ourlives. How does one take time...?] II. THE WAY TO TAKE TIME
A. SPEND TIME WITH THE LORD... 1. The song encourages us to: a. "Abide in Him always" b. "Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone" 2. The means to do so involve: a. Prayer
as suggested by the song 1) "Speak oft with thy Lord" 2) "Forgetting in nothing His blessings to seek" b. The Word of God ("Feed on His Word") 3. Do we take time to be with the Lord? a. Through prayer
where the Lord is ready to intercede? - cf. He 4:14-16; 7:25 b. Through the Word
which testifies of our gracious Lord? - cf. Jn 5:39; 1 Pe 2:2-3 -- We cannot overestimate the importance of finding time to bewith the Lord alone through prayer and the Word!
B. SPEND TIME WITH OTHERS... 1. This includes fellowship with other Christians ("Make friends of God's children") a. Which the early Christians continued in steadfastly - Ac2:42
b. Which helps to ensure faithfulness and steadfastness - He3:12-14
c. Which includes the idea of frequent assembling - He 10:24-25 2. This includes service to our fellowman ("Help those who are weak") a. A duty enjoined upon Christians - 1 Th 5:14-15; Ac 20:35 b. Service toward all
but especially our brethren - Ga 6:10 c. Ministering our abilities to one another - 1 Pe 4:10-11 -- We must not be so busy that we don't have time to be withbrethren and to help others as we have opportunity!
[As one takes time to be with the Lord
His people
and in service tothem and others
a transformation slowly takes place...] III. THE BENEFITS OF TAKING TIME
A. YOU WILL BE BLESSED... 1. With inner peace and happiness ("Be calm in thy soul") a. Through frequent prayer - cf. Ph 4:6-7 b. Through frequent meditation upon the Word - cf. Psa 1:1-3;119:165
2. With renewed strength ("Each thought and each motive beneath His control") a. Through your relationship with Christ - Ph 4:13 b. Through the indwelling of the Spirit - Ro 8:12-13; Ep 3:16
20-21
3. With increasing realization of God's love ("Led by His Spirit to fountains of love") a. A manifestation of the Spirit in our lives - Ro 5:5 b. Whose fruit produces love - Ga 5:22 -- Is this not sufficient motivation to "take time to be holy"? B. YOU WILL BE MORE CHRIST-LIKE... 1. The ultimate goal of discipleship ("Like Him thou shalt be") a. As explained by Jesus - Lk 6:40 b. As foreordained by God - Ro 8:29 2. A transformation noticed by others ("Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see") a. The result of spending time with Jesus - e.g.
Peter and John
Ac 4:13 b. The result of giving yourself to such things - e.g.
Timothy
1 Ti 4:15 3. Prepared for greater service ("Thou soon shall be fitted for service above") a. For we will serve God in heaven
and in the new Jerusalem - Re 7:15; 22:3 b. Indeed
we will reign with Christ and God forever! - Re22:5; 2 Ti 2:12
-- Is this not even more motivation to "take time to be holy"? CONCLUSION
1. Remember the need to take time... a. The world rushes on
and would carry us along with it b. Our time in this life is short
we must have our priorities straight 2. Are you taking time
indeed
making time...? a. To spend time alone with God
in prayer and the Word? b. To spend time with others
in fellowship and service? 3. We must take time
if we desire to... a. Experience the blessed life Jesus offers b. Become more Christ-like in our conduct May this song ("Take Time To Be Holy") always remind us of the need toslow down
and to do those things so crucial to our spiritual growth andhappiness! Have you taken the time to respond to the gospel of Christ...? - cf. Mk16:15-16; Ac 2:38
－－《Executable
Outlines》