Chapter 9: Sanctification unto Transformation
The word sanctification has to do with purification. As has been discussed, the confession and forsaking of our sins and putting our trust in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus on the cross regenerates us. This regeneration leads to justification through a baptism of repentance and walking in evidence-based faith. Once we begin to walk in repentance, we simultaneously start on the road to sanctification. To understand sanctification, we must understand consecration. To sanctify is to purify, while to consecrate is to dedicate or set apart for holiness. It is God who will sanctify us, but we must set ourselves apart for this sanctification to take place. In baptism, we begin the process of our consecration.
1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. 2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. 3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
Exodus 28:1-3
The priesthood of Israel was called out of the tribe of Levi. Levi was the third son of Jacob. He was the father of Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Kohath was grandfather to Aaron, Moses and Miriam their sister. Those of the tribe of Levi were not to do any servile work but serve under the charge of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Kohath were to serve as priests while the chief priest was called from among the sons of Aaron. All the Levites were to serve under the leadership of the sons of Aaron.
4 This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things
Numbers 4:4
The sons of Kohath, the priests were to serve in the most holy things. The other Levites, the sons of Gershon and Merari were to assist the priests by dealing with the people, including the animals for sacrifice, and dealing with all the less holy things.
41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
Exodus 28:4135 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them. 36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. 37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.
Exodus 29:35-37
To minister unto the Lord, Aaron and his sons had to be consecrated. There were certain garments they had to put on which were different from the garments they wore outside the tabernacle. These are the garments of consecration. In addition, to prepare them for this ministry, animal sacrifices of a young bullock and two rams for sin offerings, for a burnt offering and for a wave offering were to be offered daily for the seven days of consecration. All this was done to prepare them to come near to the Lord and begin to minister to him.
38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: 40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. 41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. 43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. 44 And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office. 45 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.
Exodus 29:38-46
Once the days of consecration were over, the priests were to offer two lambs daily for a morning and evening sacrifice for a burnt sacrifice, a sweet savor to the Lord, along with drink offerings: to be a continual daily burnt offering. Then, the tabernacle, the altar and the priests meet the requirements for sanctification from the Lord. Then, they were qualified to be in the presence of the Lord.
In like manner, all who have been regenerated and justified by their faith walk with God are now invited to walk in consecration before Him, unto sanctification. To walk in this place of sanctification, requires a dedication or separation to God. But separation from what?
At regeneration, we are POSITIONALLY separated from sin. This is because at this point, we choose to follow the Lord; our sins are confessed and forsaken and we put our trust in the blood of the Lamb of God to cleanse us from all our sins. Once we put on the garment of repentance in baptism, we begin to walk in a new way, living for God, and living in ACTIVE obedience to Him. The forsaking of sin may not be overcome in one day, depending on how bound one is, in the iniquity. Just like an alcoholic that decides to give up the bottle and forsake it, he may suffer many defeats before he or she is free from the grip of the bottle. In like manner we may consider one who is addicted to any other vice. Pornography, Lying, stealing, strife, etc. The devil is not going to readily give up on that soul. He will keep coming, so long as we are in this world, but we are to remain steadfast in our faith.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accompli-shed in your brethren that are in the world.
1 Peter 5:8-9
In walking therefore in baptism of repentance toward God and in faith in Him, we are justified. Nevertheless, God’s plan is for us to draw nearer still unto Him.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:7-10
The desire of God’s heart is that we come near to Him. But we can’t do this all willy-nilly. Our God is Most Holy. And cannot bear the presence of iniquity. His desire is intimacy with us. We are created in His image and after His likeness and His love for us is incredible! Nevertheless, His nature is such that He cannot behold sin. He cannot bear iniquity. He is a Holy God. So, the scripture reads in verse 8 of James 4: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. We must draw near first. If He draws near to us, when we are in a state of iniquity, we will be consumed by Him, because there can be no iniquity in His presence.
To understand this, imagine the glory of the sun in its brightness. One may look directly at a rising son, early in the morning when it’s on the horizon, but one cannot look directly at a noon-day sun without risking blindness. To be in the presence of God is to be in the presence of a glory even more magnificent than the sun. Imagine for one moment, having the sun in the same room as you. Will you live? Impossible! One would instantly combust from the shear effulgence, not to a crisp or to ashes, but to atomic and sub-atomic particles!
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
1 Timothy 6:12-16
Verse 16 tells us that our God dwells in a light which no man can approach unto. In Revelation, we get the idea that the brilliance of the glory of God is as the sun, because there is no more sun or moon, but his glory shines in the new Jerusalem!
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Revelation 21:22-23
Therefore, we must first draw near. And this can only be done in a way that is prescribed. Any other way will not lead to Him drawing near to us.
In the wilderness, when the people kept complaining about food and the options available to them, Moses complained to the Lord about being weary of the people. The Lord told him to separate 70 of the elders, such that His Spirit would abide on them, and they would help Moses:
16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. 17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.
24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. 25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. 26 But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. 27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.
28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.
29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!
Numbers 11:16-17 & 24-29
When a portion of the Spirit of the Lord which was on Moses was put on the elders, they began to prophesy NON-STOP. But while sixty-eight of them remained at the tabernacle of congregation (which was put outside the camp, away from the people), two of the elders, Eldad and Medad, returned to the camp and prophesied there in the presence of the people. Joshua, Moses’ servant was jealous for Moses and didn’t want Moses to lose his leadership in the eyes of the people and so he asked that Moses forbid them from prophesying in the camp. Yet see Moses’ response: It is God’s desire that ALL His people were prophets that He would put His Spirit on them!
That sounds backward. The people didn’t prophesy (didn’t become prophets) until God’s Spirit came upon them. Yet, Moses is saying here, that if only the people were prophets, God would put His Spirit on them, yet they didn’t manifest as prophets until His Spirit came on them. What does this mean?
God desires to put His Spirit on ALL OF US! But He can’t, because not all of us are prophets. That is, not all of us, are QUALIFIED to bear His Spirit. God instructed Moses to choose elders among the people. The Spirit of God rested on Moses, so Moses wasn’t choosing by the sight of his eyes. He wasn’t choosing by what family they came from. He wasn’t choosing by their educational credentials, nor by how tall or how strong or how this or that. He chose by those who were ready to receive His Spirit. Those who had already drawn near to Him and were keeping themselves close to Him. The Spirit of God can also not bear iniquity. He will depart from the presence of iniquity as the Spirit is grieved.
But in consecration, in dedication to the ways of God and to living for Him, and in committing all our ways unto Him, we become sanctified by Him and can now draw near unto Him.
In wrestling with sin, under the garment of repentance from sin and from dead works of self-righteousness, we qualify ourselves for an even deeper walk with God. This is done by consecrating ourselves to walking in love toward Him and all His creatures, living in ACTIVE obedience (as a DOER of His Word, not just a hearer) to His Word.
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2 Timothy 2:15
We are to study to show ourselves approved. We are to diligently work for His approval. Not with shamefacedness, because everyone else thinks we are “weird”, or because we find we no longer fit in with the world but setting our faces as a flint to obey Him in all things, looking for ways to serve Him, honor Him, glorify Him, that He may approve of us and that we may draw near to Him that He may in turn draw near to us.
This is the consecration that brings sanctification that attracts the presence of God to us, that opens the heavens above us. Herein, can we approach His throne in boldness and without fear, because we are doing His will. The more we do this, the clearer and more distinctly we hear His voice. No matter what I write in these pages, we only learn this by DOING and by WALKING in this way. Only then can we learn and experience these things. Only in this place, can we begin to enjoy His presence and see His manifestations. To be qualified for this place however, we must pay a higher price.
You must understand. Our Lord already shed His blood for our sins. For our redemption from sin. It is a gift that is provided for us all. All who will, may take this gift. It is the gift of life; because through this gift, we begin our journey of returning to God. We can only take this gift after we realize that we have sinned, and God has provided a way for us to get His pardon.
Then we begin to pay a price to draw closer to Him. First, we must forsake our sin. Next, we walk in repentance, which is doing the opposite of the sins we did in the past. They that stole before forsake stealing and as a token of repentance, provide restitution of that which was stolen. That is, they return with interest what was stolen.
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour; 3 Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein: 4 Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, 5 Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering. 6 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: 7 And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.
Leviticus 6:1-7
So, you see, this is the definition of forsaking the sin. In this example, we must make it right with one another first. Not just must the principal be restored, restitution must be made by adding interest of twenty percent (verse 5); then, once we have made it good with man, then we can turn to God for forgiveness. In Israel of Moses’ day, before Christ, sacrifice had to be made for sin to secure this forgiveness from the Lord. In our day, due to the sacrifice already made by Christ, we only need to confess the sin, making restitution to man as needed and forsake the sin to secure His pardon.
Many are unfamiliar with the concept of restitution. We think it is enough, after offending our fellow man to simply ask God for forgiveness and determine not to do it again. But restitution serves to undo the hurt caused to our neighbors. In a court of law, when a criminal is found guilty, even after they ask forgiveness of the courts, they still pay to make it good. Such payments may include fines, jail sentences, etc. In the case of murder, the family of the murdered victim may not be satisfied with the sentence if a “light” sentence has been passed by the courts, say in the case of manslaughter.
Confession and forsaking the sin, assuages the hurt of God. Restitution is to assuage the hurt of man and is the physical TOKEN of forsaking the sin.
1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke 19:1-10
Now, in this story, Zacchaeus is noted as being chief of the publicans and rich. In those days, there wasn’t a centralized system of tax collection via salary deduction like is available now. Rather, the publicans were Israelites appointed by Rome to collect taxes from Israel on behalf of Rome. Now, the Israelites didn’t want to be under Rome and so when Jesus was born, a lot of them were looking for a political or military Messiah who would deliver them out of serving Rome. So, publicans who served Rome and had the might of the Roman army behind them to ensure that taxes were collected were generally disliked and mistrusted. Often, their wealth was ill-gotten as the temptation to prey on the people was strong. So, when Jesus declares that He would stay at his house, Zacchaeus who longed to see the Lord (climbing a sycamore tree to see Him above the crowd), was overjoyed and immediately recognizing his sinfulness, pledged half of his wealth to the poor and up to four-fold restitution of all he had stolen. This is confession and forsaking of sin. And the Lord pardoned his sin immediately.
Though the Mosaic Law required that twenty percent restitution be made, Zacchaeus wanted to restore four times or four hundred percent what he had ill-gotten. This showed his zeal for the Lord and the intensity of his grief over his sin. He wasn’t grudgingly offering up restitution, rather zealously trying to get rid of his sin at all costs. This is the attitude of the heart that leads one to walk in consecration. In one fell stroke, Zacchaeus confessed, forsook, and consecrated (dedicated) himself to righteousness and the Lord affirmed this: Salvation has come to your house! (Verse 9)
Similarly, we see the evidence of consecration. Others like Zacchaeus are now generous with what they had, which is walking in opposition to the spirit of greed and avarice, that made them steal what was not theirs. Now, rather than steal, they donate their surplus to the less fortunate and actively work against that spirit of greed and avarice, not only by sharing their abundance but in inspiring others to do the same. They that served their lusts maybe through prostitution now forsake prostitution and actively work against the spirit of prostitution by praying for those caught in the same sin and lovingly, without judgement, mentoring and leading others out of prostitution, and so on and so forth. This is what it means to forsake and repent of a sin and walk in consecration. Not just the passive confession, but the active doing the opposite to counteract and oppose the spirit behind the sin or vice.
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16
Other examples of walking in repentance and consecration to the Lord are given in scripture, when Jesus gave the sermon on the mount:
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:38-48
It is not enough to not seek revenge against them that hate us or despitefully use us, but rather, we are to actively seek their own good and pray for them. Where they curse us, we bless them, where they hate us, we do good and show kindness unto them.
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Matthew 5:3-12
Where we once promoted darkness and the kingdom of Satan, now we begin to promote the kingdom of God. This is true repentance and consecration to God.
Let’s look again at the book of James:
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:7-10
Look at verse 8. Specifically, at: “purify your hearts, ye double-minded”. We already looked at the consecration of Aaron and his sons. They consecrated themselves to get sanctified or purified by God. The consecration process therefore leads to this sanctification or purification. Purification from what? Double mindedness.
Since one is so used to walking according to the principles of the world, in consecration, we devote or consecrate ourselves to following the principles of heaven. This is the antidote for double mindedness. This is what causes single-mindedness and leads to purification in God. Consider the devil and his angels. Do you think for one second that the devil is double minded about his plans and purposes? Do you think his angels are only partially committed to doing the will of their lord?
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour
1 Peter 5:8
The devil is not human. He doesn’t need to sleep, nor slumber, nor get hungry or thirsty or tired. He goes to and fro in the earth, as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour and you can be sure that his minions do the same, to propagate the will of their lord in the earth.
In repentance, we turn from the PARTICULAR sin or sins that convict us. He that stole, let him steal no more, etc. And in ceasing from theft, where we once stole, now we generously give of what we have. But we may still possess a lot of worldly ideas and embrace a lot of worldly principles that do not edify. Hence, we consecrate ourselves to following the principles of heaven.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:1-2
What is a living sacrifice? How can a sacrifice be alive? A sacrifice, by definition, ends up dead as it is sacrificed, doesn’t it? Imagine an animal sacrifice. So, what is this living sacrifice? What is being sacrificed? Our bodies. In consecrating ourselves to God, we pay an even higher price and are active in self-denial and crucifying the flesh. Presenting the body as a living sacrifice, is self-denial. It is consecration of ourselves to God. How can we understand this? Consider what our Lord said:
31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
John 4:31-34
The disciples of Jesus had gone to buy food and upon returning, asked the Lord to eat. His response? He’d already eaten. “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me”. His meat was to do the Father’s will. The Son walked in ACTIVE obedience to the Father. So should we.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11
Remember John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God? And verse 2? And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us?
Our Lord the Word, who was with God and is God was made flesh, was made into the form of man. He took the form of a servant. He took the form of a lesser being, a being made from the dust of the earth, to serve the Father as a bondservant. He took the POSITION of a servant, even though He had EQUALITY with the Father. He came as a man to do the will of the Father, even to the humbling of Himself to death on the cross. His service was so pleasing to the Father, that the Father so exalted the Son, giving Him a name above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, in the earth and beneath the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the Father!
So, if Jesus could do this, who are you or I not to do the same? If He that existed from the beginning with the Father could do this and humble Himself to serve the Father, who are we that we think we are above this? We, mere mortals? Shouldn’t we serve Him even ten times more than the Lord served Him? Do we feel justified in serving Him less? But how can we serve Him unless we consecrate ourselves to His service? Unless we set ourselves apart from the love of the world? and put our love on Him?
Don’t be deceived. When I say put our love on Him, I’m not talking of feelings or emotions that people mistake to be love. Emotions and feelings come and go. They may or may not be a sign of love. The love I’m talking about has to do with the WILL. How do we know we love Him?
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:15
To love Him, is to DO something: OBEY and DO what He says! You may “feel” happiness or “love” all you want, but what is the evidence of that love if you don’t SHOW it? How do we show it but by doing His will? I may have pleasant thoughts about a friend, but if I don’t act with consideration and do what they like, am I really their friend?
Romans 12 tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice and be renewed in our minds, not conformed to the standards of this world. To present ourselves as living sacrifices is to humble ourselves to His will. His will must supersede ours. We must begin to do what He wants, when He wants it, not at our convenience, if at all. Consecration is self-denial.
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luke 9:23
To follow Jesus, the first step is consecration. How? In self-denial. This daily self-denial is a requirement to following Him. This is the consecration that leads to sanctification that cleanses us of double mindedness.
But in consecration we are actively crucifying the flesh and its lusts but also living now as if in God’s kingdom, reporting directly to Him. This is the way of the disciple of Christ.
Many stop short of entering into this place, because the price is too great for them. Though they live in the world and have forsaken sin and are doing all the good they can, this extra step is the way of the disciple of Christ, the higher walk with God where His prophets walked. There is not a prophet of God who was not first dedicated to Him. This consecration that leads to purification is the second baptism.
We enter the first baptism in repentance, which is confessing and forsaking sin and then actively doing the opposite of the besetting sin. This is to put on the garment of repentance. We enter into the second baptism when we consecrate ourselves to God, denying self, presenting our bodies DAILY as a living sacrifice to Him, to do His will. This is the second baptism, which is the putting on of Christ Himself.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Romans 13:13-14
To put on Christ is to have the mind of a servant. To serve the Father even as He served the Father. Every single prophet of God walked in this place. This is what Moses meant, when He said:
29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!
Numbers 11:29
All the prophets had the mind of Christ. They walked in service to Him, presenting their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him. This is the mind that pleases Him. This is the second baptism: The putting on of Christ. Once we put on Christ, then God puts His Spirit upon us. This is the baptism that Peter was actually alluding to in Act 2. While John the Baptist presented the baptism of repentance from sin and dead works, Peter Preached the baptism into Christ himself. Look again:
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:36-38
To be baptized into Christ is to be baptized into the mind of Christ, to have the same mindset as He and live as He did in consecrating ourselves to the Father as He did, and He in turn will baptize us with the Holy Ghost. This is what happened with the apostles.
12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. 13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
Acts 1:12-14
In this passage, we see that the disciples, after the resurrection of Jesus consecrated themselves to prayer and supplication. Jesus told them to wait for the Comforter:
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 14:15-18 & 23-26
What are the criteria to receiving the Holy Ghost? Keeping His commandments. Having the mind of Christ, the Spirit of the Lord:
1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Isaiah 11:1-5
Who is Isaiah prophesying about here? The Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ who came in the form of flesh (as a man), is described by the prophets as the son of David. Isaiah describes Him as the Branch that grows out of the root of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Colossians 2:9
So, in Jesus Christ was full measure of God found, bodily. When Moses said that God wished His people were prophets so that He could put His Spirit upon them, this indicates that only them that have consecrated themselves to His Service does He seal with the gift of His Spirit.
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
Acts 5:29-32
Look again at the last clause in verse 32: “Whom God hath given to them that obey Him”. The Holy Ghost is given to them that will obey Him. Look again at John 14:
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
John 14:15-18
Look at the sequence:
- If you love me, keep my commandments: That is, SHOW me you love me, by ACTING out your love, by DOING something. Not by pleasant thoughts and feelings which is passive, but by ACTIVE OBEDIENCE to my words.
- Then, I will pray the Father: I will request from the Father. Upon fulfilling YOUR part, I will fulfill mine.
- The Father will send you another Comforter. The Father ALWAYS listens to the Son, because the Son is well-pleasing to the Father. The Father delights in the Son and does whatever the Son asks. If you are ever worried that maybe God doesn’t answer YOUR prayers, do you think God ever ignores the prayers of His ONLY SON?
- The Comforter dwells WITH YOU and shall BE IN YOU. Jesus said the disciples already knew the Comforter. That He dwells WITH THEM. PRESENT TENSE. How was the Comforter with them? He was with them because He was IN Jesus! We know this, from Isaiah 11. But He was also with them because they were already walking in repentance. They had all entered the first baptism. This point is critical. When we turn to God in repentance, confessing and forsaking our sin, the Spirit of God dwells WITH us. How? Our spirits have access to His Spirit. What does this mean? This means, now God will begin to pay attention to our prayers. Now this doesn’t mean that God doesn’t hear the prayers of the unrepentant sinner. He does. But while His benevolence covers all, both the sinner and the saved:
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 5:43-45
However, while His benevolence covers all of mankind including the wicked, He cannot pay attention to the SPECIFIC prayers of the wicked:
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.
26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: but the words of the pure are pleasant words.
29 The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
Proverbs 15:8-9,26,29
Nevertheless, the benevolence of God extends to all mankind to continue to extend their life and bless them despite themselves, despite their stubbornness and foolhardiness, He extends His long-suffering to us all. For this reason, the psalmist says:
1 {A Psalm of Asaph.} Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. 2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. 3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. 5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. 6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. 7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. 8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. 9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. 10 Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. 11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? 12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
Psalm 73:1-12
The psalmist was envious at the prosperity of the wicked. And because the wicked prosper, they wonder if there is any God at all. Afterall, if there really is a God, why doesn’t He smite them? So, they set their mouths against the heavens, and they are prideful. And declare that God cannot exist! Yet scripture tells us why God permits wickedness to flourish in the earth:
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:911 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Ezekiel 33:11
Since God loves us so much, He still blesses us even while we are His enemies, even to the point of sending us the greatest blessing of all. The gift of His Son:
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:7-8
The unrepentant however, ignore the benevolence of God, ignore the blessing of rain and sun, air to breathe and all so-called “blessings” are as far as they are concerned, expected or product of their own cunning and craftiness. They are blind to all the goodness around them. Instead, they attribute these blessings to “mother nature”. They also deny the ultimate gift and demonstration of His love towards us: the gift of Jesus, calling it a fairy tale and a bedtime story fit only for children and lump it in the same category as Santa Claus and the Easter bunny. They then determine that only on a specific point will they believe; if God would do a specific thing for them, only then would they believe that He exists. They said the same to Jesus while He hung on the cross. Despite all the miracles: The blind saw, the lame walked, the deaf heard, demons cast out, feeding of five thousand with five loaves and two fish, feeding of the four thousand, the paralyzed completely healed, the dead being raised to life. Despite the myriad of miracles that they had both heard of and witnessed with their very eyes, they remained hard-hearted.
32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. 33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. 34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. 36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, 37 And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Luke 23: 32-43
The people had witnessed all the goodness of Jesus in performing all the miracles that He did, not charging money but preaching repentance toward God. But unyielding as they were, they chose this very moment to prove that Christ was who He said He was. “Save yourself and save us!” they jeered. If you are truly the Christ. The natural man is motivated by self-preservation. We work for this, procreate for this, go to school, go to work, fight in wars for self-preservation and self-aggrandizement. Me! Me! Me! I! I! I!
So, it is almost impossible for the natural man to understand goodness for goodness’ sake. They witnessed the miracle and fully expected that Jesus would save Himself from the suffering of the cross. If they were in His shoes, they would surely deliver themselves from such a fate! Why would He permit Himself to die, if He really is the Son of God that He claims? Unless He is a liar! But no other prophet has ever performed such miracles as He has done. Not Moses and not Elijah, they rationalize…but if He is really who He says He is, why can’t He save himself they further argue, discarding the: “Why WON’T He save himself?”, for the more rational (to their mind) “Why CAN’T He save himself” Going round and round in circles, and so remain unsaved and ultimately doomed. But God doesn’t respect any specific prayers of the wicked. The whole of creation testifies of His goodness far greater than the petty things they decide to hinge their faith on, that it is an insult to Him to give Him this condition. The sheer arrogance of man!
Of course, we tend to think of ourselves as good, because we judge ourselves by the standards of men and the standards of this world, rather than God’s standard. In case you have forgotten, I will quote again some verses that show you God’s standard:
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
Isaiah 64:6-7
So, it’s not uncommon to hear some unrepentant person saying things such as: When did God ever answer your prayer? There is no God! And such things. Well, think about it for a second. If your child is literarily in open rebellion against you, will not do anything you say, but will rather do everything you don’t say, you still provide for the child, because you after all still love the child and don’t want them to die. You still provide a roof over their head, you still seek counselling for the child and try to discipline the child as best you can, but if the child persists in being a reprobate and will simply not listen despite your best efforts, how much obliged will you be to catering to every whim of the child? What about someone who is lawless in society? A lawless person in society would most likely be imprisoned or get the gas chamber or locked up for life rather than have their every whim catered to, would they not?
But you see, the problem is we think we’re good enough and that God must be evil for not listening to our petitions, or that He must be deaf or simply doesn’t exist. All the above delusions stem from ignorance of whom God is. We know who He is, not by our “expectation” or by our “imagination” of who He is, but rather, by what His word says about Him.
Isaiah 64 states that all OUR righteousness are as filthy rags before Him, we are all as an unclean thing and are iniquities separate us from Him and He hides His face from us. In Proverbs 15, all the sacrifices, thoughts, ways, and prayers of the unrepentant are abominable in His sight!! And for those of you who are reading this who imagine that these verses don’t apply to you, that you are a GOOD person, look at this:
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Matthew 19:16-17
Even the Lord Jesus rejected being called good by men. Why? Was it because He wasn’t good? No, but rather because He came as a man in the form of flesh. So, no matter how good you are, don’t get prideful into thinking you are good. Understand that God is the very definition and standard of goodness and humble yourself, walking in this humility before Him. One more passage. Look at what Isaiah said when He saw the glory of God:
1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Isaiah 6:1-6
Do you think you are better than Isaiah the prophet who God revealed Himself to? To get back to the point. When we turn to God, He turns to us! Once we confess and forsake our sin and turn to Him in repentance, He in turn turns to us!!
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
James 4:8
Why must we first turn to Him? Because He is so Holy! Look again at Isaiah 6. He used the words: Woe is me! I am undone!! He realized that He was in the presence of INFINITE Holiness. He understood what an unclean thing he was in the presence of One so holy and pure; it absolutely terrified him!
However, there is good news, first we confess and forsake our sins in walking in repentance towards God. This is what James calls the cleansing of our hands. This is the first baptism, as we already discussed. And this is what the Lord meant when He said: The Comforter dwells with you. Because not only did they have clean hands, but they also had clean feet:
2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him; 3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; 4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. 11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
John 13:2-11
In this we see two things that arise: Our part: The cleansing of our hands: Which signifies the cleansing of our ways before Him, in confession, forsaking and walking in repentance before Him, which is the first baptism. Once we have done our part, He does His part: He washes our feet! How? By the blood which was shed upon the cross. And this is the part that the “good” of this world are missing. All their best efforts at goodness can scarcely wash their hands, because their repentance may not be true. It may not be repentance toward God, in first acknowledging their sin before Him, confessing, and forsaking such and walking in repentance before Him. But let’s say for the sake of argument, that their hands are cleansed. How are they going to get their feet washed since they have no FAITH in the sacrificial death of Jesus? It is this faith that APPLIES the blood of the Lamb to all our past sins AND all our ACCIDENTAL future sin. I say accidental, because if we begin to sin willfully, we must go back and wash our hands again and be cleansed again of the willful sin.
Depending on the state of the heart (WILL) of the believer, and how ensnared they are to some sin or the other, some Christians never leave this place of continuous repentance; they never progress beyond the first baptism. Why? Because they keep falling back into their sins. When I say the state of the heart or will, I don’t mean the self-control of the believer. I mean that the believer who trusts in his strength to overcome temptation to sin will utterly fail. Rather than rely on willpower or strength, they must first do all they physically can to “kill” the SOURCE of the offence and then begin to pray earnestly to God for strength to run from such sins. This is what it means to flee every appearance of evil. But this is such a huge topic, I cannot cover it here, but will cover it in another book, God willing.
Suffice it to say, once we walk in repentance, we cleanse our hands. This leads the Lord to play His part and cleanse our feet of past and accidental sin. So, He said in verse 10: “He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit” So, only the washing of the feet remains which the Christian walking in repentance gets by virtue of their faith in the sacrificial death of the Lord. And this cleansing qualifies us to have the Spirit dwell with us. And in this way, all true believers receive the Holy Spirit.
However, the Lord goes on to say, the Comforter shall be IN YOU. And this right here, is the promise of the Father. Not that the Comforter shall be WITH us, but that He will be IN us. This is the desire of the Father:
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Ezekiel 36:24-27
The desire of the Lord is to put His Spirit within us, to dwell not with us, but IN us. The Spirit comes within us, when we have new hearts. This is not referring to a physical organ. Rather, it refers to the will, or the bent or the predilection. In the past we loved that which the Lord hated. We loved sin, to various degrees, from the “good” among us, to the “bad” among us. We all have sinned and come short of His glory. But a new heart is one whose eye is single. This is what James refers to:
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
James 4:8
The clean heart is one which ceases from being double-minded, one which is focused solely on the Lord. Whose eyes are following the Master, walking where He walks, following His every word with SINGLE-MINDEDNESS, not double mindedness. In our former life, we walked in accordance with the lusts of this world, the lusts of our eyes, the lusts of our flesh and the pride of life. We walked in wanton disregard to the principles of the kingdom of God, we grudgingly acquiesced to doing what was “good”, not because we loved to do good, but for other reasons: What people will say, our reputation, what we will gain” and so forth. We walked with masks, being someone on the outside but someone else on the inside (in private, when no one was looking). Now, we desire to do His will. We keep our eyes fixed on Him, in SINGLE MINDEDNESS, looking neither to the left nor the right from doing His word. This is the new, clean heart. He gives us this heart, because we strive for it. We get it not by ourselves, but by continually playing our part, by continually seeking Him in His Word, in prayer, in DOING what He says, in filling our minds with thoughts of Him and His word.
This is the heart in which the Spirit of God can dwell. And He will dwell there in measure, depending on how much we yield to Him. God took a portion of the Spirit on Moses and distributed just a portion of His Spirit among seventy (most likely, not equally among them, but in accordance to how much they were yielded to Him), and two of them began to prophesy non-stop. So, you can imagine the measure of the Spirit of God that was on Moses. And in Jesus the Man, was the FULL MEASURE of His Spirit.
21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: 22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: 23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. 24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
Ezekiel 37:21-28
The Lord will take His people from among the heathen. This is referring to all who become followers of the Lamb, His Christ. We shall no longer defile ourselves with idols nor detestable things, nor with transgressions; but He will cleanse us of all sin. He will make a covenant of peace with us, to set His sanctuary in our midst as well as His tabernacle, to be our God and we, His people!
We cross into this place at the point of purification from double mindedness. See James 4:8 again. This purification or sanctification is a result of consecrating ourselves to SERVICE of the King. When a person goes to work, diligent workers are expected to pay attention on the job, work to meet goals, deadlines and so forth. Students are expected to pay attention in class and study the material provided in the curriculum, on which they will be tested continually, culminating in a final examination. What is learnt in the lower grades usually find application in the higher grades (at least for the core subjects like math and reading). Both the student and the worker must be dedicated to their jobs to be of benefit to their organization, be it their employer or their school.
Likewise, in consecration, we provide value to the kingdom of God. The Lord invested heavily in our salvation by His death on the cross; a bloody, gruesome death, not one with pretty pictures of a blond, blue-eyed man with a drop of blood running down His face, but most likely, with what the Lord went through, even His mother would have scarcely recognized Him.
To be eligible to provide this service, one must be qualified. Just like Moses assembled the qualified elders before the Lord, and just like Aaron and his sons were consecrated to the service of the Lord in the work of the tabernacle of congregation. In like manner, we must enter consecration to walk in the service of the Lord.
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15
Some Christians don’t realize that the Lord expects us to be profitable. They want the Lord to be their savior but not their Lord. There is a difference between the two. They want someone to save them from their sins and from an eternal death in hell, but they don’t want to serve Him. They don’t want Him to be their Lord and King. They want something for nothing, to eat their cake and have it. To have Him as Lord and King is to be submitted to Him. To be submitted to Him, is to be submitted to His will, in obedience to His word, to obey and to do His will. Otherwise, how is He our Lord?
46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Luke 6:46-49
Why do you call me Lord and don’t obey me? How am I your Lord? The following verses include a warning from the Lord. Whoever comes to Him, hears Him and DOES what He says is standing on sure foundation which cannot be moved. But whoever DOES NOT OBEY will face ultimate ruin in the end.
Other Christians skirt around what the Lord requires of them and rather than obey willingly, they pick and choose what they will obey. They are looking for that happy medium. Rather than think about how much they can do for the Lord, they think of the Lord like a 401K Plan. What is my minimum contribution to get the company match? How little can I invest while maximizing my return? How little do I need to obey and still obtain eternal life? Put another way, what they are really asking is: How much can I “enjoy” the pleasures of sin and the world and still be admitted into heaven? This is akin to the worker who wonders how much minimum effort they can put in on the job and still receive a paycheck, or the student who wishes to get by with the least amount of studying possible. No, I cannot make any judgements of exactly where the “cut-off” values are but here are some verses that point to the folly of such thinking:
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Revelations 3:14-21
Any lukewarm Christians will be spued out of His mouth. Even if that doesn’t mean eternal damnation, it surely implies disgust at the very least, doesn’t it? Look at verse 19: “…be zealous and REPENT”, verse 21: He that overcomes will sit with Him in His throne as He sits with the Father in His throne. So, will the lukewarm Christian overcome?
- The final point in the sequence is verse 18: I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. What an amazing promise!! Because the Father, the Son and the Spirit are One God, being in the presence of the Spirit or of the Son is to be in the presence of the Father. In obedience, we can enter into the Highest heaven, into the presence of the Creator of ALL THINGS, the Most High God, the Almighty, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Obedience attracts the very best of God. To enter this deeper obedience is through the door of consecration that leads to sanctification and purification. Once our hearts are purified, the Father approves our walk with Him: we can now walk with Him! We are now qualified to stand in His presence and not be consumed; so, He indwells us by His Spirit. This is what it means to be FILLED with the Spirit. This is what Paul meant when he said that he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit with Him.
As discussed earlier, this indwelling or filling is by measure, according to our hearts, our faith and our several abilities. As we walk in greater obedience, we can ask what we will, and it will be granted us! At this point, it is not we that live, but Christ that lives in us. At this point, whatever we bind on earth is bound in heaven! Whatever we loose on earth is loosed in heaven. In other words, whatever we decree on earth shall be decreed in heaven. This is what it is to walk in sonship. This is what it is to walk in the Authority of the Son of the Highest!
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Romans 8:18-22
The whole of creation groans and travails in earnest expectation of the manifestation of the sons of God! The whole of creation is waiting for us to bloom, like a budding flower or a butterfly in the larvae or pupae stage, creation is travailing and groaning and cannot wait for the time when the sons of God will be manifest in the earth.
The sons of God are the new creation of God. They will walk in the authority of God in the earth as one with God, they will not sin as they follow the Spirit wherever He leads, whatever they declare on earth shall become law and the earth and all God’s creatures shall rejoice to see this day!
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Isaiah 55:10-13
This shall surely come to pass, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it! And His word shall not return to Him void but shall accomplish and prosper to do as the Lord pleases! Will you begin to walk in consecration before Him? You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain. What price will you pay to be seated in the throne of Christ? What price will you pay to be an overcomer? Or will you subject yourself to the weak and beggarly elements of this life? Or pursue only temporal things, whilst neglecting the eternal? I pray that all reading this make the wisest choice in Jesus’ name. Amen!
Summary
God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him, may have Life – eternal, abundant life, above sickness and disease – a life of fullness and riches and every good thing. A life with Him. It has been the desire of God, since He created man from the dust of the earth, to live with this man that He created. People wonder what the meaning of life is. They get jaded with the ups and downs and disappointments of this world. Why? Because God has put it into the heart of man to seek for the something more. This something more cannot be found in the pleasures of life. According to biblical record, King Solomon was the richest man to ever live. He married 300 wives and had 700 concubines. What was his conclusion about life? That vanity, upon vanity, all is vanity.
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? 4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. 5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. 6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. 7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. 8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-9
And so, many of us come to realize that more money or more friends, or more of the pleasures of this life are but a distraction, a numbing of the longing of our hearts for something more. So, man has devised all kinds of entertainment, travel, pleasure, food, fiction and so on and so forth, to distract him and try to find some meaning in it all. But deep down, in the quiet, when you are alone, you know that it is all meaningless. Nothing can satisfy. Like Solomon said, the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full, neither are the eyes satisfied with seeing, nor the ears with hearing. Due to this need for the something more, man has sought for meaning also in religion, looking for the source of our being. Hence, religions have proliferated across the millennia, all forms of religious worship, from superstition to worship of angels and demons, to the worship of the gods, to the search for the one true God.
God Himself, who created man, devised this longing into the heart of man so that man may seek Him and long for Him, just as He longs for man. Man was created to replace a being in the world, who God loved dearly. Who was that being? He was called Lucifer. Of all the angels of God, Lucifer was the only anointed cherub. Anointed, by the Spirit of God, to walk in and know the secret things of God, to dwell in the secret place. Until iniquity was found in him.
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? 18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. 19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. 20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. 21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
Isaiah 14:12-21
What was Lucifer’s sin? Pride. He grew prideful by virtue of his beauty. The angels of God were in awe of him and began to bow down to him because the Presence of God, the Glory of the Most High was upon him, they thought they were in the presence of God Himself. And so, pride came into his heart. He wanted to be like God, to sit upon the mountain of congregation, in the sides of the north, his throne exalted above the stars of God.
But there can be only one God. He alone is worthy of ALL worship and praise. And He will not share His glory with anyone else. He ALONE is God. All other gods are false, CREATED beings. He ALONE is God. Every other deity is a creation of God!
8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Isaiah 42:8
Yet God so loved Lucifer, that He instructed Ezekiel the prophet to raise a lamentation for him!
11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
Ezekiel 28:11-19
Lucifer was the epitome of beauty! Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, he sealed up the sum!! Every precious stone was his covering! He was the anointed cherub that walked in the mountain of God. This is the highest heaven where God alone dwells! He walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire, and he was perfect till iniquity was found in him, by reason of his beauty and brightness. Read the above verses in Ezekiel over and over and hear the mourning of God’s heart for Lucifer.
To assuage His grief, God decided to replace Lucifer with another creation. But instead of a being of power, a being of light, he was going to choose the very substance Lucifer would tread upon. The very dust of the earth to form this new creature.
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29
So, to shame him, God chose to set His love upon man whom He created. A weak, foolish being to confound the strong and the wise and the mighty, a being created from the dust of the earth which he trod, a base, despicable thing, God has chosen!
God wants us to walk with Him, in the very place Lucifer once walked, in the secret place, in His mountain. That we will have the same beauty, the same perfection. But we must choose it. So, He did the unthinkable to demonstrate His love for us. He gave us His Son to die for our sins, to reconcile us to Himself.
To obtain this redemption, this deliverance and purging of our sins, we must believe that God loves us. All the mayhem on this earth is not caused by Him, but by Satan, the devil, formerly known as Lucifer, who hates us with a pure hatred; because he knows that we are to be his replacement. He goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He is the tempter. He came to the first couple and tempted them with disobedience. Why does God allow it? Because He is a patient, long-suffering God! Unlike man and every other creature who will not hesitate to kill their enemies, it grieves God when the wicked perish. It grieved Him to banish Lucifer from His mountain.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:8-9
The Father’s desire is that all of humanity should come to repentance. Willingly. So, He is long-suffering, but He will by no means spare the guilty. Who are the guilty? All who fail to repent. No one knows when their time is up. How many people sleep and don’t wake up? How many people get sick and die? How many people die in car accidents? Every single day, hundreds of thousands check out of this world, and no one knows when their time is up. Why will you assume you will be here tomorrow?
1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
Proverbs 27:1
Why do we assume we will all grow old and die? Don’t we know people who have already died? Some younger than us? Today is the day of salvation!
1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
2 Corinthians 6:1-27 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
Hebrews 3:7-15
God’s plan of salvation is simple. Believe upon His Christ, His anointed One, His Only begotten Son. Hear Him! That your sins may be forgiven. All good deeds can never erase past sin; not until the Son is acknowledged as Lord, to the glory of the Father! Whoever rejects the blood of Christ that was shed is telling God: Oh, You didn’t need to make this sacrifice. It was quite foolish really…I can do good all by myself and make it into heaven without your help.” That is what all who reject this gift are saying. That God wasted His time, that He didn’t know any better. Now, peradventure, there are one or two persons who can be holy enough to enter heaven without Christ, maybe they are some monks, who live on the top of the Himalayas and do nothing but fast and pray all day, is this you? Will you risk it? Why will you set your own rules and say you will enter the house of the King of Kings without the proper entry papers? Does anyone enter a foreign country without a visa? Without a passport? If there is the provision of a visa, an approved means of entry, why will you choose to get your own documentation? Why will you reject the approved way? Why will you take that risk?
1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
Matthew 22:1-14
In this story, we see that a man attended the wedding feast without the proper apparel. Jesus started this story with: The kingdom of heaven is like…meaning this pertains to heaven. Initially the king invites a certain group of people. Those who are typically invited to wedding feats would include close friends and kinsmen. Yet all these had excuses. They all had more important things to do: One went to his farm, another to his merchandise, others still, beat up the messengers of the king who invited them. Then the king turns and invites any who will; all are invited and of those who came, one was without the approved clothing. When asked why, verse 12 tells us that he was speechless. Why? Because he was without excuse. The result, he was bound hand and foot by the servants and cast into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Such a person received punishment.
Heaven is not a place one enters illegally. You cannot jump a fence, or wade in some water and get in. You cannot falsify any papers to get in. And if peradventure you happen to fool the keepers of the gates (because the servants of the king should have turned the man away, who wasn’t properly dressed, but for some reason he wasn’t turned away), there is no fooling God.
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Hebrews 4:12-14