How You May Sanctify Yourself

D

docs Jun 12, 2016

I wanted to add this to the other thread regarding sanctification but it is already a little crowded yet that's no problem if many want to comment and the discussion is good. So this is meant perhaps to help out and add to that conversation. I know I need to walk in sanctification but HOW do I do that?

The Pattern of Jesus

God sanctified and set apart the Son and sent Him into the world for a special task - John 10:36

Jesus sanctified Himself by setting Himself apart to the task ”“ John 17:19. He acknowledged God's choice and recognized the task and committed Himself to God the Father first and the task second.

Jesus delighted to do the Father's will ”“ Psalm 40:7-8 compared with Hebrews 10:7. He came to do the Father's will ”“ John 6:38 - and in so doing He revealed the Father ”“ John 14:9 ”“ and glorified the Father.

Jesus sends His disciples each a special task to fulfill ”“ John 17:7-9, 20:21. Disciples CAN SANCTIFY THEMSELVES by acknowledging and setting themselves apart to doing the given task ”“ Hebrews 2:11. Jesus was sanctified and set apart to God by fullfilling the task given Him by the Father. It is the same with His disciples.

Your Response to God Choice

As you delight in God's will you begin to seek to move in His will. Then, whatever we ask of the Father is done ”“ John 15:16. Then, all things begin to work together for our good ”“ Romans 8:28.

God has created us in Christ Jesus for good works ”“ Ephesians 2:10.

Five Phases of Your Response to God's Call

1) Present your body a living sacrifice ”“ Romans 12:1-6; Matthew 23:19.

Then you are renewed in your mind and you no loner think as the world thinks and you accept God's standards. You delight to do God's will ”“ I John 2:15-17. To your renewed mind God gives the measure of faith needed to fulfill the task ”“ Romans 12:3)

2) You find your place and function in the body of Christ ”“ Romans 12:4-5.

3) You begin to exercise gifts appropriate to your calling and God given task to function in ”“ Romans 12:6.

As God's will is progressively revealed to your renewed mind you SHAPE YOUR WHOLE LIFE TO FULFILL GOD'S PURPOSE.

5) You exercise yourself to do God's will ”“ Acts 24:16. You discipline yourself to do God's will ”“ I Cor 9:24-27.

Pattern of an Athlete

1) Negative: Renounces all that hinders the fulfilling of God's purpose ”“ Hebrews 12:1-2.

2) Positive: Cultivates all that helps the fulfillment of God's purpose (the given task) for his life.

3) The neagitive alone with no positive is frustrating.

4) Discover that God has made full provision for all you need to fulfill His purpose ”“ II Peter 1:3-4.

If you have set apart and sanctified yourself to fulfill God's purpose you are walking in SANCTIFICATION and displaying the nature of God's Son.

(From "How You May Sancitfy Yourself" - Derek Prince)

sermonindex Jun 12, 2016

There is no mention of the pure heart in this article.

The setting apart in leaving all things which will hinder sanctification is to be done by us, and the offering of ourselves as a living sacrifice on the altar is to be done by us, but the falling down of the fire upon the altar is a work of God, the fire which purifies us by giving an unsullied heart which will do His will on earth as it is in heaven.

Whether the fire will fall of not, is entirely dependent upon the coming to the end of ourselves, and refusing to continue with the hypercritical life we have lived, acting on the outside as a believer but knowing the rottenness within that we hide from others.

Sanctification is not for the half hearted.

sermonindex Jun 12, 2016

by brenda7 on 2016/6/12 12:15:36
There is no mention of the pure heart in this article.
The setting apart in leaving all things which will hinder sanctification is to be done by us, and the offering of ourselves as a living sacrifice on the altar is to be done by us, but the falling down of the fire upon the altar is a work of God, the fire which purifies us by giving an unsullied heart which will do His will on earth as it is in heaven.
Whether the fire will fall of not, is entirely dependent upon the coming to the end of ourselves, and refusing to continue with the hypocritical life we have lived, acting on the outside as a believer but knowing the rottenness within that we hide from others.
Sanctification is not for the half hearted.

Best, most concise personal "revival" post I have read in a while.

Our lack of repentance prevents the work of God in our lives.

Many examples in the Bible of what God immediately did once His people repented. And, I mean immediately. He is waiting on us to respond to His Word. The question is not, "When is God going to move, but when are we going to?"

D

docs Jun 12, 2016

It seems like if someone has freshly dedicated themselves all out to fulfilling God's will and task given to them that they would have already experienced to a large degree the purifying of their hearts. If they have set themselves renewed dailly and thinking the way God does and not the world and agreeing with God's standards of conduct then it seems a purity of heart would have already been developed even as it continues to develop ”“ sanctified but still being sanctified. Delighting to do God's will above all is purity of heart as people sanctify themselves to do so. Where your treasure is your heart will be also. The fire would have already fallen at some point for them to renounce all that hinders them achieving the will of God and then begin to discipline themselves like an athlete to achieve that end. The fire will have already fallen to some degree I would think.

Renewing Our Minds

How do we develop a pure heart? God’s way to make us pure within is by renewing our minds””by changing the way we think. This is clearly stated in Romans 12:2:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

The command is clear in these words of Paul. We are not to be like the people of the world who do not serve Jesus Christ and do not honor God. We are to be different. We are to be changed. But how does that change occur? We are to be changed””not by outward rules and regulations””but by the renewing of our minds. The change we need has to come from within us. In this Romans 12 passage, Paul tells us that once our minds are renewed, we will be able to prove””that is, to find out from experience””what is good, acceptable and perfect. In essence, we will know what the real will of God is for our lives. Please notice that God’s will is not revealed to the unrenewed mind. It is only the renewed mind which can appreciate and enter into the will of God.

Now for a very important question. How does God’s Word renew our minds? I would suggest that we can think of this renewing process in three stages.

First of all, the Word washes away impurity. It cleanses us from defilement, from impure thoughts, from dirty speech and from evil desires. It washes those characteristics away from us.

Secondly, it changes our values. We begin to operate by different standards. We start to look at things differently. We evaluate issues the way God evaluates them. We begin to call sin, sin””and righteousness, righteousness. We stop being deceived by fancy psychological terms for that which is displeasing to God.

Thirdly, God’s Word, working within us, causes us to identify with God’s purposes. Our motives change. We are no longer primarily concerned with what we want. Instead, our greatest desire becomes what God wants. We identify with God’s purposes being worked out in the earth. In The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to say, "Thy kingdom come”””and this becomes the overriding motive and desire of our lives. Our greatest desire becomes seeing God’s kingdom established on the earth. With this motive so primary in our lives, we cannot help but live differently.

When all these changes have come about in our minds they will be mirrored in changes in our outward behavior. Clearly, God starts the process in our lives by renewing our minds with His Word.

Have you asked the Lord to make these changes in your life? Do you know for sure that you have allowed the Word of God to cleanse and sanctify you””renewing your mind to make His kingdom your greatest priority? If you would like to make certain this has taken place for you, or if you would like to reaffirm your commitment to these principles, please join me in the following prayer.

"Lord Jesus, I want to walk fully in every principle I have discovered afresh through this teaching. I thank You that You have redeemed me by Your blood. Please cleanse me and sanctify me completely through the washing of Your Word. Rescue me from my tendency to pursue religious ways to make myself holy in Your sight. Start Your process in me from within, purifying my heart and then renewing my mind. I open myself up totally to this process, and I commit myself fully again to You and to the establishment of Your kingdom on earth””beginning right now with me. Thank You, Lord””for the work You are doing in me through Your precious Word. Amen."

(Taken from the Derek Prince Legacy Radio series "What God’s Word Will Do For You.”)

J

JFW Jun 12, 2016

Good stuff!

Similar to what I had written in the other thread but better words than mine;)