Sanctification

It’s good to be with you again, as we continue with our vitally important theme: How to Overcome Evil.

In our previous studies on this theme we’ve come to see ourselves, as Christians, involved in a tremendous conflict that spans the whole universe from heaven to earth - the conflict between God and the forces of good on the one hand, and on the other hand, Satan and the forces of evil. We’ve seen Satan as the enemy, the adversary, the resister, the one who opposes God, his purposes, and his people, who rules over a kingdom in the spirit world of fallen, rebellious angels and does everything that he is able to do against the people of God to frustrate us, to harm us, and actually to destroy us. In the light of this revelation from scripture, we could easily become fearful or discouraged unless the scripture had also provided us with an unshakeable basis for courage and for strong confidence. So let me give you just briefly some of the scriptures which are there to counterbalance this picture of evil and show us how we are designed to be victors and how we have all that is needed for victory supplied to us by God.

First of all, in 2nd Corinthians 10:4 and 5:

“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, [they’re not physical, they’re not material] but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”

Our weapons are spiritual weapons supplied by God, are divinely powerful. Literally they’re powerful through God. In other words, as we operate these weapons that God has given us in faith and in dependence upon God, the very power of God Himself is available to us through these weapons. So these weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses, that is, Satan’s fortresses. Notice we are not on the defensive; we’re not wondering where Satan is going to strike us next, but we are moving out on the attack. We’re moving out against Satan’s fortresses to destroy them with these spiritual weapons that we have been talking about this week. And then Paul goes on in the next verse:

“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God...” (NASB)

Everything that opposes God’s knowledge, God’s purposes, God’s people, wherever Satan has raised up a fortress, it’s our responsibility in God, with the weapons that God has supplied us with, to come against these things and to destroy them. We must not remain passive. We must not remain on the defensive. We’ve got to realize who we are in God, what God has supplied us with, and then move out actively in faith to attack. You might say, “Well, I’m so weak; I’m so unworthy.” Well, be careful how you use those words because sometimes the devil puts those words in your mouth. In a certain sense it’s true; you are weak, but then let me read these words of Paul. In 1st Corinthians 1:27 and 28:

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong. And the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are.” (NASB)

So we could say, “Well I’m so foolish, or I’m so weak, or I’m so unworthy.” In a certain sense that’s true. But remember, that in His infinite wisdom, God has chosen people of that kind, people just like you and me to overthrow the things that are, and that is primarily Satan’s kingdom. Our confidence, you see, is not in ourselves, but in our weapons, and you remember the three weapons that we’ve been specifically speaking about, the blood of Jesus, the Word of God, and our testimony, and we’ve applied that this way: We overcome Satan when we testify personally to what the Word of God says, that the blood of Jesus does for us.

I’m going to go on repeating that statement this week so many times that you’ll be able to say it in your sleep because it’s got to become part of your thinking, even when you’re not consciously on your guard or consciously being spiritual, you’ve got to have this attitude deeply ingrained in you. We overcome Satan when we testify personally to what the Word of God says, that the blood of Jesus does for us.

Today I’m going to share with you on yet another wonderful provision: sanctification.

Now again, sanctification is a kind of technical word in the New Testament. It’s from a Latin root and it’s rather a long word and it frightens some people. But let me explain very simply without going into too many details, to sanctify means to make holy. In the original language the word “sanctify” is directly related to the word “holy,” and to make holy means to set something or someone apart to God. A holy person is someone who is set apart to God. Now let’s see what scripture says about how we are sanctified through the blood of Jesus. Hebrews 13:12 is one sufficient verse.

“Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.” (NASB)

In other words, He was crucified outside the city. Why did he do that? That he might sanctify the people through His own blood. In other words, through the blood of Jesus, we are sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.

I want to show you again, from the pattern of the Passover, which was where we started this whole series, how the blood of the Passover lamb had this effect for Israel. It sanctified them. It set them apart to God in a specific way. I want to read two passages from the Book of Exodus that bring this out. First of all, Exodus 11, verses 4 through 7:

“So Moses said to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I [the Lord] will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharoah, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt, worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’” (NIV)

That’s the key phrase, “The Lord makes a distinction between His people and those who are not His people,” so that wrath and judgement come upon those that are not God’s people, but God’s people are so totally protected that not even a dog will bark against them. And then we see that the basis of this distinction, this separation, was the blood of the Passover lamb. Let’s read that passage once more to bring it out. Exodus 12, verses 21 through 23:

“Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, ‘Go at once and select the animals for your familes and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop, [you remember that our hyssop is our testimony that transfers the blood where we need it] Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. Not one of you shall go out the door of his house until morning. When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top andsides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, [that word ‘pass over’ in Hebrew is the word for Passover. That’s why it’s called Passover, because the Lord passses over the house on which the blood is.] and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.’” (NIV)

So you see the separation between Israel and Egypt was made by the blood of the lamb when it was displayed on the outside of their homes. Any home that had the blood on the outside was sanctified. It was set apart to God. No evil power could get into that home because the Lord had made a distinction between his people and those who were not his people. The distinction was made by the applied blood of the lamb.

Now I’m going back to that verse in Hebrews 13:12 that says exactly how the blood of Jesus sanctifies us.

“Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.” (NASB)

To sanctify, to make holy, to set apart to God. So, through His death and through His shed blood, Jesus sanctified us, made us holy, set us apart to God.

Now, let’s give the application just as we’ve done with the others. We’re going to state the appropriate testimony. It goes like this: “Through the blood of Jesus I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.” I’d like you to repeat that after me for your own great blessing and good. I don’t want to just have all the blessing; I want to share with each one of you, my listeners. I’m getting so blessed. I want you to be blessed. So I’m going to say those words now, phrase by phrase. You say them after me. “Through the blood of Jesus I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.” Why don’t you say that once more. I’m sure many of you’ve had awful problems about feeling that you’d never be holy no matter how hard you tried. See, just take the hyssop of your testimony, dip it in the blood, and it will do its work. Say it again after me. “Through the blood of Jesus I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.” Now you can go on with the consequences. For instance, I often say these words, “The devil has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me; all has been settled by the blood of Jesus.” Would you like to try and say that quickly before we end? “The devil has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me; all has been settled by the blood of Jesus. Through the blood I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.”

Well, our time is up for today. I’ll be back with you again tomorrow at this time. Tomorrow I’ll be speaking about another wonderful provision that has been made for us by the blood of Jesus.