“Sanctification”
November 14, 2008
“Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. “ 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
A man once bought a home with a tree in the backyard. It was winter, and nothing marked this tree as different from any other tree. When spring came, the tree grew leaves and tiny pink buds. "How wonderful," thought the man, "A flower tree! I will enjoy its beauty all summer." But before he had time to enjoy the flowers, the wind began to blow and soon all the petals were blown in the yard. "What a mess," he thought. "This tree isn’t any use after all." The summer passed, and one day the man noticed the tree was full of green fruit the size of large nuts. He picked one and took a bite. "Bleagh!" he cried and threw it to the ground. "What a horrible taste! This tree is worthless. Its flowers are so fragile the wind blows them away, and its fruit is terrible and bitter. When winter comes, I’m cutting it down. But the tree took no notice of the man and continued to draw water from the ground and warmth from the sun and in late fall produced crisp red apples.
Some of us see Christians with their early blossoms of happiness and think they should be that way forever. Or we see bitterness in their lives, and wonder if they are even saved. We’re sure they will never bear the better fruit of joy. Could it be that we forget some of the best fruit ripens late?
I love our Scripture because it clearly tells us what God’s will is. We don’t have to guess. We don’t have to wonder. We don’t have to read between the lines. The Scripture comes out boldly and clearly and says:
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified” 1 Thessalonians 4:3
But what does that mean? How does that happen? What is this experience? First, I think we need to understand the word. The dictionary says:
“To sanctify is literally “to set apart for special use or purpose,” figuratively “to make holy or sacred,” and etymologically from the Latin verb sanctificare which in turn is from sanctus “holy” and facere “to make.”
In other words, sanctification is to make holy. Listen to what our Nazarene Manual says about it.
X. Entire Sanctification
13. We believe that entire sanctification is that act of God, subsequent to regeneration, by which believers are made free from original sin, or depravity, and brought into a state of entire devotement to God, and the holy obedience of love made perfect. It is wrought by the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and comprehends in one experience the cleansing of the heart from sin and the abiding, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, empowering the believer for life and service. Entire sanctification is provided by the blood of Jesus, is wrought instantaneously by faith, preceded by entire consecration;
and to this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness.
This experience is also known by various terms representing its different phases, such as “Christian perfection,” “perfect love,” “heart purity,” “the baptism with the Holy Spirit,” “the fullness of the blessing,” and “Christian holiness.”
14. We believe that there is a marked distinction between a pure heart and a mature character. The former is obtained in an instant, the result of entire sanctification; the latter is the result of growth in grace. We believe that the grace of entire sanctification includes the impulse to grow in grace. However, this impulse must be consciously nurtured, and careful attention given to the requisites and processes of spiritual development and improvement in Christlikeness of character and personality. Without such purposeful endeavor, one’s witness may be impaired and the grace itself frustrated and ultimately lost. (2005-2009 Manual of the Church of the Nazarene)
The first thing we need to understand about ‘entire sanctification’ is that it is for believers. It is after we are saved. It is ‘subsequent’ or ‘after’ regeneration. In our Scripture Paul was writing to a people who were living a life pleasing to God – but he urges them to do this more and more. He says,
“…we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.” V1
Sanctification is for the Christian who is not just trying to get by spiritually – but who wants to please God in every way and be all he can be for the Lord.
C.S. Lewis said: When I was a child, I often had a toothache, and I knew that if I went to my mother, she would give me something which would deaden the pain for that night and let me get to sleep. But I did not go to my mother--at least not till the pain became very bad. And the reason I did not go was this: I did not doubt she would give me the aspirin; but I knew she would also do something else. I knew she would take me to the dentist the next morning. I could not get what I wanted out of her without getting something more, which I did not want. I wanted immediate relief from my pain; but I could not get it without having my teeth set permanently right. And I knew those dentists; I knew they would start fiddling about with all sorts of other teeth which had not yet begun to ache. Our Lord is like the dentists. Dozens of people go to him to be cured of some particular sin. Well, he will cure it all right, but he will not stop there. That may be all you asked; but if you once call him in, he will give you the full treatment.
It is God’s will that you be sanctified. First you have to be saved. Secondly, you have to be willing to surrender your will completely, entirely, wholly, to God. Your spirit needs to be as Jesus was in the garden, when he prayed “not MY will – but YOURS be done.
D.L Moody said, "I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled."
Sanctification is a mysterious word to many. We know it is part of the work that God is doing in our lives and that involves being cleansed from sin. I like the illustration of sanctification being like a cast iron skillet. A lot of modern day skillets and frying pans are coated with Teflon, but I always ruin these by forgetting and using metal utensils or burning them up on the stove. Quite a few years ago, I began cooking with a cast iron skillet that I bought at a yard sale. It was blackened from use, but I quickly discovered that it was well-”seasoned”. It was nearly impossible to get food to stick to it. It just worked great. Soon, I was talking to older folks who grew up using cast-iron cookware and discovered that they all had a special secret. A properly broken-in skillet must be continually prepared for the next occasion it will be used. As soon as the meal is completed and the pan is cooled off, it must be washed. Then, it is placed back on the stove and dried with the fire. Then, it is wiped down with cooking oil and set aside, ready to use for the next meal.
How is that like sanctification? First, God must cleanse us from sin. Then, he heats us in the crucible of experience. Finally, he anoints us with his Holy Spirit and we are finally prepared to fully serve Him. Sanctification is more than being cleansed. It is being cleansed AND prepared for God’s service.
I think the process is that God first, breaks our will, then purifies and cleanses us, then He is able to fill us with Himself. Until our wills are broken, He can not use us as He desires. He can not produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives as He wants to. Maybe this explains why some Christians always seem to produce the wrong fruit in their lives. God is still not ‘completely’ in control. Maybe occasionally. Maybe even most of the time. But we are not what God wants us to be until we are ENTIRELY surrendered to Him.
A few years ago Paul Harvey wrote in Guidepost Magazine about his baptism. He said that even though he had received almost every reward for his broadcasting powers and ability, he still felt empty inside. Well, one summer he and his wife were vacationing in a place called Cave Creek, AZ. Sunday morning came and they decided to go to church. So they went to this little church, and there were only 12 other people present. But there was a good spirit about that place, and for some reason he began thinking about John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
He said, "I liked that ‘everlasting life’ part, and I believed in Jesus, but I had never gone forward in a church service. I remembered one night praying in my hotel room and asking Jesus to come into my heart, but I felt that there was still something that was missing." He said that the preacher got up and announced that his sermon was going to be about baptism. Paul Harvey said, "I yawned. But as he started talking about it I found myself interested. He talked about the symbolism behind it, and how it symbolized the complete surrender of one’s life to Jesus Christ, and how there was nothing really magic in the water. But there was this cleansing inside that took place when you yielded yourself to Jesus."
"Finally, when he came to the end of his sermon he said, ‘If any of you have not been baptized in this way, I invite you to come forward and join me here at the pulpit.’"
Paul Harvey said, "To my surprise, I found myself going forward. The preacher had said there was nothing magic in the water. Yet as I descended into the depths and rose again I knew something life changing had happened - a cleansing inside out. No longer did there seem to be two uncertain contradictory Paul Harvey’s - just one immensely happy one. I felt the fulfilling surge of the Holy Spirit in my life.” Paul Harvey went on, "The change this simple act made in my life is so immense as to be indescribable. Since totally yielding to Him in that act of baptism, my heart can’t stop singing. Also, perhaps because baptism is such a public act and because one’s dignity gets as drenched as one’s body, I discovered a new unself-consciousness in talking about my beliefs." He closed with these words, "The other evening when on a speaking trip I was flying over west Texas and looking at the beautiful sunset. My heart swelled with joy in my new surrender and I thought, ‘How wonderful, we have all this and heaven, too.’"
I think what Paul Harvey experienced was what we call entire sanctification. Even when you are saved, you know there is something missing. You don’t have complete victory – until you humble yourself, body and soul - and surrender completely to God. Oh, you aren’t perfect. It’s just the start. But now, instead of your will competing with God’s will, the battle is over and you’ve surrendered. The result of the act of sanctification is a holy heart. You may make mistakes and do the wrong thing occasionally, you may say the wrong thing at times -but your heart’s intent is only for good. It is pure. It is holy.
The last thing I’ll say about this experience is that it is preceded by entire consecration. In other words, you have to surrender every bit of your selfish will, past, present and future – to God. You lay yourself on God’s alter and sacrifice everything to Him. Let Him crush your will. Let Him kill the old man of sin. Let Him purify you and cleanse you. And when He does, a new you will emerge. A new you that is fully given to God. A new you that desires God’s will in every area of your life. Obedience is not a problem – it is a joy. Producing the fruit of the Spirit isn’t difficult – it is a natural result of the Spirit being in control. And you life will take on a new love; a new joy, a new peace that you never imagined.
Have you surrendered your will completely? Now is a good time to do that.
