“ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION” (I Thessalonians 4: 1-10)
Sheridan Church of the Nazarene: Sunday Morning, November 11, 2001
George E. Crumbly
TURN TO I THESSALONIANS 4
The meat of the Holiness message is Sanctification. We believe in the doctrine of Entire Sanctification. Sanctification is an English word used to express a concept that occurs throughout the Bible. The Hebrew qadosh occurs in different forms 830 times in the Old Testament. As a noun or adjective it is most frequently translated “holy” or “holiness”, while
Its verb forms are usually translated “sanctify”.
(A Holy God). The concept of sanctification has its roots in the nature of God who is entirely separate from His people. Thus people or objects which are given over to God’s service must be used for Him alone….. People that are devoted to God are referred to as
“SANCTIFIED”
I Thessalonians 4: verses 1-12
Here Paul was dealing with people that just come out of Heathendom. To them this was a very new & different lifestyle…..(I know the feeling, this Christianity thing was brand new for me, I had no idea of how I was suppose to live) Paul was teaching them not to please themselves, but to PLEASE GOD!!!! As long as you Please God, you’ll never go wrong!
(It’s hard to get folks to see faults in their own lives….I believe a lot of times the reason folks run each other down because it makes them feel important, too many can’t go on their own living, they have to just be better than the next one…)
Also, this commandment of this new way of life were not from the Apostle Paul, but from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself! This new walk was marked by “Purity” & by “Brotherly Love”.
God calls ALL BELIEVERS to Holiness…
(EHP. 1:4) “ According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in Love.”
Even before the Creation of this world, God chose that all those that believe in Him should be Holy…(This is not just some Nazarene thing, it’s a Jesus thing) HOLY : refers to the inner Spiritual quality without blame to the outer life…. (Jesus tells us that if we will clean the inside of the cup that the outside will take care of itself)
Uncle Buddy Robinson said that you can’t clean up the outside until the inside is clean!!!
(MATT3:11) “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire;”
Jesus would cleanse His followers from sin and then give them the power over sin! Jesus came that we might be saved from sin…..then that we might live the Holy lifestyle! We receive this power thru the Infilling of the Holy Spirit .
The Disciple genuinely believed in Christ before Pentecost, yet they needed the infilling of the Holy Spirit before they could experience all that God had for them… Thus God’s
plan to EQUIP His people for Holy Living is not complete until we are sanctified completely by seeking and experiencing a personal filling with the Holy Spirit.
You see, God begins His work of Sanctification when we are converted. The first thing to being Spirit-Filled is to be converted! (We got to get folks saved) Too many religious folks out there today, thinking they are saved when they haven’t changed!!
(Ro. 8:9) “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.”
Wesley Bible Commentary: “to live according to the desires of the flesh results in spiritual death. While all Christians have the Spirit, those filled with the Spirit have been released from the flesh. Although it is not Gods plan, some Christians are still carnal and
Struggle with the presence of fleshly desires.”
Paul also says in Romans that those that are in the flesh cannot please God!!! The Transformation that takes place when we are saved is called “Initial Sanctification” This
Second work of Grace thru Faith is called Entire Sanctification. This cleanses the TWO-FOLD nature of sin:
1. The sin that I committed and
2. The nature that causes me to want to sin……
Turn to Colossians 3: verses 5-17
Paul urges those at Colosse to a further radical surrender to God. Paul is showing here in a practical way what it means to be dead to the world and risen with Christ! To put off the old man and to put on the new man!!!
Paul lists the attitudes and actions of the Old Life that must be PUT OFF…..Then he also list the deeds & attitudes of the new life that must be PUT ON!!!
Sanctification perfects the believer in Love and EMPOWERS him for effective service!
God needs folks to get out of the mire of self-pity and bad attitudes and GET IT TOGETHER for effective service for Him….. We have that Perfect Love in our hearts….
I Corinthians 13: verses 4-8
WE need to be Saved….To have a Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ….This will cause us to be a different person…a new creature….
We need to be Sanctified. To be filled with the Holy Spirit….to be Cleansed….to totally surrender our EVERYTHING to the Service of the Lord!!
Evidence of being Filled with the Spirit is to “Bear the Fruits of the Spirit.” (Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance) It’s too easy to“Entire Sanctification.”
just say “I’m Sanctified”, when if you are truly Spirit-Filled, you will bear the Fruit of the Spirit.
ALTAR:
Today, where are you with the Lord? Do you have a ‘Sweet Spirit’ or a ‘Mean Spirit?’ Are you Saved? If so, have you been Sanctified? Do you need a fresh touch from the Lord?
* * * Romans 12: verses 1-2 * * *
It’s God’s Will for you & me to be Holy……..Are you in His Will today???
