The Process of Sanctification

For this is the will of God, YOUR Sanctification...1st Thess. 4:3. Sanctification is a progressive work of God AND believers that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in actual lives. Three ways to be sanctified: the word of God, the work of the Holy Spirit, and your personal decision.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

And last week I made the mistake of my life not to come here with a slide. And Coinsola and Stagbemi said I should never it should never happen again.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

So they they warned me don't ever come back here without your slides. So today I stayed up late and I made my slides.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

So today we are going on to sanctification. What is justification? Justification is the legal the legal side of our of our redemption. Yes, the legal side. It is the legal declaration that you are guiltless. It is the legal declaration that what you are what guiltless. You see, justification has two sides, and I said I was going to use this this place today. Sorry, I'm Ryan, if you give me a little bit. Justification has two sides. You see, this is the condition of our hearts. You know, it has all these negatives. Negatives of sin, of you know, the the nature of sin that we have in our hearts. Justification has two parts. First, our sins are forgiven, and we have a blank state. Your sins are taken away, you have a blank state. The second side of justification is that what Jesus' righteousness is now imputed into you. You see. So it is not only that our sins are forgiven, you must also become aware that what righteousness has been imputed. So it is first sins are forgiven. This is forgiveness, and then imputation of righteousness. Imputation of what? Yes, imputation of righteousness. Your sins are forgiven, you have a blanket. But this blanket does not help anybody. This blanket doesn't help anybody. It is when the righteousness of Christ is imputed into you that's when you can actually live the kind of life that God wants you to live. Somebody say amen. And so today we're moving on to sanctification. What is sanctification? What is sanctification? If justification is the legal part of the redemptive work of Christ, sanctification is the active separation from sin and worldliness. Sanctification is what? The active separation from sin and worldliness. Yes, we have been we have been justified. Our sins have been forgiven. The righteousness of Christ has been imputed into us, and that comes with a responsibility. Comes with a responsibility. Comes with a responsibility as we will find out. We don't love the world, it is separation from sin and from worldliness, and it is separation unto God. Some will tell us. They will say sanctification is one separation from sin and also separation unto what? Unto God. Yes, we have to we have to respond to me. Sanctification is a progressive work of God and believers that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in actual lives. If I were you, I will understand that. And sanctification is what? And believers that make us more and more free from sin and like Christ Jesus. Let us read that together. Everybody, look up and let's read that together. Want to go? Sanctification is a progressive work of God and believers that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in actual lives. It is a progressive work. Somebody say progressive. Yes, it is a progressive work. It is a progressive work. And who is doing the work? God and believers. Yes, that's the trick. Who's doing the work? God and believers. Let's look at some important differences between justification and sanctification. What are the two parts of justification? Remind me again. Forgiveness and what imputation of righteousness. Those are the two parts of justification. Forgiveness of sin, then imputation of righteousness. What are the differences between justification and sanctification? Look at look at it here. I think this table gives us a very good idea of the differences between justification and sanctification. Justification is what our legal standing. Sanctification is an internal condition. It's an internal condition. Justification is a legal standing, is something that declares that you are guiltless before the courts of heaven. You are guiltless before the courts of heaven. We said that the shape of the spiritual world last week we said the shape of the spiritual world is first and foremost what legal. The shape of the spiritual world is what? Legal. It's legal. That's why everything God does, that's why God is called a righteous judge. That's why we have an advocate. That's why we have an adversary. That's why we have the accuser of the brethren. Because the shape of the spiritual world is what? So justification is our legal standing in the courts of heaven, which is the highest court there is. Sanctification is an internal condition. Justification is once and for all. Is once and for all. Sanctification is what continues throughout your life. Justification is entirely God's work. Justification is entirely God's work. You have no role to play. You didn't even ask for it. God, by a sovereign act of his will, decided to justify you. I'm so glad. He decided to justify you. You didn't ask for it, you didn't pray for it. He just decided to justify you. But guess what? Your sanctification, you will have to play an active role in it. You would have to cooperate with God in your sanctification. You will have to cooperate with God in your sanctification. Justification is perfect in this life. It is perfect in this life. Sanctification is not perfect in this life. We are all on a journey to sanctification. We are all progressing. You should be progressing in your journey of sanctification. We are all on a journey. You're never perfected. We are only perfected when we see Jesus in glory. Somebody say amen. The same justification is the same for all Christians. Justification is the same for all Christians. The same way you are justified, the same way I was justified. The same way that our Father, the Lord, Pastor Yeah, the way he is justified, the same way I was justified. The same forgiveness of sin, the same imputation of righteousness, because it is not his righteousness, it is the righteousness of Jesus that is impeted into all of us. The same thing, justification, the same for everybody. Guess what? Sanctification is greater in some than in others. When somebody asks you, somebody that is obviously living in sin asks you, ah, um, are you holier than thou? You should tell them yes. I am holier than you. I am holier than you. Why? Because I have taken my own sanctification work seriously. You have not. Don't try to shut people. Try to shut you up and say, Oh, nobody's older than that. No, I am holier than you. I am holier than you. Why? Because I am taking my sanctification work seriously. I have allowed the Spirit of God to do a work. I am cooperating more with the Spirit of God to sanctify me. You are not. So I can tell you that you are not holy, that I'm holier than you. So the next time somebody tries to say, Oh, nobody's no, we are we are all the same, or we're we're we're not, we are, we can't we can't see anything because the try people try to shut us up by seeing all these things. Don't judge, don't I can judge you? I can judge you because you are not taking your sanctification work seriously, you are not cooperating with God to sanctify you. So sanctification is greater in others, in some people than in others. It's not the same, it's not the same. Sanctification is not the same, it's not the same. We are not all sanctified the same because why? And it's this cooperation with God that makes the difference. Cooperation with God that's what makes the difference in your sanctification. Somebody say amen. The process of sanctification, the process of sanctification. What does it look like? This process of sanctification starts at the point of regeneration. Titus chapter 3, verse 5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. So when we give our lives to Christ, the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts and regenerates our human spirit to accommodate the presence of divinity in our hearts. That's the point at which sanctification begins. Once we become born again, we cannot continue to sin as a habit or pattern. Because whoever has been born of God does not sin. For his seed remains in him and he cannot sin because he has been what? Born of God. First John chapter 3, verse 9. When this regeneration happens, the things that you used to make excuses for before, you begin to those things begin to disdain you, they begin to irritate you. That's the first litmus test that you know there's been a regeneration of your human spirit. You know, the people that are not born again, they don't fight with sin, they just live as a way of life. But you that have been born again, there is a disdain, there is a revulsion towards sin and things that don't please God. There is an intrinsic revulsion towards sin. That is the fact that shows the fact that you have been regenerated. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Another another translation says, and of self-control. So you cannot you cannot say no to sin. That's what it means. You cannot say no to sin. You cannot say no to sin. Romans chapter 6, verse 14. Romans chapter 6, open your Bibles. Romans chapter 6 verse 14. For sin shall not be master over you, for sin shall no longer have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but you are under grace. So at the point of regeneration, you cannot say no to sin. Somebody say I can say no.

unknown 11:16

I can say no.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

Say it, say it, say I can say no to sin. Yes, you can say no to sin. God has given you the power to say no to sin. You must you must believe this. God has given you the power to say no. Do you have the power inside you to say no? You are not you are not at the mercy of sin, you are not at the mercy of Satan. You can say no to sin. Somebody say they can say, I can say no to sin. Yes, you can say no to sin. You are you are not you are not like ah, that's that's our lot, you know. No, that's not your lot. You can say no to sin because sin shall no longer have dominion over you. That's the point of regeneration. You reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. You reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus, and then that's the point of conversion, and then throughout your life, you are growing in sanctification. That's your Christian life. You are growing in sanctification, you should be growing in sanctification. And I've used jagged lines in this place to show that you know, sometimes sometimes you're not you're not growing as much as you expect to or you want to. It's not it's not always a straight line. Anybody that tells you that it's you know the day I was converted has been smooth sailing since then. Uh, they are probably not being honest. You see, it's not always a straight line. Sometimes you fail, sometimes you fall, but you continue the journey. Somebody say continue the journey. Yes, you don't give in to sin. You don't, you don't, you don't make excuses for sin. You don't make excuses for sin and say, ah, that's our lot. As men, you know, that's just our lot. That's just what we do. Or uh in this America, that's just what we do. Ah, we have to do that to get by. No, you don't make excuses for sin. That's not the kind of life you received. You fall, you continue the journey. You don't make you don't make a habit of sinning, so you continue the journey, and it is when we see Jesus in glory, when we move over to the other side, when we transition, exit this world, that's when we have perfect. That's when we see him as he really is. You know, we all see in part right now. You know, we all see in part, we all see in part. But the day you see him as he really is, you will become like he is. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. When you see him as he really is, you are changed and you become like him. That is when our sanctification is complete. Thank you, Holy Spirit. What are our roles? The roles, let's look at the roles in sanctification. The roles in sanctification. We started interest, but let's look at it a little more closely. The roles in sanctification. You see, one of the bane of the Christian life is that many times we ask God to do the things that He expects us to do, and we try to do the things that God has put in His own purview to do. One of the beams of the Christian life is that many times Christians will try to do the things that only God wants to do, can do, and we expect God to do for us the things He has said that we should do. And your Christian life and your Christian experience will be less frustrating when you can delineate and when you can separate this thing. When you are when you are clear-eyed about what is in your what is in your hands to do, what God expects you to do, and what only God can do. Many frustration stems out of this, the lack of understanding of what God is expecting you to do. Yes, a lot of our frustrations, a lot of our frustration stems from not having clarity about oh, this one oh is is God's is God's role, it's God's duty, and I dare not step into that area, and this is my role. We quote Romans chapter 8. It makes all things work together for those who love him and who are the called according to his purpose. But what does it how does that place end? That promise is for who? It's for those who love God. It's for who? For those who love God. So, what's my duty in that promise? Love God, and then who makes all things work together for our good? It is God. You have clarity on that. That I'm not the one who's supposed to start scheming and striving to make things work together for my good. Only God can make things work together for my good. You know, you are clear-eyed about it, you have clarity about it, and you focus on what you have the right, the duty. Joshua chapter 1, verse 8. I'm just giving you some examples of this thing. Joshua chapter 1 and verse 8. You all know it. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it how many times, day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your who will make your way prosperous, you is it God? It's it's right there. If it's God, it's going to be capital U. Then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Verse 9 be strong and be courageous, do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. It is you that you will make your way prosperous. How do you do it? Study the word, meditate on it, and we're going to teach on that. This idea of meditating on the word of God. By the way, I wish Konsela was here. This confession um that we had during the teaching. I want to uh don't. I don't hope you don't mind me putting you on the spot stuck with me. Have you gone back to it? That confession that we had about you know, my husband is umbo and all those things. Have you gone back to it? Yeah, I want you to go back to it. That is how you make your way prosperous. Meditate it, confessing it when it looks like it, when it doesn't look like it, that is how you make your putting the word of God on your lips. That is our responsibility. So we have a role to play when it comes to sanctification, and God has a role to play. Let's look at God's role in our sanctification. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 23. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. So who initiates the process? God initiates the process. God initiates the process of sanctifying us. Only God can initiate the process of sanctifying us, and he initiates that process by his spirit when our spirit is regenerated. Another role that God has in our sanctification is that he disciplines us, he disciplines us. Hebrews chapter 12, verse 5 to 11. Hebrews chapter 12, verse 5 to 11. And you have forgiven the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons. My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him. For those whom the Lord loves, he does what? He disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives. Verse 7. Hebrews chapter 12, verse 7. It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? Verse 8, but if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Verse 9. Furthermore, we have we have earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much rather be subjects to the father of spirit and leave? For they discipline us for a short time as seemed best to them, but it disciplines us for our good, so that we may share his holiness. Somebody say share his holiness. That's sanctification. You share his holiness. Verse 11, the last verse. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful but sorrowful. Yet to those who have been trained by it afterward, it yields the peaceful fruits of righteousness. Wow, what a beautiful verse of the Bible. Discipline, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Discipline yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. I've noticed every once in a while when um my great when I apply discipline. It resets people in my house. When I see that people are going off sketa again, they're beginning to act in a way that's this not. We apply it again. We apply it, we encourage them. Discipline, you see, you can, and that's sanctification. You are purifying that child. You are purifying the child. You can't just leave a child to just wander about and just act the way they want. No, you apply discipline, you discipline them, you discipline them. That is the work of sanctification that parents are asked to do, and that's what our heavenly father, in his mercy, does for us. It disciplines us. All scriptures is given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and they are profitable for what? For doctrine, profitable for reproof, profitable for correction, you know, profitable for instruction. That the man of God may be complete. If your approach, I I think I was mentioning this the other day. When you look at the word of God, if all you are looking for is encouragement and you don't see reproof and instructions in righteousness, then you have not you have not started. Maybe God is not you are not listening or God is not working with you. When you open the word of God, you should be seeing discipline there, you should be seeing reproof there. It's not only encouragement. Oh, kumba, yeah, everything is going to be great. Yes, that's fine. We know that. But when last did he open the scriptures and you saw God reproving you and chastising you for something that you need to change. You see? Yes. It's not only encouragement, and you know, everything is going to be fine, everything's going to be great. God wants to do that, but beyond that, a sign that you are growing and maturing, and God is serious with you, is that every once in a while will show you a place that you need to correct. It will show you something, it will discipline you on something. Something will happen, and he will tell you that okay, my child, this is the right way to do it. He whom the father loves, it disciplines. He whom the father loves, he does what he disciplines. That is the work of God, the role of God in our sanctification. Jesus earned our sanctification. If somebody's there, please read quickly. Thank you, Lord. But by his doing, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Christ became to us the wisdom of God. Somebody say wisdom of God. Yes, it became to us righteousness. Somebody say righteousness. And it became to us sanctification. Yes. Jesus and our sanctification. And Jesus is also our example. Looking onto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame. Hebrews 12, verse 2. First John chapter, 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 21, 1st Peter chapter 2 and verse 21. If you are there, read. Yes, it led him to the death on the cross. And the same way you and I are encouraged, expected to walk in his steps. Anybody that would follow Jesus closely, you are added to the cross. You are headed to the cross. You are added to a cross. Remember, Jesus said, if anyone will follow me, he will do what? He will carry his cross and follow me. You carry your cross and follow him. Jesus is our example. If you are not carrying your cross, if you are not you are your that we can't say that sanctification is happening in your life. What is the cross you are carrying for Jesus? That's the question we ask you. What's the cross you are carrying today? That's the example that Jesus gave us. He is our example. He earned our sanctification and is also our example. And the Holy Spirit does what? He works in us to produce the fruits of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in us to produce the fruit of the Spirit. Philippians chapter 2, verse 12 and 13. Philippians chapter 2, verse 12 and 13. It is God who does what? Walks in us both to will and to do. So it is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that produces the desire to please God. So it causes us to want to do his way and give us the power to do it. You see, many people ask, how do I know that I am being sanctified or I'm walking on this path of sanctification? How do you know? It's not difficult to know. If you are having an increasing desire to please God, you're on you are on the journey of sanctification. If you are if there's a desire in your heart every time that, oh, I want to please God, I want to please God, I want to do something that would please God, I want to do something that would please God, that will honor him, that would that is sanctification. That is the Holy Spirit working in you to will and to do of his good pleasure. So the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5, verse 22 to 23. These character traits are part of greater and greater sanctification. The more we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the more the character of Jesus continues to show in our lives. As we yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives, he produces more holiness in us. As we yield to the what? The promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives, it does what? He produces more holiness in us. What is our own role in sanctification? What is our role? What is my role in our sanctification? We have a passive role. Somebody say passive, and we have the active role. We have the passive role and we have the active role. Passive, we depend on God to sanctify us. That is passive. We present our bodies as a living sacrifice. Romans chapter 12, verse 1. You present, therefore, present your bodies as a living sacrifice. So we are depending on God there. But we also have an active role that we must play, which is us striving to obey God and to take steps that will increase our sanctification. You have to strive to do it. You strive to do it. When a prostitute decides to follow Christ, she decides that, oh, I'm forsaking that lifestyle and I want to surrender to Jesus. Oh, that is great. But guess what? All the mini-skate and all the ways, all the things that she used to ply her trade. Guess where they are? They're still in our wardrobe. Holy Spirit will not come and take those things from our wardrobe. Who will have to discard them? She will have to do it. The Holy Spirit will not change the wardrobe for that person. It will take an art of our will to get rid of those things. That is sanctification. No matter how authentic your decision to follow Jesus is, your past and your flesh will test you and will test your resolve. It will try to lure you back. Remember the children of Israel, they left Egypt and decided to remember kucumba and um onions. Why? Because your flesh would want to lure you back into captivity, it will want to lure you back into bondage. It will take an act of your will to say no. I'm going to say no to this thing. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 23. It is the washing of the water, washing by the word. To achieve sanctification, if you are interested, you must expose yourself to prolonged periods of studying the word. Somebody who have exposed themselves to the bed of corruption for years. You've been fornicating, humanizing, you've been doing all these things, and then you give your life to God and you give your life to Jesus and you say, Ah, everything is going to be alright. No, everything is not going to be alright. This is true. The hormones in your body and the neurons in your brain, they will fight that decision. You've been watching pornography for 15 years, and you give your life to Christ and you think that everything is just going to be alright. No, everything is not going to be alright. You're going to have to fight. Every fiber in your body will fight that decision for Jesus. Your flesh is not part of that decision. And if you care to make progress, you must sanctify yourself. Somebody says sanctify yourself. Yeah. Sanctify yourself. This is how many people they come to Jesus, and the lifespan of their decision is like two weeks. Because Egypt is pulling them back. And they're like, ah, it's like this thing. I can't do this thing. Egypt is pulling them back. And so they just they just give in. No, but you have to hack it, you have to strive for it. That's the active part of your sanctification. You strive for it. You have not resisted unto blood. The Bible teaches us. In your struggle against sin, you have not resisted unto blood. You resist unto blood. You strive against it. You said no to it. See, you said no to it. Let's look at some applications as we begin to close. Application and implication of sanctification. So what are the parts? What what our role in sanctification is divided into what? How many parts? Yes. See very soon. Before we let people into land matter, we'll ask them to define sanctification, ask them to define justification. So I'm just giving you expo right now. So you pay attention. Are you this? So how many what's our role in sanctification? Passive, what? What's the passive part? Tell me. We depend on God to sanctify us. We present our bodies. And what's the active part? Yes, we strive to obey God because the flesh will not let you do it. So you strive to do it. Uh-oh. You strive to do it. Let's look at some application and implication of sanctification. Sanctification is us embracing the need and expectation to become more and more like Jesus. Sanctification is becoming alive to the fact that what we believe must influence how we behave. Oh, I like that. This I said sanctification is our coming to terms, being alive to the fact that what we believe must what? Must influence how we behave. What somebody say what I believe must influence how I behave. Say it again. Say what I believe must influence how I behave. This is why James, in his epistle, he basically said, I'm not impressed by your belief. He said, Demons also believe. I'm not impressed by your belief. Demons believe. What show me, show me your faith without your works. I will show you my faith by my works. What I believe, I've allowed it to influence what how I behave. You can't say you be you believe something and it's we can't see it in your behavior. You can't say you believe something and we can't see it in your behavior. That's not the kind of faith you received. We can't you can't say you believe something and we can't see it in the way you speak. We can't see it in the way you dress. Your party is the same as the party of an unbeliever. I don't know if you are hearing what I'm saying. Your party as a Christian, if you are throwing a party, should be different from that party of an unbeliever. Your party should be different, it can't be the same. Your sanctification is separation unto good works. You are supposed to be different, and that's okay. I I really don't know what has happened to us Christians. That it's so difficult. You know, I went out to the mall yesterday and and um you know to evangelize, and I I felt to the struggle. Now, Christians just want to blend in, you don't want to stand out. Anything that makes you look weird, you your your your body is fighting it. Your body is fighting it. Everything in you is fighting that. Anything that makes you look weird, that makes you stand at that. You know, everybody's just going about with their shopping bars and their Nike and their Columbia, whatever. You know, anything that makes you you are not you are not different you are you are not here to shop. Your body will fight it. But that's the life that you have been called to. How many of us know the Amish? I'm sure many of us, all of us know the Amish. You know the way they dress? Yeah. Is it the same way that we dress? No, it's very different. And guess what? The average Amish child has no sense of inferiority because of the way they dress. You are the ones that look at them and say, Ah, these people they dress like nuns and everything. They have the Amish child, they have no sense of inferiority. It is us Christians that we have this sense of inferiority when we are different. Why? I say the Amish people are here pods, you mean their children, even old and young, they it's normal, that's their life because they have been taught that this is how we are, this is who we are. And they have no sense, no sense of inferiority at all. You don't have to be like the world to influence the world. That is assimilation. I think we learned that in Sunday school today. Being different is not being inferior. The world is making excuses for sin, not you. Somebody say, Not me. Yes, we don't make excuses for pornography. When you expose yourself to those things, you you won't you won't know when a spirit comes in to enable those at those demonic activities, and then it will become difficult to expel them because they came in legally. Romans chapter 6, verse 16. Do you not know to whom you present yourself slaves to obey? You are the ones slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of disobedience leading to righteousness. So you can choose do I want to be the slave of sin or do I want to be a slave of righteousness? Do I want to be a slave of sin or do I want to be the slave of righteousness? And being the slave of righteousness is is sweet, is good. It's good. You that's what you realize that there's there's nothing you are missing. You see that thing, that thing that is gripping you that you're like, how can I let go of this of this sin, of this besetting sin, of this thing that is preventing my sanctification? Once you reject it and you and you fight it and you become a slave of righteousness, you will realize that that is where life is. That is where life is. That is where life is. There's no life in sin. There's no life in sin. The real life is in righteousness. Real life is in itching your truck, itching your train to Jesus' train in righteousness. Somebody say amen. Someone who is being sanctified is not only excited about the prophecies of scriptures. We're talking about the implications now. The person who is being sanctified is not only excited about the prophecies of scripture, but you are also alive to the expectations and demands that the scripture places on you. Psalm 91. A very popular psalm of the scriptures. Many of us know it off the top of our heads. He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will see of the Lord, my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. For it is he who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will seek refuge. His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the harrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at none, a thousand before at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes and will see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the Lord your refuge, and even the most high your dwelling place. You begin to see the condition now. That all these great things, you begin to see the condition. Why? You have made the Lord your refuge. Verse 14 actually spells out the condition for this Psalm to be a reality in our lives. Verse 14 of Psalm 91. Look at what it says. It says, Because he has loved me, because he has set his love upon me, therefore I will deliver him, I will set him on high because he has known my name. So you can quote Psalm 91 all you want. If you have not set your love upon God, it may not be a reality in your life. Somebody who's been sanctified is alive to the demands and the expectations of scriptures more than the prophecies and the promises of scriptures. There is no usefulness without sanctification. You're talking about the implication and the application of sanctification now. There is no what? Usefulness without sanctification. 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 20 to 21. 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 20 to 21. But in a great house are what are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone does what cleanses himself. Somebody say cleanses himself. Yes, from the latter. Sanctified and useful. Somebody says sanctified and useful. Yes, for the master, prepared for every good work. There is no usefulness without sanctification. There is no usefulness without sanctification. If you are wondering, oh, why is God not using me? Have you sanctified yourself? Are you on a path of progressive sanctification? And God is known to defend those ones that are useful to him. God is known to defend what people that are useful to him. He protects their interests. Exodus chapter 23, verse 25. Exodus 23, verse 25. You will serve the Lord your God and it will do what? He will bless your water and your bread. And he will do what? It will take every disease far away from you. What's the condition? You serve the Lord your God. When you are useful to God, it protects your interest. It protects your interest. Protects your interest. The more sanctified you are, the more useful you are. Instead of asking for recognition in church, grow in sanctification. Somebody say grow in sanctification. Yes. Instead of asking for recognition or you know or plain politics, you grow in sanctification. If your leaders don't see you, God cannot ignore you. God cannot ignore somebody who is who is growing in sanctification. Sanctification also guarantees your tomorrow will be alright. Sanctification guarantees wonders in your tomorrow. Look at what Joshua chapter 3, verse 5 says. It says, And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow. What will happen? The Lord will do wonders among you. Sanctification guarantees wonders in your tomorrow. He says, Let's sanctify ourselves today, oh, because we see wonder coming tomorrow. If you cannot see wonder in your tomorrow, it is because you are not sanctifying yourself today. If you cannot see wonders in your tomorrow, it is because you are not sanctifying yourself today. If you are sanctified, you cannot you don't need to worry about tomorrow. Just sanctify yourself today. Just sanctify yourself today. Let me rush through this. Without sanctification, you lose your inheritance. Acts chapter 20, verse 32. With that sanctification, what happens? You lose your inheritance. So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to what? Build you up and give you an inheritance among those who are sanctified. The inheritance belongs to those who are sanctified. The inheritance of healings belongs to those who are sanctified. The inheritance of wealth belongs to those who are sanctified. The inheritance of influence belongs to those who are sanctified. Commend you to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you your inheritance among those who are sanctified. Sanctification gives you advantage in spiritual warfare. Sanctification gives you advantage in spiritual warfare. This is a lesson that our Father in the Lord, Pastor Yiadwe, has taught us that holiness, holiness, holiness is your first advantage when it comes to spiritual warfare. Holiness, holiness is your first advantage when it comes to spiritual warfare. If you sense any contention around your life, if you sense any correctness around your life, two things you must avoid sin and fear. You avoid sin and fear. You avoid sin and fear. If you avoid sin and fear, you are you are halfway there. The first rule of spiritual engagement, of spiritual warfare, is thou shalt not fear. And then uh was it Jesus said John chapter 14, verse 30. 14 Verse 30. The ruler of this world is coming, and what he has nothing in me. He has nothing in me. You cannot expect to win a battle when you are enjoying something that belongs to the other side. You cannot expect to win a battle when you are enjoying something that belongs to your opponent. When you are enjoying it, you are enjoying it. You cannot win that battle. How do we get sanctified? As I as I close out now, how do we get sanctified? How do I get sanctified? Let me show us three things quickly. How we get sanctified. Three quick things. Number one, the word. Somebody say the word. Yes, sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. Sanctify them by what? Your truth. Your word is truth. You know, even if you are born in a Christian family that like I was, before you became born again, you are in what we call the king, what we call the kingdom of darkness. Even if you are living in a Christian home, if you have not given your life to Jesus, you are in a place called the Kingdom of Darkness. Yes. You are ruled by the elemental forces of this world, whether you are aware of it or not. Your mind and your psyche are being shaped by the things, by things other than the kingdom of light. And so when you be when you come into the kingdom of light, there is a retraining that must happen. There is a retraining that must happen. The more you read the Bible, the more it shapes your mindset and what's not the norm in this new kingdom that you are. The word of God. If you are going to be sanctified, you must expose yourself to prolonged, prolonged exposure. You must give yourself to prolonged exposure to the word of God. This one verse a day will not do. These two verses a day will not do. No, it will not know it won't work. If you are serious about your work of sanctification, you you give yourself to prolonged exposure to the word of God. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. Yes, the word of God is the primary means by which we get sanctified. Sometimes also the words of people can also sanctify you. Words of correction, words of admonition. You see, can also sanctify you. Oh, have you thought about it this way? This is the way we do it, though. We don't do it that way. That's sanctification, correction, the words of people. Words can sanctify. That is, words can sanctify. The way we behave in this kingdom begins to get inculcated into you as you read the scriptures. Number two, the Holy Spirit, Galatians chapter 5, verse 16. I say then, walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. We are talking about how you and I get sanctified. The first one is what the word. And the second one is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit. Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. You maintain fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Always in tune, always connected. You guard your relationship with the Holy Spirit. You don't let anybody tamper with your connection with the Holy Spirit. That's being loose. If anybody can just, you know, get into your space and just tamper with your connection, you're loose. You cannot be loose like that. You guard your connection, you guard it with everything, and you constantly yield to the promptings of the spirit, whether it makes sense or whether it doesn't make sense. And finally, what's the last one? Your decision. The word sanctifies you, the Holy Spirit sanctifies you, and guess what? You are gonna have to decide. You are going to have to decide. Daniel chapter 1, verse 8. But Daniel did what? Let's read together. He proposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with a portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore, he requested of the chief of the enox that he might not defile himself. Do the people around you know that you're on the journey of sanctification? You know, the people around you, do they know that you are on a journey of sanctification? Or they just they just take it for granted that I'm yeah, I'm a meal. We're all just we're all just flowing. The people around you must know that you're on a journey of sanctification. You're on the journey of sanctification, you're on a journey. Please don't let that don't let that fall down, please. You know, you're on a journey of sanctification. Daniel did what he proposed in his heart that he will not defile himself. Job chapter 22, verse 20, verse 23. If I return, if you return to the Almighty, you will be built up, you will remove iniquity far from your tents. Who will remove the iniquity? You will remove the iniquity far from your tents. See, you have to decide. You have to decide. I have to decide. You have somebody say I have to decide. Yes, you have to decide. You have to subscribe to sanctification. You don't give allowances, you take iniquity far away from your tent. You know, we hear parents of teenagers today that they will say, you know, a teenager will bring his girlfriend or bring a boyfriend to their house, and they will go to their room and they'll be there for hours and hours, and the you, you know, things will be happening, and the the parents of the teenager will say, Ah, you know, children of nowadays, there's nothing we can do. You know, that's how they behave. You know, Gen Z. You know, we can't we can't stop them. You can't stop them. You know, we can't, there's nothing we can do. You have not decided that iniquity will be far from your tent. You decide iniquity will not be in my tent. You decide it's your it's gonna be your decision, it's gonna be your decision. It's gonna be your decision. You resist unto blood in your strong way against sin. Is your the if you don't decide that you are going to resist unto blood, no help is not coming. I don't know if you heard me. If you don't decide that you are going to resist, help is not coming, you're just going to continue like that. You have to make the decision. I am not good, I am not going to succumb to this thing anymore. You decide I want to embark on this journey of sanctification. Listen to me. The Bible doesn't promise any shortcuts when it comes to being sanctified. You are going to have to give yourself to the old-fashioned, time-honored means of Bible reading, meditation, the fellowship of other believers, prayer, self-control. You give yourself to those things. That's your only hope. There is no shortcut to it. If you are serious about sanctification, you have to give yourself to these old-fashioned, time-honored principles in the Bible. All the things we have talked about, expiation is great. All the things we talked about, Jesus being our propitiation is great. Justification, we talked about it, is great. But guess what? It is your sanctification that will allow you to enjoy those things. It is your sanctification that protects your glorification. Your sanctification does what it protects your glorification. Your sanctification, let's be on our feet, it protects your glorification. We thank God for being our propitiation. We thank Jesus for being our justifier. Guess what will protect it? It is your sanctification, it is your deliberate desire and decision to say, sin will no longer have dominion over me. Can you yield yourself to God for the next 30 seconds? Thank him for how far you observed you in your journey of sanctification. Thank him.