Called Unto Holiness

Transcription

1 Called Unto Holiness A Three Week Bible Study for Youth By Nathan Rice Week 1: In the Beginning There Was... Holiness Week 2: What it Means to be Holy Week 3: How is One Sanctified? (Sanctification: Initial, Entire, and Ongoing)

2 "Called unto holiness, church of our God," rings out in Nazarene churches throughout the world. It's been our call since various holiness groups joined together to declare the good news of forgiveness of sins and freedom from its control. This three week study brings this call to holiness to our youth. Each lesson is broken down to help you prepare the material for your students. Main Point: The entire lesson crammed into one phrase. Main Verse: Every lesson uses many verses of Scripture. It is Bible Study. This verse, though, shows where everything is leading. Lesson Objective: It's like the main point, but with a little more detail. It is what we hope the students will leave knowing. Teacher Overview: A little more detail about the lesson, along with some things for you to think about and pray about during your preparation. Game: We all like to have fun. These game ideas are given as a way to let your students have fun at the beginning of the lesson. They then work right into the lesson. Yeah, we're kind of sneaky that way. Lesson: A lesson outline designed to help you get across the main point and teach the lesson objective. The lesson outline is just that - an outline. It is not meant to be read word for word, and it can be adjusted to meet your needs, your students, and your teaching style. You know your students. You know what works and what doesn't work for you group. Remove, add, enhance, rearrange, and do whatever else you need to get the point across. This study is full of Scripture from various books in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Allowing students to read these passages keeps them engaged and allows your voice a break. Technology is great, but I strongly encourage all students to read the passage out of a printed Bible. This gives students more experience in finding passages in Scripture while gaining respect for the Word. I recommend listing all Scripture verses used on a dry-erase board or somewhere students can see all the verses. Then put names by each verse, or allow students to pick verses as they arrive. Provide students with a bookmark for each verse they are reading and ask them to find their verses before the lesson starts. This allows for them to quickly open to the page when it is time to read their passage, which keeps the lesson flowing without delays as students look up passages. I also show every verse that is read on the overhead, but I do not switch to that slide until the student begins reading. Allowing other students to see the verse while it is read by one student helps everyone follow along and can be helpful if the reader stumbles, mispronounces a word, or misreads the passage. Unconformed Student Ministries Mission Statement is to help students know, love, and serve Jesus Christ. Unconformed is a registered Trademark of Nathan Rice.

3 Lesson 1 - In the Beginning There was... Holiness Main Point: We were not designed for sin, but for holiness. Main Verse: "But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." Colossians 3:8-10 Lesson Objective: To teach students that holiness was God's design for mankind since the creation of the world, but sin disrupted this design. We were not designed for sin, but for holiness, and we will only find true peace, contentment, and purpose when we allow God to transform us into holy beings. Teacher Overview: In today's world sin is seen as normal and acceptable. But this was never God's design for our world, and it is not the way thing are meant to be. We were created to know, love, and serve God. We were created to be holy. Yet many teens, even those who grew up in the church, have no idea of this purpose. Many have never heard that they were created to be holy. Teens will naturally start looking for the purpose of life and the purpose of being. Sin, being so common and acceptable, seems normal. It s just "the way things are." Therefore, many teens never even consider there is an alternative. Holiness is seen as something for biblical characters, or perhaps just the older saints of the church. Yet God desires to transform teenagers into holy young men and women of God. As you prepare for this week s lesson, pray that God will open the eyes of your students to another way of life: A way that isn't just about forgiveness of sins, but about a holy life, pleasing and acceptable to God. Students, and adults alike, will only find true peace, contentment, and purpose when we transform into the ones we created to be. GAME Look online for various weird or unique objects. The idea is to find things that most students will not know what they are or what they do. They can be modern day or historical objects. Project one image on the screen (or print if no projection is available). List three of four possible names, and brief descriptions, of the object. One is true, while the others have been made up. Students will then guess (verbally, using flash cards you have provided to them, or any other fun way you can imagine) which answer is correct. One point is given for each correct answer.

4 Example: Just so you know... The correct answer is 3. This was used to put little dots around the edge of tea cake cookies. Evidently, it made them look fancy. Transition: It was a lot of fun trying to figure out what the purpose was for each of these objects. What often isn't a lot of fun is trying to figure out our purpose. Have you ever wondered why you are here, and what this life is all about? Most people have; it's normal to wonder why we're all here and what we're supposed to do. Today we are going to talk a little bit about our purpose and who we were created to be. Point 1 - Sin is an Intrusion in God's World We see sin everywhere. It's in our schools, on our streets, in our homes, and even in our churches. Sin is projected on the TV screen, movie theater, and all over the Internet. Ask: So, without using any names, where have you seen sin this week? How about today? This question is designed to help students think about how common sin is in our society. Be sure to quickly put a stop to any inappropriate talk or finger pointing. This isn't how our world was designed to be, and it's not how we are supposed to be. Remember what the Bible says about the beginning of the world? Let's go back to Genesis and see how God created the world. "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning the sixth day." Genesis 1:31 When God created the world it was perfect. There was no death (God's Word tells us that Adam and Eve's sin brought death into the world), there was no sickness, and no sin. Everything was perfect. "Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." Genesis 2:25 Sure, depending on the age and maturity level of your group, this verse about Adam and Eve being naked might bring some snickers from your students. It does, however, help point out the perfection of the world before the fall. If you think it would bring undue distraction to the study, you can skip this verse.

5 This verse helps us see the perfection of the world, and men and women, before sin entered the world. Adam and Eve were both naked, but without sin there was no shame. Hearing that they were without clothes helps us understand the innocence, the holiness, the perfection, that existed before sin entered the world. You see, God is holy, and what He created was holy. God is holy. We see this proclaimed all throughout Scripture. Let's go back to the Old Testament. In this verse, the prophet Isaiah gets a glimpse into heaven and at Jesus. "And they {Angels} were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.'" Isaiah 6:3 This is way back in the Old Testament. How about moving to one of the last books in the Bible? "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5 These are just two verses, but they show how the Bible declares God's holiness from Old Testament to New Testament. God is pure, righteous, and just. He has never done anything wrong. He is holy. So, a holy God created a perfect world without sin. We know, though, that sin entered our world when Adam and Eve committed the first sin by disobeying God. If your students are new to the church, or do not know much of the Scripture, you may wish to briefly review this story. If you feel confident that they know this story, there is not much of a need to recap. Save that lesson for another day. This sin threw everything off. It, in a sense, interrupted our very purpose. We were created to be in a holy relationship with God. Sin separates us from God, and that relationship with God is broken by our sin. God, being holy, cannot tolerate sin. So now we have a holy God and an unholy, sinful people. And, let's just admit it, we've all sinned. "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned " Romans 5:12 You can throw in Romans 3:23 (For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God) if you'd like. Sometimes, though, it seems we use the same verse so much that another verse does a better job at keeping the attention of your students, rather than going, "That verse again?" So here we are, created to be in a holy relationship with God, but everything is messed up because of sin. Our very purposes for being was interrupted. Or was it?

6 Point 2 - We are still created for holiness Sin messed up everything, but it didn't change our purpose. We are still created to be holy. God still desires a relationship with His people. Things got majorly messed up, but it didn't change why we were created. You can see this in the Old Testament. God rescues the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, and He calls them His people. God was still seeking for holy relationship with men and women the purpose had not changed. "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession." Deuteronomy 7:6 "Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy." Leviticus 20:7-8 "You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own." Leviticus 20:26 God was still looking for people to know, love, and serve Him. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were called into this relationship with Him. In order for this relationship to take place, though, God had to separate them from the sinfulness of the world. He gave them their own country, and they were instructed to remain separate from the rest of the world. They were to be holy to God, and to serve Him alone. They were set apart for Him. Why look into the Old Testament? Two reasons: First, it helps students see that mankind's call to holiness started in the Old Testament, goes into the New Testament, and continues today. Men and women have been created for holiness. Second, for us to fully understand sanctification today, we need an understanding of sanctification in the Old Testament. So, what does this have to do with us today? We're in New Testament times. We now have Jesus, and while Israel is still precious to God, His church is open to everyone who comes to Him. Well, we looked at this because we wanted to see how God's plan never changed. From the Old Testament to the New Testament God desires a holy relationship with His people. Just like Israel was called to be separate from the world, and be in a relationship with a holy God, we are called to be separate from the world and in a relationship with a holy God. We are called to holiness. "for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.' [a] [a] Lev. 11:44,45; 19:2 This verse in the New Testament is quoting a verse from the Old Testament. It's showing that just as God's people in the Old Testament were called to holiness, we are also called to holiness. Sin has become so normal in our world today that we've come to accept it, to think that it is normal, or to think that's how things are supposed to be. It is not. It wasn't supposed to be this

7 way. If we want to find our true purpose, to fulfill our reason for existing, we must go after this call to holiness. Thankfully, Jesus made a way for us to come back to Christ. We know what He did, and how He allows us to be restored to God. This is assuming your students know the message of salvation. If they do not, you may wish to hold this particular lesson to the side until you've had the chance to share the fantastic news of Christ's offer to be born again. You may wish to add it to this lesson, but be careful not to cram too much into one lesson. You're only going to hold their attention for a little while. It would probably be best to separate the lesson on salvation. It's way too important to cram in somewhere. When we are new creatures in Christ, we are beginning to fulfill our purpose. "But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." Colossians 3:8-10 Want real life? It comes with holiness. When we're in Christ, we're being renewed in the image of our Creator. Want to be who you were created to be? Be holy. You were created to be holy; you were not created for sin. Therefore, sin will never satisfy you. It's time we stop thinking sin is normal. It's an intrusion, and it keeps us from fulfilling our true purpose. We're going to close in prayer, but as we pray I ask that you think about what you've been striving for in life. What's been your desire? Are you accepting sin, thinking that it is normal, or are you reaching for holiness? After Prayer: Keep what we learned today in mind, because we're going to be studying this topic of holiness for two more weeks. There's a lot to learn, but I'm excited to share more about it, because we really are called to holiness.

8 Lesson 2 - What it Means to be Holy Main Point: Holiness is nearness to God and separation from sin. Main Verse: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:5 Lesson Objective: To teach students several aspects of holiness by looking at the meaning of holiness in the Old Testament, New Testament, and today. Students will learn that being holy is separation from the sinful world and how holiness sets us apart for God's use and glory. Students will also learn that holiness indicates a pure heart and mind, but that we cannot be holy on our own. Holiness only exists in relation to God, because He alone is holy. Teacher Overview: How would you describe holiness? If you've been a part of the church for any amount of time the word holy is a part of your vocabulary. It's in our songs, it's talked about all throughout Scripture, and it's even in the motto for the Church of the Nazarene. But what does it mean? Do you think your students know what it means to be holy? Some might say God is holy because He has never done anything wrong. Others might say that being holy means we don't do anything wrong. These aren't bad answers, but will they really help your youth understand their call to holiness? Today's lesson takes a look at some aspects of holiness. It looks at holiness in the Old Testament, holiness in the New Testament, and how holiness looks for us today. If we want our youth to fulfill their purpose by being holy before the Lord, we would be smart to make sure they have a grasp of the meaning of holiness. GAME Balderdash For this game you need a list of uncommon words. Project one word on the screen and then give each student one index card each. One, and only one, of the cards will have the true, brief description of the meaning of the given. The students that did not receive the card with the true description will have a blank card. It is their job to make up a brief description of what the word means. After all students have shared their descriptions, each student will vote on which description they thought was the correct one. One point is given for each student who guesses correctly. One point is also given to the person who made up an answer each time their answer is guessed as the correct one. Transition: This game had us trying to figure out what a word means. I bet without the true description we wouldn't have gotten the correct definition on any of them. Some of you also did a very good job at making up a description to go with the word. This game is fun because we get to make up a description and try to fool each other. We also have to figure out the real description. This is okay, and fun, for this game, but we don't want to be making up the description for holy or holiness. Last week we learned that we are called to holiness, but what exactly does holiness mean? What does it mean to be holy? That's what we are going to look at this week.

9 You may wish to do a brief recap of last week's lesson. It can help bring students who were missing up to date, and refresh the memories of those who were there. Point 1 - Holiness is being set apart Remember last week when we mentioned the Israelites, God's chosen people, and we talked about how the purpose for mankind was still for a holy relationship with God? We saw this because God called the Israelites to be holy. We are again going to start by taking a look at the Israelites. Here is God calling the Israelites away from slavery in Egypt and into a holy relationship with Him. "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." Exodus 19:5-6 God tells Israel that He is going to set them apart from the rest of the world - "Although the whole earth is mine, you will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." In the case of the Israelites they were separated from the rest of the sinful world by their location. God gave them their own country. But God didn't just set them apart and leave them. God set them apart so he could have a covenant with them. We don't use the word covenant much anymore, but it's an agreement or contract. So God is basically entering into a contract with the Israelites. He will be their God, His treasured possession - that's his part. They are to fully obey His laws - that is their part. It's a contract, an agreement. This is where we see that holy relationship. "You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own." Leviticus 20:26 Again, the people of God are called to be holy. This holiness means a separation from the sinful world. In the Old Testament it meant literal physical separation in a country, a land, set apart for Israel. But what does that mean for us today? We're not Israel. What does separation mean for the church of Jesus Christ today? "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14 We're still separate from the world, but not in the same way as the Old Testament Israelites. This verse tells us not to be "yoked together" with unbelievers. This verse is used a lot, and rightly so, to show that we shouldn't date or marry a non-christian, but it's more than that. It shows that Christians and non-christians are different. They have different goals in life; they are heading in a different direction than those who aren t following Christ. We're no longer separate in location, but we're separate in how we live and whom we serve. We're not the same. The idea of holiness, and how it ties in to separation from a sinful world, continues in the New Testament.

10 "Therefore, 'Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.'" [d] 2 Corinthians 6:17 [d] Isaiah 52:11; Ezek. 20:34,41 You see how this verse has a quote inside of it? This New Testament verse is actually quoting the Old Testament verses of Isaiah 52:11 and Ezekiel 20:34 and 41. Those who originally received this letter would have been pretty familiar with the history of Israel. Now they see that it's no long about a physical separation by location, but about a separation from sin. We must separate ourselves from the sinful ways of the world. We don't act that way anymore if we're striving for holiness. Remember the verse last week that talked about Israel being a holy nation of priests to God? Now let's check out a New Testament verse. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9 Now, this holy nation is open to all who come to Christ. It's available to everyone. Just like Israel was separated, and chosen by God, His New Testament church is separated and chosen by God. Point 2 - Holiness refers to being set apart for God's glory and His use The purpose of being separate from the world isn't just to be different. Holiness is about being separate, or different, from the world for God's glory and for His use. In the Old Testament you'll see a lot of things, or objects, being set apart of use by God. Several terms are used to show that something is being set apart for use by God. Consecrate, purify, and sanctify are all common words used to indicate that they are being used for God alone. Let's take the Old Testament temple as an example. "Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy." Exodus 40:9 They were told to consecrate the items in the temple so they would be holy. These items in the temple were set apart for God and His use. They were just things, but they were holy things because they were set apart for God and His use. Moving into the New Testament we see this trend continue. "Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." 2 Corinthians 7:1 This verse in the New Testament talks about purifying ourselves. Since the first readers of this would have been very familiar with the purification, or consecration, of things to God the meaning would have been clear. We are to set ourselves aside for use by God for His glory. Holiness is not just separation, but about being separated in order to be used by God.

11 Point 3 - Holiness indicates purity Now we understand that holiness indicates that we separated from the sinful world, and we are set apart for God's use and glory. It's foolish, though, to talk about people being holy if their sins have never been forgiven. For us to be holy, we have to pure, and purity only comes when our sins have been forgiven. We know what Jesus did to rescue us from sin and that forgiveness of sins is available to all who confess and repent. Before we can even think about being separate from the world, and being used for God's glory, we have to be cleansed from sin. This series is geared towards those who already have a base knowledge of the message of salvation. If your students are spiritual novices, it is best to first teach about the great news of salvation before entering into this series on holiness. Sin and holiness cannot mix. They are opposites. So if we are really desire holiness, we must first be cleansed through the blood of Jesus and then turn from sin. "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God." 1 John 3:9 "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness." Romans 6:11-13 We cannot keep willfully living in sin while asking God to sanctify us, to make us holy. They do not go together. If we desire to be separate from the sinful world and used for His glory, we must not allow sin to remain. We must become pure through Christ's forgiveness, keep ourselves from sin, and allow God to transform us. Here's the kicker to this whole thing... Point 4 - God is holy, and we are only holy in our relation to Him... God is holy, and we are only holy in our relation to Him. Think of the way you get a suntan, or a sunburn. It's only when you are in the sun. In the same way, we are only holy in relation to God. God alone is holy. We are not holy on our own. Our holiness is God's holiness radiating from within us. "They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness." Hebrews 12:10, emphasis mine Our holiness only comes when we have Christ in us. It's really not our holiness at all; it's His holiness coming out in our lives. This tells us that holiness means a connection, a relationship, with the Holy One.

12 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:5 Holiness, purity, comes when we are in Christ. That's holiness, true holiness. We hopefully now have a better understanding of holiness. It means we are separated from the sinful ways of the world, and that we have been set apart for His glory. We are only holy in relation to Christ, and only those who have been forgiven, and are pure, can be holy. As we close in prayer, take a moment to think about holiness. Can you say today that you are holy? If not, why, and what do you need to do in order to share in his holiness?

13 Lesson 3 - How is one sanctified? (Sanctification: Initial, Entire, and Ongoing) Main Point: God makes a way for our sanctification - Initial, entire, and ongoing. Main Verse: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." John 17:15-18 Lesson Objective: This lesson includes an overview of initial sanctification at the moment of salvation (regeneration), entire sanctification at the moment of complete surrender (consecration), and ongoing sanctification (continued growth). The goal is cause students to think about where they are in their faith, and to lead them closer to Christ through His offer of sanctification. Teacher Overview: It seems that many within the church have given up on the idea of holiness. Sin is accepted as an unfortunate reality of life, even in the life of Christians. Yet God calls us to holiness, and even calls us to be perfect. This can be a confusing command for teens. We know we're all sinners, so how can we be holy? Some teens will simply accept sin, figuring they will try to slide by on God's grace. Others will try really hard to do the right thing, thinking that they may reach holiness if they just try really, really hard. Still others will think that holiness is just something for old Christians who have been in the church a long time. There's a lot crammed into this lesson, but it is designed to show growth in holiness from salvation, to entire sanctification, to continued growth. We must teach all of these aspects if we want our students to understand sanctification. GAME Bop-It: Bop-It is a game that can be purchased online or in many retail stores. It requires players to follow the command of the device. Directions include bop-it (hit-it), twist-it (twist the knob), pull-it (pull another knob), and so forth. It sound easy, but it can be difficult. You can play as solo to see who gets the highest number of commands right before losing (it will tell you), or you can play pass-it which has players pass the game after a certain number of commands. If a player gets a command wrong, he or she is out of the game. Play continues until only one person remains and is declared the winner. Transition: Some of us did better than others in this game, but in the end we all messed up. No one was perfect in following every direction that bop-it yelled out. As we've been talking about holiness, we may be wondering how this is even possible. Because, just like in bop-it, we've all messed up in life. We've all sinned. So how can we as sinful, fallen beings be holy? That's what we're looking at today.

14 Pre-Point - God desires our sanctification We've learned a lot the past two weeks about holiness. Today we're asking the question, "How is one sanctified, or made holy?" It's great to know it's what we were created to be, and it's good that we know more about what it means, but how do we become sanctified (holy)? Before we answer that question, let's first realize that God desires our sanctification. Remember, he created us to be holy. "It is God s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;" 1 Thessalonians 4:3 We talk about God's will, and wanting to know what God's will is for our lives. Well, here is some of his will for us clearly spelled out. It is God's will that we be sanctified. This verse also mentions sexual immorality, but that's another lesson for another day. What we want to focus on today is that God desires our sanctification. Listen to what Jesus prayed before He was crucified. "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." John 17:15-18 Jesus prays for His disciples, and He prays for their sanctification. Now remember last week we learned that we are only holy in relation to God. Jesus then prays that He sanctifies Himself so they can be truly sanctified. Jesus, God, is the only One who can sanctify Himself because He alone is holy. Here Jesus sets Himself apart in order to glorify God through His death and resurrection. He does this so we, His disciples, can be sanctified. God not only desires our sanctification, but He made a way for it to be possible. Now that we know God desires it, and He made it possible, let's discuss how we are sanctified. Point 1 - Sanctification begins at salvation Last week we talked about how we can only be holy when God cleanses us from sin. We can only be holy if we are pure. We also said that we are only holy in relation to God. Therefore, before we come to Christ for forgiveness, and enter into a relationship with Him, the idea of holiness is laughable. Our sanctification, our holiness, does not begin until the moment of our salvation. You know what's coming by now, but since I work with youth I'm used to repeating myself. If your students are not familiar with the message of salvation, hold off on this series until the wonderful news of new life has been explained to them. This series is geared towards those with at least a knowledge of salvation.

15 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 The moment we confess and repent, the Bible tells us that our sins are forgiven, and we are a new creation. We have a new life! It's a fresh start, and we stand forgiven before God. This is what some theologians and fancy-smart people call initial sanctification, because this is the moment God starts making us holy. It's when we start walking in a new direction and we allow God to transform us. "Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did." 1 John 2:6 We now have a desire to live as Jesus - to be like Him. We are beginning a new life. We're not the same any longer; God is working in our lives to make us more like Him. "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:11 This verse is looking at some in the church, and the people are reminded of their new life. The verses before this passage list a lot of sins, and it says, "That is what some of you were," but it then tells them that they have been justified (made right with God) and were sanctified (being made holy) because of their new life in Christ. The moment we come to Christ and receive His forgiveness, is the moment we start changing. That is when sanctification starts. God is the one who draws us to Him, and He is the one who makes sanctification possible. I suppose you could say that our sanctification starts with God's prevenient grace. Nevertheless, I see this debate as more useful for a theological class or seminary student than in this lesson. Point 2 - Entire sanctification gets to the root of the problem Even after salvation there is the problem of sin's persistency. We've come to Christ, been forgiven, started in a new direction, and we really do want to follow Him. Yet there seems to be something within us that is trying to pull us back to our old way of life. We want to follow Christ, but we seem to almost naturally be drawn to sin. It's a problem that Christians have talked about for a long time. Skillet (Christian rock band) even has a song called Monster that talks about the struggle. They compare it to a monster living inside us. One of the lines even says, "I keep it caged, but I can't control it." There seems to be something within us that pulls us back to sin, no matter how much we try to follow God. Well, there is something within us.

16 "For it is from within, out of a person s heart, that evil thoughts come sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person." Mark 7:21-23 Just like today, in the times of Jesus the heart was seen as the center of emotion and life. Jesus points out that the things that flow out of us, our actions, comes from our heart. There are two aspects, or sides, if that makes more sense, to sin. Sin is disobedience towards God, so sin is sin. But there are two aspects of sin. A lot of people refer to these two facets of sin as personal sin and original sin. Personal sin is when we do something against God. We know what God wants us to do, and we don't do it. We know He said not to do this, but we do it anyway. We know He said to do this, but we don't do it. We made the decision. It was personal; it was our choice. Then we have what is called original sin. Original sin is what is passed down all the way from Adam and Eve. It's that desire to go against God. The desire to control our own lives. Everyone, with the exception of Jesus, was/is born with this original sin. The Bible talks about how we are all sinners, and even how we are born into sin. You will hear this seed of original sin referred to as many things in the Bible. It is called the flesh, the carnal nature, and the sinful nature. No matter what you call it, it comes to us when we are born. "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want." Galatians 5:17 Here's just one verse where we see the sinful nature (here called the flesh) as wanting what is contrary (different, opposite) of what the Holy Spirit wants. It makes it hard for a Christian because we want to follow Jesus, but we have this seed of original sin (the flesh) planed within us that wants opposite of what God wants. Take a look at this apple tree. Let's consider the apples as our sins. We come to Christ, and we want to do right, so we get rid of the apples. We make changes and start following God. The problem is that this tree still has deep roots and as long as those roots remain, the apples will keep appearing on the tree. The only way to fully get rid of the apples is to get rid of the roots. Sometimes Christians spend so much time trying to pick and get rid of the apples/sins that they

17 ignore the root of the problem. They never get to the roots of their sin. So is there a solution to this root problem? There is, but it requires something pretty serious. "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:24-25 "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him." Romans 6:6-8 God does offer a remedy for this original sin. It's what we call entire sanctification, and it's talked about with some vivid imagery in the Bible. We're repeatedly told to crucify (kill) the sinful nature, the flesh, which is within us. God is willing to do this for us, but it only comes when we are willing to lay down the right to control our own lives. We must be willing to give God every little bit, every tiny detail, every miniscule detail of our lives. Sin goes back to us thinking we know better than God. We place ourselves above Him. After salvation, we want to follow God, but we often still want control. We get to say how things go. Entire sanctification comes when we put God first in absolutely everything and give Him total and complete control. We ask Him to kill us - not our physical selves - but our flesh, that desire we have to keep control. We give Him all we have, give Him control, and ask Him to take over. That's called entire sanctification and it gets to the root of the problem. Now, rather than having our heart pulling us is a different direction, our heart is filled with the Holy Spirit, and He's helping us follow God. Clarifying Point - Entire sanctification does not make us perfect in every single action Now don't think that at the moment of entire sanctification you become perfect in all that you do. We're still fallen creatures; we still have flaws. Entire sanctifications means our hearts are made perfect. Think about it this way: Remember back in the Old Testament how God separated His people, and He gave them the law to help them be sanctified? Here's what Jesus said about Himself and the law. "Don t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose." Matthew 5:17 (NLT) Jesus came to fulfill the purpose of the law - that is sanctification, being set apart for God and His glory. Instead of a bunch of laws, we now have the offer of Christ to make our hearts perfect so we can be in a holy relationship with the Father. Our hearts are made perfect. "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." Luke 6:45

18 When our lives are controlled by the Holy Spirit, and our hearts are perfected, we will no longer be under the control of sin. Our mouth, and our actions, will always reflect what is in the heart. "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Just like initial sanctification, salvation, is a gift of God, so is entire sanctification. It is nothing we do on our own. God is the one who sanctifies. He is the Holy One, therefore He is the only one who can make us holy. This offer means we can have perfected hearts, and means this verse can be true. God can, and will, sanctify us through and through, so we can blameless before God. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20 It only comes, though, when we're willing to lay down on our cross and let Christ crucify us. It only comes when we give God total control of everything in our lives. We can be saved from sin, and freed from its control on our lives. Point 3 - Continue growth (ongoing sanctification) is required Before we close, we must also understand that continued growth, even after the moment of entire sanctification, is required. We should not stop growing as Christians until the day we die or Jesus comes back. Entire sanctification isn't a finish line that we reach and then stop. Continued growth, or ongoing sanctification, means that we are continually allowing God to transform us. Paul, who some churches call St. Paul because of his life, said this: "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Philippians 3:12 Paul never stopped trying to be more like Christ. He never stopped letting God work in Him. He never stopped transforming. We must do the same. Never stop growing. Never stop letting Christ transform you. As we close in prayer, I encourage you to think about where you are in this search for holiness. Have you ever come to Christ for forgiveness, and started walking in a new direction with Him? If not, that's where you need to start. Holiness doesn't start without a relationship with God. Perhaps you've been saved, but you're still fighting with God over control and you need to lay down the rights to your own life, giving Him everything, and let Him crucify you. Or maybe you need to renew your commitment to Him to continually grow and to continually let Him transform you. I'll give you a moment of silence before I pray, so you can speak to and listen to God.