You Can Be A Saint. Introduction: Yes, you can be a saint; in fact you ought to be and must be, if you are going to please God!

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1 You Can Be A Saint Introduction: Yes, you can be a saint; in fact you ought to be and must be, if you are going to please God! I) Mistaken Ideas Catholic - elevated position of honor due to a life of good works; a sort of super- Christian; e.g. St. Valentine, St. Christopher, St. Patrick, etc. Debate over whether Mother Teresa should be given sainthood...how long to wait for a pope to be given this veneration. Protestant - Sanctification or sainthood is God purifying or cleansing you from your inborn depraved nature. A work of grace wrought in your heart by God without you having anything to do with it. Expressions like the Lord laid it on my heart or God has a plan for you...spring out of this mind set. Pentecostals - Associated with possessing spiritual gifts, esp. speaking in tongues. II) The Truth All Christians are saints - I Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours So, the bible does not agree with what the the Catholics teach. Sanctification is not cleansing - John 17:19 Jesus speaking of himself first says And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. Jesus had no sin, and so sanctification is not what many Protestants teach.

2 * Miraculous tongue speaking has ceased, so says I Corinthians 13:8 and so then the truth is not as Pentecostals teach. III) The Word Family Holy, holiness, hallowed, sanctify, sanctified, sanctification, saint, sacred, consecrated...all have the same etymology...word origin. Basically it means to set apart, make special, be devoted or dedicated. Did you know that we can actually sanctify the Lord - I Peter 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. IV) God Begins The Process Calls us to be saints - Remember earlier we read I Corinthians 1:2 where the Holy Spirit says the Corinthians were called by God to be saints. This is not a manmade office, a man voted on appointment or veneration. God calls us to be His saints. He sanctifies us - I Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. 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. Our contact with God makes us sanctified - Matthew 23:16-22 Woe to you, blind guides, who say, Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated. You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? And, Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated. You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple, swears

3 both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. See how the association set it apart or sanctified it. V) Requires Continual Effort On Our Part We present ourselves for holiness - Romans 6:19-22 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. We cleanse ourselves unto holiness - II Corinthians 7:1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. Look at this...i Thessalonians 4:3-8 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. Therefore, as with many things, God s operation of sainthood is not without our involvement in the process.

4 VI) Being A Saint is Essential - Hebrews 12:14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. In the world s ideas of saint, it may be optional, but not with God s idea. VII) The Mechanics II Thessalonians 2:13 teaches the Holy Spirit sanctifies us But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. But how? Directly or by some means or agency? Illustrations: 1. Did George Washington chop down the cherry tree or was it a hatchet? 2. Did the the Jews crucify Jesus (Acts 2:36)? Was it not the Romans? (see v. 23). The Holy Spirit sanctifies us through the Word - I Thessalonians 4:1-3 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God, so you would abound more and more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication (esp. verse 2 the commandments of the Lord...then skip to vs rejecting this teaching was rejecting the Holy Spirit.) For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. Through the truth - John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

5 VIII) So What? If you have yet to become a saint, you ought to...today! Once set apart for God s purposes, you must keep yourself saintly everyday. If the process is to continue, we must let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. Conclusion: You can be a saint!