JUNE 21

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES

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John 14:27

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

John 1:12

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”

John 3:3

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”

Luke 7:48

“Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Isaiah 1:18

“’Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.’”

Galatians 5:22-23

“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

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We are reading a book by Corrie ten Boom, with daily recordings she made to broadcast over Trans World Radio.  Her Dutch family  sheltered Jews during the Nazi invasion of Holland.  As a result, she, her sister Betsy and their father were taken to concentration camps in Germany. The Lord did many miracles to allow both Corrie and Betsy to bring the Gospel to the other women in their camp.   Their father was murdered in an extermination camp and Betsy was sick, dying just two weeks before Corrie and the rest were freed.  After her freedom, Corrie traveled the world, telling everyone even in remote areas, about salvation through Christ, besides radio and writing many books.  This one is entitled, “Not I, but Christ.”

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SET APART FOR GOD

No, you must not use this saucer; it is the cat’s.”  We do not use the cat’s saucer ourselves.  Why?  Because it is set apart, not for you, but for the cat.

If we are sanctified, we are set apart by the Lord for His service and for His honor.

I am talking of sanctification because we all know that it is important to be ready for Jesus’ return.  In the first place, if we are not yet a child of God, we must become one.  As soon as we accept Jesus, He gives us the power to become a child of God.  This is what He calls being born again.

We are born into God’s kingdom when we ask the Lord Jesus to come into our lives.  But this is only the beginning.  After that we must be sanctified, as Peter explained it in 1 Peter 1:14-16 ~

“as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”

Sanctification is the continuous working, full of grace, of the Holy Spirit by which He cleanses the sinner and renews his whole nature according to God’s image and enables him to do good works.  Sanctification has to do with identification.  We identify ourselves with the Lord Jesus.

I must say something about the word “identification.”  I think of the time during the war when the Jews had to wear a yellow star.  That was a terrible thing, meant to be  the beginning of their end.  Later on, the Jews were all taken to concentration camps.  Father had such great love for the Jews that one day he said, “Sew a yellow star on my coat.”  He wanted to identify himself with the Jews, even though we knew that then he would not be able to help them. Identification is “becoming alike.”  The Lord Jesus says in John 15:5: “I am the vine, you are the branches ….without Me you can do nothing.”

I think an essential part of sanctification is understanding and accepting that our sins are forgiven.  We believe it theologically and theoretically, but it is not always a reality to us.

A little girl once broke her mother’s beautiful antique teacup.  Very sad about it, she took the pieces to her mother. Her mother said, “I can see that you are sorry.  I forgive you.  Throw the pieces in the trash bin.”  The next day the girl saw the pieces there.

She took them out and again went to her mother saying:  “Mommy, yesterday I broke this cup.”  I have an idea that experiencing her mother’s forgiveness meant so much to her that she wanted to receive it again.

But her mother said:  “Leave the pieces in the trash bin, and only remember my forgiveness.”

Do we not often fail to believe in the finished work of forgiveness?  Do you ever ask forgiveness for the same sin a second time?  Then you are just as silly as that little girl.  We must ask forgiveness, believe that we are forgiven, and turn from sin in the strength of the Lord.  Turning away from sin is part of sanctification.

You and I must choose for ourselves.  Our sanctification is God’s will, but, do we love some sin too much to turn away from it?  Then we must be careful:  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life.”  ~ Romans 6:23.

If you accept the Lord Jesus and His forgiveness and His sanctification, it is as if He lifts you out of a vicious cycle and places you in a blessed one.  The vicious cycle involves doing wrong thing, trying to do your best to stop, succeeding for a while, but stumbling again in weakness.  The reason is, that the devil is stronger than you are.  We all experience this vicious cycle, this battle that makes us desperate.

The Lord Jesus places us in a blessed cycle.  Then our battle against sin takes place together with One who is standing on victory ground.  You sin even though you are a child of God.  But then you repent.  When you ask forgiveness, the Lord cleanses you with His blood, and He fills you with the Holy Spirit.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is just the opposite of sin.  Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit:  love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control.  This is sanctification – the wonderful sanctification which the Holy Spirit accomplishes in you and me.

Ephesians chapter 6 speaks of the armor of God.  This shows us that we do not have victory once and for all; we still need armor.  God’s armor is strong!  If you read correctly you will see that it is the Lord Jesus Himself.   (that the chapter describes Him!).  He is our Peace;  He is our Truth.  He in you; you in Him.  There still will be battles to be fought, but now you are part of a blessed cycle.  The devil attacks us,  We may fall, but we will rise again.  There is forgiveness, cleansing.  The path is leading upward and your life will be more and more victorious.  The Lord Jesus is going to make you more than a conqueror.

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Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You take us out of the vicious cycle of sin and falling and place us in the wonderful cycle of forgiveness, redemption, and sanctification.  Hallelujah!  Amen!

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