Token
no 54
A
Living Sacrifice
January 27, 2016
Brian
Kocourek, Pastor
This evening
let's open our Bibles to Romans 12 and we will take our text from verses 1
through 3.
Romans 12: 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service. (The NIV states: Which is your spiritual
act of worship). 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God. 3 For I say,
through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the
measure of faith.
Let us pray.
Now, the translation called The Message breaks this
down to everyday ordinary words. It says, 12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around
life—and place it before God as
an offering. Embracing what God does
for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so
well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.
Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you,
and quickly respond to it. Unlike
the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops
well-formed maturity in you. 3 I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given
me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in
pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people
who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God
brings it all to you. The only
accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and
what we do for him.
The Expanded
Translation puts it this way: 12 ·So [Therefore] brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great
mercy, I beg [urge; appeal to] you to offer your lives [selves; bodies] as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be
only for God [holy] and pleasing to him, which is the ·spiritual [or authentic; true; or appropriate; fitting; or rational; reasonable] way for you to worship. 2 Do not be
·shaped by [conformed to; pressed into a mold by] this ·world [age]; instead be ·changed
within [transformed] by a new way of thinking [or changing the way you think;
the renewing of your
mind]. Then you will be able
to ·decide [discern; test and approve] what ·God wants for you [is God’s will]; you will know
what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect. 3 Because God
has given me ·a special gift [his grace], I have
something to say to everyone among you. Do not think you are better than you
are. [Instead] You must ·decide what you really are[think sensibly; think with sober discernment] by [based on; in accordance with] the amount of faith God has given you.
Now, what Paul
is telling us here in Romans 12 is the same thing that Ezekiel told us
happens when we receive a new heart and a new Spirit.
From his sermon,
Inter veil
56-0121 pp. 37 brother Branham says, Notice. There is an intellectual faith. And
there's a faith that comes from the heart. The old unbeliever said years ago,
"When the Bible said, 'As a man thinketh in
his heart...'" Said, "That's
crazy. There's no mental facilities in the heart." Said, "You think
with your mind. There's no mental facilities in the heart." But last year
they found that's wrong. God was right. Right down in the heart, in the center
of the heart, there's a little compartment where there's not even a blood cell
in it. It's not in the animal heart, only in the human heart. And they say,
it's the occupation, or the occupant of the soul. The soul lives in the heart.
Then after all, God was right, when He said, "As a man thinketh in his heart."
And I'd like to
add, So is he!
We
read in Ezekiel
36:26-28 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put
within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will
give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you
to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them]. And ye
shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people,
and I will be your God."
Brother Branham taught
us that when we receive a new heart, that is a new way of thinking and when we
receive a new spirit, that is the new desires that come from your new way of
thinking, and once you have a new way of thinking, and new desires based on
that new way of thinking, then you are ready for God's own spirit to come into
your being.
And from his
sermon Impersonation
of Christianity 57- Brother Branham said, "God had to give you a new spirit. Why, the
spirit you had, you couldn't even get along with yourself. So how are you going
to get along with God? So God had to give you a new heart, not a patched up
one, a new heart. That's your intellects that you think with, a new way of thinking. Then
He give you a new way of thinking, "Yes, that's right....
Notice Brother
Branham is telling us that the new heart is a new mindset, a new way of
thinking.
"Then He said after that, "Then I'll give you a new spirit." What's that? A new desire, "I want to do right.".... But now, that's the new spirit. Then notice the
order of the Scripture. After you get a
new heart and a new spirit, He said, "Then I'll put My Spirit..." See? Oh, what? That's what
the Scripture says here. That's the
order, the numerical order of the Scripture: a new
heart, a new spirit, and then My Spirit. Then God's Holy Spirit... God's new heart that He put in you,
sets right in the center of you. That's your impulse, where your emotions goes
out. And the new Spirit sets right in the center of the new heart. And God's
Spirit, the Holy Spirit, sets right in the center of your new Spirit, and there It controls your emotions. and to have a new heart, a new spirit, and His
Spirit, part of the Logos in you controlling your emotions... And when He coos
through His Word, you coo back and answer to Him. "Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today,
and forever..."
watch the order of the Scripture. "I will take away the old stony heart, and
I'll give you a new heart."
That's the first order. Some of them stop on that first order. Now, that's... you're
just getting started. Then He said, "I'll give you a new spirit." There's where a lot of you
Pentecostals fail. You had to have a new spirit. Oh, you felt good and you felt
like that, "Oh, well, I just, oh, I feel fine. ...Well, you just got
started. You're just getting fixed up now to just... You're just coming in
line. He had to give you a new spirit.
Why you couldn't get along with yourself with the old spirit. So how could you
get along with God's Spirit? So He had
to give you a new spirit."
So we see then
that this
new heart is a new way of thinking or a new mindset. Then it
brings with it a new desire in your heart. He that hungers and thirsts for righteousness
shall be filled. Then this new desire opens the door of your heart
to let in the Holy Spirit, or as Brother Branham put it, the Logos
which is the Word of God into your heart. So with God's Word taking Its place
in your heart, then it becomes the tie post to your soul. Then until a person
has received the Word of God into their Soul they cannot tell the difference
between any mans word and God's Word. Because the Word, when it comes in,
measures all things by the Word as Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians 2 that we discern all
things comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Let's read from I Corinthians 2:10-14
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit:
for the Spirit (Gods Spirit) searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man,
save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God knows.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit
which is of God; that we might know
the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not
in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for
they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Now, if you cannot
receive the things of God because you do not have the Holy Spirit of God living
in you, then how do you expect to become a living sacrifice to Him, one which
is Holy and acceptable to God?
In Philippians 2:1-9
we read, If there
be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any
fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye
be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
And
Paul goes on to tell us how this is Done.
"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory;
but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not
every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal with God: But made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted
him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Now
what I am trying to address to you this evening is this: namely, we are
ordained to receive an understanding first, and then this understanding creates
a desire in our heart for God's Word. God sends forth His Word into our hearts by
the Holy Ghost who is the Teacher and He anoints the understanding
in our heart which when anointed becomes a Spiritual Revelation. This
Revelation then takes over the guiding of our whole body, Soul and
Spirit which is (Romans 12:1-3) thus perfecting or maturing the believer by the washing of water
by the Word.
So in effect every fiber of our body is becoming subject to the Word
of God which lives and abides in our hearts, bringing us into
captivity to the Word for the day we live in and bringing us into subjection to
it. Thus the
sacrifice becomes a living sacrifice, not just a mental conception.
And as that, it actually changes the actions done in the body.
Paul tells us
also in Galatians
2:17-21 "But if we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also
are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if
I build again the things which I have destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
For I through the law am dead to the law, that
I might live unto God. For I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I am alive; yet it is not myself that is living, but Christ is living in Me; and the
life which I now live in this flesh, (in self), I am living by the
Faith or revelation of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.
It was you and I
He thought of when he went to the cross. It was not for himself that he took
the abuse, but for you and me he let his beard be pulled out, and spat upon,
and mocked, and beaten, and bruised. And then it was still you and me he walked
that lonely last walk to Calvary. All the while thinking of you and me, and not
of himself. For he had died to self before he could die on the cross.
In Gethsemane he
wrestled with his decision. He said, "Father I do have a will, and it is my will that you take this
cup from me, yet nevertheless, I have died to my will that your will for me
might bring the preeminence and glory back to you." And "for this purpose I
was sent into the world", so for this purpose I shall take
whatever comes my way and "let it be done unto me according to Thy Will."
And then Paul
adds, I do not
frustrate the Grace of God: for if Right-wise-ness come by the law, then Christ
is dead in vain.
Now
in Romans 7:14
Paul tells us the
law is Spiritual, and not for the flesh, for if it were for the flesh then we
could be expected to fulfill the Law by our flesh, but since it is spiritual
and not for the flesh, then the flesh can in no way fulfill it.
Therefore God
does not look upon the flesh but upon the desires in the heart, and thus
although your desires may be righteous and Holy yet your body may backslide a
thousand times daily due to the mixed nature because of Eve's transgression.
Romans
8:1-18 There is therefore now
no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after self, but
after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it
was weak through self, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful self,
and for sin, condemned sin in self: 4
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after
self, but after the Spirit. 5 For they
that are after self do mind the things of self; but they that are after the
Spirit do mind the things of the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be self minded (self-centered) is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace. 7
Because the self centered mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to
the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8
So then they that are into self cannot please God. 9 But ye are not into self, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, self is dead because of sin; but the Spirit
is life because of righteousness. 11 But
if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his
Spirit that dwells in you. 12 Therefore,
brethren, we are debtors, not to self, to live after self. 13 For if ye live after self, ye shall die:
but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of self, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of
God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye
have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the
Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our
spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed
in us.
Now, picking up at paragraph 177 of The Token, we read, "Lord
Jesus, most gracious One, when the world was in sin and no one could help; God
in mercy, foreshowing by a type, that there was coming a Token that could take
away sin, not just cover it, but could take it away; and Jesus came in the
right time, and He shed the Blood, His own Life, taking,
making us an atonement for our sins, and then presenting Him back in the form
of the Holy Ghost, which is now a Token that's to be kept to the church until
He comes. For the Apostle Peter said, "The
promise is unto you, and to your children, and to them that are afar off, even
as many as the Lord our God shall call."
Lord, by Your grace, Your help, I claim every one that hears
this message. I claim them for God; I pray Thee, Lord, both here this morning, and those that'll hear on tape. And
if there be a seed anywhere that's predestinated, Lord, to hear the Word of
this last day, may they come now, sweetly and humbly, and lay their trophies
down at the cross, or their self as a trophy
of the grace of God that's called them. And may they be filled with the Holy
Spirit and display the Token of the Life of Jesus Christ in His
resurrection, as long as they remain here on earth. Grant it, Lord.
We
read from Romans
12 for our text tonight and we will close with a reading from Romans 12
as well.
This time I
would like to read these verse again from the Wuest Translation which
says,
Romans 12:1 "I therefore beg of you, please
brethren, through the instrumentality of the aforementioned Mercies of God, by
a once for all presentation to place your bodies at the
disposal of God, a sacrifice,
a living one, a holy one, well pleasing, your rational sacred service,
[rational in that this service is
performed by the exercise of the mind]. And stop assuming an outward expression that does not come from within you
and is not representative of what you are in your inner being but is
patterned after this age; but change your outward expression
to one that comes from within and is
representative of your inner being, by the renewing of the mind,
resulting to your putting to the test
what is the will of God, the good and well pleasing and complete will, and having found that it
meets specifications, place your
approval upon it."
And how do we
place our approval, or show our approval upon the good and pleasing and complete will of God?
By doing it. That's right. By stepping into it we show we have heard, we have
recognized and now we are acting upon the will of God.
Now, there are 10 things that the apostle Paul
mentions here in these first 2 verses of chapter 12.
Romans 12:1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye
So
let's just look at these ten things here.
#1- we are asked
to present our
bodies - therefore, this speaks of how important the presentation
is. Because Paul is beseeching us, he is imploring and begging us to do this.
#2-
this presentation of our body to God is our living sacrifice, - this speaks of a sacrifice
that has been made alive, by God's very life in us, as Paul tells us in Romans 8:11
Romans 8:10 And if
Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead
dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your
mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are
debtors, not to self, to live after self. 13 For if
ye live after self, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of self, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are
led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For
ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received
the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are
the children of God:
And the way The Spirit will bear witness that your spirit
has died to self, and that your life is hid with Christ in God is by living
your life for you. Then the life he lived you will live, and the works he did
you will do.
Now, let's read from Romans 12:1 again. I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice…. A living sacrifice, one that is alive…
Notice this is only for only those
who have been made alive by the resurrection power of God can make this
sacrifice. That's what Paul also said in Romans 8:11. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the
dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken
your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Notice that Paul is consistent with
this theme as we see in 1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also
the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive.
And what does it mean to be made alive? What is this living sacrifice?
This is the Greek word, Zao
and it means zao {dzah'-o}
-- to
live -- to be alive. Let me give you four more definitions of this word
zao.
1) to live, to breathe, be among the
living (not lifeless, not dead)
2) to enjoy real life --to be active, blessed in the manner of the living and
acting;
3) living water, having vital power
in itself and exerting the same upon the soul
4) to be in full vigor; to be fresh,
strong, efficient, to be active, powerful, efficacious (effective)
So we see we are
to be a living sacrifice, one that is alive, and real, and full of life.
and that the
presentation of our bodies is to be
#3-
holy, and we must understand what this holy is
if we are to know what is
#4-
acceptable unto God, and the Apostle Paul
said,
#5-
which is your reasonable service. Therefore if
it is a reasonable thing, then it is most certainly attainable, or God would
not require it. and if reasonable it comes by reason or the mind that produces it.
As I've brought out many times, your mind is like a garden, and it is full
of seeds which are thoughts, and if the wrong seeds are manifesting themselves
then you must cut off the water supply.
Brother Branham
asked an Indian Chief who was baptized with the Holy Ghost how things were
going since He was born again, and he said, "Two dogs war within me since I
was born again." And brother Branham said, "who is winning chief", and the chief
responded, "the one that I feed the most."
#6-
And be not conformed to this world: and this
tells us that this holy condition of this holy sacrifice comes by a separation
from the world and the things of the world. A consecration to God.
#7-
but be ye transformed. And we know that the
transformation speaks of a change from one state to another state. And this comes
by
#8- by the renewing of your mind, and that in
order
#9-
that ye may prove And so your sacrifice in
your flesh, and the fact that your mind brings forth the change in the body is
proof of
#10
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
So we see that
God calls us to bring forth in our bodies a holy sacrifice. In Romans 12:1-2
Paul is telling us how we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice and
it is by the renewing of our minds. 2 And be not
conformed to this world: but be ye transformed (How are we to be
transformed? ) by the renewing of your mind,
(And what will that do for us? He says,) that ye may prove
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It's all about
the Will of God. Jesus said, It is written in the volume of the Book, I have come to do
thy will O God. Jesus, said Father, not my will but thy will be done. And Paul
said in Philippians
"Let this
mind (this attitude) which was in Christ be in You.)
Now,
for the next few minutes I would like to focus our attention on Paul's view of
how we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. And we will look
at what it means to be Holy. He said this living sacrifice
is one that is Holy, and so we want to know
what it means to be a living sacrifice that is holy.
Notice,
point # 3, He said, Holy. We are to present to God
not only a living sacrifice but a Holy sacrifice. And how is this possible, for
there is none holy but the Lord.
Now,
Paul told us our living sacrifice is to be Holy,
and the word he used here is the Greek word, hagios
pronounced, (hag'-ee-os) and it is made up from two root words, hagnos which means pure,
chaste, clear, sacred, pure from carnality, modest, immaculate and clean.
The other root word is Thaipo and it means, to cherish with
tender love. Or tender care.
So
we see that bringing these two words together we have a purity
that comes as a result of tender love and care.
Therefore, we have purity that comes from a motive of true tender caring, and we see
modesty that comes from tender loving, and we see a
sacredness that results from and in response to this pure love. As brother
Branham preached the message "Convinced and
Concerned", our being truly convinced
brings about a true concern, and we have a life
pure from carnality. One that is modest, immaculate and clean, not from a fear
of retribution, nor from a fear of penalty, but as a result of an inner motive
of Tender Love and Tender Care for our Savior. This holiness Paul is speaking
of is not the result of a rigid and disciplined life style, but a result of
true caring and a genuinely true love for God.
How
contrary this is to the disciplined and rigid life of the legalist. Those are
people who through fear of retribution from a Holy God live in fear and walk in
fear and tremble at the thought of eternal separation from God and Heaven.
These are people who do right not because it is the right thing to do, but they
do right because of fear of penalty for doing wrong.
But
Paul said this sacrifice is a Holy one,
and it comes from a different kind of motive. A motive that is stimulated by tender
Love and tender care for the One Who gave them new birth. Notice how
different these two motives are. Legalism binds you while the Tender Love and
care sets you free, and yet they both will produce the same works,
and the
same outward acts. But Paul began with the thoughts of how that "we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice",
and so he is setting our minds on the importance of our presentation to God.
The
man who comes home after a hard day at work to the aroma of an apple pie baking
in the oven, and fresh baked bread sitting out on the counter and the aroma of
a nice cooked meal, has a much better presentation to come home to than the man
who comes home to a note on the refrigerator that says there's a frozen TV
dinner in the freezer, put it in the oven at 325 and I'll see you in an hour
after I get home from shopping."
The presentation
of the first tells the man that he is loved, and his wife has a tenderness
towards him, while the presentation of the latter tells the man a totally
different motive from his wife. The one shows love and warmth while the other
shows coldness, and calculation.
So
we see in the one instance, the atmosphere has been set to give a wonderful
presentation of this gift of supper to him, while on the other hand we see the
man who came home and his wife has a note taped to the refrigerator with
instructions how he should prepare his own meal.
In both
instances, both men receive a gift of a supper from their wife, but what a
difference in the presentation of that gift. And that is the same way God looks
upon what we do. Your Holiness ads nothing to God, but if you present your gift
with tender love and care to Him, He looks upon your motive, He looks to the
very recesses of your heart, and He knows your presentation, whether it is
motivated by Love or by fear.
In the Book of Leviticus 20:7
we read, Sanctify
yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. 8 And ye
shall keep my statutes, and do them: I [am] the LORD which sanctify you.
Our
Holiness is a result of a cleansing act of the Holy Ghost upon our life, and
only comes from God's Word. It is not an act in our flesh. It is not an act of
self. It is not produced by our disciplined life, either, but rather, it is an
expression which begins in our mind, and is conveyed outwardly through the
actions of our bodies.
In Psalm 119:9
we read, ¶ Wherewithal
shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy
word.
Then
how can a young man cleanse himself if he doesn't take heed
to the Word of God? So we see
that it is the taking heed to the Word that
brings cleansing in our Life. So your attitude and the motive behind your
sacrifice is more important to God than the sacrifice itself.
Jesus told a
story about the two different ways of approaching God in Luke 18:10. Two men went up into the temple to pray; the
one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus
with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men
are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give
tithes of all that I possess.
Notice all the I's in his
prayer. He's so full of self, it's sickening.
But, notice
another person comes into Jesus story, it's a publican, a tax collector, a
government employee. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so
much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I
tell you, this man went down to his
house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself
shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
But in Jesus
story, we see that it is the approach that counts. One man approached God with a broken and contrite heart and God openly
accepted his prayer while the other man had lived no doubt a much more
disciplined life, but look at his approach. He wasn't looking for forgiveness!
He was proud, and gloating how much better he was than the sinner next to him.
And look at Jesus words concerning that man. Jesus said he was not even
justified, whereas the man who approached God in contrition went away
justified, cleansed, and free from all guilt and stain in the eyes of God.
So
that is what Romans
12 is all about as well. Coming to God with a tender heart towards
him, and a love for him that is real and genuine, and if we really mean it,
then our lives will be lived accordingly.
We are told by
the Apostle Paul that we should examine ourselves in I Corinthians 11:28 But let a man
examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29
For he that eateth and drinketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the
Lord's body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many
sleep. 31 For if we would judge
ourselves, we should not be judged.
And how do you
judge yourself? John said try the spirit to see whether it be of God. And so
you give your own self the Word test, and try your own self to
see whether you be even in the Faith.
Jesus
said in Luke
chapter 7,
them whose sins,
are many, and are forgiven; love much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same
love little.
Luke 7:40 ¶ And Jesus answering
said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master,
say on. 41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed
five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing to pay,
he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him
most? 43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that [he], to whom he forgave most.
And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
Notice then that
forgiveness
produces much more love in the individual than all the doing will ever produce.
Jesus is letting us know that when we have a willing heart, ready to forgive,
we will be loved more. And in the same illustration he tells us that if we are
perfect in our actions but have a rigid and stony attitude toward others we can
love only little.
Notice how the
Word of God shows us that our cleansing brings forth two things, holiness and Love. And it is these two things
together that merit with God. We are not clean and therefore holy. We
are cleansed by the Love of God and the tender mercy of God and therefore, have
become holy unto to. Set aside for service because we have a right
heart, and our heart first has become holy. Our heart first has been cleansed,
and because we can see our own condition is as filthy rags, and we have been
made clean by the blood of the lamb anyway, we then have a tender heart for
others as Jesus did for us, and a forgiving heart for others as he so freely
forgave our sins. For if you cannot forgive others how can you expect
forgiveness for your own sin.
Therefore, as we
love, and tenderly care we are made holy. Therefore our holiness is not a
state of our actions, but is a condition of our heart. And if
it is true holiness it will express itself in true Love.
Notice
Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with
the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a
glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it
should be holy and without blemish.
Notice
Paul is saying Love that you may sanctify. Love that you might cleanse. Love that you might make holy.
In Titus 3:5
he tells us, Not by works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration,
and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
It
seems we so overlook the simple things, and yet that is where God hides, is in
simplicity. Everyone wants the challenge to do the big things, and yet it is in
those simple acts of love that cleansing where holiness are born.
David, who was a man after God's own
heart said in Psalms 51:7 ¶ Purge me with
hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Notice
then that Holiness and cleansing is born out of Love.
In John 3:16
Jesus tells us. For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent
not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him
might be saved.
Notice,
our
Love comes from being loved first.
We read in I John 4:10
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us,
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so
loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any
time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in
us.
It Wasn't So From The
Beginning 60-0306 E-54 Sent His Holy Spirit down here to come into our flesh,
which He has sanctified with His own blood... You believe in sanctification?
"Be ye holy, for I am holy." Now, you cannot be holy. I'm not depending on my
holiness. I have none. But I'm depending
on His holiness. It's His holiness that I'm looking at. Not what... Well, not what I was, but what He is.
That's it. Go back to the beginning. There it is: Jesus Christ the same yesterday...
Notice
then our holiness is not what we do for Him, but what He has done for us.
I Samuel 2:2 There is none holy as
the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our
God.
There
is none that is Holy but the Lord, and when He cleans you up and fills you with
His Holy Spirit, then having the same Spirit and same Life in you as in Him, you
are now made a Holy people.
Leviticus 20:7 Sanctify yourselves
therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. The cleansing
comes first and then Holiness follows. But it all begins because of Love, for
He first Loved us, and then gave of Himself, a part of Himself to us to live
through us.
I Thessalonians 4:7 For God hath not
called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 8 He therefore that
despises, despises not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his
holy Spirit. 9 ¶ But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto
you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
Notice
how you cannot separate Holiness in the scripture from Love for that is what it
is. It is Hagios,
it is a Tender Loving Care. That's what Holiness is. And that is what
is expressed through holiness.
I Peter 1:15 But as he which hath
called you is holy, so be ye holy in all
manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am
holy. And then in verse 22 we read "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the
truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned
love of the brethren, see that ye
love one another with a pure heart fervently:
Oh,
my look how Peter begins by speaking on being Holy even as God is Holy, and
then he swings right into showing how we express this Holiness, and that is by
loving the brethren.
Deuteronomy 7:7 The LORD did not set
his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any
people; for ye [were] the fewest of all people: 8 But because the LORD loved
you, …
Because
He loves us we are made Holy. Then let's take that attitude and do the same.
Let this mind which was in Christ be in you. Let this attitude which was in
Christ be in you.
Philippians 2:1 ¶ If there be therefore any consolation
in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of
the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love,
being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done
through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of
others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Let
us pray. Dear Gracious Father we are so thankful
that you first loved us and have shown us the way, and expressed your love to
us through the death of your only begotten so, that the very Life that you
placed in Him might come back into us, and that through that act of love, we
have been freed from our own self righteousness and have become Holy, by a Holy
God, whose Holy Spirit has come through Your Holy Word to live your Holy Life
full of Love and compassion and tender loving care through our own vessels,
that we might become the ling sacrifice, the living expression of your very
Holiness oh God. And we thank you Father for what you are continuing to do
through your Word in this hour.
In Jesus Christ's name we pray, Amen.