The Discover Life Podcast I Ep 8 - Sanctification

[00:00:00] Speaker A: So the other day, somebody said to me, guys, that it was someone that, you know, not going to church and not. Not even Christian. And. And the comment to me was, so you're telling me that. That just because I don't go to church and I haven't accepted Jesus as my savior, that I don't get to go to heaven? And I go, well, me ask you something says, why would you want to spend eternity with someone that you're spending your life ignoring? It's this thing where people want to go to heaven, but they want to do it their way. [00:00:47] Speaker B: They want all the benefits, but they don't want to walk in. In the plan that God already has for you. You know, you. You want to go to heaven, but you want to do whatever you want. [00:00:57] Speaker A: Well, I mean, if it's the heaven. If it's the heaven of the Bible, then you need the God of the Bible. [00:01:02] Speaker B: That's right. [00:01:03] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:01:04] Speaker A: And that's the heaven we're talking about. [00:01:06] Speaker D: Yeah. If a complete stranger just wanted to walk into your house, would. Would you be okay with that? Don't right now. If it was me, a friend, somebody close, you would welcome them in. [00:01:18] Speaker A: Yep. [00:01:18] Speaker D: But if there was a complete stranger, someone you spent zero time with, has no relationship with, they walk into your house, that seems kind of odd. And you'd probably want to stop them at the door. Right. It's the exact same idea of to live this life without God, but want the benefit. And the funny thing about it, too is maybe in their mind, I actually don't want a relationship with him there either. I just want to go to heaven. [00:01:43] Speaker A: I just don't want to go to hell. [00:01:44] Speaker D: I just don't want to go to hell. It has zero to do with actually knowing God. For them, it has everything to do. The benefits of the choice they get to make here, and the benefits of everything he gives me up there without the relationship. [00:01:58] Speaker A: You know, I almost want to apologize, but I can't because. Because God is fair. That's right. He's saying, this is the way to heaven. You can choose to accept it like Mission Impossible. [00:02:12] Speaker B: That's right. [00:02:14] Speaker A: By the way, what a great move. Have you guys seen it yet? You haven't seen it yet? You haven't seen it yet? Oh, my God. Anyway, you can choose, accept it, or you can. You can not. And. And that's your prerogative. But. But one of the things that. That C.S. lewis says is hell is God's saying to you, thy will be done. You chose. [00:02:41] Speaker C: I love that quote. [00:02:42] Speaker A: You chose not to accept him. Your will be done. You're not, you're not going to happen because that's what you chose. [00:02:52] Speaker B: This is a relationship that God is trying to, to. To give you. A relationship of eternity. Yeah, it's a, it's an eternal relationship. If you reject. Why, why, if you rejected something good, you think at the end you're gonna get good? [00:03:07] Speaker A: Yeah. So, I mean, and even for those that go to church, I think that, I think that that's why, you know, the, the, the, the narrow. It's less traveled. It's, it's, there's, there's not a lot of traffic in the net because there's a high price to pay. Now. Now I have to say, salvation is free. Yes, it, it is absolute, complete, a complete work of God through Jesus. But grace starts a work in you. If you watched our last episode, grace is doing something in you. It's transforming you. And this little word that we're going to be talking about today, it's sanctifying you. The missing piece in a lot of people's lives. And the reason why many people that say in your name, we prayed and people got healed in your name, we cast out devils. It. It's because the lack of sanctification is the reason why they will hear from the Lord, depart from me, for I never knew you because you are a practitioner of evil. So stay tuned. It's going to be a good one. It's on sanctification coming on the other side of this int. Welcome, everybody, to a brand new episode of the Discover Life podcast. We're grateful that you're joining us today. Let me ask you to do us a favor. Can you please share? You're already watching. Just hit that share button, hit that like button, and hit that subscribe button. It means a lot to us and it really helps us with the algorithm, helps other people find our show. This podcast is called Discover Life because the Bible says God says that whoever finds me discovers life. And we're hoping that you find God through this POD podcast so that you can discover him and discover life. Today we're going to be talking about sanctification and what it means and how it works and how it can transform your daily life. My name is Bishop Person Gonzalez and I have Pastor Axel, I have Deacon Eliud, I have Minister Lewis. I've got the squad here, and we are ready to dive into this powerful topic. And today on the controls, we have young Amari. Thank you for helping. We love you. [00:06:12] Speaker C: Thank you, thank you. [00:06:13] Speaker A: Do a good job. Okay? [00:06:16] Speaker C: What a great topic we have today. I think sanctification is one of those misunderstood topics in the New Testament, because that's where you really, really hear a lot of it. And many people think it's about trying harder, about legalism, or about reaching some elusive level of perfection. But today, we're going to unpack it for you, and we're going to do it biblically and practically so we can get a complete understanding. Hopefully, through this podcast, you can learn something about it that you didn't know, and that's really our goal. [00:06:54] Speaker A: Amen. [00:06:54] Speaker D: Yeah, that's good. I want to start by emphasizing that sanctification is not just a theological idea. It's a daily, intentional choice that every believer makes. Right. It's about becoming more like Jesus in our character, in our conduct, and in our heart. So it's much more than just a theological idea. It is how we do life. [00:07:17] Speaker B: It's a lifelong journey. And understanding how sanctification fits into our overall plan of salvation helps us appreciate God's grace and our responsibility as believers. That sanctification is like a process of obedience and dependency on God. [00:07:36] Speaker A: That's right. So let's talk about why. Why is sanctification so vital? God's entire work in your life is to make you holy. That's what he is up to. If he's up to anything in your life, he's not. He's not there to make you happy, to make you rich, to make you famous. The key work of God in your life is to make you holy. And that's why sanctification is such a vital part of the work of grace in your life. So we're going to talk about why is it a part, a key part of God's plan for us after salvation. [00:08:17] Speaker C: In the book of the first Thessalonians 4. Three, that this is the will of God, Even your sanctification, it's not optional. It's God's purpose for his children. And many people wonder, if I accept Jesus as my Savior, is that enough? What do you guys think? [00:08:37] Speaker D: What a question. [00:08:39] Speaker A: You know, and I think that that's kind of what we were alluded to last week as well. Do you make a. A prayer and all of a sudden you are. Are brought into a new life because you made the sinner's prayer? You know, theologically and biblically, there's no. There's no record of us asking people to make that prayer. We've come up with that prayer because we want people to confess with their mouth and believe in their heart. But. But the prayer isn't mandated by Scripture. But the question is, is it enough to accept Jesus as your Savior? [00:09:19] Speaker B: It's enough to. The Bible says if you accept them and confess it with your mouth and believe in your heart, and believe in your heart that he's the Son of God, you'll be saved. [00:09:28] Speaker D: But here's the question for everybody is, what is the proof of belief? [00:09:32] Speaker B: Right. [00:09:33] Speaker D: I can say I believe, but what is the proof of belief? [00:09:36] Speaker A: Fruit, let's go. [00:09:38] Speaker D: So I think that we have to get headed into the conversation that Fruit is the proof of belief, and not just for people around us. It's the proof for ourselves that I've actually made the decision to choose Jesus. [00:09:51] Speaker B: Actually to live holy, because he wants you to be closer to him, because God is holy. [00:09:56] Speaker D: Salvation begins with regeneration, being actually born again. And that's a miracle of divine grace. Sanctification is the process that follows. [00:10:06] Speaker A: So the misconception is all I have to do is accept Jesus. And in theological terms, you could almost say, yes, salvation is a complete work. Regeneration is a complete work. Once you are saved, you are saved. Amen. I agree with that. [00:10:26] Speaker C: But. [00:10:27] Speaker A: But it doesn't stay there, right? It doesn't stay there. Sanctification begins after you are saved. So the misconception is all I have to do is accept him. Understanding what grace does and understanding how you come to know God, it really requires that sanctification piece. [00:10:46] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:10:47] Speaker C: It would be enough if you were the man in the cross. Oh, that was enough for him because he left that same day. [00:10:56] Speaker A: Yep. [00:10:56] Speaker C: But if you accept Jesus, you're not leaving, you know, God forbid, that same day you accept him. [00:11:04] Speaker A: But he didn't return to a lifestyle of sin. [00:11:06] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:11:08] Speaker D: He didn't have that opportunity. [00:11:09] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:11:09] Speaker C: If he did, he would have to go through that whole process of sanctification. [00:11:13] Speaker D: But there's a scripture that blesses me when it comes to this, and it's in Colossians, chapter three. Right. If you read from verses one to four, it says, if, then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is. Wait, so if I have received him, then the other part is, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Then it says, set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. So what really happens and the reason why it's important that after the moment of salvation comes this sanctification process is because your life has Just begun. You can't stay the same and proclaim that Christ is now in you. Because in Scripture, to say that you have received Christ is to be made new. That means your life has just begun in Christ. It's a new thing. [00:12:05] Speaker B: And it's important to realize that sanctification is not about earning God's favor or trying to be perfect on our own. It's about responding to his grace and cooperating with His Holy Spirit. So that's the thing that Lisa, help. The Holy Spirit is going to help us to get to the place that we can be just like Jesus. It's turning away from what you used to be and becoming that new creation that he created you to be. [00:12:34] Speaker A: Yeah. The Bible shows us that salvation is a threefold work, right? First, regeneration, new birth, being born again. Second, there's justification being declared righteous through God, through the grace of God, not by anything that you've done, but simply by the goodness and the grace of God. And then the third is sanctification, mean being made holy in your character and in your conduct. You're not done. When you accept Jesus, that work of becoming holy is just started. So if you're, if you're watching and you've been going to church and it's a little bit hard. It's supposed to be hard. [00:13:18] Speaker D: It's not supposed to be easy. [00:13:19] Speaker A: It's not an easy process. But I'm telling you that as Deacon alluded to, don't do it in your work. When you try to do it, it'll be impossible. It really is a work of faith in your life. By allowing the Holy Spirit to get active in your life, the faith in this makes you. Faith without works is death. [00:13:44] Speaker C: You can't truly experience sanctification without first being justified. But sanctification is the ongoing work of God transforming us from within. I put it this way, like you guys said, it's not an easy thing. It's like a daily surgery in your life where God is just, you know, messing you up. He's just torring you apart and just breaking all, all those habits. All those things that, you know, we, we. We kind of grab along, along the way. And God is just chopping those things off us. So it's, it's, It's a daily thing. [00:14:25] Speaker D: So the Greek root words hagizo or hagiazo mean to place in a relation to God in accordance with his holiness. [00:14:34] Speaker A: His holiness, right. [00:14:36] Speaker D: It's about being set apart and dedicated exclusively. Say that again. Exclusively to God. [00:14:43] Speaker C: There you go. [00:14:44] Speaker B: My goodness, that sounds tough. [00:14:46] Speaker D: Or it sounds, it sounds limiting. It sounds like the narrow road. Like, when I think about that, I think about the narrow road and how people view the narrow road and this process as rigid rules. And it's. It's rigid and I can't explore. But you know what the beautiful thing about the narrow road is? Though it may be narrow, it doesn't give you a lot of chance for wandering. It gives you a straight line to the goal. And if you are okay with a few thorns and thistles hitting your arm and your leg while you're going through the process. See, it's. It's as if we look at sanctification. I know we said it's not fun, but it's always good. [00:15:24] Speaker A: Oh, it's good. [00:15:26] Speaker D: And I think that the results. Yes, 100% right. And I think that others sometimes, especially like the guy that asked you the question that you said in the intro, right, he's asking because he's looking into this narrow road, like, is this the only way? Just this one guy. Is it just this, this one way? Only if you understood that taking that one way, taking the right way, taking that only bridge that takes you over all those other things is actually in your best interest. Psychology. We're not asking you to serve our God. He's your God too. You just haven't accepted it. Yeah, he created you. He made you with his hands. You just have not yet accepted that truth. [00:16:07] Speaker A: We're training for eternity with him. [00:16:09] Speaker D: Come on. [00:16:10] Speaker A: We're training to live a life holy and acceptable unto him. Right? And so this afterlife that everybody keeps talking about, you know, it's going to be amazing. And don't forget that before that there's a thousand years of, of the rule of Jesus here on the earth. We just went through a great study, so a lot of that is still here even before we leave. [00:16:35] Speaker B: That's right. [00:16:35] Speaker C: Sanctification, it's not our idea. [00:16:39] Speaker A: That's right. [00:16:40] Speaker C: It's God's idea. So what does that mean? That means that we don't get there in our own. It's just like salvation. We don't become saved on our own. It's like grace. We don't earn grace, we just accept it. Right. So sanctification, it's good. It's. It's God who, who, who initiates it. So it's, it's something that I think we need to make clear that we can't get that on our own, even with the things that we do and we try. [00:17:07] Speaker A: That's right. It's. [00:17:08] Speaker C: It's God. Who separates us. So it's something that he does in our lives, not our own efforts. [00:17:16] Speaker A: Deke, what about the Old Testament word for sanctification? [00:17:19] Speaker B: In the Old Testament, the root kadash means to cut or separate, which points to the idea of being distant and separated from everything that's profound or unclean. So. So if I look at it like that, then it means. It means that. That it's vital for spiritual growth and fulfillment. Right. So this is going to help us to turn away from the things that are not good and bring us to holiness before him for a fulfillment. When I look at fulfillment, it means that I am satisfied. And the only way I could be satisfied is through Jesus and through being holy and righteous before Him. [00:18:00] Speaker A: Yeah. And so whether you look at it from the New Testament or Old Testament, Hebrew or Greek or Spanish or anything else, sanctification involves separation, a separation from evil and impurity. This separation isn't just external. It's an inward work of the Spirit of God that impacts your heart. A lot of people are trying to fix the symptoms rather than dealing with the disease. Oh, I want to. I want to stop smoking, so I'm going to go to church. I want to stop cheating on my wife, so I'm going to go to church. I want to stop doing this, so I'm going to go to church. You're trying to deal with the symptoms. God doesn't deal with symptoms. God deals with the issue. The issue is sin in your life. That's what. That's the real thing that you need help from. And that's what he died. Jesus didn't die so that you could live smoke free. He died so that you could live sin free. And. And that's what he is up to in your life. [00:19:03] Speaker C: That's what God deals with. He deals with the root. [00:19:06] Speaker A: Yep. [00:19:06] Speaker C: Because if you deal just with the weeds and not the root of it. [00:19:09] Speaker A: It'S going to keep growing, keep going. [00:19:11] Speaker D: P.S. you'll always leave church again. If you come in for the symptom, you'll always walk away once you feel like it's better. [00:19:19] Speaker A: As soon as you feel a little better. [00:19:20] Speaker D: If you come in with the true realization that I am worthless without the Lord and without that grace that he offers me. See, it's about a relationship with Him. Sanctification is your process of really becoming more like him, more set apart for his purpose. And so if you come in and begin your journey with Christ from the right place, you'll never walk away. And that's the reason why we talked about that in our previous episode, which is, can you actually walk away if you've had a true touch from God, if you are truly saved, if you have truly encountered the power of the cross, the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We're speaking, the four of us speak from a place of experience, of plenty of moments, wanting to walk away but can't do it. Can't do it. [00:20:08] Speaker A: We're working on every day getting closer and closer to that mark of perfection. I'm not saying that, that you, you can continue to sin forever. I believe that there is a level of sanctification. Yes. Only God knows how far you can go. Yeah, but there's a level of sanctification that each of us can reach. The Bible calls it perfection. Another term for it is maturate, maturation, being mature. [00:20:33] Speaker B: Yeah, that, that's the thing that people get. Perfection is not that we, that we don't make mistakes. Perfection is growing. It's maturing in Christ. And he covers us. He covers us. But as long as we're following him and we're trying to get closer to him and trying to be holy and trying to be more sanctified, he covers the rest. [00:20:56] Speaker C: It's not a one time event. It's ongoing. Something we participate in daily, moment by moment. And Paul reminds us in Romans 12, verses 1 and 2 to present our bodies as a living sacrament sacrifice and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. It's a daily thing. Just remember that, that don't break your head thinking that it's from one day to another. No, it's as till Christ calls you into his presence. Okay. You are gonna be sanctified by him every single day. And all he wants is for you to say, lord, I want it. I desire to be like you. The Bible calls it perfection because he doesn't know how to do anything else. [00:21:43] Speaker A: That's right. [00:21:44] Speaker D: You know, you're incapable of failure. [00:21:47] Speaker C: Everything he does is perfect. So he calls it. It's a perfect work that he does. [00:21:51] Speaker B: That's why we are made perfect in Him. It's not us, it's Him. And, and, and the thing is that all this stuff is gonna, is we will not until he comes. Like he said, it's the only time that we will be in that glorified body. When he comes, then we'll be like him and we'll be perfect. That's the time. But as long as we're here, we're going to continue to push, like he said, until we get to that place. [00:22:17] Speaker A: It's a separation from evil. But there's another side to it. It's also a dedication. You're going to separate from evil while you dedicate yourself to God. It'll be easier for you to separate as you dedicate your life to God. Right, Minister? [00:22:33] Speaker D: The Bible is full of calls for believers to actively turn away from sin. It's all over the word. 2nd Corinthians 7:1 encourages us to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. I was in worship yesterday by myself and I was just spending some time with the Lord and I said, and this thought just came to my mind as I was worshiping, but in a form of repentance. And I just said, man, there's no greater worship you can give to the Lord than the worship of repentance. To constantly come back to this place to say, lord God, I know I'm on this journey. I know you're not condemning me, right? There's therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. But man, I want you to know that that cleansing of my life throughout this process of life is on the forefront of my mind. I know I don't have to beat myself up and I no longer have to wear shame. However, I want to come to you every night before I go to bed and say, lord God, if I failed you today, I'm turning from my wicked ways and I'm turning towards you and I'm going to live a righteous and holy life, shining light on you because you are good and I love you. And that thought of man. The greatest worship I can give to my God is to repent every day beforehand and turn from my sin. [00:23:49] Speaker B: It's not to be afraid of God. Fear of God is acknowledging who he is. He's that good. And that cleansing is both outward and inward. It involves repentance, renouncing sin, and allowing the Holy Spirit to renew our hearts. You know, when I hear the heart thing, the Bible says that the heart is the most deceiving. That's why we need the Holy Spirit, because we'll confuse ourselves the way we in our emotions and our feelings. We'll do wrong things with our emotions and our feelings. But the Holy Spirit brings us to holiness before God. He puts us in the right directions. He directs our path. He even I know everybody hears when you're going to do something wrong. You hear that little voice that said, don't do that, don't do that. So if you don't think that God is talking to you that when you hear that, that's God talking to you and warning you because he loves you and he wants to put you in the right path, in the right direction. [00:24:44] Speaker D: That's right. [00:24:45] Speaker A: When I was young and I go to church, and here we go, and we come from a holiness. Holiness church. And. And holiness was the currency that was treated. The holier you appear. [00:24:58] Speaker B: Oh, my God. [00:24:58] Speaker A: The more you know. [00:25:00] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:25:01] Speaker D: From the haircut to the. [00:25:03] Speaker A: To the suit. Suit to the. And how your kids dressed and how your wife behaved and dressed. Right. And so there was this group. I could talk about it now. Some of these people are dead. There was this group called Lo Guerreros de Cristo in my dad's church. Lo Guerrero de Cristo. And these guys were, you know, really dedicated. And I don't mean to make poke fun of it, but, you know, it was just such an effort on outward holiness. And so one time, and I know I might lose some viewers here, one time we were at church, and there was a manifestation of an evil spirit. And so el grupo de Los Guerreros de Cristo, they took Christ warriors into a back room. And I remember because I stayed. Service finished, and they were still in. [00:25:59] Speaker D: The back room getting their butts whooped. [00:26:01] Speaker A: Fighting with this demon. And they're back there, and I'm with my dad. And the whole time, my dad is at the altar kneeling and praying, just praying, just praying. And I can't hear what he's saying, but I see my dad praying. I hear bing, bang, bing, dong, dong, dang, ding, and all this stuff in the back. And all of a sudden, one of the Guerreros de Cristo come out and go, pastor, can you come help us? And my dad got up, walked in, and I don't know what happened in there. Two minutes. Not even two minutes. My father came out with this demon possessed person, free, laughing, smiling, just free two minutes. And I tell you what, you want to know where your life is at? Find yourself in front of a demon. [00:26:52] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:26:53] Speaker A: Because that authority, you know, I really think that we have to be careful not to be the type that fast like Jesus criticized. They fast and they looked hungry and they looked. They looked, you know, sorrowful and pitiful at church so that others could see how often they fast. Jesus said they already have their reward because everybody thinks they're holy. [00:27:17] Speaker C: Wow. [00:27:18] Speaker A: That's their reward. God's not going to reward you for that because you already got your reward. You made everybody think you're holy. [00:27:27] Speaker C: Yeah, I remember those days. You know, you guys lived longer on those days. [00:27:34] Speaker B: Wow. [00:27:35] Speaker C: You know, trying to remember my stories again, but. But I think we focus so much on appearance and sanctification. Was that for us? Appearance? It was nothing else. But I love this statement here where it says that holiness is rooted in love and forgiveness. [00:27:58] Speaker A: Yes. [00:28:01] Speaker C: It's rooted there. If we don't see love and forgiveness and holiness, we miss the mark because people are in need for. For someone to not point at them, but instead receive them with love and forgiveness. That's. That's what makes you truly holy. [00:28:25] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:28:25] Speaker C: When you understand that love and that forgiveness, when our hearts are purified by the Holy Spirit, when our conduct naturally reflects Christ's charact. [00:28:36] Speaker A: Yep. [00:28:37] Speaker C: Galatians 5 describes the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. This is the evidence of sanctification at work in us. That's it. It's the fruit. [00:28:51] Speaker D: Galatians 5, 1921, about the works of the flesh, Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, idolatry, and so on that hinder our walk with God. Sanctification involves turning away from these sins and embracing a new way of life. [00:29:09] Speaker A: When we talk about sanctification coming after regeneration, we're really saying that there is a sin that is an act, things that you do, and then there's a sin that is a principle. You live according to that nature. That's what we call the fallen nature. Right. And so when we talk about sin as an act and sin as a principle, we're talking about principled people live according to a certain directive. You look at Marines that are fresh from Ellis island, they are principled. They've been trained how to live, how to walk, how to dress, how to make their bed. They have a lifestyle that's been trained into them. They are principled to live the way of the Marines. Now, when you are principled in the way of sin, it means that you fully embrace the fallen nature, and it's no longer an act. You're not doing something that's. That's. That's that. That you want to do. You're doing something that you can't help but do. [00:30:11] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:30:12] Speaker A: You're literally a slave to sin is what the Bible calls it. You're a slave to sin because that's your nature. It's making you do that. And so sanctification helps to break that. So justification deals with the sins committed, the sins that you do, but sanctification addresses the sins as the principle of your nature. This is how important it is. Sanctification is not behavior modification. It's a restoration and a reset of Your soul, it's a reset of who you are. It's helping you learn how to live that new life that you were regenerated with. When we say born again, you have to live according to the. A new nature. Sanctification is the process of teaching you how to live no longer as a slave to sin, but a slave to righteousness. That's good. [00:31:08] Speaker B: That's so good. [00:31:09] Speaker C: And again, this takes time. Just the example you use. The Marines, they take these guys and they go for months, years, and they. When they come back, they come back with stories and they tell you, this wasn't easy. It took weeks, months, till we finally, you know. So sanctification isn't instantaneous. It's a journey of faith, obedience, and discipline. It involves continual death to self and a life. Live in dependence to the Holy Spirit. I love that, the dependence and the Holy Spirit, because it's the Holy Spirit that does this work in us. So if you trying to be sanctified or try to get to that, that sanctification place in your own, you're not gonna get there. And that's why you keep failing, and that's why you keep falling. Because in your strength, nothing can happen. [00:32:03] Speaker A: Describe what that means. Because. Okay, so we're using a lot of Christianese here. What does it mean not to depend on your own strength and depend on the Holy Spirit? Let's get some anecdotal evidence here. What does that mean? Because I know what we mean. But how do people, People understand what that means? Not my strength, but his strength. [00:32:25] Speaker C: You do the things that God is asking you to do, because those are the things that are hard for people to do. It's easy for them to come up with their own ideas, with their own thoughts and think, this is the way I should do it. This is the way I should get close to God. And that's where we fail. Because God already created a path for your sanctification, and that's the path that will lead you to that path to see those results that you want. [00:32:50] Speaker A: When you wake up in the morning and you make a decision to die again, that's not a decision you make in the morning. That's a decision you have to manage the whole day. And when you are tempted, like I was recently with something, and I just said, lord, I need you now. I prayed, I said, lord, man, I am feeling this urge, this temptation, this, this or that, however it manifests in your life, it. It is, man, I really need a cigarette. Or, or, man, I need a drink. Or I. I feel and then we start saying and convincing ourselves, I'm not going to be okay until I get that thing. That's the flesh speaking up, right? Letting the Holy Spirit handle it is literally by saying, God, if I don't get your help right now, Jesus in. [00:33:40] Speaker D: The wilderness, he uses the word of God, right? I think that understanding how to fight with God on your side is understanding that there's a part in the supernatural that you're not visually seeing. And so what you're doing is you're allowing him to represent you in the supernatural against things that you can't see attacking you to you. You're seeing a person yell at you, but you're not understanding. It's the enemy trying to rise up the evil in you. He's trying to rise up the anger in you, the resentment in you. And so what you're doing when you fight this way, when you use this process of sanctification, is you're becoming more like Christ. Okay, so how did God, how did Jesus fight these battles? How did Jesus fight these things? And you're rejecting your old way. The Bible calls it worldly wisdom. And we're using Godly wisdom to fight these battles. And when we do, there is a supernatural thing happening. The Bible tells us, or there's even that song. There's these things. There's another dimension active. And what we're doing when we call on the power of the Holy Spirit is we're activating that dimension on our. [00:34:58] Speaker B: Behalf when you're about to give up. Because sometimes we need to be at that place in order to realize how strong and how powerful God is. In that moment when I just can't do it, I fall to my knees and I call on him. And he responds because he says, he'll hear you. When you truly, with your heart, surrender and say, God, I need you in the toughest times of your life, he is going to show up. [00:35:26] Speaker D: I want to live a life and I love the church and I love ministry and I love all the people that get to see me live as a leader. But if I want to live in a way to affect anybody, it's my house. And I want to live in such a way that I'm rejecting myself and my flesh and my sinful nature. And I'm trying to run towards God because the truth is. And you can ask my kids, my daughter's here. She's the one controlling the video stuff is the constant conversation I'm having with them is, guys, the reason why I live this way is because I want you to see what's possible in Jesus. And I know that it's limiting. I know that I'm the dad that says no to the sleepovers. I know I'm the dad that says, you know, we're not going to do it that way. Even though 90% of everybody you know is doing it that way. And I feel sometimes like living sanctified, that set apart life can sometimes feel like you're the one doing it alone. It can feel sometimes like you're that different guy. And as a father and as a leader, I am finding this strength in the Holy Spirit and in my heart to start leaning into that kind of posture. Lord, I just want to be more like you. It doesn't even matter what the consequence of that is in the world's perspective. I don't care if people are going to love me for it. I don't care if people are going to judge me for it. God, I just want to be like you and I want to serve you. I want to praise your name. I want to give you all the glory, honor and praise. And if somebody can witness that, I bet you it'll change their life forever. Let me be the example of that. [00:36:56] Speaker A: God. My dad used to have a saying. He said, the wrong time to fix a leak in your roof is when it's raining. The right time to fix that roof is when it's sunny. But when it's sunny, you want to go hang out and you want to. That's the thing. That the time for you to get holy is not when you're in the midst of a trial. That's not. And here's the problem that I know people feel. They go, I can't pray now. God's gonna feel like I'm just using them because I'm only praying now because I got that girl pregnant. Or I'm only praying now because the doctor said I've got this, this or that. I'm going to feel like a hypocrite. That's. That's trying to prepare the roof in the midst of the storm. By the way, come to him no matter what it is. [00:37:57] Speaker B: That's right. [00:37:57] Speaker A: My God, there's never a wrong time to come to him. [00:38:01] Speaker B: That's so. [00:38:01] Speaker A: It might. It might be the reason why God allowed the problem so that you could turn to him. But in the issue of sanctification, the best time to strengthen your walk is when you have those opportunities to worship and things are relatively well. That's when you're protecting yourself and making yourself strong. Because the Storm's coming. Oh, it's coming. Oh, it's coming, it's coming. [00:38:25] Speaker D: The time to fix it isn't in the rain, but when the rain comes, it is the evidence of what you did when it wasn't. [00:38:31] Speaker A: That's right. [00:38:31] Speaker D: And so you have to, you have to, you have to pay more attention when it's raining because if you still see leaks, it's not a question of is God doing it, It's a question of are you being obedient when it's time? Are you fixing it? Are you doing what you need to do in the time that is required of you? And the truth is, nobody wants to do the work when it's required. You want to do the work. When it's too late, you go, no, I'll just do it. I'll do anything, God, if you just do this for me, God, what a line right there. Every movie I've seen where somebody wants to throw God in it. It's, if you only do this, I promise I will turn my life around. No, you won't. But I'm telling you something, if you start doing it, I'm going to challenge somebody right now. Start doing it right now. I don't know what the condition of your life and your walk is right now, but don't waste another minute because even if it's drizzling now, it's going to downpour soon. Start fixing that thing that you need to fix. Start aligning it. And I'm not saying fix like perform. I'm not talking about performance. I'm talking about who you are, the posture of your heart, lean it into the Lord. Get into your word, Start worshiping the Lord, fast and pray. I'm telling you that this is the time. Don't waste your time. Jump in right now if you're still watching. [00:39:49] Speaker A: Have you gone all through this? Can you put a comment in the section and say, hey, this is good, guys, or hey, guys, I need to hear more about this. Put a comment. We want to hear from you, please. If you've watched all this and you're still there, please let me know. Let us know by commenting now as we push our way into sort of the end of this conversation. I want to talk about the means of sanctification, God's role and our responsibility. So let's talk about the divine means of sanctification. God is the initiator. He planned it, he provided through Jesus Christ and performs it through the Holy Spirit. You see, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Active live in this thing. God plans it, Jesus provides it, and the Holy Spirit performs it. [00:40:40] Speaker C: And John 3:16 reminds us that God so loved us that he gave His Son to make us holy. Christ's sacrifice is the foundation of our sanctification. [00:40:52] Speaker A: Yep. [00:40:53] Speaker C: It's through him that we can get to this place. [00:40:56] Speaker D: Yeah. And the Holy Spirit is the one who works within us. Right. Transforming us from the inside out. It's the Spirit who convicts us of sin, guides us into truth, and produces the fruit. Say that again. And produces the fruit. That's the evidence. He produces the fruit of holiness in us. [00:41:15] Speaker B: We're called to faith, trusting in Christ, redemptive work. And to dedicate ourselves fully to him. In Romans 12:1 and 2 urges us to present our bodies a living sacrifice and renewing our minds daily. That's the strength that we have. The strength is that we can go back to the Word and remember the things that God said that he does for you. Because, you know, a lot of people complain, but if you just remember the promises that God says in the Word. You know, when I'm going through tough times, I remind God. You know, when I. When, let's say, somebody struggling with finance, I remind them and say, God, but you said, you're my provider. You're the one that gives me peace. You're my prince of peace. You're the one that goes before me. You fight for me. I want you to know if you know his promises, that's you. Renew your mind. When things are out of control, go back to the Word. And the Word is going to lead you back to holiness. It's going to lead you back to God, to be more like Him. This is not my hobby. This is a lifetime. A lifetime to completely, you know, grow in grace and gradually steadfastly change to be more like Him. Yes, sir. That's the key right there. [00:42:35] Speaker A: And discipline plays a role in this. And I'm not talking about the discipline of waking up at 6 in the morning. It's God's discipline. God's discipline. He teaches us. Hebrews chapter 12, 10 and 11 teaches us that God disciplines us for our good. You know, in that verse, it talks about our parents, our elders. They disciplined us. And it hurt for a little while, but it was ultimately for our good. And God's discipline might hurt for a little while. I'm not telling you that this is easy. I'm telling you that dying is hard work. I'm telling you the transformation is hard work. I can't imagine that it's pleasant for A caterpillar to turn into a butterfly, that's hard. I bet you it takes a lot of work, and it's physically taxing for that transformation. [00:43:29] Speaker D: I actually just saw in my front lawn three days ago, I think it was. I watched a snake peel off its own skin to live in its new skin. Skin, yeah, because it's growing. When you grow, there's no way for you to live in your old skin. And it is a process to remove that which doesn't belong to you any longer so that you can grow into what God is calling you to do. [00:43:51] Speaker A: So. So it means that sometimes, and this is not. Not always comfortable, but sometimes, you know, trials and correction are part of your growth pattern. It's gonna be a part of it. Open yourself up to this if you really want to grow, if you want to be. If you want to be transformed and changed so that you are ready for when the trumpet sounds. Because the Bible says that he is coming back for a bride without spot or wrinkle. Look at. Look at that definition and tell me that I can do it on my own. I can't do it on my own. That's why I need the discipline of God and the correction of God. [00:44:31] Speaker B: God. [00:44:32] Speaker C: Guys, did he just say a snake? Yeah, we're just going to let that go. A snake in front of his house? All right. [00:44:42] Speaker D: Yeah. I live in the woods now, so. [00:44:45] Speaker C: You don't hear that a lot, especially in Rhode island. So. All right. Okay. [00:44:51] Speaker A: It's probably a garden snake. [00:44:53] Speaker D: Yeah. Is it like four feet? [00:44:56] Speaker C: Four feet. [00:44:57] Speaker A: That's big. [00:44:59] Speaker B: Oh, my God. [00:44:59] Speaker A: Goodness. [00:45:00] Speaker B: That was. [00:45:00] Speaker C: It's a partnership. It is sanctification. It's a partnership. God's grace and our obedience, working together to produce that holy life that God desires for us. And we should desire it, too. And that relationship with him is what helps us get to that place. [00:45:18] Speaker A: We're ending with the practical steps for daily sanctification. I don't want you to. I don't want to leave here and just have you with all these thoughts in your head. Practical steps on how you can sanctify yourself every day. [00:45:32] Speaker D: So how do we practically walk in sanctification every day? First, we must remain close to God through prayer and the Word. I think one of my favorite scriptures since I was a kid was Psalm 119:11. David says, Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. And that has blessed my life. Being in the Word and having a daily life of prayer clearly is one of the greatest things I've ever Done. Because it keeps me connected in relationship with God and the power of the Holy Spirit. [00:46:04] Speaker B: Yeah, and we also need to be intentional about confessing our sins and seeking daily renewal. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23 says, his mercies are new every morning. Man, I love that so much because every morning I thank God and I said thank you for new blessings and new mercy. Because I know yesterday is already done and I need to live in today. Because sometimes we think about tomorrow and the. And somebody, you know, tomorrow's worries are today's anxieties. So why you worry about tomorrow? Only God knows. Only God knows your tomorrow. [00:46:41] Speaker D: Somebody's been reading books, right? [00:46:43] Speaker A: That's it. That's philosophy. [00:46:46] Speaker B: Because. Because a lot of us worry about what's going to happen tomorrow. But the Bible says you don't know if you're going to wake up tomorrow. You don't know if God's going to wake you up tomorrow. [00:46:54] Speaker A: Yes, sir. [00:46:55] Speaker B: So what you do today and get into the place of glorifying God at all times in this day, today, when you wake up in the morning, say, today, God, I want to glorify you in everything I do. I want to help somebody, I want to bless somebody, I want to make somebody laugh. I want to take away the distractions and keep me focused on you so that I may please you during this day. Because we talked about fruit living that you're known by your fruit. And if you're living that life, somebody sees it. Somebody's going to be like, man, there's something about you. When we're living holy and righteous. It's people can see it. They see it in the way you live. They see it in how you speak. It's just some kind of light that just follows you around. And that's the light of Christ. [00:47:41] Speaker D: So good. [00:47:41] Speaker A: So if you're going to renew your mind, you're going to renew your mind in the Word of God. I like to tell people that you're not going to go to heaven without reading the Bible. [00:47:50] Speaker B: It's the easiest way to tell you. [00:47:51] Speaker A: You'Re not going to make it to heaven if you don't read the Bible. You need to read the Word. The Word is what's going to discipline you and train you and teach you. So stop thinking you're going to make it to heaven and only read the Bible when the pastor says, open your Bibles to that's not going to cut it. [00:48:10] Speaker B: I always look at that word Bible B I B L E. Basic instructions before leaving earth. I don't Know if it was meant that way. But I have. I know a God that is not a God of coincidence. [00:48:19] Speaker C: What does that mean? That means turn away from those habits that don't lead you to holiness. [00:48:27] Speaker A: Fight, fight, fight. Right. [00:48:33] Speaker C: The way we change a bad habit is by turning it into a good habit, by practicing something, something different. That's. That's the only way we can turn those bad habits that, that we come with. By practicing good habits. You got to resist temptation, avoid things that lead you away from home, from holiness. [00:48:57] Speaker D: Listen, I think, I think that in alignment with that, with that very thing, is that you have to surround yourself with believers who will encourage you and hold you accountable. Because this isn't a solo journey. [00:49:06] Speaker A: That's right. [00:49:07] Speaker D: How do you. Sometimes you don't know that you have bad, that those bad behaviors are bad. Sometimes what you need is somebody to come in and go, hey, bro, do you know you're doing this thing? [00:49:16] Speaker C: Community? [00:49:17] Speaker D: And I think that has to stop. I think that needs to change. Or I love that you are a person that does that thing. Keep doing that. And I want to learn how to do that, too. Show me how to be more like that. [00:49:28] Speaker B: You need somebody to help you, right? But I can't walk this life without my bishop, my pastors, my ministers, my brothers and sisters in my church. That's the reason why God created family, so that we can help each other. We're a family. And it's important to know that they can help us through being holy and righteous together. We can do it together and make it more powerful. And that way, if when you fall, we have somebody that help you get right back up and move the will of God and finally stay committed to the process. Remember, it's about progress, not perfection. Each day is an opportunity to surrender anew. And let me tell you, the process is never going to stop until Jesus comes back for us. But you know what? The more you stay in it, the more progress you're going to. You're going to. You're going to get stronger. You're going to walk with strength and with the power of the Holy Spirit because it leads you. And there's going to be more joy in your life. There's going to be happiness in your life, and you're going to realize, man, man, I should have did this earlier. For those who took their time, listen. [00:50:39] Speaker A: We'Re wrapping it up now. It's this time where the music comes in. Right now, we're just going to say we love you and we're really going to help you by every single time we come to deliver a word that I hope changes, transforms, maybe challenges you, maybe uplifts you. But everything that we do, we're doing it so that you could discover life through discovering a relationship with God. For Axel, for Elliot, for Lewis, for myself, Hurston, we thank you so much for tuning in. We'll see you next time. [00:51:13] Speaker C: Thank you. [00:51:13] Speaker B: Amen.