Practically Sanctified

1 Corinthians 3:10-17 “10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” (NASB)

Sometimes we live life “out there”. Things are in motion and we just “go with the flow”. It is as if life is lived outside of us, and we have little input. Often this happens when we become driven by goals – and it is not always our fault. Consider the person who is deeply in debt and trying to pay things off. Life for them consists of a lot of work and scant money available for any “extras”. Life becomes “work long, eat simple, watch T.V. and sleep”.
For the one dealing with serious health issues life becomes consumed by doctors appointments, diets, drugs, hospital visits, and the like. For the one getting married… well, the focus is on The Day until it arrives. Sometimes we just let life begin to happen, and we, without realizing it, draw back from actively pursuing life and become much more passive. Life begins to dictate to us what we do, and when we do it. Then a big “out of the blue” event happens and we wonder where that came from, but often it came from our inattentiveness to life and health. It is that whole seagull at Niagara Falls story… Remember?
We need to stop regularly, though, and make sure we tune in to the life that is not “out there” but “in here”, in our hearts. 1 Corinthians 3:16 states this emphatically: “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
So, we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. What does that mean for us? It should mean that we understand our purpose in life much better. It should mean that our course in life has some very definite direction.

Let me suggest 3 priorities that should invade our day to day life because of who we are in Jesus, and then unpack one of them.

1) Strengths: God has called us to a purpose and equipped us for that purpose. Look at 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” God has given us both general things like the Word and His Spirit to guide and direct and empower us for ministry, but He has also given us gifts. In Ephesians 4:12 we have that same word “equipping” used in relation to all of us in our ministry. My favourite part of Bonnie’s book Your Best You: Discovering and Developing the Strengths God Gave You is the following picture: “God gazes down at a child (let’s say the child is you), a big grin on His face. His eyes twinkle at the sight of you. An angel stands behind Him, holding an enormous book filled with every good thing. Page after page of strengths, talents, and breathtaking abilities. Qualities that are found in The Creator of this child. The angel thumbs through the book. “Most Holy One, which gifts will You give this child?” God’s eyes dance with delight as He ponders the wonders He can bestow upon you. He doesn’t want to rush this moment of joyous contemplation. He peers down at you, His smile growing. Suddenly, God throws his head back and laughs with pure joy. The sound is like every bird on earth singing all at once. Oh, He knows you so well. He knows what will bring you joy. The angel laughs with God. “Will you give this child courage? A love of nature? A sense of humor? Creativity?” The Lord of Heaven and Earth touches your cheek. “To this child I’ve already given the greatest gift of all. I have given my Child, so that we can forever be connected, in relationship.” Then God, overflowing with happiness, throws His arms over His head and dances around you. “But even still, I have every good gift to give. I’m generous beyond all human measure. The joy it brings me is uncontainable.” The Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, bends down and whispers in your ear, “Here my child. These are for you. I give you these gifts. Grow in them. Explore them. Use them to bring glory to My name. Let them be a constant reminder of My great love for you.” “Pursue that purpose… go after it with all your heart.

2) Salvation: People in your life who need to hear the Gospel. There are so many ways to picture life. Think of truth. You are following Jesus because in Him you found truth. THE truth. The truth that provides the answer to the question, “Why?” Maybe we can’t articulate it perfectly, or explain it well to someone who is antagonistic to us, but you know in your deepest places that the God who created the ends of the earth created you and wants a relationship with you. It is wonderful! It changed your life. Now look at your neighbour, the mechanic who works on your car, your financial advisor, maybe a child or parent or sibling, and they don’t know. You have this wonderful truth, and they don’t. What are you gonna do? What does God want you to do? There’s a song by Larry Norman that goes like this:

When you know a pretty story you don’t let it go unsaid

You tell it to your children as you tuck them into bed

And when you know a wonderful secretyou tell it to your friends

Because a lifetime filled with happinessis like a street that never ends

Sing that sweet sweet song of salvation and let your laughter fill the air

Sing that sweet sweet song of salvation and tell the people everywhere

Sing that sweet sweet song of salvation to every man and every nation

Sing that sweet sweet song of salvation and let the people know that Jesus cares

Look around you as you sing it there are people everywhere

And to those who stop and listen this sweet song becomes a prayer

‘Cause when you know a wonderful secret you tell it to your friends

Tell them that a lifetime filled with Jesus is like a street that never ends

Sing that sweet sweet song of salvation and let your laughter fill the air

Sing that sweet sweet song of salvation and tell the people everywhere

Sing that sweet sweet song of salvation to every man and every nation

Sing that sweet sweet song of salvation and let the people know that Jesus cares

1 Peter 3:15
“…always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you…”

3. Sanctification: People in your life who are your brothers and sisters in Christ. They need to be encouraged. They need someone to come alongside and challenge them to keep close to Jesus. We are a community here. It’s not about who’s better than the next one, or who has a more up front position. It is about working together as we all walk on this pilgrimage to Christ-likeness. Some of us may be further along than another. The only thing that means is that we have more responsibility to model and lead the way for those that follow.

3 priorities: Strengths, Salvation, Sanctification. These are not things to just talk about, they are priorities Jesus wants us to focus on in life.

Let me unpack the second one quickly. What does a person need to know to be saved? How do we lead someone to Jesus. There are three things, so they are easy to remember.

1. Recognize that you can’t “do it”. Do what? Do life – be good enough-deal with sin. The question to ask is this, “If you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven?” No one is strong enough, or good enough to do it. Think Grand Canyon – it is just to big to cross. There is that issue of sin, and most people will admit it. Read Romans 3:23, and Romans 6:23. In fact, the first 7 chapters of Romans is all about us not being able to do it. You have to give up – give up trying to do it all yourself.

2. Realize God “did it” for us. Jesus did what you and I could not. He dealt with the sin problem, and died for your sins personally. Romans 8:1 says there is now no condemnation for those in Jesus. Romans 6:23 says that the free gift of God is eternal life. And when Jesus does something, He does it all the way. There is nothing more to do, the work is done. Remember the Grand Canyon, He is the bridge. You have to accept what He did for you. How do you do that?

3) Release your hold on life, and give it to Jesus. We do that by confess our sin, and seeking God’s will. It is about surrender. The answer is simple – Christ in us; but it is hard, because it means we have to surrender our life to Him. When we accept Jesus we accept Him as both Savior and Lord, as Forgiver and Leader. It is not just a prayer and then life is all good. Romans 10:9-10 says “9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Do you see how it involves both the decision of your mind as well as the focus of your heart? It is not just about a prayer we said 20 years ago. It is about what you are doing with Jesus today. What are you doing with Jesus today?

Psalm 24 “1 The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood; and has not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face–even Jacob. Selah.
7 Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! 8 Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.”

Matthew 5: 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”
1 John 3: 2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

The Words:

Pure(katharos): Cleansed; this compares with the other similar words in Greek: hagion – holy, free from every fault; hosios – holy, free from defilement; eilikrines – pure, as being tested
We’ve been reading in the news about the listeriosis poisoning that is coming from tainted meat. 10 people have died so far from the pre-packaged meat. When I worked as the deli and bakery supervisor for a grocery store, we were always careful to follow the rules when dealing with meat. All our cuts were stored between 1 and 5 degrees C. We did temperature checks every 2 hours on both our coolers in the back as well as the refrigerated cases on the floor. When we cut the meat we sliced it and packaged it right away. It was dated and then put in one of the coolers. The meat slicer was then fully disassembled so we could clean it effectively. A lot of time each day taken for cleanliness. We know the reason. If there is bacteria left on equipment from not being cleaned, or on a cutting board, or a utensil, and then you use it on something else the bacteria is spread. If it is allowed to go too long it becomes dangerous to the body – it becomes a poison. Botulism from uncleaned vegetables. Pesticides from unwashed fruit.
Blessed are the pure in heart – God has made available spiritual bleach, if you will. He can cleanse us from sin. His holy spirit works in our lives so that sin no longer has mastery over us. This word pure refers to God at work in our lives! Refiner’s fire – Purify my heart…

Heart (Kardia): It is the chief organ of the physical life, pumping the life sustaining blood. You can live without your arm, but you can’t without your heart. Because of the centrality of this organ, it came to refer to a person’s entire mental and moral activity. Another person described it as the hidden springs of the personal life. We are aware what happens if bacteria gets into springs, or the source of our water supply. The whole shebang goes bad. There was a town in Ontario a few years back that suffered through many people dying and getting sick before they traced the source of the problem to containments getting into one of the wells. We need to guard our hearts, to protect them from junk and bad stuff getting in, because it affects our whole person.

The beatitudes are not about salvation as we traditionally understand it, they are about becoming like Jesus. That’s why this beatitude isn’t first. This beatitude is for the person who recognizes he or she can’t do it on their own. They are poor in spirit – they recognize their poverty. They mourn over it. They understand that everyone has to deal with this before God so they are meek. But they want God, so they become hungry for Him. It is at this point we see Jesus saying pursue holiness. It is at this point that we find purity is extolled. Jesus is speaking to us Christians, us people who are religious, who know the church, the building the people. You say you follow me, then be holy for I am holy cries God.

The paradox:

Do you hear the promise? Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. The paradox is that we can’t do anything to become pure! It is God who makes us pure. All our actions and good deeds are as filthy rags to God. Purity is a result of surrender to God, not behaviour for God. Living for behaviour results in legalism, not purity. I mentioned this before, but one time Bonnie and I were driving to Alberta from Ontario. We cut through the US and we were on a road that crossed into Canada in southern Saskatchewan. Well, we were on a totally different road than what we thought, because Canada was not appearing ahead of us. Sometimes we get on the wrong road spiritually. We think we are headed for purity, when instead we are headed for legalism. Get off that road. It turns bumpy and crabby. Get back on the road called Surrender, for it leads to Christ-likeness.

Take it home:

We “shall see God in all things here.” John Wesley said that. What he meant is that if we are pure in heart, we will see God in the life all around us. There is a story and a film that came out several years back. It was called The Matrix. The premise is that all of what we see in this life is a dream programmed by computers. Our physical bodies are in bondage and used for their energy, but all of what we sense is like a computer game. At the end of the book the hero can see it for what it is. He sees binary code in the walls and the people around him, and so can defeat the bad guys. When we understand God, and pursue Him, and surrender all to Him, life makes sense. We understand sin and what it is. We can see the grace of God at work in people’s lives all around us. We know that nothing can happen except by God’s allowance, and that He is Sovereign. We see God in all things here. We may not fully understand His processes, but we are confident His grace and love are enough.

God will be revealed in our lives. Not only will we be able to see god around us, but people will be able to see God in us. 2 Corinthians 3: 18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 1 John 4: 11”Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.” No one has seen God at any time, but people will see Him in our love, in our life.

We shall be in God’s presence for eternity. Life is about relationships, about presence. Listen to this truth as we find it in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.” Death is about separation; that is why death was the penalty for sin. God cannot have sin in His presence and so those in sin are separated from Him. But the pure in heart will fellowship with God in eternity. Some people try to make it a bad thing to talk about heaven, because of the implications of hell. That is why we share Jesus, though, That is why we support missionaries and live pure lives, that God may draw people to Himself through us.

Don’t leave this place today with meeting God, without surrendering to Him. You can do it as we close in prayer. After we pray, and have a short discussion about what I have just said, come to the front if you need to meet God. We have the alter rails for that purpose. It is a decision of your will, not one born out of emotions. We don’t need to have quiet music to convince you about Jesus speaking to you. For centuries people like Paul and Peter would stand up and give the challenge to surrender to God. And immediately people would step forward and ask, “What must I do to be saved?” If God is speaking to you, listen, and do what He asks of you.

The picture at the top is from my twin brother Dan, who is with Wycliffe Translators in Cameroon. They get some big holes…

“Your kingdom come…” “the heart where the rule of Christ is felt”

This is where the Romans had issue with the Christians. This talk of a “kingdom” seemed to threaten Rome’s rule. Note that Jesus used the word “kingdom” dozens of times, but the word “church” only twice. They are not the same. The kingdom of God is where the rule of Christ is felt. It is every person in whose heart there is a sworn allegiance to the King. Notice this prayer says “your kingdom”, and “your will”. Part of having this sworn allegiance is being about the King’s business. One neat thing about God is that even though He is the Creator of the ends of the earth, even though He is awesome and above everything, He desires relationship with you and I and He has something for us to do. I never get tired of this truth. Because I wrap my life around Jesus I find meaning and purpose. I find the answer to the “whys?” of life.
The church is just the container for this kingdom of hearts. That is why hymns and choruses, piano or guitar are not worth haggling over. This building itself is just a tool, a vessel, to hold the surpassing greatness of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why people can do church in a secluded forest location in China and be as connected as someone in a nice air-conditioned building here in Canada. In fact, they are perhaps more easier to access community in Jesus than we are, because we so easily get distracted by the stuff we have. We have a salary and utilities to pay, grass to cut, carpets to clean, and on and on. We need to always make sure that we don’t replace the heart kingdom of God with this stuff around us.
And what is this kingdom of God, if not a kingdom of peace, love and righteousness? As you look through the Scriptures you see God’s kingdom is worked out in acts of compassion for those in need – the widows and fatherless, those on the edges of society. This ministry, reflected in the parable of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31-46), is about followers of Jesus having respect for all people. When we help someone, we don’t do it out of a “holier than thou” attitude; we don’t do it out of just duty; and we don’t do it just to get a reward in heaven. We do it because God loves that person just as much as He loved us. So out of genuine love and respect, we extend love and grace in the same way God extended it to us. That is the kingdom of God.

“Your will be done…” - predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son Romans 8:29-30

What is God’s will for us? Is it to get everybody saved? No, that is God’s business. Notice in 2 Peter 3:9 that “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
We have commands about being thankful (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Ephesians 5:13-19 talks about how we live our lives, with priorities bent towards Jesus. Several verses talk about perseverance, that regardless of what happens in life, as you cling to Jesus, you will receive what was promised. The will of God then, is about His work in your life, about you becoming more Christ-like as the days and weeks and years go by.
This is what Romans 12:1,2 talks about. As we surrender to God, as we offer up ourselves as a living sacrifice, we will be transformed from the inside out and the will of God will be realized in our lives. Look at Romans 8:29-30 where this is very clear: “29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Being a Christian means the end result of our life is to be conformed to the image of Christ! That is God’s plan for every child of His. We are saved to become like Him in our thoughts, words, and actions. Like the water in the picture above, our life is to become a reflection of Jesus.

“On earth as it is in heaven” – “live from a bigger perspective”

I don’t believe God sees the world as someplace over there – It is something He dwells in, rubbing shoulders with us as we walk down the street, as we shop at a store, as we sit in church, as we eat with family and friends. In the incarnation there was very much a sense of God dwelling among us. One of the reasons we struggle with vices and habits and things like anger and gossip is because we have this narrow view of God, that He lives up there somewhere. We get the idea that He is someplace else, where we are not.
What if we were to live from a bigger perspective and see the world through God’s eyes? What if we understood that the spiritual world filled with angels and demons and thrones and powers and principalities was not just up there somewhere, but right here, beside us, around us, where we live? This is how the Bible describes life. This is what God’s presence is all about. We don’t have to do anything to get up there, God came down here. We have to stop our selfish pursuits, though, and listen and look, and surrender. Satan is doing his best to get you distracted by finances, by relationships, by even good stuff like studying theology or compassionate works. Just don’t let those things distract you from what God is doing in your life.

So when you pray, pray that God’s kingdom would come to your heart anew each day. Pray that His will would be done in your life, that you would become more like Him in your thoughts, your words, and your actions. And pray that your eyes would be opened up to the reality of life as God sees it.