Introduction. It ought
to be our desire, as God's People, to be filled with
the knowledge of God, with the knowledge of His will,
and do His Will without fail.
The Apostle Paul underscores
the Will of God for every believer in
1Thes 4:3 for this is the will of God, even your sanctification,
It is God's Will that
those, whom He has saved by His Grace and Redeemed with
the precious blood of His Son, should be sanctified,
and be Holy.
Eph 1:4 According as
he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love:
It is God's Predominant
Will for his Redeemed children that they should be Sanctified.
Set apart unto Holiness, clean vessels, filled with
the Holy Spirit, and fit for His use in the extension
of His Kingdom.
Peter, exhorts the believers,
1 Pet 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready
always to give an answer to every man that asketh you
a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and
fear:
Sanctify Christ as Lord.
This is what Peter is
saying to these Believers.
Already, he has addressed them in this Epistle in ch.1.
V2. As the Elect of God. V3 as the Begotten again. V5
as those who are kept by the Power of God,
Ch 2 V 5 He describes them as Living stones in a spiritual
house.
Ch 2 V 9 a Chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy Nation, a peculiar people,
and the Redeemed of the Lord, who have been called out
of darkness into God's marvellous light.
What a tremendous list
of titles to thrill the heart of the believer. In the
light of who and what you are by the Grace of God. "Sanctify
the Lord"
Beloved set Jesus apart
as Lord in your heart. This is something that we must
seek to do daily.
This calls for
A Devotion that is Christ
Centred
1. Sanctify the Lord
Jesus as Prophet
Heb 1:1-2 in the past
God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at
many times and in various ways,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his
Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through
whom he made the universe.
These verses remind us
that God has spoken finally and fully to men & women
in the Person of His Son. This means, as far as you
and I are concerned who are His people, that the Lord
Jesus is undisputed spokesman in all matters of faith
and practice. He is the one, who guides by His Spirit,
in all that we would should say and do for Him.
Peter is stating in verse
15, that we will never be effective in our witness if
we are not prepared to set apart Christ as Lord in our
hearts.
God has spoken through Him; therefore, put Him on the
Throne of your heart. If Jesus controls our lives, then
we will always have an answer, when people ask about
our hope in Him.
A Sanctified heart results
in a surrendered life. How does our will become sanctified?
By conforming itself unreservedly to that of God
1. Sanctify Jesus Christ
as Lord
2. Sanctify Jesus Christ
as Prophet
3. Sanctify Jesus Christ
as Priest.
For, He is the one who, not only offered a sacrifice
to God for sin, but He offered Himself to God. He died
on the cross to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
He laid down His life, and then he took it up again,
and lives in the power of an endless life.
Illustration. A boy and
his father were driving down a country road on a beautiful
spring afternoon, when a bumblebee flew into the car.
The little boy, who was allergic to bee stings, was
petrified.
The father quickly reached
out, grabbed the bee, squeezed it in his hand, and then
released it. The boy grew frantic as it buzzed by him.
Once again the father reached out his hand, but this
time he pointed to his palm. There stuck in his skin
was the sting of the bee. "Do you see this?"
he asked. "You don't need to be afraid anymore.
I've taken the sting for you."
We do not need to fear
death anymore. Christ has died and risen again. He has
taken the sting from death, and He lives to make intercession
for us.
Jesus is the one who is touched with the feelings of
our infirmities; He Knows all about us, He cares for
us. He is aware of what we face, as we seek to bear
a good testimony in a fast changing world, which has
lost a sense of real values.
Jesus knows all about
our struggles.
He will help till the battles won.
There is not a friend like the lowly Jesus
No not one no not one.
1. Sanctify Jesus Christ
as Lord
2. Sanctify Jesus Christ as Prophet
3. Sanctify Jesus Christ as Priest.
4. Sanctify Jesus Christ
as Potentate
For not only is the Lord
Jesus God's final Revelation to men, and the Lamb chosen,
before the foundation of the world, to be the sacrifice
for man's sin, but God has crowned Him King.
Phil 2:9-11 Wherefore
God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name
which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Illustration. When Queen
Victoria had just ascended her throne, she went, as
is the custom of Royalty, to hear The Messiah rendered.
Her court advisors had instructed her, as to her conduct.
She was told that she must not rise when others stood
up at the singing of the Hallelujah Chorus.
When that magnificent
chorus was being sung and the singers were shouting
"Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth," she sat with great difficulty.
It seemed as if she wanted
to rise in spite of the custom of kings and queens,
but finally when they came to that part of the chorus
where with a shout they proclaim Him King of kings,
Suddenly the young queen rose and stood with bowed head,
as if she wanted to take her own crown from off her
head and cast it at His feet.
How we need to take off the Crown of Self Rule, and
make Jesus King and Lord of our Lives, showing it by
our Love and devotion to Him in Loyal Service.
King of my life I crown
Thee now
Thine shall the Glory be.
Lest I forget Thy thorn -crowned brow
Lead me to Calvary.
Are we surrendered to
Christ? Before we can be a good witness for Him, and
bear a good Testimony before men on His behalf we must
see that our Devotion to Him is all that it should be?
Our devotion to Jesus is of paramount importance.
We must sanctify the Lord God".
A Devotion that is Christ
Centred
A Dedication that is Christ Centred
"Sanctify the Lord
God in your Hearts"
This means that we are
to Set Christ apart as Holy, and then acknowledge Him
as Lord. The Apostle John, describing the risen Christ
writes
Rev 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh
a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Sanctify the Lord God
in your hearts. To do this.
1. There must be a Recognition
of the Saving Christ as Lord.
1Cor 12. The Apostle Paul reminds us "that no man
can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."
There must be a saving
act, the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, and a personal
relationship with Jesus
Paul began his Christian experience by asking, "Lord
what wilt thou have me to do?
The Lordship of Christ
for Paul, not only marked the Commencement of his experience
with Jesus, it was also the climax of his Christian
Life.
For Paul looked forward to the day when at the Name
of Jesus, every knee would bow and every tongue would
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God
the Father
Illustration. C. H.Spurgeon. --Preached one Sunday Evening
in the Exeter hall in London. As he preached, he poured
out his Soul in homage and in adoration for his Blessed
Saviour.
At the end of his sermon, exhausted in body, his voice
almost gone, he pleaded with the congregation.
Let my name perish, but
let Christ's Name last forever.
"Jesus Jesus Jesus " Crown Him Lord of All
1. There must be a Recognition
of the Saving Christ as Lord. This is the first step
to a Christ Centred Dedication this is then followed
with
2. A Recognition of the
Sanctifying Christ as Lord
As He has "Sanctified us" so we must Sanctify
Him in our hearts. When we Glorify Christ, we acknowledge,
His Perfection.
When we Magnify Christ, we recognise His Greatness
When we Sanctify Christ, we recognise His Holiness
When we Sanctify Christ
in our hearts, we hallow Christ as "the Lord of
Holiness in our lives"
Peter is teaching the Reality and the Purity of the
indwelling Christ in the life of the Believer.
Beloved, because we have
this experience of the indwelling Christ in our lives,
there ought to be the expression of the indwelling Christ
from our lives.
We must reverence the
Presence of Christ and His Power, until we reflect that
Holiness, which dwells within us, by the Spirit of Christ.
Quote--- As Dr. Alexander
Mc laren, one said.
We must take care that our thoughts of Jesus Christ,
are full with devout awe, and Reverence.
This is what is often
lacking in the life of the Believer and in the life
of the Church.
There is not the Respect,
or Reverence that there once was for the One who is
"The Centre of Creation,
The Head of the Church,
and the Fullness of the Godhead
Often, there is Sentimentality
in Worship today, but no real Sense of the Holiness
of the Saviour, who is to be worshipped as Lord.
There are many who only
see half of Christ, because they have never grown in
the knowledge of Him, and therefore do not Sanctify
Him as Lord in their hearts.
It is ever so easy to
sing with others "He is Lord". To speak of
Jesus Christ as Lord, is something quite different.
To really Sanctify the Lord God in the heart. This calls
for true Spirituality.
It is only as we have
high a Conception of Jesus Christ, and yield to the
leading of the Holy Spirit that we will seek to live
out the standard of Holiness that God demands, and that
Jesus deserves as Lord. With this in mind; Is Christ,
really Lord of your life?
Is He, Lord of every
thought and action?
Lord to send and Lord to stay
Lord in speaking, writing, giving
Lord in all things to obey
Lord of all there is of me, now and ever more to be
"Sanctify the Lord
God in your hearts"
A Devotion that is Christ
Centred
A Dedication that is Christ Centred
A Education that is Christ
Centred
15 But sanctify the Lord
God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer
to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that
is in you with meekness and fear:
Be ready always to give
an answer to every man.
To give a Logical defence to anyone
This is like a defence
that is presented in a Court. This is the kind of defence--
which every believer should be able to give for the
hope that is within him or her. To do this effectively,
we must know what we believe. Our faith must be a first
hand experience, and not a second hand story.
One of the tragedies
of the modern day Church-- today is that there are many
Christians, who, if they were asked what they believe,
would be lost for words.
Dedication to Christ
prepares us for Education, but this in itself does not
educate us. We must apply our hearts and minds to wisdom
under the Lordship of Christ.
Paul prayed for the Saints
in Collosse, "That they might be filled with the
knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding".
We read concerning our
Saviour in Isaiah 11:2
"The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The
Spirit of wisdom and understanding"
The book of Proverbs
gives this exhortation,
"Wisdom is the principle thing, therefore get wisdom
and understanding".
There are two important
ingredients for the Sanctified life. Wisdom & Understanding.
Wisdom… is the settled
condition of the mind. This thinking is not totally
dependent upon Human Intellect.
Understanding. Is the
application of this basic wisdom, applied to the life
as it is revealed in the Word of God! God's dear people
need to have a spiritual education.
We need Personal Knowledge
of the God of all Wisdom, the one who gives understanding
of all things. This is something that we can have, for
the Spirit of the Lord can lead us into all truth, but
we have got to be teachable. Not all of God's people
are teachable because they do not want to be taught.
In the Christian life,
knowledge and obedience go hand in hand. There is no
separation between Learning and Living. True Spiritual
Wisdom will affect the whole life.
The greatest need of
the Church of Jesus Christ today is that she might have
again as in days of old have.
Christ Centred
A Education that is Christ
Centred
The Church not only needs more Disciples of Christ,
but those who are prepared for discipleship.
Those who have Sanctified
the Lord in their hearts, are under his Lordship, and
are absolutely at his disposal and are every ready to
defend the Gospel, always ready to give an answer for
the Hope within them. Those who have sanctified the
Lord God in their hearts will be involved in
A Presentation that is
Christ Centred
V 15 Ready always to give an answer to every man that
asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you.
We have something and
someone to commend, but it is very important how we
Present Christ to others.
A> The Presentation..
Will be Reasonable
"Ready always to give an answer".
The implication here
is of a thoughtful and reasoned explanation, presented
in a courteous and respectful way. Not witnessing in
an overbearing, dogmatic, or arrogant way.
The Gospel is a message to be Presented in a Pleasing
and loving way.
I am reminded of the
words of the Apostle Paul
2 Tim 2:24-25 And the servant of the Lord must not strive;
but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In
meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if
God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging
of the truth;
We must share Christ
with Humility. The very fact, that we have the privilege
of sharing Christ with others, should make us Humble
For we are not Christians, because we are better than
anyone else, or because there is something special about
us, that makes us worthy of God's favour.
No, we are in God' family
because He has reached down to us in Grace, He has shown
us our sinfulness and has enabled us to believe in the
saving work of Christ.
It is not for us to be
boastful or arrogant in our presentation of the Gospel
of Christ, for we are only poor sinners saved by sovereign
Grace.
1. A Presentation --
is Reasonable
2. The Presentation is
Reliable One that tells of the "Hope that is within
you" The message of the Bible is always a message
of Hope that is centred on Christ.
Paul, summing up the
teaching of the Old Test Scriptures, says Rom 15:4 For
whatsoever things were written aforetime were written
for our learning, that we through patience and comfort
of the scriptures might have hope.
The Old Testament Saints
looked on and held on in Hope. The Psalmist sang their
songs of Hope, and the Prophets declared their message
of hope.
In the fullness of time
God sent forth His Son with a message of hope for a
fallen world, and soon He will come again, to consummate
the hopes of all those who have believed in Him. Hope,
Past, Present and Future are to be found in Christ alone.
Christ, is the Reason
for hope.
1. He Brings a Saving
Hope, to a lost world.
Rom 5:1-2 Therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ:
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace
wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of
God.
2. He brings a A Living
Hope
Pet 1:3 Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead,
Religion is rooted in past writings and to dead writers,
but Christianity is rooted in a living Saviour, who
gives to all who believe "a Living Hope"
3. He brings An Indwelling
Hope, Christ in you in the hope of Glory, what a sure
anchor for the soul on the sea of life.
Heb 6:19 Which hope we
have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast,
and which entereth into that within the veil;
The Believer's Hope is
not in the world. By faith, we focus on a hope that
is eternal and personal, even our Lord Jesus.
What messages of radiance and relevance we have to present
to a needed world that is lost and hopeless.
It is a Presentation that is Christ centred, for Christ
is still the answer to man's every need.
A Message of Saving Hope.
A Living Hope, An Indwelling Hope, but those who seek
share this message with others must be Pure.
I Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth
himself, even as he is pure.
Friends, unless the reality
of a personal, Pure, on going experience of Christ accompanies
our presentation of the Gospel, all the education in
the world will amount to nothing.
Ready always to give
an answer to every man that asketh you a reason for
the hope that is in you, But The Answer must come through
a Purified vessel that is fit for the Master's use.
A Christ Centred Presentation
1. The Presentation --
is Reasonable
2. The Presentation is
Reliable
What a Responsibility
we have to give an answer, to those who ask, for the
hope that is within us.
Illustration. A young
man who had heard the Gospel accepted Christ. A little
while after this, a Christian teacher asked him: "What
have you done for Christ since you believed?" He
replied: "Oh, I'm a learner."
"Well," said the questioner, "when you
light a candle do you light it to make the candle more
comfortable, or to have it give light?" He replied,
"To give light."
"Do you expect it
to give light after it is half burned, or when you first
light it?"
He replied, "As soon as I light it."
"Very well,"
"go thou and do likewise; begin at once."
Some time later there were thirty more Christians in
town as a result of the man's work.
1 Pet 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:
and be ready always to give an answer to every man that
asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with
meekness and fear:
Live the Sanctified Life
