Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn. 00:00:01.36\00:00:02.76 Did you know that as we grow in love we grow in holiness? 00:00:02.76\00:00:06.50 Join us today on "The Grace Pipeline" 00:00:06.50\00:00:08.40 to learn how the Holy Spirit accomplishes this in our lives. 00:00:08.40\00:00:13.07 Welcome to "The Grace Pipeline." 00:00:32.16\00:00:34.30 For the last two programs we had considered 00:00:34.30\00:00:36.90 how God purifies us by His grace, 00:00:36.90\00:00:39.97 like the refiner's fire purifies silver. 00:00:39.97\00:00:43.44 Today, we will begin to look at the Holy Spirit's power 00:00:43.44\00:00:46.94 to clean the residue of sins influence away. 00:00:46.94\00:00:50.71 This series is based on a Bible study book by the same title 00:00:50.71\00:00:54.32 that was my great privilege to write. 00:00:54.32\00:00:56.52 If you're following along in the companion book, 00:00:56.52\00:00:59.12 today we begin in chapter 8. 00:00:59.12\00:01:01.76 This is an exciting study, so let's get into it. 00:01:01.76\00:01:05.36 In Malachi 3:6 God clearly states 00:01:05.36\00:01:08.93 "For I am the Lord God, I do not change." 00:01:08.93\00:01:13.40 God has never changed. 00:01:13.40\00:01:15.90 The holy and righteous Lord portrayed in the Old Testament 00:01:15.90\00:01:18.74 is the same sovereign God of the new. 00:01:18.74\00:01:21.61 The tender and loving God portrayed in the New Testament 00:01:21.61\00:01:24.81 is the mirror image of the magnificent 00:01:24.81\00:01:27.28 and merciful God of the old. 00:01:27.28\00:01:29.55 Just listen to this Old Testament 00:01:29.55\00:01:31.79 verse from Isaiah 63:9. 00:01:31.79\00:01:35.39 And it says, "In all their affliction He was afflicted, 00:01:35.39\00:01:40.10 and the angel of His presence saved them. 00:01:40.10\00:01:43.26 In His love and in His pity He redeemed them. 00:01:43.26\00:01:46.67 And He lifted them up 00:01:46.67\00:01:48.24 and carried them all the days of old." 00:01:48.24\00:01:52.81 The angel of His presence 00:01:52.81\00:01:54.81 whom we have established from scripture 00:01:54.81\00:01:57.21 is none other than the patient and compassionate Christ, 00:01:57.21\00:02:00.65 is the exact representation of the character 00:02:00.65\00:02:04.45 and personality of God the Father. 00:02:04.45\00:02:06.76 Hebrews 1:3 says that 00:02:06.76\00:02:08.86 "Jesus is the sole expression of the glory of God 00:02:08.86\00:02:12.43 and He is the perfect imprint and very image of God's nature." 00:02:12.43\00:02:16.97 Christ came to reveal the Father, 00:02:16.97\00:02:19.87 everything the Father is, the Son is. 00:02:19.87\00:02:23.24 As you see Jesus in scripture, you see the Father. 00:02:23.24\00:02:26.64 He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 00:02:26.64\00:02:29.68 God has always dealt with humanity sins 00:02:29.68\00:02:32.61 that condition by acts of grace 00:02:32.61\00:02:35.32 as evidenced in the provision of the sanctuary services 00:02:35.32\00:02:38.52 and ceremonial laws that pointed to their fulfillment in Christ. 00:02:38.52\00:02:43.36 We have considered how through grace, 00:02:43.36\00:02:46.23 God redeemed and forgave His ancient people 00:02:46.23\00:02:49.46 and justified them on the day of atonement. 00:02:49.46\00:02:52.97 Would it surprise you to learn that He also sanctified 00:02:52.97\00:02:58.04 His people of the old covenant by grace? 00:02:58.04\00:03:01.21 Let's look at Exodus 31:13 00:03:01.21\00:03:04.91 where the Lord says, 00:03:04.91\00:03:06.31 "Speak also to the children of Israel, 00:03:06.31\00:03:09.08 saying: Surely my Sabbaths you shall keep, 00:03:09.08\00:03:12.92 for it is a sign between me and you 00:03:12.92\00:03:16.06 throughout your generations, 00:03:16.06\00:03:17.76 that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you." 00:03:17.76\00:03:23.40 At the end of the creation week, 00:03:23.40\00:03:25.97 God established the seventh day 00:03:25.97\00:03:28.47 as a day of rest and remembrance. 00:03:28.47\00:03:30.81 And Genesis 2:3 tells us that "He sanctified the seventh day, 00:03:30.81\00:03:36.64 setting it apart and making it His holy day." 00:03:36.64\00:03:40.35 A perpetual temple in time 00:03:40.35\00:03:42.78 so to speak was instituted by God 00:03:42.78\00:03:45.89 for the benefit of humanity 00:03:45.89\00:03:48.16 providing a weekly reminder to celebrate His covenant love 00:03:48.16\00:03:51.76 by remaining in His rest. 00:03:51.76\00:03:53.83 A relationship of total dependence upon God. 00:03:53.83\00:03:58.37 He sanctified this memorial of His grace 00:03:58.37\00:04:01.20 as an affirmation that salvation, 00:04:01.20\00:04:03.37 including sanctification, belongs to the Lord. 00:04:03.37\00:04:08.11 In our last two programs we have considered 00:04:08.11\00:04:11.18 the refining fire of God's presence in our lives. 00:04:11.18\00:04:14.78 Now let's take this a step further 00:04:14.78\00:04:16.85 by beginning with Malachi 3:2 which says, 00:04:16.85\00:04:21.56 "He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap." 00:04:21.56\00:04:28.06 The refining fire of God's presence in the Christian life 00:04:28.06\00:04:32.17 burns the dross of deadly sins and worthless pursuits. 00:04:32.17\00:04:36.14 The launderer's soap referenced by this verse 00:04:36.14\00:04:38.97 was a strong alkali that was used to whiten cloth. 00:04:38.97\00:04:43.55 And it serves as another symbol of the inward purifying process. 00:04:43.55\00:04:47.95 The pureness of God's heart detests impurity. 00:04:47.95\00:04:51.75 He loves a sinner, but he hates the sin. 00:04:51.75\00:04:55.02 Christ came to save us from our sins, not in our sins. 00:04:55.02\00:05:00.70 Let me share a quick story about my beloved Yorkshire terrier 00:05:00.70\00:05:05.07 to provide a mental picture of this principle. 00:05:05.07\00:05:08.00 And while this is a rather crude illustration 00:05:08.00\00:05:11.11 it will make the point. 00:05:11.11\00:05:12.51 So please forgive me 00:05:12.51\00:05:14.08 while I digress from propriety in offering this. 00:05:14.08\00:05:18.11 But it will, I hope, 00:05:18.11\00:05:20.05 be of benefit to your understanding 00:05:20.05\00:05:22.45 without offending your sensibilities. 00:05:22.45\00:05:25.42 We had a little pup named TC, stood for too cute. 00:05:25.42\00:05:28.99 And he was the most special dog 00:05:28.99\00:05:30.56 my husband and I have ever owned. 00:05:30.56\00:05:33.09 He was an intelligent and obedient, eager to please. 00:05:33.09\00:05:36.87 We never had a problem with TC 00:05:36.87\00:05:39.07 until we moved to our farm in Central Texas. 00:05:39.07\00:05:41.80 And there to my horror TC discovered 00:05:41.80\00:05:44.71 the lure of cow patties which is cow dung. 00:05:44.71\00:05:48.41 For reasons only that a Yorkie could appreciate, 00:05:48.41\00:05:51.28 he found their scent irresistible. 00:05:51.28\00:05:53.98 And he frequently rolled around in the odoriferous piles. 00:05:53.98\00:05:58.42 Now following his frolics he would come 00:05:58.42\00:06:00.86 pleading at the door to enter our home again. 00:06:00.86\00:06:04.46 And naturally his pungent condition was repulsive to me, 00:06:04.46\00:06:09.33 but I didn't love him any less. 00:06:09.33\00:06:11.60 I could not send my beloved TC away 00:06:11.60\00:06:14.24 issuing the impossible command for him 00:06:14.24\00:06:17.31 to clean himself up before he returned. 00:06:17.31\00:06:20.18 In disgust, I would just scoop him up, 00:06:20.18\00:06:22.81 plant him into the bath tub and generously lathering him 00:06:22.81\00:06:26.58 with soap and the shampoo I would lovingly, 00:06:26.58\00:06:29.75 but vigorously scrub every last hint 00:06:29.75\00:06:32.39 of the stinky residue away. 00:06:32.39\00:06:34.69 And then I'd give him a thorough rinsing. 00:06:34.69\00:06:37.09 Now TC was not particularly fond 00:06:37.09\00:06:39.69 of my requirement for cleanliness, 00:06:39.69\00:06:42.00 but after his bath, 00:06:42.00\00:06:43.63 we enjoyed sweet companionship again. 00:06:43.63\00:06:47.34 You know, the devil guards 00:06:47.34\00:06:49.40 the landscape with piles of his sin patties 00:06:49.40\00:06:53.68 that are strangely alluring to fallen humanity. 00:06:53.68\00:06:57.51 And rolling around in Satan's immoral mess, 00:06:57.51\00:07:00.45 we don't recognize the stench of our condition, 00:07:00.45\00:07:04.25 how this presents to a God of purity. 00:07:04.25\00:07:07.46 Does He love us any less? No. 00:07:07.46\00:07:09.69 But our state of existence is deplorable to Him. 00:07:09.69\00:07:13.46 Even so where there is guilt and godly sorrow, 00:07:13.46\00:07:18.03 there is grace when we repent and return to Him. 00:07:18.03\00:07:22.37 He is fully aware that our best efforts are futile 00:07:22.37\00:07:25.97 to cleanse our fallen nature. 00:07:25.97\00:07:28.11 He can't bear to leave us in that unrighteous form. 00:07:28.11\00:07:32.15 So with love and pity, 00:07:32.15\00:07:34.02 our holy Lord takes his launderer soap 00:07:34.02\00:07:37.85 to clean the residue of sin's influence away 00:07:37.85\00:07:41.49 and rid us of sin's dominating power 00:07:41.49\00:07:44.46 making our fellowship acceptable again. 00:07:44.46\00:07:48.03 And it is the Holy Spirit's cleansing power 00:07:48.03\00:07:51.47 that works in us in this process of sanctification. 00:07:51.47\00:07:55.87 Look at 1 Corinthians 6:11 which says, 00:07:55.87\00:08:00.18 "And such were some of you. 00:08:00.18\00:08:02.41 But you were washed, you were sanctified, 00:08:02.41\00:08:06.28 you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus 00:08:06.28\00:08:09.52 and by the Spirit of our God." 00:08:09.52\00:08:14.29 The spirit has a sanctifying influence. 00:08:14.29\00:08:18.79 God is serious about purifying His people 00:08:18.79\00:08:21.40 through the operation of the Holy Spirit. 00:08:21.40\00:08:24.00 His plan of salvation is to deliver us 00:08:24.00\00:08:26.60 from both the guilt of sin and the power of sin. 00:08:26.60\00:08:33.68 As the personal representative and revealer of God, 00:08:33.68\00:08:37.38 Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. 00:08:37.38\00:08:40.68 Now doubtless, Jesus is God's greatest gift of grace. 00:08:40.68\00:08:45.12 Completing His work for God's act of justification, 00:08:45.12\00:08:48.59 he also laid the foundation for the work of sanctification 00:08:48.59\00:08:52.33 to be accomplished by the Holy Spirit 00:08:52.33\00:08:55.13 and His power throughout our life time. 00:08:55.13\00:08:57.63 When God, the Son took on the form of human flesh, 00:08:57.63\00:09:00.97 he united divinity with humanity forever. 00:09:00.97\00:09:03.57 And as a result of His incarnation, 00:09:03.57\00:09:06.98 He could no longer be in all places at all times. 00:09:06.98\00:09:10.65 He was resurrected and returned to heaven 00:09:10.65\00:09:13.78 in this divine human form. 00:09:13.78\00:09:17.22 Christ was the long awaited consolation, 00:09:17.22\00:09:20.82 the comforter to His disciples. 00:09:20.82\00:09:23.76 And after His resurrection 00:09:23.76\00:09:25.73 they desired for Him to remain with them. 00:09:25.73\00:09:29.26 But knowing God's plan, 00:09:29.26\00:09:30.87 He declared it was to their advantage 00:09:30.87\00:09:33.64 that He departed and returned to the Father. 00:09:33.64\00:09:36.81 Only then could He send another comforter like Himself, 00:09:36.81\00:09:41.91 who would have intimate fellowship 00:09:41.91\00:09:43.55 with each of them in all places at all times. 00:09:43.55\00:09:48.15 He intended to send the Holy Spirit as our standby, 00:09:48.15\00:09:52.39 God's promised gift of grace to His people. 00:09:52.39\00:09:56.49 In John 16:7, Jesus told His disciples 00:09:56.49\00:09:59.79 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth, 00:09:59.79\00:10:02.43 it is to your advantage that I go away, 00:10:02.43\00:10:05.70 because if I do not go away the helper will not come to you, 00:10:05.70\00:10:09.57 but if I depart, I will send Him to you." 00:10:09.57\00:10:13.27 The Spirit will stay with us forever 00:10:13.27\00:10:15.98 as Christ promised in John 14:16. 00:10:15.98\00:10:19.58 He says that, "I will ask the Father, 00:10:19.58\00:10:22.38 and He will give you another comforter, a counselor, 00:10:22.38\00:10:25.85 a helper, an intercessor, advocate, strengthener, 00:10:25.85\00:10:29.82 and standby that He may remain with you forever." 00:10:29.82\00:10:36.53 The Holy Spirit was already at work in the hearts of men, 00:10:36.53\00:10:40.54 but not in the sense of serving as their comforter. 00:10:40.54\00:10:44.34 The Spirit comes as the personal representative of Christ. 00:10:44.34\00:10:48.68 And as Jesus revealed the Father to the world, 00:10:48.68\00:10:52.28 so the Holy Spirit reveals Christ 00:10:52.28\00:10:54.42 and the wonders of His grace. 00:10:54.42\00:10:56.85 To continue His mission of destroying evil, 00:10:56.85\00:10:59.79 God gives us the Holy Spirit 00:10:59.79\00:11:02.79 who imparts power to overcome sin. 00:11:02.79\00:11:05.63 It is the special office of the Spirit 00:11:05.63\00:11:07.96 to carry out the plan of sanctification, 00:11:07.96\00:11:11.70 separating us from the influence of sin and making us holy. 00:11:11.70\00:11:16.40 All spiritual renewal begins and is accomplished by God. 00:11:16.40\00:11:21.24 Ephesians 2:18 tells us that our access to God 00:11:21.24\00:11:25.31 the Father is by the Holy Spirit through Christ. 00:11:25.31\00:11:29.88 There we see all three persons of the Godhead 00:11:29.88\00:11:32.92 working in concert to complete the sanctification of humanity. 00:11:32.92\00:11:38.73 The Apostle John tells us "God is love. 00:11:38.73\00:11:42.26 God is light. God is life. God is spirit." 00:11:42.26\00:11:46.60 And God seeks goodwill for all mankind demonstrated by His self 00:11:46.60\00:11:52.64 sacrificing love of sending His Son to die for us. 00:11:52.64\00:11:56.48 In Him there is not the slightest shadow of darkness 00:11:56.48\00:12:01.08 as evidenced by His pure and righteous character. 00:12:01.08\00:12:04.72 And as an infinite spirit being, 00:12:04.72\00:12:07.69 His ways and His thoughts are above ours 00:12:07.69\00:12:11.43 proven by His amazing grace. 00:12:11.43\00:12:14.40 1 Peter 1:16 says--gives us actually an imperative command. 00:12:14.40\00:12:20.14 And He says to us "Be holy for I am holy." 00:12:20.14\00:12:25.54 In other words God is saying 00:12:25.54\00:12:27.28 "Be sanctified for I am sanctified." 00:12:27.28\00:12:31.01 The command should not make us tremble as anything 00:12:31.01\00:12:34.42 that God demands is a promise of the very thing 00:12:34.42\00:12:38.49 that He determines to accomplish for us. 00:12:38.49\00:12:41.92 His demand for holiness is based upon His all powerful, 00:12:41.92\00:12:46.96 all equipping grace which leads us to holy lives. 00:12:46.96\00:12:51.80 Through His work of sanctification 00:12:51.80\00:12:54.47 He will complete the separation of His children 00:12:54.47\00:12:57.21 from sin by supplying the Holy Spirit, 00:12:57.21\00:13:01.54 the Spirit of grace and supplication 00:13:01.54\00:13:04.68 to live right within us. 00:13:04.68\00:13:07.08 Grace and godliness fit together like a hand and a glove. 00:13:07.08\00:13:12.62 When God's grace is in our hearts, 00:13:12.62\00:13:15.19 we are fitted with godliness. 00:13:15.19\00:13:18.16 So Paul asked the question in 1 Corinthians 6:19 and 20 00:13:18.16\00:13:23.60 "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the spirit 00:13:23.60\00:13:27.50 who is in you, 00:13:27.50\00:13:28.90 whom you have from God and you are not your own. 00:13:28.90\00:13:32.41 For you were bought at a price. 00:13:32.41\00:13:35.41 Therefore glorify God in your body 00:13:35.41\00:13:37.98 and in your spirit which are God's." 00:13:37.98\00:13:41.62 God instructed Moses in Exodus 25:8, he said, 00:13:41.62\00:13:46.49 "Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." 00:13:46.49\00:13:50.59 Under the Lord's direction, 00:13:50.59\00:13:52.39 the tabernacle was made according to His 00:13:52.39\00:13:55.16 very specific pattern revealed on Mount Sinai. 00:13:55.16\00:13:58.97 The God of love still desires to dwell with mankind 00:13:58.97\00:14:02.74 and has now chosen to make our bodies His holy temple. 00:14:02.74\00:14:07.84 Jesus affirms this in John 14:17 00:14:07.84\00:14:11.75 where he says, "The spirit of truth, 00:14:11.75\00:14:13.95 you know Him for He dwells in you and He will be in you." 00:14:13.95\00:14:18.15 The spirit of the living God within us will construct 00:14:18.15\00:14:22.49 our living temples to conform to God's specific pattern 00:14:22.49\00:14:27.66 revealed on the Hill of Calvary. 00:14:27.66\00:14:30.37 The pattern of Christ completes the mission to the Father 00:14:30.37\00:14:34.50 and death to self which was rewarded 00:14:34.50\00:14:37.77 with resurrection power and glory. 00:14:37.77\00:14:41.38 As Christ is the exact representation of the Father, 00:14:41.38\00:14:45.51 so the Holy Spirit is the exact representation of Christ. 00:14:45.51\00:14:50.15 The three are one. 00:14:50.15\00:14:52.62 Therefore when the Holy Spirit is in us, 00:14:52.62\00:14:55.29 Christ lives in our hearts through faith 00:14:55.29\00:14:58.79 and without the abiding Spirit 00:14:58.79\00:15:00.46 within Christ is absent from the heart. 00:15:00.46\00:15:02.83 And our association with Him 00:15:02.83\00:15:04.90 is the same superficial experience 00:15:04.90\00:15:07.37 as the five foolish virgins of Matthew 25 00:15:07.37\00:15:11.41 who had no flask of oil. 00:15:11.41\00:15:14.08 Only the oil of the Holy Spirit imparts the life of Christ. 00:15:14.08\00:15:18.38 Without Him, we miss the qualifications to enter 00:15:18.38\00:15:22.08 the marriage supper of the Lamb. 00:15:22.08\00:15:24.62 Now as God, He's not only the spirit of holiness, 00:15:24.62\00:15:29.19 but the spirit of love and light. 00:15:29.19\00:15:31.96 His promised presence within the Christian heart 00:15:31.96\00:15:35.36 clothes us with power from on high 00:15:35.36\00:15:38.33 to overcome sin and its dominion. 00:15:38.33\00:15:40.90 And His internal work of grace creates a hatred of all sin 00:15:40.90\00:15:47.44 and cures our bad habits. 00:15:47.44\00:15:49.61 This is the dunamis, the dynamite power 00:15:49.61\00:15:52.48 that Christ promised to make perfect in our weakness. 00:15:52.48\00:15:56.35 Indeed His grace is sufficient. 00:15:56.35\00:16:00.19 Christ proclaimed in Mark 12:29 through 31 00:16:00.19\00:16:05.19 that "The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God 00:16:05.19\00:16:08.96 with all of your heart, with all of your soul, 00:16:08.96\00:16:11.67 with all of your mind and with all of your strength." 00:16:11.67\00:16:15.47 And the second is this 00:16:15.47\00:16:17.41 that "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 00:16:17.41\00:16:20.51 He further explains 00:16:20.51\00:16:23.55 "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." 00:16:23.55\00:16:28.85 Let me ask you something. 00:16:28.85\00:16:30.85 Can you do this? 00:16:30.85\00:16:32.29 I find the depth of love, 00:16:32.29\00:16:34.56 this depth of love impossible in my human limited capability. 00:16:34.56\00:16:40.36 How about you? 00:16:40.36\00:16:41.86 If it is true that God will cause us 00:16:41.86\00:16:44.57 to be all that He calls us to be, 00:16:44.57\00:16:47.30 then He must supply His divine love through His grace pipeline. 00:16:47.30\00:16:52.87 Guess what? 00:16:52.87\00:16:54.28 He does, to empower us to meet His requirement of love. 00:16:54.28\00:16:59.08 God pours out the sanctifying power of His love into us 00:16:59.08\00:17:04.02 through the Holy Spirit of love who indwells us. 00:17:04.02\00:17:08.16 The crowning grace for sanctification is love. 00:17:08.16\00:17:12.86 Paul explains how we receive this divine love in Romans 5:5 00:17:12.86\00:17:19.17 where he says, 00:17:19.17\00:17:20.57 "The love of God has been poured out in our hearts 00:17:20.57\00:17:25.11 by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." 00:17:25.11\00:17:29.61 Ah, the result of God pouring out His love 00:17:29.61\00:17:33.55 into our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit 00:17:33.55\00:17:37.09 is not only that we know we are loved, 00:17:37.09\00:17:40.02 but to make us partakers of His divine nature of love. 00:17:40.02\00:17:45.29 And as we grow in the grace of love, 00:17:45.29\00:17:48.93 we grow in holiness 00:17:48.93\00:17:50.53 because God's image is being restored in us 00:17:50.53\00:17:53.97 by His Holy Spirit of love. 00:17:53.97\00:17:56.67 Paul prayed something beautiful in Thessalonians, 00:17:56.67\00:17:59.91 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13. Let's read it. 00:17:59.91\00:18:04.78 "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love." 00:18:04.78\00:18:08.68 First of all notice who's doing this. It's God. 00:18:08.68\00:18:11.32 "May the Lord make you increase 00:18:11.32\00:18:12.82 and abound in love to one another and to all, 00:18:12.82\00:18:15.89 just as we do to you," why? 00:18:15.89\00:18:19.29 "So that He may establish 00:18:19.29\00:18:22.66 your hearts blameless in holiness." 00:18:22.66\00:18:27.97 Can you see that? 00:18:27.97\00:18:29.37 As we grow in the grace of God's love imparted by the Spirit, 00:18:29.37\00:18:35.18 we grow in holiness. 00:18:35.18\00:18:37.91 The grace of love and holiness are inseparable. 00:18:37.91\00:18:42.05 The more we love, the more we become like God. 00:18:42.05\00:18:45.95 Love for Him and love for humanity sets us apart from sin. 00:18:45.95\00:18:51.53 Abiding in love, we abide in God and He establishes our hearts 00:18:51.53\00:18:57.80 to be blameless in sanctification. 00:18:57.80\00:19:01.27 Paul prayed again. 00:19:01.27\00:19:03.04 One of my favorite verses, 00:19:03.04\00:19:05.34 it's in Ephesians 3:16 through 21. 00:19:05.34\00:19:08.81 Let's read that. 00:19:08.81\00:19:10.75 "That He," God, "would grant you, 00:19:10.75\00:19:13.18 according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened 00:19:13.18\00:19:17.65 with might through His spirit in the inner man, 00:19:17.65\00:19:21.76 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, 00:19:21.76\00:19:25.99 that you being rooted and grounded in love, 00:19:25.99\00:19:30.47 may be able to comprehend with all the saints 00:19:30.47\00:19:33.87 what is the width and length and depth and height 00:19:33.87\00:19:37.67 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, 00:19:37.67\00:19:41.38 that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 00:19:41.38\00:19:45.68 Now to him who is able to do exceedingly 00:19:45.68\00:19:49.78 abundantly above all that we ask or think, 00:19:49.78\00:19:53.39 according to the power," the power of that Holy Spirit, 00:19:53.39\00:19:57.19 "who works within us, to Him be glory in the church 00:19:57.19\00:20:01.36 by Christ Jesus to all generations." 00:20:01.36\00:20:06.20 The fullness of love and deity is in Christ. 00:20:06.20\00:20:10.24 And as He dwells in our hearts by faith through the Spirit, 00:20:10.24\00:20:14.61 we are filled with the fullness of God. 00:20:14.61\00:20:17.88 What unspeakable joy is ours 00:20:17.88\00:20:21.55 when we possess the life of the Holy Spirit within, 00:20:21.55\00:20:25.19 we begin to experience the power of God's love. 00:20:25.19\00:20:28.99 And strengthened by the Spirit 00:20:28.99\00:20:31.03 we can respond in obedience to God's righteous requirements, 00:20:31.03\00:20:35.46 expressing reverential love to Him 00:20:35.46\00:20:38.87 and a practical love toward humanity. 00:20:38.87\00:20:41.84 Jesus said in John 14:15 00:20:41.84\00:20:44.37 "If you love me keep my commandments." 00:20:44.37\00:20:47.14 And then He goes on to say in John 15:10 00:20:47.14\00:20:50.08 "If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love 00:20:50.08\00:20:53.75 just as I have kept my Father's commandments 00:20:53.75\00:20:56.58 and abide in His love." 00:20:56.58\00:20:58.85 Christ learned obedience through His sufferings. 00:20:58.85\00:21:02.29 And He became the author of eternal salvation 00:21:02.29\00:21:05.99 to all who obey Him. 00:21:05.99\00:21:08.13 Now those are not my words 00:21:08.13\00:21:09.53 but rather they are found in Hebrews 5:8 and 9. 00:21:09.53\00:21:14.54 Let's look at that. 00:21:14.54\00:21:16.47 "Though He was a Son, 00:21:16.47\00:21:18.67 yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 00:21:18.67\00:21:23.18 And having been perfected, 00:21:23.18\00:21:25.58 He became the author of eternal salvation 00:21:25.58\00:21:29.65 to all who obey Him." 00:21:29.65\00:21:34.86 What do you mean that He became 00:21:34.86\00:21:36.86 the author of eternal salvation 00:21:36.86\00:21:39.26 for all who obey Him? 00:21:39.26\00:21:41.56 Isn't that contradictory to Ephesians 2:8 that says, 00:21:41.56\00:21:45.00 "We are saved by grace." Not at all. 00:21:45.00\00:21:48.50 When we tap into the grace pipeline for the power of God, 00:21:48.50\00:21:53.61 it is God who works in us 00:21:53.61\00:21:55.48 both through will and to do His good pleasure. 00:21:55.48\00:21:59.08 Grace works obedience into our hearts 00:21:59.08\00:22:02.82 which becomes our expression of appreciation for salvation. 00:22:02.82\00:22:08.02 We obey only by the power of grace 00:22:08.02\00:22:11.99 motivated by love for the Lord. 00:22:11.99\00:22:14.73 The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit work to recreate 00:22:14.73\00:22:20.47 God's righteous and holy image within us, 00:22:20.47\00:22:24.07 sanctifying us by supernatural assistance 00:22:24.07\00:22:27.74 and divine power for salvation. 00:22:27.74\00:22:30.91 Christ did not keep God's commandments to become His Son. 00:22:30.91\00:22:35.98 He kept them because He was God's Son. 00:22:35.98\00:22:39.12 And in the very same manner, 00:22:39.12\00:22:40.69 commandment keeping does not make us God's child. 00:22:40.69\00:22:45.03 Commandment keeping doesn't save us. 00:22:45.03\00:22:47.56 We obey because we are His child. 00:22:47.56\00:22:51.80 Obedience evidences our overflowing gratitude 00:22:51.80\00:22:56.87 and our personal indebtedness 00:22:56.87\00:22:58.91 for the unspeakable gifts of God's grace, 00:22:58.91\00:23:03.65 the Spirit, the Son, and the Word and the living power. 00:23:03.65\00:23:09.35 Grace is the living power of God's love. 00:23:09.35\00:23:12.72 In its strength it produces holiness 00:23:12.72\00:23:16.19 and a willingness to acknowledge the Lord with reverential love. 00:23:16.19\00:23:21.20 And God's loving response will be to us 00:23:21.20\00:23:24.37 the same as Psalms 91:14 through 15. Listen, 00:23:24.37\00:23:29.90 He said, "Because He has set His love upon me 00:23:29.90\00:23:33.31 therefore I will deliver him, I will set him on high 00:23:33.31\00:23:37.38 because he has known My name. 00:23:37.38\00:23:39.48 He shall call upon Me and I will answer him. 00:23:39.48\00:23:42.95 I will be with him in trouble and I will honor him." 00:23:42.95\00:23:47.26 The Holy Spirit comprehends 00:23:47.26\00:23:49.86 the depths of God's thoughts and plans. 00:23:49.86\00:23:52.79 And He acts as the one who translates 00:23:52.79\00:23:55.23 these things to humanity 00:23:55.23\00:23:57.57 in such a way that we might understand. 00:23:57.57\00:24:01.00 In John 16:13 the Bible tells us 00:24:01.00\00:24:04.67 that "The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth." 00:24:04.67\00:24:08.51 In John 16:8 we learn 00:24:08.51\00:24:10.51 that "It is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin 00:24:10.51\00:24:15.08 and convinces us of righteousness." 00:24:15.08\00:24:18.12 You know, in this age of complacency 00:24:18.12\00:24:21.42 and self seeking pleasure 00:24:21.42\00:24:23.83 and pride of intellectual superiority, 00:24:23.83\00:24:27.30 we need the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to show us 00:24:27.30\00:24:31.37 where we miss the mark of God's standards 00:24:31.37\00:24:34.00 and to cause us to yearn for the righteousness of Christ 00:24:34.00\00:24:38.87 which is from God by faith. 00:24:38.87\00:24:41.88 Let's look at three scriptures that identify the Spirit's work 00:24:41.88\00:24:45.28 as an agent of sanctification in our lives. 00:24:45.28\00:24:48.88 Beginning with 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 00:24:48.88\00:24:53.56 "God from the beginning chose you for salvation 00:24:53.56\00:24:58.49 through sanctification by the Spirit 00:24:58.49\00:25:02.80 and belief in the truth." 00:25:02.80\00:25:06.47 And then 1 Peter 1:2 again confirms 00:25:06.47\00:25:10.27 that it is the Spirit who is sanctifying us. 00:25:10.27\00:25:13.94 Peter writes "You who were chosen, 00:25:13.94\00:25:16.98 consecrated, sanctified, made holy 00:25:16.98\00:25:20.98 by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ the Messiah." 00:25:20.98\00:25:27.99 And then Paul picks up the same thing in Romans 8:13 00:25:27.99\00:25:33.16 through 14 where he says, 00:25:33.16\00:25:35.96 "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, 00:25:35.96\00:25:40.77 but if by the Spirit you put to death 00:25:40.77\00:25:44.34 the deeds of the body, you will live. 00:25:44.34\00:25:47.38 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, 00:25:47.38\00:25:51.41 these are the sons of God." 00:25:51.41\00:25:55.35 Through obedience by the grace of the Holy Spirit 00:25:55.35\00:25:58.99 we are sanctified by His power, 00:25:58.99\00:26:01.59 set apart from sin and made holy. 00:26:01.59\00:26:05.16 I hope you noticed in Romans 8:13 00:26:05.16\00:26:07.86 which we just read that it reveals, 00:26:07.86\00:26:11.30 it takes the cooperation of our individual effort 00:26:11.30\00:26:16.17 and the Holy Spirit to put to death the misdeeds of our flesh. 00:26:16.17\00:26:21.44 It says, "if by the Holy Spirit 00:26:21.44\00:26:25.78 you put to death the misdeeds of the body, 00:26:25.78\00:26:28.92 then you will live." 00:26:28.92\00:26:30.95 Only the Holy Spirit can put to death the carnal nature, 00:26:30.95\00:26:37.33 but He can't do it without our cooperation. 00:26:37.33\00:26:41.13 We on the other hand 00:26:41.13\00:26:42.66 cannot achieve sanctification on our own. 00:26:42.66\00:26:46.50 The Spirit can't accomplish it without our partnership. 00:26:46.50\00:26:50.87 So we must work together being yoked with Christ, 00:26:50.87\00:26:56.11 working with the Holy Spirit, 00:26:56.11\00:26:58.58 giving Him permission in our lives to sanctify us by grace. 00:26:58.58\00:27:05.99 Oh, our time has flown. 00:27:05.99\00:27:08.49 And I've been just talking so fast 00:27:08.49\00:27:10.76 but I hope that you're seeing how God-- 00:27:10.76\00:27:15.10 His work of sanctification. 00:27:15.10\00:27:17.50 It's Him who is working in us. 00:27:17.50\00:27:20.40 The Father, the Son, the Spirit. 00:27:20.40\00:27:22.94 And if you will join us next time, 00:27:22.94\00:27:25.81 we're going to learn 00:27:25.81\00:27:27.88 why we need to become sanctification seekers. 00:27:27.88\00:27:32.41 We want this joy to be in our lives. 00:27:32.41\00:27:37.65 And I tell you that sanctification, 00:27:37.65\00:27:41.19 going through this process will bring you 00:27:41.19\00:27:44.43 the greatest joy of your life. 00:27:44.43\00:27:47.30 And it will bring you peace that transcends all understanding. 00:27:47.30\00:27:52.27 Until next time please grow in the grace 00:27:52.27\00:27:55.57 and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:27:55.57\00:27:58.34 See you again soon. 00:27:58.34\00:27:59.77