1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 “For this
is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual
immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in
sanctification and honor.”
Continuing Pastor Obie’s
message on God’s Will from the last post the second point within Scripture that
reveal God’s Providential, Moral and Personal Will for us is that it’s God’s
Will for us to be sanctified. God has not called us to impurity, but to
holiness and purified from the bondage of sin to freedom from that bondage. The
1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “Sanctification” as: the act of
making holy. In an evangelical sense, the act of God's grace by which the
affections of men are purified or alienated from sin and the world, and exalted
to a supreme love to God. It is the act of consecrating or of setting apart for
a sacred purpose; consecration.
But, true holiness and
righteousness can only be obtained by accepting the forgiveness that Jesus
Christ offers. All of us have sinned and fallen short of perfection. Lies (even
little white ones), Stealing (even of the smallest things), adulterous lust
(sexual immorality), selfish pride, idols (anything that we place a higher
priority than God, hate (inter-personal strife, wishing harm or death of
another), addictions (drugs, sex, alcohol, gaming, etc.) or coveting (greed) in
thought or deed is sin. Nobody is perfect and if heaven is a perfect place that
takes perfection to enter, then we are all disqualified from going there
because of our sin. This is bad news, but God has good news.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 “But we are
bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord,
because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification
by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our
gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
But, because Jesus (the Son
of God) took the sins of the world upon Himself and paid the penalty that we
all should have paid on that Cross at Calvary, we were redeemed as He traded
His perfectly sinless holiness for our sins (suffering and dying in our place),
so that we could be saved. This is His gift and all we need to do is accept it.
This is the gospel and what Easter is all about. Know that what God wants for
us is the “Best”, aligned with His perfect Word, Will and Way. His Will and
desire is for us to be sanctified and live lives that are pleasing to Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice
always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is
the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
The third example is of
God’s personal Will for us to be thankful. Thankfulness is a choice and there
is something always to be thankful for. Thankfulness is a command, not a
suggestion, but is a choice but us; and there is always something to be
thankful for, when w stop and take a good look around us. Studies show that if
we live a life of gratitude, we will be happier, have more joy and live a
physically healthier life. It’s all for our best.
The Holy Scriptures tell us
what God’s heart is for you and I, but it takes our Will to study God’s Word to
learn and grow. When you get to know God and know God more, then our Will and
Ways align with God’s perfect Will and Ways, by the renewing of our minds. Knowing is half the battle. As
long as we have breath in our lungs, God is not done with us yet. The Lord is
not finished with us and still doing a good work in us.
There is more to this great message from Pastor Obie on the Will of God, so let's continue on the next post. Happy Holy Week!
In Christ, Brian
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