Sanctification in the Holy Spirit..Craig Denison Ministries

 Sanctification in the Holy Spirit

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

As believers, we’ve been given the Holy Spirit as a Helper, Teacher, Friend, and seal for the promised inheritance of eternal life with God. His presence, guidance, and wisdom in our lives are our greatest gifts while here on earth. Through him we have access to direct connection with our heavenly Father. Through him we receive spiritual gifts to empower us. And through him we are able to bear the incredible fruit of abundant life. Open your heart and mind to all that the Holy Spirit would give you, show you, and lead you to this week.

Scripture:“According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” 1 Peter 1:2

Devotional:

The word “sanctification” typically renders images of fire, struggle, pain, and toil in my mind. It makes me think of my own sin and wonder how I could ever be transformed into a sanctified child of God. I believe sanctification is one of those words commonly used within the church but often misunderstood. We might understand the definition of sanctification (the process of being made or becoming holy), but I don’t know if we have fully grasped God’s plan for the process. I don’t know if we’ve been taught on sanctification in light of God’s grace.

1 Peter 1 gives us wonderful insight into God’s heart for the process of sanctification:

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:1-9).

The first thing we see in 1 Peter 1:2 is that sanctification is “of the Spirit.” Sanctification comes from God working in us, not from our own strength. In fact, Scripture is clear that righteousness is ours as the result of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. 1 Corinthians 6:11 says, “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” And 2 Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” Sanctification comes from God’s work and power. In our own strength we can’t produce anything like sanctification because we have no holiness within ourselves. But in the Holy Spirit we have access to a vast, deep well of righteousness and godliness. Through Christ we’ve been made clean, and through the work of the Holy Spirit we are growing up into a life of holiness.

1 Peter 1 is most definitely clear that sanctification is a tough process. Dealing with our sin will never be easy. But it is a process full of the work of our merciful God (1 Peter 1:3), and it always results in rejoicing (1 Peter 1:8).

If you desire holiness, righteousness, and godliness, seek out relationship with the Holy Spirit. Open your heart and mind to his work. Allow him to reveal to you the dark places of your heart that have yet to be touched by the capable, loving hands of the God who formed you and knows you. Allow him to heal the wounds and brokenness that have tied you to the world, which you’ve been set free from through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Sanctification is ours by God’s grace and mercy. Spend time in prayer allowing God to deal with your sin and lead you to a life of rejoicing and joy where only sin and sorrow dwelled before.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s desire to produce holiness in you by his grace, love, and mercy.

“According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” 1 Peter 1:2

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1:3

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11

2. Open your life up to the Holy Spirit. Ask him to reveal areas that are keeping you from a life of holiness and godliness. Ask him to show you past wounds that are still hurting you today. Confess your sin to him and receive his forgiveness.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Proverbs 28:13

3. Now ask the Holy Spirit to come and heal you. Ask him to show you where he was at times when you were wounded. Ask him to reveal to you truth that has the power to cover the damaging lies the enemy has spoken to you. Live your life healed, set free, and delivered by the power of the Spirit.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

May you experience the joy and freedom that comes from receiving God’s forgiveness and healing. When we give our sins over to him and receive his forgiveness, the chains that entangled us to the cares of the world are shattered. Our portion in God is love, peace, and joy. Jesus died to set us free from the burden of sin. May you be a child of God marked by the holiness of your heavenly Father that is available in the Holy Spirit who dwells within you.

Extended Reading: 2 Peter 1

Speaking the Truth with Grace..Ashley Moore

 Speaking the Truth with Grace 

By Ashley Moore

“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” - Esther 4:14, ESV

Have you ever felt prompted by the Spirit to speak up about something but feared what you had to say may not be well-received? I’ve always felt like a person God often uses to disrupt the status quo, to challenge the way things are being done just because they’ve always been done that way. My friend Laura calls this a “hard place kind of friend”, the type of friend who is willing to gently share hard-to-swallow Biblical truths even at the risk of upsetting or disappointing someone.

I often joke that God had a plow in mind when He knit me together. You know the big piece of farming equipment that breaks up the dirt, stirs the nutrients of the soil, uproots the weeds, and prepares the ground for growth? Nobody likes the plow because it comes along and disrupts the settled soil, but without the plow, growth isn’t possible. 

Mordecai’s words to Queen Esther in our key verse are sobering. “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). If the Queen didn’t risk her comfort and her life to speak truth to King Ahasuerus about the Jew's impending doom, help for them would come from somewhere and someone else. And Esther would still face certain death. Talk about a tough conversation!

So what’s the hard truth we need to know here?

God Uses Us, but He Doesn’t Need Us

The Bible is clear we are invited to serve God, but He does not need us to accomplish His purposes.

“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything since he gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” - Acts 17:24-25, ESV

We Are God’s Ambassadors 

An ambassador is a representative. A person sent to represent someone important to others, usually foreigners who don’t know about the important leader. Their job is to represent the person who sent them really well. We represent God well when we boldly speak up even when it feels more comfortable to stay quiet. I know it might feel scary to speak up, but the hard truth? People’s eternity is at stake. Our message could lead to someone choosing eternity with Jesus over eternal separation from Him. 

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” - 2 Corinthians 5:20, ESV

The stakes were high for Mordecai and Esther; their salvation hung in the balance of Esther’s choice to remain silent or speak up for the Jewish people. Thankfully she chose courage. Let’s not be people who get passed over for opportunities to be used by God, rather, let’s rightly represent our Savior by speaking the truth with grace as He gives us opportunities to do so. 

Intersecting Life and Faith:
Ask one or two trusted friends to pray that you will be emboldened with courage to speak the truth in grace as God prompts you to do so.

A God Who Freely Pardons..Lynette Kittle

 A God Who Freely Pardons

by Lynette Kittle

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.” – Isaiah 55:7

Who deserves to be pardoned? When it comes to presidential pardons and the like, there is always much debate about who is considered worthy to receive it.

As the world system operates, it often comes down to convicted individuals having connections to the right people, or those whose freedom fits into a strategic political statement or agenda, who ultimately receive pardons.

Unlike mankind’s system, isn’t it wonderful news that God freely pardons, not based on who you know or if you fit into a political agenda but rather based on who God is and your priceless value to Him?

Many have the idea that God is sitting up in heaven with a big gavel just waiting for you to mess up so He can make you pay for your sins.

This distorted image of God couldn’t be farther from the truth. Timothy 2:3,4 describes how God wants all people to be saved and know His truth.

God’s heart towards you is to pardon you and it isn’t dependent on what you did or didn’t do. Even more so, you don’t have to have celebrity or political connections, or do anything to deserve it.

He’s already taken care of sin’s death sentence through Jesus’ death on the cross but it’s up to you to receive it. Colossians 2:13,14 explains how when you were dead in your sins, He forgave you and canceled the charges against you, taken it away, and nailed it to the cross.

As Romans 8:2 explains, “Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

When God takes care of your sentence, it’s complete. John 8:36 states, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Pardoning guilty individuals originated with God. Acts 13:38 states, “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.”

Along with setting you free from sin’s death penalty, God’s pardon leads you to holiness and eternal life (Romans 6:22).

If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior and received God’s pardon for your sins, take into consideration “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

A Sabbath Day Prayer for the Weary..Kristine Brown

 A Sabbath Day Prayer for the Weary

By Kristine Brown

“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” -Psalm 23:3 ESV

I look forward to Sundays. Singing along to praise and worship music from my favorite playlist, enjoying an extra cup of coffee. Catching an early morning sermon online or making plans with family to meet for lunch after church. But this past Sunday, things didn’t start as usual. Unexpected circumstances got in the way of the respite I’d grown accustomed to.

Stress took over first thing in the morning as I worked through a difficult situation. I tried to squeeze in some afternoon rest but couldn’t. My mind would not wind down. I ended the day exhausted, with a headache for an added bonus. I missed my Sabbath, which I feared would affect my entire week.

We can do our best to honor what God modeled for us when he rested on the seventh day, after bringing all of creation to being in six days. “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” (Genesis 2:3) But sometimes things happen we can’t control, and our need for rest may get pushed back. 

Maybe our people need us or something urgent requires our attention. There are a hundred reasons or more why our usual Sabbath Day may not look the way we planned. And missing a time of rest in the Lord can leave us weary and struggling to face the week ahead. So what do we do when life happens, and we unintentionally skip the Sabbath?

The psalmist David spoke to our need for replenishment in Psalm 23:3 where he wrote these beautiful words, “He restores my soul.” David’s praise can be our heart’s cry today, or any day we feel weary. The God of creation will restore us with strength, joy, and peace. All we need to do is sit with him and allow these words to lead us in a time of prayer and worship. Whatever day of the week and whatever time of day, God is ready to meet us there and begin his restorative work in our hearts.

Sometimes I forget that Sabbath rest can be enjoyed anytime. I get used to my routine. Some of us observe the Sabbath on Saturday or Sunday, but in Mark chapter 2, Jesus revealed a mindset shift regarding the Sabbath when he said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) Just as the Israelites practiced keeping the Sabbath Day holy, we can practice holy rest through Jesus. So, after the rough day I had on Sunday, I made time on a Tuesday to pray, read my Bible, and sit in God’s presence. I could sense God restoring my soul and knew I was experiencing Sabbath rest. He comforted me in my weariness and gave me strength. What a precious time it was. 

If you’ve started the day exhausted or worn out today, let God meet you for a time of Sabbath rest. Let’s begin with this Sabbath Day prayer for the weary and spend a few moments with him. He is our Master Restorer.

Let’s pray:

Dear God,
I am weary. I’ve tried to make time to rest in your presence, but life seems to get in the way. Forgive me for not observing the Sabbath in a way that pleases you. You are the only one who can restore my soul.

I need you, Lord, but I know restoration will not happen if I don’t make time for Sabbath rest. When I spend time with you, I just feel better. It’s hard to find even an hour of quiet time, but I know you will help me as I seek to put you first in my life. Open my eyes to pockets of time where I can enter into Sabbath rest and allow you to refresh my spirit. I want more of your restoring presence, God. You are my Healer, my Comfort, and my Strength.

Thank you for your promise to give me rest when I come to you. (Matthew 11:28) That is a precious gift, and I am so grateful for it. And thank you for the gift of a Sabbath Day. May it always remind me to honor you. In Jesus’ holy name, I pray, Amen.