Exalted Above Measure

 2Corinth 12:7
​​And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

One of Paul’s temptations in his life was to think that he was someone great. He had reason to “brag” about himself. “Circumcised on the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; according to the law, a Pharisee;” (Phil 3:5.) He was brought up in the city at the feet of Gamaliel, a respected member of the Sanhedrin, a teacher of the law of Moses. He was charged by the high council with eliminating this new uprising of people who claim that Jesus was the Messiah. 
Paul was a man filled with the Holy Spirit, who consecrated his life to doing the work of God. He was not ruled by the carnal nature, he was a man sanctified wholly to do the will of God. Yet, he was tempted to think of himself more highly than others. Satan would tempt him to exalt himself above measure. To think his abilities were the driving force in spreading the gospel of Christ. Being sanctified does not immune one from temptation. Satan works to scatter the power of God’s people (Dan 12:7) and sees those who have great influence fall. God was faithful to send Paul a “throne in the flesh”, something that would affect his humanity. Causing him to struggle and keep him from boasting and depending on his own strength. He realized that the charge given to him could not be made by any ability of his own, that he needed God to give him the grace to do what was needed. Acknowledging our weakness in not admitting to defeat. It is an opportunity to show the awesomeness of God’s grace and power to work in us and through us. He desires that we provide Him with a vessel, an earthen vessel to do what He wants to accomplish in us and in the world around us. 

Sanctified Heart

1 Peter 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:

The doctrine of sanctification was flush out in its current teaching by John Wesley and other circuit rider preachers in the 17th century. The teaching to live holy and blameless in Christ is a Pauline Epistle teaching given to us by the Apostle Paul in the first century, and in this scripture, Peter instructs us to be sanctified.  The idea that Christian should have a sanctified heart is not something that the earlier founders of Wesleyan conjectured from some new revelation given to them. It was a revival of God’s word, revealing to us the life that God desires all His children to live. The word sanctify shows up in scripture in many different contexts, but the root of the word is to make holy or to set apart. God desires that our heart be made holy and used for His glory. A sanctified heart does not mean that a person is perfect in their humanity, but their heart’s can be perfect before God in motives and intentions. The world will do everything to discount the life of a Christian who stands for truth and righteousness. As Christian we are to be ready to give an answer to the unbeliever, the hope of Christ that lives within us. Our witness for Christ should reflect the life of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer to live a life blameless before the world. A heart that is sanctified is not infallible to failure, but it will empower a Christian to overcome temptation and live right before God and those who are watching our walk with Christ.

The New Man

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Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

If you really know Jesus as you Lord and Savior, then the old life of sin will be put off and new the life in Christ will be put on. There may be some old habits that putting off may take time, but as we learn more about Jesus, He gives us the help we need to put off the things that bring leanness to our heart. What does this new man look like? How does this new man live? The new man is a seeker after the holiness of God. He desires to live right and do right. His life is controlled by God. He walks in the light that God gives him and allows the Holy Spirit to led him in the path of righteousness and true holiness. It is the will of God that the new man be sanctified and be a vessel filled with the Holy Spirit, ready to be used by Him.

One Offering

Hebrew 10:12.14  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;…  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Them that are set apart, believing that Jesus died on the cross to forgive us of our sins, He hath made them perfect in heart. Because of Adam’s transgression, all born into this world are born with sin, but God sent His son to be the one offering to redeem man from his sinful state. We have not yet arrived, and we are a work in progress. Perfect in heart, with a singleness toward the will of God. But we are earthen vessels, prone to weakness and failures. Our body and mind, and emotions are imperfect and subject to breaking down. God takes this vessel, fills it with His Spirit and uses it for His purpose. He is the potter, we are the clay. He is molding and making us into His perfect will. We need to keep are hands off the wheel and let Him do what He must to make us what we ought to be. 

Good Friday

Heb. 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

We are not made holy through any thing that we do. He commands us to abstain from all appearance of evil, yet it is not living a sinless life that make us holy. God says, “Be ye holy as I am Holy”. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”. This standard of living is impossible for man to reach. We can only be made perfect through the cross. Jesus who offered up Himself as the supreme sacrifice for sin, took our sin, it was nailed to the cross and we bear it no longer. Through the blood of Christ we can now be made whole and sanctified. We are made clean and can now come boldly to the throne of God and make our request known to Him. Once and for all, the blood was shed, no need for any other sacrifice. Today is Good Friday, good because the price has been paid and we no longer have to sacrifice animals for sin offerings. Good because we now can be made holy and pure, not of any works we can do, but through faith in the cross that Jesus died for us to set us free from the bondage of sin and has written the law of God in our hearts. His commandments are still required, but they are not what makes us holy.

Filled With The Holy Spirit

Acts. 9:17 …the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

The Bible is filled with scripture where believers in Christ are filled with the Holy Spirit after they have turned their life over to Christ and their sins have been forgiven. The Day of Pentecost is a historical event that demonstrates that the Holy Spirit desires to indwell all believers to equip them to live a victorious life in Christ. Empowering them to preach the gospel of Jesus without fear of man. This is the foundation principle of holiness. A Holy God through the Holy Spirit, living in and through those who name the Name of Christ. There is no formula, or procedure manual showing how this takes place. It is  base on Bible teaching, that God will not dwell in an unclean vessel. The vessel must be sanctified before it can be filled. This is the Wesleyan doctrine. Believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved. Consecrate and surrender your life to the will of God, and the Holy Spirit will come to all who trust and obey.

He That Calls You

1 Thess 5:24 “Faithful is He that calleth you; He also will do it.”-

Called of God to be holy. To walk in the way of holiness. To be set apart and be made blameless. Not in our own strength, but in our willingness to let God do to us what He needs to make us ready for heaven. The process is not pleasant and it will probably require sacrifice on our part. But, the promise of God is true. He is faithful to make us what we ought to be. He wants us to live victorious lives and have motives that are pure and holy. Being sanctified does not make us perfect human beings. We are still subject to temptations and things that come from human desire. But He has promise us that even in times of temptation, we can give us the desire to live spotless and blameless in this present world. His second coming can happen at any time, our last day can be any day. He wants us to be ready for that day. May we be willing to submit our live to God, to be used of Him until His coming.

The Conversation of a Christian

James 3:10 “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”-

I am surprise when someone who says they are a follower of Christ and loves Jesus to hear them use words that are considered to be foul or degrading. I hear them express their love for God and with their mouth will praise Him. I try not to judge, but it is difficult to understand in light of scripture how a person can say they love God and use words that are offensive and cutting. For someone who has recently been delivered from sin, it may take time to break the habits of bad language. The Holy Spirit is faithful to check us and lead us in paths of truth, speaking those things that would please Him. What we speak is more than the words we say. Cussing, swearing, and the use of profanity is unacceptable behavior for a Christian, but so is speaking unkindly and speaking things that destroy the name of others. Speaking harsh words from anger that is unholy comes from a heart that has not been sanctified. From the unholy heart, comes unholy conversations. The Holy Spirit is able to cleanse the heart from ill temper that causes one to speak words that are demeaning and self centered. Even in our righteous anger, God is able to give us the grace to speak  truthfully with love and kindness. In the human, it is almost impossible to control what we say and how we say it, that is why it is so important to have His Spirit in our lives to help us keep our conversation such that it glorifies God. The words we speak puts our faith in Christ and our wisdom on display for everyone to see.