Sanctify Yourselves

God's Kingdom MIssion  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Title: Sanctify Yourselves
Text: Joshua 3:1-17
Series: God’s Kingdom Mission
Introduction:
Opening Illustration:
When our kid’s were younger and could not reach the top shelf of the cupboard, they would drag over a stool and stand on the very top of it to try to get what they wanted. This was a dangerous tactic which we told then not to do. It was not that what was on the top shelf was NOT their’s to have, it is that it was out of their reach, and they needed help. They could either attempt to get it on their own or they could recognize that they needed our help to reach it.
Their Inheritance, but not Their Inheritance
Need of God’s Presence/Power
Requirement - Joshua 3:5 “Sanctify Yourselves”
Exodus 19:10, 14-15, Numbers 11:18
Exodus 19:10 KJV 1900
And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,
Exodus 19:14–15 KJV 1900
And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.
Numbers 11:18 KJV 1900
And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.
Joshua 7:13
“Sanctify” - devoted, dedicated, set apart to the Lord, holy
Involved - moral and ritual purity
Two ways to consider:
(1) “I’m scared that he’s coming way” - Example: “Everybody Loves Raymond” is the show where a husband and his wife live with their three children across the street from his parents. Ray’s mother is known for her amazing cooking, but on this given year, it is Ray’s wife who will attempt to cook the Thanksgiving meal. She is scared that her mother-in-law will not approve of her cooking. She is not excited.” She may even prefer not to have the test take place. So, she prepares everything with an “I’m scared” sentiment. This is one way that you can consider this command. Then there is another way. (2) “I’m excited and not sure what to expect” - Example: Rowan Atkinson is a British actor who is known primarily for playing the character Mr. Bean. In one of his episodes he is getting the privilege to welcome the Queen of England. As he lines up with the other privileged people, he is nervously preparing. He wants to make sure his breath is clean, his clothing is appropriate. He even begins practicing his handshake and bow. This is somewhat of a nervous excitement. This is more like the sentiment that I believe coursed through the hearts of the people because with the command come a promise that the Lord was going to do wonders.
Relevance:
We are inheritors as non-Jewish people - Colossians 1:12-14
Colossians 1:12–14 KJV 1900
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
We are inheritors of His Holy Spirit - I John 3:24
1 John 3:24 KJV 1900
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
We are still in conflict. Where do we go from here?
We are here: at the 75 year threshold, but where do we go from here?
We are here: at a place where I don’t know what to think about the media
We are here: I don’t know where to go with my kid’s education...
We are here: I don’t know what to do with my failing marriage...
We are here: I don’t know what to do with my addiction to pornography...
We are here: I don’t know what to do with my employer...
We are here: I am concerned about my grown children...
We are here: I am concerned about the state of our nation...
Where do we go from here? The answer is the same for all of us. We are not going to a place before we are entering into a process. We enter into sanctification.
Reconcile Victory in Jesus with Am I a Soldier of the Cross...
Proposition:
Because we have victory through Jesus Christ and we have inherited presence of the Holy Spirit, we should be a people who are uniquely set apart to the Lord.

(1) A Command Based on Relationship (v. 1 - 4)

Walk through the text. Cite your point
Relevance:
The life of devotion does not bring you into relationship, but sanctification is the work of someone who is in relationship.
We come into relationship through the Cross of Christ, but we continue in relationship by taking up our cross daily and following Him.
Illustration:
If I tell my son to live like a Fernandez, it is not so that he can become a Fernandez, but because He already is a Fernandez.
I Corinthians 6:9-11
1 Corinthians 6:9–11 KJV 1900
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
If you are a child of God who is asking, "To what do I dedicate my life?" the answer is that you should be devoted to devoting yourself to Christ. You should be dedicated to dedicating yourself to Christ. You should be committed to committing yourself to Christ.

(2) A Command obeyed by Faith (v. 5- 13)

Walk through the text. Cite your point
Relevance:
The command to sanctify themselves was not so that they would gain the presence of God but so that the presence of God would be evidently affective among them.
Be dedicated so that you can experience the victory that is yours. If you are not dedicated, then you do not enjoy the fruits of inheritance -- you do not enjoy confidence and victory.
Some Christians do not enjoy victory over sin because they are not pursuing sanctification or dedication to the Lord. You are victorious in Jesus Christ, but you seem to not experience victory because of your lack of devotion to the Lord. I Thessalonians 4:2-8
What does work in our sanctification is the word of God. John 17:17
The word of God strengthens our faith, and when our faith is strengthened, we obey, and when we obey by faith - we experience victory. I John 5:2-4
App:
Good leaders want to bring their followers into contact with the words of the Lord (Joshua 1:9). Dad, are you bringing your spouses, children in contact with the word of the Lord? Mother’s through your words and your life, are you bringing you children into contact with the Word of the Lord?
We want our families to experience so much, but do we want them to experience the victorious inheritance they could enjoy in Christ?

(3) A Command that required complete immersion (v. 14-17)

Walk through the text.
Cite your point.
Relevance:
To follow Christ is not to merely get saved and get a destination fix. Following Christ means you are all in.
How do I live in a world that refuses civic authority, that devalues human life, that is motivated by selfish pleasures? How do I live in a world that is increasingly polarized against Christianity? I Peter 1:14-16
Conclusion:
Illustration:
Running in Middletown recently with JB. We came to a steep incline. We are 2.5 miles away from our finish line. At this point, we are all in. If you quit, you have a decent walk back by yourself. The incline was steep enough that all that was right in front of me were Jared’s calfs. So I decided, just keep them in front of you and keep moving.
Living a life where you keep moving forward is difficult sometimes, but I want to take you to a story that might be encouraging to you.
Matthew 3:13-17 While it is true that a great miracle took place in the Jordan River with Joshua and the children of Israel. A greater miracle is fulfilled in Matthew 3. Here is why it is greater: (1) Jesus is the presence of God manifested (2) Jesus enters the same Jordan River in complete dedication and fulfillment to His Father - his baptism also pointing to his death & resurrection (3) the Spirit of God fills Jesus Christ like no other.
Those who have Jesus, enter into Jesus and receive His Spirit. Now, we do not follow the ark of the Covenant — we follow Jesus Christ, and what do we hear him say? It is not the words “Sanctify yourselves” but it carries the same thought in a more vivid way - “And he that talent not his cross, and followers after me, is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:38.

The Cross Life is the Sanctified Life

The Cross Life is a way of life, where we are dead with Christ so that we may live in Him. It is a dedication / a sanctification which we submit to all of the time. It is a way of life where we grow by the word, enjoy victory by faith until we are like Jesus Christ. I John 3:2-3.
Where do we go from here? We go into regular sanctification. We dedicate ourselves. We sanctify ourselves.
Illustration: Every good story is enriched by the process. Could you imagine stories, movies, plays...that only had opening scenes and then closing scenes.
When you look at the 75 years of GBC, you ask, “What is the LORD doing?” He is taking a body of people and making them like Jesus Christ through the process of sanctification. This means that every up and down, every difficulty, every stirring, every calm, every storm is part of his work.
When you consider this on a granular level, every person who is a follower of Jesus is part of this. As they sanctify themselves, they dedicate themselves to experiencing victory. We are not at the end. We are in the process.
Will you be completely dedicated to the Lord? In your home, in your church? (2 ways to consider this - heart/body).
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