Malachi Dads: The Heart of a Father Lesson 4

Sanctification

Sanctification can be defined as the ongoing supernatural work of God to rescue justified sinners from the disease of sin and to conform them to the image of His Son: holy, Christlike, and empowered to do good works.

Another definition for sanctify is to set apart.

Hebrews 10:10 NKJV

10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

When Jesus sanctifies us, His purpose is to set us apart. For example, He calls us to be salt in a tasteless world and light in a very dark world. He calls us to be a light of the world and a city set on a hill in Matthew 5:14. We are called to be different than the rest of the world.

Isaiah 1:18 NKJV

18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

When you get saved your sins get cleaned. White as snow! A lot of people have this false idea in their mind that they have to clean themselves up before they can come to a holy God. I’m telling you, man of God, you can’t clean yourself up enough to be presentable to God. It’s not possible without Jesus. That’s why Jesus cleans us up. He cleans up our muck and lifts us up out of the mire and swamp.

Colossians 1:13–14 NKJV

13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

When we get saved, we change our spiritual address. We change our spiritual destination. See a lot of us were on the highway to hell, but then Jesus paved an exit ramp off that highway. When the devil tries to bring up your past, its like he’s trying to collect rent on an old address. You don’t live there anymore! You don’t owe anything to that old life. You can’t change the fact that you lived there at one point, but you don’t live there anymore!

1 Corinthians 3:16 NKJV

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

When you get saved, you get a teacher. You get a helper. You get a Father that teaches you. Its very difficult to learn something on your own in most cases. We can’t learn how live this life without God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

When you get saved, you get transformed. You’re not the same as you once were. You’re different. You have a fresh start. Its like hitting the reset button. Its a new beginning. That’s why we call it being born again. So again, when we get saved, we get clean, we get a new destination, we get a guide, and we get transformed.

I want to leave you with this. Whatever you were before: abuser, liar, fake, angry man, betrayer, selfish, whatever. You don’t have to be that anymore. You’re not defined by your past. Jesus is the only one with the authority to ultimately define you. He says you’re a son. You’re a child of the one true King. You’re royalty. You’re transformed. You’re made new. Jesus wants to make you better. His desire isn’t for you to just survive, but thrive. That’s not prosperity gospel that’s truth. He wants to give you peace that surpasses understanding. He wants to give you joy unspeakable. There is going to be times where life hits you square on the jaw and knocks you on your butt. Jesus wants to reach His hand out, pull you up, and tell you “Come on, lets keep going.”