Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: GPL
Program Code: GPL000014
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00:01 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:02 Did you know that as we grow in love we grow in holiness? 00:06 Join us today on "The Grace Pipeline" 00:08 to learn how the Holy Spirit accomplishes this in our lives. 00:32 Welcome to "The Grace Pipeline." 00:34 For the last two programs we had considered 00:36 how God purifies us by His grace, 00:40 like the refiner's fire purifies silver. 00:43 Today, we will begin to look at the Holy Spirit's power 00:46 to clean the residue of sins influence away. 00:50 This series is based on a Bible study book by the same title 00:54 that was my great privilege to write. 00:56 If you're following along in the companion book, 00:59 today we begin in chapter 8. 01:01 This is an exciting study, so let's get into it. 01:05 In Malachi 3:6 God clearly states 01:08 "For I am the Lord God, I do not change." 01:13 God has never changed. 01:15 The holy and righteous Lord portrayed in the Old Testament 01:18 is the same sovereign God of the new. 01:21 The tender and loving God portrayed in the New Testament 01:24 is the mirror image of the magnificent 01:27 and merciful God of the old. 01:29 Just listen to this Old Testament 01:31 verse from Isaiah 63:9. 01:35 And it says, "In all their affliction He was afflicted, 01:40 and the angel of His presence saved them. 01:43 In His love and in His pity He redeemed them. 01:46 And He lifted them up 01:48 and carried them all the days of old." 01:52 The angel of His presence 01:54 whom we have established from scripture 01:57 is none other than the patient and compassionate Christ, 02:00 is the exact representation of the character 02:04 and personality of God the Father. 02:06 Hebrews 1:3 says that 02:08 "Jesus is the sole expression of the glory of God 02:12 and He is the perfect imprint and very image of God's nature." 02:17 Christ came to reveal the Father, 02:19 everything the Father is, the Son is. 02:23 As you see Jesus in scripture, you see the Father. 02:26 He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 02:29 God has always dealt with humanity sins 02:32 that condition by acts of grace 02:35 as evidenced in the provision of the sanctuary services 02:38 and ceremonial laws that pointed to their fulfillment in Christ. 02:43 We have considered how through grace, 02:46 God redeemed and forgave His ancient people 02:49 and justified them on the day of atonement. 02:53 Would it surprise you to learn that He also sanctified 02:58 His people of the old covenant by grace? 03:01 Let's look at Exodus 31:13 03:04 where the Lord says, 03:06 "Speak also to the children of Israel, 03:09 saying: Surely my Sabbaths you shall keep, 03:12 for it is a sign between me and you 03:16 throughout your generations, 03:17 that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you." 03:23 At the end of the creation week, 03:26 God established the seventh day 03:28 as a day of rest and remembrance. 03:30 And Genesis 2:3 tells us that "He sanctified the seventh day, 03:36 setting it apart and making it His holy day." 03:40 A perpetual temple in time 03:42 so to speak was instituted by God 03:45 for the benefit of humanity 03:48 providing a weekly reminder to celebrate His covenant love 03:51 by remaining in His rest. 03:53 A relationship of total dependence upon God. 03:58 He sanctified this memorial of His grace 04:01 as an affirmation that salvation, 04:03 including sanctification, belongs to the Lord. 04:08 In our last two programs we have considered 04:11 the refining fire of God's presence in our lives. 04:14 Now let's take this a step further 04:16 by beginning with Malachi 3:2 which says, 04:21 "He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap." 04:28 The refining fire of God's presence in the Christian life 04:32 burns the dross of deadly sins and worthless pursuits. 04:36 The launderer's soap referenced by this verse 04:39 was a strong alkali that was used to whiten cloth. 04:43 And it serves as another symbol of the inward purifying process. 04:47 The pureness of God's heart detests impurity. 04:51 He loves a sinner, but he hates the sin. 04:55 Christ came to save us from our sins, not in our sins. 05:00 Let me share a quick story about my beloved Yorkshire terrier 05:05 to provide a mental picture of this principle. 05:08 And while this is a rather crude illustration 05:11 it will make the point. 05:12 So please forgive me 05:14 while I digress from propriety in offering this. 05:18 But it will, I hope, 05:20 be of benefit to your understanding 05:22 without offending your sensibilities. 05:25 We had a little pup named TC, stood for too cute. 05:29 And he was the most special dog 05:30 my husband and I have ever owned. 05:33 He was an intelligent and obedient, eager to please. 05:36 We never had a problem with TC 05:39 until we moved to our farm in Central Texas. 05:41 And there to my horror TC discovered 05:44 the lure of cow patties which is cow dung. 05:48 For reasons only that a Yorkie could appreciate, 05:51 he found their scent irresistible. 05:54 And he frequently rolled around in the odoriferous piles. 05:58 Now following his frolics he would come 06:00 pleading at the door to enter our home again. 06:04 And naturally his pungent condition was repulsive to me, 06:09 but I didn't love him any less. 06:11 I could not send my beloved TC away 06:14 issuing the impossible command for him 06:17 to clean himself up before he returned. 06:20 In disgust, I would just scoop him up, 06:22 plant him into the bath tub and generously lathering him 06:26 with soap and the shampoo I would lovingly, 06:29 but vigorously scrub every last hint 06:32 of the stinky residue away. 06:34 And then I'd give him a thorough rinsing. 06:37 Now TC was not particularly fond 06:39 of my requirement for cleanliness, 06:42 but after his bath, 06:43 we enjoyed sweet companionship again. 06:47 You know, the devil guards 06:49 the landscape with piles of his sin patties 06:53 that are strangely alluring to fallen humanity. 06:57 And rolling around in Satan's immoral mess, 07:00 we don't recognize the stench of our condition, 07:04 how this presents to a God of purity. 07:07 Does He love us any less? No. 07:09 But our state of existence is deplorable to Him. 07:13 Even so where there is guilt and godly sorrow, 07:18 there is grace when we repent and return to Him. 07:22 He is fully aware that our best efforts are futile 07:26 to cleanse our fallen nature. 07:28 He can't bear to leave us in that unrighteous form. 07:32 So with love and pity, 07:34 our holy Lord takes his launderer soap 07:37 to clean the residue of sin's influence away 07:41 and rid us of sin's dominating power 07:44 making our fellowship acceptable again. 07:48 And it is the Holy Spirit's cleansing power 07:51 that works in us in this process of sanctification. 07:55 Look at 1 Corinthians 6:11 which says, 08:00 "And such were some of you. 08:02 But you were washed, you were sanctified, 08:06 you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus 08:09 and by the Spirit of our God." 08:14 The spirit has a sanctifying influence. 08:18 God is serious about purifying His people 08:21 through the operation of the Holy Spirit. 08:24 His plan of salvation is to deliver us 08:26 from both the guilt of sin and the power of sin. 08:33 As the personal representative and revealer of God, 08:37 Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. 08:40 Now doubtless, Jesus is God's greatest gift of grace. 08:45 Completing His work for God's act of justification, 08:48 he also laid the foundation for the work of sanctification 08:52 to be accomplished by the Holy Spirit 08:55 and His power throughout our life time. 08:57 When God, the Son took on the form of human flesh, 09:01 he united divinity with humanity forever. 09:03 And as a result of His incarnation, 09:07 He could no longer be in all places at all times. 09:10 He was resurrected and returned to heaven 09:13 in this divine human form. 09:17 Christ was the long awaited consolation, 09:20 the comforter to His disciples. 09:23 And after His resurrection 09:25 they desired for Him to remain with them. 09:29 But knowing God's plan, 09:30 He declared it was to their advantage 09:33 that He departed and returned to the Father. 09:36 Only then could He send another comforter like Himself, 09:41 who would have intimate fellowship 09:43 with each of them in all places at all times. 09:48 He intended to send the Holy Spirit as our standby, 09:52 God's promised gift of grace to His people. 09:56 In John 16:7, Jesus told His disciples 09:59 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth, 10:02 it is to your advantage that I go away, 10:05 because if I do not go away the helper will not come to you, 10:09 but if I depart, I will send Him to you." 10:13 The Spirit will stay with us forever 10:16 as Christ promised in John 14:16. 10:19 He says that, "I will ask the Father, 10:22 and He will give you another comforter, a counselor, 10:25 a helper, an intercessor, advocate, strengthener, 10:29 and standby that He may remain with you forever." 10:36 The Holy Spirit was already at work in the hearts of men, 10:40 but not in the sense of serving as their comforter. 10:44 The Spirit comes as the personal representative of Christ. 10:48 And as Jesus revealed the Father to the world, 10:52 so the Holy Spirit reveals Christ 10:54 and the wonders of His grace. 10:56 To continue His mission of destroying evil, 10:59 God gives us the Holy Spirit 11:02 who imparts power to overcome sin. 11:05 It is the special office of the Spirit 11:08 to carry out the plan of sanctification, 11:11 separating us from the influence of sin and making us holy. 11:16 All spiritual renewal begins and is accomplished by God. 11:21 Ephesians 2:18 tells us that our access to God 11:25 the Father is by the Holy Spirit through Christ. 11:29 There we see all three persons of the Godhead 11:32 working in concert to complete the sanctification of humanity. 11:38 The Apostle John tells us "God is love. 11:42 God is light. God is life. God is spirit." 11:46 And God seeks goodwill for all mankind demonstrated by His self 11:52 sacrificing love of sending His Son to die for us. 11:56 In Him there is not the slightest shadow of darkness 12:01 as evidenced by His pure and righteous character. 12:04 And as an infinite spirit being, 12:07 His ways and His thoughts are above ours 12:11 proven by His amazing grace. 12:14 1 Peter 1:16 says--gives us actually an imperative command. 12:20 And He says to us "Be holy for I am holy." 12:25 In other words God is saying 12:27 "Be sanctified for I am sanctified." 12:31 The command should not make us tremble as anything 12:34 that God demands is a promise of the very thing 12:38 that He determines to accomplish for us. 12:41 His demand for holiness is based upon His all powerful, 12:46 all equipping grace which leads us to holy lives. 12:51 Through His work of sanctification 12:54 He will complete the separation of His children 12:57 from sin by supplying the Holy Spirit, 13:01 the Spirit of grace and supplication 13:04 to live right within us. 13:07 Grace and godliness fit together like a hand and a glove. 13:12 When God's grace is in our hearts, 13:15 we are fitted with godliness. 13:18 So Paul asked the question in 1 Corinthians 6:19 and 20 13:23 "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the spirit 13:27 who is in you, 13:28 whom you have from God and you are not your own. 13:32 For you were bought at a price. 13:35 Therefore glorify God in your body 13:38 and in your spirit which are God's." 13:41 God instructed Moses in Exodus 25:8, he said, 13:46 "Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." 13:50 Under the Lord's direction, 13:52 the tabernacle was made according to His 13:55 very specific pattern revealed on Mount Sinai. 13:59 The God of love still desires to dwell with mankind 14:02 and has now chosen to make our bodies His holy temple. 14:07 Jesus affirms this in John 14:17 14:11 where he says, "The spirit of truth, 14:13 you know Him for He dwells in you and He will be in you." 14:18 The spirit of the living God within us will construct 14:22 our living temples to conform to God's specific pattern 14:27 revealed on the Hill of Calvary. 14:30 The pattern of Christ completes the mission to the Father 14:34 and death to self which was rewarded 14:37 with resurrection power and glory. 14:41 As Christ is the exact representation of the Father, 14:45 so the Holy Spirit is the exact representation of Christ. 14:50 The three are one. 14:52 Therefore when the Holy Spirit is in us, 14:55 Christ lives in our hearts through faith 14:58 and without the abiding Spirit 15:00 within Christ is absent from the heart. 15:02 And our association with Him 15:04 is the same superficial experience 15:07 as the five foolish virgins of Matthew 25 15:11 who had no flask of oil. 15:14 Only the oil of the Holy Spirit imparts the life of Christ. 15:18 Without Him, we miss the qualifications to enter 15:22 the marriage supper of the Lamb. 15:24 Now as God, He's not only the spirit of holiness, 15:29 but the spirit of love and light. 15:31 His promised presence within the Christian heart 15:35 clothes us with power from on high 15:38 to overcome sin and its dominion. 15:40 And His internal work of grace creates a hatred of all sin 15:47 and cures our bad habits. 15:49 This is the dunamis, the dynamite power 15:52 that Christ promised to make perfect in our weakness. 15:56 Indeed His grace is sufficient. 16:00 Christ proclaimed in Mark 12:29 through 31 16:05 that "The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God 16:09 with all of your heart, with all of your soul, 16:11 with all of your mind and with all of your strength." 16:15 And the second is this 16:17 that "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 16:20 He further explains 16:23 "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." 16:28 Let me ask you something. 16:30 Can you do this? 16:32 I find the depth of love, 16:34 this depth of love impossible in my human limited capability. 16:40 How about you? 16:41 If it is true that God will cause us 16:44 to be all that He calls us to be, 16:47 then He must supply His divine love through His grace pipeline. 16:52 Guess what? 16:54 He does, to empower us to meet His requirement of love. 16:59 God pours out the sanctifying power of His love into us 17:04 through the Holy Spirit of love who indwells us. 17:08 The crowning grace for sanctification is love. 17:12 Paul explains how we receive this divine love in Romans 5:5 17:19 where he says, 17:20 "The love of God has been poured out in our hearts 17:25 by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." 17:29 Ah, the result of God pouring out His love 17:33 into our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit 17:37 is not only that we know we are loved, 17:40 but to make us partakers of His divine nature of love. 17:45 And as we grow in the grace of love, 17:48 we grow in holiness 17:50 because God's image is being restored in us 17:54 by His Holy Spirit of love. 17:56 Paul prayed something beautiful in Thessalonians, 17:59 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13. Let's read it. 18:04 "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love." 18:08 First of all notice who's doing this. It's God. 18:11 "May the Lord make you increase 18:12 and abound in love to one another and to all, 18:15 just as we do to you," why? 18:19 "So that He may establish 18:22 your hearts blameless in holiness." 18:28 Can you see that? 18:29 As we grow in the grace of God's love imparted by the Spirit, 18:35 we grow in holiness. 18:37 The grace of love and holiness are inseparable. 18:42 The more we love, the more we become like God. 18:45 Love for Him and love for humanity sets us apart from sin. 18:51 Abiding in love, we abide in God and He establishes our hearts 18:57 to be blameless in sanctification. 19:01 Paul prayed again. 19:03 One of my favorite verses, 19:05 it's in Ephesians 3:16 through 21. 19:08 Let's read that. 19:10 "That He," God, "would grant you, 19:13 according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened 19:17 with might through His spirit in the inner man, 19:21 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, 19:26 that you being rooted and grounded in love, 19:30 may be able to comprehend with all the saints 19:33 what is the width and length and depth and height 19:37 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, 19:41 that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 19:45 Now to him who is able to do exceedingly 19:49 abundantly above all that we ask or think, 19:53 according to the power," the power of that Holy Spirit, 19:57 "who works within us, to Him be glory in the church 20:01 by Christ Jesus to all generations." 20:06 The fullness of love and deity is in Christ. 20:10 And as He dwells in our hearts by faith through the Spirit, 20:14 we are filled with the fullness of God. 20:17 What unspeakable joy is ours 20:21 when we possess the life of the Holy Spirit within, 20:25 we begin to experience the power of God's love. 20:29 And strengthened by the Spirit 20:31 we can respond in obedience to God's righteous requirements, 20:35 expressing reverential love to Him 20:38 and a practical love toward humanity. 20:41 Jesus said in John 14:15 20:44 "If you love me keep my commandments." 20:47 And then He goes on to say in John 15:10 20:50 "If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love 20:53 just as I have kept my Father's commandments 20:56 and abide in His love." 20:58 Christ learned obedience through His sufferings. 21:02 And He became the author of eternal salvation 21:06 to all who obey Him. 21:08 Now those are not my words 21:09 but rather they are found in Hebrews 5:8 and 9. 21:14 Let's look at that. 21:16 "Though He was a Son, 21:18 yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 21:23 And having been perfected, 21:25 He became the author of eternal salvation 21:29 to all who obey Him." 21:34 What do you mean that He became 21:36 the author of eternal salvation 21:39 for all who obey Him? 21:41 Isn't that contradictory to Ephesians 2:8 that says, 21:45 "We are saved by grace." Not at all. 21:48 When we tap into the grace pipeline for the power of God, 21:53 it is God who works in us 21:55 both through will and to do His good pleasure. 21:59 Grace works obedience into our hearts 22:02 which becomes our expression of appreciation for salvation. 22:08 We obey only by the power of grace 22:12 motivated by love for the Lord. 22:14 The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit work to recreate 22:20 God's righteous and holy image within us, 22:24 sanctifying us by supernatural assistance 22:27 and divine power for salvation. 22:30 Christ did not keep God's commandments to become His Son. 22:36 He kept them because He was God's Son. 22:39 And in the very same manner, 22:40 commandment keeping does not make us God's child. 22:45 Commandment keeping doesn't save us. 22:47 We obey because we are His child. 22:51 Obedience evidences our overflowing gratitude 22:56 and our personal indebtedness 22:58 for the unspeakable gifts of God's grace, 23:03 the Spirit, the Son, and the Word and the living power. 23:09 Grace is the living power of God's love. 23:12 In its strength it produces holiness 23:16 and a willingness to acknowledge the Lord with reverential love. 23:21 And God's loving response will be to us 23:24 the same as Psalms 91:14 through 15. Listen, 23:29 He said, "Because He has set His love upon me 23:33 therefore I will deliver him, I will set him on high 23:37 because he has known My name. 23:39 He shall call upon Me and I will answer him. 23:42 I will be with him in trouble and I will honor him." 23:47 The Holy Spirit comprehends 23:49 the depths of God's thoughts and plans. 23:52 And He acts as the one who translates 23:55 these things to humanity 23:57 in such a way that we might understand. 24:01 In John 16:13 the Bible tells us 24:04 that "The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth." 24:08 In John 16:8 we learn 24:10 that "It is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin 24:15 and convinces us of righteousness." 24:18 You know, in this age of complacency 24:21 and self seeking pleasure 24:23 and pride of intellectual superiority, 24:27 we need the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to show us 24:31 where we miss the mark of God's standards 24:34 and to cause us to yearn for the righteousness of Christ 24:38 which is from God by faith. 24:41 Let's look at three scriptures that identify the Spirit's work 24:45 as an agent of sanctification in our lives. 24:48 Beginning with 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 24:53 "God from the beginning chose you for salvation 24:58 through sanctification by the Spirit 25:02 and belief in the truth." 25:06 And then 1 Peter 1:2 again confirms 25:10 that it is the Spirit who is sanctifying us. 25:13 Peter writes "You who were chosen, 25:17 consecrated, sanctified, made holy 25:21 by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ the Messiah." 25:28 And then Paul picks up the same thing in Romans 8:13 25:33 through 14 where he says, 25:36 "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, 25:40 but if by the Spirit you put to death 25:44 the deeds of the body, you will live. 25:47 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, 25:51 these are the sons of God." 25:55 Through obedience by the grace of the Holy Spirit 25:59 we are sanctified by His power, 26:01 set apart from sin and made holy. 26:05 I hope you noticed in Romans 8:13 26:07 which we just read that it reveals, 26:11 it takes the cooperation of our individual effort 26:16 and the Holy Spirit to put to death the misdeeds of our flesh. 26:21 It says, "if by the Holy Spirit 26:25 you put to death the misdeeds of the body, 26:28 then you will live." 26:30 Only the Holy Spirit can put to death the carnal nature, 26:37 but He can't do it without our cooperation. 26:41 We on the other hand 26:42 cannot achieve sanctification on our own. 26:46 The Spirit can't accomplish it without our partnership. 26:50 So we must work together being yoked with Christ, 26:56 working with the Holy Spirit, 26:58 giving Him permission in our lives to sanctify us by grace. 27:06 Oh, our time has flown. 27:08 And I've been just talking so fast 27:10 but I hope that you're seeing how God-- 27:15 His work of sanctification. 27:17 It's Him who is working in us. 27:20 The Father, the Son, the Spirit. 27:22 And if you will join us next time, 27:25 we're going to learn 27:27 why we need to become sanctification seekers. 27:32 We want this joy to be in our lives. 27:37 And I tell you that sanctification, 27:41 going through this process will bring you 27:44 the greatest joy of your life. 27:47 And it will bring you peace that transcends all understanding. 27:52 Until next time please grow in the grace 27:55 and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27:58 See you again soon. |
Revised 2014-12-17