Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: GPL
Program Code: GPL000012S
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00:01 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:02 Do you know how God can be compared to a refiner of silver? 00:06 Join us now on "The Grace Pipeline," 00:08 as we see what the Bible has to say 00:11 about the fire of our loving Heavenly Father. 00:33 Welcome to "The Grace Pipeline." 00:35 In our journey through scripture during this series, 00:38 we have identified God's three greatest gifts of grace 00:43 as being Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, 00:47 and the Word of God. 00:50 When we understand the gifts of grace, 00:53 we begin to understand the effects of grace. 00:56 And today, we will look at our Heavenly Father's role 00:59 in the process of sanctifying His people, 01:03 sanctifying means simply to purify our purposes, 01:07 our thoughts, and our actions. 01:09 Now in past programs, 01:10 we have learned that justification is an act of God. 01:14 And sanctification is a progressive work of God. 01:20 The content of this series is from a book that is also called 01:23 "The Grace Pipeline" that I was privileged to write. 01:26 If you're following along in the series companion book, 01:30 today we're beginning on chapter 7. 01:33 Now to begin what I would like to do 01:35 is share a wonderful verse in the Old Testament 01:38 that speaks of God's work to purge His people of sin, 01:43 making them fit to advance in a walk of holiness. 01:47 This poetic verse is found in Malachi 3:3 and it reads, 01:53 "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver 01:57 and purge them as gold and silver 01:59 that they may offer unto the Lord 02:01 an offering in righteousness." 02:05 Perhaps, you've read a charming story 02:08 regarding this scripture that has circulated on the internet. 02:11 The author is unknown. 02:13 So I will take the liberty of editing it. 02:15 As the story goes, the verse became 02:17 the topic of conversation in a Bible study group. 02:21 One woman believed it conveyed 02:23 the view of the sanctifying influence of God's grace. 02:26 So to determine if her interpretation had merit, 02:30 she visited a silversmith. 02:32 Without revealing the reason for her inquiry, 02:35 she asked how he accomplished his work 02:38 and listened intently as he described 02:40 the process of refining silver. 02:43 He explained that the raw ore was placed in crucible, 02:47 a heat-resistant refining pot, 02:50 and then melted with the heat of fire causing 02:53 the impurities to separate from the metal and surface. 02:58 He then continually skimmed off this dross 03:01 until the remaining metal was pure. 03:04 "But, sir," she asked, 03:06 "Do you sit while the work of refining is going on?" 03:09 "Oh, yes, madam," he replied. 03:12 "I must sit and keep my eyes steadily fixed on the furnace 03:16 for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded 03:20 in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured. 03:24 But she asked, "How do you know 03:26 when the purifying process is completed?" 03:29 "Oh, that is easy", he said. 03:32 "When I can see my own image reflected in the silver, 03:36 I know my work is accomplished." 03:39 You know, this story is a beautiful illustration 03:43 of God's work of sanctification 03:45 and concludes by connecting the principle to our sufferings 03:50 and trials and tribulations. 03:52 The verse from Malachi actually has greater application 03:56 than merely to the afflictions we endure. 03:59 But when trouble comes your way and it certainly will, 04:03 take comfort in knowing God's caring eye is upon you. 04:07 If you will allow Him, 04:09 He can work all things together for your eternal benefit 04:13 to the aim of His purpose of conforming you 04:16 to the image of His Son. 04:19 That is God's plan. 04:22 He has predestined all of His children to become like Jesus. 04:27 Paul tells us, in Romans 8:28. 04:32 He says, "All things work together for good 04:34 for those who love God, 04:37 to those who are called according to His purpose." 04:40 And he explains in verse 29. 04:43 "For whom He foreknew, 04:46 He also predestined to be conformed 04:48 to the image of His Son, 04:49 that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." 04:54 What a thrilling destiny accomplished 04:57 through His purifying grace. 04:59 When you confess your sin, 05:01 God is faithful and just to forgive your sins 05:05 and to sanctify you inwardly, 05:09 purging His precious child of the influence 05:13 of the worthless, worldly things, 05:15 cleansing you from all corruption that caused 05:18 you to be unrighteous in attitude or action. 05:22 He will cause you to be sincerely converted 05:25 and consecrated to the Christ 05:28 who as Paul says 05:33 "Christ who gave Himself for us, 05:36 that He might redeem us from every lawless deed 05:40 and purify for Himself His own special people 05:44 zealous for good works." 05:47 You know, Malachi ask in Chapter 3:2, 05:50 "But who can endure the day of His coming 05:53 and who can stand when He appears? 05:56 For He's like a refiner's fire and like a launderer's soap." 06:01 The precious and gentle Lamb of God 06:04 is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah. 06:07 He who is called faithful and true, 06:11 will return with eyes blazing like a flame of fire 06:15 to wage war in justice and holiness 06:18 against all unrighteousness. 06:21 Christ will overpower evil at once and for all eternity. 06:28 And the Bible promises affliction will not rise again. 06:31 Listen to this conclusive evidence 06:34 as the words of the Lord were recorded in Malachi 4:1, 3, 06:41 "For behold, the day is coming, 06:44 burning like an oven, and all the proud, 06:47 yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. 06:50 And the day which is coming shall burn them up," 06:54 Says the Lord of hosts, 06:55 "That will leave them neither root nor branch. 06:59 You shall trample the wicked, 07:01 for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet 07:05 on the day that I do this," 07:07 Says the Lord of hosts." Hallelujah. 07:12 As He first cleansed the polluted world by making it 07:15 a lake of water during the great flood, 07:18 He will again purify the earth by making it a lake of fire. 07:22 The earth and the evil works that are in it 07:25 will burn and be laid bare. 07:27 And God will create a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 07:32 There will be no more tears, no more pain or sorrow. 07:36 He promises there will be no more death 07:39 which means we can confidently conclude 07:42 there will be no more sin, 07:43 obviously, since the wages of sin is death. 07:48 In his righteous judgment, 07:50 a just God will consume all sinners 07:54 on that great and dreadful day of the Lord. 07:58 In John 5:28, 29 the apostle writes-- 08:04 or records Jesus' words actually. 08:06 And Jesus said, "Do not marvel at this, 08:10 for the hour is coming in which all who are in their graves 08:15 will hear His voice and come forth, 08:18 those who have done good, 08:20 to the resurrection of life, 08:23 and those who have done evil, 08:25 to the resurrection of condemnation." 08:29 You know, Revelation 20:4-6 refers to those 08:34 who rise in the first resurrection 08:37 as reigning with Christ for 1,000 years 08:40 before the second resurrection of the condemned. 08:43 These verses clearly indicate that the second death, 08:48 the eternal perishing only has power over those 08:52 who rise in the second resurrection of condemnation. 08:57 A careful study of Bible scriptures reveals that 09:01 God is not some type of monster 09:04 who punishes the wicked for unending eons of times. 09:09 If you have been taught that, 09:11 call 3ABN's pastoral department and our pastors 09:14 will be happy to prove this by Bible evidence. 09:19 Paul clearly teaches in 1 Corinthians 15:42-57. 09:26 "That it is only in Christ that we find victory over death." 09:30 Saying those in Christ will have to put on immortality 09:35 at the last trumpet when Jesus returns. 09:38 The rebellious dead will not be given 09:40 the chance to put on immortality. 09:43 They will perish and their destruction will be eternal. 09:49 That is why God told Malachi 09:51 that the wicked shall be ashes under our feet 09:55 on the day that he does this. 09:59 In Hebrews 12:29, the inspired word of God says, 10:05 "For our God is a consuming fire." 10:09 That sounds frightening, doesn't it? 10:12 But we don't need to interpret it 10:15 only as a threat of retribution. 10:18 In scripture, fire is considered 10:20 to be a symbol of the divine presence of God. 10:25 Christ spoke to Moses when He appeared 10:27 as the angel of the Lord from the burning bush. 10:31 And here He was this bush and in the midst of this bush 10:34 was a fire and yet the bush was not consumed. 10:38 His presence of fire led the people of Israel in the desert. 10:43 And appearing from the midst of fire on Mount Sinai, 10:47 the Lord proclaimed himself as redeemer 10:51 and spoke His Ten Commandments of love 10:53 to guide His people to the good life. 10:57 On the day of Pentecost, 10:58 the Holy Spirit appeared as a body of fire 11:02 that separated into tongue like flames 11:05 and settled on each person present 11:08 representing the promised baptism of fire 11:12 that would bring the purifying and refining energy 11:15 to sanctify God's people. 11:18 Fire is used in scripture to illustrate 11:22 both God's presence and His protection. 11:25 In Zechariah 2:5, God proclaimed He was a wall of fire 11:31 around Jerusalem and the glory in her midst. 11:34 And in Jeremiah 23:29 the Lord described 11:40 His word as a purifying fire that devours dross. 11:46 With striking contrast though the fire of God 11:50 further illustrates His inevitable judgment against sin. 11:55 Fire came forth from the Lord to destroy Nadab and Abihu. 12:01 These were Aaron's two unholy sons, 12:03 who served his priest in the sanctuary. 12:06 Fire came forth to destroy the company of Korah 12:09 and the enemies of Elijah. 12:11 The Lord's fire consumed the sacrifices of Gideon and Elijah. 12:17 And significantly in 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8, 12:23 Paul describes Christ at His second coming, 12:26 as revealed from heaven in flaming fire 12:30 to execute retributive justice 12:35 on those who do not have a relationship with God 12:37 and who refused to obey His word. 12:41 Further in 2 Thessalonians 2:8, 12:46 Paul details the destruction of the lawless one 12:49 at Christ's appearing who will be consumed 12:52 with the breath of His mouth 12:54 and destroyed with the brightness of His coming. 12:58 Let me tell you something God is passionate 13:02 in His pursuit of purification. 13:05 With Him there are only two outcomes for unholy beings. 13:10 Either the fire of His presence will protect 13:14 and purify those sin tainted ones 13:18 who are willing to be refined or it will destroy 13:22 those sinners who refuse to respond. 13:26 When sin is ushered into the very presence of God, 13:30 the brightness of His glory vaporizes it. 13:34 For this reason, in Exodus 33:20 God told Moses, 13:39 "You cannot see my face, 13:41 for no man shall see me and live." 13:45 As fire purifies and rids precious ore of its dross, 13:51 so God's sanctifying work will separate 13:55 the waste of sin from His children 13:57 who surrender their will to His day by day 14:01 until we reflect the image 14:04 in glorious character of our creator. 14:07 God's way of grace is full of His glory 14:11 and flows with His divine assistance 14:13 and supernatural power unto salvation. 14:18 Our part in sanctification is simply to choose 14:22 to cooperate with His plan. 14:25 As Paul explains in Romans 12:1-3 saying 14:32 "I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God, 14:36 that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, 14:41 holy, acceptable to God, 14:43 which is your reasonable service. 14:45 And do not be conformed to this world, 14:49 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, 14:53 that you may prove what is that good 14:55 and acceptable and perfect will of God. 14:59 For I say, through the grace given to me, 15:02 to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself 15:05 more highly than he ought but to think soberly, 15:10 as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." 15:15 You know, God is just and He judges in righteousness. 15:20 At Christ's second coming, all whose names are written 15:25 in His Book of Life will be saved. 15:28 The Bible says that those belonging to Christ 15:30 who are alive at His second coming will not enter 15:34 into His presence before the righteous 15:37 who are asleep in their graves. 15:39 No, the dead will arise from their graves 15:42 in the first resurrection, the resurrection of life 15:46 and we will all go up together to meet Him in the air. 15:50 Look at Paul's wonderful description of this event 15:53 found in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, 15:58 "For we say this to you by the word of God, 16:02 that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord 16:07 will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16:12 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven 16:16 with a shout, with the voice of an archangel 16:20 and with the trumpet of God. 16:22 And the dead in Christ will rise first. 16:25 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up 16:30 together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 16:35 And thus we shall always be with the Lord." 16:39 So those coming up in the first resurrection will be caught up 16:45 with the righteous who remain living 16:48 to meet the Lord in the air. 16:50 Oh, Christ will stand to deliver a judgment, 16:54 a favor on their behalf. 16:56 And by grace, He will grant victory over death, 17:01 clothing His precious ones with immortality 17:04 that they may enjoy His gift of eternal life. 17:09 Can you imagine how God's heart will overflow with joy 17:14 at the redemption, this final redemption of His children? 17:19 Yet let me ask you, have you ever considered what a strange 17:24 and terrible time our God of love and grace will suffer 17:28 when He must execute justice on the wicked 17:32 in His great day of wrath? 17:34 God is not motivated to harm the unrighteous 17:38 but the day will come when He must put an end to sin. 17:43 Listen to His voice of mercy and pity in Ezekiel 33:11. 17:50 "As I live," says the Lord God, 17:52 "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, 17:55 but that the wicked turn from his way and live. 17:59 Turn, turn from your evil ways. 18:02 For why should you die?" 18:05 The Lord of promise is longsuffering 18:08 toward humanity, hence the delay of Christ's return. 18:12 The Father would not prevent His children from entering 18:15 His paradise in heaven one moment longer than necessary. 18:19 There remains a work of salvation 18:21 to be accomplished on earth. 18:23 Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:9 that God's desire is that no one 18:29 should perish but that all should be led to repentance 18:32 through the richness of His goodness. 18:35 And Jesus tells us in Luke 15:7-10 18:39 that there is joy in heaven 18:41 when one soul accepts His gift of repentance. 18:44 It is not only God's will 18:47 that we be sanctified, it is His work. 18:50 Jehovah Shalom which means the Lord of peace 18:54 has a heartfelt desire to reconcile humanity to Himself. 19:00 With a passion for the possible and He knows developing 19:04 our potential is possible by the divine power 19:08 of the life of Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Word 19:12 working in concert to purify us. 19:15 So with this passion for the possible 19:17 and His three greatest gifts of grace, 19:20 God the Father works to sanctify us 19:23 and to preserve us for eternity. 19:26 Jude 1:1 tells this, it says "To those who are called, 19:33 sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ." 19:40 Did you notice it's God the Father 19:43 who has this great role in sanctifying us? 19:46 He promises to work in us to will 19:50 and to do His good pleasure. 19:53 The good news is that God will cause us to be all 19:58 that He has called us to be. 20:00 I want you to grab hold of the precious promise 20:03 that is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24 20:08 and don't let go off it. 20:11 Paul writes, "Now may the God of peace Himself 20:15 that's Jehovah Shalom, the God of peace 20:18 Himself sanctify you completely." 20:22 Who is doing the work there? God. 20:24 "And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved 20:29 blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 20:32 He who calls you, that's God, 20:35 is faithful, who also will do it." 20:40 So we see that it's God's work 20:43 and King David knew of God's faithfulness 20:46 and he wrote in Psalm 16:11 20:48 "You have shown me the path of life 20:51 and in your presence is fullness of joy. 20:54 At your right hand are pleasures forevermore." 20:58 In faithfulness, God pours out His sanctifying grace 21:02 from on high through His heavenly pipeline to purify you 21:07 and lead you on the upward path. 21:10 The presence of His divine fire will separate you 21:13 from the weight and influence of sin. 21:16 In His everlasting embrace, you can feel secure knowing 21:20 the flame of His love will never be extinguished. 21:24 In fact, He promised in Psalm 121:3 that "He will not 21:29 allow your foot to slip or to be moved. 21:33 He who keeps you will not slumber." 21:37 The abiding presence of your Heavenly Father 21:40 will never leave you His child. 21:42 You are precious in His side. 21:45 Place your complete trust in Him and count on His sure word. 21:50 He who speaks in righteousness is mighty to save 21:54 and will grant you the grace to be all 21:57 that He requires you to be. 22:00 It is written in Isaiah 43:1-7, "Thus says the Lord, 22:06 who created you who formed you 22:09 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you. 22:12 I have called you by your name. You are mine. 22:16 When you pass through the waters, 22:17 I will be with you. 22:19 And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. 22:22 When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, 22:26 nor shall the flame scorch you. 22:28 For I am the Lord your God, The holy one you Savior.'" 22:34 What a beautiful promise. 22:36 And later the word of the Lord came to Isaiah again 22:40 and he recorded in Isaiah 56:1 saying, 22:46 "Thus says the Lord, 22:47 'Keep justice, do righteousness.'" 22:50 In other words conformity to God's will 22:55 which brings salvation. 22:57 He says, "For my salvation is soon to come 22:59 and my righteousness to be revealed." 23:03 The same Heavenly and Holy Father 23:07 who sacrificed His son to justify 23:09 you can be trusted to give you a new heart, 23:13 working righteousness in you by writing His laws in your heart 23:19 and on your mind as He has promised. 23:22 His sanctifying work will cause you to do His good pleasure. 23:26 And as you build on the privileges of your 23:29 relationship with Him, the joy of divine 23:33 fellowship will become sweeter. 23:36 I love the promise of Hebrews 4:16. 23:38 It's an invitation. 23:40 And it says "Let us therefore come boldly 23:45 to the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy 23:50 and find grace to help in time of need." 23:55 This invitation from God proves that God wants us 23:58 to seek Him, to seek to know Him. 24:01 Not just to seek His face--excuse me, 24:05 not just to seek His hand but to seek His face. 24:09 You know, David wrote in Psalm 27:8 he said, 24:13 "When you said seek my face 24:16 I said Lord your face I will seek." 24:20 Will you accept His invitation to come boldly 24:24 to His throne pressing into His presence 24:27 for reinforcement of grace? 24:30 You can count on God to complete His good work in you. 24:34 According to the promise of Philippians 1:6 which says, 24:39 "Being confident of this very thing, 24:43 that He who has begun a good work in you 24:47 will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." 24:53 Will you tap into His grace pipeline 24:56 and allow Him to complete 24:57 the sanctifying work of salvation in you? 25:00 Let me pause here for just a second 25:03 and tell you that this work will never get done. 25:08 This work of sanctification will never get done 25:11 if we try to do it in our own strength. 25:16 I have talked with so many people who say, 25:19 "Oh, I pray and I pray and I pray 25:22 that God will change me. But then nothing happens." 25:27 And the reason nothing happens is because 25:30 they are not surrendering to the Lord. 25:34 When we surrender to God and recognize 25:39 that it's not our work it's our cooperation. 25:44 That's all God asked for, is that you surrender, 25:48 yield control to Him and cooperate as He does 25:52 this work in you to will and to do His good pleasure. 25:58 His life and His love will satisfy your every need. 26:04 That's a promise. 26:07 Well, our time is fast slipping into eternity. 26:10 I hope that you will plan to join us on our next program 26:14 where we will continue our study 26:17 on the process of sanctification. 26:19 And we will see how the imparted righteousness, 26:24 the righteousness that is poured into our hearts, 26:27 the imparted righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ, 26:30 His purity and holiness living in our hearts through faith 26:35 can purify us and set us apart from sin. 26:39 Before we close though, 26:41 I'd like to take just a moment to pray with you 26:45 because God wants us not just to know the truth, 26:51 not just to plead His promises but to receive His promises. 26:58 So let's pray together. 27:01 Father God, we come in the name of Jesus Christ, 27:05 thanking you, Lord, for your grace. 27:07 Thanking you for the gift of salvation, 27:12 justification, and sanctification. 27:15 And, Father, I pray for every voice every person 27:21 that is within hearing range of my voice. 27:24 Lord, help us each and everyone to surrender 27:28 control of our lives to you. 27:30 Lord, we want more of you. 27:32 We want more of your spirit. 27:34 We give you permission to do this work in us. 27:39 Thank you, Father God, we ask these things 27:41 in the name of Jesus and we receive them 27:45 in the name of Jesus. 27:47 Thank you for the answer to the prayer of faith. Amen. 27:52 Well, until next time, grow in the grace and knowledge 27:56 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. |
Revised 2024-08-12