GOD’S DISPOSAL SYSTEM (Part III)
The process of sanctification is accomplished through
ongoing reflection on and submission to the Word
of God. That is, Jesus Christ not
only saves us from our sin (its
penalty and power), but He divinely
disposes of our sin (its practice) through the ongoing operations of the
Holy Spirit. Although we are called to
“be perfect,” i.e. to emulate Christ and
strive toward His perfection, we are cognizant of the fact that Heaven’s
treasure actually resides within frail, fallible, human vessels…OURSELVES.
(Matthew 5:48 and II Corinthians 4:7)
Nevertheless, in cooperation with
the work of the Holy Spirit, we are commanded to sanctify ourselves. Not only are we to studiously avoid sinful
situations and practices, we are also admonished to “abstain from all appearance of evil,” which implies that
the gospel message must never by diluted or compromised by any ungodly
attitudes or actions over which we have personal choice and control. The Father extends a precious promise to
those of us who are willingly obedient to Him.
As we perform our part, GOD will certainly complete the process, i.e.
the “God of peace [will] sanctify [us] wholly.” (I Thessalonians 5:22-23 and
Philippians 1:6)
Jesus
Christ, our perfect example, modeled this
pattern of cooperation with The Father. In His high priestly prayer recorded in the
gospel of John, he intercedes to the Father on behalf of all believers: “And
for their sakes I sanctify myself…that
they also might be sanctified through
the truth.” Undoubtedly, our
process of sanctification is activated and enabled by the Living Word. Jesus declares, “I have given them thy word.” And
He prays that the Father would “sanctify them [believers] through thy truth:
thy word is truth.” Importantly, he
petitions the Father to not “take [believers] out of the world,” but that He
would “keep [believers] from the evil.” (John 17:14-19)
This sanctification process is only
made possible by “the washing of water
by the word.” It is the intention
of Jesus Christ to present us to the Father as “a glorious church, not having
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that [we] should be holy and without
blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27) Christ’s ultimate goal is so lofty that it defies
human logic and seems to contradict what we daily observe in ourselves and
others. And this is precisely the point
in which FAITH comes into the picture.
Faith is
the mover-and-shaker of God’s Disposal System. In a word, our
faith positions us and (then) transports us into the perfect will of God. The irony is this: Even though we are not actually perfect, we are positioneD AS PERFECT by virtue of our faithful response to God’s
word. For example, the scriptures tell
us that Abraham “believed in the
Lord; and [GOD] counted it to him
for righteousness.” (Genesis
15:6) This Kingdom truth underscores the foundational fact that “without faith, it is impossible to please” our
God. (Hebrews 11:6)
The bottom-line is this: Despite our
present human conditions and challenges, faith-filled
disciples have already attained the ultimate
measure of victory. That is, GOD has already ACCORDED us victory AND
ACCOUNTED US AS VICTORIOUS…current circumstances notwithstanding. In the words of the Apostle Peter, “According
as his divine power hath given unto us all
things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of
him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” (II Peter 1:3)
Therefore, according to the
teachings of the Apostle Paul, despite the spiritual warfare in which we are
now engaged, by FAITH…we are already
SEATED IN HIM…in total victory!
Prayerfully consider the Word:
Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Which he wrought in Christ, when He raised
him from the dead, and set him at
his own right hand in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 2:5-7
5 Even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with
Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come He
might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus.
In order to walk in this legacy of
absolute victory, believers are advised to remain wide-awake, vigilant, sober
and steadfast, which means that we must always approach the things of God with conscientiousness
and consistency. (I Thessalonians 5:6-8 – I Peter 5:8 – I Corinthians 15:58) To
wit, believers should never
stress, worry, doubt or become anxious about God’s
method of bringing us into relational and practical perfection.
Why?
In effect, there is an invisible sign hanging upon the shoulders of each
and every believer. It reads, ‘Under Construction!’ So ultimately, “it is GOD who works in [us]
both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) Be watchful;
be prayerful; be Word-full; be consistent; be committed…and know that your salvation and sanctification
have been carefully and completely crafted by your Creator. On Golgotha’s hill, when Jesus Christ declared,
“It is finished,” He proclaimed that the salvation process was complete, and
(by faith) that WE are complete in Him.
(John 19:30) Therefore, every issue in
your life that needs adjustment is already handled…via God’s Disposal System. EVERY ISSUE!
Wow! Double Wow! Triple Wow!
Hear what The Word says about those of us who believe:
“For we are God’s [own] handiwork
[His workmanship], recreated in Christ
Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined
[planned beforehand] for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time],
that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made
ready for us to live].” (Ephesians 2:10, The Amplified Bible)
TRUST THE DIVINE ARCHITECT. And never allow the apparent messiness and
disarray of THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE to cancel out (in time) that which has
already been completed (in eternity). "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6) Prayerfully consider the Word of the Lord.
Sisters and brothers, be continually
blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON
COMING KING. Maranatha!
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