The Sanctifying Shield, part 3

Over the years, manufacturers have created ways to protect you from this kind of danger. What kind of devices does your car have that can at least minimize the danger of serious injuries in car crash? Seatbelts, air bags, bumpers, chassis designs that allow the front of your car to absorb most of the impact and more. And on top of all that, you are literally encased in a metal box that contains all those protections, and that metal box literally “sanctifies” you, sets you apart from other vehicles and obstacles, while you drive down the road. You are set apart from the rest of the world. You are IN the world, but not OF it, while you are in your car.

That is what sanctification does for us. When God sanctifies us, He sets us apart from the dangers of this world. And, when God sanctifies us this way, we are free to live IN this world, but not OF it. We’re not locked away in a closet somewhere. We’re not walled off from the people around us, people who need to know about love of Jesus. We are free to be God’s servants, in a lost, broken, and fallen world.
 
So, how does God sanctify us? Well, there are several things God does to sanctify us. 

• We are “sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 15:16
• We are “sanctified in Christ Jesus.”  1 Corinthians 1:2
• We are “sanctified by the truth, your word is truth.”  John 17:17
• And when we repent and trust in Jesus, we are added to His Church and that sets us apart – sanctifies us – as well.

But the one thing I want to focus on this week is what Jesus said in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” Sanctify them by/with the Word? What Word would that be? That’s right – the Scriptures. The Bible is God’s tool, to help us be set apart from the world. This is a big part of why we introduced "SOAP" and why I keep urging and encouraging us all, to develop the habit of this Bible engagement process. Paul wrote, “… whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have Hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures” Romans 15:4 CSB. And he told Timothy, in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 

Therefore, when we read and embrace God’s word, bringing into our lives, it teaches us and gives us Hope. And we become, equipped for every good work. But how can the Bible do all that? The Bible is able to do that because it is the Word of God. It is God’s truth for us. Jesus said, “Your Word is TRUTH.”

Now, in our passage this week, Jesus tells us that God’s Word sanctifies us. It protects us. And that is what David wrote about when he said, in Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” And in Psalm 119:9, David wrote: “How can a young man/person keep his way pure? By living according to your word” NIV. By reading, studying, knowing this Book, you keep your way pure and you are enabled to deal with your sin. When we use it correctly, the Bible becomes a Sanctifying Shield for our hearts. 

Continued tomorrow