- 00:16
- Correct. Did I not make that clear? I'm sorry. I think my favorite portion in the
- 00:38
- Bible on sanctification is John 17, 17. Sanctify them by through thy truth.
- 00:44
- Thy word is truth. As thou has sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
- 00:50
- And for their sakes I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
- 00:57
- Our sanctification in a very real sense ties us to the person work of Christ. It's not just about us, but it is
- 01:04
- Christ. It is God who sanctifies and we are being sanctified because he sanctified
- 01:11
- Jesus of Nazareth to atone for sin and reconcile us to himself. We have a tendency to get into legalism a lot of times with sanctification.
- 01:37
- I've used the illustration sometimes. We almost turn into Roman Catholics with sanctification sometimes.
- 01:42
- That we're justified by faith, but we're sanctified by works. And that's something that God's convicted me of in recent years as well.
- 01:53
- It's one of the things I got from that book from John Owen, was just how easy it is to move into that way of thinking, that it's all about me.
- 02:00
- It's what I do, but it's rather, it's an abiding in the character of Christ. It is seeking the face of God and being molded in his image.
- 02:11
- Isaiah 64 8 says, you oh Lord are our father. We are the clay and you are our potter.
- 02:17
- We are all the work of your hands. Big John, do you have a question in the back?
- 02:38
- Preferably with not whether or not Adam and Eve had a belly button. I would say that we have tells, yes, of justification that there's fruit we can expect.
- 03:26
- But in the same token, there is a possibility where fruit can be manufactured.
- 03:32
- I guess you could say that there are times where you can look like you have fruit. And so there is an element of God knows the heart.
- 03:38
- God, I think it says in Jeremiah, I test the heart. I try the reins and render unto every man according to his deeds.
- 03:45
- That there is an intimate knowledge God has of the heart. That I don't have. Thou has seen, thou has searched me and known me.
- 04:09
- I would agree with that. That there is one of my favorite passages in the letters to Corinth.
- 04:16
- This blew my mind when I was 20 years old. First Corinthians 12 3 says, no one speaking by the spirit ever says
- 04:23
- Jesus is accursed. And no one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit.
- 04:29
- That at its most basic, at the guts of it all. You cannot say with any authenticity that Jesus is
- 04:36
- Lord except that you have the Holy Spirit. And so in regards to somebody who is an unrepentant sinner for a very long time.
- 04:47
- While we're not justified by works and God knows you better than I do. There are indications if you're,
- 04:55
- I guess you could say, if you are hard -hearted in your relation to sin. There are some questions
- 05:00
- I might ask. Try to draw some things out. But at the end of the day, it is
- 05:07
- God who sanctifies. It is God who calls. It is God who knows. There's definitely a balance there. But we do have certain tells with like the fruit of the
- 05:15
- Spirit. And some of those that we can converse about that becomes like a dialogue piece. I'm sure you see that a lot when you do open air evangelism.
- 05:58
- Okay, I've seen them in passing.
- 06:36
- And I think I'm familiar with the anonymous preacher that you're referring to.
- 06:41
- I think I've seen some of his TikToks. That's where all the good theology is, TikTok. Unless you're
- 06:47
- Rob Knipe. But yeah, so that I think wanders into territory like what
- 06:54
- Claude was saying earlier about making a God in your image. Of making a version of Christ that is more suited to what you want in the moment.
- 07:03
- Now he is claiming a Christ. But I wouldn't say that he's claiming Christ. I don't think he's claiming the biblical
- 07:10
- Christ and saying Jesus is Lord. But he's claiming a fabricated
- 07:16
- Christ and saying he is love. Is that? Yes.
- 07:29
- Judah paints a bit of a picture of where that goes with turning the gospel into sensuality.
- 07:48
- Yes. I would say so.
- 07:57
- It says in James that not many should become teachers because we'll be held to a higher standard. I think that's one of the ways that manifests itself is when we call ourselves teachers and what we teach is not true.
- 08:13
- That's a very real risk we have to assess whenever we step in here. That what we are bringing is the
- 08:20
- Bible. As it is, not as I would have it. And so in that scenario, you do have, like you said, confirmation bias and that kind of multiplies the gravity of that because then you have a following and a false
- 08:36
- Jesus. And it just kind of spiderwebs from there in this big ugly crack.
- 09:10
- Yes. Right. That's a tricky one.
- 09:37
- Honestly, there's not like an easy answer to everything. But with that, I do believe that they are still within the reach of God and the true gospel.
- 09:48
- I also know that Romans 1 tells us that God has been made plain to us so everyone is without excuse.
- 09:56
- So there is a basic understanding that all of us have, whether we accept it or not, of who
- 10:01
- God is. So when it comes to false teaching, there is an element to where you're still responsible somewhat for knowing the truth.
- 10:11
- But I also know that God has pulled people out of bad spots like that, whether it's like you're talking about with the homosexuality realm or if it's prosperity gospel on the
- 10:24
- Mormon church. I've come across people that are former Jehovah's Witness and some of that, that they were in Jehovah's Witness and they were knocking on somebody's door and turned out they were a
- 10:35
- Protestant pastor. Spent about 20 minutes talking about the Trinity and there they are.
- 10:43
- And so I think there are times where God does put good doctrine in front of them and whether they receive it in faith or not, again, comes down to their responsibility.
- 10:55
- But the opportunity will be provided. We got 10 minutes left.
- 11:35
- If you find someone who is maxed out on sanctification, let me know. I don't believe you can.
- 11:42
- I think there's a point where you will find people that are like the ninjas of sanctification, you know, that are pretty close, but I don't think you'll find perfection.
- 11:55
- I think you'll find somebody who's pretty close, but that comes out of the work of God in them.
- 12:02
- And so that is oftentimes that's like the aged deacon in your church who has been faithfully studying the Bible for 45 years.
- 12:09
- I've heard the joke before that if I had to choose between Chad, the seminary grad who doesn't think
- 12:16
- Moses wrote Deuteronomy and Deacon Joe, who's never been into college but has read the Bible humbly for 45 years,
- 12:22
- I'm taking Deacon Joe, the mechanic. Well, thank you.
- 12:58
- Yes. Well, the big thing with me is pride, and that manifests itself in a lot of ways that you become very aware of as you grow.
- 13:16
- I'm still very young in this, but when I was in college, what kind of grades do
- 13:22
- I want? I want good grades because I deserve it. And when you're a professor,
- 13:30
- I've heard that when you get the reviews at the end of the quarter, you want good ones.
- 13:36
- You want good feedback. And it really is like that thing that creeps in everywhere.
- 13:42
- It's something you are vigilant of. Why am I thinking what I'm thinking? What am
- 13:49
- I wanting to gain from this? And that comes into just taking personal inventory.
- 13:55
- Sometimes that comes out in different ways than just, I want good marks. I want to be seen.
- 14:02
- I want this. So pride is, honestly, a lot of it for a lot of us is how do our thoughts, how are our thoughts shaped by the things the flesh wants from the moment we get up to the moment we go to bed?
- 14:21
- I work at Christian Bookstore, and so it's a little family -owned operation. So we don't have a formal lunch break.
- 14:28
- It's just I eat whenever there's a chance. And that's an interesting experience in patients sometimes, because I know when
- 14:36
- I want to eat, and that's usually when people want to shop. And so that's, it's like a silly little example, but that becomes a,
- 14:45
- I guess, an exercise in how pride works in sometimes. That I was inconvenienced here because my burger's getting cold.
- 14:54
- Does that help? Yes, absolutely.
- 15:09
- We have any last questions before we break in prayer? Okay. To dedicating the day to God.
- 15:45
- I don't think there's anything wrong with or unmerited in opening up your morning, setting your mind on Christ.
- 15:54
- I think it's a little different when you're, I guess, asking for forgiveness in anticipation.
- 16:02
- That's not what you mean. I'm sorry for all the things
- 16:11
- I'm going to do today. But you mean just the generic dedication of your day to God.
- 16:26
- I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Colossians tells us to do all things heartily as though for the
- 16:31
- Lord rather than the people. And the Psalms are abundantly clear that God is in the details of our lives.
- 16:38
- So I don't think there's anything unbiblical about getting on your knees in the morning saying today is your day.
- 16:45
- You have given me with whatever comes, it is for your glory. Happy to.
- 17:24
- Well, if it's all right with you, I'll close this in prayer and we will get ready for the next round. Father God, I'm grateful for what you're doing in this place today.
- 17:37
- Thank you for giving us the time to sit down together and just talk through how we can be more like Christ, how we can continue to abide in his glorious gospel and the reality that you have reconciled us to you, to yourself.
- 17:55
- And that now the way we look at things is different because we are different because we are in Christ.
- 18:04
- God, give us the strength, give us the courage, give us the humility to put sin to death as it comes, to make this our daily pursuits, to be further conformed to your image, not a servile sense of obedience, but in a disposition that flows out of who you are, what you're doing in us, that we are taking that invitation into your very heart,
