The Church and the Saviour — Robert Dowie

Let's bow and a word of prayer, please. Our Father, again, we thank Thee tonight for this book of Hebrews. We praise Thee for the truth of the fact that Christ is better than anyone or anything, and we pray tonight as we continue to study about Him that we may realize the wonderful position we enjoy because we are in Him and we are with Him.

Help us, Lord, to understand that Christ died to bring many sons to glory, and where He is, His people are with Him. And so now as we turn to Thy Word, may the Holy Spirit guide us and teach us. Lord, make the Word of God clear to us, give us alert minds, help us to take it in, help us to understand it and to rejoice that we have such a wonderful Savior.

We ask these things in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying for Thy guidance in His name, Amen. Now tonight we're in Hebrews chapter 2 again, and last week we got as far as what verse? I wasn't here, so I couldn't tell you.

What verse did we get to? Pardon? We just got to verse 10, just before 11, was it? And tonight we're starting in verse 11. Now last week we were talking about the fact that Jesus Christ is the kind of a Savior who is suitable to the character of God.

Christ the Savior Who Is Suitable to God

Verse 10 says, For it became Him. That means that it suited God's character to make the captain of our salvation perfect through sufferings. And Jesus Christ is the only kind of Savior who is suitable to God's character.

There is no other. And that's why you can examine all the religions of the world and know this, that God's way of salvation as it is in the New Testament is the only one which is consistent with the kind of God we have.

There isn't anything else. It's good to know that you're on the right way, isn't it? That's a wonderful thing. And you know it because this is consistent with the kind of God there is, that Christ should suffer, and in His suffering He demonstrates God's mercy and grace toward sinners, and in His suffering at the same time, He pays completely all of the demands that God demanded against sin.

It's all been done. Now, in verse 11, after it tells us about the completeness of the captain of our salvation who died to bring many sons to glory, in the 11th verse it says, For both He that sanctifyeth and they who are sanctified are all of one.

The Meaning and Aspects of Sanctification

Now, I want to stop there for a moment tonight and do a little bit of explaining to you, which I haven't given to you in the notes, and that is on the subject of sanctification. And you've got a little piece of paper there, you can jot this down with you, because sometimes when you read the word sanctified and sanctification, you may not fully understand what it means.

Now, the basic root meaning of the word sanctify is set apart. That's what the word sanctify means, and so you want to put that down, you can. The word sanctify means set apart. Now you'll find generally in the Scriptures that when people were set apart or when things were set apart, they were set apart for a holy purpose, and you'll find that holiness is associated with setting apart.

But the root meaning means set apart. And it tells us here that the person who does the setting apart and those who are set apart are all of one. Now in sanctification, when you're reading the Bible, you've got to understand what aspect of sanctification you're reading about when you read it.

Because every time you read the word sanctification, it does not always refer to the same thing. It has the same meaning, the word, but there are different aspects to sanctification. For instance, before you got saved, you were set apart.

In other words, there was a setting apart work done by the Holy Spirit whereby you were brought to the place where you obeyed the gospel, isn't that right? You were set apart for conviction. Now I want to show that part for you first of all.

Now put down, there are a number of things about sanctification. Put down, first of all, there is the sanctification of the Spirit. There is the sanctification of the Spirit. Now when you get that down, I want you to turn over to 1 Peter chapter 1 for a moment.

First epistle of Peter, and chapter 1, and the opening verses of that chapter. 1 Peter chapter 1, and the opening verses of the chapter. Now here Peter is writing to the stranger scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Lithuania.

And then he says this about them in verse 2, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto, what, obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.

So the sanctification of the Spirit is unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood. Now that's what happened when you got saved. You obeyed the gospel, and you were cleansed by the blood of Christ, and you got saved.

That's how you came into the experience of being God's, what, the first person, the first word in the verse is what, elect. How did you come into the experience of being God's elect? It was through what?

Sanctification of the Spirit, which brought you unto, what, obedience, and the result was the, what, sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Now that's the first aspect of sanctification. There is the sanctification of the Spirit.

This takes place before we are saved. Put that down. This takes place before conversion. Just put it that way. This takes place before conversion. And we need to understand that, because it brings us unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.

So that's one aspect of sanctification. And sometimes people, when they read a verse like this, they say, well now, this refers to the sanctification of Christians, that Christians need some experience after they're converted whereby they are sanctified and begin to obey the Word.

Now that's not what it's saying here. It's saying that we are the elect. That election, of course, in God's foreknowledge was according to foreknowledge of God the Father, but here's how we came into that experience.

It was through the setting apart work of the Holy Spirit. It was unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. So put that reference down, 1 Peter 1, verse 2, 1 Peter 1, verse 2. This is how we were brought to salvation.

All right, now I want you to go to another reference and go to 2 Thessalonians, 2 Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians, and in the 2nd Epistle here and chapter 2 of 2 Thessalonians, you'll find here in verse 13, Paul giving thanks for these Christians.

Now here's what he says, 2 Thessalonians 2, 13, But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord. Now listen to this part, Because God hath from the beginning chosen you to what?

Salvation through, now notice this part, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the what? Truth, whereunto He called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And again he's saying this, that this salvation that we enjoy, we were brought to it through two things, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the what? Truth. That's exactly how you get saved.

The Holy Spirit set you apart in conviction and brought you to the place where you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you were saved. Now that's the sanctification of the what, say it together, the Spirit.

Now that's the first thing. And so it takes place before when? Conversion. It's the means whereby God brings a sinner to obey the truth and have the blood of Christ applied for salvation. Put that other reference down, 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 13.

All right, now that's the first aspect of sanctification. Let me again go over this with you. What does the root meaning of the word sanctify mean, what? Set apart. And so the first setting apart, work was of the what?

The Spirit. Brought us on to what? Obedience. Obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. That's how we get saved. That's the first aspect of sanctification. All right, now the second aspect of sanctification is this.

There is the sanctification by the sacrifice of Christ. First of all, there's the sanctification of the Spirit, and then there's the sanctification by the sacrifice of Christ. Now, this means that when you accept Christ as your Savior, you are instantaneously set apart from your sins through the offering of Christ.

In other words, the offering of Christ has taken all of your sins and put them away, and because of that, God is able to instantaneously sanctify you. That means set you apart from your sins. That's once for all.

This is something that can't be repeated. It happens the moment you're saved, it can never be changed, and it is what is known as positional sanctification. Put down, this is positional sanctification, and it's sanctification through the sacrifice of Christ.

This is positional sanctification. Now after you jot that down, I want you to look at a couple of references again. Now turn over to Hebrews chapter 10, the tenth chapter of Hebrews. And in Hebrews chapter 10, you'll find that the Old Testament sacrifices did not set people apart from their sins.

In other words, their sins were not put away by animal blood. And it tells us in Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 3 that in those animal sacrifices there is a what? Remembrance, again made of sins every year.

Then it says in verse 4, for it is not possible, it is absolutely impossible that the blood of bulls or of goats should what? Take away sins. And it simply means this, that it was impossible for people to be set apart from their sins through animal blood.

Couldn't be done, because animal blood couldn't put away sin. Now then Jesus came, verse 5, wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not. In other words, those animal sacrifices God would not accept as the means whereby sins were put away.

Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sins thou hast had how much pleasure? No pleasure. God was not pleased with animal sacrifices to put away sins, and so then Jesus said, then said, I, lo, I come in the volume of the book that is written of me to do thy will, O God.

Jesus came to do the will of God, which the Old Testament sacrifices never did. He came to put away sin, making it possible for us to be set apart from those sins and be perfect in God's sight. That's why it's positional, not practical, it's positional.

It means that the offering of Christ takes us and puts us in a place where our sins and iniquities are remembered no more. Now, Jesus came and he did the will of God. Now by that will of God being done, we through his sacrifice are set apart.

Now look at verse 10. Verse 10 says this, by the which will, that is by the will of God, which Jesus did, he came to do it, we are what? What is the root meaning of the word sanctify? Set apart, so we could say it this way.

By the which will, we are set apart through, now here's how we're set apart here, through the what? The offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, see there? Once for all. So that when you took Christ as your savior, you put your faith in his sacrifice, then God because of that sacrifice sets you apart from your sins once for all.

It's positional. You can't earn it, you didn't pay for it. Jesus paid for it. And so God gives you a sanctification which is positional. It cannot change because you never bought it in the first place.

It isn't based on your perfection, it's based on a perfection which is given to you through the offering of Christ. See that? Now look at verse 14. It says in verse 14, here's what happens to those who are sanctified in this way.

It says, for by one what? See it's through the sacrifice again. For by one offering, he, that is God, hath what? Perfected along for? Forever. Who? They that are sanctified. Verse 10 tells us who are sanctified.

Who are sanctified? Verse 10. We are. Sure, it's simple as that, isn't it? So that's very logical. We are sanctified and it tells you in verse 14 that we who are sanctified through the offering are perfect forever.

Isn't that wonderful? We're perfect forever. Not perfect in ourselves, but we are given a perfection which was paid for by the sacrifice. See? That's the thing. And that can't change, that's positional.

We were sanctified before we were saved by the what? Together? The Spirit. The moment we were saved, at that moment of conversion, we were sanctified through the what? Sacrifice. That is by the blood.

Now, turn over to Hebrews, put Hebrews chapter 10, verse 10, verse 14 as a reference for yourself. Okay? So you get it down. Hebrews 10 and verse 10 and verse 14. And then turn over to Hebrews chapter 13.

Hebrews chapter 13. And this is showing you sanctification through the what? Sacrifice. All right. Now, in Hebrews chapter 13, verse 12, it says this, wherefore Jesus what? Also. Also. Is that the verse?

Yes. That he might sanctify the people with his own what? Blood. Suffered where? Without the gate. And that means that Jesus went outside the city of Jerusalem, hung on the cross, shed his blood so that he might set apart his people by that blood.

Okay? That's sanctification by the blood. That's by the sacrifice. So through the offering of Christ, we are set apart from our sins once for all. Hebrews 10, 10. We are perfect forever. Hebrews 10, 14.

Jesus died that this might be so, right? It says that he might sanctify the people with his own blood. He suffered without the gate. Now that is positional sanctification. The other takes place before you're saved.

Now after you become a Christian, then there's another aspect of sanctification we need to understand. Now turn over to John 17. And the third thing is there is sanctification through the scriptures. Put that down next.

Practical Sanctification Through the Word

There is sanctification through the scriptures. There is sanctification through the scriptures. Now in John 17, verse 17, you have the high priestly prayer of Jesus for his disciples. And here's one of the things he prays to God for us.

He says this, sanctify them through thy what? Truth. Thy word is truth. And what he's praying is, and in this prayer he's asking we might be kept from the evil which is in this world. He wants us to be holy, right?

And he's saying the way in which we're going to be kept holy is through his word. How we're going to be set apart from the evil is through the scriptures. That's why it's good for you to be here studying the word of God, not just to get a lot of information, but you're here to study the word of God because the word of God has a cleansing effect upon your life, right?

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way, Psalm 119, by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Jesus said in John 15, now you are cleaned through the word that I have spoken unto you. When you're studying the word and you're getting the word in and you're memorizing the word, the word sets you apart, see?

Keeps you clean. Now that aspect of sanctification is not positional, it's practical. See? To put down this is practical sanctification, this is practical sanctification. It means that in the practice of your life, you are set apart day by day as you read the word and you apply it to your life.

That's sanctification. So that when someone comes to you, because there are ideas about sanctification which are very, very far from the scriptures, and people will come and say, you know, three weeks ago I got sanctified.

See? Well, there's nothing wrong with being sanctified three weeks ago. But I'll tell you, you ought to be being sanctified today, right? You see, sanctification is not an experience which takes place after conversion.

Sanctification in the practical sense begins the moment you are saved. And as you study the word and apply it to your life, more and more and more you become like Christ and you're set apart from evil, see?

Keeps you clean. And I'll tell you this, I don't know the way that you live today, but I'm sure that every day you live you'll need to come to the Lord, don't you? We live in a dirty world, don't we? And we come in contact with defilement all the time.

And we need to be sanctified, don't we, every day? We need for the Spirit of God to take the word of God and apply it every day. And that's why, you see, this sanctification is progressive, you see, it's practical.

And as I read the word and I apply it to my life, then the Lord sets me apart in my life, in my experience, unto God, by the word of God. Now that's practical sanctification. Now put down John 17, verse 17.

And that's the practical aspect of things, you see, that's the will of God for Christians, that we should be separated, set apart from evil, and it's done through the word of God, and it sets us apart from sin, in the practical sense.

That same aspect is found over in, where is it, 1 Thessalonians 4. Turn to that, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Here's another reference, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, and verse 3, 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 3.

All right, now, when you get that reference, here it tells you the will of God. It says in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 3, for this is the will of God, even your what together? Well, what does that mean, that you should abstain from what?

He's saying that you should be set apart from, you should not practice immorality, you should not engage in fornication, see, that you should be set apart from it, you should be separated from the unclean, that's true.

But how does God set you apart? Through the what? The scriptures. He takes the word, just like Jesus, you remember, took a basin of water in John 13, and he washed the disciples' feet, didn't he? As they walked the pathway of earth, their feet got dirty every day.

And when they came into the house, Jesus took the water and he began to wash their feet. He was applying the water to their feet. And every day we live, we need to come to the Lord again and let him take the water of the word and apply it to our walk and make us clean, right?

That's sanctification, that's practical. It isn't instantaneous, it's progressive. You see, you need to know more about the word. I didn't know all of the Bible when I got converted, and I still don't.

And I need to know more of the will of God today than I did yesterday, and tomorrow I need to know more, right? And I need the word of God to apply to my life every day, so that I more and more and more and more am set apart in my experience from evil unto God.

That's practical sanctification. And those are the three basic, and now there's another aspect of it which, for instance, when the Lord comes back again, he's going to take us out of this world altogether, isn't he?

And we shall be set apart completely. But that's in the second coming. We'll not deal with that, but these three basic aspects, let's go over them again. There is the sanctification of the what? Okay, when does that take place?

Before conversion. And it brings us on to obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Secondly, there is the sanctification through the sacrifice of Christ. All right, it's what? Positional sanctification.

It is once for all. It's through the blood. I don't pay for it. I don't earn it. God puts me in that position. My sins are gone, I'm saved. After I become a Christian, then begins a life of sanctification through the what?

Scriptures. And the scriptures in my practical life are applied, and I'm set apart day by day. All right, now, let's go back to Hebrews chapter 2. So we understand sanctification now. The word sanctify means what?

Set apart. And that's the basic thing. And when you read the word sanctify, in its root meaning, you'll find that that's true. It is associated with holiness. Yes, it is. We receive a holy position and we're set apart as a holy people, and the word saint is associated with it.

But it doesn't always mean holiness. You'll find a bunch of fellows over at the end of the prophecy of Isaiah who sanctified themselves to eat swine's flesh and the abomination, unclean things. They were setting themselves apart for a wrong reason, but they were set apart.

So you get that in your mind, and then people will not be able to confuse you and come up and say, if someone says to you, have you ever been sanctified? You say, yes, today and yesterday. And the Lord willing, I hope I get sanctified tomorrow again, because I want to be clean in my Christian life.

And yes, and how do you know you're sanctified? I'm sanctified through the offering of Christ. He died to set me apart from my sins. I am sanctified. And I was sanctified before I was saved. You know that.

And the reason why people talk the way they do is because, you see, some people have preached and taught that sanctification is a second work of grace, subsequent from conversion, whereby your desire to sin is removed, you know.

And I don't know about anybody like that. I've never met anyone like that. I've met people who said that they'd lost their sinful nature, but I didn't believe them. See? Now, I didn't believe them, not because I was doubting their word, it was because of the fact that the Bible says, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the what?

The truth is not in us. Let's be honest. I remember a fellow came to me one time over in Grand Manana Island. I was having meetings there years ago, and he was asking me, he says, he wanted to get me sanctified.

So he said, have you ever been sanctified? I said, I certainly have. He said, well, do you sin? That's a very straightforward question. Well, I tried not to. I seek by the grace of God to live a holy life, but I said, it's possible for me to sin.

He says, you know something? I haven't sinned for five years. I almost took his picture, framed it, took it with me. I said, I haven't sinned for, that's right, he said, I haven't sinned for five years.

I said, well, you haven't? I think that might be the first one, because it's a lie. He said, you know, no, I said, really, I haven't. And he says, my wife has. Talk about pride. I was sort of thinking, if it was fortunate his wife wasn't there, she'd have crowned him.

See? It's ridiculous to make a statement like that. Now I'm not saying it isn't possible to have victory over sin. God wants us to have victory over sin, isn't that right? Sure. But to make the statement that you've had an experience whereby you are now perfect in practice, you're being ridiculous.

We're not perfect in practice. One day we shall be, thank God, we'll be taken out of the presence of sin. But we're perfect in position, right? Because the blood of Christ has put away our sins. That's positional sanctification.

But I want to be more like Jesus today than I was yesterday, see? That's progressive sanctification in my practical life. Now, in Hebrews chapter 2, in verse 11, when it says, the sanctifier, that refers to Jesus.

And the sanctified, that refers to us. Now here we have the aspect of sanctification which is positional in this verse. In other words, we have been set apart through the offering of Christ and Jesus died to take us to glory.

In verse 10 it tells us that, to bring many sons to glory. Now here's what it says about the sanctifier and the sanctified. You see, what he's showing us here is this, that when Jesus entered heaven as the captain, he brought his people with him.

We're with him. And if you don't get this in your heart, the devil will come to you now and again and try to indicate, well now listen, your position is based on your practice. It isn't. Jesus died and he rose again and he ascended into heaven and every Christian is represented with him, where he is.

I'm where he is, in the sight of God. We're all of one. He's not ashamed to call us his brethren. That's an amazing statement, isn't it? It says, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.

You see, when Jesus rose again from the dead, because he lives, we live. And when he ascended into heaven, because he ascended, we ascend. And the position of every Christian is the same as the position of Jesus Christ.

That's a great truth. We need to learn that. Now, let me just show you a reference here that I've given you in your notes. And I'm going to give you a reference here on that in John, what chapter is it?

John chapter 20. Now turn to that reference, John chapter 20. After Jesus rose again from the dead and he sent a message to his disciples, it was a lovely message, in which he made this interesting statement in verse 17.

When Jesus said to Mary, touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brethren. Now Jesus never called his disciples his brethren before this time, never. He called them his friends one time, didn't he?

And they were his disciples, but now he calls them his brethren. And he says, go tell my brethren. Now here's what he tells them, this is the message to them. I ascend unto my father and what? You see, we're all one.

His father is my father, isn't that great? And he says, and to my God I am your God, his God is my God, tremendous thing. And we're his what? Brethren. He's not ashamed to call us his brethren. He became a man, he died on the cross, and I've given you a little phrase there and it's this, the Son of God became the Son of Man so that we the sons of men might become the sons of God.

Isn't that terrific? You're not smiling any more than you did last week when I was playing on the tape. Did you hear me telling you to smile on the tape last week? Sure, none of you were here, so I could see you.

But it's great, you know, that's a thrilling thing to me because here I am and Jesus is not ashamed to call me his brethren. And he's saying to me, he said, listen, my God is your God. My father is your father, and that doesn't mean that his father is my father in the same sense but in the same family.

Not in the same sense. You see, God is the eternal father of Jesus, isn't he? Jesus is the eternal Son of God, but God became my father because Jesus became a man, right? And now the one who is his eternal father is my loving father too.

The one who was his in a unique sense, his God, is my God, all because Jesus came down and became the captain of salvation and led me up to that position, to glory. That's where we are tonight. We sit where he sits.

We're together. The sanctifier, who's the sanctifier together? Jesus. Who are the sanctified? We are. And we're all of what? One. That means that his father is what? And his God is? And he's not ashamed to call us his what?

Brethren. You see, he says, I will declare thy name unto my brethren. And he said that after he suffered, after he died. You see, Jesus died not only to save us from hell. One of the things you'll learn in the book of Hebrews and many of these books in the New Testament is this.

Jesus not only died to save you from hell. That's only one part of it. Jesus died to lift you to glory. Isn't that good? To lift you right up to glory. That's what it says here. To bring you up to a place where you're his brethren.

And his father is your father and his God is your God and he's not ashamed to call you that. That's a tremendous position. And he wants us to see that we're together. You see, the captain ascended into the glory and he brings his people with him.

And every Christian saved by God's grace is seated where Jesus is. Now, he shows it in another way in the next verse. Now, notice what it says in the next verse in that, go back now over to Hebrews chapter two, where he says this, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren.

In the midst of the what? The church will I sing praise unto thee. And I've given you here this combination, the singer and the saints. And it isn't the saints singing, really, who's singing? Christ is singing.

I think that's a marvelous thing. You see, we talk about us singing the hymn, but you know, the Lord Jesus is so happy that he's with his people. He's in the midst of his people that he's singing praises to God.

And that shows you a tremendous truth, that the Lord is delighted that because he died, he now has a family and he's in the midst of that family. And we're all around him because we're two or three are gathered together in his name.

He's where? In the midst. And we're around his person. And Jesus is praising God in the midst of the saints that we're with him. It always amazes me that people would say, well, now, the Lord Jesus, who went and died on the cross to save sinners from their sins, that he would allow them to be anywhere else except with him.

Jesus died that we might be with him. And from the moment he rose again from the dead and ascended into heaven, where he is, we are in the sight of God. And as God looks at you tonight, he sees you in Christ and he sees you with Christ.

And where Jesus is, we are. Can't be otherwise, because we're in him. Isn't that right? We're in Christ. I was talking to my Genesis class the other day. We were dealing with the ark. And I was telling them that fact.

I said, you know, when the ark rose up with the waters of the flood and Noah and his family were in it, and God shut them in, wherever the ark went, they went, whether they liked it or not. Right? See, Noah could be having a bit of a fight with his wife in the ark, possibly, he's there for about a year, you know.

And it must have been terrible. I mean, it must have been. No, I mean, in those quarters, you know, and all of those animals, you can imagine all the animals in the ark and Noah and his family, and they're in there for that length of time, and only one window.

Oh, boy. Right? And one door. There may have been a little bit of an altercation again, now and again. Noah was a human being, so was his wife, his three sons and their wife. May have been a little battle now and again.

But in spite of the fact of what they were, or what they were saying to each other, wherever the ark went, they went, because they were in it, right? So when the ark rose up, they did too. Why they were in it?

It would be ridiculous for, if you'd gone to Noah in the ark and said, Noah, what's your position? Well, my position's way down there. Well, I mean, what are you doing up here? Well, I'm in the ark. But the thing is, I don't feel too good.

Nothing to do with his feelings. It has nothing to do with the fact as to whether he could lose his temper or not, and he could, probably. So could you, to be honest. You're getting nasty now and again, aren't you?

Do you ever get hard to live with? Sure, you do. People look at you all the time. I'll guarantee this. There are moments that the people were to step into your presence. I'll tell you a story. There's not a moment like that, isn't there?

Let's be honest. There isn't. But you see, here's the thing we need to grasp is this. The grace of God is wonderful. God doesn't save us and leave us out here on our own to make our own way. He takes us the moment we're saved, and he puts us in Christ.