Sermon Tone Analysis

lass=MsoNormal>*Jesus’ High Priestly prayer- part 2  (John 17: 17-19)**July 6, 2008*

 

(Pray)

 

In my last sermon we entered into the holy of holies, as we looked in the 17th chapter in the book of John.

We heard the prayer of Jesus to His Father concerning us, those who have trusted Jesus as our personal Savior.

Jesus asked the Father to keep us in the world, and to keep us from the evil.

Jesus did not ask His Father to help us avoid trouble; but that we would be kept, by the Father, as we go through these troubles.

Now I want to continue in the 17th chapter of the book of John, and go to verse 19.

Jesus said -

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*John 17:19* “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

(some translation say “I consecrate Myself”)

John 17:19 καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐγὼ ἁγιάζω ἐμαυτόν, ἵνα ὦσιν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἡγιασμένοι ἐν ἀληθείᾳ.

Sanctify means to set apart, and whenever it is used for a religious term, it means to set one’s self apart for God’s specific use.

Jesus is now setting Himself apart for the purpose that he was sent – a substutionary death on a cross.

His sacrifice is our only way out from under the wrath of a Holy God.

Jesus’ sacrifice was a sanctifying act.

He must set Himself apart for you and for me.

If Jesus does not set Himself apart for His Father’s salvation plan, you and I are lost forever.

If Jesus does not set Himself apart, you and I do not have a chance to get into Heaven.

Jesus set Himself apart, in a willful gesture, as a lamb, in order that he would be able to die.

Jesus sanctified Himself.

What a special act on His part.

He must die, so that you and I might live.

He must die, so that you and I can live holy lives here on this earth.

Since the wages of sin is death, Jesus must set Himself apart so that He can take on our sin.

Because Jesus sanctified Himself, we can now be sanctified (that is what verse 19 is saying – reread verse 19): but my sanctifying process must come by truth, that is – by the Word of God (this is expressed in this verse and in verse 17 – Sanctify them through truth, Thy word is truth).

We cannot set ourselves apart for God’s purposes, without reading, and digesting, and, yes, by eating God’s Word.

If we do not take the time to be in God’s Word, we will not be separating for His use.

Because Jesus sanctified Himself, we are able to be sanctified by the Word of God.

Let’s look at some other verses in God’s Word, to see this sanctification process, or as the Bible will indicate, a “holiness” process.

*Jesus is the Author of my sanctification:*

 

John 17:19 stated that Jesus sanctified Himself in order that we can be sanctified.

This makes Jesus the author of our sanctification, or holiness process.

Hebrews 13:12 states “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.”

Here it states that we were specifically sanctified through Jesus’ shed blood.

The blood of Jesus is the means by which the sanctification process is started, in each of us.

Heb 10:10, 14 tells us how Jesus accomplished this process.

Hebrews 10:10 By this will (that is the will of Jesus saying “I have come to do They will) we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

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This process is a one time deal.

Jesus died for us one time.

He started the holiness process for all who will trust in Him; and it was done one time.

This special process from God was started with the Son’s sacrifice and is being empowered by the HS, and will not stop until you personally stand in front of the Father’s throne in Heaven.

You have become a new creation in Christ Jesus; and you have been given the attribute of holiness, a godly attribute, so that you now shine as a light in this dark world.

Don’t worry what you may appear to look like to others; you are holy, a new creation.

You now are being formed into the image of God’s Son.

 

1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: \\ \\

Again Jesus is the Author of your sanctification, by which you are now called a saint, a holy one, one who is being sanctified, one who is being separated from the World, and being used by God.

Acts 26:18 specifically tells us that our sanctification came as a result of our faith or trust in Jesus.

In Acts 26, Paul is giving his testimony before King Agrippa and says that when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, this is what Jesus said

 

Acts 26:15 “And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’

And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

\\ Acts 26:16 ‘But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; \\ Acts 26:17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, \\ Acts 26:18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ \\ \\

Your sanctification process begins when you first trusted Jesus as being sufficient to save you from your sins.

Only those who trust in the finished work of Jesus, will be allowed into the presence of a holy God in Heaven.

You are not judged by your effort or by your sincerity, but by who you trust.

We have seen that Jesus is the author of our sanctification.

His blood sanctified us.

We became sanctified (holy) by placing our faith in Jesus.

*2)  Author and Agent of Sanctification:*

Now we are going to see that the Holy Spirit is the Agent by which we are actually sanctified.

 

1 Corinthians 6:11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

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Sanctified – made holy: Justified – my sins placed on Christ, and His righteousness placed on me.

Here we see that the Author and the Agent of our sanctification are working together.

In Romans 15:16, Paul writes “ ..to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

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Paul states that the Gentile believers are sanctified by the HS.

The HS is the agent by which you and I are sanctified, set apart for God’s use.

 

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

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Sanctification came by the HS and faith~/trust in the truth of the Word of God (WOG).

Saving faith only comes from the truth found in the WOG.

We will see this more clearly in the following verses.*

\\ 3) The means or process of sanctification*

 

Ephesian 5:25-27 tells us the Jesus sanctifies His Church through His Word.

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, \\ Ephesians 5:26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, \\ Ephesians 5:27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

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Jesus sanctifies, sets apart, His Church through the Word of God.

Sanctify is the holiness process.

Holiness is the attribute of God.

The Words of Jesus will sanctify, separate you from the world, and mature you in Christ.

The goal is that Jesus will present us as holy and blameless members of His Church.

You cannot be sanctified to your fullest by attending church once a week.

You need to eat, digest and meditate on the Word of God.

This goes along with John 17:17 Sanctify them in truth, Thy Word is truth.

The Word of God is the Means by which we are being sanctified.

The purpose is that we will be holy and blameless.

Acts 20:32 “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

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It is the Word of God, that proclaims the Gospel - that provides this inheritance into God’s grace.

Here, we see again, that God’s Word is the means or instrument by which each of us were saved and are therefore sanctified.

This is why we also must witness to others using God’s Word.

It is not our opinion that will save others; it is God’s Word.

*Sanctifying Effect on others: *

 

Because Jesus sanctified Himself, you also have a sanctifying affect upon your family, as recorded in 1 Cor 7:14-16.

In this case, the people around you are not saved yet, but they do experience your sanctification influence.

 

1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.

\\ 1 Corinthians 7:15 Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace.

\\ 1 Corinthians 7:16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband?

Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?

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It does not say that the unbelieving partner, nor your unbelieving children are saved; but they are set apart for God’s use, because of your Christian influence.

Each non-believer in your family is affected by your holy presence.

Here we see that the sanctifying influence to God from the world actually begins before you became a Christian.

Somewhere down through your life, you were in the presence of at least one saint, who influenced you to Christ.

If we take this verse literally, we can see that no Christian has a useless life.