Written 1/5/17
1 Peter 1:2 "...according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure."
"Sanctifying work" is one Greek word: hagiasmós: sanctification (the process of advancing in holiness); used of the believer progressively transformed by the Lord into His likeness (sharing similarity of nature).
"obey" in the Greek is hypakoē (5218) which literally means, "submission to what is heard"
Is the Spirit of God in you? And if the Spirit is in you, is this "sanctification" happening in your walk with Christ? Are you striving to obey Christ in all things?
These are the questions we all need to ask ourselves. Because this sanctifying work only happens as we submit to and obey every Word of God we receive into our hearts. Every Word of God that we HEAR in our spirit by revelation from the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:12-14)
And the order of the words Peter uses is all meaningful. Because when the Spirit is in us and sanctifying us and giving us revelation of His power within us, this enables us to KEEP God's Word,
THEN,
we are sprinkled with His blood as 1 Peter 1:2 says.
Just like 1 John 1:7 instructs,
"But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."
See? Being cleansed by the blood of Jesus doesn't happen if we do not first meet the criteria given by God in His Word. It isn't automatic! We need to enter into Covenant (the NEW Covenant) with God through the blood of Jesus. Then, if this miracle is happening we will receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit which is the most powerful experience one will ever face while living in this earth and in our bodies. We then need to do as Christ instructs and deny ourselves, our wills, our thoughts and take Jesus' yoke upon us. He says His yoke is "light" in the KJV but the Greek word is "pleasant"!
and Paul also tell us in Galatians 5:16,
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh."
This doesn't mean some of the time my friends. God demands our whole heart. He gave us and offers us EVERYTHING He has. Not so you can do your own thing. We are to walk circumspectly, "redeeming the time". Paul says to the Ephesians in 5:16 17
Paul again in Romans chapter 8, the chapter people twist the most to their own destruction. Paul says,
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
God makes this all possible through Christ my friends. Yeah, He makes it more than possible. He tells us we are more than conquerors. We are HYPER CONQUERORS! We are Overwhelmingly VICTORIOUS!
But Christ MUST be in you. Otherwise, you only have a "form of godliness" but can't help but DENY His power as HE isn't in you!! 2 Timothy 3:5 "From such turn away"!! You have no business with the church of God, the bride of Christ. You are a counterfeit! You need to repent and become born again. You need to seek Him with all your heart and hope and pray for a repentant heart! So that He can cleanse you in His blood and fill you with His Holy Spirit which IS eternal life. And then BEGIN the sanctifying work spoken of in 1 Peter 1:1. Without the Spirit of God in you, you are lost and on your way to hell!
And you are part of the problem in this world in which Paul speaks of in 2 Tim 3
Romans 8:9 "However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.
But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." (!!)
Did God make you a new creature. Did God put His Holy Spirit within you. Are you born again. Are you REALLY saved?
Or are you just a counterfeit?
"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?" 2 Corinthians 13:5
I can write a whole lot more here but I will end this as a short exhortation to all, including myself! However, I know I am saved and born again, but I have to OBEY God by His power within me and allow God to continue His sanctifying work in me so I may grow and be more useful to Him. And so must ALL who claim to have the Spirit of God within them. This is not a joking matter. Because if you say you are Christ's and DO NOT DO what he says, that is "taking the Name of the Lord in vain" “.... for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain." Exodus 20:7b
In the Name and Reputation of Jesus I pray you receive this message and that God quickens it into your heart and you truly become born again if you have not received His power. And He is POWERFUL. Overwhelmingly so!
If you have never received Him and feel Him knocking on the door of your heart. try saying this prayer. It will only work if you truly are ready for salvation. This is the prayer I said almost 25 years ago when I was powerfully born again.
Say, "My Lord and my God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe Jesus the Christ died on the cross and shed His precious blood for the forgiveness of all my sins. I believe Jesus raised from the dead and ascended into heaven and is now on the right-hand side of God listening to this prayer. I open up the door of my heart and I invite You in, Lord Jesus. Thank you, God, for saving my soul and I vow to serve you with all my heart which is the first and greatest commandment. Amen."