DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE- More on Sancifification

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Exodus 19:10-13 "Then the Lord said to Moses,' Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live. When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.'"
 
Sanctify mean to consecrate, to separate. We are to separate ourselves unto God- totally. Not just one part of our lives- but our entire beings. Some Christians are like Jekyll and Hyde- they are one thing in church, but when they leave church- they become something else. They have a split personality. They are not totally separated unto God-only the part that they want to give up. God isn't asking us to just give up a few areas of our lives. He is REQUIRING us to give Him ALL the areas of our lives. Everything. Some serve God when it is "convenient" to them- when they think others are watching or that they are going to get some kind of recognition. But when you really get to know that person, when you see how they act when they think no one is looking- they are something else. Jesus called these people hypocrites. They are fakes. In public they seem as one thing but in private they are something entirely different. God is REQUIRING His people to be holy- separated to Him. That doesn't mean we no longer have a life but it means we give up "our" control of that life to Him- trusting Him with our lives.
 
Verse 11 of the above scripture is very important for us today. It states that they were to be "ready" for the third day- the third day was when the Presence of the Lord was going to descend and those who were not ready would be consumed by the awesomeness of His Presence. It is the same today and here is the warning to those who profess to be Christians but who are not becoming Christlike. When the awesome Presence of the Lord comes to the Church- those who have not been totally sold out to God, those who have lived as hypocrites, those who say they are one thing and live another- those will be consumed by His Presence.
 
Lev. 20:7,8; 1 Peter 1:16, Joshua 3:5 and many other scriptures throughout the Bible tell us, warn us "to be holy as God is holy". It doesn't mean we are perfect and never stumble or make mistakes, but it means our hearts have been given over to the Lord and we are striving to become more like Christ every day- we have separated ourselves to the Lord. No- we can't leave this world or stay away from people- that's not what it means. It simply means to give our all to Him and allow Him to transform us into His image- our whole being.
 
If Christians are not wholly living for the Lord in every area of their lives, if they have not allowed the fire of His word and Presence to burn up all the filth and sin in their lives-- when the Lord's Presence descends- and it will-- soon--- they will be consumed by that fire of the Lord. There is not one way for hypocrites and one for those who have chosen to sell out to God. No- only one way- those who have totally separated themselves unto the Lord.
 
You who call yourselves Christians- take heed- beware- be warned- if you are professing to be a Christian but you have sin in your life and you are not repenting and dealing with it; if you are saying you are a Christian but your life is not Chrislike; if you are not allowing the Spirit of Christ to rule in your life- you are a hypocrite and when the awful Presence of the Lord comes upon His people- you be consumed by that fire. That is God's Word.
 
There is hope in God- allow the fire of God now to burn up the dross in your life; allow the Spriit to reveal to your heart those areas that are not committed to the Lord or that have sin in them; repent of any sins that you are involved in;  consecrate your entire person to Christ  and you will escape the fire later and be part of the body of overcomers in Christ that goes forth to conquer and rule and reign with Christ!
 
(Taken from Pastor Keith's sermon 3/17/2013)








 

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