Podcasts about sanctify

Today, we are focusing on how the sword of theSpirit—the Word of God—is our greatest defense against the false teaching ofthe cults and heresies that are so prevalent in the world today. This is veryimportant. At the same time it is our best weapon against the false teachingthat Paul warned would take place in the last days (1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy3:1-9). Thebest answer to secular humanism is the Word of God. If there was ever a daywhen secular humanism has infiltrated even Christianity, it is today. Sadly, weare witnessing what A.W. Tozer called a humanistic Christianity. How true thatis. It becomes all about me—what I feel, what I can have, what is in it forme—instead of asking, What do we learn about God? How can we be holy like God? TheApostle Paul warned even the young church at Ephesus. You must understand thatfalse teaching has been present since the very beginning of the early church.It was already creeping in. Peter dealt with it. The Apostle John dealt withit. We find Paul addressing it as well when he spoke to the elders of thechurch at Ephesus In Acts 20:29-32. He said: “For I know this, that after mydeparture savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also,from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw awaythe disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for threeyears I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. So now,brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able tobuild you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” God's Word, Paul said, is what will build you up, set you apart, and give you courage and wisdom to deal with the false teachers. Today,people are not asking, “What does God say?” Instead, they are asking, “What doI feel?” We hear phrases like, “Follow your heart.” “What does your heart tellyou?” “What do you think the Bible is saying to you?” But that is not the mostimportant thing. The most important question is: “What is God saying”? Period.Godhas spoken. Whether you believe it or not, His Word is settled. Yet todaypeople ask, “What do I prefer? What do I think is true?” Paul warned that inthe last days people would have itching ears—they want their ears scratched andtickled (2 Timothy 4:3-5). They want to hear things that are not true but makethem feel good. Peterwrote in 1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and alwaysbe ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope thatis in you with meekness and fear.” John also warned in 2 John 7–8: “Formany deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ ascoming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”  Theirreligion is a do-good religion. Do the best you can and you'll get to heaven.Try to keep the Ten Commandments. Then there's good God, good devil, goodeverybody. All you have to do is do what you feel like is the best thing foryou to do. In the end, God will have mercy on you and we're all going to get toheaven one day. I've actually heard these pastors quote Romans 8:35-39 atfunerals telling the people that “nothing can separate us from the love of Godthat's in Christ Jesus our Lord. Everybody's going to end up in heaven one daybecause nothing can separate us from His love”. Myfriend, these are lies of the devil. That's why Jude also warned in Jude verse3, "... I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contendearnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. Forcertain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for thiscondemnation, ungodly men who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and denythe only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ."  Myfriend, we must know the Word of God! It is our best weapon against the falseteachers and their heresy. Jesus said, "Sanctify them through thytruth. Thy word is truth" (John 17:17).

From “In the Beginning” to Amen // Strategies of the Enemy (Exodus) There are Five Strategies I Want to Look at: (I'm sure there are others too) 1. DiscouragementDiscouraged by CircumstancesExodus 6:9 (NLT)“So Moses told the people of Israel what the LORD had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.” Discouraged by the EnemyExodus 13:17-18 (NLT)“When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” Discouraged by One AnotherNumbers 32:7-9 (NIV)“Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the Lord has given them? This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land. After they went up to the Valley of Eshkol and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them.” Antidote: Encourage and Build UpHebrews 3:13 (ESV)"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called 'Today,' so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)"...Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together... but encouraging one another.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”       2. DistractionAntidote: Stay FocusedHebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” 3. Disruption/DivisionAntidote: Walk in Unity1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV)“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” Philippians 2:2 (NIV)“Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.” Colossians 3:13-14 (NV)“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” 4. DeceptionAntidote: Hold Fast to TruthJohn 8:32 (NIV)“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 17:17 (NIV)“Jesus said, ‘Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth'.” Psalm 51:6 (ESV)“Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.” 5. DestructionAntidote: Choose LifeProverbs 14:2 (NIV)“There is a way that seems right to man, but the end of it is destruction.” Acts 2:21 (NLT)“But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 2 Samuel 22:2 (ESV)“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer."

Transformative Truth: Being set apart by God for God puts believers in a good place! The Author (v. 1a) For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.  - Galatians 1:13-14 Paul, an apostle – not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead…. - Galatians 1:1 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone…. - Galatians 1:15-16 The Addressees (v. 1b) You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, not now you have received mercy. - 1 Peter 2:9-10 “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” - John 17:15-18 The Assurance (v. 2)

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In this Jewish Inspiration Podcast episode (Day 126), Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe continues the Gate of Truth (Sha'ar HaEmes) from Orchos Tzaddikim, stressing that truth is the core of God, the soul, and Jewish destiny in exile. Key teachings:Prolonged exile due to sins — Current long exile stems from Jewish sins; we must separate from worldly vanities and cling to Hashem's seal—truth.Sanctify through truth — Abstain even from permissible things to avoid any trace of falsehood (97% truth = 100% false); never lie or mislead Jew or Gentile in any matter.Exile for converts — Hashem scattered Jews among nations to add gerim (converts); honest dealings inspire non-Jews to join (Midrash: “I will sow her for Myself in the land” = exile brings converts).Return stolen items — Stories of Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach returning a precious stone in a donkey purchase, and sages returning money found in wheat—Gentiles proclaimed “Blessed is the God of the Jews.” Sanctification of God's Name through honesty.Reward of truth — Truth sprouts from earth; righteousness looks down from heaven (Psalms 85:12). Truthful living glorifies Hashem and draws divine favor.Wicked rewarded in this world — Hashem pays wicked for minor merits now to destroy them eternally (Deuteronomy); better for righteous to suffer briefly here and receive eternal reward in Olam Haba.Practical application — Cling to truth in all dealings; exile teaches separation from falsehood and reliance on Hashem alone.The rabbi reflects on modern parallels (antisemitism, unity in crises like Nachshon Waxman) and urges living truthfully to hasten redemption—Moshiach comes when truth prevails. Ends previewing next trait: flattery (chanufa)._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by Peter & Becky BotvinRecorded at TORCH Centre in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on September 1, 2025, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on February 15, 2026_____________This series on Orchos Tzadikim/Ways of the Righteous is produced in partnership with Hachzek.Join the revolution of daily Mussar study at hachzek.com.We are using the Treasure of Life edition of the Orchos Tzadikkim (Published by Feldheim)_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jewish-inspiration-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1476610783Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4r0KfjMzmCNQbiNaZBCSU7) to stay inspired! Share your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content.  _____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Our Mission is Connecting Jews & Judaism. Help us spread Judaism globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org.Your support makes a HUGE difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#JewishInspiration, #Mussar, #MasterClass, #Truth, #Emes, #Exile, #Converts, #KiddushHashem ★ Support this podcast ★

In this Jewish Inspiration Podcast episode (Day 126), Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe continues the Gate of Truth (Sha'ar HaEmes) from Orchos Tzaddikim, stressing that truth is the core of God, the soul, and Jewish destiny in exile. Key teachings:Prolonged exile due to sins — Current long exile stems from Jewish sins; we must separate from worldly vanities and cling to Hashem's seal—truth.Sanctify through truth — Abstain even from permissible things to avoid any trace of falsehood (97% truth = 100% false); never lie or mislead Jew or Gentile in any matter.Exile for converts — Hashem scattered Jews among nations to add gerim (converts); honest dealings inspire non-Jews to join (Midrash: “I will sow her for Myself in the land” = exile brings converts).Return stolen items — Stories of Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach returning a precious stone in a donkey purchase, and sages returning money found in wheat—Gentiles proclaimed “Blessed is the God of the Jews.” Sanctification of God's Name through honesty.Reward of truth — Truth sprouts from earth; righteousness looks down from heaven (Psalms 85:12). Truthful living glorifies Hashem and draws divine favor.Wicked rewarded in this world — Hashem pays wicked for minor merits now to destroy them eternally (Deuteronomy); better for righteous to suffer briefly here and receive eternal reward in Olam Haba.Practical application — Cling to truth in all dealings; exile teaches separation from falsehood and reliance on Hashem alone.The rabbi reflects on modern parallels (antisemitism, unity in crises like Nachshon Waxman) and urges living truthfully to hasten redemption—Moshiach comes when truth prevails. Ends previewing next trait: flattery (chanufa)._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by Peter & Becky BotvinRecorded at TORCH Centre in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on September 1, 2025, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on February 15, 2026_____________This series on Orchos Tzadikim/Ways of the Righteous is produced in partnership with Hachzek.Join the revolution of daily Mussar study at hachzek.com.We are using the Treasure of Life edition of the Orchos Tzadikkim (Published by Feldheim)_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jewish-inspiration-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1476610783Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4r0KfjMzmCNQbiNaZBCSU7) to stay inspired! Share your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content.  _____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Our Mission is Connecting Jews & Judaism. Help us spread Judaism globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org.Your support makes a HUGE difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#JewishInspiration, #Mussar, #MasterClass, #Truth, #Emes, #Exile, #Converts, #KiddushHashem ★ Support this podcast ★

Chaplain Don Moldstad was preacher for this service. John 17:15-19: “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.”

Order of Service: - Prelude - Psalm 119: Part 2 (Beth) (p. 191; Tone 3): P: odd numbered verses; C: even numbered verses - Hymn 232 - How Precious is the Book Divine - John 17:15-19: “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” - Devotion - Collect for the Word, p. 86 II - Hymn 230 - Speak, O Lord, Thy Servant Heareth: vv. 1, 4 - Blessing - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Gabrielle Gillespie (Organist)

"But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name? And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you. In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man. And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel. So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken: And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LordGod of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it." Joshua 7:1-21

Right Thinking, Right Living 1. Rejoice In The Lord Always 2. Renowned Reasonableness 3. Remove Anxiousness 4. Restock Our Thinking 5. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat  True: o John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” o What truths do we have from God's word?  Honorable o That which is worthy of respect. Not trivial, mundane, temporal, common, earthly, but eternal, worthy of praise or worship.  Just o Righteous. That which is in perfect harmony with God  Pure o Holy, morally clean, or undefiled. Free of sin  Lovely o Acceptable or worthy of affection. “Lovely to God”  Commendable o Good repute, highly thought of

7 takeaways from this study Incense shows us what prayer really is. The altar of incense in Exodus isn't just ancient ritual. It pictures our prayers rising continually before God, like what we see in Revelation 8. Hannah is a model of real intercession. Her silent, anguished prayer in 1Samuel 1–2 shows what it means to pour out your soul before the LORD, with no pretense and no Plan B. The “horn” is God's power to lift up the lowly. When Hannah's “horn” is lifted, it ties into the larger Bible picture of the horn as strength and victory — from the Psalms to Daniel to the Lamb with seven horns in Revelation. From bronze altar to golden altar is a journey. Sacrifice at the bronze altar leads to transformation, and the golden altar of incense pictures a life that now draws near and sends up a pleasing fragrance of prayer. Yeshua is our eternal High Priest and advocate. Unlike mortal priests, He lives forever and always intercedes for us (Hebrews 7; 1John 2). He doesn't just officiate; He fights for us. John 17 ties incense to truth and unity. Yeshua prays that we'll be set apart by God's truth and that we'll be one, just as the LORD is one. That unity is part of our “incense” to the world. Malachi warns us how not to worship. God rejects cheap, half‑hearted offerings and religious show. Yet Malachi also promises the Sun of Righteousness and an Elijah‑type call to return and be restored. There’s line from the altar of incense in Exodus 30 through Hannah's prayer, Yeshua's high priestly ministry, and Malachi's rebuke of corrupt worship, showing how Scripture presents prayer as something like heavenly incense—fragrant, costly, and “most holy to the LORD” (קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים qodesh qodashim, “most holy”; Exodus 30:10). In Exodus 30:1–10, the altar of incense stands right in front of the curtain that separates the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant/Testimony rests. The Ark often receives the most attention, and rightly so, because the visible manifestation of God's Presence dwells above it. Yet the golden altar of incense is placed just outside the veil, very near to that Presence. The Mishkan (“Dwelling Places,” i.e., the Tabernacle) and its furniture are not merely ancient religious artifacts. They are earthly replicas of heavenly realities (cf. Hebrews 8:5). The altar is a replica of what happens in heaven; the pattern given to the priests teaches Israel what is already true in the heavenly realm. That pattern still speaks to believers today in Messiah. Hannah's Prayer: Incense of the Heart To understand what the altar of incense signifies, we must listen to חַנָּה Channah (Hannah) in 1Samuel 1–2. Her story offers a narrative picture of incense-like prayer. Hannah's deep longing for a son moved her to pour out her soul before Adonai with unusual intensity and sincerity. In the biblical world, barrenness was viewed as a source of reproach and grief for a woman, and 1 Samuel 1:9–20 emphasizes that this sorrow is what drove Hannah to such fervent, heartfelt prayer.  Channah is “greatly distressed” and “wept bitterly” as she prays at the Tabernacle, at that time pitched in Shiloh. She vows: “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life…” 1Samuel 1:11, NASB95 Her prayer is silent — only her lips move — so that Eli the priest misreads her anguish, assumes she is drunk (1Samuel 1:12–14). But Hannah explains that she is “a woman oppressed in spirit” who has “poured out [her] soul before the LORD” (1Samuel 1:15). This language of pouring out the soul parallels the outpouring that incense imagery conveys: something deep within rises up toward heaven. Yet, considering Eli's broader story and the moral decline he witnessed around him, it is understandable why he initially assumed the worst. Once he listened and understood the true nature of her prayer, he affirmed her request and blessed her. God remembers Hannah; she conceives and bears שְׁמוּאֵל Shemu'el (Samuel), saying, “because I asked him of the LORD” (1 Samuel 1:20). Her answered prayer leads to a song of praise in 1Samuel 2:1–10. The Horn: Power and Exaltation In Hannah's song, she says: “My heart exults in the LORD;My horn is exalted in the LORD” 1Samuel 2:1, NASB95 The Hebrew term קֶרֶן qeren, “horn,” appears repeatedly in Scripture as a symbol of power, victory, and strength. In the Psalms we read: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2, NASB95 Prophetic books like Daniel 7 use horns in visions to represent kings and kingdoms rising and falling. In Revelation 5:6, the Lamb appears with seven horns, signaling complete and perfect power. 7 and 8: Completion and Overflow The number seven holds special resonance in Hebrew thought. The word שֶׁבַע sheva (“seven”) is related to שָׁבַע shava (“oath”), giving seven the sense of something you can rely on, something complete and confirmed. Thus seven horns on the Lamb picture power brought to its full, reliable, oath-like completion. The symbolism of seven lamps in Revelation 1–2 connects to the מְנוֹרָה menorah in the Tabernacle — the seven‑branched lampstand that symbolizes God's complete insight into, and care for, His people. The number eight, שְׁמוֹנֶה (shemonah), connected to שֶׁמֶן (shemen), “oil” or “fatness.” If seven is fullness and completion, eight suggests overflow—fullness that spills over, like rich oil. In the pattern of Scripture, seven stands for complete cycles (Sabbath, feasts, etc.), while eight can signal new beginnings that flow out of that completed work. In this context, the Lamb with seven horns represents perfect, complete power; the Lamb stands amid the seven lamps as the One who fully sees and fully empowers the congregations. This ties the imagery of horns, lamps, and incense together around the person of Messiah. From Bronze Altar to Golden Altar: A Journey of Transformation The bronze altar in the courtyard of the Tabernacle connects with the golden altar of incense in the Holy Place. Both have horns (קַרְנוֹת qarnot), but they serve different roles. The bronze altar (Exodus 27) receives burnt offerings; animals are consumed by fire there, and their smoke rises. The golden altar of incense (Exodus 30:1–10) stands inside, by the curtain, and receives only incense — no animal sacrifices. This layout illustrates a progression: The worshiper enters the courtyard and encounters the bronze altar. Here, a substitutionary life is poured out in blood; the offering is consumed. Only the blood of certain offerings proceeds further, toward the inner sanctum. The golden altar of incense represents the completion of that process: what has been offered and transformed now rises as a pleasing fragrance, close to God's presence. In Messianic Jewish terms, this progression points to the way a believer, Jew or Gentile, approaches God through Yeshua the Messiah. The life laid down (sacrifice) leads to cleansing and transformation, and from that transformed life arises prayer as incense before the throne. ‘Most Holy to the LORD’ Exodus 30 describes the golden altar as “most holy to the LORD” (קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים הוּא לַיהוָה qodesh qodashim hu la‑Adonai). This expression is rare and weighty. קָדוֹשׁ kadosh means “holy, set apart”; qodesh qodashim is literally “holiness of holinesses,” usually translated “Most Holy” or “Holy of Holies.” The same language describes the inner sanctuary where the Ark is kept and certain offerings that are entirely set apart for God (e.g., Leviticus 2:3; 6:17). When something is “most holy,” it is not negotiable, not a casual add‑on to life. It belongs to God in a unique way. The altar of incense stood in intimate connection with the Holy Place, positioned directly before the veil and closest to the presence of Adonai. Though smaller in size than other furnishings, its spiritual significance was immense.  The study draws a parallel between this and prayer itself. When prayer rises from a life genuinely devoted to God, it resembles that incense on the most holy altar: entirely set apart, fully given over. ‘Devoted’ Beyond Recall Leviticus 27:28 introduces the concept of חֵרֶם ḥerem: “…anything which a man sets apart to the LORD out of all that he has… shall not be sold or redeemed. Anything devoted to destruction is most holy to the LORD.” Leviticus 27:28, paraphrased from NASB95 The Hebrew root חָרַם ḥaram basically means “to devote,” though in many contexts it takes on the sense “devoted to destruction,” as in the conquest of Jericho. Once something is ḥerem, it is irrevocably given over; you do not get to pull it back or swap it out. Applied to prayer, this becomes a vivid image: true prayer is ḥerem-like—wholly given to God without reservation. Hannah's plea for a child and her vow to dedicate him to the LORD (1Samuel 1:11) exemplify that kind of devotion. The High Priest and the Cloud of Incense Once a year, on Yom Kippur (Leviticus 16), the high priest enters the Most Holy Place. Crucially, he must bring incense from the golden altar in a censer, so that a cloud of incense covers the mercy seat, “that he may not die” (Leviticus 16:13). The study emphasizes that this cloud is not a mere ritual flourish; it is a protective and mediating sign, wrapping the high priest as he draws near. This leads naturally to the role of Yeshua as the eternal High Priest. Hebrews 7 contrasts mortal priests, who die, with Messiah: “…because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently.Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:23–25 NASB95 In a Messianic Jewish reading, Yeshua is the heavenly כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל Cohen Gadol, who not only offers atonement but continues in intercession—like incense continually rising. The Tanakh shows that Israel's priests, descendants of Aaron, were human and varied—some served faithfully, others struggled deeply, and some, like the sons of Eli, acted in ways that dishonored their calling. Their priesthood, though divinely appointed, was limited by mortality and human weakness. Yeshua, on the other hand, is not a priest who “clocks in and out,” but the One who stands between the living and the dead, just as Aaron once did with the censer of incense to stop a plague in Israel (Numbers 16:46–48). John 17: The High Priestly Prayer of Yeshua John 17 is often called the “high priestly prayer.” Here Yeshua lifts His eyes to heaven and prays for: The glorification of the Father and the Son (John 17:1–5) Revelation of the Father's name and word to the disciples (John 17:6–8) Protection from the evil one (John 17:9–16) Sanctification in truth (John 17:17–19) Unity of believers in Him (John 17:20–23) Eternal presence with Him and experience of the Father's love (John 17:24–26) Yeshua says: “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” John 17:17, NASB95 The Hebrew concept behind “truth” here parallels אֱמֶת (emet), “truth, reliability.” Sanctification (qiddush) is not vague spirituality; it is being set apart by the Word of God, as revealed in Torah, Prophets, Writings, and fulfilled in Messiah. Yeshua's emphasis on unity (“that they may all be one,” John 17:21) resonates deeply with the שְׁמַע Shema: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!” Deuteronomy 6:4 NASB95 Just as יהוה Adonai is one, His people are called to Oneness in Him — Jew and Gentile together in Messiah, reconciled and united (cf. Ephesians 2:14–16). That unity is not theoretical. It is part of the fragrance of genuine incense-like prayer that displays God's reality to the watching world. Prayer and Judgment in Revelation 8 Revelation 8:1–5 presents a striking scene: the prayers of the saints (“holy ones,” קְדֹשִׁים kedoshim), like incense, rise before God, and then the angel takes the censer, fills it with fire from the altar, and throws it to the earth, triggering thunder, lightning, and an earthquake. Those prayers are not only requests for comfort; they include cries of “How long?”—longing for justice, the end of oppression, and the final setting-right of the world. Prayer and judgment intertwine: the persistent prayers of God's people are linked to the release of God's righteous judgments that end evil and suffering. As the narrative unfolds, these prayers are connected to the sounding of the seven trumpets, showing that intercession invites divine intervention against the forces of darkness. The cries of the saints for healing, peace, deliverance, wisdom, and righteousness are heard by God and elicit His response. Other New Covenant passages reinforce this life of continual prayer: “pray without ceasing” (1Thessalonians 5:17), “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6 NASB95), and the assurance that “the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16 NASB95). In this way, Revelation portrays prayer not as passive devotion but as active participation in God's triumph over evil and the restoration of creation. Malachi 1–2: How Not to Offer Incense Malachi speaks to a weary and disillusioned people and to a corrupt priesthood who, amid spiritual decline, begin to question the love and faithfulness of Adonai Malachi 1:11–2:9 uses incense language to rebuke corrupt worship. “For from the rising of the sun even to its setting,My name will be great among the nations,And in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure…” Malachi 1:11 NASB95 This universal vision is immediately contrasted with the failed priesthood of Malachi's day. Priests bring stolen, lame, and sick animals — offerings that cost them little and misrepresent God's holiness. God calls such behavior “despising” His name (Malachi 1:12–13). In Mal 2:3 the language becomes graphic: God threatens to spread the refuse — literally, the vomit of their festival sacrifices — on their faces. Instead of fragrant incense, their corrupted offerings produce stench. The priests' hypocrisy becomes a stumbling block for the people, leading them astray rather than drawing them near. This is not merely ancient history. It warns any community claiming to serve the God of Israel, including Messianic congregations and the wider body of Messiah. Ritual correctness without integrity of heart can become an abomination, just as Isaiah 1:11–15 says, where God refuses multiplied sacrifices and prayers because they are joined with iniquity. Crisis, Reboot, and Return to Torah Historically, Malachi stands after the Babylonian exile and the rebuilding of the Second Temple. There has been a kind of spiritual letdown: the people expected a glorious restoration, but they remain under foreign empires and spiritual zeal has cooled. The prophet confronts a generation coasting on older revivals. In times of crisis, people often cry out to God and even see short-term renewal, but unless each generation reboots back to God's original instructions — the תּוֹרָה Torah (“instruction”) — the slide returns. This “reboot” analogy works well: when a computer system is corrupted, you shut it down and restart from the manufacturer's instructions. Spiritually, that means returning to what God commanded through Moses at Horeb/Sinai (Malachi 4:4), testing every new word, teaching, or movement against the standard of Scripture (cf. Deuteronomy 13; 18). Elijah, the Day of the LORD, and Multiple Fulfillments Malachi ends not in despair but hope (Malachi 4:1–6). A coming “day” will burn like a furnace, consuming the arrogant and evildoers. Yet for those who fear God's name, “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings” (Malachi 4:2, NASB 1995). God promises to send אֵלִיָּהוּ Eliyahu (Elijah) before the great and terrible day of the LORD, to turn hearts — fathers to children, children to fathers. In the Apostolic Writings, Yeshua identifies Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) as an Elijah‑figure for His generation (e.g., Matthew 11:14). Yet Revelation's two witnesses, calling down fire from heaven, again echo Elijah's ministry, suggesting multiple fulfillments of the Elijah pattern — each time God confronts widespread corruption and calls His people back to faithfulness. In each case, God's goal is the same: to distinguish between those who merely play at religion and those truly devoted (ḥerem) to Him, and to invite the undecided to step off the fence and follow truth. The Power of Pure, Hidden Prayer An ancient commentary on Malachi 1:11 notes how pure prayer — even when silent and hidden — is more precious than loud, showy words. Purity of heart constitutes prayer more than do all the prayers that are uttered out loud, and silence united to a mind that is sincere is better than a loud voice of someone crying out. My beloved, give me now your heart and your thought, and hear about the power of pure prayer; see how our righteous ancestors excelled in their prayer before God and how it served them as a “pure offering.” For it was through prayer that offerings were accepted, and it was prayer again that averted the flood from Noah. Prayer has healed barrenness, prayer has overthrown armies, prayer has revealed mysteries, prayer has divided the sea, prayer made a passage through the Jordan. It held back the sun, it made the moon stand still, it destroyed the unclean, it caused fire to descend. Prayer closed up the heaven, prayer raised up from the pit, rescued from the fire and saved from the sea. Aphrahat the Persian Sage (A.D. 270–345) It recalls how prayer in Scripture: Averts judgment (Noah and the Flood; intercession in the Prophets) Heals barrenness (Hannah) Overcomes armies Divides seas and rivers Stops the sun and moon Calls down or withholds fire and rain Raises up from the pit and rescues from danger Yeshua Himself warns against prayer done to impress others (Matthew 6:5–6). Public prayer is not wrong, but when its motive is human recognition, the “reward” is already spent. Like Hannah, genuine prayer may be misunderstood outwardly, but God hears the heart poured out. This aligns with the calling of Israel and the nations in Messiah: to become a people whose lives are living sacrifices (cf. Romans 12:1), whose prayers are like incense on the golden altar, and whose worship is qadosh qadashim — most holy to the LORD. The post ‘Most holy to the LORD’: What the altar of incense reveals about prayer (Exodus 30; Malachi 1–2; John 17; Revelation 8) appeared first on Hallel Fellowship.

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Tired of chasing transformation through self-help? In this message, we discover Jesus's prayer in John 17:17: "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." We explore what it means to be sanctified (separated from sin AND set apart for God's purpose) and why God's Word isn't just true—it IS the truth, the final authority for our lives. If you've been looking for change in all the wrong places, this message points you to the only source of real transformation.

Title: “A Pure and Honorable Vessel” Part 1 Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5 FCF: We often struggle with sexual temptation and sin. Prop: Because God's will for His children is for them to be holy, we must abstain from all sexual sin by controlling our bodies. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. In a moment we will begin reading from the Legacy Standard bible starting in verse 1. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. We are at the beginning of a chapter yet again which means we need to review where we have been so far. In chapter 1, Paul expresses his thankfulness to God for the Thessalonian church because he knows they are elect of God, because the gospel came to them in the power of the Spirit and because he has observed how the Thessalonian church has become imitators of Christ amid affliction. In chapter 2, Paul zooms in to affirm that their visit among them was profitable. Probably to counter claims of unbelieving Thessalonians, Paul insists that it was a profitable visit because God gave them boldness to speak, they became a spiritual family, and because it produced the same results they had seen in previous outpourings of the gospel. Paul concludes chapter 2 assuring them that he greatly wished to visit them but had been hindered by Satan. But he assures them that they are his hope, joy, and glory in that they stand firm in their faith. In chapter 3, Paul reveals that he sent Timothy to them because he was overwhelmed with godly concern for their faith. He also reveals his joy at the report from Timothy that they stood fast in their faith but that he hopes to see them again soon and complete what is lacking in their faith. He ends chapter 3 with a benediction, good and comforting words, praying to God to bring them into fellowship again, to cause their love to abound and their holiness to be perfected for the Lord's return. The benediction ends the apologetic section of the letter, where Paul is defending their visit and the gospel they preached by the impact it had on the Thessalonians. He now begins a new portion of the letter, where he will seek to complete their faith by instructing them in things that he was not able to fully teach on while the evangelists were with them. With that please stand with me to focus on and give honor to the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Holy God, You are pure and distinct. There is none like You. You are Alpha and Omega. You are the beginning and the end. You are neither tempted to do evil, nor do you tempt anyone with evil. You are morally pure in all Your ways and You are always good in character and in action. Teach us today from Your Holy Word, by impressing Your Son's example on our lives, and by imparting Your Spirit's power and passion to know how to please You with our bodies. You have given these bodies to us to reflect Your character. You have saved us to be light in a world of darkness. May we be holy as You have willed us to be. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] While I will not be intentionally explicit or irreverent, we will discuss quite plainly and openly the will of God for sexual ethics among His people. As such, there will be plenty of concepts and principles relayed today that could generate lots of questions among young listeners. I recommend that any who are preteens, who normally sit in the service continue to do so and listen intently. But I also recommend that parents be ready to answer those questions and have those discussions and if they feel their child is not ready, that they should be excused from the service. Never had to give a parental advisory for a sermon before

Today fess song na "New name in glory" and de sekond song na "Sanctify my heart" De message of Hope of Hope say beta kristian musto get Jesus kain mind bikos na de main dey show say we bi God pikin.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 29th of January, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. John 15:26, and I am reading it to you from the Amplified Version: “But when the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, He will testify and bear witness about Me.” Jesus is saying He is going to send us the Parakletos, and He has. That's a beautiful word. I love to say that word. It is the only Greek word I know, the Helper, and He will tell you the truth because He is the Spirit of Truth!We are talking about the Holy Spirit here today. It's so very important in these days to be able to identify the truth from the fake. There are so many fake things on the go at the moment. With this AI sweeping all over the world, you don't know who is who. How are we going to know what is genuine? There are even people who can impersonate me, they can impersonate my voice and that can be quite scary. How are we, as believers, going to be able to discern the truth from the fake?If we look at the word of God in John 17:17, He says,“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” That is how the believer will be able to identify the truth from the fake. When they made the movie, “Faith like Potatoes”, the lady who took the part of my wife Jill, a beautiful young lady, was on the set one day, and her sister had come to visit her. Now, they are identical twins. I can't tell them apart, both lovely young ladies. Just for a bit of fun, they decided to swop their clothes and Jeanne's sister came onto the set and they were going to start filming, but straight away the Director, a very wonderful man of God, Regardt van den Berg, spotted her straight away. He said, “You are not Jeanne.” None of us knew. Now, how did he manage to do that? I am telling you why. He knew because he knew Jeanne so well. He was spending time with her every day, shooting the movie. When you spend time in the Word of God, you will identify the truth from the fake.Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day.Goodbye.

"And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.4 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying,Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:" Joshua 3-4:5

“The mission of the Church and therefore Christ the King Anglican Church is to Evangelize the Lost and Sanctify the Saved.” -1 Corinthians 1:10-18

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Kiddush HaChodesh is not only the first mitzvah in the Torah — it is a foundational mitzvah that captures what all mitzvos are meant to accomplish: bringing holiness into this physical world and transforming it into a vessel for Hashem. While many mitzvos elevate physical objects, Kiddush HaChodesh elevates something even more basic — time itself, the very foundation of creation. Through sanctifying time, we gain the ability to sanctify everything within space as well. This connects to the Torah's opening word “Bereishis,” which Rashi explains teaches that the world was created for two “reishis” — the Jewish people and the Torah — and everything in existence fulfills its purpose when it serves that mission. Kiddush HaChodesh reveals this in a unique way, because Beis Din doesn't only sanctify certain days; they must study, calculate, and track the moon's movement throughout the entire month, thereby elevating all of time and utilizing it fully for Torah and the Jewish people. The takeaway is that we are not merely controlled by time and space — we have the power to elevate them, transform them into kedushah, and actualize the true purpose of creation.לקו״ש כו-א

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Send us a textIn this episode, Pastor Ed continues our series on fasting, by giving us 7 things to focus on. Romans 12:1-21 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.Matthew 6:3333 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.Proverbs 3:5-65 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.John 17:1717 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truthJohn 14:66 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.John 8:3232 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”John 15:44 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.2 Corinthians 1:3-43 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any [a]trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.Psalms 119:105105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.Hebrews 4:1616 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.Proverbs 3:25-2625 Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;26 For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.Colossians 2:8-108 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all [c]principality and power.Romans 8:38-3938 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“Get Ready, Get Ready, Get Ready” – Crossing the Jordan I. Introduction Opening greeting and call to readiness for the Word of God. Reference to the recent week of prayer and fasting as preparation. Sermon title: “Get Ready, Get Ready, Get Ready.” Text reference: Joshua 3:1–5. Key verse: “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” Connection to the new year (2026) as a “new season” — a place we've not passed before. II. Two Extremes in the Life of Faith Extreme #1: People who think everything depends on God alone. Passive faith; no personal effort (e.g., expecting blessings without action). Extreme #2: People who think everything depends on themselves. Self-striving faith; no prayer or reliance on God. Balanced truth (Joshua 3:5): Human responsibility → “Sanctify yourselves.” Divine power → “The Lord will do wonders.” A biblical tension: God acts, but we prepare. III. Historical and Scriptural Context Israel at the Jordan River. On the threshold of the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering. Consequence of earlier unbelief and disobedience. The Ark of the Covenant. Symbol of God's presence and holiness. Instructions: follow it at a distance — reverence before a holy God. The Crossing. Jordan River in flood (½ mile wide); an impossible situation needing a miracle. Spiritual parallel for 2026. Represents transition into a new season filled with both blessings and unknowns. IV. Our Part: “Sanctify Yourselves” Meaning of consecration. To set apart, make holy, dedicate to God's purposes. Synonyms: sanctify, purify, make acceptable to God. Illustration: The church drums. Ordinary objects made sacred through dedicated purpose. Believers are called to the same — living for God's glory. Practical applications of consecration. Self-examination and repentance of sin. Renew commitment to God and His house. Live holy lives — avoid spiritual compromise. Commitment to consistent church involvement and ministry. Stop gossip, negativity, and complaining; unity and obedience bring blessings. Financial consecration: honor God with firstfruits. Lifestyle consecration: avoid ungodly influences; guard media and relationships. Relational accountability and transparency (illustrated through phone example). Personal humility and ongoing sanctification — asking God to search the heart. Examples of sacrifice and faith. Pastor's story about his wife leaving a high-paying law job to serve in ministry. Lesson: Consecration often means sacrifice, but God multiplies what's surrendered. V. God's Part: “The Lord Will Do Wonders” Nature of God's wonders. Miracles, provisions, and supernatural acts demonstrating His glory. Miracles reveal who God is, not just what He does. Hope from Scripture (Romans 15:4). Old Testament lessons written for our learning and to build hope. The same God who parted the Jordan acts today. Faith declaration for 2026. God calls what is not as though it were — the promises are already in motion. Prophetic declarations for the year: Growth in intimacy with God. Healing and restoration (“this sickness is not unto death”). A rising young generation with holy passion. God will rebuke the devourer. Restoration of faith to believe again. VI. Conclusion and Call to Response Call for the congregation to stand, receive, and respond in faith. Affirmation that their fasting and prayer were part of consecration. Encouragement that God will release blessings long awaited. Exhortation to pray, worship, and believe for God's wonders in 2026.

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. TranscriptGood morning. Nope, wrong way. There we go. My name is Spencer. I am one of the pastors here. We are beginning the year with a series on New Testament prayers. So just the first four weeks, we're going to look at. When you read the New Testament, you're going to see in various points where it's not teaching, it's. It's not application, it's not correction, but it's actually just there's a prayer. And we're going to look at a few of these over the next few weeks with the goal of encouraging us to pray, which is a discipline that we as Christians need to continue to grow and especially as we start out a new year. Then we'll jump into second Samuel and we're done with this to finish out first and second Samuel. So we're going to be in first Thessalonians 5, 23, 24. Last week, Chet took us to Ephesians 1, and we got to look at a prayer that calls God's people to delight in worship in God and his glory, to know him. And this week we get to see another aspect of what God desires for his people.So I am getting closer to 40. Yeah. Which means getting closer to the age where you start going to the doctor more because you get to discover all the ways that your body is trying to kill you. You just. When you're younger, most folks, the only doctor that you have is whoever you see at urgent care. But when you get older, you, like, have your own doctor. And then you start having a team of specialists, which I've gotten a head start on already. I realized I had entered a new phase of life when I started bragging about how good my specialist was. But this, this is what happens, because the older you get, like, statistically, when you're younger, your car is more likely to kill you. When you get older, your heart is more likely to kill you. So you, if you want to live, if you want to thrive, you want to flourish bodily, you've got to actually go to the doctor more regularly. And our older folks know this. How many of you of our older folks this that? A big topic of conversation that shows up every time that y' all get together is doctor visits, right? It. It's, it's. That's a reality. And we should consider our health seriously. We should go to the doctor. We should be healthy. We should do all of those things. We should take our health deadly serious. It matters.Paul in, in. In First Timothy 4, he makes the point that for a while, bodily training is of some Value. So he starts that statement with saying, yes, you should. You should take care of your body. There's some value there. But he continues and says, godliness is of value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come.> For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8, ESV)So it makes the case, yes, bodily training is of value, but you should train for godliness. As serious as we take our physical health, the question is, how serious are we taking our spiritual health? And more specifically, how serious are we taking sin in our lives? And that's the subject matter for this prayer today. This is a prayer of sanctification. It's very brief, but I'm encouraged that we get to look at this this morning and hopefully we will see a prayer that calls us to grow in being more like Christ, the process of sanctification. So let me pray for us, and then we will walk through this together.Heavenly Father, I pray that you might help us consider the reality of our sin in ways that we may not have or are not. That takes you going to work in our hearts in a way that compels us to be the people that you've called us to be. So God, I pray that you'd speak to us and that we would respond. In Jesus name, Amen.All right, so first Thessalonians 5, 23, 24.> Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24, ESV)All right, so this is a prayer. It's a benediction, a blessing, a prayer that he prays over this church in Thessalonica. So before we jump into this prayer that comes at the end of First Thessalonians, I want to give a little bit of context for this letter that Paul wrote to this church in Thessalonica. So Thessalonica is a city in Greece, still is a major city in Greece, and at the time in ancient Greece was a major city that Paul traveled to. In Acts 17, he plants this church. It begins, it grows, and then there's some persecution and suffering that happens, and the God takes him elsewhere. And one of the things that Paul does in his ministry as he starts churches all over Asia Minor, Asia Minor in Europe, is he ministers to them from a distance. And some of that we get in these letters that God has inspired through him, teaching truth to these Thessalonians.So when you read First Thessalonians, there's a major theme that shows up over and over again. And that is the encouragement that Christ will return, that Jesus is coming back. That's a, that's a big part of this letter. And that's important for Christians to remember that Jesus is actually coming back. If you were here this time last year in January, we were finishing a five month journey through the book of Revelation. And one of the helpful things that we gathered from that is this regular reminder that the end is coming, that Jesus will come, he will make all things new, that we need that encouragement, especially when life is very difficult.Over the past couple of weeks we've had sickness, various forms of sickness flow through our house, which has been loads of fun, you guys, but we had the flu. Now we've got some type of infection. And one of my kids who was going through seven days of fever ridden flu in the middle of it, she just was so tired of it. She just was like, I'm, I'm so, I've just, I want to be well. And I just had to say, hey, listen, I know the flu stinks. Waking up every day feeling like this is rotten, it's awful. But there's a day coming in just a few days, you're going to wake up and you're going to finally feel better. And she just needed that little bit of encouragement to pick her head up and realize, okay, no, this is hard, but I'm going to be okay at the end of this. And the New Testament does this over and over again. It picks up our gaze a bit and says, Jesus is coming. He's going to make all things new. And that's the big theme that runs throughout this letter. And towards the end of him really pressing this upon this church, he prays this blessing over them. May the God of peace sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.As, as Jesus is going to come, he says now, may the God of peace, which pause for a moment. Isaac Hill and I were, we were discussing this this week and he just made a really good point. He says it's so helpful that he, he could have chosen any attribute to emphasize here about God. But he says, may the God of peace. It doesn't say may the God of wrath. He says, may the God of peace, which is a picture of God the Father who makes peace with us. We once were lost, dead in our sin, enemies of God. But through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to become friends of God because he makes peace with Us and we live in peace with God, says, may the God of peace sanctify you completely. May sanctify you. So that is the prayer of sanctification. So let me take a moment and define sanctification, okay? Because it's important for us to not miss this sanctify, which is the verb form here, or sanctification, which is the noun form, the state of being. Sanctified comes from the Latin word sanctus, which means holy. And the original language, which is the Greek here it's hagios. So this is the process of becoming holy as God is holy.When you read the Old Testament and the Old Testament law, in Leviticus 11, it says, Be holy as I am holy. But we get the fullest picture of what sanctification is in the New Testament.> For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. (Leviticus 11:44, ESV)So if I had to define sanctification for us this side of the New Testament. And sanctification is the process of becoming more like Jesus Christ through repenting of sin and obeying him. Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Jesus through repenting of sin and obeying him. Which means that for the life of the Christian, this is one of the most important aspects of our faith. It is becoming more like Jesus taking sin seriously, repenting and obeying him. That this should mark our lives.Every now and then I'll be meeting with somebody and they'll, they'll ask some version of. I'm just trying to figure out like what, what is God's will for my life? I just want to know what God's will is for me. And when they say that, I have to have some self control because an intrusive thought comes in. Because first Thessalonians 4, 3 is the, the one verse that captures that idea. The bet, like the most explicit in the Scriptures, 1st Thessalonians 4. 3 says, for this is the will of God, your sanctification.> For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality. (1 Thessalonians 4:3, ESV)And every time someone, I know what they're saying. It's not that the will of God is just narrow to sanctification. They're asking about how do I think about this job or how do I think about this decision. I just wonder what the will of God is. In the back of my head, I'm like, it's your sanctification. No, put that away. You're talking about something else. But that is a big part of the will of God for us is that we would be more like Him. That's one of God's grand desires for us, is that we would be more and more like him. That's a big part of our faith. And in the context of First Thessalonians 4, when he continues, for this is the will of God, your sanctification. He starts to name what is one of, probably one of the bigger sins in that church and in that city at the time. He says that you had abstained from sexual immorality. And he goes on to explain that further. But you broaden that out to the rest of the New Testament and you see that God desires His people to take sin seriously. I want you to hear that He. He wants his people to take our sin seriously.> And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24, ESV)Galatians chapter 5, verse 24 says, and those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. That he references the horrific, violent, brutal murder of Christ pulls that imagery to mind. And he says, all of that violence you should reserve for your flesh, that you should murder, destroy, end the desires of your flesh.> Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (Romans 2:4, ESV)Romans chapter 2, verse 4 says, or do you presume on the riches of his kindness in forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? It's this idea that gets throws up over again. We do not presume upon the kindness of God. The kindness of God and His patience and his forbearance is meant to lead us to repentance, to the turning away of sin to crucifying the flesh. You see this over and over and over again in the New Testament as it calls us to take our sin seriously.So we should, as Christians, consider our sin seriously. That we should consider all the ways in which we sin. We should live a life that is one of walking in the light, that is one of confession, confessing our sin to the Lord and confessing it to other Christians as we walk in the light together. That we should be in the process of sanctification, reading our Bibles and reading His Word and knowing God and His Word and knowing his holiness, and as we read His Word, realizing and reflecting upon all the ways in which we sin against God. That we should grow in this type of holiness. That we should grow in the difficult work of identifying patterns in our life that need to be changed and changing those patterns. We should identify habits, we should consider what we watch. We should consider the things that we scroll through. We should consider the things that we fantasize about, the things we think about that in all these ways and more, we should consider our sanctification seriously. We should be serious about our repentance as we plead for God to sanctify us. We should have this type of Prayer, pleading for God.And think about how thorough Paul is here. He says, now, may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And he says, and may your whole spirit so that word, the word for completely and the word for hold there in the original language are the same. And I, and I, I think, completely captures some of this. I do like what the NIV says. The NIV says, may he sanctify you through and through. May he sanctify you through and through thoroughly. And then he goes on to picture this. Your whole spirit, your whole soul and body be kept blameless. Now, I, I, I don't think what Paul's doing there is dividing the self into three different parts, body, soul, spirit. I don't think that's what he's doing. He's not doing three clean divisions of who we are. I think what Paul's getting at here is he's saying all of you, and this is what the scriptures do sometimes and just capturing all of who we are. This is your thoughts, your actions, your immaterial self, your spiritual self, your material self, your body, every aspect of may God sanctify you completely. And this should be our desire.Let me address an aspect of sanctification that I think our church, specifically we need to receive this and understand this. Well, I'm going to say something, and for some of us that's going to be quite jarring. But just stay with me. You should desire. We should desire to please God in our sanctification. Now let me qualify for a moment when it comes to the work of justification, faith in Jesus Christ. When he converts us, we go from old to new, dead to alive. We're born again before Christ. You cannot please God. I think it's important, because we say this sometimes, is that we cannot please God with our good works. We cannot please God. We cannot earn our favor, earn favor before. We cannot earn our status before Him. And it's like, yes and amen. We absolutely should remember that, that we cannot please God in earning our place before him. So have that locked in our brain when he makes us new and brings us to a new life in Christ. In our sanctification, we should want to please God. We should want to please Him. And the New Testament captures this over and over again.> But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. (1 Thessalonians 2:4, ESV)I'll just give you a couple of ways it captures this in First, Thessalonians 2, 4, it says, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak not to please man, but to please God, who tests our hearts in Colossians 1 a prayer, he says, and so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.> And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:9–10, ESV)So when it comes to the work of sanctification, the work of becoming more like Christ, the repenting of sin and obeying him, that we should want to please God, that is for our joy, for our flourishing, for our good, and we have to kind of separate those two parts of our brain that we will never please God to be saved. But in Christ, when he puts the Holy Spirit within us, that work that is flowing in us when we lean into this, it is pleasing to God. Every deliberate choice to kill sin and to honor God is a choice to depend upon his power and not our own. Every time we decide to know, I want to grow in this, I want to be holy as God is holy. It pleases him, it's pleases him. When we confess Jesus is better than everything else and we live that out. When we have temptation that comes to us and presents, send us and we just say, no, I want Jesus, I believe that he's better than everything else. And therefore I'm going to desire, I'm going to choose, I'm going to follow Christ here. It's pleasing. And we should remember that language because I think sometimes we get so much in the language of I don't have to please God, I have to please God, I have to please God. And we blur the lines a bit till we get to a little bit of Romans 6 where we're presuming upon the grace of God and that's not a place where we need to be as Christians, we should desire to grow in sanctification.We should take our spiritual health seriously as like more seriously than we do even our physical health, as I said earlier, with all the time and energy that we take to think about our physical health, to think about our overall financial well being, our overall success in life, all that ever different aspects of our life which we should consider and pray for, we have a lot of energy that's directed in that. And then some of us, we have little energy that's directed in seeking the Lord, asking Him to sanctify us. I mean, consider our prayers. Consider what you pray for on a regular basis. Do you pray for, for physical health? Do you pray for financial success? Do you pray for a lot of good Things that you should absolutely pray for. God never grows tired of hearing those prayers. You should. We should grow and we should pray. We should do all of that. But do we pray for that with more zeal, more passion, more earnestness, more consistency than we do in praying and considering our own sin? That's something we should reckon with and we should consider.I mean, think about the psalmist, how the psalmist pray. Go to Psalm 139. It says, Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.> Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23–24, ESV)When is the last time that we prayed like that? That on our face before the Lord? We're saying, God, would you search me? Would you know my heart? Try me, expose me, help me see. I don't want these grievous ways to have victory in my life. I want you to lead me in the way of everlasting. When is the last time that we prayed passionately, consistently, fervently like that?Consider how David prays in Psalm 51 after he. He sins against Bathsheba and Uriah, which we'll read about in Second Samuel, coming up. And he has this prayer of repentance. He says in verse seven, purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.> Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7, ESV)When is the last time on your face before the Lord? You said, God, purge me. Purge me of the sin. Purge me like hyssop. Cleanse me. Remove this. I want to be holy as you are holy. I want to be whiter than snow. I don't want to be a slave to my sin. Would you purge me of this? When is the last time that we fervently prayed like this? This is the type of intensity that God desires of his people that we might pray like this, y'. All. We will. We currently do. And we will probably, with the size of our church, always have someone who is battling cancer, who is battling disease. And this church, we respond by consistently and passionately pleading with the Lord on behalf of our church family to heal. And we're not going to stop doing that. But with that type of intensity that we're asking for physical healing, do we do that with spiritual healing, with becoming more like Christ, with repenting of sin and becoming more like him. Do we pray like this? Because we should.We should consider all the ways in which we are plagued by sin and praying. We should pray earnestly. God so tired of the sexual sin that's bound up within me. I'm so tired of stumbling and falling with actions and with thoughts. God, would you purge me? Would you cleanse me? Would you remove it? I don't want to sin against you when the temptation comes. I want to believe that you're better. Would you cleanse me of this? God, would you purge me of a dishonest tongue? Because I don't know what happens at work. My boss talks and it gets me stressed out and I tell half truths. I'm hanging out with my friends and they're telling all kinds of stories and I feel like I gotta tell a story and then I embellish upon it. And then all of a sudden I just. I don't want this anymore. I want to speak truthfully. God, would you purge me of a dishonest tongue? Would you cleanse me of the heartless apathy that has plagued me in this season? I feel so spiritually dry and distant. And I don't want it. God, I want to. I want a fervor for you. I don't want to be so apathetic. God, would you cleanse me of this? God, would you purge me of the greed within me? Because every time I get a raise, all I can think about is the next thing I want to buy that. All I can think about is more and more. I don't want that. God, would you purge me of my greed? Would you cleanse me of my faithless anxiety that I'm so tired of being so fearful of everything else but you? But God, I want to fear you. Above all, I want to try. I don't want to live in a persistent, consistent state of anxiety. God, would you purge me of the petty rivalries that I create in my own heart with people that don't even know that I'm mad at them and the gossip that flows out of me and the slander that flows out of me? I don't want this anymore. Would you cleanse me of this desire to seek substances for my pain? I'm tired of just wanting the next drink. I'm tired of getting THC in my system. I just. I don't want. Would you cleanse me of my faithless anxiety, my faithless idolatry? And on and on and on and all the ways that we should consider, all the ways in which we sin against God? When is the last time that we got on our face and prayed with that type of zeal? That's what God desires of his people, to pray and say, God, peace, sanctify me. Sanctify my whole spirit, my whole, every part of me. Keep me blameless until the coming of Jesus Christ.John Owen, the Puritan pastor from centuries ago, and his work, Mortification of Sin and Mortification of Sin, which mortification just means putting to death of a thing. He impacts this idea of mortifying sin in the flesh. He says to mortify means to put any living thing to death. To kill a man or any other living thing is to take away the principle of all its strength, vigor and power so that it cannot act or exert or put forth any proper actings of its own. He goes on to say, it is the constant duty of believers to render a death blow to the deeds of the flesh that they may not have life and strength to bring forth their destructive influence. Boy, oh boy, when have we prayed that God would remove the strength, the vigor, the power, the destructive influence, the life, all of it from our sin? I just want you to remove the destructive influence of this sin in my life. God, would you do it? You put the spirit in me. It's alive and it worked in me. Would you empower me to put this to death? This is the pursuit of the Christian life. This is what God desires of his people. How often are we praying for our sanctification like this.And push this even further. How often are we praying these type of prayers for one another? How often are we praying? Because look at this, this is Paul praying for them. He's praying for their sanctification. And how often are we doing that with one another? Because sanctification is not a solo sport, it's team sport. We have a Western American individualistic mindset that my sin is my business. The Bible says, no, it is not your business. You belong to a community. No, your sin is not just your business. This is how we love one another.Well, I was watching over the holiday season, I was watching a movie called the Long Walk, which is an adaptation of a Stephen King novel. And it's about a dystopian future after an American civil war where there's a totalitarian regime in place. And they, they have a contest and a lottery for that contest. They take young men from all 50 states and they put them in the Long Walk, which is a death march, which is quite the movie to watch over the holidays. But I was really looking forward to seeing this movie and a death march, if you don't know what that is historically, it's where you tell people to walk. And every person that stops walking is shot. And the last person standing, last person walking, the end wins. The contest. And one of the things I appreciate about this story is that the main character, he arrives and he. He decides, I'm going to team up with some of these other guys and we're going to walk together. And they. They team up and they walk together. There's another guy that shows up, and his strategy is to walk alone. And he. His whole strategy is to discourage everyone else who's walking. And for a few days, it works. He gets in the head of a few other guys, they stop walking, they're killed, and he just keeps walking. And that works for one, two, three days. But about day four, day five, and day six, when there's only about 10 people left, the guys who've been walking together are still walking together. And there are times where it's in the middle of the night, and one of them is literally sleepwalking. He's asleep and he's walking. He's slowing down, and his friend grabs him and carries him every step of the way. So they endure as they go up steep inclines, and people are starting to fall off. One by one, they encourage each other together. And these five are walking together. By day five or six, the guy who's been walking alone begins to go insane. Name? He begins to lose his mind. He has this desire. He's freaking out where he wants a team, he wants people to walk with him. He feels all types of disorientation. Then he finally stops walking and he dies. And as I'm watching that, I'm like, that is such a picture of why we need each other so much. That sin is serious. This life is serious. There's a lot on the line, and we should walk together. We're not designed to walk alone. We're designed to walk together. That means we should care about each other enough to care about each other's sin and sanctification.When is the last time that you. You reached out to someone in your group and asked them, would you be praying for me? I'm struggling right now with temptation. I've been struggling with sin. But would you pray for me? When's the last time that you've reached out to someone in your group, someone you're walking with, inviting them in? When's the last time that you spoke honestly about the reality of the sin that you're struggling through? When's the last. At a time, at a care night, as we're talking to each other in group, that you were real and honest and didn't give polished stories of your reality even further? When is the last Time that you cared enough about someone else that you're walking with to go out of your way to ask them tough questions. Do you know their sin? You've walked with them for a year, a few years, you know what's happening. When was the last time that you went on your way to ask them difficult questions, to reach out and say, hey, I know it's been hard lately, but I'm praying for you. And you're on your face pleading and praying, may God sanctify him completely. May he sanctify her completely. May you help this brother or sister, crucify this desire, and may they have victory. When have you been praying like this and caring about someone else that you walk with? This is what we're called to. This is sanctification in the church of Jesus Christ. This is what part of the reason he's given us one another, that we might walk together in this battle with sin.Let me close with this. In verse 24, he says, he who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it. The good news of God's sanctifying work is that God is the One at work within us. God is the one at work with us. He will surely do it. It is he that will keep us blameless. The God who calls us into faith carries us through to completion and works within us every step of the way. And if you belong to Jesus Christ, he will surely do it. And that is encouraging. And some of us need to be reminded of that today. Some of you need to be reminded of this because some of us have been trying to sanctify our worldly minds by our own effort, by our own strength. And we're neglecting this opportunity to run to the Lord in prayer, pleading with him, relying upon Him. Search me, know me, purge me, cleanse me, sanctify me by his power and not our own.Some of us need to hear this this morning because some of you are deeply discouraged right now. You've been stumbling and stumbling and stumbling and I want you to hear so clearly this morning. He is at work within you and he will surely do it. That as you lean into the reality of spirit filled dependence upon him to crucify the desires of the flesh. Yes, we know biblically we're never going to be perfect. We know that. We know we're never going to arrive there. We know that we're broken, sinful, corrupt to the core. We get that. And also the Spirit at work within us will mold us and shape us in the image of Christ. And whatever you're facing right Now God is at work. If you belong to him, he will surely do it.Some of us have neglected. Though hear this. Some of us have neglected the power of God coming to bear on our lives because we have not taken sin seriously enough. And it is time for us to start taking some sin seriously. The beginning of this year. Some of you need to start taking sin seriously. You need to start praying for God to search you, to know you, to purge you, to cleanse you. Some of you have neglected the power of God to destroy the patterns of sin in your life, be it for reasons of apathy, distraction, indulgence, indifference, unbelief. But all of those we got to put at the foot of the cross and we got to plead for God to change us. But if we belong to Christ, we have to start taking this seriously. And for some of you, some of you have only depended upon your own self. And this morning, it is time for you to depend upon the Lord to actually see him as Lord and ruler of your life, taking over every aspect of your life, including the things that you've held most dear to you, so that he might change you and conform you into his image. And beautiful, wonderful ways to bring about the change that God wants for you because there is a man or a woman that he has made you to be that is growing in Christ likeness. But you cannot take those steps to flourish and grow into his image until you start taking sin seriously. But if you woo, if you, if you, if you take the leap of faith, if you walk in the light, if you start talking to other Christians, if you do the tough work of sanctification, you will change. He will surely do it.This is how we're going to close this morning. It's going to be a little bit different. We're going to take communion here in a moment. So let me go ahead and introduce communion now as we prepare for the table. On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread and he broke it. And he said, this is my body that was broken for you. And he took the cup. This is the cup of the new covenant. This is my blood that was shed for you, that as often as you eat and drink this, you proclaim my death until I return.> For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23–26, ESV)So the table is a reminder that our sin cost the blood of God and that God and His abundant mercy and kindness gives us Jesus Christ. That covers our sin. So typically, we take a few moments and we consider our sin and we consider our Savior and then we come to the table. But that's not what we're going to do this morning. We're going to do something a little bit different. I'm going to ask Matt to come up and Matt is going to sing a song over us. So right now we're going to pray. We're going to pray. The song captures Psalm 139, Search me and his kindness leads us to repentance in Romans 2. And we're going to pray. We're not coming to the table. We're going to sit and we're going to pray. And we're going to ask the Lord to sanctify us. We're going to ask the Lord to expose us, to search us, to know us, to find the grievous ways within us. And we're going to sit in silence as he sings and ministers to us, as he sings over us. We're going to consider our sin. And I hope right now that the Holy Spirit begins to prod and worship. I hope he starts giving you action steps when you leave here today that you start having conversations. We got a care night this week in our community groups. I hope that you come prepared to bear burdens with one another there. But we're going to do the work right now where God's going to work in our heart. So don't come to the table. We're going to pray. And when he's done singing the song, then he'll invite us to the table. But right now, sit and pray before the Lord in silence. And may the Lord go to work in our hearts.

May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. [NKJV]

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Why a Biblical Worldview Matters for Every ChristianShow: Anchored in the Word — a segment of the Servants of Grace PodcastHost: Dave JenkinsSeries: Anchored for a New YearEpisode Theme: Why a Biblical Worldview MattersShow SummaryAs we begin a new year, every Christian needs to think carefully about how they see the world. In this episode of Anchored in the Word, Dave Jenkins answers a crucial question: Why is it essential for Christians to have a biblical worldview? A biblical worldview is not optional; it is the lens through which we interpret reality, make decisions, and live faithfully before the Lord in a confused and hostile culture.Listen / WatchListen:Watch:Key ScripturesRomans 12:1–2 — Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.Psalm 119:105 — God's Word as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.John 17:17 — “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”Matthew 28:18–20 — The Great Commission and our mission in the world.Episode HighlightsA biblical worldview anchors our thinking. Every person interprets life through a lens; Scripture must be that lens for the Christian, rooted in the storyline of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation.A biblical worldview helps us navigate culture. In a world saturated with secularism, relativism, and humanism, God's Word enables us to discern truth from error and stand firm.A biblical worldview shapes our morality and ethics. Right and wrong are not defined by our feelings, preferences, or cultural trends, but by God's unchanging character and revealed Word.A biblical worldview fuels our mission and witness. Seeing the world as God sees it moves us to love our neighbors, speak the truth in love, and make disciples of all nations.Full Episode NotesDave explains that every one of us lives with a worldview, whether we realize it or not. Our worldviewis the interpretive grid through which we understand God, ourselves, other people, and the world around us.For the Christian, a biblical worldview means that Scripture is our final authority for faith and life.It is grounded in the grand story of the Bible: creation, fall, redemption, and consummation.Creation tells us that God made the world, and that He made humanity in His image with dignity, purpose,and responsibility. The fall explains why our world is marked by sin, brokenness, confusion, and rebellionagainst God. Redemption shows us the center of history in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose again to save sinners. Consummation reminds us that Christ will return, judge the living and the dead, and make all things new.Because this story is true, it must shape how Christians think about everything: personal life, home life,work life, public life, morality, sexuality, justice, relationships, politics, and more. Dave shows how passages likeRomans 12:2 call believers not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewal of their minds, so that they may discern what is good, acceptable, and perfect according to God's will.A biblical worldview also equips us to navigate a culture that is increasingly hostile to God's design. Competing worldviews secularism, relativism, humanism, and others tell us that truth is flexible, identity is self-created, and morality is negotiable. Scripture, by contrast, gives an unchanging standard. God defines what it means to be human, what marriage is, what sexuality is for, and what holiness looks like.Dave emphasizes that Christians must be clear and courageous about these truths, especially in areas likemarriage and sexuality, where God's Word is often rejected or redefined. To dismiss or rewrite what the Bible saysabout these matters is ultimately to tamper with God's authority and to reveal a worldview that is no longeranchored in Scripture.Yet a biblical worldview is not merely about winning arguments; it is about loving God and loving neighbor. When we see the world through the lens of Scripture, we see people as God sees them: image-bearers in need of the gospel. Christ came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10), and He sends His people into the world to make disciples, teaching them to obey all that He has commanded (Matthew 28:18–20).Because of this, our worldview fuels our mission. What we believe about the Bible will shape how we treat our families, our church members, our coworkers, our neighbors, and even those who oppose us. A biblical worldview calls us to clarity about truth and compassion toward people, holding both conviction and kindness together.Dave closes by urging listeners to cultivate a biblical worldview through daily engagement with God's Word. As this new year begins, Christians should commit themselves to reading, studying, meditating on, and obeying the Bible.When we consistently seek the Lord in Scripture and prayer, God renews our minds, shapes our desires, and conforms us more and more to the image of Christ.Takeaways & Reflection QuestionsHow would you currently describe your worldview? In what ways is it shaped by Scripture, and in what ways is it shaped by the culture?Where do you feel most pressured to conform to the world's thinking rather than to God's Word?What steps can you take this year to renew your mind daily in Scripture (Bible reading plan, Scripture memory, family worship, etc.)?How does a biblical worldview change the way you view your neighbors, coworkers, and community as a mission field?Call to ActionIf this episode encouraged you, please consider:Subscribing to the Servants of Grace Podcast Network wherever you listen.Sharing this episode with a friend, pastor, or small group who wants to think more biblically about the Christian life.Visit Anchored in the Word's page at Servants of Grace or at our YouTube.Stay anchored in the Word of God.

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Todaywe are looking at Ephesians 4:21 through 24, where the Apostle Paul teaches usabout putting off the old man and putting on the new man. I will neverforget a little chorus I learned years and years ago. It goes something likethis:“Well,the best thing in my life I ever did do, Was take off the old robe and put on the new.The old robe was dirty, all tattered and torn;The new robe was spotless and had never been worn.Yes, the best thing in my life I ever did doWas take off the old robe and put on the new.”Thislittle chorus fits perfectly with the verses we are studying today. First,we must recognize the importance of hearing and responding to the Truth. In verse21, Paul says, “If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, asthe truth is in Jesus.” In other words, if you have truly heard Jesus—ifyou have truly met Him, listened to Him, and embraced the truth that is inHim—and if you are determined by God's grace to do His will, then you will knowthe truth and live it. Jesus Himself said that if anyone is willing to do God'swill, he will know whether the teaching is from God. Hearing the truth leads toobedience when the heart is surrendered.  Thenwe can begin to understand what it means to “put off the old man”. Paul says inverse 22: “That you put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man,which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.”Thisis a call to deliberately lay aside the old way of living—the former conductthat is corrupted by deceitful desires. And then, in verse 24, he says: “Andthat you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness andtrue holiness.” Oneof the best illustrations of this truth is found in the story of Lazarus inJohn chapter 11. You remember that Lazarus had been dead for four days, lyingin a tomb. When Jesus arrived, He called out, “Lazarus, come forth!” AndLazarus came out of the grave—still bound in his grave clothes. Then Jesus saidin John 11:44, “Loose him, and let him go.” In other words, take off theold grave clothes. You've been made alive—now live like it. Put on the graceclothes. Live like someone who has been changed by the grace of God. That isexactly what Paul is teaching here. The truth we have heard in Christ Jesusdemands a new way of living. Now,there is something very important in verse 23: “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” So how do youtake off the old robe—the dirty, deceitful, corrupt way of living—and put onthe new way of life? How do you live truthfully, proclaim truthfully, and walktruthfully before a watching world? You do it by being renewed in the spiritof your mind. Conversion is a crisis experience that leads to a lifelongprocess. Through Jesus Christ, we have once and for all become new creatures inHim. But now, day by day, we need the Word of God to renew our minds as wecontinually surrender ourselves to Him. Thisbrings us again to Romans 12:1–2, which we discussed yesterday. Because we havebeen saved by the mercies of God, Paul urges us to present our bodies as a livingsacrifice. You know, anybody can take a bullet and die for Jesus. But, myfriend, to live sacrificially every single day—by the grace of God, for thewill of God, and for the glory of God—that is where the real challenge lies. Weare swimming upstream against the corrupt, deceptive schemes of the devil. Andto live faithfully for Jesus in this world requires daily surrender andrenewal. Jesusprayed in John 17:17: “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth.” Oneof the best passages that ties into this—and we will talk about it tomorrow—is Philippians4:8-9, where Paul instructs us to think on things that are true, honest, just,pure, lovely, and of good report. You'veheard the saying, “You are what you eat.” That is true physically. Butspiritually, my friend, you are what you think. That is why being renewed inthe spirit of your mind is so vitally important. Godbless!

Todaywe're continuing our study in Ephesians 4:20–24. These powerful verses remindus that we are no longer to walk as the Gentiles walk, or as the lost worldwalks. Paulsays in verse 20, “But ye have not so learned Christ.” Then he goes onto say, “If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, asthe truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:21). My friend, everything changes whentruth is being absorbed into your mind and into your heart. For many years—overfifty years of counseling and talking with people as a pastor—I have observedthat the core problem in most lives is this: people have listened to the liesof the devil. They have listened to the lies and philosophies of the worldwhile trying to figure out what to do about life, about problems, and aboutdifficult decisions. As a result, they make choices based on deception,thinking they are making good decisions when in reality they are being ledastray by a lie. My role as a pastor is to bring people back to the truth ofGod's Word so they can make decisions based on truth. Whatis the truth? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John14:6). The truth is found in God's Word. Jesus also prayed, “Sanctify themthrough thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The Word of God is thetruth of God revealed to us—in the person of Jesus Christ and in the Scripturesof the Bible. That is why Paul says, “If indeed ye have heard him, and havebeen taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.” Have you heard Him? WhenJesus speaks, He calls us by name. In John 10, we are told that the Shepherdknows His sheep and calls them by name. And what is the evidence of thatrelationship? We hear His voice. When He calls us, we follow Him. We are notforced to follow Him—we desire to follow Him. Why? Because we are His sheep,and we belong to His fold. Jesus cares for His sheep. That's why we can trulysay, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). He leadsus in paths of righteousness—that is, paths that are right, paths that pleaseGod, paths that align with the principles and truths of God's Word. Those pathslead to life, and to life more abundantly (John 10:10), a life that isdistinctly different from the world around us. Iget excited when I think about this truth—that we have been taught by Him. Notonly does He speak to us and call us, but He also teaches us. And the truth Heteaches is found in Himself. Then in Ephesians 4:22–24, Paul tells us what thattruth looks like in daily living: “That ye put off concerning the formerconversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; Andbe renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, whichafter God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”  Throughoutthe New Testament, Paul explains this process in his letters to the churches atEphesus, Colosse, and Rome. In Romans 5 through 8, he teaches us that, becauseof our salvation in Jesus Christ, we now have a new identity. We can livedifferently—because we are different. We have been made new creatures.We have put off the old man. Like Lazarus, we have been raised from the dead.The spiritual death that once consumed us, condemned us, and weighed us downwith guilt no longer has power over us. We were once condemned to eternity in aplace called hell, but now we have been set free. Weare alive in Christ. Because He lives, we live. And because of that, we canlive a different life. Oh, I encourage you today—study these verses carefully.We will come back to this truth of putting off the old man and putting on thenew man in the days ahead. But I trust you will be encouraged today to knowthat you have life in Christ. You learn the truth in Him and from Him. Hespeaks to you. He walks with you. He is your friend, and He desires to walkwith you every day. Today,will you let Him walk with you? That choice is up to you. Godbless!

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1. Christ Comes To Reign (67-71) 2. Christ Comes to Sanctify (72-75) 3. Christ Comes to Save (76-79)

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One sin? What's just one? Confess it today, now so that you can enter heaven as His spotless bride! His mercy is great, but there can be NO sin! Yeshua died for this purpose, and He wants to give the gift of faith to you today!

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Guest speaker Prophet Leonard Ford delivers a strong message on Changing Our Inner Image.Send us a textSupport the show

Send us a textLuke 13:33 …unless you repent you will all likewise perish.Luke 13:55 …unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”Matthew 7:21-2321 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'Ephesians 2:8-98 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, Luke 6:4646 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?Titus 1:1616 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him,…John 17:1717 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.Galatians 5:16-2616 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.Matthew 15:88 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.2 Timothy 3:5 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!Matthew 3:88 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.Matthew 3:88 So produce fruit that is consistent with repentance…

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This sermon explores Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17, focusing specifically on His petition for the sanctification of His disciples. The message emphasizes that sanctification—being set apart for God's purposes—is not optional for believers but is the primary work God accomplishes in the Christian life. True transformation occurs when believers expose themselves consistently to God's Word through the power of the Holy Spirit, not through mere behavioral modification or self-effort. The sermon clarifies that sanctification is progressive, happening gradually over a lifetime as believers submit to Scripture's authority. Christians are called to be in the world but not of the world, remaining on mission to reflect Christ and proclaim the gospel while pursuing holiness. The ultimate goal is to resemble Jesus and fulfill God's purpose by living obediently according to His Word. Key Points: Sanctification means to be set apart for God's use, carrying ideas of both cleansing from sin and transformation toward righteousness Christians, not unbelievers, are the ones who need sanctification—it's a process that begins after salvation and continues throughout life God, through the Holy Spirit, is the one who sanctifies believers; we cannot change ourselves through willpower alone Genuine transformation happens when believers give themselves to believe and obey the Word of God, not just memorize or know it intellectually Sanctification is progressive, happening from "one degree of glory to another" throughout a believer's lifetime The goal of sanctification is twofold: to resemble Jesus and to remain on mission in the world Believers are called to be in the world but not of the world—avoiding both isolation from unbelievers and assimilation to worldly patterns Justification is the one-time event of being declared righteous; sanctification is the gradual growing in righteousness Exposure to Scripture is like exposure to the sun—consistent, repeated contact produces gradual but real change Scripture Reference: John 17:14-19 (primary focus on verse 17: "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth") Romans 8:29-30, 34 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 5:23 Ephesians 1:4 1 Peter 1:15-16 Philippians 2:13 2 Corinthians 3:18 Jeremiah 1:5

Audio Recording Sermon OutlineSpeaker: Rev. Scott StrickmanSermon Series: Maturing in ChristColossians 1:1-8 (ESV)1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:Grace to you and peace from God our Father.3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.Sermon OutlineWith Christ as our guide we can enter Colossians with expectations of maturing and fruitfulness.1. Who is this letter from?vv5-6 “the truth, the gospel, which… is bearing fruit”v1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God”2. Who is this letter for?v2 “To the saints and faithful brothers” v2 “Grace to you and peace from God our Father”v2 “in Christ at Colossae”Prayer of ConfessionOur Father, forgive us. We have squandered the grace and peace you have granted to us. We have not lived holy lives. Forgive every corrupt thought, word or action. Forgive us for how we have not honored you or our neighbors. We thank you for eternal life that is ours in Christ, for the forgiveness of all that is past, and our hope for all that is ahead. Sanctify us by your grace. Amen.Questions for ReflectionAs we enter the book of Colossians, what do you hope you can gain from the book? How might time in this particular book help you grow?What power does the Gospel message have? How is it that the “good news” about Jesus can be transformative? Can you think of any examples of the gospel “bearing fruit”?What can you infer about Colossians from Paul identifying himself as a messenger of Christ? Are these simply his thoughts? How can you learn from Christ as you read the book?What practices could enhance what you get from a sermon? What things can you do prior to church? What can you do during the sermon? What might you do after the sermon?How do your own attitudes and expectations shape how you engage reading the Bible? What changes if the reader understands themselves to be a saint, set apart and part of the family of God?What does the greeting “grace and peace from God our Father” convey?What does it mean to be “in Christ”? How are Christians “in Christ” while also being in a particular physical location? What are some implications of being “in Christ” wherever you are?How can you experience eternal life today? How is the gospel enough for today's needs, and how can you be more present, with God, in each moment?Are there ways you are stuck in the past? How can the gospel free you? Are you anxious about the future? How does Christ provide strength for today? How can you live wisely in the moment without be overwhelmed with trying to control the future?

Have you ever felt like Bible study is just out of reach? Maybe you've told yourself you're not smart enough, you're too busy, or you've failed too many times before to try again.In John 17:17, Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” His Word is not meant to weigh us down with guilt—it's meant to lift us up in freedom.In this episode, we'll uncover 3 common lies that keep us from Bible study and the truth that sets us free.Here's what you'll hear in this week's episode:Why Bible study isn't for the spiritually elite, it's for the spiritually hungryHow even five minutes in Scripture can shape your day in powerful waysWhy failure doesn't disqualify you, and how God's mercy meets you every single time you open His WordReflection questions to help you identify which lie has been whispering in your ear and the truth you need to cling toGrab your FREE Step By Step Starter KitThis week's study guide, plus everything you need to follow along through December, is inside! You'll get:A two-video masterclass teaching you how to study one verse, one word at a timeA quick-reference sheet for the Step By Step methodA printable blank study sheet to use over and overCompanion study guides for every fall episodeGet your free Starter Kit here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/LpSQB9mListener SurveyHelp shape what's ahead on the podcast! Take the short survey here: https://forms.gle/ke4VJ1qJTRLkZzzF7Verse of the Week:Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. (John 17:17, NASB1995)Connect with Angie and Steady On: http://www.livesteadyon.com/Theme Music: Glimmer by Andy Ellison

In a season of Stillness, but I'm still here. ❤️‍