Sanctification Part 2

The lone, dark vale must be crossed. No sympathy of friend can follow you. Everything must be left behind. Dear reader, this is a critical moment. The destiny of your soul is hanging upon a single thread. You are swinging out over the deep precipice--clinging, clinging, clinging.

Jesus demands that you let go and drop completely into his will. You desire to do this, but your soul shrinks. It seems so dark below. Many a one has here taken counsel with his own soul and decided to swing back upon the side of self, thereby losing incalculable wealth, and missing this glorious soul-rest which "remaineth therefore ... for the people of G.o.d." O dear soul, do not fail to labor to enter in! Let the death struggle continue until it has completed its work--until you have truly ceased from your own works. The floodgates of heaven are ready to open and fill you with such glory that it will cause this old world to fade out of sight; but not until you can cheerfully and willingly let go and say to Jesus, "Thy will be done." Your Pentecost is just in reach. Will you have it, or will you not?

In the dedication of the tabernacle we have a beautiful type of the dedication of ourselves to this "reasonable service" of G.o.d. The erection of the tabernacle, the placing of all the furniture, and the arrangement of the entire structure had to be made in every respect "according to the pattern" shown to Moses on the mount. In the completion of all the work, we read in Ex. 40 that it was now all done "as the Lord commanded Moses." He might have thought it did not matter much about some of these things, and that the Lord would not require every small thing to be done according to the pattern; but no matter what he might have thought, he knew that obedience to every requirement of the Lord was his only safety; so he made everything according to the pattern. In verse 33 the record says, "So Moses finished the work."

Dear soul, can this be said of you? Have you finished the work? Have you ceased from your own works? You must reach this point in your consecration, so you can realize just as definitely as Moses did, that you have truly finished the work. When this was the condition in the dedication of the tabernacle, "a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle."

V. 34. When Moses had finished the work and the dedication was complete, the glory of the Lord came into the tabernacle. So it is with the consecrated heart; the glory of the Lord will fill it.

In the dedication of the temple we also have a type of this Pentecostal experience. "Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel that were a.s.sembled unto him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for mult.i.tude."--2 Chron. 5:6. See the sacrifice unto the Lord. Nothing was too great; everything was fully yielded up to him without reserve. "And it came to pa.s.s, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course: also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:) it came even to pa.s.s, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth forever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of G.o.d."--2 Chron. 5:11-14. Thus we see that when the sacrifice was complete and everything was in perfect order, the glory of G.o.d filled the temple.

This was but a type of the day of Pentecost at Jerusalem. In the type, the glory of the Lord filled the consecrated temple. In the ant.i.type, the consecrated hearts (the temples of the Holy Ghost) were filled with the glory of the Lord. Now this is just what Jesus will do with every consecrated heart today. "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire."--Matt. 3:11. But the consecration must be complete. It is reasonable that Jesus should require us to yield up everything to him.

Our hearts cannot be purified until every affection is yielded. He requires this for our own highest good. He wants the supreme right of way so that he can work his own will in our entire being. He wants the absolute control, so that he can get between us and everything. Praise his name! this is for our benefit, which we will plainly see when once we have paid the full price. When his will is completely wrought in us, then he will with himself freely give us all things for our greatest good and his highest glory. Even an hundredfold shall be our delightful portion. But the loss of all things must precede this wonderful increase. An absolute death must precede this abundant life. Then and then only can the Holy Ghost come into and possess the temple. Oh, that every professed believer in Jesus might see the importance of this consecration! The suffering of death is serious indeed; but the unspeakable glory that follows causes the enraptured soul to be astonished at the marvelous gain for so small a loss. The perfect love of Jesus now flows from his heart into the one which has yielded its all to him. The undivided affections now feel the blessedness of perfect unity with him--married indeed to him who is raised from the dead.

CHAPTER IV

The Holy Spirit of Promise

The Holy Spirit was promised through the prophets. "Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and a.s.surance forever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places."--Isa. 32:15-18.

"And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh: that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their G.o.d."--Ezek. 11:19, 20. "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: and they shall spring up as among the gra.s.s, as willows by the water courses."--Isa. 44:3, 4.

"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your G.o.d."--Ezek. 36:25-28.

"And it shall come to pa.s.s afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit."--Joel 2:28, 29.

=Promised through Christ.= "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."--Luke 24:49. "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."--John 4:14. "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"--John 7:38, 39.

"If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."--John 14:15-17, 20, 26. "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me."--John 15:26.

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you."--John 16:7-15. "John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."--Acts 1:5.

A Fulfillment of This Promise

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost."--Acts 2:1-4.

A Testimony of Its Fulfillment

"But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; and it shall come to pa.s.s in the last days, saith G.o.d, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.... This Jesus hath G.o.d raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of G.o.d exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear."--Acts 2:16-18, 32, 33.

To Whom Is This Promised?

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our G.o.d shall call."--Acts 2:38, 39.

"And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom G.o.d hath given to them that obey him."--Acts 5:32. "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."--Gal.

3:14.

"That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of G.o.d, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost."--Rom. 15:16.

"But we are bound to give thanks always to G.o.d for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because G.o.d hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth."--2 Thess.

2:13.

In a previous chapter we have noticed that the Holy Ghost experience of the apostles and all those of the early church was the same; and we see definitely by the texts just quoted that it is the design of G.o.d that all believers receive it. Also we have seen that this Holy Ghost experience is a subsequent one to regeneration, and identical with sanctification. Every young convert who has truly been regenerated, will in due time find that something more needs to be done in his heart before he can fully realize an experience that will correspond with the fulfillment of the many exceeding great and precious promises of the Holy Ghost.

The Scriptures clearly teach us that regeneration is a work of the Holy Spirit. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body."--1 Cor.

12:13. This does not have reference to the Pentecostal baptism, but to the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration, inducting us into the body of Christ, the church. This is very different from the baptism with the Holy Ghost. In regeneration the Holy Ghost baptizes the believer into Christ; in sanctification Christ baptizes the believer with the Holy Ghost. "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire."--Matt.

3:11.

This latter is the sanctification and Pentecostal experience. Both are spiritual experiences. When reading these wonderful promises by the prophets, we can clearly distinguish the two works of grace foretold.

The birth of the Spirit (John 3:3-8), or that experience which inducts us into Christ, must necessarily precede the experience of sanctification. The Holy Ghost will never come into the temple to abide until he has first gained possession of the same. The heart must first be both justified and fully consecrated before the divine Guest can make it his exclusive and permanent abode. This glorious grace of sanctification does not detract from the marvelous work of justification. Both have their import and place in G.o.d's wonderful redemption plan, and stand out distinctly in many of the scriptures; and yet we occasionally hear of some who say of this beautiful doctrine that it is not taught in the word of G.o.d. Why such remarks are made is simply because of a misconception of the glorious redemption plan--in some instances it is owing to the perverted doctrines of men, while in others it may be because of a perverted individual experience of justification.

To the willing and obedient heart, G.o.d will impart knowledge and understanding of his sweet and glorious soul-rest.

Oh, let us praise and magnify the Lord for his wonderful grace that he has so abundantly supplied through repentance toward G.o.d and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, that he is so willing and ready to remove from our hearts the guilt of all our sins and transgressions, and remember them against us no more forever, and then bestow upon us this blessed inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Christ Jesus! Would that every justified believer might be kept from all the perverted doctrines of men, so that the heart could receive the knowledge of the pure word of G.o.d and become instructed in the doctrine of the Holy Ghost life. The promise of the Father which the resurrected Christ said he would send upon his justified disciples was no more a promise for them than for every justified believer throughout the gospel dispensation. Why then should any of us come short of entering into this blessed covenant of an entire consecration and receiving the fulfillment of the promise? Thank G.o.d it is for us and our children and to all that are afar off.

Until the believer reaches this grace, he is not in his normal spiritual condition, and cannot live the Christ-life in a manner that is perfectly satisfactory to his own heart. The great need is a clean heart and the indwelling Holy Spirit, without which there is not the power within at all times to withstand every evil attack of the enemy with perfect victory. Jesus knew this need in his disciples. Their usefulness in the world could not be satisfactory until they received the fulfillment of the promise. They had been useful in his hands and under his personal guidance in the ministry of the gospel of the kingdom. They had already by his help been able to bear fruit, but it was the will of the Father that they should bear more fruit, through the power of the Spirit-filled life; hence they were not to depart from Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." How many of the dear people of G.o.d today have never had their Pentecost! Some are out in the world preaching the gospel with no deeper spiritual experience than that of the disciples before they tarried at Jerusalem. Many have mistaken some natural ability for the power of the Holy Ghost. Others have accepted the doctrine of sanctification theoretically--made a formal consecration and claimed the experience, but have never received the Holy Ghost.

Dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let us entreat you to tarry and do not depart from your positive death bed consecration, until you are endued with power from on high. It is the will of the Father that you receive the Holy Spirit to possess your being--the consecrated temple--and make your life from this moment a reproduction of the life of Jesus. He is not here now as he was during his earthly ministry, but the Father has designed that the Holy Spirit should dwell in the hearts of consecrated men and women who shall go forth into the world and be witnesses unto Jesus--representatives that will live the Christ-life in this world, so that men may plainly see his character and fruits in us.

When Jesus ascended to the throne, he by no means intended that his people should be left comfortless, or deprived of his presence; but rather, he said, "It is expedient for you that I go away."

The "Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost," is the divine executive of Jesus. He was the power and life in Jesus when here in his redemption work, and when he ascended to his throne in heaven the Holy Ghost descended to earth to carry on this glorious redemption work to the end of the world. But he must have human instrumentality through which to work. Where he can find a truly consecrated temple, there he makes his abode, and taking full control of the entire being, performs the perfect will of G.o.d through this instrumentality. This is why the apostles were so much more useful after Pentecost than before. They were now fully possessed by the Holy Ghost, and in, through faith in, the name of Jesus were enabled to shake the world. Jesus has left his name here on earth.

Through it the Holy Spirit now effects this great redemption. He cannot do this by himself. He cannot "reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment," only as he can find consecrated hearts on earth in which to abide. The Spirit-filled lives of the people are the only factors that can be used in the hand of G.o.d to produce apostolic results in these perilous days in which we live. This final reformation was unquestionably begun by the power of the Holy Spirit, and will never be completed by any other power. It is a spiritual work, and only as the glorious doctrine of sanctification is taught and the experience obtained and retained, will the church reach the apostolic plane.

CHAPTER V.

Our Inheritance

"And now, brethren, I commend you to G.o.d, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified."--Acts 20:32. "And inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."--Acts 26:18. "For this is the will of G.o.d, even your sanctification."--1 Thess. 4:3.

"That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when G.o.d made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein G.o.d, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for G.o.d to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil."--Heb. 6:12-19.

"But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: the Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to G.o.d, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living G.o.d? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance."--Heb. 9:7-15.

"Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: ... Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein which are offered by the law; then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O G.o.d. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all ... For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."--Heb. 10:5, 8-10, 14.

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that it should be holy and without blemish."--Eph. 5:25-27.

"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: ... in whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."