Well, we made it! The ride down here took us through a couple of heavy rains, and I was worried we might miss the registration period, but we got here with about 10 minutes to spare. Thanks again to all you who gave the guys work or just outright made donations to make this possible.

I'm gonna give the guys a chance to say a little something before I continue.

From Jason Sheffield:yay i got to see the beach and the ocean for the frist time yay anyways holler homies thought i was done but i got some prickly things in my feet there god awful little things its horrible im traumatized from the experince jason and travis had pull them out and help me back to the room jeez just horrible

Spenser: It was a long trip, and then we got some good food when we showed up.

Randall: What I learned about God before we started on this trip was that I didn't know there were rules or regulations and that I can look in Leviticus any time I want and learn about Jesus and lots of other stuff.

Travis: I learned to NEVER EVER walk on the beach barefoot. These terrible "prickly pears" stuck to our feet. We could hardly walk. Otherwise it has been a good experience. WHOOHOO!

Jason Cardwell: Me again. I'm sure some of the above needs some interpretaion. I'm gonna go ahead and post this now, and later I'll add some pictures and tell you more about our day...hopefully I can help you understand some of what the guys said.

Throwing Cards of Doom

Momma's Cup

This is the skit we used last week. It took the form of a narrator reading the text and two actors pantomiming the action. I thought they did a great job with it.

Momma's Cup: A Skit in Pantomime with Narration
A Parable of Sanctification

Once upon a time there was a cup. This wasn't just any old cup. This was Momma's cup. [Momma stands holding "cup."]

It was Momma's favorite cup. It was a big 32-ounce, insulated, good for hot or cold beverages kind of cup. [Momma gestures in front of cup a la The Price is Right.]

Every morning, Momma would brew her favorite coffee, and pour her cup full of java for the ride to work and the first two hours before break time. [Momma goes through the motions of pouring the coffee, driving while sipping, typing and taking sips.]

At breaktime, Momma washed out her cup and filled it with icewater. [Momma washes, fills, sips, types, sips, and...] She refilled it at lunch, and by the end of the day, she had consumed 8 glasses of water. She was fully hydrated, and her skin was clear. [...shows off her clear skin.]

When she got home from work, Momma put her cup on the counter by the bread box. [Momma puts cup away,] No one else ever used Momma's cup. It was just for her. [and puts hands on hips.]

But one Saturday morning, while Momma was doing laundry, her youngest took the cup to play with outside. She filled it with dirt and pebbles and poured them out to make a little mountain. [Girl takes cup and goes to play on ground, filling it with rocks and dirt, pouring, refilling, etc.]

After a while, Momma came to check on her youngest and saw with horror what had happened to her cup. [Momma comes out, waves arms, girl cowers.]

Momma was filled with rage. She took her cup, now too filthy ever to use again, and smashed it with a large rock, then stomped it to little pieces. [Momma acts this out. Girl "cries" with hands to face.]

Wait a minute! That's not right! Let's go back. [Momma walks backwards to where she was.]

When she got home from work, Momma put her cup on the counter by the bread box. [Momma puts cup away,] No one else ever used Momma's cup. It was just for her. [and puts hands on hips.]

But one Saturday morning, while Momma was doing laundry, her youngest took the cup to play with outside. She filled it with dirt and pebbles and poured them out to make a little mountain. [Girl takes cup and goes to play on ground, filling it with rocks and dirt, pouring, refilling, etc.]

After a while, Momma came to check on her youngest and saw with amusement what had happened to her cup. [Momma comes out, laughs, girl holds cup up to her.]

Momma took the cup and immediately put it back on the counter. Monday morning, her coffee was filled with dirt and pebbles, but she didn't care. [Momma pours coffee, takes a sip, chokes, then beams.]

Hold on, that's not right either. Lets try this one more time! [Momma walks backwards to where she was.]

When she got home from work, Momma put her cup on the counter by the bread box. [Momma puts cup away,] No one else ever used Momma's cup. It was just for her. [and puts hands on hips.]

But one Saturday morning, while Momma was doing laundry, her youngest took the cup to play with outside. She filled it with dirt and pebbles and poured them out to make a little mountain. [Girl takes cup and goes to play on ground, filling it with rocks and dirt, pouring, refilling, etc.]

After a while, Momma came to check on her youngest and saw with some concern what had happened to her cup. [Momma comes out, puts one hand on hip, and reaches for cup with other. Girl hands Momma cup.]

She took her cup in to the sink and washed it thoroughly with soap and hot water. She rinsed it very well, and then she put it up on a higher shelf. [Momma acts this out. Girl follows and watches.]

She reminded her youngest that Momma's cup was special to her. She found a disposable cup to play with. And no one ever filled Momma's cup with dirt again. [Momma acts this out. Girl takes cup and goes back to play.]

The end. [Momma, Girl, and Narrator all take a bow.]

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Testing again

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Sanctified Past Tense

1 Cor 1:30 says Christ became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. We usually think of growing in wisdom and righteousness, but of redemption being an all-at-once kind of thing. If you look at the context, Paul is talking about how God chose the foolish, the weak, the insignificant and the despised to shame the wise, strong, powerful and noble. So you could say that this is not a case of us BECOMING wise, but of God's wisdom in Christ working in us, and this is true from the moment of salvation, as is Christ BEING righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, not granting them.

In Chapter 6, verse 11, he says that some of the Corinthians were sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers, BUT they were: WASHED, SANCTIFIED, and JUSTIFIED. The implication is this: because of these three processes, they are not (or should not be?) any longer those bad things.

So in each of these cases, sanctification is an event in the past, with impact in the present. Christ became our sanctification, and remains so. We were sanctified, so our behavior can be (should be!) different than it used to be.

Why would Jesus need to be Sanctified?

In John 17, Jesus says "I sanctify Myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth." Hunh? Isn't Jesus already perfectly holy (or sanctified)? Why would he need to sanctify Himself?

Compare with Hebrews 13:12, where it says "Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood."

Both these verses follow the pattern: Jesus does/did X so that people could be sanctified by Y. Is it fair to say that sanctifying Himself is parallel to suffering outside the gate, i.e., dying on the cross. If so, then how is truth parallel to the blood?

I think this means that Jesus set himself apart to die--He dedicated himself to die. This was what He meant in John. This is similar to the way God told the Israelites to dedicate everyone in conquered cities to Him, and it meant to kill them. I think this sanctification is talking about the sanctification of salvation, and I think that it is faith in the truth about the blood of Jesus which allows salvation--by grace THROUGH FAITH.

Sanctification word study continued

Romans 6:19 I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to moral impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. [sanctification=consecration, purification, the effect of consecration~~from to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Romans 6:22 But now, since you have been liberated from sin and become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification--and the end is eternal life! [sanctification=consecration, purification, the effect of consecration~~from to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Romans 15:16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of God's good news. My purpose is that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Corinthians 1:2 To God's church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord--theirs and ours. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Corinthians 1:30 But from Him you are in Christ Jesus, who for us became wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, [sanctification=consecration, purification, the effect of consecration~~from to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Corinthians 6:11 Some of you were like this; but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the Christian husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore dear friends, since we have such promises, we should wash ourselves clean from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, making our sanctification complete in the fear of God. [sanctification= majesty, holiness, moral purity~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is God's will, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality, [sanctification=consecration, purification, the effect of consecration~~from to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Thessalonians 4:4 so that each of you knows how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, [sanctification=consecration, purification, the effect of consecration~~from to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God has not called us to impurity, but to sanctification. [sanctification=consecration, purification, the effect of consecration~~from to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we must always thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Timothy 4:5 since it is sanctified by the word of God and by prayer. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Hebrews 2:11 For the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why He is not ashamed to call them brothers, [sanctify(both times)=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Hebrews 9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Hebrews 10:10 By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Hebrews 10:29 How much worse punishment, do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insulted the Spirit of grace? [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Hebrews 13:12 Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

So all of these NT references use a set of related Greek words, variously translated (in the KJ) as sanctify, hallow, be holy, holy, saints, holy one, holiness, and sanctification, for a total of almost 300 uses.

Which would imply that to fully understand "sanctification," I would need to study all these passages. But I'm not seeking absolutely comprehensive knowledge right now. This message is sort of an introductory lesson.

Two Videos Not to Miss

I have never heard of SermonJams before. I have never seen a video like this one for church use. The production is phenominal. Check it out.



This second video is cool. The neatest part to me is that apparently, Piper's crew has teamed up with Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae.

Sanctification Sermon Prep

I have always tended to "protect" my sermon prep from other people's view...didn't want anyone to see anything but the finished product.

This is an experiment in moving the total opposite direction. Hardly anyone reads this blog anyway, but maybe some day it could develop that sermon preparation becomes a community effort, as we all seek to hear God together.

Or maybe it's just late, and I'm not thinking clearly. Anyway, here goes.

I've been looking at several passages about sanctification, but I have yet to check into the original language behind them...

1 Kings 9:7 I will cut off Israel from the land I gave them, and I will reject the temple I have sanctified for My name. Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples. [sanctify=consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate]

2 Chronicles 7:20 then I will uproot Israel from the soil that I gave them, and this temple that I have sanctified for My name I will banish from My presence; I will make it an object of scorn and ridicle among all the peoples. [sanctify=consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate]

Eze 37:28 When My sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel." [sanctify=consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate]

Joel 2:16 Gather the people; sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his bedroom, and the bride her honeymoon chamber. [sanctify=consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate]

All four of these OT passages use the same Hebrew word for sanctify, a word which is also translated (in King James) hallow, dedicate, holy, prepare, consecrate, appointed, bid, and purified, for over 170 uses in the OT.

Let's look at the NT...I expect a similar pattern.

Matthew 23:17 Blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that sanctified the gold? [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Matthew 23:19 Blind people! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? [sanctify=most holy thing, a saint]

John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

John 17:19 I sanctify Myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth. [sanctify(both times)=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Acts 20:32 "And now, I commit you to God and to the message of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Acts 26:18 to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.' [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Father Knows Best Skit

Looks like we used this skit back in February of 2008...

Father Knows Best

Set: table with two chairs. Father is seated at SL end of the table, His left shoulder to the audience.

Daughter enters SR and sits at SR end of table, her right shoulder to audience. She has a cup of coffee and is skimming a paper as she speaks to her father.

Daughter (can be improvised along these lines) (speaking not comically fast, but without giving her father a chance to reply): Good morning, Daddy. I'm glad I get to have breakfast with you. It's such a great way to start my day. Oh, and what a day it's going to be! I have to get both kids to school before work since Tony's out of town. Then I have to meet the cable guy between what, 2 and 4 today. He better not be late because I have to be at a meeting at 4:30, and then I pick up the kids after practice at 6:00. And then of course we're supposed to have dinner at Luigi's with their uncle. I did tell you that my dear brother Charles [said with obvious sarcasm] is coming into town today, didn't I? Has he talked with you lately? I am so NOT looking forward to seeing him again. The last time we were together we got into a fight, and we never really resolved it. Oh goodness, I'm gonna be late if I don't hurry! I'll talk to you later, Dad. Bye!

Father watches silently as she exits SR.

Wait a beat. Then Daughter enters SR, sits at table with coffee and newspaper again. It's the next morning.

Daughter (again, can be improvised along these lines) (speaking at a slower pace, but without really listening to her father's replies): Good morning, Daddy. I really blew it last night. I tried to act like nothing was wrong between us, but Charles couldn't let it go. He wanted to “RESOLVE” things. So it's really not my fault right? I mean he asked me how we ended up at odds! So I told him!

Father (matter-of-factly): You only told him one side of it. Did you listen to how you hurt him back then?

Daughter (ignoring him): Now instead of a cold war we have a hot war going again. And in front of the kids. I cannot believe he blindsided me with them at the table. I'm so angry I don't know what to do. What do you think?

Father: You should forgive him. You should listen to him. You should ask him to forgive you for your part of this war.

Daughter: Maybe I can get Debbie to call him. She was always his favorite sister. Maybe she can talk some sense into him. [brightens] Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Thanks, Dad! It always helps to talk to you! [gets up, exits SR]

Wait a beat. Then Daughter enters and sits again, no props this time. It is later the same day.

Daughter: [defeated] Daddy, I only made things worse with Charles. He was so offended that I called Debbie. He called and really tore into me. Now I think Debbie's mad at me too! I don't know what to do. Why does it have to be so complicated?

Father: It doesn't.

Daughter: [looks up at him] You're right. I made this mess myself. My pride, my anger, my scheming, I'm the one who complicated things. But what can I do now? It's already complicated; it's too late to change that!

Father: It's never to late to be humble. You can lay down your pride, your anger, your scheming. You can confess to Charles how you were wrong back then, and how you were wrong last night, and how you were wrong today. You can confess to Debbie how you were wrong to involve her in taking your side. It's not too late for simple truth.

Daughter: But what if they don't want to forgive me?

Father: That's not your part. You're complicating things again. Do your part. Confess your faults. Let them worry about their parts. [stands]

Daughter: [stands] Thanks, Dad. I have another confession to make as well. These times together, well most of the time I don't really listen to what you have to say. I know you already know that, but I need to say I'm sorry. You always watch over me, and I know you know best. I don't want my prayers to be all one way. Lord, I'm so glad I'm listening to you now. [they hug, blackout]

Penn and Teller--cups and balls

John Williams is The Man