Beloved radio friends, greetings in the precious name of our wonderful Lord and Savior. We welcome you to the Bible meditation on the glory of the cross. How blessed it is to dwell upon the results which now flow from the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ for the blessing of man. It is broad as forgiveness, justification, redemption, reconciliation and salvation. different aspects of the Savior's work, all intimately associated, never to be divided from one another, yet they should be enjoyed in their separate meaning. Today we begin to consider another blessing brought to us by the death of the Lord Jesus, even the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the blessing of sanctification. Now do not be misled as we speak of this word. but follow very carefully what we shall find from God's word concerning its truth. Let us first of all consider the need for sanctification. We have seen in our preceding studies various results because of our sins which have to be dealt with and by God bringing His blessing to us and to His deliverance. Now the opposite of sanctification in regard to our lives is plainly illustrated by the fact that instead of being holy vessels to God, clean vessels for God, sin as made as unclean, unholy vessels in His sight, unworthy to be used and unable to glorify Him. Fin has made us unclean in the sight of God. When the prophet Isaiah saw the glory and the holiness of God in that vision of Isaiah chapter six, did he not say, falling upon his face, woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, He wrote later on in chapter sixty-four in verse six, But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rites. Now that's not a very beautiful photograph of you and me, is it? But it is true. Sin has made us unclean, and what we need is to be sanctified. Now let us consider the meaning of sanctification. To be sanctified literally means to be separated or to be set apart. Now if you will carefully read the writings of Moses and other writers in the Old Testament, they freely speak of things or objects and also of persons being set apart for God. The altar of the tabernacle or the temple. the labor, and all the vessels of the Old Testament sanctuary were sanctified according to the Word of God by the law. They were placed in their separate positions to be wholly devoted to the service of God. There are many scriptures referring to it, but there is one scripture we read for brevity's sake. It covers the whole matter. From Exodus chapter twenty-nine and verse forty-four, where you will read that inanimate objects and also live persons were sanctified or set apart for God. God speaking to Moses says, and I quote, And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar. I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons to minister to me in the priest's office. We conclude from this that in the Old Testament both things or objects together with persons were sanctified, meaning definitely and simply set apart for the service of God. Now in our New Testament the word sanctify or sanctified, it is mainly used of persons only. Those who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, they are to be set apart for the Lord. For himself they are to be used for his glory. So that any discerning reader of the New Testament clearly sees, as Paul declared in Acts chapter chapter seventeen of the book of Acts verse twenty four, that the God that made the world and all things therein, singing he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. By his spirit he dwells in the believer. Let me point out a necessary fact regarding the use of the word sanctifying as it is used in the Bible, whether in the Hebrew or whether in the Greek Testament, whether in the Old Testament or the Greek Testament, New Testament too. It has the same meaning in both. Yet we find this word, whether Hebrew or Greek, has been translated into three words in our English versions and yet they all mean the same but let me point out the words here they are one word is sanctify another word is holy h-o-l-y there is another word saint and you will find these three words very frequently used in your Bible and each of them have the same meaning now let me refer to them separately the word sanctify Amazingly, it is used one hundred and six times in the Old Testament, rather, and it is used thirty-one times in the New Testament. And please remember the meaning of it. Set apart. Then second the word holy. It is used four hundred times in the Old Testament, and twelve times only in the New Testament. But again, don't forget its meaning. Set apart. by way of example, set apart, separated from that which is unholy. You read of a holy nation in the book of Exodus chapter nineteen in verse six. In first Peter chapter two and verse nine of the New Testament, you'll read of holy priests. You'll read also of holy men, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. You'll read of holy women. and in our New Testament as well as in the Old Testament. And in Hebrews chapter three and verse one, Paul by the Spirit writes to the Holy Brethren. And please remember, it does not signify that we are sinless in character and perfect in holiness, but we have been set apart, as these were of old, for the service and for the glory of God. Now the third word is the word saint. It is used in the Old Testament for Israel and about Israel fifty times. Yes, in the Old Testament, God called his people saints. And may I add, they were living. And in the New Testament, it is used sixty-two times. God calls his people saints. May I emphasize, the name saints is not given in the Bible to any person who has been dead for centuries. And by so-called ecclesiastical authority upon the earth, somebody makes them a saint. As it were, give them a halo around their sainthood. God forbid. Everyone who was called a saint in the Bible was given that title while they were alive upon the earth. and it belongs to them even after death. They are still His saints. And you read in the book of Revelation of the saints in heaven. And may I suggest, in comparison, the saints in heaven must be a lot better and better saints than you and I might be on the earth. But all the time God calls His people who are His that have been separated by grace divine and power divine. He calls them saints. Now let me repeat. There you have the three words. Sanctify. Holy. Saints. Coming from the same root word, whether in the Hebrew or whether in the Greek. And meaning the same thing. Now let's apply all this. To the need that we have for sanctification. The need of every man, a woman, boy and girl who is a sinner. By nature as well as by practice, we're unclean. Beloved, please, I think of the word in the prophecy of Isaiah where the prophet wrote, Though you take much nighter and much soap, you can't wash yourself clean. My beloved, let me say this. In the sight of God, we're unclean sinners. We don't need whitewashing, we need washing white. And my beloved sin is made of even the best of us, by nature, and of the worst of us, unclean vessels in the sight of God until we are saved. My unsafe, friend, if you think you are clean in God's sight, without trusting Christ as your Savior, take home to your conscience the words of Isaiah, sixty-four in verse six, which we quote again, We are all as an unclean thing. and all our righteousness is always filthy rags. Take your Bible, read, if you will, Zechariah chapter three and verses one through four, and read for yourself that there is a man described there and who is accused by Satan, clothed with filthy garments. And it took the Lord himself to clean him up and clothe him with a change of raiment. Do we need cleaning up? We all do. and only the precious blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. Well, did the hymn writer write, What can wash away my stain? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fountain I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Ah, beloved, though we shall, God willing, on the morrow, see more about the truth of sanctification. Let me say in closing today, my sinner friend, without Christ, don't wait until tomorrow. Come right now to the Savior and be washed in the precious blood of his cross, that you might be sanctified, set apart, claimed for God to be his child. and even can be a vessel that he can use for his honor and glory. God grant that though we may be unclean sinners, we shall indeed by the grace of God find the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. Shall we pray? Beloved and blessed Father, in the precious and the worthy name of our precious Savior, We ask that the Holy Spirit will take the truth of thy word, sanctify it, set it apart for the blessing of the believer and the unbeliever for thy glory, we ask. Amen.