Embark on a journey of reflection and renewal as Selena and I, Imran Ward, gather with Pastor Nick and Nathan from Set Free Church. We promise an exploration of sanctification that goes beyond the surface, delving into the intricate dance of truly hearing God's word and living a life that mirrors the selfless love of Jesus. Discover how the act of service becomes a profound form of worship and how, through intentional listening and humble acts, our identities are reshaped in Christ's image.
Worship Leader Laurinda’s captivating concept of being 'the skin on Jesus' serves as a reminder that our journey is one of constant dedication, where the fruits of our labor are not for personal gain but a testament to the glory of God.
As we weave through testimonials and scriptural insights, reflect on your own path as we discuss the essential process of progressive sanctification, from confronting past sins to the daily commitment to righteousness. Whether you're deeply entrenched in your faith or seeking a spark for personal growth, this episode promises a heartfelt invitation to examine the active role we play in our spiritual refinement, buoyed by the fellowship and shared experiences within our vibrant church community.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealBibleStories
Notes: https://sermons.church/archives?church=PalmsBaptistBibleStudy&id=126
Website: https://real-bible-stories.square.site
Check us out on these Streaming Platforms: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1912582/share
Embark on a journey of reflection and renewal as Selena and I, Imran Ward, gather with Pastor Nick and Nathan from Set Free Church. We promise an exploration of sanctification that goes beyond the surface, delving into the intricate dance of truly hearing God's word and living a life that mirrors the selfless love of Jesus. Discover how the act of service becomes a profound form of worship and how, through intentional listening and humble acts, our identities are reshaped in Christ's image.
Worship Leader Laurinda’s captivating concept of being 'the skin on Jesus' serves as a reminder that our journey is one of constant dedication, where the fruits of our labor are not for personal gain but a testament to the glory of God.
As we weave through testimonials and scriptural insights, reflect on your own path as we discuss the essential process of progressive sanctification, from confronting past sins to the daily commitment to righteousness. Whether you're deeply entrenched in your faith or seeking a spark for personal growth, this episode promises a heartfelt invitation to examine the active role we play in our spiritual refinement, buoyed by the fellowship and shared experiences within our vibrant church community.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealBibleStories
Notes: https://sermons.church/archives?church=PalmsBaptistBibleStudy&id=126
Website: https://real-bible-stories.square.site
Check us out on these Streaming Platforms: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1912582/share
Hello and welcome to Real Bible Stories. Join us as we deep dive into the historic, religious, cultural, political and emotional context surrounding the real lives of real people in the Bible and the stories we've all grown to love. Hello and welcome to Real Bible Stories. So if you haven't jumped into part one that we released last week, I highly recommend you go ahead and do that. If you've already listened to part one of our discussion on sanctification with Set Free Church, then you're in the right place. So this is going to be part two of that discussion.
Imran:So I am your host, Emron Ward, and you're going to be hearing the voice of my wife, Selena, and our two guest teachers, Pastor Nick and Nathan from Set Free Church in Wonder Valley. All right, so I hope you all enjoyed this discussion. This second part is going to get emotional and it's going to get really deep and I hope you stick through the whole thing. It's going to be so good, All right, so I hope you all enjoyed this discussion. We're jumping right into it. So if you're like, I don't know, let's go back to part one, Make sure you take a listen to that as well. All right, thank you all for joining us.
Nathan:So Matthew in 1323,. He also says but he who received the seed on good ground is he who hears the word and what understands it. He who indeed bears fruit produces some 100 fold, some 60 and some 30. So we got to hear the word. We have intentionally set that are hearing aside, it has to be set apart for God's work but they hear the word in order to understand it, in order to get it out there. That is one of the biggest fundamental things of being sanctified, being consecrated to the Lord, is that everything we do, everything we hear, has to come from God first. You know, whether it be edification from someone, a sermon from my pastor, a podcast from my brother, whatever we do, we have to know that we're waiting for something to be spoken from the Lord.
Pastor David:Yes, listening, listen, listen, listen. It's such a good thing to do, especially you know, and it's hard to learn. You know, for me it was hard to learn for my wife listening to my wife, because I have a problem trying to fix everything.
Imran:Yeah, I think that's a very, very manly thing. To just like, instead of my or our counselor talks to us, talk to us about that of like. You know, you can't just try and rescue like she'll tell me. You can't just try and rescue like sometimes you just got to listen and be patient listen to understand exactly because it's really hard sometimes to understand.
Pastor David:But when I really listen intently, intensively, and I'm not intentionally intentionally, and I'm listening to really try to understand, my wife and I've married just such a picture of Jesus and us, and Jesus uses that reference so often. And that's what it is. And so my, my, my marriage, and I'm starting to learn a lot more. It's how my relationship is with God and my relationship with her, you know. And so when I, when I'm listening to understand her, I'm, I'm, I'm thinking of every way that I can not try to figure it out myself.
Imran:Yeah.
Pastor David:You know, and and that's how it should be when we're listening to God's word, we're really wanting to listen to for what he says, and not such a hurry to get his work done that we mess it up because we're doing it our own way.
Nathan:Yeah, absolutely, and that's why the ear is the biggest part, the first part, that is, the blood is put on. You know, the right side, because it's all the strength. You know, we, we do this in all our strength or we can't do it at all.
Nathan:We have to do it in all strength. But it's not just our strength, you know, it's. We're going to do it in everything we have. We're going to dedicate our lives to him. But it's his strength now, because we've been clothed in his glory, you know, but our before. We can go on to the other members that were the thumb and the toe, like we have to be knowing God, listen to them.
Nathan:The more I listen to my wife and more I talk to my wife, the more I find out about her, and that's the same with our Lord is that the more and more we listen, the more and more we we talk to him, the more and more we get into fellowship with them. Like what you're talking about, when we're alone in our closets, we're praying and we're we're receiving a word from the Lord, like that's what I'm praying for others to hear.
Imran:We're praying to hear what?
Nathan:Christ has to say.
Imran:Christ has to say you know, because that's what Jesus talks about, Like not my will, but yours. Yeah you should be mostly listening.
Nathan:Yeah, yeah. So after that he takes the blood and puts it on Aaron and his sons right thumb. You know, and what this significance of this is that service equals worship.
Imran:Yeah.
Nathan:Service equals worship and the service for the priests. It was their worship to God. It was their worship to God. And now our worship to God comes from our service to those around us, serving God and serving our community, serving our church. So when have we ever tried to? I don't. I have two thumbs, but it must be really difficult to do anything without a thumb, you know it's really difficult yeah. I can only imagine, you know, just flipping through a Bible.
Nathan:You know and pick up that cup of coffee without a drop of that, not in your house, but anything, probably just trying to screw a screw in, yeah, flipping through the Bible. You know, we take it for granted, you know, but in that the tasks that we do in the Lord have to be done in worship, these, all these tasks have to be done, anointed.
Nathan:We have to be anointed by God and living him, living through us, in order to get any task done in him. You know, we have to have to have been hearing from him, we have to be walking with them. But our act of worship and I think we've gotten a lot of, and I see it, a lot is like I love to serve, I really love to serve, Like I love doing things for other people and doing it onto the Lord. You know, I love it because it's, it's my, whether I have a bunch of money to give someone or not, whenever I can serve someone, just helping them with something, it's a. It's a, it's a form of worship to my God. You know it really is, you know.
Pastor David:Yeah, and one of the one of the big things we a couple of things I want to mention here. I was talking about it. The motorcycle ride, for example. Going and doing that was was phenomenal and I I could see myself getting stuck in that and the blessing of riding the bike and and getting so caught up in the bikes and the brotherhood and all that and and because it's so fantastic. But I, when I do things like that, I really like making breakfast for everybody. That was my passion, like even though the wood didn't burn how I wanted it to, and I could and I caught on fire.
Selena:You did.
Pastor David:Well, nile's not supposed to know and you weren't supposed to know. But I caught on fire a little bit.
Imran:Oh, my God, your wife, your wife rescued me and and, oh my God, yeah, it wasn't when were we doing this?
Nathan:I don't know what were we doing.
Selena:You were off doing the final study.
Imran:Oh, so I was right when it got. Oh, as well as doing while I was teaching.
Selena:No, no, I'm saying you went off to to read the Bible and prepare, yeah, yeah, the message.
Imran:Yeah, I went and disappeared for like 30 minutes to just prepare myself.
Selena:You fed us all. We were a good amount of numbers.
Imran:I will also say, yeah, that was. It was like 28 people and I really appreciate that. So this was my first time. Well, yeah, I guess for the for the sermon that I did the tavern ankle, I went to work on Saturday because I had stuff to catch up on.
Imran:I did the one thing I needed to do and then I spent like five hours just like going through the material and preparing my notes and all that and now and so went away on my own to just study and like being intentional about it and then so I didn't get to do that, leading up to and I know I wanted to do a Bible study. At least I wanted a Bible study to be done and I didn't want to just put it off on on you to do Like I want to continue to grow this skill. But I didn't get a chance to really rehearse and I was like I can't do this from the hip because it is going to be insulting to just like I'll just say whatever. So, yeah, that's why I went off for like 30 minutes to just like pray and read and study, and it's like I need to make sure that what I'm saying is not coming just like off the top of my head, it's actually coming from the Lord being intentional and coming from the Lord.
Pastor David:You know it's exactly what we're talking about here, and that's beautiful that you went and what a beautiful spot to go away and pray. I got, provided there was like an alcove out there.
Imran:I didn't know, I didn't know where we were going to end up. I didn't know, but I knew I was going to and I was hoping. I was like, please don't just be like an open plane and they just see me walk off into the nothing and sit on the ground.
Nathan:I went hiking back there and I seen you, so I went the other way, you know, but I was like yeah, yeah.
Pastor David:And so in those, in those times because I that's that free church and at how most churches are, you know, you hear about being the hands and feet of Jesus you know, and it's important that and to hear from God, but then to get to work like you're to, to to be in servant hood, you know, and to find ways like whenever.
Imran:To actually be in service to the kingdom and not just be a citizen of the kingdom.
Pastor David:Yeah, exactly, and so when I like, will we do outreach or we do whatever we do. I love cooking for people and I love that my hands could serve.
Imran:Yeah.
Pastor David:You know what I mean, and so that, and even with them, when I went with to meet with Pastor David about the food ministry, you know it's it was important that we prayed. It's important that we hear from God. We both have been praying for this and and we met with Paul. Paul was there and that's his name, correct.
Imran:Paul Bibriasca.
Pastor David:Yeah, and we met with him and my mom and it was us four and we were just talking about it and it's like now we're we're hearing from God in this, but it's going to take our hands. Like we're going to have to make meals. We're going to have to go out and deliver meals. We're going to. But that's what's? That's the exciting part. To me, it's the tangible.
Imran:Yeah, it's Lorenda. Our um worship leader always says this phrase of like let them, let him be the skin on Jesus. You know, like, like, we're that tangible expression that other people see. You know, they can't see our insides, they can't see our heart and our organs move, but they see the result of all that action because they see our skin move, they see our eyes blink and stuff like that. And so she says let him be the skin on Jesus. And it's like that's the highest calling. I think you could yeah.
Imran:It's to be that that physical expression of God's work um on on on this earth, and it's, and that's what we explained to our lead.
Nathan:Our center for giving. That's what we are, that we are. Whenever someone in our discipleship has a desire to ride a motorcycle but, most importantly, has a desire to follow Jesus for the rest of her life, we let them know that it's putting on this cut with this patch. This first oldest is not a step up. It's not you've made it. It's honestly a step down you have. Now. You are the first one there, you're the last one out. We serve. That's what we do. We are the servants, we. We get in there and whatever needs to be done wherever we find an area that needs a helping hand. That's where we're at. That's what this is for. It's not for you know to make ourselves cool.
Selena:I love that you guys have that on your shirts. Trained to serve Jesus. I absolutely love that and I see it with set free. It's like wow.
Nathan:Yeah, and that's what we try to do and we want to keep doing in 29th and Paul's communities get out there and, just wherever we're needed, serve. We got you know if we can do it, we'll do it you know, and in that it's the greatest opportunity to let them know why we're doing.
Nathan:it is because Jesus is doing it through us, you know, and that's it's not so we can glory in ourselves and not look what I've accomplished or anything like that. It's that Jesus Christ has given me a gift of servant. This is a prize possession that I can actually go into places. I've been to city hall meetings, you know, and talk with sheriffs and stuff Me personally from my background. It was really weird doing that, you know, it was really weird, but it's Christ in me has moved me and sent me a part for a new thing.
Selena:All points back to Jesus. Yes, they all points back to.
Nathan:Jesus, and that is that is why.
Pastor David:My before being born again, in our old life. You know there was communities that would would come together to try to get us kicked out of our area of residence. You know they would file petitions and stuff. There was a time in our life where the whole community around us put together a petition with the mayor and the and the city council and all this stuff in Ykaipa and they put together a whole lawsuit to get us kicked off.
Pastor David:This is before, before, before Christ yeah way before it, jesus 15 years ago, yeah, and. But to now be in Christ and, you know, to receive the Mayor's Choice Award, yeah, you knew to go up there and to receive the Mayor's Choice Award. It was like, wow, god is so good, Totally turned around my life, and it's through his sanctification. It's through who I am in Christ, like my position.
Imran:It's as it goes back to that beauty is being shown through his glory. Yes, exactly, exactly.
Nathan:Cause I'm rough. You know, I got tattoos everywhere. I you know. But it's his glory. It's his glory and it will forever be his glory. It will never be my glory. You know and I will walk in wherever we're at. You know, and Christ is the reason I am who I am today and will continue to carry me on that way.
Nathan:And that is, he is my cornerstone, he is my God, you know, and I just love it. That I mean, our guys love serving, they just love serving, they love going out there. So that's why we do it.
Imran:It's cause it's, that it's like we see that passion.
Imran:Yeah, you know like we see the Holy spirit going like working through all, and you don't have, I feel and this is just an observation, being in, I guess, a lot of churches now, cause we've been all over the country, people generally in the church want to do something. Yes, and they're like oh, I just wish I could get on stage and you know, sing and stuff like that. And I'm like, well, do it. You know, I was like I've heard you sing next to me in this aisle and you sing pretty good, like it'll go up there, do it. And they're like oh well, I'm just like afraid of X, y, z thing.
Imran:It's like you're not, it's not about you, it's not about you. It's like there's a gap on the stage where worship needs to be done and you have the skill set. You've been given the skill, the talent to go be this, to be like and on Jesus in this moment to you know, help with that worship. Or someone's like oh well, I just want to serve. And it's like then go serve. You know. It's like, oh, I just wish the women's ministry or the men's ministry was this is like well, go lead it. Like clearly, you have some ideas, you have some capabilities, you have some thoughts and it's like well, go do it. Don't let your personal pride, don't let your shame, don't let your fear cause.
Imran:That's all the devil's tools, right there that are holding you back from being, from being more and more sanctified, from being the representative, from being the witness, from being that one that's going ahead, you know.
Pastor David:MacArthur Wright's house. The prior mayor, pastor Mac, and he he called me and he says Nick, I heard, I heard Seth Fried does comes out and does stuff. He's like my backyard needs help, you know, and he's like I don't know if you guys can handle it, I don't know if it's something within your, but we went back there and we handled it and it wasn't a big deal. We had like eight to 10 guys and he had tools and it was just a little bit out of order, you know. But we just put it all in order for him and we served that backyard, we served him and when he seen it it totally blew his mind, you know.
Pastor David:And then that just started a ripple effect of other opportunities for us to go to other people's homes because Mayor Mac was referring us from in city council meetings, you know, Saying look at these guys, if Pastor Nick, if Pastor Nick knows a guy that will come help you, you know. And so it's just been this ongoing process and I want to believe that and you see that integration.
Imran:It's like that one, like selfless act of like cause. You could have been like. I'm a pastor, I'm a representative of the kingdom, I don't clean backyards for their mayor, but I was there with them doing it, you know.
Selena:You believe I'm saying you could have said that.
Imran:And I could promise you that a lot of Christians and people in the community and church would have been like oh yeah, that's like. Why would he be asking a church to come out and clean his backyard for him? Like that's the politician, how dare he? But in that selfless act, god has multiplied that, yeah, and he In ways that we could never have comprehended.
Pastor David:Yeah, and he blessed us and it's just made a relationship of just a friendship and a family. It's just beautiful because we were willing to use our hands to the worship of God first and foremost. You know and it's like I want to believe that that's what the priest felt when that blood went on their thumb that our hands are meant for God's duty. Our hands are meant for worshiping God any way that is. And I believe that Aaron you know what an inspiration to Moses he was, and just it was Aaron and so I feel it. I feel that God has blessed these hands, yeah, yes, and he has sanctified them and consecrated them for his service, and I find joy in that.
Nathan:Yeah, I do too, I do too, and wherever we're needed, wherever we're needed, you know, I'm not the greatest singer, but I seen a spot in the church that needed to be filled to sing and I'll go up there and do it, because it's not for me, it's not, it's not for me, I know, and sometimes it's hard and sometimes it gets rough, but I just gotta remember that it's for the Lord, it's for the Lord, it's to worship him and it's to draw his people into worship. That's what it's about. So, wherever is needed, my hands are there, you know.
Imran:Absolutely yeah. So tell us more about the process then. How do we actually go through this process?
Nathan:So I think in this process is the first thing would be knowing our position, knowing that once we are seated with Christ, that we take on his nature, you know. So it's not just, it's nothing that we have gotten ourselves. You know, I'm not a natural server myself, I'm not a good listener myself.
Imran:I would say most human beings probably aren't natural servers and aren't natural.
Pastor David:But we were created to worship.
Nathan:We were created.
Pastor David:God put it in us, so once he's in us, then it comes like natural. Yeah, absolutely.
Nathan:We can't do this priestly duty you can say that a priestly duty or this Christian walk without first taking on Christ nature.
Imran:Yeah, cause it doesn't make any sense without it.
Nathan:Yeah, and in his nature he was a great server, right, oh yeah.
Selena:Fantastic.
Nathan:He said I did not come to serve.
Imran:I did not come to be served, but to serve right yeah, washing the feet and washing the feet like that was his he did that, Like he said, specifically for the son of man he did not come to serve but to be served.
Nathan:Yes, exactly, he did not come to be served, but to serve. Yes, and he also listened to the Father, you know. But there was another thing that he did throughout his ministry that was really important. It was his walk.
Pastor David:I really want to hear about the great-grandto, great-grand-grandto. Oh my gosh.
Nathan:Cause all these things, these listening to God, of course, is really important. It should be at first important and then serving. But what really shows people and shows our servanthood and shows that we are part of the kingdom, is our walk, is that walk.
Nathan:It is the walk, it is the walk. So, as the blood was put, doubt on their right toe, it was a resemblance of their walk. Yeah, how their walk would be with balance, with integrity, would be on to God and that, no matter what they were doing, that those around them would see that their walk was in dedication to the Lord, that their life, their whole life, would be set apart for his glory. You know, every part of their being would be for his glory.
Pastor David:The walk is kind of like the witness you know how are you walking, are you witnessing Jesus? And it's just beautiful how Jesus said, how blessed are the feet that bring the gospel.
Selena:Yes.
Pastor David:And yeah. Even in the armor of God, the shod, the feet with the gospel of peace, you know.
Selena:Yeah.
Nathan:And then in Matthew 5.16, it says let your light shine before men that they may see your glory and good works and glorify your Father in heaven. My walk wouldn't be that much if my position wasn't Christ and his nature in me, in how I heard, how I served and how I walked. Yeah, you know, that is his nature. That is his nature that I'm setting my members aside for his work and that's the step. That's like the. I think for me that is the first step after being born again. It's like, okay, I know Christ, but how does this walk work now?
Selena:Yeah.
Nathan:You know, okay, I'm born again, but what do I do next? I've been washing the work filled with the Spirit.
Imran:Yeah, but what?
Nathan:Now what? Yeah, well, there's a setting aside. Yeah, there's a filling up, there's a sanctifying, and it's realizing our position in Christ. It's not so much that we have to learn something new, it's just have to understand something that's in us already.
Imran:Yeah.
Nathan:You know, and it's that immediate thing that happens when we confess Christ and we're born again. Now I'm setting aside. God is setting aside my vessel for a special purpose.
Imran:Yeah, because I said I missed that first confession. There's really that admission that I'm not enough. Yeah, you know, it's like you live your whole life thinking that like I can do this, I can do that, I can accomplish anything, and then you have that break of like wait a minute, I can't do anything on my own I can't do life right, I can't do marriage right, I can't do my job right, I can't progress through.
Imran:I can do my finances right, but through Christ I can do all things. Yeah, and that's that confession and that starting, that's the importance of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor David:You know, because the first job of the Holy Spirit was to convict of sin, righteousness and judgment. And so when you get that Holy Spirit in you, it's like that Holy Spirit's the one that says okay, it tells you that you're not enough.
Selena:Yeah.
Pastor David:You're not enough. You're a sinner and you're not right. Your ways have not been right this whole time.
Imran:It's sour sin and it's sour sin it does.
Pastor David:And it's. I'm so thankful that he left us with that Holy Spirit and the job of convicting sin and righteousness and judgment Cause. Now we, it doesn't not make sense. It makes perfect sense because it's super naturally and put it in, imputed into us and it's like it kind of not that. I feel bad for the guys in the Old Testament, but it's almost like man. They were just almost stuck on position, yeah, and they didn't know where to go from there.
Imran:Yeah, they were guided by the law and that was it. Yeah, they didn't have the Holy Spirit to really reveal those acts of the flesh and through the work of the spirit, or in them, you know. Yeah.
Nathan:And for anybody listening to this podcast.
Imran:The works of the spirit, not the works of the spirit. Is that?
Nathan:once being born again, it's like I know, for me, once I was born again, it's like wow, everything I didn't know is not right anymore. So, where am I left? Yeah, where am I left? At now, I can't do the things I want to do, you know?
Imran:Yeah, right, so what am I supposed to fill this with? Yeah, what do I?
Selena:fill this with the new identity.
Nathan:Well, I know that my life is supposed to be. From what I hear, from what the pastor teaches, from what I'm listening, what I'm reading, it's supposed to be for Gloria God. So how do I do this? Well, my members have to be set aside for this purpose. It's like how do?
Imran:I do this and I still have to go to work the next day. I'm still battling this addiction. I'm still dealing with my broken marriage. I'm still dealing with kids that hate me. It's like now how do I glorify Christ and all of this brokenness that I'm still in? Like you wake up the next day after being baptized and you're still in whatever you were in the day before. But now you recognize that how wrong it is and it's probably pretty terrifying.
Pastor David:Oh, it's heartbreaking, yeah, it's heartbreaking. You get crushed and smashed down on all sides, but there's a point of repentance that has to happen to where you're like I'm not gonna get stuck in shame, I'm not gonna get stuck in this, there's no more condemnation. You hear those things as you get broken, or hopefully you're hearing some of those things, because that should be the gospel message that you're hearing at church or that you're hearing from pastors is. You know, you hear of your sin, you get convicted by the Holy Spirit, you've been saved and baptized, and then you should be hearing that there's no condemnation.
Pastor David:Do not get stuck in that, but to repent and come to the Father and come to Jesus, and so the Holy Spirit in you is like you're my dearly beloved child and I got you Break open your heart and I'm here, you know, cause it's that heart surgery that comes from Jesus and the Holy Spirit and end up. And so the important thing to know is that once you do that, once you've heard that and you've felt that in your heart, then it's time to set aside your hands and set aside your feet for the work of the Lord now, for service and worship to God, whether it be in lifted up in surrender during worship and during all of your life, or whether it be getting your hands into something that glorifies God. And there's so many struggles that come along with that, because then you get tested with your pride, you get tested with thinking, you're doing it, and God humbles you. But there's such a learning process when you give up your members, your hands and your feet for the gospel.
Nathan:Yeah, and it wasn't just left there, it wasn't just the ear, the thumb and the toe, if we remember to the text that he threw the blood on the altar, took some of the blood and the oil, mix it together.
Imran:Yeah. The oil used to anoint the kings, yes, and the blood used for sacrifice.
Selena:Exactly, and he blends it together and throws it on them.
Nathan:The blood and doesn't anoint their head anoints their body, their body, and that is the clothing of Jesus' blood on us, and it's anointing of the spirit and the blood covers yes, and that is the perfect thing that transition us into the progressive.
Imran:I never noticed it's the same verbiage yeah, covered by the blood, like literally the priests were covered by the blood that was laid on the altar.
Pastor David:Yeah, and it was all the plan from God, all the whole time that Jesus would come and be the ultimate consecration for us that he would be the ultimate sacrifice. You know, we see this picture so much of animals being sacrificed to the Lord, the blood being spilled, the blood being spilled priests and the people of God. Knowing their position, they know who they are.
Imran:Yeah.
Pastor David:You know they're not afraid to say it, but it seems like they keep running into this wall. What our history has proven, it's the people of God do good for a while.
Imran:And then they slip. And then they know that they know their position.
Pastor David:They know that their God's people, a prophet, would come and fire them up and everything would go good and they'd walk with God, they would listen to his word, they would get busy, they would serve and love God and worship, you know. And then all of a sudden they start hearing and listening to the things around them, other nations and other things, and it's our history and the word of this thing. It's not. How do I explain it? It is enough to have your position in heaven and your positional sanctification, but there has to be Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is what brings our progressive in.
Pastor David:And that is what has made it enough is the Holy Spirit living through us.
Nathan:Yeah, because the blood, the blood is what cleanses our sin right.
Nathan:It's taking away our sin. The spirit is what moves us away from sin, continually moves us away from sin. Those two mixed together the blood of Christ and the spirit of God on us is anointing is what helps our progressive sanctification process Knowing, when that I do fall and do stumble, that the blood has covered that, not using that blood as in some excuse to sin never that but knowing that it has covered my sin past, present and future. But then also the spirit that's inside me, convicting in my sin and walking in newness life.
Imran:I think that it's also interesting that it's just like the blood covering the royal, like based on the priestly clothes and the anointing and sorry, the oil being mixed with the blood, the oil being that was used to anoint kings and being mixed as well. That was a visual representation of that process, that sanctification, that being set apart. Yes, and it's just like how, if we are truly living in a sanctified way, in a set apart way, our walk is that obvious, should be that obvious representation of that being set apart. We're not asked to walk around with blood covered with rich clothes, but we're asked to walk in a way that shows a life filled with the spirit and it should be just as obvious as if you're walking around with blood stained clothes.
Nathan:Of course, yeah.
Pastor David:Yeah, and I just love the oil that represents the Holy Spirit.
Pastor David:You know that, and the foreshadow of it all, that he continued to tell people there's prophecy after prophecy of a coming king and that he would spill his blood.
Pastor David:You know, and it's just beautiful to me, it's beautiful to me and it kinda stirs my heart and just like I was saying earlier, the Hebrews and the priests and Moses, and all these people, man, all the people of God, man, it's just what they went through for us today. You know, I know it was Jesus that did it for us. But all the toil and hardship and wandering, and then for me today to get all been out of shape over something little, but here these patriarchs of the faith walked in the desert for 40 years, wandering and sacrificing and getting right with God, and then not getting, and then wandering off again, you know. And then now we get to experience really being born again and having Jesus living in us. And then shame on me if I get ungrateful at times when I have the spirit of God living in me. That should be enough. That should be enough for me to walk and to serve and to love and to be filled.
Nathan:Yeah, to fill the hand.
Nathan:To fill the hand or fill up to be consecrated to be set apart to be sanctified for here's good purpose, you know, and in Romans 613,. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourself to God as being alive from the dead and your members of instruments of righteousness to God. Like that is, we present ourselves every day to the Lord of being an instrument of righteousness. All our members belong to him now, and that goes into what we do daily. What we do daily because Christians still have tendencies, simple tendencies, evil desires lurking around the corner.
Pastor David:Yeah, if we're not filled, yeah, one more thing before we venture off into progressive, and it's about David, king David. One of the things he did when he sinned right, when he the sin of adultery, when he was caught in that and when he was heartbroken over that and when there was real repentance in his life, the word said that David consecrated himself and he took off all his clothes and he bathed himself and to concentrate himself back to the Lord. You know, and so it's just beautiful to me that even in the process of acknowledging our sin, when David acknowledged his sin, when he was confronted by God with it, he understood that he was dirty and he needed to consecrate himself back to God, you know, by taking his clothes off, by bathing and becoming new, becoming something new after that repentance. And I think that's a beautiful example of now, you know, of walking into the progression.
Nathan:Yeah, because this life is not. Look, I'm saved. Look what I'm doing now, you know. Look what I can do now. God has saved me. He had pulled me out of that life. Look what I can do now. It's more. I'm saved now. Look what God is doing as I cooperate, you know. Look at what God is doing through me as I cooperate with his spirit, as I yield to his spirit, as I listen to his voice, as I am being sanctified daily, even though some of the old things the old man likes to creep up, paul continually talked about it. Right, he said, not that I have reached it yet, but I press on, right, nick, I press on to the goal upward. You know he continually talks about it that there's this process that we go through as Christians, that sin is lurking at our door, waiting for who it may devour, you know, and it's right around the corner if we're not in tune with the spirit.
Pastor David:And time and time again. You hear Paul, you hear other heroes in the faith, you hear them say things that point to it's not enough just to say I'm going to heaven, I'll be all right. You know I got my position. You know I'm going to heaven, so it's good. You know I believe in Jesus, I'm fine, like that's the core of it.
Imran:Yes, that's your position is took and care of right, but that's by no means do we go on sinning and taking our pride and arrogance and our ways into that, because it's so scary, and it's also arguably like if so, I guess you may have said that confession, but if you're willing to just continue a life of sin, did you really make that confession in your heart?
Pastor David:Exactly, and that's why progressive sanctification is so important, because there has to be fruit and there has to be that life change that transformation, Like how do I know I'm saved?
Imran:It's like well, look at your life. You can know that you're saved by looking at your own life. Have you progressively sanctified in your actions through your life? Yeah, and there's I like to call it like that can only happen through the Holy Spirit. Like you, on your own you would just do whatever you want. Yeah.
Nathan:And checking if it's like real, real godly fruit, you know, because it can get a little messed up sometimes, where people can do things that look like they're godly. You know and I call it artificial fruit you know that they're good acts, you know they're good. They're like well, just fruit snacks.
Imran:Yeah exactly.
Nathan:They look good in appearance, they look like they're fruit, but they're not fruit. They're not fruit. That's from the spirit, you know. And that's the issue at core is that we have to daily be becoming more and more like Jesus. It's not so much finding someone new, it's really finding out who we are now in the Lord you know, and drawing that out of us.
Selena:Yeah.
Nathan:And being sanctified through and through, you know, from glory to glory. And that's how we walk in this new. We found our position in Christ. We know that we're in him, we're clothed with him, that we, our members, are set aside for his glory, that now we have a new way of life. Okay now, what do I do as I'm walking in Christ now and something comes up and I stumble and I fall or I get a thought well, I should be doing something different.
Imran:Yeah.
Nathan:I should be doing something different.
Pastor David:Yeah, and you know positional sanctification. Really it's justification. You know you've been justified, you've justification, just as if I didn't sin. You know you've received that mark, that seal of approval. And so, as you walk into that, the Holy Spirit is saying this isn't enough, like it is enough, but we need to change you, we need to transform you and you need to hold on, because this is gonna get real.
Pastor David:This is gonna get deep. It's never gonna be enough to just be mediocre and that's why, you see, you know some of the just the things that are happening here between you know, palms Church and Set Free Church, just these two churches, right, just the amazing things that are happening between us and this community, and just it's powerful. It's really powerful to think that at the beginning I thought how in the world am I gonna relate with the Marine town? How in the world am I going to relate?
Imran:Oh my God, you know, and just crazy. And now we talked like before the podcast, like how similar, similar we are, and it's just. It's like a bunch of 18 year olds that came from any other walk of life trying to integrate into an organization that does not stand for their nonsense, and Christ does not stand for your nonsense.
Pastor David:So, and time and time again, god, jesus, the Holy Spirit, revealed to me. Time and time again, they show me that, hey, that's when you're wrong. Is, how are you gonna do this? Because, time and time again, and my mind is blown on how it happens, because I was trying to think of ways, in my own ways, to relate to someone else's ways.
Pastor David:But the Holy Spirit, I said, okay, I'm just gonna let you do this, god, and just kind of walk through some things and meeting you and doing our first thing at the church, the biker tabernacle, and going on that ride, it just kind of opened this, this huge door of the Holy Spirit working through all of us and it's just, it's beautiful, man, and so that justified part, experiencing your position and knowing that God has saved you, and being broken and being born again and then saying you know what, this is real, there's no denying the Holy Spirit's power. It kind of leads us into that that. Okay, and now there's some things that need to change. There's some things in me that I need to change and you hear that prayer of David that search my heart, oh Lord and if there's anything in me that is crooked or not of you, take it.
Pastor David:Take it from me, you know. And so that as we're walking into this progressive sanctification and knowing that there needs to be a change, then we have to understand that things are gonna hurt, we're gonna walk into some things that we're not used to, but God's gonna use those for his glory. And so separation, sanctification, separation and being separated from our old ways and progressing in that separation of the believer from evil and its result of obedience to the Word of God, progressive sanctification is what gradually separates the people of God from the world and makes them more and more like Jesus. Sanctification differs from justification in several ways.
Pastor David:Justification is a one-time work of God resulting in a declaration of not guilty before Him, because the work of Christ on the cross and sanctification is a process beginning with justification and continuing throughout life. So we begin with our confession of faith, we begin with getting justified, like, how in the world is a person like me going to even deserve this? Because I know I should be punished for the things I did, and to walk into that noon it's like, oh my gosh, that's amazing that my father loves me enough to forgive me and die on the cross for me, and that's what leads us into progressive sanctification is really believing that by faith. It's not the easiest thing to believe, and if there's anybody listening right now I can understand it. It's hard to believe the cross, the dying, the rising from the grave, the Holy Spirit coming in you this stuff isn't it, but faith.
Imran:It's not just faith, it's like truth is truth, because we were talking about this before. It's like. The biggest difference with Christianity, between, like these other legends and these other religions, is that Jesus tells us to go, seek and you shall find. Like, if you go and do your own research, you will find truth. There you will find the historical figure that is Jesus Christ of Nazareth that lived and ministered and taught and died and rose from the dead and was seen by thousands and then the Christianity exploded from there. Ryan, actually Pastor, ryan actually asked Chat TPT if Christianity is true and Chat TPT's response is that there is like.
Imran:The uniqueness of Christianity is that there has been no religion in the history of mankind that exploded from the actual impact point of the event. Every other religion was set up later, based off of someone else's interpretation of a past event, but Christianity from the moment Jesus rose. It wasn't that a thousand years later we created a religion around. Maybe the idea that Jesus rose. It was that from the moment Jesus rose, the people that would have seen him rose went out and told everyone that he rose and other people saw him rise and they told people that he rose and that's how it expanded and exploded so quickly because there's no way this could have happened unless it was true. And that was like what Chat TPT came up with. It was like there's Christianity is unique in that it wasn't built later, based off of stories. It exploded from the impact point, from the point of him rising from the dead.
Imran:It exploded People were there to be able to say if it was true and be able to discredit it.
Pastor David:But no one did, but it's hard. It's a hard process becoming a Christian, being saved, walking in the light, especially growing up in a dark world or growing up around the dark, to where you accept things of the dark. You've learned that these ways are the world or that they're okay, and so to walk as a Christian and to walk in the light, it's hard when a lot of these other religions, it isn't that hard. It isn't that hard.
Pastor David:You just got to do a few rituals, make it look like you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, and everybody will leave you alone. But with Christ, this progressive sanctification, you're dirty. Everything's put out there. Your life becomes testimony, your feet become the gospel, your hands become the service and your ear is the process of it all getting into you. It's a hard thing, but it's so worth it.
Nathan:It's so worth it. I love what you brought up about the history and the truth of the gospel. There's so much truth out there and it won't be debunked, and in that, still, the only thing that will be able to please God is my faith, and the only thing that will be able to be sanctified is my faith.
Imran:Another interesting thing is people are like oh well, but faith. You have faith in so many more things than you ever comprehend on a day-to-day basis. You have faith that the world is going to continue to turn and that the sun will rise each day. But it's not that the sun's rising, it's that the earth is rotating and also revolving around the sun. You have faith that that's going to continue to happen. You are not out there in space. I know we have a few astronauts out there and able to physically observe the earth rotating.
Imran:But you're taking the evidence that's been presented to you and you're saying, okay, this evidence meets whatever standard that I have to make me believe in it. And it's like we have faith that if I put this cup down on the table, it's not going to go through the table. I believe in the concept of physical matter and that there are certain laws and rules that govern that physical matter, and so there are all types of things that we have faith in on a day-to-day basis, and so you can't say people that want to say, well, I just can't put my faith in it and it's like, well, then, do more research, because truth is truth and I promise you, if you seek, you shall find.
Nathan:And it's like for people that knew us before. Our testimony is proof of Jesus Christ. It's 100% proof of Jesus Christ. There wasn't no turning our lives around on our own. There was not. I was just real quick, short. I was a neo-Nazi. I was a skinhead for at least 15 years of my life, high ranking. I was really in prison a few times, like I talked about last time I was in an Nordic god. I did all their rituals, I did all their oaths. I did all that.
Imran:That is no part of that person that, like, crashed your marriage, and all that too, everything.
Nathan:Everything crashed. Everything crashed and once I got saved, a lot of that stuff was wiped away. A lot of that stuff. I was no longer a racist, I was no longer in the gang, but there were still some things in me that needed to be wiped away. Blest was one of them. Still trying to politic, kind of politic, Like I was still in a yard or something, that was a thing in me too. There was a lot of different things in me that had to be woven out of me and through the sanctification and through learning who Jesus was inside me and what he wanted to do through me, it was a process of my sanctification, and now I know for a hundred and still is.
Pastor David:Yes, and still is until I am glorified.
Pastor David:And that's the three stage process. You know, because we understand, we've been understanding and going deep into the positional, other known as justification, our positional sanctification. Now we're venturing into the progressive, but there's also Sanctification is a three step process and you think of I have this note here, I really like the way it's put Our positional sanctification is a starting point of the line that represents one's Christian life. Progressive sanctification is the line itself. So the starting point of the line is the position bam, we're there. Yeah, now our Progressive is actually the line going down the line, going down the line, you know, and as Paul said, that that scripture, that Paul says you know this race, I have not made it, I've not, but I, I am on the line, I'm running, I'm running and I know where it goes. Yeah, you know, I know the end of the race and and that was yeah, and see.
Nathan:Also in that scripture he says I don't beat as one beating the air. You know, yeah, I don't fight. This fight is Uninformed. You mean, I do it in Christ power, pretty much I do it In the strength of him.
Nathan:But there is some Things you know and everything I've been through in my Christian walk up to this point, every test, every trial, every failure on my end, everything I've been through has given me an understanding of who Christ is in one aspect, that he is such a loving God that he is. Every time that I have fallen, he has picked me up and he has made me a better man. You know, and, and also to that, my sin will come out. My sin will come out. It won't, it will not be hidden. You know it will be exposed. You mean and he'll. You know the good thing about the spirit it can fix our heart and can fix our heart, convicts our heart, once we don't turn from that, and we, and, and we're doing, even in our walk of Christ, in our walk of Christ, if there's little things that we've pulled on to, if there's little sins that we're still nurturing and we're, we're petting, he, the spirit, trust me, the spirit tells us stop doing that.
Nathan:Yeah that's not it, that's not something you should be doing, and it will tell us over until it does expose our sin and if you don't, he'll dislocate your hip. Hey, and that's. I love that because that's the truth. Like he in my walk of Christ, he has no reference go to the Jacob episodes.
Imran:Yeah, he has done that to me.
Nathan:He has not my physical hip, but he has Took it everything from me because I wouldn't turn from the sin. I wanted to hold on to you, yeah, and in being in Christ I was back in a prison cell. Yeah, I've got a prison cell and I wanted.
Pastor David:I wanted to speak a little because I'm his, I'm a, I'm his older brother, I'm his pastor. I I've watched, I've watched the sanctification process happen in his life and to where it's built my faith. Yeah my faith as a man of God and and watching, I'm gonna share a little bit.
Pastor David:Oh, being in set free needles and him being my director, the one that I, when I first came back to the Lord, he was already in a position in the church. Oh, wow, and I didn't know. The timing was like that, yeah, and and. So when I first came back and then watching him fall and and having to see his marriage fall apart and Everything, and me sitting there like what the heck? And him telling me you know, I don't have a call, you know I'm God doesn't? God doesn't have a call in my life. I screwed it up. I'm not enough.
Pastor David:Yeah you know, and him pouring his heart out to me, saying that and I just didn't believe it, like I would try to talk it, you know I and and to watch it just fall apart in his life, unravel in front of my eyes, after I just came and and back to the Lord and then trusted in him and walked with him, and then to see his whole life unravel and, and Three or four, three years of all that and wreckage, and but to see what God's doing now through that wreckage.
Pastor David:Yeah, you know, and I don't, I don't think he knows it, but at that time he was about ready to be raised up as a deacon, you know, and but all things came unraveling and he was preaching, was doing all that and and and it was beautiful and I got touched so much at the beginning of my walk because of my brother and what was happening in his life and and so and then it all unraveled. But so to see that and to see where him and his wife and him and their kids are right now and God moving their life, and to see that, that because I just feel like someone on here that's listening needs to hear that, even if you've been involved in church and you've been involved in leadership and something bad has happened. That doesn't mean you're not enough, no more.
Imran:Yeah, it does justify yeah, you've already. Your position is already there.
Pastor David:You tripped on the line. Yeah, get up and keep running. Yeah, because now it's time for your process of sanctification. Yeah, to give up and think that it's your fault or you're not a good enough for God, and that's a lie.
Nathan:Yeah, it's a lie, because I lost my wife and the wife divorce divorce, kid gone, everything in prison, no one.
Nathan:And we are happily remarried. We are happily having another kid. We are like it was. There was no hope. There was absolutely no hope At all. The worst of worst that could have been done was done and it was gone for four years, four years, four years. Now we are remarried, we got another baby on the way. We're happy we still got, we're still going, we're going to counseling, marriage counseling. We're doing all this but it's Stification is a great process, you mean, and it's real, it ain't.
Pastor David:It ain't just how much you study the word or how much you Know about the word. You got to live in it.
Nathan:Yes, you got to live it and there's intimacy.
Pastor David:And so live by it, live by the word and for me watching this happen in my brother and watching this go down. And I had already married my wife and we had our son and and and and Everything that was his Was given to me. It was crazy and so I had to live with. I had to struggle and fight with maybe a guilt that was from the because I moved in. It was crazy, right, he fell, their marriage fell apart, it all unraveled and then a little bit later, after some things, I became the director. I moved into his house with his dog. His dog was still there.
Pastor David:And it was like what is this Lord like? Why? Why does my brother have to go back? And I fought with the Lord in this. Yeah, why am I still here? Why is he gone? Why? And it broke my heart. It broke my heart because before that and I don't know what's cool about all this is he probably doesn't know, but he's gonna find out right now.
Imran:No, it's good, it's good.
Pastor David:At that time, at the beginning, pastor Marty and set free needles was telling me about how he's gonna raise my brother up as a Deacon and all this stuff. But it never happened because of all the stuff that came unraveling and his, his sanctification process. But next Sunday I'm going to be raising him up as the deacon of set free church, amen, wonder Valley, and because I I've seen and I've heard and I've watched in the sanctification process and and so we're, he's gonna be in a position now as the deacon of our church. And so it's like gosh that's wait.
Imran:Do you know that that's happening next Sunday? No, wow.
Nathan:I don't know that. Yeah, I'm, and it's awesome, you know it's awesome. And whatever, wherever I'm at, no matter what I know, because I do know my call. Yeah, you know, I know that one day I'll be in pastoring a church. I know that, you know, I know that, that's you know. I know that for sure. It's been Michael for a long time. I just ran in. Yeah and, but I didn't know that and whatever position I'm in, I'm gonna do it to the Lord, you know. And.
Pastor David:Yeah, and that's usually how just a little history of set free, that's usually how we find out about things by surprise.
Pastor David:Not only that, but in set free we kind of go through the stages of being raised up as a deacon and then you're raised up as an elder, and then you're raised up as A pastor eventually, and you go plant a set free church, you know. So you go through the stages and so he's. He's on his way and I, I already know that at some point I'm gonna have to Let him go and go start a church, and that's part of the sanctification process too. You know, going through these things and having people you rely on and wanting to hold on to them, and these things, it's you got to rely on the sanctification process for that too.
Imran:So if we just set free church is so much like the Marine Corps and also so much like palms Church.
Imran:Yeah, man once, because the Marine Corps is Like this, like we are literally a lot of the times taking some of the event, very broken people off the streets and they're like I've been trying to do life, for I screwed up all of high school and I can't go to college. Can I join the Marine Corps? It's like, yes, can you do three pull-ups, we can work on the rest when you're at work, yeah, all right. And or people that, like I tried to do life for three, four, five, six, seven years and I, I just can't. I need some structure, I need some organization. And there and it's like you can, you don't you want to do it? I was like, yep, can you do three pull-ups? Okay, we can work on the rest of recruit training and we, we bring them into this good community and we train them up and and ideally, they conform to the organization's norms and rules and they do well, all right.
Imran:But then and then you have palms Church, which is a church that serves a primary, primarily Marine community. Yeah, that will, that does raise up pastors, raises up deacons, raises up ministers, and just to watch after three years they PCS somewhere and they go off and, yes, they spread the word, they spread the gospel, they spread the truth and wherever they're, pcs sing to. But, like the palms, has a theoretical limit of how much it can grow physically in 29 palms. Because of the book, because of the nature of it, because of the transient nature of it, because we are primarily serving a base, it's an infinite level that it can grow.
Imran:Yeah out like in the world. It's instead from this small little town of 29 palms, small town for me. Right Of 29 palms, you have a church that has built churches all over the world.
Selena:Amen, you know yeah, and in that way, you and our missionaries, because the Marine Corps is gonna send us wherever they decide to but, that's where and our mission, and that's gonna be our mission
Pastor David:and I love that, and that's, that's how you and this is a little bit off topic, but that's how Ministry is supposed to be designed- You're not supposed to just blow up your one church in this small you supposed to go out, and but what? She said about the Marines sending you. That's your job, that's your duty, but you know your real mission.
Pastor David:Yeah is is to continue in the work of the Lord. Yeah, and so it's just if, if, if people would understand that a little bit more before. They just wanted to get their job so they could work and provide for their families. That your job is your mission. That job is also in surface to the kingdom. Yeah, and that's if you can intertwine those. And what a beautiful opportunity you guys have from from God. You get to get sent by the Marine Corps to go preach the gospel.
Nathan:Yeah, yeah you know, ministry equals my life.
Imran:Yeah not.
Nathan:Ministry equals church activities and church events. Ministry equals from when I wake up to when I go to sleep.
Pastor David:You know, that's, that's you and that's what the early churches, they, they planted churches, they sent people, they, they exploded.
Imran:They passed. It was a live in the house of the churchgoers because they weren't focused on work. They were completely dedicated to the study and teaching. Yeah, and recording.
Pastor David:But the you know, and still, people had to work, people had to have jobs, people had to sell linen and sell purple and do these things because the church needed to be supported. But they gave and they, they gave of what they had so that everybody was supplied and and so I just I see that in this community, I see that with palms, I see that was set free, I see that with all a lot of the churches out here that are getting together and and and Loving the people of this community, you know, yeah, so when, where are we out here? I had to read a few things here because I jotted them down. So Sanctification is the three-step process the past, the present, the future. The first stage is what we've talked about for the last hour and a half. It's the beginning of our Christian lives. It's the initial Moral change, a break from the power of love, from the power and the love of sin. Is Is the point at which believers can count themselves dead to sin but alive in God. Roman 611 you, once sanctification has begun, we no longer are under sins dominion. There is a Reorientation of desires and we develop a love for righteousness. Paul calls it a slavery to righteousness.
Pastor David:The second stage of sanctification requires a lifetime to complete. I think that's the the importance of it that my life is For his glory and it will. I don't come to a spot of completion. I am becoming new, I am becoming changed, I'm becoming transformed.
Pastor David:My trials, my Tribulations, the things that I go through and how I surrender them to Christ is how I'm sanctified. Not by how good I worship or how good I serve, or but the things that really are real in my life is in and Choosing not to go the same way that the others are going or that I used to go. Because of that, that moral change in me, and I want to be a slave to Jesus and his righteousness in me. It's a lifetime, takes a lifetime to complete. As we grow in grace, we are gradually but steadily changing to be more and more like Jesus. This occurs in a process of daily spiritual renewal. The Apostle Paul himself was being sanctified, even as he ministered to others. Paul claimed that he had not reached perfection, but that he pressed on to attain everything Christ desired for him.
Nathan:Yeah, yeah, and that's that's what I think it's a big point about this progression is that there's gonna be some things that set us back. There will be, there will be and just understanding it when they come. It's a part of the process. It is a part of the process of being sanctified, being set of side for his work and that for For everybody to know that it's his grace that Saves us. It's his grace that saves us and in his saving grace we walk in the newness of Christ every day and his blood covers us, and then the power of the Spirit allows us to grow each day. The power of the Spirit convicts our hearts, the power of the Spirit moves us, the power of the Spirit leads us, you mean and then eventually we, we reach the destination that we're prepared for. He said, and the word it says to, that we make sure that we present each other perfect, right, and that's the perfection we every day is to make sure we teach people, to perfect them in Christ, so that when we meet Christ, we recognize Christ, christ recognize us.
Nathan:Now it's not just enough for us to be Justified. We have to be truly sanctified and and set apart in the world. We can't be of the world anymore. We have to be different. And it says, and Peter 2, 1, 3 says so put away all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk that by it you may grow up into salvation. Other scriptures refer to working out your salvation were fear and trembling like. There's this process of growing up into salvation.
Pastor David:We have our salvation secure, but just walking in that, just walking in that yeah, and you mentioned it the finish line, heaven and and it was actually I think it was a preach you did years ago and needles Nathan, I don't know. But you know I don't want to spend this life here on earth Just thinking that I'm okay to be saved and get to heaven and then when I get to heaven, just so surprised at heaven and scared of heaven because I'm not experiencing any of it here. Yeah, you know, I'm not experiencing the sanctification part. In sanctification you get to know Jesus. Yeah, you do. You have no other choice to get to know Jesus in some of the hard moments Because he's the only one that can save. He's the only whoever calling the name of Jesus, whoever you know, and those things are so real and we have to lean on those things in the sanctification process.
Imran:And so interesting that people think that, you know, coming to Christ means that their life is gonna be easy, or coming to Christ is gonna save you, christ is gonna solve all their problems and all that it's like. No, the Holy Spirit will probably reveal a lot more problems. Yes, that you have and life is going to get a lot harder as you serve and serve, and serve.
Pastor David:Yeah, and it's. It's important for us as we go to the highways and the byways and we bring people. You know especially the task of Go there for make disciples and going out. We have a search and rescue team and how we go out and I want to start hitting Palm Springs and under the bridges, but it's important for these leaders and I tell them look, you can't just tell them that they're going to a rehab and Everything's gonna be provided and just please come home so we can feed you and make and make everything. You have to tell them what they're getting into, yeah, yeah, like you're going into to surrender your life to Jesus. It's gonna be hard, yeah, it's gonna be hard. I want you to know that, that he's got you, that he give up your love, you gonna give up.
Pastor David:Yeah, there's a lot of things that are gonna change and it's gonna get ugly, it's gonna get hard, it's gonna get rough.
Imran:You're gonna confront things that you, intentionally, are probably doing drugs and drinking to not confront Exactly, and those things are gonna come up and you have to change so dying to yourself? Yeah, it's like we may give you food, but it's not going to be it all that you need. Yeah, there's gonna be so much more that's gonna be required of you yeah and it's it's crazy because it's not the easy way out.
Pastor David:I guess no that's it was easy, everybody would be doing it. Yeah right, it's hard.
Nathan:It is really hard, you know. It is really hard because not just the old things that we used to do before we were saved, but now there's new things that we try to do in Christ, you know, and those things become really bad and there's also some things that we pick up in Christ, yeah, or or being around certain people that we don't really claim as being bad things, but that can become forms of Worship to different idols. You know, these things we sometimes we idolize.
Imran:Just so many different things like the amount of like gossip insurance. Yes, I'm not a self-worship that comes out of like being on a worship team.
Nathan:That you know exactly, or just authority, the amount of authority, having a strict authority? Sometimes I'm finances finances. You know there's. There's so many different things that.
Imran:And there are so many more opportunities for the devil exactly to come in. Yes, you know, because again it doesn't get easier. It gets harder because now you get in the conviction, now You're become, now you're recognizing the sin, whereas you could just sin freely without thinking about it before. Now you have this, this thing in you that's telling you, hey, you shouldn't be doing that.
Nathan:Yeah, but I just want to yeah, you know, and it's not really and now you're fire in this fight with yourself.
Imran:Yes, you know, yeah, you are in this fight with yourself, yep and whoever it's a good fight, though.
Nathan:That's a good fight.
Pastor David:Paul said fighting alone. Yeah, paul said fight the good fight. Yeah, it's a good fight. It really is, it's. It's satisfying once you get through some things and you've walked and like, like my brother and I and and the things that we've seen in each other, that the places that we've came from, and just looking back and then seeing where we're at Now, it's like the rough times, the sanctification times were, are worth it.
Imran:Yeah they're worth it.
Pastor David:They're worth it and they're so gratifying to know that it's real.
Nathan:You know it's real and yeah so, yeah, I'm just a few more things to like touch on, like that. Is that? Like you're saying, is that a lot of these things that we used to do are more evident. They were more outwardly. The things that are done in Christ, that we're trying to, we need to be sanctified Progressively with, are the things that are done inwardly.
Nathan:Mm-hmm you know Backbiting inwardly, you know gossip inwardly that eventually will pour itself out. But then there's other things, that hatred and and lust and and ego and stuff that these things we look and we're like man, these things are ugly. You know, these things are ugly and they're not of Christ. So I have to get rid of these. And there's scripture I'm gonna think it's um Collosians 3 5 says if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good, put you death there for whatever belongs to your earthly nature, mm-hmm. Sexual morality, impurity, lust, evil, desire and greed, which is idolatry. You know, like there's these things it tells us over. Look all right, you might have been freed from these things, but also you need to be freed from these things too.
Nathan:Yeah there's these things that you have now carried along into this new walk, this new life, and these also. You have to rid yourself of, these also backbiting evil, just all this stuff that we, we accumulate in Our life, you know, it's why.
Pastor David:God is the one true God, yeah, there's never. You don't run out of things you could. You could work on no you know, with every other religion, with every other thing that man does, whatever job, work, you know. There you get to a point of where you've made it to the top, yeah, you're, you've done everything you could do To get to where you're at. And now, what do you do, you know? But with Jesus, with, with Christianity, with with being a Jesus, there's, there's always.
Pastor David:I'm telling you the longer I work, work, the longer I walk with him and and being sanctified, the more I realized that I need. There's still some things that I really need help with.
Imran:I think it's also true that people often think that they know God. They think like, oh, I know enough, but I know what God stands for, I know what, who he is. I have an idea of what you know you Christians are right but it's like I don't even know my wife, you know, it's like I don't, even I don't. If you asked me today, like what she thinking, it's like I have no idea what she's thinking. Like I don't. And it's because, like, she is an infinitely complex person that is constantly generating More ideas, more thoughts, constantly making new connections, new decisions in her head and manifesting those things into the world. All right, and so over the course of the day, over course of 24 hours, she's had 24 more hours of new thoughts, new connections, new pathways being made, new thoughts, new ideas, new concepts being realized, and it's like, and then doing that every day of her life. So I can never know her because she can never communicate the infinity that is going on in her head to me.
Imran:Yeah, how much more so is God Right? That is one other person in our life and and the person that I most know From the concept of like anyone else in my life. But I can, I will never, ever even come closer in knowing and it's an infinitely small amount about who she is on the grand scheme of things, like, how much more so is God? Yeah, and and in, and infinitely, all knowing, all Like, ever present, omnipresent, existing, out of time, you able to observe all time, being able to plan things before time, through time, placing, placing Jesus in time to do things for us, based off like in the beginning, was the word right? Oh, he's like. Jesus was identified, I was identified, I was set aside before time. All right things about what I was going to do in decisions I was going to make, we're written down in a book before I was even like a concept in my parents head. Right, yeah, how much more so is God compared to the people that in our lives?
Imran:like we think we know people, but do you really?
Pastor David:yeah, you know, yeah, and he never runs out.
Nathan:He's always there's always the hubris of people to claim to know yeah, god, so yeah.
Nathan:Yeah. So I think that what we can get out of there is that the spirit is what's gonna draw us to be sanctified in that this progression is is a lifelong thing, is a lifelong thing. But we have to be planted in a church, we have to be around Believers, we have to be accountable, we have to be accountable to people. We have to Really be in this walk, really be in the Lord, really be clothed with his righteousness, really be, know what our position is, know that our members are set aside for his work that he has prepared in stuff in advance for us to do Absolutely you know, and in that not covering ourself with the things of God, but literally putting on and Operating with the God in the skin of.
Pastor David:Jesus, yeah it, because I feel like, even for me, sometimes I get lost in the ministry of things and doing, doing, doing, yeah, but I then I get ahead of, I get ahead of God you know, and so then you trip.
Imran:Yeah, you trip on the line?
Nathan:You sure do. Yeah, I'm right too fast yeah.
Imran:Yeah, slow down. Sorry, yeah, but um.
Pastor David:I guess, um, so I I want to kind of a couple of the last part of this, right, the last part about two more hours, uh no, so the last part of sanctification is obviously, we all know, is our glorification. Yeah, the reward, the reward, the finish line, you know, and so it's, it's just, it's just beautiful to me that this three-step process, or like it's not even a step, but it's just all in one, and it kind of refers to our three-in-one God, you know, and this three-in-one process of Sanctification we have our position, our progressive, and then our future sanctification, which is our glorification, you know.
Pastor David:And so God's work in sanctification involves all three members of the Trinity God, the father, constantly at work, and his children to will and to work for his good pleasure. He changes our desires, making us want to please him, and he empowers us to do so. Jesus earned our sanctification on the cross and, in essence, has become our sanctification and the perfecter of our faith. The Holy Spirit is the primary agent of our sanctification and he is the one who produces the fruit in us, the fruit of sanctification. Our role in sanctification is both passive and active. Passively, we trust God to sanctify us presently, our bodies, presenting our bodies to God and yielding to the Holy Spirit.
Pastor David:It is God's will that you should be sanctified and God will have his way. Actively, we are responsible to choose what is right. Each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable. This involves putting to death the misdeeds of the body, striving for holiness, fleeing from immorality, cleansing ourselves from every defilement and making every effort to To supplement our faith. John makes it clear that we will never totally be freed from sin in this life. Thankfully, the work of God has begun in us and will he will finish it.
Selena:Amen.
Imran:Yeah, yeah, I am. I want to close out by going back to, to Exodus. Okay, so We've read to describe this thus, says the Lord, of what we need to do to Prepare Aaron and his sons to be the priest. And Then, in Exodus 39, we get this beautiful Description of everything that was done how they made the gold, how they twisted the fabric, how they wove it, wove the stones into the fabric, how they made the breast pleat, the breast piece, that he got the most skilled craftsmen and the most and the best workers to build this garment and these garments that were worn by Aaron and his sons. And. But you get all the way to the end of this incredible description of them executing God's plan exactly the way that it was given.
Imran:And Moses closes off this, this chapter, by saying or closes off this, this period, by saying so the Israelites did all the work according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. And Moses carefully inspected all of the work and, behold, they had done it Just as the Lord had commanded. So they had done it. So Moses blessed him, or blessed them. And I think that that's an incredible place to end it, because it really Goes back to that picture of how Jesus is describing us being sanctified and set apart. Yes, and at the end of it all, we will be blessed.
Pastor David:Yeah, yes, yeah, amen, and it's perfect. It's perfect and the way Jesus did it and set it all up from the beginning, the way God had it all planned, it's this perfect. Yeah, there's nothing else that we could go through besides this, this process of sanctification and being sanctified in Christ Jesus.
Pastor David:Absolutely and it was his prayer for us. It was his prayer for us before he went to dial across, so it has a lot of has a lot of weight to it. Yeah, this is where a Christian should be well, man, it's been a journey.
Imran:It's been a journey, but we have to catch you all on again. We have to get you on again with Ryan and just have, like I gotta get a fifth mic. We'll figure it out. It's been awesome having you all on for the last couple episodes, and so I truly truly appreciate you all hanging out with us. Yeah, and I cannot wait for our next ride. I cannot wait to see you all around the church. I can't wait to come to another bike or tabernacle, because I love set free church.
Pastor David:Yes, we love you at palms. Yeah, we love you guys, man, we love you and we're honored to be welcomed into your, your house, and to do church. We're doing church near house and so. Beautiful thing.
Imran:Thank you so much, thank you All right, and thank you all for tuning into real Bible stories. I hope you all really enjoyed this, this, this deep testimonial episode, because it's like you know, ryan, me and Selena, like we're always, once you know, telling you all like life story over the last two and a half years of this, of this podcast, and so it's good to hear that, that testimony, and hear that, that deep Love and passion, that that you all have, and I really, really appreciate that. So I hope you all enjoyed this episode, share it, send it out and be encouraged and, until we meet again, stay in prayer, go with God and we will see you next week.
Selena:Thank you for tuning in to real Bible stories. If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to leave a review, share and subscribe to be notified each week when we upload new episodes. Real Bible stories is produced in partnership with Palm Church in 29 Palms, california. If you would like more information or want to check out archive sermons and Bible studies, please check out the church website at palms Baptist church calm or check them out on Facebook, instagram or YouTube. Real Bible stories can be found wherever you.