Introduction: The sanctification of the Body- It is a cleansing of the sins that are in the heart and that defile a person. To defile is to make unclean; render foul or dirty. The sin defiles the relationship and fellowship between us and Jesus Christ.
A healthy spirit and soul need a healthy body and if the body is given over to carnality, and the lust of the flesh, it weakens the body and the spirit and soul suffer. The whole man becomes spiritually sic.
It is the responsibility of a Christian to keep their body (temple) clean and separated from the world, the devil, and sins of the flesh.
As we discussed in the previous lessons regarding the sanctification of the soul and spirit, when we sanctify those two, from the inside out, there should be a noticeable outward change in the body.
I. The Body Must be Sanctified because:
The Body will make Us do Things we Shouldn’t- Galatians 5:17 “for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would”.
Galatians 5:19-21 -These are the sins that we should be aware of as a Christian because they make us loose an inheritance “shall not inherit the kingdom of God”.
The Body is God’s tabernacle, temple, and vessel- This body is a home for the soul and the spirit and God want’s this body to be used for His glory. God wants a clean temple and vessel. I Corinthians 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
The Body should be acceptable unto God- Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
The Body should bring Glory to God – I Corinthians 6:19 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
The Body should be in God’s Will- I Thessalonians 4:1-7 vs 3 “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour”.
II. The Body Gets Sanctified when: II Corinthians 7:1 “Having therefore these promises… let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”. This body gets dirty and needs to get cleaned up. The body gets sanctified by having and keeping boundaries that don’t line up with God. This body wants to see, smell, hear, taste, and touch, what it wants to. We must control this body and stay in the fear of God.
We die with Him so He can live in us- Romans 6:11-13 members- a subordinate part of the main body. Galatians 2:20 “the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”.
Mortify therefore your members – Colossians 3:5-7 to mortify is to subdue or bring into subjection.
We Keep our Members – Job 31:1 “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid”. Don’t watch anything on TV that is going to lead to something else.
We keep our body Under- I Corinthians 9:27 “But I keep under my body and bring it unto subjection”. Paul says in I Corinthians 15:31 “I die daily”.
In our flesh dwells no good thing- Romans 7:14-25 “for I know that in me that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not”. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
Walk in the Spirit and Not in the Flesh- Romans 8:1 “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”.
Romans 8:8 In the flesh we cannot please God. Romans 8:12-13 “mortify the deeds of the body”. Galatians 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
Conclusion: Our fellowship with God can either be close or far depending on how we handle the problems and temptations of the flesh. We have to clean the heart, our imaginations, our thoughts, and our lusts in order to have victory in this sanctification of the flesh.
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