Topic: Salvation and Sanctification [Open Heavens for Teens 21 July 2019]

Memorise: “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” – 1 John 5:18

Read: Ezekiel 36:26-38

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.

31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

32 Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.

33 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.

34 And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.

35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.

36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.

37 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.

38 As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Bible In One Year: Psalm 34-35, Acts 22

MESSAGE:

Salvation is very good, but it is not enough to win the heavenly marathon. You need to be sanctified. Sanctification is the process of deliberately studying the word of God and living by His instructions especially when faced with temptation to do the wrong thing. When you are sanctified, you will love righteousness and hate iniquity. At this point, you are no longer struggling not to commit sin, you actually hate sin.

If you are saved, congratulations, but are you sanctified? Jesus revealed the key to sanctification in John 17:17

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth”

We notice from this that it is only God that sanctifies. So if someone says they wants to pour anointing oil on you to sanctify you, you know they are lying. Secondly, sanctification comes by the word of God, so the more of God’s word you feed on, the closer you get to being sanctified.

Key Point:
You need to be sanctified to win the marathon race to heaven.

Also Read: Teen Open Heaven Daily Devotional by Pastor Adeboye

Hymn 7:

1 I am Thine O Lord, I have heard Thy voice, 
And it told Thy love to me; 
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Chorus:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

2 Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

3 Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!

4 There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.

Daily Devotional for Teen’s guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.