®2019 Ken Miller BAND of BROTHERS is sponsored by MOMENTUM, the ministry to men at Christ Chapel Bible Church

BAND of BROTHERS – Fall Semester MOMENTUM Men’s Ministry / Christ Chapel Bible Church WEEK 11 – WHY YOUR UNSANCTIFICATOIN IS UNACCEPTABLE I. What does unsanctification look like? • What does it look like when we fail to live in the power of the Spirit?

• When we don’t allow the Word, others, and suffering to transform us? - We don’t have to look any further than the Word of God

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. – 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. – Romans 15:4 ESV

- The New Testament acts as a mirror for our lives - It reveals a glimpse into the lives of God’s people - It provides a history of the early church - These people were redeemed, sanctified saints, just like you and me - And they struggled just like we do

• The church in Corinth

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints… – 1 Corinthians 1:2 ESV - These people had been chosen, made alive, adopted, and given new natures – just like us - They had been set apart by God for His use - They had received the indwelling Holy Spirit - They were part of the family of God - They had everything they needed…

®2019 Ken Miller BAND of BROTHERS is sponsored by MOMENTUM, the ministry to men at Christ Chapel Bible Church

- Paul addresses them as saints, not sinners…

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge… – 1 Corinthians 1:4-5 ESV …so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ… – 1 Corinthians 1:7 ESV Now may the God of peace …equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, …through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. – Hebrews 13:20-21 ESV - The Corinthians had everything they needed - They were fully equipped - They lacked no “good thing”

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. – 2 Peter 1:3 NLT

• The unsatisfactory fruit of unsanctification I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. – 1 Corinthians 1:10-11 ESV

- They had everything they needed - They were fully gifted and equipped - But their lives displayed…

…disunity & division …pride …a lack of power …pettiness …jealousy & envy …immaturity …a need for recognition …worldliness

• The unenviable task of calling them out But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? – 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 ESV … are you not being merely human? – 1 Corinthians 3:4 ESV - Ordinary instead of extraordinary

o They were living as mere humans o But they were saints o They were sons and daughters of God o They were new creations o They possessed power from on high

®2019 Ken Miller BAND of BROTHERS is sponsored by MOMENTUM, the ministry to men at Christ Chapel Bible Church

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV - A house and not a temple

o We tend to view sanctification as a solo sport o It is all about my personal sanctification o But God has a corporate perspective o Your sanctification is for the good of all the saints o Together, we are God’s temple

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. – Ephesians 2:19-22 ESV o The Corinthians had missed this part o Lack of personal holiness has corporate consequences o Their church was marked by…

…Conflict …Immaturity …Sexual immorality …Boastfulness …Compromise …Legal disputes …Complacency …Unhealthy marriages …Competition …and Idolatry

• The undeniable necessity of unity For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. – 1 Corinthians 12:14-16 ESV If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. – 1 Corinthians 12:19 ESV Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. – 1 Corinthians 12:27 ESV - Your sanctification is vital to the health of the body - Your spiritual gifts are essential to its well-being - Your holiness contributes to its vitality - Your failure to grow stunts its growth - And I should care about your sanctification

• The unacceptable risk of being unleavened

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. – 1 Corinthians 5:1-2 ESV When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may

®2019 Ken Miller BAND of BROTHERS is sponsored by MOMENTUM, the ministry to men at Christ Chapel Bible Church

be saved in the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. – 1 Corinthians 5:4-7 ESV - This has individual and communal implications - Sin is never isolated or individualistic - Your sin and your sanctification affect the body

“Now, according to the apostle, if the leaven of evil is permitted in a church, it will work its way through the whole of it.…The leaven of evil living, too, is equally obnoxious in the church. Tolerated in one, it will soon be excused in another — and a lower tone of thought with regard to sin will rule the church. The toleration of sin in the church soon leads to the excusing of it and that to the free indulgence of it, and to the bringing in of other sins yet fouler!” – Charles H. Spurgeon, Purging Out the Leaven “There must be no lower standard for us than the perfection of Christ! No attainment must ever satisfy us until we are conformed to His image who is the first-born among many brethren. You will tell me I am holding up a high standard. I am; but then we have a great helper…” – Charles H. Spurgeon, Purging Out the Leaven You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! – 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NLT “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference. – Revelation 3:15-19 ESV

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: • Discuss what unsanctification looks like. • The Corinthians had everything they needed, yet they struggled with division, disunity, jealousy,

contention, and more. All of these things were the result of unsanctification in the lives of individuals. So, in what ways could your unsanctification impact our church?

• The Corinthians were to “cleanse out the old leaven.” What does this look like on an individual basis and how would it impact the overall body of Christ?

®2019 Ken Miller BAND of BROTHERS is sponsored by MOMENTUM, the ministry to men at Christ Chapel Bible Church

WEEK 12 HOMEWORK: A Summary of Sanctification Well, this is it. We’ve spent the last 12 weeks unpacking this incredible doctrine of sanctification. I hope it has been as helpful to you as it has been to me. But as we prepare to wrap up the series, I know you understand that your sanctification is far from finished. God is still working in you “to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 ESV). And the good news is, He “will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6 NLT). But as we saw in this week’s lesson, it is easy to find ourselves living a life marked by unsanctification. And the church in Corinth is a great example of how dangerous it can be to take even one day off of our sanctification. They had all they needed. They were fully equipped. But they ended up living in disunity, division, weakness, and immorality. So, let’s learn from their mistakes and give sanctification the same level of priority that God has. It is His will for you and me.

• Read Joshua 24:14-15. The context of these verses is the end of Joshua’s tenure as the God-appointed leader of Israel. He had taken over for Moses when it was time for the people to enter Canaan, the land of promise. Joshua is reaching the end of his life and attempting to challenge the people of Israel to continue to live set-apart lives. When you read his words, what do you see in them that reflects the doctrine of sanctification?

Now read verses 16-18. How do the people respond and what about their words sounds a bit like they are making a commitment to living lives of sanctification?

®2019 Ken Miller BAND of BROTHERS is sponsored by MOMENTUM, the ministry to men at Christ Chapel Bible Church

According to verses 19-23, what does Joshua seem to know about these people? What is his immediate response to their commitment to follow after God? Why do you think he was so doubtful? What assistance has God given us that the Israelites did not have at their disposal? (see John 14:16-17)

Read Joshua 24:23-28. Once again, what do the people pledge to do?

• Read Judges 1:6-9. What happened to Israel in the immediate time period after Joshua’s death?

According to verse 10, what happened after that generation died? Read Judges 1:11-15. Describe the spiritual state of Israel at this point and how does it compare with their boastful words back in the Book of Joshua?

• Go back and look at Judges 1:27-36. What pattern do you see taking place in these verses?

According to Numbers 33:50-56, what parts of God’s command did they disobey?

• Skip ahead, all the way to Judges 21:25. How does the author describe the state of Israel by the time the period of the judges ended?

What connections do you find between the inability of the Israelites to live up to their commitments to God and our own failures to live lives that are set apart and distinctively holy in our own lifetime?

A Daily Devotional on the Book of Judges

By Ken Miller

www.devotionary.libsyn.com www.vesselsofclay.org

Our Standard Achievement Test.

Judges 2-3

“I did this to test Israel – to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their ancestors did.” – Judges 2:22 NASB

Have you ever wondered why God left you here? I mean, if heaven is so great (and I think it is!), then it seems like it would have made more sense for Jesus to take us to be with Him when He saved us. But for some reason He chose to leave us here. So, we spend our lives living in a place that really isn’t conducive to Christlikeness and where the inhabitants really don’t like us very much. Jesus Himself warned us that the world would hate us (John 15:19). And yet, we have to live and somehow survive here. He even expects us to thrive here. Why? Could it be that He wants to do the same thing for us that He was doing for the Israelites? God put them in a place where they were surrounded by enemies. The land He had given them as a possession was not void of conflict, but seemingly full of it. The Philistines, the Canaanites, the Sidonians, the Hivites… were all in the land. So, what was God up to? He was testing them. Yes, He was punishing Israel for her infidelity, but there was more to it than that. He would use the presence of these nations to continue to test Israel’s allegiance. Each of these nations had their own gods and Israel would be constantly tempted to make those gods their own. Not only that, there would be a constant temptation to interact with and even intermarry with these nations – even though God had forbidden it.

©2019 Devotionary™ / devotionaryblog.com / devotionary.libsyn.com Ken Miller

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So how did they do on the test? Well, not too well. Not only did the Israelites live among them, they intermarried with them and ended up worshiping their gods (Judges 3:5-6). But there was another test. God was allowing the enemy to remain in the land not only to punish Israel and tempt them, but to prepare them for battle. They were going to learn to fight. This generation was not battle-hardened or ready for war. So, they would have to learn to fight. They still had land that needed to be conquered and to do so would require going to battle. That meant they would have to become warriors. You don’t really learn to be a soldier in boot camp or in peace time, but on the battlefield. And we learn to fight the spiritual battles in our lives not by learning the concepts of war, but by getting in the trenches and doing battle with the enemy. God left us here to test us, try us, and train us. He is using the trials of this life to teach us to trust Him, rely on Him, turn to Him, and to serve Him alone. God wants to reveal our weaknesses and display His power.

As we read through the history of the various judges of Israel, we see how the people of Israel did with the tests of life. And we see how God intervened and rescued them time and time again. He is always faithful. What an incredible reminder to us that God is with us in our daily battles with sin and temptation. He is testing us, but He is also fighting alongside us – showing us that He can be trusted for the victory we need in whatever conflict we find ourselves.

Father, thank You for allowing me to experience the tests of life. Forgive me for the many times I fail but continue to show me what You have to teach me. And continue to reveal Your power in the midst of my weakness and failure. Amen