Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

To get pearls, one must dive deep!

Tag: Sanctified

Exclusively God’s

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On February 26, 2013

In Christian

One of the definitions in Merriam Webster’s for the word ‘Sanctify’ is ‘to set apart to a sacred purpose.’ The Bible says that we are to be transformed (set apart) and not be conformed to the patterns of this world (Romans 12:2). The Bible also affirms that God has set apart the godly for himself (Psalm 4:3). The sacred purpose is God himself and our purpose in our life is be his followers (Ephesians 5:1). In other words, those who have believed in Jesus Christ are set apart (sanctified) by God, exclusively for God.

Points to ponder:
We are exclusively God’s when we believe in his Son, Jesus Christ. The question is, ‘Is God exclusively yours?’

Psalm 4:3 (KJV)
3 But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.

Psalm 1 :: Blessed is he who stands …

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On June 26, 2012

In Christian, Psalm 1, Psalm Ponderings

Who is the one that is blessed? Psalm 1 states Blessed is the one who stands not in the way of sinners. Who is the one who stands not in the way of sinners? It is he/she that stands in the way of the sanctified; the saints. In other words, “Blessed is the one who stands in the way of the saints.”  The way of the saints is the antithesis to the ways of the world, for the faithful who are saved by faith, live a life that does not conform to the patterns of this world (Romans 12:2). They chose the way that only a few find; the narrow way that leads to life over the broad way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).

Points to ponder:
What is the stand that you have taken? It is a stand to stand not in the way of sinners, but to stand in the way of the saints! Do you stand in the way of the saints? Are you blessed in the stand you take  …? Blessed is he/she who stands in the way of the saints.

Psalm 1:1 (KJV) 
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Christian Verbs :: S is for Sanctifying

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On August 5, 2010

In Christian, Christian Verbs

To sanctify is to be set apart. The very first time the God gave His commandments, He required that the firstborn of all man (and beast) be set apart (sanctified) for him because He claimed them to be His(Exodus 13:2) and then He told Moses to go and sanctify His people and the priests by washing their clothes before facing God (Exodus 19:10, 22) but Moses responded by saying, that the people could not come to face God even if cleansed by their own accord (Exodus 19:23). From the book of Exodus throughout the old testament, there are many times, the voice of God is heard either directly from Him or through His prophets, requiring that one sanctify himself/herself, but when we come to the New Testament, all the instances of the need to be sanctified is recorded as one that is not required of man, but as one that has been granted by God, because of His Son, Jesus Christ. See, we cannot sanctify ourselves by washing ourselves, but the blood of Jesus Christ that washes our inward evil self is the only thing that can sanctify us (Hebrews 13:12).

In the Lord’s prayer as recorded in John 17, Jesus prayed that God sanctifies us (John 17:17) and then He makes a bewildering statement. He said, I sanctify myself for the sake of my people (John 17:23). In other words, Jesus was saying that He was setting himself apart from God and His divinity for you and me, so that we can be set apart from our humanity and be more Christ like in spirit, soul and body. Our beings are sinful and our flesh that war against the Holy Spirit of God is corrupt and cannot be set apart on its own will, but it is the blood of Jesus alone that can set us apart. My prayer is that of Apostle Paul; that the very God of peace sanctify me wholly; and I pray that my whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Let this be yours as well!

Exodus 13:2 (KJV)
2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.

Exodus 19:10-11,22-23 (KJV)
10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,
11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.
22 And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.
23 And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.

John 17:17-19 (KJV)
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (KJV)
23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

The Name is Nazareth’s Prophet

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On July 23, 2009

In Christian, The Name

Matthew 21:11 records that when Jesus entered into the city of Jerusalem, ALL of the city was moved and questioned, Who is this? to which the multitude responded “This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee”. Did you ever stop to think as to why there was a need to qualify that Jesus was from Nazareth? I believe that  it is so recorded in the scriptures which is all God inspired, penned by men, because the divine Author did not want to leave room for any speculation as to the identity of Jesus. It was this Jesus that was hunted as an outlaw when he was a child and His earthly father Joseph, fearing Archelaus (Herod’s son) did not return to Israel but fled to Nazareth and it was this same Jesus that you see walking from Galilee (where Nazareth is) to Jordan when He came to be baptized by John the Baptist, and even in the betrayal in the garden, Jesus questioned not once but twice as to whom they sought and the officers of the Jews and the high priests replied  ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ and it is this same Jesus who endured the cross that held on it an inscription in three languages which read, Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews.

A noteworthy and interesting finding in my research on this Name led me to the Hitchcock’s Bible Names dictionary, wherein, it is mentioned that Nazareth means separated, crowned and sanctified.

Nazareth means separated. Jesus was in a sense separated from God at which time he cried out ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?’ (Mark 15:34). This He joyfully endured because Jesus did not want us (man) to be God-forsaken or separated from God and now there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, the separated prophet (Romans 8:38,39).

Nazareth means crowned. Jesus was crowned a crown of thorns (John 19:2) before his crucifixion but God crowned Him with glory and honor (Hebrews 2:9) befitting a conquering King (Revelation 6:2, 14:14, 19:12).

Nazareth means sanctified. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines ‘sanctify’ as ‘to be set apart to a sacred purpose or to a religious use‘ or ‘to be free from sin’. Jesus in John 17 prays for Himself, His disciples and for all believers in which he makes the statement that He sanctifies himself so that all his disciples may be sanctified as well (John 17:19). Jesus is Holy and sinless and so he did not have to pray that He had to be made free from sin when he expressed that He sanctifies Himself. He was set apart to the sacred purpose of becoming salvation to all mankind so that we can become the same as well.

Jesus the prophet of Nazareth is indeed the separated, crowned and sanctified prophet of God. The name is Nazareth’s prophet.

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