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[0:00] Purpose for Life And why we're here.

[0:32] The Bible shows us why and how we've been designed for a purpose. Man was created in the image of God. And this was our original design specifications, if you like, back in Genesis chapter 1 at creation.

[0:47] Genesis chapter 1 from verse 26 it says, And God said, God designed us.

[0:59] He said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. We're made in the image of God. So God made you. God breathed his life into you. He made you alive.

[1:10] He makes us live even now. Genesis 2 verse 7. We read, So we see here the body.

[1:21] God formed man out of the dust of the ground. The body. And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. We see spirit.

[1:32] The breath. Spirit. The breath of life. And man became a living soul. We see the soul. Formed the man out of the dust of the ground.

[1:44] The body. Breathed into his life the breath of life. The spirit. And man became a living soul. Man is three dimensional, you could say.

[1:56] Three dimensional. The spirit. The soul. The body. Equals you. Amen. Someone has put it like this. That man is spirit. It's his God consciousness.

[2:07] He is soul. His self consciousness. And he is body. His sense consciousness. Body. Soul. Spirit. Really spirit. Soul.

[2:17] Body. It's God's order for it. God has a plan and a purpose for us. He gave man a free will. Back in the garden of Eden. And man fell into sin.

[2:29] He disobeyed God. Sin came. God's plan and purpose, if you like, was blotted. There was a blot there. Of sin. It came. As man fell. As Satan tricked man.

[2:41] And man was deceived. And fell. In all these three dimensions. Of body. Soul. And spirit. And the designer's perfect design was marred by sin.

[2:53] As a blot, if you like. As man has been damaged in these three dimensions. Sin damaged man's spirit. When man fell into sin.

[3:03] His spirit was deadened. We described in Ephesians 2 verse 1. As dead. In trespasses and sins. Man lost contact with God.

[3:14] The fellowship was broken in the garden. Man's communion. Man's closeness was severed. It was separated by sin. Sin is also damaged man's soul.

[3:26] It says that we have become enemies in our mind. Colossians 1 verse 21. It tells of how our understanding has been darkened. Ephesians 4 verse 18.

[3:37] So the soul was affected. Enemies in your mind. Darkened in your understanding. And sin also damaged man's body.

[3:49] The body designed by God. Ruined. As become a body of sin. And subject now to death. Unable to fulfil God's real full purpose.

[4:05] As we see we're subject to dying and death now. We're talking about finding purpose for life. The question really is. What is his purpose?

[4:17] What is the designer's purpose for our life? Why are we here? Why has he made us? Why has he designed us? What has he designed us for? God our designer has that perfect plan.

[4:29] He still has that original purpose for us. To be created in his image. For his will. And he's effected a rescue plan for man.

[4:41] God is holy. He is holy. And his will is to transform us into his likeness still. Into his own image. And the rescue plan is the cross.

[4:53] That's how he makes it happen. That's how he's able to do this. At the cross we see that our Lord Jesus bore our sins. He took our penalty.

[5:04] He paid our wages of death there. So what is his will? What is his will? For you, for me, for our lives. This is the ultimate purpose for which we have been created for.

[5:18] What he's designed us to find and fulfil. In 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 3. It says, For this is the will of God. Even your sanctification.

[5:31] Sanctification means holiness. Even your sanctification. That you would be holy. That you should abstain. Keep away from fornication.

[5:43] Sexual immorality. His purpose is to sanctify us. To make us holy. To set us apart for him. For his good pleasure. And that was Paul's prayer for the Thessalonians.

[5:56] In 1 Thessalonians 5.23. We read, And the very God of peace sanctify you. In other words, Set you apart. Holy.

[6:07] Or completely. And I pray God, Your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved. Blateless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Three dimensions.

[6:19] Spirit. Soul. Body. God is interested in the whole you. The whole of you. He's designed you for a purpose. He wants to sanctify you. Make you holy.

[6:30] To set you apart. To give you a special purpose. A holy purpose. To give you life direction and meaning. In an eternal sense of it. This is God's plan for you.

[6:43] For me. Our purpose is his purpose. And this is how we can find that peace. That purpose for our life. God does a work in us.

[6:55] In those three dimensions. He makes us holy. Holy. In spirit, soul and body. He sets us apart. For his holy purposes. For his will.

[7:07] And it says that our source is. In this text it says. The very God of peace. The very God of peace. We're just going to. We'll dwell a little now. On 1 Thessalonians 5.

[7:18] 23. He says that he is the God of peace. He is the giver of peace. In this world where many are searching for peace. Without finding it.

[7:28] He has made peace. It says. Through the blood of his cross. His work is to sanctify you. To make you holy. To set you apart.

[7:38] There's a consecration. A dedication. A setting apart for God. That is spoken of here. A setting apart that he wants for you. For his service. For his glory.

[7:48] And sanctification. Holiness. Holiness. Is a Bible term. It's vital. It's right through the pages of his word. To sanctify. Sanctification.

[8:00] Holiness. Holiness. It means literally a filling. This word sanctify. Means to fill. It's a setting apart. For God to fill your life.

[8:12] For God to fill you. To make you his. To use you. For his glory. For holy use. To become more like him. Our Lord and Saviour. This is.

[8:23] God's purpose. For your life. In all the dimensions. Of our lives. He's interested. In. Spirit. Soul.

[8:33] And body. So we're going to look at that. As we. Travel through this time. Just now. How does. God.

[8:44] Sanctify. Us. The Lord Jesus. Prayed. In John 17. Verse 17. He says. Sanctify them. Through.

[8:55] Thy truth. Thy word. Is truth. Make them holy. Through. Thy truth. Thy word. Is truth. We've got. Divine truth. Biblical truth.

[9:06] And it's here. The answers are here for us. As to how. We can. Find. The purpose. God's purpose. For living. In the.

[9:17] Pages of scripture. The answers are here. If we were but search for them. And find those keys for life. It says. And the very God of peace. Sanctify you.

[9:28] Holy. And I pray. God. Your whole. Spirit. Soul. And body. Be preserved blameless. Unto. The coming of our Lord.

[9:38] Jesus Christ. That's. A mighty prayer there. Isn't it? And we can. Pray. Pray that. For ourselves. Let us consider this text now.

[9:50] As we read through. The God of peace. He's the source of our peace. And he wants to sanctify us. To make us holy. Holy.

[10:01] That's holy with a W. Holy. The whole of you. The whole of you. He wants you to be made holy. Holy. Completely. Entirely. Absolutely.

[10:12] The whole of us. Through and through. He wants to impact all of our being. That's his desire for us.

[10:24] That we can seek him for. And so often we can settle too easily for a partial work. A partial work. But God wants to do an extensive work.

[10:35] It's got the sense of through and through. To sanctify us. To make us holy. Through and through. Spirit. Soul. And body. It's a full work.

[10:45] A complete work. An extreme makeover. If you like. An extreme makeover. But this is not just a turning over of a new leaf. Or a bit of a cosmetic fix.

[10:56] It's a demolition job. And a rebuild. A complete rebuild. He transforms us from the inside out. That's his desire for you. For me.

[11:08] It sounds unattainable doesn't it? It sounds impossible. And I know as our brother shared earlier. Sometimes we can make it a big mess.

[11:19] Of our lives. Yet he doesn't give up. He keeps on persevering with us. We're talking here about finding his purpose for our life. Our ultimate purpose is his purpose.

[11:32] Finding his purpose for our lives. What is man's purpose? For life and for living. Man has been created as. Has been expressed to glorify God.

[11:45] And to enjoy him forever. To glorify God. And to enjoy him forever. We've been created to worship him. To know him personally.

[11:57] To have that personal communion with God. Man is distinct from the rest of creation. We're special. You know. Your pet dog might be special.

[12:07] But you're much more special than that. You're much more special than the sparrows that fall. That God can count. All of the natural animal life of this world.

[12:20] But he especially looks upon his own creation. Men and women. Him he has created. We are special. Distinct from the rest of creation.

[12:31] We've got a spirit. You've got a spirit. So that you can have fellowship with God. You can come to know God. For yourself. So God desires us to have this healthy living.

[12:43] In all these dimensions of our lives. That God has designed us for. It's his design. His plan. And it co-examines. Extends to every dimension. So Paul cites three here.

[12:55] He's praise. I pray. God your whole spirit. And soul. And body. Spirit. Soul. And body. There we have again. These three dimensions. Notice it says.

[13:07] Not body. Soul. And spirit. Which we generally put them in that order. Yeah. But the order of importance is. Spirit. Soul. And body.

[13:17] The spirit first. The soul next. And then the body last. But we will look. For this time. At these three. In the reverse order. Of the order that God puts it. So we'll build up.

[13:28] To get to the most important one. So men can be understood. In these three dimensions. If you like. These three dimensions. As much as. Soul and spirit. Maybe somewhat. Similar.

[13:40] But firstly. The body. Firstly. The body. Consider the body. God wants us to be holy. Firstly. As the order I'm putting it.

[13:50] Firstly. As to the body. The body. This is the vehicle. That transports us. That carries us around. About. The place. It's our physical. Fleshly. Body.

[14:01] And we're actually. Comprised mostly of water. When there's a. High degree. High percentage of water. And we've got different organs. And cells.

[14:12] Five senses. Through which we touch. The physical world. You're. You're a work of art. Amen. On feet. You know. God has. Designed you. In an amazing.

[14:24] Capacity. It says in. Psalm 139. That. I will praise thee. For I am. Fearfully. And wonderfully. Made.

[14:36] God has made you. In an astounding way. The human body. Is a. An astounding. Creation. It's a. A masterpiece. Of design. And as we see.

[14:47] The amazing. DNA. That. Exists. In every cell. Of our body. Those billions. And billions. Of tiny cells. Have that. Stamp. Of individuality.

[14:57] The DNA. That makes you. Unique. And. Supports. The amazing. Development. Of the body. You're a walking. Miracle. Designed.

[15:08] By God. And. It's astonishing. Just to reflect. On that. Simple. Truth. That. Astonishing. Fact.

[15:19] Of the body. That we have. And God. Is a design. A blueprint. For your life. For your life. For your marriage. If you're married. For work. For ministry.

[15:29] For service. God has a design. He has a purpose. So what is God's design. For your body. God's will. For your body. Is that you look after it. Look after that body.

[15:42] You only get one. You get one each. One body. And so. And it's not going to last forever. As much as some of you fellows think. That you're bullet proof. You're not.

[15:52] You're going to pass away. But so. Take care of that body. That you've got. Make. Make it go the distance. And of course. We can. Think wisely. About what we partake of.

[16:04] That can. Have an ill effect. On our body. And we all know what they are. The world knows. You know. People that don't know God. Know. How to look after their body. And what you're supposed to do with it.

[16:16] And to make it last. And it's just common sense. Really. When you think about it. But 1 Timothy 4 verse 8. It says. For bodily exercise profiteth little.

[16:27] But godliness is profitable unto all things. Having promise of the life that now is. And of that which is to come. So. There's a bodily exercise that's going to be profitable for you.

[16:39] In the context it's saying. Training unto godliness is much more vital. But there's still the truth. That bodily exercise is profitable. A little.

[16:50] But it's profitable. So in other words. Look after your body. Treat it well. You only get one chance at this. So make that body last. By not abusing it.

[17:01] With unhealthy things. Take care of yourself. Daniel did this. Back in the book of Daniel. We see. That Daniel did not defile himself. And his compatriots.

[17:13] They did not defile themselves. With the king's meat. They didn't indulge in the excess. As it were. Joining in the heathen partying. Of his time. We heard an example of that just before.

[17:25] Of not joining in. Indulging in the excess. Of the heathen partying. As it were. He maintained a godly stand. With his body. He chose wisely.

[17:36] And so should we. Choose wisely. What we partake of. What's going to keep us sober minded. What's going to keep us healthy. And wholesome. Your body is a vessel.

[17:48] And it's a container for your soul. Your spirit. So God's will. Is that we take care of the body. That we have. God's will is for. The body. Also. Is. Sexual purity.

[18:00] 1 Thessalonians 4. Verse 3. Through 4. It says. For this is the will of God. Even your sanctification. Your holiness. That you should abstain. From fornication. From immorality.

[18:12] In other words. Verse 4. That every one of you. You should know how to. Possess his vessel. In sanctification. And honour. Another Bible example of this.

[18:23] Is Joseph. Joseph. Sanctified. His body. He lived with integrity. And with honour. Joseph. Back in Genesis. It tells of how.

[18:34] The time. Came when. His master's wife. Potiphar's wife. Tempted him. To sin. And he left his cloak. But he kept his character.

[18:46] He ran from her. As fast as his feet. Could take him. He fled from the temptation. And he sanctified. His body. Now James says.

[18:57] That when we're tempted. We should. Submit to God. Resist the devil. And the devil. Will flee from us. Paul also said. That we must. Flee from. Run away from. Sexual temptation.

[19:09] Sometimes. Not just resist. But to run from it. As he puts in 1 Corinthians 6. Verse 18. As well. So we see the body. Sanctify your body. Keep it holy.

[19:20] Look after it. Keep it from sin. Yield your body. We read. In Romans 12. As a living sacrifice. Dedicate your body. To God. Use those feet.

[19:32] To take the gospel. Use that mouth. To witness. For Christ. Use that life. Wisely. As that vehicle. That vessel. That living sacrifice.

[19:43] Secondly. We come to. The soul. The soul. God wants us to be. Sanctified. God wants us to be. Holy. In. The soul. The dimension of the soul.

[19:54] And the soul. You could consider. As being. Like the mind. Our reasoning. Our thinking. Our decision making. Our. Personal beliefs.

[20:06] And attitudes. The psyche. Our emotions. Our will. Our feelings. Our memories. Our desires. And God wants them.

[20:17] In tune with his. We heard of the. The comment. Spiritual tune up. You know. We've got the. Have the psyche. The mind. The soul. Need to tune up. Need to be renewing.

[20:28] The mind. We read. And so. We see that God wants. Our soul. To be in tune with him. David. Is an example of this. David knew. That as much as he also.

[20:39] Miserably failed. You know. David in the Bible. He. He really blew it. Big time. And miserably failed. And yet. One Samuel. 13. 14. God describes him as.

[20:52] The prophet Samuel said to Saul. The Lord has sought him a man. After his own heart. And the Lord has commanded him. To be captured. Over his people. Samuel told Saul.

[21:04] That God was looking for a man. After his own heart. And David was such a man. He had his soul. In tune with God. He was a man after. God's heart.

[21:15] His soul was sanctified. And God wants to sanctify. Your soul. In other words. Your thinking. Your will. That decision making process. That you go through.

[21:26] Those desires. Those things that are still back in your mind. Those memories from the past. God can bring healing there. If there's hurts. In your memories from the past.

[21:36] He can bring forgiveness there. He can take away the bitterness. There. From the past. Some of us have got. Very bad memories. That are still. Impacting the day by day.

[21:47] And may. Impact the days ahead. Amen. And it drags people down. God wants to renew your mind. That those things can be dealt with. And settled. And forgotten.

[21:58] God wants us to delight. To do his will. It's our soul. He wants to sanctify your soul. And as part of our soul.

[22:09] We have our heart. That part of us. That exercises will. And choice. That heart. That we can. Bring forgiveness. In our hearts.

[22:19] To. That. Thinking. That can shift. He can shift our thinking. As he sanctifies our soul. Yeah. And he. He works on that.

[22:29] That mind. That. That heart. That. That will. That soul. That is us. And. Yet. We know that. All too easily. We can. Slip back.

[22:40] And we can get out of accord. With God's will. Without. Out of accord. With God's. Desire for our soul. And our soul can get corrupted. With fleshly lusts. And desires. And selfish appetites.

[22:51] That rise up in our soul. So it's a constant struggle. And a bit of a boxing match. If you like. Within. As there's the desire to do. But there's the failing to do.

[23:02] There's that. That he's. Saying not to do. That we end up doing. And our soul can. Have this struggle within. Because we're. We're still a work in progress. The sanctifying is still happening.

[23:14] That. Our soul can get overtaken. By the sin nature. And so we've got to. Struggle. And fight with that. And contend with that. And not feed on that. Which is going to make it worse.

[23:26] Now if you've got temptations. And. Wig. Points. Achilles heels. If you like. With your soul. With your mind. Don't feed on that. Which is going to make it worse.

[23:37] But feed on that. Which is going to. Renew your mind. The washing of water. By the word. So God's will. For our soul. Is very important. But we kind of. Get a handle on that.

[23:49] Think about that. It says that. We are to think on. Good things. Tune into God's wavelength. You know. Tune out. And tune in. If you like. As we pray.

[23:59] As we hunger and thirst. After righteousness. He will give us that. Rightful desire. Those desires that are after his will. And his peace will flood our hearts. And our minds.

[24:11] As we prayerfully. And. As we prayerfully. Pray. And as we think. Biblically. Philippians 4. Tells us how. We are to be careful.

[24:22] In other words. Not full of care. Not full of anxiety. Or anxious. Be careful for. Nothing. But in everything. By prayer. And supplication.

[24:33] Let. Your request. With thanksgiving. Let your request. Be made known unto God. And the peace of God. Which passeth. All understanding. Shall keep. Your hearts and minds.

[24:43] True Christ Jesus. Finally. Brethren. Whatsoever things. Are true. Whatsoever things. Are honest. Whatsoever things. Are just. Whatsoever things. Are pure. Whatsoever things. Are lovely.

[24:54] Whatsoever things. Are a good report. If there be any virtue. If there be any praise. Think on. These things. It's about training. That thinking process.

[25:05] Isn't it? What are we to think on? Think on. These things. Philippians 4. So the soul. God wants to sanctify. Our soul.

[25:16] It's our understanding. It's the seat of our intelligence. It. Extends. I would consider. To how we use our faculties.

[25:28] Our choices in life. Young people. As you're considering. Your future education. And training. And career. Had a young man. This morning.

[25:38] Saying that he's. Seeking God. To serve him. In some capacity. Later in life. Much later in life. He's. He's. A young fellow. That speaks to me.

[25:50] To hear a young man. A young woman. Express that. That's a precious thing. Beautiful. That's about. God sanctifying your soul.

[26:01] About the decisions you want to make. For your life. Amen. The choices that you make. The reasoning. The judgment. That you think on these things. That you put God first. In those desires.

[26:13] That. He creates in you. That you make wise judgments. Wise choices. That will glorify your. Your saviour. So God. God wants to sanctify.

[26:25] Our soul. To. Set. For our life. That course. Which will please him. With those desires. With those choices. And that our energy.

[26:36] And our. Our intellect. And our. Enthusiasm. And. Our application of time. Is going to be for his. Praise and glory. And of course.

[26:49] We still have to make a crust. And make a living. Again. But. God will help us. To places where we can be. Of. Best use for him. Yeah. And for his kingdom.

[27:01] So you can extend. That. Impact. You know. We might have a secular job. And not feel like. We're doing much. But. You are in full time ministry.

[27:12] Every Christian. Is in full time ministry. And we don't clock off. It's like. The military. They're on call. All. Aren't they. They're full time.

[27:23] 24-7. And you're a Christian. You've got full time. Responsibilities. To. Sanctify your soul. Choose wisely. Use your life. For that which is good. Make those decisions.

[27:34] With God. As your first and foremost. Consideration. So our soul. It extends to our. Talents. Our abilities. Our affections. How is your soul today?

[27:45] Is it sanctified? Now we can all think. Maybe I've got to. Retune a little bit here. Maybe I've got to make some. Adjustments here. About. Whether my.

[27:56] My thinking. Is set apart for God. Or whether I'm just tuning in. To what. The world tunes into. And missing out. So. How well. Do we control our appetites?

[28:07] Young men. Young woman. Do you sincerely want. To be used of God? And that shouldn't mean. Just the young. No. It means old people like me. Young men.

[28:19] Young women. Older men. Older women. Do you sincerely want. To be used of God? That should be. Our desire. For all of us. That know him.

[28:29] And 2 Timothy 2. 21. It says. If a man therefore. Purge himself from these. Talking about ungodly things. He shall be a vessel. Unto honour. A vessel. Unto honour.

[28:40] Sanctified. There's that word again. And meet. Or fit. For the master's use. Prepare. Unto every good work. Do you truly want to be. Prepared.

[28:51] For every good work. Fit. For the master to use. There's things we need to rein in. And bring. Into check. And God can do that. Deep cleansing work. He did that. For David.

[29:02] In Psalm 51. David pray for a clean heart. Purge me. Make me clean. He says. With hesap. And I shall be clean. Wash me. And I shall be whiter. Than snow.

[29:13] Make that your prayer. As David prayed. That God cleanse. Your heart. And redirect your steps. As you surrender. Your heart. Your psyche. Your soul. And God will give you that hunger.

[29:24] And thirst. For his desires. We've seen the body. You've got a vehicle. That you're walking around in. Your transport system.

[29:36] You've seen the soul. The mind. The will. The thinking. And thirdly. We see. As God puts it first really. The spirit. The dimension. Of the spirit.

[29:47] Now we're talking about spirit. Small s. Really. It's the third dimension. It's the spirit. Of a man. We have a spirit. In contradiction. To animals.

[29:58] Man and women. Have a spirit. Small s. And. The spirit. Is eternal. Job 32. Verse 8. It says. But there is a spirit. In man.

[30:09] There is a spirit. In man. Given by the. And the inspiration. Of the almighty. Given. Giveth them. Understanding. Now the majority.

[30:20] Of this world. The people. In this world. Have their spirits. Dead. Towards God. Spiritually. They are dead. Ephesians 2. Verse 2. Dead.

[30:32] Dead as a dodo. Amen. Dead. Towards God. The spirit. Speaks of the conscience. Of our conscience. The knowledge. Of good and evil. And God.

[30:42] Wants to sanctify. Your spirit. He wants your spirit. To be holy. Sanctification. How does that happen? It's as we are. Born again. As we are.

[30:52] Born again. He recreates. In us. He gives us. The new birth. He brings us. To life. There is a new man. We are recreated. We are refashioned. We are remade.

[31:03] And we receive. The new nature. A new man. We are regenerated. Born again. The spirit of a man. Is sanctified. Sanctified. Made holy. At salvation.

[31:15] By faith in Christ. And this is the ultimate purpose. For our lives. It's a spiritual purpose. To worship God.

[31:25] He communicates through us. To our spirit. And we can know God. We can contact God personally. And develop that intimacy. That closeness with him. That relationship with God.

[31:37] So the new birth. Sanctifies. Makes holy. Your spirit. He makes you. Have a new spirit. New life.

[31:47] You're born again. And he comes and he lives within you. He makes his abode. He lives. He resides in you. As a house. He dwells there. Permanently. He makes his dwelling place there.

[31:59] And we have communion with God. Fellowship with God. Just as Adam had before he fell into sin. We're brought into that closeness. Into that relationship.

[32:11] And our spirit is brought to life. Into new life. We're born again. As his spirit fills us. And this spirit of God. This holy spirit. He gives to us.

[32:21] In 2 Timothy 1 verse 7. It says. For he hath not given us the spirit of fear. But of power. And of love. And of a sound mind. God's will is for our spirit to be filled.

[32:33] Continually. With his holy spirit. And this is what happens. As we're born again. And then as we should seek after God. There's a refreshing. And there's a continual filling.

[32:44] And refilling. With his spirit. And sometimes we can let our spiritual life. Ebb and wane. And our spiritual life. We can let things slip. And I was talking to someone.

[32:54] Just earlier today. They can get offended. Drop out of church. For some reason. That you can't think. Why would anyone get upset? Or why would anyone. You know.

[33:05] Drop out of fellowship. For such a thing. But yet. The devil does that. Amen. And our spiritual life can suffer. As we get out of sync. As we get out of fellowship.

[33:15] As we neglect to pray. As we lose our zeal. As we lose our first love. And we need to rekindle that zeal. And to refresh that closeness with him.

[33:27] And get on track. And it's that sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. As we have that daily obedience to his word.

[33:37] As we want to walk in his spirit. As we want to walk in the light. And our spirit can be sanctified. Our spirit can be made holy. As we meditate on the word of God.

[33:48] As we feed on this. This that nourishes us. And helps us to grow. The word of God. As we develop that God consciousness. As it were. As we nourish and nurture.

[34:00] Our spiritual life. He brings life to us. And sanctifies our spirit. Friends. Be encouraged today. That God is interested in the whole you.

[34:11] Spirit. Soul. And body. And. You can be born again. Without that you are dead. But you can be made alive.

[34:23] In that. Spirit. That is the real you. And then we can build on that. We can grow that. It says in Joshua 1. That we can fuel that spiritual desire.

[34:35] By his word. Joshua 1. It says. This book of the law shall not. Depart out of thy mouth. But thou shalt meditate therein. Day and night. And thou. That thou mayest observe to do.

[34:47] According to all that is written therein. For then. Shall thou make thy way prosperous. And then. Shall thou have good success. Right. Meditate.

[34:59] In the word. Day and night. Feed on it. It can sustain. Your spiritual life. And God does a sanctifying word. He's doing that now.

[35:10] As the word. Is impacting. As. We're growing in prayer. As we're seeking his face. As we're humbling ourselves. And praying.

[35:21] As we're worshipping. We're finding that purpose. That really. Makes life. Makes sense. Finding. Purpose for life. Finding. Purpose.

[35:32] For life. You know. It's something. The new ages talk about it. The self-help gurus. And the. You know. These. High. High flying.

[35:44] New fan. Trainer type. People talk about. Finding purpose for life. The world talks about. Finding purpose for life. But if you don't find. God's purpose for your life. You've missed the whole point.

[35:54] You've missed the whole point of it all. And really. It's about finding his will. His purpose. And so. The manifold decisions of life. Will be taken. With that in mind.

[36:06] As we invest our life. His purpose. Can make. It all makes sense. Amen. And that will be that.

[36:18] Which is most important for us. So it's about. Finding. That God given. Potential. That God given. Plan. And purpose. For your life. And the very God of peace.

[36:29] Sanctify you. Holy. And I pray God. Your whole spirit. And soul. And body. Be preserved. Blameless. Unto the coming. Of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now. You might have heard all this.

[36:40] And said. Think. Wow. It sounds all very. All very good. In theory. But I can't achieve it. We're all. A work. In progress.

[36:52] We are all. A work. In progress. Up until that time. Unto the coming. Of our Lord Jesus Christ. And. Our body.

[37:04] Will. Be the last. To see. His. Purpose. When we're ultimately given a. Brand new body. Even better than the one you've got. Right now. It'll be forever.

[37:14] And it'll be perfected. And for the meantime. You might think. This is just too hard. This is all. Airy fairy. It sounds good in theory. How can I put it into practice?

[37:25] It may seem like this purpose. That I'm talking about today. It's unattainable. This is pie in the sky stuff. This is. You know. It's too hard. For me to walk with God.

[37:37] Like you're talking about today. It just feels too out of reach for me. But the good news is. It goes on. In the next verse. The next verse shows.

[37:48] How. It is possible. It may feel like it's. Out of reach for you. But it says. Verse 24. Faithful is he. That calleth you. Who.

[37:59] Also. Will. Do. It. He will do it. God is faithful. God is faithful. You can count on him. He makes a promise here. He says that he.

[38:10] Is. Faithful. He's utterly. Trustworthy. He's utterly. Able. To do the work. That is. Required in you. He's utterly. Able. To sanctify you.

[38:21] Spirit. Soul. And body. He's able to do the work. As you submit. To his. Tender. Control. Yeah. He will do the work.

[38:32] He will preserve you. You know. It's really. Talking about. Here. Not so much. As some would put it. The perseverance. Of the saints. But it's the perseverance. Of God.

[38:42] It's the perseverance. Of God. Putting up with us. With all of our foibles. And. Flitting. And. All of our. Fickle. Ways. Where we flip.

[38:54] And flop. God's. Perseverance. With his saints. And God's. Preservation. Of his saints. He will. Preserve. Preserve. Us. Unto his coming.

[39:05] And so. God's got a perseverance. He puts up with you. And with me. Especially with me. And he continues so. Until he. He's striving. By his spirit.

[39:16] With us. Day by day. Until we come to that. Perfect day. Of the coming. Of our Lord and saviour. Jesus Christ. And so. God is faithful today. Friends.

[39:26] We mustn't lose heart. And think it's too hard. God is faithful. Who also. Will do it. He will stand by you. He's praying for you.

[39:37] As we read. He's praying for us. He's interceding for us. We hear of the sanctifying work. Of the blood of Christ. We hear of the. The sanctifying. Abiding presence.

[39:48] Of the Holy Spirit. We hear of the. Indwelling power. Of our Lord and saviour. We read of the. Being sensitive. To his leading. It's a.

[40:00] Sanctifying work. That's still. A work in progress. But his ultimate. Is that he'll sanctify you. Holy. Completely. Through and through.

[40:11] Completely. In all dimensions. Of. Your whole spirit. As you're born again. He's made you holy. He's given you his holiness.

[40:22] In that spirit. That is the worshipping. Dimension of you. In your. Soul. He's still working. As that battle's fighting. Within. That raging warfare.

[40:34] Of flesh and spirit. Within. Your soul. As it were. As you're thinking. Processes. Have got to get realigned. And shifted. As you've got to get. That washing of water. By the word.

[40:44] You've got to get that word. That will cleanse. And wash. Your heart. Your soul. Your mind. As you develop. That loving him. With all your heart. And soul. And mind.

[40:55] And strength. It's an ongoing process. In your soul. And in your body. Well you've only got one body. Make the most of it. Don't be stupid with your body. Use it for God.

[41:05] Don't put things into it. That are going to harm it. Make it live less time. Make it go the distance. So your body can be used for his glory. And don't give it to sin. But give it to God.

[41:16] Yield your bodies. Present your bodies. A living sacrifice. God wants to sanctify you. Make you holy. Be holy. Completely. In the dimension of your spirit. Your soul.

[41:26] And your body. That it be preserved. Kept. Blameless. Unto the coming. Of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Let's be encouraged to seek him.

[41:38] If you're not saved. Your spirit is dead right now. But he wants to make you alive. Yeah. He wants to work in your soul. As you seek after him. With your thinking.

[41:48] With your will. With the decisions and choices you make. To serve him. As this young man has committed to. Even this morning. And your body. Make it go the distance.

[41:59] Walk in those shoes. To the glory of God. Let's pray. Lord we thank you for your word. That you do have a desire. A purpose. A plan. As precious. And can only be fulfilled.

[42:11] As you do the working in us. You are faithful. And you will do it. Lord we thank you. That you promise. To give us the ability. Beyond our own. That strength that we need. To make it happen.

[42:23] Help us Lord. To be conscious of these dimensions. As it were. To be conscious of our life. That we live to your glory. And in your purpose we pray. In Jesus name.

[42:33]  Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.