Set Apart For Supernatural Assignment | Mark Estes

All right, good morning again.

Um, thank you. I I want to uh to get

right at it because we just got a lot

going on and I I feel like we just need

to take something and do together as a

body. Would you take a moment just lift

your hands with me? Come on, everybody

lift your hands with me. Father, we pray

for our nation. We pray for our service

members. We lift them up, God, all over

the world. We pray your protection, God.

Angelic forces, captain of the host of

the Lord, come down among our service

members, protect us, Father. And Lord,

we just call forth revival. We call

forth revival in Venezuela. We call

forth revival in Cuba. We call forth

revival in Iran. We declare that Persia

belongs to Jesus.

This world belongs to Jesus. Holy

Spirit, fill us with your presence. Now,

with your hands still lifted up, pray

this prayer with me out loud. Holy

Spirit, open my ears that I can hear

what you have to say. Open my heart.

Make it receptive.

I give you permission to move deep in my

life, to form my heart, to form my

character. Jesus, have your way in me

today. Amen. Amen. Now, open your Bibles

to Second Timothy chapter 2 verse 20 and

2 Timothy 2:20

21. I want to talk to you for a few

minutes about how we have been set apart

for a supernatural assignment. We have

been set apart for a supernatural

assignment. 2 Timothy 2 20. But in a

great house there are not only vessels

of gold and silver, but also of wood and

clay, some for honor and some for

dishonor.

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself

from the latter, he will be a vessel for

honor,

sanctified

and useful for the master,

prepared

for every good work. I want you to

notice that

sanctified,

useful,

and prepared.

So Paul is writing this as a spiritual

father and he's he's nearing the end of

his life. He knows that he's not got

long left. And so Timothy, his spiritual

son, is leading the church in Ephesus.

But as Timothy is working among the

Ephesians, he is surrounded by all types

of doctrinal error and moral compromise.

As a matter of fact, in the just a

couple verses prior, uh Paul tells

Timothy, "Shun profane and idol

babblings for they will increase to more

ungodliness

and their message will spread like

cancer." Himenius and Felitus are of

this sort. Look at this. who have

strayed concerning the truth, saying

that the resurrection is already passed

and they overthrew the faith of some.

They were jeopardizing the the NASB says

the faith because they were putting out

doctrinal error. And so Paul tells

Timothy,

"Don't chase influence.

Become a vessel.

Become a vessel,

a great house. There are many vessels.

Become a vessel of honor. And that word

vessel in Greek is an an instrument, an

implement, a container

that has a purpose.

So God created you a vessel

for a purpose.

You're just not pretty. You're pretty

and useful.

>> Amen. Pastor, that's good preacher. And

then he said uses the word cleanses. He

that cleanses himself. And that means to

purge thoroughly. And it's speaking of a

decisive removal.

Sanctification, holiness is not

optional. It is necessary. You have to

make a decisive act to purify yourself

from the things of the world. And so,

and then he uses that word sanctified.

sanctified and useful. And sanctified

literally means having been set apart as

holy. And he's using a tense of the verb

here that emphasizes an ongoing

condition.

You've you've took you've taken a step.

You've accepted Christ in your heart.

You've made a decision. I'm going to

serve the Lord. You've confessed your

sin. But after that, you're ongoing

allowing HOLY SPIRIT TO WASH YOU, to

cleanse you, to get your thinking

changed, to get your feelings changed.

He uses the word useful. Useful,

serviceable, useful, something that is

fit for use.

Just because someone calls themsel a

Christian doesn't mean they're fit to be

used by God.

Don't get quiet on me.

I think it hits.

And then he said, "Prepared.

Prepared.

Ready. Made ready in advance."

Your sanctification gets you ready

before

God uses you. So here's the progression.

cleansed, sanctified, useful, prepared

and and it ends up with good works. So

cleansing leads to sanctification.

Sanctification produces usefulness.

Usefulness

um results in being prepared. It results

in readiness. And when you're ready,

when you're prepared, you are able to do

the good works that God has called you

to do. And so Paul's not talking to

Timothy using salvation language. He's

using stewardship language. He's it's

the spirit of God, the same spirit that

continues to empower believers today.

But the Bible teaches that he entrusts

greater weight, greater power to those

prepared vessels.

So they there there's this biblical

pattern that's repeated over and over.

Consecration

increases capacity and capacity allows

you to f fulfill your commission, the

calling that God put on you before you

were born.

So this it runs literally from Sinai all

the way through Pentecost and then to

the through the pastoral epistles of

Paul and into Revelation. So let's look

at consecration.

Consecration.

You have to come to an altar before God

can let you fulfill an assignment.

There has to be an altar prepared.

Before God releases public

power, he requires private alignment.

Exodus chapter 19.

Exodus 19 · chapter mention

I want you to see this. Exodus 19:10.

Exodus 19:10

The Lord said to Moses, "Go to the

people and consecrate them today and

tomorrow, and let them wash their

clothes, and then let them be ready for

the third day. For on the third day, the

Lord will come down upon Mount Si in the

sight of all the people. Let them wash

their clothes." You know, Peter talks

about this when he says, "Wherefore

laying aside all malice and gile and

envy and hypocrisy and all evil,

speaking as newborn babes desire the

sincere milk of the word that you can

grow thereby." And the imagery that's

painted in the Greek there is literally

taking off dirty clothes. Some of you

can't be used by God because you're

wearing the dirty clothes of the world

and you haven't allowed Holy Spirit to

come in and sanctify. You haven't laid

some stuff down that is hindering you

from being used. So the Hebrew word

consecrate that's translated consecrate

means to set apart as sacred and it

implies a separation for a divine

purpose. So before God revealed himself

at Sinai, he first called the people to

consecration and then before Israel went

into the promised land. The Bible tells

us in Joshua 3 verse number 5, Joshua

said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves

for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders

among you."

There's this this this thing that word

sanctify in the Hebrew literally means

it it means wonders. Sanctification,

purification precedes the wonders that

God wants to do.

They were to consecrate themselves today

because tomorrow God was going to do

wonders.

>> Do you get that?

>> Consecration

precedes manifestation

in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

verse three. For this is the will of

God.

Now, don't raise your hand, but how many

of you want the will of God? Oh, I told

you not to raise your hand.

>> This is the will of God, your

sanctification.

Sanctification is God's will for your

life.

>> That you should abstain from sexual

immorality.

that each of you should know how to

possess his own vessel in sanctification

and honor, not in passion of lust like

the Gentiles who do not know God, that

no one should take advantage and defraud

his brother in this matter. Because the

Lord is the avenger of all such as we

have forewarned you and testified. For

God did not call us to uncleanness, but

to holiness.

Therefore, he who rejects this does not

reject man

but God who has given us the Holy

Spirit.

>> Rejecting holiness is re that that

cleansing is the same as rejecting the

God who gives us the power to do his

works.

So that word that's translated

sanctification means holiness,

consecration, moral purity. And so Paul

ties this directly. You are called to

holiness and then the gift of the spirit

comes in and he moves in your life.

But you know why some folk have a

problem and can't operate in power

because they don't allow God to san?

They don't allow they don't sanctify

themselves. is it's there's a connection

between the gifts of the Holy Spirit and

the fruit of the Holy Spirit. And a lot

of times it goes back to that last fruit

number nine that is listed in the famous

list of the fruit of the spirit is

called self-control

or in Spanish dominium propio

because you can't control yourself. See

he said sanctify yourselves.

you. Some folk are waiting on lightning

from heaven to take that desire.

God, if you just take that desire away.

Now, I've seen God do it. He can do it.

But sometimes God says, "I want to give

you the gift of self-control where you

might have a desire. You might have this

urge. YOU MIGHT HAVE THIS APPETITE, BUT

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DO IT BECAUSE YOU

LOVE ME MORE THAN YOUR APPETITE."

>> SO, here's a foundational life

principle.

Sanctification removes rival thrones.

And God said, "I will have no other God

before me." So Romans chapter 6:13,

Paul said, "Do not pre present your

members as instruments of

unrighteousness to sin, but present

yourselves to God, as being alive from

the dead, and your members as

instruments of righteousness to God.

For sin shall not have dominion over

you, for you are not under the law, but

under grace. So that word instrument

instrument here is literally talking

about a weapon.

A weapon. Your body becomes a weapon in

somebody's hand.

>> You are a weapon. But consecration is

what determines whose hand your body is

in.

>> Who is the weap the one that's wielding

your weapon?

SO IF YOU DON'T ALLOW HOLINESS and

sanctification and and and that

cleansing to take place, you become an

instrument OF SIN. SO SATAN'S HOLDING

YOU, USING YOU.

So how about some practical application?

Immediate repentance. You don't need to

wait till tomorrow. You need to repent

today. And you need to surrender on a

daily basis. Go before the Lord God. I

present my body a living sacrifice,

holy, acceptable unto you. And this is

my reason, my spiritual act of worship.

I'm not going to conform any longer to

the pattern of this world.

Daily surrender. And then how about

remove those hidden areas of compromise

that you have in your life.

You know, those things you do when ain't

nobody watching.

what you're looking at on your phone

when nobody's around.

Look at your neighbor.

Say, "Stop it."

>> So sanctification is not earning power.

You don't earn the power of God.

It is removing obstruction.

It is removing the hindrance. so that

the power of God can flow freely. So

here the prophetic promise in Ezekiel

chap 36 26 and 27 the the Lord said I

will give you a new heart and put a new

spirit within you and I will take the

heart of stone out of your flesh and

give you a heart of flesh and I will put

my spirit within you and cause you to

walk in my statutes and you will keep my

judgments and do them.

>> Hallelujah.

>> I will put my spirit ra I will put my

rak in you. It is the spirit that causes

obedience. Sanctification is both

commanded from God and enabled BY GOD.

GOD TELLS us to be sanctified and then

he empowers us to actually DO WHAT HE

REQUIRED US TO DO.

WELL, come on. Somebody need to get

happy about that.

>> God enables you to do what he said. So,

if you're thinking you can't quit that,

you can't stop that, you can't lay that

down, the devil is a lie. I'm telling

you that THE GOD THAT TOLD YOU TO QUIT

IS THE GOD THAT'LL ENABLE YOU TO QUIT.

And this was fulfilled at Pentecost.

Acts 1:8. You will receive power,

Acts 1:8

dunamis, miracle working power when the

Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you

will be witnesses, martas, MARTYRS

BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH

CHRIST.

YOU WILL BE witnesses to me in Jerusalem

and all Judea and Samaria and to the

ends of the world.

Dunamis power, miraculous ability,

divine enablement.

And Acts 18, that that's not the

last time that it happened. If you go on

over to Acts 4:31, when they prayed, the

Acts 4:31

place was shaken that where they were

assembled. The place where they

assembled together was shaken and they

were all filled with the Holy Spirit and

they spoke the word OF GOD WITH

BOLDNESS. WHAT do we need in America? We

need the church, the eklesia, the

governing body to come together and

touch the throne room of God. Get in the

presence of God until Charleston begins

to shake until DC begins TO SHAKE. UNTIL

ALL OF THE CAPITALS IN ALL 50 OF THE

STATES BEGIN TO SHAKE AND THE

TERRITORIES BEGIN TO SHAKE AND THE

PRESENCE AND THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST

COME IN AND MEN AND WOMEN TURN FROM

THEIR SIN. ADDICTION IS BROKEN, SEXUAL

IMMORALITY IS BROKEN, PERVERSION IS

BROKEN, IDENTITY CRISIS IS BROKEN. IT

COMES WHEN THE CHURCH BEGINS TO PRAY.

Acts chapter 13 verse 9. And Saul, who

Acts 13:9

is also called Paul, filled with the

Holy Spirit. Do you see that? Don't tell

me God can't change somebody. If he can

change Saul of Tarsus and make him Paul

the Apostle, he can change your boss. He

can change your husband. He can change

your wife. HE CAN CHANGE YOUR LITTLE BOY

OR LITTLE GIRL. HE CAN CHANGE THE DRUNK

ON THE STREET. THERE IS NO ONE THAT IS

OUTSIDE THE POWER OF THE GRACE OF GOD.

>> And so Paul said in Ephesians 5:1 18,

Ephesians 5:1

"Do not be drunk with wine in which is

dissipation, but be filled with the

spirit."

>> Be filled WITH THE SPIRIT. THE SPIRIT

EMPOWERS AND THE WORK CONTINUES.

>> SO, here's the truth. You need an inner

strengthening.

You can't find this at Crunch Fitness or

Planet Fitness or Gold's Gym.

You need a strengthening inside of you.

Paul said in Ephesians 3:16 that he

Ephesians 3:16

would grant you according to the riches

of his glory to be strengthened with

might in through his spirit in the inner

man.

In the inner man, your in the inner man,

your your soul, your mind, your

emotions, your will, strengthened,

strengthened with might through the

spirit.

That word strengthened literally means

to empower

inwardly.

The Holy Ghost will change and empower

your mind and your emotions and your

will. So you understand that your

destiny requires an internal capacity.

Unsanctified power

collapses

under its own weight.

Sanctified power carries the assignment.

I've said it, others have said it from

this pull pit. Your gifting can take you

where your character cannot keep you.

Sanctification does not diminish power.

It anchors it.

It power is released there. There is no

power that is re released without

holiness.

If power is released without holiness,

it drifts

because power is power is governed by

holiness.

And that holiness is what endures. So in

1 Corinthians chapter 12

1 Corinthians 12:7

verse 7,

Paul said, "But the manifestation of the

spirit is given to each one for the

profit of all." The word manifestation

is a visible expression.

People should be able to look at you,

see Jesus in you.

>> There's something different about her.

There's something different about him.

There's something that that I I can't

put my finger on it, but I'm just drawn

to them.

But you understand that gifts without

love just become noise. In 1 Corinthians

13, though I speak with the tongues of

men and of angels, and have not love, I

become a sounding brass and a clanging

symbol. And though I have the gift of

prophecy and understand all mysteries

and knowledge, and though I have faith

so that I could remove mountains, but

have not love, I am nothing. And though

I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,

and though I give my body to be burned,

but have not love, it profits me

nothing. So without sanctification,

giftings can outpace your character.

But with sanctification,

character sustains the gifting over

time.

Consecration protects the vessel so that

the gift remains trustworthy.

that the gift remains fruitful, that the

gift ma remains aligned with the

lordship of Jesus. Now, we're in a day

where you have got to be careful because

Satan has planted wolves that come in

sheep's clothing. And there and Paul

said, "If anyone come and preach another

gospel than the one that you have heard

us preach, or if we even come and preach

another gospel than this, then let him

be a curse. Don't have anything to do

with him. Stay away from that. You need

to be careful what you're putting in

your spirit. If you're getting your

spiritual energy from something other

than what is rooted in the word of God,

it will fail you and you will fall into

error. So, how about every day ask God,

God, give me a fresh filling. I need the

presence of you every day filling me up

so that I can discern and live in the

time you've given. And then walk as the

spirit of God prompts you. Don't do what

you want to do. do what God wants you to

do and then exercise the gift with love

and don't be afraid of order.

Order is not a bad thing.

So capacity grows when you live a

surrendered life.

Any area that is not surrendered

lacks capacity.

Unlimited surrender

equals unlimited capacity.

The third thing I want you to see is

this commission.

This the fact that we are empowered to

fulfill our destiny. In Ephesians

Ephesians 2:10

chapter 2

verse 10, Paul said, "For we are his

workmanship.

We are created in Christ Jesus for good

works which God prepared beforehand that

we should walk in them. Now look at

this. The God who prepares works in

advance

prepares the ones who will walk in them.

Divine assignments are matched with

divinely prepared instruments.

So there is a divine design. We were

created in Christ Jesus for good works

which he prepared beforehand. Prepared

beforehand carries the idea of

deliberate prior arrangement with an

intentional purpose.

It is not reactive preparation. I'm not

going to just when it when the crisis

hits, that's when I'm going to pray. No,

I'm going to prepare myself before the

crisis hits.

>> So, it is pre-planned

readiness.

>> What are you doing today that God will

use tomorrow?

What has he trusted with you today that

he could call on tomorrow? You see the

same God that prepares the works

prepares the vessels. And so there's

this thing of abiding fruit in John

John 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15 Jesus said he who abides in

me.

He who abides in me and he goes on to

say he will bear much fruit. Then he

repeats that again in verse number

eight. He who abides in me will bear

much fruit. And that word abide means to

remain to continue to dwell. And so the

fruit is not hype.

It's not about height. The fruit is

sustained

life flow. Fruit is the durable evidence

of abiding.

It is not the temporary surge of

enthusiasm.

YOU GET ALL WOUND UP and you want to do

something. But if you have THE FRUIT,

YOU'RE going to do something even when

you're not wound up. GOD SAID HEAL THE

SICK. HE DIDN'T say heal the sick when

you feel oomph.

He said heal the sick.

>> So, and the word of God bears this out

in Joshua chapter 1 verse 8. The Lord,

Joshua 1:8

the word says, "And this book of the law

shall not depart from your mouth, but

you shall meditate in it day and night,

that you may observe to do according to

all that is written. For then you will

make your way prosperous, and then you

will have good success."

That word prosperous is to push forward

successfully.

And that's how God sets you up. He put

the armor on you to push you forward.

The helmet of salvation, the breastplate

of righteousness, the belt of truth,

your feet fitted with the shoes of

faith, the sword of the spirit, the

shield of faith. Nothing protects your

backside. Everything protects your front

side. So your position is forward. I'M

MOVING FORWARD. I'M MOVING FORWARD. AND

WHEN I'VE GOT THE WORD in my mind and

I'm meditating on it day and night,

THERE IS NO DEMON OF HELL THAT CAN STOP

ME WHEN DARKNESS TRIES TO PREVAIL.

NO DEMON of hell CAN EVER WIN. I'M

TELLING YOU, GOD HAS PREPARED YOU TO GO

FORWARD.

>> So the problem is too many people have a

wrong definition of success.

Success is not found in fame.

It's not found in money. It's not found

in titles. Success in scripture equals

obedience.

Success is a servant who is obedient and

who advances

with

God's presence.

God, if you don't go, I'm not going. If

you don't go before me, Moses said, not

leaving this place. You can do do a case

study. do a study of Daniel. Daniel in

chapter 1 verse 8, he refused to defile

himself.

They gave they gave them Babylonian

names, but they didn't take those names.

They didn't allow Babylon to get into

their character.

Do you hear what I'm saying? They had a

commitment that they were not going to

defile themselves with the king's

delicacies.

And what happened? God gave them in

verse 17 wisdom. And then the Bible says

that because of of how they refused to

defile themsel and their cry for wisdom

that God made them 10 times better.

>> 10 times better. So you see consecration

increasing capacity and that capacity

fulfills the commission. You're able to

do what God called you to do. That's the

rhythm of God's work. And so you see

this throughout throughout the

scripture. Consecration removes the

mixture.

You got mixture in there. Need to get it

out. Consecration removes the mixture.

The spirit of God increases your

capacity when that mixture is removed.

And then that allows you to walk in your

commission and fulfill your destiny.

So sanctification does not limit power.

It protects power and it sustains it.

That's why we're in such a horrible

season of exposure because so many

people are doing the works of God, but

they're not living a life of God.

>> It is not about the stage you stand on.

It is about the testimony you have in

the presence of the Lord.

It's not about how many clicks and how

many likes you have. IT IS ABOUT HOW

MUCH ARE YOU IN THE PRESENCE of the

Lord. Are you sanctified? Are you

cleansed? Are you useful FOR THE MASTER?

ARE YOU READY WHEN the master decides?

IT MAY NOT BE TODAY. It may be tomorrow.

It may not be tomorrow. It may be in

five years. IT MAY NOT BE IN FIVE YEARS.

IT MAY BE IN 20 YEARS. IT MAY NOT BE IN

20 YEARS. IT MAY be at the END OF YOUR

LIFE. BUT ARE YOU READY TO STEP INTO

YOUR SWEET SPOT INTO THE ZONE THAT GOD

CREATED YOU FOR?

BECAUSE IF YOU'RE PLAYING WITH GOD AND

YOU'RE PLAYING WITH RELIGION, YOU'RE

NEVER GOING TO DO WHAT GOD CALLED YOU TO

DO.

>> We don't exist TO COME HERE AND TICKLE

YOUR EARS AND MAKE YOU FEEL SO GOOD THAT

YOU WANT TO GET PEOPLE TO COME SIT WITH

YOU. NO, WE WANT TO SEE YOU TRANSFORMED,

SANCTIFIED, FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST,

GOING OUT HEALING AND SAVING AND

DELIVERING AND SETTING THE CAPTIVE FREE.

BECAUSE WE ARE IN A TIME IN HISTORY

WHERE DEAD RELIGION AND AND CUTE

RELIGION AND SILLY RELIGION WILL NOT

HELP ANYBODY.

>> WHEN CANCER'S GRIPPING YOU, YOU NEED

SOMEONE THAT KNOWS GOD.

>> WHEN YOUR CHILDREN ARE IN JAIL AND ABOUT

TO BE EXECUTED, YOU NEED SOMEBODY THAT

KNOWS GOD. WHEN YOUR WORLD IS FALLING

APART AND THE BANK SAYS, "I'M TAKING

YOUR HOME. I'M TAKING YOUR CAR." YOU

NEED SOMEBODY THAT KNOWS GOD.

And the question is,

who are you?

>> Who are you? Are you that somebody?

>> You know, as I read the word, Jesus gave

this command.

He didn't make a suggestion.

He said in Matthew 10:8, "Heal the sick.

Matthew 10:8

You have a responsibility.

>> Heal the sick. Cleanse the lepers. Raise

the dead. Raise the dead.

Cast out demons.

Quit putting up with junk that ought to

be cast out

>> and and let it begin in you.

>> Self deliverance is not a bad thing.

>> You can put yourself under the blood and

the demon has to leave.

Freely you've received,

freely give.

>> Freely you've received, freely give. So

I I I want to ask you, is there

compromise

in your life that's competing with what

God called you to do?

Is there resistance?

Are you grieving the Holy Spirit?

And have you pursued the gift

more than the holiness?

See, God's not looking for spectacular

vessels. He's looking for surrendered

vessels.

>> Vessels who will carry and display his

power

by doing what he commanded.

That's it.

If you're here today and you don't know

for sure if you were to die tonight,

you'd go to heaven. I want to give you

an opportunity right now to know Jesus.

You can't be used by God to be fulfill

your purpose and your destiny without

really knowing him. Now, God uses

everybody. He'll use

tyrants and horrible people to fulfill

his purpose, but they'll still stand in

judgment.

But if you really want to be what God

called you to be, you got to start with

knowing him. And so, what's kept you

from accepting Jesus? What is what is

that fear? What is that hold back that's

kept you from really giving your heart

to God?

Come on. It's not worth going to hell

over. It's not worth missing your your

eternal purpose. It's not worth you not

walking in the blessing and the favor of

the Lord. The pleasure of sin is for a

season.

But in the end it leads to death.