A child of God with a new nature longs to please Christ in all things. And if you don’t, friends, something is radically wrong. And that’s the reason that I believe the study of the Word of God is essential today. It takes the total Word of God today. Not just a few little verses and draw out some little legalistic system by which you attempt to live and if you’ll follow that, why you’ll be able to live the Christian life. You cannot live the Christian life by following rules. You can only live the Christian life by having the mind of Christ and by having the Spirit of God moving in you.

Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Oh, do you have a little sanctuarya little chapel in your own heart today? Where, when you’re riding along in the car or you’re walking down the street or you’re in the shop or the office or in the schoolroom, the classroom, there is a little chapel there. There is a little sanctuary there where you can withdraw and where you can sanctify the Lord God in your heart so that those outside will know, my friend, that you belong to Him? Because we as individuals need to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. Now the child of God here is to publish His praises. In what way? You show forth His praises by not manifesting the works of the flesh. Then he says: Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. May our lives reflect something of this glorious, wonderful gospel.

We are the people and the sheep of Thy pasture, who in time past were not a peoplewe didn’t belong to God; we were far from Himbut are now the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. And, friends, there’s one gift that you don’t want to miss. And the title of that gift, the name written on the box, is mercy. And it’s a big box. God, He’s rich in mercy; an abundant mercy. And if you need any today, you can go to Him and He’s merciful. He wants to save you. He wants to help you. He wants to lift you up. How wonderful it is.

God calls His own. And He calls you today, my friend. He calls every race today. It doesn’t make any difference what race you belong to. You’ve been called to become a very special, a very wonderful, a chosen generation and a royal priesthood. You belong to that great company of believers out of every nation, a people. Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord. And we are the people and the sheep of Thy pasture. How wonderfulhow wonderful it is to have a wonderful High Priest that today is for us.

You are a holy nation. Now Israel never was a holy nation in conduct. And the same can be said of the church; never been holy in conduct. Israel’s failure is glaring. The church’s failure is appalling. But we’re holy in our relationship with Him. He’s been made unto us righteousness. And Christ is our righteousness. And if you have any standing before God, it’s not in you, it’s in Christ. And I can’t think of anything more wonderful than thatthat today I stand complete in Him. And how wonderful it is to be a member of a holy nation.

Friends, isn’t it wonderful that the love of Christ draws our hearts together? It draws believers together. It’ll help you in your home. It’ll help you in your church. It’ll help you everywhere if you love Him. That’s the thing that’s important. And it will bring rejoicing to your heart. Are you a rejoicing Christian today? Just think, I’ve got an inheritance that’s coming up someday. I don’t have much down here, but I’ve sure got one over there. Oh, I tell you, I’m a child of the King. I’m a child of the King. How wonderful it is to be a child of the King. I’ve got an inheritance that’s coming someday.

The trial that you’re going through is for a purpose. It has a very present purpose. God today is doing for you what they do with gold. Now when they go and mine gold, what do they do with it? They bring it to the smelter, and they put it in a red-hot furnace. To destroy the gold? No, purify. You see, when they melt it, the dross is drawn off and you get pure gold. He’s using a very apt illustration, because he’s going to say here we’ve been redeemed not with silver and gold, but something more preciousthe blood of Christ.

God tests us by trials and troubles. The Lord Jesus said in the world we were going to have trouble, and James said that, and now Peter comes along and says that. And Paul said that. And may I say to you, do you know that the way God is going to improve you and me is by suffering? That’s not popular. And so today we have to have a lot of things to encourage us that we’re somebody and we’re going to be somebody. My friend, we’re nothing until the Spirit of God begins to move in our hearts and lives. We have nothing to offer to God. He has everything to offer to us, and He’s going to improve us.

Some of you ought to sit down, if you’re standing up, to hear this: My friend, you cannot live the Christian life. Somebody says, You don’t mean that? I do mean thatand I challenge you to show me a verse or any Scripture where God has asked you to live the Christian life. He hasn’t done that at all. I’ve got an old nature, and that old nature’s going to be with me. Now, the only way in the world that you’re going to live the Christian life is by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the fact that you’re kept by the power of God, my friend, right on through till the day that you’re delivered to Him.