THE GOSPEL OF CONSECRATION

1. What is Consecration?
2. What does Consecration achieve?
3. How do I become Consecrated?
 1. What is Consecration?

Consecration is the act of 1devoting/giving of oneself, and 2separating of oneself to the

worship and service of God.

- The first mention of consecration or its parallel (sanctification) in scripture is in Gen.

2:3, then Ex. 13:2
- Out of all 7 days, the 7th day is the only one that God blesses and then consecrates it.
- We see the principle of first fruit at work from Gen. 4. It is God’s standard; He wants
the first. He will not be put at 2nd or yonder, He wants to be prioritized.
- In Ex. 13 He is stamping it as an everlasting ordinance that they should forever set
apart (consecrate) the first for God only.

- And then Exodus 19 God wants to speak to the entire nation of Israel and the first
thing He demands is that they take 2 full days to sanctify [clean and consecrate
them] themselves and then on the 3rd day He would speak to them.

- Adding to my initial definition, it is separating oneself from what could make you
dirty/stain your garment making you unqualified, and then giving yourself to what
keeps you clean and qualifies/readies you.

- Consecration was required even from the priests Lev. 10: 8 – 11

- It was to set them apart from ‘common’ people
2. What does Consecration Achieve?

- By qualify it doesn’t mean God will only speak to you because you’re consecrated,
but that you will hear God better because you’re consecrated
- When sin was found in Adam he was driven out of the presence of God.

- God is Holy, and nothing unholy can survive His presence, this is His standard.
- So, consecration is not a religious practice that God requires in order to reveal
Himself and even use an individual,
- it’s just that to Host God, to walk with Him and be used by Him in higher dimensions
(which includes hearing Him especially on deeper matters) one would need to be
separated from certain things and be given to certain things
- what this does is condition you physically and spiritually to be able to “stand in His
presence”, lest you die if He let in there without proper conditioning first
- it is at this state that one will be better postured to “stand in His presence”

Let’s consider these examples mixed with explanations:

 Isaiah 6: 5 – 6 “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of

unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have
seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a
live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid
it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken
away, and thy sin purged.”
- Isaiah, already a prophet by this time, finds himself in God’s presence
- And quickly realizes that he is unclean. The holiness of the presence of God revealed
just how unclean Isaiah was.
- So, a coal is quickly taken and is used to ‘purify’ Him.

- From this it is clearly understood that purity is a major requirement for standing in
God’s presence.
- Psalm 24: 3 – 4 “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his
holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his
soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully”
- Now, to keep this purity Isaiah had received there is a certain lifestyle he would have
to adopt, because if his previous way of living was all good then he wouldn’t have
found himself to be unclean when he stood in the presence of God
- It is him adopting this new lifestyle (which includes separation from certain things
and being given to certain things) whose goal is to keep him ‘pure’ before God
thereby enabling him to stand in God’s presence that we refer to as CONSECRATION
- Without which Isaiah wouldn’t have been able to stand in His holy place which
happens to be where he received his mandate
  Jer. 1: 4 – 5 “Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee
in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified
thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
- In this case God consecrated (sanctified) Jeremiah from inception
- For him too, consecration was an important requirement for him to step into his
calling.

 William Branham, one of the greatest prophets used by God had this encounter
- “Stepping back, he looked up into the tree, and a voice came saying, "Never drink,
smoke, or defile your body in any way, for I have a work for you to do when you get
older."”
- “Several times, as a result of peer pressure, he tried. But as soon as he would lift a
cigarette or drink to his lips, he would again hear that sound of the wind blowing in
the top of the tree. Immediately, he would look around to see, but everything else
was calm and still as before. The same awesome fear would sweep over him and he
would drop the cigarette or the bottle and run away.”
- Branham said of himself, "It seemed all through my life I was just a black sheep
knowing no one who understood me, and not even understanding myself."
- God demanded consecration and purity from the life of Branham from a very small
age.
- And, the depth of his consecration was such that he found it extremely hard maybe
even impossible to associate with people.
- So, it is true to say that some depths of consecration would so detach to an extant
you from people.

 John the Baptist was consecrated from inception Luke 1: 14 – 17

- Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6
 The Apostles of Jesus Christ were consecrated Acts 6: 2, 4
 Judges 13:5, Samson was consecrated

 It is therefore clear that anyone notably used by God was consecrated.

- And that anyone desiring to be used by God today will need to be consecrated 2 Cor.
6:17; 2 Tim. 2: 20 – 21

To answer the question, What consecration achieves.

1.It brings and keeps the believer at God’s standard (of purity) or requirement for
standing in His presence. – 2 Tim. 2:19
2.It deals with the flesh (kills and keeps the it dead – 1 Cor. 15:31) Rom. 8:13; Col. 3:5–6,
* the task of putting the flesh to death is the believer’s responsibility
3.It builds the hedge
- Let me explain 2 and 3
 2. It deals with the flesh (kills and keeps the it dead)

 Rom. 7: 17 – 18 “17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I
know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with
me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”

- “sin that dwelleth in me”

- Paul’s confession reveals and confirms to us that we have sin that dwells in us as
human beings.

- This is not meaning we have sinned, no. but that we have the nature as part and
parcel of us

- Whether we live out this nature or not is therefore up to the individual being
tremendously helped by the Holy Spirit in the case of not living it out.

 Man is Spirit, Soul and Body:

- Sanctification deals with the Spirit – 2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new.”
- Transformation deals with the Soul – Rom. 12:2 “And be not conformed to this
world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
- Consecration deals with the flesh – 1 Cor. 9:27 “But I keep under my body, and
bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to
others, I myself should be a castaway.”

- Calvary’s solution to the flesh (sin nature) is death to self

- Paul said “I die daily”, so it’s more than just a one-off thing, it’s a daily thing.

- Consecration ensures the flesh (sin nature) stays subdued, allowing the Spirit to
dominate unhindered.

- That’s why God will not use a man who is not given to consecration, it’s a risk, at
any point the enemy can beckon on his flesh (sin nature) and such an individual
would yield.

- But a dead man is unresponsive to any external stimuli

 3. It builds the hedge

2 Cor. 10:6 “And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is
fulfilled.”

- It means so far as my own obedience is not complete there are certain things I
cannot command.

 Ecc. 10:8 “… and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.”

- How is the built?

- Job 1: 5,10 “And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that
Job sent and sanctified them… Thus did Job continually… Hast not thou made an
hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?”

- Because of Job’s consecration (it was a continued practice) a hedge was built over
him, his family and all they had, even the devil testified of its presence

- Eze. 22:30 “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge,
and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it…”

- So from these we see that prayer and sacrifice, not as a ones off activity but a
continued practice when one gives himself to it, builds a hedge

- Breaking the hedge ceasing to do that which was done to build it.

 Judges 15:5, This was Samson’s consecration, and so far as He kept these not one could
harm Him (there was a hedge)

- The day these were violet harm got to him

 John the Baptist came in the power and spirit of Elijah Luke 1:17

- 2 Kings 1:8 Part of the consecrations of Elijah was the type of clothes he wore and
where he lived
- which John adhered to for a season, until he decided to go and confront the king,
which led him to ending up in jail, doubting Jesus whom He anointed and
eventually dying an embarrassing death.
 3. How do I become Consecrated?

2 Tim. 2:19 “… And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
- The demand for consecration is on every believer
- We are all required to be consecrated
- 2 Cor. 6:17 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the
Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” + 2 Tim. 2:22
- And the general standard of what we ought to separate ourselves (the deeds of
the flesh) from and give ourselves to (the deeds of the Spirit) is already clear from
scripture

- Now, the question is HOW? 2 ways

1. General Consecrations

- These are what the bible teaches us, especially having come to the kingdom of
God

- Acts 20:32; Acts 6:4 “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the
ministry of the word.”

- Eph. 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

- 2 Tim. 2:19, Purity, Holiness …

- These are general consecration for any serious believer

- The Holy Spirit still needs to lead you to these as you grow and grant you grace to
walk in keeping with them.

2. Specific Consecration

- Luke 1:15 “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither
wine nor strong drink” – this was very specific to John, for him to be effective in
being used by God he had to keep this

- Judges “no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God
from the womb” – this was very specific to Samson, for him to be effective in
being used by God he had to keep this

- These more often than not have come by the inspiration and great help of the
Holy Spirit.