Sermon #3 Jude Sermons
Title: “Sanctified by God
the Father”
Text: Jude 1:1
Subject: Sanctification — A Work of Grace
Date: Sunday
Morning — October 31, 2004
Tape # Jude #3
Readings:
Introduction:
Let me begin my message by
reading a few passages of Holy Scripture. In these passages we are told who
shall and shall not enter into heaven. It is written, “The unrighteous shall
not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9).
(Genesis
17:1) “And when Abram was ninety years
old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the
Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.”
(Leviticus
20:7) “Sanctify yourselves therefore,
and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.”
(1
Peter 1:15-16) “But as he which hath
called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (16) Because
it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
(Leviticus
22:21) “And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to
accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall
be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.”
(Deuteronomy
18:13) “Thou shalt be perfect with the
LORD thy God.”
(Psalms
37:37) “Mark the perfect man, and
behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.”
(Revelation
21:27) “And there shall in no wise enter
into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination,
or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
A
Solemn Fact
Here is a very solemn fact. Like it or not, this is a matter of fact, plainly
revealed in Holy Scripture. — “There shall in no wise enter into it anything
that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.”
Heaven will never be polluted by sin. God almighty is holy, righteous, just,
and perfect. That which dwells with him forever must be holy, righteous, just,
and perfect. In order for anything, or anyone, to enter heaven it must be
perfect. Any lack of absolute, total perfection must forever exclude us from
the presence of God. Perfect holiness cannot tolerate anything less than
perfect holiness. When sin defiled Eden, Eden was forever destroyed because God
will not tolerate sin. His law requires
a perfect obedience from man and threatens any lack of perfection with death.
And the law requires a perfect sacrifice for atonement. Even God’s own dear
Son, when he was defiled with sin, was forsaken by God and slain! God requires
perfection. Heaven is a world of perfection. Defilement, abomination, and
deceit shall never enter into it. Sin shall never darken the kingdom of light
or defile the City Beautiful.
God is perfect. God is holy.
And God will never accept anything or anyone that is no perfect and holy. Do
you qualify? Do I? If we are in Christ we do, because we are “sanctified
(made holy) by God the Father.” That is my subject. — “Sanctified
by God the Father.” You will find my text in Jude 1:1.
(Jude
1:1) “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ,
and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and
preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.”
The Book of Jude is one of those brief books of Holy
Scripture that are often overlooked simply because of their brevity. What a
mistake! This short Epistle of just twenty-five verses is bursting with
blessed, gospel instruction. It is a treasure chest of the “precious things
of heaven.” It is a honeycomb overflowing with sweetness for our souls.
Jude writes as the servant of Jesus Christ “to them that are sanctified
by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.” Here are three great
privileges and blessings of grace that identify all who are born of God. These
three things are true of every saved sinner. God’s elect are a people…
·
“Sanctified by God the Father,”
·
“And preserved in Jesus Christ,”
·
“And called” by God the Holy Spirit.
This is almost exactly the same thing Peter tells us
in 1 Peter 1:1-2.
(1
Peter 1:1-2) “Peter, an apostle of Jesus
Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia, (2) Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of
the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”
Did you notice that while Jude speaks of us being “sanctified
by God the Father,” Peter tells us that sanctification is the work of God
the Holy Spirit? If you will turn to Hebrews 10, you will see that the Apostle
Paul ascribes our sanctification to the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Hebrews
10:10-14) “By the which will we are
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
(11) And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes
the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: (12) But this man,
after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right
hand of God; (13) From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool. (14) For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that
are sanctified.”
The Trinity
What
a blessed testimony this is to the union of the three Persons in the Godhead in
the work of our salvation! As it is written, — “There are
Three that bear record in heaven; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and
these three are One” (1 John 5:7). All three Persons in the Holy Trinity
are eternally engaged in the work of grace. All three of the divine Persons in
the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are engaged in the work of our
salvation. All three of the divine Persons are to be praised, worshipped, and
adored by us. Let us never be guilty of exalting one Person in the Godhead
above another. While Christ has all pre-eminence as the God-man, our Mediator,
and it is the pleasure of God that in him all fulness should dwell, the eternal
God is one.
· It is wrong to look upon God
the Son as the embodiment of everything lovely, gracious, and kind, and
look upon God the Father as severely just, destitute of kindness, and
unapproachable.
· It
is equally wrong to magnify the Father’s decree and the Son’s atonement to
deprecation the work of the Holy Spirit.
In
all things these three agree in one and these three are one. We worship one God
in the trinity of his sacred Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In all
works of grace and salvation neither does anything apart from the other. The
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are as united in their deeds as in their
essence. In their love towards the chosen they are one, and in the actions
which flow from that great central source they are still undivided.
Specifically,
I want you to see that this is true in the matter of our sanctification. Yes,
sanctification is the work of God the Holy Spirit. Yet, we must never view it
as if the Father and the Son had no part the work. Our sanctification is the
work of the Father, the work of the Son, and the work of the Holy Spirit. As
Spurgeon put it…
“Still doth Jehovah say, ‘Let
us make man in our own image after our likeness,’ and thus we are ‘his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them.’…The Three Persons in the Trinity are
represented as co-working to produce a Church without ‘spot, or wrinkle, or
any such thing.’”
Sanctified
Today, I want to talk to you about our
sanctification in Christ. Paul when writing to the church at Corinth, the only
congregation which he calls carnal, addressed them by divine inspiration as men
and women who were “sanctified in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:2). They were
far from being what they ought to have been. In conduct and spirit, they were
not exactly what you would call “ideal Christians.” Yet, Paul writes to them
upon the basis of their professed faith in Christ and says, if you are in
Christ, “Ye are sanctified” (1 Cor. 6:11). Peter declared to God’s
saints scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia
that they were sanctified. And here Jude declares that all who are born of God,
all who are called, all who trust Christ are “sanctified by God the Father.”
I presume that God the Holy Spirit, whose words these are, means for us
to understand that all saints are sanctified. Don’t you think?
The words “saints,”
“sanctify,” “sanctified,” and “sanctification”
are used repeatedly throughout the Scriptures. But most people, I fear, do not
know what they mean, as they are used by the inspired writers. What do you
think of when you hear or read those words?
We are fairly comfortable in discussing redemption
and justification, but not sanctification. With regard to this subject there is
a great deal of confusion, and it needs to be cleared up. Errors regarding the doctrine of sanctification generally fall into
one of three categories.
1.
PENTECOSTALISM teaches
that sanctification is a second work of grace, whereby the believer is made
totally free from sin and the old nature of sin is eradicated from his being.
We know that such teaching is wrong for two reasons:
·
It is directly contrary to the Word of God. — “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is
not in us” (1 John 1:8).
·
It is contrary to every believer’s experience. As honest men and women,
we must confess our sinfulness. Though we are no longer under the dominion of
sin, we have a continual struggle with sin. Sin is in us. It is mixed with
everything we do. It mars everything we do. If a person says he is without sin,
he is a liar. The truth is not in him.
2.
THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS LEGALIST makes
sanctification nothing more than an outward, legal morality. To him
sanctification is accomplished by his separation from the world, his obedience
to religious customs and traditions, and his abstinence from the use of things
he considers evil. — “Touch not, taste
not, handle not” is his creed.
3.
Most of those who are regarded as ORTHODOX,
EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS teach that sanctification is the progressive
increase of the believer in what they call “personal holiness.” We are told
that the child of God attains higher degrees of holiness by his own works in
sanctification, until at last he is ripe for heaven, and that sanctification
ultimately buds forth into glorification. Among these are both fundamentalists
and those who regard themselves as reformed in doctrine.
One writer defined sanctification in these words. —
“Sanctification is progressive righteousness, which, of course, means that it
is incomplete righteousness” (E.W.J.) Usually this progressive, increasing
righteousness is made to be the basis of the believer’s assurance here and hid
heavenly reward hereafter.
Illustration: The
Preachers in Grand Rapids
Ted C. at Louisville
NOTE: Progressive
righteousness implies the possibility of perfect righteousness. To progress in
righteousness until we are ripe for heaven sounds very much like sinless
perfection to me!
I want us to simply open our Bibles and search the
Scriptures. Let’s try to find out
what God says about sanctification in the Book he has written. I am
sure you will see that sanctification as it is taught in the Bible is
considerably different from the way it is commonly taught in theology books and
from most pulpits. I appreciate the writings of men who have been used of God,
from whom I learn much. But when they vary from the Word of God, I must vary
from them. I have no creed to defend, no confession to uphold, no denomination
to answer to, and no catechism to teach, but this — “Thus saith the Lord.”
Proposition: I
want to show you one thing in this message and clearly demonstrate it from the
Word of God — Because sanctification
is an essential element of salvation it is and must be, in its entirety, the
work of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ.
If salvation is by grace (And it is!), then all that is essential to salvation is by grace alone. Whatever sanctification is, it is the work of God alone.
Names
You are all familiar with many of these names by
which the Lord God makes himself known to us.
1. JEHOVAH-JIREH — “The Lord will provide.” “And Abraham called the name of that place
Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen” (Gen. 22
:14).
2. JEHOVAH-RAPHA — “The
Lord that healeth thee.”
“And said, If thou wilt diligently
hearken to the voice of the Lord
thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his
commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon
thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Ex.
15:26).
3. JEHOVAH-NISSI — “The Lord our Banner.” “And Moses built an altar, and called the
name of it Jehovah-nissi” (Ex. 17:15).
4. JEHOVAH-RA-AH — “The Lord my Shepherd.” “The Lord
is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1).
5. JEHOVAH-SHALOM — “The Lord our Peace.” “Then
Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto
this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites” (Judges 6:24).
6. JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH — “The
Lord is there.” “It was round about eighteen thousand
measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there” (Ezek. 48 :35).
7. JEHOVAH-TSIDKEENU — “The
Lord our Righteousness.”
“In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and
this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS"
(Jer. 23:6); "In those days shall
Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name
wherewith she shall be called, The Lord
our righteousness” (Jer. 33:16).
8. Here is another
name by which our God reveals himself to us, a name with which you may not be
familiar. — JEHOVAH-M’KADDESH — “The Lord which doth
sanctify you.”
It is this fact, the fact that he is the One who
sanctifies us, that the Lord uses to encourage obedience in his people. In
fact, this is one of the names by which the Lord God identifies and reveals
himself to us (Ex. 31:13; Lev. 20:8). — “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying,
Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign
between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you” (Ex. 31:13). — “And
ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the Lord which sanctify you” (Lev. 20:8).
Divisions:
1.
What do the words “Sanctify” and “Sanctification” mean?
2.
How are the People of God sanctified?
3.
Does the Word of God teach the Doctrine of Progressive Sanctification?
4.
Are there any tokens or evidences of sanctification in us?
The Words
I.
What do the words “sanctify”
and “sanctification” mean?
I am talking about Bible terms. So let’s turn to the
Bible to find out what they mean. The word “sanctify” is used in three
distinct ways in the Scriptures.
A.
The first meaning of the
word “sanctify” is “to set apart,” particularly, “to set apart for God
or for divine service.”
Sanctification is taking something that is common and ordinary and setting it apart, separating it unto God’s service alone. This is the first and primary meaning of the word as it is used in the Bible.
1.
The Seventh Day was set apart for God (Gen.
2:3).
This is the first time the word “sanctify” is
used in the Bible. — “And God blessed the
seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his
work which God created and made” (Gen. 2:3). The day was not altered at
all. It was simply set apart, separated from the other days of the week for
God’s service alone.
NOTE: The
law of first mention applies here. The essential meaning of the word
“sanctify,” throughout the Bible is “to
set apart”.
2.
The Firstborn of
all the families of Israel were set apart for God (Ex. 13:2). — “Sanctify unto me all the firstborn,
whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of
Israel, both of men and of beast: it is mine.”
3. The Tabernacle, the altar, and the
priesthood were sanctified unto the Lord, set apart for his use alone (Ex.
29:44). — “And I will sanctify the
tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron
and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office.”
NOTE: It
is in this sense that our Lord Jesus Christ says he was sanctified (John
10:36). He was set apart from all other men to do the will of God by God the
Father. And in this sense our Savior sanctified himself to do the work he was
sent to do, to accomplish his Father’s will in the redemption and salvation of
his people (John 17:19).
(John 10:36) “Say ye of him, whom the Father hath
sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the
Son of God?”
(John 17:19) “And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified
through the truth.”
NOTE: When
anything or anyone is sanctified, set apart to God and for God’s service, that
thing or that person is under God’s special protection.
B.
Secondly, as the word “sanctify” is used in the Word
of God, it means “to regard as holy,” “to treat as holy,” and “to declare that
a person or thing is holy.”
For example: God himself is frequently said to be
sanctified by his people. We do not make God more holy! And we do not separate
God unto himself. But we do regard him as holy, treat him as one who is holy,
and declare that he is holy. That is what it is to sanctify the Lord God in
your heart.
1.
God commands us to regard him as holy (Isa. 8:13). — “Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let
him be your fear, and let him be your dread.”.
·
Nadab and Abihu were consumed by the Lord when they offered strange
fire, because they did not reverence God’s holiness. — “I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me!” (Lev. 10:3).
·
Moses’ sin in smiting the Rock the second time, for which he was not
allowed to enter the land of promise, was just this. — “Ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of
Israel” (Num. 20:12).
·
We have an even more familiar illustration of this is what is called
“The Lord’s Prayer.” Our Savior taught us to pray, — “Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matt.
6:9). The word “hallowed” is simply another word for
“sanctified.” The meaning is, let thy name be reverenced and adored through the
whole earth. Let men regard thy name as a holy and sacred thing.
The first meaning of the word “sanctify” is
to set apart for God. The second meaning is to regard, treat, and declare a
person or thing as being holy.
2.
So, when a person is
sanctified by God he is regarded by God as one who is holy, declared by God to
be holy, and treated by God as one who is holy.
All who are sanctified are under God’s special care
and protection. They are the apple of his eye. They are his anointed. And God
says to all creation, “Touch not mine
anointed!”
C.
The third meaning of
the word “sanctify” is “to actually purify something and make it holy.”
This is more than a declaration. This is an actual
change in the nature of things. The thing sanctified is not only set apart and
declared to be holy, it is actually made holy.
1.
When the Lord God was about to come down and give the law at Mt. Siani the children of Israel were required to make
themselves ceremonially holy (Ex.
19:10-11). — “The LORD said unto Moses,
Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash
their clothes, 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.”
NOTE: This
was a ceremonial picture of sanctification.
2.
When Israel was about to cross the Jordan River God required them to
first purify themselves (Josh. 3:5). — “And
Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do
wonders among you.”
Do you see the basic meanings of the words “sanctify”
and “sanctification” as they are used in the Scriptures?
·
To set apart or separate for God.
·
To regard, treat, and declare something or someone as holy.
·
To purify and make holy.
How?
II.
How are the people of God sanctified?
As I have already stated, our sanctification, like
our redemption and justification, is the work of God almighty in the trinity of
his sacred Persons. We are sanctified by God the Father in election, by God the
Son in redemption, and by God the Holy Spirit in regeneration.
Sanctification is not something we do for
ourselves. It is something God does for us and in us. The words “sanctify,”
“sanctified,” “sanctifieth,” and “sanctification” are used more
than thirty times in the New Testament. We are said to be sanctified by the
purpose of God, by the blood of Christ, by the Spirit of God, by faith in
Christ, and by the Word of God. But never, not even once, are we said to
sanctify ourselves. Sanctification is the work of God alone!
A.
All believers were
sanctified by God the Father in eternal election, being set apart by God’s
decree for him and separated unto him (Jude 1:1). — “Jude, the servant of
Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the
Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.”
This is the character of God’s distinguishing grace
— It sets some people apart from others and sanctifies them unto the Lord. — We
were secretly set apart for God in his secret, eternal decree
of election before the world began. — We were legally set
apart from Adam’s fallen race by the purchase of Christ at Calvary, when he
ransomed us from the curse of the law. — And we were manifestly
set apart and separated unto God by the effectual call of God the Holy Spirit
in regeneration.
The doctrine should be clear to all. Every believer
has been, in this sense, eternally sanctified, completely set apart by God and
for God. The practical importance of this glorious doctrine is this — That which has been set apart for God
ought never be used for common purposes again. — “Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify
God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). — And
that which is set apart to God is under his constant protection and care
(Hos. 2:18; Rom. 8:28).
Beloved, we
belong to the Lord our God. Let us therefore consecrate ourselves to him and
serve him in all things (Rom 12:1-2). — “I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
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.”.
We belong
to God. Be assured, God almighty will protect all who belong to him in all
their appointed ways, even as he protected the ark of the covenant in the Old
Testament (Psa.
91:3-13).
“Surely he
shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome
pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt
thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid
for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth
by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand
shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not
come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of
the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither
shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels
charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in
their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the
lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.”
(Psa. 91:3-13)
B.
All of God’s elect were
perfectly sanctified by the blood of Christ when he died as our Substitute (Heb. 10:10-14).
Christ is our Sanctification (1 Cor. 1:30). We have
been and are forever “sanctified in
Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:2). Believers are addressed throughout the Epistles
as “saints,” that is as “sanctified ones” in Christ.
“By the which
will we were sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest
standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which
can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for
sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting
till his enemies be made his footstool. For
by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
(Heb. 10:10-14)
This is what I want you to see and rejoice in — In
the Lord Jesus Christ we who believe are regarded by God as perfectly holy,
treated as if we were perfectly holy, and declared to be perfectly holy,
because in Christ we are perfectly holy!
We do no believe in imputed sanctification any more than we believe in imputed justification. We believe in imputed righteousness, by which we are both justified and sanctified. The righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us; and we are by his righteousness both justified from all things and declared to be holy. Sanctified, in the sight of God.
“With His spotless garments
on
I am as holy as God’s Son!”
C.
All believers are actually
made holy by God the Holy Spirit in regeneration.
Through the instrumentally of gospel preaching, the
Spirit of God effectually applies the blood of Christ to the hearts of God’s
elect, purifying our hearts and implanting a new, holy nature within us. This
is regeneration, the new birth. This is our sanctification by the Spirit (2
Thess. 2:13-14; 2 Pet. 1:4; 1 John 3:9; 1 John 5:18).
(2
Thessalonians 2:13-14) “But we are bound
to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God
hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of the truth: (14) Whereunto he called you by our
gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(2
Peter 1:4) “Whereby are given unto us
exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of
the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust.”
(1
John 3:9) “Whosoever is born of God doth
not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is
born of God.”
(1
John 5:18) “We know that whosoever is
born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and
that wicked one toucheth him not.”
Someone once wrote, “We are a people with two
natures, one that is holy and seeks after righteousness, and one that is
corrupt and seeks after sin. These two natures are not equal in power. The
divine nature rules and reigns, but the evil nature will not bow nor serve.”
While we live in this world we must continue to live
with this old, sinful nature. But we do have a new nature created in us, in the
image of Christ, a nature that cannot sin. It is the old man that sins, not the
new. — It is written, “Now if I do that I
would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me” (Rom.
7:20).
In glorification the old man shall be
totally eradicated from us, but not until then. That eradication of the old man
is not a gradual, progressive thing. It is the radical, climatic change
experienced by God’s saints in death, and ultimately in resurrection glory.
Progressive Sanctification
III.
Does the Word of God teach the
doctrine of progressive sanctification?
As it is commonly taught by men, the answer is, No!
The Bible certainly does not teach progressive sanctification. Be sure you
understand what I mean by that statement.
·
The Bible does not teach
that in sanctification our old nature becomes less sinful and more holy. “Flesh is flesh.” It
cannot be sanctified! The old man is not sent to the hospital for a cure. He is
sent to the cross to be crucified!
·
The Bible does not teach
that by sanctification we who believe attain progressively increasing degrees
of personal holiness and thereby improve our acceptance with God.
Yet, the
Scriptures do clearly represent the work of sanctification in the believer as a
present, continual work of grace (1 Thess. 1:3-7; 5:23-24).
(1
Thessalonians 1:3-7) “Remembering
without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in
our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; (4) Knowing,
brethren beloved, your election of God. (5) For our gospel came not unto
you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much
assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
(6) And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the
word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: (7) So that ye were
ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.”
(1
Thessalonians 5:23-24) “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.”
Illustration: The
child Christ Jesus was perfectly holy. Yet, he grew in that state of holiness.
Even so, we are perfectly holy in Christ. We have a perfectly holy nature
implanted in us. Yet, the believer grows in grace. Our holiness does not
improve. But we grow in that state of holiness (Lk. 2:52; 2 Pet. 3:18).
Sanctification cannot be properly spoken of as a
progressive work. A person is either holy or he is unholy. There is nothing in
between. You cannot be more or less holy! But sanctification is a
continual work. Being sanctified by God, born again by the Holy Spirit, every
believer grows in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every living thing grows! — We
see more — Feel more — Do more — Know more — Repent more — Believe more — And
love more, as we grow in grace! In sanctification there is an ever-increasing
faith, hope, and love in the hearts of God’s elect.
Of this I am certain, wherever sanctification is
found...
· Consecration of the heart
increases.
· Conformity to Christ in
heart and life increases.
· Commitment to Christ and his
cause increases.
· Love, devotion, confidence
in, and submission to Christ increases.
· Confidence in Christ
increases.
This growth in grace is the continual
operation of God the Holy Spirit in sanctification. — “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good
pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).
This growth in grace is a work of grace accomplished
by the Spirit of God through the use of those means of grace God has given (Ps.
119:9-16).
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanses his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”
(Psa. 119:9-16)
Evidences of Sanctification
IV.
Are there any tokens and evidences
of sanctification in us?
Am I one of those whom God has sanctified by his
grace? Are you? If so, there are some things that will give clear evidence of
our sanctification.
A.
A sanctified person is one
who loves Christ and seeks his glory (1 John 3:14; 4:19; 1 Cor.
16:22).
(1 John 3:14)
“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the
brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”
(1
John 4:19) “We love him, because he
first loved us.”
(1
Corinthians 16:22) “If any man love not
the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.”
B.
A sanctified person is one
in whose heart and soul there is an unceasing warfare between flesh and spirit,
between sin and righteousness (Gal. 5:17; Rom. 7:14-22).
(Galatians 5:17) “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other:
so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
(Romans
7:14-22) “For we know that the law is
spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For that which I do I allow not:
for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that
which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no
more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 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. 19 For the good that I would I do
not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would
not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a
law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in
the law of God after the inward man:”
C.
A sanctified person is one
who seeks after perfection, knowing his perfection in Christ (Phil.
3:12-15).
(Philippians
3:12-15) “Not as though I had already
attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may
apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. (13) Brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are
before, (14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus. (15) Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be
thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even
this unto you.”
D.
A sanctified person is one
who is humbled before God, repenting, believing, and persevering, longing to
know Christ (Phil. 3:13-14).
(Philippians
3:10) “That I may know him, and the
power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made
conformable unto his death;”
(Philippians 3:13-14) “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this
one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth
unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Application:
1. Do you know anything about
sanctification by experience? If you are not sanctified, you are not saved.
2. Weep over your sins. Confess
them to God. But do not despair. Our acceptance with God is Christ alone! (1
John 1:7- 2:2).
(1
John 1:7-10) “But if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (8) If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say that we have not
sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
(1
John 2:1-2) “My little children, these
things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) And he is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world.”
3. Would you grow in grace? “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out
of it or the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23).
4. Children of God, in all
things, seek to imitate Christ. Follow his example.
· In suffering with patience!
· In service to one another!
5. Because we are “sanctified
by God the Father”…
·
We have been, are, and shall forever be “preserved in Jesus Christ.”
·
We have been “called” by God the Holy Spirit unto life and faith
in Christ.
·
Let us, therefore, cast all our care upon our great, ever-gracious God,
who cares for and ever takes care of us.
·
We are not our own. We have been bought with the price of Christ’s
precious blood.
·
Let us present ourselves unto our God as a living sacrifice to him.
That is just our reasonable service.
“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. Faithful
is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (1 Thess. 5:23-24).
AMEN