Untitled Sermon (5)

Transformed by Grace: The Journey of Sanctification

Summary: Sanctification is the ongoing process by which Christians are made holy and conformed to the image of Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. Our daily choices reflect our commitment to grow in Christ. It will also remind us of God’s grace and empowerment to overcome sin and strive for holiness. Sanctification is both a divine work initiated by God and a human response to His grace. Christ is the ultimate model of holiness and the empowering agent of sanctification through His work on the cross and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

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1. Partnership in Progress

Philippians 2:12–13 “Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.”

work out your own salvation-We are not to work “for” our salvation but to work “out” our salvation

-Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. But what we do with that salvation once we receive it is another matter. Paul encourages the church in Philippi to develop the salvation that has been deposited within them.

-Are our daily lives reflecting Jesus (are we taking intentional steps to do so)

-do our coworkers know we are Christians (are we sharing the good news)

-are we working to develop our spiritual journey so that we can share properly with others

-are we a good example to non-believers

-work out our salvation is a verb (working out in a gym) We cannot do this sitting on the sidelines.

-we must take intentional steps in aligning our lives with Christ’s teachings, all while trusting that God is effectively working within us.

Paul encourages the church in Philippi to develop the salvation that has been deposited within them. This they were to do with fear and trembling -fearing God is respecting God, it is taking God seriously

-we are to honor God in all of our decisions, regardless of cost, so that He may be glorified

-God brings circumstances into our lives that will require us to “work out” our salvation and to choose His will over our own. This allows us to witness his work and saving power and allows us to personally witness His Glory!

Where does the motivation to obey come from? It is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose (2:13). The reason the Philippians could “work out” their salvation was because God had already been “working in” them. God had already deposited within them that which was to be worked out. He gives us the desire and ability to obey. Obedience is not based on our willpower, but on God’s power working in us.

2. Grace Guides Growth

Romans 6:1–14 “What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died is freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but…” “What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died is freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.

Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Is Grace a get out of jail free card?

-no judge shows mercy to a criminal so that he can go out and commit more crimes. -Paul had no patience for this nonsense Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

-The fundamental issue here is one of identity. Anyone who says that salvation makes him free to sin has totally misunderstood his new identity in Christ -when battling sin we cannot fight flesh with flesh, we cannot do it alone

-Paul reminds us we are dead to do what once controlled us.

-We were co-baptized with Christ, co-buried with him, and co-resurrected with Him, what is true of Jesus physically is true of us spiritually.

- In Greek, the word translated baptism meant to plunge or dip (6:4). It was the word used for dying clothes. You would dip a cloth in purple dye, let it soak (or be “baptized”), and it would absorb the color. The properties of the dye became part of the cloth. That’s what happens to Christians: we are dipped in the blood of Jesus, so that the properties of Jesus become a part of us (see Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” ).

-We walk in newness of life (6:4) only when we intimately know that we have been united with Christ. The same power that led to his resurrection (6:5) is available to us—not by working for it, but by steeping ourselves in our Christian identity. -our old selves had to sin because we were slaves to sin, We no longer need to be enslaved to sin if we continue to sin, its because we have forgotten our true identity The body ruled by sin (6:6) has been put out of work through our identity with Christ. -our problem with sin is not a willpower problem, but lack of vision we take our focus off the cross, we must be intentional

consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

That is, you need to buy into the new identity bought for you at the cross. Jesus died to sin in our place; we don’t have to die too.

During the Civil War, it was legal for men who wanted to avoid the draft to pay for personal replacements. In one particular instance, a man paid for another to go into battle for him, and that individual was killed. A few months later, the man who paid for the replacement received a second draft notice. But he took the legal agreement to the draft board, saying, “The second draft is invalid. Someone already went to war and died in my place.” This is a picture of the Christian’s situation. The payment has already been paid. Jesus died in my place.”

Paul shows Christians a choice: we can be slaves of sin leading to death or servants of obedience leading to righteousness

When we realize and submit to Christ’s rule over us, regardless of our emotions, the flesh progressively loses its domination, and the grace of God is activated in our lives.

Living independently of a relationship with God means you are living in the realm of spiritual death. If you become a slave of sin, you get some short-term pleasure, but that pleasure led to death. What kind of a trade-off is that? If, however, you become a slave of God, you get sanctification and righteousness—both of which lead to life (6:22). 3. Faithful Fulfillment

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will do it.”

-This passage reveals that sanctification is both God's work and His promise

God has never started a project that He didn’t finish. And if he has started on you, you can be sure that he will sanctify you completely as you allow him to transform you from the inside out (spirit, soul, and body) (5:23

invitation:

Maybe you could conclude by focusing on God’s faithfulness to complete the sanctification process. This passage reveals that sanctification is both God's work and His promise. By presenting God as the initiator and perfecter of our holiness, you can reassure believers that despite their imperfections, God is committed to sanctifying them completely, helping them find hope and confidence in their spiritual journey.