The Pursuit of Holiness | Part 2
Notes
Transcript
Last week we talked about the definitions for sanctification.
Positional Sanctification refers to the believer's once for all status as being set apart as holy before God, based on union with Christ, and occurs at the moment of salvation.
And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Progressive sanctification refers to the life-long process through God increasingly makes us experientially holy. It is the believer’s advance toward spiritual maturity.
For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, leading to further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification.
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord,
What we are challenged with now is how do we actually pursue that? How does this actually work?
People have developed different models of sanctification
Let go and let god
And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to fleshly men, as to infants in Christ.
I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are still not able,
for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?
For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?
Paul is not establishing two classes of Christians, carnal and spirituall. He is confronting carnal behavior and seeking to call them to a better way. He doesn’t call them to have their crisis moment of some kind, on
Can Christians live and act carnally? Yes!
Can they sin, sin grievously, and sin for even extended periods of time? YES!
But if we have the holy Spirit, we will see an overall trajectory toward increasing holiness.
We started talking last week about how this actually works.
This is a chicken or egg kind of thing:
Godly character results in making godly choices and doing godly actions.
Godly actions create godly character in our lives.
This is a Spirit-empowered process.
What are the factors that cause us to grow?
Something we need to watch out for are temptations to think there is one key to sanctification. If you just do this one thing, you will grow.
Have you ever heard the phrase let go and let God?
That can be a biblical phrase in the context of us trying to control our circumstances in ways we are not able to, and we simply need to surrender ourselves to the will of God. We are letting go of our own will and letting God work.
HOWEVER, that phrase originally came from an errant view of sanctification known as Keswick theology, which taught that you don’t need to put any effort at all into your spiritual walk, you simply need to let go and let God and he will sanctify you without you doing anything.
Part of my own story is that there have been points when I have tried so hard to force myself to be holy and I failed and I failed, and I failed.
Something I did need to hear was that I cannot do it. Not alone. I was working in my own strength. I did need to surrender to the word of God in my life, but not in such a way that absolved me from me own need to work out my salvation with fear and trembling. I needed to see where God was at work and lean into that.
But some people will latch a hold of that and say “THIS IS THE KEY!”
Have you ever heard
“Just preach the Gospel to yourself”?
For a long time, I really did not understand what that meant.
Tell myself every day that if I repent and believe I will be saved?
I’ve already believed!
The idea behind this is that by reminding yourself of the Gospel, that Christ died for you and if you have trusted in Him you are secure in Him, that is frees you to live as he designed because you aren’t now working for salvation, but your good works flow from your gratitude to the Lord when you are embracing a proper understanding of your standing before God
This is a good thing. Is it the key to sanctification? No! Some people will latch a hold of that and it will lead to great strides for them! That’s great! It is good to be reminded of the Gospel!
But that is not the key and for some people viewing it that way will be reductionistic and frustrating. “I preach the Gospel to myself every day and I still sin. That’s not helping”
What does the Bible say about how God effects change in our lives?
God changes you - Phil 2:13
The Word of God changes you - Ps 19:7; John 17:17
People change you - Prov 13:20; 2 Tim 3:10
Suffering and trials change you - James 1:2-3; Rom 5:3-4
You change you - 1 Thess 1:9
This list is from David Powlison’s book “How does Sanctification work?”
God himself changes you. Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
The Word of God changes you. Psalm 19:7 “The law of Yahweh is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of Yahweh is sure, making wise the simple.” John 17:17 ““Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.”
Wise people change you Proverbs 13:20 “He who walks with the wise will be wise, But the friend of fools will suffer harm.” 2 Timothy 3:10 “But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance,”
Suffering, struggle, and troubles change you James 1:2–3 “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith brings about perseverance.” Romans 5:3–4 “And not only this, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;”
You change you. 1 Thessalonians 1:9 “For they themselves report about us what kind of an entrance we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God,” You ask for help because you realize you need it. You repent. You turn. You trust. You believe. You are not passive, but you are active in the process. 100% responsible. 100% dependent on the Spirit of God.
In the active pursuit of holiness and change, there are certain habits that you can build within your life that increases your contact points with all the things that God says he uses to change you.
If we discipline ourselves we will grow. Often times God uses a combination of events and circumstances to bring about change in your life, and often times it is through the fruit of a disciplined life that such things occurs.
So God uses a trial and suffering, in combination with the encouragement of other believers and the timely truth from God’s word.
He uses the preached word to convict.
He uses the daily intake of His word.
He helps you understand truth as you meditate on the Word.
Over the next few weeks we will look at a few spiritual disciplines that we can cultivate in our lives that will aid us in our active pursuit of holiness which increases our contact points with the things that God says he uses to change us.
