Faithful To Purify His People!

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 KJV 1900

23 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.

The Faithfulness of God Series!

Introduction:

We are looking at where the Bible specifically encourages us with Faithfulness as it pertains to God. We have looked at God being faithful to forgive us our sins as we confess our sins. Then we looked at God who is faithful to his promises so our faith should not waver nor should we be reluctant in our helping others not waver in their faith. 

November 12, 2017—Sunday Morning!

Verse 23 is a prayer. It is a prayer that Paul is praying for the believers of the Thessalonica as they wait on the second coming of Jesus Christ. It is a prayer that summarizes Paul’s desire for them and Paul’s confidence in the Lord. 

23 And the very God of peace

23 And the very God of peace

1-The Personalization of His Prayer!

He addresses this prayer to God and to the very God of peace. The character of God is marked by peace. He is a God that produces peace. He is the source of peace. He is the one who pursues peace. 

He is the God who has put us at peace with Him. It is the point of our redemption that we, who were enemies of God, have been put in a position of peace and harmony with God. 

Peace being peace being the opposite of all division, distraction, hesitation and doubt.

We have been granted peace with God because of what Jesus Christ has done to meet the terms of our peace with God. Christ has provided our righteousness through his keeping the law and he has taken our sins and the punishment for them. 

The only way we can be at peace with God is that God desires to be at peace with us and has provided the way that we can obtain peace with God. He is the God of peace.

23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;

2-The Purpose of His Prayer!

2-The Purpose of His Prayer!

The reason for Paul’s prayer is that he desires that God would sanctify these believers. The word sanctify means to set apart, to consecrate, to dedicate, or to eliminate what is incompatible with holiness. Paul’s prayer is for everything in the lives of these believers, which is incapable with holiness, be removed.

He desires that everything in us and around us that would distract us or divert us from loving God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and loving our neighbors as our selves be eliminated from our lives. 

What we know is that this is a gradual process that begins when we are brought to repentance from our sins and faith in Christ. 

The purpose here not only involves our relationship with God but also our relationship with one another in the church. The God of peace through the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ has provided our peace with God and our peace with one another in the church. 

Sanctification is about the believer’s practice. Redemption is what has done for us and sanctification is what is done in us. 

Paul’s desire is that the God of peace, who had done a great redemptive work for them will also so a great work in them. Or we could say, that the God who has secured their position would also work mightily in their practice. 

It is the process of conforming them into the image of Jesus Christ. That is what Paul desires for these believers and that is why he prays.

23 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.

23 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.

3-The Proportion of His Prayer!

3-The Proportion of His Prayer!

The extent or scope of Paul’s prayer for sanctification is that it would be wholly or completely done. I don’t think this work is done this side of glory but what I think Paul means that is that that which is not compatible with holiness be removed from our lives and that there is no part of our lives to be free from this work. 

Paul desires this sacrificing work would include every aspect of our lives. That nothing would be avoided from this sanctifying work. Paul desires that their whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

It is Paul’s passionate request for God to completely transform His people from the inside out. Their thoughts, their desires, their affections, their motives, their actions, everything! He desire their whole or complete sanctification. Of course, the duration of this work is their entire life until they go to be in the presence of Christ or Christ returns. 

24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

4-The Promise of His Prayer!

4-The Promise of His Prayer!

Do you see why Paul could pray this prayer? He has full confidence that in God’s faithfulness. Remember when we speak of God’s faithfulness we are speaking of His commitment. His commitment to himself and by virtue his commitment to his people. Because Paul understands God’s commitment he has full confidence in praying this prayer. 

What Paul does is connect the believer’s sanctification to the believer’s calling. It's as if Paul said, He called you! Don't you see? He called you! And if he called you, then he WILL sanctify you. That’s what his faithfulness means. This means sanctification is not optional but will happen.

Now why does the fact that he called us mean that he has to sanctify us?” And Paul says, "It's because his purpose in calling you was that you might become holy. Holiness is the invincible purpose of God in your call. 

He would be unfaithful to his purpose if he just called and didn't sanctify. That’s what I said back in 4:7, "God has not called you for uncleanness, but to holiness. God called you with a holy calling. His purpose in calling you is your holiness. He will do it. He’s faithful.

Every successive step of your salvation is rooted in the certainty of all the steps that have gone before. Your future glorification is rooted and guaranteed by your present progressive sanctification. Your sanctification is rooted in your call and guaranteed by your call. Your call is rooted in the death of Christ for sinners.  Once you feel yourself caught up in the greatness of God-wrought salvation, you know yourself as being loved with an omnipotent, everlasting, atoning, calling, sanctifying, saving love. And you sing, "God is faithful. He will do it!"

The aim of God in the death of his Son was your holiness.  Your becoming holy is as sure as God’s invincible purpose in the death of his Son. The aim of God in calling you was your holiness.  

The idea of “carnal Christians” those who can be called by God and yet not sanctified by God or that God can be their Savior but not their Lord is simply not Biblical. God is faithful. He called you and he will sanctify you. He will do it. All those who are called will be sanctified. 

This promise of Paul is grounded in the faithfulness of God. Sanctification does not depend on our faithfulness but on the faithfulness of God. He will do it. He will work in every believer for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

God cannot fail because God is faithful. We cannot fail because God is faithful. Faithful is He that calls us—who also will do it. He will do it! There is not chance he won’t!