Santification
Notes
Transcript
A PRAYER expressed from the heart of the prophet Habakkuk 1:2-4
How long, O Lord, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save. Why do You make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises. Therefore the law is ignored And justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore justice comes out perverted.
When we look around us it is not hard or difficult for us to imagine evil, sin. YET…
In the midst of it all… there is an unwavering, unchanging, righteous, sovereign, and Holy God.
But then… we read verses like 1 Peter 1:15-16
but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
There is a story (most likely made up, but illustrates well) of Michelangelo. The story goes that as he was in the final stages of sculpting one of his masterpieces, “David”, that a man came up to him and asked,” how difficult is it to sculpt such a magnificent work of art like this?” To this Michelangelo responds, “it is actually rather easy, I just chip away any part of the stone that does not look like David!”
John the Baptist gave a similar response when his disciples were concerned that people were following after Jesus instead of John, he responded in John 3:30
“He must increase, but I must decrease.
Today I want us to look at how we can decrease and He can increase in our lives! (SANCTIFICATION)
We are only going to take a look at only the first 3 verses in chapter 4… BUT we are going to discuss some pretty deep things. Paul in these verses addresses:
1. Pleasing God
2. God’s Will
3. Sanctification
Let’s Read the full section through verse 12 then focus on the first three verses… 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;
Paul addresses with authority what is lacking in their faith!
Paul addresses with authority what is lacking in their faith!
Paul in 3:10 expresses that there are two things they were praying for: 1) to see them again 2) that they may complete what was lacking in their faith.
As chapter 4 begins he is introducing to us the final major section of this letter.
Notice how this instruction should come across to the Thessalonians and to us today as well…
Request and Exhort!!! (asking and encouraging them with strong emphasis…)
This is important church…This message is coming straight from the Lord Jesus!
Verse 2 “by the authority of the Lord Jesus”!
Paul does not want them to disregard this thinking it is some man’s personal opinion…
This is coming from God Himself
THEY ARE COMMANDS… marching orders, what God wants and intends for us to do.
Also note: These are some things that Paul has discussed to some extent before…
“as you received from us instruction”
Sometimes it can be desirous to learn something “new” or “never revealed before”
Sometimes just getting the basics down in this Christian walk is difficult
Sometimes the desire for “greater knowledge” causes us to forget the importance of our walk with God.
Our walk can ALWAYS “excel still more” as Paul states it
Our walk with God directly correlates with pleasing God!
Our walk with God directly correlates with pleasing God!
We can serve God without pleasing Him
Jonah is a great example of this! Pharisees too! (Paul was one)
It comes down to our attitude or heart with which we serve Him
Who is it that you are seeking to please?
Self, Employer, Spouse, Popularity, Desires
Paul identifies that they were doing this yet they can always improve!
Paul wanted them to move from their current condition and develop spiritually (Faith Muscles)
Don’t underestimate a good walk (Enoch)
You’re n step with Him, Watching Him, Following His lead, not running ahead
One way we please Him is by following what He has commanded (with a good attitude)
Not necessarily doing grand and great things
This requires a knowledge and an understanding of His Scripture
God’s will for your life is NOT a mystery!
God’s will for your life is NOT a mystery!
Twice in this letter alone Paul addresses some things that are God’s Will for our lives!
Here it is sanctification
Verse 5:16-18 shares more!
We often confuse wanting to know God’s Plan for our lives with what His will is for our lives…
God does have a plan for your life but will seldom reveal that ahead of time
Yet… He wants to be crystal clear on what His will for your life is!
Here is just a brief example…:
Romans 8:27 (God’s will works through our prayers)
and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Romans 12:2 (god wants us to use our minds)
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
The entire chapter 12 along with 13 of Romans lay out God’s will amazingly for the believer
Ephesians 6:6 (God desires we serve Him from the heart NOT with eye service or pleasing men)
not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.
Hebrews 10:36 we are to serve him with endurance! This is not an easy thing, it is a day to day walk with him, seeking to please Him
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
1 Peter 2:15 God’s will is that we have a righteous testimony that glorifies Him
For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
1 Peter 4:2 God’s will is that while we are living in the flesh that we no longer live according to the desires and lust of the flesh!
so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
Which brings us back to 1 Thessalonians 4:3 where Paul is talking about sanctification…
Paul will go on to illustrate sanctification through PURE LIVING and LOVING OTHERS
Sanctification in the Life of the Believer
Sanctification in the Life of the Believer
SANCTIFICATION: The work of the Holy Spirit in the believer that carries on to perfection the work begun at regeneration. The act of becoming more dedicated to God.
At regeneration (the point of salvation by faith) the believer is saved by the power of God, by the blood of Jesus Christ, and sealed with the Holy Spirit.
Our standing before God when He sees us He sees the blood of His Son!
At the point of salvation, we are not taken immediately to be with Him however. We are left here in the flesh and struggle with the desires of the flesh.
Sanctification is us allowing the Holy Spirit work in us
Our faith is instrumental in the working out of Sanctification!!!
This is why Paul addresses that there are things lacking in their faith!
We are not perfect, our actions show this… BUT this is why God reveals so much of His will in how He wants/commands you and I to live
Sanctification at its completion is perfection… which we will never be until Christ return for His Bride the church!
It consists of the purity of the believer in their physical life… so that the marital fellowship can be fulfilled and Holy when the bridegroom comes for His bride.
The Holy Spirit is preparing the bride…!!!!
Next week we will look at our sanctification in our purity and love
God is at work in our Sanctification
The Holy Spirit is slowly, intentionally, sometimes painfully, chiseling away the areas of our life that do not look like Christ
A sanctuary… pure and Holy … a Holy place where God resides.
We come to communion… Jesus Christ proposing to His bride, declaring His love and the price He is willing to pay for you and I.
Accepting the gift of salvation we enter into a relationship with Him… we prepare ourselves for the bridegroom
We remember DAILY walking in His will