Sanctification... In Action!
Notes
Transcript
You and I enter into a relationship with God, through the sacrificial gift of Jesus Christ, sealed with the Holy Spirit. We come to this relationship hearing and rightly believing verses like Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
This is sooo true, we receive salvation as a free gift, nothing earned… and then delude ourselves with lies thinking we don’t need to do anything in this relationship that we have entered into. In fact we fail to read the very next verse!!!! Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Often in the church we find two extremes...
The first extreme is the one who is friends with only Christians, talks only with Christians, only does christian or church activities, gets hair cut by only Christians, eats and shops at only christian stores, only christian music, only christian shows or tv in fact they speak christian
On the other extreme… goes covert. They blend in, they are around those who don’t know Christ, but no one would know. to see them any other day other than Sunday morning, sometimes not even then (super undercover) yet they said the sinners prayer right, they say they believe and “have a relationship”. Put them on trial and it would be their word only that would convict them of being a christian due to lack of proof or evidence.
I believe that both are contrary to what God desires from us… Consider what Christ prayed in the garden before His sacrifice on the cross… John 17:11; 13-18
“I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.
“But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
You and I are sent into this world and with purpose, and Christ has asked God to work the sanctifying process in you and me through His Word… The Truth!
Our passage in 1 Thessalonians is not the only place scripture speaks to our interactions with this world. Consider these passages…
So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,
for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light
Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 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.
Holy living (AMONG) the world is at the center of sanctification...
Sanctify… the work of Salvation which Christ did at Calvary
Sanctuary… a temple, the dwelling place of the Spirit of God
Sanctification… the process of us becoming Holy made perfect at Christ coming!
As Paul discusses sanctification with the Thessalonians he addresses THINGS TO AVOID and he challenges them with THINGS TO PURSUE
Things To Avoid
Things To Avoid
Verses 3-8 distant your self, abstain, don’t do this!!! STAND OUT in this area!
On a television talk show some time ago the guest was an actor, well known for his romantic roles on film. Predictably, he was asked, “What makes a great lover?” I am confident everyone watching, the show, myself included, expected the macho playboy response. To the surprise of the host, and the audience, his answer must have raised eyebrows all across America. It went something like this:
“A great lover is someone who can satisfy one woman all her life long, and who can be satisfied by one woman all his life long. A great lover is not someone who goes from woman to woman to woman. Any dog can do that!”
Sexual Immorality IS NOT FITTING for the bride of Christ!
“Sexual Immorality” = Porneia… we get our word pornography from this word
Sexual immorality is prevalent in our day and it was in the same with the Thessalonians
The Thessalonians lived in a pagan environment in which sexual looseness was not only practiced openly but was also encouraged!
Temples
Status
Culture
It is just as bad in our day and age…
Barana did a study along with Josh McDowell a while back and had these finding…
Two thirds of adults (65%) either strongly or somewhat agree that it’s a good idea to live with one’s significant other before getting married
Practicing Christians (41%) believe this !!!
Around half of adults 25 and older say viewing porn is wrong (54%), and among teens and young adults 13-24, only a third say viewing porn is wrong (32%).
1 in 3 Americans Seek out Porn at Least Once a Month
Paul states… “possess his own vessel” In sanctification and honor
Self-Control DO IT!!! It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit residing in you!
“I don’t have it” YES YOU DO!
Honor… this is an assigned status! Bride, child of God, Saint, Temple
Sexual Immorality is in the Church...
Sexual Immorality is in the Church...
The statistics are not from the world but the church!
This sin impacts others around us...
Ask each other how they are doing in this area
Paul is addressing the church here remember? Paul IS NOT writing to the people in the city
Let’s come along side of one another and challenge, help, build up one another
In order for us to help one another when tempted to live as the world there are somethings we need to pursue...
Things to Pursue
Things to Pursue
LOVE: We are taught to LOVE by the author and creator of LOVE … Paul states it is Him who teaches us this!
Consider the standard of love we have from Him...
Love “Philadelphia” brotherly love or affection for one’s fellow believer
Taught to “Agape” a perfect divine love
John 3:16 demonstrates that love takes on action (gave His Son)
Taught directly from God! This enables us to “Philadelphia” love
Our Goal for Excelling is “Agape” (Love as God loves… we have a lot of “excel still more” room!)
Agape Love promotes unity/brotherly love
Love is the fruit of the Spirit
The vertical aspect of our love promotes the horizontal aspect of our love
Our love for God first is what allows us to love others.
Out of our love the following three areas will see us excelling at:
Lead Quiet Lives
Attend To Our Own Business
Work With Our Hands
1) Lead Quiet Lives:
1) Lead Quiet Lives:
Peaceful and mild mannered. Our actions can overpower the message of the cross.
A soft answer turns away wrath (proverbs)
This is a contrary way to live life, especially in times of persecution
CHRISTIAN… we need to be the example of peace and calm in our homes, our work places, our communities
2) Attend to our own business
2) Attend to our own business
Stay out of other people’s business
Witness at work… sure after you have worked twice as hard as anyone else and when it is appropriate
don’t be a busy body
3) Work with our hands
3) Work with our hands
Don’t be a burden if you can avoid it!
Work hard… Christians should be the hardest workers out there
Employers should desire to seek out Christians due to the reputation they have for working hard
It is laziness!!! See what God has to say about the sluggard or lazy person in Proverbs.
Work is not a curse it is a blessing
Paul was an example of this when he was there as well
2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 They struggled with this one and Paul has to addressed again.
These things are not new to us or to the Thessalonians, but we need to be reminded from time to time.
So What? Why put Sanctification into action in our lives?
So What? Why put Sanctification into action in our lives?
Verse 12…
We have a watching world!!! This is all about being a testimony for the God whom we serve!
We have a lot to work on church. I think there is a world who is calling the church hypocrites, maybe we are. Maybe we need to start putting our actions where our mouths are declaring a message, and be okay with apologizing for our mistakes and showing them what a gracious God we have.
Church… let us testify to the watching world this great God we have a relationship with by standing out by the things we avoid, and drawing them to Him by the things we pursue and live out in our lives!
Let’s be a people who pursue sanctification and put it into action!