Faith Free Will Baptist Church

*SANCTIFICATION*

(I Thess 5:23)

Sanctification is a word rarely used in Christian circles.  I have rarely if at all heard a sermon or even a Sunday School class taught on this subject.  Unfortunately because of this its meaning is not clear to most Christians.

Notice three thoughts on Sanctification:

(1)    What is sanctification?

Four thoughts noted on this

1)      To be sanctified mean to be set apart.

*This is illustrated in the OT more frequently than the NT

Seventh Day (Gen 2:3) “And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it; because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.”

*Even though we no longer worship on the Jewish Sabbath, we worship on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, it is a day set apart.  Not today, the world has taken over.

(Exo 13:2) tells us the first born of man and animal was to be sanctified.

(Leviticus) tell us of the sanctuary, the vessels in it to be sanctified.

2)      Sanctification is the work of God (vs 23 A)

*Sanctification is a matter of you allowing God to work out His will in your life.

3)    Sanctification is a continuous process

(Phil 1:6 )  “being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will

perform ( perfect) it until the day of Jesus Christ.

*Regeneration (being saved) is instantaneous but sanctification takes time.  There is the song “He’s Still Working on Me” and He will continue to do so till Jesus comes or you are taken in death.

4) Sanctification helps prepare the Christian for heaven

*Most people hope to go to heaven but few take the time to think whether they will enjoy heaven when they get there.

*By this I mean they are carnal Christians:

1) They enjoy listening to questionable music

2) They attend or watch questionable movies

3) They dress immodestly before others

*Heaven is a Holy place to be inhabited by Holy people.

(2) The Results of sanctification

Basically two results:

1)      You will grow spiritually  (Matt 5:48  Read)

*In life some things  grow stronger than others and usually it is due to what we eat and exercise.

*This is true in the Christian life, no one gets saved and is immediately a fully mature Christian.  It takes time to grow Christians.

*In (I Tim 3) Apostle Paul talks of not putting a novice (young in Christ) in a place of authority

2) The beginning of sanctification will radically change a life.  (I Cor 6:11  Read)

*The old nature is not eradicated but is counteracted.  That Adamic nature and the nature of the spirit of God are two different natures.  And I have found the one you feed the most will be the strongest.

(3) When does sanctification take place?

*This is a point of disagreement among bible believing Christians.

*There is a denomination that teaches a second work of grace after you get saved.  You first get saved and at some future time you will be sanctified.

*When you are sanctified the old Adamic (sinful nature) is eradicated (done away with) and you will no longer sin.

*I don’t believe that: I believe sanctification begins in the life of a person the moment they trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Question: How are we sanctified?   (Heb 13:12  Read)

*When we confess a sin and our desire is to let it go, Christ’s blood cleanses us and sets it apart from us.

(John 17:17) “Sanctify them thru thy truth; thy word is truth.”

The word has a cleansing effect, the more you know, the more you will mature.