INTRODUCTION:
You know when you buy toys for your kids or grandkids often times on the package in fine print are these words: “Batteries not included.” Do you know what that means? It means that you get the toy, but the power to make it work is not included. That is not the kind of gift that God gives. God’s gift of salvation includes the power and fullness of the Holy Spirit – the power to make it work. What good would it be for our lives to be unchanged? Why even try to live for God if all you can do is fail? God has empowered us by His Spirit to live a new kind of life.
We have gone back to SCHOOL; together we are taking look at the basic or essential doctrines/teachings of the Bible. We started off looking at Salvation; then last week we looked at Conversation with God. Today we are going to dig deeper into our salvation as we look at Holiness and Sanctification.
Now think back with me for a moment; we said there were three things we needed to do with God’s gift of salvation. Does anyone remember what they are? GRAB IT; GO FOR IT, and GIVE IT! We need to grab hold of salvation and receive God’s gift personally. Second we need to go for it; that is we need to live the new life God has given to us. And finally we need to give it away or share God’s gift of salvation with others who still need rescued from sin and death. Today we’re going to take a closer look at the second step: GO FOR IT! Live the new life.
God wants us to live like we are saved, to live our lives differently. That’s where Holiness and Sanctification come in. Everyone who accepts God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ is to live out their new life in Christ.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
When we grab hold of God’s gift of salvation, He makes us new! Nothing remains the same; the old way of life is gone and there is a new way of living. That new way of living is a HOLY LIFE, a SANCTIFIED LIFE.
Again no one who calls themselves a Christian, who has been saved, should continue to live a life of sin! Don’t just go through the motions! Live for Christ.
• Romans 6:6-7 (NIV)
[6] For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—[7] because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
Let me put it simply; if you have no desire to live a new kind of life, if you don’t want to live like Jesus, then maybe you need to ask yourself if you are really saved! Salvation is not head knowledge or the affirmation of one’s heart. Salvation is head transformation, a heart transplant. WHEN YOU ARE SAVED YOU ARE NO LONGER THE SAME.
ILLUSTRATION: Chuck Colson says it well, "Holiness is the everyday business of every Christian. It evidences itself in the decisions we make and the things we do, hour by hour, day by day." [Loving God p. 131]
• 1 Peter 1:14-16 (NIV)
[14] As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. [15] But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; [16] for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
Now I’m going to share a lot with you today about holiness, but if you only hear one thing then listen up right now. This is what I want you to take away with you from today’s message: AS GOD’S CHILDREN WE LIVE HOLY LIVES BECAUSE HE IS HOLY. As children of God we share the family resemblance of holiness; we no longer live according to our evil desires. As God’s children we live holy lives just like our Heavenly Father.
What is holiness and sanctification? This morning we are going to discover what it means to be sanctified as we look at the seven “C’s” of holiness: Consecration, Complete reality, Continual process, Choice, Control over sin, Connection and Condition of heaven.
1. HOLINESS IS CONSECRATION
Literally to be holy means to be set apart to God and sanctification is simply the process of being made holy. Sanctification is to be separated from the world and consecrated unto God; it is to declare and set apart something or someone as belonging to God. To be made holy is to be sanctified.
Holiness and sanctification are inseparable; you cannot have one without the other. Putting it simply sanctification is how God makes you holy and holiness is the result of God’s work of sanctification in your life.
• 1 Peter 1:2 (NIV)
[you] have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood.
The Holy Spirit sanctifies or makes us holy. Only through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives are we consecrated and set apart unto God.
You cannot consecrate yourself; you cannot make yourself holy. Neither your parents, your pastor nor any other person can consecrate you. Consecration and holiness is a work of the Holy Spirit.
2. HOLINESS IS A COMPLETE REALITY
God has made you holy. Through faith in Christ and His blood shed for you on the cross, YOU HAVE BEEN SACTIFIED, SET APART UNTO GOD and MADE HOLY. At the moment you were saved it was a done deal, a complete reality. As Jesus said “It is finished” from the cross, God’s work to make you holy is finished and complete in you when you put your faith in Christ.
• 1 Corinthians 1:30 (NLT)
[Christ Jesus] is the one who made us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and he gave himself to purchase our freedom.
Jesus does not leave his work incomplete and unfinished. He has completed the work to make us holy before God at the cross.
Regardless of how good or bad a sinner you may have been before you came to Christ and put your faith in Him, HIS DEATH MAKES YOU HOLY. Jesus does not have to die a second or a third time to pay a greater price for those who are really bad sinners (or should we say good sinners?).
All sin is equally evil to God; SIN IS SIN! He does not weigh out our sin and say, “That will take more of Jesus blood to cleanse,” or “Wow you were really bad; Jesus death is not enough for you.” JESUS’ DEATH PAID THE PRICE FOR ALL SINNERS TO BE MADE HOLY.
• 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NIV)
And that is what some of you were . . . (Who is Paul talking about? When you look back at verses 9-10 we see he means sinners. Now he lists those we might consider really bad people, but he could have listed things we don’t think are as bad like a liars or cheaters. THE POINT IS WE HAVE ALL BEEN A SINNER OF ONE KIND OR ANOTHER.)
But you were washed, you were sanctified (YOU WERE MADE HOLY), you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Through Jesus we are made holy; it is a complete reality! Jesus need do nothing more to make you holy. You have been sanctified, consecrated and set apart unto God. It is a done deal!
Yet you may be sitting there saying, “If holiness is a complete reality, then why do I still struggle with sin?” Am I the only one, or do you still have issues? None of us have arrived! That’s why:
3. HOLINESS IS A CONTINUAL PROCESS
Holiness is a complete reality, but it is also a continual process of growth and maturity in our daily lives.
Sanctification and holiness is not described in the New Testament as a slow process of forsaking sin little by little; we are not snails slowly inching ourselves away from sin. Instead it is pictured as a corpse coming to life! What was dead and inanimate, incapable of doing anything, is now animated with life capable of movement!
• Ephesians 2:4-6 (NIV)
[4] But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. [6] And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.
Let me explain this apparent contradiction like this. Holiness is a completed work in that God sees us POSITIONALLY as made holy through Christ Jesus. We were dead in our sins, but when we put our faith in Christ Jesus to rescue us from our sin, then immediately GOD SEES US POSITIONALLY IN CHRIST AS HOLY.
However, holiness is also PROGRESSIVE; it is a PROCESS of growth and development. We all start at the same place; we are sinners saved by God’s grace. As we turn from our sin to follow Christ we must walk with Him step by step by step. Holiness is a continual lifelong process of growth and maturity to become more like Jesus moving from where we started to the positional place where God sees us as holy.
• 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We are not to come to Jesus and then remain just as we were; WE ARE TO GROW! We should be more like Jesus today than we were yesterday. To walk in holiness should be our desire and our goal. I don’t want to live the old life of sin; I want to live for Jesus!
• Colossians 3:1-3 (MsgB)
[1] So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. [2] Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. [3] Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life.
Paul says, “LIVE DIFFERENTLY!” Don’t focus on the things of this world; it only leads to sin and death! Instead focus on the things of Christ! Someone has rightly said, “If you shoot at nothing you will hit it every time!” We must make Christ our goal and pursue righteousness!
4. HOLINESS IS A CHOICE
• 1 Peter 1:14 (NIV)
[14] As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
We are not to live as disobedient children, but as obedient children of God. We are no longer ignorant of what God wants; God has set us free from sin and we know how He wants us to live. But we must daily choose to do what our Heavenly Father wants us to do.
We must choose to cooperate with God! God is at work within us, but we must make the choice to work with God.
• Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)
[12] . . . continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, [13] for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Notice it is a combined work. God is working in us to accomplish His will for His good pleasure, and WE WORK OUT OUR SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING! We must cooperate with God through the daily choices we make.
God is not going to force His will and purpose on our lives. He shows us the path to walk, but we must still make the right choice!
• Romans 6:1-2 (NIV)
[1] What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? [2] By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Paul encourages us to not make the wrong choice. We have been made alive to Christ and have died to sin, so DON’T LIVE FOR THE DEVIL; LIVE FOR GOD!
Here is the good news, God is right there to help us with every choice. We don’t have to live our lives chained to sin and death; we have been set free to live for Christ.
5. HOLINESS IS CONTROL OVER SIN
Holiness is not PERFECTION! Yes we may sin, but because we are alive in Christ, we feel the pain of sin and turn back to God for forgiveness.
• Romans 6:18 (NIV)
You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
I particularly like the picture Paul uses here; we are no longer slaves to sin, but SLAVES TO RIGHTEOUSNESS. Slaves do not live for themselves; slaves live to please their master. And when a slave disobeys the master they will experience the master’s discipline; the master won’t just ignore their disobedience, but will rebuke and correct the slave’s disobedience.
Sinners don’t have a problem with sin because they are doing what pleases their master. The devil is not going to give those under his control a hard time.
Should we sin against God we know it. As slaves to righteousness; we know when we have disobeyed God because the Holy Spirit is right there to put us back on the right path. Maybe I should put it this way: SOME OF THE MOST MISERABLE PEOPLE I KNOW ARE CHRISTIANS WHO TRY TO LIVE A DOUBLE LIFE OF COMPROMISE BETWEEN SIN AND RIGHTOUSNESS.
• Colossians 1:22-23 (NIV)
[22] But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- [23] if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.
Some of us may read over those verses and only see the big two letter word “if.” We all know Christ has made us holy and will present us to God without fault or blemish IF WE CONTINUE IN OUR FAITH. Yes, we will all face temptation; yes, we will all have choices to make. BUT WE DON’T HAVE TO FAIL; WE CAN LIVE A HOLY LIFE!
Don’t miss the end of verse 23! If we continue in the faith we are “established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.” Paul is simply saying that as we continue in the faith we are strengthened and empowered to stand firm; we will overcome temptation through our hope in Christ. Paul doesn’t mince words; notice what he tells the Thessalonians:
• 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 (NIV)
[3] It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; [4] that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, [5] not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; [6] and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. [7] FOR GOD DID NOT CALL US TO BE IMPURE, BUT TO LIVE A HOLY LIFE. [8] Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
If you think it is impossible to live a holy life then you have missed the whole point! Yes, alone and by yourself you are doomed to failure, but Jesus has not left us to live our lives alone an in our own strength. We have the power of the Holy Spirit living within us to empower us to overcome sin.
Holiness is control over sin because holiness is also a CONNECTION!
6. HOLINESS IS A CONNECTION . . .
FIRST HOLINESS IS A CONNECTION WITH GOD
• Matthew 11:29-30 (NIV)
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
We have been united with Christ! Jesus invites us to be YOKED TOGETHER WITH HIM. We no longer stand alone, but we stand united with and empowered by Christ.
Our connection with Christ is so strong that when people see us, they no longer just see us; THEY SEE JESUS!
• 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Because we are connected to Christ WE REFLECT HIS GLORY. And the longer you are connected to Christ the more you reflect His glory.
SECOND HOLINESS IS A CONNECTION WITH GOD’S PEOPLE
• Ephesians 4:15-16 (NIV)
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. [16] From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Put simply, WE NEED EACH OTHER! Together as the body of Christ we grow and mature to be like Jesus; in other words together we perfect holiness in each other!
God knows it is not possible to live the Christian life alone; that’s why he has given us each other. Don’t believe the lie that you can make it to heaven without being connected to the body of Christ at a local church. The church prepares us for heaven as we grow up in Christ and His love.
7. HOLINESS IS A CONDITION OF HEAVEN
• Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Sin will have no place in heaven; therefore sin should not dominate and control our lives. Only as we are sanctified and made holy, to live our lives free from sin can we see the Lord. Holiness is a condition of heaven.
Now don’t think this means we earn our way to heaven. We are a holiness people, not a legalistic people.
Holiness is a condition of heaven, but it is also heaven’s gift. It is a COMPLETE REALITY FOR ALL WHO BELIEVE IN CHRIST. By faith in Christ, God sees us POSITIONALLY as holy and then empowers us by the Holy Spirit within us to move PROGRESSIVLY toward Christ.
So let’s finish the circle and finish where we started.
• 1 Peter 1:14-16 (NIV)
[14] As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. [15] But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; [16] for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
We have looked at the seven “C’s” of holiness: Consecration, Complete reality, Continual process, Choice, Control over sin, Connection and Condition of heaven. But don’t forget your one take away; the singular truth your are not to forget: AS GOD’S CHILDREN WE LIVE HOLY LIVES BECAUSE HE IS HOLY. As children of God we share the family resemblance of holiness; we no longer live according to our evil desires. As God’s children we live holy lives just like our Heavenly Father.
