Introduction
Last week we talked about the problem of sin in the life of those apart from God (it leads to death/Hell) and in the life of a child of God (it brings a barrier into the relationship God never intended—a lag in the Christian life).
We found that the Bible says sin is a condition (from Adam), conduct (things we have done) and apathy (things we have turned a blind eye/deaf ear to that God has directed us toward.
The Biblical remedy, we discovered is the same for sinner and Christian—God’s grace and repentance. This prevenient grace is the first act of God in bringing about the result He so desires—our righteousness.
There’s a bumper sticker I absolutely hate. It’s the one that says, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.” I hate it because it seems to excuse the dirty corners and closets of our lives. We aren’t flawless but we are more than consumers of grace. I am not the person today that I was before Jesus came into my life. I am not the same person now that I was last year in Christ. By God’s grace I will not be the same tomorrow!
• A rather pompous-looking deacon was endeavoring to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. "Why do people call me a Christian?" the man asked. After a moment’s pause, one youngster said, "Maybe it’s because they don’t know you."
Today, we will discover the path of perfecting grace God desires for His children.
1. Positional Sanctification (the up and down of the cross)
a. 1CO 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy.(the people in Corinth weren’t the greatest but Paul called them ‘sanctified’.)
b. Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
c. When I became a Christian, God set me apart.
d. In spite of the fact that Paul found much in the Corinthian Christians to criticize, he still called them "sanctified"--not because of their conduct, but because of their relationship to Christ (positional sanctification).
e. God doesn’t always look at me and see sanctified conduct, but He does see the relationship of grace I have with Him through Christ Jesus.
f. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
2. Progressive Sanctification (the side to side of the cross)
a. Romans 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin (positional sanctification) but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God,(progressive sanctification) as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
b. 2PE 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness (i.) through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.(ii.) 2PE 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort(iii.) to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure (iv.), they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 2PE 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
c. 4 Points from this passage
i. God gives us what we need to live a life that pleases Him.
***I heard the story of three guys that were hiking in the woods. They came to a raging river. Not sure what to do next the first guy looked to the heavens and said, “God please make me strong enough to get across this river.” Poof he had big strong arms and legs and he jumped in and began swimming. Two hours later after a fierce struggle he made it to the other shore.
The second guy seeing that looked to the heavens and said, “Dear God give me enough tools to cross this river.” Poof he was given a rowboat. An hour later after nearly capsizing he made it to the other shore.
The third guy said, “Dear God please make me smart enough to cross this river.” Poof God made him a woman…..and then he looked at the map, walked five minutes upstream and crossed the bridge.”
ii. We are not destined to intentionally sin. **Dr. David Wells (Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary) observes, "Worldliness is what makes sin look normal in any age and righteousness seem odd."
iii. We are to make a decision about growing as a Christian.
***A poet caught the sense of this when he penned these words…
To every man there openeth
A Way, and Ways, and a Way.
The high soul climbs the High Way,
The Low Soul gropes the Low.
And in between, on the misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro.
But to every man there openeth
A High Way and a Low
And every man decideth
The which his soul shall go.
iv. The Christian life is not meant or designed to be static.
Conclusion
What is the hope of this message?
1. You will go away confident in the grace of God for you as a child of God. (He has made you acceptable in His sight.)
2. You will go away confident that you can live a Christian life that is looking more and more like Jesus day by day and that your struggle can see a victory!
Understand this key point:
***There are no short cuts to maturity.
It takes years for us to grow to adulthood, and it takes a full season for fruit to mature and ripen. The same is true for the fruit of the Spirit. The development of Christlike character cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time.
When you try to ripen fruit quickly, it loses its flavor. In America, tomatoes are usually picked unripened so they won’t bruise during shipping to the stores. Then, before they are sold, these green tomatoes are sprayed with CO2 gas to turn them red instantly. Gassed tomatoes are edible, but they are no match to the flavor of a vine-ripened tomato that is allowed to mature slowly.
Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 217.
And the key to maturing is remaining connected to the vine. (Jn. 15)
