Santification

B. Many people, although they often hear the Gospel, feel little desire to follow it, to live it. Sanctification is discovering that heavenly manna God wants to feed you. Sanctification is not only hearing the Gospel, it is following the Gospel. Sanctification is joining the Holy Spirit as it moves us on toward perfection.

II. In Ephesians 4:21-24 Paul writes, "if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

A. The "old man" Paul writes about reflects our ego, our natural self, our fleshly desires, and our corrupt Adam nature. The "new man" is Christ-like; as the scripture says, "which after God is created in righteousness and holiness."

B. Paul describes the character and nature of the old man in Colossians 3:5-9, "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds...."

C. Paul goes on to describe the new man's character and nature in Colossians 3:12-14, "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection."

1. "So you also must do," God's will for saved men and women is to move toward Christ-like perfection; perfection not of intellect, personality or service but full maturity, completeness of character, motive, love of God and love of humanity.

2. "Even as Christ forgave you," God wants us to move from the base nature of the flesh to the panicle of Christ nature, agape love, the kind of unmerited love Christ showed us when He died for our sins; He wants us to show that kind of love to others.

a. This takes only a few minutes for me to speak about sanctification but it takes a life to begin to master.

b However, the blessings begin as you, with the help of the Holy Spirit, resist your first sin.

3. When we are saved, we are moved away from the danger of hell but our journey to Christ-likeness has just begun. When saved, the devote Christian sins are forgiven. Think of that as being a foot away from hell, a milk feed Christian, and started on a trip that is a million miles long, a million miles closer to God. It is a good and wonderful trip. Take it, make it!

III. Sanctification is replacing old bad habits with new good habits. Ephesians 4:28 reads, "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."