1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Are You Sanctified Wholly?: How to Know You Are
I. Introduction
-The church has always tried to define what a sanctified person looks like.
-Amish say they wear all black, don't have electricity, or any modern conveniences (what is modern and how long before it isn't anymore?)
-Pentecostals say it's speaking in tongues
-Catholics say it's participating in their liturgy.
-Early ppl of the holiness movement said it was wearing your hair in a bun.
-1. Some went so far as to say it was not wearing deodorant.
-2. Your tie couldn't be more than two inches wide; etc.
-So with all these definitions floating around, how do we know if we are entirely sanctified?
II. Scripture
III. What is Your Heart's Desire?
-What is the single most important thing in your life?
1. What is it that motivates you more than anything else?
2. What drives you every day?
-What do you want on your tombstone?
1. Is it different from what others would put on it?
2. What are ppl going to say about you after you're gone?
-Do you love God w/ all your heart, mind, soul, & strength?
1. Or is He one of many loves?
2. Is he simply on the list of the top ten most important things in your life?
-I've hit on this a lot lately.
1. The Fact: God wants all.
2. The Question: Have we given Him all?
-Does only one desire fill your heart?
-Do you desire to be obedient even to the point of death?
-Do we miss out on simple obedience?
-Ill. Dietrich Bonhoeffer "The Cost of Discipleship"
1. His life of persecution under the Nazi regime
2. He calls this ‘single-minded obedience.'
3. "The elimination of single-minded obedience on principle is but another instance of the perversion of the costly grace of the call of Jesus into the cheap grace of self-justification."
-We have become so self-absorbed that we cease to be obedient to Him!
-We have failed to acknowledge Christ's call to "Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me."
-We're unwilling to deny ourselves.
1. Cost of Discipleship: "To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us."
2. We don't deny, we give in to the lusts of the flesh!
a. Watch TV instead of pray.
b. Do yard work instead of witnessing to your neighbor.
c. Do this or that instead of going to church.
d. Do something that gratifies the flesh instead of obedience to God.
3. Ill. Set your alarm clock five minutes earlier to get up and pray and see if the flesh doesn't battle you!
-We're unwilling to take up a cross.
1. If I have to suffer for the cause I'm bailing from the ship!
2. If it cost me something, count me out.
3. Money, time, etc. are mine.
4. How sad when Christ shed his blood for our sins.
-We're unwilling to even follow Him.
1. Too busy chasing after self-gratification.
2. Chasing self-fulfillment.
-Do you love Him w/ all you are?
IV. Do You Love Others?
-Is your heart full of love for others?
1. Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ?
2. Do you love even "enemies", those who mistreat you, the poor, the rejected, the ‘unlikeable', etc.?
-When you love the Lord w/ all your heart that love transfers to all His creation!
-1 John 4:7-8 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."
1. We love b/c God is love!
2. If we do not love, we do not know God!
-1 John 4:19-21 "We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen."
1. You cannot say you love God, but hate your brother.
2. If you cannot love your brother, you cannot love God.
-We are pretty selective in who we love.
1. It's easy to love ppl in the church.
2. But I sure don't love my boss at work!
3. I just get disgusted about my neighbor living in sin.
-We'll talk about adultery, drug addicts, murderers, etc., but don't mention love!
1. Love is not a virtue for the Christian, it is a necessity!
2. No love, no Christian!
-And that love should permeate the people of God.
-I'm not saying we won't have disagreements.
1. I'm not proposing that we don't confront sin.
2. I'm not suggesting we look the other way to sin.
-But God's Word says we should be active in our love for everybody!
-Is your heart full of love for others?
V. Got Consecration?
-Have you totally consecrated your all to Jesus?
-Consecration is our part in sanctification.
1. Just like repentance is our part in justification.
2. Sometimes called surrender.
-Is there a "hold-out" in your life?
1. Sometimes we battle the Lord for control of our lives.
2. It's hard to surrender.
-Does God have all your time, talent, money, family, future, etc.?
-God will bring to your mind as I talk whatever he has been asking. [pause]
-Have you given that over to Him?
-Have you consecrated your all to Jesus?
VI. Do You Know Victory Over Sin?
-Have you experienced power over sin? (Victory?)
-Would you consider yourself a victorious Christian or defeated?
-Do you know what it means to walk with the Lord just one single day w/ consistency?
-Out of ten temptations, how many times might you fall?
-Some believers are never tempted by any demon, b/c they have made sin such a habit in their life the devil doesn't have to fool w/ them!
-Have you found power from the Spirit to resist willful sin?
-Do you live more in obedience or more in guilt?
1. Do you have power over sin or does sin have power over you?
2. Have you defeated sin in your life or has sin defeated you?
-Sin and the Sanctified...
1. It is not possible to sin (false).
2. It is possible not to sin (true).
-The sanctified believer has been given power not to sin the Holy Spirit.
-*I like to discuss this issue but defining sanctification by how much you sin is like defining your marriage by how much you cheat on your spouse.
VII. Have You the Witness of the Spirit?
-Finally, has the Spirit witnessed to your heart that He has done this work?
-If you are open and honest before the Lord, He will let you know if He has done it in your life.
-If you do not play games of self-deception.
-The Spirit will bear witness w/ your spirit.
-Sure, there will be stronger and weaker times of this "witness of the Spirit."
1. But God's grace will always be evident long term.
2. God's voice in your life will be heard over everything else.
IX. Conclusion
-Are you Sanctified Entirely?
-Ask yourself these questions:
1. Do I love God with all my heart?
2. Do I love my neighbor as myself?
3. Am I living sacrifice to God holy and pleasing to Him?
4. Do I know real victory in Jesus?
5. Does the Holy Spirit bear witness to my spirit?
Response
