Jesus is our Sanctifier, 4 February 2018

Jesus is our Sanctifier
Series—
The Gospel Truth
John 15:1-8

Series Overview: The purpose of this series is to distinguish between the biblical gospel and the various misunderstandings of the word, specifically the difference between Jesus as Savior and Lord. We will use the Fourfold Gospel as our outline.

Big Idea: Jesus is our Sanctifier, making us holy and set apart for God’s glory.

Introduction

Last Sunday we began a new series, The Gospel Truth. Our church’s founder, A.B. Simpson, described four unique aspects to Jesus: he is our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King. This is known as the Fourfold Gospel. Gospel means “good news” and if I were to describe the gospel in one word, it would be Jesus. In three words, Jesus is LORD. The gospel involves us, but it is first and foremost about Jesus—his life, death, burial, resurrection, appearances, ascension, and promised return.

Is Jesus your Savior?

Unlike other religions which teach if you are good enough, you can go to heaven when you die and spend eternity with God, the Bible teaches none of us is worthy of God’s perfect standard which is why He sent Jesus to our planet to live a perfect life and die for us. He took our punishment on the cross if we receive his gift of salvation. As a gift, you can’t earn it, you can’t do enough religious things to work for it, you simply have to believe and receive.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:17)

Luke wrote

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Jesus died for you…and rose from the dead. Is he your Savior? If not, I invite you to simply trust Jesus today. Surrender your life to him. Thank him for his life, death on the cross, and resurrection. He paid for all of your sins—past, present and future—on the cross. He wants more than anything to know you, love you, and spend eternity with you. They way to heaven is simple—believe in Jesus. Here’s a sample prayer:

Jesus, thank you for your death and resurrection. I believe you love me and died for me and I want to receive you into my life. I want you to be my Savior and LORD. I want to follow you from this moment forward and let you lead my life. Amen.

There is nothing magical about that prayer, but it can be the beginning of your spiritual journey. However, it’s only the beginning. Tragically, many people stop with Jesus as their Savior and go about their normal lives with the benefit of “fire insurance.” Beginning your faith adventure is much like being born. Actually, Jesus says to be “born again.” A newborn baby has not reached the end of their life, but rather it has just begun. In the same way the life of a new believer is just beginning. They need to grow from infancy to spiritual maturity, with Jesus as the ultimate example.

Have you been underwhelmed by the change in your life since you were “saved?” Many have done a great disservice to people in “sharing their faith,” communicating false hope that if you just “pray a prayer and receive Jesus,” you’re done. You’re saved…and when you die, you’ll go to heaven. End of story.

Perhaps you have begun your spiritual journey and you are “saved” but, like the man in the video, you haven’t experienced the abundant life Jesus spoke of in John 10:10.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10, ESV)

Perhaps you know Jesus is your Savior—our topic last Sunday—and you know you’ll go to heaven when you die, but you wonder if there is any value to your faith before you die.

I’ve got great news for you! Jesus is not only our Savior, he is our Sanctifier.

Jesus is our Sanctifier

The word “sanctify” is another one of those often misunderstood words like “gospel.” It simply means to make holy, set apart as sacred, to purify, to consecrate. In a word, sanctification means separation.

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Separation from sin: “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:15-16.

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Separation to God: “(He) has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father…” Revelation 1:6.

Some believe sanctification occurs the moment we are saved, when we receive Jesus. A baby Christian is made holy and set apart. Others believe sanctification is a lifelong process of growth and maturity, something no newborn can possess. Our understanding as a church and the Alliance movement is it is both.

The Alliance Statement of Faith says

It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly,(22) being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service.(23) This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.(24)
[22] 1 Thessalonians 5:23[23] Acts 1:8[24] Romans 6:1–14,

The
Laver—or basin—represents the daily cleansing from sin by the power of the Holy Spirit. To clarify three theological words,

- I have been saved: Justification
- I am being saved: Sanctification
- I will be saved: Glorification

God’s Will

Do you want to know God’s will? I hear people often say they are trying to discern God’s will for their lives. After all, Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done.” Paul wrote to the church in Thessaloniki, Greece these words:

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified:(1 Thessalonians 4:3a)

It is God’s will for you to be sanctified. That’s pretty clear. He continues to elaborate on what sanctification looks like.

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.
(1 Thessalonians 4:3-6a)

To stress the importance of sanctification, Paul adds:

The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 4:6b-8)

It is God’s will for you to be sanctified, to be set apart, to be holy, to become like Jesus.

We can only become like Jesus if we know him, spend time talking with him in prayer, spend time learning about him through the Bible, and spend time surrendering our lives to God the Holy Spirit. That requires…time! It requires intentionality. It doesn’t just magically happen any more than your body just magically grows muscles or your mind just magically earns college degrees. Growth—except, perhaps, for your belly—requires discipline, training, effort, and dare I say work. All relationships take work. If you’re waiting for me to have you over for dinner, maybe you should invite me over for dinner. If you want me to send you an e-mail, perhaps you should initiate and send me one. And just like it takes time to truly know me or a friend, it takes time—a lifetime—to know Jesus.

And you are your friends. Over time, it is almost a certainty you will become like your friends. If you hang out with Philadelphia Eagles fans, you’re likely to become an Eagles fan. If you hang out with people who work out or ride bikes or watch movies, it’s likely you’ll be inclined to work out, ride bikes, or watch movies. If you hang out with Jesus, you will become like Jesus.

When we receive Jesus as our Savior, we also receive the Holy Spirit, the most underrated Member of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit draws us to God and then leads us to mature in our faith. The reason so many people call themselves Christians and act nothing like Jesus is because they are not filled with the Spirit, connected to God, following Jesus our Sanctifier.

In today’s text, Jesus paints a beautiful picture of what it means to truly be a Christian.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (John 15:1-4)

When I was a young boy, I was fascinated by a large tree in our front yard. I was equally fascinated with the discovery of a hatchet amongst my dad’s tools in the garage. For some reason, I thought it would be great to use the hatchet on the tree!

I don’t think I ever thought of actually chopping down the tree with the hatchet. I knew that would take hours, but if memory serves correct, I used the blade to carve my name in the trunk of the tree. When my parents saw what I was doing, they were horrified and sent me a not-so-subtle message to stop. Fortunately the tree survived after some treatment, but imagine what would’ve happened to the tree if I had chopped it down. Would it grow? Would branches grow? Would leaves grow? Without a connection to the trunk, the entire tree would die. The trunk and roots supply food to the branches as well as stability in storms. It is impossible for fruit to grow on a dead tree.

Some people pray a prayer to receive Jesus as Savior and expect to instantly bear fruit, to immediately be changed. Sometimes miracles occur at one’s spiritual birth. Some people trust Christ and instantly lose their desire for alcohol or temptation to be violent, but regardless of the sanctification at the moment of surrendering to Jesus, there is a need for ongoing maturity and sanctification which takes time…a lifetime. I have never met a person who has become perfect. We are all in process, growing one day at a time…if we remain in Jesus, if we follow Jesus, if we confess our sins daily and invite the Holy Spirit to fill us with the fruit of the Spirit.

…the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23, NLT)

One of my favorite questions at the end of the year to ask myself and others is are we more like Jesus than at the beginning of the year. Look at this list. Are you growing in love? What about joy? Are you becoming more peaceful? Would those around you say you are becoming a more patient person? Kind? Good? Faithful? Gentle? Self-controlled?

Jesus continued in the fifteenth chapter of John:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:5-8)

If we remain, abide, do life with Jesus, we will bear fruit.

John 15:7 is a popular verse:

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7)

This does not mean God is a genie who does whatever we want. On the contrary, when we do what God wants, when we follow Jesus, we will desire only what God wants to give us.

Many Christians understand Jesus as Savior. They know he died on the cross to save them from the punishment of their sin. But they do not experience the ongoing sanctifying work of Jesus Christ in their lives. God is not in control of their lives.

The book of Romans has incredible truths about God and his wisdom and power and chapter twelve begins:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1)

Worship is not just singing songs. It’s a lifestyle. It’s surrender, sacrifice, sanctification. That might not sound as fun as a trip to Cedar Point or an evening of binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix, but actually following Jesus, abiding, remaining, doing life with Jesus offers more than a temporary thrill or a momentary distraction from the pains of life.

Knowing Jesus brings love. I have experienced God’s unconditional love, and it’s amazing. I know I don’t deserve it, but God’s loves me—and you—because he created us and wants more than anything else a relationship with us—forever.

Knowing Jesus brings joy. Our founding fathers believed in the pursuit of happiness, but joy is so much more. It’s deeper and not so temporary.

Knowing Jesus brings peace. I sleep well at night knowing God is in control and I’m not.

Knowing Jesus brings patience. I’m certainly not the most patient person but Jesus has all of the time in the world. I can trust his perfect timing.

Knowing Jesus brings hope. I know regardless of what happens today, one day I will spend eternity with Jesus in a perfect world.

I could go on and on.
Steps To A Spirit-Filled Life

The path to the Spirit-filled life involves faith-filled risks that always involve change.

- Surrender: You cannot make yourself holy any more than you can make yourself saved. 
Romans 6:11Romans 12:1–2

- Accept: Christ is your Sanctifier in the same way that He is your Savior! 
Colossians 2:6Galatians 2:20

- Abide: Maintain a continuous relationship with Jesus through obedience to His Word. 
John 15:1–11

Here’s artist and author Lecrae describing what it means to experience Jesus as Savior and Sanctifer.

So What?

Jesus is our Sanctifier. He has set us apart to live holy lives. Sanctification is a process of becoming like Christ as we surrender our will to God’s and are filled with the Holy Spirit who produces fruit in our lives.
It could be said that in contrasting Jesus as Savior and Sanctifier…

Savior: Deliverance from penalty of sin
Sanctifier: Deliverance from the power of sin

Savior: Freedom from death
Sanctifier: Freedom to live

Savior: Release from the guilt of the past
Sanctifier: Equips for the temptations of the future

Savior: Christ’s righteousness is imputed (credited) to us
Sanctifier: Christ’s righteousness is manifest in us

Savior: Jesus lives in us
Sanctifier: Jesus lives through us

Is Jesus your Savior? Have you received the gift we celebrate today in communion, his body and blood broken and poured out for you on the cross?

Is Jesus your Sanctifier? Are you seeking to live your life for the glory of God? None of us is perfect, but true believers are growing, abiding, remaining, doing life with Jesus and looking increasingly like him.

Jesus said,

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:9-14)

Credits: Some ideas from A.B. Simpson and John Soper.

For further study, listen to Thomas George’s sermon at FAC on January 22, 2017.
http://www.factoledo.org/?page_id=162&sermon_id=298

For the Alliance statement regarding Jesus as our Sanctifier:
https://www.cmalliance.org/about/beliefs/sanctifier

  • You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
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