Well, the last couple of weeks, we've been endeavoring to take a rather flyover look at the doctrine of salvation. In the last two weeks, we looked at justification, being made righteous by God, by believing in the gospel. And the gospel was that God sent his son. He suffered, bled, and died, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures. That is THE gospel. And when you believe THAT gospel, your sins are immediately forgiven. You no longer are considered a sinner in position, but practically you do sin. That's a given. And that declaration of God's righteousness is a one-time thing. That's a permanent deal if you have believed the gospel. But now we're looking at sanctification. Sanctification is a process. Some people will put the two together, some people will add different levels of sanctification and justification, but sanctification is a process, whereas justification is a done deal. It's God's declaration of His justice being fulfilled by Christ's substitutionary death on our behalf. We have a problem though, is that we have a new nature that's been given to us with Christ's righteousness, and we also have the new man that dwells within us as well. Did I say? Yeah, the new man and the old man that also dwells with us. They don't like each other, do they? And the problem is that without the righteousness of Christ, without the Word of God, without the Holy Spirit, Man is bent on doing sinful things rather than righteous things. We can't help it. That's our nature. It's like if an animal, if a dog barks and growls, he doesn't suddenly stop meowing, does he? Because he is a dog. That's his nature. We are sinners. We still sin because that's our nature that we were born with. We can't help that. All we have to do is look in the mirror and we know that we are sinners and we've had the curse of Adam upon us. That's why we get old. That's why we get aches and pains. That's why eventually we die. And those who die in Christ are assured of glorification and being like Him. Amen. I like to compare sanctification with marriage. Marriage is a wonderful thing, is it not? Sanctification, becoming the future bride of the bridegroom, is a wonderful thing. But I like to compare both of them to, like, did you ever see those Siamese fighting fish? Males, they have to keep in separate tanks or else they come together and they'll devour each other. That's what a husband and wife is like too as well. They are two sinners full of selfish desires and you have this going on. Fighting. And that's what our human nature is like with God's nature. They're fighting. They don't like each other. They war against each other. But the good thing is that, as believers, there is a remedy to that. And that is called sanctification. I want to turn in our Bibles to 1 Peter. for just a second. I do have a hard time taking a topical message and trying to narrow it down to just a few things because this topic If you stick on the doctrine of salvation, you have enough that will empower you, enough that'll keep you busy for your entire life. That's why I don't understand why we have messages about how to make more money and how to be blessed now. Let's look at what a future we have in Christ. 1 Peter chapter number 2 says, wherefore. I want to stop there and look at why the wherefore is therefore. It's based on salvation in verse number 23 of 1 Peter 1. It says, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. See, when somebody is saved, it's not their own doings, and it's not a call to a higher life. It's not a call for you to have all of your problems in life solved, it's a call by the Word of God, born again. Not of corruptible seed. See, it's all about Christ. It's all about His Word and the assurance and the promises of His Word. Why? You are saved today. It wasn't you trying to be righteous. It was Christ's righteousness being given to you. So back to verse number 1 of chapter 2, it says, laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and all evil speakings. And we can go other places, we can add to that list of different sins. We're told to lay those beside. How can we do that? It's because of the Word of God. How can we do that? It's because of the Spirit of God that dwells inside of the believer. So I have a hard time with inviting the Holy Spirit into a place because the Holy Spirit dwells in believers. We are for laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and all evil speakings as newborn babes. Look, take and don't look at the old man, but as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. Amen. See, a little baby knows nothing else. The little baby knows where its nourishment comes from. It comes from its mother. They know that. And their one desire is that they're fed. So Peter is saying, as newborn babes, desire that sincere milk of the Word. That's our spiritual or reasonable duty is to desire that. But look what it says here. This is one of the greatest parts about sanctification. It says that you may grow thereby. A better way of putting that, instead of grow thereby, that you may grow into it. See, justification, salvation is complete. It's free. But we as newborn babes, we have no ability to comprehend truth from error. We have no ability to comprehend these great things. But when we desire the Word and drink of that Word, we grow. I can't explain that. There's no scientist that can explain it. But I know that if you have the Word of God and you read that Word of God, and heed that Word of God and feed on that Word of God, you'll grow, just like that newborn baby desiring the pure milk of the Word. We have one way of sanctification. So often, so many people get it backwards. They try to be sanctified without being justified. They try to be good without God. They try to sin less, what actually makes them sin more, because they're going by the law. Don't do this. Don't do that. Well, if you stop drinking, you'll be a better person. If you stop smoking, you'll be a better person. Oh, if you'd only make more money, you'd be a better person. And there's a whole list that goes on and on and on. And I know I repeat this so often. It's a matter of treating the symptoms of the old nature. That's what so often we like to do. What can I do to lose weight? What can I do to gain weight? What can I do to have peace? What can I do to make more money? What more can I do to be blessed? And so often we're given a list of things. If you want to be a better Christian, do A, B, C, and D. And by the way, by the time you get to D, A you're going to have to go back to. The reality, the gospel is truly holistic medicine. See, we are thoroughly sinful. We are sinful from our heads right down to our feet. That sound right? Our feet. And the one remedy of it, it's a sickness that will kill you. It's a sickness that will kill you eternally and be separated from God. But yet the remedy is the precious blood of Jesus Christ and being saved. Sanctification is growing. in to that salvation that you've been given. So as that Siamese fighting fish, our old nature grapples. with our new nature. But as believers, we have the ability, not all at once, we have the ability to overcome the old nature by the new. We're never going to be perfect in this world, but Jesus Christ is perfect and we will one day be perfect, not just positionally, but practically when we receive our new bodies, whether at the rapture of the church or when we are resurrected with the Lord. That's a promise that we have. Justification is a finished legal act. God is like the judge that takes his gavel and says, case dismissed, you're found innocent because Jesus paid the price. But sanctification is progressive. There is no one that is perfect until they are born again and they have the perfect righteousness of Christ. Now we grow in to what God wants of us. Justification is legal with God acting as the judge, declaring you to be righteous in Christ. Sanctification is an effect because of that righteousness given to us, an effect I often say this, is you know how to be thankful? Be thankful. Amen? Thankful what God has done. You'll find true sanctification when we start this holiday being thankful for not just Turkey, but thankful what Christ has done. That will lead to sanctification as well. That will lead to the good works. If we have the good works without being justified with Christ's righteousness, we become just reformed people that sin less, but we still have a visit or a trip to hell because of it. There are many people who do good things that have life change, but yet have not been justified by believing the gospel. So we grow into that justification we've been given. So justification is objective. It is done. You are declared righteous, whereas sanctification is subjective. Can we look at each other and say, I'm not the same as you. Bobby shares the same name as me, but just one look at us and we're not the same. Physically, I don't know why he got to be in six foot three. I have no clue. spiritually the same way. Each and every person is different in sanctification. We all grow different ways physically. We all grow different ways spiritually as well. Some people are fast learners. Some people are slow learners. Some people you want to say, why don't you ever get it? But yet God has them on a totally different track than you are. Sanctification is subjective. Justification is founded on what Christ has done for us, period. Sanctification is what He does in us. You have been made a new person, a new man. So He desires us to grow because of that. And sanctification? is where so many people miss the boat. Sanctification is an act of God's grace. We don't have to change. We get to change. We don't have to study We get to study. We don't have to go to church on Sunday. We get to go to church on Sunday. We don't have to do works of righteousness and works of social justice. We get to do those things because they are fruits of justification, not the root of justification. I recall a story about a a young boy, he was outside playing with a cat. And the mother was inside doing the dishes, and she looked out, and there was the cat. And the boy, and the boy was playing church with the cat. He was preaching to him. And she was like, wow, that's cool. And she went back to doing her work. And all of a sudden, she heard all kinds of hissing and meowing. And the boy was baptizing the cat. And she said, Johnny, cats don't like water. They're afraid of water. You know what the little boy said? Well, he shouldn't have joined my church. See, the church is about being immersed in the word of God. It's about the Bible, the B-I-B-L-E. Yes, that's the book for me. You probably all learned that when you're a little kid. It's amazing how it still stands. The B-I-B-L-E. Come on, everybody. Yes, that's the book for me. I stand alone on the word of God. The B-I-B-L-E. See, a three-year-old can know that. Us older people, we, just our minds get all messed up with all different other things, but yet that's where we need to be. Just like that three-year-old. That three-year-old that desires the pure milk of the Word of God. Our only source for sanctification. Sanctification is from God. It's not from you. 1 Thessalonians 5.23 says, the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And that's the W-H, wholly, completely. His desire is that you grow, grow, and grow. Not physically, but spiritually. His desire later on in 2 Peter 3 is that we can grow in the Word of God, grow in the knowledge of Him, of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 13, verses 20 and 21. I'm just kind of going through because we could be here until like 3 o'clock. And by the way, I want to thank Jim this morning, our technical advisor. He put the battery in the right way that I put in backwards, so our clock is working. So that's a work of grace right there. Hebrews chapter 13 verses 20 and 21 says, The God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ make you perfect in every good work to do His will working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight." Ephesians chapter 2 says, "...for we are His workmanship," not our own workmanship, "...created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." See, God has given to the believer, He's ordained that they should walk in those good works because of salvation that you see in the beginning of Ephesians chapter 1 and the first few verses of 2. Let's go to Ephesians 2. I just love to go to Ephesians chapter 2 in the first few verses. Ephesians chapter 2. I was just talking with Mason just before, and Helen was talking about why I don't like screens, because I get off of the script sometimes. I go to scriptures I wasn't intending to. And another thing, here's what you can do. On the count of three, take your Bibles and do this. See? One, two, three. Everybody. See, there's nothing like a flipping Bible page, is there? It's music to our ears that we can turn the pages of the Bible. Last week I made a mistake and I got a retired pastor out in Michigan, said, I like that, accidentally told people to scroll down. But that's the world we live in. But the Bible, the very pages of the Bible, there's just something about it. Where was I going? Ephesians chapter 2, verse number 1. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." That's your possession. You were dead, but God has quickened you or made you alive through Christ. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. among whom also we all had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." That's a grim picture of us, is it not? all children of wrath. Each and every person that's born in the world has been born with the sin of Adam, with that curse, and you're subject to God's wrath because of it. Verse number four, I love that, but, repeat that again, but, God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ by grace ye are saved. As we can sing the song we sang this morning, Hiding in Thee. We are hidden in Christ Jesus and Colossians. We are crucified with Christ. We're risen with Christ. That's our position. And we've been made alive in Christ. And that being alive isn't just the here and now because we're all going to die one day. But that being alive in Christ is an eternal hope. It's an eternal glory that we have. I love verse number 6. and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." See, we are here, we have our sinful nature, and we have our new nature of Christ. Practically, we're here, we're warring in the flesh, our two natures fighting together like those Siamese fighting fish. But our position as a believer is you're seated with Christ. I always like that Jesus isn't standing there. The high priest stood in the temple, in the tabernacle, because he wasn't finishing the work. Jesus sits and we sit together because he finished the work of salvation on our behalf. hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace, in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." In other words, positionally, we're in heaven with Christ. Practically, we're in earth, but our focus is on heaven. And our focus is on heaven, we'll see what Christ has in store. Colossians chapter 3, set your affection on things above where Christ sits, and not on the things of this world. So while we're in the world, our affection is out of this world. While we're here, toiling, suffering in pain and sickness and disease, there's no promise of those things going away in the here and now, but we will have those things gone when we're with Christ physically. We're with Him positionally right now. Verse number 8, For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." Salvation is a gift. Some will say faith is a gift, but I would say that everybody has a measure of faith. That's why a non-believer can understand the simple truth of the gospel. That's why a baby can understand the B-I-B-L-E, that's the book for me. But yet we, as we get older, we don't want to understand. So that's what Christ has done. "...by grace ye are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." And believe it or not, man would boast. Man would say, look what I've done. Look at the great kingdom I've built." That's what Nebuchadnezzar did. You know that Nebuchadnezzar actually wrote a chapter in the Bible, Daniel chapter 4, about how great God is? Right after that, he started declaring, look at the kingdom I built, and God took him out. That's what happens when we start looking at ourselves and our righteousness rather than Christ's. Look at the ministry I've built." Cut that out. It's God's work. For we are His workmanship. You know, the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, which dwells in every believer, every believer, you don't have to invite the Holy Spirit in after you're saved, because it's the Holy Spirit that baptizes you into Christ, and it's the Spirit that dwells within you teaching you about Jesus, teaching you about His righteousness, teaching you of, dare I say it, sin, and tells you about the remedy for that sin, which is Jesus. That's why I always say believers and non-believers all have a sin problem. Non-believers, their problem will lead them to hell. A believer By the way, 1 John 1 says, if you say you have no sin, you're a liar, and you make him a liar. But when we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ. So we're all positionally, as Christians, we're in heaven. Non-Christians are in this earth, destined for hell. But yet, the remedy for sin is just the same. The believer is to believe the gospel. The non-believer is to believe the gospel. Oh, how far we've gotten away from the gospel, the sufficiency of Christ in all things. And oh, how much we've gotten into all the things that we can do to build the kingdom, do this and that, but Jesus Christ Himself, will be King. He doesn't need us to be building the kingdom. He needs us to be faithful and declaring Him as the Savior and the future King. That's in the church and outside of the church. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Yes, Christians will walk in those good works in different ways and different timelines. Some people might be hearing the same thing day in and day out, but they have a different course of life. Everybody has a different life. Now, I used to get upset at hearing about some pastors that were trying to really lay down the law to Christians, saying, well, if you're faithful, you'll do this and this and this and that. You'll do every one of the ministries in the church. And if you're not doing those, there's something wrong with you. And I do declare. Well, I won't declare. I hate declaring. I'll just stick with God's word. that the people have their own ministry. It always upset me when I'd see people using the works they do and try to badger people because they're not doing the works that they think they should be doing. It's a family with a husband working like all hours of the day and having a wife and a bunch of kids to feed. That's their ministry. And if God works in them to have them do more, it's a work of Him, not of being forced into it. We're at a time where so many people are being told by a man what they should and should not do, rather than having the Word of God being the thing that shows them. We must have the Word of God, but yet we as a society, We were talking last night over dinner. As a society, America and the world have rejected the Word of God. And it's sadder than that because much of the church has rejected the Word of God for pragmatism. Whatever brings people in, that's what we'll do. And it's sad. The only sure thing that we can look to is the Word of God, which is undefiled, and it fades not away. Everything else comes and goes." So we're His workmanship. Titus chapter 2, and by the way, if you're Read the epistle to Titus, the first two chapters of the three. It just lays down salvation with justification and sanctification together just so incredibly. Chapter 2, verse 14 says, He gave himself for us. Who did Jesus give himself for? For us, for those who believe, who would believe that He might purify unto Himself. Whose work is purification? Is it our work? It's God's work. That He does the purifying. 1 John 3 says, he who has this hope that you'll see Christ, that you'll be like He is, purifies himself. The only way for righteousness and growing in Christ is through Christ, that he might purify unto himself a peculiar people, or special people, a unique people, zealous of good works. Again, the work of God will give you a love for your neighbor. The word of God will give you a love for your enemies. The word of God will give you a love for your fellow brethren in Christ. We're all different. We are all peculiar in our own way. But outside of Christ, outside of His Word and our righteousness, we would fail. We wouldn't get along. I'm sure if we were to say, okay, let's have all of us together, let's forget we're Christians for a second. All right, let's go, let's talk. We'd have a hundred different conversations. We'd have 10 arguments going on at the same time. Well, I think the Celtics are best. I think the Cavs are best. I think this, I think that. But we need to be united in the finished work of Christ Jesus. I'll close and turn into Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Again, if you're ever going in the book of Ephesians and you never hear verses 1, 2, and 3, but always go to chapter 5, you'll miss the whole point of chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5, because as Paul does all the time, the first half of Ephesians is doctrinal, your position in Christ. The second half is your answer to the position in Christ, growing in grace. Ephesians chapter 5, let's go to verse 19. It says, well, back to 18 rather. And be not drunk with wine, whereas in excess, but be filled with the Spirit. See, that's a picture of the old man and the new. The old man desires the things of the world. My old man loves to party and be drunk and be filled with wine. But the new man says, no, no more of that. Be filled with the Spirit. How are you filled with the Spirit? I'll tell you. Just continue reading here. It's about the Word of God. There's no other way. The Word of God is supernatural. You don't need another outside supernatural experience and somebody slapping you in the head and knocking you over to have the Spirit. It comes. through the Word of God. But be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. I don't know why it is, but out of the blue, I'll start singing out. In my heart there rings a melody, there rings a melody with heaven's harmony. Those are the things that encourage us. My old man wants to hear of Judas Priest. My old man loves Metallica, but my new man desires the real rock songs, these precious hymns of the faith. And again, not everybody is on the same curve. Can you love Metallica and be a Christian? Yes, you can. But we grow and we start substituting those things of the old man of the world with the new. I'd like to listen to some of that stuff. Maybe when I'm in glory I'll be hearing heaven's harmony though. But it's a process of sanctification. Look at verse 20 is where we sort of end where we started. Given thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We'll close right there and I'll pick up the rest of Ephesians 5 next week. Given thanks for all things. As a believer, we have much to be thankful for. If we had nothing else in this world except for the fact that you've been saved from the wrath of God through Christ Jesus, What else do you need? If you're a non-believer, boy, what can I be thankful for? I can't be thankful the house isn't big enough, the car isn't fast enough, the kids aren't growing enough. Everything has a different perspective. We can be thankful for food, thankful for family, thankful for all the things that God has blessed us with, but the thing we need most, it's where I say thanksgiving breeds thanksgiving. Thankful for what God has done for us in declaring us righteous. Now, we can be sanctified and grow into that righteousness. So we have the little baby wherever she is. My usual thing is I like to buy baby clothes. I like to buy them with a 32 waist for a boy, a size 40 jacket, an adult size tie, but it doesn't quite fit. when they're a baby, does it? But one day that baby's gonna grow into that clothing. One day, as Christians, we will grow in the clothing of God's righteousness. It's a great journey to grow in that. There are setbacks along the way, But I know I have a finished suit, a finished robe of righteousness that's been given. It's better than an Armani. It costs more than an Armani suit. It costs the blood of Jesus Christ and Him shedding that blood on your behalf. The gospel. I was talking to somebody about salvation. I said, you know what the good news is? Can anybody tell me what the good news is? The good news is... The good news. You've been declared righteous. Go and grow in that righteousness. Open the Bible. Read it. If you have any other source of authority rather than the Bible, it's not going to add up. But the Scriptures alone has God given us. An answer I was talking last week about the question, is all truth God's truth? To that I say yes and no. I'm going to be a politician with that one. But regardless of all truth, if I need plumbing work done, I ask Bobby right now. If I have a question about pipe fitting, I can't go to pipe fitters chapter 3. In the Scriptures, the Bible has everything we need for life and godliness. So whether it's all truth or not, God has given us a clear mandate to preach the Word, be instant in season and out of season. That's the goal, or that's the way to the goal through sanctification. Everything else falls short. Amen? So as we go this morning, just be thinking about those things. As we spend the holidays together, yes, we're thankful for those things that we have, but let's be thankful for the most important thing we have, and that's our position in Christ. God has declared He's the only one that declares and decrees. By the way, that's another pet peeve. We have all kinds of people running around declaring and decreeing the Word of God. Here's what God told me. Well, shut up. God didn't tell you that. Stick with the Bible. His righteousness imputed. or given to you on your account is our only solution for the believer and non-believer alike. Be thankful for his unspeakable or unfathomable gift of salvation, not just for Thanksgiving, but all the time. When the going gets tough, the tough gets staying. When the going gets tough, we have the Word of God. And it's hard at times. Your flesh doesn't want to. The flesh, the Siamese fighting fish is over here, but the Word of God does this. That has the power to overcome that old fighting fish or the old man. When we read the scriptures, we don't understand if we look at a verse at a time, but we see the amazing story of salvation through every word and how it all ties together. Man's rejection, God sent this Son for us. Amen? So as Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, He says, go and sin no more. Because of justification, we can do the same thing. Go and sin no more. In other words, sin will not be a regular practice. Do not practice sin no more. Become righteous in Christ Jesus. Amen.