Only God Himself can empower you to live a holy life as you anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ.
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will do it. Brothers and sisters, pray for us also. Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers and sisters. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. —1 Thessalonians 5:23-28
A. THE PROMISE OF GOD TO HIS PEOPLE
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will do it. —1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
1. The Source Of Sanctification - God Himself (v. 23)
Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. —Philippians 2:12-13
2. The Scope Of Sanctification - His Work (v. 24)
He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. —1 Corinthians 1:8-9
B. THE WORK OF GOD IN HIS PEOPLE
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. —1 Thessalonians 5:23
3. Sanctification Secures Our Standing
By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. —Hebrews 10:10
4. Sanctification Guarantees Our Future
Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself. —Philippians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen. —Jude 1:24-25
C. THE PRESENCE OF GOD THROUGH HIS PEOPLE
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will do it. —1 Thessalonians 5:25-28
5. Pray For One Another (v. 25)
6. Encouraging One Another (v. 26)
This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him? —1 John 3:16-17
7. Growing With One Another (v. 27-28)
For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. —Hebrews 4:12
Four Takeaways From Today’s Message:
1. God has taken a special interest in you. His construction project on you begins from the moment He saves you. And it’s more than a renovation project that will last for only a few months—it’s a transformation project that will last for a lifetime. He doesn’t break for lunch, and He never takes a vacation. He won’t break His contract, and He won’t let you down. God uses only the finest materials, and He never takes shortcuts. He promises to bring to completion the work that He began in you.
2. The time to get serious about your personal holiness is now. Your sanctification is not in doubt, for God guarantees it. If God guarantees your sanctification, then why would you resist? To resist God’s hand makes no sense. You will only find yourself fighting a battle that you cannot win. His sanctifying work can either be a blessing or a battle. If God is committed to complete the good work that He began in you, then perhaps it’s time to partner with Him in the process.
3. Recognize that God is sanctifying others also. God is not only at work in our lives, He is also working in the lives of others. When we are tempted to lose our cool because of their lack of progress, we would do well to remember that we also are works in progress.
4. Nothing is accidental. God oversees the affairs of our lives even to the smallest of details. If He is at work in us, then we can be confident that He is also at work around us. Only God can take the thousands of seemingly insignificant details of our lives and weave them together to bring about our ultimate good. Even when we cannot see the good, we can still take comfort that God is good. Although we cannot give thanks for everything, we can still give thanks in everything.