Theme: A closer walk with God (God’s will) Aug.

28,2016

Devotion: Ephesians 4:15 (1 Peter 1:14-15)

Title: Growing to be like Christ

Introduction:
Good morning to every one of you. Before we begin, let us have a word of prayer…
Knowing the will of God as revealed in the bible is the only way we are able to have a more
intimate relationship with Him. God has already revealed what is His will and purpose, and it is
for us to discern and apply these things to our lives. We cannot live apart from God’s will and
somehow still be connected to God, both cannot be true at the same time. That is why the
message for today is about what the will of God is for us at a personal level. The starting point
of our Christian life is salvation; it was God who initiated contact with us, enabling us to have a
right relationship with Him. However it does not stop there. God’s purpose is not just the
salvation of the lost, but to also their transformation, which is clearly taught by the scriptures.
Christian is not just a title, but a way of life. God has a purpose for every person that has been
saved, and our message is all about the process by which God continues what started in
salvation. That is why the title of the message today is: Growing to be like Christ.

Exegetical Idea: Clearly we can see in scripture that God wants His people to be sanctified: to
be set apart for special use, to be holy, just as God is holy. God has shown us very clearly what
our lives should be now that we have entered into a right relationship with Him.

Proposition: Brothers and sisters in the Lord, it is God’s will for all believers, for all Christians
that we are to be Holy just as He is, just as Jesus Christ is. This is accomplished in us through the
continuing power of the Holy Spirit which works in us, as we ourselves submit to God.

Interrogative: What does God’s word tell us?

I. The process of sanctification

The word sanctification is defined as “an act to make holy, to set apart for a special
purpose or use.” Some related words to it are sanctify, holiness, consecration, saint. To sanctify
a person, then means to make the person Holy. The bible makes it clear to us that sanctification
is the will of God for us: 1Thess.4:3;7 Again, God did not stop what He was doing the moment
you got saved. It was just the beginning. There is a whole new life we realized that God
prepared for us when we became Christians. To fully understand what sanctification means, let
us look at the 3 different senses the word sanctification is used in the bible:

A. Positional sanctification
Which we also know as Justification. This is the once-for-ever separation of
believers to God. It is a one-time event in the life of a true Christian1Cor.6:11: this is
what happened the moment you believed in God through faith in Christ. The believer is
set apart positionally when you became a Christian. It is the act of God in which a
 person is declared not guilty before God.Rom.8:1 The believer is set free from the
penalty of sin, which is eternal death. In this matter, we have done nothing but accept
the free gift of God which is salvation. We had no part in it. It is all fully the work of God
is our lives. We are declared righteous before God, not because we are righteous in
ourselves or of our works: we are declared righteous because Jesus Christ has imputed
to us His righteousness, while He bore our sins on the cross. 2Cor.5:21 Because of this,
in Christ, we are positionally clean, righteous, and holy in God’s eyes.

B. Progressive sanctification
While we are already declared righteous by God, we know that we still are living
in this fallen world, and that we still sin.1John1:10 But because of the freedom that we
have in Jesus Christ, we are no longer just bound to sin, and to the desires of the flesh.
We experience firsthand what it means to be separated unto God. This is made possible
by our obedience to the word of God in our lives. It is the same as growing in the Lord
and becoming spiritually mature. 2Pet.3:18 We call it progressive because it is an
ongoing process while we are here in the world. In effect, it is taking our life,
surrendering it to God, in order for our current life to match with our position. (nauna
yung promotion) The main difference here is our responsibility: while it is still God who
sanctifies us through His power: 2Thess.2:13ASND nevertheless, in this we have been
given responsibility in how we live our lives now that we have been declared righteous.
2Cor.7:1. Before salvation, our lives were characterized as being living in the world
separated from God, but now our lives should be characterized as living in God
separated from the world.

C. Perfect sanctification
Which we all await for with eagerness, which we also know as Glorification. This
is the sense in which the sanctification of God for us is made complete and final. This is
what Paul mentions in his prayer in 1Thess.5:23. This glorified state will be our ultimate
separation from sin, the very presence of sin will be no more. There will be no more
struggle, no more pain, and the conflict of the spirit with the flesh will come to an end.
Our sanctification then would be complete, final and perfect in every way. This perfect
sanctification will only be made possible at the return of Jesus Christ. 1Jn.3:2

Application:
God has laid out a plan for us. From salvation up until our glorification. It is a great
comfort then to know that what God started, He continues, until the time it comes to
completion: Phil.1:6 What He has started, He continues, and what He is continuing, one day He
will finish. Phil.2:12-13 Paul exhorts that we work out our own salvation (work out and not
work for), but also that it is God who works in us for His purpose. The bible makes it clear that
we cannot boast about anything, not even our faith, for all of this is from God. But at the same
time, we are given responsibilities concerning our new life in Christ. It avoids two extremes:
those who remove accountability in their Christian life, and those who focus on the work of the
flesh. Paul corrects both: 1Tim.4:7; Gal.3:3 Our life is a balance of the two. God works in and
through us, and we work by the power of God in us. Justification is done while glorification is
coming soon. We will experience many hardships and heartaches while we do the will of God.
We will sometimes falter and fail, but we should not be discouraged. As we have learned: we
are still in the process.

II. Why sanctification is important

Now that we have defined what sanctification means, let us now look at the importance
of it in our lives:

A. We worship a Holy God

The God that we worship, the God who saves us and loves us, is called Holy
throughout the entire scriptures. 1Sam.2:2 and Isa.6:3 are some of the verses that give
insight to this. God is absolutely and completely perfect, He is not like any other, and He
is totally separated from everything else, in essence, power, and being. Being morally
perfect, there is no trace of sin to be found in God. There is no one that is like the Lord
Psalm113:5-6 and yet it is the same God who reached out to us, who loved us and cared
for us. Psalm8:4 we incurred the wrath of God, the penalty of sin on our own. We are
fully responsible on why we are set for punishment. Yet, God who is Holy, gave His only
begotten son as a sacrifice for us. What do you say to that? What would be your reply or
response to such an act of grace and mercy? For Paul, there was only one acceptable
response: Rom.12:1-2

B. It is expected of us
In that line of thinking, we can easily understand why sanctification is central in
the life of the Christian. Because of what God has done for us and what God has planned
for us, we should all the more submit to the will of God every single day of this life we
are living. It is required of us: Heb.12:14 God expects us whom He has already set apart,
to cultivate a lifestyle of holiness. Just like you would expect a tree to grow when you
plant a tiny little seed. 1Pet.1:14-16 practical sanctification means the same thing as
living in the spirit, and growing into maturity as Christians. We do what the Spirit leads
us to do, being spiritually fruitful every day. We distance ourselves from the things
which defiles us, and align our lives in the manner that would glorify God. 2Tim.2:21

C. God desires that we become more like Christ

Eph.4:15 This is the most important aspect of sanctification: God’s ultimate
desire: why He wants us to grow, why He wants us to become mature, why he wants us
to be Holy, is so that we become conformed to the image of His son: for us to become
more Christ-like. Rom.8:29ASND Why is that so important? Because Jesus Christ is the
perfect example to follow on what a life pleasing to God looks like. He became like us, a
man in every way, and yet He did not sin. It was Jesus Christ, doing the will of God here
on earth, which resulted in our salvation in the first place. Rom.5:17 To our benefit
then, we already have the perfect example of Jesus Christ who obeyed the Father, even
to the point of dying on the cross. If we truly wish to glorify God in all that we do, then
we just have to pursue Jesus Christ example for us all. In the end, when we obey God,
 when we are truly being sanctified, when we become more like Christ, we also benefit.
John.15:10-11

Application:
Sanctification is primary in our lives. As we go along this life, we should be spiritually
becoming more mature, obeying God, walking in the spirit, and rejecting the dead works of the
flesh. Sanctification by human effort alone is impossible. It is the working of the spirit in us, and
our obedience to the spirit that makes it possible.

III. Becoming more like Christ – 2Pet.1:3-11

We are reminded that sanctification is God’s purpose for us since the very beginning. It
is not an afterthought or an accident. It was part of God’s purpose for when He saved us. As we
go along in our walk with God, we realize that we are continually being transformed and
molded by God into the persons that He intends for us to be. I may speak of it lightly but in
reality this is not so easy. Sometimes we are disciplined by God, we experience pain, trouble,
sorrow, heartache, disappointment in our life, even if we strive to do God’s will. Nevertheless,
we are certain that God can use anything that happens in our life to better mold us and
transform us to be like Christ. Here are some reminders about sanctification from 1Pet.1:3-11.

A. We have been given everything we need

God has already given us all the necessities and the tools to live out sanctified
lives:
1. We have divine provision - v.3
We have already in our hands the written word of God that serves as our guide,
our light, and our standard for living. With it we are also equipped for every good work
God has made for us. Aside from that, there is also our helper: the Holy spirit, that
continues to guide us in our daily lives, in our decisions, and in our actions. He comforts
us, helps us, and also intercedes for us in our prayers.

2. We have divine promises - v.4

God’s promises for us are all blessings. The promise of life await all those love
Him and obey Him. These promises help us remain focused on what is really important.
The world is one big distraction: because in reality we know that nothing on this earth,
or even the earth itself is permanent. All will fade away. The promises of God help us
keep our eyes on the prize. Set your focus on the goal: the finish line is to be in
fellowship with God and His people forever.

B. We have been given a clear direction

God has already given us what we need, we must also fulfill our responsibilities.
1. Needs effort on our part - v.5a
The english translation says: “Make every effort, giving all diligence, do your
best.” Yes, it is God who continually sanctifies us, but that doesn’t mean we get to sit
back and get carried to heaven on a comfortable bed of roses. We are expected to do
God’s will, and to obey The Holy Spirit. We need to exert effort, do what is asked of us,
 and cooperate with the Spirit of God. There is sacrifice, discomfort and at times even
pain. (no pain, no gain)

2. Needs to affect every part of our life - v.5b-7

Our efforts need to coincide with what is most pleasing to God. (effort ng effort,
wala naman patutunguhan, mali naman pala ang ginagawa) here Peter lists qualities
that characterize a life which is being led by the Spirit. It harmonizes with other such
lists like the fruit of the spirit, found in Gal.5:22-23. It is not a legalistic code, but rather
shows us what the desires of a transformed heart in Christ is. We are exhorted not to
merely confess our faith, but to actually live out our faith in God. Faith should take a
concrete form in our daily lives.

C. The results of being continually sanctified

Doing God’s will is not without merit or purpose: The scriptures tell us what we
gain and what we avoid as we do our responsibilities of living according to God’s
will.
1. We avoid being fruitless and ineffective - v.8-9
I think it is safe to assume that all of us know how very tiring it is to have spent
so much time and effort and energy and money in something that turns out to be just a
waste. It is much more tiring and saddening to see people who have gone to church for
many years, sat down in the chairs so many times, to have been a Christian for so long
and in the end, be all for naught. If you ever feel bored, or fed up, or tired of being a
Christian, if you ever get that feeling of (parang wala din naman) the problem is not with
God, not with the word, not with the church, not with the people around you, the
problem lies within you. In the long list of things God has done for us and you feel that
(wala din naman) Peter gives a solemn reminder. Those who feel that way are those
who do not obey God, because they did not truly understand what God has done for
them.

2. We have confidence in this life and the life to come - v.10-11

We are continually called to confirm God’s calling and election for us. Obeying in
itself is the key. Those who continually obey and surrender their lives to God will never
stumble and fall. Like Paul they may experience many trials and hardships, but they
press on. They continue to do what the will of God is, and in that manner they are given
assurance of the life that is to come. We are reminded that good works are the result
and evidence of salvation, and not the other way around. Those who are doing God’s
will in their life have confidence in all that they do, and confidence in what they will
accomplish, and confidence in what they will gain. Blessings in the Christian life do not
just indicate what we receive physically, but also spiritually. Until we attain the ultimate
reward of eternal life.

Application:
Again it is God’s will for us to become more like His son. The reality of this might not be
that easy, but we can rest assured of the power of God working in us. We should apply this
practically throughout our daily lives. In our relationships, in our work, in our families, and in
our ministry.

Conclusion:
For my conclusion, brothers and sisters in the Lord, it is not just important to know what
God’s will is, equally important is doing God’s will and obeying it in our lives. Do we truly
understand and appreciate God’s salvation given for us? Do we respond to God’s love and grace
and mercy with the right attitude of thanksgiving and obedience? If not, what then is hindering
us to obey God? Let us set aside all of the things that serve as hindrances and distractions in our
walk with God. Set our eyes on the goal, make every effort to obtain it. 2Cor.7:1 This is God’s
will for all of us. To God be the glory.