Sanctified by God

It is the will of God to have the spirit of God used the word of God to make the children of God look like the son of God.

God himself is at work. He has to be the one within conforming us to the image of Christ. We cannot do it on our own initiative, Renewing Your Mind over the next couple of days were going to consider some of the greatest sources of encouragement that we find in Scripture. The benedictions and doxologies in the old and new Testaments or a gift to us as Christians are also rich in meaning and to guide us through two of them today and tomorrow is Dr. HB Charles Junior welcome to this session we are studying the benedictions and doxologies of Scripture. This particular talk at one point your attention to first Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 23 and 24. It is a prayer for holiness. A benediction for our sanctification. First Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 12 through 25 records Paul's final instructions to this young church. There are some 15 commands in these verses.

Verses 12 and 13 are instructions about how the saints should relate to their spiritual leaders. Verses 14 and 15 are instructions concerning how the saints should relate to one another versus 16 through 18. Paul gives instructions about how the saints should relate to their circumstances, rejoice always, pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances, as this is the will of God concerning you in Christ Jesus. Verses 19 through 22 are instructions related to how the saints should relate to divine revelation, then our text versus 2324. Follow the previous instructions make it clear that to live in light of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have work to do. We can't just post through life having a good time where to live in light of that day and there is much that God expects of us. There is work for us to do. Verses 23 and 24 sit behind these instructions is as if it's anticipating the question what about the things we cannot do. There is work we must do, but what about the work that we cannot do verses 23 and 24 is the answer for those things we cannot do in our own strength in our old wisdom in our own resources. In fact, it is the enabling fall of the commandments that we are commanded to do. Verses 23 and 24 is prayer that we are to do for God. All the obedience to his commands that would live out all the service to one another all the faith in midst of life's circumstances is to be fleshed out to a life of believing prayer.

The key to prayer is dependence upon God is benediction sincere as a prayer to remind the saints of our neediness, for God, one writer noted that of all of the benedictions in the writings of Paul. This seems to be the one lease used no said it's a shame he's right question is why is this benediction so neglected. Maybe that best answer is that we so easily become preoccupied with what we want God to do for us that we neglect what we need God to do in us there other benedictions that affirm God's goodness in God's favor and God's blessings for us as we face the realities of life. This is all about the internal reality of the believer's life is a reminder that God calls us to be holy, not merely happy. It is his will that we live sanctified lives. It tells us we can pursue holiness in this world with confidence of the vine help verse 23 bids us to ask God to make us holy. Verse 20 forbids us to trust God to make us holy. Consider the two verses of this benediction first verse 23 bids us to ask God to make us holy now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This prayer consist of a comforting invocation and lofty petitions. Note the comforting invocation the prayer as all prayer should begins with God focuses on God exalts God says, may the God of peace himself. He begins this statement of blessing this prayerful benediction with the assurance that God is at work in his people, both powerfully and personally is at work powerfully as he is the God of peace is reference to God is the God of peace is representative of his power, God is not the author of confusion. Paul will say elsewhere.

God same time is the only one who can keep the peace. The beginning of this letter in chapter 1 verse one. He commands the saints with grace and peace, and in a real sense grace and peace are synonymous. They represent the enabling help of God is reference here to God being the God of peace is what FF Bruce called the sum total of gospel blessings God is the God of peace. He says that he's at work in us powerfully.

But he's also at work in us personally. Now may the God of peace himself. One of the keys to being a good leader is to know how to delegate the counterpart to that truth is that to be a good leader. You gotta know what not to delegate. Here we find the one delegated work of God Almighty.

The sanctification of his people making us holy in Christ is no delegated work for God, the God of peace himself is at work to conform us to the image of his son. If I may say it the way I like to say it. It is the will of God to have the spirit of God use the word of God to make the children of God look like the son of God.

God himself is at work.

He has to be the one within conforming us to the image of Christ. We cannot do it on our own for us to try would be the folly of the young man that just got his plumber's license and went to a trip to Niagara Falls and gazed at it for a moment and then mumbled to himself.

I think I can fix this so you can we can't resist temptation. We can't live obediently.

We can't submit fully to God in our own strength only God, the God of peace himself can make us what we are to be in Christ.

Indeed, we are Philippians chapter 2 verse 12 to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 213 makes it clear that we are able to work out our salvation because it is God who is at work within us both to will and to work for his good pleasure is another verse begins with a comforting invocation and then moves to lofty request with the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, there's really two petitions here.

There's a prayer for sanctification and a prayer for preservation. First, there is a prayer for sanctification. May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely.

The word sanctify means to make holy.

We are made holy positionally in Christ Jesus, the whole life of the believer is a submission to God and the conformity to the sun so that our walk might reflect our position in Christ. This is is prayer here.

These are saints who have been saved by the grace of God but they are now to live out the life of the teachings of our faith, and that life is just as dependent upon divine help is our very salvation. We cannot be holy in all strength own wisdom, our own resources we need God to sanctify us a notice he says make God sanctify us completely through and through through to the end. One commentator made it clear that no believer can avoid all evil anymore than the bolt can avoid the water that is but the boat can avoid leaks. So what is offered here is not some perfect sanctification but of sorrow complete submission of life to God.

It is the spirit of Philippians chapter 3 verses 1314 Ripoll says brother and I admit that I have not yet attained the perfect standard this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching for what lies ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. He praised the infarcts, our sanctification, and then he prays for preservation in real sense, this is just another way of praying for the same thing says May the God that sanctifies me the God to keep you that way until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This second part of the petition confirms and complements and completes the first sword in one sense is Paul asking for the same thing in different words and at the same time there is a distinction here's one thing for mother to clean the house is another thing with husband and children running about for her to keep it that way.

There is are in a real sense to different task and he said we should look to God for both God alone is able to clean us up in God alone is able to keep us that way. So he says May this God sanctify you through and through and in the same spirit, he says.

May your whole spirit and soul lend body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, this is no assurance of some sinless perfection on earth, but a thorough obedience of life where every aspect of my life is submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ or the language of Proverbs 3 and six were acknowledgment all our ways that my life is not compartmentalized or I welcome Christ into my home of my heart but I have rooms closed off to him made the whole spirit and soul and body.

All that we are thoroughly and completely be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter 2 verse 10, Paul says your witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you.

Believers, as the example with which Paul walked when he ministered to this young church and in chapter 3 verse 13 he prays that the Lord may establish our hearts blameless in holiness before our God and father of the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints when he prays there he gives assurance of here. The God is able to keep us blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Archaeologists have found ancient burial places of early Christians that were marked simply with the term without blame.

No doubt the expectation that God would do exactly here what this benediction correct that he will keep us blameless until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is over 23 is a prayer of benediction which we ask God to make us holy. In verse 20 forbids us to trust God to make us holy. There is a verse 23 comforting invocation that moves to a lofty petition now in verse 24 and ends with the Blessed assurance. Most of Paul's benedictions and with the word, a man what does a man mean verse 24 may be the best definition of the word amen.

He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it. A man here are three reasons why we could trust God to make us holy to sanctify us completely to keep us body soul and spirit blameless until the coming of the Lord. First he says God is called you.

God is coaching there is this external call of the gospel. The center hears that bids us to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And then there is the effectual internal call of God himself.

This is what Paul is referring to here God has called us in chapter 2 verse 12 he says we exhorted each one of you and encourage you and charge you to walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and his own glory.

God is called us into his kingdom and into his glory.

Language here though. In verse 24 is present tense. Theirs is on going call on our lives is not that we have been saved and we just coast to glory.

There is a high standard of following Christ that we are to pursue God calls us are assurance is rooted in resting in that call.

Romans eight verse 28 to 30 says.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and those whom he predestined he also called and those whom he called he also justified it. Those whom he justified he also glorified. This is the golden chain of eternal security that cannot be broken. We trust God to complete the good work that he has begun in us in Christ because God is called us.

Secondly, he says, though God is faithful to God who has called us is faithful. The fact that God calls us is a divine activity, but the fact that he is faithful is his divine character. What he does is rooted in who he is. He is not a man that he should lie is not the son of man that he should have to reprint of any wrongdoing number 23 verse 19 God is faithful to complete the good work that he has begun in you. Two young boys walked up on a man shoveling his snow out of his driveway. They asked if he wanted them to finish the job they they said will charge $20 to finish shoveling the snow. Eight he laughed. He says sorry young man. I'm halfway through usually come early and they laugh back in him and they said man all our business comes from guys like you who start, but don't feel like finishing this is the human problem. We are not able to finish what we start, but not so with God. He is faithful, the one who has called you will not abandon you until he has completed what he has started and you. Philippians 1 verse six says we can be confident of this very thing that what God starts. God finishes what God begins God concludes what God initiates, God consummates we leave unfinished business, sometimes out of negligence and soften the responsibility sometimes we just have the time, energy resources help or knowledge to finish what we start but one way or the other we will all begin things in life that will be marked incomplete in the final inspection but not so with God. He is in a word, faithful confidence in the faithfulness of God is evident, not merely in how you think God for what he has done but how you trust God for what he is yet to do limitations 322 and 23, declares the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His compassions never come to an end. They are new every morning great is your faithfulness. You could trust God to make you holy to finish the good work is begun in you to conform you to the image of his son because number one God has coaching number two, the God who is called you is faithful and number three faithful God who is called you will do it. Or as Paul says in other merely say he'll do it. He'll surely do it. The caller is a doer. The one who causes faithful to accomplish what he has begun in us. He will surely do it.

What a wonderful assurance. Those five words are.

He will surely do it what it will technically verse 23, but there is a glorious ambiguity that I word it whatever you need him to do, he's able to do it right.

Prichard writes of this verse that if we concentrate on our weakness. We will lose confidence but if we concentrate on God's faithfulness.

We would just grow in confidence. This is a reminder that our confidence is not to be in ourselves the confidence for the Christian journey and all that is required is that he who has called us is faithful and he will surely do it. There is much that we must do in obedience to God to live out the high standard of Christian discipleship. We do so with confidence that God will do for us what we cannot do for our selves. In that regard songwriters true tears so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take him at his word just to rest upon his promises just to know the sales payment generally did God do everything necessary to save us. He also promises to sanctify us and help us grow in grace such an important lesson for us to learn today on Renewing Your Mind.

I'm glad you could be whether she today's message is by Dr. HB. Charles Junior is from his serious blessings and praise benedictions and doxologies in Scripture. Dr. Charles is pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville Florida in the series. He shows us how God preserves and protects his people from harm always strengthens us during life's trials and how it gives us all that we need to live for his glory. We like for you to have the series.

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Dr. Charles returned to first Peter were the apostle pointers to the source of our strength. He is the God of all grace, while the enemy would have the believer to think that you are going through what you are going through because God does not care for you here, Peter says, let me tell you even though you're going through.

You are the beneficiary of the call is all of all grace and hope you'll join us Friday for Renewing Your Mind