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topic of sanctification. It's 
a deep topic, and we need the Lord's help and grace as we come 
to it. Well, let's pray. Dear God in 
heaven, we thank you for this Lord's Day Sabbath. We would 
pause in your presence and remember, Lord, that you are God. As Isaiah 
says, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and speaks of the 
Lord speaking, for thus saith the Lord, the high and lofty 
one who inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy. This is the God 
that we come to, not a God of our imagination. not a God that 
we have dreamt up, not a God that is through cunningly devised 
fables being introduced to us, but the very God of the Old Testament 
and the New Testament, and we praise you and we worship you. 
We know, Lord, that we will never be in that eternity with which 
you inhabit, but Lord, we know that we are in your creation 
and that you are here and that you are God, and we would seek 
to worship you in spirit and in truth. We thank you, Lord, 
that Christ said that the words that I speak unto you, they are 
spirit and they are life. And so Lord, we come in accord 
to your word. And I pray as I would come to 
deliver really, Lord, as a student myself to bring to the brethren 
here this topic of sanctification. Oh Lord, I do feel my inadequacy 
and so we call upon you to help We pray, Lord, that you would 
stir all of our hearts, that this would not just be another 
topical study through the confession that we just come to and then 
leave, but, Lord, that we would be moved by these things, that 
we would consider how great a God you are and how that you have 
redeemed us and saved us and purchased us and bought us and 
that we have purpose and meaning in life because of that. And 
so help, Lord, we pray. Encourage, Lord, we ask. And 
we pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, if you would take your 
Bibles and turn to Ephesians 4, Ephesians chapter 4, we're 
going to read together verse 17 to 24. Ephesians 4, verse 
17 to 24. As I mentioned, we are studying 
today this topic of sanctification. And this is our core text that 
we will baseline to Ephesians 4, verse 17 to verse 24. This I say therefore and testify 
in the Lord. that you should no longer walk 
as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind, 
having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life 
of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the 
blindness of their heart, who, being past feeling, have given 
themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanliness with 
greediness, But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed 
you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is 
in Jesus, that you put off concerning your former conduct the old man 
which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. and be 
renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the 
new man, which was created according to God, in true righteousness 
and holiness." Well, when you look at this text here as an 
introduction to this chapter 13, from verse 17 to 19, we're 
really looking at what Christians are not to do. We're not to walk, 
and we're not to live, as the Gentiles do, as those 
that do not know God, as they walk. We're not to do that. And 
then from verse 20 through to verse 24, the Apostle Paul here, 
again under the inspiration of God, is telling us what we are 
to do. And we are to walk, and we are 
to live, and we are to act, and we are to speak, and we are to 
have an attitude about us that would be as we are in reality, 
that is a new creation, that we have been regenerated, that 
new life is being breathed into us by the Holy Spirit, such that 
we have been converted, such that we have been justified, 
adopted, and this work of progressive sanctification according to God 
in true righteousness and holiness begins to take place. And I want 
to just pause here for a moment. This is not theoretical. This 
is not something that is just a notion. This is reality. This is true. As a believer, 
regeneration and then sanctification, this work of being set apart 
from common use to God, this being the status of the believer, 
how that we are God's special possession. Well, as we delve 
into this subject of sanctification, question 38, catechism rather, 
38, thank you Tony, question 38 of the catechism asks this 
question, it's a good question to ask, what is sanctification? And the answer is succinct, the 
answer is a good summary to the chapter that we're about to go 
into it, and it says this, sanctification is the work of God's free grace 
whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of 
God and are enabled more and more to die unto sin and to live 
unto righteousness. That's a good summary. With that 
in mind, if you would take your confession and turn to chapter 
13 of Sanctification. Chapter 13 of Sanctification. And we're going to read these 
three paragraphs here. Paragraph 1. They who are united 
to Christ, effectually called and regenerated, having a new 
heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue of 
Christ's death and resurrection, are also farther sanctified, 
really and personally, through the same virtue, by His Word 
and Spirit dwelling in them. The dominion of the whole body 
of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more 
and more weakened and mortified, and they more and more quickened 
and strengthened in all saving graces to the practice of all 
true holiness. without which no man shall see 
the Lord. I just want to pause here for 
a moment. You'll notice that there are six footnotes of Bible 
verses, and we of course here adhere to and we confess the 
confession, but the confession is subordinate to the scripture. We will be looking at some of 
these verses in due course. Paragraph two, this sanctification 
is throughout in the whole man, yet imperfect in this life. there 
abide is still some remnants of corruption in every part. 
Whence arises a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh 
lusting against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. In which war, although the remaining 
corruption for a time may much prevail yet, through the continual 
supply of strength from the sanctifying spirit of Christ, the regenerate 
part doth overcome. And so the saints grow in grace, 
perfecting holiness in the fear of God, pressing after a heavenly 
life and evangelical obedience to all the commands which Christ 
as head and king in his word hath prescribed to them. Well, if you look here at the 
title of this chapter 13 of sanctification, this is a good place to begin 
in terms of a definition of the term of sanctification. Dr. Sam 
Waldron offers this, and I think he's bang on. He says, to sanctify 
in the Bible is to set apart from common use to God. When 
something is sanctified, it becomes God's special possession. So think about that. If you are 
a believer, if you are the Lord's, if you are a Christian, then 
two things, you have been set aside from common use to God, 
and you furthermore are a special possession. possession of the 
Lord's God. A lot of talk about self-esteem, 
maybe not so much today, but there certainly was when I was 
a kid and growing up, and here is our esteem, if you will, our 
identity as Christians is in the Lord Jesus Christ. That is 
our identity, and that is something to boast about, that we are God's 
special, we are God's special possession. Isn't this emphasized 
really in the Old and the New Testament both in Exodus chapter 
19, 6? And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy 
nation. This is a setting apart, isn't 
it? This is this sense of where there is this special possession 
of God, and this is echoed in the New Testament in Revelation 
1, 6, and has made us kings or a kingdom. and priests to God, 
to his God and Father. God's special possessions set 
apart and set apart for common use to God. As I looked up some 
of the words in the scripture in terms of an association with 
the word sanctification, this is what I came up with. These 
words holiness and purity and separation, a setting aside for 
sacred purposes, a free from defilement in an ethical sense, 
a consecration and devotion to the service of God. There's a 
sense of being set aside from that which is worldly, and by 
worldly we're going to get into that a little bit later, but 
by worldly I mean the world system, that which is opposed to God, 
that which is against God, those sorts of things. Birkhoff says 
this by way of summary concerning sanctification. He says that 
it is that gracious and continuous operation of the Holy Spirit 
by which he delivers the justified sinner from the pollution of 
sin, renews the whole nature in the image of God, and enables 
him to perform good works. Good, good works. I think Burkhoff 
must have been trafficking in Ephesians 2, 10. It says, for 
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. That's justification, 
isn't it? For good works, that's sanctification, 
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. There's that call to action. 
We are to walk in them. We are to do these things. How 
do we do it? Why? Because we're justified, 
because we're the Lord's, because we have an identity in Christ 
and He gives us the ability to perform those things that we 
must do. They who are united to Christ, 
paragraph one, it says, are effectually called and regenerated, having 
a new heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue 
of Christ's death and resurrection. I want us to think just for a 
few moments now on the inception and the origin of sanctification. Where does it come from? What 
is its origin? At conversion, every Christian 
is definitively Sanctified. As I began this study on sanctification, 
that was a new term for me. Perhaps you've heard it before, 
perhaps you haven't. It was a new term for me, definitively 
sanctified. And I have to say, it took a 
lot of work for me to get this. I'm going to explain it, try 
to explain it as best as I can, and Pastor Porter is here. to 
answer any questions at the end if I drop the wall. But it's 
a wonderful, wonderful theological truth, definitively sanctified 
or absolutely or conclusively sanctified, this reality, this 
truth of being constituted wholly at conversion. Well, when we 
speak of sanctification, when I speak of sanctification, when 
I in the past have thought of sanctification, I typically think 
of progressive sanctification, that sanctification that is ongoing. And this is true. This is very 
true. In fact, the confession here says the several lusts thereof 
are more and more weakened. And again, if you're like me, 
this is probably when you think about sanctification, this is 
what you're thinking about, this progressive work that takes place, 
that fight that goes on until we die. And again, this is true. 
This is very much so the case, Colossians 3, 5. Mortify, therefore, 
your members which are upon the earth. And Romans 12, 1. Present 
your bodies, a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, 
which is your reasonable service. Romans 6, 13. Neither yield ye 
your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. And 
so all of these things are, of course, they are true. And they 
speak of this progressive work of sanctification that takes 
place in the believer. But there's something first. 
There's something first. There's something before progression. 
There's something before this movement, if you will. Scripture 
speaks of every Christian as being a saint, as being a saint, 
as being holy. And this is something that is 
throughout scripture. This word saint in the Greek 
refers to that which is sacred, physically pure, morally blameless, 
or consecrated, most holy. In Romans 1 and verse 7 and in 
verse Corinthians 1.12, there's these words where the Apostle 
Paul says we're called to be saints. 2 Corinthians 1-2, to 
the church of God with all the saints. And then in Ephesians 
1-1 and Philippians 1-1-2, all the saints. This word being used 
over and over again, to the saints. And also this sense of being 
wholly beloved, Colossians 3 verse 12. Dr. Robert Raymond says, 
every Christian, the moment he becomes a Christian, by virtue 
of his union with Christ, is instantly constituted a saint, 
and he enters into a new relationship with respect to the former reign 
of sin in his life, and with God himself, in which new relationship 
he ceases to be a slave to sin and he becomes a servant of Christ 
and of God. I hope that is helpful as we 
think about this definitive sanctification, this being constituted holy, 
this sense of being definitively and absolutely and conclusively 
sanctified before this work of progressive sanctification, which 
I think is what we often think about, at least I certainly did, 
As that work begins John Murray who by the way kind of I think 
coined this this phrase definitive Sanctification, of course, it's 
not some new theology it's just a More succinct definition thereof. He says this there is a once 
for all definitive an irreversible breach with the realm in which 
sin reigns in and unto death. I think this is where the framers 
of the Confession are getting at here. If you look in paragraph 
1, about three quarters of the way down, maybe about half of 
the way down, the dominion of the whole body of sin Destroyed 
and I didn't just read this in Murray or Walter and other commentators 
spoke about this definitive definitive sanctification and I believe 
it's a it's it's a wonderful truth because what it does is 
it or what it ought to do is it ought to give us a sense of 
Really where our standing is This sense of, wow, we can't 
overcome that particular sin. No, we are to reckon ourselves 
dead unto sin. We are to consider ourselves 
dead unto sin. And this can give us that power 
and that understanding to help us to overcome those besetting 
sins that perhaps plague us. Romans 6 and verse 5 and 6, would 
you turn there with me, please? Romans chapter 6, we're going 
to read verse 5 and 6. And I think this really gets 
to the root of definitive sanctification, the distinction of it to progressive 
sanctification. Romans 6. Verse five and six, 
for if we have been united together, there's the basis of our being 
definitively, conclusively, constituted holy in a sanctified sense. For if we have been united together 
in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in 
the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old man 
was crucified with him, and the body of sin might be done away 
with. that we should no longer be slaves 
to sin. So there's the breakup of definitive 
sanctification, this being constituted wholly at regeneration, at conversion, 
at justification, because we've been united with the Lord Jesus 
Christ. That's a reality. Again, as I 
said a few moments ago, this is not some theological theory 
and some notion and something we can just kind of talk about 
and have intellectual stimulus over. This is a reality that 
we have, in fact, As believers, if you are a believer, that you 
have been united with the Lord Jesus Christ, and hence, in terms 
of progressive sanctification, then no longer be slaves of sin. 
You're not, so don't be. And this, I think, is a sense 
of this passage in these few verses. I was trying to think 
of an illustration, because as I say, I had to take a lot of 
time really thinking about this concept of definitive sanctification. I never thought of it in these 
terms. And I came up with this illustration. And Cam, I think 
it went past Cam. He didn't correct me on it when 
he sent my notes, so I hope it's an accurate illustration. Think 
of a house. you see on a street, and it's 
got a for sale sign on it, and the house is run down, and you 
decide that you will purchase this house, you will buy this 
house. And at that point, when you go and you purchase that 
particular house, there's a legal change of status when you purchase 
that house. That, we would say, would be 
a justification, wouldn't it? There's a legal change of status, 
and that's what happens at justification. And when that happens, the The 
dominion, if you will, the rule of the homeowner of that house 
is broken, isn't it, if you will? That homeowner can no longer 
just start ripping walls down and doing this and doing that. 
No, he no longer has that legal right to the home. But this is 
a run-down home, isn't it? And you've purchased it because 
you hope to perhaps do it up and make it better for yourself 
and your family, or maybe you're going to flip it and sell it 
yourself. And so here once you go into the house and the work 
of renovation and the changing of the conditions begin to begin 
to happen why that's progressive sanctification. And of course, 
the latter, progressive sanctification, is only possible if the former 
is in place, that there has been regeneration, and that there 
has been definitive sanctification. And this is why in Romans 6, 
11, you're there in that passage. You can look at that verse. It 
says, likewise, you also reckon or consider yourselves to be 
dead indeed to sin, but alive to God, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Well, having been constituted 
holy, having this definitive sanctification having taken place 
in your heart and in your life, having been constituted holy, 
the work of progressive sanctification begins. If you look here at paragraph 
one, about halfway down, it says, are also farther or further sanctified, 
really and personally, through the same virtue. Well, what is 
the source, then, as we move away, if you will, from definitive 
sanctification to progressive sanctification? What's the source 
of it? What's the source of progressive sanctification? Is it within? 
Well, no, it's by and it's through the same virtue. Let's turn to 
Ephesians 3, Ephesians chapter 3, and we're going to read a 
few verses and just park here just for a moment. Ephesians 
chapter 3. Ephesians chapter 3, thinking 
here now about the source of progressive sanctification, it's 
through the same virtue. What does this mean? Ephesians 
3, follow with me if you will from verse 16 to 21. according to the riches of His 
glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the 
inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, 
that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend 
with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and 
height, to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that 
you may be filled with all the fullness of God, Now to Him who 
is able to do exceedingly abundantly of all that we ask or think according 
to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church 
by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Well, notice 
as you look at this passage from verse 16 to 21, as we think about 
the source of progressive sanctification, that it's through the same virtue. 
Notice in verse 16 that it's through His Spirit. Notice in 
verse 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts. Notice in verse 
19 that we may be filled with all the fullness of God. Verse 
20, now unto Him, or now to Him, Him who is able. You see, the 
source of progressive sanctification is through the same virtue, being 
united to Christ, being affectionately called, being regenerated, having 
a new heart, having a new spirit. And through that virtue of Christ's 
death and resurrection, therein is the fundamental reason why 
we are able to go on and to become more like our Savior and more 
like the Lord Jesus Christ. It's rooted, isn't it? Just back 
over to chapter 2 in verse 8, 9, and 10. For by grace you have 
been saved. Here's the root of it. Through 
faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of 
works, lest anyone should boast. For we are his workmanship, created 
in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand 
that we should walk in them. Well, if we had to summarize 
this at this point with regards to the source of progressive 
sanctification being through the same virtue, we might say 
this. No justification, no sanctification. No sanctification, no justification. It really comes down to that. 
J.C. Ross says, God has married together 
justification and sanctification. They are distinct and different 
things, but one is never found without the other. All justified 
people are sanctified, and all sanctified people are justified. 
Boast not of Christ's work for you unless you can show us the 
Spirit's work. Waldron says this, sanctification 
is however not a matter of only dogged determination, we must 
get to the place where we can prosecute the work of sanctification 
on the basis, and here is definitive sanctification now, that initial 
being constituted holy, we must prosecute the work of sanctification 
on the basis of reckoning ourselves to have died with Well, back 
to paragraph 1 here, as we look now at the means by which the 
work of progressive sanctification occurs. We've looked at its source. 
It's the Lord God. Well, what are the means by which 
this takes place? It's through His Word and Spirit 
dwelling in them. In Psalm 119.11, Your Word I 
have hidden in my heart. that I might not sin against 
you." Are we doing that? Are we hiding God's Word in our 
heart that we might not sin against the living God? Jude 1.20, but 
you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying 
in the Holy Spirit. Yes, we need to do, but we need 
to do what we do in utter dependence upon the living God of heaven 
and earth. Well, when we come to God's Word, 
we are fed, aren't we? We can feast on God's Word. Man 
shall not live by bread alone, but by every word. that proceeds 
out of the mouth of God. John Gill says, the Holy Spirit 
in regeneration and sanctification, when he begins the good work 
of grace on a man, takes possession of his whole person, soul and 
body, and dwells therein as his temple. Dr. Jerry Bridges uses 
this illustration of an airplane, and I don't know if in the last 
study I did on justification I mentioned this, I may well 
have done so, but he uses this illustration of a wing on an 
airplane, and on the one wing is written the word dependence, 
and on the other word is written the word discipline, and if you 
know anything about aviation, actually you don't even really 
need to know about aviation, if one of those wings goes, what's 
going to happen to the airplane? It's going to go to the ground, 
isn't it? And so here, Dr. Jerry Bridges makes it very clear, 
and he expands upon this. I think it's in his book, Trusting 
God. I commend it to you. It's an excellent book, an excellent 
read. And he said, we must depend upon God to do the things we 
must. I love that, because here's the 
call to action. We must do certain things, but 
in utter dependence upon God. And you know what? If one of 
those wingtips are missing, guess what's going to happen? There's 
going to be a plane crash. And so, as we Seek to be sanctified 
and grow in the grace of God, have Him being constituted holy, 
actually being saved, actually being redeemed, actually wrecking 
ourselves and considering ourselves to be dead to sin. Why? We need 
to have call to actions in our life, don't we? We need to go 
and do the things that we must, oh, but in dependence upon the 
living God of heaven and earth. I think Bridges absolutely nails 
it there. Well, the question is to be answered 
in your heart, is do you spend time in prayer in God's Word 
on a regular basis? Are you doing that? Are you doing 
that? I'm not going to bind your conscience 
in terms of daily, and is it at 8 o'clock in the morning or 
6 o'clock in the morning? No, we're not going to do that. 
But I think that even in Scripture there is this sense of daily 
coming to God, isn't there? daily coming to Him in prayer, 
daily coming to Him in the Word so that we can get fed. Think 
if you didn't go a whole day without food, how would you feel? 
Maybe two days, how would you feel? By the third day, how are 
you doing? You've gone three days without 
food. I can tell you by experience that if I neglect God in His 
Word or neglect God in prayer, by probably the second or third 
day, I'm not looking at the world in the right way. I really mean 
that. I'm not looking at the news in 
the right way. I'm not looking at life in the 
right way. I'm not looking at business in the right way. Things 
are getting muddled. And that's just in a short period 
of time. Daily, this daily bread. Remember 
Daniel? I often think when I get so busy, 
I just don't have time today to spend time in God's Word or 
prayer. Daniel, three times a day it 
says. This is a man who was... You 
can't even put a candle to Daniel in terms of busyness, and that's 
one of my big things. I'm always so busy. But here 
is Daniel, three times a day, spending time. Here's a ruler 
in that political system, and yet he was known to be a man 
of prayer, a person who would come and pray to the living God. Psalms 55.17. I think also gives credence and 
a case for spending time daily. Why don't we just turn there 
very quickly. Psalm 55, 17. Psalm 55, 17. And here we're getting to the 
call to action, aren't we, in our daily lives. of reading God's 
Word by the power of the Holy Spirit to help us. And I think 
I might have the wrong text. Psalm 55. Oh, I'm in Isaiah. 
Psalm 55. Just bear with me as I cycle 
over there. Psalm 55, verse 17. Evening and morning and at noon 
I will pray and cry aloud. And he shall hear my voice. I 
think it was Pastor Butler or Pastor Porter who said, be in 
a climate of prayer. Be in a climate of prayer. And 
I like that. We ought to do that. We ought 
to be in that climate of prayer and have God's word hidden in 
our heart. And I commend you. I exhort you and myself, hard 
as it may be, to go out into the day, to go out into the battle, 
having been fortified, having been strengthened with God's 
word and with prayer. And you will find that your day 
will be very much different than if you don't. Now, a word of 
caution there. And it's been said, I'm sure, 
from the pulpit or in this Sunday school time, that if you are 
in a position where you are unable to spend that time of quiet with 
the Lord, it doesn't mean that the Lord is not with you in the 
day. He most certainly is as a believer, but we're talking 
here as a pattern, aren't we? And we can get so very busy, 
but we need to make it a business of prayer. Make it your business 
to be a person of prayer and in God's Word. All right, let's carry on here 
in paragraph one, thinking now a little bit more about the means 
of sanctification. Negatively, you'll notice here 
it says, about three quarters way down in the confession, and 
the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified 
and positively, and they more and more quickened or made alive 
and strengthened in all saving graces to the practice of all 
true holiness. Well, how does this then take 
place? It's by using the means of grace. This is how sanctification, progressive 
sanctification, makes its headway, makes its advances. It's by the 
use of the means of grace. Prayer and timing God's Word. We've just spoken about that, 
haven't we? Attending church. being a participant of the ordinances, 
fellowshipping with other believers, and seeking to obey the Lord 
God in everything that you are about. And how is this indeed 
characterized? It is characterized by walking 
in the Spirit. Now what does that mean, to walk 
in the Spirit? That sounds Like, what is that? What does it mean to walk in 
the Spirit? We're called to walk in the Spirit? Walking in the 
Spirit simply means this. To be responsive and to be responding 
to God's Word. That's what it means to walk 
in the Spirit. And so the question is, are we characterized by obedience 
to God's Word? Are we walking in the Spirit? 
Here's some encouragement in Galatians 5.16, it says, You 
walk in the Spirit? You're responsive to God's Word? and you're seeking, by God's 
aid and help, to obey Him, you won't fulfill the lust of the 
flesh. And by the way, the lust of the flesh, doesn't it offer 
so much? the world and the world system, it just lays it all out 
so nicely for us. I remember when the little, the 
kids were, the children in our family were little, and I would 
often use the illustration, it's a well-worn one of an apple, 
and it's so shiny and it looks so wonderful and so good to chomp 
into, but the backside of that apple, there's a little kind 
of bug hole, and inside that apple is there's maggots, Isn't 
that a picture of sin? It offers so very much and yet 
delivers so very little. I was reading in the column of 
my Bible, again, it was one of our pastors who said it, and 
it was something to the effect of sin never derives any good. Sin never derives any good. There's 
never anything good that comes out of a decision to sin. Oh, 
pragmatics, I'll be able to get over here sooner and better. 
No, no. There's never anything good that 
comes by way of choosing to sin. Dr. Robert Raymond, he says the 
Christian is to take this breach with sin, that's the definitive 
sanctification, this breach constituted by his union with Christ, this 
breach with sin, this definitive sanctification, this being constituted 
holy as seriously as God does. and stop presenting the members 
of his body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness and start. 
Here is this progressive sanctification now presenting himself to God 
as one alive from the dead and as members, as instruments of 
righteousness unto God. And he has Paul's own assurance 
that sin shall not have dominion over God. I would suggest when 
you are considering sinning or considering sin and its folly 
that you consider the Lord God Think of that scripture in Isaiah 
57 15 That says for thus saith the Lord the high and lofty one 
who inhabits eternity whose name is holy This is the God with 
whom we have to do. He's a holy God and Our knees 
with affectionate fear should be knocking together when we 
consider God and we consider that He cannot look upon sin. 
Sin is serious. Sin is bad. Sin is cemeteries, 
and sin is hospitals, and sin is death, and sin is heart attacks, 
and sin is cancer, and sin is ultimately eternal death. It's 
not funny. It's not a joke. Sin is serious. 
Sin is terrible. I'm not saying a hospital is 
sinful. You know what I mean. I'm not saying a cemetery is 
sinful. It's the result of sin, these things. It's bad. It's horrible. Sin is what happened 
in London last night on the Tower Bridge. All of this whacked out, 
terrible stuff. Do you like sin? There you go. 
There you go. Sin is a terrible, terrible thing. 
Consider Him. Consider how holy God is and 
how gracious He is. Think of that verse in Exodus 
34, just after the children of Israel. Here they have been brought 
out by a mighty outstretched arm from Egypt. They've been 
brought out and Moses now goes up to Sinai. He's gone for 20, 
30, 40, a long time, 40 days goes by. And what do they do? 
They begin to put up this golden calf and begin to worship it. 
And then we know, don't we, what happens is, shouldn't God just 
wipe out these people? And yet, Moses, the mediator 
of the old covenant, he mediates and speaks to God, and then God 
passes before him, and he says, I am the Lord, the Lord God. 
And get this, he was merciful, and gracious, and long-suffering, 
and great in goodness and truth. and a God who keeps mercy for 
thousands, and a God who forgives transgression, iniquity, and 
sin. This is the God of the Old Testament, 
the God of the New Testament, the immutable God who does not 
change in His glory, the impassable God who does not change in His 
affections for us. He loves us. He is love, the 
source of it. And here is a God who is so gracious 
and so good. Consider Him. Consider Him, He 
who came down to this earth. The Lord Jesus Christ, that second 
person of the Godhead who took him a body and is that mediator 
between the sinful souls of men and women, boys and girls, and 
the triune God. And he comes and he takes upon 
himself flesh. He lives under the law perfectly 
because we've all broken it and then he dies. He sheds His blood, 
and He takes all the wrath of God in the place of everyone 
who believes in Him. What an incredible God! When 
you think of the passion of Christ, and the passion does not even 
come close to the forsaking of God for Christ at that passion. And when we think what He has 
done for us, and then we begin to evaluate that against choosing 
sin, are we mad? Are we crazy? It's only the scriptures, I think, 
that can open our eyes to see things as they really are, so 
that we evaluate the world and its systems and its things that 
it presents to us every day by means and ways of influence by 
which we make choices that we esteem those things of God far 
greater than the trinkets and often the empty pursuits of this 
world that will in the end come back and sting and bite. while 
the necessity of progressive sanctification. Notice here in 
paragraph, oh boy, quarter after. Notice here in paragraph one, 
without which no man shall see the Lord, the necessity of progressive 
sanctification. Hebrews 12, verse 14 to 17. Can 
we turn there quickly? Our time is going. very, very 
quickly, at least it's going very quickly for me. Hebrews 
12 verse 14 to 17 says this, Pursue peace with all people 
and holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Looking 
carefully, lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any 
root of bitterness springing out cause trouble, and by this 
many become defiled. Lest there be any fornicator 
or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold 
his birthright, For you know that afterward, when he wanted 
to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. Excuse me. For he found no place for repentance, 
though he sought it diligently with tears. Diligently with tears. So the necessity of progressive 
sanctification. No man shall see the Lord. When 
I read this, I thought, was this the framers of the confession? 
Did they put this here? And here, we've just read it. 
No, this comes right out of scripture and right into the confession. 
And this is why in 1 Peter, be ye holy for I am holy. It is 
not an option. It is a necessity for the believer 
that we pursue, that we follow after, and we press on toward 
progressive sanctification. Notice here. in this scripture, 
that if we are not justified, that is, if there is no change 
in our legal status, we cannot be sanctified. We cannot be sanctified. Just kind of pulling out from 
these texts that we have just read. So if we're not justified, 
if we're not the Lord's, then come to Him. Come to the Lord 
God. Do you know the Lord? Is He yours? 
Is He your Savior? Or are you waiting for some big 
event, some fireworks of some kind to come to the Lord? Are 
you obeying Him to come to Him? This call to action. I absolutely 
believe in the monergistic nature of salvation. I absolutely believe 
in the sovereignty of God. But there are two tracks. And 
if either of those tracks get misplaced, there's going to be 
a train wreck. If any of those tracks, the sovereignty 
of God, and us responding to that, there's going to be a terrible 
train wreck. And here's the question, is your 
life a train wreck? Because you've got these two 
things mixed up. When are you going to look at these two tracks 
and recognize that, yes, God is sovereign, but I am called 
to come. In fact, in many ways, the unbeliever has no right to 
be looking at this sovereignty track. That's for the believer. 
That's for the believer to traffic in and to rejoice in and to take 
comfort on. I'm not dismissing it, but focus 
on this. Come, come to the Lord. John 
6, 37, all that come to me I will in no wise cast out. Come to 
me, yes. Come, trust, believe, look to 
the Lord, and you will be saved. So these two coexistence and 
parallel truths, consider them both, but make sure that you 
consider them with a call to action. And then you'll look 
back and you'll say, well, here, I came to the Lord, but it was 
him seeking me that enabled me to Well, if we're born again 
but living in known sin, do you know what's going to happen? 
Our fellowship with the Lord is going to be broken. We will 
not see the Lord in that respect. So repent and forsake the Lord 
and find mercy. Proverbs 28.13 talks about that. 1 John 1.9, if we confess our 
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to 
cleanse us. from all unrighteousness. Third observation on this text 
with regards to as we think about the necessity of progressive 
sanctification is this, be wary of desiring the Lord's blessings 
or even having regret for some sin but not wanting God. and 
not wanting to repent and not repenting. Be wary of that. That was Esau's problem, wasn't 
it? And he got himself into trouble in that regards. Well, pursue 
holiness by his grace, for it reflects the reality of who you 
are. Christ Jesus our Lord well moving right along we get to 
a little bit of a Well, not a little bit, but in some respects a dark 
Part of this chapter, and that is this this sanctification is 
throughout in the whole man paragraph two yet imperfect in this life 
there abide is still some remnants of corruption in every part Sanctification 
and the struggle was sin the roots of the struggle is in ourselves, 
isn't it? The roots of the struggle is 
in ourselves. James Beakey says this, Justification changes the 
sinner's state, but not his condition. It delivers from the guilt of 
sin, but not from the pollution of sin. Justification pardons, 
but it does not cleanse the sinner. It does not make him holy. Sanctification 
is the divine process by which the moral condition of a child 
of God is continually being conformed to his legal status before God. 
G.I. Williamson notes, just as penicillin 
may break a fever, yet sometime elapses before every trace of 
the disease is eliminated, so it is with sin. Well, we have a struggle with 
sin as believers. and the roots of this struggle 
is within ourselves. We are imperfect. There is remaining 
sin. If you could just jog over to 
Romans 7. Romans 7, you know this passage 
well, but it bears reminding ourselves again. Romans chapter 
7, verse 18 and 19. For I know that in me, that is 
in my flesh, nothing good dwells. For to will is present with me, 
that's why I believe Paul here is writing to believers or as 
a believer in the context of a redeemed individual. To will 
is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not 
find. For the good that I will to do I do not do, but the evil 
I will not do. to do that I practice." Well, 
we've got to admit, haven't we? And we've got to say there's 
no excuse for sin, but at least here there is some explanation 
of it and the struggle that accompanies. Well, who are the combatants 
in this struggle? There's an irreconcilable war. It started 
in Genesis, didn't it? In Genesis 3.15, this enmity 
between the seed of the woman and the serpent seed, this struggle, 
this fight that goes on, and rebellion, and sin against God, 
and the result was death entered into the world. The opponents 
in this war are the flesh and the spirit. And it's this harnessing 
of the world, this harnessing of the flesh and self, and the 
devil in our lives that creates influences. And I would submit 
to you that two influences are created as a result of this opposition 
and these opponents that are constantly doing this. And sin, 
of course, being the means by which the devil takes control 
of the heart. And by the way, whoever has the heart controls 
the feet. Whoever has the heart controls 
the action. This is serious stuff. So what 
about the world out there? What about the flesh within? 
What about the devil who works against us in this fight that 
goes on? Well, I believe that these influences 
can create opposition to holiness itself. Just note that. These 
oppositions that are in the world, they're influences all around 
us. And they create opposition to holiness, constantly pulling 
us, constantly pulling us, constantly pulling us. You're living in 
a false reality if you don't think you're being influenced. 
You're either influencing or being influenced. It's really 
that cut and dry on this one. Well, these influences can create 
opposition to holiness, or secondly, they can drive you to pursue 
holiness. Can drive you to pursue holiness. 
Do you see through the world system? Do you see through the 
world and what it really is? Opposition to God? Purposelessness? Meaninglessness. It's what it 
is. It's destructive. It's deception. 
It's a lie. All of those things. It's meaningless 
in the end. And that's the question for us. 
Do you see through this? Or are you taken by it? Are you shackled by it? Do I 
see through this? Sometimes we are taken. Sometimes 
we are shackled about. We don't even know it. And we 
wonder why we get frustrated, and why certain things occur 
in our lives, and why maybe it's because the influence of the 
world is bearing down so hard about us, and we just haven't 
stopped and paused and taken thought for consideration that 
this is actually what's happening. And we go merrily along, and 
we wonder why we have difficulties in our lives. Now, that's not 
to say that the Lord doesn't bring difficulties in our lives 
for the good. But I'm talking here in terms of the world system 
and that sin which takes control of the heart and takes our actions 
and leads us in places and leads us to different actions that 
are contrary to the Word of God. 1 John 2 really elucidates this. If we could turn there please. 
1 John chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2. 2, verse 15, 1 John 2, verse 15 
to 17. Here's the command, do not love 
the world. That tells me that we have a 
propensity to do just that, to love the world. And the world 
here is going to be described. We say, what's worldliness? What's 
the world? Let's read on. Here it is. Do not love the world 
or the things in the world. Wow. If anyone loves the world, 
the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the 
world, here it is, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, 
and the pride of life, not of the Father, but is of the world. 
And the world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he who 
does the will of God abides for ever." Well, again, to ask in 
your own heart, do you love the world? Do you love the world 
system? You're getting as close to the 
fire as you possibly can. I'm not going to get burned, 
but just get as close as I possibly can to maintain a social normative 
position before everybody else. Do you love the world? Be honest 
with yourself. Do you love the world and the 
world system? Guard your heart. If you are a believer here today, 
guard your heart. This is serious. This is consequential. Guard your heart. And if you're 
not a believer, may the Lord open your eyes to see that you 
are on a fool's errand. If you were going the way of 
the world, that might even look kind of good on the outside. 
It's respectable, or much worse. Maybe there's secrets that nobody 
knows about. God knows, of course. Guard your 
heart. Because as I said, whoever holds 
the heart holds the actions. Well, may the Lord govern and 
control and take our hearts and have them. In 1 John 3, 1 to 
3, we don't have time now to go into this, but it speaks about 
the Lord God here having such love toward us that we should 
be called the children of God. And then it goes on to the eternal 
state, how that we will be like, not equal to, but like the Lord 
Jesus Christ. I want to say this, that the 
power of sin and death was broken at Calvary. It was, but sin is 
still operative, isn't it? Again, we're thinking about this 
struggle with sin in our lives. And this conflagration of, why 
is this going on? Well, there is a struggle that 
goes on. And by the way, if you are struggling against sin, that's 
a good sign. If you're not struggling against sin, that's not a good 
sign. If you really don't care, as 
long as certain people don't find out, or employers don't 
find out, or whatever, that's not a good thing. Again, be real. and get to the bottom of these 
things. But the power of sin and death was broken at Calvary. But sin is still operative in 
the world, isn't it? Similarly in the believer's life, 
the power of sin is broken. Their dominion, remember, we've 
been constituted holy, it's broken. We're justified, we've been declared 
righteous, but it's still operative. There's a war that is going on, 
there's a war that goes on, but praise be to God, that not only 
one day will He swallow up death forever, you can read about that 
in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4 and in the book of Revelation 
throughout the scriptures, but also in our life we can take 
heart, that as we engage in that combat, Ephesians 6 is a reason 
why Paul uses the armor of God as being a great descriptive 
of what we need to have on. Can you imagine going into a 
battle? Think back centuries. Never mind, think back to World 
War II. Can you imagine going into one of those great battles 
without a gun or without your equipment? It'd be absolutely 
foolhardy. And yet sometimes we can go into 
the combat of the world. We get up, brush our teeth, go 
out the door, and we wonder what's wrong with us. We wonder why 
aren't we having fellowship with the Lord? Why this Christianity, 
it just seems so meaningless. Hopefully you don't think like 
that, but sometimes we can be going in that direction. And 
then, of course, the world comes in and puts before us this smorgasbord 
of visual things that look so appetizing. And what do we do? 
We dive in and we eat. Oh, that's a bad thing to do. 
We need to take up those things that the Lord has given us to 
offset the wiles and the methods of the devil and take on the 
armor of God. Well, let's turn to chapter 3 
here. We're running fast out of time. 
and the progress in grace. Now we can go. Remember, I said 
the middle chapter or the middle paragraph was a bit of a dark 
chapter. The first paragraph, rather, is sort of one bookend, 
and this third is another. And they're paragraphs of light, 
if you will. While the nature of progress 
is often wet, though, with much inward and outward resistance, 
as we think about the progress in grace due or with sanctification, 
in which war, paragraph 3, although the remaining corruption for 
a time much prevail. Peter says, dearly beloved, notice 
he uses the term beloved, he's speaking to Christians, I beseech 
you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which 
war against the soul. Well we're to use those means 
of grace, we've talked about that a little bit haven't we 
here today, to strengthen the new holy nature within us so 
that the Lord will make us perfect in every good work, Hebrews 13, 
21, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight 
through Jesus Christ. Yet through the continual supply, 
paragraph three, of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of 
Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome. So take heart. Take 
heart as you seek his daily grace or regular grace at the throne 
of grace, that there is certainty. There is certainty in this progress. We don't have time now, but 1 
Peter chapter 5 is a good place to go to, or to be prayerful, 
prayerful, prayerful, we're to be sober, we're to be vigilant, 
we're to know our enemy, and to know also that you're not 
alone. There are other Christians in the world who have these struggles, 
all of us around here as believers have these struggles, but the 
trajectory of a believer is one of certain progress in the way 
of the Lord God. Well, just as we close here, 
paragraph three, middle, and so the saints, growing grace, 
perfecting holiness in the fear of God, pressing after a heavenly 
life and evangelical obedience to all the commands which Christ 
as head and king in his word hath prescribed to them." Here 
are some components, then, of progressive sanctification, where 
to grow in grace. That's a component. Let's turn 
in closing to Philippians 3, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians 
chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3, we're 
going to read verse 8 Ephesians, Philippians rather, chapter 3, 
verse 8 to 10. Yet indeed I also count all things 
lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my 
Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count 
them as rubbish that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, 
not having mine own righteousness which is from the law, but that 
which is through faith in Christ, and righteousness which is from 
God by faith, that I may know him. power of his resurrection 
and the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed to his death. Well, I would have liked to have 
gone into this passage just a little bit more, but note this. Components 
of sanctification and the growth therein. Increase your knowledge 
in Christ. Have an accurate valuation of 
the temporal and the eternal. Rejoice in the reality of your 
legal status before God. Increase your faith or increase 
faith by being in God's word and looking to him fellowship 
with the believers and conform yourself by the grace of God 
to the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ Well, there's more I'd 
like to say, but we're going to have to finish now. I just 
want to finish by notice noticing and in verse 12 to 14 of the 
same passage, how that Paul, he speaks with regards to his 
life and sanctification of not having attained yet, of not being 
perfect yet in holiness, but he says, I press on, this is 
the focus of his life. This is the energy of his life. This is the centrifugal force, 
if you will, of his life and his existence as he presses toward 
the celestial city in Christ. And holiness, if you will, is 
that wind that is carrying him along and carrying him through 
the winds and the waves. as he makes his way there. Well, may the Lord help us so 
to live. And that passage that says, for to me to live is Christ 
and to die is gain. What joyous simplicity for the 
believer. What joyous simplicity. Well, 
a couple of applications and then we close. One, reaffirm 
the gospel to yourself often. Reaffirm the gospel to yourself 
often. Consider your standing. Consider 
that you are constituted holy if you're a believer. Therefore, 
reckon yourself dead unto sin and live in kind. May God help 
us to do that. Secondly, difficulties of morality 
and ethics do present themselves. I'll give you a quick example. 
In business, The world says, pursue money. The world says, 
pursue profit. And don't we say, pursue profit? 
It's a good thing. I mean, I'm in business not to 
go bankrupt. It's a good thing to pursue profit. It's a good thing to pursue those 
things. But when I go to 1 Timothy 6, it says this. Now, godliness 
with contempt is great gain, but advance, but get more, get 
more business and more revenue. What's going on here? Just a 
minute, isn't that why I'm in business? Talking about myself 
here. I'm not talking about anybody 
else, I'm talking about me for a moment. I'm in business, aren't 
I in business to get rich and to make money and to make profit? 
And I can honestly tell you by experience that there is a line, 
and some of you in business may know exactly what I'm talking 
about, there is a line and it is so faint. And on the one line 
is this word diligence. and seeking everything you do 
to do the will of God and to do it unto God. And it's diligent 
and it's profit and work hard and work smart and be strategic 
and seek profit and diligence and it's good. And then there's 
this fine line. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times 
I've crossed this line. And this line is this line of 
the love of money and pursuing riches. And I can honestly tell 
you that sometimes I honestly don't know where that line is. 
I tell you this because I want you to apply this in your own 
life to whatever it may be because riches, riches take all kinds 
of shapes and forms. We need to go to God and seek 
Him in prayer. And again, I can't elaborate, 
we're out of time. But if you take that principle, 
there's fine lines in our lives. where we begin to step into morality 
and ethic issues, and we honestly don't know because circumstances 
are fluid. Go to the Lord in prayer. Get 
on your knees. Say, Lord, here it is. I'm going 
to roll it out to you like Hezekiah did. And is this what I'm supposed 
to be doing? Or deep down, is it just I want 
more? And we can seek the Lord to ask 
Him for help in this. Your identity is in Christ. You're 
united to him. Consider yourself dead to sin 
and don't let it rule in you. No longer is that homeowner present. 
and then flee from and resist all sin and temptation, avoid 
all means and places which promote evil. Well, there's a few more 
applications, but we really and truly are out of time. I must 
stop. I want to leave you with one quote from G.I. Williamson 
to encourage us all. It is God who creates the new 
nature which must engage in conflict with sin. His work does not make 
our work unnecessary, but makes it certain. When we find ourselves 
willing and able to fight against sin, we may know that God works 
in us by His might and power. Let's pray. Dear God in heaven, 
thank you for this time. So much more could be said, and 
so much more could be said far better. But we do pray, oh God, 
that the scriptures that have been submitted, the thoughts 
that have been rendered, Lord, that they would be faithful and 
accurate to your word. and that you would be glorified, 
that you would help us, O Lord, to reckon ourselves dead unto 
sin. O Lord, I confess I know so little of this, but we would 
come to you and we would pray, Lord, that you would help us 
to see things as they really and truly are in this world. 
And if we are of that company, Lord, who know you and are saved, 
that we would rejoice and look to that near reality of heaven 
and of eternity and of those things, Lord, that are unseen 
and yet, Lord, matter and are lasting. Lord, if there are any 
here who do not know you, I pray, Lord, that you would shake them 
from their lethargy and cause them, Lord, to run to you and 
cause them to come to you and to believe on you and to be saved. 
Thank you for this time, Lord. Bless Pastor Porter as he takes 
up the word shortly. And we just ask, O God, that 
your blessing might be upon the services here today at Free Grace 
Baptist Church. And it's in Christ's name we 
pray. Amen.