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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661
Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org
OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”
Nobleton Community Church
Date March 9, 2025
Text: I Thessalonians 5:23-24; Galatians 5:19-24
Pastor Paul Lehmann
In Galatians 5:22-23, we see the fruit of the Spirit…love, joy, peace, forbearance (or patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Some of these obviously overlap in how they play out in our lives. They are all things that should be seen in a Christian’s life, as opposed to the characteristics mentioned for those outside of Christ. They should be evident in a person who is walking in the Spirit. Does this mean that if we don’t always see these things, that a person isn’t saved? No, not at all. Does it mean that they aren’t walking in the Spirit? Well at the time that we don’t see the manifestation of this fruit, we can say that we are not walking in the Spirit if we manifest the works of the flesh mentioned in verses 19-20 of Gal. 5. “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery: idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” Then Paul says something very harsh: “ I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” You don’t have to act on every one of these to not be a part of the Kingdom of God. What he is saying is; that if your lifestyle, is to walk in the flesh, and not in the Spirit, —– basically your lifestyle is one of living in sin
What we want to talk about this morning is this idea of:
:Being sanctified through and through or wholly, or entirely as some translations have it.
So what is sanctification?
The generic meaning of sanctification is “the state of proper functioning.” To sanctify someone or something is to set that person or thing apart for the use intended by its designer. A pen is “sanctified” when used to write. Eyeglasses are “sanctified” when used to improve sight. In the theological sense, things are sanctified when they are used for the purpose God intends. A human being is sanctified, therefore, when he or she lives according to God’s design and purpose.
The Greek word translated “sanctification” (hagiasmos [aJgiasmov”]) means “holiness.” To sanctify, therefore, means “to make holy.” In one sense only God is holy ( Isa. 6:3 ). God is separate, distinct, wholly other. No human being or thing shares the holiness of God’s essential nature. There is one God. Yet Scripture speaks about holy things. Moreover, God calls human beings to be holy as holy as he is holy ( Lev. 11:44 ; Matt. 5:48 ; 1 Peter 1:15-16 ). Another word for a holy person is “saint” (hagios [agio”]), meaning a sanctified one. The opposite of sanctified is “profane” ( Lev. 10:10
Basically, sanctification t is how God makes us holy. Paul didn’t leave his readers without a solution to the problem of what seems to be impossibly high standards. After describing what the holy life looks like. Paul told us how ordinary Christians like us can live in the kind of holiness described in the verses that we read. Sanctification means “set apart” and “made holy.” In sanctification, ordinary things became hallowed. In the Old Testament, the temple and altar, timbers and stones, places and days, the priests became holy. But in the New Testament, the apostles, the Word of God, and us become holy. We become holy because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, when He comes to dwell within us. God’s sanctification changes things. Ordinary items were changed so that they became something new—the ordinary becomes sacred and holy. (II Cor. 5:17)
Look at our text: (v. 23-24) “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless…The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”
In this passage, Paul is calling for the sanctification of people. Transformation of ordinary Christians into a holy people, so they can live like he just described. He was not talking to unbelievers, but Christians in Thessalonica. This actually gives us a good understanding that when we receive Christ into our lives, and he becomes our Savior, that we can’t just live anyway we want to and still expect to be included in the Kingdom of God and receive Eternal Life. If you want to say the person who lives like that was never saved in the first place, okay. But only God knows if that is true. Because we can’t just make these kinds of statements, just to fit our theology.
The important thing is that as professing Christians we become completely set apart for God and live by the Spirit and not according to our fleshly desires.
When we experience the invisible work of God transforming ordinary people into the sort of persons who live extraordinary lives by God’s power, we can also live, abstaining from every form of evil.
Does that mean that once we are sanctified, that we will never sin? No, a thousand times no.
James says, that “if we say we have no sin, the truth is not in us, and we are liars.“ What it does mean is, we are more apt to pursue righteousness and what the Lord wants us to do, rather than be drawn towards wanting to sin. Is it still possible to yield to temptation? Absolutely, but the Holy Spirit will convict the saved person, and also the sanctified person, as to the sin in his or her life that must be confessed (I John 1:9).
When we yield our will completely over to the control of the Holy Spirit, and don’t do things that are sinful, or put ourselves in a position to sin, or go places where sin abounds, then the Holy Spirit will give us victory.
In order to maintain spiritual health, we must remember where our spiritual strength lies. You cannot do this on your own. You cannot make yourself holy by your own strength. The only way to develop and maintain spiritual strength is to depend entirely on the power of God’s spirit at work in your life.
Paul says the work of sanctification is God’s responsibility. He emphasizes in verse 24…(v. 24) The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
Exercising discipline, though, is our job; we must make the effort to give up sin. Practicing discernment is our job; we must make the effort to do it. However, making us holy is God’s job, and he will do it. We will fail from time to time in exercising discipline or practicing discernment, but the good news is that God will not fail in his commitment to make us holy, if we ask Him to do it. But It is crucial for us to remember that we do not depend on ourselves, but on God, for our goodness.
What does it mean to depend on God? Well, this can be seen in your attitude towards sin. The fact is, we all miss the mark; we all fail. When it happens, what is your response? Is it, “Oh no, God could never love me now. I’m not perfect.”? If that is your response, you are depending on your own goodness, not on God.
When you sin, your attitude should be, “Lord, I have broken your law. It is wrong. By your mercy, through the blood of Christ, please forgive me. And by your strength, help me not to do it again.” Once again as I mentioned, John says in :1 John 1:9;..” If we confess our sins, he is faithful and will forgive us our sins and purify (or cleanse) us from all unrighteousness”.
It is up to us to confess; –he forgives,– he cleanses and he purifies.
Paul had big expectations of God’s sanctifying work. When God sanctifies a person “through and through,” he sanctifies that person completely, wholly, entirely. But that does not mean they have no room for growth.
Just in case we missed how complete this sanctification can be, Paul explained the outcomes;
Then our spirit, soul, and body will be preserved blameless. There isn’t much left if your entire spirit, soul, and body have been sanctified.
In our society today, we are a ‘do it” people, especially in North America. We are a practical people who tend to take every instruction for holy living as something we can do by trying harder or doing better and better until some day we finally reach our goal. But that is not what this verse says. It does not say. “Try harder to live this way until you finally achieve your goal.” Instead Paul simply said, “May the God of peace sanctify you.”
It is true that some people seem to be able to help themselves a bit, and some even a lot, but nobody on earth can sanctify themselves through and through. Only God can do this.
This whole sermon series is about TRUSTING.
Today’s scripture calls us to trust God to sanctify us through and through—completely, wholly, entirely. God might sanctify you slowly and gradually over many years, or do it in spurts with interspersed rest stops. He might do it instantly, or in a few weeks, and you will be a completely different kind of Christian in only a short time. However God does it, he will do it. God is in the business of transforming ordinary Christians into extraordinary saints. He might do it slowly, or He might do it quickly, but be encouraged!
You are going to be a holy person! If you want to be. If you are willing to be.
What about you?
Have you seen God at work already in your life? Is He already changing and sanctifying you since you were saved? Have these changes God’s already made been good for you? Don’t you think God wants to release even more power in your life?
God is going to sanctify you fully!
Our role is to wait, hunger, thirst for righteousness, ask in prayer, and knock until God does his work of sanctifying us through and through. But I must warn you, when you yield everything to Him, and allow Him to do anything He wants with your life, He may ask you to do some things that shock you. Things that you may think you can’t possibly do.
The biggest thing holding back God’s sanctifying work is us. Our unwillingness to yield to Him control of our lives.
God seldom sanctifies what has not been surrendered. Is there anything you have that you have not surrendered to Christ? Anything you are holding back? Some secret sin you feel guilty about, but still delight in it? God will sanctify whatever we fully surrender to him. Is there something you have not fully surrendered to Christ?
What we yield to God, he will cleanse, empower, and sanctify. If we yield things to him one by one, he will sanctify them one by one. What is it you need to yield to Jesus today? Are you ready to yield everything? Are you ready to say, “I surrender all” to Jesus?
We can’t become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ by “trying harder.” We should instead rely on the One who can actually make us holy—the Spirit of God Himself.