2-18-24 Sermon Notes

The Journey of Grace: The Call to Holiness and Holy Living

By Dr. Jon Fillipi

 

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭23‬-‭24‬‬
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

What is it exactly that God is calling us to?

-- The highest level of Christian living -- this level of living includes the setting apart of the totality of your being (spirit, soul, and body) for the purposes of God so that you may be made complete — living as God intended.

-- So what is God calling us to -- to actively surrender everything that we are to Him!

Why is this new life of holiness or sanctification necessary?

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬‬
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬-‭22‬‬
But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.

-- In holiness, in the power of the Holy Spirit we turn away from all sin, and seek to live for God’s glory alone — reflecting Him in everything we do.

What must I do to receive this sanctifying grace into my life?

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2‬‬
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

-- Only God by his grace can sanctify. And, because his grace is present, believers may, and so must, respond with joyful and willing obedience.

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭3‬‬
For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭13‬‬
and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.

What can I expect to happen when I receive the grace of entire sanctification?

‭‭Acts‬ ‭15‬:‭8‬-‭9‬‬
And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬‬
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭19‬:‭2‬‬
“Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬‬
Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

Have I reached the place in my journey where I am willing to present my all to the Lord in total surrender, to love God supremely and my neighbor as myself, and by the power of the Holy Spirit to say that I am done with sin and sinning?

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭19‬:‭2‬‬
“Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.