I. Introduction

A. Sanctification is one of those grand theological terms that we read about in the Bible but really struggle to understand in real life. What is sanctification? H. Orton Wiley writes, “We believe that entire sanctification is that act of God, subsequent to regeneration, by which believers are made free from original sin, or depravity, and brought to a state of full devotement to God, and the holy obedience of love made perfect” (Introduction to Christian Theology, pg. 211). Huh?! Nice theological terms, but what does all that really mean? It goes back to Matthew 5:48, when Jesus, after giving a long discourse about love, says, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

B. For a lot of years during my Christian walk I always read that verse with fear and trepidation. I read into it that I had to be behaviorally perfect – that Jesus was saying that I had to do and say the right things to be acceptable to Him. And since I couldn’t, I felt like a failure. Of course, I felt that way in lots of areas of my life, but failing at Christianity made it that much worse. Then, about fourteen years ago, Rev. Larry Moynihan at Maupin Church preached a message that gave me some hope, that helped me begin to understand what this verse was all about. Then about seven or eight years ago, Rev. Gary Healy came and preached a revival series and gave an invitation. I came forward and said, “God, this sanctification is for me. I want it because I want You! Whatever You want to do in me, and however You want to do it, go ahead.” I understood that being sanctified is all about being filled with God’s perfect love, loving like He loves, being filled with His Spirit and made holy inside.

C. That’s what we’re talking about today – our need to be holy as God is holy. We’ll be looking at several Scriptures that will help us understand how this all works.

II. Consecrated and Holy

A. 1 John 4:10 from The Message – This is the kind of love we are talking about – not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God. God loves me when I am unlovable. That’s the key truth of the gospel. We didn’t start out loving God – we hated Him and showed our hatred by sinning against Him. Think about it – when I am at my worst, God is at His best. Love drives God to seek me. Love drives me to want to be more like Him. And that includes being holy as He is holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16, from the New Living, says, But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God-who chose you to be his children-is holy. 16 For he himself has said, “You must be holy because I am holy.” Love motivates God to come to me when I’m most aware that I’m least like Him, to cleanse my heart and make be holy. God is holy love, and that’s what He wants to transform me into – His holy love. God’s motive for sanctifying us is love.

B. 1 John 1:7 from the NASB – but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. Jesus’ blood saves me and makes me holy. Did you catch what John wrote? Jesus’ blood cleanses me from all sin – including the sinfulness that has been passed down through my parents and all my ancestors from Adam. When Adam sinned, God’s image in us was corrupted. Jesus died to restore that image within you and me to what God intended it to be – His holy love. There are some Christians who believe that you can never be free from sin because sin is so evil. The Bible tells us that Jesus’ blood is so powerful that it can cleanse us from all sin. We don’t have to be stuck wallowing in sin. We don’t have to be overcome by our sinfulness to the point that we give up hope of ever being like Jesus. That’s exactly what Satan wants. Jesus’ blood saves me and makes me holy when I surrender to Him all that I am and have.

C. 1 Peter 1:1-2 from the NASB – Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. There’s a nifty little phrase in this passage – by the sanctifying work of the Spirit. God’s Spirit sanctifies me, not my good works. There is this part in me that is always trying to earn my way, to prove myself as worthy, to show that I’ve got what it takes in God’s eyes. But sanctification doesn’t work that way. Sanctification is when I consecrate myself, or set myself totally apart to God and His purposes, and surrender to His Spirit working in me to make me holy. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 from the NASB backs this up – But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. I can and should do everything I can to be lovingly obedient to God, but that won’t sanctify me. God’s Spirit sanctifies me, God’s Spirit does the work in me, God’s Spirit is the great Revealer and Cleanser of my heart. God’s Spirit makes me holy, not my good works.

D. John 17:17 from the NASB – Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. And from The Message – Make them holy – consecrated – with the truth; Your word is consecrating truth. God uses His truth to sanctify me. Now wait a minute! Didn’t I just say that the Holy Spirit sanctifies me? Yes. The Holy Spirit uses the truth of God’s word to sanctify me. 1 Peter 1:22 from the NASB – Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart. Taking in God’s truth and obeying it with all I am and have brings me to the place where God’s Spirit can sanctify me. I’ve been reading through the books of the Law – the first five books of the Bible – and it’s amazing how much God does that is predicated on our obedience. In other words, God’s blessing and the outpouring of His Spirit is limited only by my level of obedience. Sanctification is the outpouring of God’s Spirit on me in such a powerful way that it cleanses me and fills me with His love, but He can’t do it if I’m not living a life that’s obedient to His word. 1 John 2:5 from the NASB – but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. And from The Message – But the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love. God uses His truth to sanctify me as I walk in obedience to Him.

E. Acts 15:9 from the NASB – and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. And from The Message – He treated the outsiders exactly as he treated us, beginning at the very center of who they were and working from that center outward, cleaning up their lives as they trusted and believed him. Quoting Peter’s speech to the apostles in this context may seem a bit odd. But notice the truth of what Peter has shared by the power of the Holy Spirit. God has made no distinction between us and the Jews. God sanctifies me when I believe Him enough to allow Him to do it. It’s abundantly obvious from the context that God had baptized the Gentile believers in His Spirit, cleansing them from the inside out and filling them with His love. Those believers had faith that God could save them and fill them, and so He did it. God wants the same thing for us. Listen to Paul sharing God’s statement of purpose that God spoke to him on the road to Damascus in Acts 26:18 from the NASB – to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me. Faith allows God to entirely sanctify me. Hebrews 11:6 from the New Living says, So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and he rewards those who sincerely seek him. If we believe that God can make us holy and fill us with His love, and if we believe that God wants to make us holy and fill us with His love as we seek Him sincerely, He will do it. God sanctifies me when I believe Him enough to allow Him to do it.

F. Entire sanctification is in many ways a mystery, because it’s something wonderful and powerful that God does within us. The whole process gets started when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior and He identifies us with Himself and regenerates us, imputing us or calling us holy. Then we grow in stages in our relationship with Jesus until we get to the point that we are so sick of sin that we’re willing to allow God to do whatever it takes to clean us up from the inside out. In a moment He does just that, purifies us from the inside out and makes us holy and fills us with His love. It’s a wonderful thing.

G. One thing I’ve noticed in my own experience is that you can’t just be entirely sanctified once and leave it at that. Staying holy and filled with His love involves daily time with Him and in His word. And to be honest, there are days when I want my way so much that I’m not filled completely with His Spirit and His love. And there are other days when I am, but I’m still trying to figure out how it all works in the context of daily life. Kim can tell you that there are days when I’m a total pain in the behind, when I haven’t allowed the Holy Spirit to completely fill me because of my selfishness or pride. That has nothing to do with my salvation – I still have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and I still have the Holy Spirit living in me – I just choose to take the driver’s seat that day. Kim can also tell you that there are days when I’m somebody else – someone who loves and cares and gives. Folks, those days when we’re selfish and proud and takers and criticizers are those days when we’ve chosen to be in the driver’s seat. And how is our world going to come to know and love Jesus if we don’t allow Him to fill us completely, sanctify us through and through, filled with His love and holy like He is holy.

H. That’s the kind of believer that scares Satan to death. That’s also the kind of believer that scares us to death, because when we run into a Christian like that, we realize how far we are from it. Folks, being entirely sanctified, being baptized in His Spirit, being filled with His love and His holiness from the inside out, is our right and heritage as children of God. It’s the way to the more abundant life that Jesus teaches about.

III. Conclusion

A. The only important question this morning is: do you want to be entirely sanctified? Do you want to be filled to overflowing with God’s Spirit and His love? Do you want to be holy as He is holy? Do you want to defeat sin in your heart and life?

B. If you’re saying this morning, “Pastor Brian, that’s me,” then I invite you to swallow your pride, overcome the urge that Satan is giving you right now to stay in your seat, and come forward to the altars. Come forward and ask God by the power of His Spirit to sanctify you through and through. And if you’d like me to pray with you, while you’re up here raise your hand. I’ll even anoint you if it will help. But if you want everything that God has for you by the power of His Spirit, come forward now.