Justification and Sanctification — Ephesians 1-2

0:00 We had a wonderful time this morning breaking the loaf and drinking the cup and remembering the person and the work of the lord Jesus Christ on on our behalf. What a wonderful wonderful engagement for our hearts and our minds, our souls. We had a time of fellowship or short time but how wonderful it is for the saints Those who declared holy by our holy god to spend time with one another To love on one another. To get to know one another to pray for one another especially in these trying times. I love the verse at the end of Malachi.

1:14 Those who knew the lord spoke often with one another. We need each other. We need to build each other up and we need to grow together. There's nothing like being the children of god that was brought to our attention this morning. Beloved, now we are the children of god.

1:42 We are the children of god. That's so profound. How could we become the children of god and we'll be looking at that this morning. And is not yet appeared what we what we shall be And I hope all of us are tired of being ourselves. That we were being transformed We'll never do that if we're content and satisfied with being who we are Trust is a deep long in everyone of our hearts and souls to become more like our savior.

2:45 And we're going to spend some time in the apostle's doctrine. Great truths from the mind and the heart of god that have been handed down to us. To build us up and our most holy faith the privilege of holding the good word of god in our in our hands and musing upon it. What a a privilege Once again, that the the almighty god has has spoken to us. And he wants us to know him to love him, to enjoy him, to become like him, to ponder his mind and his heart as he said it before us.

4:05 May the lord use our few meditations and the word of god this morning to bring us closer to himself. Let's speak to the lord of god. Our lord god in prayer. Our father, what a what a wonderful privilege to come before you. And to open your word and we know our father that from the beginning to the end, you've set before us the person and the work of your son.

4:45 Because we need him so much. We need him as our savior to wash us and cleanse us from all of our sins and even now our father, we would confess our sins before thee. Now, be faithful to thy word to cleanse us We need thee our father. As our lord, guiding us through this this barren this most grievous land in which we live this world of sin and all of its misery and woe. We're thankful that you've saved us out of it and that your grace is sufficient to bring us through it and to bring us safely to heaven.

5:52 And so our father as we bow our hearts in your presence Be pleased our father. To open our deaf ears that we might hear the voice of the living god. Be pleased our father to to open our poor blind eyes. Further that we might that we might see thee. Be pleased our father to change us as we devote ourselves in obedience today.

6:29 We just give you our thanks for this wonderful time together. In the precious name of our lord and savior. Amen. Let's turn in our Bibles to the book of Ephesians. And we're going to look at just a couple of passages.

7:18 And what wonderful words these are, He chose us in Him. Before the foundation of the world. What kind of statement is that? He chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we, we, who were born dead in our trespasses and sins that would that we would be holy and blameless before him. In love Look at that little phrase there in verse four.

8:06 In him, it's repeated so many times in this section. Look at verse seven, in him we have redemption through his blood. The forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace. Verse 13. In him, you also after listening to the message of the truth When the spirit of god open our minds, our ears, our hearts to hear the truth of God.

8:50 In Him, you also after listening to the message of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, the gospel, the good news of God. That God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. You also after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed, oh, what a blessed and glorious day that was. When we listened to the message and saw Christ as Lord and Savior, and by faith, we bowed our knees before him. Crying out to him, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

10:04 You, after listening to the message, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed, you were sealed in him with the holy spirit of promise. Something happened when we when we bowed our knees before the Lord Jesus Christ. One of my grandmothers, never forget her. If you went to her house, she was gonna give you something. You didn't didn't meet my grandmother.

10:52 You didn't go to her house without her giving you something. A piece of candy, a quarter, a jar of jam, it it was something. Now when we meet the lord Jesus Christ, he gives us something. You can't meet him without him giving us. And it tells us in verse 13 here exactly what he gives us.

11:33 He gives us his holy spirit. And just as just as god breathed into the nostrils of of Adam and Eve, the breath of life. When we are saved, the the Holy Spirit breathes into us. God breathes into us his Holy Spirit. He seals us.

12:04 Puts his mark upon us. That's his mark upon us. Your mind from this day on, you belong to me. I created you. I redeemed you.

12:17 I brought you and chose you and brought to my brought you to myself. You're mine. You're mine. Washed, cleansed, forgiven. Remark my child, my son, my daughter, from this point on.

15:04 Chapter four verse 23, and that you be renewed. The spirit of your mind. We won't have time to go into verse 23 today but Let me just say this, beloved something needs to change up here. Something needs to change. We need to change the way we think.

15:46 Very crucial. Paul says the same thing to us in Romans chapter 12. Don't be conformed to this world. You're not you're not you're not part of that world anymore. That's old.

16:13 You need to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Something needs a major changes need to take place up here. And verse 24 and put on the new self There's there's something that needs to be deconstructed in my life. There are things that need to be torn down. Strongholds, besetting sins, and something needs to be not reconstructed.

17:00 We don't we don't our old selves don't need to be renewed We don't need tune ups. New construction needs to take place in our lives, our hearts, our characters, our masculinity, our femininity, something new. And he says to us, Put on the new self, which in the likeness of god has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth When we open our Bibles to the New Testament, two great mountains loom before us and all the scriptures, if you will, for our way of looking at it this morning, are built around those two great mountains, and we're gonna call them the mount of justification. And I wanna suggest to you that that's what chapters one, two, and three of Ephesians is all about. It's what Colossians one and two is all about.

19:47 Putting off the old man, putting on the new man. One of the ways that we can look at our Bibles and over and over again, god's gonna bring us to the mount of justification over and over. We need to go back there as believers. That's what we do on Sunday morning when we break the loaf and drink that cup. We're going back to the Mount Of justification and remembering the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

20:33 The Mount Of justification at the very very pinnacle stands Mount Calvary. And for two thousand years now, god has been bringing men, women, boys, girls to Mount Justification. And he says to us, I want you to go yonder. I want you to climb this mountain and I want you to to look at Calvary. I don't want you to see what my son, the lamb of God did for you there.

21:20 And I want you to put your faith in him. I want you to accept him as your lord and your savior. Lord brought me to that mountain When I was five years old I refuse to climb it. Even at the age of five, why sin was deeply ingrained in my soul. Oh no, not going to climb that mountain right now.

21:56 Maybe one day but not now. It was a bad choice God didn't bring me to that mountain again until I was 20 years old. Scarred and marred by sin but by his grace. He took me up Mount Justification and I bowed my knees at Mount Calvary. And he wants to show us all that Christ has done and that's what chapters one, two, and three of Ephesians does.

22:47 We learn about the son of god coming down from heaven into a world of lost sinners to redeem us, to save us, to provide a way of salvation, to make a way for poor, guilty, hell deserving sinners. Like me like you, on our way, on our way, on that broad road that leads to destruction, and the only way to get off of that road is to go to Calvary. That's the gate to the narrow way that leads to eternal life. They're on the cross Of Calvary, the the son of god suffered, bled, died Peter tells us that that on that mount, he bore our sins in his own body On the cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He tells us in Corinthians, second Corinthians five that on that mount, God made him who knew no sin.

24:22 But when we're born into this world, that's all we know but god made him who knew no sin be sin for us. You think about how awful that that mount was when the son of god hung there. When that which he abhorred with all of his his being, That one who cried out, oh my god, my god, if possible, let this cup pass from me. But there was no other way. God made him sin.

25:10 Clothe this old world in blackness. So awful was that moment. God took the sword of his vengeance. He told Abraham to take his son. Take your son, Abraham.

25:41 And perhaps god paints that picture in Genesis chapter 22 forces just to show us the agony of his heart. And giving us his son and him plunging his wrath in the very heart of his son. He wouldn't allow Abraham to do that but he did it himself to save us No good in climbing. There's only one way I should say of climbing Mount Justification. You have to climb Mount Justification, you see, as a sinner, as a sinner.

26:52 Won't do anybody else any good Sinners who who know the misery the filth, the condemnation, the guilt of sin. And when sinners are in that condition and the spirit of god draws us to Mount Justification and we go with the spirit of god to Mount Calvary and confess Jesus Christ as our lord and our savior. Like we read in Ephesians one, and we're sealed with the holy spirit of god. We're born again. Transferred out of the domain of darkness and into the domain of god's only son into the domain of light.

29:04 He says, I want you to climb that mountain for me. That's Mount Sanctification. He says, climb that mountain. One of the things that we learn about Mount Sanctification is you can't climb it with one foot. You can't climb it unless you come out of the world.

29:57 You gotta walk out of the world and with both feet. Now, both feet. You've gotta climb Mount sanctification. But what does he tell us that? Second Corinthians six and verse 17, listen to these words.

30:16 Come out from their midst and be separate says the lord Don't touch what's unclean. I'll welcome you. I'll be a father to you. You'll be sons and daughters to me, said the almighty. In second Corinthians seven and verse one goes on to say this, therefore, having these promises beloved, Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness and the fear of the lord What big mistake we make is trying to keep one foot in the world and one foot on Mount Sanctification.

31:16 You can't do that. Takes both feet. Climbing Mount Sanctification requires obedience. You gotta come out of the world. And then like all children need to why as the children of God, we have to learn to obey him.

31:51 And I'd like you to turn, look at John chapter eight with me. John chapter eight, and I think this is such a, a needed verse. In this day in which we live. John chapter eight and verse 31, Jesus will say unto those Jews who had believed him. Now, notice they believed him.

32:25 He doesn't dispute that. Oh, a lot of people A lot of people climb Mount Justification but they never get to Calvary. They never get to Calvary. Now, to be justified, you have to get to Calvary and Jesus said to those Jews, says Denny, one of us today who believe him and notice what he says, if you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine. What does it mean?

33:53 Why do you call me lord? Lord. And do not do what I say. Mount Sanctification requires separation. Mount Sanctification requires obedience Now, we live at a time when one would think that the gospel that is preached, why you only need to climb Mount justification and why Mount sanctification is is optional.

34:59 Really? Listen to these words beloved. From Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 14 pursue peace with all men and the sanctification without which no one no one will see the lord And a lot of a lot of people think they can just they they can just get a ticket from the lord. Oh lord, I I like I like justification. Why is a ticket that will take me get me out of hell and get me into heaven.

35:58 And a lot of people, they've got tickets and on and and it's just one side. One side it says, justification. Let me suggest, beloved, that ticket's not valid. That's not valid. A valid ticket has justification stamped on one side, you turn that ticket over.

36:31 Sanctification is stamped on the other side. You're truly only disciples if you continue my word. Don't call me lord and not do what I say. Just a couple of thoughts on justification and sanctification. Justification is complete.

37:15 We're justified once and for all time. And on Mount Justification, Jesus does it all. He paid it all. There's nothing for you and I to do except as a gift, hold out both hands and accept the marvelous gift of salvation from the lord. Sanctification on the other hand, Well, that'll take a lifetime.

37:54 It'll take a lifetime for the spirit of god to change us into the likeness of Christ. Justification pardons sin. Sanctification subdues sin. Oh, Mount justification, we're born again. Amount sanctification we grow up.

38:34 We grow up. Justification is the work of Christ for me. Sanctification is the work of Christ in me. Justification is Christ dying for me. Sanctification is me dying to me Justification is Christ dying for my sins.

39:21 Sanctification is me dying to sin. All of us are equally justified. All of us will not be equally sanctified. Oh Christ, climb to Mount Calvary for us on the Mount Of Justification. But how far will you and I climb Mount Sanctification Bible says that some will climb 30 some 60 some a 100.

40:50 It changes who we are. If you look at our references in verse 22 and verse 24, sanctification while we we put off the old man We put on the new man. It it changes the core of who we are. Sanctification causes us to to walk in love. Look at chapter five and verse two, walk in love.

41:27 We begin to learn something of what it means to love. And the way that god wants us to love He gives an gives us a new in in chapter five eight. It gives us a new understanding of of purity and light and holiness. Ephesians five B, what changes our marriages? Chapter six, it changes our families, our children.

42:03 Chapter six B makes spiritual warriors out of us. It changes who we are as a church I can't believe the the trauma that this virus has caused. To the church of god and the number, I just got a message this morning. A church divided over that issue and all of the misunderstandings sanctification will change us as a church. Look at look at chapter four and verse verse 31.

42:50 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander. Why? Put it away from you. Oh, think think about Mount Calvary. Think about what he did for you.

43:16 Oh and If we climb, if we climb Mount Justification, if we get to Calvary realize what he did for me. How kind he was to me. Why? Like 32 verse 32, four thirty two will certainly come to my heart and my mind. Oh, I want to I want to be kind to you.

43:54 Be kind to one of tender hearted. Mount Calvary will tenderize our hearts. Forgiving each other Just as god in Christ Jesus has forgiven you. If there's anyone here that has never climbed Mount Justification Be a good time to climb it. And let the spirit of God lead you to Calvary.

44:46 And allow god based on the person and the work of Christ justify Although those of us who've been there and we received the command, go yonder. I want you to be whole. I'm holy. I've redeemed you and I want you to be just like me And he gave us the command, be holy, climb Mount Sanctification. We need to ask ourselves the question, am I climbing?

45:34 Peter says, work out your salvation. Something happened to you on Mount Justification. God put something in you, and it needs to come out of you On Mount Sanctification, climb, walk, be, put off, put on. And it's hard, ever so hard. That's why we see so little sanctification amongst us.

46:13 But all God says, listen, it'll be worth it all. It'll be worth it all. I'll change you. Oh, you can't climb that mountain without me, but I'll be with you. My spirit will be in you, enabling, encouraging, helping every step of the way.

46:39 Climb. Mount Sanctification. May the lord bless these words to our hearts. Let's pray. Our father, thank you for this little time to look out on the landscape of the New Testament and see these great mountains that are there for us.

47:09 To see the wondrous work that Christ did on our behalf. Oh, Mount Justification on Mount Calvary. Or father, let us be encouraged this morning to climb Mount Sanctification to work out our salvation, to work out what Christ has put in and to become more Christ like in our marriages, as fathers, as mothers, husbands, wives, as fellow members of the body of Christ, oh you've done so much for us. We just give your thanks in Jesus' name. Amen.