In Our Daily Bread Dr. M.R. De Haan wrote on the importance of focusing on the ultimate goal of our salvation. "Imagine what the game of bowling would be like if you couldn't see the pins you were trying to hit. In 1933, Bill Knox did just that and bowled a perfect game. In Philadelphia's Olney Alleys, Bill had a screen placed just above the fowl line to obscure his view of the lane. His purpose was to demonstrate the technique of spot bowling, which involves throwing the ball at a selected floor mark on the near end of the lane. Like many bowlers, Bill knew that you can do better if you aim at a mark close to you that's in line with the pins. He proved his point with a perfect 300 game of 12 strikes in a row.”
Spot bowling illustrates part of a wise approach to life which is “focusing on the near actions that are inline with that goal.” What is the end goal of humans? What are the action steps we are to take now in order to reach that goal? A few weeks ago we began a series on “Authentic Christian Living” We have been looking at the letter of I Peter to discover principles that would help us live authentic Christian lives in the midst of difficult and trying circumstances.
If you have paid attention you may have realized that we have hop scotched a little in the book of Peter. We looked at the status of Christians as aliens and strangers in this world from chapter 2 then we learned about the importance of marriage and also keys for a healthy marriage from chapter 3. Today we are coming back to chapter 1 to look at two important Christian doctrines that are often overlooked. These two doctrines are found in I Peter 1:1-2
When Peter wrote to the persecuted Christians scattered throughout the five regions of the Roman Empire he reminded them that they were saved through their faith in Christ and the ultimate goal of their salvation was to 'be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Peter taught them to focus their eyes on near actions that were in line with that goal. God wants us to live authentic lives so that the world can look at and hopefully learn from us Christians. An authentic Christian realizes the fact that he was saved by the grace of God and he is called to live a sanctified life. Let’s find out what Peter has to say about sanctification. I Peter 1:2“Who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace by yours in abundance.” In this verse we are confronted with two difficult words those are predestination and sanctification. Let’s explore what they actually mean.
I .PREDESTINATION:
Traditionally, the word foreknowledge or predestination has caused a great deal of division within the Christian Church. One group attributes to God the absolute determination of who would be saved and who would not. In other words man’s salvation entirely depends on God’s sovereignty and it is decided beforehand by God. Another group believed that salvation depends on man’s free will with which he can either choose to obey God or reject God.
Is salvation based only on God’s sovereignty or man’s free will? Or both? Who is right? If God is going to save some and condemn the others then what is the point in going out to share the gospel? When it comes to salvation there is a part of God and a part of man in it. Predestination means to determine or decree beforehand. This word occurs six times (Acts 4:28, I Cor 2:7, Romans 8:29, 30, Eph 1:5, 11) in the N.T and each time it referred to the actual plan and the purpose of salvation rather than who would be saved and who would be condemned.
The essence of these passages explain that God has decided way in advance how mankind would be saved and once they are saved what would be the goal of their salvation. In other words the point that we must consider is not so much who the objects of this predestination were but what they were predestined to. The Bible makes it very clear that the salvation of man both depends on the sovereignty of God and the free will of man. How does this play out? It was the sovereign will of God that Christ would be crucified on the cross. 1 Corinthians 15:3 “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,” 1 John 2:2 “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
The death of Christ on the cross is absolutely the sovereign act of God. Christ paid the price through his blood. His death has satisfied the wrath of God. He died not only for us but for the whole world, but does that mean the whole world is automatically saved or will be saved? No! This is where the free will comes into place.
The Gospel invitation is for all, and therefore all who hear are responsible and without excuse. What does it mean for you today? It means that God loves you so very much and doesn’t want you to die in your sin and be separated eternally from him in hell. He made a way for you in Jesus Christ. It is so important that we get this right otherwise you may sit all your life in church and still be lost for eternity.
Most of us know John 3:16 by heart (For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life). but read a little further Vs 17-18 “For God did not send the Son into the world but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Do we get this? Christ paid the penalty for our sins through his death on the cross. As a result of his death and resurrection, the free gift of salvation is made available for all people. However it still requires individuals to respond in faith and accept this great gift of salvation. Let me illustrate: “ Back in 1830 George Wilson was convicted of robbing the U.S. Mail and was sentenced to be hanged. President Andrew Jackson issued a pardon for Wilson, but he refused to accept it. The matter went to Chief Justice Marshall, who concluded that Wilson would have to be executed. "A pardon is a slip of paper," wrote Marshall, "the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged." For some, the pardon comes too late. For others, the pardon is not accepted.
In the same way the pardon for your sin is available in Christ, but you must reach out and accept it otherwise you will have to face the consequences of refusing God’s provision. I think one of the greatest mistakes of this generation is that we seem utterly oblivious and ignorant of the fact that God is not only a loving God but also a righteous and just God and the Judge of all the earth. The Bible says in Heb 9:27-28, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” What comes after salvation? One reason why God has saved us is that we might live sanctified lives.
II. SANCTIFICATION :
Peter reminded the believers that it was by God’s great mercy they were saved and that was not by their good works. He also reminded them that by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit they may obey Jesus Christ. What is sanctification? Let me explain. The Greek word for sanctification is translated as holiness, consecration, set apart or belonging to God.
In other words sanctification means living in the realization that we don’t belong to ourselves but live for God and his purposes. It means saying no to the world and its pleasures and saying yes to God. In the OT upon God’s call and command, certain things, places, animals and people were set apart for his purpose. God took great delight in that which was set apart for him. In the New Testament the process of sanctification or being set apart for God begins at the moment when a person is born again and continues the rest of his life. II Thes 2:13, “God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit.” This scripture tells us that the work of the Holy Spirit is to set apart a man unto salvation but also enabling him to be holy even as God is Holy. What does this mean? It means that the Holy Spirit not only saves but also empowers Christians to live authentic lives. An authentic Christian is the one who is not only saved by the Holy Spirit but also has been sanctified or set apart for the purposes of God. What does a sanctified Christian look like?
III. THE MARKS OF A SANCTIFIED CHRISTIAN:
In a world where it is hard to tell the difference between fakeness and reality what distinguishes a sanctified Christian? I would like to draw your attention to three marks of a sanctified Christian 1) Lives by the Spirit 2) Serves one master 3) Loves God and people.
A. LIVES BY THE SPIRIT:
Either living by the Spirit or living by the flesh can have a huge difference in our lives. The scripture tells us when we live and walk by the Spirit we may not do the things we please. Paul gives a whole list of the things that a sanctified person would avoid in Gal 5:19-21(I won’t go into that here) but I would like to high light what a Spirit filled person looks like. The scripture says, those who are led by the Spirit of God are called the sons of God. If we want to have victory over sin and live a life that is pleasing to God we need the power of the Holy Spirit. We not only need the power of the Holy Spirit but also the fruit of the Holy Spirit. A sanctified Christian demonstrates the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.” Gal 5:22. The first mark of a sanctified Christian is that they live by the Holy Spirit and the fruit is evident in their lives.
B. SERVES ONE MASTER:
The teen sensation Hanna Mantana promoted a big fat lie called, “The Best of Both Worlds,” part of the song goes like this, “You get best of both worlds. Mix it all together and you know that it is the best of both worlds.” Unfortunately many young people and grown ups too are falling for this deception. They want to enjoy everything this world could offer and at the end of their life’s journey they hope that they will get to heaven. But the truth of the matter is it doesn’t work that way. Just like Oil and Water don’t mix a sanctified Christian doesn’t dance to the tunes of this world. Jesus warns us against this kind of compromised life. In Matthew6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” You can not travel in two boats at the same time in the same way you can not serve God and the world at the same time.
In fact we are commanded not to love the world. I John 2:15-16“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. This can be puzzling for some of you. You may ask: how are we supposed to live in this world then? Do we have to live like the Amish, a totally separate life? The word world in this context does not mean the created world; we can still enjoy all that is beautiful and good in this world. I think that a sanctified Christian has a greater discernment as to what is good and what is not good. Not loving this world here means not having the same self serving attitudes, selfish ambitions and values any longer.
C. LOVES GOD & PEOPLE:
The third mark of a sanctified Christian is that they love the Lord and love his people.
A sanctified Christian has a hunger to know God and to do His will. They have a desire to be used of God to serve people, to bring people into a relationship with God, whether that is through prayer, evangelism or works of service, he no longer lives for himself. They realize that their life communicates a message what they say and what they don’t say. All of us daily have choices at home and at our workplace or school, either to build people up or tear people down through what we say. Gossip, cursing, lying, complaining and negative talk is not the language of a sanctified Christian.
God did what He only could do. If you want to spend your eternity with God in heaven you must believe his son Jesus today. The decision you make today affects your destiny. If you have not yet made this most important decision in your life you can do that today in the quietness of your heart. In Hebrews 2:3 “how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? The scripture also warns; if you hear his voice today do not harden your heart.
Those who have trusted in Christ for their salvation are called for sanctification by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is a process, it is not an instant thing, we are not yet perfect, from time to time we fail, falter or mess up but we can always come back to the Highway of Holiness if we are willing to repent or say sorry to the Lord for our sins. By faith we cooperate with the Holy Spirit to become obedient to Christ. I invite you to make the most important decision in your life and accept Christ as your Savior if you have not yet already done so and if you have been a born again Christian to rededicate yourself to live a God honoring and sanctified Christian life. Amen
