Sermon Tone Analysis

“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.

For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.

For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.

Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

“Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia.

But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”

[1]

People often make strange claims concerning the will of God.

“God told me,” is a phrase frequently used to justify aberrant behaviour among the professed people of God.

However, there are occasions anyone can say with certainty, “This is the will of God.”

This assertion is possible because for those knowledgeable of the Word of God, there are occasions when God has spoken quite clearly to reveal His will through what has been written.

In such instances, we are very foolish if we ignore what is written.

Though the message is presented on the day set aside to honour mothers, it applies to all who call on the Name of the Master.

I have often held that society will never sink lower than what women allow.

I fear that I am witnessing the rapid imposition of a moral morass because we who occupy the sacred desk have failed to encourage women to stand firm in righteousness.

Thus, the message today seeks to encourage a return to godliness for both women and for men.

THE WILL OF GOD—YOUR SANCTIFICATION — “Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.

For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification.”

“This is the will of God, your sanctification.”

There is no doubt concerning the will of God—the will of God is your sanctification.

Tragically, few people among modern congregations know what it means to be sanctified.

It seems rare that a pastor should ever present a message on the topic of sanctification.

Few church goers can recall hearing a message on sanctification.

There was a time, and not so long ago, when entire denominations were built around the doctrine of sanctification.

Admittedly, some of those groups were extreme in their pursuit of sanctification; but the point remains that they were conscious of the expectation that Christians are to be sanctified.

Today, few denominations teach sanctification; consequently, few Christians know what it means to be sanctified.

Let’s take this opportunity to think about the doctrine of sanctification.

The Greek term hagiasmós is translated in some translations by the terms “consecrate,” “holy,” or “holiness.”

In fact, the word is translated “holiness” in today’s text.

In 1THESSALONIANS 4:4, 7, the Apostle urged readers to control his or her own body in holiness (hagiasmós) and honour.

He also reminds readers that “God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness (hagiasmós).”

It should be obvious that holiness is important to the God who redeemed us.

The Holy Spirit, through Peter, has commanded Christians, “As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” [1 PETER 1:15, 16].

Peter applies the teaching first given in Leviticus [see LEVITICUS 11:44], a teaching with which his readers would have been familiar, in urging readers to reflect the character of God the Father.

Peter’s instruction mirrors that of the writer of the Letter to Hebrew Christians that teaches followers of the Master, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” [HEBREWS 12:14].

Having spoken of holiness, let’s admit that the term is confusing to many people.

Whenever people hear the term “holy” or “holiness,” they tend to become confused.

They think “strange dress,” “no fun,” “angry fundamentalists,” “rules.”

Of course, all these concepts are distortions of God’s intent for His people.

Perhaps each of these concepts has been witnessed at some time, and undoubtedly there are times when people imagine they are doing the will of God in acting in this manner.

However, holiness is not a matter of dress, though a person who is holy is conscious of the consequences of dress.

Holiness, or sanctification, is not something you can strap on each day; it is who the believer is.

Sanctification does not steal joy, though it does challenge our thinking concerning fun.

Sanctification should never lead to anger; rather, holiness should make us compassionate, moved with pity on those still in darkness.

Holiness never comes through observing rules any more than obedience to rituals makes one a Christians.

Throughout the Bible, the concept of sanctification speaks of purity, of separation, or consecration.

The priests were to consecrate themselves before serving.

They were to prepare themselves to enter into the presence of the Living God, to cleanse themselves and especially to prepare their hearts to stand before Him who alone is pure and who is perfect in holiness.

Addressing this particular matter, the Psalmist has written:

“Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false

and does not swear deceitfully.

He will receive blessing from the LORD

and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Selah”

[PSALM 24:3-6]

Thus it remains to this day, to enjoy the presence of the Lord we must prepare ourselves to come before Him.

When we harbour secret sin, we hinder communication.

Isaiah confronted the people of his day.

They were complaining that God didn’t answer them, that He no longer heard their cries.

This is what Isaiah said concerning that matter.

“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,

or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;

but your iniquities have made a separation

between you and your God,

and your sins have hidden his face from you

so that he does not hear.

For your hands are defiled with blood

and your fingers with iniquity;

your lips have spoken lies;

your tongue mutters wickedness.”

[ISAIAH 59:1-3]

Thus, to sanctify oneself means that the individual has prepared himself or herself to come into the presence of the True and Living God.

It means the individual has confessed all known sin, sought God’s cleansing for such sin, renounced evil and accepted God’s sentence for all such wickedness.

The individual is thus prepared to seek God’s blessing.

Thus, the one who seeks sanctification endeavours to consecrate her life to God, seeks to purify herself from all that would hinder access to the Master.

Consecration is nothing less than that which is presented in the Letter to Hebrew Christians.

“Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” [HEBREWS 12:1, 2].

There is the concept of separation inherent in the thought of sanctification.

We do need to think briefly of what is implied in this concept.

The idea lying behind sanctification is the thought of reserving a person or a thing for the use of one person.

When we speak of being sanctified, we imply that an individual is reserved for God’s use—that one is set apart to God’s service.

While many people understand that concept, it seems harder to grasp that the individual is also set apart from the sin that marks this dying world.

This is the concept that has enabled so much of the distortion that characterises sanctification.

Many groups want to be set apart from the world.

Like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, they focus on the external aspects of life, scrupulously addressing these areas of life.

Unfortunately, because of our fallen condition, it is easy to become so focused on these aspects of life that we ignore what is truly important.

How we dress is important!

Certainly, each believer should be modest in dress and in deportment.

Undoubtedly, each Christian should be conscientious in avoiding drawing attention to himself or to herself.

However, I learned long ago that a woman can wear a dress that reaches her ankles and sleeves that come down to her first knuckle, and still manage to be deliberately seductive.

Dress does not make one holy, though one who is holy will be cautious in how she or he dresses.

Likewise, a man can dress in black and have a beard that reaches his navel, and still have a heart that is as black as his clothing.

The Master addressed this issue when He confronted the Pharisees on one occasion.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!