Paul’s Prayer For The Church's Sanctification

Amen. And we're turning this morning

in our Bible to 1st Thessalonians chapter 5.

First Thessalonians chapter 5. We'll read from verse 14 to the

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

end. For those of you who are joining

us this morning, you're very welcome in the Lord's name.

We are coming near an end of a series of expository sermons on

1st Thessalonians. Hence the reading.

First Thessalonians chapter 5 will read from verse 14.

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn men that are unruly,

comfort the feeble minded, support the weak, be patient

toward all men. See that none render evil for

evil unto any man, but ever follow that which is good both

among yourselves and to all men. Rejoice evermore, pray without

ceasing, and everything give thanks, for this is the will of

God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Quench not the spirit, despise not prophesying, prove all

things, hold fast that which is good, abstain from all

appearance of evil, and the very God of peace sanctify you

wholly. And I pray God, your whole

spirit and soul and body be preserved, blameless unto the

coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that call of you

who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us.

Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.

I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all

the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus

Christ be with you. Amen.

Amen. We know God will stamp with his

own approval and blessing this reading of His own precious and

infallible word. Amen.

Amen. Now this morning, as we continue

with our series of expository sermons in the book of First

Thessalonians, my text today is found in First Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 5:23

chapter 5, verse 23 and verse 24.

And if entitled this morning's message, Paul's Prayer for the

Church's sanctification. Listen to the words and the very

God of peace sanctify you holy and I pray God, your whole

spirit and soul and body be preserved, blameless unto the

coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you

who also will do it. Now, beloved, as we come to the

closing words of the apostle Paul in his first letter to the

Thessalonians, a letter remember, that's marked by

pastoral warmth, the duty and discipline of holy living, and

hope in the return of Christ. Paul now closes his ladder not

with instruction, but with intercession.

You see, in these two verses, Paul turns from exhortation to

intercession. If you look at verse 14, he says

now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly,

comfort the feeble minded, support the weak, be peace and

toward all men see that none render evil for evil unto any

man, but ever follow that which is good both among yourselves

and to all men. And then he adds another

exhortation, Rejoice evermore, and another on top of that pray

without ceasing. Then he mentions in verse 18 in

everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ

Jesus concerning you. Then another exhortation, quench

not the Spirit, despise not prophesying, prove all things,

hold fast up which is good, abstain from all appearance of

evil. Now look at verse 23 and the

very God of peace sanctify you holy.

What follows after the exhortation is intercession.

What follows is a prayer for them.

His instruction broke into intercession.

You see, these two verses are not merely commands to be

obeyed, but a prayer to be answered.

Now remember Paul is writing under the power and inspiration

of the Holy Spirit and at the leading of the Spirit he writes

and also offers this particular prayer.

Now please feel the weight of this.

The Holy Spirit gave Paul the very words for his prayer.

This is a Holy Spirit inspired prayer.

They notice how the verse opens and see even the children can

spell out a small but very significant word.

You see, and this is not accidental and is adjoining

word. It is a connective.

It connects what has gone before and what comes after.

It connects what has just been commanded, especially from verse

16 right through to 22. And it's especially important.

It's highly significant. Why?

Because the duty to accomplish these commands can only be

achieved by a life of dependency on God, this prayer is not

offered in the abstract. This prayer is marked by

urgency, accuracy, spirituality. This is a powerful prayer.

This is our a real prayer. It is a heartfelt, honest

prayer. You see, Paul knows that these

commands cannot be achieved by human effort.

These commands must be coupled with the power of God.

Notice the words I pray God. They're in italics.

They have been added by the faithful translators of the King

James Bible to help, to give the sense, in other words, by the

addition of these words. But whether they're added or

subtracted, we discover that it is a prayer established beyond

any doubt. Paul had a longing for this

young church, the suffering persecution.

He's concerned for their welfare.

He's concerned about their spiritual well doing.

And his prayer displays the longing of a pastor's heart.

He longs for their sanctification, and he prays

about the sanctified life on their behalf.

He's praying over the subject of their sanctification.

So in addition to exhorting them to a holy life, a life of

holiness, a life of ecclesiastical and personal

separation unto God, Paul says, in addition to exhorting you,

but we have instruction, I'm now praying for it.

He adds in verse 24, Faithful is he that calleth you who also

will do it. You see, he's saying to them,

you know that you're called to this life, but only God by his

divine grace can sanctify you wholly.

A sanctified life, a life of holiness is not optional.

It's integral to the Christian life.

A truly justified soul will also aim and aspire to be a truly

sanctified soul. Sanctification impacts upon

every area of our lives, our worship, our walk, our witness,

our words, our warfare. Now look at the text.

I want you to think of a number of things.

One, the subject of sanctification.

Notice the word sanctify. OK, the Shorter Catechism says

this sanctification is the work of God's free grace.

For by we're renewed and the whole man after the image of

God, and are enabled more and more to die on the sin and live

on the righteousness. Now let me ask you a question

this morning, a very personal question.

If you profess to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, so

you profess to be saved, or you profess to be born again, you

profess you have a testimony to the saving and keeping power of

Christ. Now let me ask this.

Do you have a desire to live a sanctified life, a holy life

unto God, not perfectly but passionately, not sinlessly but

sincerely striving to die unto sin and live unto righteousness?

You see, we've already seen in our studies First Thessalonians

4 and 3. For this is the will of God,

even your sanctification, that you should abstain from

fornication. What is the will of God for me?

What's the will of God for you? What has God chosen for your

life and mine? What has God called us to do?

Well, you know, there's a very simple answer over there in the

book of First Peter, in First Peter chapter 1, and in the

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

verse 15. But as he which hath called you

as holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.

The word conversation is more than just our words.

The word conversation is an old Elizabethan word which means

your style of living or your manner of living.

Now let me ask this is this the motto of your life?

Holiness unto the Lord? You say, I stress this and I'm

stressing it for this reason. In Northern Ireland, thousands

of individuals profess they take the name of the Lord Jesus upon

their lips. And yet the Bible says in Second

Timothy 119 the Lord knoweth them that are his.

That's tremendous. But he adds this.

But let everyone that names the name of Christ depart from

iniquity. Is your profession of Christ as

Lord and Saviour joined or coupled with a life of purity?

And if it's coupled with a life of purity, it will impact upon

your walk with God, your witness for God, your worship of God.

It'll impact upon the words that you speak.

It'll impact upon your worship. See over there in the Gospel of

Matthew, In Matthew Chapter 7, we read some of the most saddest

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

words in all of the Bible. They come at the end almost of

the Sermon in the Mount in Matthew 721.

Not everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the

Kingdom of heaven, but either doeth the will of my Father,

which is in heaven. Many, that's a multitude, Many

will say to me in that day, this is the day of judgement, this is

the last day, This is the day when the doom of men is finally

sealed. Many will say to me, in that

day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in

thy name of cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful

works. Now listen to these words, and

then will I profess unto them. I never knew you.

Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Note these words, and then will I profess unto them.

That's the people who are saying, we know you, Lord.

We have professed you, we have preached in your name.

We've done many wonderful works. We give this to charity and that

we, we, we, we, we, we. We have even cast out demons in

your name, Lord. And then when I profess unto

them, I never knew you depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

See. What's your attitude to sin?

That's a good test. What's your attitude to Christ?

If you're professing Him as Lord and Saviour, then coupled with

that profession will be this desire for a sanctified life,

the subject of sanctification. I want you to think secondly, if

the source of supplication, look, look at our text again,

and the very God of peace sanctify you holy and the very

God of peace. You see, real, genuine biblical

sanctification doesn't begin with men, but with God.

Sanctification is the work of Gods, free grace.

This is the work of God. It's free grace.

Think of his supremacy, the very God of peace.

You see, the true and living God, the God of the Bible, the

God that we worshipped this morning, is not a distant deity.

He's not one who's absent from his people, but he's actually

the very God of peace. He is the one who has reconciled

penitent sinners to himself in and through the Lord Jesus.

Romans 5 and one. Therefore, being justified by

faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

and peace with God. Procedure comes before purity,

before God. Justification comes before

sanctification. So I asked again, do you really

know him? Are you living and rejoicing in

the knowledge that you have peace with God, in the knowledge

that on the cross the Lord Jesus offered himself a once and for

all atoning sacrifice for sin? But this man, after he'd offered

one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down in the right hand of

God, and you rejoiced at God's righteous wrath, has been

satisfied and appeased by the blood shedding of the Lord

Jesus. See the God of peace.

He sanctifies those who are His in the new birth, in the act of

regeneration, the Spirit of God comes and through faith applies

the merits of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus and sanctifies us

unto God. I want you to feel the weight of

that purchase. A divine purchase took place.

Notice that Paul says, and the very God of peace sanctify you,

holy Paul doesn't say sanctify yourselves.

So think of his sufficiency, sanctify you holy.

True sanctification is not what we do.

It's not even the outcome of a decision that we make.

It's the work of God's free grace by the Spirit of God,

grounded in the merits of the Lord Jesus.

The word sanctify here's a verb. It means to separate.

It means to set apart for himself, set apart from a life

of dupree, of defilement, set apart from a life of craving,

corruption. God sets apart his own for a

holy and sacred purpose. And this is God's will for every

Christian, and it is God's work. The God of peace sanctify you.

It's all of God. It's not partly of God and

partly of man, but the work of God's free grace.

It's all of God, all of God's grace.

In the book of Exodus 3113, we read that you may know that I am

the Lord that does sanctify you. Now think for a moment.

Think of a tree, trees of branches.

The leaves are of course out in abundance, and on the branches

there's blossoms, and on the branches there's tiny buds which

will become fruit. But that branch doesn't produce

life by itself. How does it bear fruit?

It bears fruit by abiding as a branch attached to the tree.

The the branch draws its life from the tree, and in a similar

fashion you and I who are in union with Christ.

Every believer discovers that they don't manufacture

sanctification or holiness by themselves.

Every believer receives it from the God of peace through faith

in Christ. And as God's salvation is

applied by the Spirit of God, and it's important that you

grasp that. It's important that you know

this, the source of sanctification, the supremacy

and the sufficiency. Very quickly think about the

scope of sanctification. And I pray God, your whole

spirit and soul and body, we'll pause there.

Notice these words and the very God of peace sanctify you holy.

The Apostle Paul is emphasising totality here.

Think of the word holy. It literally means complete.

It reaches every part, it's entire and it's extent.

Holy means completely through and through.

There's no compartment of the Christian's life that is exempt

from God's sanctifying work. It's more than our conduct.

It's about our character. It's not just our public, but

also our private life. It's not just the outward face

that we show and display to family and friends and work

colleagues and neighbours and strangers.

No, it's our inward face. It's it's the real us.

Let me try and illustrate Robert Murray McShane, the man who

prayed. Lord, make me as holiest as

possible for a safe Sinner to be.

He said one time that we should live the Christian life in the

home so that you could sell your pet parrot to the local town

gossip. See, a parrot repeats

everything. A parrot repeat what it's hears.

And he's saying we should live the Christian life in our homes

so that you could sell the pet parrot to the local town gossip

and nothing would be said to the local town gossip that would be

derogatory or demeaning to our character.

It's entire in its extent, but it's also entire in its

experience. Every faculty is involved.

Look at these words, your whole spirit and soul and body.

This is not a tactical breakdown in human anatomy.

It's a comprehensive expression. Notice how it starts spirit.

We talk about body, soul and spirit, but the Bible doesn't

start with body, soul and spirit.

It starts with spirit and soul and body.

You see, the Spirit is our God consciousness, and we become

conscious of God when we're born again of the Holy Spirit.

And the Holy Spirit not only generates and creates new life

within us, but the Holy Spirit then comes in to indwell us, and

by the Holy Spirit we have a new life.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ is a new creature, all

things have passed away and all things have become new and all

things are of God. The spirit refers to our God

consciousness and then soul. Well, that refers to our inner

life, our heart, the the real us, our mind, our emotions, our

affections. We've got a new interest now in

Christ. We have a new joy, we have a new

peace, we have a new love, we have new desires for the House

of God and the day of God, the word of God, the the throne of

God, the people of God, the Christ of God, and also then our

body. That's our outward conduct

because we recognise in Christ, even our bodies belong to the

Lord. This is not a partial holiness,

it's a personal holiness. It's a a practical holiness.

This sanctified life is in the divine plan of God.

When you get a new heart, your life has changed and transformed

By the grace of God, you also get a new life.

Jesus said, I'm come that you might have life and you might

have it more abundantly. And the scope of this

sanctification experiences sanctify you Holy.

And what does holy mean? It's entire in its extent, our

conduct, our character, our private life, our public life.

It's entire in its experience because every faculties involved

our spirit, our God consciousness, our our soul, the

whole inner life and our body. I suppose this morning we were

able to go into what you said was, and I would agree, the

cleanest house you've ever been in and carried off.

But I guarantee no matter how the owner says to us, I've got

the cleanest house and carried off, I guarantee that you would

find dust somewhere and somebody would say, well, it's not

perfectly clean. And that is true of our lives.

This true sanctification impacts the whole of man.

This life of sanctification, remember, has been purchased by

the blood of Christ. It's the cleansing power of the

blood and the merit of Christ that's constantly and daily

applied that sanctifies us. Over there in the book of

Hebrews and Hebrews chapter 13 and in the verse 12, we read

Hebrews 13 · chapter mention

these words. Wherefore Jesus also, that He

might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without

the gain. Here's the chief reason why the

Lord Jesus really died. Thou shall call His name Jesus,

for He shall save His people from their sins.

Do you know that Jesus saves us not only from the penalty of

sin, which is eternal death, but He saves us from the pollution

of sin? He breaks the power of cancelled

sin and sets the prisoner free. We're no longer ruled and

controlled by the sin principle. We now have a hatred for sin and

a love for righteousness. We have a desire to die on the

sin and to live on the righteousness.

He saves us, of course, from the pleasure of sin.

He takes the love of sinning out of our heart.

We we mourn and grieve when we sin and thought and word and

deed against the Lord, and one day He'll save us from the very

presence of sin. Remember what we read there in

the book of Hebrews, in Hebrews chapter 12 and in the verse 14,

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

Hebrews 12 and 14. We read these words, follow

peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see

the Lord. And let's remember Paul's great

advice to the church at Corinth. And he said this Know you not

that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God?

Be not deceived. Neither fornicators, nor

idolaters, nor abusers, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor

abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor

covetous, or drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,

shall inherit the Kingdom of God.

And such where some of you but ye are washed, but you're

sanctified, but you're justified in the name of the Lord Jesus

and by the Spirit of God very quickly.

Think of the standard of sanctification.

If you go back to our text, it says be preserved, blameless.

What's the goal? What's not mere self

improvement? It's not that we're a little bit

batter. It's not that we've cleaned up

our life and our act. No, there's a higher goal,

preserve blameless, that is blameless before God, blameless

in the eyes of God. It's not sinless perfection in

this life. There is no such thing.

The Bible is clear. We will never be perfectly

sanctified here. We'll never reach a state of

sinlessness. So we'll never sin.

And maybe I've told you this story before.

There was a man came to Spurgeon one time, great Baptist preacher

down in London. And Spurgeon, of course, was

getting ready for the Lord's Day.

And this man was staying with Spurgeon.

Told Spurgeon that he'd never sinned in 20 years.

That's some admission for a Christian.

I've never sinned in 20 years, Mr Spurgeon.

Spurgeon went to bed on a Saturday night, get up on a

Sunday morning. The man was there at the table.

Spurgeon come into the dining room where he's getting served

his breakfast. He lifted the bowl of porridge,

his own bowl of porridge, not the man's, and he dumped it over

the man's head. And the man lost his temper.

If you get angry, you've just committed your first sin, Sir,

in 20 years. You see, there is no such thing

as sinless perfection this side of eternity.

What we're called to is a life of passionately pursuing

holiness. We're to to follow peace with

all men and holiness. The word follow.

There in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 14, is the idea of a

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

hunter going after a prey, the idea of a man going out to seek

for treasure. We're called to be sincere,

called to be upright, called to be haters of sin, called to be

those without reproach. It's really a life without

scandal. Blameless means what?

That no legitimate charge could stick.

We could be accused. But it's not true.

It's not accurate. It's a life consistent before

and with the one whom we profess to know, love and serve.

It's a life of repentance. We keep short accounts with God.

We confess our sin daily. The Bible tells us if we confess

our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, to

cleanse us from all and righteousness.

The Lord's Prayer teaches us forgive us our trespasses as we

forgive those who trespass against us.

It's a life of dependence. The Lord comes to us and says

you can do nothing without me. And we cry out, Lord, I can do

nothing without your help. I can't even bend down to time

of shoelaces without you giving me the ability and the power.

The Bible says blessed is the man who maketh the Lord as

trust. It's a it's a daily trust.

Trust him going out in the morning and coming in at night.

It's a life of prayer. It's a drawing near to God and

receiving grace and mercy and help in time of need.

It's a life of faithfully applying the word of God in our

hearts. Jesus said man shall not live by

bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth

of God. And the psalmist asked this

question in Psalm 119. Wherewithal shall a young man

cleanse his way? Here's the answer.

By taking heed thereto. According to thy word, it's

hearing the word of God. It's heeding the word of God.

It's holding on to that word. I've gotten a word from the

Lord. I want to finish this morning

the security of sanctification. Notice these words.

Look at again at the text. Be preserved blameless unto

what? The coming of our Lord Jesus

Christ. I believe in the personal

visible coming of Jesus Christ to this earth and glory.

His feet is going to stand on the Mount of Olives, the very

same place that He went up to heaven from.

Here's the great truth. God preserves whom He

sanctifies. The same God who commences the

work, completes the work does not echo Philippians 1/6.

He which have begun a good work on you will perform until the

day of Jesus Christ. You see, there's such an aspect

to this, that God is guiding and guarding us on our journey.

God preserves whom he sanctifies, and of course, the

great goal of God is preserved unto Christ's return.

So true sanctification is always looking forward-looking for a

person not simply prepared for a condition, not simply prepared

for a climax, but prepared for Christ.

A life of holiness now anticipates a life of

heavenliness. A life of purity here prepares

us for a life in His presence. Let me illustrate.

Think of a marriage and of some young people getting married

later on this year and next year and they've set a date.

Think of a bride and a groom. What does the bride do coming up

to the wedding? Well, she gets herself ready.

What's she getting ready for? Her wedding day?

She's getting ready to be presented to her bridegroom.

She's getting ready to be received by him to be his wife.

She aims to be the perfect bride and as a bride she'll be

presented to her husband on the wedding day, presented to her

husband to be and so the church passionately and purposefully as

being prepared for Christ in his coming so Christ when he comes

can receive her. Maybe you're thinking preacher,

that's nonsense. I've never heard of that before.

Well, listen to the word of God, Ephesians chapter 5.

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

It says this husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved

the church and gave himself for it.

That's hard, isn't it? We have to pray about that, but

that's what we're commanded to do.

And here's here's the standard as Christ also loved the church

and gave himself for it that he might sanctify.

There's our word and cleanse it with the washing of water by the

Word. That's why it's important that

we hear the word of God and hide it in her heart and hold on to

it. I've gotten the word from the

Lord. Notice verse 27, that he might

present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot

or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and

without blemish. The Lord Jesus is coming back to

this earth in power and glory, a visible personal return.

And when he returns, he'll be receiving his bride unto

himself. At his coming.

Our sanctification will be complete, even if your body dies

now and is under death for a time in the grave.

And the body, of course, remembers not finally perfected

in the grave. We all taste and experience the

limitations of the body. We grow weak, become frail.

We see death working in our physical field, and we see that

in the life and witness of many in the context of our church.

Yet that is coming. Even those bodies in the grave,

they're going to be resurrected, and they're going to be

resurrected, and the spirit will return and the soul will return

and the body will be raised, and there'll be a new body like on

the Christ's glorious body, and that body will be received by

the Lord and reconcile to Him forever, forever with the Lord.

Is that your hope? Is that your testimony?

Come tonight and hear more about waiting and watching for the

Lord. But let me say this as I finish,

as you think of this text of scripture.

So you go to church this morning.

What was the preacher talking about?

Nah, well I don't really know, but you do know.

Here's the text. First Thessalonians 523.

What was it all about? It's about the sanctified life.

OK, so I'm going to give you just a little thought.

This sanctified life is God produced.

You can remember that the very God of peace sanctify your holy.

It's all composing because it's extent is soul, spirit and body.

It's a moral seriousness because it's from the inside out.

It's from the outside in. It's also eternally secure

because blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Don't be content with half heartedness.

Don't be content with coldness. Let's not rest in our progress,

let's press on. The Bible says faithful is he

that calleth you who also will do it.

May the Lord take this message on sanctification and bless it

to your hearts this morning. Thank you for coming and thank

you for listening.