Instruments of Sanctification, Part 3 | Sunday, October 31, 2021

Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19–22)

God has given us three instruments of sanctification—His Word, prayer, and His church—and the gathering of His people is essential to our growth into Christ's likeness.

Justified, Glorified, and Being Sanctified in the Gap

In the messages leading up to today, we have talked about how we who are in Christ by faith have been saved and justified. On the cross, Jesus dealt with the penalty and punishment of our sin. He who knew no sin became sin for us, and in that exchange He transferred to us His righteousness, putting it into our account.

This is exactly what Paul writes about in Romans 4, where Abraham, the father of the faith, had righteousness imputed to his account when he trusted God. That goes all the way back to Genesis 15:6—"Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness." The consistent teaching of Scripture is that if you have trusted in Christ's finished work on the cross, God has transferred righteousness to your account. As Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God."

So you are positionally righteous before God. He sees you clothed in Christ's righteousness, and He has promised to bring you into His presence and to transform these lowly, mortal bodies to be conformed to His glorious body. At that point we will be saved from the presence of sin—we will be glorified. We have been justified, saved from the penalty of sin; we shall be glorified, saved from the presence of sin.

But what about the gap in between? Maybe you trusted in Christ as a child or as a young man or woman, and much time has passed and you are still not yet glorified. In that intervening period, we are being saved—saved from sin's power through sanctification. Here we are in the gap, working out our own salvation while God works in us. Those words come from my two favorite verses, Philippians 2:12–13: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to do His good pleasure."

God's Design: Growing in Christ's Likeness

In this period, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to develop the disciplines of a disciple. God enables us so that we can discipline ourselves as obedient followers of Jesus and grow in His likeness. He has equipped us with tools so that we would grow to maturity and become more like Jesus.

This is God's design for you as a Christian. He adopted you into His family at justification—Ephesians 1 speaks of how, through our trust in Christ, we have been forgiven, redeemed, adopted, and accepted. He wants to make us more and more into the likeness of His children, imparting His nature to us so that we become fruitful, and that this fruit might be shown forth to the world as a witness of His grace, mercy, love, and peace.

I spoke about this last time. One of the outcomes of the last nineteen months of chaos—COVID, politics, economy—has been a great deal of anxiety. But for the person who has trusted in Christ, one of the witnesses to the world is that they have God dwelling in them by the Holy Spirit, bringing His peace and rest. God wants me to be a witness, with His grace, mercy, love, joy, kindness, patience, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control increasingly abundant in my life so others would see it.

The First Two Tools: The Word and Prayer

Over the last two weeks we looked at two tools God has given us. The first is the Word of God. The Word of God is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:12) and works effectively in our lives to bring about sanctification. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus prayed in John 17:17, "Father, sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." It is useful for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, that the man or woman of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

That is one of the big reasons we preach and teach the Word every single week here at Cross Connection. We hope you will value it highly too—listening to it, reading it, studying it, meditating on it, even memorizing it. Many people tell me they don't have a good memory, but if you take time to read just one verse and think about it every day, you will begin to hide God's word in your heart, and it will do a work in you. As 2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman rightly dividing the word of truth." In that workout routine, exercise yourself toward godliness.

The second tool is prayer. Through prayer we grow closer to God. We bring Him our praise and thanksgiving, our petitions and supplications, and our confession. As 1 John 1:9 says, if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. Prayer invites God's presence, His peace, and His power. Philippians 4:6 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God," and the result is His peace guarding your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

D. L. Moody said, "Where prayer is focused, power falls." When you focus your prayers, both in your own life and through intercession for others, you begin to see God move powerfully. And if you lack wisdom, James 1 says to ask of God. I've had many conversations recently with people seeking wisdom about work, school, or moving. It is good to seek wisdom from wise people, but ultimately ask of God. If you lack rest, ask God. If you face temptation or trials, come to God in prayer. Prayer should increasingly be my first inclination, and those who are predisposed to prayer experience God's peace to a greater degree than those who are not.

Interestingly, the Word of God and prayer are also identified as offensive weapons in the Christian's armory. In Ephesians 6, where Paul describes our spiritual battle—we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers—he names "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (v. 17), and then in verse 18, "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." These are weapons in our warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil.

More Than Three Tools

Before introducing today's tool, let me be clear: there are not only three tools. God has given us everything we need to live this life in a godly manner. As 2 Peter 1:3 says, "According to His divine power, God has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

God wants to impart His nature to us. He does this by the Holy Spirit, by His Word, through prayer, and through other tools as well—fasting, service, Sabbath, silence, solitude, sacrifice, simplicity, worship. These are sometimes called spiritual disciplines, and I am sure we will talk about more of them in the future. But in this series we are focusing on three: the Word of God, prayer, and one final tool that incorporates many of these others.

The Church Is Crucial in Our Formation as Disciples

Without much fanfare, I will simply tell you what this third tool is: the church is crucial in our formation as disciples. We are each saved and justified individually when we put our trust in Christ and confess Him as Lord. Each of us individually must come to recognize that we have fallen short of God's glory, that the wages of sin is death, and that we need to trust in Jesus.

But while we are saved individually, we are being sanctified in many ways as a body—corporately, as the church of Christ. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said there is no such thing as a solitary Christian. You can develop the discipline of solitude, but you cannot survive—and certainly cannot thrive—in solitary confinement. We need one another, joined together as a family, to truly grow in Christ's likeness. As we say here at Cross Connection, we were created to live life in connection with God and with one another.

In Ephesians 2:19–22, Paul tells the church that they are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, being built together into a holy temple, a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. When we are saved by Jesus Christ, we are joined together as His body, and we are being built up together for what He ultimately desires us to be.

What the Church Is and Why It Gathers

"Church" is an ancient word that means a gathering, an assembly, a congregation. The Greek word translated "church" in the New Testament is ecclesia, used in Greek culture for a gathering of people. The church is not a place, not a building, not a business, not a 501(c)(3) corporation. It is the gathering of the people of God.

Why does the congregation come together? For worship, for fellowship—communing, sharing, caring for one another—for evangelism, for service and outreach, for encouragement, for study, even for recreation, simply to enjoy one another's company. Ultimately we gather to be united with Christ and to grow in Him.

In Ephesians 4, Paul writes that Jesus "gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (vv. 11–13). God has gifted the church with leaders for the corporate equipping and edifying of the body, until we all together are brought to maturity, to unity, and become more like Jesus—and a better representation of Him in this world.

The State of the Church

I bring this up because, as I said when we began this series eight weeks ago, when I look at the state of the church in the West in 2021—after nineteen months of COVID shutdowns and chaos through politics and economics—I believe one thing this season has done is bring our flesh, our disunity, and our division to the surface. It has revealed that we are not the best representation of Jesus in this world.

So as a pastor and teacher—and at the very least I fall into that category—I felt called by Ephesians 4:11 to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, that we might grow in maturity, in unity, and become a better representation of Jesus. That is why we are going through this series. Jesus gave all these gifts to the church to bring about growth, and that is why we need to be part of the church.

How the Church Sanctifies Us

So why should you be part of the church? For worship, fellowship, encouragement—and perhaps at the top of the list, so that you would be transformed and sanctified, growing in maturity, unity, and Christ-likeness. It is within the church that we encourage, challenge, and exhort one another to live and grow as followers of Christ.

The author of Hebrews puts it like this: "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24–25). We are to be considerate of one another and, as we assemble, stir each other up to love and good deeds.

To young pastor Timothy, Paul wrote, "Flee youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22). One implication is that we need to be gathered together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart—and it is in that context that we are able to flee lusts and pursue righteousness.

It is within the church that we love one another, serve one another, comfort one another, pray for one another, speak truth to one another, build one another up, bear one another's burdens, and honor one another. There are dozens of "one another" passages in the New Testament—more than fifty—and the most repeated is "love one another." Where do these things happen? In the context of the gathering of God's people, the church. We grow as individuals and as a church as we work out the "one anothers" of Scripture.

Seven Steps to a Life in Connection

If you desire to grow in Christ's likeness and maturity as a disciple, you must be committed to a local church, gathering regularly with the body of Christ. What does that look like? That question alone could be an entire series, but let me break it down into seven ways you can tell if you are living life in connection with God, His church, and the world. Our vision here at Cross Connection is life in connection with God, one another, and the world, through Jesus.

First, know the vision. Know what your church is all about—its biblical purpose, mission, vision, and values. Some churches are committed to things that have nothing to do with the Bible. Make sure your church teaches and adheres to the Scriptures and has biblically qualified elders committed to a biblical theology.

Second, worship together. Regularly gather with the people of God to honor and worship Him—through song, the Scriptures, prayer, and communion. Because of the last nineteen months, we have this digital gathering online, which is not perfectly ideal, but it can be a beginning step toward gathering together in a room as we do here on Sunday morning.

Third, connect with community. Be committed to joining with the people of God outside the weekly worship gathering—in small groups, which we call connect groups. I have a connect group; my parents, the other pastors, and the elders all have connect groups. But community also happens beyond those meetings: gathering for prayer on Wednesdays, going on a hike or mountain bike ride, sharing a meal, or having people into your home. You connect with community when you join other Christians outside the regular Sunday gatherings.

Fourth, love one another. There are more than fifty "one anothers" in the New Testament—care for one another, pray for one another, comfort one another, encourage one another, exhort one another, counsel one another. We love one another when we work out the "one anothers" and do unto others as we would have them do for us. The next three steps are specific ways we express this love.

Fifth, love through service. Join a service team. You will never grow faster as a disciple than when you are connected to a team serving Him—parking, ushering, greeting, children's ministry, youth ministry, tech, worship, video, whatever it may be. Ask anyone who serves: you grow fastest when serving alongside other Christians.

Sixth, love through outreach. If service is serving those inside the church, outreach is meeting the needs of those outside it—sometimes called missions, especially when leaving your home community for a foreign one. As a church we are involved with a camp serving abused and neglected children, cleaning up Seven Oaks Road once a month, and helping with Interfaith and Children's Hospital in San Diego. This is how we connect with and love our community and the world.

Seventh, love through giving generously, or sacrifice. Sacrifice is giving of what you have to meet the needs of others, and one way we do this is by giving every week. Pastor Mark has a saying—I'm not sure he coined it, but I first heard it from him: "The last thing to get saved is a person's wallet." That may bother someone, but there is truth to it. We hold our possessions tightly—money, cars, houses, even our children—and sometimes make idols of them. But God must be the one we are committed and devoted to. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "You cannot serve two masters... you cannot serve God and money." One way we show our devotion to God and His church is by giving generously. There is a whole topic on tithing and offerings I won't get into today.

So you can gauge whether you are committed to a local church in these seven areas: Do you know the church and its leaders? Do you worship with believers regularly? Are you connected to community beyond a forty-minute Sunday service? Are you loving one another through service, outreach, and generous giving?

The Biblical Example: Acts 2

Is there a passage that shows a gathering of people worshiping together, connected, loving and serving one another, reaching out, and giving generously? Yes—Acts 2:42–47.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

This is a gathering of more than three thousand new believers who had just trusted in Jesus. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine—they had biblical theology. They continued in fellowship, communing with and caring for one another. They broke bread—hospitality and communion. They continued in prayers. They had all things in common and sold their possessions to meet one another's needs—giving generously. They gathered corporately in the temple and connected with community from house to house.

This is the perfect biblical example of everything I have been describing. God saved you as you trusted in Him, just like those in Acts 2. You have been justified, saved from the penalty of sin, with the hope of being glorified. But now, in the gap, you are being sanctified. God has given you His Word, prayer, and the gift of being part of the church—all tools for sanctification.

Closing Exhortation

If you commit to being part of the church and connecting with it, you will see God bring about great growth in your life. It will be evident to you and to others. The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, self-control—will grow in your life to an overflow toward other people.

These are the disciplines of a disciple. First you put your trust in Jesus Christ and receive salvation. Then the Holy Spirit indwells you, empowering you to walk in a way that pleases God. And God gives you tools the Spirit enables you to use, that you might work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that God is working in you. Those tools are the Word of God, prayer, and the church. It is my hope that we as a gathering of believers here at Cross Connection Church would continue to grow in Christ's likeness in a way that honors God.

Closing Prayer

Father, I pray for anyone who is listening to this message and for the church that will be gathered here on Sunday morning. I pray, God, that You would continue a work of transformation and sanctification in us to make us more like You. I pray that here in North San Diego County Your church at Cross Connection would be an example, a light shining in a dark place, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden, that people would see in the people who call this church home Your fruit—the evidence of Your Spirit dwelling in us. God, help us to be a people who have love, joy, peace, long-suffering, patience, kindness, self-control, and faithfulness to overflowing. Lord, let these be the hallmarks of Your people. Manifest Your glory through us, Your church. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.