In the last message about the “Trial of the Ages” we covered the steps to Justification.
- You are a lost soul.
- You cannot save yourself.
- You realize that only Christ can save you.
- You must ask Christ to save you and believe on Him for salvation.
In this message we will understand the roadmap to sanctification.
I will help you to relate to our death with Christ.
I will outline the significance of the believer being baptized into Christ.
I will help you understand how a believer is both dead to sin and free from sin.
I will make sure you know the difference between Justification and Sanctification.
I was saved at a young age. I often wondered if it was different than God saving someone at an older age that was deep into sin. I now believe that being saved at the young age of 10 is just as much a trophy of the Glory and Grace of God as is a person that is saved from the very depths of sin and debauchery. It takes just as much grace to save a person and keep them out of those things throughout their lives as it does to bring a person from the depths of sin. Amen.
Let us meditate on being in union with Christ and dying to sin. Relate to “old man vs. new man.” The battle between flesh and spirit. Old nature vs. the new nature. Newness of life.
The Powerhouse of Grace 
Justification
Is an act. It’s a legal declaration whereby God declares a vile sinner to be righteous. It is the means… That removes the guilt and the penalty. Justification works FOR us. It is a one-time act.
Sanctification
This is ongoing work. It is to set us apart for the work of the Lord. It is the End – that removes the power of sin. Sanctification works IN us. It is a progression.
Romans Chapter 6 opens with: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (verses 1 and 2) You see as a believer we have already died. We have been buried with Christ – into His death. Think about this, something or someone that is dead will be unresponsive. You can’t get any less responsive than dead. Trust me on that one. You can do anything you want and that dead thing will not respond. Just like that God “Rekons” a believer to be unresponsive to sin. That’s where we died. Please get a grasp of the believer’s death with Christ. Here is the truth—
Jesus not only died for us… He died as us…Baptizing us into death. Baptism actually means—”To be identified with.”
“How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? We should all be experiencing in our lives the reality and the experience that of our death with Christ to the point where we are unresponsive to sin. In God’s plan sin is to evoke not a glimpse from us.
Lest you think I am perfect and maybe I am throwing stones at you please understand I am a sinner. Sanctification is NOT the irradiation of a sinful nature. It is hopeful that we will sin less with the grace of God. It is not baptism by the spirit that Paul is talking about here.
Four Spiritual Laws: (1 Thess. 4:3) “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication.”
Spiritual Law #1-
“KNOW YE” – That we have been planted with Him in likeness of His Resurrection and that we are dead to sin and freed from sin.
“For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.” (Romans 6:5) The word planted has the meaning of “united together.”
John Phillips in his commentary on Romans stated, “Paul is seeking to convey the remarkable truth that Christ’s death was our death; His burial was our burial; His resurrection was our resurrection. He not only died for me; He died as me! So far as God is concerned, we are already on the resurrection side of the grave and it but remains for us to realize this truth and appropriate it, and victory is assured.”
The Powerhouse of God’s Grace brings me out of my sin and the Powerhouse of God’s Grace keeps me from my sin.
The first command is “Know”- “Know ye” Ye shall know the truth.” (John 8:32)
About the Know Ye- A few things Paul wants us to know:
Know Old Testament History and don’t be ignorant: “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea.” (1 Cor 10:1) If you remember God used the cloud to guide them. As the cloud moved, they would move. Then he used the cloud to shield them and parted the sea. The following of the cloud was Israel living in the will of God and following His guidance.
Know about your Spiritual Gifts and their true operation within the church: “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” (1 Cor. 12:1)
Know all about The Rapture: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” (1 Thess. 4:13) No sorrow because we have hope.
Know about the tactics of Satan: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Cor. 2:11
Know about Israel’s blindness: “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” Romans 11:25 The fullness of the Gentiles refers to the number of Gentiles that will be part of the kingdom of God. Many invited to come in by His Spirit but they did not come so blindness happened in part to Israel. There is walking on earth the one last person that will open the heart to Jesus Christ. The day that happens we (saints) will all be caught up to meet the Lord.
How then? Paul’s Question: “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:2)
If you are Sanctified, you are set apart from the world-to the Lord. But don’t ever think you could not fall. As a human you have weaknesses. Sometimes we forget and the old-nature begins to grow back within us. Then the devil can move in and sanctification get erased. The old man and old nature gets resurrected. That is called a fall from Grace. We have seen it time and time again. Guard your heart my brothers and sisters. Just because you are born again and the old self is dead you cannot just go ahead and live in sin thinking that grace will abound. That is just ridiculous to even consider because if you really died to sin you shouldn’t be living in it any longer. Perish the thought! Our old self is crucified with him… Romans 6:6 but it is not annihilated.
There is a little poem that reads, “When the danger least thou fearest, then the devil’s snare is nearest.”
Watch, my soul and pray; Put thee in array;
For the tempter’s snares are nearest, When the danger least thou fearest:
Such is Satan’s way; Watch my soul and pray.
Come back next time for the other spiritual laws and the conclusion of “The Powerhouse of Grace.”