It’s the last day of the year. You know what that means – it’s time for people to make New Years…….resolutions.  The number one resolution for 2024 is improved fitness. In a Forbes survey 48% of respondents said this. The rest of the top five resolutions are improved finances, improved mental health, lose weight, and improved diet. In an earlier study of people who set New Year's resolutions only 9% feel they achieved them. I believe this is largely due to a total dependence on our own discipline and efforts.

What if we set a New Year's resolution to become more holy, more Christ-like, to grow closer to God? This is actually called sanctification. It is the Christian journey, not a New Year's resolution. It begins when we become a Christian and it ends when we enter heaven. And we do not “grow it alone”. Our entire salvation from election to glorification is in union with Christ. This is the overarching theme of today's message.

We have three points today from this theme:

1. Salvation begins with Christ
2. Salvation is sustained by Christ
3. Salvation is completed by Christ

We’ll look at a brief overview of these three points, then focus on the second point which involves our sanctification, our walking in newness of life.

1. SALVATION begins with Christ

Before we are saved we are slaves to sin. There is an absence of holiness and we are spiritually dead. Some days are better than others where we do fewer bad things and more good things so to speak, but we cannot progress away from the control of sin.

Then God intervenes: we hear the gospel message of Jesus Christ and God calls us, regenerates us, justifies us, and adopts us. This is our conversion to Christianity. We are saved from the penalty of our sins.

1. Salvation is sustained by Christ

Once we are saved, our Christian life begins. Our growth in Christ-likeness is called sanctification and is an ongoing progress in holiness during life on this earth.  This growth is not all of our doing – we share this journey with God. Ephesians 4:24 says “and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”  From our passage this morning: Romans 6:12 & 13 says “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.”

We are no longer slaves to sin. Do we still sin? Of course. But we need not be controlled by it. Some days are better than others, but ideally it is net forward and upward progress.

Then one day our bodies die. It happens to everyone.

1. SALVATION is COMPLETED by christ

As Christians, when we die physically, our soul is immediately in the presence of God and will be joined with our glorified body at the resurrection. We remain perfectly holy and in the presence of our god forever and ever. I love how Philippians 1:6 captures our three points: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” 

1. Began = conversion
2. Will bring = sanctification
3. Completion = entry into heaven, perfect holiness

 

Our Focus and Application - Sanctification

Since everyone in this room is physically alive – none of us are yet perfectly holy.  Those of us who are Christ followers are being sanctified, growing in holiness. 

If you are here today and do not know Jesus Christ, if you have not accepted his free and gracious gift of salvation, you would currently be in the bottom of this chart. I say “currently” because today you can repent of your sins and accept Christ’s payment on the cross for your sins. In that moment you will be justified and move immediately into the middle area with those of us who are growing in our relationship with God. His Holy Spirit will dwell within you and give you the power to “not let sin reign in your mortal body”.   Please feel free to talk to me or any of our elders, deacons, or staff if you would like to explore this further or have any questions answered.

Practically speaking, for Christians, how do we apply this message to our lives and participate in our sanctification?

The Fruit of the Spirit

Remember, Christ sustains our salvation through the process of sanctification. His Holy Spirit lives within us. I think a great place to start is this:

Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control

Many of you will recognize Galatians 5:22 & 23 as the Fruit of the Spirit. This is a list of some of the attributes of God that should become more and more prominent in our lives.  The Holy Spirit within continues to transform us more and more into the likeness of Christ. 

 

• Love - True, unconditional, selfless love, not just an intermittent feeling.
  
  

• Joy - Not just happiness; which is often temporary and fleeting, and dependent on circumstances. True joy is a spiritual condition and transcends circumstances.
  
  

• Peace - Like joy, true peace does not depend on circumstances. The first verse of one of my favorite hymns says:
      “When peace like a river attendeth my way
      When sorrows like sea billows roll
      Whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say
      It is well, it is well with my soul.”
  
  

• Patience - Trust in God’s timing. Remember Romans 8:28  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
  
  

• Kindness - Be slow to anger, be quick to listen. Follow the Golden Rule in Matthew 7:12  “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
  
  

• Goodness - Goodness in man is not a mere passive quality, but the deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good.  Psalm 23:6 says “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
  
  

• Faithfulness – Show loyalty / allegiance to God. Be consistent in prayer, devotion, reading, study, and fellowship.
  
  

• Gentleness – Interact with humility. Jesus was gentle and lowly among us.
  
  

• Self-control - A favorite verse of mine that gives comfort and assurance regarding avoiding sin is 1 Corinthians 10:13 which says “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”  

 

Practical Application

With the gift of the Holy Spirit to aid in our growth in holiness, we can move onward and upward. The bible is full of specific things to do and not to do – with one notable collection in Deuteronomy chapter 5 that we know as the 10 Suggestions…oh, wait…the 10 Commandments.

Let’s look at some other of the many verses that give us specific actions to grow in holiness. Romans Chapter 12 is chock full – for example, look at verses 9-18:

• Let love be genuine
• Abhor what is evil
• Hold fast to what is good
• Love one another with brotherly affection
• Outdo one another in showing honor
• Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit
• Serve the Lord
• Rejoice in hope
• Be patient in tribulation
• Be constant in prayer
• Contribute to the needs of the saints
• Seek to show hospitality 
• Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them
• Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep
• Live in harmony with one another
• Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly 
• Never be wise in your own sight
• Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all
• If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all

There is more, but we’ll stop there.

Remember, none of these actions are to be taken in an attempt to earn salvation – they are performed in gratitude and to the glory of God because we have been saved.  We do not achieve salvation, we receive salvation. That's the difference between Christianity and any other religion or worldview.

Now, I know in any gathering of believers there may be some folks who are missing out on the fruit of the Spirit because they are not readily participating in their own spiritual growth. For me there was a span where I thought “I’m saved, I’m good to go – I’m just waiting to go to heaven…”  It’s not very fulfilling, it’s certainly not being obedient, and it is an affront to the God who saved you and me from eternal punishment. 

Likewise there may be other believers who are diligently spending time in prayer and in the word, serving in ministries, and more – but they are not experiencing joy and peace because of toxic influences in their life.  People who speak untruths to them and about them cause disbelief that God could really love them. 

To the first group I would say – take your relationship with God seriously. God wants a relationship with his chosen – and he deserves our respect and obedience.  To the second group I would say – surround yourself with fellow believers with whom you can pray, study, and share, and be edified and reminded of God’s deep and unbreakable love for you.

Let’s read again the last 4 verses of our passage that Jessica read this morning: Romans 6:11-14 “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

So in this new year let's walk in newness of life. Is sanctification easy? Is growing in holiness a walk in the park? No. But as my dear friend Robert Jackson says, “If you aren't breaking a sweat, then you aren't working out.” But remember, we have the best personal trainer in the world, the Holy Spirit.

Last night I was talking with a dear friend, Phil Robertson, who's a year or two older than I am and he was reflecting on his own walk with Christ. He said, I look back and see how much I've grown. I don't get as irritated or upset, I don't worry as much, I love reading God's word more than ever and often I weep as I read.  I feel more alive now than I ever have.”

I want to close with a poem by a woman named Linda Ellis, and you may have heard it before, but it is so applicable to our topic of sanctification this morning.  It’s titled The Dash.

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning to the end.

He noted first came the date of the birth and spoke the following date with tears.

But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between the years.

For that dash represents all the time that they spent life on Earth.

And now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash.

What matters is how we live and love, and how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real,

and always try to understand the way other people feel.

Be less quick to anger and show appreciation more,

and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile,

Remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash,

Would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?

Let’s pray.