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Sanctification
Part 1 - Mark 11 What Sanctification is Not (Not License)[1]
This spring we’re talking about SANCTIFICATION = how God works to change you, a sinner, and make you more holy in your heart and in your actions.
Last fall we talked about JUSTIFICATION - God forgives your sins and he says you are righteous because of what Jesus did for you in his life and death. Ok, so when God forgives us of our sins, is he done with us? Do we just keep sinning and he just keeps forgiving us?
Or, does God ALSO change us and our bad habits?
And, does God change me or do I change myself?
And, why is change so hard? Is God mad at me because changing is so hard?
These are questions every Christian struggles with in the church. The good news is the Bible tells us that Jesus is with us all of our lives and that by the power of his Holy Spirit he works in us to change us for good. This is called sanctification.
This fall we’re talking about SANCTIFICATION = how God works to change you, a sinner, and make you more holy in your heart and in your actions.
Let’s READ the story of Jesus cursing a fig tree and cleansing the temple in Mark 11.
Jesus gets mad at a fig tree. Then Jesus goes to the Temple and he gets mad at a bunch of people in the temple. And Jesus is mad at both for the same reason. The fig tree looked healthy. And the temple looked healthy too = there were a bunch of people inside. But looks can be deceiving. Jesus says the fig tree is actually bad and can’t bear fruit. And like the fig tree that looks good but is useless so is all the stuff going on in the temple. There may be tons of sacrifices going on in the temple but the people running the temple and selling the sacrifices - they’re actually really bad too, not righteous, not holy because they don’t actually love God or the people trying to worship. They’re just about making money off people trying to worship God.
Can you claim to know God and love God but then live however you want to live?
The people running the temple claim to know God, they claim to be God’s people, they claim to be doing God’s work - but it’s not true. They don’t know God or his salvation, and this means they’re not really God’s people and they’re definitely not doing God’s work in the temple.
When you think of the word “holy”what words come to mind?
Holiness is about loving God and what God loves, loving what is good and right, not loving sin. Holiness is about loving truth, the truth about Jesus and our sin and how Jesus saves us from our sin.
Why is trying to live a holy life harder than living however you want?
Sometimes sin feels fun but holiness means we turn away from sin and that means living a holy life will cost us. Living a holy life can be exhausting!
Sanctification looks like something that might be bad for you, but it’s only good. Y’all ever heard the saying, ‘Looks can be deceiving”? Think food. What’s y’all’s favorite food?
Looks good but bad for you: McDonald’s, candy, ice cream, chips.
Looks bad but good for you: kiwi, avocado, pineapple, fish.
GOSPEL - Sometimes things that look good turn out to be bad. Just because something looks good on the outside doesn’t mean they’re good on the inside. There’s a lot of stuff in life that the world says is good that turns out to be bad. Like, “Live however you want to live.”“Don’t let anyone tell you what to do.”“Look out for number 1.”“You’re good enough just the way you are.”That stuff is bad for you.
Sometimes things that look bad turn out to be the best. Like the gospel. Like Jesus. Jesus may look weak and it may seem like Jesus is not good for anything and if you believe in him and live for him you’re a big weirdo.
But the truth is Jesus could curse and destroy us like he did the fig tree and the temple because we’re not good enough. But he didn’t.
The gospel, the good news about Jesus, is that he was cursed and destroyed for us on the cross in order to save us. And he didn’t stay dead. He was raised and now rules everything from heaven. And he hasn’t left you alone.
He is with you and he is sanctifying you - changing you, little by little. And he is the only power that can save you from everything bad and the only power that can change you for good.
What are some other words for holiness that help us understand it’s a good thing?
Freedom, Wholeness, Restoration, Renewal, Healing, Transformation, Re-creation, New creation, Spiritual Growth
What is something we just learned that we can: 1)praise God for and 2)ask God for?
[1] Kevin DeYoung, The Biggest Story Bible Storybook, Chapter 78, Jesus Cleans House, Mark 11 398-403.