The Unfailing Pattern of Progressive Sanctification, p.2

All right grab your Bibles.

Let's go to Philippians chapter 1, as we have the second part of the seventh strand of the eight. The unbreakable eight strand cable of sovereign grace. This is been quite a journey for myself as so much to learn so much to grasp in one of my problems has been so much to leave out as we look at the second half of the unfailing pattern of progressive sanctification would sanctification simply means set apart for God every single person that is saved every single person that God saves will experience overall the journey.

Something of a progression of sanctification, you learn more you understand more. You're more sensitive sensitive to seeing you treasure Christ more. You have bought honor for his word. You love the church more these things should be progressing in the truly saved a man's life doesn't mean there's not any falling down at times. But as I said last time a a sheep may fall in the ditch, but it doesn't wallow there. So when all of those that God saves.

He enables them over the long haul to progress in sanctification. Be careful is really, really, what is not really hard. It's impossible to judge this for another you so you came into your Christian experience with these three or four particular weaknesses and struggles another man, another lady had these three, four particular weaknesses and struggles. What somewhat easy for you is hard for them hard for them could be easy for you. So as a person progresses the progressing from where God save them.

So be careful. Don't just chalk up the big five sins of the big four don't chew tobacco don't drink don't smoke no custom whatever whatever those are just not that simple. You may been raised in an environment when none of that happened but a brother may have been raised were all that was already always happening.

I member the deer testimony about a young lady in our church years ago and she said her first childhood memory was sitting on the floor and seeing her parents along with other adults, passed out from intoxication and drugs. That's the life she came out, so she may have struggles that are that are foreign to you but whoever you are and wherever God found you with your ears he will see to it that you have a pattern overall pattern some ups and downs. Yes, but an overall pattern of progress assigned to vacation now.

Our forefathers called this the perseverance of the saints are earliest Baptist evangelical forefathers did not use the phrase eternal security will not sing the never did it just wasn't a common phrase they did not use the phrase once saved always saved. We believe those things. But I do not really speak the truth of what were talking about. It is true. If you want Savior always say it is true that if you want Sadie to have eternal salvation, but the emphasis of the Scripture in our forefathers was, but that is evidenced in a life that goes on for God. There is no such thing in the Bible as praying a simple prayer you've done the deal and I you just live in the world to get 70 or 80. Do you come back in the church because you were saved all along. You're just backslid. That is a foreign concept to biblical Christianity.

So that's why forefathers used the phrase perseverance of the saints, and I use the phrase the unfailing pattern of progressive think they should all mean basically the same thing nine Philippians chapter 1 we have a foundational verse that we been working off of where Paul tells the church at Philippi. In verse six for I am confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. He started the work he's going to continue to work in you and you completed a come to perfection, full maturity when you're glorified. One day in Christ Jesus, that Philippians chapter 2 verse 13 reminds them for it is God who is at work in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

God does the work God is behind it all. Well, certainly there are scriptures which come from a mere artless say a purely human perspective. What we are commanded to commit to strive to labor the work to be disciplined for the Lord say, but in back of all of that the Scriptures require us to give all the credit to God all the way from our justification that happens in a moment in time when you believe through our progressive sanctification through life and onto our glorification in the future not reviewing just for a moment last time we looked at I in this and that was that those who fall away from the faith were never in the faith very important phrases. There they fell away from the faith, because they were one who was never in the faith. Lastly, fall away, I don't mean to have a season of struggle are weakness.

I mean, they abandon just go to the world and act as though front and extended period of time that they don't even know God and don't care about God and be quite honest with you I wasn't raised Southern Baptist. I wasn't raised Baptist. I wasn't raised in church, at least after all, just a little boy and when I became a Christian. Quite honestly Baptist people. The great majority would say to me if you just pray that prayer you're done and I would look at Baptist people and I would see how they lived and how they acted and I'll be honest I was to say yes and to judge Miller times, but I was accurate in assessing that whole lot of these people who claim they prayed the prayer and it's done. Didn't get what I got, something is missing something is is odd and peculiar and that that's what the Scriptures bear out very clearly that those who can fall completely away and live as if they don't even know God or care about the things of God to clear his church in his word and his people.

They must not have ever had true faith. We talked about the that the key insightful passage from Hebrews about how there can be those who are illumined by the Holy Spirit, they could taste the heavenly gift, there's a work of the spirit in the hearts of some that is truly a work of the Holy Spirit, but is short of true conversion. I don't understand all the saints ability say this to the church. Remember the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead.

Don't you say don't you define the work of the spirit of some very tiny simplistic thing this is what he does. This is the only thing he does know he's as complicated as God the father's complicated he isn't as diverse and as dynamic as God the son of God the father are so there's works of the Holy Spirit that are not necessarily conversion and one of the that the best ways to phrase that is there are awakenings of the spirit are not conversions of the spirit and that's why you see some people showing such violated testimonies and and in such a valid confession such a valid appearing walk with the Lord and then they just fall away and I stay away Scripture would tell us that's an awakening but not true conversion because what your truly say there be a pattern of progressive sanctification. We talked about that. There are two basic streams of theological doctrine. Once a false stream once true stream. One is the stream of law and works chiefly in church history championed by the Roman Catholic Church and the others. The stream of of of grace and life are grace and faith.

I should say.

And that's the stream of the Protestant Reformation and the badness of background that we came to the Scriptures and realized we do not find God by achieving certain works performing certain Satcher sacraments are attending. Rather, the sacraments are performing certain rituals that works and law are not the way to God.

Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and those who are truly his stay. He is number two as we continue on this security message.

This message of the unfailing pattern of progressive sanctification. Notice the divine and vital union that cannot be dissolved, how we know were going to be secure. How do we know that once were saved. We will continue on and I will not could not ever lose our salvation. That's because there is a divine and vital union that has happened between you and Christ that can not be dissolved. You didn't get in Chrysler you can't get out. The Bible expresses this in a lot of ways the Bible says we are. He is the vine and we are connected where the branches of vital union Bible speaks of Jesus as the cornerstone but we are the living stone of vital union Bible says he is the foundation says we are the spiritual house, a bottle union between the two bodices he is the head, and we are the body a vital union Bible says he is the groom and we are the bride. All of these express a vital essential uniting or union, but the most from unedited impacting phrase in the New Testament for this union.

That's a mystical union. You can't tangibly say that you can't see it with the eyes are here with ears, or taste it with the tongue is a spiritual union but it's real, and that is the phrase in Christ is one of the apostle Paul's most favorite phrases.

We are in Christ, we are in the sphere if you will of Jesus Christ.

So what he has.

We have the way the bottom of the father. DCM is the way the father views us. You're not saved by somehow connecting to Christ your site because you are in Christ.

Many many many phrases out a smidgen. I think for them. Here in Romans 324 we have redemption in Christ. He redeemed us because we are one of those who are in Christ I think is very important to keep in your mind that this is written from a godly perspective that is an eternal perspective. Jesus died for you and you were in him before he died, and when he died. You are in him as he died… You gotta be careful not go too far with this to some mystical image that you can't really comprehend, but the point is, is a vital union that takes care of all that is necessary for our salvation in Romans 611 the bodices we were made alive to God in Christ. How did you become aware that there is a God to be known in worship and in further than that. This kindling of love and adoration and and and passion for God in the things of God begins in your life is because you're one who's in Christ we have the aroma 633. The free gift of eternal life in Christ. This union that cannot be dissolved.

Romans 811.

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ were worthy of condemnation based on our marriage we ought to receive condemnation, but no, not for those who are in Christ. This absolutely in dissolvable union. We have been him now.

This phrase of being in Christ reaches beyond anything we know in any human relationship you know what the Bible says when when a man and a woman become husband and why there's a special union that forms as a I completion that enables us to picture the gospel and as man and wife, husband and wife we became a message of God in a way that we can't, in singleness, at least not in the full aspect of what God wants to show. I don't mean if you're single, you're somehow incomplete.

God gives me like apostle Paul to get the signals for service but for the majority of us, he shows himself to the completion of husband and wife together in a union.

Pastors and and church members have a union. As such, a physician has a union our relationship with patient to allow your client have their relationship but it's interesting.

None of these. This is said to be in the other one already, however, connected to crisis the phrase use that we are in someone we are in Christ. That means it's a more intimate union now.

Our faith can be viewed as the umbilical cord if you will to Christ and the vitality of the union is faith.

But let's remind ourselves a fresh. It is not your faith that saves you.

It is Christ that saves you is your age you examine your sales as the Bible says to make sure you're in the faith, make sure you don't examine face so much. This examine Christ. No, look at your faith.

You looked at him with your faith. You look to Jesus, be absorbed with them, be enamored with him, befallen him. That's where your security comes from. It is not our faith that saves us know that be the conduit. It is Christ that saves us visions 289 reminds us, for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, lest any man should boast. Not totally and absolutely emphatically convinced that it means that even your faith is the gift of God because you're one of those who are in Christ.

Listen to Luke 2232 but I have prayed for you Jesus saying here that your faith may not fail. And when you once have turned again, strengthen your brothers that we know Peter did fail with Peter did fall but he did not fall off entirely so. He says he I pray that your faith not fail. What he means his entire failure I complete falling away.

That can't happen because we have this divine union not in your walk with Christ. The great majority of us are going to have some troubled seasons of faith some difficult days in our faith. You may have some real conflicts between your faith and with unbelief like Peter did remember Peter of the leader of the 12 apostles who denied the Lord three times by the Lord was praying for him. This faith wouldn't fail entirely.

He struggled but he did not fail completely. There was never a total and final failure of faith because the vital union of Christ with his children can not be dissolved. That gives us great security again in John 1027 through 29 Jesus said my seat hear my voice. Notice the union there. My sheep and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life, I give eternal life to them and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.

My father whose give them to me, is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the father, St. one with the father, my children, one with me.

The father's one with all of us. There is a vital union between us all.

John 14 verse 19. After little while the world will no longer see me but you will see me because I live you will live. Here's the point. As long as there's life in the head. There's life in the body. That's what he saying I'm not going to die. Not going to be crucified on the cross but I will live on and as long as I hear in me. So you have eternal life can't be dissolved. Our union is is forever infallible securities. What one theologian called in fallible security of the believer in Jesus Christ.

John 14 verse 20 in that day.

That's the day after he's gone.

The spirit comes in he comes to us in the person of the Holy Spirit. He said you will know that I am in my father and you and me and I in you again the emphasis on this indissoluble union with Christ.

That's all the ways we know were secure this vital union that we have Jesus Christ to look.

There's not some trick is not some formula.

There's not some mantra you got a chance. There's not some motion. You go through to get in Christ you just repent and believe in your one of those who is in Jesus Christ. III building on this enduring work of progressive set sanctification that is that once were saved. We will continue on being saved will ultimately be glorified with the Lord there is a divine see all that cannot be removed. Since the Bible says we got we got take this little bit further course, the divine seal that cannot be removed from us is the work of the Holy Spirit all converted children of God to listen all not just something that special experience. All truly say children of God have experience this great work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. It is a radical and revolutionary work. Now there's a lot of terms that are used for this one thing. Sometimes it's called the new birth. Sometimes it's called being quickened. Sometimes it's called being born again. Sometimes the Bible calls us a new creation. Whatever the by the Bible uses various terminology, but it means the spirit comes in and is a special work by which you are converted and that very presence of the spirit is the divine. See all that you are authentically God's. All of these are the seal of the work of the Spirit two parts to it that the work of the spirit comes in and converts you to faith and in the work of the spirit continues on with you and both of those in Compass if you will, the ceiling of the Holy Spirit in your heart and in your life. Ephesians 430 reminds us, do not grieve the Holy Spirit of promise, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

What were you sealed for you were sealed unto the day of redemption. It means the day of the final and full redemption. The final and full of realization of who you are meant to become. That is perfected with Christ glorified with him in the eternal state. So this all powerful divine seal is set upon us unto the day of redemption so so first of all there's a vital union that tongue cannot be dissolved.

Nobody's will get through Jean your union with Jesus and Jesus union and you and then he said also Holy Spirit has put a divine seal of authentication and security on you as God's authentic child, and God's authentic property. Second Corinthians 122 he who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

Nice talk about how as we live out our Christian's life life. We are aware that we are one who has the spirit seal because of the work of the Spirit in our daily lives continually reminds us and affirms to us that we are one of God's seal of authentication is there is is it's given to us as a pledgee of that word pledge means a major earnest money.

The down payment of what you're all going to ultimately become has Artie been given to you by the reckless spirit of God is already at work in your heart. You're not perfect and are glorified yet but he's there working and that is the seal.

The evidence that your truly his, John 16, six and seven because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart but I tell you the truth it is to your advantage that I go away. FIFO do not go away the helper that the Holy Spirit shall not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to that sending of the Holy Spirit to us. So the picture in our minds, especially from this day in which this was written, this picture had become to the mind of the first century Christians as they were thinking on and learning of what does it mean that we have the seal of the Holy Spirit. It meant the same thing that would happen in that day when a king would take his signet ring and he would press the emblem of his rating on any item amended to do that was adopted of wax, and he would press that signet ring on something and that spoke to everyone. If you see that see all you know that belonged to the king, you better not mess with or if I Harold came to your community, and he unrolled the scroll and had the seal of the King on it with his signet ring impression upon that's Doppler wax on that scroll. When he opened that scroll you better do what the that that the Herald says because this came from the king. It is authentic and that's what you and I are we at the Holy Spirit of God working in our lives, convicting us of sin, convincing us of the glories and the beauties of the wonders and the security of Jesus Christ convincing us that what this Bible teaches is truth convincing us to his local church is where to put our energies and serve him, all these things are the spirits working with the word of God and continually bearing upon our souls. New God's authentic child. This the ceiling of the spirit is not some experience though their experiences along the way is that continual convicting, prompting, confirming, illuminating work of the spirit, especially as your under the word of God in the Hindu religion.

They have what they call the been the bendy's that red dot that you see on a Hindu subordinates.

Like in all religions.

This evolved over the years to have a lot of meetings but originally the Hindus put the bendy not spot red spot on their forehead to identify with the blood sacrifice that they gave to please their meeting Hindu God's help. The Bible says is the blood of Jesus Christ, which has embarked our souls with a redeeming adopting the finished work of Christ on our behalf.

That's the mark we look for the indwelling presence, prompting, leading, convicting, guiding, confirming work of the Holy Spirit, primarily when were under the word of God that he says this is going to keep on this ceiling. The security if you will reminder every time I preach to you and the word of God convicts you the word of God, convinces you something and something inside of you says yes and amen. I was thinking wrong there. I think I'll agree with the Bible.

Now, my conclusion was not accurate there.

I think I'll go to the Bible and left my attitudes been so real that I repent of that.

Well, that's the spirit giving you the continual affirmation your God's authentic child. That's the ceiling of the spirit. You know I coined a phrase I've never seen it before. Maybe other people abused it but I call it the amen of the Holy Spirit.

The amen of the Holy Spirit, the conviction of sin.

That's the spirit saying amen your God's that's why you're convicted about so many people kindly for years Pastor I'm on so trouble this is happened in my life and have these attitudes of five. If you point I'm so convicted about a solo.

Well, I must not be a child of God and others laughed and said no, that means you are a child of God.

That's the seal of the Holy Spirit you can get by, was seen anymore. That's proof of the authentication the convincing that the Scriptures are writing everywhere your thinking is an outline of the Scriptures than the Scriptures writing God's right and you're wrong that convincing is the amen of the spirit saying your God's authentic child.

God has suppressed his ring upon you authentically his settled conviction in your heart that I bring nothing to Christ offer nothing to him. I can merit nothing before him, I come bankrupt and I trust him and I just believe that's enough that can settled conviction is the spirit spirit gives you that not another of the flesh and go to give you that know the flesh is going to the flesh will get you focused on rituals. The flesh shall get you focused on sacraments, the flesh is go get you focused on you doing good works, and a thousand other things you can do to try to make your self feel better and by the wife just in the flesh, you will feel better if you jump through some hoops you will feel better if you do it.

The priest says you better if you clean up your life ethically, but that is not eternal salvation. Benchmarks of the law that only further condemns you before God. Salvation is by grace through faith, and those have been saved had the authenticating seal of the spirit, and his work in their hearts and live my friend. It's a seal that cannot be removed. I tell you what you just got there and you try to remove it got there and you just know… I don't mean this just run out there and you just get as far away from God. As you can get.

You see what happens to you, Holy Spirit starts screaming to you will start calling out to you, you'll start unsettling your soul. That's the authenticating affirming work that you are God's child in that you can never be lost as it can never be removed. Jesus is the king and King Jesus sent his divine seal.

His Holy Spirit to authenticate that we are his work and that we are his property and nobody messes with that that King Jesus has authenticated her hips. IV. Another reason we know were secure can't lose our salvation we going to continue on in a pattern, progressive sanctification is because of the divine decree that cannot be thwarted.

There something in back of all of the salvation that comes from the Almighty, all-knowing, all wise, all powerful God and that is a divine decree that your hips see once you get into a state of acceptance before God. You continue in that state of acceptance all the way through life and all the way into eternity that you were transferred at conversion from a state of spiritual death to a state of grace and life. Nonetheless, you should bring you in the state of spiritual death at conversion you got into a new state of grace and life that when you die you be transferred from grace to glory. You go from the state of spiritual death to the state of grace to a state of glory. But you will always continue on because God's decreed it to be so now there are those who fall away and those who fall headlong if you will, and they seem to wander away and enjoy CNN and of rebellion against God. They had no full root in them. As I said before, the faith that was faulty at the finish are riveted are the was not faithful to the finish was faulty. At first that's always been the case. Dr. Rogers you say that all the time. Elements question can a Christian fall away from the state of grace.

Yes it God gave up on if God were not faithful to his own decree he could. But God would not do that.

First Peter 15 viruses in first Peter 15 that we are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time protected by the power of God. God decreed it so Jude 11 you the bondservant of Jesus Christ and brother James, to those who are the called, beloved in God the father and kept for Jesus Christ, the beautiful picture they are special when you you you investigate the balance of systematic theological truth is that God has given you to Jesus as a precious gift. That's why you're saved and so the text here says you're capped by the power of God so that Jesus gets his full gift.

His full reward you Carstensen your security is to the benefit of God's purposes in God's decree did you hear that you being saved in continuing on in your salvation you making it all away from from conversion to glorification is God fulfilling his neck free God's decrees cannot be thwarted in any way shape or fashion so our pattern is always progressive sanctification.

It's a perseverance because our progressive sanctification is the servant of the decrees of God. They didn't come from man. These came from God they originated in him.

This is the purpose of God. He chose us in him. That's his decree before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love chose us in him before the foundation were that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. That's his decree. It cannot be thwarted cannot be changed. The determinate counsel of the Godhead ordained this very purpose in our progressive signification fulfills that purpose. Now, in one sense the divine purpose is him choosing and predestinated us that we would one day be holy and blameless before him in love. The decree also includes the divine execution of salvation that is Jesus atoning work in redemption. The Spirit's work of regeneration under the preaching of the gospel us believing and repenting of sin and continuing on to and can do it on and cite the case of all that is the divine decree of God. It didn't just happen is not just the contract thrown out there is not just an opportunity cast forth.

It's a decree from God himself. So the divine decree necessitates the execution of God, both saving and keeping all the way to glorification his children now in Galatians 615. The Bible speaks of us being the new creation. There's the own creation. The old Adam when God created the heavens and the earth, let there be light. The birds fly the skies is divide the waters and create dryland that was God's decree of the net first creation and think about it. Could it be possible that God decreed the first creation, and it failed could be possible. The government say, let there be light and there would not be liked could be possible that God said, let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and there be no expanse in the midst of the waters could be possible that God said, let dryland appear no dryland would appear. Could it be possible for garbage acrylic the earth sprout is vegetation and there be no sprouting of vegetation could be possible that God said that there be lights in the expanse of the heavens and there be no lights in the expanse of the heaven. Could it be possible that when God decreed that the waters teem with swarms of living creatures that there'd be no swarming teams of living creatures in the waters.

Could it be possible that when God decreed that the birds fly above the earth that there be no birds flying above the earth. Could it be possible seven. God said, let us make man in our own image. That man was not created in the image of God, unthinkable brothers and sisters. Likewise with the same weight and validity. God decreed the new creation, God decreed that I and those whom I for no and those whom I predestined. I will also call and when I called them I would justify them justified and will sanctify the mescaline world today and ultimately I will glorify them is the decree of my new creation can be sorted through to you hearing this this morning. Are you grasping this I listen to me listen to me. Whatever we were taught about will if you did this goodness I'm not saying there's not a responsibility of men to repent and believe in the balance of biblical truth.

That's 1/1000 and rest of your securities. All of this, including that God's decree before know you to predestined you to call you to justify your scientific value, and it often glorify you. 10.

Not the thwarted infallible security what security we have in Christ Jesus. V is our last one divine pleasures that cannot be different denied. In other words, God likes to feel pleasure God likes to have enjoyment and there some things that give him enjoyment that each is not will be denied the absolutely is not going to be the lot denied the Isaiah 53 tends a great insight here, God the father speaking of God the son says, but the Lord was pleased to crush him.

God the father was pleased to crush Jesus and notice the word pleased. There not that old Hebrew word can be translated as delighted God was delighted to Christ Jesus. While putting in the grief he would render himself as a guilt offering, he will see his offspring, he will prolong his days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

Here's what he saying he saying hi get great pleasure at seeing my plans unfold. I get great pleasure in seeing my decrees and my purposes the same for myself a people through the work of my son but I'm just delighted that he would do what's necessary that we can fulfill our purpose in our plan to say for assistance over all time that will share all eternity with us. Hello if you and I could lose our salvation somehow those were truly cited. Somehow we could fall away and lose our salvation. That would be a triple robbery of God's pleasure. A triple robbery of God's pleasure. Number one, it would rob Jesus of his reward. His reward is if I go do it.

The father sent me to do. I have all these children happen to share eternity with out purchase them on the cross and will be mine forever.

You can lose your salvation than your robbing Jesus of that of getting his reward. Your robbing from God the father, the joy of his work. It was his plan, his wisdom that laid out this work to be performed and you be robbing God the father and God the son of the deep joy of fellow shipping with their children for all eternity bounces in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 14. Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession and notice the wording, there gotchas on redeeming what's my own possession. The did you hear that I came to bring about the salvation of those who were my own presented the preciousness that an aspect of pleasure in this is mine and it's for my purposes and therefore, my glory and I'm going to redeem them and then Titus 214. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself as the pleasure aspect.

These are from me there for my enjoyment. Listen to make sense out of God, you are secure because God wants the plan is your typing you just purchased.

Redeem trophy with him for all eternity.

God's divine pleasure must be fulfill if he could if he lost you he would lose some of his own pleasure.

They can't lose anything because he is God is a God receives pleasure. Think both in the saving of his people gives him great pleasure to see his his son going to the cross in rendering the redemption of the children gives him brought great pleasure in the spirit going out coupling with the preaching of the word, to bring them in time and space history to repentance and faith gives him great pleasure and using the Holy Spirit and local church congregations under the preaching the word of God to continually sanctify them that they have an unfailing pattern. The same schedule were told about that this morning against him great pleasure bring them already bore because God has great pleasure in the saving of his people. He's got will be denied that pleasure is not going to, but also he takes great pleasure in his saved people. He takes great pleasure in the wisdom, the power and the beauty of his salvation plan for them. He takes pleasure in them themselves. God has great joy in you because you are the product of his sons work.

That's why you can't lose your salvation because God's pleasure on the line. John 639 and this is the will of him who sent me that all he's given me. I lose nothing but raise it up on the last day. The unfailing pattern of progressive sanctification is so sure so certain so settled in the power and in the mind and in the mind of Almighty God