 What is sanctification? There's a lot of talk about it. What does it mean? When does it happen? And so we want to go look up the scriptures but the question is is sanctification or are we sanctified? Are we sanctified in the past? Are we being sanctified or is it that we will be sanctified? Well before we go any further we need to first figure out what the word sanctified or sanctification means. The word sanctification or sanctified comes from the same word where we get the word holy or saints. It means to set apart, to separate, to purify, to cleanse. Another way, kind of a working way that I would always describe it to someone who's just trying to get a good easy understanding is just to be different and I mean in a godly fashion. And so I want to look at a couple passages to show how it's being used, how it shows that one, that we were sanctified in the past. Two, we are being sanctified now and three, we will be sanctified in the future forever. So let's go to the past. Let's go to the first. Let's go to when we see Jesus speaking of it, of his disciples. In John chapter 17, let's start in verse 17. Jesus is praying. Let's start in verse 16. He says, they are not of this world even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. And so in other words he says, sanctify them, cleanse, set them apart by or according to your word in the truth. But now it's not just for them as well. It's also for us as believers. Paul makes the same for us in 1 Corinthians 1 30 says, but by doing you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. So he became to us wisdom. He became to us writers and he became to us sanctification. So it also applies not just to the apostles, to the disciples, but also to us. And so now to get a further clarification, we need to understand what God is trying to do. He wants us according to 1 John 3 2, he says, beloved, now we are children of God and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. So he's saying we are not what we are, but we are going to be something different. He says, we know that when he appears, we that's us believers will be like him because we will see him just as he is. And so in that case, we will be the same. And that's what he says. Verse 3, he says, and everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself as he is pure. And so that goes back to the word that what's going to happen, that we are going to be like him. We're going to become purified. And how does that happen? That happens as the word works in us. That happens as the spirit moves in us. As a matter of fact, let's look at how this sanctification is working right now in us. According to Romans, chapter 6 verse 19, notice what he says is, I'm speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, notice this, resulting in further lawlessness. Now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. So now in the past, we had done things and brought ourselves closer and got involved in things that were ungodly. And what did it do? It resulted in even more lawlessness. But the closer, as the Bible says, and even James says, is that as we draw closer to him, then he'll draw it to us. Notice what he's saying. He says that in doing so, presenting our members as slaves to righteousness, to his word, to his study, to prayer, to praise, to fellowship with him, he says, what does this result in? Resulting in sanctification. And this is kind of an ongoing thing. This is what happens the more that we are in the word, the more that we take in the word, the more the word is, as Osama says, hidden in our hearts that we don't sin against him. Unlike presenting ourselves, our members, to lawlessness and becoming slaves of lawlessness, the contrary is true. Presenting ourselves to righteousness, the things of God we become justified or in the process of being justified. Now, I said before that we're not just in a state of being sanctified, but we will be sanctified. We'll get to that more of that in just a little bit, but we need to understand that this is not just something that just happened as a result of us and our will and our doing, but the sanctification process began long before we were. I said before, we will be sanctified in the future. We'll look at that. And we are being sanctified now. And in the past, we were sanctified, meaning we were set apart before we ever were. How do we know that? Because the Bible tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2.13, among other passages, he says, but we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification. And so he chose us to do what? To be sanctified. So now this whole process of us being in him was a result of him doing so at the very beginning. We've seen similar passages, such as Ephesians 1, verse 3, where he says, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless. Well, that same word, hagyos, is the same word that's used for sanctification. As a matter of fact, let's go back to 2 Thessalonians 13, the same word that's used for through sanctification. Over here on the right, the Greek word in this case is hagyosmu, which is the same word for hagyos. And so if we go back to Ephesians 1, to be holy, here's the same word, hagyos. And so we see that he chose us to be holy, to be sanctified, when, before the foundation of the world. Again, he chose us, him exaloxatide, that's him, he did the choosy. What did he choose? Who did he choose? Us, the direct object to be in him, the indirect object. And so what were we going to be chosen for to be holy? So he chose us, sanctified us, set us apart to be those that he would actually work in us. Now how this actually works, the mechanics of all of this in sanctification, is that it's according to the blood, through the blood, by the blood. So what happens? Jesus sheds his blood, we place our faith in him, and it's that very blood that also works in us in sanctifying us. The Holy Spirit, because of our faith now dwells in us, and works in us, and causes us to walk in his righteousness. Again, the closer we are to him, the more we're in his word, the more the Spirit works in us, then we become more and more like him, less and less like the world. So initially we were sanctified, chosen, set apart to be in him. Ultimately, in the end, we will be just like, and will be set apart from the world. But right now, there are times where we don't look very sanctified. There are times where we don't look very different, or set apart from the world. There are times where we don't look very godly. But somebody referred to this as his progressive sanctification, where he is working in us. And so what has happened is the Spirit is moving in us, just like he tells us it's going to happen. It's going to cause us to walk in his teachings perfectly. No. But even in our failures, what happens is he uses that to bring about other people who are also being sanctified. And I want to go to Hebrews chapter 10, starting in verse eight, speaking of these, the sacrifices that was given, the blood that was shed. Notice what he says in verse eight, after saying above, sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and offerings and sacrifices for sin, you do not desire, nor have taken pleasure in. Look at verse nine, then he said, behold, I have come to your will. He takes away the first in order to stop us a second. By this, we will have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. I once heard someone say that there is no use of the word sanctified in the future. There's no passage that says we will be sanctified in the future. However, this contradicts that. What does it say? By this, we will have been sanctified through the offerings. So now this is looking at the future, noticing what we have been. We have been sanctified of the body by the body of Jesus Christ once for all. For every high priest, every priest ends daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But he having offered one sacrifice for the sin for all time sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until his enemies be made his footstools for his feet. For by one offering, he has perfected for all times those who are sanctified, past tense, those who have been sanctified. Now don't miss what was just said in verse 14. By that one offering, what has he done? He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified, those who are sanctified. That's us. We've been sanctified. This blood offering has perfected us. Now, does it mean that we are perfect now? No, this is a working in us. So he has perfected and the Greek worth issues here is a singular, perfect, active indicative. So now this is a past action that is having ongoing consequences, ongoing ramifications. So this blood that is on us, that has redeemed us is also sanctified and says that it has perfected for all time. What does that mean? Because we are sanctified in the past, we're going, we are sanctified in the beginning. It's our guarantee of being sanctified in the end. That's why Paul can say in Philippians 1-6 that he that's God who began a good work in us, that's the sanctification process. Initially sanctifying us, he began this work in us. He is confident that God will complete it. How so? Because the sanctification process is still ongoing in us through the spirit that is causing us to move closer to him, some better than others, some faster than others, some more visible to others, but still all of us nonetheless are being sanctified. And then ultimately as he says that we will be like him, like who? Like Jesus will be totally set apart, different from the world. So when we look at the sanctification process, what should happen is we can be able to look back and see, yes, I am not where I need to be as we would say sometimes, but I'm not like I used to be. You should notice some growth in you, some desire in you and even more deeper and abiding love for the Lord in you. Why? Because the spirit is working in you. You can, other folks may not be able to tell, but you can tell. Hopefully though, however, it should be evident amongst others. At some point in time, ideally the believer in Christ who has been saved for five years, 10 years, 15, 20 years does not look like the believer that he was on day one or year one. Why? Because as you're being sanctified, as you're being set apart, as you're being cleansed, it should be noticed. Why? Because of what is cleansing you, what you've been sanctified in. You have literally been sanctified in the blood and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is causing people to see something in you. He's moving in you. Why? Because he desires to work in you. Why is that? To bring other people who are also being sanctified. And so it should be identifiable to those who are not sanctified to see you. Why? So that your light can shine, that people can see your good works. That is, the spirit working through you and then do what? As Jesus says, that they will in turn glorify God. So it should be clear that you were sanctified from the beginning. You are being sanctified now, perfectly right now. No, but he treats you as though you're perfect according to Hebrews 10 and then ultimately you will be sanctified forever and will be just like or look like him. That is Jesus. Amen.