To the Sanctified

Read 1 Corinthians 1

Acts 18

We are sticking close to the start of this letter in this service.  We won’t venture far from the salutation.

To whom is Paul writing?

It’s to believers whom he might call the church of God or the Saints. Those are some fine titles. Paul also calls his target audience the sanctified—those who had been sanctified.

Sometimes, we get caught up in our church words. Sanctified is a good title. It’s not sanctimonious—holier than thou.

Sanctified is simply growing in grace. We are to develop, struggle, learn, and grow, knowing that God will never abandon us.

The church is composed of those whom God has called out of the world, set apart for his holy purposes, and sent back into the world with a mission. Yes, you are on a mission from God.

For now, let’s focus on the sanctified part. For the believer, everything that we experience is grist for the mill. God will use it in some way for the good.

So, I can see working on patience while I’m stuck in traffic, but illness, injury, and death are a little harder to make the connection.

We are sanctified. That doesn’t mean we have reached our destination. It means our destination is assured, and we are free to be who God made us to be and live this life to the full.

We are sanctified, not indemnified from trouble. We will still have trouble in the world but we are not confined to the sentences imposed by the world. We are growing in God’s grace.

We are growing. We are not who we were before we knew Christ. We are already complete—perfect—in Christ, but we are just not there yet.

Today, I ask—I challenge you—to grow in God’s grace. Live this life fully in a spirit of love. Learn from our Master and put his words into practice.

Take this sanctification business seriously. Jesus is ready for us to truly follow him. That means take his yoke and learn from him. That means put his words into practice. That means to be known as a disciple of Jesus by our love.

What do you get in return?

Typically, you will receive peace and hope. You will know joy and fellowship with other believers. You will live in the blessed assurance that you belong to the Lord.

And one more. You will know growth, growth in God’s grace.

You will know what it’s like to be sanctified.

And when we say sanctified, we mean a work in progress assured of completion.

When we say sanctified, we mean on your journey to holiness, knowing that God will get you to your destination.

When we say sanctified, we mean set apart for God’s purpose and sent back into the world to fulfill that purpose.

What’s the best thing we can do to be sanctified? Take his yoke, learn from him, and put his words into practice.

Amen.