Date: June 23, 2019

Bible Text: 2 Thessalonians 2:13–15 |

Series:

Bible Text: 2 Thessalonians 2:13–15 | Preacher: Todd Dugard | Series: Divine Grace | I recall my mom saying that the words justification, sanctification, and glorification were being freely used at a bible study she attended in her 30’s, and she had no idea what they were talking about. Over the course of the study, she would learn the meanings and grow in her knowledge of all that Christ did for her, what he was doing for her, and what he would do for her.

Two of those words and all three concepts figure in this Sunday’s short passage in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 as we continue our series, Divine Grace. Each of these is an undeserved and unearned gift from our loving and gracious God. And as Paul reminds his readers about these incredible truths that radically alter our lives and our eternal destiny, he also charges them (and us) to respond to God’s loving gifts by leaning in and living out what he has given us in his Word. In these few verses we find both an encouragement to be comforted in tough situations and also an exhortation to hear and obey Christ.

All of this is our sanctification: the process of becoming more and more like Jesus, increasingly set apart from the world and for the Kingdom of God. It starts the moment we are saved or justified and continues until we leave this life, receive our glorified bodies, and live forever in the presence of our God and Father. As we look at this passage, the question will be: Are you being sanctified? Are you growing in holiness? Are you looking more like Jesus with every year that passes? It comes down to more than just knowing the right definitions to the Christian words we use.
Sermon Notes
DIVINE GRACE
In My Sanctification

Pastor Todd Dugard
2 Thessalonians 2:13–15
June 23, 2019

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I am not what I ought to be,
I am not what I want to be,
I am not what I hope to be in another world;
but still I am not what I once used to be,
and by the grace of God I am what I am.

John Newton

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By God’s grace, I am…

…loved and glorified (v. 13a, 14b)

You are loved…
   …by God perfectly
   …by one another imperfectly

Romans 5:8, John 15:13

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…chosen and saved (v. 13b)

Ephesians 2:8–9

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…called and sanctified (v. 13:c, 14a)

My sanctification…
(1) happens only through the gospel
(2) is a cooperative work between me and the Spirit
(3) is a necessary evidence of genuine salvation
(4) addresses the abuse of grace (1 Peter 1:15–16)
(5) is progressive
(6) is an expression of my love for God
(7) is an act of grace on God’s part

(See Pastor Todd’s message from January 2018: Here I Stand On Salvation)

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And so, it’s whatever-God-says in my life (v. 15)