Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:3

"Sanctification is the process by which God actually makes us what He has declared us to be in Christ, righteous." -Paul Tripp

Passages: Galatians 3:2-3; Romans 15:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8; Philippians 2:13

The Holy Spirit's role in sanctification is to shape and form us into the image of Jesus.

"Churchgoers all across the nation say the Holy Spirit has entered them. They claim that God has given them a supernatural ability to follow Christ, put their sin to death, and serve the church. Christians talk about being born again and say that they were dead but now have come to life…Yet when those outside the church see no difference in our lives, they begin to question our integrity, our sanity, or even worse, our God. And can you blame them?" -Franics Chan

1) The Word

Passages: John 17:16-17; Psalm 19:7-10

2) The Church

Passages: Ephesians 4:11-16

"If you take God's change agenda seriously, making his sanctifying work your spiritual life work, then you will be thankful for the gift of the church. There is no such thing as a vibrant, ever-maturing, and ministry-oriented Christian life without the ministry of the local church. For the believer, the church exists because the lifelong process of progressive sanctification exists.

We need to participate in public worship. We need to sing the truths of the gospel not only into our own hearts, but into the ears and hearts of one another. We need the public reading of God's word, always being reminded of its authority, sufficiency, and life-giving wisdom. We need the mutual-ministry fellowship of the body of Christ, constantly being reminded that our walk with God is a community project and that we have been called to live with one another in the fellowship of self-sacrificing love. We need the example, wisdom, rebuke, and encouragement of mature brothers and sisters who understand how to live as children of God in this fallen world. We need the church's call to give sacrificially, to stand for justice and mercy, and to proclaim the gospel of grace so that we learn practically what it looks like to forsake our little kingdom of one and give our lives to the greater work of the kingdom of God. We need the counsel of seasoned and trained Christians to help us deal with the brokenness of sin and suffering that touches all of our lives. We need the faith-strengthening experience of the sacraments, being reminded again and again that our hope rests on the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. No ministry of the church is a luxury, because no member of the church is fully sanctified." -Paul Tripp

3) Hardships

Passages: James 1:2-4

"God is able to bring the very best of things out of the very worst of things." -Paul Tripp

4) Waiting

"In sanctification, God invites you to wait. Your conformity to the likeness of Jesus Christ is a process and not an event. In the magnitude of his wisdom, God knew that this was the very best way. But we must remember that waiting is not just what we have to live with because God chose for our sanctification to be a lifelong process. No, waiting is a vital tool in the process of our growth in God's grace. When it comes to our sanctification, waiting is not about what we get at the end of the wait, but rather about what we become as we wait. In God's hands, waiting is a tool of becoming. It is much, much more than the price we have to pay in order to spiritually mature. Thank God for the wait. He is using it to change you. Waiting, for the believer, never depicts God's absence, his passivity, a lack of care, or his unfaithfulness. Waiting is a sign that you are under the control of intervening grace, because if you had control, you would probably never wait." -Paul Tripp

1) I must yield myself.

Passages: Galatians 5:16-8, 24-25

2) I must position myself.

"God has given us the disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving His grace. The disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that He can transform us." -Richard Foster

3) I must remind myself.

Passages: Philippians 1:6

"It really is true that there would be no such thing as personal sanctification if it were not for the presence, power, and constant work of the Holy Spirit. Be thankful today for the Holy Spirit's presence and power in your life. Be thankful for the redeeming good He brings your way. Be thankful that because He is in you, for you, and with you, you will continue to grow in grace." -Paul Tripp