“God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to leave you like that.”
– Dr. Horace Wood
Proverbs 26:11, 28:13, 29:17, 25:4
“Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.”
“He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.”
“A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.”
“Take away the dross from the silver, and there comes out a vessel for the smith”
Q: Why is sin so addictive? How does complete repentance turn a sin into growth and sanctification (becoming more like Jesus)?
Sin is addictive because it promises us immediate pleasure. Repentance allows us to clearly see Jesus and causes us to humble ourselves and admit that we need Him
Psalms 119:103-104
“How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! For Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.”
Psalm 119:140
“Your word is very pure, therefore Your servant loves it.”
Q: John Wesley once said, “Give me 100 men who love God and nothing else, who hate sin and nothing else, and I will change the world.” How does the love of God’s Word translate into your personal purity through developing a hatred for sin?
It changes our desire for anything that displeases God and replaces that desire for a taste for God’s Word.
Psalms 34:1-2
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice.”
Q: What role does “having a heart that constantly praises God” play in making you more like Jesus?”
When I praise God, I give Him all the Glory and die to myself. Jesus was constantly making sacrifices for others.
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John 17:17 – “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”
Q: How does the truth of God’s Word lead to your sanctification (Christ-likeness) today?
Like a professional athlete trains with other professional athletes, God’s Word helps train us to become like the author of Scripture – GOD.
Paul
Philippians 1:6 – “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.”
Q: What is the Holy Spirit’s role in developing your sanctification?
His role is to be our perfector, which means He helps refine everything in us that is imperfect. The Spirit convicts us of our sin.
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Q: What does it mean to be “crucified with Christ?” How are you currently “dying to your flesh” in tangible ways?
It means that the old me has died (the me that lived in sin) so I can become more like Christ. Example: “I am dying to my desire to watch movies that do not glorify God.”
Peter
1 Peter 2:21-23 – “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”
Q: If sanctification is growth to become more like Jesus, how does adversity produce sanctification?
It exposes our weaknesses and how much we truly need Jesus.
APPLICATION: How do these passages relate to me today? What changes do they bring to my life?
LOCKER ROOM: Is there anything that has been holding you back from sanctification?
