1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (Pastor Jeff Shipley)

Now I want you to pay attention. It wasn't anything in Israel wasn't the third their military size.

I hope today that you're not a church Christian. I hope today you have a reality of what it is Truly to be saved to be converted and to know what the peace of God that passes all understanding. Today's sermon we're going to be in first Thessalonians Chapter 4.

Consecration and the Call to Be Set Apart

First Thessalonians chapter 4 and We're going to be talking about consecration. Consecration. I screw this up every week. Make it work, or I'm going to blow it up. All right, y 'all figure it out all right.

Ashley I saw Steven in here. Where's Ashley. There's a hat you're so cute. Hey, baby. How long have you been married? I'm sorry. How long have you been disappointed now? That's my girl. October is that when you got has it really been since October.

God Wow. Wow all the time. You know Ashley I got a I married Ashley and Steven. I didn't realize it's been that long ago in October and actually I got to say you were a beautiful Stunning bride. You really were you were absolutely beautiful.

Steven. I'm glad you were there, but Ashley. You what were you wearing that day a wedding dress now. Have you ever worn a dress before that. Yeah, you've worn dress, so you've probably worn multiple dresses.

Yeah, yeah, have you ever worn a wedding dress before? So you've worn dresses, but that particular one Was separated and it was used for a specific service. Do you plan on wearing a wedding dress again one day?

Guys. Sanctification. You know a lot of people are sitting in church, and you pray nasty's Christ heart Lord and Savior. A lot of you have sat in the church, and you're sitting in a building and you're thinking that it's going to somehow sanctify you.

You say well pastor. I'm not really even sure what sanctification is. Obviously your life shows that. But in reality what we don't understand is we're not called to be saved. We are called to be Separated come out from among them and be ye Separate sayeth the Lord.

Let me ask you a question. You can mark the reality and the maturity of your Christian life. Not by what you do only, but what you don't do you can mark it by the separation gap That you have between You and the world.

How much do you look at talk smell and walk like the world. Is there any difference in you? Is there people when they see you when at your jobs do people go man? There's something just off about him. There's something weird about him.

There's something I don't know. He's a holy roller. He's a religious nut or something like that if that's what they say about you a man, right? Because you have separated Yourself so much from the culture there is something marked different about you before you even open your mouth, right?

God Sanctifies Completely

First Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 23 and 24. It says this now may the God of peace himself Sanctify you Completely and may your whole spirit soul and body Be kept. Oh, I love this part. Blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it. First of all, I want you to understand something about sanctification. It is this is where God calls you to be separate from your sin from the world and the destiny Christian of the world.

My destiny is separate. We are taking a wire road me and this culture that lives not just here in Bartlett. Not just here in America, but the entire world. I've taken the off-ramp. Jesus Christ put me on a completely different path and the path of this destiny is not Destruction, but I want to tell you something.

God himself is the one who did it. Jeff Shipley was Incapable of sanctifying myself. Now you say well pastor, what's that mean? How many of y 'all struggle with a private secret sin? Okay, the other half of you are liars.

Okay, look right here. The first thing you need to do is quit lying to yourself and everybody else for confessing your faults one to another that you may be. So if you want to keep playing church in 30 years now still be sitting in a church and still be in the first grade Christianity keep it to yourself.

If not get you a little bit of what I like to call a backbone confess your fault to a brother if you're a brother and to a sister if you're a sister and get someone to get all up in Your business kicking your butt getting ready for the coming of the Lord, but understand this that first and foremost of all Separating yourself.

It's going to take God if you keep thinking that you're going to overcome that sin because you just had a nice little Spiritual feeling while they were singing up here or you're just mesmerized with a majestic interlude of peace.

Because you hear my voice, of course. That's going to last as long as you're in this room. Tell me I'm lying. How many times have you prayed the prayer? Dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. How many times are you going to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result?

You see what needs to happen is a complete separation. Well pastor. I've tried that's the problem. You're trying. You're trying. You're not having faith in the finishing work of God himself. There is no question in Scripture who does the sanctifying.

Well pastor now, I'm confused. I know you're from Mississippi. Hang on you see your salvation your justification and your sanctification and your glorification is initiated and Completed by God Almighty, you know why?

Because if I want something right, I got to do it myself. I mean, let's be honest. Have you ever that phrase ever gone through your head? Moms moms. Kids go clean up your room. You come in there there's like toys moved but none of it put up.

Now personally as a father from one parent to another you need to tune up that rear end, but Most of the time here's what happened. You just end up doing it yourself because you have a vision and you know what's right.

Do you really think God saved you gave you the gift of salvation and said good luck. Skippy. I hope you make it. Because heaven would be empty and hell would be full. Guys God himself is the one that does it and look what it says now made a god of peace himself sanctify you once.

I'd always Perseverance of the Saints assurance of believer. All that other stuff that you try to memorize instead of actually memorizing God's Word. I am sanctified completely. What's that mean pastor?

It means this though. Well, I am faithless in the justification of God. God is faithful in my sanctification. It means this you will Bow to the will of God. Or he will continue to tap tap. Let me do some gentle parenting.

He will tap tap not spank tap tap. One of that sissy crap is the day He's gonna keep tap tapping you or for some of you more stubborn individuals. He just gonna take you home. Just gonna take you home.

That's he done lights. Come on you go out you're coming home. God will Continually work in your life if you feel like God's done with you and you and God are this far apart. That is in your mind. That is not in the Word of God.

Okay, God will do it. Completely notice what it says it says and here's here's a big key for some of us and may your whole spirit soul and body. What is that called theologically? Try caught me. I love my church.

Trichotomy we remember God said let us in Genesis chapter 3 He said let us go down and make man in our own image. God said from the word go a plurality of pronouns God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit.

We are a reflection of that try you nature in our trichotomy. I have a mind. I have a body smoking, right? I have a Spirit right. I have a spirit now. Here's what most of us don't comprehend in the Reading of that text may your whole spirit soul and body.

You know, what's amazing about this is Notice where the body is. Sorry. I forgot to flip the page notice where the body is. It is last but most of our efforts in our life now. Focused on our physical nature.

We are so in mesh in Stupid carpet and this what this does this look good on me. Do I look fat in this? Good answer none. Guys, we are so focused. We put the least important thing is the most important thing and put the most important thing in the least important spot.

You want to know what the sanctification of God is? Understand that he is trying to sanctify your soul before anything else. He is pulling you and he is urging you to come and to interact with him. Look at this next thing.

He is God himself who is faithful. Hmm. Have you ever wondered what it's gonna be like when you die? If you don't wait till you're about 55 and done way too many drugs and been hit in the head too many times and have a Pain in the back of your head and going.

Oh god, it's a tumor I'm fixing to die and you will immediately start obsessing about the reality of mortality. Okay, Matt. Can I get an amen, right? Bill oh my god bill stays in that day. Yeah, I mean bills like dust.

Guys, I know that wasn't nice. I'm sorry Guys I Sit and I worry sometimes. But here's what my mind does the flesh side of me sits there and says when I stand before God. I Immediately start thinking of well, I don't do that anymore.

Or I have done this I've done this good. I Immediately revert back to a religious understanding of what it takes to get to heaven. Does anyone else do that? Or is that just me? Okay. Good. Good. Good.

Good. I thought it need therapy. Notice where you are in these verses. Is there any action of you in these verses? Or are you the recipient or the object of everything that God is already doing? I love it where it says there it says he is He who calls you is Faithful.

Absolutely faithful. I think about the guy on the cross. I mean have y 'all thought about him? I Know I've preached this before but it's so perfect here. There were Three guys and I know church has taught you that there was a good sinner and a bad sinner.

That is not true. If you read the Gospels, Jesus is hanging on the cross and both of them are like punk. You know, where you at man? Get yourself down get us down too, and they're both making fun of them.

But one of them their heart changed when Jesus said this father Forgive them for they know not what they do and that other thief on the cross all of a sudden went. Man, there's something different about this dude.

It wasn't the miracles it was the love that changed his mind. And he sits there and says Lord with all the humility. Says Lord now remember you want to know about faith? There wasn't no smoke machines and fancy sermons and music.

Right. He saw his God dying and he chose to believe. He said Lord. Remember me when you come into your kingdom not if but when you come. What Jesus say? Truly truly. I'm men. I'm men. Truly truly I say to you that today you will be with me in paradise.

And then if you read the Greek it says immediately. The Roman soldiers came and took that man off the cross. They baptized him took an offering in which he gave money joined the local First Baptist Church and enrolled in a Sunday school program and Walked down the aisle and asked Jesus and it.

Can you imagine that day to get into heaven? I mean think about it for a second. That guy gets in heaven and if there is something there, why are you here? What church do you belong to? What's your view on this theological subject.

Do you understand. Vicarious substitutionary atonement. How much money did you give? Right. How many gold stars do you have on your Sunday school report or for some of you old bats in here? How many times were you offended?

By someone wearing a hat or something inappropriate because that's holiness to note sarcasm. You know what Dave said the guy next to me said I could be here. You see he is faithful that day. Nothing else had to transpire except the acceptance of that person by faith.

For the atoning death of Jesus Christ. You know what sanctification is it's coming to a point where you realize you have nothing and are hopeless without Christ. Number two. Sanctification is this it is without faith.

Faith That Pleases God

Nothing, but theology look with me if you will in the Hebrews 11 6 and I wrote it up here on the screen for you. Hebrews 11 6 says this but without faith is impossible to please him. How many of us spend our lives trying to do?

XY and Z to please God when God says the only thing you need is to have faith. Well pastor, how do you have faith? It's real easy. You'll know it when you're obeying God's Word because you can't have obedience without faith.

And you can't have faith without obedience. That's what James says faith without works is so here. Faith looks like this number one it commits. When Paul wrote this you have to understand this was about 4950 AD.

This is probably the first letter that we have that Paul wrote. You have to understand that this is only about 16 to 17 years after Jesus ascended. That's it. I Always laugh when I hear atheists say well, those are all late letters in the 300.

No dummy this was written there are things that are mentioned in here that a historical time stamps. We know at this time the Roman Emperor Claudius was dispelling Christians out of Rome. We know that we know that in that diaspora some of those traveled to Thessalonica and Ephesus and Jerusalem, but when they got there because they've been expelled by the Roman Emperor.

They were all kind of like oh man, don't touch them don't mess with them. They're nasty and so they were persecuted there. Paul sits there and he tells them they're under affliction. But you see these folks had something in common.

They committed to something other than just believing. Here's why some of you are going to go to hell when you die. Here's here's why and it's not because. You smoked a cigarette or you burned a fatty for Jesus or whatever you did.

Okay, that's not what you're gonna go to hell. It's not because you didn't believe the way I believe or it's not me. It's not because of any of that. It's because you did not foot put faith in the only thing that'll get you to heaven and that's Jesus Christ.

Oh, but pastor I believe. Answer me this question. Do you understand what faith really is? Do you understand what faith really looks like? Have you ever done that trick where someone will stand up here and I say fall backwards and they just fall.

You ever seen that? Yeah, trust fall, you know, what kind of trust person I am. I'll do it as long as I can pick the six guys. They're gonna catch me, right? Cuz I ain't gonna have sunshine and bubbles over here doing it because I know what will happen.

Entropy. Oh by my broken neck, right? Right, but you put already in some other, you know hefty dudes up here I'll fall with God. You just fall and if it means your death fall anyways. How committed are you?

Are you hedging your bets? Do you really some of you guys are so wigged out about the government? Why? Well, they've come and gone for 6 ,000 years. Where are the great temples of Greece? Their tourist attractions.

Where is the mighty throne room of the Roman Caesar? It's in dust. Where are the great powers of the earth? For they have faded for God's Word says look into me for I am God and there is no other. Do you want that sanctifying faith you've got to commit and then this last one is this you've got to rest man.

Some of you folks your spiritual lives are so dry. Because you're constantly vacillating between I'm a good Christian or bad Christian this week and you just vacillate. Some of y 'all hear God's Word and you hear you're manipulating Mommy's guilt tripping you into doing something.

That's not how it works. Relax. What's it mean to rest in God? It means this. Yeah, I'm working. Yeah, I'm messing. Yeah, I'm repenting but at the end of the day, I ain't worried where I'm gonna end up.

Someone could point a gun at my head right now, and I don't want to die. I don't. I want to see my grandkids grow up. Right. I want to marry some of these kids that are here today. That's one of my dreams.

I want to marry them. You know, I want to see little Ava walk down the aisle, right? But even if I died before I finished this next sentence, I 100 know where I'm going to be. Because I don't base it anymore on what I've done or haven't done.

I base it on the faithfulness of God to sanctify me completely last thing and I'm done. What does sanctifying faith look like. Turn back to 1st Thessalonians chapter 1. Turn back to 1st Thessalonians chapter 1.

Oops, I Screwed it up again somehow. So y 'all fix it back there. What does sanctifying faith look like? First of all, I want all of you in here to look at me real quick. Just look at me and the sermons almost over.

Okay? Now some of you in here you think you're a Christian because you asked Jesus into your heart. That's found nowhere in Scripture. Some of you think you're a Christian and I'm looking at some of my seniors you think you're a Christian because you're a good moral person and You asked Jesus in your heart 40 years ago, and you hate everything that didn't a white Anglo-Saxon 1950s mentality.

That ain't gonna work for you either, okay. Some of you know that you're a Christian because you have a daily interaction with Christ. But there's a lot of people in here that don't know. You don't have the confidence.

I just talked about I Need a litmus test pastor. Well, I'm about to give you one. What does? Sanctifying faith look like well, it's real cool. We're actually read our opening text was the final prayer of Paul to a people.

He just defined had sanctifying faith. And if you look I'm going to give you five examples of what sanctifying faith looks like. Chapter 1 verse 3 Paul says this remembering before our God and father that is a really cool Sovereignty verse there and a try you nature verse, but anyways your work of faith and labor of love.

Do you know what sanctifying faith looks like? It don't look like sitting in an air-conditioning room with a Bible in your lap going Amen, and then nothing changes when you walk out the door. That looks like church religious crap.

Okay, that's the same faith the Pharisees had in Jesus said how will you escape the damnation of hell? It's not you believing in a church. I grew up Catholic. Yeah, that didn't do nothing for me. My wife grew up Baptist didn't do nothing for her.

It's not religion. Faith is this it is a faith that works. You need to exercise that faith Church if you have sanctifying faith. You're gonna love your brothers and sisters in Christ. You're gonna look at this group of people right here and go.

I love these people so much. You know, and it's not just the cute fat babies like DJ or Artie. It's it's. He's cute. Come on. It's you just look at him and your heart is different and you want to serve them.

Sanctifying Faith Under Persecution

Second thing you push through persecution. Chapter 1 verse 6 says this and you became Imitators of us and of the Lord for you received the word in much affliction. I won't do too much on this. But can I say one thing?

I'm proud of Witten about. We have gotten rid of most of the whiners. We are very blessed we've gotten rid of most the whiners. In other words. You know the lights could be out the floor could be flooded.

People like I guess we're canceling church wouldn't be like no. We're not we're gonna meet in the parking lot. All right, I guarantee our pastors ain't canceling. Okay, we gonna figure it out. I don't have to worry and call MLG and W.

I got enough rednecks around here. We would make a generator, right? Guys. You work through persecution. And some of you listen, I know you've been wounded and I know you've been hurt in churches in the past.

It's time to toughen up just a little bit buttercup. Okay, how long are you gonna use that as an excuse for your own laziness? Because that's what it boils down to no pastor. You don't really understand.

Okay, I'll do this. I want you to take a moment. Picture Jesus Christ gritting his teeth as a lash ripped the flesh from his back. And I want you to compare what you went through. Okay so You tell me and if you still need counseling for that call carry.

Verse 7. Here's what sanctifying faith looks like. You're an example verse 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Archaea. Are you an example? Now you might be an example of stupid, but what I'm asking you specifically.

Are you an example of what a Christian should look like? Are you as I said in the beginning? There's something different about you when you're sitting around the job. And they start talking about the big boob blonde and everybody for us for me.

Whoa, and you go man I know man. I ain't part of this. When everybody else is cursing you're going. No, I ain't gonna be a part of that. Do you sound and act like the world? Or is there something weird about you?

Are you an example of Jesus Christ? Look at this verse 9. Here's the big one. Here's what sanctifying faith really looks like and you have turned to God from idols now watch this. If there is not a better definition of repentance I don't know what is because it gives both actions of repentance if I am walking with sin.

If I some of you think becoming a Christian is I'm just not going to walk with that sin more. I'm not going to smoke that bowl. I'm not going to bust that line. I'm not going to read that. I'm not going to act like that's not repentance.

That's you trying to re-up yourself or reform yourself. Real repentance is you stop and turn away from this turning to God. It's a dual thing. Not just sinning is not being a Christian. It's not doing this action because by default you've turned your back on sin and turn your face to Jesus Christ.

And then last one verse 10 is this. And to wait for his son from heaven. You know what sanctifying faith looks like it looks like this. You're waiting. Expectantly now, I'm gonna be honest with you it was about 15 years ago that I actually started to understand what that meant because I Have ADHD.

Okay. My name is Jeff. I have ADD. Yeah, thank. Keep coming back. Guys I squirrel hard man. Yeah, yeah, I score real hard, right? Waiting patiently. To me is like s carry it's like dang I don't. I don't understand waiting because something needs to get done.

Here it says sanctified faith is waiting expectantly for the return of Jesus Christ. So I had in my brain had to figure out what that looks like and I have figured out there are two different types of waiting.

Here's the first one. Have you ever been to a doctor's office and had to wait? And I'll be honest with you. Nothing chaps my backside more than paying 75 bucks an hour to sit in your office and read some magazine with sticky pages.

To some kids snots all over right? All right. Most of the time nowadays you walk into a doctor's office. Everybody's doing this. They're waiting. They're waiting yesterday. My wife when I got up I knew it was going to be a bad day.

And here's how I knew it was going to be a bad day because we had out-of-town guests from Georgia. Coming to my house. Now. I don't know how your wife acts in your house when guests come over. But it's anything but pleasant for me, right?

Because my wife is like going oh, let's clean the floors. Let's do this. Oh my god Brittany's gonna think I'm a horrible wife if that pillow is not geometrically centered to this pillow. Let's wash the baseboards and then the phrase I love the jet vest is hey Jeff.

Do you have a second? Not busy. I'm working on guns or doing leather or doing something important. And she's cleaning the house. Now the latter one is a great example of what a Christian should be you see if you're waiting Expectantly for someone to arrive you're busy at work preparing for that arrival because that person has worth and Value if you are born-again Christian and you're expecting Jesus to return and you're more Involved with the cares of the world than you are at work.

Preparing your body and your home for the arrival of Jesus Christ. You might need to be thinking this morning. Just a little bit. So I close with this. Who are you waiting for? Who are you waiting for this morning?

Do you think waiting is coming to a church building or are you so busy? Cleaning yourself up and inviting others to be a part of that cleanup. Which one are you? Now some of you. Especially some of you older folks hadn't been to this altar in 30 year.

Maybe some of y 'all need to walk you a little rear ends up here. Maybe some of you in this room. You pray to prayer or you play church? But as the Word of God has been spoken, it's been like the Holy Spirit going.

Yeah, I'm talking to you. You know now you can do what you always do. You can suppress that and push it down and try to ignore it and walk away with it. Ain't going nowhere. They ain't gonna go where in fact the Holy Spirit of God wrote the book on nagging.

If you're a real believer and you're really under conviction Holy Spirit's gonna go. Hey boy. Hey boy, and you don't want him to say and count to three. Okay, trust me on that because he don't believe in gentle parenting, okay.

Where are you this morning? Are you truly a believer if you're not sure you don't know or you doubt it? You need to come down here this church ain't gonna save you same Spirit of God. That's in me is the same Spirit of God that's in Mickey.

Obviously not the same value and looks but it's the same Spirit of God. I can't save you. I'm just one beggar showing another beggar where to find grace and where I point you to is not the Baptist traditional Religion, I point you to sola scriptura only the Word of God.

Maybe some of you in this room you're sitting there and you are oppressed in that sin that keeps kicking your butt. Quit living in the secret pain walk up here find somebody to go out. But nothing's gonna change in your life until you start cleaning that house.

Okay, you need help. You're a hoarder of sin. Help someone come clean that John up. All right. Maybe some of you need to join the church. Maybe some of you have been playing church so long. You don't even know what a real church looks like no more because you so worried about this that you think what it's all about.

Maybe some of you are so arrogant. You don't think none of this applies to you. You're the one that needs salvation. The worst. I'm gonna ask you to stand with me. I'm asked the pastors to come over up front and if God has spoken to you today you come this morning as he leaves.