Chapter four is a very practical approach by the apostle Paul, as led by the Holy Spirit, to put the Christian walk into perspective. He has encouraged the Thessalonians and now he reminds them of their responsibility to walk in such a way as to please God in all that they do.

In fact, that's what he say's in verse one of this chapter, "Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more."

Many Christians feel that their journey is over once they encounter the living God by coming to faith in Christ, as though that is an end in itself. And so they will spend years never really growing in Christ; they just see themselves as part of the club, with their acceptance of Christ as Savior as the initiation, but not seeming to realize the Lordship of Christ which is an integral part of their relationship with God.

And so we are all instructed to grow more and more as we learn to love our Lord more and more. But it's interesting what Paul say's in the third verse. I'm sure many of you have thought to yourself at one time or another, what is God's will for my life?

And in that context we ponder whether or not God wants us to pursue this career or that ministry or this person as a potential mate or whether or not we should live in this part of the country.

All of those things are legitimate concerns, and God views them as important parts of our lives in which He wants to be personally involved. But, there's a tendency to always look at ourselves, our needs, our desires and our wants when it comes to that question: what is God's will for my life?

The question actually puts God in the position of making that determination and yet we will often tell God what His will is for our lives by the way live or the things we want or the attitude we have towards those things God has already revealed concerning His will for our lives.

Verse three is probably one of the most important verses in the entire bible for the Christian because it tells us very clearly what God wants of us and what His will is for our lives. Listen very closely to what God says to you and me.

Now, someone may say, if we know what it is that God desires for us then we should employ all of our efforts in moving in that direction which He has shown us.

That would be an appropriate response and yet how often do we hear sermons or teachings on sanctification and what it is. I mean if it's important enough for God to give us specific direction that He personally wants for our lives, then it would stand to reason that all Christians would want to do that which pleases Him. Right?

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work that way. And there are many reasons for that and we'll be looking at some of those a little later.

Most of my teaching here at Calvary Chapel is expository teaching, which is exegetic in nature. That's just a fancy way of saying that I give a detailed explanation of the text we have before us before I move on to the next text. Some would call it verse by verse teaching through the bible.

I enjoy that kind of teaching because it gives us a chance to really study each aspect of the word of God as we look at specific parts of the whole.

But once in a while I like to teach topically. That is, to take a topic and spend some time explaining what it is as well as what it is not.

This morning is one of those mornings where I would like to talk about a topic, actually two topics which are related and interrelated with each other. Verse 3 addresses our sanctification and so I'd like to talk about sanctification and justification.

Before we can understand and appreciate sanctification I think it's important that we get the basics and maybe some advanced teaching on justification.

And that would seem pretty basic. However, I have never totally cared that explanation for one of the most important teachings or doctrines, if you will, which has to do with our eternal destination and the way in which God accomplished that for us. You'll see why as we look at this doctrine or teaching from God.

And as we look at justification we will begin to see why Paul could say that it is God's will that you be sanctified. It will also answer such questions as; why did Jesus have to die on a cross?, or why should we suffer for the sin of Adam and Eve when we weren't even there? And what is the connection of sanctification to justification?

Donald Grey Barnhouse defines it this way. "Justification is the act of God whereby He declares an ungodly man to be perfect while he is still ungodly."

Charles Hodge in his Systematic Theology says, "It is a declarative act in which God pronounces the sinner just or righteous, so that he cannot be justly condemned , but is in justice entitled to the reward promised."

Hodge and others bring up a very important point when they say that God "declares" the sinner righteous for those who have trusted Christ as Lord and Savior.

You see justification is a forensic act of God. That simply means it's a legal decision. But it's a legal decision based on His perfect justice. Sometimes we get the idea from the way the gospel is sort of haphazardly thrown about that God is some big Santa Claus in the sky begging us to be friends with Him.

In fact, this sort of approach invariably throws out a big blanket of pardon for anyone who happens to get in its way. But you know, justification is not like a pardon where the sentence is just dropped.

I remember a number of years ago when, I think it was President Ford, enacted an amnesty program for those American men who dodged the draft by fleeing to Canada. By law anyone not registering for the draft could have been convicted and sent to jail. This happened to Mohammed Ali when he refused to comply with the rules of the draft during the Vietnam war and he was sent to jail.

But after the Vietnam war the President decided to make a declaration that the law would not apply in the cases of these draft dodgers and they could come home without suffering any of the consequences of their breaking the law.

That's what a pardon or amnesty does. That is not justification. Justification says the penalty for the crime must be paid for before anyone goes free. And the judge will have to personally review the case and determine whether or not the requirements of the law have been met before making any declaration.

We read in EPH 2:8 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
9 not by works, so that no one can boast."

In other words you and I can't earn our way to heaven. There is nothing we can do to pay for our own penalty for the crime of being disobedient before God, so as to get us into heaven on our own.

I remember preaching at Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale on a Sunday evening. There were hundreds of people there and I asked them a question. I said, 'who here has been saved by good works?'

You should have seen their faces as I lifted my hand. I'm sure they thought I was a heretic while others simply didn't know where I was going with that question and they certainly were not going to let themselves fall into the trap of some trick question and look stupid in front of the rest of the congregation.

But, I told them that night that everyone of them had been saved by good works. But, then I told them whose good works they were. They were the works of Jesus Christ.

Justification demands that a work must be done to satisfy the penalty of the law. When our heavenly Father sent Jesus into the world He had a specific task to accomplish; the mission to pay that debt that had to legally be paid to the Father.

I say legally because you'll remember that the law requires you and me to live a perfect life if we're going to earn our way to heaven. Now, that creates a problem because, unless you haven't noticed, nobody falls into that category.

I've talked to people who simply will not recognize the fact that they are sinners in the sight of God. And yet I've asked those same people. 'Then you're saying that you're perfect?'

And their reply is always the same. 'No, I'm not saying I'm perfect.' ...... 'So, you're a sinner?' ...... 'Well, no not exactly.' 'So, you're not a sinner, but you're not perfect? .... 'Yeah, right, sort of......'

God say's all men have sinned, which means no one is perfect. Now, the only way that that makes any sense is to understand that God has a perfect standard which is just or legal. It's called His law. Now, I've heard people, which includes Christians, who say the law is a terrible thing that has no value to but to condemn us.

Part of that is true. The law does condemn us because of its demands which we can't keep, but to say that the law is bad is to say that God is bad.

In fact Paul would say in ROM 7:12 ".... the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful."

What Paul means to say is that there's nothing wrong with God's law, the problem doesn't lie with the standard God has set, the problem lies with us who are not able to keep His law and are therefore legally guilty before God..

What the law does is to show us the character of God who is perfect and show us how short of His righteousness we fall. And so enters God's legal plan to redeem us from the penalty of this sin which the righteous Judge, the Creator of the universe say's, is death.

Sin is a death sentence for every person in the world, an eternal sentence of separation from God in hell. This brings us to the question I posed in the beginning. Why should I have to suffer the penalty of a sin which Adam and Eve committed in the Garden of Eden thousands of years ago?

Well, don't forget that God created Adam and Eve to have perfect fellowship with Him with the stipulation that they would lovingly obey God and thus ensure that relationship with their Creator. Disobedience, God said, would result in their death which included both physical and spiritual death.

Adam stood in our place as though we were there and became our legal representative under the law of God which demanded obedience. One simple law; don't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.. His choice became our choice and his penalty became our penalty.

Remember that Adam was created perfect and therefore was a perfect representative for us. If you could have chosen a perfect representative, Adam was your man. And so despite his fall into sin we have no reason to think that we would not have done the same.

We read in Romans of this form of representation on our behalf: "So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men; even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous." (Rom.5:18-19)

If that sounds like a ray of hope for our sin problem then we're all on the same wavelength. The question is, is there a way of escape where we can be pardoned of our sin and still satisfy God's justice which say's someone has to pay with his life for this crime of disobedience to the one true God?

The answer of course comes in the form of the infinite wisdom and love of God. As much as God hates sin, He has chosen to love a people for Himself by justifying them in His sight. A real crime was committed, a real punishment must be paid and a real life must die. Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came into this world to be our justification.

Keep in mind our crime was treason against our God, our punishment is to be cast into hell forever, our life must be forfeited for the crime.

But, Jesus Christ say's, I will volunteer to meet the demands of the law. I will live the perfect life that you cannot. But, to satisfy the penalty which must be paid according to My own law, I will give My life for yours. I will take your sin and in return I will give you My righteousness. In Theological terms this is referred to as double imputation.

My sin was put to Jesus Christ's account even though He never sinned, while His Righteousness was put to my account even though I'm not righteous in and of myself.

1PE 3:18 "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous (Jesus) for the unrighteous (you and me), to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,"

This is why Christ had to suffer and die on the cross. It could be no other way. It's interesting that in the Mosaic law capital punishment is dealt with in a variety of ways including hanging a person on a tree.

We read in DEU 21:22 "If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree,
23 you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not desecrate the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance."

Paul explains that this scripture was in fulfillment of the type of death Jesus chose to suffer for us. GAL 3:13 "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

Being cursed is the equivalent of being condemned; having to pay the penalty of that condemnation. According to Levitical law, which was given to Moses by God, the only way a person could be forgiven of his sin was by faith in the one who would take his place for the penalty of sin, who was God alone.

But, the picture the Israelites were given of this act was in the sacrifice of a lamb. The lamb's blood was shed to demonstrate that one who was completely innocent would take the penalty that they should suffer. The lamb had done no wrong, but it was put to death and it pleased God, because it represented the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, that is Jesus Christ.

Jesus was delivered up to death so that we might not die but live forevermore with Him.

ROM 4:25 "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
ROM 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."

Prior to being justified there was no peace with God because we were at war with Him. We were His enemy because of our rebellion. Consider what it cost Jesus to justify us before the Father. His death.

When the Father looks on you and me who have been justified in Christ He sees the perfect righteousness of His Son who has declared us to be just, not because of any righteousness we have, but only for the righteousness of Jesus Christ who is now our representative before the Father.

Charles Hodge says, "If we take the word (righteous) in the sense in which the Scriptures so often use it, as expressing relation to justice, then when God pronounces the sinner righteous or just, He simply declares that his guilt is expiated (or atoned, paid the price) that justice is satisfied, that Jesus has the righteousness which justice demands. .......

....... This is precisely what Paul says, when he says that God justifies the ungodly. (Rom.4:5) God does not pronounce the ungodly to be godly; He declares that not withstanding our personal sinfulness and unworthiness, we are accepted as righteous on the ground of what Christ has done for us."

The beauty of this is that justification from God is the opposite of condemnation. To condemn is to pronounce guilty; to justify is to "declare" not guilty.

One more quote from Hodge. This sums up what our justification in Christ is all about.

"When the apostle declares, (Rom.8:1), "There is therefore now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," he declares that we are absolved from guilt; that the penalty of the law cannot justly be inflicted upon us. Who, he asks, will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies." Against the elect in Christ, (and that includes any person who has placed his or her faith in Jesus the forgiveness of their sin), no ground of condemnation can be presented. God pronounces them just, and therefore no one can pronounce them guilty."

Do you realize what that means? The God who is just and righteous and will always be faithful to His word guarantees us, in the blood of His Son, that we belong to Him and that we will be with Him in heaven forever and enjoy the eternal inheritance we have in Christ if we've placed our faith in Him.

I've just scratched the surface of the beauty of God's justification for we who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. But, I hope you can begin to see what it cost our Lord and the infinite love He has for us that He would humble Himself to die for our penalty.

But, praise God, His resurrection from the dead assures us that we are truly justified and that no one can take it away. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. I pray that you begin to see this more clearly. When you begin to grasp this relationship that Christ purchased for us with His own blood, you will begin to see your salvation in a new light.

No longer will it be something we take for granted. It will produce such gratitude and love for the Lord that you will desire to do all that the Lord has for you and all that is according to His will for your life here on earth until we finally see Him face to face.

And what is His will for you? 1TH 4:3 "It is God's will that you should be sanctified:"

I hope you have a new appreciation for His will for you and a new perspective on the love He has for you and how He wants you to give that love back to Him as we follow His will by the power of His Spirit.

Now that we are in Christ we have the Spirit of Christ who empowers us to carry out the will of God to be sanctified, which is our ability to be conformed into the image of the One who loved us and purchased us with His own blood.

We'll talk about this sanctification next week in some detail, but rejoice in the justification we have in Christ and begin to praise Him with a new sense of thankfulness.

ISA 61:10 "I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations."