Grace Fellowship Church Pastor/Teacher Jim Rickard Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Doxology Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.— Amen.

John 17 The Great High Priestly Prayer of our Lord!

John 17:6-19 John 17:17 The Mechanics of the Disciples’ Protection - Sanctification.

John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the sphere of Your Truth; Your Word (Bible Doctrine) is Truth.”

Principles of Sanctification: (+S)

Positional Phase One (salvation) Ultimate Christian’s Life Phase Three Death or Rapture Experiential Phase Two

b. Phase 2, Experiential +S The function of your spiritual life after salvation.

Experiential +S depends upon: a) Some degree of yieldedness / obedience to God. b) Some degree of separation from sin. c) Some degree of Christian growth to which the believer has already attained.

c) Result of Christian Growth. All believers start out immature in wisdom, knowledge, experience, and grace related to the spiritual life and are appointed to grow up. 2 Peter 3:18

2 Peter 3:18, “Grow, in the sphere of grace and knowledge, of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Your growth is indicated by making God known to others through your words, deeds and actions. John 17:4, 6-7

John 17:4, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given to Me in order that I do it.”

John 17:6a, “I caused Your name to be made known (manifested) to the men whom you gave to Me out from the world, they were Yours and You gave them to Me…”

John 17:6b, “… and they have guarded your teaching (in their souls).”

John 17:7, “Now they have come to know that all things whatsoever You have given to Me are from You.”

2 Cor 3:18, “… with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

When we look in the mirror at our on lives we should see Christ in its reflection.

This type of transformation will have the effect of setting you more and more apart from Satan’s Cosmic System unto God. More Exp. +S.

Experiential +S means you are “blameless,” but never “faultless” because you still have an Old Sin Nature, “flesh.”

Yet, in grace we have the way of escape from our flesh - the rebound technique, 1 John 1:9.

When walking in the full measure of what is your understanding today, keep in mind you are not now living in the added light and experience that will be yours tomorrow through growth.

We should never believe that “we have arrived” at the pinnacle of our spiritual growth and maturity.

As long as you are alive there is always room for spiritual growth.

There is a relative perfection within our imperfection. And yet, we are “abiding” in the Vine of our Lord and have Divine Good production.

There is also imperfection within perfection. That is, the immature is Positionally +S and complete in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christian growth and Experiential +S are not the same, the former is a cause and the latter its effect.

Experientially +S does not question your present purity or victory in daily life; it only states that you will be more set apart as you develop in the likeness of our Lord.

4) Three agents of +S: a) The Holy Spirit, 1 Cor 6:11; 2 Thes 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2. b) The Son, Heb 10:10. c) The Truth of God the Father, John 17:17; Eph 5:26.

Eph 5:26, “That He might sanctify her (the Church - Experientially), having cleansed her (LOUO - Positionally) by means of the washing from the water of the Word (Bible doctrine).”

1 Peter 1:22, “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.”

2 Cor 7:1, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

The Word of God through the Gospel provides Positional +S. The Word of God through GAP and faith application provides Experiential +S. 1 Thes 4:3-8; 2 Tim 2:21-22

Occupation with Christ provides Experiential +S. 1 John 3:1-3; 1 Peter 3:15-16

Heb 12:14, “Pursue peace with all men (Experiential +S), and the (Positional) sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.”

Grace Fellowship Church Tuesday, March 6, 2012 Tape # Sanctification, Part 5 Experiential Sanctification- The Results of Spiritual Growth Great High Priestly Prayer, Part 77 John 17:17; 4-7; Eph 5:26;1 Thes 4:3-8; 1 Peter 3:15-16; 2 Peter 3:18 James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2012