Again the message was slightly diffuse but there were again plenty of illustrations and included these points.
1. Sanctification is never perfect in this life
2. Sanctification cannot begin before regeneration
He also argued for the Ten Commandments as a rule for the Christian life. Beginning with the first table he went into some detail on this matter speaking about our pride and mentioned our lack of love. He cautioned against new covenant theology so common today.
Sanctification can be boiled down to this - doing what God has said.
He also looked at the first table, pointing out the close links between the commands. He spoke against minced oaths (gosh, crikey, etc).
He then spoke of the problem in sanctification which is our depravity or concupiscence or indwelling sin. The mind, the will, the emotions, the conscience and the memory are the soul faculties that are transformed when we are born again. The unbeliever is not able to say "no" to sin but the believer can and must.
Two practical points. In order to make progress we need to keep in mind two things
1. Mortification 2. Vivification
It is like gardening - we need to pull up the weeds and put on the manure (I'd have said fertiliser but you know the story there perhaps).
He mentioned addiction to Internet pornography as an example of a current problem and urged us to watch and pray. He mentioned the failures of David and Peter by way of example.
Repentance is our daily calling.
Encouragements in this hard and disagreeable part of living the Christian life include
1. To live a holy life pleases God and he takes note of it
2. It greatly honours the gospel
3. Our prayers will be heard (Isaiah 66:2)
Steps to be taken include
1. Read, study and memorise the Bible
2. Secret prayer
3. Disciplined life - keeping the Lord's Day etc
4. Humility
5. Meditate frequently on the cross
6. To be willing to go wherever he may send
A sermon on God's Way of Holiness from 2005 by Maurice Roberts can be found here.
Sanctification can be boiled down to this - doing what God has said.
He also looked at the first table, pointing out the close links between the commands. He spoke against minced oaths (gosh, crikey, etc).
He then spoke of the problem in sanctification which is our depravity or concupiscence or indwelling sin. The mind, the will, the emotions, the conscience and the memory are the soul faculties that are transformed when we are born again. The unbeliever is not able to say "no" to sin but the believer can and must.
Two practical points. In order to make progress we need to keep in mind two things
1. Mortification 2. Vivification
It is like gardening - we need to pull up the weeds and put on the manure (I'd have said fertiliser but you know the story there perhaps).
He mentioned addiction to Internet pornography as an example of a current problem and urged us to watch and pray. He mentioned the failures of David and Peter by way of example.
Repentance is our daily calling.
Encouragements in this hard and disagreeable part of living the Christian life include
1. To live a holy life pleases God and he takes note of it
2. It greatly honours the gospel
3. Our prayers will be heard (Isaiah 66:2)
Steps to be taken include
1. Read, study and memorise the Bible
2. Secret prayer
3. Disciplined life - keeping the Lord's Day etc
4. Humility
5. Meditate frequently on the cross
6. To be willing to go wherever he may send
A sermon on God's Way of Holiness from 2005 by Maurice Roberts can be found here.
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