There’s something a bit ironic about the month of June. It’s called “Pride Month” in America — a celebration of self. But God wants to share something better with us. In this sermon, Pastor Josh White walks through 1 Thessalonians 4, unpacking what it means to “walk the walk” of sanctification — and why it matters more than we might think.
God’s Big Plan — Including You
God has a plan that He’s been working out throughout human history. He used people, nations, and even specific events to bring about His ultimate purpose. Israel was a huge part of that plan — a living illustration of His faithfulness across thousands of years.
And here’s the amazing part: that plan includes you. Every believer in Jesus Christ is grafted into something far bigger than themselves. When we place our faith in Christ, we become part of God’s family — His nation, His temple, His dwelling place. We are no longer wanderers; we are His people.
“For he foreordained us to be conformed to the image of his Son.”
— Romans 8:29
Sanctification: The Phase Between the Beginning and the End
Salvation isn’t just a one-time event. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end:
- Justification — the beginning. God declares us righteous based on Christ’s finished work on the cross.
- Sanctification — the middle. This is where we partner with the Holy Spirit to become more like Jesus.
- Glorification — the end. When Christ returns, we will be made like Him fully and finally.
The word sanctification comes from a Greek word that means “to be made holy, to be set apart, to become useful to Jesus Christ.” It’s not just a church word — it’s the daily, practical work of becoming more like Christ in our thoughts, words, and actions.
“And having been set free from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.”
— Romans 6:18
2 Corinthians 3:18 puts it this way: we are being transformed into the same image — from one degree of glory to another. This is the Spirit of the Lord doing the work.
First Way: Follow the Instructions
So how do we actually walk in sanctification? Paul gives us at least two clear ways in 1 Thessalonians 4.
Picture this: Pastor Josh and his wife Christi went hiking in Colorado at around 8,000 feet elevation. They used an app called AllTrails — a GPS that showed them exactly where to go. It highlighted the correct path in green, told them how far they’d hiked, and warned them about elevation changes. They used it constantly.
And still — multiple times — they got off course. They’d come to a fork in the trail and think, I think we go this way, only to look at the app and realize they’d wandered onto a side path. But the GPS kept bringing them back.
That’s a picture of sanctification. God has given us His Word — our map, our app — and we need to keep consulting it. The world around us is full of competing voices telling us which way to go. Other people may look happy, may seem like they know what they’re doing. But if they’re not walking by God’s Word, they might be on the wrong path.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
— Romans 12:1-2
We test ourselves against Scripture. We measure our choices by God’s truth. And when we get off course — because we will — we course-correct by returning to God’s Word.
Second Way: Walk by the Spirit
Following instructions isn’t enough on its own. We also walk by the Spirit. In Galatians 5, Paul contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit:
“The works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, and things like these.”
— Galatians 5:19-21
These behaviors are clearly the opposite of God’s will. They pull us away from holiness. But then Paul writes:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
— Galatians 5:22-23
The Spirit produces fruit in us as we walk in step with Him. This is a partnership — God’s work and our participation.
Paul also describes this as fighting the fight of faith. We’re in a battle. The world, the flesh, and the devil are constantly working against us. But we don’t fight alone. The Holy Spirit empowers us, guides us, and keeps us on course.
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”
— 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
We keep going. We don’t stop. Sanctification is a process — one that continues until we are glorified at Christ’s return.
So What?
If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, God is transforming you. Right now. Today. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in you (Romans 8:11). You are being conformed to the image of God’s Son.
That means the hard stuff of life — the sanctification process — has purpose. It’s not random. It’s not meaningless. God is using it to make you more like Jesus.
So stay on the path. Use the map (God’s Word). Walk by the Spirit. Fight the fight of faith. Keep moving forward. And trust that the God who calls you is faithful — He will surely do it.
Scripture References
- Romans 8:29 — Predestination to be conformed to Christ’s image
- Romans 12:1-2 — Present your body, be transformed, test God’s will
- Romans 6:18 — Set free from sin, slaves to righteousness
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 — Being transformed into Christ’s image
- Galatians 5:19-23 — Works of the flesh vs. fruit of the Spirit
- Galatians 5:25 — Keep in step with the Spirit
- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 — Run the race, fight the fight
- 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 — Walk in sanctification, God’s will for your life
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 — May God sanctify you completely, He is faithful