Sanctification: "Growing in Christ-likeness"

In this teaching, we'll examine the work of the Triune God with respect to making the Christ follower more and more like Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 1:4, we're taught that the Father chose us from before the foundation of the world in order that we'd be holy and blameless. According to 1 Thess. 5:23-24, the Father will not fail to bring about our complete sanctification. The Son is equally committed to our sanctification and works to bring about our holiness (Eph. 5:25-27). The Father will make us holy as the Holy Spirit works inside us to make us more and more like Jesus Christ! In other words, the Holy Spirit works in Christ followers, then, to bring about the work of the Father, to make His children (Christ followers) more like Jesus Christ! So what is the work of the Holy Spirit that causes the Christ follower to be more and more like Jesus? Let's examine a passage found in the book of Ephesians. Paul said, "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:14-19). This is an amazing prayer for the Christ follower to pray on a daily basis! From this passage, we'll see the work of the Triune God in our sanctification, particularly the work of the precious Holy Spirit. Please notice that Paul prays for the Christ follower to be "strengthened with power through His Spirit" in the inner man, "so that Christ may dwell" in their hearts by faith. For apostle Paul, the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christ followers gives us the foundation and enablement for us to be more and more like Christ! Don't miss what Paul is praying! What exactly will this change bring about, by the Holy Spirit's enabling power? We will answer that question in our next lesson about our growing in Christ-likeness. Stay tuned. Be encouraged!