Sanctification | John 17 | Ray Pierce

Sanctification is one of the big words of the Bible, and it means being made holy, set apart for God’s special purpose. Sanctification is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, making believers more Christlike in thought, character, and action. The Christian life starts with salvation, moves through that long middle part called sanctification, and ends in glorification. Salvation is God’s free gift through Jesus Christ, not something earned by being good, rich, smart, pretty, or from the right family. God saves drunks, bums, uneducated people, druggies, doctors, lawyers, criminals, and people from every background because God loves and persistently pursues sinners.

Glorification is the Christian’s final destination, where God transforms lowly bodies to be like Christ’s glorious body. Temptation will be gone, fellowship with God will be deep, and everything Adam and Eve were called to be will finally become reality and more. But John 17 brings the Christian life back to the present state, where Jesus prays for his people before going to the cross. Jesus knows that sanctification comes from the Father, and his own life shows that becoming more Christlike must be rooted in regular prayer.

Prayer matters because Jesus made time for the Father when time was of the essence. The world was closing in, the cross was near, and the disciples still needed him, but Jesus prioritized prayer. The word of God also matters because Jesus says, “Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth.” Scripture teaches, reproves, corrects, and trains in righteousness so that God’s will gets imprinted into the heart.

The world resists holiness because believers are not of the world, just as Jesus is not of the world. Entertainment, sex, food, substances, money, power, and popularity can all become idols, even though some of those things can be good in the right context. The Holy Spirit protects and guides believers as sin gets mortified and old bondage loses its grip.

Sanctification also has obstacles. Some Christians stop at salvation and treat heaven like a one way ticket. Unanswered prayer can discourage trust in God’s timing. Self-reliance can make holiness feel like a personal project instead of the Spirit’s work. Other Christians can wound, disappoint, or become a false picture of Christ. Willful disobedience can keep a person stuck. But church, close Christian community, serving, giving, fasting, and withdrawing to quiet places all help make space for the Spirit’s work. Jesus was set apart for the cross, and his body begins to look like him as believers lean into God and into one another.

##

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Sanctification is the long middle Sanctification is not the starting line and not the finish line. It is the long, often slow, often uncomfortable process where the Holy Spirit makes a saved person more like Christ. The Christian life should not treat salvation like a ticket and then skip over the work God still intends to do in character, desires, and daily obedience. [14:46]
• 2. Prayer stays first when life crowds Jesus prayed when pressure was high, time was short, and the cross was close. Prayer was not added after the urgent things were handled, because communion with the Father was the source of his mission and strength. A crowded life does not prove prayer is impossible, but it does reveal what has been allowed to become most important. [19:17]
• 3. God’s word renews the mind Scripture is not just religious information, but God’s truth given to teach, correct, reprove, and train in righteousness. The word reshapes what a believer loves, tests what a believer assumes, and exposes where the world has been doing the thinking. A postmodern culture may doubt universal truth, but Jesus ties sanctification directly to the truth of the Father’s word. [21:44]
• 4. Unanswered prayer is not abandonment Delayed answers, painful answers, and no visible answers can become places where trust is tested deeply. God’s love is not disproved when healing does not come, marriage does not happen, children do not arrive, or loved ones do not yet believe. The waiting place can either harden the heart or press faith more fully into God’s better timing and plan. [28:09]
• 5. Christian wounds must not block Christ Other Christians can sin, disappoint, gossip, mistreat, and fail to live up to expectations. Their failures are real, but they are not the actual Christ, and they should not be allowed to stand between a wounded person and Jesus. When bad things happen in church life, the safest direction is not away from Christ, but further into him.
  
  ## [30:17]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [13:29] - Introducing Sanctification
• [14:46] - The Christian Life Cycle
• [15:53] - Salvation Is God’s Free Gift
• [16:50] - Glorification Is the Final Destination
• [18:14] - Jesus Prays in John 17
• [19:17] - Prioritizing Prayer With the Father
• [21:44] - Sanctified by the Word of Truth
• [24:40] - Not of the World
• [27:19] - Stopping Short After Salvation
• [28:09] - Unanswered Prayer and God’s Timing
• [29:27] - Sanctification Cannot Be Self-Made
• [30:17] - When Other Christians Disappoint
• [31:19] - Willful Disobedience and Stagnation
• [32:41] - Church, Community, Serving, and Fasting

Bible Reading

John 17:17 — “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” [21:50]

John 17:9-10 — “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.” [18:47]

John 17:14-16 — “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” [25:01]

2 Timothy 3:16-17 — “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” [22:12]

Romans 12:2 — “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.” [22:41]

1 John 2:15-17 — “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” [25:54]

Observation questions

1. In John 17, what two things are directly connected to sanctification in the life of a believer? [21:44]
2. According to John 17:14-16, what does Jesus say about believers’ relationship to the world, and what does he ask the Father to do for them?
3. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, what are the four things Scripture is said to be profitable for?
4. What were some specific obstacles named that can slow down or block growth in holiness? [27:19]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus says, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” What does that suggest about why real spiritual growth cannot be built on feelings, opinions, or culture alone? [21:50]
2. Jesus does not ask that his people be taken out of the world, but that they be kept from the evil one. What does that show about how Christians are meant to live in a hostile world? [25:01]
3. Romans 12:2 connects transformation with the renewing of the mind. How does regular time in Scripture begin to change not just behavior, but also desires and judgment? [22:41]
4. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit, yet believers are still called to pray, read Scripture, serve, and obey. How can a group tell the difference between depending on the Spirit and trying to make holiness into a self-improvement project? [29:27]

Application questions

1. Sanctification is the long middle, not just the moment of salvation. Where has growth felt slow or uncomfortable lately, and what might God be doing in that slow place? [14:46]
2. Jesus made time to pray when life was crowded and urgent. What usually crowds out prayer in this season of life, and what would it look like to make room for regular conversation with the Father this week? [19:17]
3. God’s word renews the mind. What habits, messages, or assumptions from the world have been shaping the way life is being viewed lately, and what part of Scripture might need to speak into that? [22:41]
4. Some good things can slowly become idols—money, comfort, entertainment, romance, food, success, or approval. Which of those is most likely to compete for the heart right now? [25:28]
5. Unanswered prayer is not proof of abandonment. Is there a prayer that has been hard to keep bringing to God, and how has the waiting affected trust in him? [28:09]
6. Other Christians can wound and disappoint, but they must not be allowed to stand between a person and Christ. If church hurt has happened, what would it look like to press further into Jesus instead of pulling away from him? [31:19]
7. Willful disobedience can keep a person stuck. Is there any pattern of sin that has been tolerated, hidden, or excused, and what would honest repentance and trusted community look like there? [31:35]