Pastor Lawrence P Brown’s Vision
Every generation needs to hear the life giving and grace filled Biblical principles proclaimed by John Wesley. His sermons helped ignite and nurture a worldwide spiritual revival in the 1700s.
However, we have 2 challenges. The sermons are too long and old fashioned for modern ears. Therefore, my sincere desire is to laser focus on the heart of his message and present it in today’s English language.
My prayer is that it will awaken a hunger to read Wesley’s full length sermons and once again spread scriptural holiness across our world!

Full text Resourses:

“John Wesley on Christian Practice: The Standard Sermons in Modern English Vol. 3”by Kenneth Cain Kinghorn. Abingdon Press. 2002. (In modern English.)

“Wesley’s Doctrinal Standards, Part 1: The Sermons”. Edited by Rev. N. Burwash. Schmul Publishing. 1988. (In Wesley’s own words.)

The Entirely Sanctified are not perfect
In knowledge
Make mistakes
Have infirmities
Are tempted
Are Perfect
Do not sin
No evil thoughts
No evil attitudes
:


John Wesley’s Sermon #40 Outline: “Christian Perfection”
Philippians 3: 12

1. To be perfect is an offensive doctrine to many.
2. But Scripture speaks of it, so we must too.
3. Perfection does need to be explained because it has caused much controversy.
4. Therefore, I shall explain how Christians are not perfect and how they are perfect.

I. The ways Christians are not perfect.
1.2.3. Christians are not perfect in knowledge of this world, of God, and His purposes.
4. They make mistakes and misjudgments about truth and human character
5. They can err in understanding Scripture
6. (However, they do know all things needful for salvation)
7. Christians are not perfect due to physical and mental infirmities and
8. They are not totally free from temptation
9. Christian perfection is simply another name for being holy, which is a life long journey of growing in grace and love. However, Christians can not be absolutely perfect in this life.

II. The ways Christians are perfect.
1. There are 3 stages in the Christian life: Children, Young people, and Mature adults.
2. It is the mature Christian that is perfect because they do not sin. Do you question this?
3. In John’s Gospel, he writes that even new Christians (those newly Justified) do not sin.
4. At the very least, real Christians commit no outward sin
5. John boldly states that ‘Whoever is born of God does not commit sin’
6. He did not say: ‘they do not commit willful or habitual sin’
7. Many Old Testament heroes committed sin, but must Christians sin because they did ? No
8. New Test. believers are greater than Old Test. characters in the Kingdom of God (Matt 11:11)
9. (Proverbs 24:16 is no proof because it refers to the righteous falling into afflictions, not sin.)
10. Unfortunately, people of God could not resist sin before Christ
11.12. It was at Pentecost that the indwelling Holy Spirit made Christians victorious over sin.
13. Therefore, the Old Testament characters can not be our standard for sinning.
14. “But Peter and Paul sinned in the New Test.”, Yes, but does this prove that all Christians must sin as long as they live? No. Any Christian who is tempted to sin need not yield to it.
15.16. “Was Paul’s thorn a sin?” No. It was a bodily pain which did not lead him to sin.
17. In the book of James, the false teachers who sinned were not Christians.
18. “But how do we reconcile John’s words?” ‘Those who are born of God do not sin’ and
‘If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves’ He is not contradictory for
19. We have all sinned previous to salvation, were then cleansed, and now we need sin no more
20. Therefore, firstly, I repeat, a Christian who is perfect does not commit sin
21. Secondly, They are free from evil thoughts for
22. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit.
23. Every thought is captive to Christ in those who are perfect.
24. Also, Christians who are perfect are free from evil attitudes
25. Each one can say, “I have been crucified with Christ and now Christ lives in me”
26. Therefore, their hearts are purified from pride, self-will, and unrighteous anger.
27. Some will say, “True, but not till death. But John wrote that we are freed from sins in this world.
28. From 1John 1:9, we read ‘The blood of Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness now’
29. This clearly fulfills the Old Testament prophecies of God cleansing our heart
30. Therefore, let us press toward the mark, crying out to God until we are “set free from the bondage of corruption and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God.”

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