The sermon discusses the difference between justification and sanctification. Justification is the work of God by which we are declared righteous in His sight, while sanctification is the work by which we cooperate with God and His means of grace to become righteous. The imputation of Christ's righteousness means that God loves us as much as He loves His Son. Sanctification is the blessing that flows out of God's love for us, not the source or cause of it.

Justification is that work of God by which we are declared righteous in his sight. Scientific is that work of God by which we cooperate with him and the means of grace by which we are made righteous in his sight. So we are declaratively at peace with God. He loves us. We're perfect.

And that's something I think we miss. I think we feel like that the work of Christ has gotten us to the place where God's not really mad at us. He's willing to be patient with us and he's leading us along in our sanctification and when we're done then he'll really love us. I think it's vitally important for us to grasp that the imputation of the righteousness of Christ to us now means that our Father loves us as much as He loves His Son. He loves us as much now as He ever will.

And the sanctification is the blessing that flows out of that love, not the source of that love or the cause of that love. So we're growing in grace because He loves us. He doesn't love us because we're growing in grace.