Assurance and Sanctification

The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines sanctification as:
Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.
Second, we looked last week at what I called the pattern of sanctification.
In discussing sanctification, Scripture emphasizes that you must focus on who you are in Christ. From this you are to seek to put off the deeds of the flesh and put on the deeds produced by the Spirit.
Third, God has given means you are to use in carrying out the basic pattern of sanctification.
The inward means is faith.
The outward means God gives to you include His Word, Prayer, Sacraments, God’s Discipline, and the vital place of true fellowship and worship with other believers.
Today, I want to stress the vital place of assurance in the salvation that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ as key to walking in obedience and holiness.
This is not to discount in anyway the place for true fruit and evidence of obedience.
This is to say that assurance is not just found in your obedience.
Rather,
We do not actually receive any sufficient strength to encourage our hearts to holiness in all difficulties, until we can steadfastly believe that God is with us, and will not forsake us.
Assurance of all that you have in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work is necessary for you to grow in obedience and holiness.
We will consider this vital subject, first by examining some important theological history and then by focusing on the vital place of assurance in terms of sanctification.