God’s Will For Your Life: Purity

God’s Will For Your Life: Purity-

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

ICC’s PM 9/25/22

I. Introduction

1. Opening-

2. Prayers

i. Jesus, sexual immorality is so powerfully destructive and we must fight against it

3. Catch- Sexual immorality destroys people

i. Talking sexual immorality… is this a youth group? No… it is for us all, every age has the temptation for immorality

ii. We live in a culture that wants to expose people to every form of sexual immorality.

In one survey I read, ¼ of all google searches are for porn

25% of people responded that they went online primarily for porn

iii. And for recent generations, this pornographic culture is something they’ve been dealing with their entire lives:

· Average age of first internet exposure to pornography is 11 years old

· 15- to 17-year-olds having multiple hardcore exposures: 80%

· 8- to 16-year-olds having viewed pornography online: 90% (most while doing homework)

· 71% of tends hide online behavior from their parents

· 52% of pornography is viewed on mobile devices now

i. Many in our church struggle with some form of sexual immorality. &… its not just men…. This is a every Christian issue

1 Corinthians 10:13- No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1. 1 Cor 10:8 specifically mentions sexual immorality

1. We can Listen to these words of wisdom, learn to fight as God would have us.

1. This is not a description of a mature Christian getting to the point where he looks like a calm water and says, “how could I ever had been tempted.

1. This is a promise that it can be fought.

iv. Tim Challies argues that pornography will one day go like cigarettes

1. Cigarettes used to be glamorized, but as our society determined how unhealthy it was, restrictions started to be applied and culturally it was ostracized .

2. In the same way, porn right now is the thing of sitcom jokes… its considered normal, but as we start to see the horrible problems, the tide will turn.

4. Review

i. We’re in a new part of the book

1. Paul’s Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians (1)

2. Paul’s Ministry to the Thessalonians (2 ‑ 3)

3. Paul’s Exhortation of the Thessalonians (4 ‑ 5)

ii. We saw Paul’s great love and care for them that they knew from personal experience and from this letter

1. Chapters 1-3 shows his care, now he calls them to care

iii. Then we get to chapter 4

1. We ask Christians to live holy (1a)

2. We instruct Christians to please God (1b)

3. Jesus commands people to be Holy (2)

So let’s see

II. How the church reminds people of the need for purity

1. God’s will for your life is not a question (3-6a)

i. Explanation

1. Verse 3 reminds us why we dig into God’s word: To know his will

a. All people understand how God wants us to live (rom 1:14-16), because of our sins, we could not know the full will of God had he not revealed we reject and suppress it.

b. we discover how God wants us to relate to him: in loving worship and reverence

c. Theology hats for a moment: God’s will is two fold

i. God’s will is his decision, or decree, about what shall happen—“his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass” God’s will of events, referred to in Ephesians 1:11

1. For instance, Moses says that “the secret things belong to the Lord our God” (Deut 29:29[i]

2. “If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me.” But His voluntary resignation is, “not as I will, but as You will” (Matt 26:38–39).

ii. the will of God is his command, that is, his instruction, given in Scripture, as to how people should and should not behave: it is sometimes called his will of precept (see Rom. 12:2; Eph. 5:17;

1. In this category belong “the things revealed … to us and to our sons forever” (Deut 29 29). In other words, it is always God’s will that believers be progressively sanctified

d. We more frequently wonder “What is God’s will?” when it comes to important life decisions. Where should I go to school? What job should I pursue? Who will I marry? What church do my spouse and I commit to? Where will my family put down roots? These might seem like they are the biggest life decisions, the places we most need direct guidance. [ii]

i. But God’s will is not confusing… we do not need to pray about certain things… just obey

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! (Matt. 18:6–7)[vi]

2. If you are a Christian, you are to be different (3-5)

a. Sanctification

i. The word means to be set apart

1. God sets us apart when he purchases us

Hebrews 10:10- And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

2. Sanctification is an ongoing transformation creating real righteousness within the frame of relational holiness.

b. Abstaining from immorality like others

i. The word abstain is a great image as it means to hold of, as ship from the shore As the waves try to push a ship into the shore, the sailors work with different methods to keep it back

ii. They’re holding themselves back from any type of sexual sin

1. Since God created sex for the husband and wife relationship Immorality is any sexual action or desire outside of that

“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure” (Heb. 13:4)

2. God’s commandments concerning sex are not for the purpose of robbing people of joy, but rather of protecting them that they might not lose their joy. [iii]

3. This includes the Romans 1 description

Romans 1:26–27- For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

4. You can go back to the sermon on Exodus 20:17, Do not desire you neighbor’s wife to explain this more

1. Mortification is like gardening. We need to weed out the sin in our lives. My garden is plagued by different kinds of weeds. We’ve inherited some tree stumps. Removing them is hard work: you need a pickax, a whole afternoon, and my friend Steve.

Instead of immorality there is to be the

c. Having self control unlike others

i. Notice he doesn’t just tell them no… that is pretty useless. Like saying stop in to a raging bull

1. Instead, Rodeo clowns draw the bull away

ii. So Paul gives them something positive to go after

1. He gives them a put-on to correspond with the put off

Colossians 3:2–6- Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.

iii. I know I made the joke about being a youth group earlier because of the subject, but repeating something we already know is not belittling=

1. Paul has repeatedly told them they know this

1 Thessalonians 1:4- For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,

1 Thessalonians 1:5- because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

1 Thessalonians 2:1- For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain.

iv. The message they know is that each person needs to focus on gaining control of his own body

v. Not the body or dress of others, but every person, young or old needs this

1. An old gentlemen once told me about his eyes gazing over various pretty women I may not be able to order, but I’m not too old to look at the menu

2. No way, All people must learn this control

d. A preposition defines the method of that self control

i. Seeking holiness builds self control

ii. Seeking honor/respect/esteem in the eyes of the right people leads to self control

In his book You Can Change Tim Chester writes, People often ask me, “How can I tell whether a desire is sinful or not? How can I know whether I desire something too much?” I answer, by pointing to Jesus’ image of bad fruit growing from a bad tree (Luke 6:43–45). You discover that a desire is sinful when it produces bad fruit in your life (disobedience, anger, anxiety, and so on). When you see that bad fruit, trace it back to the idolatrous desires of your heart.

e. In verse 5 This is held in contrast to the passions of the gentiles

i. They are all gentiles, not jews

ii. But Those in Thessalonica knew the roman ways better than most

1. Thessalonica functioned as one of the most important cities in the empire, having both a vast harbor and prevalent location along a major trade route. [iv]

f. History hats on… ‘lets talk about the Sexual Morality in the Roman Empire

i. Same-sex relationships were common in the Roman world. What made them acceptable or not was age and status dynamics. One piece of literature tells of travel to the afterlife where the Isle of the Blessed is described as “all the wives are shared in common without jealousy. . . and all the boys submit to their pursuers without resistance”

ii. Slaves, prostitutes, and boys were seen as perfectly legitimate outlets for male sexual desire. In an empire of 70 million, between 7 million and 10 million were enslaved

i. On the whole the Romans did not tolerate homosexuality, at least not for themselves. They were extremely tolerant of Roman men seeking out sexual pleasure from boys, slaves, and prostitutes. They were not at all tolerant of free Roman men being penetrated as the passive actors in same-sex relationships

iii. How about women? As for women, they were to be virgins before marriage and loyal and faithful wives within marriage Adultery was a crime against man

iv. Prostitution was everywhere If a man had sex with prostitutes before marriage, he could still be counted a virgin. If he had sex with prostitutes during marriage, it was not considered adultery.

v. There were two main rules of sexual morality for free Roman men: avoid adultery and avoid being the passive partner in homosexuality. Beyond that, everything was open. The sexual escapades of young men, provided they were not with married women, were almost entirely inconsequential.

vi. THE ROMAN WORLD WAS BAD

g. The Christian message came through with a hammer of theology to change that

i. Porneia… sexual immorality was expansive’

ii. There would no longer be harmless, innocent outlets for male sexual desire outside of marriage. There is simply no avoiding the conclusion that Christianity presented a sexual ethic that was radically new

iii. Especially towards homosexual behavior

iv. One historian argues that Christian sexuality led to a new understanding of the freedom of the will. In Christian morality, humans possessed moral agency over their sexual drive. Even men, it was believed, could exert control over their erotic experiences. No one was simply at the mercy of insatiable appetites

1. People are made in the image of God. One of the fruit of the spirit is self control

2. So self control is possible… imagine that

Verse 6 explains that this was ultimately about filling the second great commandment… loving others

3. Avoid immorality to avoid hurting others (6a)

a. This matters to neighbor.

b. Transgress means to exceed a limit, to defraud someone

i. It is taking from someone what you should not have

ii. And that includes whether they know it or not

c. Also wrong means to exploit

d. Who is being wronged here? A brother

i. To steal another man’s wife or daughter for sexual pleasure is to rob him of what rightfully belongs to him. [v]

ii. God considers this subject of sinfully taking advantage of another believer so serious that Jesus warned,

iii. When one Christian exploits and abuses a fellow Christian, dishonesty is compounded by theIt breaks violation of the trust between brothers. The resultant loss of trust (even more than the dishonest act itself) has the potential to damage a fellowship severely.[vii]

B. This passage also helps the counselee know how his/her actions ¨matter to God and to neighbor.

Love of neighbor is one reason, but vertical relationship is seen in the Lord’s vengeance.[viii]

a. Who did this change mostly help? Women and socially low and poor men who were abused by the roman system.

The triumph of the Christian sexual ethic would be unthinkable, except that it actually happened. Aphrodite was slain by the Christians (135). The Christian sexual revolution became codified in law under the reign of Justinian (527-565). Sex between males was a crime, and pederasty was outlawed. Christian laws under Justinian also vigorously opposed coerced prostitution.

a. They already heard this,

‘

Because while their instruction was given, he is making sure they are doing well

2 Peter 1:13–15- I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

Say, yes, thank you

ii. Illustration

1. God will is sexual purity for a good reason

a. We can get caught up in the wrong things when we think of God’s will

b. I heard a seminary professor talk to future pastors say:

“You are all wondering what God’s will is for your future ministry. Listen well to what I am about to say. It may be relatively indifferent whether you eventually become a pastor in Kalamazoo or a missionary in Timbuktu. That’s a choice between two good things. Yes, you will need to decide. Pray for wisdom then choose

… But if you see someone Will you walk on, pretending not to notice? Or will you cross the street? It is God’s definite, revealed will that you seek to reconcile. This choice is life-or-death important.” [ix]

c. So many decisions matter, but they’re not life or death matters

2. Sexual immorality is an issue of life or death

iii. Application

1. because of that, we must strive for holiness so that we make the write decisions

a. John Macarthur famously talked about deiciding what is the will of God saying The Bible reveals that it is God's will for all of us to be:

- Saved (2 Peter 3:9; 2 Timothy 2:3‑4)

- Spirit‑filled (Ephesians 5:17‑18)

- Sanctified (1 Thessalonians 4:3‑7)

- Submissive (1 Peter 2:13‑15)

Suffering (2 Timothy 3:12; Philippians 1:29)

- Saying Thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

b. If you’re doing all of these things, then do what you want… You’ll do the right thing

2. Consider building self control over your body in different ways

a. For example, fasting says to your body I need God more than food

b. Christians throughout the centuries have believed that fasting should be a practice of the church today. Charles Spurgeon thought that “Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle have been high days indeed

3. But third, I want us to say self control is worth pursuing for our witness to the world

a. the church’s power came through preaching, writing, and through its own rigorous system of membership and discipline. Even when she was ignored, harassed, or outright persecuted, the church still wielded important power simply by consistently preaching the truth, developing an apologetic for the truth, and insisting that its members believed and lived out the truth.

b. It was this preaching the changed the Roman world

i. Historians say Aphrodite was slain by the Christians (135). The Christian sexual revolution became codified in law under the reign of Justinian (527-565). Sex between males was a crime, and pedophilia was outlawed. Prostitution opposed

c. We need to preach this truth in the world where it seems crazy

We do this with authority, not just her opinions because

words are an accurate measure of where a person is. The things that truly defile a person are the evil thoughts, hatred, immorality, and falsehood that flow from the heart and proceed out of a person’s mouth- in and out where individuals' hearts are, and that will show you everything you need to know about how sincere and real their religion is. And the best way to discover that is to listen to their words. Their heart will publish itself eventually.

2. God’s will for everyone cannot be questioned (6b-8)

i. Explanation

1. The consequences of someone’s rejection is God’s vengeance (6b)

a. There is a natural destruction that takes place when someone pursues sexual immorality

b. Turn to Proverbs 7:21-23

i. He is like a dumb ox thinking he is going to pasture but really is going to slaughter (vv. 22–23)

ii. Like a hunter, she has entrapped her prey V26 uses a military term for her victories over others

iii. Yet, v27 doesn’t say the man dies right away, not, her house is merely the way to death not death itself.

Allen ross Says, “A man’s life is not destroyed in one instant; it is taken from him gradually as he enters into a course of life that will leave him as another victim of the wages of sin.”

c. App: sexual immorality destroys?

1. Obvious areas of diseases you can get

2. Jesus said lust is adultery of the heart, which God punishes

3. It will cause you to not love your spouse

4. it changes how you think about your sisters

1. How can you look lustfully as all sorts of girls on a computer and then be respectful to your sisters …may not happen right away, but many a man will testify how it makes them see women as objects to be lusted after instead of people

2. The person someone rejects is God Himself (7-8)

d. God’s call

i. God’s call, his expectation was for His people to be holy

1 Peter 1:14–16- As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

e. Disregards= reject, to declare it invalid [x]

i. This is not the ignorant, but hear it and say it doesn’t apply to me.

ii. , since these are the words of God, not man, they are rejecting them

iii. As Jesus said

Luke 10:16- “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

ii. Illustration

1. God’s will should not be questioned

a. But it is interesting how the more sexually immoral our world gets, the more they deny the bible, the word of God

b. Ligonier ministries does a large survey every to hear to know about the state of people’s theology where they ask lots of questions

c. One question was do you agree The Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.

i. Out of 3,000 responders 28% somewhat agree, 25& strongly agree, 6% not sure

ii. Of those who go to church once a week: 20% somewhat agree, 15% strongly agree

iii. 35% of church goers reject the bible

d. This should not be so

More than 2020

2. God’s will should be not rejected

iii. Application

1. We all have a moral standard, and we need one

III. Therefore

1. Since we have seen (Cohesion)- We will continue specifically to the issue of sexual immorality next time

i. What God has done leads to what we should do

ii. We ask Christian to live holy

iii. We instruction Christians to please God

iv. And we give the commands that are from Jesus

2. We know we must (Resolution)-

i. Repent of sexual sin of and help others do so

1. Jennifer Knapp was a famous christian siner who came out as being homosexual

2. She was on Larry King Live debating with a pastor and sadi You’re a sinner too, right? “Then why are you judging me instead of me judging you?”

3. We are not saying that some of us are worse sinners than others or that homosexuality is a worse sin than pride, stealing, etc. We are not categorized before God as ” better sinners” or “worse sinners.” Instead, we are either unrepentant or repentant. True Christianity hinges on repentance.[xi]

4. That’s the issue, not are we a perfect people, but are we holy in our repentance

ii. So know there is hope for sexual immorality and others

1. It is found in turning away from it, saying no to the sin and yes to jesus work on the corss

IV. Closing prayer

1. Lord, allow us to believe this and present it to tohers

[i]Rolland McCune, A Systematic Theology of Biblical Christianity: Prolegomena and the Doctrines of Scripture, God, and Angels, vol. 1 (Allen Park, MI: Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, 2009), 327. [ii]David Powlison, “How Does Sanctification Work? (Part 3),” The Journal of Biblical Counseling 31, no. 1 (2017): 9. [iii]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 175. [iv]Andrew R. Talbert, “Thessalonica,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016). [v] Tim Shenton, Opening up 1 Thessalonians, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2006), 78. [vi]John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 & 2 Thessalonians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 2002), 110. [vii] D. Michael Martin, 1, 2 Thessalonians, vol. 33, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 128. [viii] Faith Biblical Counseling, n.d. [x]James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament)(Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). [xi] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/jennifer-knapp-larry-king-why-we-always-lose-this-debate/