Firm in Righteouss Living

Over the last few weeks, we have looked at two of the four admonitions found I Thess. “To Stand Firm”

Week 1- Stand Firm in Faith

Week 2 Stand Firm in Love

This morning - Stand Firm in Righteousness. This morning we will see how righteous living, love, and faith are all connected.

It is a well known fact that Rome and the cities within this empires borders and those under it’s influence had a reputation for it’s debauched sexual practices. So much so that Paul addressed this issue often within the church.

Why because the church is made up of people who live in a lost culture and as people, we are often influenced by the cultural morals of our society. This isn’t usually an overnight change but rather a slow drift.

So then how do we avoid this pitfall and remain “ Firm in Righteousness”?

I. Remember

1 Thessalonians 4:1–2 CSB

1 Additionally then, brothers and sisters, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received instruction from us on how you should live and please God—as you are doing—do this even more. 2 For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

A. The Instruction

B. The Consequence

C. The Choice you have made.

II. Keep Away

1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 CSB

3 For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you keep away from sexual immorality, 4 that each of you knows how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not with lustful passions, like the Gentiles, who don’t know God.

Notice a biblical sexual ethic is connected to God and immorality is associated with those who do not know God.

This is not to say that person who in a moment of weakness fails in this area, he or she doesn't know God but in that moment they look more like a person who doesn’t know God than a person who does.

The phrase “Keep Away” is a strong phrase. It has the idea of completion. In other words something that has already been settled. It’s finished. Its a predetermined completed decision.

Imagine with me one day you take your kids, grand-kids, nieces or nephews with you to the zoo.

Before you go you tell your kids to keep away from the Lions. Once you arrive at the zoo, you walk in and go to the meercat exhibit. Your enjoying watching these little guy zipping around, standing up on their hind legs and dashing into thier burroughs. You look up and notice that the kids are missing. You look over and see all three kids have climbed the fence and are inside the lion exhibit.

I mean the first thing that any gare giver is going to ask is where are the Lions? It is then you notice that the lions are on the opposite side of the exhibit.

You let out a sigh of relief and go back to watching the meerkats and say, I’m glad they are obeying. They are staying away from the lions.

Now would this make sense to you? Would any of us really say that the children are obeying?

Of course not. But isn’t this what we often do with this command? We climb over the barriers God has put in place most often through entertainment, social media, and music and Since we didn’t sleep with anyone we say, look God, I obeyed. But the command is not just don’t participate but rather Stay away. Why? Because your messing with an aggressive predator. That will come after you once you have climbed over the walls.

We live in an aggressive sexualized culture. If you do not put up the walls. If you have not determined to live behind the walls of holiness you will fall as prey to the worlds system.

The command is to remember the Holiness of God and stay away from impurity.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 CSB

7 For God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness.

Have you determined to pursue Christ and his righteousness or are you secretly looking for a loophole to get you as close to the lions as possible?

But Like referenced during the introduction to this sermon that this is all connected to love.

III. Love others

I Thes.