1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

These are a people who have been saved out of an idolatrous life style doubtless marked by sexual immorality as most religions were at the time. Therefore, the will of God that is commanded to Christians is that their lives are markedly distinct in their chastity as they understand that they have been called out for a purpose. Therefore, as a people who desire to live our lives as a sacrifice unto God which pleases Him, then we must obey the command that He gives us here. With that said, as we look at 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 today, we will find that the Christian life that glorifies God refrains from sexual sin.

The Christian life that glorifies God refrains from sexual sin as we seek to master our lusts. (4-5)

In Exodus 20, the 7th commandment was that we should not commit adultery and as a people who have been forgiven by the grace of God, we should seek to obey His will for us. You might remember a few Wednesday's back as we looked at this commandment and found that sexual sin is deceptive (Prov 5:3-4), destructive (1 Cor. 6:18), and damning (Heb. 13:4) and that our only hope for victory is in the gospel (1 Cor. 6:8-11). This is a truth that the apostle Paul is obviously meditating on and speaks on forcefully as he says that he “urges, exhorts and commands us in the Lord Jesus” that we should abstain from this sin. This is Paul highlighting the significance of his office as an Apostle who speaks for the Lord to the Church. As Paul does this, he highlights that those who partake in such behavior are living like those who don’t know the Lord.

As we spoke about a few weeks ago, one of the reasons that we must grow in sanctification here is because of the deceptiveness of this sin. Proverbs 5:3-4

Proverbs 5:3–4 NKJV

3 For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; 4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.

The person who falls to the enticement of this sin are not possessing their bodies in sanctification and honor, but are dishonoring God by rejecting His will and, as we will see next, are dishonoring others. How so? Point two is:

The Christian life that glorifies God refrains from sexual sin as we understand the value of others. (6)

Now, what this deception or defrauding is explicitly, I don’t know. But the context causes me to think it is certainly sexual. In my opinion, I believe that this is concerning the sin of adultery in particular as you would certainly be defrauded a brother if you committed adultery with his wife. I think the most clear example of this would be the sin of David as he committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. Therefore, this portion would give comfort to the broken hearted spouse that God would make all things write. However, another possibility according to one writer is, “The deception is that selfish sexual motives are often masked by sincere professions of love” (GK Beale).

The Christian life that glorifies God refrains from sexual sin as we recall the character of God (6-7)

Here, Paul is speaking rather forcefully. Not only does he highlight that he speaks with apostolic authority, and not only does he mention that such behavior is worldly and hurts others, but now he highlights that those who partake in such behavior will be repaid by God. This isn’t an assuring thing to hear in the least. Paul wants us to understand, as GK Beale puts it, “Those who do not break off from their former pagan ways of living should not be considered truly Christian and should certainly not be given assurance that their faith is genuine.” Why? Well for a two reasons:

They reject the warnings of God.

They refuse to acknowledge their calling.

They remain unmoved by the Spirit (Ezekiel 36:27)