1 Thess 4:1-12 Mind Your Business

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Intro:

Beau Reading Scripture

Have you ever had to tell anyone to mind your own business?

Maybe they were getting too nosy?

Maybe they were trying to mettle in your business?

Most of us know what it’s like to be told to back off

God has given all of us enough to do each day

Today, Paul tells the Christians in Thessalonica to Mind Your Business

With all of the persecution happening he encouraged them to aspire to live quietly and mind their affairs

What does that mean?

I want to show you three areas we need to mind our business

Walk to Please God vs. 1-3a

The first area we need to mind to our business is to please God with our walk

vs. 1-2 Commit to Consistency

You can sense the urgency in Paul’s voice

“We urge you to do what you’re doing more and more”

There is power in consistently doing the same things over and over

It builds over time and produces the intended outcome

Some Christians struggle with consistency

They get excited about something and are all gung ho for a little while until they are distracted by the next exciting thing

Paul tells us consistently living our life in a way that will please God will have produce an abundance of fruit

1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

These principals and habits are done in the quiet secret place that no one notices

But the fruit from these consistent habits will be evident over time

Colossians 1:10 ESV

so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

What are these consistent habits you need to commit to?

Daily devotions & Prayer

Its about building the relationship with Jesus

Sitting under Biblical Instruction

Teaching points out areas we miss and instructs in issues we don’t understand

Love One Another

You have to be a giver

vs. 3a God’s Will: Your Sanctification

God’s will for your life is your sanctification

Sanctification is the ongoing supernatural work of God to rescue justified sinners from the disease of sin and to conform them to the image of his Son

God’s main priority in your life is to transform you into the image of His Son

Everything else is secondary

He is rooting out sin in your life

He is molding and shaping you to be like Jesus

You have two choices: You can submit or resist

Control Your Body vs. 4-8

The second area we need to mind our business is to control our body

Paul really hits on the issue of sexual immorality

If we think things are bad today, the Roman empire during Paul’s time was worse

It was a male dominated society where infidelity was expected and lewdness amongst the wealthy is well documented

Paul tells the Christians to live different

Not just to set out, but to avoid the consequences of that lifestyle

Abstain from Sexual Immorality

Many of the people in the church were former pagans

There were accepted practices of immorality in that group

Many Christians struggled coming out of this lifestyle because that is where the social life was

They wanted to follow Christ but keep their friends

Paul tells them that is incompatible with following Jesus

Sexual immorality separates believers from Jesus

It objectifies the opposite sex

It destroys marriages and families

1 Corinthians 6:18 ESV

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

Sexual immorality is everything that is outside God’s design for sex within marriage

WaPo article on Doug Emhoff claimed he was the new picture of Masculinity

2009 he got his nanny pregnant to get out of his marriage

2012 Physically assaulted girlfriend at Cannes Film Festival

These are just some of the effects of immorality

P Diddy case is threatening to expose all of the pedophiles in Hollywood and beyond

We live in a sick culture where the Biblical view on sex is ridiculed

Control Your Body

Our bodies are to honor God

Colossians 3:5 ESV

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Don’t Wrong Your Brother

1 Peter 1:15 ESV

but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

The Lord is the Avenger

Walk Properly w/ Outsiders vs. 9-12

The final area we need to mind our business is to walk properly with outsiders

2 Thessalonians 3:11 ESV

For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.

Live Quietly

1 Peter 2:12 ESV

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Walk Properly