Paul and Jesus at the Finish Line

Today we celebrated baptism—and what a joy it is! But I want you to know: baptisms are more than just celebrations. They’re declarations—bold, public markers of a disciple’s heart and intended direction of their lives from now on!

Baptism is a lot like a wedding.

The wedding ceremony doesn’t create a couples love—it celebrates it. And the vows don’t start the relationship—they reveal the commitment already made in the heart of the couple.

That’s why, whenever I officiate a wedding, I have one non-negotiable: I get final say on the vows. Why? Because vows aren’t meant to be clever—they’re meant to be clear. And they’re not just poetry—they’re promises. Courageous, costly, covenantal promises. And when a couple says them out loud in front of witnesses, they’re doing more than just professing love—they’re inviting their community to help them stay true to them.

In the same way, baptism is a public vow: “I belong to Jesus. I’m committed to Him.” It’s a declaration of real, enduring love. And just like a wedding, it invites the church to come alongside and say, “We’ve got your back, we’re going to hold you to that!”

And before being baptized, each person answered three questions—ending with this one: “Do you commit yourself to a life of loving obedience under the Lordship of Jesus?”

That’s no small promise. And today, I want to help us unpack what that looks like.

In 1 Thessalonians 4–5, Paul gives us a clear picture of the heart of a disciple—what it looks like to live under the Lordship of Jesus.

And what we’ll see is this: a disciple’s heart beats to please God, love others, and shine hope.

As we turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and 5, allow me to give you some quick context.

Paul writes this letter to:

Defend the sincerity of his heart and ministry. (1 Thess. 2-3) and then

Encourage this young church and fill in some gaps in their new faith. (1 Thess. 3:10)

And he has to do this because of how the Church at Thessalonica got it’s start! It’s a crazy story, one you can read about in Acts 16-18.

Too summarize, after being blocked from preaching elsewhere, Paul had a vision of a Macedonian man pleading for help (Acts 16:9), so he and Silas sailed to Philippi. They ministered there until persecution drove them out—then moved on to Thessalonica. Though they stayed only a few weeks, many came to faith (Acts 17:2–4). But once again, opposition forced them to flee—this time under cover of night (Acts 17:10).

Now, imagine being part of that young church. A missionary shows up, and you’re all in—but after a few weeks, they’re gone. No goodbyes, no follow-up, no contact. Or imagine you’re Paul: a missionary whose foundations of faith discipleship class is cut short because you have to flee for your life!

That’s the backdrop for this letter. And the same people who ran Paul out are now slandering him, saying he was just there for the money (Acts 17:5). So Paul writes to defend his ministry and preserve the message. In chapters 2–3, he opens his heart, reminding them how he lived among them—not as a taker but as a spiritual parent, sharing not only the gospel but his very life.

That gets us through chapters 1-3 and then in chapters 4–5, Paul shifts from defending his heart to shaping theirs— offering what amounts to a disciple’s diagnostic: eight heartbeats that reveal a life surrendered to Jesus.

Because his time with them was cut short, Paul wrote down the teaching he didn’t get to give in person, think of it as a kind of Foundations of Faith course and because he was forced to write it down rather than conduct it in person, we now get to benefit from it too.

So, whether you were baptized today or have been following Jesus for years, this is a moment to pause and ask:

What does a life of loving obedience under the Lordship of Christ really look like?

Paul shows us—eight clear heartbeats of a disciple. Let’s walk through them together and see how we’re doing.

IV. The Marks of a Disciple’s Heart (1 Thess. 4–5)

Paul says the first mark of a disciple’s heart is that they:

Live to Please God (4:1-2) – Disciples, true believers, followers of Jesus, seek to honor God above all. Our ultimate audience is God alone, not people or our selfish desires. This means, if we’re a disciple of Jesus our hearts will be marked by alignment to God’s desires and designs as revealed in Scripture. It means we will strive to obey His commands, and seeking to reflect His character in all that we do.

We will be — as it says on the back of your bulletins — a people who seek to become more like Jesus in how we think, speak and act! Look at the text with me:

1 Thessalonians 4:1–2 NLT

1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. 2 For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

A disciple’s heart is to please God!

Paul says another mark of a disciple's heart is that they:

Live Sexually Pure Lives(4:3-8) – Church, Christians! We have to do better here! We live in a culture that’s become deeply confused about sex—and that confusion is costing us dearly!

Sexual purity matters. Pornography use is a sin and it will destroy you. Sex outside of marriage, living together outside of marriage, homosexuality, sexual immorality of any kind, that's any sexual activity—heterosexual or homosexual—outside of God’s design for marriage between one biological man and one biological woman falls outside His will and leads us away from flourishing and therefore, for our good, God says there shouldn’t be even a hint of it in you or in your home!

Young people, I know how our world does this! Parents, I know not all of you did this the right way, but can we as a community of Christ followers, can we together agree to love and serve and help our young people!?

Sex outside of marriage is not good for you! It diminishes your worth, distorts intimacy, and dishonors the Lord!

We cannot just shrug this off as oh well this is just what kids do now a days! We cannot accept this as an acceptable practice for people who claim to love and follow Jesus!

A disciple of Jesus seeking to live under the Lordship of Jesus, honors God with their body and avoids immorality. We flee from this stuff! Look at the text:

1 Thessalonians 4:3–8 NLT

3 God’s will is for you to be holy (set a part, different from our culture, righteous, pure) God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor—5 not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. 6 Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. 7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. 8 Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Loved ones, if you’ve failed here, you’re not broken or beyond redemption! Our God heals, and He restores and He redeems! He cleanses us from our past mistakes, but for the sake and honor of God’s name! Turn from sin! Don’t turn a blind eye to it!

Paul says another mark of a disciple's heart is that they: Live Sexually Pure Lives(4:3-8).

Are you?

Paul says another mark of a disciple's heart is that they:

Live to Love (4:9-10) – We grow in the love we show to others, especially for fellow Christians within the Church! To the person that says I love Jesus but I don’t love his Church, respectfully and with the love of Jesus, what do you do with this verse? Paul says the heart of a disciple of Christ is to be growing in love for Christ’s Church, for his people, the brothers and sisters of Christ!

And Church, this love looks like what I just did. I shared with you some healthy correction from God’s word, I risked our relationship, I risked offending you by sharing with you God’s truth, not in judgement or to condemn you, but you call you to a better way of life in Jesus! To save you and protect you! This is the love we are to grow in! Not the tolerance garbage our world calls love, but real actual love where we care for people enough to tell them God’s truth, kindly with gentleness and respect so that they might come into relationship with Jesus and be saved!

This is the kind of love that marks the heart of a true disciple of Jesus. Look at the text with me!

1 Thessalonians 4:9–10 NLT

9 But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another. 10 Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.

The heart of a disciple is marked by growth in love for one another!

Paul says another mark of a disciple's heart is that they:

Live Respectably (4:11-12) – I love this one! Look at the text:

1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 NLT

11 Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. 12 Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.

Christian, is your way of life respectable? When someone looks at how you live, do they think better or worse about the gospel of Jesus?

If you’re drowning in debt, constantly complaining, lazy and unwilling to work, or a busybody meddling in everyone’s affairs—then let’s be honest—your life doesn’t reflect well on Jesus. It doesn’t point people to Him. It pushes them away.

Live in such a way that when people observe your life, they want what you have in Christ.

There’s a guy I like to listen to who says, “If you can’t say Amen, say ouch!” I know there are people who can’t work. I know there are exceptions to every rule. But don’t be too quick to dismiss God’s word here.

We are called to live winsome lives—lives that win some to Jesus! Based on your abilities and your situation when Christ called you, live in a way that brings respect to the name of Jesus. He doesn’t need us to defend His reputation—but how we live can either draw people to Him or drive them away.

A mark of a disciple’s heart is that they live respectable lives.

Another mark is that they:

Live Alert (5:4-10) – Far too many Christians treat this world as if it were Switzerland. As John Eldridge points out in his recent book, Experience Jesus, Really. People live in freindship with the world as if it were some neutral territory where you’re free to live your life as you choose without a care about the unseen spiritual realm, the afterlife or the Kingdom of God! But Christian, we need to wake up! There is no neutral ground in the universe. As C.S. Lewis said, “in the universe: every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan.”

We live in a love story set in a world at war! If we’re not pressing in to God’s Kingdom, well then the Kingdom of Darkness is taking ground in our lives! Satan prowls around like lion looking for who he can devour! Sin crouches at your door and it desires to destroy you! Be alert! Look at the text!

1 Thessalonians 5:4–10 NLT

4 But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. 5 For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. 6 So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. 7 Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. 8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. 9 For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. 10 Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.

The world offers no shelter or refuge for the Christian Church. James reminds us “

New Living Translation Chapter 4

Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

The heart of a disciple is marked not by love for the world and what it offers, but we are awake to reality. We stay clear headed and live in the light of God’s Kingdom under the refuge provided by King Jesus!

Another mark of the heart of a disciple is that they:

Live to Encourage (5:11-15) – The Church should build up, not tear down.

1 Thessalonians 5:11–15 NLT

11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other. 14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

This ones easy to spot because it’s so different from the ways of our world! Most people complain. Most people tear down and criticize and blame and point fingers. The heart of a disciple is marked by showing honor. Do you know how you show honor to someone, you study them to serve them and surprise them! Paul says the heart of a disciple seeks to serve and surprise your Church leaders! And to care for the weak and the timid with health correction and gentle encouragement! You seek to encourage, make peace and live with patience and tender care for the weak! You don’t seek vengeance but try to do good to each other and all people! You love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

I’m not sure there is a more clear mark of a follower of Jesus than this one Church. Can you genuinely pray for God to bless your enemies. Do you love your enemies?

It’s a mark of a disciple’s heart.

2 more: Paul says, a disciple lives

Live God-Centered (5:16-18) – Joy, prayer, and gratitude should saturate our lives.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NLT

16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

The only way to rise above our circumstances emotionally is to center your life on something outside of your circumstances. With God at the center, we can be joyful always and this will require us to be praying constantly! But with God at the center, we can be thankful in all circumstances because no matter what, in Jesus we always have a reason to praise!

And lastly,

A mark of a disciples heart is that they:

Live with Discernment (5:19-22) – They Hold to truth and test everything against Scripture in guidance by the Holy Spirit!

1 Thessalonians 5:19–22 NLT

19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.

It takes discernment to live well under the Lordship of Jesus! There is an enemy who is clever. What God creates, Satan perverts and counterfeits! So we much test everything, every spirit, everything that’s said, all our decisions must be weight against God’s word! And once weighed we hold on to what is good and get rid of what is evil!

So here they are again—eight marks of a disciple’s heart: To please God. To pursue purity. To love deeply. To live respectably. To stay alert. To encourage others. To rejoice always in a God-centered life. And to test everything against God’s Word”

Alright, now

As we’ve just walked through eight marks of a disciple’s heart—eight ways we’re called to live lives of loving obedience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

How ya doing? Is your heart feeling the weight of conviction? Is there grief rising up?

That’s actually a right response. Grief is natural when we hold our lives up to the standard of God's holiness. With a list like this, who can stand before a God like ours?

But here’s the good news, Church: we do not grieve like the rest of the world. Why? Because Jesus came and did what we never could—and He’s coming back to make all the sad things come untrue.

This is the beauty of the gospel: the Christian life isn’t about perfect performance—it’s about a transformed and healed heart. A heart that beats with the hope of the gospel. We don’t pursue these marks to earn God’s favor; we pursue them because, in Christ, we already have it.

Jesus lived the life of perfect love, holiness, and faithfulness we couldn’t. He bore our sin and shame on the cross. Through His resurrection, He secured our victory. And He’s not finished yet.

He’s coming back to restore all things!

That hope changes everything. Our transformation isn’t just self-improvement—it’s about living in light of eternity. If this world were all there is, despair might be the only honest response. But because Jesus is returning, we have staying power—the strength to press on, the endurance to remain faithful.

You see, Paul connects all these disciple-heart marks to this hope. We don’t live differently just to be different—we live differently because we know how the story ends. Jesus is making all things new. And for those who love Him and live for Him, the best is yet to come. For the Christian, this is as close to hell as you will ever be!

So when following Jesus gets hard—when obedience costs you, when trials shake you, when you feel like giving up—remember this:

The return of Christ is not just a doctrine; it’s our anchor.

We believe in redemption. We believe in resurrection. And we believe that Jesus is coming again.

That hope fuels our faithfulness. That hope gives us courage. And that hope will never fail us.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:3 NLT

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died… the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.

This is why we celebrate baptism—not because it shows we’ve arrived, but because it declares our direction. And the direction is Jesus.

The goal here is not perfection—but progression.

Nobody follows Jesus perfectly. But if you are following Him—truly seeking to live under His Lordship—then these marks should be growing in you. And if they’re not?

Then maybe it’s time to ask: Am I truly a disciple of Jesus? Or have I just been going through the motions?

Baptism, like a wedding, is a moment of public commitment—a vow to love and follow Jesus all your days. But the real question is not what happened at your baptism—it’s what’s happening now.

Are you living with the heart of a disciple?

Are you growing in your desire to please God, to love others, to shine hope, to live in purity, live respectably, to encourage others, to rejoice always, and to stay anchored in God's truth?

If not—repent. Turn back. The grace of God is available right now.

And if you are—you don’t need to be perfect. But keep pressing on. Encourage one another. Build each other up. Grow deeper. Keep walking. Let’s be a church that helps each other live out the vows we’ve made.

Let’s not settle for a moment of passion—we want a lifetime of faithful love.

May our hearts beat with the marks of true disciples.

Amen