Doubletalk Christianity (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8)

He then is first who loves Christ; and second, he who loves and cares for those who have believed on Him. For whatever is done to a disciple, the Lord accepts as done to Himself, and reckons the whole as His.

Clement of Alexandria

Elliot Ritzema, 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Early Church, Pastorum Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013).

Introduction

In the Apostle Paul’s letter today, we read that Sanctification is the process of listening to and walking in step with God’s Holy Spirit. This happens as we come to a correct definition of what sin is in our lives as both Christians and human beings in general with a view toward how we lead ourselves as individuals.

I. Lifestyle Choices Matters to God. (v.1)

Verse 1 states that the Apostle Paul instructed the Church at Thessalonica on how to please God. We know from Hebrews 11:6 that the start of pleasing God is by committing ourselves to faith. Not the faith of easy-believism, as in the letter from James 2:19, nope, we’re going for active faith, which is faith plus obedience. Church, Christianity is not meant to be a philosophical tradition, it’s meant to be an encounter with the living God, the Trinity.

I have entitled this message “Doubletalk Christianity” because many times as humans and as religious folk we say the right things and memorize the jargon and even Bible verses, yet we do not inquire of the Spirit of God to change our hearts.