The Pastor’s Plea For Purity

PASTORAL PRAYER

Gracious and merciful God, Even when we are afflicted and in pain, You are our salvation and our song. Lift us up, O Lord, and set us on high by Your redeeming power. When our hearts are heavy, You are still worthy of praise; when our strength is gone, Your mercy remains steadfast. So today, with thankful hearts, we lift up Your name in song. We magnify You with thanksgiving, for You delight not in sacrifices or offerings, but in the sincere praise of humble hearts. Our gratitude, O Lord, is our offering— and it pleases You more than the finest gifts we could bring. Thank You for hearing the cries of the needy, for never despising Your people when we feel imprisoned by our fear, our sorrow, or our sin. You draw near to the brokenhearted; You revive those who seek You. You make the humble glad again. Let all of Your people rejoice! Let heaven and earth, the seas and everything that moves within them sing praise! For You, O God, are faithful to save and to restore. You build up what has been torn down; You plant Your people again in hope and promise. We thank You for the sure inheritance of those who love Your name— for the dwelling You prepare for Your servants, for the community of grace You are building even now. May our lives be songs of gratitude, our words instruments of praise, and our hearts sanctuaries of joy, as we bless the name of Jesus Christ, our salvation and our strength. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

Picking up from The Pastor’s Prayer that concluded chapter 3, we see the continuation of Paul’s thoughts here in chapter 4.

Read 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

The two primary foci of that prayer for the Thessalonian believers:

Love that abounds for one another (v. 12)

Being established as blameless in holiness (v. 13)

There is always a danger in the life of a believer that they will think they have reached an acceptable “status quo.”

They are content with their Bible reading

They are content with their prayer life

They are content with the amount they are being fed the Word through Bible study and sermons

They are content with how frequently they gather with the saints

The reality, though, is that we will never truly “arrive” as a believer… in the image of Christ… until we stand before God in eternity.

1 John 3:2 ESV

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

But that does not mean that we reach an “acceptable” level of Christian maturity on this earth.

1 John 3:3 ESV

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

There is a call and expectation on the life of the believer to strive in holiness and to be purifying himself. The striving never ceases until our last breath has been taken. And that is what Paul is going to be dealing with here in 1 Thessalonians 4, specifically verses 1-12.

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Twice in these verses, Paul uses the phrase more and more (v. 1, 10). These are the breaking points for the sermon emphasis this week and next.

This week: more and more, walk in a pleasing manner to God (i.e. purifying yourself, cf. 1 John 3:3)

Next week: more and more, walk in a loving manner toward others

Orient to Topic

Focusing now on verses 1-8, we see The Pastor’s Plea For Purity.

There is an inexpressible joy in the heart of a pastor who sees the sheep of his fold walking in the Lord.

3 John 4 ESV

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Unfortunately, due to our human (i.e. sinful) condition, we all struggle and are imperfect followers.

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

The sad reality for all mankind is that we are dead in sin and chasers of our own desires

This is why Jesus makes the assertion that unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God, (John 3:3)

Through our repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, our spiritually dead selves are raised to walk in newness of life (cf. Romans 6:4).

Though we are new creatures in Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17), we still struggle with those old desires.

Example: Paul’s confession in Romans 7 he desires to live in obedience to God, but the flesh presents a competing desire

We are believers who have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) through the indwelling Holy Spirit, but we still inhabit a weak and fragile body that is influenced by ungodly desires

Points From Paul’s Thoughts In 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

We Have Instructions From The Lord

Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they received from [him] instructions on how to live, and that these instructions were through the Lord Jesus.

This is a great reminder for us that what we have in the Bible is from the Lord.

2 Peter 1:21 ESV

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Since what we have in these pages are from the Lord, it ought to be our desire to live obediently to it.

God’s Will Is Our Sanctification

There is no clearer expression of God’s desire for our lives than the fact that He wants us to be sanctified (i.e. made holy/set apart).

People spend far too long wondering about and praying for “God’s will for their life” as it relates to:

The job you have

The college degree you go for

The city/state you live in

The person you marry

These are all important details in life, but they are not THE most important detail in your life.

Romans 8:29 ESV

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

God’s will is for you to be less like you and more like Jesus.

Because of our human (i.e. sinful) condition, this is the battle we fight day-in and day-out

Each individual has unique struggles:

Sexual purity (fornication/adultery/pornography)

Homosexuality/Transgenderism

Financial stewardship

Gossiping

Lying

Stealing

Hateful attitudes towards others

Drug addiction

Alcoholism

These are not diseases or disorders. These are sinful desires and actions that are carried out due to the presence of our sin nature.

God’s will is that we be set apart from these and be made more into the image of Christ

God Has Called Us To Holiness

Any so called believer who is living a life of impurity needs to examine [themselves] to see whether [they] are in the faith, (2 Corinthians 13:5).

As mentioned before, we will struggle to live a life of holiness because of our sin nature. However, our lack of effort is not excused by God, because He has some definite expectations for our lives.

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 4:1 ESV

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

1 Thessalonians 2:12 ESV

we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Philippians 1:27 ESV

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

CONCLUSION

The Thessalonian believers were engaging in sexual sin, and the Apostle Paul saw that it was necessary to deal with it.

He called them to more and more holiness, which would lead to blameless living before the Lord.

We, as believers, recognize that we struggle with sin in our lives. We possess a sin nature that contradicts the Spirit.

Thus, we need to fight the good fight. We need to dig into the Word, meditate on it, and pray for the Holy Spirit to grant us wisdom and discernment.

Hear a testimony from the life of Jonathan Edwards, and consider how you might be challenged in your walk today:

Jonathan Edwards - Memoirs of Jonthan Edwards My mind was greatly fixed on divine things; almost perpetually in the contemplation of them. I spent most of my time in thinking of divine things, year after year; often walking alone in the woods, and solitary places, for meditation, soliloquy, and prayer, and converse with God; and it was always my manner, at such times, to sing forth my contemplations. I was almost constantly in ejaculatory prayer, wherever I was. Prayer seemed to be natural to me, as the breath by which the inward burnings of my heart had vent. The delights which I now felt in those things of religion, were of an exceedingly different kind from those before mentioned, that I had when a boy; and what then I had no more notion of, than one born blind has of pleasant and beautiful colours. They were of a more inward, pure, soul-animating and refreshing nature. Those former delights never reached the heart; and did not arise from any sight of the divine excellency of the things of God; or any taste of the soul-satisfying and life-giving good there is in them.

Closing Prayer

Gracious Father,

We come before You today humbled by Your grace and grateful for the new life we have in Christ Jesus. Thank You that, though we were once dead in our trespasses and sins, You have made us alive together with Christ. Thank You that we now walk in newness of life — not by our strength, but by Your Spirit dwelling within us. Lord, we confess how easily we grow content in our walk with You. Forgive us for the times when we settle into spiritual complacency — when our love for You cools, our pursuit of holiness slows, and our hunger for Your Word fades. Remind us, O God, that we have not yet arrived. You are still shaping us into the image of Your Son, and that work will continue until the day we see Him face to face. Father, as Paul prayed for the Thessalonian believers, we pray now for ourselves and for Your church: May our love abound more and more — not only toward one another, but toward all people. Let that love overflow from hearts that have been transformed by the gospel. And, Lord, establish us as blameless in holiness before You. Teach us to walk in a manner that pleases You — to purify ourselves as Christ is pure, to flee from sin, and to strive daily to reflect Your holiness in every thought, word, and deed. When we stumble, remind us of the cross. When we grow weary, strengthen us by Your Spirit. When we are tempted to give up, fix our eyes on Jesus — the author and perfecter of our faith. May our lives bring joy to those who shepherd us and glory to the One who saved us. And may we, as Your people, walk more and more in a way that pleases You, until that glorious day when faith becomes sight and we are made like Christ, for we shall see Him as He is. We ask all this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.