A Life That Pleases God

There is a huge difference between love and lust that this world will never grasp...Love always flourishes and grows when “the needs and the desires of the other person are put first.”

Introduction:

There is a huge difference between love and lust that this world will never grasp...Love always flourishes and grows when “the needs and the desires of the other person are put first.”

Lust always has a selfish motive...like... meet my needs...meet my desires...and the other person simply exists solely for these purposes.

Love takes real effort...self-denial and sacrifice...

Lust takes no real effort, because its very purpose is to gratify my desires...right now!

[Here’s a good example...suppose I’ve made a commitment to eat healthy...and I am I trying to be healthy...and the low carb route is the way I’ve chosen to go.

Now, my wife brings home a delicious, chocolate glazed donut in a little white bag (From Tom’s Doughnuts!!!).

This is all a pretend circumstance mind you!!!

And suppose the health-conscious husband that I am… sees that bag on the counter for two days.

I opened it and smelled it at least four times. I lust for this doughy, delectable pastry...and I begin to think...One donut won’t hurt...It’ll go to waste if I don’t eat it soon.

This donut and milk would be so awesome... and the tipping point for giving in is really really close for me.

Thankfully this preacher’s youngest son would probably have eaten the only hypothetical donut in the house before “lust” won.]

The Apostle Paul is writing to us as believers in our message this morning to live in a world of donuts, as did the people in Thessalonica.

Followers of Christ have made a more important commitment than to eat healthy.

We have made a commitment to live in order to please God.

We have made a decision to continually grow up to be like Jesus... “more and more!

It’s an intentional decision to seek God’s will and God’s Word as we follow our leaders’ instructions.

What kind of life is that? What kind of life is worth following?

So, let’s Talk about a few things: First Let’s read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

1 Thessalonians 4:1–12 NIV

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

1 Thessalonians 4:1–8 NIV

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

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I. A LIFE THAT PLEASES GOD

I. A LIFE THAT PLEASES GOD

There are 4 ways we can live our lives:

1. We can live a life of reaction.

Something happens to us and we react to it...something makes us angry...we explode...something tempts us...we give into it...

It’s the default setting that most people choose to live by. I lose my job...I find another...I lose my relationship...I find another.

We go through the same motions over and over again until something forces us to change...and usually, we then revert right back to the same life.

We live life reacting as we go along...a lot of the time we react the same way over and over again. The is the definition of insanity! “doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.”

It’s a dangerous way to live.

When some people were 17 their reaction to bad things was they got high and ate pizza in their basement.

And then they wonder why at 33 they still react to bad things by getting high and eating pizza in their basement.

Something has to change!

The second way we can live life is:

2. We live a life of conformity.

We allow the crowd to shape our lives.

We float along on the current of popular opinion.

We choose to make appearance more important than reality....because we want others to “like us.”

We thrive on others liking us. And it’s a dangerous way to live. Author Leo Buscaglia once said, “The easiest thing to be is you. The hardest thing to be is the you others think you should be.”

It’s a chore to live your life trying to please a fickle crowd.

Or you can choose a third way to live:

3. We live a life of rebellion.

We reject authority, every authority...our parents, our teachers, our leaders.

We say, no one is going to tell “me” what to do, not even God.

We fight...and we reject “old foundational” truths...for more current ideas.

It’s a dangerous way to live because it’s built on pride, and self-determination.

It’s a life that seeks independence from all and everything.

The definition of a rebel is to do the opposite of what everyone is doing!

[Music Artist Lecrae once penned these words, “If you really wanna be a rebel, read your bible. Cause no one is doing that. That's rebellion. That's the only rebellion left.”]

Or as the Apostle Paul advises us:

4. We can live an intentional life.

Let me rephrase that… We choose to live an intentional life.

A life with purpose and direction...a life that believes in a Creator, who has become our heavenly Father.

We choose to surrender to His will and plan for our life.

We choose to live in a way that pleases Him....

We choose to believe we were created by Him for this very reason.

And we stop living for self, and we choose to serve Him.

You see, choosing to live this life in a sexually promiscuous society will require intentionality and a power greater than this world offers.

Verse 4 tells us…

“that each of you should learn to control our own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like pagans (unbelievers) who do not know God;

And that to do this requires “being sanctified.”

We have been talking holiness and sanctification the last few weeks.

Sanctified is a biblical way of saying “set apart” for God’s use.

[In the OT the tabernacle was “set apart” for God’s use by Moses and the Israelites in the journey to the Promised Land.

When Solomon built the temple...it was sanctified, set apart for God’s dwelling place...The Holy of Holy places...was “Holy” because “God dwelt there.”

His presence would fill the mercy seat, between the golden cherubim on top of the Ark of the Covenant.

A curtain kept everyone out, even the Holy Priest who could only enter it once a year...on the day of atonement, when blood sacrifices were made for the sins of everyone, including the priests.

The writer to the Hebrews talks about this old covenant in Chapter 9

This is really interesting stuff listen to this… I am gonna read it.

Hebrews 9:1–8 NIV

Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning.

As long as the tabernacle and temple stood, the real way into the most Holy place hadn’t been disclosed.

What does this mean for a world that has witnessed Jesus dying on a cross, and then conquering death 3 days later?

What does this mean when it comes to us living a “sanctified life” that pleases God?

It means that…

II. OUR BODIES HAVE BECOME THE TEMPLE WHERE GOD LIVES

When the Lord called us to leave our sin and live a holy life (v. 7) He also is the very God who gave us His Holy Spirit to make that possible!

Think about it!

When we make the intentional choice to surrender our sin for cleansing in the blood of Jesus, it requires our death, burial and resurrection.

Baptism isn’t the “washing of dirt from our bodies. It’s a commitment to God to wash our hearts” according to . It’s when we receive the indwelling gift of His Spirit...it’s when our bodies become temples that house His presence.

So, what does that mean pastor? It means, now God lives in us...while we live in a very immoral world...a world that revolves around lust much more than love.

You see, God intended sex to be an absolutely beautiful art of oneness between a husband and wife.

The two becoming one flesh... but Satan twists the gift of God into lust.

It’s like trading filet mignon for a dollar menu McDonalds cheeseburger.

Satan focuses on our hunger...and the Spirit of Esau, which wants immediate gratification.

Thessalonica was similar to our culture...It was a sexually driven culture.

One of their Philosophers: Demosthenes wrote “We have prostitutes for pleasure. We have mistresses for the day to day needs of our bodies and we have wives for the bearing of children and for the faithful guardianship of our homes.”

Men held the upper hand in Roman culture, but sex dominated its culture and affected everyone.

It was men and women who came out of this culture, but were now committed to God and each other...like Christians now.

You see the culture was the same, but now they weren’t...WHY?

Because the Holy Spirit was leading them, and the Holy Spirit is leading us:

What is the Holy Spirit Leading us to?...

III. TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER

1 Thessalonians 4:9–12 NIV

Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

When the Holy Spirit is at work in us we begin to clearly put others in a place of value...we stop wronging people and taking advantage of them.

Paul says that it’s a message Christians have obviously received, and it’s one God punishes when we haven’t...because it’s a rejection of His Spirit.

Remember He writes “Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family.

Love isn’t something you’ll learn in a class or can memorize from lesson.

God is love, and if He’s present in your body it shows in how you treat people...listen it shows in how you treat…ALL PEOPLE.

Matthew 5:46–48 NIV

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

[James Michener, in his book, “The Source”, tells the story of a man named Urbaal, who was a farmer living about 2200 B.C. He worshiped two gods, one a god of death, the other a goddess of fertility.

[James Michener, in his book, “The Source”, tells the story of a man named Urbaal, who was a farmer living about 2200 B.C. He worshiped two gods, one a god of death, the other a goddess of fertility.

One day, the temple priests tell Urbaal to bring his young son to the temple for sacrifice--if he wants good crops.

Urbaal obeys, and on the appointed day drags his wife and boy to the scene of the boy's "religious execution" by fire to the god of death.

After the sacrifice of Urbaal's boy along with several others, the priests announce that one of the fathers will spend next week in the temple, with a new temple prostitute.

Urbaal's wife is stunned as she notices a desire written more intensely across his face than she had seen before, and she is overwhelmed to see him so eagerly lunge forward when his name is called.

When the ceremony is over, she walks out of the temple with her head swimming, concluding that "if he had different gods, he would have been a different man."]

The Thessalonians now have a different God! So do we!

We no longer serve the gods of death and sexuality...we serve the God of Resurrection and life.

When a selfish, self-centered, controlling husband becomes a gentle, genuine, and giving partner… Love Wins over lust.

When a critical, complaining, bitter woman becomes an encouraging, thankful, genuine friend...love wins.

And when busy bodies make it their ambition to “mind their own business” and seek unity and peace over entertainment...Love wins!

Church, there will be good days...and there will be bad days. There will be setbacks and failures...and there will be mountaintops and victories...

But because you’ve chosen a life on intentionality, your daily life wins respect, and your self-worth doesn’t depend on someone else.

You know you are loved by a Savior regardless of the circumstances, and your victory comes because of His presence in you...not what is present in this world.

In verse 9 Paul chooses a word that really strikes me as an intentional choice.

When he talks about loving one another he doesn’t use the word “agape” for love.

Agape is used in “For God so loved (“agape”) the world...He gave His only son.

Agape is used by Jesus when He says “For this reason the Father loves (“agape”) me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again” in .

But in our text Paul chooses the word “Philadelphia” (brotherly love). It’s intentional...not an accident.

Why?

I believe Paul has chosen this word because in the Church we have this kind of bond.

Even as new brothers and sisters join the family...we’re family.

We love each other with a, “Philadelphia” love. We’re blood relatives in Christ...forever.

I don’t really have a choice in who my biological brothers and sisters are. My parents influenced that... and despite the differences and the pain we have been through together… I love them.

And when it comes to my brothers and sisters in the family of God...I don’t get to choose...Dad does… And guess what? Despite all our differences… I still love my brothers and sisters. It’s a “Philadelphia love!”

CLOSING:

Maybe if we started loving each other like this, we’d get past the arguments...the stuff that makes us say “I’m leaving this family and finding another one that I like better...

Maybe if we realized that our connection is meant to be forever we’d speak more cautiously and quietly…

And…

Maybe we’d do the right thing and say we’re sorry quicker and I love you… more often...

And maybe love would win again.

Let’s pray.