Exhorting Word: Walk in Holiness
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From Reflection to Instruction
From Reflection to Instruction
Have you ever reflected back on who you were and then given instructions on who you are to be today? History, reflection is good. Paul comes from reflection (1The3:11-13) to instruction (1The4:1-8) that is a good challenge for us today.
Previously Paul has been encouraging and praying for the church.
He showed his heart, his desire for them (1The3:11-12)
He encouraged them in being established (1The3:13)
11 Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; 12 and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you;
13 so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
His desire for them to increase and abound in love, not just love, but love that is displayed before God, so it is evident, visible love
Love that is unending until the end the coming of the Lord . Love that is without blame and is holy.
So having said that; this now leads us to our passage today where it goes from apostolic reflection to apostolic instruction
Abounding more and more (1The4:1-2)
Sanctification application necessary (1The4:3-8)
Abounding more and more
Abounding more and more
With the love of nursing mother, the exhortation of a loving father Paul gives a forceful exhortation to abound more and more. Not only an exhortation but a command too.
1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
(Love abound)
Paul urges and exhorts them in Jesus name (1The4:1)
Can you see the forcefulness of the exhortation?
Can you see, feel the authority that is spoken here?
Paul reminds them (1The4:1)
Reminds them the authority they operate under (Jesus Christ)
Reminds them of how they should walk - to please God
Do you wonder why Paul says this, why this exhortation and reminder? Is it that there is a problem that needs to be addressed? Why remind them of something if there is no problem with the something?
Paul challenges them in the exhortation (1The4:1; Php4:9-10)
Abound more and more
If to abound means to exist in large amounts, how can they abound more?
This is not new, look at what Paul said, prayed for the Philippian church.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;
Paul commands them (1The1-2; Mt28:18-29)
In keeping the commandments under the authority given
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
These are commands not suggestions. The force, the authority is found in the name of Jesus. For there is no other way, no other name (Jn14:6; Act4:12)
The command calls for abounding service (1The3:12; 1The4:10)
The command as prayed earlier
12 and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you;
and will pray again later
10 for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more,
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Jesus command (Mt25:14-30; Jn15:1-2)
Peters defining (2Pt1:5-8)
Paul’s pattern to others (Php1:9; Php3:13-14)
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Jesus command (Mt25:14-30; Jn15:1-2)
The Matthew passage is about the parable of the talents
Use your talents to serve the Lord more and more
Then there is the John passage
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
Abound in bearing fruit, so you can bear more fruit
Jesus command (Mt25:14-30; Jn15:1-2)
Peters defining (2Pt1:5-8)
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Peter defining bounding more and more with moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love which is really of the summary of abounding more, isn’t it?
Jesus command (Mt25:14-30; Jn15:1-2)
Peters defining (2Pt1:5-8)
Paul’s pattern to others (Php1:9; Php3:13-14)
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
Do you see the pattern, abound more and more?
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Our life as we wait for Christ to come for His church is one of walking to please God (v.1). Not standing still, not resting on our laurels, but pressing on toward the goal, reaching for the prize. One way we do that comes in our next section.
Sanctification application necessary
Sanctification application necessary
Sanctification, to set apart to a sacred purpose; to be free from sin; to make productive of holiness or piety. Sounds like things needed to walk in holiness (1The3:13). While here in our passage is described in the physical it impacts the spiritual doesn’t it. And sanctification is more than just physical it is emotional, it is spiritual too.
God’s will is for us to be sanctified:
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Sanctified through the Word (Jn17:17)
Sanctified through empowering of the Holy Spirit (1Cor6:11)
Sanctification is a process; not an event (1Cor6:11; Eph5:26)
Sanctification continues throughout our Christian walk (Heb2:11; Heb10:14)
Sanctification will be completed when Christ comes for His Church (1The5:23)
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Sanctified through the Word (Jn17:17)
17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
We are called to be sanctified through the Word, here spoken in prayer about the Apostles and from the Apostles to us.
Sanctified through the Word (Jn17:17)
Sanctified through empowering of the Holy Spirit (1Cor6:11)
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Washed, sanctified, justified in the name and by the Spirit of God
Sanctified through the Word (Jn17:17)
Sanctified through empowering of the Holy Spirit (1Cor6:11)
Sanctification is a process; not an event (1Cor6:11; Eph5:26)
we already looked at the 1Cor6:11, but now let me give you another regarding sanctification, it is a process
26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
Sanctified by the washing of the water of the Word; so keep yourself clean, wash often!
Sanctified through the Word (Jn17:17)
Sanctified through empowering of the Holy Spirit (1Cor6:11)
Sanctification is a process; not an event (1Cor6:11; Eph5:26)
Sanctification continues throughout our Christian walk (Heb2:11; Heb10:14)
11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Sanctification continues throughout our Christian life, Christian walk ]
14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
Sanctification involves abstinence
Sanctification through Abstinence
Sanctification through Abstinence
Sanctification is important, but it takes effort. But have no fear, we are not alone in it. May we be people who are sanctified “set apart.”
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.
7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. 8 So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.
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God’s will: Abstain from sexual immorality
God’s will: possessing one’s own vessel (Eph4:17-19; 2Cor10:5)
God’s will: make no provision for the flesh (Rom13:13-14)
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God’s will: Abstain from sexual immorality
God’s will: possessing one’s own vessel (Eph4:17-19; 2Cor10:5)
17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;
19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
This is more than the action, this is the heart too. Abstaining is learning to take every thought into captivity
5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
look again at (v.6) just for a moment, looks like it would not be there, should be there, but it should.
6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.
God’s will: Abstain in this manner so not to commit fraud (1The4:6; Pro6:30-35)
30 Men do not despise a thief if he steals To satisfy himself when he is hungry; 31 But when he is found, he must repay sevenfold; He must give all the substance of his house.
32 The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself does it. 33 Wounds and disgrace he will find, And his reproach will not be blotted out.
34 For jealousy enrages a man, And he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will not accept any ransom, Nor will he be satisfied though you give many gifts.
Adultery, that is fraud, that is idolatry, it is destructive, it can be damning.
God’s will: Abstain from sexual immorality
God’s will: possessing one’s own vessel (Eph4:17-19; 2Cor10:5)
God’s will: make no provision for the flesh (Rom13:13-14)
13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
Why this is so important, physically and spiritually:
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It is God’s will (1The4:3)
God will avenge those who defraud brethren (1The4:6)
God calls us to holiness (1The4:7)
By not doing so you are rejecting God (1The4:8)
You are God’s son, may we not forget it (Gal4:6)
You are the temple today (1Cor6:18-20)
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It is God’s will (1The4:3)
God will avenge those who defraud brethren (1The4:6)
God calls us to holiness (1The4:7)
By not doing so you are rejecting God (1The4:8)
You are God’s son, may we not forget it (Gal4:6)
You are the temple today (1Cor6:18-20)
18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
(Invitation slide - walk in holiness) invitation (invitation slide 2) song (Exit slides)