Right Living that Pleases God

Introduction

A friend of mine told me once about a house he worked on in a ritzy neighborhood. He said all of the houses there were really big and really costly. When I asked him about the families who live there, he described the folks as good people, but also said they all seemed to be quite wealthy. Now, the house my friend had worked on was around 6500 square feet, so it had to have an extensive foundation and footer system in order to hold the massive weight of the basement walls and living quarters above. On the end of the house where the living room was located the homeowner had requested that a huge fireplace be built, which, in turn, required the footer underneath the chimney be extra deep. Now, it took quite some time to build this house, but when it was finished it was gorgeous, and the family moved in that spring. As colder weather came in the late fall, they enjoyed having friends over and watching TV in the living room while a crackling fire blazed in the living room fireplace. Several years went by and all that was required was simple home maintenance and upkeep any homeowner would expect, until one summer evening when the husband noticed a crack in the chimney, and a small gap between the back of the chimney and the side of the house. To their horror, over the next few weeks the chimney completely separated from the house and ended up falling into the yard, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the house. The problem? (Pause) A poor foundation. You see, the masons hadn’t dug the footer deep enough under the chimney and because of its massive weight, over a period of just a few years, the chimney had gradually sunk deeper and deeper into the ground until it finally separated from the house and fell. Sometimes our lives can look a lot like that chimney if we don’t have a good foundation to build on. In 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 we’re going to see a couple foundational principles when it comes to the Christian life, and it’s that believers are called to live a life pleasing to God through moral purity and righteous living. Let’s read our text.

1 Thessalonians 4:1–8 ESV

1 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Prayer