Marks of Maturity Part 7
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Thesis: The mature believer’s morality invokes God’s pleasure, obeys God’s will, and answers God’s call.
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
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.
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;
4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.
7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
<PRAYER>
Morals have held empires together, kept soldiers marching under fire, fed the hungry, passed laws, built walls, welcomed immigrants, destroyed careers and governed our sex lives. But what if morality's all meaningless rubbish, a malfunctioning relic of our evolutionary past?
This is the provocative argument that Chris Paley makes. This isn't an attack on one set of moral codes or one way of thinking about ethics: it's a call for abolishing the whole caboodle.
He uses evolutionary psychology to show how and why morality emerged: they
enabled our forebears to survive and prosper in tribal groups. Today, our morals constrain us, bias us, and push us in the wrong direction.
The biggest challenges our species faces, whether global warming, nuclear proliferation or the rise of the robots, are pan-human. These challenges are beyond what our moral minds were designed to cope with. You can't build smartphones with stone-age axes, and you can't solve modern humanity's problems with tools that are designed to create primitive, competitive groups.
Thessalonican culture was decadent, lustful, and immoral.
It was widely accepted and even expected to indulge in fornication and adultery
In fact, the idea of a one man with one woman for life relationship would have sounded strange and foreign to the first century Greco-Roman person (just like it sounds strange and foreign to the 21st century American person)
A wife was taken to bear one’s legitimate children and to oversee the household
Extra-marital affairs were common, and the household slaves could be taken advantage of as well as legal and easily obtained prostitution (part of the religious temple worship)…not to mention homosexual relationships that were condoned and even encouraged by society
This rings true to us in the 21st century as well. Listen to the description of a new book, available right now, written in opposition to moral absolutes: “Beyond Bad” by Chris Paley:
It was against this kind of rampant immorality that Paul wrote to encourage a high view of morality and marriage and for believers to answer the call to live a life of moral purity.
I. God’s Pleasure - the Morality of the Son
I. God’s Pleasure - the Morality of the Son
1 Thess 4:1-2
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.
“…we urge and exhort you in the Lord Jesus...”
A look back at the end of chapter 3
A look forward to the Judgement Seat of Christ
10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
A. Abounding in Moral Purity (v.1)
1 Thessalonians 4:1
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;
This means to “super-abound” - to keep reaching for the highest possible standard of moral purity
It might not be a full-blown affair, but are we as men and women entertaining illicit thoughts, viewing pornography, or allowing relationships to grow past the point of appropriateness?
We need to be constantly re-evaluating our lives…thought life, content, internet use, conversations, relationships, etc.
Genesis 4:7
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
Psalm 139:23-24
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
A. Abounding in Moral Purity (v.1)
B. Acknowledging Moral Purity (v.2)
1 Thessalonians 4:2
2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
Even an unbeliever knows that adultery is wrong…that’s why they try to hide it!
We often can sense whether or not something is morally right or wrong…we need to do what we already know is right!
“…through the Lord Jesus.”
Self-pleasure is the motivation for lust
Self-pleasure is the motivation for lust
God’s pleasure is the motivation for moral purity
God’s pleasure is the motivation for moral purity
II. God’s Will - the Morality of the Father
II. God’s Will - the Morality of the Father
1 Thess 4:3-4
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
A. Sanctification = Abstinence
17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
We do not have authority over our bodies.
Have you ever driven or borrowed someone else’s car?
How is that different from driving your own car?
We tend to be much more careful when using someone else’s property
That is exactly how we need to view our bodies!
My body is God’s property, so I should treat it with special care, not abusing it or demoralizing it, but cherishing it and walking in purity in it.
A. Sanctification = Abstinence (v.3)
B. Sanctification = Acquirement (v.4)
1 Thessalonians 4:4
4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
“vessel” could mean one’s wife, or it could mean one’s own body
“wife” from the wording in v.6
“body” from the overall context
A. Sanctification = Abstinence (v.3)
B. Sanctification = Acquirement (v.4)
C. Sanctification = Antithesis (v.5)
1 Thess 4:5
5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
This teaching could not be more clear! (it’s not symbolic!)
This word, “know”, means to experience something or someone
Unbelievers have not experienced God!…They don’t know the thrill of Christian community, the sweet time of prayer, the transforming power of the Word
But You Do!!
A. Sanctification = Abstinence (v.3)
B. Sanctification = Acquirement (v.4)
C. Sanctification = Antithesis (v.5)
D. Sanctification = Not Taking Advantage (v.6)
1 Thess 4:6
6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.
Whenever we lust after a person not our spouse (married or single), we have defrauded another person!
If we are not careful, we can allow friendships to morph into inappropriateness
Why do we (the church) need to be warned? Because we are the Church!
Unbelievers don’t need to be warned about loss of rewards…they need to be warned about loss of eternal life! They need the Gospel message spoken clearly for justification. We need the Gospel message spoken clearly for sanctification!
This happens in churches! (I’m certain we could go around the room and several could cite examples that they have witnessed where Christians allowed this to happen.
We need to be on guard! The enemy knows that destroying a church from the outside is unlikely…destruction from within is much more effective!
III. God’s Call - the Morality of the Spirit
III. God’s Call - the Morality of the Spirit
A. The Call to Holiness
1 Thess. 4:7
7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
This is an important point for Paul to make
There were false teachers that tried to say that the body was bad, the spirit only was good
This led to the false belief that it no longer mattered what Christians did in their bodies because it was their spirit and soul that would be saved (the body is buried)
A corinthian saying was, “The food for the body and the body for food.”
This meant that when you are hungry, you eat. So when you have physical urges, you quench your desires. After all, “It’s just physical.”
This is basically the belief that God condones any type of physical relationship, not just one man/one woman marriage. (we see this in the progressive churches today!)
But God has called His people to live holy, sanctified lives - In Our Bodies!!
Holiness is something we ARE because of what we DO (or don’t do).
Leviticus 11:44
44 For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
1 Peter 1:14-16
14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
A. The Call to Holiness
B. The Conformity to the Holy Spirit
1 Thess. 4:8
8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
This call to holiness does originate from man - it didn’t originate from Paul, it didn’t originate from Peter, it doesn’t originate from UGBC
The call to holiness originates with God and God alone!
Therefore, when we defile our bodies, we defile God’s dwelling!
The Holy Spirit indwells us - is literally living in our bodies!
Are we conformed to the holiness of the Holy Spirit??
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
When we choose immorality in our bodies, we are sinning against the Holy Spirit because He is literally living inside our bodies.
Every time we sin morally, we bring that sin right under the nose of the Holy Spirit, parading it in front of Him with no thought to what we are doing to God.
James 4:4-5
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
Gen. 6:5
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Rom. 8:11-13
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
v.11 referring to the future bodily resurrection
We are debtors! - We aren’t owed anything!
When we indulge in immoral sin, we often excuse it by telling ourselves that we are “owed” that pleasure…like we need to just unwind and be comforted
We tell ourselves how we aren’t being fulfilled in our marriage…we aren’t being fulfilled on our marriage, so we need to find our fulfillment in immorality.
But it’s a deception, because we will never find LASTING fulfillment in immorality.
Our fulfillment is found in none other than Jesus Christ
We aren’t owed anything…We owe God EVERYTHING!
Eph. 4:30-31
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
Questions to Consider:
1. Am I pursuing moral purity?
2. Is there anything or anyone in my life that is leading me to immorality?
3. Who’s pleasure and will am I seeking, mine or God’s?
Word Study:
“urge”: ĕrōtaō - to ask or beseech someone
“exhort” : parakalĕō - to call to one’s side
“abound” : pĕrissĕuō - to superabound
“sanctification” : hagiasmŏs - purification, holiness
“sexual immorality” : pŏrnĕia - any kind of physical intimacy outside biblical marriage
“passion” : pathŏs - inordinate affection
“lust” : ĕpithumia : longing, desire, concupiscence
“know” (v.5) : ĕidō - to experience
“take advantage” : hupĕrbainō - to overstep, overreach
“defraud” : plĕŏnĕktĕō - to be covetous, to exploit
“avenger” : ĕkdikŏs - punisher, carry out justice
“uncleanness” : akatharsia - immorality, filth
