Paul begins, Furthermore then,
we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus,
that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk, and to
please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what
commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will
of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication. wrote the epistles, they had
apostolic authority. It is much greater than any authority
anybody has today. But you very seldom see them
write and give orders. Very seldom do you hear them
read of them writing and say, now you do this because I said.
They had that authority. But usually the apostles write
and exhort us out of love. They frequently use this word
Paul uses here, beseech, which means to beg. 24 times in the
epistles, the apostles who had this apostolic authority used
this word, beseech. I beg you, the word exhort that
Paul uses means the same thing. It means to beseech. That tells
us a lot of how we ought to talk to one another, doesn't it? In
loving, kind terms. Back in chapter two, verse 11,
Paul says, as you know, how we exhorted and comforted and charged
every one of you As a father does his children. Paul talks
to these believers. He's talking to us. He charges
us the same way a father charges his children. When a father talks
to his children, I've got something important to tell you. We talk
to our children out of love, out of concern for their well-being. I'm telling you something here
that's for your well-being. Now, would you listen to me?
That's the way a father talks to his children. That's the way
the apostles talk to us. Now in the first part of this
chapter, chapter four, Paul exhorts the Thessalonians and us, he's
writing to us too, to have a holy walk. He exhorts us in our daily
walk before men to please the Lord. Every child of God is interested
in that. That perks your ears up, to walk
in a way that pleases the Lord. We all have a desire to please
the Lord. And I'll tell you how we do that.
It's walking by faith. It's walking believing Him. And
Paul, in these first verses, gives us four reasons for living
a holy life. And the first one is this. He
uses this phrase twice, by the Lord Jesus. Because you've been
redeemed by the Lord Jesus. That's the greatest motivation
for a holy life that I can think of. Because you've been redeemed
by the Lord Jesus. The Savior suffered for our sin. He suffered the wrath of God
for the sin of his people. If that doesn't make you hate
your sin, nothing will. I hate my sin that caused my
Lord so much suffering. I don't want to ever commit another
one because those sins caused my Savior to suffer. Christ's
sufferings makes his people want to live a holy life by the Lord
Jesus. Secondly, by the Lord Jesus means
this. Because of your union with Christ,
we should walk in a way that honors him. A believer has union
with Christ, you're joined to Christ. Well, if two people are
joined together, it's going to cause a mess if they're walking
in different directions or if they're walking in different
cadences. It's going to cause a mess. A believer wants to walk
with Christ by faith in Christ because we have union with Him.
Third, by the Lord Jesus means because we belong to Him. He
purchased us with His own blood. We're not our own. Look at 1
Peter 1. We're not our own. We walk according
to His commandments. Because we belong to him. 1 Peter
1, verse 15. But as he which hath called you
is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because
it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. Now that is the commandment
of our Lord. Well, that is pretty good motivation
to live a holy life, because that is the commandment of the
one who owns us. And fourth, this phrase, By the Lord Jesus,
means this. We're children of God. Walk as
obedient children. Follow the example of our Heavenly
Father. We just read, our Heavenly Father
said, Be ye holy as I'm holy. Our Heavenly Father has called
us to a holy life. I want to live that way then.
I want to live that way before men so they see a family resemblance. Don't you? I want people to see
a family resemblance between me and my Heavenly Father. Like
Dan prayed that people see Christ is the difference. That's good
motivation to want to live a holy life. Second reason Paul gives
for living a holy life is you've received of us how you ought
to walk. Now, God, the Holy Spirit, inspired
these apostles to give us the scriptures. Now, yes, the apostles
wrote them on paper, but these are the words straight from the
mouth of God himself, and these scriptures are perfectly clear
on our conduct, our walk before men. None of us can plead ignorance
on these things. You can't plead ignorance. We
can't say nobody told me I ought to live a holy life. Nobody told
me that my walk and my conduct matters. Nobody told me that.
We can't say that. Paul's getting ready to talk
about sexual sins. We can't say nobody ever told
us to avoid those things. Scripture is very plain on that.
The only way you can say that, the only way you can say, nobody
told me I ought to live a holy life, is because you're deaf. We've been told. God's Word plainly
told us. But Paul's writing to believers,
and he writes, this letter's written to believers. Believers
have ears that hear, because God gave them to him. Well, we're
without excuse. God told us, he told us how we
ought to walk. The third reason he gives for
living a holy life, As we touched on this a minute ago, to please
God. Believers are not to please ourselves. We're not to live
our life in such a way that we're looking to please ourselves.
Our motive is not to please other men or to impress other men.
Our motive, the motive of a believer is to please God, to glorify
our Savior and to do His will. Isn't that one of the very first
things Saul of Tarsus said to the Lord? Lord, what would you
have me do? I wanted to please you, what
would you have me do? The fourth reason to live a holy
life is this, it's the will of God. Now we just established
this, a believer has a desire to do the will of God. And the
express will of God for his people is that we be sanctified, that
we be set apart from this world and not act like the world, not
conduct ourselves like the nature that's in this world. But we're
to grow in grace in the knowledge of Christ. It's the will of the
father that his children grow and mature, just like that's
the will for our children. We want them to grow and mature.
And this holy walk is to abound more and more. Now, you know,
these things, every person in this room, you know, these things,
you have these graces in your heart, but cultivate them so
that you grow in grace. Grow in this living a holy life
that honors the Savior. And if you'll think about this,
this will help you. Think about the Savior. Think about Him and
that will motivate you to live a life that honors Him. The Savior
who chose us to be His people. The Savior who suffered and shed
His blood to wash us from every sin. The Savior who called you
by His grace. The Savior who keeps us by His
grace. The Savior who ever lives making intercession for us, the
Savior who one day is going to come back and gather his people
to himself. Think on that work, on the work
of the Savior. That will make you want to grow
in grace and grow in this matter of living a holy life that honors
him. Now, Paul goes on here, verse three, says that you should
abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know
how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor. Not
in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles, which know
not God." Now, when Paul says that you abstain from fornication,
he's talking about all matter of sexual sins, which he calls
uncleanness. And he mentions fornication specifically
for this reason. This was a sin that was so common
among the Gentiles, they didn't even think it was wrong. They
didn't consider it to be a sin. It was just so common. And the
original makes it clear here, Paul's talking about every kind
of sexual vice and immorality. Just anything you can think of
is included in this, what Paul's talking about here. And just
as this was applicable to the Bethlehem icons, it's very applicable
in our day. People in our day don't think
these sins are sinful. They don't think they're wrong.
Janet says all the time, she says, if you watch TV, you think
everybody's a homosexual. That's the way TV portrays it.
You know, people think it's just the normal course of life. You
get married, you get married for a while, and you commit adultery
because it's just not possible to be faithful to your spouse
for a lifetime. That's the way they portray it.
It's just so common in our day. And our young people are inundated
with this stuff. You're just inundated with it.
And I want you to listen to me. These things are wrong. Now,
I don't care what the world tells you. God's Word says it's wrong.
It's not an alternative lifestyle. It's wrong. And I'll tell you
how this is so prevalent in our society. I was writing out my
notes the other day, and I had this phrase, I mean, it's not
an alternative lifestyle. Can you think of the last time
you heard anybody call homosexuality and all these things, can you
think of the last time you heard somebody call them an alternative
lifestyle? In the past decade, that phrase
is gone. It's not, it's just so accepted. It's not alternative, it's just
lifestyle now. That's how common this thing
is in our day. And I don't care what the world
says now. God's word says it's wrong. God's
word says it's uncleanness and it's sin and we're to avoid it.
And Paul tells us, every one of you, now you learn to do this. Know how to possess your own
vessel. And what's he talking about there? Well, your vessel
is your body. That your body is the vessel
that contains your soul. Learn to control it. Now, you're
not an animal. Learn to control yourself and
don't live like you don't know any better. That's the way the
heathen live. You know better, live like you know, like the
Lord's taught you something. And remember this, that vessel,
that's a temple of God. Now you be careful where you
take it and what you do with it. Now a lot of the writers
say this, when Paul talks about the vessel, it could mean a man's
wife. Or Peter talks about the husband cherishing the wife and
taking care of her as the weaker vessel. Maybe that is what Paul's
referring to here. But this is what he's teaching
in general. Control your own body. Control
these desires. Now, sin's in us. But control
these things. Look at 1 Corinthians 7. Don't
give yourself over to these desires. Sin is in us, but you don't have
to give yourself over to it. Your body is not for you. It's
for your spouse. 1 Corinthians 7, verse 2. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication,
let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her
own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence,
and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not
power over her own body, but the husband. Her body is for
the husband, and likewise also the husband. His body is not
his own, it is for the wife. He hath not power over his own
body, but the wife. Your body is not for you. It's
for your wife. So learn to control yourself.
Act like God's taught you something. And here's the root of the matter.
Marriage should always be looked at as a picture of Christ, as
a type of Christ. If you want to understand whether
you're a husband or your wife, if you want to understand your
responsibility to your spouse in marriage, look at your responsibilities
as a type of Christ. It'll answer every question you
have. as to your responsibility in
marriage. Christ has a bride. He gave himself sacrificially
for her. Now husbands, that's how we're
to love our wives. Sacrificially. You know what we're told? Love
your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. He loves her sacrificially and
she is called his body. Well, the body's not for ourselves,
is it? It's for him. Our body is for Him. It's the
body of Christ. It's for His glory and His use. Our physical bodies are the exact
same way. They're for His glory and for
His use. Now, let's read on in verse 6. That no man go beyond
and defraud his brother in any matter, because the Lord is the
avenger of all such. We also have forewarned you and
testified. Now, people a lot of times look
at this person and think his teaching is don't defraud or
cheat people in business. that's teaching us don't take
advantage, you know, the weak and the ignorant. And that's
certainly true. Believers ought not be that kind
of person. You ought to be an honest, dependable person. But
the subject here is not business. The subject is still sexual purity. And believers are told if you
commit adultery with your brother's spouse, you've defrauded him.
Worse than if you defrauded him, cheated him out of money and
business. If you even covet your brother's wife, You've defrauded
him. And the Lord is the avenger of
such things. Now, we see various diseases,
you know, STDs and AIDS and these things in our day-to-day. These
are not mysterious diseases. Nobody knows where they come
from or why they're here. These are God's vengeance upon
these sins. You don't have to wonder what
they are. That's what they are. So avoid them. And verse 7, For
God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. Now, we dealt
with this earlier. God has not called his people
to live in these unholy practices. He's called us to separate ourselves
from the world and the conduct of the world. God's called his
people to a life of holiness. Now, I hear this so often. Well,
that's an old, outdated way of thinking. That may have applied
in Paul's day, but it doesn't apply in our day. You know, we've
advanced, you know, so much. What Paul is saying was fine
for them, but not for now. Why don't you look at verse 8.
Here's what God's Word says to people making that objection.
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but he is
despising God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit.
Whoever rejects these words is not rejecting a man. You say,
I'm not going to do that. You reject this. You're not rejecting
me. You're rejecting God. This is God's word. This is his
word to his people. And the Holy Spirit convinces
God's people of this. Look in John, chapter 16. Now,
remember, Paul's writing to believers and he says he's given God's
given us his Holy Spirit and God, the Holy Spirit will convince
us of these things. John 16, verse 8. Nevertheless, I tell you the
truth, it is expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not
away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart,
I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will
reprove the world, he will convince the world of sin, of righteousness,
and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe
not on me. Of righteousness, because I go
to my Father and you see me no more. Of judgment, because the
Prince of this world is judged. God the Holy Spirit convinces
his people of these things. And once he does, that's all
the believer needs to hear. The argument's over. He's convinced
me of these things. The argument's over. Now look
at verse 9. Here in our text, 1 Thessalonians
4. But as touching brotherly love, you need not that I write
unto you. For ye yourselves are taught
of God to love one another. Now look at 1 John chapter 4.
Paul says, this is very interesting. You don't need me to write to
you about brotherly love. You don't need me to encourage
you to love one another. You already love. You love one
another. This is a grace that you excel
in. God's taught you that already, and that's important. Verse John
4, verse 7. Beloved, let us love one another,
for love is of God. And every one that loveth is
born of God, knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not
God, for God is love. And this was manifested love
of God toward us, because the God-Son has only begotten Son
into the world that we might live through him. Herein is love,
not that we love God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son
to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved
us, we ought also to love one another. No man has seen God
at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth
in us, and his love is perfected in us. Now, God teaches his people
to love. Everybody here knows what that's
saying, right? And I could say with Paul, as he wrote to the
church of Thessalonica, I could say to the Hurricane Road Grace
Church, you have no need of me teaching you You know what God's
Word has to say about this thing of love. Y'all love one another.
You love people and you're to be commended for that. But as
I was studying this lesson, it was it was this verse, verse
nine, that opened up this whole thing for me. I looked at it
and looked at it and looked at it. I mean, this whole lesson,
but this kept sticking out to me. And after I looked at it
a while, this is the key to this lesson. This verse 9 opens us
up to 3R's that are in this text, and the title of the message
is The Believers Walk and the 3R's. Ruined by the fall, redeemed
by the blood, regenerated by the Spirit. I see here ruined
by the fall. Even believers who excel in this
matter of love have to be warned about sins as heinous as the
sin of adultery. That just stuck out to me. Even
a believer has to be warned about adultery with his brother or
sister in the church. And he's talking about in the
church or family here in the church, about committing adultery
with your brother's wife or sister's husband. Even believers have
to be warned about that. That's shocking. Not really. It's shocking to remember this.
We're ruined. Ruined in the fall of Adam. Ruined. There's no redeeming
quality about this flesh whatsoever. Now God saved us. Paul's writing
to believers. God saved us. But that first
nature? Salvation doesn't touch that
first nature. It's just as depraved and wicked and vile and unteachable
as it ever was. ruined by the fall. But thank
God we're redeemed by the blood. Paul said, I exhort you by the
Lord Jesus. I exhort you because Christ is
your Redeemer. I exhort you because of your
union with Christ. You can't exhort that old man
by the Lord Jesus. You cannot exhort that flesh
by the Lord Jesus. That old man hates Christ. He
hates God. He's just as sinful as he ever
was. But the new man, he can be exhorted by the Lord Jesus,
because he's been washed in the blood of Christ. He's been cleansed
from all his sin by the blood of Christ. The only man or woman
who can be exhorted by the Lord Jesus is one who's been washed
in the blood, ruined by the fall, redeemed by the blood, and regenerated
by the Spirit. At the end of verse 8 here, Paul
says, God hath given unto us His Holy Spirit. But as touching
brotherly love, you need not that I write unto you. For you
yourselves are taught of God to love one another. You've been
regenerated by the Spirit. God gave you His Spirit. He's
taught you by His Spirit to love one another. You've been regenerated
by the Spirit. You know to love. And you show
your love. So I don't need to spend time
there, Paul says. But it is still necessary. It's
not necessary for me to teach you about love, but it is necessary
for me to teach you about these sexual sins. How can both of those opposites
be true at the same time? The answer is very simple. Because
every believer has two opposite natures. Two opposite natures. The nature of Adam and the nature
of Christ. Look at Galatians chapter 5.
Those two natures I'm telling you, they're going to war with
each other until this flesh is put in the ground. They're going
to war with each other forever. So, we have to be strengthened
for this fight. have crucified the flesh with
the affections and lusts. You've crucified the flesh with
its sins. You've nailed it to the tree.
But crucifixion is not like chopping off somebody's head. It takes
a long time for a person who's been crucified to die. That old
man, he's nailed there. He's not on the throne. He's
not controlling, but he's still gasping for air. He's still fighting
for every breath. He's still fighting for life.
He's been crucified. But he's still causing problems. So, verse 25, if we live in the
Spirit, let's also walk in the Spirit. See, these two opposites
are true because we've got that old nature and we've got the
new nature, the nature of Christ. And these three R's, ruined by
the fall, redeemed by the blood, regenerated by the Spirit, show
us why these things are necessary to teach the believers to walk.
And we understand that by those three R's. Now, back in our text,
1 Thessalonians 4, verse 10. And indeed, you do it toward
all the brethren that are in Macedonia, but we beseech you,
brethren, that you increase more and more. Now, you do love one
another. Do you love your brethren there
in town? Do you love the brethren in other
places? Because God put that nature in
you. But now you see that it grows. You see that you cultivate
it and that it grows. Look at Philippians chapter 3. Here's a good way to cultivate
this matter of every spiritual grace. Philippians 3 verse 13. Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things
which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Now, Paul says, forgetting
those things that are behind. That means those what we call
bad things. You know, the things we're ashamed of, our sin, our... Leave them behind. Just leave
them behind. They're under the blood and pressed
towards Mark, pressed towards Christ. But maybe more importantly,
it means those things we think that we did that are good. If
you think you've done something good in the past, Forget it. Leave it behind. Press on. Press towards Christ. That'll
keep you growing in grace. Leave it behind. You are the
most loving, generous people I know. Leave it behind. Press on. Keep pressing towards
Christ. That's what he's saying. In verse
11, he tells us, study to be quiet. Make this your goal. Make this a goal that you work
at in every facet of your life to be quiet. Make it your goal
to have a peaceable home. Work at it. Just make it your
goal. I tell Jan all the time, you've
got to have a goal. You don't accomplish something
unless you make it your goal. You've got to have a goal. I
have a goal. We're going to go to her mom and dad's. And when
we leave here next week, I've got a goal when we're going to
get there. I mean, just have a goal. Make it your goal. to have a peaceable home. Just
don't allow it. Just do not allow your home to
be a place that's filled with war and hatred. Janet was a master at this. We
were raising our children. She was going to have a home
of peace. Those kids just learn. Y'all
will fight. I mean, you're just better off swallowing it because
mama's going to make it way worse for you. Just make it your goal.
My home is going to be a home of peace. Husbands? Set that
tone in your home. Love your wife. Make it a home
of peace. Support her. Just don't allow
it. Have a home where you show love
one to another. Make it your goal to have a peaceable
life, a church life. Now, brethren, we're in deep
trouble if we can't have peace with each other. I mean, we're
in deep trouble. God's called us to peace. Christ
made peace for us through the blood of his cross. I don't care
what it is, if it's not the blood of Christ, if it's not the person,
the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, if there's something interrupting
that peace, leave it behind. Get rid of it. It's not worth
it. And I tell you this, it's not
healthy. Whatever it is causing that,
cause that peace to be interrupted between you and me is a cancer. It'll destroy. Get rid of it. Make it your goal to have a peaceable
life in your neighborhood and at work. Make it your goal. Be a good neighbor. Be a good
employee. Be a good coworker. And I'll
tell you how to do that. Don't be part of the rumor mill.
Every place I've ever worked, I bet y'all say the same thing.
Man, it's a rumor mill. I mean, if the business worked
as good as a rumor mill does, everybody would be getting raised.
Don't be part of it. Don't carry tales. All that is
is sowing seeds of discord. Don't do it. It will destroy
peace faster than anything. Don't be unkind behind somebody's
back. Just don't do it. And don't be
unkind to their face either. I mean, you know, you're going
to have disagreements and things, but at least be professional
about it. You know, you don't have to be
unkind about it. And doing those things will promote peace. Now,
it won't guarantee it, but it will promote it. Be a promoter. Make that your goal to be a promoter
of peace. And he says, do your own business.
Mind your own business. Don't interject yourself into
somebody else's life unless they ask you to. Don't tell people
how to do everything they're doing unless they ask you for
help. Mind your own business. You've got enough to take care
of doing what God's called you to do. Take care of that. And
pray that God lets you do it. And pray that God lets your brother
take care of his business. Do what he's supposed to be doing.
Do what God will enable him to do it. He's called him to do.
And he says, and to work with your own hands as we commanded
you. You know what that means? Go get a job. Go get a job. Believers work to support themselves
and they work so they can give to others. Harry's got three
jobs. That kind of work ethic will serve you well. It really
will. And it's the commandment of God.
Look at the second Thessalonians chapter three. Verse 10. For even when we are with you,
this we command you, that if any would not work, that he should
not eat. For we hear that there are some
which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but their
busy bodies. Now them that are such, we command
and exhort you by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they
work and eat their own bread." Believers are generous people. Now they are. Be thankful. Something happens, you need some
help. They'll jump to your aid, they really will. Be thankful
and accept it when they do. There have been times, I don't
know what we'd have done if it wasn't for the generosity of
others. I mean, I just don't know what we would have done.
But don't live off their generosity. Now, be thankful for it, but
don't think you'll live off of it. Go get a job and support
yourself so that you can give to others in their time of need.
See that? Verse 12 in our text, he says
this. But I would not have, or that
you walk honestly toward them that are without, that you may
have lack of nothing. Conduct yourselves so that you
have the respect of people outside the church. Be the guy that works
and conducts himself with some wisdom so that he's got enough
to support himself and he's got some left over to help others
who might lack for a time. Let me tell you something to
help you here. Isn't that what the Lord Jesus
Christ did for His people? All we lack. Ruined by the fall. Don't have a thing. Bankrupt. And He worked tirelessly at the
job the Father gave Him to do so that His people would not
lack for one thing they need. That they be complete in Him.
In our walk, follow the example of your Savior. follow his example. All right, well the Lord bless
that to you.