1Thessalonians 4:1-12
Keep Yourself Pure
I. \\#1Thess 1:1-2\\ Introduction
II. \\#1Thess 1:3-10\\ Paul’s Knowledge of the Thessalonians
III. \\#1Thess 2:1-16\\ Paul’s Plan for the Thessalonians
A. \\#1Thess 2:1-12\\ To Plant A Church with Godly Character
B. \\#1Thess 2:13-16\\ The Seed Was Accepted
IV. \\#1Thess 2:17-4:12\\ Paul’s Heart for the Thessalonians
A. \\#1Thess 2:17-20\\ The Planter’s Desire
B. \\#1Thess 3:1-5\\ The Planter’s Anxiety
C. \\#1Thess 3:6-10\\ The Planter’s Joy
D. \\#1Thess 3:11-13\\ The Planter’s Prayer
E. \\#1Thess 4:1-12\\ The Planter’s Hope
1. \\#4:1-2\\ Paul speaks from his heart and the Word.
2. \\#4:3-4\\ Paul gives reasons to follow these instructions.
3. \\#4:3-12\\ Paul gives instructions.
a. \\#4:3-8\\ Instructions for sexual purity
(1) \\#4:3\\ That they abstain from fornication.
(2) \\#4:4\\ That they know how to possess their vessel.
(3) \\#4:5\\ Do not allow the lust of concupiscence.
(4) \\#4:6\\ That they do not defraud a brother in any matter.
(5) \\#4:7\\ Remember, God has called us to holiness.
(6) \\#4:8\\ If you have a problem with these
instructions, your problem is with God!
b. \\#4:9\\ That they love one another.
c. \\#4:11\\ That they be not busybodies.
d. \\#4:11\\ That they work.
e. \\#4:12\\ That they walk honestly, even toward the lost."
f. \\#4:12\\ And that they lack nothing. (probably
speaking of spiritual
Last week we started the section of instructions that Paul gave the Thessalonians.
1. Remember, Paul is not rebuking but nurturing them. They had a
good testimony, and Paul is sharing his heart and the Word with them.
2. However, Paul does remind them that God’s will includes living
a sanctified, growing-in-Christ life.
3. With that in mind, Paul gives some instructions to help them in that.
Let’s go back into the text.
I. \\#4:3-12\\ Paul gives instructions to the Thessalonians.
A. Observation - Because of the time constraints, I made mention
of the first two instructions in this section but did not point
out that the first five all appear to be related to maintaining
sexual purity.
1. That Paul would spend so much time speaking of sexual sins
in a church with no apparent problems is indicative of how
common these kinds of sins are.
2. When Satan can not find any other door to attack a godly
church, he will pull out the plugs on sexual sin.
3. I consider this church to be a good church. WATCH OUT
for this attack!
4. Some of the counsel God gives:
a. Keep your eyes looking ahead.
Proverbs 4:25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight
before thee.
b. Keep your heart pure.
Proverbs 6:25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take
thee with her eyelids.
26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread…
c. Keep your love true.
Ecclesiastes 9:9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of
the life of thy vanity…
Proverbs 5:18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
B. \\#4:3-8\\ All of this seems to be related to sexual purity.
1. \\#4:3\\ Abstain from fornication
a. That is any kind of sexual impurity.
b. The big ones today are pre-martial sex, adultery, and
homosexuality.
c. I suppose we can add to that list post-divorce.
d. However, other perversions are gaining momentum.
e. Paul instructs the believer not to get caught up in these!
f. Here is Satan’s most effective sieve!
2. \\#4:3-4\\ Possess your vessel with sanctification and honor.
a. Sanctified means "set apart unto God."
b. This is the alternative to living in fornication.
(1) Instead of becoming a fornicator, remember your body belongs
to God. Give it to Him.
(2) First, possess it.
(a) That is, take control of it.
(b) Don’t let sin and Satan control your body.
(3) And once you get possession or control of your body, give it
to God.
(4) \\#4:4\\ Honor here implies worth.
(a) A great price has been paid for you.
(b) Live and use your body in such a way that it
will be worth the price paid.
3. \\#4:5\\ Do not allow the lust of concupiscence (strong,
carnal sexual desire) like lost Gentiles do.
a. We have already been commanded not to partake in
fornication.
(1) Fornication is the ACT of sexual impurity.
(2) Now Paul deals with the MOTIVE that leads to the ACT.
b. What possess a saved person who loves Jesus to commit
fornication? Lust of concupiscence.
(1) Lust is desire.
(a) Desire or lust for a good thing is not bad.
(b) God actually tells us to lust after godly
things.
(c) While we normally use the word LUST in a
negative sense, LUST is not the bad part of
this sentence.
(2) Concupiscence is sexual desire.
(a) It can refer to unnatural or perverse desires
but it doesn’t have to.
(b) Paul uses two words that mean desire to indicate how
much sexual hunger some want to create.
(c) The point here is don’t build a lust for sex,
especially when you have no mate to satisfy
that desire.
(d) What percentage of our culture would you say
is sexually oriented?
i. 50%, 60%, 75%?
ii. One of the true axioms today is, "Sex
sells."
iii. Anything that stirs up these desires with
no legitimate means of satisfying them is
wrong.
iv. That is true IN the church just like it is
true OUT of the church.
I remember a friend telling me the story of his pastor who was about
to preach and noticed a woman whose dress was very short and
revealing. The preacher did not want to have to fight that
distraction while he preached so he got a blanket and gave it to the
woman, telling her that her dress had some kind of problem with the
way her dress was made. Later, the pastor’s wife was in the church
restroom and the lady came in talking about it to a friend. The
pastor’s wife overheard the woman saying something to the effect that
pastor must not know anything about clothes because her dress was
just fine. The pastor’s wife interrupted her. "He knew there wasn’t
anything wrong with the way your dress was made. He was just trying
to save you some embarrassment. Your dress is too short."
c. Interestingly, Paul says this practice is common among
lost Gentiles. If that is what Paul thought back then,
I wonder what he would think now?
4. \\#4:6\\ Do not defraud a brother in any matter.
a. Notice the text says do not defraud in ANY matter.
(1) The word ANY is italicized which means the
translators added it, trying to help us comprehend
the meaning of the text.
(2) They obviously thought this command was to be
intended for more than just the topic of sex.
b. The word fraud is a term typically used in business matters.
(1) It has to do with promising some body one thing then
giving them something else, usually of lesser value.
(2) A good example would be Jacob working for seven
years for Rachael and then Laban giving him Leah.
(a) \\#Ge 29:25\\ Has an interesting way of
describing what Jacob when the sun came up and
he saw who he had married.
(b) "Behold, it was Leah."
(c) Don’t you know that needed an exclamation mark
to even begin to do it justice?
c. Certainly, inside the church, believers should not
defraud one another in this fashion.
(1) However, I don’t really see this as being a common
problem in the church in regards to business.
(2) Perhaps most churches are much more business oriented among
church members than the churches I have been in….
(3) Without doubt, if you do business with a brother,
be honest.
(4) Give and do not just what you promised, but go BEYOND what
you promised!
d. Yet, I see more of a potential problem with fraud in regards to
sexual behavior than to business.
(1) Actually, it would be more apt to say that I see it
more in the preliminaries of sexual behavior than
in business.
(2) I am referring to flirting.
(3) Fraud is promising one thing and delivering another.
(4) Flirting can be fraud to a relationship just like swapping
commerce can be fraud to a business transaction.
e. Flirting is giving a hint or a tease that you might want a
relationship to go further than you really want it to go.
(1) MOST OF THE TIME, the flirt is hinting at a sexual
relationship.
(a) Perhaps that is not the case with every person;
but more times than not, that is what the
person being flirted with will think.
(b) And there has been more than one case where a
woman flirted with a man, perhaps not meaning
to indicate that she was interested in sex,
but ended up stirring some lusts that caused
things to happen that she never dreamed would.
(c) There have been many a sexual relationship
started with flirting
i. Certain maneuvers with the eyes.
ii. A coy smile when an immodest or
inappropriate thought is expressed.
iii. Bodies "accidentally" coming into contact
with each other.
iv. Discussing private personal matters.
v. These actions have started more than one
sexual relationship.
(d) In fact, it is possible that all immoral sexual
relationships started that way!
(2) Some people don’t look at flirting as being wrong.
(a) To them, it is just a game.
(b) It makes some men and women feel good to know
they can push somebody’s buttons.
(c) Christians can have this carnal mindset the
same as the unsaved.
(3) However, flirting—in most circumstances—is wrong.
(a) The only circumstance that I can think of where flirting
is appropriate is between married couples.
(b) If you are hinting at a relationship you don’t
really intend to give you are defrauding that
person.
(c) If you are hinting at a sexual relationship that you
would be interested in, then you stirring up lust and
headed for a direct violation of God’s commands.
(d) And if your goal is initiate a real relationship, there
are better ways to do it than to start it out with
sexual innuendo.
f. Paul gives a warning concerning fraud.
(1) The Lord will deal with you if you defraud a
another believer.
(2) I think that is true regardless of whether it is a
business fraud or a relational fraud.
(3) I also note that this was important enough that Paul
had already warned them once while there.
5. \\#4:7\\ Remember that God has called us to holiness not uncleanness.
a. Again, this fits into the context.
b. Sex outside of God’s parameters is UNCLEAN in God’s eyes.
c. UNCLEAN means to be impure, to be of impure motives.
d. That is not the kind of life that He has called us to live.
6. \\#4:8\\ If you don’t like these instructions, it’s God that you have
the problem with.
a. Paul says that if you despise anyone over these instructions, it
will not be a man.
(1) I suppose Paul had gotten negative reactions from Gentiles
before when he gave them counsel of a sexual nature.
(2) It is for certain that the Gentile world has never had the
inclination for modesty and purity that the Middle East has.
b. Paul says that if you have a problem with what God says, it is God
and the Holy Spirit that you despise.
(1) That is a strong statement.
(2) It reminds us that a rebellious, disobedient human race is
not just out of touch with God.
(3) We are God’s enemies.
Col 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now hath he reconciled.
A man walked along a crowded street with several stores selling used clothing.
One man saw a suit hanging up which caught his attention. He needed a good suit
to wear on different occasions and the price looked good, but hanging on a post
not far away was a sign that read, "Slightly soiled—greatly reduced in price."
He looked the suit over more carefully and found a spot on one of the sleeves.
It was obvious that the previous owner had put his arm somewhere where it didn’t
belong and gotten stain on the garment. The spot itself couldn’t have been very
big, but then someone, trying to get the spot out, had used a cleaner that made
things even worse. The man decided the suit would not due for him.
I see two lessons:
1. The stain of impurity greatly reduces our worth. It might be a little
stain—one action, one night, only one time but the little stain of
impurity greatly reduce the price of the one with it.
2. And then, all of our effort to clean the stain will only make things
worse. It would be far better if we kept ourselves pure to begin with.
And if it is too late for that, our only option is to go the One
qualified to remove such stains Jesus Himself!
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