1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 (Part A)

The subject is obedience and we are invited to be obedient in spite of anything that life throws at us. So we draw out ourselves standard is not Lord does not change his mind things that he established the good difficulty in our achieving them while he's made room for that in Christ Jesus.

That's what we love to sing of him so much. He says that you should abound more and more while he did not want them to be stunted. How many people say that Christians and they are stunted. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Ricky is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.

Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Thessalonians. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of first Thessalonians chapter 4 for today's edition of cross reference radio's open our Bibles to the first letter to the church in Thessalonica. Chapter 4 first Thessalonians chapter 4 will resume our study in verse one before read verse one.

I want to go back briefly to chapter 3 in there in chapter 3, Paul had expressed his delight report that Timothy had brought to him that the church in Thessalonica made up of rookies rookies in the faith they were holding strong in the presence of persecution and he encouraged them and then he began to wrap up his letter, it seems with the benediction. In chapter 3 in verse 11, he says now may the God our father himself and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you and then he continues just a little more and then he says, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

Now we wrapped up that study last session with a discussion on the coming of Jesus Christ. At this Thessalonian letter deals with the coming of Christ in each chapter all the way through the second letter in the second chapter, but his emphasis and his desire for these Christians was that they would be blameless in holiness. You knew anything about yourself because you see who can do that God is not interested in excuses when it comes to this I mean this gently and very encouraging way.

Especially for those of us were weak. God is not interested in your excuses why you should not be blameless when he is interested in is your pursuit of being blameless and also going to fail.

That's why he is establish grace and grace is reoccurring when it is established as a system built into grace that is ongoing so that when you come to Christ the sins you're going to commit in Christ is very dealt with for you done to far-reaching units it reaches right up to the grave is when you drop dead. So does all your sin, you who are in Christ.

Now there is a line that the unbeliever likes to throw at us from time to time. I've gotten this far without Christ. I don't see why need him now. You'll find out you will find out. Unfortunately there's nothing humorous about that, though, in a funny kind of way. You going to find out God is not mocked well.

Our assigned topic according to the text is sanctification that sounds like it's a big word and it is if you don't know anything about it on any word word.

It is a big word if you don't know what it means you run across people who are impish, but that's another story. Sin makes man, not only guilty before God. But unclean unclean around each other. Also, this is gotta be dealt with can be swept under the rug because we are guilty we need to be justified. In other words no longer guilty. The idea is that the blood of Jesus Christ, not the fluid from the flash but the life given God the son that cleanses away our sin because we are unclean we need to be sanctified and needs to be on God's terms suggests, holding in our heads for a minute that statement. Holiness and blameless sanctification. That's what Paul's going to deal with and hopefully it'll be a benefit to us. We now look at the first verse and there he says finally. Then please wrapping it up. You know, he begins this benediction event. Another thought comes to mind. Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more just as you receive from us how you ought to walk and to please God. Now when we introduce this letter we mentioned that Paul would deal with their condition. Moral purity he would construct with them. Disciplined living and that he would comfort them concerning death and the rapture as believers in Christ while here he is now beginning to deal with the moral purity in the disciplined living in the second part of this chapter, which we will not get to this morning he will deal with the rapture and death. I says in verse one, exhort, which in the Greek really is closer to the idea of inviting our subject is obedience and we are invited to be obedient in spite of anything that life throws at us.

So we throw out ourselves standard is not lower.

God does not change his mind things that he establish that they are good and the difficulty in our achieving them while he's made room for that in Christ Jesus.

That's what we love to sing of him so much. He says that you should abound more and more while he did not want them to be stunted. How many people say they are Christians and they are stunted, not growing they're not moving to nowhere near where they could be in that sink should be none of us when we should be. Where could we be we work harder so you know the Bible is always agitating me you need to be agitated, stirred up all the time.

Paul and Peter say when I got tired of staring you up because it is the nature of falling being to be settled in a sloppy relationship, if any, with God the Holy Spirit knows that and so yes the Bible stirs up pieces just as you receive from us how you ought to walk and to please God.

So when Paul spent time at this church in Thessalonica. He told them to really hammer it when he gets to sexual impurity. But he told them these things. How you should walk how you should be a Christian when I finding this in many places, there's this new wave amongst many who say they are Christians.

Many churches does not resemble anything we find in Scripture not in its language, not in its behavior or belief. And yet they gather they have these big rallies and they put all of this energy into what they're doing and none of it resembles the churches in the Scripture when I say I am old school. I don't mean that in every area of my life when I go to the dentist. I'm not old school.

But when it comes to the word of God. It's all the way back to eternity past all the way forward to eternity future.

It's boundless. It's all school acts 242 according to the apostles teaching Fellowship the prayer the communion with Christ. The way they did. It is the way I look to do it back to this you receive how you ought to walk they received that there is a walk in Christ that is useful to God and there is the failure to walk in Christ, which is not of much use to him. In verse two he continues for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now again behavior and belief to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to not be satisfied with the bare facts of salvation. If you just happy with your salvation you are stunted in Christ is so much more for you. For others through you. God is given and does not seem to have dawned on many Christians that there are commandments that accompany the life in Christ in the New Testament, they tend to think all the other commandments which is the 10 Commandments were not under the law of Moses anymore, so there really are no commandments that's wrong. There are many commandment, many challenges mention a few of them that Christians think they don't have to submit to, but believe it or not, there are those that do not believe that they have to submit to water baptism which commanded to be baptized in water, there are those that believe that the communion table is really not that important okay to skip it with the body that just up in our thing we do what you and I did last month. I do it from time to time is really not precious devotional time and study time personal devotional time and study time you options study to show yourself approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of God.

Many of you saying, coach Gooch with the purpose is not to hurt you unless you need to be heard.

A little bit to get you do something that's right. That is honorable word that is disappearing in every generation, the word honor and its fact has been challenged and is always challenged in society and individuals always honor was under pressure. Tithing, the Lords work giving money of your finances in those that think this is optional. You know, before someone is allowed into leadership here, we ask if they tithing will care how much satiety that's between them and God.

But if they're not tithing. They can lead because they cannot trust God with their wallet. According to the Scripture and how can they be trusted with ministry of any sort. While you answer that question for yourselves assembly. There are those that think gathering together in churches optional it sound like you know by another that having no power steering or does not capture these commandments in fact the writer to Hebrews will say they forsake the assembly strong word one wants to be forsaken.

Therefore we should not want to forsake discipline something that's optional sharing their faith. They think that is optional loving their spouse again. Some believe that to be an option in raising the children and the fear of the Lord. These are just a few of them. We have commandments in the New Testament. They are good.

What would we be without them we would be a sloppier bunch. Overall what we are. So we affirm these things and we pursue them in the fulfillment thereof and the benefits we enjoy them when these are abandoned.

The world points to us and they mock us. You preach these things and you don't even know it. Not only do you not do it. You don't even attempt to do it and it's not because of any other reason then you don't believe in the things you say should not be done. Turned off by us. Not saying we all do this.

We all need to be mindful of it and answered for ourselves goes on in verse two he says we gave you through the Lord Jesus Christ, the commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus Christ and overlords commanded them to go out and make disciples. What if they said well you know was a suggestion was commandment go make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit. So when the mind is engaged.

It is an issue of motive that I ought to do is not how we are supposed to do. It is Christian so that's part of the center. In the summer drives us. That's the law.

The mind says I must do this. That's my motive on commanded to a Christian commandments Christian commandments are the same when the will is engages an issue of I have to do it. I know this is right. But that's not all there is to the Christian life is more than I ought to do it and I have to do it.

There is, I want to do it and that is where the love comes in to be able to sing about Christ's love to genuinely sing about it to be moved by emotionally. It involves a promise back to the Lord. I see a love for me. I'll let you see some of my love for you. James said show me your faith you really want to show me your faith until something, but his big do it and so when we sing about the love of God. We are supposed to show him that we love him in areas that we fail and he gives us grace, but in areas that were not failing and he gives us opportunity and so some of us need a refresher course on love love to God, not so much love from God. I'm working all of this towards a point.

I'll get there in a moment.

Verse three says, for this is the will of God, your sanctification that you should abstain from sexual immorality. What part the Christians understand about that. It's God's will. It tells us what God's will is. We have several places in the New Testament that declare what the will of God is John chapter 6, verse 39 and 40. This is the will of the father who sent me that of all he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up in the last day and this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the son of God, and believes in him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day.

That's what God wants of course what is stated here in verse three of chapter 4 in verse 18 of chapter 5 in Thessalonians Ball right in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God. Gratitude first Peter chapter 2 for this is the will of God, that by doing good.

You may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, you know, when I worked in the steel industry.

You couldn't quote Scripture like that and make the point you couldn't say for this is the will of God by doing good. You may put to silence to silence didn't work with those kind of men had to say it this way for this is the will of God by doing good. You may shop the ignorant ones that you understood that was one of the pleasant things about preaching the word to men who never read the word she got to be a Bible translator, not from the Greek into whatever language you spoke but from the Greek into the language we speak. To put it where people could get it. I think I enjoyed that almost the most of it all was to be able to take the Lord's prayer.

For example, and recited in a language they understood our father, you might have Adobe father he's not in heaven.

Like our father in heaven who is on the throne in heaven and that resonate you know a lot of those men, many of them Irish Catholics or Mohawk Indians. Many of their fathers were drunks were abusive were just utter failures and so if you were going to teach the father to them.

You had to put it in perspective of heaven's view and not their upbringing.

None of this is change for any of us is just talking with one of our brothers about working for the government look if we get more Christians working in the government.

We can influence them more wherever we may find ourselves know there are limits to this, we don't want Christians working in brothels. I mainly just as a limit here we laugh right. I got a surprise well, your sanctification, that's what he is after.

And in that ancient world during the days of the church at Thessalonica, and Paul sanctification was in dire need. Because social immorality and impurity was not only legal. It was a part of worship state worship.

In fact, in the ancient day the churches had brothels and breweries you wanted to worship back us. The God of entertainment and fun and why you just go down to his temple, and you get plastered and that's how you would express your gratitude for him. How convenient.

Toby, that's what they knew.

So when Paul came along, he said I want you to be clean and blameless life returning all over the board is a new wood dirt was all about. We do to give an honest look read the headlines on Drudge Report you find out what dirt is politicians out filthy.

So many of them are. We must be careful when given the choice to not side with those who side with Satan in there are many of them are getting the upper hand in the use also of the following arguments to cover their tracks for us is very simple. God said that's wrong.

Why are you voting for that. So many Christians don't seem because they know it's a fashion show. I like him. Why do naughty vote for you know who he empowers know that this he or she is all about you like well threefold aspects of sanctification when the Bible talks about sanctification. There is positional sanctification. In other words sanctification me to be set aside when the believers that attend the church are referred to as saints. They are those who have come to Christ Jesus have had their sins forgiven and God has set them aside for salvation and his purposes, but the first aspect is justification, your sins are forgiven, never accepted because of who we are, but because what Christ has done for us in our response to his invitation. Romans 51 therefore, having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ now and Paul wrote this he would have to explain to them when he spoke it to these pagans. He would have to explain we have peace with Christ through his blood died wasn't just her come down to us and give us some noble writings. The other prophets to do that.

He came in he took away our sin on the cross and were never more saved than the moment we are saved as save and I was beginning as a Christian, but now 30 years later I'm really saved. That's doesn't happen that way.

See justification is something that God does for us. Sanctification in its next phase is something we do for God because of what God has done in us justification. Something God does rest sanctification is something God does NRS immerses us in the Holy Spirit, we would have it that indwelling spirit begins to move in our minds we begin to filter everything through the eyes of Jesus when we go to the voting booth. For example, we filter it through the eyes of Jesus, the Jew he would filter everything through the law you put bacon in front of him, it would say the losses I can do this and he would not do it you put in front of a Christian the bacon's gone, Jesus said he blessed and go broke so so the first part is positional. My position with God I'm justified.

The second part is practical is progressive happens over time you converted. But now the process of working you into being a fine disciple of Christ is just that a process is faster for some than others because what you invested. If you want to take a money offering to the temple of the Lord in the day of the Jew and you were to give it to the priest as an offering. The money stay the money, but its purpose, its uses, or usage was now for God and in that sense, it was sanctified, so when we give our lives to Christ.

We are set apart as holy to God and even if we fall short. We are still set aside to the Lord is not moral perfection that will not happen in this life.

That's the third part of sanctification, justification, sanctification, glorification before we get to glorification want to cover that statement I made that were not going to experience moral perfection. Do you know those who penned the Scriptures, Solomon, Isaiah, Daniel, all of them in the Old Testament and New Testament alive but were going to stay with the Old Testament to make the point. Many of them failed morally. King David and so many of the Psalms penned by King David and this man failed in God, let him fail in front of all of us say not only had the burden of failing and only the burden of failing in the court and in the kingdom.

He reigned over, but all since that time, we all know about it will read about him and Bathsheba him and you arrive.

I mean we just preserved because God is saying don't give me that excuse about you being too dirty to be saved.

I've saved worse save you if you come to open your heart to come to me like David for repentance. I will save you. Second Peter chapter 1 verse 21.

Listen to what Peter says, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. What you mean. Men like Solomon and David were moved by the Holy Spirit.

And when they removed it became Scripture. Yes, that means God uses those who are imperfect because there's no one else for him to use when it's time for him to use someone that is perfect and the came that time he had to do it himself sent his son, and so we have positional progressive and now perfect, which is the third part of sanctification called glorification when we die we go to heaven, will I Jesus first John 32 beloved, now we are children of God, and is not been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, we should be like him. We shall see him as he is. Then he says that you should abstain from sexual immorality. Sexual lust is a real problem as been in every generation. The world is inflamed sexual purity and often times it's not volume variety explains the heroin.

The variety, the spice of life can often be a sin in life move. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of first Thessalonians cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com once you're there you will find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe, you will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio. You can search for cross reference radio in your favorite podcast app as well. That's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time.

As Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of first Thessalonians, right here on cross reference rate