1 Thessalonians 4:3-The Thessalonians Will Execute the Will of God by Abstaining from the Practice of Sexual Immorality

First Thessalonians Chapter Four  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  1:05:53
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1 Thessalonians 4:3-The Thessalonians Will Execute the Will of God by Abstaining from the Practice of Sexual Immorality

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1 Thessalonians 4:1 Finally then, brothers and sisters, we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us about how you must live and please God (as you are in fact living) that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is God’s will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality. (NET)
1 Thessalonians 4:1 asserts that each one of the Thessalonians must continue to make it their habit of excelling more and more in living their lives in a manner which pleases God.
It also asserts that the basis for this request was the Lord Jesus’ commands.
It also asserts that the Thessalonians were to fulfill this request as they received instruction from Paul, Silvanus and Timothy as to how they were obligated to make it their habit to live in a manner so as to please God.
Then, in verse 2, Paul asserts that the Thessalonians were well aware of what commands that he, Silvanus and Timothy gave them by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
Therefore, in these two verses, Paul is asserting that the Thessalonians were to make it their habit of excelling more and more in living their lives in a manner which pleases God because they were well aware of what commands that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy gave them by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
These commands are a reference to the various commands and prohibitions which were communicated to the Thessalonians by Paul, Silvanus and Timothy with regards to experiencing their sanctification, which is indicated by the content of the statements recorded in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7.
Now, here in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Paul asserts that God’s will is the sanctification of each one of the Thessalonians.
He then defines what he means by their sanctification by asserting that for their own benefit they make it their abstaining from the practice of sexual immorality.
They would benefit from this because it would result in their growing up to spiritual maturity or in other words, they would become more like Jesus Christ.
Consequently, they would be rewarded by the Lord Jesus Christ as the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 is presenting the reason for the statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:1 that the Thessalonians continue to make it their habit of living in a manner so as to make it their habit of pleasing God and that they continue making it their habit of excelling more and more in doing so.
Therefore, a comparison of verses 1 and 3 indicates that the Thessalonians must continue to make it their habit of living in a manner so as to make it their habit of pleasing God because God’s will is their sanctification, and specifically, His will is that for their own benefit they making it their habit of abstaining from sexual immorality.
The inference between these two verses is that by living in a manner so as to please God, the Thessalonians would be experiencing the holiness of God, i.e. experiencing their sanctification by abstaining from sexual immorality.
The prepositional phrase “from the practice of sexual immorality” pertains to any kind or sexual sin of a general kind which includes many different behaviors.
It denotes any type of sexual activity outside of marriage including fornication and adultery and even prostitution.
It is expressing the idea that the Father’s will is that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community separate or disassociate themselves from the practice of sexual immorality.
This would then result in the Thessalonians experiencing their sanctification.
So therefore, Paul wants the Thessalonians to have sex within the boundaries of marriage and not outside of marriage.
These sins would include fornication, adultery, polygamy, incest, prostitution, homosexuality and bestiality.
In Colossians 3:5, the apostle Paul gives us insight as to how the Thessalonian Christian community was to make it their habit of abstaining from sexual immorality.
Colossians 3:5 Therefore, I solemnly charge each and every one of you to put to death the members of that which belongs to your earthly nature with regards to the practice of sexual immorality, sexual impurity, sexual lust, evil desire as well as that which is greed which is characterized as idolatry. (Author’s translation)
In this verse, he solemnly charges each member of the Colossian Christian community to put to death the members of that which belongs to their earthly nature with regards to the practice of sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire as that which is greed which is characterized as idolatry.
This verse is an inference from Paul’s statements in Colossians 3:1-4.
Colossians 3:1 Therefore, if, and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that each one of you have been raised up with Christ and we agree that this is true. Then, continue to make it your habit of diligently seeking after the things above, where Christ is seated at God’s right hand. 2 Each one of you continue making it your habit of concentrating on the things above, not on the things on earth 3 because each one of you has died. Consequently, the life of each one of you is concealed with Christ by means of the power of God the Father. 4 When Christ, the life of each one of you is revealed, then, at that time, each one of you will be revealed with Him in glory. (Author’s translation)
Now, as we noted, in Colossians 3:5, Paul solemnly issues another command which requires that the Colossians put to death the members of that which belongs to their earthly nature with regards to the practice of immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed.
The Colossians must put to death the members of their bodies with regards to the practice of immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed based upon the fact that they have died with Christ and have been raised with Him.
In other words, the command in verse 5 is issued based upon the fact that the Colossians are identified with Christ in His death and resurrection.
When Paul issues this command, he is doing so with a sense of urgency.
Consequently, the Colossians must also have a sense of urgency with regards to this command.
They must obey this command without reservation or delay since their fellowship with God and experiencing their sanctification is contingent upon doing so.
Their spiritual growth is contingent upon obeying this command.
Therefore, a comparison of Colossians 3:5 with 1 Thessalonians 4:3 indicates that the Thessalonian Christian community was to abstain from sexual immorality by putting to death the members of their sinful Adamic nature.
Putting to death the members of that which belongs to the Thessalonians’ earthly nature would demand that they completely cease from practicing sexual immorality, sexual impurity, sexual lust, evil desire and greed based upon the fact that they are identified with Christ in His death and resurrection.
It would constitute appropriating by faith their identification with Christ in His death and resurrection.
Ceasing completely from practicing such sins would result in their living in a manner consistent with this identification with Christ in His death and resurrection.
By obeying this command in Colossians 3:5, the faithful believers in Colossae and Thessalonica would be appropriating by faith their identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death and burial.
Therefore, Paul is spelling out for the Thessalonians and for all Christians in every generation of the church age what is involved in appropriating by faith one’s identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death and burial.
To appropriate by faith one’s identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death and burial would demand the believer putting to death the members of their human body with regards to any thought, word or action which would manifest their sin nature.
To appropriate by faith one’s identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death and burial would demand the believer considering the members of their human body as dead to the sin nature and alive to God (cf. Rom. 6).
To consider oneself as dead to the sin nature and alive to God demands that the believer submit to the Lordship of Christ over their life.
Their union and identification with Christ means that they are under the headship of Christ and thus no longer under the headship of Adam.
Consequently, they must behave in a manner which is consistent with being under the headship of Christ.
To consider oneself as dead to the sin nature and alive to God or to put off the old Adamic nature and to put on the new Christ nature involves the Christian submitting to being under the headship of Christ.
To appropriate by faith one’s union and identification with Christ would involve the Christian adopting God’s viewpoint of them which is that they are in union with Christ and identified with Him in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
This results in conduct which is consistent with this union and identification with Christ.
The Thessalonians’ behavior or conduct was to be governed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and specifically the good news that they have the victory over sin and Satan through their union and identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand.
The emphasis with putting to death the members of one’s body parts in relation to these various sinful vices is not upon the body parts but upon the conduct or actions related to the use of these body parts.
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