The Right Kind of Possession (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8)

Good morning Would you turn with me to the book of 1st

Thessalonians chapter 4 and We will read the text. We will be studying this morning and then our second scripture reading

There'll be a lot of scripture today, which is a good thing. It's a wonderful thing first Peter 1 13 through 19

So first 1st Thessalonians 4 3 through 8 for this is the will of God your sanctification that Is that you abstain from sexual immorality that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor?

not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God and That no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter

Because the Lord is the Avenger in all those things Just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you for God has not called us for the purpose of impurity

But in sanctification consequently he who rejects this is not rejecting man

But the God who gives you his Holy Spirit, but the God who gives his Holy Spirit to you and Then first Peter 3 13 through 19 1 13 through 19

Therefore prepare your minds for action. Keep sober in spirit Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedient children

Do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours and will be in ignorance But like the

Holy One who called you be holy yourselves Also in all your behavior because it is written you shall be holy for I am holy

If you address his father the one who impartially judges according to each one's work Conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth

Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your feudal way of life inherited from your forefathers

But with the precious blood of a lamb unblemished unblemished and spotless the blood of Christ Let's pray father.

All of us are expectant lumps of clay Knowing that as you pour your son the

Lord Jesus Christ out To pay for all of our sins you pour into us your

Holy Spirit To enact in our lives the scripture that we study and understand through you

This morning might we be ready to receive doctrine correction instruction and reproof

From the loving hand of a father who has nothing but the very best in his heart for his children his elect

We thank you that you have saved us. We have no idea why you did but we are grateful

Might we hear you this morning and if we come away from this Remembering the scripture it will be a morning.

Well spent we thank you in Jesus name so the last time we were together we went through a section of first Thessalonians and and Today's section is

I would say a Little bit more pointed and hard and so I would like for us sometimes

When we have a nice rack of books on each end of those books We will have a bookend on this end and on this end and sometimes they'll have little sayings on them or or pictures or something

And it it it appropriately frames The row of books so for this morning's message

I'd like us to start with two bookends that I want you to be thinking about all the way through this met this message the first bookend is

First Corinthians 6 11 and such were some of you But you were washed

But you were sanctified But you were justified in the name of the

Lord in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God That's the first bookend.

We need to remember when we're looking through the scriptures and we see Doctrine and correction and instruction we think well, that's for them

No, it's for me. This is a Whenever I go through a passage of scripture, I first think about Where are my failings?

And I can't spend all the time I need to on that because I'd never get up here The second bookend is first John 1 9, which is absolutely

One of my favorite verses in the Bible If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins.

Did you hear that? He's faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

So with that those two bookends, but such were some of you such for some of us if we confess

Let's launch into this So the last time we were together We looked at first Thessalonians 4 1 & 2

Paul had called the Thessalonians who were an exemplary church in Asia Minor Obedient to the

Word of God to excel even more. I Think I remembered if I remember right I titled that message more, please

They were doing many right things and he wanted more He challenged them to never settle for good enough

But to always press on for more righteousness more holiness and all things that would be found pleasing to God He continues that plea but in this next section of Verses he becomes blunt and more specific

We live that we live in an age where sexual sexual immorality is rife.

It is Celebrated and it's even considered part of life's Adventurousness if you will

I Had I had to be very careful to try and frame this in a pg -13 message

Because Paul doesn't and therefore I'm not saying I'm better or smarter than Paul You all that know me know way better than that But I wanted to make it so that you would feel comfortable to have everyone here listening to it

So sexual immorality is considered good Wholesome and in many spec respects just desired

Especially before marriage. That's that's the age we live in Witness the opening ceremonies of last month's

Olympic game. Well, no don't witness them read about them But observe observe some of the comments maybe that were made this at least one of its

Conventions one of the things that was trying to be communicated There was a direct attack on one of Christian Christendom's most important sacrament the sacrament of the

Lord's Supper in the Lord's Supper we celebrate the incredible gift of life the life death and resurrection of the

Lord Jesus Christ and We celebrate the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ recognizing his the significance of his obedience

To his obedience to death and the shedding of blood to cover the sins of those who would believe

Modern demonic media did everything they could to blaspheme that incredible remembrance

Now imagine yourself living in a time. That was worse than what we are living in today

Where every second woman you saw on the street was someone else's mistress Where pedophilia was commonplace and celebrated?

Transvestitism was common and even expected in one's journey into adulthood if you chose to become somewhat moral in this society and Expected to marry a woman who was the same you were expecting the near impossible it was into this society that the gospel came to the through the

Apostle Paul and The gospel raised expectations to the level of the impossible

We understand that the standards of God that God requires of his people are not attainable

Without the indwelling Holy Spirit We also understand that he will not require What he cannot provide the

Thessalonians would have seen much of what Paul was saying is completely impossible to attain It is only through the changed life that comes from regeneration

Trusting in Christ and cooperating with the indwelling Holy Spirit that the Thessalonians would have any chance

To represent the kind of lifestyle that Paul preached about and Paul was not suggesting this He was demanding it.

He was commanding it and So it is in these next ten verses. We won't hit all ten today, but in these next ten verses

Paul becomes a bit focused about some of the difficulties that would have been experienced by the Thessalonians living in this incredibly depraved time

Culture so verse 3 says for this is the will of God Your sanctification that is that you abstain from sexual immorality

People wonder what the will of God is You've heard it asked. What do you think the will of God is? Well, what is what is the will of God for my life?

Note that here. There's no article in the original Greek before the word will so this is not saying that this is the whole will

Of God, but this is one of the aspects God's will is encapsulated throughout his word and that requires that we study all of it

As you learn of his character and his desires for his children step -by -step you begin to walk in his will

Which is in obedience to his precepts It starts very early on when we see God approve of Abel's sacrifice

But not Cain's he disapproves of Cain's sacrifice when he gives specifics. We would do well to pay attention

Commentator Leon Morris puts it this way he said thus a process has begun in which the old ways and the old habits are increasingly done away and Replaced with new ways that fit the service of God this is a long and Necessary process and much of the

New Testament is taken up with the instruction as to how it may be furthered Here Paul lays it down firmly that it is

God's will that God's people live in God's way Then we see it again later in Genesis When we discover that one of the aspects of the will of God is for us to believe what he has said and trust him

For it just as Abraham did in Deuteronomy we are reminded that there are certainly secret things that we cannot know about But there is plenty that is revealed that we can observe and do

I'm trying to try and remember the old saying There's much in the Bible that I don't understand and there's much in the

Bible that I never will understand But there's plenty in the Bible that I cannot miss Understand start there beloved start there

Deuteronomy 29 29 the secret things belong to the Lord our God But the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever that we may observe all the words of this law

So this is a study in itself and it's just a few things to note later in 1st Thessalonians We will discover that one aspect of the will of God is to in everything give criticism oh

Wait a minute. That's what we learned about this morning. I Didn't plan this David in everything give thanks

Are there things in your life that are happening right now that you can't give thanks for That's where God is focusing

In that give thanks and everything give thanks Psalm 40 verse 8 we discover that the will of God is encapsulated in his law in John 4 34

Jesus remarks that my food is to do the will of him who sent me So we can truly say here.

What would Jesus do? It's it's a proper statement here and look at the many things that he did throughout his incredible life here on the planet and To the degree that God's Spirit enables us copy them

Romans 12 tells us that doing the will of God is refusing to be conformed to the world

What does the world require for you to get along now, this is not a litmus test But it's appropriate to think through that likely

God's will is for us to do the opposite of what the world requires us to do especially in these days

Colossians chapter 1 reminds us it increasing in the knowledge of God being steadfast and patient in joy is the will of God there's there's no dearth of information in God's Word about what his will is and His will is good and just and perfect and as his people serve him in following his will

They discover that and they show it to the world 1st Peter 4 2 stipulates that whatever men inappropriately lust after This is not the will of God Ephesians 5 calculates that some of the aspects of the will of God are found in speaking to one another biblically

Making melody in our hearts to the Lord and always giving. Thanks for all things simple, but not necessarily very easy and here directly stated

The will of God is our sanctification That that is our day -to -day growth in the knowledge of the

King and our living out of that knowledge Sanctification is a direct result of salvation.

It is one of the proofs that one has been saved Paul takes it one step further though when he gives the

Thessalonians always want to start out and call the Thessalonians the Thessalonians the

Thessalonians he gives them a specific application run from sexual and immorality

The word for sanctification in there is the Greek word for holiness as well It comes from the concept of being set apart for a purpose a good purpose

This is what God has done when he saved you He set you apart to become holy like his son is holy Like he is holy and to glorify him in all you do but in Thessalonica Paul specifically applies the idea of sanctification to the incredible sexual immorality that permeated

Greek culture in that day in First century Rome the Greek here. The Greek word is pornea and it's a general term that covers all

Deviation from sexual purity that God demands in the life of a set -apart Christian The first century

Thessalonians did not see sexual immorality as sin. They didn't see it as sin They were comfortable with it.

It was the way it was it was good and And Make no mistake any culture that that begins walking that path

Sin is never static. It is always moving in one direction or another It's always getting worse and worse or if God has come into your life.

It is becoming less and less They didn't see it as sin. They saw it as a normal part of everyday life

They did not have the benefit of several generations of Christianity To create what we had in the

Western mindset as a concept of morality to them It was moral to have a mistress Demosthenes said it this way.

This is what Demosthenes said about the culture he lived in We keep prostitutes for pleasure

We keep mistresses for the day -to -day needs of the body We keep wives for the beginning of children and for the faithful guardianship of our homes

It's disgusting to me to read that That is pretty perverse Brothers and sisters, that's where we're headed

That's where this nation this world is headed Here Paul uses the word for abstain he says abstain

From sexual immorality which means to be distant from to To maintain a distance from distance from to get away from it to be completely

Disassociated with the idea is complete abstinence in first Corinthians 618.

He uses the word flee The best way to get away from something and to put distance between it and you is to flee from it run

Don't look back like lots wife in that verse in 1st

Corinthians Paul also warns the Corinthians that every other sin one commits is outside the body

But sexual sin is a sin directly against the body it's against one's health it's against one's future relationships

It's against purity it violates in a special way the oneness that was designed to occur between a man and a wife

That no other sin can if you're stupid enough to steal your wife's laptop

It will lessen her trust in you But if you steal her right to own your body in a way that God designed the one -fleshed relationship to be it will destroy that Relationship in a way that no other sin has the potential to do now.

Remember the bookmark If you confess your sin He is faithful and just faithful and righteous to forgive your sin and cleanse you from all it and righteousness

I want to keep going back to those bookends because this is a difficult passage of Scripture. It's very telling it's very pointed

And whatever God wrote through Paul to the Thessalonians. He wrote to us So first Corinthians 6 8 says flee immorality every other sin that a man commits is outside the body but the immoral man sins against his own body and What is the sexual immorality that Paul is commanding them to abstain from all of it?

pornography adultery incest pedophilia transvestitism premarital sex proof post -marital abuse self -abuse

I thought this thesaurus is going to get really boring really quick and really so Just fill in the blank all of it all of it

The word is it's comprehensive The victory that Christ brings into the individual life

Over sin is intended to be comprehensive in the same way. Paul is warning the

Thessalonians and by Extension us to flee from every sin type of sin like that The victory that Christ brings is over every one of those over everyone

Paul here is echoing a teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew Matthew chapter 5 27 and 28.

Jesus said you have heard that it was said you shall not commit adultery, but I say to you that He everyone who looks at a little woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart

Jesus is looking at the heart This is what this kind of sin does it destroys the heart?

Now when I say destroy I didn't say annihilate Remember first John 1 9

So this is hard work. This is inside work. Holy Spirit work. It's about behavior to be sure, but it's not just about behavior

It is about the desire and the delight to do what is right and to live in that doing refusal here is likely a demonstration

That one is not a believer if you refuse to heed this verse 3

I would take serious account of my own salvation I'm not talking about the occasional deviation that happens in the life of a sinner saved by grace

Falling repenting and then getting back up to battle again a Refusal to abstain indicates that one is deceived about what it means to be a sanctified believer

This is the kind of things that proves one is not an inheritor of the kingdom of God as Paul said in 1st

Corinthians 6 He said in 1st Corinthians 6 verses 9 through 10 He said or do you not know that the righteous the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God do not be deceived

Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor homosexuals nor nor thieves nor the covetous nor drunkards nor revilers

Nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. So here Paul is talking about specifically secular immorality in 1st

Corinthians He's talking about all the other sins. They're all Barriers To God barriers to coming into your sanctified life in God later in 1st

Corinthians 10 Paul Recounts the sin of Israel Moses while Moses was receiving the

Ten Commandments and he remarks that one cannot partake of the cup of the Lord and The cup of demons in one sitting at the same time

First Corinthians 10 21 you cannot drink the cup of the Lord in the cup of demons you cannot partake of the cup table of the

Lord and the table of demons much of what men do in the Realm of sexual wickedness is truly demonic

It never stays simple just looking at pornography For example, it always moves in the direction of more or less if controlled by self and lust

It will move in the direction of more and more filth until one is openly demonic If under the control of the

Holy Spirit It will become less and less and one will begin to resemble the Lord Jesus Christ more and more in their life

Sin is never static It's never static it is always on the move here and again in 1st

Corinthians Paul warns the believers He wants them to completely abandon these activities run from these thoughts to inculcate the words of Scripture into their hearts and minds as one writer put it

Christians are to have a clean cut from sexual immorality of all kinds and the only thing

That can do that for you is the Holy Spirit through the Word of God You can't do it yourself

Accountability is necessary. Yes But in the end, it's God's Word It's God's Word and the

Holy Spirit Verse 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor

It is unfortunate that both in Paul's time and today people live so completely under the control of their emotions

All you got to do is go on Facebook for 10 seconds and You can see it in the responses the comments or even the what's it called the

Opie? What's that mean original post? Did I get that right? Hey, I'm a

Facebook guy Wow Okay, so decisions are made on how one feels about something

Whether it's a decision to buy a house a car groceries or get involved in an affair

People make decisions very often solely on how they feel about the decision

What Paul is talking about here is that we must develop and get this Develop the skill of controlling our bodies in sanctification and honor.

It's a skill like using a power tool correctly, which has

Harnessed certain kinds of electricity and power to do a thing which if used incorrectly will harm you

Ask me how I know Later, so we're looking at very specific words here that in context paint a wonderful yet difficult picture from the time of Augustine on Interestingly enough and possibly even a little earlier to some of the research

I did Many commentators reviewed the word vessel as one's wife So what they would say was for each of you to know how to possess his own wife in sanctification and honor

I want to talk to you about that. I think that's incorrect. I believe that's incorrect Numerous commentators as well as a cursory study of Paul's use of the word for wife indicate that this is very likely incorrect

I believe it is Paul's teaching and Christianity in general

Produce a very high view of marriage In marriage the man of the women the man and the woman are equal heirs of the grace of God To reduce the word vessel here to simply means one's wife to simply mean one's wife's wife has several problems

Some people refer to first Peter's reference to Peter's reference in first Peter to the wife being the weaker vessel

That's not what is at point here further. This verse was written to the church at large in Thessalonica It was written to the men and to the women and probably to the children who would understand it

The command to know how to possess his own vessel should be considered to be directed at the entire congregation

Not just the men Remember both men and women are the vessels of the Holy Spirit. So the word translated vessel

Skew us is often used in the New Testament in New Testament for utensils Romans 9 21 or does not the potter have the right over the clay to make from the same lump of one vessel skew us for honorable use and another for common use it's also used of Implements in 2nd

Corinthians 4 7, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power of God will be of God and not from ourselves and Of implements or to excuse me that was implements or tools as in 2nd

Timothy 2 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor

Sanctified useful to the master prepared for every good work Other often rabbis use this word to denote the body

So Paul here is instructing the Thessalonians to exercise proper proper Skillful control over their own bodies to produce by the power of the

Holy Spirit in their lives Sanctification and honor what a great concept.

What a wonderful. What a wonderful. I mean we get to be sanctified By the sovereign of the universe to begin to resemble his son

He got a really bad deal with me, but some of you are doing just fine Don't let it go to your heads.

So anyway, a Thoughtful manner that exudes the dignity that the Holy Spirit brings into one's life.

God will use his Holy Spirit through his word To make you a proper vessel

Skillfully use his word to make you a proper vessel verse 5 not in lustful passion

Like the Gentiles who do not know God So it was common for the Greeks in the day of Paul's time Of the

Thessalonian time to whom Paul is writing to give in to their passions it was even looked at as part of the worship of their pantheon of gods and So it was good.

It was good. These things were considered not just acceptable, but actually good desirable

Paul is reminding the Thessalonians here that those kinds of actions and lifestyles are commonplace among those who do not know

Yahweh Who do not know him? Unregenerate people have an uncontrolled desire for sexual gratification.

It consumes them It defines them and they require others to recognize their deviance as their personality

This happened in Thessalonian times Do you know my pronouns?

I? Hope not That's what's going on today That is such a consuming thing that it forces.

It doesn't force they require others to participate in it Because it's good to them.

It's righteous to them Today it plays its ugly destruction out in the lives of especially young people who think they must give in to the spirit of the age and adopt the opposite sex as their

Identity Because apparently the sovereign God of the universe Wasn't smart enough to know what he was doing when he bestowed upon them their sex

When I say it like that, it really sounds stupid, doesn't it? Newsflash it is

But it consumes them they need the gospel Oh Brothers, it's they need the gospel

So these filthy passions produce the parades that one sees in places like San Francisco in Portland Where people march down the streets of those degraded cities in various stages stages of undress as though it's correct

They are completely controlled by their passions and not by the Holy Spirit. That's an understatement Have you ever noticed how incredibly angry they are as well?

Has that ever I it's just one of the things I've noticed these the two words used here

By the way are the opposite sides of the coin of self gratification I was going to bring a coin for him, but you all know what a coin looks like you don't need that The word translated here as lustful denotes an active pursuit of wrong desires a knowing active pursuit of wrong desires

The work that's the working part of this wickedness the word translated as passion not in lustful passion

Signifies an over mastering feeling in which one is born along by evil as though one is a passive instrument of that evil

But they're never passive because there's an active part It is the feeling part of this deviance combined combine these two things

Result in the decided the decided surrender of one's faculties to the wicked activities that result

These are people that Paul said and has said and I repeat myself who do not know

God They do not know God Verse 6 and know that no man transgressed and defraud his brother in the matter because the

Lord is the avenger in all these things Just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you it's not like this hasn't been warned before Paul is warned

God is warned throughout the Old Testament the warnings are there some believe by the way that this is a change of subject in this section and That now we are talking about business matters

Paul went from sexual sin to financial insecurity No Contextually, I think this is incorrect.

One can defraud one another in the matters of sexuality The word defraud means to swindle someone out of what is rightfully theirs to selfishly greedily take for personal gain and pleasure at someone else's expense in the matter of sexuality one can take from someone's future marriage partner the sexual purity that was their right to receive when they get married to Individual one can take the innocence and purity from a child in the same way

This was so serious that the Lord Jesus Christ gave an ominous warning To any who would do that in Matthew 18 6 and 7 he said but whoever causes one of these little ones to believe in me

Who believe in me to stumble? It would be better for him To have a heavy millstone hung around his neck and to be ground in the depth of the sea

Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks for is inevitable that stumbling blocks come but woe to that man to whom the stumbling block comes 1st

John 1 9 Beloved 1st John 1 9. That's our bookend one of our bookends.

Remember that So this is the defrauding that Paul is speaking of it has nothing to do with silver and gold

It speaks of premarital promiscuity horrible horribly improper visual that Gratification that we call pornography and a host of other things that seem to be proliferating then and proliferate today in today's world

And then Paul says that the Lord is the Avenger The Lord is the

Avenger that is the Punisher of all these things this alludes to future punishment as well as temporal punishment bodily destruction

Results for much of the depravity that these activities That comes from these activities

That the Thessalonians were engaging in and that what people engage in today, but future permanent

Eternal destruction awaits those who never repent of and walk away from those activities we should upon regeneration discover a whole new world of service to God and Delight in it

It should be a blessing as we grow closer to him to serve him and to do things that bespeak his sovereign glory

Do things that tell the world about who Jesus is who the Father is who the

Holy Spirit is? But it is also good to be warned of the great danger

That awaits those who will not put off the wickedness of their former life and put on the garment of holiness

That garment is the birthright of all who have been born again If you are not disgusted by your sinful behavior if you are not distraught when you sin

If you are not energized to do better when you fail You should question yourself as Peter said judgment should begin at the house of God That's one of the applications of that verse

We need to look at ourselves and make sure that we're disgusted by sin And let me tell you something that's that's a good news bad news.

The good news is as you become more and more Devoted to the

Word of God and to it excising the sin from your life That's a good thing.

The bad news is as you become more and more devoted to the Word of God you find

Out just how bad you really are and that's a good thing too.

So it's Tantum out and personal. It's it's personal. I should say beloved

There isn't any question about what Paul is speaking of here He speaks of it much more horrifyingly in Romans chapter 1 which

Matt read to us at the beginning of this beginning this morning So therefore

God gave them over in the lust of their hearts to impurity You have that verse before we have that verse before us this morning the people who do not know

God will continually Exchange the truth that God gives for the lies that confirm their passions

We will always exchange if we are if we are Following sin we are not obeying

God We will continually exchange the truth for what confirms the things that make us feel good in life or that we think make us feel good

These people serve themselves and worship themselves therefore as it talks about in Romans they spiral into a continual lifestyle of Degrading wickedness that includes sodomy which is homosexuality and is very close to very clearly spoken of here in Romans It seems that this particular sin is the underpinning for what most of what went wrong with the

Thessalonian Roman Society And what is going wrong in society today? I'm not of course saying that this is the only sin.

We need to be on the lookout for But it is certainly a foundation for much of the teaching of the spirit of the age today

That is destroying our youth our marriages and thus our society first John 1 9

I'm gonna keep telling you first John 1 9 be warned Paul says

Those who practice these things God will avenge them Avenge and he will avenge today and in it and in eternity in in eternity

For God has not called us to the purpose for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification So this command in verse 7 is to live in purity and possessions of one body skillfully

Living a life that honors God and this warning to those who would not do that fits perfectly into the general purpose

For which God has saved the elect. He did not call us for the purpose of impurity That is lustful profligate living.

He called us to be set -apart Holy effective in propagating the gospel and demonstrating that his will is good

Profitable and profitable as it says in Romans chapter 12 This reminds us also that none of this rests on human initiative

Did you save yourself? Did you seek God all by your lonesome? You know, you didn't neither did

I he sought you and In that seeking when he regenerated you and turns you to him

The next step is he also provides your sanctification. He is sanctifying you.

He is sanctifying us Whenever I do whenever I mouth things that I didn't have down in my texture.

I lose my place. So give me a second here So this does remind us that none of us rests on human initiative but rather on the call of God We did not seek him in a life of sexual purity rather he called us to it and what he calls us to He will accomplish

He will supply and It will be in sanctification that is in personal holiness resulting in an effective life that lives out the good and perfect will of God Philippians 1 6 another great verse that I I Suppose we're not supposed to have favorite verses, but I do have a few

For I am confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will perfect it into the day of Jesus Christ He had to drop it

I'm going to read some more scripture Regarding sanctification because this is what this section is really about Philippians 2 12 and 13

So then my beloved just as you have always obeyed not in my presence Only but now much more my absent work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is

God who is at work in you Both to will and to work for his good pleasure John 6 28 and 29

Therefore they said to him what shall we do so that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them.

This is the work of God that you believe in him who is he has sent Who did he send he sent Jesus Ephesians 2 4 through 10?

But God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and Raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in Kindness toward us in Christ Jesus for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves

It is the gift of God not as a result of work so that no one may boast but for we are his workmanship

Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that you would walk so that we would walk in them

He will not leave you flailing in life Trying to serve him if you are truly born again.

You're in your sanctification is his priority in your life Mortify sin and focus on your relationship with him through his word

Which is called this is Paul's command to the Thessalonians and to us remember that the call to salvation as The call to sanctification is the call of God It is not dependent upon our will but his so you don't have to worry

And what he has begun He will continue if you are truly one of the elect you will begin to detest your old lifestyle

You know how that is You you just you look back at some of the things that you did with Detestation and the folly that you committed with just sometimes humor, but the right kind of humor

Which is the humor that forces you to recognize it as wrong think Where have

I read that before? And go forward in the Holy Spirit Paul desires to present the

Church of Thessalonica as a pure bride to God and Sexual sin is completely antithetical to that Since it was one of the prevalent sins of the

Roman world that was destroying that world That is why you see Paul call it out specifically verse 8 is very telling as it's not necessarily the original closing for this thought, but it's what

I'm Using as the last verse for today and you're all saying amen So he who rejects this is not rejecting man

But the God who gave who gives his Holy Spirit to you the disobedience that is described here is not a disobedience of the elders

It's not a disobedience to your family. It's not a disobedience to your parents. It's not a disobedience to society or to the law

Although it may be all of those things in retrospect. It is the direct disobedience

To God and it bespeaks the heart of one who is not interested in being sanctified It could very well be referring to someone most likely is referring to someone who's not even saved the standard

God calls men and women to after salvation is Impossibly high and that is why he gave his

Holy Spirit to complete that work in the hearts and lives of the believers The word for rejecting here is a word that means to cast off to despise to dismiss.

It's the word that your children Live in when you tell them to clean up their room.

I ain't doing that They cast it off they despise it. I know I used to be one of those children You should have seen my room

It's in this case though. It's referring to utter disregard for God utter disregard the idea is that someone is treating something that they have been told to do as something of no consequence

They believe it doesn't matter. It's unimportant and it's inconsequential in life This is directly treating

God as if he is of no account. It's a direct rejection of God himself That's what Paul is telling the

Thessalonians here. This is a direct rejection of the sovereign God of the universe It's an interesting word order that Paul uses here

He emphasizes the majesty of the holiness of God the verse actually is worded this way

It says so he who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives you the spirit of him

Paul also so this emphasizes the majesty of the Holy Spirit and the severity of the disobedience

Paul also makes it very personal and that he says he gave the Holy Spirit to who?

to you The Holy Spirit is not some overarching presence that is available to generally prod people into good behavior

He is the indwelling Presence of the sovereign God of the universe who actively works to make those whom he has saved like the beloved

Son of God That's who the Holy Spirit is Are you saved? Then you are on the way to being sanctified

That's part and parcel of salvation. It will be a bumpy road One man put it this way.

He said it's like three steps forward two steps back occasionally in my life It's been three steps forward five steps back

That may very be very well But the progress will be forward the progress will be forward

Spend the time in God's Word that will help you get to know him and his will for your life It's throughout his word and and it is it is

Promised for you to be able to understand it and that is to live your life in God's way in his time.

It's tough It's a tough and high calling but remember the Holy Spirit is given to you personally to assure that it happens on The day of your salvation which was given to you wholly by a work of God vouch

God vouch safe to you the promise of a change of life a Change of heart a change of direction that would render you a changed person your thank your sanctification is positional

But it is also practical We'll finish with this Philippians 1 6 we read earlier

For I'm confident of this very thing that he who began a good work and you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus so in Philippians Paul reminds the believers and Us my extension that the confidence in our salvation rests in the one who began it and who will finish it first Thessalonians 5 23 and 24 now may the

God of peace himself Sanctify you entirely and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete without blame at the coming of our

Lord Jesus Christ Faithful as he who calls you and he also will bring it to pass

Later in that chapter in this book chapter 5 Paul encourages the Thessalonians that Sanctification will be entire and it is done by God himself and that we will be presented to Christ without blame

Can you imagine that? No blame First John 1 9.

Can I remind you of that? Have I reminded you of that? What a wonderful verse he called us.

He will bring it to pass acts 26 18 To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God That they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in me

It is faith in God that results in the forgiveness of sins and the inheritance that God promises to those who have been sanctified

Acts 20 32 and now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace

Which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified What did he commend us to His word himself and his word it is his word

That is what God uses to make the difference in the lives of his Saints John 17 17 sanctify them in truth

In the truth your word is truth And finally as Jesus himself said the truth will be our sanctification and where do we find that we find it only in the word

He promised not to leave us as orphans, but to send his helper To us and to all who will continue the work this helper will continue the work that was begun at salvation

Throughout our lives to become more like Christ John 14 15 through 17. So we are not left to ourselves

Beloved we're not left to ourselves We're not left to thrash about trying to become something we can never be but rather we are empowered by the living

Holy Spirit within us through the study and application of the Word of God in our everyday lives Mortify sin and he will work it in your lives tremble at that sin

That is in your life and desire the removal of that sin Are you on the way to resembling the

Son of God more and more every day? this is an evidence of God living in you because of faith and the work of the

Holy Spirit and There is no place to get any of this except within the scriptures

It's so simple and I see so many making it so difficult With so many

Strange applications and strange things to do spend time in God's Word There's nothing like it

His Word is the gateway with the work of the Holy Spirit in your life to produce a walk of obedience that will bring praise and delight to the

Lord Jesus Christ and Is there anything that the Saints of God want to do more than bring praise and delight to the

Lord Jesus Christ? Let's pray father Your word is simple.

It's difficult. It's full of doctrine for it's full of reproof it's full of correction and it's full of instruction for us to live righteous lives and Without your

Holy Spirit Your word is just another book But it isn't just another book to the

Christian To the elect to the one who has been saved by you and is on the way to being sanctified by you

Positionally already done working out in our lives trembling day -to -day. It is the power of God let us

Simply spend the time necessary, which is a lot of time in your word learning of your glory learning of your grace

Learning of your righteousness and applying your truths to our hearts by the by the power of your

Holy Spirit Might we become a people that is blessed to call you our

Lord and Savior and Is seen in and it will be seen by the world at large that we are indeed that Thank you

Lord for this morning. Thank you for these words Thank you for your word and if everything that I said is gone, but people remember the scripture

This has been a good morning indeed And we pray these things in the Lord Jesus Christ name and for his sake and for his glory.