1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the Will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore, he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
As Christians, our goal should be to please God. He is our Creator, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Ultimate Judge……..our EVERYTHING. To live a life pleasing to Him is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT thing in life. The word “walk” in the Bible refers to our lifestyle; our daily life and how we live it; how to walk it out.
The writings of the great Apostle Paul are some of the best and most direct instructions on how to live a life pleasing to God. In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul wrote, you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; He went on to say, you know what Commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. They had been taught how to live their lives. They knew right from wrong. They knew and understood the commandments, but obviously, they were not living in the Will of God.
Paul goes on to address a specific problem they must have been dealing with: For this is the Will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
These people were believers in Jesus and the Message of the Cross. However, sexual immorality was a problem within the Church. Unfortunately, it still is (and has always been) a problem. We are each responsible for our own body and the Word of God tells us to treat our body with sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God. As Christians, we are not to conduct our lives like unbelievers.
Nor are we to involve anyone else in such immorality. that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, We will be held accountable for our actions. Sexual immorality of any kind is not tolerated or acceptable by God and He will be the Judge. because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
People who disregard and reject the Teachings of the Word of God do not sin against man, they sin against God and will answer to God. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, God has given every believer the Holy Spirit to be their Teacher, Guide and Counselor. Who has also given us His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given to all believers so that we may live our lives pleasing to God. The Holy Spirit will ALWAYS lead us into righteousness and a life in accordance with the Word of God. All other leading is not from God but from the devil himself and will lead only to destruction. Do not be deceived!
When the woman was caught in the act of adultery, the people had the right to stone her to death but Jesus said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.” There was no one without sin to condemn her and throw a stone at her. One by one they walked away. Then Jesus spoke to her saying, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Just because everyone is a sinner doesn’t make it right for us to be one too. Jesus said, go and sin no more. He meant what He said and He still means it today.
The Lord God Almighty can……..turn the tide
Hallelujah! Doreen
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