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Message
1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Living the Sanctified Life
Let’s start with a quick reminder about the timing of when Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians.
When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia (to Paul who was in Corinth), Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching.
Acts 18:5
Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love.
1 Thessalonians 3:6
Timothy was sent back to Thessalonica to find out how the church was going after the missionary group were forced to leave so quickly.
Now Timothy has returned and the news is good.
The news from Timothy is also up to date.
As a result of the quick exit the church of the Thessalonians were left with some questions and faith and practise. Timothy conveyed these questions and now Paul is using the letter to the Thessalonians to give answers – that is the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:11
Let’s turn to the beginning of that section 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2
What an encouragement to the church.
“I want you to know that you have been doing so well in following the instructions we have given you.” Indeed this is how they became “a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia (1 Thessalonians 1:7).
However, even with this progress, the Thessalonians need to keep learning and growing.
Let’s keep reading 1 Thessalonians 4:3-12
Paul addresses two issues here:- Well it looks like two issues.
One has to do with issues of sexuality.
And one has to do with minding our own business and working.
But there is a sense where these issues are connected. And the connection is love.
Broken love … love which is not expressed the way God intended … causes unsanctified sexuality.
Real love … love which is expressed more and more … has application in unexpected areas of our life.
Back in 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Paul says , “may the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else.” Here we are being given some specific examples on what that looks like in practise.
As we look at these examples let’s first take note of a key word in verse 3 … sanctified. The meaning of the word goes back to the Old Testament where holy items were chosen for use in the temple. Let’s say they need a pot.
The priest would go to the shop and there would be dozens of pots.
He buys one … one pot chosen from among many. Outwardly it may even look exactly the same as the pot next to it on the shelf … and that pot is brought to the temple.
It has been set apart. It has been made holy. It has been sanctified.
And so are we.
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
Romans 6:22 (NIV)
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Romans 6:22 (ESV)
Sanctification is not something you initiate, it is an action of God. It is God’s will that you should sanctified … it is the fruit of freedom in Christ from sin.
(God) has saved us and called us to a holy (sanctified) life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.
2 Timothy 1:9
Living such a life is your identity … the identity God gives you in Christ.
When this is your identity it impacts the choices you make, and the actions you do, and the thoughts you think, and the path you walk.
God has sanctified you … us. But that identity has implications on the way you act.
(L)et us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
Hebrews 12:1-2
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
God has acted. We also act.
That creates a tension doesn’t it. The tension where we get to the end of the day – or we just get to the end of our breakfast – and we look at our lives and we say, “I don’t feel holy.”
The Thessalonians felt like this.
Which brings us to the issue of broken love … love which is not expressed the way God intended … causes unsanctified sexuality.
Paul gives three exhortations
Avoid Sexual Immorality
The greek word behind this is p???e?a (porneia)
When you hear that word you know what it means don’t you. Our world and the world of the first century may be 2000 years apart. But when it comes to sexuality – and broken expressions of sexuality – there is very little difference.
Having an extra-marital affair was not just common, it was expected. Many couples didn’t marry for love, but only provide a secure place to raise biological children and give legal frameworks for the passing on of land and possessions.
The widespread acceptance of slavery effectively meant many were socially oplaced in a space where they were a sex possession to be used whenever and however the owner pleased.
They may not have had the internet and pictures – but in the day young women would walk through the city with clothing so shear nothing was left to the imagination.
Orgies were common. So was partner swapping. Homosexuality was widely practised.
Public opinion was such that it did not discourage porneia … the only word against it was against people who over-indulged in porneia. And then you were seen to have the same reputation as a glutton or a drunkard.
Nothing has changed. Avoiding sexual immorality in our modern world is a moment by moment activity – because the situations which cause temptation to not avoid porneia come up constantly.
The next exhortation … is interesting.
1 Thessalonians 4:4 is the hardest in this book to translate. To give you an idea how difficult … more than 20 academic journal articles and one PHD dissertation – a dissertation needs 100,000 words – have been written about this one half a verse.
Possible translations are:-
learn to control your own body
learn how to acquire a wife
learn to live with your own wife
learn mastery over his own vessel (which is a euphemism for male organ)
You can see what all the writing is about.
Each one of these possible translations is a whole topic in itself.
But when you put it all together there seems to be the common idea that is teaching sanctified people how to go about building and maintaining marital relationships in a way that is holy and honourable.
As we wait for the life partner God has for us we will keep control of our bodies and our sexual … urges.
As we go about dating we do so with respect, with integrity, with gentleness – not forcing, not expecting, not taking for granted.
The way we live in our marriage relationship is one of love, trust, care, nurture, joy, encouragement.
In doing quite extensive reading on these verses I have actually come to the conclusion that Paul deliberately chose a word that wasn’t specific, but that can apply to all sorts of relationship times and situations.
Effectively Paul was saying something like … whatever stage you are in your significant relationship
… before you start dating.
… when you start dating.
… when you are engaged.
… when you are married.
… when your spouse passes away.
At whatever point of this relationship be holy and honourable … not paganistic and lustful.
It is a response that is just as necessary in the first century as it is today.
That brings us to the third exhortation.
Don’t take advantage of a brother or sister in Christ through sexual conduct.
One takes advantage when they exploit another, or scheme against them.
In the New Testament if “brother” or “sister” doesn’t literally apply to blood relatives it always applies to those who are related to us by the blood of Jesus.
So these words of Paul are applied directly to possible situations, and the ramifications, of sexual misconduct which takes place between those who are in God’s kingdom.
His point is this:-
In the kingdom of God, we are brought together in a family relationship … in Christ, co-heirs, brothers and sisters.
X (older male) is my brother … Y (his wife) is my sister.
A (older female) is my sister … B (her daughter) is also my sister.
F (female) is the sister of … G, H, I, J, K (list members)
Paint a picture of sexual misconduct …
Which family members are affected by this … everyone is.
What Pauls is saying here is that unsanctified sexuality which takes place in the church is not just something between two people. It is an action of taking advantage, of exploiting, of scheming against brothers and sisters in Christ.
How many times has it been said between two believers who are tempted to act in a porneia way with one another – “Nobody will get hurt?”
We are in love. We are committed. Nobody will get hurt.
Except that in that moment this is a scheme to exploit other brothers and sisters in Christ. To exploit and take advantage of family. It is to this very family that a calling is given.
“God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy – sanctified – life (1 Thessalonians 4:7).
We live like this because that is our identity. Our identity is not one that revolves around broken love … it revolves around real love.
Real love … love which is expressed more and more … has application in unexpected areas of our life.
And it would be so good to spend time looking at this – but we have already been going for some time.
Thankfully the same topic comes up again in 2 Thessalonians 3. We won’t miss out, we are just going to postpone.
So, just for a moment, let’s come back to the issue of unsanctified sexuality.
Remember it was the Thessalonians themselves who brought up the issue.
Why have they brought it up?
Let me paint a scenario.
The Thessalonians live in a culture of sexual permissiveness. Anything goes.
Added to this is the fact that Thessalonica has a special status – and conformity and fitting in are really important social norms and structures.
Then Paul comes and a number of them become the church of the Thessalonians
They start meeting in people homes.
They share in fellowship meals and the Lord’s supper.
They open up in small groups any share deepest needs and prayers.
There is a new found equality when and males and females are equally participating.
They greet one another with a holy kiss.
Confessing of sins one to another is happening.
Love on a whole new level is experienced.
Acceptance and care as never before encountered is now shown daily.
It is a whole new level of spiritual intimacy.
Exactly how Jesus and the Holy Spirit intended it to be.
All this is taking place in a culture which would say – this would be a great way to create sexual intimacy. Anything goes. Just conform and fit in.
Let’s hear what is being said today
- because too often it happens.
- too often I have seen it.
Satan uses the intimacy that we have in Christ to get a foothold.
To tempt so that the labour of the Gospel is in vain.
To make kingdom members forget their identity.
God’s will is for us to be sanctified, so we can have a holy attitude towards sexuality, because we are called by God to a holy life.
Everything about our permissive culture says – just reject this.
But God has given us His Holy Spirit, so rejection is not a spiritual option.
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20
This is what it means to live a sanctified life.
When we do that. We will be strong and ready – and we will indeed stand out in a society that pressures us to just fit in.
Prayer
