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1st Thessalonians 4:3-8
American Idol Series: Sex
“Your Sanctification”
“The Call to Holiness is a calling to sexual purity.”
Sunday morning sermon
04.06.08
Intro:
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(TITLE AND TEXT)
God calls his people (that’s you and me) to be holy. Holiness in our lives means every area of our life, including sexual purity. You will not and cannot be holy without sexual purity in your life.
God gives Moses this instruction: (Advance)
Leviticus 19:2 (NIV) "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ’Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
This is not a calling to be fake, or to be something you are not or weren’t created to be (there is no place for that in the church) – God calls his people to be holy, because that’s his character – that’s who he is. His people (that’s us) should be the same. We should understand sexual purity as an over flow of the holiness we are called to live out.
Discussion:
It’s personal – it’s private – and for the most part in the pulpits of America it’s ignored. Young people mess around, married people play around, relationships are broken, lives are changed, marriages are dissolved and the church stands back and for the most part wonders why.
The truth is – it’s a beautiful gift from God – it’s like cheesecake. You can do things to make cheesecake better – add cherries, you can sprinkle it with chocolate. When you apply worldly wisdom to this beautiful gift from God – it’s like adding artichokes to cheesecake. It’s just not good. The Bible makes it clear that God’s will for marriage is between a man and a woman. The Bible makes it clear that until you enter into a marriage relationship, you should be sexual pure; after you get married you should be faithful to your spouse. It’s really that simple. But the fallen world we live in – muddles this up – handing Christians a paint brush more gray than black or white. Turn on the radio – the number one pop song is about a dancer who gets “low” – Toby Keith has a song that says, if you’ve got the hunny, I’ve got the money – from the context of the song, I doubt she’s a bee keeper.
Stay with me – cause I’m not preaching against music or the media. What you fill your mind with is an extension of what you think about – that’s absolutely always true. If you put junk into your mind, and media in whatever form that degrades women, that takes this beautiful gift from God and puts it before marriage – regardless of the justification – you will live it out. The psalmist says: (Advance)
Psalm 119:11 (New American Standard Bible) Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.
Taking God’s word out of the car, off the coffee table and putting it into your heart will help you avoid sin – applying it to your personal life – is the best path to know God’s will and follow through with it. Sanctification – it’s the process of being made holy. It’s the video – where you give God every part of your heart, and you let him clean it up and take out the trash.
Paul talks a lot about this process of being made holy – which also involves sexual purity. If you have your Bibles turn with me to 1st Thessalonians 4:3-8 (Advance) (Read)
I see two things this morning. (Advance)
I. Be Sanctified
Paul Literally says – “This is your sanctification” -- You want to do everything God wants you to do? You want to know what his good and pleasing will is for your life – you want the peace that passes all understanding and freedom that comes from knowing truth – Paul is saying – “Here it is.”
a. God’s will (your sanctification) – Avoid Sexual immorality
Vs. 4 – notice the connection(Advance)
1 Thessalonians 4:4 (NIV) – that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable,
i. Young people
– don’t put yourself in situations where you are alone with the boyfriend or girlfriend. Create a standard for yourself that is based on the standard of God’s will for your life – purity. (Advance)
1 Timothy 5:2 (NIV) – older women as mothers and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
If he or she doesn’t treat you with purity – stop the relationship. Nothing is worth the loss of respect. God, working his holiness in your life will not continue if you set a different standard for yourself, than what he has laid out in his word. Trust that God has the right person in mind for you, who will also have the same Godly standard for their lives.
ii. Unmarried people
Same thing – the call to holiness is a call to sexual purity – don’t put artichokes in the cheesecake. It is never honoring to God – or a demonstration of love to move in front of God’s will for your life. God does not bless our sin – but here’s a new flash – he never has. Sin always destroys, always breaks down, and always hinders your relationship here and with God.
I know this seems harsh – but I love you very much. God loves you a whole lot more, and this is from him.
iii. Married people
Marriage is honorable. Who has been married the longest – Daniel/Mary – 26 years?
Be faithful – remain faithful. Revelation records a letter from Jesus to the churches – Specifically the church in Ephesus – he tells them that they have forsaken their first love (here’s a suggestion from the Son of GOD) – DO WHAT YOU DID AT FIRST! The same suggestion can be applied to our marriages. Do you remember 4 kids ago what attracted you to your spouse – do those things again – make an effort, find the time, because it is worth it.
b. The other side – of this coin
Not everyone in the world follows God’s plan for their life in this area of their life. The more you live your life – the clearer it will be that the standards for some people are very different than what the Bible clearly says. Paul told the church in Corinth – (He was probably repeating something back to them) – (Advance)
1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV) "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything.
He’s talking to the church – church people – Amazing grace kind of people. What I want you to see – is that purity in this area of your life – is a choice. You can move in front of God’s will – You can do things with your body that dishonor God – You can. Everything is permissible – and for our society most things are even acceptable. So the choices you make, must be independent of emotion, and based on God’s standard. Just because you can do something – doesn’t mean you should.
The second instruction – really relies on the first.
Paul says – This is your sanctification – this is God moving you towards himself and towards holiness – Now the instruction: (Advance)
II. Live in Holiness
Notice I didn’t say live in self-righteousness. Our house in Paragould had some rose bushes that would produce these incredible roses. For them to bloom out each year, you have to cut them back. For us to live in holiness – the same principle applies – we have to cut back – turn off the radio, put down the magazines, filter the internet –
A good question – what am I taking in that does not allow for holiness in this area of my life? What relationships do I have – that don’t honor God in this area of my life?
If those things are clear in your mind – get rid of them – if certain relationships come to mind – make a point to take a different path with the relationships. Our text reminds us: (Advance)
1 Thessalonians 4:7 (NIV) For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
a. Holiness starts with you
i. It is always dependent on scripture – should match up.
ii. It is always the right thing to do – right is not always easy.
Very simply – God’s desire for holiness in our lives is because he is holy – we should reflect his character and nature.
b. Holiness is a witness
The world will look at your life from time to time and without invitation they will see what you truly believe. If you are working towards holiness, it will be clear with your life – how you handle your money, the relationships you have how you treat your spouse and your children. Your lifestyle, if it is defined by holiness, will win the respect of people – those inside and outside the church. The church, in general needs holiness – true holiness based on God’s word, and his character. It’s a whole lot easier to get wrapped up with how someone looks on the outside – God is concerned with the inside – the heart. Honestly, it’s easier to wear a suit every Sunday and look good for you, than it is to make sure the heart is right and look good to God. God cares about the heart – because it is the house or the temple of his holy spirit.
Conclusion:
I wonder sometimes if we – the church – have lost the sense of where we belong and whose we are. I wonder if we’ve forgotten who paid the price for us, and how much we are dearly loved. I ask that because when I look at the world and see this topic rise to the top over and over – what is at the core root of needing this so bad. There has to be a reason people would take this beautiful gift from God – and make it dirty, obscene, twist it, justify it, and then jump right into it. What’s at the core of this sin problem? Are you listening…it’s a need for love, and acceptance.
Let me give the solution – God loves and accepts you. You should be, you should look and act differently than the world – because God rejoices over you. Your creator – rejoices and sings over his creation. The Bible says that God bought us – he paid a price for us, and because of that we are not our own. Listen, when we step outside the bounds for God’s will – it’s like we are taking back what he’s already paid for. When we fill our minds with junk – and then live that junk out – it’s like we are taking back what he’s already paid for.
Church – Give him every room – every part of your heart – HONOR GOD WITH YOUR BODY.
