A WALK OF EXCELLENCE—1Thessalonians 4:1-12
In previous chapters/verses we have seen:
‘A Faith that Soothes the Soul’—1:1-10
‘A Ministry that Shepherds the Soul’—2:1-12
‘The Work of the Word’—2:13-16
‘The Undershepherd’s Chief Concern’—2:17-3:13
Now we will look at...
‘A Walk of Excellence’—4:1-12
Paul, Sylvanus & Timothy expected the church at Thessalonica to excel in their Christian walk.
The church of God is expected to excel/abound in their Christian walk.
What disciplines direct the life of an abounding Christian/church?
4 disciplines of an abounding Christian / Church.
1—A discipline of an abounding Christian/Church is....
One’s RECEPTIVITY(:1-2)
Explanation:(:1-2)
:1—"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;”
“Finally”—??????—Remaining, the rest.
“Urge/Beseech/Request”—??????—To question; To ask—Denotes the form of a request.
“Exhort”—?????????—To call to one’s side, call for, summon; To address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.
“Abound/Excel”[See ‘Increase’ :10]—?????????—To exceed a fixed number of measure, to be left over & above a certain number or measure. Used of a flower going from bud to full bloom.
“More & more/Still more”—??????—More, to a greater degree, rather—Much, by far—Rather, sooner—More willingly, more readily, sooner.
“Ought”—???—It is necessary, there is need of, it behooves, is right & proper—Suggestive of moral obligation, denoting esp. that constrain which arises from divine appointment.
“Walk”—?????????—To walk—To make one’s way, progress; to make due use of opportunities—Hebrew for, to live——To regulate one’s life——To conduct one’s self——To pass one’s life.
“Please”—??????—To please; To strive to please—To accommodate one’s self to the opinions desires & interests of others.
:2—“for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.”
“Commandments”—??????????— Announcement, a proclaiming or giving a message to; A charge, a command.
Argumentation:
Jn. 1:12-13—“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Acts 2:36-41—““Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord & Christ--this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, & said to Peter & the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent, & let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; & you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is for you & your children, & for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.” And with many other words he solemnly testified & kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” So then, those who had received his word were baptized; & there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
Illustration:
Tie-Dyed shirts/Fabric is receptive to dyes/Compliance with twisting & tieing make it receptive to a greater or lesser degree depending on the will of the Dyer/RECEPTIVITY
Application:
?You Disciplined in your RECEPTIVITY?
?You have a Walk of Ecellence?
2—A discipline of an abounding Christian/Church is....
One’s DISTANCE(:3b-8)
Explanation/Argumentation:(:3b-8) Abstinance
:3—“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;”
“Sanctification”[See :4]—????????—consecration, purification; The effect of consecration— Sanctification of heart & life.
“Abstain”—????????—To hold one’s self off, refrain, abstain.
“Sexual immorality”—???????—Illicit sexual intercourse.
Jn. 17:14-16—““I have given them Thy word; & the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”
Not that we should exit this world but that we will allow God to be the change agent for good in this world.
:4—“that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,”
“Vessel”—??????—A vessel; An implement; "Vessel" was a common Greek metaphor for "body" since Greeks thought of souls living temporarily in bodies.
*May mean one’s wife! as well as one’s own body—Husband & wife are to be “one flesh”
Mat. 19:5-6—“& said, ‘FOR THIS CAUSE A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND SHALL CLEAVE TO HIS WIFE; AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’? “Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.””
“Sanctification”[See :3]—????????—consecration, purification; The effect of consecration— Sanctification of heart and life.
“Honor”—????—A valuing by which the price is fixed; Honor which belongs or is shown to one.
:5—“Not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;”
:6—“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.”
“Take advantage of/Go beyond/Transgress” —?????????— To step over, beyond; To go beyond proper limits.
“Defraud”—??????????—To have more, or a greater part or share; To gain or take advantage of another, to overreach.
“Avenger”—???????—Without law & justice; Exacting penalty from one; An avenger, punisher.
“Forewarned/Solemnly Warned”—??????—To say above, in what precedes—Before—Beforehand as in prophecy.
“Testified”—?????????????—To testify—Earnestly, religiously to charge; To attest, testify to, solemnly affirm.
:7—“For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.”
“To/Unto/For the purpose of”—???—upon, on, at, by, before; Of position, on, at, by, over, against; To, over, on, at, across, against.
“Uncleanness/Impurity”—?????????— Uncleanness—Of impure motives.
“Holiness/Sanctification”—????????—Consecration, purification. From ????? meaning a holy thing or a saint relating a separation from evil & defilement.
:8—“Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.”
“Therefore/Consequently”—?????????—Wherefore then, for which reason, therefore, consequently.
“Rejects/Despiseth”—??????— to do away with, to set aside, disregard; To thwart the efficacy of anything, nullify, make void, frustrate; To reject, to refuse, to slight.
Illustration:
Frogs in Pool area/Must remain moist at all times/Keep their distance FROM that which wil destroy them & TO that which will help them/DISTANCE
Application:
?You Disciplined in your DISTANCE?
?You have a Walk of Ecellence?
3—A discipline of an abounding Christian/Church is....
One’s LOVE (:9-10)
Explanation:(:9-10)
:9—“But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;”
“Brotherly love/Love of the brethren”—??????????—Love of brothers or sisters, brotherly love; In the NT the love which Christians cherish for each other as brethren. A love which considers ‘kin’ as worth fighting for.
“Taughtby God”—???????????—Taught of God.
Isa. 54:13—"All your children shall be taught by the LORD, And great shall be the peace of your children."
Jn. 6:44-45—"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. "It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."
“Love one another”—?????? ????????—To welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly, sacrificially-&- “One another”—Reciprocally, mutually.
:10—“& indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more & more;”
“Urge/Beseech”—?????????—To call to one’s side, call for, summon; To address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.
“Increase/Excel”[See ‘Abound’ :1]—?????????—To exceed a fixed number of measure, to be left over and above a certain number or measure; To make to abound.
Argumentation:
1Pet. 4:8—“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.”
Rom. 13:8—“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”
Jn. 13:34—“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
1Jn. 4:7, 11-12—“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; & everyone who loves is born of God & knows God.”....“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, & His love is perfected in us.”
Php. 2:3-4—“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
Illustration:
Residents of The Meadows/Placed in the presence of people whom you did not choose/Can love them regardless/LOVE
Application:
?You Disciplined in your LOVE?
?You have a Walk of Ecellence?
4—A discipline of an abounding Christian/Church is....
One’s ASPIRATIONS(:11-12)
Explanation:(:11-12) Ambition/Aim/Existence
:11—“that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, & to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,”
“Aspire/Study/Ambition”—????????????—To be fond of honor—To be actuated by love of honor—From a love of honor to strive to bring something to pass; To be ambitious; To strive earnestly, make it one’s aim.
“Mind/Do/Attend to”—??????—To exercise, practise, to be busy with, carry on—To undertake, to do; To accomplish, perform—To commit, perpetrate; To manage public affairs, transact public business—To exact tribute, revenue, debts; To act.
“Commanded”—??????????—To charge, is used esp. of the order of a military commander to his troops.
:12—“That you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.”
“Walk properly/Walk honestly/Behave properly” —?????????? ??????????—Walk in a seemly/decent manner.
“Outsiders”—???—Without or out of doors.
“Not be in any need”—Do not become a burden to anyone needlessly.
2Thess. 3:7-16—“For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor & hardship we kept working night & day so that we might not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, that you might follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone will not work, neither let him eat. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command & exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion & eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. And if anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that man & do not associate with him, so that he may be put to shame. And yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!”
Argumentation:
Prov. 14:30—“A tranquil heart is life to the body, But passion is rottenness to the bones.”
1Tim. 2:1-4—“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties & prayers, petitions & thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings & all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil & quiet life in all godliness & dignity. This is good & acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved & to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Illustration:
Mrs. Ruth Walker/Dear godly lady/She would cry & pray that she would be able to leave the nursing Home in Thomasville, GA/She died there/BUT she learned very quickly to adapt & minister & look forward to her ministry there/ASPIRATION to honor Christ!
?You aspire to do while here?
Application:
?You Disciplined in your ASPIRATIONS?
?You have a Walk of Ecellence?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
4 disciplines of abounding Christians/Churches are One’s....
RECEPTIVITY(:1-2)
DISTANCE(:3b-8)
LOVE(:9-10)
ASPIRATIONS/AMBITION(:11-12)
Presented 02/01/04pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 39897
