How to please your father
Reading: 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 1-12.
Ill:
At his father’s funeral,
• American sprinter Carl Lewis placed his 100-meter gold medal;
• From the 1984 Olympics in his father’s hands.
• "Don’t worry," he told his surprised mother. "I’ll get another one."
• 12 months passed & Karl Lewis was once again, in the 100-meter final at the 1988 games,
• Lewis was competing against Canadian world-record-holder Ben Johnson.
• Halfway through the race Johnson was five feet in front.
• Lewis was convinced he could catch him.
• But at 80 meters, he was still five feet behind.
• As Johnson crossed the finish,
• Lewis was still behind him, he had failed to win another gold medal.
• Ben Johnson stared back at his great rival Karl Lewis;
• He thrust his right arm in the air, index finger extended and made an obscene sign.
• Lewis was both shocked and amazed by Johnson’s reaction;
• Lewis said later.
"I didn’t have the medal,
but I could still give to my father by acting with class & dignity,"
• He shook Johnson’s hand and left the track.
• Very soon came an announcement that would shock world athletics.
• Ben Johnson had tested positive for anabolic steroids.
• And he was stripped of his medal.
• The gold medal went to Karl Lewis,
• A replacement for the medal he had given his father.
Our title for tonight’s passage is:
• How to please your heavenly Father?
• The emphasises is not on what we achieve but more on how we behave.
• This passage divides nicely under three headings.
• Heading number 1: walking in holiness.
(1). Walk in holiness:
(a). to please God (verse 1).
1”Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.“
• Everybody lives to please somebody.
• May be a wife/husband or boyfriend/girlfriend,
• May be a child or parent or someone else
• Many people just live to please themselves.
For the Christian:
• Pleasing God ought to be the major motive of their life.
• The Christian faith is a relationship and not just a set of religious beliefs!
Ill:
• Earthly: children (listening Kathy & Arlo!) should live to please their parents.
• Spiritual: children should live to please their heavenly father.
Ill:
• Jesus said, (John chapter 8 verse 29):
• “I do always those things that please Him”
• Pleasing God means much more than simply doing God’s will.
• It is possible to obey God and yet not please Him.
Ill:
• Jonah - he eventually obeyed God and did what he was commanded to do,
• But his heart was not in it.
• God blessed His Word but He could not bless His servant.
• So Jonah sat outside the city of Nineveh angry with everybody, including the Lord!
Ill:
• Little boy on a long car journey,
• “I may be sitting down in my body, but in my mind I’m standing up!”
Question: How do we know what pleases God?
Answer:
• The same way we please an earthly father?
• By listening to him and spending time with him.
• As we read the Word, and as we fellowship in worship and service,
• We get to know the heart of God; and this opens us up to the will of God.
Paul tells the Thessalonians in verse 1:
• “You’re doing great!”
• He goes on to say; “Don’t settle there! Excel!”
(b). To obey God (verse 2-3).
“For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3It is God’s will that you should be sanctified;”
ill:
• You can phone up the Ritz hotel in London and reserve a room.
• But you cannot phone up and book a room at 10 Downing Street.
• 10 Downing Street has been sanctified,
• That means: ‘Set apart for a special use’.
Question: What special use?
Answer: 3b:
• That we use our bodies and the gift of sex rightly.
• Verse 3b: “That you should avoid sexual immorality”.
Paul instructs the Thessalonian Christians:
• That if they want to please their heavenly Father,
• They need to play or live by the rules!
• Ill: Football: want to please referee you play by the rules.
• Ill: In school or work if you want to please your employer…… the rules of employment.
If the Christian wants to please their heavenly Father:
• They too need to play by the rules;
• The need to abstain from every form of sexual practice;
• That is outside the circle of God’s revealed will:
• E.g. Adultery, sex outside of marriage, homosexuality etc.
Note:
God’s orders/commandments here are to do with the misuse of sex:
• They are not for the purpose of robbing people of joy,
• But rather for protecting them so that they do not lose their joy.
• e.g. “Do not commit adultery” builds a wall around marriage;
• That makes the relationship not a prison, but a safe and beautiful garden.
(c). To glorify God (verses 4-5).
4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God
• The way to “Avoid” or “Abstain” from sexual immorality (verse 3):
• Is according to verse 4 is to “learn self control”.
• Paul tells us to be aware of how our bodies work, how our sex drives function.
• Understanding what weakens it and what strengthens it.
The control of the body is something WE must achieve;
• No-one is going to do it for us.
• No-one remains pure by accident, we need to take positive action.
Ill:
That will involve us taking practical action:
• We may have to avoid certain conversations,
• We may have to avoid enticing situations,
• We may have to avoid some films, books or magazines that will create lustful passions,
• We may have to avoid some settings which may provide opportunities for compromise.
In verse 5 Paul says:
“Not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God”.
• The Christian is supposed to be different from the unsaved:
• The heathen do not know God; therefore, they live ungodly lives.
• But we do know God,
• And therefore we are obligated to glorify Him in this world.
(d). To escape the judgment of God (verses 6-8).
“And that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
Ill:
• A church member criticized her pastor;
• Because he was preaching against sin in the lives of Christians.
• “After all,” the church member said,
• “Sin in the life of a believer is different from sin in the lives of unsaved people.”
• “Yes,” replied the pastor, “it is worse.”
Ill:
• It is worse when a police man or woman commits a crime than an ordinary person,
• They should have known better and they should have set an example!
• It is worse when a Christian man or woman commits sin than a non-believer,
• They should have known better and they should have been an example!
The Thessalonians:
• Lived in a community that was greatly influenced by two main influences;
• Greek and Roman thought dominated their society.
(a). Greek thinking:
• The Greeks had a low view of marriage.
• The Greeks philosophy was simple.
• That if a man supported his wife financially,
• It was perfectly all right for him to have external affairs, to sleep around.
(b). Roman thinking was no better:
• Quote Seneca put it this way:
• “Women were married to be divorced, and divorced to be married”.
Into this environment:
• Paul writes and repudiates this kind of thinking:
• Christians were to maintain homes that were holy and sacred,
• Homes in which the marriage vows were kept,
• Homes were genuine love prevailed.
Two key thoughts are then given to us in verses 7-8:
(First thought). We have been called to growth (verse 7).
7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
• Quote: Living Bible:
• “For God has not called us to be dirty minded and full of lust, but to be holy and clean”
ill:
Plant
• Option 1: Put it on the windowsill (plenty of light)
• Feed it clear water (occasional baby Bio).
• Option 2: place it in a darkened room,
• Feed it on lemonade.
• You don’t have to br Alan Tidmarsh;
• To know which plant is going to grow.
As Christians if we want to grow:
• We need to make sure we are living right;
• Not polluting our bodies & minds with the wrong stuff!
(Second Thought). To reject holiness is to reject God (verse 8).
8Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God,
who gives you his Holy Spirit.
Ill:
• Hetty Green has gone down in history as “America’s Greatest Miser,”
• Yet when she died in 1916, “Hetty” Green left an estate valued at over $100 million.
• She ate cold oatmeal because it cost to heat it.
• Her son had to suffer a leg amputation,
• Because she delayed so long in looking for a free clinic that his case became incurable.
• She was wealthy, yet she chose to live like a pauper.
Every Christian:
• Has limitless wealth (power of the Holy Spirit) at their disposal,
• Yet they live like Hetty Green (spiritual paupers.
Paul says:
• To disobey God’s instructions is also to reject God’s helper,
• The Holy Spirit who strengthens us and helps us to keep the instructions.
Ill:
• The curate had stepped in at very short notice because the vicar was ill.
• At the end of the sermon he explained apologetically;
• “At such short notice I’m afraid I just had to rely on the Holy Spirit.
• Next week I hope to do better!”
You and I cannot afford to do better than rely on the Holy Spirit:
• In our own strength we will fail,
• By obeying the word and being filled by the Spirit we will succeed!
(2). Walk in Harmony (verses 9-10)
9Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
• God is love:
• Therefore his children should reflect love (Like Father like son).
• Love is the essential teaching of the new Testament;
• Love for God and love for other people.
We see that demonstrated in the Godhead:
(a).
• God the Father taught us to love each other 1 John chapter 4 verse 19.
• When He gave Christ to die for us on the cross. “We love, because He first loved us”.
(b).
• God the Son taught us to love one another when He said (John chapter 13 verse 34)
• “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another”.
(c).
• And the Holy Spirit taught us to love one another (Romans chapter 5 verse 5)
• When He poured out the love of God in our hearts when we trusted Christ.
Ill:
• Fish do not attend classes to learn how to swim (pun: even though they swim in schools),
• Birds do not attend classes in order to fly.
• They do it automatically, it’s their nature.
• Because a fish has a fish’s nature, it swims; because a hawk has a hawk’s nature, it flies.
• Because a Christian has God’s nature (2 Peter 1:4),
• He loves, because “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
In verse 10:
“And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more”.
Paul was not telling the Thessalonians:
• To acquire something new,
• But he is urging them to get more of something they already have!
• He was encouraging them to get more of what they already enjoyed.
• You can never have too much Christian love.
Question: How does God cause our love to “increase more and more”?
Answer:
• By putting us into circumstances that force us to practice Christian love.
• Love is the “cir-cu-latory system” of the body of Christ,
• But if our spiritual muscles are not exercised,
• The circulation is impaired.
The difficulties that we believers have with one another:
• Will become barriers that separate and divide us as Christians,
• Or will become opportunities for us to grow closer together in our love.
Love is only proved against difficulties,
• I can love anyone who loves me, that requires no demands and no spirituality,
• But when I am offended or put upon, then that is where real love comes into play.
• Love is first of all an act of the will, not merely an emotion.
• With God’s help we determine to love and the feelings come later.
Once again we decide the outcome;
`
• If God the father, Son & Holy Spirit have dealt with us in grace and in love.
• We must deal with each other in the same way!
Ill:
• Never forget the parable of the unmerciful servant,
• Matthew chapter 18n verses 23-35.
(3). Walk in Honesty (verses 11-12):
11Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
Three things to three types of people:
(1). To the fanatic - Lead a quiet life (verse 11a).
“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life”
All Christians believe or should believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ:
• At the time of Paul (as has always happened throughout the ages);
• Some Christians were obsessed with the idea and chose to opt out of society.
• Being convinced that this was about to happen at any moment,
• They had decided not to get involved in anything down here on earth.
• They were ready to go,
• We would say; their bags were packed and they were in the airport lounge.
• They were standing about chatting,
• Just waiting for their flight to heaven to be called at any minute.
To these Christians Paul says:
• Keep your spiritual feet firmly planted on the ground;
• He tells them to calm down and engage brain.
• They cannot escape the routine of everyday life,
• Instead they must learn to see the Lord’s hand in everyday affairs.
(2). To the busybody - Mind your own business (Verse 11b).
“Mind your own business and work with your hands”:
These Christians were not busy; but they were busybodies:
• Having given up work as they waited for the Lord’s return,
• They spent their time interfering in the affairs of other people.
• They had become collectors of juicy titbits of information;
• No doubt disguised as prayer topics.
Paul tells them to:
• Keep their noses out of other peoples business.
• And to sort out there own affairs.
(3). To the layabouts - Work with your own hands (vs 11c):
• To these believers who gave up their jobs in order to wait for His coming.
• Paul says; “Don’t sponge off others, earn your own living”.
• The early church showed very practical love for each other;
• By sharing their money, food and even their possessions.
• But it did not encourage people to live forever on handouts.
• Not working, did not mean these Christians were super spiritual, but just lazy!
• It also meant that these fanatical people could not pay their bills,
• And therefore they lost their testimony with the unsaved merchants.
Paul tells the Christians at Thessalonica:
• If they follow his advice in this chapter, two things will happen:.
• Verse 12:
1Sso that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
• They will win the respect of outsiders.
• And they will not be dependent.
These verses challenge us:
• The world (our non-Christian friends, neighbours and work colleagues)
• Will judge us and form an opinion of us; based on how we handle these things!
Quote:
“If you are truly going to make a difference for Christ in your family and among your friends, then they will have to see a difference in you”.
Tough Question:
• Am I Walking in holiness?
• Am I Walking in harmony?
• Am I Walking in Honesty?
