A. It always disturbs me to see road kill along the highway (maybe except for opossums), how about you?
1. It is sad when the lives of beautiful, innocent animals are unintentionally extinguished by passing cars and trucks.
2. The consequences of these collisions can be severe for both the motorists and the animals.
3. Did you know that the most dangerous time for collisions with the deer population is during mating season?
4. These otherwise cautious creatures throw caution to the wind when they have another thing on their minds.
B. Unfortunately, deer aren’t the only creatures destroyed by a preoccupation with the opposite sex.
1. Likely, all of us know people whose lives have been ravaged by sexual immorality.
2. Unlike the unintentional passing motorist, Satan knows exactly what he is doing when he lures people into danger, catches them in his immoral traps, and then runs them over.
C. As we return to our sermon series on 1 & 2 Thessalonians, we come to the beginning of chapter 4.
1. As we do so, we see that Paul now moves into the very practical section of this letter.
2. In 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12, Paul instructs the Thessalonians and us about living in a way that pleases God.
3. Rather than trying to address everything Paul says in this section in one sermon, I’m going to break it into two sermons.
4. Because Paul gives more space to the first subject, we will give attention to this subject today, and then address the other two aspects of living in a way that pleases God next week.
D. Before I get into the message, let me say that I don’t intend to be graphic as I address this subject, and yet there may be some who feel that this is too mature a subject for their young children.
1. If that is a concern for you, then please feel free to move out of the auditorium at this time, or at any time you feel like you need to.
2. It is ironic that our society is completely surrounded by sexual images, sexual talk, sexual humor, and sexual education, yet nobody wants to talk about it.
3. If the church remains silent about this subject, then it’s more than ironic – it’s dangerous!
4. If all that our adults, teens and children hear about sex is what they get from Hollywood, magazines, music, and their schools, then what they learn is not going to be God’s truth.
E. As you are well aware, since the 1960s, when the modern sexual revolution really accelerated, Western society has had fewer and fewer rules governing sexual attitudes and behaviors.
1. Freedom of sexual expression has in many ways become the cultural god that rules over all the other idolatrous gods of postmodern culture.
2. People want the right, for themselves and others, to express their sexual desires at any cost.
3. Several obvious tenets constitute the world’s immoral, unscriptural outlook regarding sex.
4. Here are some of our culture’s basic beliefs about sex:
a. First, virtually any kind of consensual sexual activity is good.
b. Second, since sexual activity is only a biological function, it is normal and necessary to engage in it without placing on it any moral restrictions.
c. Third, since “casual” sex is just another form of fun and pleasure, it is permissible to enjoy sexual activity recreationally, any time with any consenting partner – “friends with benefits.”
d. Fourth, instant gratification is more important than delayed satisfaction.
e. Fifth, since sexual satisfaction is an important aspect of marriage, a couple should live together or engage in sex before marriage to determine sexual compatibility.
5. As you can see, in our present culture, there are almost no restrictions or parameters – literally “anything goes.”
6. With this in mind, I was not surprised when I learned about a book on Amazon.com titled Affair! How to Manage Every Aspect of Your Extramarital Relationship with Passion, Discretion and Dignity, by H. Cameron Barnes.
a. It was first published in 1999 and the second edition came out in 2001.
b. It is dedicated to former President Bill Clinton.
c. It sold for $19.95, but is now out of print and is only available as a used book.
d. The five used copies available on Amazon ranged in price from $124 to $259.
e. All I can say is “UNBELIEVABLE!”
F. Certainly, these prevailing ideas have not always been practiced in our country or in every culture.
1. However, what we need to realize is that the culture of 1st century Thessalonica tolerated more sexual immorality than even our own.
2. First Century Greco-Roman culture embraced all forms of sinful, sexual behavior.
3. First Century Greco-Roman culture tolerated and encouraged fornication, adultery, homosexuality (including pedophilia), transvestism, and a wide variety of erotic perversions.
4. Further contributing to the sexually permissive environment was the influence of idolatry that advocated ritual prostitution.
G. So, no doubt many of the new converts in Thessalonica had lived in immorality.
1. Their rather sudden entrance into the kingdom of God required them to break with their immoral, pagan ways.
2. And any of us who have had to do the same can attest to the difficult challenge this can be as old habits and the immoral culture around us can easily draw us away from our new life in Christ and back into the old, sinful life.
3. So this was the challenge that faced Paul, the Thessalonians, and us as well.
H. Before we examine what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about sexual immorality, let me clarify something about sex.
1. Sex is a wonderful creation of God designed to bless husbands and wives.
2. Sex is a beautiful gift of God, and in its proper place is not dirty, or sinful at all.
3. 1 Timothy 4:4 says that “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving…”
4. But like any other gift God gives us, it must be used properly.
5. How many of you have a fireplace in your house?
a. Are fireplaces good or bad? Are they safe or unsafe?
b. If fireplaces are used properly, they can keep us warm and comfortable and can create a special ambiance.
c. But if fireplaces are used improperly, then they can destroy and kill.
6. The same is true of sex.
I. Let’s move into the text from 1 Thessalonians and see what Paul had to say to the Thessalonians and to us about sex.
1. Verse 1 reads: 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.
2. The “finally” signals that Paul is moving toward the end of his letter.
3. Paul reminds them of the instructions that he had given them while he was with them – he had taught them the way to live in order to please God.
4. The good news is that it appears that they were living the right way – Paul says “as in fact you are living.
5. But Paul didn’t stop there. He asked and urged them to do it more and more.
6. No matter how well we are living to please the Lord, there is always room for improvement.
7. That improvement may be in thought, intention or practice.
8. Or it just might be an improvement in precaution or heightened vigilance.
J. Next Paul reminded them about the authority behind his teachings.
1. Verse 2 reads: 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
2. Paul’s teachings and instructions were not to be taken lightly.
3. Paul’s directives did not originate with himself or some other human agency, but were from the Lord.
4. Paul’s teachings and writings are with the authority of the Lord Jesus.
K. Now we come to the critical verse: 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality…
1. God’s will is one of those hot topics that people like to discuss.
a. Many people are looking for “God’s Will” for their lives, and by that they usually mean God’s will for the big stuff – who to marry, what college to attend, what career to go into, and what job to take.
2. But here we are told very clearly what God’s will is – It is God’s will that we should be sanctified.
a. Sanctification is one of those biblical, spiritual words that we sometimes struggle to define.
b. In reality it is not as difficult to define and understand as we might think.
c. Sanctification is the process of being separated from sin and set apart for God.
3. It is God’s will that we become holy people – holy in our separation from evil and holy in our dedication to God.
4. Paul addresses several of things that have to do with being holy people, but today we are going to address only the first of these.
5. Paul considered abstention from sexual immorality to be the first priority in the Thessalonians’ devotion to sanctification.
a. So Paul gave them a direct, uncomplicated command to abstain from sexual immorality.
b. To abstain means complete abstinence – to stay completely away from any thought or behavior that results in sexual sin.
6. The Greek word translated “sexual immorality” is porneia.
a. It is where we get our English word “pornography.”
b. It is a term that describes any form of illicit sexual behavior.
c. Any sexual activity that deviates from the monogamous relationship between a husband and wife is immoral by God’s standard.
7. As I mentioned earlier, God created sex for marriage and He blesses it in marriage.
a. Hebrews 13:4 speaks clearly about this truth: Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
b. God is not pleased with sexual activity of any kind outside of marriage, and that’s why He will judge the sexually immoral person and the adulterer.
L. It is important for us to realize that the New Testament teaching on the subject of sexual morality is so strict and demanding that it extends beyond just the physical acts of immorality.
1. Look at Ephesians 5:3: But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
a. Not even a hint takes it to a much higher standard, doesn’t it?
2. Look at Colossians 3:5: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
a. In both these passages, impurity is from the same Greek word whose meaning extends beyond acts of sexual sin to include impure thoughts and intentions.
3. These instructions of Paul are in complete agreement with Jesus’ teaching on sexual sin: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Mt. 5:27-28)
4. God’s standards for Christians are very high – He wants us to be holy.
M. So what does it mean for the Christian to live a holy life and to avoid sexual immorality?
1. It means that we must avoid sexual activity before or outside of marriage.
2. This means that pre-marital sex is unacceptable to God. It always has been and always will be.
a. As we are dating, we need to avoid the rationalizations that cause us to think that we can do everything up to the point of intercourse and technically be pure.
b. Strong, bold lines need to be drawn and held to that will keep us from impurity.
c. The time to draw those lines are before we find ourselves in a tempting situation.
3. Avoiding sexual immorality also means that living together before marriage is unacceptable to God – it does not honor God’s plan for marriage, it usually results in pre-marital sex, and it always results in at least the hint of sexual immorality.
4. Avoiding sexual immorality also means that we must avoid and abandon any kind of same sex activity for that is unacceptable to God – Homosexual activity has always been wrong in God’s sight.
5. Perhaps our greatest battle ground for sexual purity is in our minds – we must strive to have pure thoughts that are free of lust.
a. This means we are going to have to avoid pornography and other sexually explicit movies, TV shows, magazines and music.
b. Avoiding lust is a real challenge in our sexually explicit culture.
N. Let’s return to the passage in 1 Thessalonians and see what else Paul says about avoiding sexual immorality.
1. Paul continued: 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him.
2. With the help of God’s Spirit in us, we can maintain self-control over the desires of the flesh.
3. Our goal needs to be to bring our bodies under control so that we use our bodies in ways that are holy and honorable.
4. Those two terms “holy” and “honorable” stand as the antithesis of “passionate lust” like the heathen.
5. The sexual lives of those of us who know God should be drastically different from the sexual lives of those who don’t know God.
6. In verse 6 Paul adds that “in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him.”
a. The word “brother” is used in the general sense, like the word neighbor.
b. Whenever a person seeks to satisfy their sexual desires outside of God’s plan, they do so at the expense of someone else.
c. Sexual immorality is selfish and is self-centered.
d. Sexual sins always make a victim of somebody even when it is consensual.
e. Something or someone is robbed of holiness, dignity, and value when sexual immorality is involved.
f. If you are involved with someone sexually, outside the bonds of marriage, then you are injuring them, you are injuring yourself, and you are injuring your relationship with God.
g. Whereas moral sexual relationships seek the honor of others, dishonorable sexual activity amounts to sinning against and exploiting others.
O. Paul finishes up this subject by answering the question: why should Christians obey God’s command concerning sexual morality?
1. Paul wrote: The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
2. The first compelling motive Paul gave the Thessalonians for obeying the command to abstain from sexual immorality is God’s judgment.
a. God will punish people for these kinds of sins…does that get your attention?
b. I don’t want to experience God’s judgment and wrath for living a sexually immoral life.
3. A second compelling motive is simply our calling – we are called to be holy, just like God is holy.
a. Sexual sin is utterly inconsistent with God’s present and ultimate purpose for our creation.
4. Paul’s final comment on the matter brings us full circle – this instruction about holy living is from God.
a. This is not Paul’s personal opinion.
b. If we reject this command, then we have rejected God.
c. And in so doing we also reject the Holy Spirit of God who is living in us and is supposed to be allowed to sanctify us.
d. The standard of sexual morality is God’s, and He gave us the Holy Spirit to enable us to keep that standard.
P. As I bring this sermon to a close, I want to focus our attention toward God’s forgiveness.
1. If you are here this morning, and you have fallen or stumbled or engaged in any kind of sexual immorality, then you’ve come to the right place.
2. Paul wrote: Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9-11)
3. There is hope for all sinners, because there is forgiveness and sanctification.
4. The fact of the matter is that every one of us here today are sinners.
5. None of us are perfect and that’s why we need a Savior.
6. Sexual immorality may not be the area of your greatest sins, but all kinds of sin separates us from God and can cause us to spend eternity in hell.
Q. How does God want us to deal with our sexual sin or any other kind of sin?
1. God wants us to repent - forgiveness begins with repentance.
a. Repentance begins in the heart as we agree with God that we have been wrong, and we make a commitment to change our mind and our behavior.
2. If we are a Christian, then as we repent and confess our sins, God forgives us. (1 Jn. 1:9)
a. God wants to forgive and restore our relationship with Him.
3. If we are not a Christian, then our repentance needs to lead us to baptism where we will receive the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
4. Once we have repented and received forgiveness, then we need to refocus our thoughts and lives.
a. Overcoming any kind of sin, includes filling our minds with God’s good commands. (Phil.4:8)
b. It includes replacing old behaviors and habits with new, holy ones.
5. A final thing we may need to do is to request help.
a. We may need a brother or sister to come along side of us to help hold us accountable to the new commitments we have made.
b. Also, there are very helpful internet filters and programs that can assist you in minimizing the temptations that can come through that medium.
R. I want to urge us to take the subject of today’s sermon to heart.
1. I began this lesson with an illustration from animals, and I want to end with an illustration from animals.
2. Timothy Treadwell was an American bear enthusiast, environmentalist, amateur naturalist, and documentary film maker.
a. He went to live with the grizzly bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska, for 13 summers.
b. In 2003, at the end of his 13th summer in the park, he and his girlfriend Amie were killed and eaten by a grizzly bear.
c. Grizzly Man is a 2005 documentary film that chronicles the life and death of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell.
d. He had said that the bears would not harm him because he understood them and knew how to handle them.
e. The mistake Timothy made was to treat the world’s most dangerous carnivore as if it were a toothless pet.
3. I wonder if some of us don’t make the same mistake when it comes to sin – especially sexual sin.
4. Scripture warns us against making that mistake:
a. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? (Prov. 6:27)
b. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Gal. 6:7-8)
S. God’s will is clear – He wants us to be sanctified – to avoid sexual immorality.
1. Are you living according to God’s will or are you living outside of God’s will?
2. Is there a need for you to repent, receive God’s forgiveness, and then refocus?
3. Do you need some help with this process? We are here to serve you.
4. You are welcome to come forward and talk with us during the invitation song, or you can talk with us privately afterward.
Invitation song…
Resources:
The NIV Application Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Michael W. Holmes, Zondervan, 1998.
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, John MacArthur, Moody, 2002.
The Bible Exposition Commentary, 1 Thessalonians, Warren W. Wiersbe, Victor Books, 1989.
The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 Thessalonians, William Barclay, Westminster Press, 1975.
Holiness and Purity, Sermon by Kerry Bauman, SermonCentral.com
Straight Talk About Sex, Sermon by Robert Marsh, SermonCentral.com
Rated G Living in a XXX World, Sermon by Marc Axelrod, SermonCentral.com
