Walking & Pleasing God Series

“WALK & PLEASE GOD” 1 Thess. 4:1-12

FBCF – 3/8/26

Jon Daniels OVERFLOW

INTRO – Back in my running days, “Run Through History” – 10K (6.2 miles) through the Vicksburg Military Park. Cool place to run. Pretty challenging run due to the hills all through the park.

Never been a fast runner, but I considered myself a runner nonetheless b/c I ran all the time & all over the place – all over Monticello when we lived there (Brennan ran w/ me) & all over Cleveland. I’ve run in Washington, DC, I’ve run on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I’ve run on campus of Delta State, MS State, & on the campus of Vanderbilt once when I was in Nashville. I’ve run a bunch of 5ks, a 10K in New Orleans, the Blues half-marathon a few times here in Jackson & the MS River half-marathon in Greenville, & 1 full marathon, the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis (route takes you straight through the middle of St Jude Children’s Hospital campus – kids in wheelchairs & kids attached to IV’s & all sorts of medical equipment outside cheering you on!). But I specifically remember something happening to me during this particular “Run Through History” race that humbled me greatly: I got passed by some walkers – not moms pushing their kids in strollers. These folks were elite power walkers, & they were getting after it! They looked funny, but, boy, they were moving!

Walking is a basic physical activity that most of us take for granted. But there’s a lot that happens when you get up out of that chair & walk out of here in a few minutes. Here’s what will happen: “The physical mechanics of walking involves an alternating pendulum-like motion where the body’s center of mass vaults over a stiff supporting leg, alternating between kinetic & potential energy to maximize efficiency. Key elements include ground reaction forces (Newton's 3rd Law), pelvic rotation, hip/knee flexion, & muscular activation.” (https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/physical-sciences-practice/x04f6bc56:foundation-4-physical-processes/e/physics-of-walking-and-running)

Today, we’re talking about walking – what it means to walk & please God as we continue in this series, “Handbook for Christ-followers.”

EXPLANATION – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

In many of P’s letter, he would start w/ doctrine section & end w/ practical application of that doctrine – e.g., Ephesians can easily be divided into 3 sections:

- Eph. 1-3 – Who we are – Focus is on doctrine: what we should believe about who Jesus is, what the Gospel is all about, His plans for us, etc.

- Eph 4-6:9 – How we live – practical application – Word “walk” used 6 times – 4:1 – “I…urge you to walk in a manner worth of the calling to which you have been called.”

- Eph 6:10-24 – How we fight – Armor of God & spiritual warfare

1 Thess is different in that P started the letter w/ personal words to the church about how thankful he was for them. Then a quick review of his ministry, then talked about how he prayed for them all the time, how pleased he was that they had received & accepted the W of G. Also shared his deep concern for them: their spiritual growth & the suffering & persecution they were going through.

But in Ch. 4, he gets practical about their walk w/ Christ.

We all need people in our lives who are regularly asking us, “How’s your walk w/ the Lord right now?” Not “How was your walk w/ the Lord last year, last month, or even last week?” But how is it RIGHT NOW?

I like what Warren Wiersbe wrote about comparing the Christ-follower’s behavior to a walk:

- Walking demands life – You can’t walk if you’re dead.

- Requires growth – A little baby can’t walk. Has to grow (remember the growth charts last week?)

- Requires liberty/freedom – You can’t walk if you’re bound up

- Demands light – No one wants to walk in the dark – How many of you have hit that little toe on the dresser as you’re going to the bathroom in the middle of the night???

- It can’t be hidden – People are watching you walk wherever you go

- Suggests progress – You are walking toward a goal & a destination. (Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the NT, p. 600)

That’s what we are focusing on today as we look at what it means to walk & please God.

APPLICATION – Walking & pleasing God is a lifelong pursuit.

A COOL BEGINNING – v. 1-2 – I couldn’t come up w/ a better point. Just think it’s cool to see what P says here.

First, “finally” – wrapping this up w/ a significant transition to this practical section. It’s the “So what?” section. Basically, he’s saying, “Listen up! Here’s the last thing I want to tell you & it’s really important.” And he uses a triplet of 2-word phrases to make his point.