As we talked about in our last message in 1 Thess 4, Paul's been writing to the believers there with very encouraging words about their progress in the faith. He discussed how he had come to them with the gospel, they'd received it by faith, and that God was working in His mighty power in and through them so that they were witnesses to the other churches as well as to the lost. He talks about how they had been growing and bearing fruit, generally doing very well in their faith and in their walk.

And then in verse 1 of chapter 4, Paul says this: we exhort you and urge you that you should abound more and more. You're doing very well. Now let's do better. Keep growing. Keep your focus on Jesus. Don't fall to the left or the right. Don't become complacent. Set your minds on Christ and grow, progress, continue bearing fruit. Paul says all the more, more and more. This is such an interesting admonition because the standard is maturity. The standard is Christlikeness, sanctification, and this is a lifelong pursuit until glorification. It's a race. It's a marathon. And it is a continual witness and testimony in this world to the life-transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Last week in our communion service, we studied Romans 5 to 6 and the truths of who we are in Christ, that we are new men with new hearts and a new spirit and that the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ Himself has come to live in us, that God has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. We lack nothing. That He has dealt with the sin that dwells in us by uniting us to Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection to newness of life. Paul said we're now free from the controlling power of sin, we are no longer under the law, and we are free from fear to bondage to death. We are now under grace, living in righteousness and presently possessing eternal life.

These truths form the why, the basis for our new life in Christ. They are the indicative truths, as I said, that form the foundation, the undergirding for the imperatives that we're now going to study. So in Romans 6, we see the why, and in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul asks us to act on these truths. He asks us to apply them with some strong urging, pleading, begging of the believers there to live out who they are, to live in consistency with who they are in Christ, and thus to have God's will by His power accomplished in their lives, their sanctification.

Let's look at our text, 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 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 please God. For you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus, for this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you should abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you should know how to possess His own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God, 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 and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore, he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.

I've given you four points on your outline: first, abound more and more; second, the will of God; third, possessing your own vessel; and fourth, a call to holiness. Well, again, in the first verses we see Paul's call to abound more and more. The truth of the Christian life is that we are never idle; we don't coast. When we are kind of trying to coast, we're being taken by the current of the world and the sin in us in the wrong direction. The Christian life is not one of passivity, it's not let go and let God; it's a marathon, it's a striving, it's an agonizing, it's a battle against the forces of this world, the wiles of the devil and the sin that still tries to control us. This is a reality.

But as we talked about last week, we must understand the nature of the battle. It's not an external fleshly one; we do not fight as the world fights, we do not use carnal means. Rather, the battle of the Christian life is one of faith and focus; it is a battle that is won or lost in the mind. I said last week that I wish we had time to go to James 1 in that message; well, guess what, now we have time. So let's go to James 1 at verse 13. James gives us a great explanation of how this works out practically in reality in our lives.

James 1:13 says, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted, watch this now, when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death."

I love this passage because it so well illustrates the point of the battle in our daily lives. You know, if we're fighting our hearts out, if we're giving it our all, but fighting where the battle isn't, then we won't be very effective. We must fight at the point of the battle. And James says this is in the mind; it's not out here in the members. The Bible talks a lot about the members and sin controlling our members, or presenting our members to righteousness. We can't win the battle out here. If I have a problem with stealing, I can't say I will not steal, I will not steal, it's a law. I cannot try to keep my hands from stealing. The battle is won or lost before the act is carried out in our members. James says it's in the mind. He says a man is tempted when he's drawn away by his own lust; an emotion, a feeling, a passion rises up in us when we experience some temptation in this world. 

Maybe someone says something that makes us angry; that emotion rises up in us and seeks to control our body, our mind to lead us to sin. James says these temptations are like a hook with a fat worm on it, or a baited trap for an animal. It looks good, it seems appealing, but there's a hook, there's a trap.

We just went down, Doug and Sam and I and the girls went down fishing. We went down to pick up a hay rake, but we thought since we were going to be in Indiana, we'd fish a little bit, and went to my brother's place. We would use these little jigs for bluegill and crappie down there and put a wax worm on there. They call them bee moths down south. They've got these little rubber legs and it's a little jig and the wax worm's on there, all fat and juicy and smells good. They're guarding their beds, and you put that in front of them, and you kind of just twitch it a little bit, and they, ooh, that looks really good. But when they bring it in, they find out there's a hook. You catch the fish, fillet them, eat them for dinner. It didn't work out too good for them, even though it looked good. It seems appealing. There's a hook, there's a trap.

And when we are presented with a temptation, when the emotion or desire rises up in us, then we have a choice in our minds to either rationalize our sin or to recognize God's Word. This is so practical. I want you to memorize this for your daily battle to live holy, to deal with temptation. You can rationalize your sin or you can reckon God's Word. 

Let's say that you're struggling with self-control and outbursts of wrath. I mean, for instance, you're milking your cow, and she's being sassy and kicks you in the head. Or maybe you're done milking and you go out to set the cannon side by side and take it to the house, and the lid comes off, and you spill about two gallons of milk all over your side. I don't know; these are common examples, right? Maybe your struggles are different. But the point is this, when the cow kicks you or you spill your milk, an emotion rises up and you want to have an outburst of wrath; you want to holler and have a little fit. If someone wrongs you, defrauds you in some matter, Paul talks about in our text, defrauding your brother concerning his wife, it's a serious matter. 

What do you do at this point? Here's the practical application. Paul says he wants us to abound more and more. How am I going to deal with these emotions, feelings, temptations that come? I'll tell you, it doesn't start here, not at that point. It starts with preparation for the battle. A soldier doesn't just show up for the mission; he trains and trains for months to prepare for the mission. Then when he goes into battle, his duties and responsibilities are automatic. He responds and acts rightly to win the battle. 

James says we must have our minds right. Paul says we must continually be renewing our minds. So if we're all wrapped up in the world, not in the word, troubled and anxious about the things of the world, setting our minds on the things of the earth, then when the battle point comes, we'll start rationalizing, not reckoning. But if the word of Christ dwells in us richly, if we are in sweet fellowship with our Lord through continual prayer, if we are in fellowship with Christians and we are walking in the Spirit, then we will abound more and more. 

We will be focused on Jesus. We will be abiding in Him, not on ourselves, not on the world, but setting our mind on things above. As Paul says in Colossians 3, reckoning the truth that we died and our life is hidden with God in Christ, that I am dead to sin. Our minds must be immersed in these truths and constantly reminded, renewed; this is the preparation for the battle. 

And if this is the course of our daily living, then when those emotions rise up, when those temptations come in the mind, see James says it's conceived in the mind, the feeling you're drawn away by your lust, and then if you rationalize that, then you conceive the sin. And like a baby is conceived, when it is conceived, it will come out. So the battle's lost there. Rather, we have to take that thought captive to Christ. We have to reckon His word to be true. 

When the cow kicks me in the head and I... You know, this is just a silly example, but there's a lot of things in life that cause those emotions to rise up, that cause those feelings to come. I have to respond rightly in my mind, and I'm only going to do that if I'm immersed in His word every day, if I'm thinking His thoughts, if I'm seeking Him, if I'm depending on Him, if I'm fellowshipping with you. We're going to see the fruit of righteousness. We're going to see victory over sin when we begin to consistently reckon His word rather than rationalizing our sin. 

I don't know about you, but I'm still working on this. It's exactly what Paul's exhorting us to do. Keep working on it. Keep striving to do better. Maybe you haven't been in the Word much as of late, or maybe for a long time. Change those habits. Pick up that Bible and read and study and get a notebook and a journal. Take notes. Go to church. Go to Bible study. Start renewing your mind to God's word and thinking His thoughts and seeking to live holy lives for His sake. 

My brothers and sisters, this is the essence of the Christian life, to just seek Jesus, to look to Him, to abide in Him, and we do that through His word. So we see abound more and more. Next, we see the will of God. I just want to touch on this important truth again. Look at verse 3, for this is the will of God, your sanctification. It's so vital that we understand that God saved us with the very intention, the very purpose of making us like Jesus. He saved us to give us a new life, and He intends that this new life be manifest outwardly in holiness. And He's equipped us completely and entirely; we lack nothing, and He even works by His great power in us to accomplish His will. 

Our expectation in light of the great salvation that God has accomplished through Christ and His promise to sanctify us should be nothing less than holiness every day. As I study these things, as I write these words for this message, I have to ask myself, why do I not apply these things more consistently in my life? Why do I fail so often? Why do I choose to live contrary to who I am and, as Paul says, act like a pagan? 

And the answer that I keep coming back to is that I lack daily discipline in my life to do the things that I know I need to do. A few years ago I went out to Polyface Farm where Ashley was in Virginia, and Joel Salatin is kind of a leader in the grass-fed movement and has a big farm there, and I spent several days there in what they called an intensive discovery seminar. And when I got back, Bobby said, what did you learn? And I said, I learned that we don't follow through on the things that we know we need to do.

And that's the way I am so often in my Christian life. I even want to do it; I even have a great desire to do it. Sometimes I just let it go. It's like on a farm, I'll go by and I'll see a gate and I'll think, well, I really should tie that a little better, walk by it, and about ten o'clock we're chasing cows. The same thing in the Christian life; I really should read with my family, I really should sit down and study, I really should do this and encourage this person, and then we find ourselves not living the way we want. 

I lack discipline in my life to be in the Word, to be in prayer, to encourage and lift up those around me by my witness, my actions, my words. I know what I need, and yet so often I choose to coast, to not seek after holiness, after Jesus, but just settle in the current stream of the world, going about my business. And when I make this choice, I see manifestations of it in my life. It's a choice, my friends. It's an expectation. It's a discipline. It's a way of life, a way of thinking.

I was thinking about Fran Maksinoski, who recently passed away. Some of you knew her. And every time you talk to Fran, what'd she say? How you doing, Fran? What'd she say, Heidi? Wonderful in Jesus, right? That's what she always said. I'm wonderful in Jesus. That's a way of thinking. That's a way of living. I'm wonderful in Jesus. Not, oh, boy, it's hot, and the bugs are bad. You know, right? Fran was an encouragement to everyone because she was always wonderful in Jesus. It's a choice, an expectation. 

And we need to choose to believe him, to abide in him, one step at a time as we walk in this world. God's intention is holiness for every believer. He's called us to holiness, as we see in our text. And there's an expectation for normal growth in the Christian life. When we are born again, we're like a newborn baby. But as we study and spend time in the word and fellowship and grow and go through trials in the course of our Christian life, there should be growth. There should be maturity. 

The Bible uses the word nepios to describe this newborn, this babe in Christ. And we don't expect a lot out of a newborn, do we? My grandson Silas is a couple months old now, and we have a lot of work on our farm. And we need to help, and everybody pitch in. But since Silas was born, we haven't really expected a lot out of him. In fact, he requires someone to give him full-time care to feed and change him and entertain him. We don't expect much out of newborns. 

But as that newborn grows and matures, we expect more and more. And I think by the time he's five, he should be making hay. There's something tragic about a baby who becomes a child and then an adult but does not mature and grow in normal ways. If Silas were 15 years old and laying on the couch and crying and demanding constant care, this is a problem. I was thinking about one of my nieces when she was little and we were visiting family. She'd go around and act like a dog, yipping, panting. On all fours, she'd even lick you if you didn't watch out. But she was immature. She was small. 

But now she's a young woman; she's a teenager. If I went to visit and she started that dog routine and came over and licked me, I'd have a serious talk with her dad, right? Something's wrong. In 1 Corinthians 13:11, Paul said, "When I was a child, I spoke as a child. I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things." 

Turn over to 1 Corinthians 3 with me, please. 1 Corinthians 3:1. Corinth had its problems, but there were true believers there. It's amazing to think how far afield we can go. 1 Corinthians 3:1, and I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people, but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food, for until now you were not able to receive it. And even now, you are still not able. For you are still carnal. 

For where there are envy, strife, divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal? Paul uses the term nepeos here, infants, newborns. But the tragic thing is that these were adults. They had been in the faith for some time, and yet they had not grown. They were still sucking on a bottle of milk and acting like infants. And Paul is saying, this is abnormal. This is tragic. This is wrong that you're acting like mere men. 

That's the key phrase. He doesn't say they are mere men. He says you're acting like mere men, which you ought not be. They were acting like pagans, like Gentiles, like who they were before, not who they are in Christ. And this is a grieving situation. It's an affront to God, to His gospel, and His saving intent to make us holy, to make us like Jesus Christ. 

God expects us to grow by the pure milk of the word, and Paul says, on solid food, to become mature. This is His intent and plan and promise for every believer, and it is the purpose of our gathering together here as a church body. We've looked at that passage in Ephesians 4 many times. But God gave pastor-teachers for the equipping of the saints, that we'd all work together. 

We'd all do our share as a body, growing together, that we might come to maturity and no longer be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. We wouldn't be deceived. We wouldn't be drawn away. But we would be effective, effective in the purpose of God for our lives. Look at Ephesians 4:17 that follows that passage. In verse 16, he says, from the whole body, joined and knit together by whatever joint supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Verse 17, this I say therefore and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus. 

What truth? That you have put off concerning your former conduct the old man, which grows corrupt according to deceitful lust, and be being renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you have put on the new man, which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. Jesus has given gifts to the church, it says, pastor-teachers, to preach the word, to exhort and instruct and encourage the believers by example and by word to grow, to become mature, to live out who they are. 

This is done as a living body, an organism, in which each part does its share, strengthening, encouraging, pointing to Christ, sacrificing ourselves for the good of others, serving, loving. This is the way the body of the church can come to maturity and bear fruit for the glory of God. Think about the contrast with what we just read in 1 Corinthians 3. Striving, fighting, "I'm of Paul, I'm of Apollos." 

Getting ourselves all worked up about silly little things. Allowing our preferences to come between us and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Unwilling to be wronged for the sake of Christ. These are trivial, carnal things, looking at ourselves, judging our brothers, causing divisions. Rather, we must not live like the Gentiles, not like who we were, for we died. We put off the old man, we put on the new man. Now we must be being renewed in the spirit of our minds, being brought into confirmation to the likeness of Christ. 

Growing together as a body, encouraging, exhorting, instructing, esteeming others better than ourselves. Willing to give up our preferences for the sake of Christ, that we might all grow and become fruitful, mature, and active in doing good. My brothers and sisters, this must be our pursuit, our goal, and striving and working toward the prize as we run this race. This is God's intent for my life and yours, and for our church: sanctification. 

We see in our text abound more and more. We see the will of God. And next, we see, taking our final two points together, possessing your own vessel in a call to holiness. Verse 3 of our text, again, for this is the will of God, your sanctification. That you should abstain from sexual immorality. That each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God. 

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. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness. Therefore, he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us his Holy Spirit. 

Must have been an issue there in Thessalonica. Paul highlights one of the major baited hooks, the premier method of Satan and his baited trap, a sin that so often disqualifies a preacher or destroys a family: sexual immorality. When Mark read that text, Bobby leaned over and said, that looks fun. It's not fun to preach on sexual immorality; it's a tough topic to discuss, especially in the diversity of our church family, as you sit before me, young and old. And I don't want to speak words that will confuse or confound, but that edify. So we'll tread lightly here, but this is a vital subject. 

And Paul menses no words here concerning it or in other places where he writes about sexual immorality. Abstain from sexual immorality. Run, escape, flee youthful lusts. 1 Corinthians 10:8 says, “Nor let us commit sexual immorality as some of them did, and in one day, 23,000 fell.” Verse 12, “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as common to man. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it.”

My brothers and sisters, from the example of Joseph all the way through the New Testament, the exhortation we see concerning sexual immorality is to flee, to run, to escape. It's such a dangerous trap. We must not linger. We must not entertain thoughts. We must not begin to rationalize in our minds lest we be taken captive, carried away by lust, and end up in sin that destroys. This is a very serious matter, and the scriptures deal with it as such. It's common to man, Paul says. 

It's typical of Gentiles, pagans. In the culture in which Paul lived, sexual immorality was completely accepted and commonplace. Men would have wives, concubines, and even their worship, they would seek out temple prostitutes. It was a cesspool in Paul's day concerning the cultural norms. But you know, it's no different in our time, except maybe we're inundated that much more with images, suggestions, innuendos, and temptations through technology. 

Sexual temptation to sin is one of the greatest weapons of Satan, and it, of all sins, has perhaps the greatest ramifications, implications in our lives, and power to destroy. And the truth is, true believers are susceptible to these temptations and to these kinds of sins. Turn over to 1 Corinthians 5 with me, please. 1 Corinthians 5:1 is an extreme example of this. Paul writes, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality is not even named among the Gentiles, that a man has his father's wife, and you are puffed up and have not rather mourned that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.”

“For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged as though I were present him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore, purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, since you are truly unleavened. For indeed, Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”

If we go over to chapter 6, we see it gets even worse. Believers going back to their old worship temples and engaging in all kinds of debauchery and sexual immorality, it's truly unbelievable. But it illustrates for us that we are not immune, that we must be so very cautious, careful to flee these things, to avoid temptations in this area, for the consequences of such sin are grave in the church and our families and certainly for our witness. 

So what is the answer? Well, if you look at 1 Corinthians 6:9, we see the answer. Paul says, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."

Now look down to verse 15. “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not. Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her, for the two, he says, shall become one flesh, but he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him? Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

There are a couple very important truths here. First, verse 11, notice what Paul says: "Such were some of you, fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals, such were some of you." That is who you were in Adam, living in this wretched perpetual state of sinfulness. But he says you were washed, regeneration, made new, justified, sanctified, set apart. Here's the major point, and we see it in our text as well: you are not who you were; you are new men. So we have to stop living like pagans when we are saints. This is God's call to holiness, and he who rejects these admonitions, these truths, does not reject men, does not reject Paul, but rejects God. 

Remember, know who you are in Christ, reckon it to be so, yielding to Christ's life in us. Notice as Paul continues, he tells them, "Don't you know that Christ lives in you? The Holy Spirit is in you. Your body is a temple. Don't you know that when you join yourself to a harlot, you join Christ to a harlot?" Think about that, my friend. What a deterrent this should be to sexual immorality. Christ is in you, Christ is there when you defraud your brother in this matter, when you take his wife, Christ is there, joined with you in this act of sexual immorality. 

And Paul continues, you are not your own master; you've been bought at a price. You're not your own. Don't forget your redemption. Jesus bought you at the price of his own blood; your body is not your own; you have a new master, you belong to Christ, now glorify him in your body. He's called us to holiness, and he's provided everything necessary to make it a reality in our daily lives for his glory. 

These are amazing practical truths that we're looking at, and we must live in light of them. Our text again in verse 3: "This is the will of God, your sanctification. That you should abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God. 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, for God did not call us to uncleanness."

He didn't save you so you could live like you were. He saved us so that we might live new lives in holiness. My brothers and sisters, God called us to holiness. This is the command and exhortation of our master, of the one who bought us with his own blood, whom we love and whom we serve. Pursue holiness. It's who you are. It's how we must live in order to please God, to fulfill his purpose in us and to be witnesses for him and his saving gospel. Expect no less than holiness. 

And to pursue holiness is to pursue Jesus Christ. And to pursue Jesus Christ is to be in his word. How do you know anything about Jesus other than what God has revealed to us? We know him through his word. 

And might I encourage you to do these things that foster holiness. Begin by God's grace and power to seek him through his word, through fellowship. Put away the things of the world. Stop soaking your minds in the temporal, earthly matters. Stop being conformed by this world. Rather, be being renewed in your minds by the words of God. Study, write, read in your homes, spend time in fellowship, seek to minister to others for their good and yours. 

Do these things and trust the Lord to work out his will in your lives for sanctification, for holiness, for fruitfulness. You're doing well. Now let's do better. 

Let's close in prayer. Father, we thank you for your word, your truth that really encourages us and equips us and causes us to abound more and more by the power of your life in us. Thank you, Jesus, for salvation. Thank you that you live in us. Father, we thank you that you've equipped us, that you've given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Help us to understand these things in your word and help us to believe you and trust you one moment, one spiritual breath at a time. And help us to reckon in our minds so that we might have holiness worked out through our members for your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.