1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 (Part B)

This is a group that they want to change the world. The Christians, they say, and I'm sorry the world is not going to be changed going to be destroyed. God so loved the world, not the system of the world, but the human beings on it, but the system is by definition scripturally opposed to God. James says that friendship with the world. You are at war with God. Their opinions their ideas their standards when they conflict with God. That is the world this is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.

Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Thessalonians. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today.

Pastor Rick will be teaching from first Thessalonians chapter 4 of this edition of cross reference radio sharing their faith think that is optional loving their spouse again. Some believe that to be an option in raising the children and the fear of the Lord. These are just a few of them.

We have commandments in the New Testament. They are good. What would we be without them we would be a sloppier bunch.

Overall what we are. So we affirm these things and we pursue them in the fulfillment thereof and the benefits we enjoy them when these are abandoned. The world points to us and they mock us. You preach these things and you don't even know it. Not only do you not do it. You don't even attempt to do it and it's not because of any other reason then you don't believe in the things you say should not be, then turned off by us.

I'm not saying we all do this. We all need to be mindful of it and answered for ourselves. He goes on in verse two he says we gave you through the Lord Jesus Christ, the commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus Christ know the Lord commanded them to go out and make disciples. What if they said well you know was a suggestion was a commandment go make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit. So when the mind is engaged. It is an issue of motive that I ought to do is not how we are supposed to do. It is Christian so that's a part that does enter in, but that's not a drives us. That's the law. The mind says I must do this. That's my motive I'm commanded to non-Christian commandments. Christian commandments are the same when the will is it engages an issue of I have to do it.

I know this is right. But that's not all there is to the Christian life is more than I ought to do it and I have to do it. There is, I want to do it. That is where the love comes in to be able to sing about Christ's love to genuinely sing about it to be moved by emotionally. It involves a promise back to the Lord. I see a love for me.

I'll let you see some of my love for you. James said show me your faith you really want to show me your faith and do something this big. Do it and so when we sing about the love of God.

We are supposed to show him that we love him in areas that we fail and he gives us grace, but in areas that were not failing and he gives us opportunity and so some of us need a refresher course on love love to God, not so much love from God. I'm working all of this towards a point. I'll get there in a moment.

Verse three says, for this is the will of God, your sanctification that you should abstain from sexual immorality. What part the Christians understand about that. It's God's well it sells us what God's will is. We have several places in the New Testament that declare what the will of God is John chapter 6, verse 39 and 40. This is the will of the father who sent me that of all he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up in the last day and this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the son of God, and believes in him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day.

That's what God wants of course what is stated here in verse three of chapter 4 in verse 18 of chapter 5 in Thessalonians Ball right in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God. Gratitude first Peter chapter 2 for this is the will of God, that by doing good.

You may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, you know, when I worked in the steel industry. You couldn't quote Scripture like that make the point. You couldn't say for this is the will of God, that by doing good. You may put to silence to silence didn't work with those kind of men had to say it this way for this is the will of God by doing good. You may shop the ignorant ones that you understood that was one of the pleasant things about preaching the word to men who never read the word she got to be a Bible translator, not from the Greek into whatever language you spoke but from the Greek into the language we speak. To put it where people could get it.

I think I enjoyed that almost the most of it all was to be able to take the Lord's prayer. For example, and recited in a language they understood our father, you might have Adobe father he's not in heaven. Like our father in heaven who is on the throne in heaven and that resonate you know a lot of those men, many of them Irish Catholics or Mohawk Indians. Many of their fathers were drunks were abusive were just utter failures and so if you were going to teach the father to them. You had to put it in perspective of heaven's view and not their upbringing. None of this is change for any of us is just talking with one of our brothers about working for the government look if we get more Christians working in the government. We can influence them more wherever we may find ourselves know there are limits to this, we don't want Christians working in brothels, I mean it just is a limit here we laugh right.

I got a surprise well, your sanctification, that's what he is after. And in that ancient world during the days of the church at Thessalonica, and Paul sanctification was in dire need.

Because social immorality and impurity was not only legal. It was a part of worship state worship. In fact, in the ancient day the churches had brothels and breweries you wanted to worship back us. The God of entertainment and fun and why you just go down to his temple, and you get plastered and that's how you would express your gratitude for him. How convenient. Toby, that's what they knew.

So when Paul came along, he said I want you to be clean and blameless life returning all over the board as they knew what dirt was all about. We do to give an honest look read the headlines on Drudge Report you find out what dirt is politician's out filthy. So many of them are.

We must be careful when given the choice to not side with those who side with Satan in there are many of them getting the upper hand in the use also of the phony arguments to cover their tracks for us is very simple. God said that's wrong. Why are you voting for. That's all. Many Christians don't seem because they know it's a fashion show.

I like him. Why, you know what he vote for you know who he empowers know that this he or she is all about you like well threefold aspects of sanctification when the Bible talks about sanctification.

There is positional sanctification.

In other words sanctification me to be set aside when the believers that attend the church are referred to as saints. They are those who have come to Christ Jesus have had their sins forgiven and God has set them aside for salvation and his purposes, but the first aspect is justification, your sins are forgiven, never accepted because of who we are, but because what Christ has done for us in our response to his invitation. Romans 51 therefore, having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ now and Paul wrote this he would have to explain to them when he spoke it to these pagans.

He would have to explain we have peace with Christ through his blood died wasn't just her come down to us and give us some noble writings. The other prophets to do that. He came in he took away our sin on the cross and were never more saved than the moment we are saved as save and I was beginning as a Christian, but now 30 years later I'm really saved. That's doesn't happen that way. See justification is something that God does for us. Sanctification in its next phase is something we do for God because of what God has done in us justification. Something God does for us. Sanctification is something God does in us immerses us in the Holy Spirit, we would have it that indwelling spirit begins to move in our minds we begin to filter everything through the eyes of Jesus. And when we go to the voting booth. For example, we filter it through the eyes of Jesus, the Jew he would filter everything through the law you put bacon in front of them, it would say the losses I can do this and he would not do it you put in front of a Christian the bacon's gone because Jesus said he blessed me go broke so and so the first part is positional. My position with God I'm justified. The second part is practical is progressive happens over time you converted. But now the process of working you into being a fine disciple of Christ is just that a process is faster for some than others because what you invested. If you were to take a money offering to the temple of the Lord in the day of the Jew and you were to give it to the priest as an offering. The money stayed the money, but its purpose, its uses, or usage was now for God and in that sense, it was sanctified, so when we give our lives to Christ. We are set apart as holy to God and even if we fall short. We are still set aside to the Lord is not moral perfection that will not happen in this life. That's the third part of sanctification, justification, sanctification, glorification. But before we get to glorification want to cover that statement I made that were not going to experience moral perfection. Do you know those who penned the Scriptures, Solomon, Isaiah, Daniel, all of them in the Old Testament and New Testament alive but were going to stay with the Old Testament to make the point. Many of them failed morally. King David and his so many of the Psalms penned by King David and this man failed in God, let him fail in front of all of us say not only had the burden of failing and only the burden of failing in the court and in the kingdom.

He reigned over, but all since that time, we all know about it will read about him and Bathsheba him and you arrive. I mean we just preserved because God is saying don't give me that excuse about you being too dirty to be saved. I've saved worse save you if you come to open your heart to come to me like David for repentance. I will save you a second Peter chapter 1 verse 21. Listen to what Peter says, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. What you mean.

Men like Solomon and David were moved by the Holy Spirit. And when they removed it became Scripture.

Yes, that means God uses those who are imperfect because there's no one else for him to use when it's time for him to use someone that is perfect and they came that time he had to do it himself sent his son, and so we have positional progressive and now perfect, which is the third part of sanctification called glorification when we die we go to heaven, will I Jesus first John 32 beloved, now we are children of God, and is not been revealed what we shall be.

We know that when he is revealed, we should be like him. We shall see him as he is. Then he says that you should abstain from sexual immorality. Sexual lust is a real problem has been in every generation.

The world is inflamed sexual impurity and often times it's not volume its variety. This explains the harems the variety, the spice of life can often be a sin in life is good for us to remember that the church is to deal with moral impurity, sexual impurity. When artists act like it's not there when it surfaces when it comes to attention we can go of it didn't happen we have to deal with it and as a pastor you, 'you better have some foxholes around the church.

So when you deal with this you can jump in them because people going to shoot at you but then you learn what one right is honor here to hold up God's word on the diving in the foxhole but keep the other guy in an action if your pastor should be laughing on the floor right now what I think of it anyway back to this. Remember, the essence of sin is abuse of something that is legitimate legitimate behavior when it is abused, it becomes sin. Jeremiah chapter 10 Jeremiah sizzle Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself is not a man who walks to direct his own steps man gets into trouble he cannot write laws that really in the end produce the justice we all want so we must beware of the sinfulness of legitimate things. Something can be relatively innocent but is really sin is running interference for Satan it's going against righteousness and holiness.

Okay gotta get to this, still holding it out because there's more. We have to get about the beer in church and all that other stuff got a little time with first. This is a group that they want to change the world. The Christians, they say, and I'm sorry the world's not going to be changed going to be destroyed.

God so loved the world, not the system of the world, but the human beings on it, but the system is by definition scripturally opposed to God. James says that friendship with the world. You are at war with God. Their opinions their ideas their standards when they conflict with God. That is the world and the University has become the leading pulpit of the world entertainment industry also being there alternate pulpit were here at this particular conference. Whatever it is they're having. I'm reading the background on these speakers. One of them. They boasted he delivered the sermon at the inaugural prayer in Washington DC if I was allowed to do that prayer right after the prayer they would've taken me out back and shot me. What can you say to people that are making illegal every dirty thing they can get their fingers on my sermon would we know you know you say this, that's why guys like me don't get invited they fit them. They listen to the sermon see with a maraca he's good.

They would listen to one of my sermons and then it's in the IRS and the EPA EPA is getting to the point of their claim your head the stairs anyway. Then this other one.

This is a writer now. She is written a book called Christianity.

After religion the end of the church and the birth of the new spiritual awakening not only what's in that book. What I can tell from a similar thing read about this person, but some of you might not be a very uncomfortable with this, lampooning them in all, that's the problem. That's why they've gotten this far someone in their childhood did not laugh at them for laughing at God.

Well anyway, this one does she understand that the church is the body of Christ purchased with his blood and with all her failures to attack her is a grave mistake is better to build her up in mind your field. Nevermind the other guys but he says she blogs at the Huffington Post. You know what the Huffington Post is do not there about who and what Christian would want to blog their then it also says, also for USA Today time, the Washington Post, CBS, CNN, PBS, NPR, all of these Abilify Jesus Christ consistently. It's their agenda.

You love the Lord, you raise your hand you sing to him.

They hate him no Christian ought to be boasting about you. I was schmoozing over there. We notched on ships for a while and dip, then there's 1/3 one, the fourth one is the big one. This one she's been featured in interviews on the today show and PR Huffington Post Oprah.com. She has a book called evolving in monkey town. What does that have to do with Christ, no. Once I see Zondervan printed it. I wouldn't read anything, Zondervan Prince then there's this worn-out name. Maybe this sums it all up. Do you want the senior church.

This person says that he's in his fourth decade as chief dreamer. I'm not kidding you. What is that what you like a pastor or chief dreamer and then he goes on, that he is a spiritual intrapreneur of ministry marketplace innovations you might not be disturbed by this. I happen to believe people really go to hell and I happen to believe the role of the church is not to play with the sort of language we are to preach the love of God but the truth first, there is no agape if there is no truth truth. The truth of God trumps the love of God or she cannot get to love to have affections or you have erotic love or some other thing called love its affectional perversity or anything if it's not held together by the fact of God. That's what it means. The truth of God, is the fact of God and the church's role is not to appeal to people is to tell the truth. Also, does the pillar and the ground of truth.

What is this disturbed Christians what they did upset when I don't like a go about exposing them too bad they need to be exposed.

Elijah mocked the prophets as they cut themselves in blood gushed out they were sincere in their worship, but they were wrong. They were leading Israel and the people in Israel to hell, and the prophet decided to deal with them as they needed to be dealt with now. You always have to be careful with this, I have more that's just phase 1 want to get to phase to see with this lands us birth choices at each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, again no honor in this behavior that wants to sort of be accepted by the world you know there was a time with when the evolutionists were coming along with their lies. No evidence in the church wasn't bracing it because they wanted to be accepted by the University's well we can say God created man on the clay of the earth because the people will know everything. They will turn on us because Bob begins the essay when one of them has a book here. Something about the Bible Belt, the one with the monkey evolution rights Christianity in the context of the Bible Belt, and a year of the biblical womanhood how a liberated woman found herself sitting on a roof covering her head and calling her husband, master. Why just to be poor on the roof is the master but okay you are going to that. Do these people mean well I'm sure they do. I'm sure they mean well I don't think I got up in the mornings and let me see what I can.

Damn today with this. Not good enough. Why because the grass withers, the flowers fade with the word of God stands forever, and they have the word of God. And when they read things that are offensive. They skip over them and they look for things that spiritual intrapreneur of ministry marketplace innovation. I mean if you came to the church is to listen I like to serve here. I'm a spiritual intrapreneur, chief dreamer of marketplace innovation they have to take me out on a stretcher laughing so hard… We can stop him from laughing. All right, I'm not mocking it for the sake of marking them, but we need to stand up when people try to give us the stuff you read the latest book did you read the Bible you ever read the Bible ever you had a good commentary on the Bible. I get a warrant. Where's the commentary very insightful pact with Scripture, easy to read.

If you read the Bible.

He needs among us is a good place to start.

Harry Ironside read a W toes or Oswald Chambers does so much good stuff out there.

Why would you waste your time with this stuff. Verse four self-control.

He says that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in signification and honor. This is self-control.

It is underrated.

It is understated the battlefield that we are going to meet the enemy in the world and ourselves on is the battlefield of self-control and when he says possess his own vessel. He is meeting yourself. Second Corinthians 47 we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God, not of us.

Some commentators like to say no. He's talking about the wife that then rules out the value of everything Paul is saying for the women that is I think a wrong understanding. In fact, the ancient Romans would refer to the body as a vessel for new that when he wrote these Thessalonian so security self-control or what is intended here in sanctification and honor, not having dealt with sanctification. In verse three will just discuss honor honor is not an entitlement. It is an achievement, thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of first Thessalonians cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com once you're there you will find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast.

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It's Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of first Thessalonians, right here on cross reference rate