Called To Be Holy

Finally then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus

that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God,

just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.

For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification,

that you abstain from sexual immorality,

that each one of you know how to control his body in holiness and honor,

not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God,

that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter,

because the Lord is an avenger in all these things,

as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.

For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.

Therefore, whoever disregards this disregards not man,

but God who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Amen.

We've reached a significant turning point in Paul's first letter to the church in Thessalonica.

He is moving here from his desire for the Thessalonians to continue in the faith

to now focusing in on specific instructions for continuing in obedience.

So for the first three chapters, he's really zeroed in on his desire for them to stay faithful,

to persevere in the gospel.

And now that Timothy has returned with his report

and their faith in the gospel and their perseverance in the gospel has been confirmed,

Paul now transitions to speak of a different type of continuance.

He speaks of how they must continue in obedience to the Lord.

And those two ideas are intentionally ordered in the letter.

They're also necessarily linked,

which is made clear in the opening words of verse one.

Paul says,

Finally then, brothers.

Finally, not being an indication that he's closing the letter,

but that he's drawing some conclusions based on everything that he has just said.

Finally then, brothers.

And he moves on with his instruction.

And Paul's instructions and teaching from here to the end of the letter

are based on their understanding of and belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And this is an essential pattern that we actually find in the New Testament.

Paul speaks to them in this passage as speaking to those who have received salvation,

not as if they are those he hopes will receive salvation.

And that is a necessary structure for us to pay attention to.

If you're not a Christian today, I'm glad that you're here,

but I don't want you to misunderstand this text

since we're parachuting in to a portion of the letter.

And you may not be aware of what he's just said before.

Please don't take the instruction of Paul in these eight verses

as the means of becoming a Christian.

That's not what this is.

No, obedience doesn't create a Christian.

It reveals one.

And to become a Christian,

you must trust in Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness and life.

And truly, you must understand your sin before God

and the judgment against you as a result of your rebellion against him

and turning from that sin to faith in Christ.

But I don't want you to come to this text

and this focus we have on Christian instruction.

I don't want you to come to it and think that,

well, if I just live with the kind of morality that Paul mentions here,

then that is the thing that will make me acceptable to God

and earn me eternal salvation.

That's not true.

And that's not the point that Paul is making here.

And we know that because there's three chapters worth of gospel emphasis

leading all the way up to this instruction.

So when Paul instructs them on how to live in righteousness,

he instructs them as those who have already received salvation,

not those whom he hopes will receive it through their obedience.

Belief always affects behavior.

And we should not be surprised that following Jesus

involves submitting to his authority over our lives.

And again, while godly behavior does not contribute to our salvation,

it is actually a consequence of it.

And that is one of the things that comes immediately to the surface

as we begin this text.

Now, the opening verses of chapter 4 make this truth actually abundantly clear.

The text begins Paul's instruction regarding Christian behavior,

and it emphasizes holiness, righteousness, purity

as God's divine will for his people.

In fact, Paul actually goes above and beyond to stress

that the commands in this text do not originate with him,

but they actually originate with God

and are simply delivered through him as God's messenger.

Their holiness is God's desire,

and it is to the Lord that they will answer.

Let's just trace this.

In the text, verse 1, he says,

we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus.

In other words, we're saying these things with his authority.

Again, in verse 1, how you ought to walk to please God.

In other words, your desire, Thessalonians,

should not be just to please Paul.

This doesn't originate with me.

We want you to please God.

This is his will for your life.

Verse 2, the instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

In other words, he's just repeating what Jesus taught.

Verse 3, this is the will of God.

Verse 5, not like the Gentiles who do not know God.

Verse 6, the Lord is an avenger in all these things.

Verse 7, God has called us in holiness.

Verse 8, disregards God who gives his Holy Spirit.

Now, what am I saying?

The bottom line is, God calls his people,

those whom he saves by faith in Jesus Christ,

to be holy.

Our faith in Christ dramatically affects our behavior before Christ.

And how we live matters to God.

Matters.

He instructs us about his will,

and he enables us by the power of his Holy Spirit

to perform his will,

breaking us free from the bondage of our sin.

Now, two instructions flow out of Paul's argument in the text.

The first is broad, general.

Christians should seek to please God.

The second instruction is narrow and specific.

Christians should seek to please God through sexual purity.

And then he concludes at the end

that rejecting this instruction for purity

is tantamount to rejecting God himself.

Okay?

So that's the aim of what we're doing.

We want to see the broad instruction

that our aim as God's people

should be to please God in all things.

We want to see the narrow instruction

that God calls us to obey him in specific things.

And in this text, that's sexual purity.

And then we want to understand concluding thoughts

that if we disregard this instruction on sexual purity,

we disregard God.

So let's first look at the broad instruction.

Christians are called to please God.

They're called to please God.

Look at verses one and two again.

Finally then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus

that as you received from us how you ought to walk

and to please God, just as you are doing,

that you do so more and more.

For you know what instructions we gave you

through the Lord Jesus.

Now this first instruction for living as a Christian

is broad, isn't it?

He doesn't address any specific area of life here.

He considers godliness holistically.

Righteousness holistically.

There is an urgency to what he's saying.

He literally uses the term urge here.

But there's also divine authority behind what he's saying.

He urged them in the Lord Jesus

with instructions that came from the Lord Jesus.

But what is it exactly that Paul is instructing them

with the authority of Christ to do?

Well, very simply, he instructed them to live a life

that pleases God.

Live a life that pleases God.

In other words, before he confronted any specific area

of sin in their lives, he begins his argument by saying

that their entire lives were to be oriented

to glorifying and obeying God.

A necessary starting point for any of us.

Before we ever dive into specific areas of our lives

that we need to correct or change or transform

in obedience to God, we need to start from the understanding

that we're actually called just to obey God

with all of our lives.

That there is no part of our life

that God does not care about.

And of course, if you're a Christian,

you should understand this to be God's purpose

in saving you.

He created each of us in his image

so that we might display his glory

in the created world.

However, because of our sin,

that image is marred.

We all fall short of God's glory.

So what did God do?

He sent his son in human flesh,

Jesus Christ, to do what?

To redeem us from sin

and to restore us to glory.

By the blood of Christ, our sins are forgiven.

And by the power of his spirit,

God breaks us free from the bondage of sin

so that we might indeed please him,

fulfilling the purpose for which he created us,

his own glory.

This is the transformational work

that God does in those who trust in Jesus.

And pleasing him in all of life

should be our desire

and it should actually be our delight.

We are saved by faith unto works,

which is made clear for us in Ephesians 2.

Paul says,

for by grace,

you have been saved through faith.

This is not your own doing.

It's the gift of God,

not a result of works,

so that no one may boast.

But then he follows that up with,

but you are his workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus

for good works,

which God prepared beforehand

that we should walk in them.

Now there's two implications

of Paul's opening instruction

that I want to highlight

before we get to his narrow instruction.

The first thing I want you to understand here

or see here is the reality of progress.

The reality of progress.

Look at what Paul says.

As you receive from us

how you ought to walk and to please God.

And then notice what he says.

Just as you're doing,

that you will do so more and more.

There's progress here, isn't there?

Based on Timothy's report,

Paul recognized that the Thessalonian Christians

were indeed actively seeking

to please the Lord with their lives.

They received Paul's instruction from the Lord.

They received it as from the Lord.

And they were presently aiming

to please God in the way that they lived.

What Paul urged them to do in this moment

was to increase in that godliness

more and more.

In other words, he says,

you're pursuing God.

You're pursuing obedience now.

You're doing it.

We praise the Lord for that.

Keep doing it.

Do it more.

This introduces us to the reality

of progress in the grace of God.

Holiness, it's a lifelong work of God's grace.

We should expect to grow in it.

We should expect that

in the progressive work of God's grace

that we're more obedient to the Lord today

than what we were a year ago

or five years ago

or 10 years ago.

But there's another side to this, isn't there?

The reality of progress

might bring comfort,

at least in this regard,

that we ought not be surprised

that we do indeed still fail.

God calls us to pursue holiness.

But in the end,

he is the one

who will bring it to completion.

And we see that finally in chapter five.

If you just set your eyes on it.

In Paul's prayer at the end of the letter

in verse 23 of chapter five,

now may the God of peace himself

sanctify you completely,

make you holy completely.

Bring this work of grace

that he's started in your life.

May he bring it to full completion.

When?

At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And then just to make sure

that they understood

the comfort of that statement,

he follows it up by saying,

he is faithful.

He will do it.

I hope that's an encouragement to you.

I hope it's an evaluative tool

that you examine your life

and hopefully there's a progress

of grace and obedience there

since the day that you came to Christ.

But I hope it's a comfort to you

to know that you're not

going to be perfect today

and you're not going to be perfect tomorrow

unless tomorrow is the time

that the Lord returns.

He is doing this work.

He is faithful to do it.

And one day he's going to complete that work.

And we should rest in that

as we pursue it in our daily lives.

So the reality of progress.

I also want you to see here

the necessity of Christian community.

The necessity of Christian community.

Now I want to belabor the point

because we've talked about it a lot

in the previous chapter.

But just as God used Paul and his team

to strengthen the faith of the Thessalonians,

he uses them here

to increase their obedience as well.

As we discovered in chapter 3,

verses 11 to 13,

Paul expected that through their ministry

to one another,

God would establish the church

in holiness

until the return of the Lord.

Just set your eyes on it again

in chapter 3 and verse 12.

May the Lord make you increase

and abound in love for one another

and for all as we do for you

so that through your love for one another,

he may establish your hearts

blameless in holiness

at the coming of the Lord.

Our sanctification is a progressive work

of God's grace

that God accomplishes,

in part at least,

through our ministry to one another.

We need one another in this.

When our feet begin to slip

in a particular area,

we need Christians

who love God

and love us

to come alongside of us

and say,

hey,

let me just remind you

to walk to please God.

Isn't that the work that God does?

Isn't that how he uses us

in one another's lives?

Now, the church didn't need for Paul

to rehearse every instruction

that he had given them before.

I think that's the implication of verse 2.

He says,

you know what instructions we gave you.

You're aware of those things.

Keep doing them.

Keep growing in them.

But there were some areas

he believed needed to be

specifically addressed

for this church.

And that brings us

to the narrow instruction

of the next few verses.

Let's look at it together.

The narrow instructions.

What is it?

Christians are called to please God

in sexual purity.

Now, in verses 3 to 7,

Paul moves from this broad instruction again

to please God holistically

to a narrow instruction

to please God specifically.

And the specific area of holiness

he addressed

is sexual purity.

But significant to the way

he addresses it

is that he confronted the issue

by bookending it

with two explicit statements

of God's will

for their holiness.

He does the sandwich effect here,

doesn't he?

He starts with God's desire

for their holiness.

He ends with God's desire

for their holiness.

And sandwiched in between

those two affirmations

is the instruction

on sexual purity.

Just look at verse 3

and verse 7.

He says,

for this is the will of God.

This is God's will.

Your sanctification.

Verse 7,

God has not called us

for impurity.

God's will,

God's call,

is holiness.

Now, what's translated

in verse 3

as sanctification

and translated

as holiness

in verse 7,

it's the same exact word.

Same exact one.

It refers, of course,

to the concept

of moral purity.

And in the broad sense,

holiness refers

to a life

that is set apart

for God's glory.

That's a part

of that transformational

work in the gospel.

God takes a sinner,

he redeems the sinner,

and he transforms

the sinner,

sets them apart

for his own glory

to display his glory

to the watching world.

Paul uses the term here

narrowly

to refer specifically

to sexual purity.

So on the front end,

he reminds us

that holiness

through sexual purity

is God's will.

And on the back end,

his charge is followed up

with the assertion

that in calling us

to salvation,

God doesn't call us

to impurity,

but to holiness.

What am I saying?

As a Christian,

God calls you

to live a life

that is pleasing to him.

and living in sexual purity

is one such way

that we fulfill

his divine will.

It's not an option.

It's not a request.

It is the explicit command

of God

for our lives.

and if you are

indeed a Christian,

that will mean something

to you

as you come

to this text.

Now,

I probably don't have

to convince you

of the relevance

of this instruction

for us today.

The dominant thought

in our day

is not only

that sexuality

is a matter

of preference,

but that is

an issue

of identity.

It's understood

by many

not simply

as something

an individual

does,

but as crucial

to who they are

as a person.

So,

to acknowledge

certain sexual behaviors

as sins

against God

is received

immediately

as a personal attack

against the individual

himself.

This is a corrupt

worldview.

We understand that.

But the corruption

of it

has actually

infiltrated the church.

There's many

professing Christians

who are actively

waging war

against the will

of God

that they claim

to know

and worship.

It is to the Christian

who excuses

and engages

in sexual sin

that God

aims his words

in this text.

And the instructions,

there's three elements

to them,

each expanding

a little bit further

on the previous one.

The first one

is this.

God's call

to abstain

from sexual sin.

God's call

to abstain

from sexual sin.

Look at verse 3.

For this

is the will

of God,

your sanctification,

your holiness,

your purity.

Number one,

that you abstain

from sexual

immorality.

Now,

this needs

a point of clarity,

doesn't it?

The command

here

is not

to abstain

from sex.

That's not

the command.

Christians

through the centuries

have mistook

this

and they have

treated sex

as if it's a disease,

as if it's a problem

that by its nature

is something wrong

and dirty.

That is not

what the scripture

teaches at all.

The call

for abstention

is not from sex

itself.

It is from

sexual behavior

that is out

of line

with God's

design

and therefore

disobedient

to God's demands.

Now,

to understand

the prohibition

fully,

we need to

grasp the fact

that sex

is God's idea

and he has

given it to mankind

as a wonderful

blessing.

He created it

as a conduit

for human

pleasure,

for procreation

and also

for promise.

But he also

set the terms

for how this

blessing is to

be enjoyed.

And I want

to just point

out three

dynamics of

God's design

from creation.

And I'll just

get you started

on this and

you can run

with it in

your own study.

First,

I want you

to notice

that God

sets the

parameters

biologically.

He sets

the parameters

biologically.

Genesis

Genesis 1:27

chapter 1

verse 27.

So God

created man

in his own

image.

In the image

of God,

he created

him.

Male and

female,

he created

them.

God created

humans with

two distinct

genders,

male and

female.

And he

fashioned their

bodies so that

they might

naturally engage

in this

blessing.

God's design

for sex,

therefore,

is made

clear in

human biology

in the way

that he has

created us.

But we can't

stop at

biology,

can we?

If we just

stop at

biology,

we might get

the male and

female part

right,

but then we

might assume

that,

well,

it's permissible

then to

participate in

this kind of

behavior with

any male or

any female or

in any

combination.

So we can't

just stop at

biology,

we have to

move forward.

And we learn,

secondly,

that he sets

the parameters

relationally.

He sets the

parameters

relationally.

Genesis 2,

Genesis 2:24

verse 24,

therefore,

a man shall

leave his

father and

mother and

hold fast to

his wife,

and they

shall become

one flesh.

God designed

the blessing

of sex to

be freely

enjoyed within

the bonds

of covenant

marriage.

And within

this relational

boundary from

the very

beginning of

creation,

we are free

to reap the

benefits and

blessings of

pleasure and

procreation and

promise.

But there's one

more dynamic to

understand.

And of course,

we have to

understand this,

especially as

Christians.

God sets the

parameters biologically,

he sets the

parameters

relationally,

he sets the

parameters

spiritually,

spiritually.

And we might

return to

Genesis 2 to

the one flesh

statement as

being created by

God and

ordained by

God.

That's enough

for us.

Let me just

read a New

Testament passage

in relation to

this.

Hebrews 13,

Hebrews 13:4

verse 4,

let marriage

be held in

honor among

all,

and let the

marriage bed

be undefiled,

for God will

judge the

sexually immoral

and adulterous.

Now what am I

saying?

The one flesh

union is more

profound than a

physical act.

It's more than

that.

Sex is the

physical fusion

of a deeply

spiritual union

between a man

and woman under

God.

God has

designed it to

connect the two

consenting

individuals in

ways that go

well beyond the

physical act.

And we understand

that intuitively.

There is a

spiritual nature

to this.

There is an

emotional,

psychological link

that comes

through this

act.

And God

created it so.

He designed

it to do

this.

It is not

merely a

physical activity.

It is a

spiritual one

that is to

be kept

sacred,

holy.

Or in the

terms of

Hebrews 13,

it should not

be defiled.

Biologically,

man and

woman only.

Relationally,

a specific

man and

woman only.

spiritually,

a sacred

act to be

held in

honor.

Now back

to 1 Thessalonians

4.

This term

sexual

immorality,

we need to

understand it.

All of

God's

commands

regarding

sexual

behavior in

the Bible,

they are

not there

to oppress

you.

They are

not there

merely to

withhold from

you something

that you think

is good.

He gave

them graciously

to us in

order that

He might

protect the

sanctity of

marriage and

the marriage

bed.

That's His

design.

And His

design for

human flourishing

is always the

greatest good.

Sexual

immorality,

then,

refers broadly

to any

sexual activity

that is

outside of

God's

design and

protective

demands.

It includes

unnatural

behavior that

violates His

biological

design.

Homosexuality.

The Bible

enumerates

bestiality.

There's weird

things happening

with artificial

intelligence now

that we need to

pay attention to

in our world

and in our

culture.

We cannot

excuse that.

God does not

excuse that.

It also

includes

extramarital

behavior that

violates God's

relational design.

The biblical

terms for this

are fornication

and adultery

primarily.

Sex before

you're married,

sex with

someone that

you're not

married to.

Of course,

we understand

this to

include

pornography.

All of

these things

would be a

violation of

God's relational

design.

It also

includes

irreverent

behavior that

profanes His

spiritual design.

That this is

something to be

held in honor,

sacred,

respectful,

which means

that anything

that cheapens

or dishonors

even within

the bond of

marriage

is prohibited

by God's

design.

Loved

ones,

God calls

us

to holiness,

which means

that He

calls us

to purity.

It's not

merely an

option on the

table that we

can take or

leave.

It is the

command of

God given

for our

good and

for His

glory,

and we

must obey

it if we

are to

please Him.

And He

has made

it abundantly

clear.

It's not

debatable.

It's clear.

Second,

Paul shows

us what it

takes to

abstain from

sexual sin.

What it

takes to

abstain from

sexual sin.

Look at

verses 4

and 5.

He expands

on that first

instruction.

He says

that each

one of

you will

do this

by knowing

how to

control

his own

body

in holiness

and honor,

not in the

passion of

lust like

the Gentiles

who do not

know God.

Now just

quickly,

the pathway

to sexual

purity that

pleases the

Lord is

self-control.

Self-control.

And what's

so helpful

on this

point is

the comparison

that Paul

uses to

drive this

home.

The Christian

self-control

that you may

know how to

control your

body in

holiness,

the Christian

self-control

is set here

against those

who do not

know God

and are

therefore

mastered

by their

passions.

Now whether

Paul is

using Gentile

here in the

technical sense

of a non-Jew

or in the

figurative sense

of an unbeliever,

the point

remains the

same.

Sexual sin

is the

mark of

someone who

is either

ignorant of

or rebellious

to God

and his

word.

But the

one who

has been

graciously

freed from

the bondage

of sin,

that has

the ability

of the

control

that God

commands here.

Oh, he's

marked by

self-control.

He masters

his passions

rather than

having his

passions master

him.

And that

doesn't mean

that a

genuine

Christian will

never be

guilty of

sexual sin.

That's not

the point

Paul's

making.

After all,

Paul confronts

it in

Thessalonica

after having

just

acknowledged

confirming

that they

are indeed

in Christ.

He says,

I know,

I'm confident

that you are

chosen of

God.

I've seen

his work

and the

perseverance

of your

faith is

what proves

it.

He's speaking

to people

that he

believes to

be genuine

Christians

who have

a serious

weakness

of sexual

sin in

their lives

and in

their midst.

So he

does not

mean to

say that

the presence

of sexual

sin itself

means that

you're not

a real

Christian.

But the

point is

clear that

at the

very least

engaging in

sexual sin

is to

live as

if you

do not

know God.

So in

the grace

and power

of the

Spirit,

we need

to learn

self-control,

to take

our thoughts

captive,

to employ

the help

and the

prayer and

the assistance

of others

in our

Christian

community

to help

us through

this,

to be

committed

first to

pleasing the

Lord holistically

so that we

might endeavor

to learn

self-control

in the

specifics of

sexual

purity.

Third,

he shows

us the

consequences

of engaging

in sexual

sin.

Verse 6,

that no one

transgress or

wrong his

brother in

this matter

because the

Lord is an

avenger in

all these

things as

we told you

beforehand

and solemnly

warned you.

Paul takes

his argument

one step

further here.

He reminds

us that

sexual

immorality

is not

only a

sin against

God,

it's a

sin against

others.

when we

engage in

it,

we violate

the purity

of those

with whom

we engage.

And that

he mentions

this as a

warning or

wronging of

a brother,

he introduces

the potential

of Christians

engaging in

this behavior

together,

wronging one

another and

transgressing one

another before

God.

And whatever

the precise

cultural context

was in Paul's

mind,

and there's

many that

could have

been in

the forefront

of his

mind,

he doesn't

explain that,

but the

fact remains

that sexual

sin is a

sin against

God and

it's a sin

against others,

which means

that the

warning here

is serious.

It's serious.

The Lord is

an avenger in

all these

things.

He avenges

those who

are sinned

against in

this way.

the Lord

will judge

those who

engage in

sexual sin

transgressing

others in

the process.

Jesus himself

said,

it would be

better that

you wrap a

millstone around

your neck and

jump into the

sea than it

would be for

you to cause

one of mine

to sin.

Warning,

warning,

warning.

Judgment

awaits those

who engage

in this.

Judgment

in this

letter always

refers to the

day of judgment

at Christ's

return.

Again,

that doesn't

mean a

Christian who

sins will

have his or

her salvation

taken away

and will be

forced now to

endure God's

wrath.

That's not what

this means,

but the

implication is

that those

who willfully

participate

prove

not to be

saved.

And they

will stand

before God's

judgment in

the end.

Our behavior

doesn't save

us, but it

does expose

us in many

ways.

So Paul

issues the

warning.

The Lord is

an avenger on

these things.

The Lord will

judge those

who willfully,

rebelliously

engage in

sin against

God and

against his

brother.

Finally,

we get to

the weighty

conclusion of

verse 8,

which is

summarized in

this statement.

To disregard

the call

is to

disregard

God.

To disregard

the call

is to

disregard

God.

It's

straightforward.

Verse 8,

therefore,

it indicates

he's drawing

one massive

conclusion to

everything he's

just said.

therefore,

whoever

disregards

this,

disregards

not man,

but God,

who gives

us his

Holy Spirit.

A huge

portion of

this text is

given to the

specific issue

of sexual

sin.

I said at the

beginning that

the main

emphasis is that

God calls us

to be holy,

not just about

sex, but in

all of life.

I pointed

out how many

times Paul

stressed that

the imperatives

he gave came

from God,

and then here

at the end,

he drives the

emphasis all the

way home.

Now, some of

our consciences

are bothered

when we

disobey people

that we respect

or love or

that have some

authority in

our lives,

but generally,

it doesn't

affect us too

deeply to go

against the

commands of

men, does

it?

Some of us

enjoy it,

but when it

comes to the

commands of

the Bible,

it's not man

we disregard.

It's God

himself.

Lest the

Thessalonians

shrug off

Paul's instruction

and say,

oh, you know

how Paul is.

He's not

married, he's

celibate, he's

given his whole

life to this

ministry thing,

I get that

he's on about

this thing, but

it's really not

that big a deal.

After all, Christ

has forgiven us,

right?

Paul says, look,

if you're going to

engage in this,

don't think that

you're shrugging

off my command.

This is not my

command.

This is coming

from the Lord

himself.

To reject God's

will is tantamount

to rejecting God

himself.

To willfully

violate his

commands is to

quench his

spirit by whom

he writes his

law upon the

table of our

hearts.

And particularly

with sexual

sin, it is to

profane the

temple of the

Holy Spirit,

which is our

bodies.

So we cannot

dismiss the

biblical instructions

on holiness.

It's what God

calls us to, and

we must seek to

please him in all

things.

Now I want to

finish the way I

started.

Paul was

intentional in the

ordering of his

material.

We can't escape

that, and we

mustn't dismiss it.

The emphasis on

righteous living

comes after he

recognized the

genuine faith of

the Thessalonian

Christians.

He rejoiced

confidently in

their conversion,

not because they

were morally

upright.

clearly they had

some moral

problems.

No, he

rejoiced because

they trusted

Christ as Lord

and Savior.

Many people begin

to get this

backwards, supposing

that the way to

salvation is

morality.

However, no

present or future

moral effort will

ever be enough to

satisfy God's

perfect standard,

which has already

been broken by all

of us.

It's in our

nature.

In fact, you

come to a text

like this, and

you may sense the

weight of that

reality, recognizing

that if pleasing

God requires this

kind of purity,

there's no way that

you'll ever be able

to please him.

And let me remind

you that the weight

of the law is a

burden that not

one of us can

actually bear.

We're crushed

beneath it.

All of us are

sinners before him.

All of us destined

for his wrath.

So what's the

solution then?

If the solution

isn't just to try

to get things in

order and hope

that God says,

ah, you tried

hard enough, I

guess I'll let you

in.

If that doesn't

work, what will?

In his great love,

God sent his

son, who perfectly

fulfilled all of

his law.

He lived the life

we were meant to

live, never sinning

even one time.

But then he paid

the penalty of God's

wrath for sin in our

place.

On the cross,

Jesus became the

sacrificial lamb

pictured in the

Old Testament.

And then God

raised him from the

dead, showing that

his atonement, his

death was sufficient.

That it did

everything that we

needed for it to

do.

We need to add

nothing to it now.

He is enough.

And then he turns

and he says,

come to me,

if you will come

to me,

and receive this

mercy.

Mercy is all that

you will receive.

On the cross,

God treated his

son as if he had

sinned,

so that in the

judgment at the

end, he might

might treat us

as if we have

not.

That's the hope.

So if you're not a

Christian, what are you

supposed to do with

this?

I want you to

recognize that Jesus

is your only hope.

You'll never be good

enough, but you don't

have to be.

He was good for you.

Turn from the

ignorance and

rebellion.

Why wouldn't you?

This is a great

gospel.

There's none like it.

And if you are a

Christian,

and perhaps you've

fallen in this way

and it's a struggle

for you,

can I just remind

you that Christ's

mercy is greater

than your sin.

His mercy is great.

But I urge you,

however,

to live

to please God

and do not

disregard what he

has said.

Let's pray.

through the