1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 Living to Please God

January 8, 2025 1 Thessalonians, New Testament, Sermons

Good morning, everyone! Last week, from P. Henry’s New Year message on Romans 8, we learned that in this year we should have a direction to glorify God. I want to add to his recommendations for us in this new year. In today’s passage, we can learn from the Apostle Paul several other spiritual directions we can have as believers, which we can also practice, especially, in regards to holy living. Wouldn’t we all want to live more holy before God in the New Year? Unfortunately, there are Christians who just want to maintain their spirituality to a comfortable level. In other words, they don’t want to struggle to be more holy or more loving or more serving or more trusting in God. We can get stuck in a spiritual comfort zone and think we are ok. Actually, if we do not struggle to grow and go forward in our spiritual life, we begin to slowly erode and back slide. Why? Because of the powerful influence of our corrupt society and unbelieving people upon our psyche and behavior. This is why Paul was always exhorting believers to keep going and growing in the Lord. This is why I pray that in this New Year we may all live lives that are pleasing to God more and more. That is why my title is:

Living to Please God in this New Year More and More

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Key Verse:1:
“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, 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.”
Look at verses 1-2. “As for other matters, brothers and sisters, 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 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.” In the end of chapter 3, Paul had prayed for the young believers in Thessalonica to continually grow spiritually. Just in case you may have forgotten, this was his prayer in 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.” His goal was that they would live lives that were pleasing to God on a constant basis—being blameless and holy in the presence of God. In chapters 1-3, we saw how Paul was thankful for them because of their faith, love for one another, and faithfulness to God’s word. Paul considered them as exemplary Christians even though they were only young believers in the faith. Though Paul acknowledged that they were doing these encouraging things, he urged them “in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.” To grow in spiritual matters continuously in our Christian life is called sanctification. In fact, in verse 3, Paul prayed that they would be sanctified. Through Jesus death on the cross for our sins, we have been justified when we repented and accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. But in the eyes of God, his children must continue to grow up spiritually. When we accepted Jesus, we were born again, but it doesn’t mean we remain as spiritual babies.
We grow up spiritually when we obey God’s command more and more. We cannot remain only drinking milk, Paul wrote that we must also eat the meat of God’s word. These commands were not Paul’s or man-made commands, but they came from Jesus himself.

Look at verse 2 again. “2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.” Why do we have to keep growing in sanctification? We have to be like salmon swimming against the current of a corrupt culture. If salmon stops progressing forward, they will not stay in one place, rather they will start going back down the current. And if salmon do not swim vigorously and with purpose, they will become easy prey. [Pic 1] Christians must swim against the current, otherwise, he or she will just follow the flow of an ungodly culture. This fighting against the corrupt cultural influence is called progressive sanctification. Instead of following what the world says, we listen to what our Lord Jesus says. John 14:15 says, “If you love me, keep my commands.” In the fitness world, many want to reach a PR—a personal record. It could be their time in running or weight-lifting to check on their fitness progress. Today, I heard that Ramon and Sarah are in Florida running a marathon. I’m sure all the runners want to run the fastest time they can. In the same way, God’s people should have a spiritual PR as a way to check on their spiritual sanctification progress. In the next few verses, Paul tells us in what areas of our lives we must be sanctified.

Look at verses 3-4. “3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable.” All believers would want to know what God’s will for their lives is. Raise your hand if you want to know and obey God’s will for your life? In verse 3, we find God’s clear will for all believers—to be sanctified, specifically in regards to sexual immorality. The first thing we must accept as God’s will for all believers is to avoid sexual immorality. It is because God’s servants must first have the foundation of holiness, especially in regards to sexual sins. In construction, in order to build a big house, there has to be first a strong foundation. When God’s servants have a strong foundation of holiness, then God can build upon it. Of course, it is the same with our faith. For example, when Joseph, in Genesis 39, was a young man in Potiphar’s house, he was tempted to commit sexual sins with Mrs. Potiphar, who was like a cougar mom, but he resisted saying it was a wicked sin in the sight of God. In the end, he was able to maintain his integrity and serve God’s people by saving their lives during a terrible famine. He could remain humble and faithful to God even when he became the second most powerful man in Egypt, only after Pharaoh in his time. On the other hand, though God’s servants can be used greatly by God, they can also fall into sexual immorality without a strong foundation of holiness. Even though king David was used mightily by God to establish the kingdom of Israel, he hadn’t overcome the temptations of sexual sins. Consequently, he later committed adultery and murder. As we know, by God’s mercy he repented of his sins and was forgiven by God. We also remember the story of Samson and Delila.
In verse 3, the Greek word for “sexual immorality” is porneia, which is a term used to describe any form of illicit sexual behavior. This is where we get the English word pornography. In a broad sense, it means any sexual behavior outside of the marriage covenant. I think everyone knows here how widespread and prevalent the sin of pornography is in our society today. In our country it is a multi-billion-dollar business. They even give adult film actors and actresses acting awards. Unfortunately, their target audience are young men in their late teens and early twenties. According to statistics, they are the group that go on pornographic sites the most. Those who go on these sites pollute their minds and daydream day and night about sexual fantasies. Even in the Christian community many young people come across these sites to satisfy their lusts. But when they do so, they can nullify the spiritual desires to serve and honor God in their souls. I know a young man who attended a good Bible-believing church and attended a prestigious Christian university but was a porn addict. The problem has worsened in our times because porn can now be easily accessible through our home computers and phones. Many sexual predators and deviants also became that way because they started watching porn from a young age. What are we to do immersed in our sexual immoral society? Paul wrote that we must learn to control our bodies.

Look at verse 4 again. “4…that each of you should learn to control your own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable.” According to Paul, we need to have the right view of our bodies. In Genesis 2, we learn that God made Adam’s body from the dust of the ground so that he would not value it more than his soul, which is of greater and immeasurable and eternal value. In short, our bodies don’t belong to us but to God. For believers, the body is the temple of God. First Corinthians 3:16-17 reads, “16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.” If we are God’s temple, then God’s holy presence dwells with us. But if we use our temples in an unholy manner, we grieve the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we need to ask for his help to control our bodies in a holy and honorable way. Even, Paul wrote that he beat his body in order to keep it under control. First Corinthians 9:27, “No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” Paul disciplined his body in a way, like a punching bag, so that he would not give into sin because he did not want to be disqualified from receiving the prize God would give him. Like Paul, we are not just to follow the whims and desires of the flesh. We cannot allow the body to control us, but we must control it. To stay physically fit takes a lot of discipline. In the same way, to be spiritually fit also takes a lot of discipline. Paul encouraged the Thessalonian believers to live as God’s holy children, rather than unbelievers.

Look at verses 5-6. “5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.[b] The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.” When we think about our society today, we see rampant sexual immorality, but in Paul’s time, especially in the city of Thessalonica, it was far, far worse. One pastor said, compared to the gross immorality in Thessalonica our society looks like the Boys Scouts. At least, in our society, because of Judeo-Christian influence, we have laws and regulations regarding marriage and protection for the vulnerable in our society against sexual predators. We have these regulations in order to restrain the passionate lust of evil people, who would do harm to others. But in that pagan Greek and Roman culture it was a free for all. Especially men, even married men, were encouraged to have sexual relationships with other women. For example, among the popular deities in Thessalonica was Aphrodite, who was the symbol of sexual license and the patroness of prostitutes. Married men had a wife to take care of the children and household, but they also had mistresses or prostitutes to gratify their sexual desires. There were even priestesses in the pagan temples who acted as prostitutes to those who came to worship their pagan gods. Men who had female slaves could also take advantage of them to satisfy their carnal desires. Sometimes we hear on the news famous people who had affairs with their maids. In Paul’s time, and even today people engage in pedophilia. Paul encouraged the members of that congregation not to live unholy and sexually promiscuous lives as the pagans around them did. Many of the early believers in the Roman Empire were slaves and household servants. Paul warned Christian masters not to take advantage of their brother or sister in Christ. He gave them a strict warning that those who practiced this evil would be punished by God. This is not the kind of life God has called us to live. God did not create us to live like animals, just following our animalistic instincts. God has called all of us to live holy lives like God’s precious children.

Look at verses 7-8. “7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.” Here in verse 7, we see Paul’s emphasis of sanctification again through the words “a holy life.” God wants us to be holy because he is holy. The gods that the pagans worshiped, like Zeus and Aphrodite, were unholy and sexually immoral. That is because they were false gods, created by men, for the gratification of their own sinful desires. Zeus, a pagan god, was a liar, cheater, and took advantages of mortal women. So, in that milieu, it seemed normal for young men and women to live in immorality. If their gods were sexually perverse, then they could be also. But the one and only true God, who is holy and whom we worship, calls his people to live holy lives. He commanded his people, “Be holy, because I am holy.” Even though this is a hard teaching, Paul makes it clear that we should not reject these instructions because when we do so we are not rejecting men, but God. God knows how hard it is for us to live holy lives in a corrupt culture, so God helps us. How? He gives us his Holy Spirit. When we live according to the spirit, we will not live according to the flesh. Galatians 5:16-18 read, “16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” We need to pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives every day. When we walk daily with God and have a right relationship with him, then we can have a right relationship with one another. We can also have a right relationship with people we live with in the world.

Look at verses 9-10. “9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more.” In the first 8 verses, we mostly, talked about our own personal spiritual growth like being more obedient to Jesus’ command and living a more holy life. In these next three verses, Paul writes about spiritual growth in the public sphere. From verse 9, we learn that we ought to love one another more and more. In light of verse 3, love is the opposite of lust. Lust and fornication are only to make use of others for one’s own personal gratification. On the other hand, love is to seek the greatest benefit for those who are being loved. When we see a fellow brother or sister in Christ discouraged or in need because of difficult life situations, we ought not only to pray for them but show genuine concern and loving care. One way, of course, is visiting and praying for our dear brothers and sisters when they are sick to comfort them and be with them. [Pic 2 with Sara] Jesus said when we genuinely love one another then we can be a witness to the gospel to others. John 13:34-35 reads, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Because of God’s overflowing of love in us, we can also do random acts of kindness for others. One of the spiritual highlights I experienced this past Christmas was when our church went to the Breakthrough ministry that serves homeless men. We were able to serve them delicious food and show God’s love and kindness to strangers. [Pic 3 serving homeless] Amazingly, the Thessalonian believers’ love for one another became a source of encouragement to all believers throughout Macedonia. It is not easy to love others unconditionally because it takes a lot of personal sacrifice of our time and resources. Though the believers in Thessalonica were young in the faith, Paul encouraged them to love “more and more.” It is interesting that Jesus said in the last times the love of many will grow cold. But God’s holy children must continuously have a warm and loving heart for one another, and for the suffering people of the world. Last of all, Paul taught the believers how to have a good relationship with the people of the world.

Look at verses 11-12. “11 …and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” In these verses, Paul tells believers how we ought to live and interact with people we spend a lot of time with, like those at work or we often meet with. You would think that from the powerful evangelist Apostle Paul, he would encourage the young believers to be more boisterous and vociferous about their faith to their worldly acquaintances. But he told them to lead a quiet life, mind their own business, and work with their hands. It is interesting here that Paul writes “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.” In the world, people make it their ambition to become successful, make a lot of money, and receive honor and recognition. But if that is the goal of believers, then we are no different than the people of the world. Of course, there have been many servants of God in history that God raised up to be in powerful leadership roles to accomplish his world salvation plan. But in general, God wants his people to serve him humbly and quietly, wherever they may be. This reminded me of Helen Rarick, [Pic 4] who had studied the Bible with Ben and Christy, when she was a UIC student. She was an accomplished research scientist in her field. She was able to use a very sensitive and expensive scientific instrument that only 3 people in the world were qualified to use. She had published scientific papers in very prestigious scientific journals. She became very famous in the scientific world that prestigious Ivy league universities wanted to hire her as a professor. But she turned their offers down because her ambition was to lead a quiet life. She took a humble position as a professor at a community college in Chicago so that she could be close to the church and teach the Bible to students one-to-one.
Paul also encouraged the believers to mind their own business and work hard with their hands. In today’s context, it could mean not participating in the latest gossip at work or meddling in the affairs of others. Of course, if our coworkers are in need we should pray for them and help them if we can. Like Joseph, in the OT, who helped his fellow prisoners while he was in jail. In short, it is being careful to have a good Christian influence on others. It is giving off the fragrance of the gospel, not through preaching to everyone at work, but through behavior showing our contentment and peace in Christ. Practically, it could mean not swearing because others swear or joining in course joking or mocking other workers. Also, in that Greek culture, manual labor was considered the work of slaves and lowly servants. In spite of the cultural stigma, Paul encouraged them to work hard with their hands.
What is the goal of all this? Look at verse 12 again. “12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” The goal of their daily christian walk and sanctification was not only to win the respect of others but prayer to bring others to Christ. They should also work hard to be independent and be able to help others in need. This verse reminds me of a story of how the Roman Empire was quietly conquered by Christians. As we have seen, the Roman and Greek culture, at the time of Paul, was perverse with no sexual restraints. Because of the practice of immorality, sexually transmitted diseases were rampant throughout the empire. High ranking officials were afraid to marry their children to others who may contracted diseases from their sexual promiscuity. So, they decided to marry their children to Christians, who were virgins, trustworthy, and disease free. In time, these believers gave a good Christian influence to others, who could see contentment and peace in Christ.

In today’s passage, we learned many things from the Apostle Paul on some things we can improve upon in this year for the sake of sanctification. We can be more obedient to Jesus’ commands. We can strive to live a more holy life. We can love our brothers and sisters in Christ more and more. We can work hard and peaceably at our jobs with our quiet Christian influence to win the respect of others. Whatever we decide to do, we must make it our goal in the New Year to live lives pleasing to God more and more, not less and less. We can make decide to make a spiritual PR in this new year like reading through the whole Bible. While preparing this message, I decided to strive for a holier life from now on. So, I made a small decision to delete a social media app from one of my phones, because it was leading me to unholy places that I knew was not pleasing to God. I know that it’s only a small act and doesn’t guarantee that I will always be pure and holy. But I offer this small decision as prayer to God to make my life holy and pleasing to him more and more in this new year. May God bless each of us to make a small decision of faith at the beginning of this year to live a life that pleases God more and more in 2025. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 4 1-12 presentation
Footnotes
a. 1 Thessalonians 4:4 Or learn to live with your own wife; or learn to acquire a wife
b. 1 Thessalonians 4:6 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family.

1.Read 1 Thess. 4:1-2. In the end of last chapter 1 Thess. 3:12-13, what was Paul’s prayer for them? Why did Paul say “to do this more and more”? Why was it important from the young believers to follow Paul’s instructions? Who did these commands really come from? (John 15:10-11)

2. Read 1 Thess. 4:3-4. What do we learn here about what God’s will is for believers? Why was it such a necessary admonition for believers living in Thessalonica? How can we train our bodies so that we can control it in a holy and honorable way? (Matt. 5:28; 1 Cor. 6:18-20; 1 Cor. 9:27)

3. Read 1 Thess. 4:5-6. How were the believers to show themselves different from the unbelieving people? In light of the corrupt society, how could a believer take advantage of another believer? Who should they fear if they did take advantage of other believers? (Heb. 10:30)

4. Read 1 Thess. 4:7-8. What did God call all believers to do? If the believers did not follow Paul’s instructions, who are they really disobeying? Because God calls us to a high level of holiness, who does he send to help us? (Rom. 8:9, 11) Why does the believer not have any excuse not to seek to live in the holiness of God?

5. Read 1 Thess. 4:9-10. From verse 9, what else do we need to grow in spiritually? How can we put this into practice with our brothers and sisters in Christ? (2 Thess. 1:3; Eph. 5:3) How can our love expand beyond borders and to other believers in different parts of the world?

6. Read 1 Thess. 4:11-12. What kind of life and Christian influence should have working among unbelievers? (1 Pet. 3:4) Why was it important for them to lack nothing? Why is it important to work hard in the Lord?

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12:
4 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, 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 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.[b] The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.
9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
Footnotes
a. 1 Thessalonians 4:4 Or learn to live with your own wife; or learn to acquire a wife
b. 1 Thessalonians 4:6 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family.

John Peace

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