HOW TO LIVE IN ORDER TO PLEASE GOD

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Key Verse 4:1

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

Introduction

In this passage Apostle Paul mentions how to live in order to please God. He encourages believers to live holy life especially avoiding sexual immorality. He also urges them to love all the more and work with their hands so that their daily life may be respected by outsiders and so that they may not be dependent on anybody.

1. Read verses 1-2. What instruction did Paul give the Thessalonian believers?

(1a) Why did he ask them to do this more and more? (1b) How did Paul give

them this instruction? (2)

1-1. Read 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.

1-2. What instruction did Paul give the Thessalonian believers? (1a)

• We instructed you how to live in order to please God.

• One of the main teachings of Paul was how to live in order to please God as believers.

• It is so important to know how to live to please God because God save us through Jesus Christ to live a life that can please God.

• People might think it is ok once they are saved by faith in Jesus. But we need to remember the purpose of God’s salvation. Once we believe in Jesus, we have to live a saved life.

• Even if someone says he is saved but if he doesn’t make effort to live a life that can please God, it is hard to say that he has genuine faith that God wants us to have.

• We need to teach ourselves and our bible students and children how to live in order to please God.

• In fact you are living - Paul recognized that the Thessalonian believers were already living lives pleasing God.

• we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.

• He urged them to live a life that can please in the Lord. Believers are the people who are in Jesus. Their lives should be different from the lives of people who are in the world.

• We have to find ourselves in Jesus and live accordingly

1-3. Why did he ask them to do this more and more? (1b)

• Do this more and more : We need to grow continually in living a life that can please God.

• We need to do the things that can please God more and more so that we can please God all the more. The more we please God, the more we can have joy that comes from God.

• The way to live truly happy life is to please God. When we please God we can be pleased too. But if we live to please ourselves, we can’t live truly happy life.

• We need to make all efforts, even sacrificing things to please God all the more.

1-4. How did Paul give them this instruction? (2)

• instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

• ‘Instruction’ : It was army terminology and meant very strong commands.

• Paul gave them the instructions as very strong commands that all believers should follow like the good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

• By the authority of the Lord Jesus.

• The instructions were given by the authority of the Lord Jesus not by Paul’s human authority.

• It means that believers have to obey the instruction with absolute attitude.

• When we received instructions based on the word of God by spiritual leaders, we should accept Lord’s commands and obey them with absolute attitude.

2. Read verses 3-8. What is God’s will? (3a) What specific instructions does he

give? (3b-6a) What are the warnings for those who reject this instruction? (6b-8)

2-1. Read verses 3-8.

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.

2-2. What is God’s will? (3a)

• It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.

• First thing that we need to please God is to be sanctified.

• Being sanctified is God’s will for us and God is working on us and in our life for this purpose.

• Many believers remain in justification that we obtain by believing in Jesus. Once we are justified by faith in Jesus, we need to be sanctified as next step.

• Sanctification is the continuing work of God in the life of believers, making them actually holy. God wants his people to be holy just like him.

Leviticus 19:2 reads,

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.

1 Peter 1:15-16 reads,

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.

• Sanctification involves the entire man-intellectual, affection, will, soul and body. The aim of the sanctification is to achieve Christ’ likeness, which was God’s intention from all eternity.

• While sanctification is the work of God, we are consistently exhorted to do work and to grow in matters pertaining to salvation. (Php 2:12-13) Since sanctification rests on God’s power, we must fully depend on him and obey him (Ro 12:9,16-17) & we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices. (Ro 8:13; 12:1-2)

2-3. What specific instructions does he give? (3b-6a)

• you should avoid sexual immorality

• To live a holy life before God sexual immorality is the sin that we should avoid absolutely.

• In Greek society, sexual immorality was so popular and spread so widely. In pagan Greek society sex outside of marriage was allowed and a lot of sexual activity took place in their idol worshipping at the temple.

• In our modern day society sexual immorality is strong and wide spread that people get easily involve sexual immorality without a sense of guilt. And it is very strong temptation to even believers.

• To live a holy life that can please God, we need to avoid any types of sexual immorality.

• each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable

• Believers should control their body to keep it holy avoiding any sin, especially sexual immorality.

• Our body is God’s holy temple - Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own(1 Cor 6:19)

• We have to offer our body as instrument of righteousness. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.(Romans 6:13)

• We should do holy and honorable acts through our body.

• in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God

• Pagans who do not know God live according to their passionate lustful desire.

• Believers should not be like the pagans. We acted like the pagans but now we know God and are saved. We should control our body and live according to godly way not following sinful desire but desire of Holy Spirit.

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. (Gal 5:16)

• in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister

• Believers should not commit sexual sin toward brothers and sisters in the Lord.

• Believers should avoid any kind of sexual sin among themselves and keep purity in the church.

• Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.(1 Tim 5:1,2)

2-4. What are the warnings for those who reject this instruction? (6b-8)

• The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.

• God punishes all those commit sexual immoral sins including believers. Even if we are children of God, if we commit such sin, we would not be exempted from God’s punishment like the case of David.

• For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life - God treats sexual sins and other sins that make us impure seriously because God called us to live a holy life.

• We need to remember the purpose of God’s salvation which is to let us live a holy life being compatible with God’s image. We need to make it our goal to live a holy life as God’s holy children.

• Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

• Rejecting instruction for holy life is rejecting God himself. Those who observe God’s command are the one who love God. By obeying the instructions we can express our love for him. “If you love me, keep my commands. (John 14:15)

• God gave us Holy Spirit that we may live a holy life by walking with Holy Spirit.

3. Read verses 9-12. Why didn’t Paul need to write to them about loving one another? (9) How did the Thessalonian believers practice their love for one another? (10a) Why did he urge them to love each other more and more? (10b-12)

3-1. Read verses 9-12.

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.

3-2. Why didn’t Paul need to write to them about loving one another? (9)

• you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.

• Thessalonian believers were taught to love each other through the word of God and revelation of Holy Spirit.

• The command to love each other was so obvious as God’s command and teaching. So Paul didn’t want to talk about it more.

• Loving brothers and sisters in the Lord is the fundamental teaching that all believers should obey. God continually inspires the believers to love each other.

3-3. How did the Thessalonian believers practice their love for one another? (10a)

• And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia.

• Thessalonian believers expressed their love for other believers of churches in Macedonia.

• They were good model of believers who love their brothers and sisters in the Lord.

• There are so many churches and believers in this world and all of them are God’s family members. We and they belong to one same family of God. We have to recognize them as brothers and sisters in the Lord and love them.

3-4.Why did he urge them to love each other more and more? (10b-12)

• Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,

• Paul urged them to love brothers and sisters in the Lord more and more.

• No one can say that he loves others more than enough.

• We can bear fruit of love more and more unlimitedly.

• We never should be exhausted in loving others or be proud of what we have done for others.

• 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.

• We should not cause troubles and conflicts to others and ourselves. Rather we have to pursue quiet life by obeying God’s word and doing what is right before him.

• Obeying God’s command is the best way to love a peaceful and quiet life.

• We have to mind our own business: we have to take care of our own life and do work to support ourselves.

• We should not be burden to anybody.

• so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders

• We should be respected by outsiders in our practical life by managing our life well and working hard.

• so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

• We should not depend on others for our practical need. We need to work hard so that we may be able to support ourselves for the practical our need.

Conclusion

God called us to live a life that can please God. He works hard to sanctify us to be holy before him. To please God we have to live a holy life according to the purpose of salvation and love brothers and sisters in the Lord. Also we have to work hard so that we may be respected by outsiders and not be dependent on anybody.

One word: We live lives to please God!

---