1 Thessalonians Love
Series: STAND FIRM
Speaker: James Barnett
Date: 20th October 2018
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 3:11-4:12
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 I get so much joy from my kids, especially when I see them working together.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:12 There's nothing like seeing Isaac playing with Micah, building a tower that they then
00:00:12 --> 00:00:16 smash together, seeing Tamara make Micah laugh.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:22 My children have this amazing ability to bring so much pleasure to me.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:29 There is something profound when all the guidance, all the teaching, all the no, don't hit
00:00:29 --> 00:00:34 her, use gentle hands, something profound when it all comes together.
00:00:35 --> 00:00:42 I suppose because I know how beautiful they can play and share and love each other, it
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 makes me so frustrated when it's not ideal.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:51 When they are as good as they can sometimes be, it's amazing, but when they're not, it's
00:00:51 --> 00:00:59 tough when they don't obey and hurt each other, when all it seems to be is conflict and self-centeredness.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:03 I wonder what God thinks when he looks at us.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 Do you think he finds joy in us?
00:01:07 --> 00:01:08 Do we please him?
00:01:09 --> 00:01:14 Or is he just as frustrated that we are not living as we should, angry that we can't play
00:01:14 --> 00:01:15 together nicely?
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 Is that all God sees?
00:01:18 --> 00:01:41 Christians believe that they are justified and forgiven by God's grace in Jesus' death and
00:01:41 --> 00:01:42 resurrection.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:47 But is that all that it is to the Christian relationship with God?
00:01:47 --> 00:01:50 Is he just a judge who forgives our crimes?
00:01:51 --> 00:01:57 We're saved by his grace and sanctified and he sanctifies us to fit his heaven and now we
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 work hard to obey?
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 Is that all the relationship with God is?
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 It seems a bit transactional.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:07 God loves us.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 He gives us his grace and we obey him.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 Is there anything that we do to please God?
00:02:15 --> 00:02:19 Is there anything we can do to please him?
00:02:20 --> 00:02:26 Today we're continuing looking at the book of 1 Thessalonians, standing firm in faith, hope
00:02:26 --> 00:02:27 and love.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 And today we're looking at issues of holiness.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 We're looking at issues of sexual purity and loving one another.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 key issues for the church and for the Christian.
00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 And in light of these issues of obedience, we're going to see whether there is anything
00:02:41 --> 00:02:45 we can do to bring joy and to please our Heavenly Father.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 So as we have a look at this passage, I'm going to pray for us.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:55 Heavenly Father, we thank you that we can indeed call you Father.
00:02:55 --> 00:03:02 Father, and as we look at your word this morning, help us to know you better and to know how
00:03:02 --> 00:03:03 we can please you.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:04 Amen.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:11 So as we've seen over the last couple of weeks, Paul and Silas were in Thessalonica, likely
00:03:11 --> 00:03:16 for a couple of months before they were chased out by a mob of Jews.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:21 And Paul has received word about how this new church was going.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:28 And he spent the first half of the letter celebrating the church and what God was doing in them
00:03:28 --> 00:03:29 and through them.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:33 And he's explaining and defending his motivations for coming.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:37 But now Paul turns to issues within the church.
00:03:38 --> 00:03:43 Everything seems to have been going well, but Paul still needs to address a couple of issues.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:49 And so he begins this with a section of prayer that shows us what he is going to talk about
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 over the next couple of chapters.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 From verse 11 of chapter 3.
00:03:55 --> 00:04:02 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:08 May the Lord make your love increase and flow for each other and for everyone else, just
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 as ours does for you.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:15 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our
00:04:15 --> 00:04:19 God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 So he mentions three things in particular.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 I want you to increase in love.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:28 I want you to strengthen your hearts, particularly in view of holiness.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:34 And I want you to hope, keep hoping that Jesus will return.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 Faith, hope and love.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:38 It's the three themes of the letter.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:40 We saw it at the start.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 It's here again in the very middle of the letter.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 And now it's the themes for the last couple of chapters of the book.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:52 They have heard the message of adoption, of acceptance, forgiveness, all by God's radical
00:04:52 --> 00:04:53 generosity.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:59 They've heard the message of faith in Jesus, of hoping in his return and loving one another,
00:05:00 --> 00:05:01 which he reminds them of.
00:05:02 --> 00:05:09 Not only does Paul remind them of how they are to live, Paul has some amazing news for
00:05:09 --> 00:05:09 them.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:10 Chapter 4, verse 1.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:18 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 God, as in fact you are now living.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:26 Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:31 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:36 The church was instructed how to live, how to live in order to please God.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:43 And not only have these people been saved by Jesus, they're being sanctified, they're taking
00:05:43 --> 00:05:51 off their old way of life, being changed, but it actually pleases God.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:57 And it's not some impossibility, as it says, we instructed you how to live in order to please
00:05:57 --> 00:06:01 God, as in fact you are now living.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 They were pleasing God.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 The lives that they were living were amazingly pleasing to God.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:16 This is not legalism or a works-based theology that makes God have to forgive us if we obey
00:06:16 --> 00:06:17 Him.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 Not at all, but it's a reminder that God is a person.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:30 He thinks, He feels, we please Him and we displease Him moment by moment within His loving,
00:06:31 --> 00:06:35 forgiving hands, inside His fatherly care for all of us.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:43 Through the finished work of Jesus on the cross, the way we are living our lives, the obedience
00:06:43 --> 00:06:48 we do, we have to God, the good deeds we do, it is actually delightful to God.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:56 Maybe you're feeling unsure at this point, because you don't really have a relationship
00:06:56 --> 00:06:57 with God as Father.
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 Maybe you relate to God as Lord.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 He's a God who is very far off.
00:07:03 --> 00:07:04 He is distant.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 He's a distant master who doesn't take joy in His servant.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 He just expects His servant to obey.
00:07:12 --> 00:07:17 Is God a judge that doesn't find happiness in the fact that the criminal has gotten away
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 with murder when they're found innocent?
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 But God is our Father.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:31 Have you ever thought about how your actions, your obedience, could see the infinite God who
00:07:31 --> 00:07:36 made the universe, could actually bring Him joy?
00:07:37 --> 00:07:44 That He sees everything at once, and He sees you, and He takes delight in you, when you choose
00:07:44 --> 00:07:49 to continue to follow Him over other things, over yourself.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 What would you do?
00:07:52 --> 00:07:56 How far would you go to please God, to bring God joy?
00:07:56 --> 00:08:00 This made me think of marriage.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:06 When two people get together, their best thoughts are often of trying to make the other person
00:08:06 --> 00:08:06 happy.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 You can probably imagine a newlywed couple.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 Think of a newlywed couple.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 I'm not sure if we have any newlywed couples here.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 Is there any newlywed couples here?
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 Anybody that wants me to use an example of them?
00:08:21 --> 00:08:25 Doran, when you get married, brother, that would be a wonderful thing.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 Let's just use two people.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 Who can we imagine?
00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 Should we just use Stephen that?
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 Maybe, maybe not.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 Let's just imagine this young married couple.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:40 They're just like puppy dogs.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 They're really sweet.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 They're so keen and eager to make the other person happy.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 They'll do anything for them.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 Maybe this was you when you first got married.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 Maybe this is still you.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:52 I'm not sure.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:58 One of the things that I do, that I continue to do to bring Alyssa joy, is to deal with
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 the spiders in our house.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:04 I've never really been a kill spiders kind of guy.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 I prefer to take them outside.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 I used to be okay that there were spiders because spiders eat flies.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 And I don't like flies.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 And spiders, they just kind of hang out in the corner.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:18 But Alyssa, she's not a fan of any kind of spider.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:21 And so I had to change.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:24 I changed so I could bring her joy.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 Well, less fear, more joy, I suppose.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 I changed who I am.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 So I became the Spider-Man of the household.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:35 I'll take them out.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 I'll gas them.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 I'll squash them.
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 I'll set them on fire.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:42 Whatever it takes to get our house free of spiders.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:45 But there is a truth to this.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 We change who we are to bring people joy.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:54 If Alyssa didn't like me having a beard, well, I probably wouldn't have it.
00:09:55 --> 00:09:58 My preference is to have a beard and to have my head bald.
00:09:58 --> 00:10:03 But I don't like having these locks of questionable color.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 Somewhere between blonde, brown and red.
00:10:07 --> 00:10:08 But Alyssa likes me having hair.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 And so I keep doing that to bring her joy.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 Now, we are not married to God.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 But we do have a relationship with Him.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 The Bible actually describes the church as the bride of Jesus.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 Our God has shown His radical love to us.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 And so He has the right to say,
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 This pleases me.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 And this doesn't.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 I don't like this behavior.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 But this is wonderful.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:42 The God who accepts and loves and delights in us,
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 He is also capable of saying,
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 We need to sit down and have a talk.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 It's time for some serious changes in your life.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:58 And so Paul encourages and urges the church in Thessalonica
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 to continue to please God more and more.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:05 Particularly, he urges them in faith, hope and love.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 And we're going to look at the first two of those,
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 faith and love.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 And next week we'll be looking at hope.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:14 So Paul, when he was with them,
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 he gave them instructions on sexual purity.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 But because it is so important,
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 he writes to them again.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 Chapter 4, verse 3.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:46 Living in this way is both God's will for our life
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 and it pleases God when we do it.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 The kind of, not a little bit of change from,
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 you know, leaving the dirty clothes on the floor
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 to putting them in the basket.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:59 This is massive change in the lives of the Thessalonian church.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:05 Paul calls on them to avoid sexual immorality,
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 not to reduce it,
00:12:06 --> 00:12:10 not to keep a small part of sexual immorality in their lives,
00:12:10 --> 00:12:15 not to keep some hidden deep in our hearts and homes
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 where no one else sees,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 but to avoid sexual immorality,
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 to abstain from it,
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 to have control over each of our bodies
00:12:24 --> 00:12:28 in a way that honors and brings pleasure to God,
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 to show that we are set apart,
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 that we are holy for Him.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:36 Controlled by our desire to please God
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 and not please ourselves,
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 not in passionate lust like the pagans
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 who don't know God.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:45 Instead, for people that do know God,
00:12:45 --> 00:12:49 that we would have self-control and self-mastery.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 The Gentile, the non-Jew,
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 the members of the Thessalonian church,
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 would have found it incredibly difficult
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 to understand how their conversion
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 to the Christian God
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 meant that they had to change their behavior
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 and abandon their pleasures.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 You see, the other religions in the area,
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 with the exception of Judaism,
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 all of the other religions,
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 promoted sexual immorality.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:18 The cults of the gods, Dionysus,
00:13:18 --> 00:13:22 Aphrodite, Osiris, and Isis,
00:13:22 --> 00:13:26 they all encouraged sexual license.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:30 Female slaves could be used to satisfy desires.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 Prostitutes were at the service of any person.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:37 Sexual immorality on view here
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 is anything outside of marriage,
00:13:39 --> 00:13:43 and it was easy to access for people in Thessalonica.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:47 And so if you moved from one religion to another religion,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 you would continue in those practices.
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 But moving to Christianity meant radical change.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:59 And Paul gives four motivations to seek sexual purity
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 on top of seeking to please God.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 From verse 6, have a look with me.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:07 And that in this matter,
00:14:07 --> 00:14:10 no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.
00:14:11 --> 00:14:14 The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins,
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 as we told you and warned you before.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 For God did not call us to be impure,
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 but to live a holy life.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 does not reject a human being,
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 but God,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 So firstly,
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 sexual purity is desired
00:14:34 --> 00:14:37 so that no one wrongs a brother or a sister.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 Sexual sin was not just a sinful liaison
00:14:41 --> 00:14:44 between two people or alone.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:47 It actually damaged relationship between people
00:14:47 --> 00:14:50 and relationships with God.
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 It damages existing relationships
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 between husbands and wives.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 It steals what should be kept for marriage
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 from the marriage bed.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:03 Sexual immorality corrupts the eye
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 and the heart of the viewer,
00:15:05 --> 00:15:08 leading to damage in later relationships.
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 And so Paul says,
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 don't wrong someone else
00:15:12 --> 00:15:14 by sinning sexually.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 Secondly,
00:15:17 --> 00:15:20 Paul says that the Lord will punish those
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 who commit such sins.
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 Now, this warning wasn't new for the church
00:15:24 --> 00:15:27 because sexual sin
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 doesn't just damage the community,
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 it damages the relationship with God.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 And God says that he will punish those
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 who sin.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 The third thing,
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 God called us to be pure.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 He called us to himself
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 to be pure,
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 to live a holy life.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 He didn't call us to himself
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 to be corrupted.
00:15:47 --> 00:15:51 The question of sexual immorality
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 is not a question of
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 what little things can I do,
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 how far can I go,
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 what is permissible,
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 or what can I get away with.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 It is purity.
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 How pure can I be?
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 And fourthly,
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 it's not Paul being rejected.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:12 Paul motivates them by saying,
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 this is the word of God.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 If you reject what I say here,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:17 you are rejecting God himself.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 These are not man-made words.
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 These are not words of a culture.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 They are not words of a particular time.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 It is God
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 who calls us to be pure.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 God's will is that we are to be pure
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 and holy
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 and blameless before him.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 And when we are,
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 it pleases God.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 Living pure lives
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 is actually a delight to God.
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 Have you ever made an omelette before?
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 Anybody made an omelette?
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 Did anybody have an omelette for breakfast?
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 No?
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 Okay.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 I've occasionally made an omelette.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 Imagine you're going to make an omelette
00:16:57 --> 00:17:00 for the person you love most in the world.
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 Let's say I'm making it for James Cason
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 just because he's right in front of me.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 And so I'm making an omelette for James.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 And I've got the bacon already chopped.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 I've got the cheese,
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 the chives,
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12 the mushrooms.
00:17:13 --> 00:17:13 James,
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 anything else you need in there?
00:17:18 --> 00:17:18 Egg.
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 Okay.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 We'll get to the egg.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:20 We'll get there.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 Anything else?
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 Anything else?
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 Tomato?
00:17:25 --> 00:17:25 Peppers?
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 Capsicum?
00:17:27 --> 00:17:27 Okay.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 Salt and pepper.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 Okay.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:29 And of eggs.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:29 Eggs.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:29 Okay.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 So I've got the eggs.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 I've got six.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:31 Don't worry.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 I don't really have eggs.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 This is all hypothetical.
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 And the recipe calls for six eggs.
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 And so I go to my fridge
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 and I've only got six eggs left.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 This is really good.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 This is good.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 This is just going to feed James.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 James is a very hungry,
00:17:45 --> 00:17:45 growing boy,
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 isn't he,
00:17:46 --> 00:17:46 mum?
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 And so,
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 you know,
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 six eggs is just going to be good for him.
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 And this omelette is going to bring
00:17:50 --> 00:17:53 so much joy to James.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:57 And so I crack the first egg
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 and the second egg
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 and the third egg
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 and the fourth egg
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 and the fifth egg.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 And I crack the sixth egg.
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 Remember,
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 I need six eggs
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 or he's going to be hungry
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 and he's not going to be satisfied.
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 And it stinks.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 It's rotten.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 Now,
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 we don't get too many rotten eggs
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 these days.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 I can't remember the last time
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 I got a rotten egg was,
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 but I got it today.
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 But this recipe calls for six eggs.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 So what do I do?
00:18:19 --> 00:18:24 Do I put it in anyway?
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 Let's put it in anyway.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 Because I really want to please James.
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 I need six eggs.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 How much do you think
00:18:31 --> 00:18:34 that little bit of rotten egg
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 is going to influence the whole?
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 And so I cook it up.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 I present it to James.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 And before he can even get his fork into it,
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 the smell hits him.
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 It's just awful.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 He goes green.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:50 What is this disgusting mess
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 you've put before me?
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 He shouts.
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 Impure.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 And he tosses it on the floor.
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 He's an angry guy.
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 He's not.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 He's not.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 He's lovely.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 We wouldn't present something like that
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 to someone we love
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 to consume,
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 would we?
00:19:07 --> 00:19:10 And yet we bring bodies and minds
00:19:10 --> 00:19:13 that are far more rotten than an omelette.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 And yet we offer them in marriage.
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 We say,
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 God,
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 this is enough for you.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 We've been loved by God so much,
00:19:23 --> 00:19:27 and yet we respond by giving him the good parts
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 mixed with bad,
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 and we think it's enough.
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 Brothers and sisters,
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 God calls you.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 God chooses,
00:19:36 --> 00:19:38 and he's called us not to live a life
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 mixed with good and bad.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 God loves you.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43 Not the good eggs with the rotten eggs,
00:19:44 --> 00:19:46 but to one of purity and holiness,
00:19:46 --> 00:19:49 to be a delight to him.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 Now let me encourage you,
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 even though we have all sinned in many ways,
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 we have all sinned sexually,
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 there is no time better
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 to change our lives,
00:20:02 --> 00:20:05 to live a life pleasing to God.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 God,
00:20:06 --> 00:20:08 if you are struggling in this area,
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 come and talk to me after church.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:14 We can have a good chat over a coffee.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 Come and,
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 if you're a woman and don't want to talk to me,
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 come and speak to Deb.
00:20:19 --> 00:20:21 Speak with your community group leader.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 It is good and right
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 for God to command us
00:20:26 --> 00:20:28 to obey him with our lives,
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 to live lives of purity,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 and when we do,
00:20:32 --> 00:20:34 they are a delight to God.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 And so,
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 in very similar language
00:20:37 --> 00:20:40 to Paul's encouragement to sexual purity,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 he encourages them
00:20:41 --> 00:20:44 to continue to live lives of love.
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 So,
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 have a look with me at verse 9,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 as we start to have a look
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 at Paul's call to love.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 Verse 9.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 Now,
00:20:53 --> 00:20:55 about your love for one another,
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 we do not need to write to you.
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 For you yourselves
00:20:58 --> 00:21:00 have been taught by God
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 to love each other.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 And in fact,
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 you do love
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 all of God's family
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 throughout Macedonia.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 Yet,
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 we urge you,
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 brothers and sisters,
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 to do so more and more.
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 And to make it your ambition
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 to lead a quiet life.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 You should mind your own business
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 and work with your hands,
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 just as we told you.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 So that your daily life
00:21:21 --> 00:21:23 may win the respect of outsiders.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:25 And so that you will not be
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 dependent on anyone.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 So,
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 Paul encourages
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 the Thessalonian church
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 to love,
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 to love one another.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34 Not just the people around them,
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 as they've been doing,
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 but their love
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 has actually gone out
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 into the whole of Macedonia.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 And he urges them
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 to do so more
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 and more.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 Here,
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 Paul speaks about those
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 who
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 should mind their own business
00:21:48 --> 00:21:50 and work with their hands.
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 Because it appears
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 that there are those
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 who had become lazy.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 They'd become lazy
00:21:56 --> 00:21:58 for one reason
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 or another.
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 And so they'd become
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 a burden
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 on their brothers and sisters.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 Now remember,
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 this was a time
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 before
00:22:04 --> 00:22:06 there was social systems
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 like ours.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 And so,
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 they didn't have a government
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 who would
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 hand out assistance.
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 There wasn't
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 a dull system
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 in those days.
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 What you had
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 was family.
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 You had
00:22:20 --> 00:22:22 your brothers and sisters
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 in the church.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 The burden
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 would have been
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 on the family
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 to provide
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 for someone
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 who wasn't working.
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 The burden
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 would have been
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 on the new church family.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 And so,
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 Christians should
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 either work
00:22:34 --> 00:22:36 or be seeking work.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 Now,
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 Christians,
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 you're all usually
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 a nice bunch.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 You're a good bunch
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 of people.
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 But Paul encourages
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 everyone
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 to keep working
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 with their hands.
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 Because it would be
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 very easy
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 to become a burden
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 from someone
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 in the church
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 to other people.
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 It's similar
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 to Paul's comments
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 on sexual purity.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 Brotherly love,
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 loving others,
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 is good for the community.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 It wins the respect
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 of outsiders.
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 And instead of being
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 dependent on other people,
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 working means
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 that they could love
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 one another.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 They could love
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 those in their church
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 and they could love
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 those outside
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 of the church
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 throughout Macedonia
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 as they had been.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 It creates a view
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 that says,
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 I want to please God
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 and so I'm not
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 going to be selfish.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 I'm going to please God
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 with my body
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 pursuing sexual purity
00:23:27 --> 00:23:29 and I'm not going
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 to be a burden
00:23:29 --> 00:23:31 on those around me.
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 Instead,
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 I want to work
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 and provide
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 for those people
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 around me
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 because God
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 has provided for me.
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 These
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41 are really important
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 words
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 for a young
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 church
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45 in Thessalonica.
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 He wants
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 this church
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 to continue
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 on for many
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 years,
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 to continue
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 to share
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 the gospel
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 of God,
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 to continue
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 to grow
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 and spread,
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 to continue
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 to share
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 the good news
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 of Jesus.
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 Now these
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 are messages
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 that are important
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 for a young
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 church to hear,
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 to be sexually
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 pure
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 and to love,
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 not being a burden.
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 Because unfortunately,
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 I've heard
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 too many horror stories
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 of churches
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 falling apart
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 because of
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16 sexual immorality.
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 you may have
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 heard of
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 similar stories
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 where the devil
00:24:20 --> 00:24:22 has dangled
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 temptation
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 in front of
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 the leader's
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 eyes,
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 hoping to
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 destabilize
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 a church.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 Imagine this
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 church in
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 Thessalonica.
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 They are
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 influencing the
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 country and
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 the region
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 around them.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 How easy
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 would it be
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 for temptation
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 at the top,
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 those who are
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 leading the
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 church,
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 so that
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 they sin
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 sexually
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 and the
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 church falls
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 apart?
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 How easy
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 would that
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 be to
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 happen?
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 When people's
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 eyes slip
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 from seeking
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 God to
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 seeking their
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 own pleasure,
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 it destroys
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 churches,
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 it destroys
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 people's lives.
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 And loving
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 brothers and
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 sisters more
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 and more,
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 it will combat
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 against all
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 kinds of sins
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 and personal
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 agendas in
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 the church.
00:25:08 --> 00:25:10 staying pure,
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 staying blameless,
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 loving more
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 and more,
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 it effectively
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 future-proofs a
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 church against
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 attacks from
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 outside and
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 inside.
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 And so we
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 should be
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 praying,
00:25:24 --> 00:25:26 we should be
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 praying that
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 this church
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 here would
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 continue to
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 love more
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 and more.
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 We should be
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 praying for
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 one another,
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 we should be
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 praying for
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 our leaders,
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 you should be
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 praying for
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 me,
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 that we
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 would please
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 God with
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 our lives,
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 that we
00:25:41 --> 00:25:43 would avoid
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 sexual immorality.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 We should be
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 praying so
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 that our
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 families continue
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 strong in
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 the Lord,
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 so that our
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 daily lives
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 would win the
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 respect of
00:25:54 --> 00:25:56 outsiders and
00:25:56 --> 00:25:58 ring out into
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 the area around
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 us.
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 God has
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 saved us,
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 he has
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 forgiven us,
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 he has loved
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 us,
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 and he
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 delights in
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 us.
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 Obeying
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 God actually
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 pleases
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 him.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 We can
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 please the
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 God of
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 the universe.
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 How can
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 we not
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 change and
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 seek to
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 live lives
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 to bring
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 delight and
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 joy to
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 the God
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 who loves
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 us and
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 made us?
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 Let me
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 pray.
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 Heavenly
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 Father,
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 you have
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 indeed loved
00:26:33 --> 00:26:35 us so much,
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 so much that
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 we can't even
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 imagine it.
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 Heavenly
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 Father,
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 thank you that
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 you have
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 brought us
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 into your
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 family,
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 that we
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 can indeed
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 call you
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 Father.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 And Lord,
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 we thank you
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 that when we
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 obey you,
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 when we
00:26:48 --> 00:26:50 live lives
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 that bring you
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 honor,
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 that it
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 actually
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 pleases you.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 God,
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 we seek to
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 do that
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 with our
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 bodies.
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 Help us to
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 do that in
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 purity.
00:27:01 --> 00:27:03 God,
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 we ask
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 that you
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 would help
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 us to
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 do that
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 with love
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 to one
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 another,
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 so that
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 our church
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 would stand
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 firm,
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 so that
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 our lives
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 and our
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 families
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 would stand
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 firm in
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 faith and
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 hope and
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 love,
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 so that we
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 can please
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 you and
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 bring you
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 all the
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 glory.
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 We ask
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 this in
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 your son's
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 name.
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 Amen.
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 Amen.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 Amen.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 Amen.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 Amen.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 Amen.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 Amen.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 Amen.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 Amen.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 Amen.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 Amen.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:26 Amen.
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 Amen.
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 Amen.
00:27:26 --> 00:27:28 Amen.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:28 Amen.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:28 Amen.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:28 Amen.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 Amen.
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 Amen.
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 Amen.