The Model Life: Abstinence, Part 4

Take your Bible and turn with me to 1st Thessalonians chapter 4. 1st Thessalonians chapter 4. We are looking at the model life. And the model life primarily is a life of abstinence. In the first eight verses of chapter 4, we have the injunction when it comes to abstinence.

Then surrounding the injunction you have the instructions of what it means to live a life of abstinence. And then you have the implications of living a life of abstinence. Let me read to you once again these eight verses to set them in your mind.

It says in verse number 1 of chapter 4, Finally then brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you receive from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God, just as you actually do walk, that you excel still more.

For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that is that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you know how to possess his own vessel and sanctification and honor, not a lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God, and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter, because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.

So he who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives his Holy Spirit to you. Having read that, what goes through your mind? What's the first thing that pops in your mind?

What is it that the Spirit of God is trying to tell you? Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4.13, until I come, I want you to give attention to the public reading of the scriptures, to exhortation and to instruction. Paul set a mandate out for Timothy as a young pastor to make sure he reads the scriptures. We tend today to minimize the reading of the word. We should maximize it, but we tend to minimize it. And Paul has already said in verse number 13 of chapter 2 that the word of God effectually works in those who believe.

He said in verse 4 of chapter 1 that it was the power of the word that saved the Thessalonians. So Paul would come and he would read the scriptures. He would teach the scriptures. He would explain the scriptures. But the power of the word of God is such that when it's read, there are certain things it does. I think that we forget that. In fact, if you've got your Bible, turn back with me, if you would, to the book of Nehemiah just to kind of figure out where it is in the Old Testament. The book of Nehemiah.

And in the 8th chapter, something unique really happens in the life of Israel. It says in verse number 1, And all the people gathered as one man at the square, which was in front of the water gate. And they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding on the first day of the seventh month.

He read from it before the square, which was in front of the water gate from early morning until midday in the presence of men and women, those who could understand. And all the people were attentive to the book of the law. Now think about that for a moment. Until the break of day, until midday, the scripture was read. That's six hours if you're counting. Ezra would read the Pentateuch for six hours. And the people were attentive. We can't imagine doing anything for six hours, let alone listening to the law of the Lord.

And you know what? They didn't do it sitting down. They stood the whole time. Think about that. We don't even like to stand in line at Disneyland for 45 minutes knowing that there's a ride at the end, let alone stand to listen to the reading of the word for six hours. Pick up the narrative in verse five. Ezra opened the book and decided of all the people, for he was standing above the people, and when he opened it, all the people stood up. They stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, Amen, Amen.

While lifting up their hands, then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Verse eight, they read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense that they understood the reading. Then Nehemiah who was the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep, for all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. Why would they be weeping?

What was it about the word of the Lord that was so convicting that it caused them to weep? Then he said to them, Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, Be still, for the day is holy. Do not be grieved. All the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival because they understood the words which had been made known to them.

Now, when I read that and I think about the church today and asking the church to stand from early morning to midday to hear the word of the Lord read and explained, would you do that? Would that even be appealing to you? Would it even be something you would want to do? Because we can think of a million other things to do for those six hours than to listen to the word of the Lord being read. But there's something about God's word that caused them to weep. They realized that as Ezra was reading the law of God, how much they had violated the law of God and great conviction came over them because they realized that they had fallen short of God's glory.

We tend to read the word of the Lord and just kind of pass it off as if it was just like another novel, a newspaper article, an email we receive from someone else. Instead of recognizing that it is truly the word of the living God. And when you read it, certain things happen. When we went through the book of Nehemiah, I did a whole sermon on reasons to read God's revelation. I put it in a bookmark so people wouldn't forget and gave them the reasons you read the scriptures from Psalm 119 only. Only from Psalm 119.

And told them when you read the word of God, it rescues you, it reexamines you, repairs you, refuels you, replenishes you, reinvigorates you, refocuses you, redirects you, revives you, rewards you, and restrains you. That's all out of Psalm 119. In fact, Psalm 119 verse number 101 says these words. I have restrained my feet from every evil way that I may keep your word. Just reading the word of God restrains you. Why? Because the spirit of God lives within you if you're a believer. And the spirit of God uses the word of God to convict you and to compel you to live for the Lord you serve.

So when you read like the first eight verses, the first Thessalonians chapter four, when it says this is the injunction, this is the will of God that you abstain from sexual immorality, it should cause us to want to live a life of restraint, a life of abstinence.

And then all around that injunction comes the instructions that Paul gives in order for us to be able to do that. And we've been giving them to you and we just use the word abstain as an acrostic to show you how it happens. And the first instruction, of course, was that you need to aspire, aspire to please God only and always.

That's because Paul says, we want you to please God and you're doing that. But we want you to excel even all the more in pleasing God. So it begins with this aspiration in my heart that I'm gonna live to the pleasure and honor of God. That's where it begins. Because if that's not your ambition, if that's not your aspiration, then you won't abstain from sexual immorality because you want to please yourself or please your partner or someone else. So it begins with this aspiration, aspiring to please God only and always and then to begin bodily discipline, which is necessary in my pursuit of holiness.

That's why Paul says in verse number four, each of you needs to know how to possess his own vessel. Each of you needs to master his own body. You need to bring your body under control. You need to discipline your body. It's a matter of discipline. It begins in the mind and moves its way to the body that you might be able to live for the glory and honor of God. Number three, we embarked on last week.

And number three simply is to submit. Submit freely and fully to the demands and delights of Scripture. Submit freely and fully to the delights and demands of Scripture. That's why Paul says, as he does, with these words, finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that as you receive from us instruction on how to walk, and by the way, you are doing that, we want you to excel all the more.

In other words, he says, you have willingly submitted yourself. You have freely and fully submitted yourself to Scripture, to the instruction of the Word of God. And we want you to do that even all the more because of this instruction that we've commanded you. So important that we learn to submit ourselves to what God's Word actually does say. Proverbs chapter 28, verse number nine, says these words. He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination. I have people come to me all the time and say, you know, Pastor, I've been praying for this, and I've been praying about this, and I'm not getting any answers.

My very first question to them is, have you turned your ear away from listening to all that God says?

Is there something you're rebelling against in your heart? Is there something you're unwilling to submit yourself freely and fully to in the Word of God? Because the Bible's very clear that he who turns his ear away from listening to the law of God, even his prayer is an abomination to the Lord. That's just a very strong way of putting it because God expects us to listen to him and to hear what he has to say because in listening to his Word, then we know how to pray and we know what to ask for. Earlier, Solomon would say, Proverbs 13, verse number 13, the one who despises the Word will be destroyed by it, but the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

Now think about that. He who despises the Word, he who turns his ear away from the Word, he who looks down with disdain upon the Word will be destroyed by that Word, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded. Those who despise the Word will be destroyed by the Word. Those who revere the Word will be rewarded by the Word. Very clear. Solomon goes on to say these words. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life. It's like drinking living water to turn aside from the snares of death. When you listen to the Word of God, when you hear the wise teach the Word of God, it's like a fountain of living water and a protection from the entrapment of death, those things that will turn you away from the Lord.

Good understanding produces favor, he says in verse 15, but the way of the treacherous, the callous, is hard. It's hard. The Lord wants to make our paths smooth. He gives us His Word to help us understand the importance of that. In Psalm 119, the psalmist said these words. How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart. They also do no unrighteousness. They walk in His ways. You have ordained your precepts that we should keep them diligently. Oh, that my ways may be established to keep your statutes.

Then I shall not be ashamed when I look upon all your commandments. I won't be ashamed. Won't have to. Because I walk in your ways. I follow your commandments. Verse 57 of Psalm 119. The Lord is my portion. I have promised to keep your words. I sought your favor with all my heart. Be gracious to me according to your word. I considered my ways and turned my feet to your testimonies. In other words, I looked at my life. I knew which way I was going and realized that I was going the way opposite of your testimonies.

So I turned them around to go the opposite way because I needed to follow what your word said. I needed to submit myself freely and fully to the delights and demands of the scriptures. He says in verse 60, I hastened and did not delay to keep your commandments. The cords of the wicked have encircled me, but I have not forgotten your law. I hastened and did not delay to keep your commandments. Just a way of understanding that when the word of God is read and you hear it and the commandment is clearly given, you quickly run to keep the commandment.

That's the way the psalmist was. That's the way we should live our lives. But we find ourselves delaying in our obedience. We find ourselves wanting, well, I hear it, but I don't know if I really want to do it that way or not or do I really want to do it today? Maybe I'll wait till tomorrow. We're not hastening to obey the commands of God. We just kind of delay to keep them. Instead, instead of submitting freely and fully, we submit partially, not fully. We submit sometimes reluctantly and not freely, and that's because of our own sin and our unwillingness to obey what the word of the Lord says.

I love what Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 23, verse number 29. He says, Is not my word like a fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that shatters the rock? God's word's like a hammer that shatters the hard, cold heart and breaks it up. That's why it's so important that when you read with your children, I don't care how old your children are, you read to your children the Scriptures, whether they're one, two, three, four, five, but they don't understand. It's irrelevant. Read to them the Scriptures.

Help them to understand the power of the Scriptures. There's always a word that you read to them that you can accentuate with, that you can speak about, that will draw home to them. We were at Cade's house last night, and Cade was reading Proverbs 1 to Carson. Carson doesn't understand Proverbs 1, but he understands when Solomon says, My son, listen to the commandment of your father. So when Cade says, Who's your father? He says, You are. And Cade says, Who's my son? He says, I am. Who's your mother?

She is, pointing to his mother, because you want to follow the teaching, as the verse goes on to say, of your mother. So you see, at a very young age, you're beginning to put into their mind the importance of the commandments of God, to listen, to hear them, to follow them, to obey them. Because as parents, that's what we do by way of example to our children, to model them, our submitting freely and fully to the demands and delights of Scripture. You'll find as parents, the biggest hindrance to your children submitting freely to the Scripture is you.

And your unwillingness to submit to the authority of Scripture in your own life. They pick up on that real easily, real quickly. Well, if dad doesn't do it, I don't have to do it. If mom's not going to say it that way, I'm not going to say it that way. They pick up on those things very easily. But when it comes to sexual sin, and to abstain from sexual immorality, it's the power of the Word of God where I learn to submit freely and fully to all the demands and delights of Scripture. You'll find, you'll find that the reason we commit sexual sin is because there's something I'm unwilling to submit my life to in the Word of God.

Because once I submit myself to it, then I am captivated by it. And it controls me. Which leads me to point number four in our outline. A, B, S, T. T is this. Turn away, not just from sin, but from every appearance of evil. We know where to turn away from sin. So I'm going to put that in there. But you need to turn away from every appearance of evil. That's one thing we don't necessarily want to do. But it's so important that we do that. Psalm 101, verse number three, the psalmist said these words.

I will set no worthless thing before my eyes. How many worthless things do we set before our eyes? It could be by way of our computer. It could be by way of billboards. It could be by way of things that walk by me during the day or people who walk by me during the day. The psalmist said, I will set no worthless thing before my eyes. Can we make that same commitment? Because he didn't want to be tempted to turn away from the Lord. He wanted to turn away from every appearance of evil. Proverbs chapter 16, verse number six.

By the fear of the Lord, one turns away from evil. There's your answer as to why you don't turn away from the appearance of evil. It's because you really don't fear the Lord. You need to live in the fear of the Lord all day long. It's important to realize way back in the book of Exodus when God had given the law to Israel, it says in verse number 18 of Exodus chapter 20, all the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.

Then they said to Moses, Speak to us yourself and we will listen, but let not God speak to us or we will die. And Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid for God has come in order to test you in order that the fear of him may remain with you so that you may not sin. He says, God wants you to fear him because it helps you stay away from evil. It keeps you from breaking the commands that he gives you. So you need to fear him. Isn't it interesting that when you read Hebrews chapter 11, that Moses' parents hid Moses because they did not fear the king's edict.

And then you come to Moses and Moses chose to endure ill treatment with the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin because he too did not fear the king's edict. That's good. You want your children to fear the Lord? You better fear the Lord because that passes down really well. How could Moses choose to endure ill treatment with the people of God over enjoying the passing pleasures of sin for a season? Because he feared the Lord more than he feared the king. That's why. He made the right choice.

When you turn away from the appearance of evil, it requires you to make a choice. When temptation comes your way and the opportunity to sin is there, you make a choice. You either choose to be obedient or you choose to be disobedient. You either choose to obey God or disobey God. You either choose to endure difficulty or enjoy pleasure. But if you choose to enjoy pleasure, you'll end up with insurmountable pain. But if you choose to endure pain, you'll end up with insurmountable pleasure. But see, we don't see that.

Joseph did. When he fled from Potiphar's wife, he understood that. David did not. King David. Samson did not. But Joseph did. That's why Paul says, flee immorality. Run away. Turn away. Fly the other direction. But you're not going to turn away from the appearance of evil if you're not already submitting to the Scriptures. And you can't submit to the Scriptures unless you're willing to begin bodily discipline. And you're not going to begin bodily discipline unless you aspire to please God only and always.

Each falls upon the other. Paul knows that. So when Paul says, abstain from sexual immorality, he's saying, you've got to turn completely away from that, even the appearance of evil, because it's going to lead you down the wrong path, the path of destruction. The Bible says, the reason we don't turn is because we don't really fear the Lord enough.

We don't think that God is going to do anything. We don't revere Him, respect Him, honor Him. Oh yeah, we'll put our time in for God on Sundays and we'll read a little portion of Scripture here and there and we'll talk about Jesus every once in a while, but do we really revere Him and fear Him, as the Scriptures say? And for the most part, we don't because we don't think there's going to be really any consequences. I'd like to escape the consequences, but you really can't. You may for a while, but over time, you will pay the consequences.

And that's why it's so important to fear the Lord and to turn away from evil. In Ephesians chapter 5, Paul says these words, But immorality or impurity or greed must not even be named among you as is proper among the saints. Think about that. Don't even name it among you. Anything immoral, anything impure should not be a part of your conversation. And there must be no filthiness and silly talk or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather give me no thanks. For this you know with certainty that no immoral or impure person or covetous man who is an idolater has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not be partakers with them. For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light. For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them. Paul makes it very clear that we are to have certain things not even mentioned among us because of the consequences that they could lead to.

And Paul makes it very clear in Ephesians 5, also in Colossians chapter 3, the things that we are to put away in our lives. And I wonder how many of us are truly doing that? Are we actually turning away, not just from sin, but even the appearance of evil? Because it's costly. It's very costly. We forget that Ananias and Sapphira were killed in church. And they were believers. They killed simply because they just lied to the Holy Spirit. It wasn't that they were committing some kind of immorality in the church.

They lied to the Holy Spirit and God killed them. And great fear came not only upon the church, but all in Jerusalem who heard about it. The Bible speaks about a sin unto death. 1 John chapter 5, verse number 16. John says, if anyone sees his brother committing a sin, sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I do not say that he should make requests for this. In the church, we have forgotten that there is a sin that leads to death.

What kind of sin is that? I don't know. How many times do you have to commit it to experience a sin unto death? I don't know that either. But there comes a time in the life of an individual who's a believer, who lives an unrepentant life, that God, for the sake of the testimony of the church, the testimony of that family and that person, takes that person home. Someone is involved in sin and claims to be a Christian and they haven't died over a period of time and they have not experienced the sin unto death.

It could be that they were never a believer to begin with. That's why they're still alive. And God's giving them grace. They may learn to repent from their sin. You can read in the book of Revelation, the second chapter, about the church of Thyatira.

They flirted with the world. And God says, I'm coming down to you and I'm going to deal with you. And then, I'm sorry, that's the church of Pergamon. Then he moves to the church of Thyatira. The church of Pergamon flirted with the world. The church of Thyatira was married to the world. And God says, I'm coming down to kill you.

Come down to the church unless you repent of your sins. We're about to partake at the Lord's table this morning. Listen to what Paul says. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself. In so doing, he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason, many among you are weak and sick and a number have died.

Now stop and think about that for a second. He's writing to the church of Corinth. He says, you're abusing the Lord's table. You're not treating it with dignity and respect. You're eating and drinking in an unworthy manner. In other words, there's some sin you're committing. And for the symbolism of this table where it exemplifies the forgiveness of sins that God graciously has given to you, you are partaking in an unworthy manner by continuing in that sin or some kind of sin or plural. And you're guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

That means that you have dishonored God in doing so. You're treating His death on the cross as if it doesn't matter or as if it's irrelevant to you. You're treating the Lord's table lightly, not seriously because it symbolizes everything about our redemption and what God did to save us from our sin. So when you come in to partake of the Lord's table, let a man examine himself to make sure he doesn't eat and drink in an unworthy manner, thus dishonoring the Lord. And then Paul says, but you know what?

You haven't done that. That's why so many among you are weak and sick. And then he says, and many more have died. They actually died, the sin of the death, because they would eat and drink in an unworthy manner. Now just because you partake of the Lord's communion today and you die this afternoon doesn't mean you ate and drank in an unworthy manner. It could mean that. I don't know that. And I would pray that you wouldn't die this afternoon. And just because you're sick doesn't mean that you're eating and drinking in an unworthy manner.

Although it could be. I don't know. That's why Paul says, examine your life. Put your life under the microscope of the Scriptures. Are you living a life of repentance? Are you living a life that's turning away from not just sin but the appearance of sin? Because you want to live a life that's pure and holy before God. Are you right with one another? Or is there bitterness and anger in your heart that would cause you to eat and drink in an unworthy manner? That's why we are to make sure that we're right with one another before we partake at the Lord's table.

We've been reconciled to the Lord. We should be reconciled to one another by His finished work on Calvary's cross. We should be willing to forgive. We should be willing to love one another. To serve one another. To humbly submit ourselves under one another for the glory of His kingdom. Because we don't want to eat and drink in an unworthy manner. That's why the Bible says, by the fear of the Lord, one turns away from evil.

When you fear the Lord, you don't want to sin against the Lord. When you sin against the Lord, it's because you weren't fearing Him. You didn't think He was going to do anything. He's gracious, He's kind, He's loving, He's forgiving. And He is all that and more. And yet, Paul would say in this same passage of Scripture, these words, that the Lord is the avenger of all these things. And if you, he says, reject this word, you're not rejecting man, you're not rejecting me, you're rejecting God. You're despising His word.

And we read Proverbs 13 earlier, if you despise His word, you'll be destroyed by His word. So Paul makes it very clear. And you know what about the Thessalonians? They just read the text. They read the letter that Paul gave them and they obeyed. They followed. They submitted freely and fully. At the end of chapter 5, he will rattle off a series of commands without any explanation whatsoever as to what they mean and how you do that. Because he knows that they are a submissive church. They are an obedient church.

So he says, you just need to rejoice always. Then he explained to them how to rejoice always. He just tells them you've got to do that. And they do it. He tells them that they need to give thanks to God always because this is the will of God concerning them. And they just do it. Because they're a submissive church. Then he explained to them how to give thanks, when to give thanks, the situations around Thanksgiving. He just says give thanks. Rejoice always. Oh, pray without ceasing. He didn't tell them how to pray, when to pray, all the different aspects concerning prayer.

He just says pray without ceasing. And they obey. Because they wanted to submit themselves freely and fully to the authority of God's word. When you do that, you turn away, not just from evil, but even the appearance of evil. When you understand those first four principles, you're on your way to gain victory over sexual sin in your life.

And Paul wants that for you. The Lord wants that for you. I want that for you. I want that for all of us. That we'd understand what it means to live lives well-pleasing to God. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this day and the opportunity you give us to spend this brief moment in your word. For truly, Lord, it is the authoritative word of the living God. We thank you, Lord, that we didn't write it. You did. You used holy men of God moved by the Spirit of God to record the words of God. So we know that when we read it, we're not reading the words of man, but the words of God.

You give us commandments. You don't give us suggestions, just commandments. And you expect your children to follow. My prayer for all of us, Lord, is that we would willingly submit ourselves to the authority of your word, knowing that you, as a great God of forgiveness, will forgive all of our sins, no matter what they were yesterday, what they were last week, you'll forgive them. And we come to you in repentance and trust and belief in the living God. We thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.