Reject

1 Thessalonians 4: “7 For God uhath not called us unto wuncleanness, but xunto iholiness. 8 yHe therefore that ||despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, zwho hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. [1]

I.   Refute

     A. Filth

     B. Fortitude

II. Refuse

     A. Family

     B. Father

III. Renounce

     A. Fortune

     B. Forfeit

Introduction:  I hurriedly printed the outline on our way out the door on Saturday October 24th.  When we got back I printed a corrected one for Karen.  Today’s scripture is from 1 Thessalonians 4, not 3 like the first one that I left for Karen.  It is my fault and I didn’t catch it until I was preparing my sermon notes while we were at the beach.  On the last day of our trip to the Outer Backs, we got news of Wayne Spear; my brother-in-law’s passing.  On the drive home I knew that our trip through Thessalonica would be postponed.  I appreciate that my church family allowed me to honor the life of Wayne Walter Spear last Sunday.

The outline mistake was because my concern for walking to the truck to have fun at the beach was greater than my concern for walking with God so my actions didn’t please Him.  That is what this message is about today.  Chapter three has one paragraph concerning reassurance for having gone through trials and tribulations to get strength of faith and character.  This 4th chapter has three paragraphs with three points.  You see that with the first word furthermore and the next two paragraphs begin with that little word “but.”

Paul started chapter four with “furthermore” to focus in on the fact that now since you have the faith and strength to continue there are things that must be realized and other things that must be avoided if a follower wants to continue in confidence as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  If a person is to truly be a Christian there cannot be two ideas of what is real.  There cannot be a backsliding that ends a person back where they started their climb up the slope of sanctification.  The climb must continue until the summit is reached.

As with all of scripture there are elements of physical, emotional, and spiritual considerations in this first paragraph of chapter four.  Keep in mind that Paul and the others who God used as His penmen for His Bible did not use chapter and verse numbers to separate the Bible.  Those were added much later so that we might have a way of filing the scriptures into the different drawers of our mind’s file cabinets.  The dividers are necessary for us to remember where to find the many many truths but sometimes there are more points of interest in a single paragraph than in other entire chapters.  Chapter four seems to me to have three main points that require attention enough to have three different messages so we will be here in chapter four for three Sundays.

This paragraph today is so important because it is the basis for what has led society to go off course.  All that is being argued over in the courts could be settled if we could only follow this one short paragraph that we will consider today.  It is one that should be common knowledge to the church but somehow congregations are divided over this thing more today perhaps than ever before.  Even the Pope of the Catholic denomination just recently changed direction and renounced what the Bible has to say about fornication.  It is important to understand exactly what this word fornication actually means which many would rather ignore.

Scripture:  Today’s scripture is 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8.  When you have found it please rise to your feet for the reading of God’s written word.

Prayer: Please be seated

Message:  Follow as we read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-6…  We beseech you.  Paul didn’t say that he was alone in his plea for those folks; we beseech you.  Those of us who are alongside of Jesus are together in this thing.  We plead with you to pay close attention to this.  We exhort you; in other words we are strongly advising you with whatever confidence you have in us that this is something that you must do if you expect to grow as Christians and use your model of life to influence someone else.

This election is supposed to be over in our nation.  We looked for someone who has taken the walk and has proved that they can lead by example of righteousness.  Are there any?  Is there one?  There are so many ideas of what is righteous and what is wrong today.  That is why this is so important.  I pray that you found a righteous person to give your vote to.

Paul said that the main lesson that he hoped anyone, who would listen and would learn, would be how to walk with God and to please God so that they could overcome the obstacles of life.  As the song says, “Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.”  If you can’t be happy with Jesus then you’re going to be an unhappy person by your own choice.  The idea of sanctification is nothing without Jesus.  You are progressing towards your own destruction.

There at the end of verse three is that word we would rather avoid; “that ye should abstain from fornication:” [2]  Notice that the sentence didn’t end at the end of verse three.  Verse three ended with a colon which means a list of qualifiers is coming.  What is fornication?  Possessing your body or vessel of the Holy Spirit, in sanctification and honor is the first part.  Sanctification is the process of being cleansed from sin so that you can be in the presence of God.  Honor is being or having something in your possession that other honorable people value as righteous attributes.  If a thief thinks you are a cool dude that’s probably not what Paul was talking about.

Verse five mentions lust of concupiscence.  Lust is a hungering to have something that is not yours.  It is actually the opposite of love.  Concupiscence, according to Encarta, means powerful feelings of physical desire.  So there it is, fornication isn’t only limited to sex beyond marriage though that is the primary cause for most of the problems in society.  There in verse six Paul goes on to say that in addition to not controlling your own body a person should also not persuade his brothers (or sisters for that matter) that something is right when it is wrong so that they might have personal gain.  The word there is defraud; anyone who defrauds can understand that The Lord will avenge or make right that which was made wrong by the one who defrauded.  In other words they will not get away with it and they have been warned.  Verses three through six are all one sentence that leads up to our focus today,

In verse seven, “For God” or because God is Paul’s way of refuting the things mentioned in the verses above.  Fornication; filth or uncleanness is not what God has called us to this point for in our faith.  We were called to be Christians so that we can be holy and without sin.  Holy!  Strong in faith; fortitude against what the devil might tempt us with.

A person who despises or rejects the teachings that God has placed before us in the Bible is evidence that the person refuses God.  Refuse; that which you have thrown away.  Today, it is family that is being rejected.  People believe that to have someone tell them anything other than what they want to hear is a violation of their freedom.  That is the path to slavery and they are taking the steps apart from God and their family.  It is more than that though, they have decided to throw away their heavenly Father and that is impossible.  He is the only thing that will last.

There are so many people who are renouncing faith in anything except themselves.  To hear things like, “we will get through this thing together” to the one who renounces faith in the one and only Creator is blasphemous for the believer.  He will bring us through whatever He brings us through.  If He decides, we will get through it one Christian at a time.  The path is narrow.

How many have been tested for the virus in this church?  Did those of you who got tested get through that with your church family?  Yes you did through prayer but physically you were alone with God.  That is enough!  Why?  There it is in the end of verse eight.  God has also given us His Holy Spirit.  Can you turn away from that?

Mark 3:”28 dVerily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is ein danger of eternal damnation: 30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.” [3]

It is one thing to renounce the fortune which being a Christian can bring you.  Jesus Himself said that all sins shall be forgiven of the sons of men and even blasphemies.  In other words saying someone who misrepresents the truth that God has told you is blasphemous.  If you know you are wrong even in that and you ask for forgiveness it shall be granted.

However; if you renounce The Holy Spirit once you have received Him; that is a much different idea.  Jesus Himself said that if a person does that then that person has forfeited salvation and is in danger of eternal damnation.  Many Baptists believe in eternal security which is to say “once saved, always saved.”  I believe that too 99.99%.  In that scripture from Mark the verse “because they said”, implies that someone other than Jesus said that a person who could renounce the Holy Spirit has an unclean spirit so two spirits cannot dwell in the same vessel.  Since that is true then if a person has an evil spirit within them that they decide not to get rid of, The Holy Spirit will not be able to enter that vessel, that person’s soul.

The author of Hebrews explained this in chapter six, “For lit is mimpossible for those who were once nenlightened, and have tasted of othe heavenly gift, and pwere made partakers of sthe Holy Ghost, 5 And qhave tasted rthe good word of God, and sthe powers of tthe world to come,6  If they shall ttfall away, to renew them again uunto repentance; vseeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and wput him to an open shame. 7 For the earth xwhich drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs ymeet zfor them ||by whom it is dressed, xreceiveth blessing from God: 8 But athat which beareth thorns and briers is brejected, and is bbnigh unto ccursing; ccwhose end is to be burned.” [4]

That is very scary stuff so we’d better read on unless we get the wrong idea.  9 But, beloved, we are persuaded dbetter things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. 10 ddFor eGod is not unrighteous fto forget your work and fglabour of love, which hye have shewed toward his name, in that iye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that every one of you do hshew the same kdiligence to lthe full assurance of mhope unto the end: 12 That ye be not nslothful, but nnfollowers of them who through faith and patience inherit opthe promises. [5]  In all that we hear and see just now always remember this, Jesus loves you.  Yes Jesus loves you.

Prayer:

Invitation:  If you can still say that Jesus is Lord you are still on your way to heaven.  To witness this generation and not be affected is not possible because you have the love of Christ within you.  Let us not turn to the hatred that others have for God who do not know Him.

The only way to turn another is to not be turned yourself.

We need to pray today for those who are making decisions for this nation that we will turn again towards God.  Who are those who are making decisions?  Every person who has gone into a voting booth and presented their ballot to be counted are the ones making decisions for how this country will either follow or walk away from God.

For us, this is not our home.  If this is your home then you have already decided.  We have a place that is being prepared for us in a place that will never be like this place.  Please pray this morning for that one person who God has placed in your heart.  I know there is one that God has asked you to pray for today.  Please respond to God as we sing…

u See Rom. 1:7.
w ch. 2:3. See Gal. 5:19.
x So 1 Pet. 1:14, 15. See Lev. 11:44.
i ver. 4, 7. Rom. 6:19, 22. Heb. 12:14 in the Gk.
y So Luke 10:16.
|| Or, rejecteth. See Mark 7:9.
z 1 John 3:24. & 4:13. So 1 Cor. 2:10. & 7:40?
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 1 Th 4:7–8). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 1 Th 4:3). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
d To ver. 30, Matt. 12:31, 32. Luke 12:10.
e Matt. 26:66. ch. 14:64. 1 Cor. 11:27. Heb. 2:15. James 2:10 in the Gk. So Matt. 5:21, 22.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mk 3:28–30). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
l See Matt. 12:31, 45. So ch. 10:26.
m Comp. Matt. 19:26. Mark 10:27. Luke 18:27.
n ch. 10:32 (Gk.). So Eph. 1:18. Comp. John 1:9.
o So John 4:10. & 6:32. Eph. 2:8.
p See Gal. 3:2. So ch. 2:4.
s Gal. 3:5 (Gk.).
q Ps. 34:8. 1 Pet. 2:3.
r See Eph. 6:17.
s Gal. 3:5 (Gk.).
t So ch. 2:5.
tt See Wisd. 6:9.
u Comp. ch. 12:17.
v So ch. 10:29.
w Esther 14:11. Matt. 1:19 in the Gk.
x Ps. 65:10.
y Hist. of Susanna 15. Luke 9:62 in the Gk.
z So 2 Tim. 2:6.
|| Or, for. See ch. 2:9.
x Ps. 65:10.
a Isai. 5:6.
b See 1 Cor. 9:27.
bb So ch. 8:13 (Gk.).
c So Jer. 44:22. Comp. Gen. 3:17.
cc So Isai. 27:11. Ezek. 15:4. Mal. 4:1. John 15:6.
[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Heb 6:4–8). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
d See ch. 7:19.
dd Prov. 19:17. Matt. 10:42. & 25:40. Mark 9:41. See Matt. 5:7.
e So Rom. 9:14. 2 Thess. 1:6, 7. ch. 13:16.
f 1 Thess. 1:3. So Acts 10:4.
f 1 Thess. 1:3. So Acts 10:4.
g So 1 Cor. 16:16.
h 2 Cor. 8:24.
i Rom. 15:25. 2 Tim. 1:18. See Rom. 12:13. & 2 Cor. 8:4.
h 2 Cor. 8:24.
k See Rom. 12:8.
l ch. 10:22. See Col. 2:2.
m See ch. 3:6.
n ch. 5:11 (Gk.).
nn Comp. ch. 13:7.
o Comp. Gal. 3:18.
p So ver. 15. ch. 10:36.
[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Heb 6:9–12). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.