Instructions on Purity – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

If you take a pure white cloth and wipe of a greasy oil spill in your carport, it will be nearly impossible to get that cloth as pure white and clean as it originally was. It will forever bear the stain.

Our lives are like that pure white cloth. Keeping our lives pure and white is a daily challenge. The devil uses our eyes, our ears, our desires, and our thoughts to attempt to stain our purity. Protecting our children and our own hearts from filthy influences takes diligent effort.

The struggle for purity is not a new one. The devil used similar tactics in the first century to try to stain the purity of Christians.

Transition

In our text this morning, Paul gave the Thessalonian believers three Instructions on Purity. These same instructions apply to Christians today.

The Reason for Purity

God has a specific way for Christians to walk
1. The word “ought” is a word that refers to something that is necessary.
2. The word “walk” is a general word that describes our conduct in life, the way we live, the progress we make in life.
3. Paul was telling us that there is a specific way for Christians to walk through life that is necessary for purity. It is not an option. It is a requirement if we are going to please God. For example, note these verses about our walk:
  ☆ (Romans 8:4) That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
  ☆ (Romans 13:13) Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
  ☆ (Galatians 5:16) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
  ☆ (Ephesians 2:10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
  ☆ (Ephesians 5:8) For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
  ☆ (Colossians 4:5) Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
4. If you have truly trusted Christ as your Saviour, you are now His child. God does not allow His children to live in sin. If they sin, He will chasten them to bring them back to repentance and a right walk (Hebrews 12:5-8).
Christians ought to seek to please God
1. Walking right pleases God. Every Christian ought to seek to walk right to please God. That was Paul’s burden and message.
2. As Christians, we ought to abound more and more in a right walk to please God. The word “abound” means to overflow. Our lives ought to be full and running over of walking right to please God. This is not something you push yourself to do once in a while. It is not just your Sunday morning activity. Our lives are to be full and overflowing with walking right to please God. This is the reason for purity.

The Requirement for Purity

The requirement is from God, 4:2
1. Paul reminded the believers that the requirements he taught were not his own but they were from the Lord Jesus. What you wear affects purity. When choosing your clothing, you must ask yourself, “What will protect my purity and not cause anyone else to look at me in a lustful way?” Ask God, “Lord, what clothing style best presents Your holiness to unbelievers in this immodest and impure world?” Let God and Bible principles be your guide not your opinions or opinions of society.
2. Once again, we see that our authority must be God and the Bible. Our authority is not a church or a leader. God gave us His Word to guide us in purity. That is why we read verses like (2 Timothy 2:15) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The requirement is sanctification, 4:3-7
1. “Sanctification” comes from the root word for holy. Thus, it refers to holiness or purity.
2. One of the ways to remain holy or pure is to avoid fornication – sexual activity outside of marriage. God blesses marriage, but all sexual activity outside marriage is wrong. (Hebrews 13:4) Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
3. We must learn from God in the Bible how to possess our vessel in sanctification (purity) and honour (of high value) (v.4). A vessel is a container. Your body is the vessel or container in which your soul and spirit live. You must keep that vessel pure and highly valued. One thing that will help is to stay away from people who flirt.
4. We must guard against lust. The Gentiles or the unsaved world feast on lust. The phrase in verse 5, “lust of concupiscence” refers to lustful passions or filthy desires. We must NEVER forget that purity always begins in the mind. You cannot have a filthy mind and a pure heart. That is impossible! You are what you think! Guard your mind. Guard your heart. (Mark 7:21-22) For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: (Proverbs 4:23) Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Men, you must bounce your eyes away from immodest women and immodest pictures. Ladies, you must cover your body and your shape to avoid causing men to take a lustful look at you. Look in the mirror before you leave your room. Skimpy and tight clothing on women cause men to battle with lust. Women who dress like that are just as guilty.
5. We must never go beyond or defraud (v.6). These words describe doing things that are not appropriate. If we treat others as we ought not to treat them (sexually or in business as the word applies to both), we will answer to God for it.

The Reminder About Purity

Remember, God has called us to holiness, 2:7
1. God has not called us unto uncleanness. This refers to anything that is impure. Answering God’s call to salvation produces a change in the sinner’s life. God did not save us from the sinful road to hell so that we can return to a life of sin. Paul noted this in his letter to the Corinthian church.
  ☆ (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
2. Instead, God has called to a life of holiness. This is the same truth that Peter preached.
  ☆ (1 Peter 1:14-16) As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
These instructions are not optional, 2:8
1. If a person rejects these teaching on purity, he is not rejecting man’s teachings. He is rejecting God Himself.
2. God gave us the Holy Spirit and He both inspired this instruction on purity and confirms it in the heart of every true believer in whom He indwells.

Conclusion

When you were born, your life could be represented by a pure white cloth. God wants you to keep your mind, heart, and life pure and clean. Protect yourself by dressing modestly, bouncing your eyes from immodesty, guarding what you see and hear, avoid going to places of temptation, and never flirting.

The key to staying pure and clean is to avoid all that is dirty.

If you have stained your purity, confess your sin to Christ and receive His righteous cleansing (1Jn 1:9). Then flee all youthful lust! (2Ti 2:22)

Song: Yield Not to Temptation – 364
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Instructions on Purity
13 March 2016 AM – 1The 4:1-8 – 1Th2016 – Scott Childs