- Aug 10, 2006
- 14,954
- 3,824
- 74
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
How You Ought to Walk
1 Thessalonians 4:1 ESV
What is our walk? It is how we live, how we conduct our lives. It includes our thinking, believing, behaving, words, attitudes, and motives for what we do. It is our habits, our practices, and our routines. And our walk is driven by what is in our hearts.
How, according to the Scriptures, are we to walk? If we are believing in Jesus Christ, if we have repented of our sins, and if we were buried with Christ in baptism into death (death to sin), we are to walk:
• In newness of life (Rom 6:4)
• Not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Rom 8:4)
• Properly, not in sexual immorality & intoxication, etc. (Rom 13:13)
• By faith, not by sight (2 Co 5:7)
• By the Spirit – you will not gratify desires of flesh (Gal 5:16)
• Not in the passions of your flesh (Eph. 2:1-3)
• In good works which God prepared for us to walk in (Eph 2:10)
• In a manner worthy of the calling which you received (Eph 4:1)
• Not as the ungodly do in impurity & sexual immorality (Eph 4:17-19)
• In love (Eph 5:1-2)
• As children of light (Eph 5:8)
• Not as unwise, but as wise (Eph 5:15)
• Not as enemies of the cross of Christ (Php 3:17-19)
• Pleasing to God, bearing fruit in every good work (Col 1:9-11)
• In Christ, rooted & built up in Him (Col 2:6-7)
• Not in the passions of the flesh, but in the Spirit (Col. 3:5-10)
• In a manner worthy of God (1 Thess 2:11-12; Col 1:9-11)
• Not in darkness (sin) but in the light (righteousness) (1 Jn 1:5-7)
• In like manner as Jesus walked, in obedience to him (1 Jn 2:3-6)
• According to our Lord’s commandments (2 Jn 1:6)
• In the truth of God’s word (3 Jn 1:3)
And what are we to do to please God? We are to be sowing (via our actions, our motives, our attitudes, our words) to please the Spirit and not the flesh. We are to live lives worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work. And we must do good and share with others, and we must keep his commands.
[Rom 8:8; 2 Co 5:9; Gal 6:8; Eph 5:10; Col 1:9-11; 1 Thes 2:4; 1 Thes 4:1; 2 Tim 2:4; Heb 11:6; Heb 13:6; 1 Jn 3:22]
Instructions We’re to Follow
1 Thessalonians 4:2-6 ESV
It is the will of God that we be sanctified, i.e., that we be made holy, righteous, and pure. We are to live lives separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. And this is a process which begins and ends with Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
So, we are to no longer be conformed to the ways of this sinful world. We are not to obey nor to follow nor to submit to nor to adapt to our lives the attitudes, thinking and actions of this ungodly world.
We should not give ourselves over to sexual immorality in any form. And this includes the viewing of any TV shows, videos, movies, or games which are sexually charged, which give glory to adultery, to lying and to cheating. And this includes self-gratification, sex-texting, flirtations or lusting after others.
And then there are the obvious forms of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, incest, prostitution, homosexuality, inappropriate behavior with animals, and pedophilia, etc. And this includes being entertained by such via inappropriate contentographic pictures or videos or via inappropriate contentographic (obscene, indecent, improper) stories/joking.
Therefore, we are to control our own bodies in holiness and honor, in conduct that is honoring to God, which is unlike the conduct of the ungodly and disobedient of this world. And we are not to give way to the sinful passions of our flesh which are based in pure selfishness and greed.
So, please know this. If you are one who is given over to the viewing of inappropriate contentography or to any other form of sexual immorality, it is not your right to do this. It is not for your entertainment or relaxation. As a Christian, you are hurting your relationship with God, and as a married person, you are doing wrong to your spouse, even if you think he/she doesn’t know.
And God doesn’t overlook such sins. His forgiveness doesn’t put a covering over all your sins so that you can continue living in willful, defiant, deliberate, and habitual sin against God, against your spouse, against your children, and against others. If you make sin your practice, you will die in your sins. You will not inherit eternal life with God.
[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10, 19-20; 2 Co 5:10, 15; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 3:4-10]
Not Man, But God
1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 ESV
All I Ask of You
by Andrew Lloyd Webber
No more talk of darkness,
Forget these wide-eyed fears;
I'm here, nothing can harm you,
My words will warm and calm you.
Let me be your freedom,
Let daylight dry your tears;
I'm here, with you, beside you,
To guard you and to guide you.
Let me be your shelter,
Let me be your light…
Love me, that's all I ask of you
Caution: This link may contain ads
1 Thessalonians 4:1 ESV
“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.”
What is our walk? It is how we live, how we conduct our lives. It includes our thinking, believing, behaving, words, attitudes, and motives for what we do. It is our habits, our practices, and our routines. And our walk is driven by what is in our hearts.
How, according to the Scriptures, are we to walk? If we are believing in Jesus Christ, if we have repented of our sins, and if we were buried with Christ in baptism into death (death to sin), we are to walk:
• In newness of life (Rom 6:4)
• Not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Rom 8:4)
• Properly, not in sexual immorality & intoxication, etc. (Rom 13:13)
• By faith, not by sight (2 Co 5:7)
• By the Spirit – you will not gratify desires of flesh (Gal 5:16)
• Not in the passions of your flesh (Eph. 2:1-3)
• In good works which God prepared for us to walk in (Eph 2:10)
• In a manner worthy of the calling which you received (Eph 4:1)
• Not as the ungodly do in impurity & sexual immorality (Eph 4:17-19)
• In love (Eph 5:1-2)
• As children of light (Eph 5:8)
• Not as unwise, but as wise (Eph 5:15)
• Not as enemies of the cross of Christ (Php 3:17-19)
• Pleasing to God, bearing fruit in every good work (Col 1:9-11)
• In Christ, rooted & built up in Him (Col 2:6-7)
• Not in the passions of the flesh, but in the Spirit (Col. 3:5-10)
• In a manner worthy of God (1 Thess 2:11-12; Col 1:9-11)
• Not in darkness (sin) but in the light (righteousness) (1 Jn 1:5-7)
• In like manner as Jesus walked, in obedience to him (1 Jn 2:3-6)
• According to our Lord’s commandments (2 Jn 1:6)
• In the truth of God’s word (3 Jn 1:3)
And what are we to do to please God? We are to be sowing (via our actions, our motives, our attitudes, our words) to please the Spirit and not the flesh. We are to live lives worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work. And we must do good and share with others, and we must keep his commands.
[Rom 8:8; 2 Co 5:9; Gal 6:8; Eph 5:10; Col 1:9-11; 1 Thes 2:4; 1 Thes 4:1; 2 Tim 2:4; Heb 11:6; Heb 13:6; 1 Jn 3:22]
Instructions We’re to Follow
1 Thessalonians 4:2-6 ESV
“For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.”
It is the will of God that we be sanctified, i.e., that we be made holy, righteous, and pure. We are to live lives separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. And this is a process which begins and ends with Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
So, we are to no longer be conformed to the ways of this sinful world. We are not to obey nor to follow nor to submit to nor to adapt to our lives the attitudes, thinking and actions of this ungodly world.
We should not give ourselves over to sexual immorality in any form. And this includes the viewing of any TV shows, videos, movies, or games which are sexually charged, which give glory to adultery, to lying and to cheating. And this includes self-gratification, sex-texting, flirtations or lusting after others.
And then there are the obvious forms of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, incest, prostitution, homosexuality, inappropriate behavior with animals, and pedophilia, etc. And this includes being entertained by such via inappropriate contentographic pictures or videos or via inappropriate contentographic (obscene, indecent, improper) stories/joking.
Therefore, we are to control our own bodies in holiness and honor, in conduct that is honoring to God, which is unlike the conduct of the ungodly and disobedient of this world. And we are not to give way to the sinful passions of our flesh which are based in pure selfishness and greed.
So, please know this. If you are one who is given over to the viewing of inappropriate contentography or to any other form of sexual immorality, it is not your right to do this. It is not for your entertainment or relaxation. As a Christian, you are hurting your relationship with God, and as a married person, you are doing wrong to your spouse, even if you think he/she doesn’t know.
And God doesn’t overlook such sins. His forgiveness doesn’t put a covering over all your sins so that you can continue living in willful, defiant, deliberate, and habitual sin against God, against your spouse, against your children, and against others. If you make sin your practice, you will die in your sins. You will not inherit eternal life with God.
[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10, 19-20; 2 Co 5:10, 15; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 3:4-10]
Not Man, But God
1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 ESV
“For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”
All I Ask of You
by Andrew Lloyd Webber
No more talk of darkness,
Forget these wide-eyed fears;
I'm here, nothing can harm you,
My words will warm and calm you.
Let me be your freedom,
Let daylight dry your tears;
I'm here, with you, beside you,
To guard you and to guide you.
Let me be your shelter,
Let me be your light…
Love me, that's all I ask of you
