All right. King's Kids, you can go ahead and head out to your King's Kids class. God bless you.
! And the rest of us, we've been making our way through 1 Thessalonians. That's where we're going to be again this morning.
We were just in chapter 3 last week. We're going to be in chapter 4, verses 1 through 8 this week.
If you are using a pew Bible, that's going to be on page 1173. Now, in the passage this morning,
Paul is going to make a shift in how he's addressing these young but incredibly faithful believers.
Paul has just shared Timothy's good report that their faith has been strong in the midst of persecution,
which is exciting and encouraging for Paul to hear. And now he's going to turn his attention
to some ways that he wants the Thessalonians to grow in their faith and in their character.
So this morning, we'll be in 1 Thessalonians 4, 1 through 8. And here's where we're going as we
look at the passage, just so that we're all on the same page, so to speak. The first move of the
passage this morning is going to be our new aim, okay? Our new aim. Next, Paul is going to give us
three pictures of holiness, three pictures of holiness. And then lastly, we're going to be looking
at three motivations for holiness. So let's hear what Paul has to say to the Thessalonians and to us
as well. Picking up in verse 1. 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. 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,
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.
And may God bless the reading of his word this morning.
All right, so the first move of this passage is our new aim. As we read that, I'm guessing that
what stands out to you as we hear those words is the serious tone that Paul takes in this passage,
especially when we contrast it to what we heard last week in chapter 3, where there's a lot of
celebration that was just going on over the fact that the Thessalonians were standing strong, right?
But now things take a shift in Paul's tone. And that's because he wants the Thessalonians
to take seriously this call to guard against a sin that is a very real threat to their faith.
The Thessalonians, by God's grace, they've been faithful. They've been strong in the midst of
persecution, which is absolutely worth celebrating. But persecution is not the only danger on the
horizon. So there's a seriousness that's happening here. There's sobriety to Paul's words.
But even so, there's still warmth there, right? Notice how Paul begins the passage in verse 1.
Finally then, brothers or brothers and sisters, finally then, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge
you in the Lord Jesus. Even though he's about to talk about the serious call of holiness on the lives
of the Thessalonians, Paul, he doesn't just come out swinging, right? He doesn't come out making
demands. He approaches this with an appeal, which is consistent with how he treated them when he was
with them, how he's spoken to them actually throughout this entire letter. If you remember back in chapter 1,
verses 11 through 12, Paul says,
This is what good dads do, right? Is that even though they wield authority, they seek to win their
kids to the goodness of obedience, to the goodness of listening and following and doing what dad says.
So good dads teach their kids to obey and they win them to obedience.
Why? Because they love their kids.
And Paul loves the church at Thessalonica.
So everything that he says in this letter, in this passage, he calls them to because he loves them.
Okay? That's the heart behind this appeal.
So what is he appealing for?
Verse 1 again.
That as you received from us how to walk and to please God just as you are doing,
that you do so more and more.
However, Paul is calling them to walk in a way that pleases God, to conduct their lives in a way that pleases God.
And encouragingly, he says that they're actually already doing this, but he wants them to press into it more and more,
that you do so more and more.
Now, just as we thought just for a minute on Paul's heart for the Thessalonians, let's pause for a moment and let's ask ourselves,
what kind of God is this that Paul says that they should please?
Because God is, he's all over this passage, right?
Unsurprisingly.
Paul calls the Thessalonians to please God.
He says that their sanctification is the will of God.
He says that the Gentiles who give themselves over to lust reveal that they do not know God.
He says that the Lord God is an avenger.
He says God has called the Thessalonians to holiness, and those who disregard those words disregard God.
So, who is this God who Paul is calling us to orient our lives around pleasing?
And I know this sounds like a very basic question like Christianity 101, but seriously, what kind of person is this God?
If you look back on chapter 1, verse 4, I think it's on the same pages in your pew Bible.
Paul writes this, 1 verse 4.
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he, that God has chosen you.
That this is a God who has set his love on you.
A God who has chosen you in the midst of your sins to rescue you, and he did not do that begrudgingly.
He does not love you with annoyance and irritation.
He's not a God who just kind of holds his nose around you.
If you are in Christ right now, you are loved with a, and here I quote from the theology tome that is the Jesus Storybook Bible,
that that is God's heart for you.
If you are in Christ.
So, do not lose sight of that God as we hear about our responsibility to honor him in this passage.
Okay?
That God, the God who is worthy of all of the honor and all the glory and all of the praise and who has somehow set his love on us,
not because we deserve it, deserved it, but because he is gracious,
that God is now the controlling center of our lives.
We belong to him, and now his desires are our commands.
Our lives are about pleasing him, no longer about pleasing ourselves.
This is our new aim as Christians, to please God.
He is the one who sets the agenda.
We accept his authority, and we strive to do what honors and makes much of him in every area of our lives,
resting in the fact that he knows what is best.
And there is no component of our lives that does not fall under this call to please God.
And one of the things that pleases God is our sanctification.
So, if you look at verse 3,
For this is the will of God.
Okay, pause really quick.
If you came in today wanting to know God's will for your life, get excited,
because you are about to hear it.
For this is the will of God,
your sanctification.
So, congratulations.
You now get to live the rest of your life knowing exactly what God's will is for you.
It's for you to grow in holiness and in Christ-likeness.
You are welcome.
Now, that word, that word for sanctification,
we can also translate that as holiness, by the way.
Sanctification, holiness.
So, again, verse 3,
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.
So, what Paul gives us here is he's giving us three pictures, if you will,
of what holy sexuality looks like.
Remember that our aim as Christians is to please God,
and part of pleasing God is following his will for our bodies and how we use them.
What we do with our bodies sexually matters to God.
So, this isn't something that's off limits.
Okay, we don't get to just take this thing and separate it from our faith.
So, we're going to look at those three pictures,
and then after that, we're going to look at three God-centered motivations for holy sexuality.
So, three pictures of holiness, three motivations for holiness.
That's where we're going to be headed for the rest of this sermon.
All right, first picture of holiness.
This is at the end of verse three.
That you abstain from sexual immorality.
Now, when Paul uses that term, sexual immorality,
you might be wondering what all he has in mind there.
The Greek word that is translated in your Bible as sexual immorality
is the Greek word porneus, which comes from the root for pornea.
And if you're thinking, huh, that sounds an awful lot like one of our words in English.
And you would be absolutely right to think that and make that connection.
Pornea, in the Greek, it functioned as this kind of all-encompassing junk drawer term
that referred to just all sexual activity that happens outside of marriage between a man and a woman.
Okay, so this is everything that goes against the established sexual ethic of the Scriptures.
In Acts chapter 15, when the Jerusalem Council affirms the glorious reality
that the gospel is not just for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles,
one of the instructions that they give the Gentiles for how to live as believers in the Messiah
is to abstain from sexual immorality, porneus.
It's the same word.
So what Paul is teaching, the Thessalonians here in this letter,
is consistent with the teaching of the apostles in other places,
and it's consistent with what we're taught throughout the rest of the Scriptures as well.
So just to be clear, sex outside of marriage, that is pornea, that is outside of God's good design.
Homosexuality, that would be pornea, that is something that is outside of God's good design.
Prostitution, which was something that was readily available in that culture at that time,
that would be pornea, outside of God's good design.
Adultery, pornea, you get the point.
And for the Christians in Thessalonica, the idea of holy sexuality,
a sexuality that stays exclusively within the context of the marriage between a man and a woman,
this would have been a difficult concept for the Greek believers to get on board with
because the culture in Thessalonica was, shall we say, sexually loose.
Just about the only sexual act that that culture would have disagreed with was adultery,
and it was because of how that messed with the family lineage.
Okay, don't mess up my family line, right?
Just about everything else outside of that was mostly considered fair game.
So this idea of sexual holiness, this would have been a significant adjustment for many Greeks
who God had rescued out of a pagan and a sexually loose culture,
which should encourage us because our culture is also quite broken when it comes to sex and gender.
So there is a lot that we can relate to here with our brothers and sisters in Thessalonica,
even though we're 2,000 years removed from them.
Now, before we go on, I want to draw attention to a few things that can fly under the radar
that we need to acknowledge, that I think would be helpful for us to acknowledge.
If you're here this morning and you are a committed follower of Christ,
these are some areas where I think that you're most likely to fall into the temptation of sexual immorality.
We're capable of falling into anything apart from God's grace,
but I think that these are probably the strongest temptations for us.
First off, men, men in the room, you and I know this,
pornography has an incredible draw,
and it's incredibly, incredibly accessible.
If you have a smartphone, you are maybe three clicks away
from seeing anything that your sinful mind can imagine or desire.
That's how accessible this abomination is.
And let me also just say that this does not have to have the word porn attached to it
in order for it to be sin,
because you can get the same lustful high off of a music video or a scene in a movie,
and just because it doesn't have the word porn to it
does not mean that it is outside of God's design.
So here's the reality.
If what you are seeing on a screen
awakens in you a desire for any person other than your wife,
it is pornea.
It's outside of God's command.
And if you're single and you don't have a spouse,
it's still pornea.
Okay?
It is something that is off limits.
Now, if that happens to be you this morning,
and you are hiding,
and you love your Lord,
and you want to stop dishonoring Him through this sin,
then you have got to bring it to the light.
You've got to confess it.
And honestly, you can come tell me.
You can come and tell one of our elders.
And I can promise you this,
that we are not going to shame you.
Satan wants to shame men that are stuck in this sin.
And that is not how God changes sinners.
He changes them with forgiving and empowering grace,
and that's what we want to help you latch onto.
Okay?
That's where we're going to point you
if you get this thing out in the light.
We're going to point you to God's grace
as the means of fighting this thing.
Okay?
And that same thing,
that goes for any kind of sexual sin
that any of us might be caught in right now.
I want everybody in the room to hear that.
So if you are dating,
and your significant other,
and you are doing things that God has said not to,
let's get that out in the open.
Let us resist that with God's grace.
Confess it,
and let's work against it.
If you are experiencing homosexual desires,
and you are afraid of other Christians
knowing about that,
let's get that out in the open,
and let's work through that with God's grace.
Talk to one of us pastors and elders.
Talk to your life group leader.
And then lastly on this point,
I want to say to my dear sisters in the room
that you need to be careful
with the novels and the stories that you read.
I know that there's growing numbers of women
who are struggling with visual pornography,
so I just want to acknowledge that.
But by and large,
for women,
the main issue, I think,
is probably going to be in the stories
that you choose to read.
And I'll just say the same thing
that I said to the men,
which is that if you read something
that awakens a desire in you
for a man who is not your husband,
then that is pornea.
That is something that is against
the command of the Lord.
And again, I would say,
get it out into the open.
Bring a mature sister into that
and fight it with God's grace.
So flee, abstain,
distance yourself from sexual immorality.
And by the way,
extreme measures on this are not extreme.
If our Lord Jesus said to tear out your eye
and throw it from you
in order to avoid lusting,
it is not crazy to toss out your smartphone
and get a dumb phone.
That would not be crazy.
What would be crazy
would be not treating the sin
like the spiritual disease that it is.
That would be crazy.
Okay?
So abstain from sexual immorality.
The second picture of holiness.
Control your body in holiness
as one who knows the Lord.
Control your body in holiness
as one who knows the Lord.
Verse four.
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.
Now that word know
for know how to control,
Paul isn't talking about
just knowing information
like you know the capital of Wisconsin
or you know the freezing temperature of water.
That's not the kind of knowing
that he's talking about.
He is talking about knowing
like it's a life skill.
It's a learned competency
which involves intentionality.
Nobody stumbles and falls
into sanctification.
Okay?
That doesn't happen.
It comes from building
a momentum of holiness
and growing in knowing
how to control yourself
so you can use your body
to glorify God
and not for your sinful pleasure.
Which is the exact opposite
of the culture
that these Greek Christians came from.
Paul says that the Thessalonians
should not be like the Gentiles
who do not what?
That they do, yes,
that do not know God.
Those who don't know God
do not have an issue
with handing themselves over
to the passion of lust
which makes sense
because if you don't know God
your primary aim in life
whether you know it or not
is to please yourself.
But if you know God,
truly know Him
like you know your closest friend
then the natural result of that
is going to be
an increasing and growing holiness
that aims at pleasing God.
This is the beauty of 2 Corinthians 3.18
And we all
with unveiled face
beholding the glory of the Lord
seeing Him, knowing Him
are being transformed
into the same image
from one degree of glory
to another.
Getting transformed
by seeing Jesus
by knowing Jesus.
Or in Ephesians
where Paul says
that the ministry of the church
is to build up
the body of Christ
until we all attain
to the unity
of the faith
of the knowledge
of the Son of God
to mature manhood
to the measure
of the stature
of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4.12-13
So here's the point.
Knowing God
transforms you.
Knowing God
transforms
the very structure
of our hearts
so that we come
to love the things
that God loves.
So we control
our bodies
as is right
for those who know
the living God.
Final picture
of holiness.
Sexual sin
is never private.
Sexual sin
is never private.
This is verse 6.
That no one
transgress
and wrong
his brother
in this matter.
Now I think
that the most
direct application
of this verse
is a prohibition
against adultery.
That is no doubt
something that Paul
has prominently
in mind
in this verse
but note at the end
that he says
that no one
wronged his brother
in this matter
and the matter
that Paul
is addressing
right now
is how every aspect
of our sexuality
needs to be submitted
to the aim
of pleasing
the Lord.
So adultery
is not the only
sin
that's in view
in this verse
which means
that this verse
points us
to the reality
that our
sexual sin
regardless
of who is
or is not
aware of it
always
does damage
to the church.
that sexual
sin
is never
private
it always
impacts
more
than just
you.
By God's
good design
you are part
of a local
body
of believers
and when
you sin
even if it's
something as
private
as pornography
you do not
just wrong
yourself
you wrong
your brothers
and sisters
in Christ.
we live
in a culture
that wants
us to believe
that what we
do with our
bodies
as long
as it is
consensual
that it's
nobody's
business
except our
own
and that it
doesn't affect
anyone else
but that's
not true
because sin
always does
collateral
damage.
It always
does
collateral
damage.
Now as
important as
all this is
to know
these
things
that we
just talked
about
in and of
themselves
knowing
these
things
is
not
sufficient
to cause
us
to
change.
It's
crucial that
we know
what our
target
of
sexual
holiness
is
but
defining
sexual
sin
knowing
that we
should
control
our
bodies
and
recognizing
that sin
is never
private
those
three
things
aren't
going
to
in
and
of
themselves
help
us
to
get
to
the
target
knowing
those
things
is not
going
to
inspire
permanent
change
within
our
hearts
which is
why
Paul
ends
his
plea
for
holiness
by
drawing
the
Thessalonians
attention
to the
triune
God
because
at the
end of
the
day
you
and
I
are
incapable
in
our
own
strength
of
living
out
the
holiness
that
the
Lord
calls
us
to
in
this
passage
we
are
totally
dependent
on
the
forgiving
and
transforming
power
of the
triune
God
in order
to
live
this
way
so
let's
follow
along
with
Paul
and
let's
hear
the
three
God
centered
motivations
for
pursuing
sexual
holiness
motivation
number
one
God
is an
avenger
God
is an
avenger
verse
six
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
so
Paul
says
that
God
is an
avenger
of
sexual
sin
and
that
should
motivate
us
to
pursue
holiness
in other
words
God
will
bring
justice
on
all
sexual
sin
when
we
stand
before
the
judgment
seat
of
Christ
which
I'm
guessing
is
not
a
typical
motivation
that
we
think
about
when
we
think
about
our
sanctification
this
idea
that
God
is
an
avenger
and
part
of the
reason
that
we
don't
think
of
that
as
a
primary
motivator
is
that
throughout
the
New
Testament
the
emphasis
in
strengthening
and empowering
the pursuit
of holiness
is
God's
grace
and love
and
mercy
that's
the thing
that gets
the emphasis
in
scripture
and gloriously
so
but
there's
still
a
category
in
the
New
Testament
for
letting
judgment
day
fuel
our
holiness
in
the
here
and
now
that's
a
category
of
thinking
and
that's
the
category
that
Paul
is
pointing
us
to
here
in
1 Thessalonians
4
6
here's
another
passage
in that
same
category
to show you
some other
places
that this
shows up
2 Corinthians
5
10
for
we
must
all
appear
before
the
judgment
seat
of
Christ
so
that
each
one
may
receive
what
is
due
for
what
he
has
done
in
the
body
whether
good
or
evil
so
every
single
person
Christian
or not
is going
to stand
before
the
judgment
seat
of
Christ
one
day
everyone
shows
up
in
the
courtroom
of
heaven
and
when
we
do
our
sexual
sin
is
something
that's
going
to be
on
the
table
that's
according
to
1
Thessalonians
4
6
another
verse
in this
category
of
thinking
James
3
1
James
says
not
many
of
you
should
become
teachers
my
brothers
for
you
know
that
we
who
teach
will
be
judged
with
greater
strictness
that
verse
is
in
the
scriptures
to
motivate
teachers
in
God's
word
to
teach
faithfully
and
to
prevent
people
from
flippantly
pursuing
becoming
Bible
teachers
and
in
a
similar
way
in
this
verse
Paul
is
soberly
and
seriously
motivating
us
towards
sexual
holiness
because
God
himself
will
one
day
judge
all
sexual
sin
!
dens
which
means
that
based
on
Christ's
faithfulness
we
do
not
look
at
judgment
day
with
the
fear
of
hell
that
is
not
how
Christians
look
at
judgment
day
because
we
know
that
the
joy
of
heaven
is
on
the
other
side
of
that
day
but
we
still
strive
so
that
on
that
day
we
get
to
hear
those
words
of well done, good and faithful servant.
Enter into the joy of your master.
So by God's grace, that's the thing that we're striving for.
We're striving for that kind of faithfulness.
So that's the first motivation in this passage.
God is an avenger.
Motivation number two, God has called us in holiness.
God has called us in holiness.
Verse seven, for God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
So that's that glorious reminder.
God has called us.
He has chosen us, but he has not just chosen us for salvation.
The story of the Christian life is not believe in Jesus and be saved from your sins and then
wait around until you die and go to heaven.
Okay, that's not the story of the Christian life.
When God saves you, he saves you onto a path of relationship with the triune God that goes
from now until all of eternity.
And the path that you're on right now is a path in which you are called to grow in your personal
holiness before the Lord.
No one earns their way to heaven, but we are on a path of growing and increasing holiness
that honors God.
This is 1 Peter 1.16.
For you shall be holy, for I am holy.
Right?
This is Ephesians 1.4.
God chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless
before him.
One of the commentators that I read this week says that when God called us as Christians,
he called us into the sphere where sanctification takes place.
That he calls us into a realm where God graciously starts to shape us more and more into his image
and likeness, making our character his character in the context of a personal relationship with
him.
So when God saved you, he called you into a lifelong pursuit of holiness and sanctification.
He called you to strive towards maturity as you walk with him, rooted in his love and grace.
And I can guarantee you, God's word guarantees you that this path of holiness is better than
any sexual sin that God calls you to lay down.
So whatever it is, you can name whatever struggle, anything that you are facing, whatever that thing
is that you don't want to give up, whatever desire that you want to hold on to, it is not going
to be as satisfying or as fulfilling as walking in the holiness that God has called you to,
this God who loved you and gave himself up for you.
That is going to be far more satisfying than anything that the world has to offer you.
We've been called in holiness.
Last motivation in this passage.
If you disregard this, you disregard God.
Verse 8, therefore whoever disregards this disregards not man but God who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
Throughout this passage, even though he is appealing to the Thessalonians in love, Paul makes it quite
clear that the holiness that he is describing, it comes from an authority that is other than himself.
That these words are not guidelines or suggestions or opinions.
And that's because the ultimate source of this sexual ethic is God himself.
In verse 1, Paul says, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus.
So they are making their appeal not on the basis of their own authority.
They're making it on the basis of the authority of Christ.
Then in verse 2, for you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
The instructions, the commands, the marching orders, if you will, of this passage are instructions
that come ultimately from the Lord.
And I apologize, I lost my place.
There we are.
And then finally at the end of this passage, we're going to the last verse now, okay?
Verse 8, we have the clearest claim of authority of all, which is what we just read.
Therefore, whoever disregards this disregards not man, but God who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
So if you belong to the living God, Paul is not delivering a TED Talk, okay?
Nor is this sermon meant to function as one.
For Christians who ignore what the Bible teaches on sexuality, Paul says quite clearly that they are not disregarding men,
but that they are disregarding God, the God who claimed us and has rescued us.
When we come to Christ, God's views on sex and gender and marriage, those things become our views.
Because again, we're a people who care about pleasing God.
We are a people who care about God's will and not our own.
And so that means that we lay everything down at his feet and we say, you are God and we are not.
Give us wisdom.
So that's the posture of the Christian is sitting underneath the word of God.
Before we close, there's one final thing that I want to point out in this passage.
It's the last thing that Paul says.
And I think that this is hugely significant for this very serious topic that I hope will encourage you.
Paul says, God who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
God who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
So what's the significance of the fact that God gives his Holy Spirit to us?
How does he, the Holy Spirit, how does he relate to this whole conversation surrounding our holiness?
The fact that God gives his Holy Spirit means that God does not leave us to pursue holiness in our own strength.
He does not abandon us to our sinful desires and expect us to live holy lives through sheer force of will.
He in his kindness has given us his Holy Spirit.
So work harder and do better is not the Christian path to transformation.
Okay, that is not it.
The Christian path to transformation is striving in the grace and the strength of the Holy Spirit.
That's what Christian transformation looks like.
In his high priestly prayer, praise God that this passage is in your Bible.
John 14, 15 through 17.
Jesus said this,
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper to be with you forever.
Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him.
You know him.
Why?
For he dwells with you and will be with you.
Which means that every believer in Christ in this room is indwelled with the Holy Spirit.
Every single one of us.
Just pause.
Just be amazed at that for a moment.
That the Spirit of the living God dwells in you to strengthen you and to help you in your fight for holiness.
Whatever that is.
It could be sexual holiness.
It could be any other way.
Any other sin that you are trying to put to death.
There is no step of the Christian life that you walk apart from his empowering strength upholding you.
Which means that there is always hope for holiness.
Always.
If you have made a mess of your life through sexual sin, there is hope for holiness.
Don't sit in self-pity.
Don't fall for the accusations of your enemy.
Don't fall for the lie that this is a sin that you cannot gain victory in.
Because God is so unbelievably for you that he gave you his Spirit.
And the Holy Spirit is in you to strengthen you in this fight.
So do not give up.
Now what I'm not saying is that all you have to do is believe more in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And then snap.
Everything is going to be better.
Okay?
So that's not what I'm saying.
I'm not saying that the fight for holiness should be easy.
Because it's not.
And it's especially not going to be easy if you have built up a momentum of sin in your life that you're trying to stop.
That is something that is going to take time.
It's going to take hard and painful work in denying yourself and putting your sin to death.
But if you have the Holy Spirit at work in you, then you should abound in the hope that a new momentum of holiness is possible.
If it was just up to you, then sure.
Change is just like a pipe dream.
Like not going to happen.
But if it's up to you living in the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and striving in the strength that God provides,
then you can kick despair and self-loathing to the curb.
And you can say, you don't have a place here.
You tell your downcast heart those words from Psalm 42.
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
And why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God.
For I shall again praise him.
My salvation and my God.
We serve a God who has given his Holy Spirit to us.
And so as we strive for holiness, we have all the reason to boldly hope for change.
Amen?
Amen.
So let's acknowledge the fact that God is an avenger of sin.
Let's remember that God's calling on our lives involves our holiness.
And let's give all regard to the God who has graciously given us his Holy Spirit as we seek to live lives that are pleasing to him in accordance with his will.
Let's pray.
Amen.
Let's pray.
From Psalm 119, 33 through 40.
Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I will keep it to the end.
Give me understanding that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimonies and not to selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from looking at worthless things and give me life in your ways.
Confirm to your servant your promise that you may be feared.
Turn away the reproach that I dread, for your rules are good.
Behold, I long for your precepts.
In your righteousness, give me life.
Heavenly Father, would you help us to trust that your way is best?
Would you help us to live lives of integrity?
We want to walk faithfully, Lord God, but we cannot do that alone.
Thank you for giving your Holy Spirit to us.
Thank you for not leaving us to our own strength.
Thank you for being both our Savior and our strength, Father.
Would you continue doing a work in our church so that we might grow in our faithfulness to you.
And it's in Jesus' name that we pray.
Amen.