Holiness By Irene Mcgough

By Irene McGough

Copyright © 2009 Irene McGough Disciples of Jesus Ministry www.discipleofjesussite.com

1Th 4:1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 1Th 4:2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 1Th 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 1Th 4:4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 1Th 4:5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 1Th 4:6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 1Th 4:7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 1Th 4:8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. 1Th 4:9 But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 1Th 4:10 and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; 1Th 4:11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 1Th 4:12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. This passage calls us to holiness and calls us to walk in the Spirit, to love one another, to be watchful and sober, we are to flee from the temptations of this world. The Thessalonian church were already walking with the Lord but Paul’s prayer was that they might abound more and more, that their revelation knowledge might increase. In the previous verse (1 Th. 3:13) Paul had spoken about the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in verse 13 of this chapter, he continues speaking about the return of Christ. The verses which are in between (v. 1-12) are not disconnected from that subject. Rev 19:6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Rev 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Rev 19:8 Fine linen, bright and clean,

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was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Rev 19:9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God." Rev 19:10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Jesus is coming back for a pure spotless bride, who has prepared herself for Him, who have walked in righteousness, who have walked in holiness serving a holy God. Notice the kind of authority that Paul has in verse 2 In verse 3 we see there is a warning against sexual immorality. The lust of the flesh is one of the main ways that the enemy attacks believers and stops them from walking in righteousness, disturbs their walk with God. The Lord wants us to keep ourselves pure and we cannot hear from God properly if we allow those things or other things to come in the way. Adultery can take many shapes and forms, spiritual adultery is anything we obsess over that takes our focus away from Jesus. It could be even our own self importance, our ministry that gets in the way, our business for Christ that gets in the way and very few of us are able to say it doesn’t happen to us, I know I certainly can’t. Holiness is not just for some in the body of Christ it is for every all in the body of Christ. We are to "possess" our "vessel." We are to walk in our Spirit Man not in the flesh. It is the spiritual part of a person, which is the Christian's true self, that has been made new through the new birth. Our body is just allows us to function in this physical world. Our body is just a "vessel" for our regenerate spirits which. Our bodies are just a temporary home for our spirits. Our lifestyle should be as different from the world's lifestyle as the difference between God and the devil. We are new creations in Christ, and our flesh life needs to disappear. Paul states that we should be honest in our dealings with others. We should not defraud a brother or sister. Those who are truly born again have a covenant with God which ensures them that He will never hold their sins against them. Our sins-past, present, and future were placed on Jesus.

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Rom 4:7 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Rom 4:8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him. This does not give us an excuse for unrighteousness for we are called to be holy as God is Holy. He will put the spotlight on a believer’s sin and convict us of our unrighteousness and bring us back to the foot of the cross where we confess that sin, to cleanse us and when we have hurt someone else be assured He is always on the side of righteousness. It’s not that He turns against us, but like any good Father He disciplines us His children. God has not called us as believers to live in uncleanness but He wants us to live lives separated unto Him. Anyone who advocates differently is not representing God. When a minister is truly directed by the Lord, then it is God and not the man who is speaking. We should not be so gullible that we accept every word that men speak. But we should not be so skeptical that we reject God when He speaks through men 1Th 2:13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. There are two different Greek words for love used in verse 9. PHILADELPHIA was translated "brotherly love" in the first part of this verse, and AGAPAO was used at the end of the verse. φιλαδελφια philadelphia fraternal affection: - brotherly love (kindness), love of the brethren. ἀγαπαω agapaō to love (in a social or moral sense): - (be-) love (-ed). ( my own note here i.e. to love like the one who is truly moral , to love with love that comes from being transformed into the nature of God) The Thessalonians had expressed their love throughout all parts of the province of Macedonia. Paul's admonition was to increase more and

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more in this Christian virtue. It's impossible to love too much. In verse 11 we see that the Lord does not want the body of Christ to be lazy, we are to be busy about the secular work or ministry in which our Lord has placed us. Work should never be despised by Christians. God ordained it as a part of life before the fall. "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it" (Gen. 2:15). It is a responsibility given to man. "Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest..." 2Th 3:10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. Our prayer is that we will never be weary of serving our Lord, that all that we do will be done as unto the Lord. May the people out there and reading this see Jesus living in and through us. 1Th 4:12 We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends. (MSG) It is a great advertisement for Christianity when those who profess Christ are of meek and quiet spirits, diligent to do their own business, and not busy-bodies in other men's matters and not lazy sponging off of others. We are to live in a way that commands respect from those outside the body of Christ. Our lives should be exemplary, in fact people should see Christ living in and through us and be drawn to Him. 2Co 2:14 But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ's victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere, 2Co 2:15 For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which exhales] unto God, [discernible alike] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing: 2Co 2:16 To the latter it is an aroma [wafted] from death to death [a fatal odor, the smell of doom]; to the former it is an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh]. And who is qualified (fit and sufficient) for these things? [Who is able for such a ministry? We?] 2Co 2:17 For we are not, like so many, [like hucksters making a trade of] peddling God's Word [shortchanging and adulterating the divine message]; but like [men] of sincerity and the purest motive, as [commissioned and sent] by God, we speak [His message] in Christ (the Messiah), in the [very] sight and presence of God. AMP

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1. A believer's triumphs are all in Christ. In ourselves we are weak, and

have neither joy nor victory; but in Christ we may rejoice and triumph. 2. True believers have constant reason to triumph in Christ, for they are more than conquerors through him who hath loved them, Rom_8:37. 3. God causes them to triumph in Christ. It is God who has given us the victory, and hearts to triumph. To him be given all the praise and all the glory. 4. When we see the results of our labour and people being saved, healed, delivered and going on with the Lord we have good reason for joy and rejoicing. We should give off the sweet fragrance of Christ, be such carriers of His presence that we breathe life and hope into the world around us and draw others towards the one who died for them, towards our Lord and Saviour, but for this to happen we need to be holy.

Copyright © 2009 Irene McGough Disciples of Jesus Ministry www.discipleofjesussite.com

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