God's Will, Part 3

For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.  For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7). 

God's will is for you to be sanctified.  What is sanctification?  Well the reading of the previous verse lays out what God wants.  "Abstain from sexual immorality", "know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion"  Stay away from sexual sin.  All of those things that are now accepted in our society and promoted in many movies and TV shows; fornication, homosexuality, adultery...stay away from it.  Sex is a good thing, it was created by God, but only in marriage.  For someone living in sexual impurity to say to God "Show me your will for my life" when they aren't even doing what He has already said is His will in the Bible is rather foolish.  Why should God disclose some further will?   

"And that no man transgress and defraud his brother".  Treat others fairly.  Don't use people in a sexual way to fulfill lustful desires.  Don't mistreat people in business.  There are many ways to mistreat someone, but don't do it because "the Lord is the avenger in all these things".  It's so serious in God's eyes that He says So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you (1 Thessalonians 4:8).  God says if you mistreat others, you are not mistreating man but God Himself!  That is about as serious as you can get; it is a scary thought.   

Someone might ask, "How far away from sexual sin (or any sin) should we stay?"  Far enough away to be pure, set apart wholly unto God.  God hates sin, so we shouldn't be trying to sneak by to see what we can get away with.  If God hates something, we should do everything we can to stay away from it, not sit down with the family and enjoy it as entertainment in movies or TV or books or whatever it might be.  So far we have seen that God's will is for us to be saved, Spirit-filled, and sanctified.  Next week we will dive into the scriptures some more to see the will of God.