A Pure and Honorable Vessel Part 1

February 01, 2026

Chris Freeman

Title: “A Pure and Honorable Vessel” Part 1 Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5 FCF: We often struggle with sexual temptation and sin. Prop: Because God’s will for His children is for them to be holy, we must abstain from all sexual sin by controlling our bodies. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. In a moment we will begin reading from the Legacy Standard bible starting in verse 1. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. We are at the beginning of a chapter yet again which means we need to review where we have been so far. In chapter 1, Paul expresses his thankfulness to God for the Thessalonian church because he knows they are elect of God, because the gospel came to them in the power of the Spirit and because he has observed how the Thessalonian church has become imitators of Christ amid affliction. In chapter 2, Paul zooms in to affirm that their visit among them was profitable. Probably to counter claims of unbelieving Thessalonians, Paul insists that it was a profitable visit because God gave them boldness to speak, they became a spiritual family, and because it produced the same results they had seen in previous outpourings of the gospel. Paul concludes chapter 2 assuring them that he greatly wished to visit them but had been hindered by Satan. But he assures them that they are his hope, joy, and glory in that they stand firm in their faith. In chapter 3, Paul reveals that he sent Timothy to them because he was overwhelmed with godly concern for their faith. He also reveals his joy at the report from Timothy that they stood fast in their faith but that he hopes to see them again soon and complete what is lacking in their faith. He ends chapter 3 with a benediction, good and comforting words, praying to God to bring them into fellowship again, to cause their love to abound and their holiness to be perfected for the Lord’s return. The benediction ends the apologetic section of the letter, where Paul is defending their visit and the gospel they preached by the impact it had on the Thessalonians. He now begins a new portion of the letter, where he will seek to complete their faith by instructing them in things that he was not able to fully teach on while the evangelists were with them. With that please stand with me to focus on and give honor to the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Holy God, You are pure and distinct. There is none like You. You are Alpha and Omega. You are the beginning and the end. You are neither tempted to do evil, nor do you tempt anyone with evil. You are morally pure in all Your ways and You are always good in character and in action. Teach us today from Your Holy Word, by impressing Your Son’s example on our lives, and by imparting Your Spirit’s power and passion to know how to please You with our bodies. You have given these bodies to us to reflect Your character. You have saved us to be light in a world of darkness. May we be holy as You have willed us to be. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] While I will not be intentionally explicit or irreverent, we will discuss quite plainly and openly the will of God for sexual ethics among His people. As such, there will be plenty of concepts and principles relayed today that could generate lots of questions among young listeners. I recommend that any who are preteens, who normally sit in the service continue to do so and listen intently. But I also recommend that parents be ready to answer those questions and have those discussions and if they feel their child is not ready, that they should be excused from the service. Never had to give a parental advisory for a sermon before 😊 I will also warn you that this sermon is long. Because our culture is so sex crazed, there is actually a LOT to say on this issue. I have trimmed what I could, but unfortunately in order to be clear – I cannot afford to be too concise. May God have helped me to strike that balance. I.) God’s will for His children is for them to be holy in sexual purity, so we must abstain from all sexual sin. (1-3) a. [Slide 3] 1 - Finally, then, brothers, we ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. i. Paul opens this next chapter with the word “finally” which is an interpretation of the Greek expression “what remains”. ii. This is a clear transitional word that shows Paul advancing to the more applicational aspects of his letter. iii. So now he sets out to teach them what remains. And verses 1 to the first part of verse 3 sets us up for the end of the letter. It is an introduction, not only to what we will see today, but to everything we will see until the end of the book. iv. It is interesting that he both asks and exhorts. v. This is a common way to express a polite command which is not corrective but is also not a suggestion. vi. Of course, we know it can’t be a suggestion because he commands them with the authority of Jesus. vii. As an apostle, a sent one of Jesus, Paul is authorized to impose commands Christ gave on other disciples, as if Christ Himself was giving them. viii. Furthermore, we should note that what Paul is about to instruct them in, is not something completely new. ix. Indeed, it is something they are already doing. x. This collection of commands is how they ought to live if they are to live pleasing to God. xi. Even though they are already living this way, he desires them to do so to an abounding degree, which dovetails nicely with his prayer that they abound in love for all people. b. [Slide 4] 2 - For you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. i. The verb “know” is in the perfect tense here in the Greek. ii. This tense serves to convey an action completed sometime in the past with a result that has come to the present. This tense is used to emphasize the result and not the past action. iii. Therefore, the Thessalonians are right now, fully aware, of the commands that the evangelists gave them through the authority of Christ. iv. By my count, this is the tenth time the apostle Paul has predicated what he is about to say to them on information that they had already come to know, remember, or bore witness to. v. They don’t have to guess at what the apostle Paul is teaching in this letter. vi. Paul makes it seem that, at least in some kernel form, these truths and commands he is about to give have already been expressed. c. [Slide 5] 3 - For this is the will of God, your sanctification: i. Before Paul gets to his first exhortation, he emphasizes one final concept. ii. In order for them to live in such a way that they excel in pleasing God, Paul introduces a general concept that will govern that idea. How do we, generally, please God? iii. We do what He wants us to do. iv. Well, what does God want us to do? Or who does God want us to be? v. Many people often wonder – what is the will of God for my life. vi. To be fair, most of the time they are asking this about some kind of job, or marriage, or other life altering choice they are about to make. vii. But here it is in black and white. The will of God for every single child of God is… viii. To be sanctified. ix. Saint, sanctification, and holiness all have the same root word. It means to be holy. To be set apart. To be different. To be pure. x. The way this word is used here should be interpreted as the LSB has translated. The act of growing progressively more and more pure and different. xi. And so, God’s will is that we grow to be conformed more and more into the image of Christ. In this way we are being sanctified. xii. This echoes back to his prayer from last week, where he asked the Lord to strengthen their hearts in blameless holiness. xiii. Now Paul will express one key way that the Thessalonians can fulfill the will of God and grow in their sanctification. d. [Slide 6] that you abstain from sexual immorality; i. Abstain carries the idea of fleeing or to fully cut off a practice from your life. ii. God’s will in sanctification is that we flee something that is wicked and evil. iii. But what is “sexual immorality”? iv. The Greek word is Porneia. Of course, we have words in English that borrow from this Greek word. v. Porneia is an interesting word. People often try to limit it to one specific sexual practice, usually in an effort to keep other sexual practices from being classified as sin. vi. The fact of the matter is that the word Porneia, unless limited by the context, has the semantic range to include EVERY SINGLE sexual act that is considered to be, immoral. vii. That means that the specific culture in which the word is being used is incredibly relevant. viii. Paul has already said that they have already heard this taught to them in some way. So, what sexual ethic would Paul have taught them? ix. Paul would have taught them Jesus’ sexual ethic, which largely agreed with and expanded on the Rabbinical sexual ethic, which was formed from the Old Testament. x. So, what is this sexual ethic? xi. Any sexual activity that exists outside of one biologically assigned male and one biologically assigned female who have been joined in marriage exclusively to one another… is sexual immorality. It is porneia. xii. What does that include? 1. Premarital sex 2. Adultery 3. Prostitution 4. Homosexuality 5. Pansexuality 6. Polyamorous relationships 7. Bestiality 8. Incest 9. Bi-sexuality 10. Polygamy 11. Pedophilia 12. Pornography and other Sexually explicit pictures, videos, games or books. 13. And any other permutation of sexual activity that is not a married couple who were born as opposite genders. xiii. Here it is, in plain black and white. xiv. God’s will for our lives is to be progressively made more holy. Which includes, among other things, no sexual activity outside of a traditional marriage relationship. xv. The people who claim that the bible never hints at this, or that it whispers it, are either ignorant, confused, or liars. xvi. It is right here. xvii. And Paul isn’t done talking about this. xviii. But before we move on, let’s review what we’ve learned so far. e. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: In these first three verses it is clear that Paul’s governing thought for the next two chapters is that God’s will for His children is for them to be holy. He desires that they be sanctified, progressively pressed into the mold of Christ. His first topic or expression of this holiness is with regard to sexual purity. God desires that His children be different, set apart, and pure in their sexual activity. And Paul calls on his readers to abstain or keep away from all forms of sexual activity that occurs outside of the marriage covenant. This is our application as well. We must keep away from all sexual immorality. We must flee it like the plague that it is. Transition: [Slide 8 (blank)] Paul tells us that we must abstain from all sexual activity outside of marriage, but how does one go about doing that? What is necessary in order to keep away from these things? Paul goes on to instruct what those steps will entail. II.) God’s will for His children is for them to be holy in sexual purity, so we must know how to master our bodies. (4-5) a. [Slide 9] 4 - that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, i. Paul says that not only does sanctification include abstaining from sexual immorality, it also includes knowing how to possess your own vessel in sanctification and honor. ii. Possessing here can mean either to obtain with some effort or to control or to master something. iii. Because the meaning of this word is impacted by the meaning of the word “vessel” Let’s hold off on pinning down a specific meaning for now. iv. The meaning of the word “vessel” is highly debated and poses the most significant interpretational challenge of the book of 1 Thessalonians. 1. Some interpreters understand the word to mean, wife. a. This isn’t without warrant. b. Jewish writings refer to the wife of a man as a vessel. c. We do see other texts which call women the weaker vessel. d. But in that case, vessel would refer to either body or instrument and would not be synonymous with “wife.” e. When coupled with the word possess, this could mean that a man should avoid sexual immorality by obtaining for himself an honorable and holy wife, OR, mastering or controlling his wife to produce an honorable and holy marriage. f. But we are left to wonder how obtaining a wife, or mastering a wife, can somehow prevent sexual immorality from occurring. Many marriages end every year because of sexual immorality occurring in spite of it being a marriage to an honorable and holy wife. g. Therefore, I conclude that this passage most likely is not intended for Christian men to obtain with effort a holy and honorable wife (although this is certainly GODLY advice that should be followed… young men.) h. Nor do I conclude that this passage means that if men simply mastered their wives to have an honorable and holy marriage, sexual immorality would be prevented. i. So what else could it mean? 2. Most translations and interpreters favor the word to mean body. a. In Jewish writing “vessel” can also refer to the body of a human being, a vessel for the soul that God has given us in life. b. It is also the vessel or instrument that God pours our destiny into, used as holy vessels set apart for the Lord’s service. We are called earthen vessels which may not tie directly to our bodies but to the destinies for our whole person, body and soul. c. This is an excellent interpretation and the one I generally favor here. d. In this, Paul is telling every member of the Thessalonian church, probably not to obtain for themselves, but to gain mastery over their own body and soul so that it is holy and honorable. e. Paul speaks about self-control as a fruit of the Spirit. Which indicates that gaining mastery over our bodies is not something we do alone. He’ll say this even more overtly in verse 8 when we get there next week. f. However, one weakness with this view is that using the word vessel instead of body seems unnecessarily unclear. Why the euphemism? Was it common among the Thessalonians also, to use such a Euphemism when referring to their own bodies in a sexual context? g. Such questions have led to an offshoot interpretation of body. 3. Some interpreters understand this word to refer in this context to our sexual organs. a. The word vessel also be translated utensil, object, apparatus, or equipment. b. Therefore, it is thought to be used as a euphemism here. c. While this interpretation could very well be what Paul means – I don’t find it abundantly necessary. d. We get the idea from body just fine. But if someone really held to this idea that Paul is tactfully calling Christians to control their sexual organs… I wouldn’t oppose them on it. Because it is certainly true. v. Paul insists that the Thessalonians must understand how they can control and gain mastery over their body so that it is honorable and holy. vi. So, what does that look like? How do we know we are in control of our bodies? vii. Paul gives a negative answer to that question. b. [Side 10] 5 - not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; i. It is not mastery over your body when you allow it to pursue any lustful passion it desires. ii. This is implied, of course, in the command to abstain from or keep away from sexual immorality. iii. But Paul makes it very clear that our vessels continue to have lustful passions, even past conversion to Christ. iv. But striving to master our bodies to be holy and honorable means resisting and denying those passions. v. Why? vi. Because we are not like the Gentiles who do not know God. vii. This is interesting for two reasons. 1. First, because the majority of people in the Thessalonian church are former pagans and therefore not Jews. a. However, this word is clarified when Paul adds the statement of them not knowing God. b. Therefore, Paul is not referring to gentiles in sense of merely non-Jews. He is referring to pagan people who are unbelievers. 2. The second reason this statement is interesting is that Paul seems to think that because we know God we should not be slaves to our lustful passions. That we are able to control ourselves. a. This flies in the face of what many “Christians” teach or believe today about sexual purity. b. The world and many people who call themselves Christians consider the idea of abstaining completely from any sexual activity outside of marriage as something akin to pigs flying or hell freezing over. c. Scientists and Psychologists relegate abstinence to a purely social and puritanical concept which acts counter to our natural bodily needs and desires. d. In this they are partially right. We do have natural desires for sexual gratification… but Paul calls these desires lustful passions. e. But for those who know God, who are supernaturally empowered – abstinence from all sexual activity outside of marriage is not only achievable, but expected. c. Paul is not done with this subject. But unfortunately, we will not have enough time to see the rest of what he says about holy sexuality this morning. We will come back again next week for the rest of his exhortation on the matter. d. [Slide 11] Summary of the Point: So again, we see Paul’s point clearly made. God’s will for all His children is that they be holy in sexual purity. First, we saw that this is accomplished by fleeing sexual immorality. But secondly, we see how this is accomplished by knowing how to master our own bodies, so they are vessels used for honorable and holy purposes and not for lustful passions. We are not pagans, after all. We know God. Therefore, we must control our bodies and not allow our lustful passions to reign over us. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today that informs and corrects our beliefs and guides and shapes our lifestyles. Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 12] The governing truth which generally will be applied to all that is said in the remainder of the book, is that God’s desire, his will for His children, is that they grow in holiness. This was part of Paul’s prayer for them at the end of chapter 3. That God would strengthen their hearts in blameless holiness. Well, now we see that Paul looks for God to strengthen us toward holiness because that is His will for His people. Specifically, Paul points out that God desires holiness in all the sexual activity of the Thessalonian church. He then follows with four practices that will garner a holy sexual ethic among them. And we have seen two this morning. The first is that we keep away from or flee any sexual practice that occurs outside of the confines of a monogamous heterosexual marriage where both spouses remain the genders they were assigned at birth. The second practice that garners a holy sexual ethic is that we know how to gain mastery over our bodies so that we no longer pursue lustful passions (as those who don’t know God) but that we pursue honorable and holy purposes with our bodies. As you might imagine, this short statement of application requires bearing out in many more specifics. 1.) [Slide 13] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God’s will for Christians is to be holy in sexual purity. a. The western church’s track record on this works against us applying this text rightly. b. We have pendulum swung back and forth on this matter. c. Churches that never taught on godly sexual ethics, and always treated sex as dirty, have shunned, ostracized, and abandoned unwed mothers treating them as though they had committed an unpardonable sin. d. But we have also seen churches virtually ignore the fact that the young woman and man committed sinful acts together in order to produce the child in her womb. They do not rebuke them and exhort them to repent of their sin. They do not pursue church discipline if they are unrepentant. e. These are two extremes that must be avoided if we are to allow Paul’s warnings here to ring true. f. The fact of the matter is that God’s will for our lives is to be holy. To be different. To be morally separate from the world. g. When it comes to sexual ethics, you cannot be more different from the world than insisting upon sexual activity existing ONLY within the confines of marriage. h. When we never teach on God’s will in this matter or how to master our bodies to please God in this matter, or when we act as though God is mostly ambivalent regarding our sexual choices, citing that God will forgive us – we effectively deny the Word of God. i. The fact of the matter is, that if God’s will for Christians is to be holy in sexual purity – we must not only teach on it, but we must also rebuke any who violate God’s moral will, as we would any other sin. j. In this the church has largely failed young people who are growing up in an increasingly sex obsessed world. k. Let me state it very plainly again for people who may have just woken up. l. God’s will for your sexual activity is that you keep ALL OF IT, what you see, what you think about, what you read, and what you do, keep it ALL confined within the bonds of the covenantal relationship of marriage. m. Why is this the case? Is God just trying to keep us from having fun? Actually, God designed sexual intimacy as a gift to those united in marital covenant with one another and Himself. n. Sex, then, is a covenant act - a sacrament of marriage. o. Just as baptism and the Lord’s Supper are signs that seal the reality of the New Covenant on our hearts, so sexual intimacy is a sign that seals the reality of the Marriage Covenant on our hearts. p. And since the marriage covenant is between one biologically assigned man, one biologically assigned woman, and God – God is inherently present in that act. God is there, blessing your sexual activity with your spouse. q. If you think that is odd, weird, or gross – it is probably a sign that your view of sex is still distorted by the lies of the world. r. God has given sexual intimacy as a covenantal gift to seal the union of your marriage. s. This is why any sexual activity outside of this is so egregious. Because it is the sign without the truth. And whenever a sign is given without the truth being possessed, it always leads to ruin. In fact, when the sign is polluted, the truth it conveys is not applied. i. What happened to the Israelites who awoke to gather manna on Saturday, or tried to save manna they did not eat for the next day. The manna did not fall on Saturday, and what was preserved for any day but Saturday, rotted. In short – they did not have anything to eat. 1. Manna was a sign of the promise of God that He would sustain them until they arrived safely to the promised land. 2. It also sealed that promise by actually feeding them for a day. 3. But those who did not believe God, did not get the blessing of the promise of His sustenance. They went hungry for a day. ii. The same is true for the Lord’s Supper. 1. The Lord’s Supper impresses upon believers that God will sustain and preserve us upon the atonement of Jesus Christ, until we are perfected and eat the feast with Him as new people. 2. And when we partake in faith, God comes alongside and grows our faith through the meal. 3. But when someone tries to partake of it and they are not believers… what is the warning? 4. They could get sick and they may even die. 5. They do not get the preservation of God through the atonement and may even lose their lives and souls because of it. t. So, what is God’s promise in marriage? i. It is a sign of God’s relationship to His people and His relationship and fellowship of the Triunity of the Godhead. In short – the promise of the martial covenant is the experience of union which is itself a picture of God’s unity in three persons and His union He desires with His church. ii. As a sign of the covenant of marriage, selfless sexual intimacy between spouses is the sign that the covenant endures and that God approves of their union as they become more and more, one flesh. iii. And can actually sire offspring, which grants living and breathing examples of their covenantal union. iv. But when that covenant is polluted – union and bonding is destroyed. u. We will touch this again next week as we look at more ramifications of failing to abstain from sexual immorality, but suffice it to say, God’s will for our lives is that we are sexually pure – because ultimately, sexual purity is the only sex that is without regret, without negative consequences, and is pleasing to and blessed by God. v. Sex within marriage is holy, good, and pleasing to God. And God desires all His children who marry to enjoy that sign of their marital covenant as something He has given them. w. If any of this sounds weird or odd. Like God doesn’t belong in your marital bedchamber… again… it is a sign that you are still infected with the world’s view of sex. x. And that is what needs to be transformed by this text. Your mind must think the way God does. 2.) [Slide 14] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that sexual immorality includes every single sexual practice that is outside of a traditional marriage. a. As a related truth we must recognize that since sexual intimacy is a gift and seal given to those who have entered a martial covenant with each other and Himself… all other forms of sexual activity must, by definition, be immoral and ungodly. b. Therefore, any sexual activity that occurs before marriage or during marriage with someone other than your spouse, is a violation of sexual purity. c. Some married couples insist that viewing pornography or reading sexually explicit romance novels helps to get their desire for their spouse raised. d. This is a lie they have come to believe, no doubt whispered to them by demonic lips. e. My friends, how can you stoke the flame of holy love with the firebrand of lustful passion? f. How can you view people who are not your spouse engaged in lustful passion in order to generate holy desire for your spouse sexually? g. I would contend that you are not actually generating holy desire for your spouse, you are merely using your spouse to fulfill the lustful passion you have inflicted upon yourself. And that… is despicable. h. My friends – what God has given is so very simple. It isn’t easy… but it is simple. i. And it is summarized in Proverbs 5:18-23 i. Let your fountain be blessed, and be glad in the wife of your youth. As a loving hind and a graceful doe let her breasts satisfy you at all times; be intoxicated always with her love. So why should you, my son, be intoxicated with a strange woman and embrace the bosom of a foreign woman? For the ways of a man are before the eyes of Yahweh, and He watches all his tracks. His own iniquities will capture him who is the wicked one, and with the cords of his sin he will be held fast. He will die for lack of discipline, and in the abundance of his folly he will stumble in intoxication. j. We must find complete sexual satisfaction in our spouse. This is the only way to receive the covenant blessing of sexual activity. k. And God’s definition of marriage is what He gave in the garden to the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. Marriage is only marriage when it is between one biologically assigned male and one biologically assigned female. l. That is the only definition for marriage available to us in the Scriptures. Therefore, it is the only definition there is. 3.) [Slide 15] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that the timing of sexual intimacy is irrelevant. a. Some have burned in their lust for one another in a dating relationship to the point that they have justified their foray into its passions because they plan to be married in the near future. b. Some have even said that marriage is simply a piece of paper and they cannot see how a piece of paper makes any difference. c. Again, this shows a misunderstanding of marriage and its covenant act. d. It is not just a piece of paper obtained by some court official. It is a binding promise made between God and two people. e. And even if you do end up marrying the person to whom you are engaging in sexual activity… the truth of the matter is that even if you do get married to that person, you are doing harm to your sexual future with your spouse. f. There are holy aspects of sexual intimacy that you will never experience because you experienced them as lustful passions rather than as covenantal blessings. g. I have counseled dozens of couples who affirm this is true. Although they did eventually marry each other, they live with ongoing and constant regret that they did not begin with each other in holy sexual intimacy but rather started in lustful passions. h. I have also counseled some… few couples who have waited to be sexually intimate with one another until after marriage… and you know what? They never know anything different than HOLY SEX. i. Can you imagine never knowing anything different than holy sex? j. Can you imagine giving your spouse a covenant gift, held and kept, only for them? k. My friends… timing DOES matter. Because something happens when you say I do. You enter a covenant bond and God actively blesses your sexual activity to increase that union. l. Since timing matters… 4.) [Slide 16] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must abstain from sexual immorality. a. As if it needs to be said again – and at the risk of being grotesquely redundant… b. We must flee sexual immorality. c. If you are not married – you must actively run from all sexual activity. i. And I mean ALL sexual activity. You should strive to actively avoid sex scenes in movies, games, and books to help to master and control your body. ii. Really you are managing and preventing lustful passions from rising. iii. And while I may be traipsing into some more unsettled opinions by saying so – masturbation is not an option to deal with lustful passions that arise. iv. Paul recommends mastering your body – not blowing the relief valve when it gets to hot. v. Why? vi. Because God’s will for you… is to be holy in regard to sexuality. He desires your sexual activity to be within the covenant relationship of marriage. Because sex binds us to another. vii. Sex then is not an end in itself but a means to union. (repeat because this is huge) viii. As a former sexual deviant, I can tell you from experience, that the slightest provocation can be enough to send you down a treacherous path of unending temptation. ix. And the forces of darkness love conjuring images, stories, feelings, and desires in you to keep you traveling that path full of traps and pits. x. As an unwed person, you bear such a burden. So, I advise that you do not do it alone. xi. I advise that you seek out a person of the same gender, an older person maybe, who is willing to pray for you and hold you accountable for all that you see, read, play, and do. xii. Submit to their inspection and be brutally honest. Suffer their rebukes for your failure and rejoice with them in your successful avoidance of sexual immorality. d. If you are married, I’d love to say that our temptation ends. But unfortunately, it does not. i. We have already discussed the idea of finding sexual fulfillment only in your spouse. ii. Which means not allowing any other person, known or unknown, to participate in your sexual activity together. iii. It also means not going outside of your marital bed to seek satisfaction with another person or even by yourself. iv. Yes, I would contend that even within marriage masturbation is sexual immorality. Why? Because it does not celebrate the martial covenant but merely deals with the bodies yearning for sexual release. v. How do we deal with our body’s natural desire for sexual release? vi. Again, Paul recommends two things. One in this text and one in 1 Corinthians. 1. Mastering of our bodies. 2. Not withholding ourselves from our spouse. e. So let’s talk about the first one of these. Mastering our bodies 5.) [Slide 17] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must learn how to master our own bodies to be vessels of honor and holiness and not vessels that fulfill lustful passions. a. If sexual immorality is everything outside of the covenant bond of marriage – if we are abstain from it, it will require a constant supply of self-control. b. Of course, the scriptures tell us that unbelievers have no self-control. They are like animals pursuing their baser passions. They are slaves to sin and unable to deny themselves lustful passions. c. But believers, as part of the fruit of the Spirit, inherit the ability to deny their flesh and even crucify their fleshly desires. d. With the Spirit of God, we can effectively kill lustful passions. To the extent that they have no control over our lives. e. That doesn’t mean that we cannot be tempted or that we will never fall into them again. f. But it does mean that we can discipline ourselves to never willingly and intentionally succumb to any sexual immorality. g. Indeed, because we know God, and His will for our lives as believers, we MUST master our bodies. h. Why? i. Because they are not our bodies. They are the temple of the living God. We have been bought with a price. A high price. A necessary price but not one that we were naturally worthy of. God has put His treasure now, into these earthen vessels. j. He has set them apart for use as holy instruments in the temple. k. Shall we use them for the garbage and excrement of sexual immorality? l. It will be a fight. A fight that our world will not understand. But if we are able to gain mastery over our bodies… oh my friends – the world will have no choice but to marvel at our great God. 6.) [Slide 18] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God designed sexual activity to be pursued and enjoyed within a covenant relationship. a. My friends – one unique temptation within marriage that unmarried people look at with disbelief, is the temptation to let days, weeks, months go by without being sexually intimate with your spouse. i. Now I can’t pretend that God has given a command for how often we ought to engage in this covenant act together. So, I can’t say how much is enough or not enough. Most likely it is different for every couple. ii. But I can say that if you are irritated with each other, feeling disconnected, distant, disunified, snippy, or short with each other – it is probably a sign that you have let too many days elapse from when you last engaged in your covenant gift. b. And we married folk would all do well to remember that sexual activity is a gift God gave and is an gift we give to our spouse. It is FOR them. What does this mean? i. Ladies and Gentlemen, if your spouse desires to give themselves to you, how ungrateful to deny a gift giver their gift? ii. But to the gift giver – it is good for you to know when someone is receptive to a gift. If we saw someone whom we had a gift for driving by in their car, throwing the gift at them as they drive by is probably not a wise thing to do. iii. Offer the gift in the appropriate context and receive the gift with grace and offer your gift in return. iv. Remember, there is no other outlet God has permitted for sexual release than through your holy union. c. And as another point of advice. Pray before engaging in sexual intimacy. i. We pray before baptism and the Lord’s Supper that the Lord would use the sacraments to grow our faith and impress upon our hearts more fully the truth of the atonement of Jesus Christ. ii. What if we prayed before sexual intimacy with our spouses and asked the Lord to grow our union to our spouse and use it to impress upon us the reality of God’s union with His church and that God has with Himself in the Trinity? iii. Do you think God would honor that prayer? iv. What do you suppose would happen if God does answer that prayer? v. Do you think He might actually bless our union and bind us closer together? vi. Certainly, sexual intimacy is not the ONLY thing God uses to bind us together. But it is a powerful gift none the less. vii. But because we still think it is dirty… we still think it is odd to invite God to do this. d. Married believers: God’s gift of sexual intimacy should be a great comfort to you. God has given this gift to bind you to your spouse emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically. e. Our lustful passions tempt us to seek cheap sexual release with our spouse rather than union. f. Or on the others side, we act like Jonah. Jonah didn’t want to go to Ninevah because he knew God was gracious and would save them. Maybe we don’t want to feel bound to our spouse – so we avoid sexual activity with them. g. Both of these are sexual immorality. h. Let us enjoy, to the fullest, what God has given. And praise Him giving it to us. 7.) [Slide 19] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” Those who truly know God are able to gain mastery over their bodies and abstain from sexual immorality. If you can’t… then you may not be a true believer. a. Those who truly know God and are known by Him have been set free from their slavery to sin. b. No sin rules over them anymore. c. With God’s Holy Spirit in them – they are able to conquer and defeat sin. d. So, if everything I’ve said this morning is just not achievable to you. If you have never even considered this, nor do you want to master your body to refrain from sexual immorality… e. Then my friends – you do not know God. And He does not know you. f. The good news is, that Christ has paid for your sin with His blood, and has promised to free you from your slavery to it if you turn from it and submit to His rule over your life. g. If you want to know freedom from sexual immorality and experience the grace and mercy of God – I’d invite you to talk to an Elder today. We’d love to help you with that. [Slide 20] There is, really, so much more to say – but my time is long gone and I’ve taxed your ability to pay attention long enough. Let me close in a prayer by the Reformer John Bradford who being imprisoned in the Tower of London and watching reformer after reformer lead to their deaths, coined the phrase “There but for the grace of God go I.” He was burned at the stake in July of 1555. Gracious good Lord, help me and my spouse to live a relationship that reflects your holiness. Grant that we may keep the vessels of our lives pure and undefiled, following your way. I ask the same for other married couples. And for those who are unmarried, likewise: that they may live pure and chaste lives, free from coarseness and indecency, undefiled by the world. And for those singles who do not have the gift of singleness, grant them the kind of husbands or wives with whom they may live holy lives together, to your praise. Dear Father, give me the gift of sober-mindedness and temperance in lifestyle, and grant the same to those whom you would like me to lift up in prayer. And in contrast to those times past when I used my tongue and my whole self for evil, dear Lord, let me now use them well, in a godly and modest way. Sanctify and set me apart in body and soul, dear Lord As you have in your temple, dwell in me now and forevermore. Grant this, I pray, through Christ Jesus, for it is in His name I ask this – Amen. Benediction: Now to you who have died, been buried and have been raised in Christ, And whose life has been hidden in Christ and who will be revealed with Him in glory; Go, knowing that it is by your faith that you stand firm, By His life that is at work in you. Until we meet again, go in peace.