Why Please the LORD?

 Why Please the LORD?

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

 

 

Let’s begin by reminding ourselves of something I said a few months back when we started studying 1 Thessalonians. Paul, Silas, and Timothy wrote to the Church in Thessalonica so the Church would stand firm. That is the purpose and thesis of First and Second Thessalonians: standing firm. They exhort and implore us all to stand firm.

 

As we begin chapter 4 of 1 Thessalonians, we see the following words:

1 Thessalonians 4:1 (NKJV) 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;

 

In these words, we have an emotional and authoritative request. Paul and his companions use two words, both of which have significant implications.

 

First, they say, “We urge you.” 

 

This is the New Testament, and Paul wrote it in the Greek language. The word he used, which is translated as “urge” in this place, is ἐρωτάω(erótaó). The root meaning of the word is to question or interrogate, and so it came to mean asking fervently or begging.

 

Erótaó is an emotional word, but not an authoritative word. It is like saying, “Please, please, please remember to pick up milk on your way home.”

 

The word they use after urge is “exhort.”

In Greek, Paul uses the word παρακαλέω (parakaleō), which carries a range of meanings: to call alongside, to encourage, to comfort, to urge, to exhort, to appeal. Jesus uses this word of the Holy Spirit when He says that He will send a “comforter” (Paraclete).  Lawyers were also called “Paracletes” in New Testament times.

 

Parakaleō carries more authority than the emotional appeal of erótaó. However, it does not have a sense of “that is an order!” It is like a lawyer saying, “You really need to do this. It’s for your good.”

 

Consider one more thing about their exhortation: They urge and exhort “in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

 

Now there is authority! Jesus is the Head of the Church. It is His Church. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. 

Matthew 28:18 (NKJV) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

 

The Church belongs to Jesus. So a request given in His name is a command. We cannot, we must not ignore it.

 

What is so urgent, important, and essential that it comes with such a prelude? It is what follows in the verse. Let me show you 1 Thessalonians 4:1in the NLT.

1 Thessalonians 4:1 (NLT) Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.

 

This version says it so well. The urgent, essential issue is living in a way that pleases God. If we are going to stand firm in our faith, living in a way that pleases God is an absolute must. We must not compromise on this.

 

In verse two, it says:

1 Thessalonians 4:2 (NKJV) for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

 

Their emotional, urgent exhortation is to please “increase in obeying the commands of Jesus.” When Jesus gave us marching orders, He said to make disciples of all peoples, teaching them to observe all that I’ve commanded you.

Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age.” Amen.

 

The Thessalonian church was doing what Jesus said. Therefore, they were an example for all the churches, as they lived in a way that pleased God. However, Paul, Silas, and Timothy urged them to “abound more and more” in this lifestyle.

 

We can always grow in this area. Even the best of us is not perfect; thus, we all have room for improvement.

 

Living in a way that pleases God is a theme in the New Testament. In Colossians 3, Paul and Timothy  say:

Colossians 3:1-5 (NKJV) 1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ [who is] our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

 

Looking at Colossians and 1 Thessalonians, you will notice that the first issue addressed is sexual sin. And, along with sexual sin, passion, desires, and covetousness are addressed. These all come from the same source.

 

1 Peter 2:11 reveals the source when it says:

1 Peter 2:11 (NKJV) Beloved, I beg [you] as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,

 

Our fleshly lusts (desires) are the source of much of our sin. So, Peter says “abstain.” 

 

However, the flesh is not able to abstain from itself! Before we ask Jesus to save us from our sins, we are held captive by our flesh and its desires.

Romans 7:23 (NKJV) But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

 

We are slaves. Jesus saves us from our sins by saving us from both the penalty and power of our sins. First,  He forgives our transgressions so that we do not suffer the punishment that perfect justice demands. God saves us from the penalty of our sins by forgiving us. He can forgive and still be a just God because Jesus paid our penalty in our place.

 

Jesus saves us from the power of sin by delivering us from slavery to sin. Like I said, the flesh cannot abstain from itself. When Jesus delivers us from slavery to sin, He breaks the power of sin. He breaks the power of sin by making us a new creature. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

 

Our flesh is put to death by the Spirit of God. Our fleshly lusts wage war against our souls, so our flesh must die. This necessity of death is why Paul says:

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

 

Without Jesus and the Holy Spirit He gives us, living in a way that pleases God is impossible. It cannot be done in the flesh, and it never has been done in the flesh, with Jesus being the one and only exception. But thanks be to God, we are told:

Galatians 5:16 (NKJV) I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

 

Walking in the Spirit is the key to abounding more and more in a life that pleases God. 

 

To walk in the Spirit, we must first have the Spirit. Have you ever asked Jesus to save you? If you haven’t, you can do it right now. Ask Him, and then as soon as possible, tell somebody what you have done. Jesus said:

Matthew 10:32 (NKJV) “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

 

Suppose you have already asked Jesus to be your Savior, but do not know how to walk by the Spirit. Begin by asking God for help. Next,abstain from things that stimulate the flesh and add things that focus your heart and mind on things above. You will find that the more you do this, the more the Spirit will change you.

 

Will you commit yourself to seeking God each morning by looking at what He says in His word, the Bible?

 

If you do, you will soon notice significant changes in your life!