THE WILL OF GOD

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thess. 4:3 NKJV).

The subject of our verse is the will of God. From it we want to note the awareness of the will of God and the abstinence in the will of God.

Awareness of the will of God – “This is the will of God.” Note two things here about the will of God. First, the place of learning the will of God: We learn about the will of God from the Word of God. We will not learn much about the will of God from psychology and worldly philosophies. In fact, much of what they teach opposes the will of God. To know the will of God, we need to get into Word of God. Second, the priority of learning the will of God: Knowing God’s will is the most important learning we can obtain. We will learn many things in life; but if we do not know the will of God, we are ignorant of the most important knowledge of all. So, we need to earnestly study the Word of God to learn accurately the will of God.

Abstinence in the will of God – “Your sanctification, that you should abstain from sexual immorality.” Note two things here about abstinence. First, the practice of abstinence: “From sexual immorality.” This abstinence is abstaining from sex outside of the marriage. This is certainly not a popular practice, but it is the will of God. Abstinence is so unpopular that some schools will not let it be taught as a way of avoiding the problems of venereal diseases. Abstinence is considered too radical by the radicals in society. Second, the product of abstinence: “Your sanctification.” Purity is the product of abstinence. We need purity for moral health. We cannot be morally pure if we do not abstain from fornication. We need purity for emotional health. Lack of abstinence defiles the mind which causes many mental health problems. We need purity for physical health. Abstinence does not contaminate the body with venereal diseases.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“All moral obligation resolves itself into the obligation of conformity to the will of God!”

Charles Hodge (1797 – 1878)

Reformed Presbyterian Theologian and Seminary Principal

Word Study

Flame

In Heb. 1:7 we read, “And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire” (NKJV).

“Flame” is the Greek word phlóx (φλόξ = flox) and mean a flame or blaze. In Classical Greek and Septuagint usage phlóx meant flame of fire, lightning; heat of the sun; or the flash of heavenly bodies, precious stones, or a sword. In the New Testament, the divine manifestation of God was sometimes accompanied by fire, often in association with divine judgment (cf. 2 Thess. 1:7-8; Heb. 12:29). Phlóx is also used to positively describe the “eyes” of the glorified Christ (cf. Rev. 1:14; 2:18; 19:12); negatively, it is used of the evil influence of man’s “tongue” (cf. Jam. 3:6). By quoting Psalm 104:4, the author of Hebrews is emphasizing the subservient state of the angels. Nowhere in Scripture are angels given a title that indicates they are equal to the Son. Instead, as creatures they are servants of God and stand ready to do his bidding. By describing angels as “spirits” and “flame of fire,” the author is showing the superiority of the Lord Jesus over the angels.

Did You Know…

According to 1 Kings 16:15, Zimri, king of Israel ruled for only 7 days.

Bible Quiz

According to the Book of Hebrews, what is the Law is a shadow of?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

What astonished the apostle Paul about the Galatian believers? They were quickly turning to a “different gospel” (Gal. 1:6).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

“Not a bone of Him broken” (Psalm 34:20; cf. John 19:31-36)

"He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken” (Psalm 34:20 NJKV).

David’s trust in the Lord was unwavering. He relied on God to deliver him from his enemies, recognizing that all the events and circumstances of his life were under God’s sovereign control, which is conditioned by His unfailing love. On the cross, the Lord Jesus also placed His trust in the hands of His Father. Now, it was a Roman custom to abandon corpses on the cross, leaving them to the dogs and vultures. But according to Deut. 21:23, if a person was put to death by hanging on a tree, “his body shall not remain overnight on the tree…so that you do not defile the land…for he who is hanged is accursed of God.” For this reason, and because it was Preparation Day, the eve of Sabbath, “the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away” (John 19:31). This brutal practice, known as the crurifragium, was used as a means of hastening death. It involved the breaking of the victim’s legs with a large mallet. The soldiers did this to first one thief, then the other thief who were crucified with the Lord Jesus (cf. v. 32). But when they came to the Lord Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, “they did not break His legs” (v. 33). Commenting on these events, the apostle John said that these things were done that the Scripture might be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken” (v. 36; cf. Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12; Psalm 34:20). The Lord Jesus was the perfect Sacrifice in death as well as in life.

Did You Know – Christian History

The Last Sermon of John Calvin

John Calvin was born 10 July 1509, in Noyon, Picardy, France. He was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation.

Calvin was originally trained as a priest and then as a lawyer. In 1530, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church. After religious tensions erupted in widespread violence against Protestant Christians in France, Calvin fled to Basel, Switzerland, where in 1536 he published the first edition of the Institutes. That same year, Calvin was recruited by William Farel to join the Reformation in Geneva. However, the governing council of the city resisted the implementation of their ideas, and both men were expelled. At the invitation of Martin Bucer, Calvin proceeded to Strasbourg, where he became the minister of a church of French refugees. He continued to support the reform movement in Geneva, and in 1541 he was invited back to lead the church of the city.

During his ministry in Geneva, Calvin preached over two thousand sermons. Initially, he preached twice on Sunday and three times during the week. This proved to be too heavy a burden, and late in 1542 the council allowed him to preach only once on Sunday. In October 1549, he was again required to preach twice on Sundays and, in addition, every weekday of alternate weeks. From March 1555 to July 1556, Calvin delivered two hundred sermons on Deuteronomy. In late 1558, Calvin became ill with a fever. Shortly after recovery, he strained his voice while preaching, which brought on a violent fit of coughing. He burst a blood vessel in his lungs, and his health steadily declined. On February 6, 1564, the man who had done as much as any other to forge the theology of the Reformation, preached his last sermon. Unable to walk, Calvin was carried in a chair to the Cathedral of St. Pierre to preach. In the midst of his sermon, his mouth suddenly filled with blood and he was forced to leave the pulpit. It proved to be his last public preaching. Three months later, on May 27, John Calvin died at age 54, having spent himself for the church he served. Calvin’s heroism was not the dramatic courage of the battlefield, but the steady bravery of faithfulness. His life in Geneva was marked by sustained labor: preaching, pastoral counsel, training ministers, and shaping the Reformed churches through careful teaching. His final sermon embodied a distinctly Christian kind of strength - endurance under suffering, humility before God, and devotion to the Lord Jesus’ glory rather than personal comfort.

A Little Humor

A little boy asked his grandmother, “If Jesus rose from the dead, does that mean He’s like a superhero?” Grandma smiled. “Better.” “Wow,” said the boy. “So, Easter is basically the greatest comeback story ever.” Grandma nodded. “Exactly.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Do not wait for the hearse to take you to church!”