Called from Immorality to Purpose

Called from Immorality to Purpose
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
February 8, 2026

Paul had been writing to the Thessalonian church that he was encouraged to hear the report that he got from Timothy.

In chapter 3 he said that he was worried that the tempter had tempted them and that he, Paul, had labored in vain among them, but he was thankful that they were standing strong in the faith.

In this chapter we are in tonight he continues to encourage them on how to keep living out their Christian walk, as they were doing, but exhorts them to excel in it still more. There were danger and temptation that they needed to be vigilant against.

He then addresses a specific topic that is critically important which the enemy can use as a trap to hinder your holiness, keep you from excelling in your faith, and that is sexual immorality.

If the enemy can keep you stagnant and distracted, he is happy. God wants us to live a life of freedom that we can be focused on His purpose, surrendering our bodies to glorify Him, our bodies being the vessels that carry His Holy Spirit.

What Paul references in this section might make many uncomfortable, but God wants us to know the truth so we can be set free from the entrapment and lies of the enemy.

I. Walk to Please God

• When we talk about holiness, we know by now that it doesn’t mean perfection. Holiness means to be set apart, to have an attitude and a heart that says, I am different. I am not the same as the world around me. I’ve been bought with a price. I belong to someone else. I live to please my Redeemer.
• The basic desire of every child of God should be to please God. When people are outside of Christ, they live to please themselves, yet they are rarely pleased, because by now we know, surprise, surprise, the world doesn’t bring life, but only death.
• But when a person is inside of Christ, they live to please the Lord, because they’ve had the revelation of this secret: in His presence you find pleasures forevermore. He is life. Following His way brings life.
• There is a definite shift of purpose, from living for the self, to living for God, being available to be directed by His Spirit.
• In exhorting them, Paul then interestingly highlights a very specific thing hindering holiness.

A. Abstain from sexual immorality

• The word in the Greek used here is the word Porneia where the word ‘Pornography’ is derived from. Yet it encompasses much more than just that.
• If we look at the Strong’s definition of this word it says the following: Illicit (forbidden) sexual intercourse. God’s instruction on what is forbidden we find in Leviticus 18. This is not something just speaking to men, as men and women are integrally part of this.
• Because of our family friendly mixed crowd, I’m not going to go through that chapter tonight, but suffice to say, it graphically addresses all of the sexual deviancy and perversions that we today see all around us.
• The reason God laid this out so specifically, was partly because the nations around Israel used these perversions as part of their idol worship and spiritual rites.
• And, Paul says that when people are worshipping idols, they’re actually worshipping demons.

1 Corinthians 10: 20, No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 

• It’s very interesting that Satan uses that which God created to be beautiful in marriage to signify a covenant bond between a husband and a wife, being a picture of Jesus’ intimate covenant unity with His church, and he distorts it to become degrading, self-absorbed, perverse acts.
• I believe there is something much deeper at work here.

1 Corinthians 6:16, Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” 

• I submit to you that these temple prostitutes offering their bodies to their gods literally connected the worshipers to these demonic forces. Satan was abusing the spiritual principle God put in place, that two shall become one flesh.
• And it didn’t stop with the nations surrounding Isreal in the time of Leviticus. This was rampant in the time of the early church as well. Many deities had both male and female prostitutes working in their temples and making use of their services was how people would worship in the temple.
• Because of this, many today that practices perverted acts, have a rebuttal saying Paul only forbid this when connected to temple prostitution, but Leviticus 18 gives us the correct context. It was concerning all of society.
• These temples, though, created a perverse culture where it overflowed into the broader society, and the perverse ways became the norm, thereby glorifying the demonic gods.
• Just like, as Christians, we worship in church, declare the good news, take hold of the word, and then spread it outside to the world, the demonic idolatrous forces use their perverted practices, and then spread it into the world, strengthening the hold of the carnal nature.
• This is why Paul specifically warned them on this issue. Abstain from sexual immorality. Do not surrender to lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God. It has a deeper implication than only an act in the flesh. It has a spiritual impact. It fractures the soul.

1 Corinthians 6:18, Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.

• In our time, we don’t have physical ‘temples’, but they are still very active and alive in society. To such an extent that every part of society is today overwhelmed and permeated with sexual immorality.

Illus – The first groundbreaking legislation that legalized pornography was passed in 1969 in Denmark. In America, it was still technically illegal to have pornographic films. This law was bypassed by calling it Art.  Since then, artists, and the arts (read painting, film, television, novels, poetry, music, music videos) and most other art forms have been aggressively pushing sexual immorality  to some degree or another. In most movies, Tv shows, or novels it has become the norm. Marriage is not even part of the equation. Studies show that the overwhelming majority of people dating now have sex within the first month of dating.  Within little more than 50 years America has changed from a country where pornography is illegal, to a country where every possible sexual perversion is not only allowed, but celebrated. Today, what is legally regarded as obscene is measured by the view of the broader society. Society thereby becomes the norm by which morality is defined.

• Paul’s warning is very relevant to us today as well. We need to have spiritual discernment. Don’t be caught up in this culture. We must look different. We cannot pursue holiness and still eat at the table of demons.
• We need to be discerning and awake. We need to see the ploy of the enemy. We cannot assimilate into the modern culture. We cannot just say, but everyone is doing it! We need to be set apart, holy, as God is holy.

B. Keep God’s vessel pure

• V 4. – The phrase possess his own vessel speaks of ownership and control. Take hold of, bring under submission.

Verse 4 – that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor [being available for God’s purpose and separated from things profane], (Amp)

• Here is the key. When we give our lives to Jesus, our vessels are washed clean, redeemed, and repurposed.

1 Corinthians 6:19, Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

• I believe one of the greatest hindrances that a Christian can experience, male, or female, is if they feel that their vessel is not clean.
• It robs people of the confidence to minister to others, the confidence to witness, the confidence to be used by God.
• The answer is not to have more self-control or to try harder.
• The answer is found in the possessing of your vessel. Who now possesses this vessel?

2 Corinthians 4:7a, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels…

• The vessel is still earthen, but what now possesses this vessel is the Holy Spirit. God’s design and purpose is that our bodies will now carry the power and be empowered by His Holy Spirit where we go.
• We should be continually focused on this truth.

II. Shift your focus

• A vessel surrendered to God is still flesh, it is not perfect, but it has a habitual longing to be holy, set apart, be used. Why? Because now it sees a greater purpose. It now carries the power of the Holy Spirit.
• It sees that revival is the answer. It has a vision of lives being set free, people living in joy, bondage broken, addiction broken, broken hearts healed.

2 Corinthians 4:7b…so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 

• His Spirit changes us, little by little, and as we get the revelation of the table He has set before us, we don’t want to eat from the garbage heap of this world anymore.

A. Make a conscious choice 

• Although growing in faith and sanctification is a process, it does demand a conscious choice.
• There must be choice to, in the deepest part of your being, re-align with God’s will. That is what repentance is. To turn away from. Set your sights on a new focus. A choice to not be associated things that dishonors God.
• God did not call us to impurity, but to sanctification; growing in holiness and to grow more and more into His likeness.
• We are not mere individuals acting in a void. We are connected to Someone.

 Verse 17 – But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

• This is the beautiful, awesome truth. We have now been joined with Christ. We are one spirit with Him. His Spirit is now living in us.
• We have a different spirit leading us. We see things differently. We discern things differently. We see the plan of the enemy, and the truth sets us free.

B. Align with God’s will 

• There are in society today many who do not receive this message. There are even many in churches who reject this today. There might be people sitting here that feel offended.
• But this is more than just a mere message from man.

Verse 8 – So whoever rejects and disregards this is not [merely] rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [to dwell in you and empower you to overcome temptation]. (Amp)

• In the end, you can choose to disagree, get mad, or rebel against God, but know that God’s heart is that you will have life.
• Many times, when people are shaking their fists at God, specifically on this topic, there is a deeper issue. And this can encompass a multitude of things.
• Thoughts like, “God I have tried so hard. I cannot change. How can you demand this of me??” or, “ That thing that happened to me drove me to this”. Or “ This is how I feel loved”, or “ what if I follow your word and that one person that ‘cares’ for me rejects me”.
• This brings fear of rejection, which leads to anger, turmoil, frustration.
• You know what the answer is to fear?

1 John 4:18, There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 

• God loves you perfectly. He showed it with His death on the cross. He understands your turmoil, your struggle, your pain, but He wants to set you free with His love so that you never have to look for love in all the wrong places again that ultimately destroys.
• Verse 8 – (He) gives His Holy Spirit to you to dwell in you and empower you to overcome temptation].(Amp)
• Self -control will not do
• We are changed in the presence of God.

Zechariah 4:6,  ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.

• Will the temptation stop? No, but when you see the truth, it changes your perspective, it changes your worth, your identity. Then the temptation loses its allure and power.
• Start walking in faith, in the knowing that you are united with Christ, His Spirit lives in you, He never leaves you, you never walk alone.