“More and More” (1 Thess 3:12-4:12)

“But as touching brotherly love, you need not that I write unto you: for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another.  And, indeed, you do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that you increase more and more” (vs9-10).

Abound more and more in love and good works.  Don’t stagnate and think of yourself as “arriving”, but grow in grace, and flame on in the Lord.

The gospel changes us, and we’re to change and be changed continually, conforming into the likeness of the Son.  The joy of salvation is LIVING the gospel; it isn’t theory or sinning that grace might about; it is using God’s love to make us loving by the promises and forgiveness of sins.

Five things are mandatory for obedience:

1.  The fear of the Lord and the warnings. Without this, we sin that grace might abound, and we deny the gospel message, living as we please.

2. The blood of the Lord cleanses us from all sin, and He is why we’re accepted of God, by faith in Him.

3. The promises of grace, not only of pardon, but also of power and the ability to conquer sin, that God is with us by the Spirit.

4.  The command: the gospel isn’t merely a promise, but God “commands all men every where to repent”, and without the command, we don’t do God’s will; we do ours.

5. The reward: there must be a blessing in God’s will, if we will do it - the reward of heaven, peace, and life more abundantly.  If I know there’s JOY in obedience, I have conviction to honor God by it.

These are mandatory to growth, and we see them here in 1 Thess 3:12-4:12.

1. The command - “for you know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus” (vs2)

2.  The blood of Christ and acceptance with God - “Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus” (vs1)

3. The promise - “For God has not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.  He therefore that despises, despises not man, but God, who has also given unto us His Holy Spirit“ (vs7-8)

4.  The warning - “That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in [adultery], because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified“ (vs6)

5. The reward - “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you; to the end he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints” (1 Thess 3:12-13)

God is honored by obedience: do this, and blessings are yours.

Overcoming Sin with Thanksgiving (Eph 5:3-4)

“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.”

Let this rule your mind: be thankful instead of lustful and sinning. Instead of walking in what He forbids, be THANKFUL for the immeasurable mercies and goodness’ that He gives you continually. Rather than despair because of the temptation to sin, live for the higher good, the higher glory, and the promise of the reward given to you (John 12:25). You have MORE in Christ than you have imagined. Set yourself before God’s blessings and count them up. Look into the wealth of His love, and take it only, rather than sin. Don’t be duped out of enjoying your wealth to walk in the squalor of iniquity. Be you clean by God’s promises of GOODNESS to you (2 Cor 7:1). Stand fast by the wealth you have, the hope, and the power of His love. Let sin be fearful to you. Never play with it or think that we can escape as those who’re evil in conduct, but LET US fight the battle by the weapons afforded us, which is THANKFULNESS continually for Him. Meditate upon Him in the things you enjoy, so you have temperance (1 Tim 4:1-5). Keep a thankful heart that you have a Savior, and keep up the battle by faith. You will enter your reward, and what you PRAISE Him for now, you will have eternally (John 12:26).

Better to Marry (I Cor 6-7:9)

“But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn” (I Cor 7:9)

It is better to marry than to live in sin. We are, at all costs, to avoid fornication, and MARRIAGE is given for this reason.

Don’t make your own rules; follow what He gives, and you will have life and peace.
The trick is NOT how many women I can sleep with, but can I be faithful to my wife? The trick is not how many, but can I remain faithful and steadfast in my single condition?

Marriage has been given; use it to your benefit.


First, we can have faults as believers, “I speak to your shame” (I Cor 6:5). We are not above correction. Scripture says, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable to you”, and again those who preach the gospel “admonish you” (Heb 13:17; I Thess 5:12). Don’t be put off by the admonishments of the Lord. You and I have SHAMEFUL things about us that can be forgiven, if we admit our sin. But, if we REFUSE to be reproved, we bring danger and harm upon ourselves and DESPISE the fear of the Lord.

Be not like the horse and the mule that won’t listen; receive counsel to the saving of your soul, health and joy of your life!

Secondly, we are different, “And such were some of you: but you washed yourselves, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God” (I Cor 6:6-11). Believers are clean. We have gone through the wash of Jesus Christ, come out on the side of holiness, and we love God and man. We are NEW creations.

We are NOT to live as the world or SEEK what the world esteems. We are a radically different and chosen people. We are the ones that God predetermined to save from the foundation of the world, the ones that He GAVE eternal life to, and this LIFE has changed us. He gives every child of God this power to prove the forgiveness of sins, and now we’re to live in newness of life, rejecting the old. Never go back to bondage; live the new life RADICALLY and completely.

Thirdly, joining the Lord Jesus to harlots is an abomination He takes special notice of for its filth, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is without the body; but he that commits fornications sins against his own body (I Cor 6:15-18). Fornication is promoted in the USA, but not by God. It is an evil that defiles us, disturbs Him, and is FAR BELOW the inheritance we have been redeemed unto. It is not the way of the saints. Flee from it. Run to Christ and be clean of your past, present, and future. Believe the Lamb of God to escape something so defiling.

This is not an indifferent issue to be lightly examined. Scripture says, “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you as becomes saints” (Eph 5:3). You have been redeemed to a new life, and you are to LIVE it by the grace of God, not DRAWING BACK because of the sin that is in us, but obtaining mercy to live beyond our strength in holiness by the gospel.

Fourthly, it is good to be single, “It is good for a man not to touch a woman” (I Cor 7:1). Do not be duped by BELIEVERS who tell you and me it is better to marry; it is only better if the Lord Jesus has given you someone to marry, someone that you wish to be with sexually. We are not to think the happy life or full life starts AFTER we marry. According to scripture, single believers have more now. We have the ability to give ourselves to God WITHOUT distraction (I Cor 7:28-35).

Yes, it is HARD being single because we covet, lust, and naturally desire fellowship, but it is HARD because we make it hard by unbelief. We try to be happy WITHOUT doing what God says, thinking we’ll serve God when He gives a spouse to us, but it isn’t true. Live the LIFE that He gave you, and don’t say it is unsatisfying, because you say that Christ is insufficient, when you do so. Live to be “holy both in body and in spirit”, and you’ll experience EXACTLY what He says, that it is GOOD for us not to marry, if we can avoid it, if we have the gift (I Cor 7:34, 8-9).

Everyone can’t stay single, and we shouldn’t try. But, the Lord gives us SOMEONE to marry before it is time to marry.

Lastly, the marriage CONTRACT has certain obligations, “The wife has not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband has not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud you not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer” (I Cor 7:3-5). When you enter that contract, you covenant before God to live up to your end of the bargain. You say, “I will be the husband/wife God commands me to be. I am a child of God”. When marriage is hard, when sins have made separation, then the answer is not rebellion. The answer is faith in Christ that enables you to live godly with joy. Husbands and wives, don’t hate each other. Give YOURSELF to the other person implicitly. Do not withdraw because of sin, but by Christ, press forward into the wealth of SUPERNATURAL grace that is for you.

If we don’t FORGIVE, then we don’t know God. Let not the sun go down on your anger, and be reconciled and loving to the person GOD gave you whom you TOOK for yourself.

To Avoid Fornication (I Cor 7:1-2)

“Now concerning the things whereof you wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.”

Marriage is to avoid fornication. It is not for the romance novel. God gave us specific instructions on marriage, and we are wise if we heed them. He says, “But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn”, and we are wise to believe what God says, rather than the story book romance of this world (I Cor 7:9). If God gives sexual attraction between believers, then to avoid fornication, we marry, because we seek the glory of God who gave us marriage, which is better than burning in lusts.

This burning is forbidding yourself from having what God gave you to satisfy your needs. He has given marriage, and the bed is pure between husband and wife. We are to use those things that God GIVES us, in order to live the best we can and the happiest we can in the world.

He says, “But he that is married cares for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife”, and He gives the recipe for happiness in this (I Cor 7:33). If we are single, then we live to serve God in holiness. If we are married, then we please our spouse, which is how happiness comes our way. In every station of life, doing it God’s way is the way of peace amidst the storm. Sin says, “Serve me”, but it doesn’t give the peace that it promises. Obedience says, “Serve me, and in due time, you shall reap, if you faint not”. You and I may not be in love with someone in worldly sense, but if we have attraction and shared faith, if we yearn to be together sexually, then we have found our spouse and just cause of marriage.

You may have married the wrong person or come to Christ after wedlock, but the path of peace is SERVING that spouse to the glory of God, living that He would be worshiped, and obeying Him, entrusting your peace to Him who commands and gives power. He, not we ourselves or anyone else, is our Rewarder. And, our Reward is believing upon, seeing, and being in harmony with God. He will reward us with Himself. Christ said, “You shall make me full of joy with your countenance”, so that seeing God is the cause of joy, and He reveals Himself to the faithful (Acts 2:28). We will see more of God obeying God, than we can see in sin. And, it is better to obey than to serve the lusts of men.

Don’t take what anyone says over Christ and the scripture. This is peace.