Possess Your Vessel
1 Thessalonians 4:1-4 NKJV
4 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; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
I believe it was Garth Brooks who sang a song about sailing his vessel. We are keeping with the nautical theme, but Paul has a different idea in mind. This passage is about how to live and please God. The topic is much more clear-cut than some would have us believe. Abstain from sexual immorality.
This may not sound too encouraging a topic, but Paul thought it important enough to let the church of the Thessalonians know how they were to be pleasing to the Lord. Over the years, I have heard people discuss the importance of finding the will of God for their lives. God’s will for us is very important, but we can’t limit His will to direction only. The best place to start is with what God has already expressed in His Word. And Paul makes it very clear when he states that the commandment to abstain from sexual immorality was a commandment from the Lord Jesus. So we have a clearly stated commandment and the expressed will of God. I am not seeing any wiggle room here.
The idea of abstinence is contained in the word sanctification. That’s a big religious word that sounds intimidating but involves living set apart. When we made Jesus our Lord, we were set apart for God. This is something we have in Christ. So, from a spiritual standpoint, we have been set apart for God, and now we are living out on the outside what has been done for us on the inside.
The early church was often made up of people who had come from extremely promiscuous backgrounds. There was no sense of Christian morality in the culture. Paul would go into these spiritually dark areas and be the first one to bring the light of the gospel. The thousands of people who turned from idols to worship and serve the living God had no real pattern of how to live this life. Paul would stay and teach, but then have to move on to another area. As he is writing these letters, we do not get a sense of harsh condemnation, but rather an exhortation as to how to live this new life in a way that pleases God. The Thessalonians were encouraged to possess their vessel or their body in a way that was set apart to God and honorable.
APPLICATION
You knew there would be an application for this passage. And we are talking application, not condemnation. We are to possess our vessels, our bodies, in such a way that we are set apart and pleasing to God and in an honorable manner. There is nothing antiquated or out of date with these scriptures. Culture may have changed, but God has not. And as the one who created us and knows us inside out, what He commands is always for our good and His glory. Hey, we want the will of God for our lives. This is a great place to start.
PRAYER
Lord, I receive Your commandment as for my good. I purpose to possess my vessel in sanctification and honor that I might be pleasing to You.