Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover: The Superiority of Christ

5 Sanctification & Sexual Purity

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2007-10-22

Synopsis: John Weaver continues his series on sanctification and sexual purity, focusing on 1 Thessalonians 4:4-6. He clarifies that the 'vessel' refers to the believer's body, not one's wife, and explains that believers must possess their bodies in sanctification and honor, avoiding the lustful passions of the Gentiles. He argues that sexual immorality is not only a sin against God but also a form of theft against others, defrauding a brother. The message emphasizes personal holiness, the positive command to honor one's body, and the negative command to reject unlawful desires.

[John Weaver] 1 Thessalonians 4. Lord willing, the message today is not necessarily going to be that long only because I cannot complete what I want to complete and then deal with the total verse. So I've decided instead of having one extra long message, I'm just going to cut them down in two and hopefully we'll be able to remember the points a little bit better. But let's read in 1 Thessalonians 4, beginning with verse 1. Furthermore, then, we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God, so you would abound more and more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel and sanctification and honor. Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles who know not God.

[John Weaver] That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any manner, because the Lord is the avenger of all such as we have also forewarned and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit."

[John Weaver] Now this is the fifth message. In the general theme, sanctification and sexual purity. And let me just give very quickly a brief review of the verses that we've already covered. First of all, in verse one, we notice the apostles main point and exhortation. He says, furthermore, then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus. Now in this verse. I showed you there were three main truths. First of all, there was a practical necessity. He says that as you have received of us and the practical necessity is we must be taught the truth of God, we must be taught the word of God. And then secondly, in verse one, there was a personal application, how you ought to walk and to please God.

[John Weaver] So all the teaching in the world is not going to do you any good unless you personally apply and personally obey it. And then thirdly, In verse 1, you have a progressive reality. He said, so that you would abound more and more. So we would be more holy and more obedient every day of our life. And then secondly, in verse 2, we have an explanation. He says, for you know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. So the commandments then refer actually back to verse 1. It was the teaching, the explanation of the Word of God and the Law of God that taught these people how they ought to walk and so to please God. And then we came to verse 3, and that is where he began his exposition.

[John Weaver] And first of all, under this point, we have an affirmation. He says, for this is the will of God. And then at secondly, in verse 3, you have an explanation, even your sanctification. Remember, I told you that the word sanctification is hagiosmos. It means to sanctify, to purify. And then, of course, I told you it meant to set apart exclusively for God. It means to be prepared for God. It means to be pure and upright. So you have an explanation. This is the will of God, an affirmation.

[John Weaver] And then you have a negation that you should abstain from fornication. And so last week we went through exactly what fornication is. We went through the entirety of the Word of God and looked at all the scriptures. I showed you that fornication and adultery are not one and the same thing. Fornication is a much broader term. Adultery is brought in under that term fornication, but fornication can refer to pornography. It can refer to incest. It can refer to what we would call sodomy. It can even refer to stubbornness and rebelliousness.

[John Weaver] You remember I told you from Judges chapter 19 where the man's wife, the Bible says, played the whore against him or played the harlot against him and went to her father's house. Now, she was not down at her father's house. engaging in incest. That would have merited a double death penalty. Moreover, a Levite would have never deigned to go there and bring his wife back, had that been what was happening.

[John Weaver] But the word fornication just simply refers to her rebellion and to her stubbornness. She would not abide under her husband's house, would not obey him, and she left him and went back to her parents, so to speak. And of course, that is referred to as fornication in the Bible. And so I explain that in detail.

[John Weaver] Now, today, we want to come to verse four, where he says that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel and sanctification honor. Now, we're still under the third point, the next position. And here we're going to deal with our next sub point, our fourth point. And that is a clarification. In fact, verses four and five, is a clarification. In other words, you have, first of all, in verse 3, an affirmation.

[John Weaver] This is the will of God. Then you have an explanation, even your sanctification. Then you have a negation that you should abstain from fornication. And then verse 4 and verse 5 is a clarification.

[John Weaver] Now, the Apostle Paul does this very frequently in his teaching. What he will do is this. He will state a truth. And then he will turn around and restate that same truth in different words. In other words, he further clarifies what he just said. So actually, verses four and five is a further clarification of verse three. When he says this is the will of God, even your sanctification that you should abstain from fornication.

[John Weaver] Now, let me go back a little bit. In verse four, you have the truth clarified and positively stated. In verse 5, you have the truth clarified and negatively stated. You see what Paul is doing? He's clarifying the truth, but he's giving it to you, first of all, positively, and then secondly, He's giving it to you negatively.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note that he is talking about individuals. Look in verse four. He says that every one of you, that each one of you should know how to possess his vessel and sanctification honor. Now, I want you to note what he does.

[John Weaver] Now, let's go back and read verse three. He says, For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication.

[John Weaver] Now, if you don't really understand what he just said, he's going to clarify further that each one of you, this is what I want. Every one of you should know how to possess your vessel in sanctification and honor. So first of all, today, we're going to look at verse four, and that is the truth clarified and stated positively. Now, he says in verse four that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel. Now, the first question we must ask is what in the world is our vessel?

[John Weaver] Now, it may surprise you. To find out that there are some commentators. Who say that the vessel in verse four refers to a man's wife? Now I'll be Honest with you, while the Scripture does indeed speak of a man's wife as a vessel, and we'll show you the Scripture in just a moment, I do not believe that contextually the word vessel here can be interpreted as wife. It is true that God tells us as husbands that we are to maintain our wives in sanctification and honor, but I don't believe in verse 4 that the vessel can refer to the wife. Look in your Bibles. 1 Thessalonians 4, but turn over to 1 Peter 3 and look at verse 7. 1 Peter 3 and verse 7. Look what God says. He says, Likewise, you husbands.

[John Weaver] Now watch this carefully, men. Dwell with them, that is your wives, according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, And it's being airs together the grace of life that your prayers be not hindered. So first of all, he said, you husbands dwell with them according knowledge. Let me just stop right here. Man, listen to me. There is a certain knowledge that you must have to live with your wife. That's what he's saying. You've got to live with them according knowledge. The knowledge is the teaching of the word of God. One of the reasons there are so many divorces in America is not just the immorality, that is true. But it's because people are trying to live together with a lack of knowledge.

[John Weaver] And you know what most couples do today, if they have problems, they don't sit down and work them out biblically, they just get divorced and go marry somebody else. Alice and I, the same Young folks that we graduated with, we'll soon be married 36 years, but we have met some of the folks that we graduated with, they've been married four or five times in that same length of time. Some of them probably more than that.

[John Weaver] So God says it requires a certain amount of knowledge. Then he says, giving honor to the wife, now watch, as being the weaker vessel. So the Bible is referring them to the wife as a vessel. And note, if you would please, the Bible does say here that we're to give honor unto the wife, so that teaches us that the wife is indeed to be maintained in sanctification and honor. But still, that does not mean that 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 4 refers to the wife.

[John Weaver] Now, let's turn in our Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 5. But I want to show you another passage that might excite the men some. Look at Ephesians chapter 5, just showing you that our wives are indeed to be maintained in sanctification and honor, and the Bible does refer to the wife as the weaker vessel. By the way, when the Bible refers to the wife as the weaker vessel, that does not mean that the husband is the strong vessel. The husband is weak, too. The wife is just weaker. She's the weaker vessel. So the opposite of weaker is not strong, it's weak. You have degrees there. Weak, weaker, and weakest. So God says we are to give honor to the wife. Now watch in Ephesians chapter 5 and let's begin reading there verse 25.

[John Weaver] Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. Now, I'm not preaching today on the responsibility of husbands, but let me just point this out. Love your wives even as Christ loved the church. We are to love our wives exactly like or equal to the way Christ loved the church. Now, it is true that we cannot love our wives quantitatively the same way that Christ loves the church. Because Jesus Christ is God and he has a greater capacity of loving than we do. But while we cannot love them quantitatively, we can love them qualitatively. In other words, it can be the same kind of love. Well, what kind of love did Christ have for the church? First of all, it was an exclusive church. He loved his church. He didn't love the world. He didn't love the harlot. He loved his church. It was a sacrificial love. Which means he gave himself for it. And so when we love our wives the way we Christ of the church, we love them exclusively.

[John Weaver] We love them sacrificially, but that's not all. Look at it in verse 26. After he says, Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. Here's why Christ loved the church. That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the word. Watch. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. Watch verse 28. So all men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. Now, let's go back to verse 25. Follow me, please. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. Why? That he might sanctify that he might cleanse it with the washing of the water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but it should be holding without blemish. Now, here's the question.

[John Weaver] Why did Christ love the church exclusively? Why did he love the church sacrificially? And the answer is so that he might make it holy and pure.

[John Weaver] Now, men, here's the question. Has your wife become more holy because she's married to you? That's what the scripture just says. In other words, if we love our wives the way Christ loved the church, then our wives ought to be more holy and more godly because they're married to us. So the Bible does teach us that we are indeed to maintain our lives in sanctification and honor, and we have a vast responsibility to lead and to guide and direct them in holy and godly living.

[John Weaver] Now I'm going to look at verse 5 in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 very quickly. We're going to come back to it, but I just want to show you that even A perusal of this passage ought to let you know that verse 5, or that verse 4, the word vessel there cannot refer to the wife. He says in verse 4 that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel and sanctification and honor. And then he says in verse 5, not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles who know not God. So a quick perusal of verse 5 ought to demonstrate the fact that verse 4 does not refer to the wife. Why?

[John Weaver] Because the Bible is alive with passages that refer to marital joy and bliss and passion. Now, let me just show you what I'm talking about. Look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 4. Hebrews 13 verse 4. You see, the Bible is not condemning passion when it talks about the lust of concupiscence. No. Watch Hebrews 13 verse 4. God says marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled. But watch the rest of it. But whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

[John Weaver] Now, note the first part. Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled.

[John Weaver] Now, is it lawful for me to desire my own wife? Yes. God says the way I'm not to live is in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles who know not God.

[John Weaver] Now, turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Proverbs chapter 5. Proverbs chapter 5. And let's begin reading there with verse 15. And by the way, I told you last week you need to read Proverbs 5, 6, and 7. In this passage, all fornication, all adultery, everything is condemned, all right? But I want you to see what is right smack dab in the middle of the condemnation of fornication and adultery and all types of perversion. Watch this. In the book of Proverbs chapter 5, beginning there with verse 15.

[John Weaver] Here's what God tells the husband. Drink waters out of thine own cistern and running waters out of thine own well. Don't be drinking anybody else's water, all right? Watch. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad in rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own and not strangers with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of thy youth." Note, rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

[John Weaver] Let her be as the loving hind in pleasant robe. Let her breast satisfy thee at all times. And be thou ravished always with her love. By the way, the word ravish literally means to err. If you go astray, go astray in her love is what he's saying. Be thou ravished with her always. Then he says in verse 20, And why would thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

[John Weaver] Why would you do that? You have your own wife. For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his doings. So while God, on the one hand, is condemning all adultery and fornication and perversion, on the other hand, he is elevating marriage and the joy and the bliss and the happiness of marriage. And he's saying rejoice with the wife of thy youth while he's condemning all the others. So when he says not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles who know not God, he's not saying do not be loving and kind and passionate towards your wife. He's not condemning that at all. He's elevating that. I'll show you just a moment what he's condemning.

[John Weaver] Now, if this passage has not convinced you And if Hebrews chapter 13 in verse 4 has not convinced you that marital love is elevated to a high plane in Scripture, then just read the Song of Solomon, because the Song of Solomon is all about marital love. Now, go back in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. He says, In verse 4, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel and sanctification honor. We're going to get to the negative in just a moment. Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles who know not God. He says you're not to act like the ungodly act. Then he says in verse 6, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any manner. Now we'll get to that in just a moment. But verse 6 is another verse that teaches undeniably That the vessel cannot be the wife in verse four, and I'm going to tie it together and show you just a moment. Well, if the vessel in verse four is not the wife and does not refer to the wife, what does it mean when it says then that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel and sanctification honor?

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you what the vessel is. The vessel. Is your body? OK, in the context The vessel refers to the male believer, particularly in the context. I'm going to prove it to you in just a moment. But let's look at some other scriptures just to show you how the word vessel is used in other places. Look in your Bible to the book of Acts chapter 9. Acts chapter 9.

[John Weaver] Note, if you would please, verse 15. Here is the conversion of Saul and Tarsus. God is telling Ananias what to do. And of course, God had told him to go and lay his hands upon Saul and let him receive his sight. And Ananias balked because he said, Lord, I've heard about this man and I know what he's done to the saints. And I understand that he's got letters now that if he finds any Christians, he may cast them into prison. But the Lord tells him in verse 15, but the Lord said unto him, Go thy way for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. So Saul then was referred to as a chosen vessel. Now, inevitably, someone's going to say, but you know, Paul served the Lord with his spirit.

[John Weaver] Yes, the Bible says that in the book of Romans chapter 1. Paul said, whom I serve with my spirit. But may I ask you, what was it that took his spirit to the uttermost sections of the Roman Empire? How did his spirit get around? It got around in his body. Without his body, his spirit would not be going anywhere, you see, because death is the separation of the spirit from the body. So it was his body.

[John Weaver] God said he is a chosen vessel. Look in your Bible to the book of Romans chapter 9. And back in this passage, the word vessel very clearly refers to people or to persons. In Romans chapter 9, beginning there with verse 21, Paul asked this question. Romans 9 verse 21, hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor. What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering, the vessels of wrath fit into destruction? What are vessels of wrath? They're people. What are vessels of honor? They're people. So the body, the person then, is referred to as a vessel. Look in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2 Timothy chapter 2. Note verse 20, 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 20.

[John Weaver] Here's an analogy that he's using. He says, but in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and earth and some to honor and some to dishonor. Now watch verse 21. If a man therefore purge himself from these, that is the vessels of dishonor, This would be referring to his habits, his dispositions, his attitudes, the things in his life that's not brought into the form of the word of God. But he said, if a man would purge himself from these, that is, from these vessels of dishonor, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. So although not only our vessels, our bodies are referred to as vessels, but sometimes certain parts of us are even referred to as vessels.

[John Weaver] Then look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4, and note if you would please verse, well let's read verse 5, 6, and 7 so you can see the context there. 2 Corinthians chapter 4, beginning there with verse 5. Paul says, For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your service for Jesus' sake. For God hath commanded the light to shine o'er darkness, for God who commanded the light to shine o'er darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure, that is this salvation, this grace, this glory of God, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels. that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us."

[John Weaver] So once again, the body then is referred to as a vessel. Now, go back in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, and let's try to put this together before we go much further. Now, I just told you in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 4, the word vessel refers to our body. And primarily in the context, the body of male believers. Now let's read verse 3. Look what he says.

[John Weaver] For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication. So we know what the will of God is. It is the will of God that we be sanctified, that we abstain from fornication, and that truth is further clarified in verse 4, that every one of us should know how to possess our vessel in sanctification and honor. Now, let me take the word sanctification. The word sanctification, once again, is hagiosmos. It means purification. It means holiness. God says that we should know how to possess our vessel in holiness. And then he said, and in honor. And the word for honor is the word to me. Now listen to me. The word to me means dignity. Esteem. Value. And worth. Now, God says that we are to know how to possess our bodies. In sanctification. And in esteem. in value and work. Now, I know that the world has a lot of garbage when it comes to self-esteem. And we say, well, he just has low self-esteem. There's a lot of psychological babble when it comes to that, but there is a biblical truth And if you have a low esteem or a low value of yourself based upon the Word of God, then you're going to be living a dishonorable life.

[John Weaver] Are you listening to me? The man who commits fornication, the man who commits adultery, has a low estimate of himself, a low value of himself. He does not place a great deal of worth upon himself. In fact, the Bible teaches he dishonors his own body. Let me show you. Pull first Thessalonians 4. Look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 6 to begin with. Proverbs chapter 6. Proverbs 6. And let's begin reading there.

[John Weaver] Verse 32, just so you can see the context. Proverbs 6, verse 32. God says, But whoso committed adultery with a woman lacketh understanding. You don't have good sense if you commit adultery. But whoso committed adultery with a woman lacketh understanding. He that doeth it destroys his own soul. Watch. A wound and dishonor shall he get. and his reproach shall not be wiped away." So what comes with fornication? What comes with adultery? Dishonor. A wound and dishonor shall he get.

[John Weaver] Turn over your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 1. Now remember I told you that fornication is a term that includes sodomy, it includes incest, it includes everything. But I want you to look at what the Bible says concerning these sodomites. Watch. Wherefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts. Help me out. To what? Romans 1 verse 24. Wherefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts. To what? To dishonor their own bodies between themselves. To dishonor.

[John Weaver] To have a low value and a low estimate. of their work. Look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 6. 1 Corinthians chapter 6. Let's begin reading there with verse 17. We'll come back to this context a little bit later, but look in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 17. Scripture says, But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Now watch verse 17. Flee fornication. Why? Every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." How does he sin against it? He dishonors it for one thing, but another thing, if a man is a Christian, he's defiling his body, which is the temple of the Holy Ghost. So the man then that commits fornication, dishonors his own body. Now, the same is true of a woman who commits fornication or adultery. She dishonors her own body.

[John Weaver] But I'm telling you, in the context, and I'm going to show it to you in just a moment, he is talking primarily to the men. He's saying, men, I want you to understand that this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and in honor.

[John Weaver] Now, listen, it is impossible It is impossible to live a holy, consecrated, honorable life when your life is filled with lust and adultery and fornication and covetousness, and those things are consuming you. It's impossible to live a holy life. What is God saying? God is saying we must understand, we must know how to possess our vessels. and sanctification and honor. We must know how to deal with impure thoughts. We must know how to deal with impure desires. We must know what to do to make sure that in our lives we obey God and honor him in every area. Now, he said, this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication that each one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor.

[John Weaver] Now, let's look at verse 5, because here in verse 5, you have the truth clarified and stated negatively. He gave you the positive in verse 4, now he's giving you the negative in verse 5. He says, not in the lust of concupiscence. even as the Gentiles who know not God." Now, first of all, let me tell you what the word lust is. The Greek word is pathos. We use that word in our English language. It's taken straight from the Greek. The word pathos actually refers to passion. In this context, It means that passion which is lustful, wicked, unclean, and ungodly. He says, not in the lust of concupiscence. Now, what in the world is concupiscence? Most folks can't even pronounce it, much less know what it is. Well, let me show you how this word is used. Look in your Bibles, first of all, to Romans 7 and verse 8. Romans 7 and verse 8. Paul says,"...but sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence, for without the law sin was dead."

[John Weaver] Look what he said,"...but sin, taking occasioned by the commandment, wrought in me all manner, all different kinds of concupiscence." Well, what's concupiscence? Well, look in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 3 and verse 5. Colossians 3 verse 5, he says,"...mortify therefore your members which are upon the fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Now, here it's called evil concupiscence. Every time the word concupiscence is used, it is used in a bad light. Now, what is the Greek word for concupiscence? It is a simple word. It is epithumia. The word epithumia is translated in our Bibles not only concupiscence, but sometimes it is translated lust. Now, let me tell you what epithumia means.

[John Weaver] You see, whenever we talk about lust, usually we refer to sexual impurity or sexual lust, OK? You can be lustful and not have a sexual thought in your mind. How can that be so? Let me tell you how. Epithumia. Epi is a preposition which means upon. Thumia or thumos is where we get the word soul or passion. What is your lust? It's whatever you set your soul upon. It's whatever you set your passion upon. I could lust after Sam's tie. I could lust after Roy's truck. I could lust after a fine automobile or a horse. I don't have to lust after a woman, you see what I'm saying. But your lust is whatever you set your soul upon. It's whatever you set your passion upon. Now, let me tell you something very quickly.

[John Weaver] And I want you to understand this, because although we normally associate the word lust with evil, The word lust sometimes can be a good word and used in a positive sense. For instance, look in your Bibles to the book of Luke, chapter 22. Luke, chapter 22. The word lust is not always used in the Bible in an evil sense. In Luke, chapter 22, verse 15, look what Jesus Christ tells his disciples. Luke 22, verse 15. And he said unto them, to his disciples, with desire have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. Would you like to know what the word desire is? It's the word epithumia. Literally what he's saying is this, with lust have I lusted after to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. In other words, I have set my soul upon eating this last supper with you, is what he's saying. Now, was Christ sinning when he did this? No. It's just simply a good use of the word epithumia. Would it be sin for me to lust after obeying God?

[John Weaver] No. A sin for me to lust after serving God? No. Would it be a sin for me to lust after being obedient to God? No. So the word lust can be used in a good sense and a bad sense. However, every time you see the word concupiscence, issues in a bad sense. The word concupiscence literally means to desire, to lust after, or to covet that which is unlawful.

[John Weaver] It refers also to irregular desires of sexual pleasure. So when he talks about concupiscence, now go back to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Let's read verses 3 and 4 and then verse 5 and try to put it together. He said in verse 3, For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel, that will be his body, in sanctification and honor, not in the passion of lusts, even as the Gentiles who know not God.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. To most unconverted men, set their hearts and their souls upon their wives. No, they set their hearts and souls upon the lives of other men and the daughters of other men. They're not consumed with their wife. They're consumed with everyone else. To those who are unconverted only do that which is lawful and right, according to God's word. No, they do that which is unlawful. and is violative of the Word of God. So the Word of God is telling us in verse 5 of 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, this is not how we are to live. We are not to live in constant, irregular, unlawful lust even as the Gentiles who know not God. So verse 5 then clarifies for us that the vessel in verse 4 cannot refer to the wife. Why? Because it is lawful for me to desire my wife. Look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 7. 1 Corinthians 7. Let's begin reading there with verse 1. 1 Corinthians 7 verse 1.

[John Weaver] Paul writes, now concerning the things whereof you wrote unto me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. Now watch. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and every woman have her own husband.

[John Weaver] Now, here is the rule. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence. That means the husbands are to take care of the wife's needs sexually, and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife has the responsibility to take care of the husband. Watch, the wife hath not power over her own body, the needs of the husband would take care of that, but the husband, and likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body, but the wife.

[John Weaver] And then God says, and note this word,"...defraud you not one the other, except it be with consent, for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer, and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency." Now listen to me. When a husband withholds himself from his wife, or when a wife withholds herself from her husband without a biblical reason, it is theft. That's what he said. Defraud you, not one the other. Why? Because my wife belongs to me and I belong to her.

[John Weaver] Everything she has is mine. Everything I have is hers. I owe her due benevolence. She owes me due benevolence. And if I withhold myself or she withholds herself, it's fraud. It's theft. So is it lawful for me to desire her? Well, of course. Is it lawful for her to desire me? Well, of course. Is it lawful for me to desire Janet? No. She's not mine. She's Henry's. Is it lawful for Henry to desire Alice? No. You follow me?

[John Weaver] Here he says, not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles who know not God. There is a lawful use, and there is an unlawful use. So concupiscence refers to that which is unlawful and irregular, and what God is saying is this. I want you to know how to possess your vessel in sanctification and honor. I want you to know what you owe your wife, what your wife owes you.

[John Weaver] You have your full satisfaction in her. She has her full satisfaction in you, and that's it.

[John Weaver] Now, all of our desires, all of our attitudes, everything, says God, is to be regulated by His Word. Now, let's go back to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. I'm only going to mention My next point, we'll only stay on it just a few moments. And we'll preach most of this next week. But I want to just get the first part of verse 6 to tie this together so that you can see what we're talking about in verses 4 and 5. Now, first of all, verse 1, we had an exhortation, okay? Verse 2, we had an explanation. Verses 3 and 4 and 5, you have an exposition. When you get to verse 6, you have an elaboration. In other words, what Paul is doing now in verse...

[John Weaver] 6, 7, and 8, he is elaborating further, not on the fact of his exposition, but literally he is elaborating on the application or the implication of his exposition. So watch it in verse 6, he says, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any Because the Lord is the avenger of all, such as we have also forewarned you and testified."

[John Weaver] Now, the latter part of that verse I'm going to deal with next week. But let's get with verse 6, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother.

[John Weaver] Now, I told you earlier, I was going to prove to you that the word vessel in verse 4 referred to our body, and in the context it refers to the male body in particular. Now he says in verse 6 that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any manner. Now, first of all, look at the word any. It's in italics, which means it's not really in the original, okay? That's what italics means. It means it was added for clarification. But in the original, there is a definite article, the, literally, verse 6 should read this, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in the matter. Well, what matter are we talking about? The matter of sexual purity. Now, the matter then would refer to sexual impurity with any man's wife, daughter, or maid. Now, look what he says, let's put it together, verse 3.

[John Weaver] This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication, that each one of you, that is each man, should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor, not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles who know not God. And he said, men, make sure that you do not go beyond and defraud your brother in the matter.

[John Weaver] Now listen to me, even if a woman is single, unmarried, it would still be a defrauding of someone else on down the line when the woman later married. Now the word defraud here is the Greek word, let's see, it's theonectes, and it literally means one who is greedy, One who is covetous, one who is eager to have that which belongs to someone else.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just make an application and try to tie this together for you. You see, if we obeyed God's law, God's law would take care of most immorality in this country. And I'm not talking about the death penalty, although I'll get on that some next week. But you say, well, what are you talking about? Well, look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 22. Exodus 22 to begin with. Exodus 22.

[John Weaver] Turn there to Exodus 22. OK.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just read verse one and two just to show you that God's talking about restitution, OK? The man shall steal an ox for a sheep and kill it and sell it. He shall restore five oxen for an ox, four sheep for a sheep. If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall be no blood shed for him if the son be risen. Upon him there shall be bloodshed for him, for he should make full restitution." You read all the way down. All this is talking about restitution, restitution. Look in verse 12,"...if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution the owner thereof." All this is talking about restitution, okay? Now come down to verse 16.

[John Weaver] Verses 1 through 15 is dealing with theft. It's dealing with restitution. And verse 16, it says,"...if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed." and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refused to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins."

[John Weaver] Now, let's stop and think this through. Here's a young man, and he seduces a young girl. What does God say that he must do? He must marry her, and we'll show you a little bit later. And he can never, ever put her away. Never divorce her.

[John Weaver] Now the only exception, the only thing that will stop him from marrying her is found in verse 17, if her father utterly refused to give her unto him. I want you to note the father has the final authority even when the daughter has been defiled. If the father says, alright, you defiled my daughter, but I'm not going to let her marry you, what's the boy to do?

[John Weaver] He's to pay money according to the dowry of virgins. A dowry was three years wages in the Bible. So that means if the average standard wage in this area says $50,000 a year, That young man then, who now may not marry that young girl, owes her $150,000. You know, that would tend to cut back on some fornication, wouldn't it? Look in your Bible, Deuteronomy 22, verse 28.

[John Weaver] Totally, I'd show you this passage as well. Deuteronomy 22, verse 28. If a man find a damsel that is a virgin which is not betrothed, so she's not engaged to anybody, and lay hold of her and lie with her, and they be found, then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he hath humbled her.

[John Weaver] He may not put her away all his days. So, what God says is this. Now listen to me. The reason he says, in 1 Thessalonians 4, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in the matter.

[John Weaver] Now the reason he used the word defraud is because seduction, adultery, fornication, is not just a breach of the seventh commandment, thou shalt not commit adultery. It is also a breach of the eighth commandment, thou shalt not steal. That's why seduction demands restitution in Exodus chapter 22 and Deuteronomy 22, because it's theft. You are taking that which does not belong to you. And it is called a defrauding of the brother.

[John Weaver] Although, as I said earlier, the young woman may be single, it does not matter. Later on down the line, she may marry someone and you have defrauded that individual. Go back to verse 3, 4, and 5, and 6 in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Watch carefully. Let's put it together. This is the will of God. Even your sanctification, and part and parcel of our sanctification is that we abstain from fornication. Part and parcel of our sanctification is that every one of us know how to possess our bodies and sanctification honor. And then he says, don't live like the Gentiles in the lust of concupiscence who know not God. And then he said, men, make sure that you do not go beyond and defraud any brother in the matter.

[John Weaver] So if you take that which does not belong to you, it is theft, plain and simple. we'll see the extreme warning that Paul gives. He says, because the Lord is the avenger of all such. Let's pray. Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ today that you would indeed make us holy. Sanctify us. Give us knowledge. Give us wisdom. Give us understanding. that we may know how to possess our vessels in sanctification and honor. May, Father, we be set apart exclusively for Thy use, and Lord, may we be prepared for Thy service and live holy, pure, and godly lives. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask, amen.

5 Sanctification & Sexual Purity

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	1022071352496
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover: The Superiority of Christ
Genre	Sermon
Date	2007-10-22
Dictation Name
Book	Book 078: Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover - Volume 1 — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	78

Formatted Transcript

Opening

1 Thessalonians 4. Lord willing, the message today is not necessarily going to be that long, only because I cannot complete what I want to complete and then deal with the total verse. So I've decided instead of having one extra long message, I'm just going to cut them down in two, and hopefully we'll be able to remember the points a little bit better. But let's read in 1 Thessalonians 4, beginning with verse 1:

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

"Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God."

"That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit."

Review of Previous Verses (1 Thessalonians 4:1-3)

Weaver reviews the first three verses, highlighting the exhortation to walk and please God, the explanation of commandments, and the affirmation that sanctification is God's will, including abstaining from fornication.

Now this is the fifth message in the general theme, "Sanctification and Sexual Purity." And let me just give very quickly a brief review of the verses that we've already covered. First of all, in verse 1, we noticed the apostle's main point and exhortation. He says, "Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus." Now in this verse I showed you there were three main truths. First of all, there was a practical necessity. He says, "that as ye have received of us"—and the practical necessity is we must be taught the truth of God, we must be taught the Word of God. And then secondly, in verse 1, there was a personal application: "how ye ought to walk and to please God."

So all the teaching in the world is not going to do you any good unless you personally apply and personally obey it. And then thirdly, in verse 1, you have a progressive reality. He said, "so ye would abound more and more." So we would be more holy and more obedient every day of our life. And then secondly, in verse 2, we have an explanation. He says, "For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus." So the commandments then refer actually back to verse 1. It was the teaching, the explanation of the Word of God and the law of God that taught these people how they ought to walk and so to please God. And then we came to verse 3, and that is where he began his exposition.

And first of all, under this point, we have an affirmation. He says, "For this is the will of God." And then secondly, in verse 3, you have an explanation: "even your sanctification." Remember, I told you that the word sanctification is hagiasmos. It means to sanctify, to purify. And then, of course, I told you it meant to set apart exclusively for God. It means to be prepared for God. It means to be pure and upright. So you have an explanation. This is the will of God—an affirmation.

And then you have a negation: "that ye should abstain from fornication." And so last week we went through exactly what fornication is. We went through the entirety of the Word of God and looked at all the scriptures. I showed you that fornication and adultery are not one and the same thing. Fornication is a much broader term. Adultery is brought in under that term fornication, but fornication can refer to pornography. It can refer to incest. It can refer to what we would call sodomy. It can even refer to stubbornness and rebelliousness.

Clarification of the Truth in Verses 4-5

Paul clarifies verse 3 by restating the truth positively in verse 4 and negatively in verse 5, emphasizing individual responsibility.

"This is the will of God." Then you have an explanation: "even your sanctification." Then you have a negation: "that ye should abstain from fornication." And then verse 4 and verse 5 is a clarification. Now, the Apostle Paul does this very frequently in his teaching. What he will do is this: he will state a truth, and then he will turn around and restate that same truth in different words. In other words, he further clarifies what he just said. So actually, verses 4 and 5 is a further clarification of verse 3, when he says, "This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication."

Now, let me go back a little bit. In verse 4, you have the truth clarified and positively stated. In verse 5, you have the truth clarified and negatively stated. You see what Paul is doing? He's clarifying the truth, but he's giving it to you, first of all, positively, and then secondly, he's giving it to you negatively.

The Meaning of 'Vessel' in Verse 4

Weaver argues that 'vessel' refers to the believer's body, not the wife, supported by context and other scriptures like Acts 9:15 and 2 Corinthians 4:7.

Now, it may surprise you to find out that there are some commentators who say that the vessel in verse 4 refers to a man's wife. Now I'll be honest with you, while the Scripture does indeed speak of a man's wife as a vessel—and we'll show you the Scripture in just a moment—I do not believe that contextually the word vessel here can be interpreted as wife. It is true that God tells us as husbands that we are to maintain our wives in sanctification and honour, but I don't believe in verse 4 that the vessel can refer to the wife. Look in your Bibles: 1 Thessalonians 4, but turn over to 1 Peter 3 and look at verse 7. 1 Peter 3 and verse 7. Look what God says. He says, "Likewise, ye husbands."

Now watch this carefully, men. "Dwell with them"—that is your wives—"according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." So first of all, he said, "ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge." Let me just stop right here. Man, listen to me. There is a certain knowledge that you must have to live with your wife. That's what he's saying. You've got to live with them according to knowledge. The knowledge is the teaching of the Word of God. One of the reasons there are so many divorces in America is not just the immorality—that is true—but it's because people are trying to live together with a lack of knowledge.

And you know what most couples do today? If they have problems, they don't sit down and work them out biblically; they just get divorced and go marry somebody else. Alice and I—the same young folks that we graduated with—we'll soon be married 36 years, but we have met some of the folks that we graduated with; they've been married four or five times in that same length of time. Some of them probably more than that.

So God says it requires a certain amount of knowledge. Then he says, "giving honour to the wife"—now watch—"as being the weaker vessel." So the Bible is referring to the wife as a vessel. And note, if you would please, the Bible does say here that we're to give honour unto the wife, so that teaches us that the wife is indeed to be maintained in sanctification and honour. But still, that does not mean that 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 4 refers to the wife.

Now, let's turn in our Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 5. But I want to show you another passage that might excite the men some. Look at Ephesians chapter 5, just showing you that our wives are indeed to be maintained in sanctification and honour, and the Bible does refer to the wife as the weaker vessel. By the way, when the Bible refers to the wife as the weaker vessel, that does not mean that the husband is the strong vessel. The husband is weak, too. The wife is just weaker. She's the weaker vessel. So the opposite of weaker is not strong; it's weak. You have degrees there: weak, weaker, and weakest. So God says we are to give honour to the wife. Now watch in Ephesians chapter 5, and let's begin reading there verse 25.

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." Now, I'm not preaching today on the responsibility of husbands, but let me just point this out: "love your wives, even as Christ loved the church." We are to love our wives exactly like or equal to the way Christ loved the church. Now, it is true that we cannot love our wives quantitatively the same way that Christ loves the church, because Jesus Christ is God and he has a greater capacity of loving than we do. But while we cannot love them quantitatively, we can love them qualitatively. In other words, it can be the same kind of love. Well, what kind of love did Christ have for the church? First of all, it was an exclusive love. He loved his church. He didn't love the world. He didn't love the harlot. He loved his church. It was a sacrificial love, which means he gave himself for it. And so when we love our wives the way Christ loved the church, we love them exclusively.

We love them sacrificially, but that's not all. Look at it in verse 26. After he says, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it"—here's why Christ loved the church: "that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Watch verse 28: "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself." Now, let's go back to verse 25. Follow me, please. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." Why? "That he might sanctify... that he might cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Now, here's the question.

Why did Christ love the church exclusively? Why did he love the church sacrificially? And the answer is: so that he might make it holy and pure. Now, men, here's the question: Has your wife become more holy because she's married to you? That's what the Scripture just says. In other words, if we love our wives the way Christ loved the church, then our wives ought to be more holy and more godly because they're married to us. So the Bible does teach us that we are indeed to maintain our wives in sanctification and honour, and we have a vast responsibility to lead and to guide and direct them in holy and godly living.

Now I'm going to look at verse 5 in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 very quickly. We're going to come back to it, but I just want to show you that even a perusal of this passage ought to let you know that in verse 4, the word vessel there cannot refer to the wife. He says in verse 4, "that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour." And then he says in verse 5, "not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God." So a quick perusal of verse 5 ought to demonstrate the fact that verse 4 does not refer to the wife. Why? Because the Bible is alive with passages that refer to marital joy and bliss and passion. Now, let me just show you what I'm talking about. Look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 4. Hebrews 13 verse 4. You see, the Bible is not condemning passion when it talks about the lust of concupiscence. No. Watch Hebrews 13 verse 4. God says, "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled." But watch the rest of it: "but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."

Now, note the first part: "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled." Now, is it lawful for me to desire my own wife? Yes. God says the way I'm not to live is in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles who know not God.

Now, turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Proverbs chapter 5. Proverbs chapter 5. And let's begin reading there with verse 15. And by the way, I told you last week you need to read Proverbs 5, 6, and 7. In this passage, all fornication, all adultery, everything is condemned, all right? But I want you to see what is right smack dab in the middle of the condemnation of fornication and adultery and all types of perversion. Watch this. In the book of Proverbs chapter 5, beginning there with verse 15.

Here's what God tells the husband: "Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well." Don't be drinking anybody else's water, all right? Watch. "Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth." Note: "rejoice with the wife of thy youth." "Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love." By the way, the word ravish literally means to err. If you go astray, go astray in her love is what he's saying. "Be thou ravished with her always." Then he says in verse 20, "And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?"

Why would you do that? You have your own wife. "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings." So while God, on the one hand, is condemning all adultery and fornication and perversion, on the other hand, he is elevating marriage and the joy and the bliss and the happiness of marriage. And he's saying, "rejoice with the wife of thy youth" while he's condemning all the others. So when he says, "not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God," he's not saying do not be loving and kind and passionate towards your wife. He's not condemning that at all. He's elevating that. I'll show you just a moment what he's condemning.

Now, if this passage has not convinced you, and if Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 4 has not convinced you that marital love is elevated to a high plane in Scripture, then just read the Song of Solomon, because the Song of Solomon is all about marital love. Now, go back in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. He says in verse 4, "that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour." We're going to get to the negative in just a moment. "Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God." He says you're not to act like the ungodly act. Then he says in verse 6, "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter." Now we'll get to that in just a moment. But verse 6 is another verse that teaches undeniably that the vessel cannot be the wife in verse 4, and I'm going to tie it together and show you just a moment. Well, if the vessel in verse 4 is not the wife and does not refer to the wife, what does it mean when it says then that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour?

Now, let me tell you what the vessel is. The vessel is your body. OK, in the context, the vessel refers to the male believer, particularly in the context. I'm going to prove it to you in just a moment. But let's look at some other scriptures just to show you how the word vessel is used in other places. Look in your Bible to the book of Acts chapter 9. Acts chapter 9.

Note, if you would please, verse 15. Here is the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. God is telling Ananias what to do. And of course, God had told him to go and lay his hands upon Saul and let him receive his sight. And Ananias balked because he said, "Lord, I've heard about this man and I know what he's done to the saints. And I understand that he's got letters now that if he finds any Christians, he may cast them into prison." But the Lord tells him in verse 15, "But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel." So Saul then was referred to as a chosen vessel. Now, inevitably, someone's going to say, "But you know, Paul served the Lord with his spirit."

Yes, the Bible says that in the book of Romans chapter 1. Paul said, "whom I serve with my spirit." But may I ask you, what was it that took his spirit to the uttermost sections of the Roman Empire? How did his spirit get around? It got around in his body. Without his body, his spirit would not be going anywhere, you see, because death is the separation of the spirit from the body. So it was his body. God said he is a chosen vessel. Look in your Bible to the book of Romans chapter 9. And back in this passage, the word vessel very clearly refers to people or to persons. In Romans chapter 9, beginning there with verse 21, Paul asked this question. Romans 9 verse 21: "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?" What are vessels of wrath? They're people. What are vessels of honour? They're people. So the body, the person then, is referred to as a vessel. Look in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2 Timothy chapter 2. Note verse 20, 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 20.

Here's an analogy that he's using. He says, "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour." Now watch verse 21: "If a man therefore purge himself from these"—that is, the vessels of dishonour—this would be referring to his habits, his dispositions, his attitudes, the things in his life that's not brought into the form of the Word of God. But he said, "If a man would purge himself from these"—that is, from these vessels of dishonour—"he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." So although not only our vessels—our bodies—are referred to as vessels, but sometimes certain parts of us are even referred to as vessels.

Then look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4, and note if you would please verse—well, let's read verse 5, 6, and 7 so you can see the context there. 2 Corinthians chapter 4, beginning there with verse 5. Paul says, "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure"—that is, this salvation, this grace, this glory of God—"but we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

So once again, the body then is referred to as a vessel. Now, go back in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, and let's try to put this together before we go much further. Now, I just told you in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 4, the word vessel refers to our body. And primarily in the context, the body of male believers. Now let's read verse 3. Look what he says.

Possessing the Vessel in Sanctification and Honor

Believers must know how to control their bodies in holiness and dignity, as sexual sin dishonors the body and reflects a low self-estimate.

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication." So we know what the will of God is. It is the will of God that we be sanctified, that we abstain from fornication, and that truth is further clarified in verse 4: "that every one of us should know how to possess our vessel in sanctification and honour." Now, let me take the word sanctification. The word sanctification, once again, is hagiasmos. It means purification. It means holiness. God says that we should know how to possess our vessel in holiness. And then he said, "and in honour." And the word for honour is the word timē. Now listen to me. The word timē means dignity, esteem, value, and worth. Now, God says that we are to know how to possess our bodies in sanctification and in esteem, in value and worth. Now, I know that the world has a lot of garbage when it comes to self-esteem. And we say, "Well, he just has low self-esteem." There's a lot of psychological babble when it comes to that, but there is a biblical truth. And if you have a low esteem or a low value of yourself based upon the Word of God, then you're going to be living a dishonourable life.

Are you listening to me? The man who commits fornication, the man who commits adultery, has a low estimate of himself, a low value of himself. He does not place a great deal of worth upon himself. In fact, the Bible teaches he dishonours his own body. Let me show you. Pull 1 Thessalonians 4. Look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 6 to begin with. Proverbs chapter 6. Proverbs 6. And let's begin reading there.

Verse 32, just so you can see the context. Proverbs 6, verse 32. God says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:32-33

"But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding."

You don't have good sense if you commit adultery.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:32-33

"But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away."

So what comes with fornication? What comes with adultery? Dishonour.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:32-33

"A wound and dishonour shall he get."

Turn over your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 1. Now remember I told you that fornication is a term that includes sodomy, it includes incest, it includes everything. But I want you to look at what the Bible says concerning these sodomites. Watch. "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts." Help me out. To what? Romans 1 verse 24: "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts." To what? "To dishonour their own bodies between themselves." To dishonour.

To have a low value and a low estimate of their worth. Look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 6. 1 Corinthians chapter 6. Let's begin reading there with verse 17. We'll come back to this context a little bit later, but look in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 17. Scripture says, "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." Now watch verse 18: "Flee fornication." Why? "Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." How does he sin against it? He dishonours it for one thing, but another thing: if a man is a Christian, he's defiling his body, which is the temple of the Holy Ghost. So the man then that commits fornication dishonours his own body. Now, the same is true of a woman who commits fornication or adultery. She dishonours her own body.

But I'm telling you, in the context—and I'm going to show it to you in just a moment—he is talking primarily to the men. He's saying, "Men, I want you to understand that this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and in honour." Now, listen, it is impossible to live a holy, consecrated, honourable life when your life is filled with lust and adultery and fornication and covetousness, and those things are consuming you. It's impossible to live a holy life. What is God saying? God is saying we must understand, we must know how to possess our vessels in sanctification and honour. We must know how to deal with impure thoughts. We must know how to deal with impure desires. We must know what to do to make sure that in our lives we obey God and honour him in every area. Now, he said, "This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication, that each one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour."

Now, let's look at verse 5, because here in verse 5, you have the truth clarified and stated negatively. He gave you the positive in verse 4, now he's giving you the negative in verse 5. He says, "not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God." Now, first of all, let me tell you what the word lust is. The Greek word is pathos. We use that word in our English language. It's taken straight from the Greek. The word pathos actually refers to passion. In this context, it means that passion which is lustful, wicked, unclean, and ungodly. He says, "not in the lust of concupiscence." Now, what in the world is concupiscence? Most folks can't even pronounce it, much less know what it is. Well, let me show you how this word is used. Look in your Bibles, first of all, to Romans 7 and verse 8. Romans 7 and verse 8. Paul says, "But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead."

The Negative Clarification: Not in Lust of Concupiscence

Verse 5 warns against unlawful, irregular desires like the Gentiles, distinguishing between lawful marital passion and sinful lust.

Now, listen, it is impossible to live a holy, consecrated, honourable life when your life is filled with lust and adultery and fornication and covetousness, and those things are consuming you. It's impossible to live a holy life. What is God saying? God is saying we must understand, we must know how to possess our vessels in sanctification and honour. We must know how to deal with impure thoughts. We must know how to deal with impure desires. We must know what to do to make sure that in our lives we obey God and honour him in every area. Now, he said, "This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication, that each one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour."

Look what he said: "But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner"—all different kinds—"of concupiscence." Well, what's concupiscence? Well, look in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 3 and verse 5. Colossians 3 verse 5, he says, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Now, here it's called evil concupiscence. Every time the word concupiscence is used, it is used in a bad light. Now, what is the Greek word for concupiscence? It is a simple word. It is epithumia. The word epithumia is translated in our Bibles not only concupiscence, but sometimes it is translated lust. Now, let me tell you what epithumia means.

You see, whenever we talk about lust, usually we refer to sexual impurity or sexual lust, OK? You can be lustful and not have a sexual thought in your mind. How can that be so? Let me tell you how. Epithumia. Epi is a preposition which means upon. Thumia or thumos is where we get the word soul or passion. What is your lust? It's whatever you set your soul upon. It's whatever you set your passion upon. I could lust after Sam's tie. I could lust after Roy's truck. I could lust after a fine automobile or a horse. I don't have to lust after a woman, you see what I'm saying. But your lust is whatever you set your soul upon. It's whatever you set your passion upon. Now, let me tell you something very quickly.

And I want you to understand this, because although we normally associate the word lust with evil, the word lust sometimes can be a good word and used in a positive sense. For instance, look in your Bibles to the book of Luke, chapter 22. Luke, chapter 22. The word lust is not always used in the Bible in an evil sense. In Luke, chapter 22, verse 15, look what Jesus Christ tells his disciples. Luke 22, verse 15: "And he said unto them"—to his disciples—"With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer." Would you like to know what the word desire is? It's the word epithumia. Literally what he's saying is this: "With lust have I lusted after to eat this passover with you before I suffer." In other words, "I have set my soul upon eating this last supper with you," is what he's saying. Now, was Christ sinning when he did this? No. It's just simply a good use of the word epithumia. Would it be sin for me to lust after obeying God?

No. A sin for me to lust after serving God? No. Would it be a sin for me to lust after being obedient to God? No. So the word lust can be used in a good sense and a bad sense. However, every time you see the word concupiscence, it's used in a bad sense. The word concupiscence literally means to desire, to lust after, or to covet that which is unlawful.

It refers also to irregular desires of sexual pleasure. So when he talks about concupiscence—now go back to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Let's read verses 3 and 4 and then verse 5 and try to put it together. He said in verse 3, "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel"—that will be his body—"in sanctification and honour, not in the passion of lusts, even as the Gentiles which know not God."

Now let me ask you a question. Do most unconverted men set their hearts and their souls upon their wives? No, they set their hearts and souls upon the wives of other men and the daughters of other men. They're not consumed with their wife. They're consumed with everyone else. Do those who are unconverted only do that which is lawful and right, according to God's Word? No, they do that which is unlawful and is violative of the Word of God. So the Word of God is telling us in verse 5 of 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, this is not how we are to live. We are not to live in constant, irregular, unlawful lust even as the Gentiles who know not God. So verse 5 then clarifies for us that the vessel in verse 4 cannot refer to the wife. Why? Because it is lawful for me to desire my wife. Look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 7. 1 Corinthians 7. Let's begin reading there with verse 1. 1 Corinthians 7 verse 1.

Paul writes, "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman." Now watch. "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband." Now, here is the rule: "Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence." That means the husbands are to take care of the wife's needs sexually, "and likewise also the wife unto the husband." The wife has the responsibility to take care of the husband. Watch: "The wife hath not power of her own body"—the needs of the husband would take care of that—"but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife." And then God says—and note this word—"Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency." Now listen to me. When a husband withholds himself from his wife, or when a wife withholds herself from her husband without a biblical reason, it is theft. That's what he said: "Defraud ye not one the other." Why? Because my wife belongs to me and I belong to her.

Everything she has is mine. Everything I have is hers. I owe her due benevolence. She owes me due benevolence. And if I withhold myself or she withholds herself, it's fraud. It's theft. So is it lawful for me to desire her? Well, of course. Is it lawful for her to desire me? Well, of course. Is it lawful for me to desire Janet? No. She's not mine. She's Henry's. Is it lawful for Henry to desire Alice? No. You follow me?

Here he says, "not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God." There is a lawful use, and there is an unlawful use. So concupiscence refers to that which is unlawful and irregular, and what God is saying is this: I want you to know how to possess your vessel in sanctification and honour. I want you to know what you owe your wife, what your wife owes you. You have your full satisfaction in her. She has her full satisfaction in you, and that's it.

Elaboration: Defrauding a Brother (Verse 6a)

Sexual immorality is a form of theft, defrauding a brother, as it takes what does not belong to you, violating both the seventh and eighth commandments.

6, 7, and 8, he is elaborating further, not on the fact of his exposition, but literally he is elaborating on the application or the implication of his exposition. So watch it in verse 6, he says, "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we have also forewarned you and testified." Now, the latter part of that verse I'm going to deal with next week. But let's get with verse 6: "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother."

Now, I told you earlier, I was going to prove to you that the word vessel in verse 4 referred to our body, and in the context it refers to the male body in particular. Now he says in verse 6, "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter." Now, first of all, look at the word "any." It's in italics, which means it's not really in the original, okay? That's what italics means. It means it was added for clarification. But in the original, there is a definite article, "the." Literally, verse 6 should read this: "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in the matter." Well, what matter are we talking about? The matter of sexual purity. Now, the matter then would refer to sexual impurity with any man's wife, daughter, or maid. Now, look what he says. Let's put it together, verse 3.

"This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication, that each one of you"—that is each man—"should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour, not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God." And he said, "Men, make sure that you do not go beyond and defraud your brother in the matter." Now listen to me, even if a woman is single, unmarried, it would still be a defrauding of someone else on down the line when the woman later married. Now the word defraud here is the Greek word—let's see—it's pleonektēs, and it literally means one who is greedy, one who is covetous, one who is eager to have that which belongs to someone else.

Now, let me just make an application and try to tie this together for you. You see, if we obeyed God's law, God's law would take care of most immorality in this country. And I'm not talking about the death penalty, although I'll get on that some next week. But you say, "Well, what are you talking about?" Well, look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 22. Exodus 22 to begin with. Exodus 22.

Turn there to Exodus 22. OK. Now, let me just read verse 1 and 2 just to show you that God's talking about restitution, OK? "If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution." You read all the way down. All this is talking about restitution, restitution. Look in verse 12: "And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof." All this is talking about restitution, okay? Now come down to verse 16.

Verses 1 through 15 is dealing with theft. It's dealing with restitution. And verse 16, it says, "And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins."

Now, let's stop and think this through. Here's a young man, and he seduces a young girl. What does God say that he must do? He must marry her, and we'll show you a little bit later. And he can never, ever put her away. Never divorce her.

Now the only exception, the only thing that will stop him from marrying her is found in verse 17: "If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him." I want you to note the father has the final authority even when the daughter has been defiled. If the father says, "Alright, you defiled my daughter, but I'm not going to let her marry you," what's the boy to do? He's to pay money according to the dowry of virgins. A dowry was three years' wages in the Bible. So that means if the average standard wage in this area says $50,000 a year, that young man then, who now may not marry that young girl, owes her $150,000. You know, that would tend to cut back on some fornication, wouldn't it? Look in your Bible, Deuteronomy 22, verse 28.

Totally, I'd show you this passage as well. Deuteronomy 22, verse 28:

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 22:28-29

"If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her." "He may not put her away all his days."

So, what God says is this. Now listen to me. The reason he says in 1 Thessalonians 4, "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in the matter"—

Now the reason he used the word defraud is because seduction, adultery, fornication, is not just a breach of the seventh commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." It is also a breach of the eighth commandment, "Thou shalt not steal." That's why seduction demands restitution in Exodus chapter 22 and Deuteronomy 22, because it's theft. You are taking that which does not belong to you. And it is called a defrauding of the brother. Although, as I said earlier, the young woman may be single, it does not matter. Later on down the line, she may marry someone and you have defrauded that individual. Go back to verse 3, 4, and 5, and 6 in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Watch carefully. Let's put it together. "This is the will of God, even your sanctification," and part and parcel of our sanctification is that we abstain from fornication. Part and parcel of our sanctification is that every one of us know how to possess our bodies in sanctification and honour. And then he says, "Don't live like the Gentiles in the lust of concupiscence who know not God." And then he said, "Men, make sure that you do not go beyond and defraud any brother in the matter."

Study Guide

Major Themes

Sanctification as God's Will

Summary: God's will is for believers to be sanctified, set apart for purity and holiness, which includes abstaining from all forms of fornication.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication' (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

The Body as a Vessel to be Honored

Summary: The believer's body is a vessel that must be possessed in sanctification and honor, not dishonored through sexual sin.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'The vessel is your body... God says that we should know how to possess our vessel in holiness... and in honour' (1 Thessalonians 4:4).

Distinction Between Lawful and Unlawful Desire

Summary: Marital passion is lawful and elevated in Scripture, but concupiscence refers to irregular, unlawful desires that characterize unbelievers.

Evidence: Weaver contrasts Proverbs 5:15-20 with 1 Thessalonians 4:5, noting, 'He's not saying do not be loving and kind and passionate towards your wife. He's elevating that.'

Sexual Immorality as Theft

Summary: Fornication and adultery are not only sins against God but also defraud others, violating the eighth commandment by taking what belongs to another.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Seduction, adultery, fornication, is not just a breach of the seventh commandment... It is also a breach of the eighth commandment, Thou shalt not steal.'

Key Arguments

Vessel Refers to the Body, Not the Wife

Summary: Contextually, 'vessel' in 1 Thessalonians 4:4 means the believer's own body, not his wife, because verse 5 contrasts it with unlawful lust, and verse 6 warns against defrauding a brother.

Evidence: Weaver argues, 'A quick perusal of verse 5 ought to demonstrate the fact that verse 4 does not refer to the wife... because the Bible is alive with passages that refer to marital joy and bliss and passion.'

Sexual Sin Dishonors the Body

Summary: Fornication is a sin against one's own body, bringing dishonor and reflecting a low self-worth, as seen in Proverbs 6:32-33 and Romans 1:24.

Evidence: Weaver cites Proverbs 6:32-33: 'A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away,' and Romans 1:24: 'to dishonour their own bodies.'

Concupiscence is Unlawful Desire

Summary: The Greek word epithumia (concupiscence) means setting one's soul on something, and in this context it refers to irregular, unlawful sexual desires, not legitimate marital affection.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'The word concupiscence literally means to desire, to lust after, or to covet that which is unlawful... It refers also to irregular desires of sexual pleasure.'

Defrauding a Brother is Theft

Summary: In verse 6, 'defraud his brother in the matter' means sexual immorality is a form of theft, as it takes what belongs to another, requiring restitution under God's law.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The reason he used the word defraud is because seduction, adultery, fornication... is also a breach of the eighth commandment, Thou shalt not steal.'

Scripture References

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Context: The primary passage expounded, focusing on sanctification, abstaining from fornication, possessing one's vessel in honor, and not defrauding a brother.

1 Peter 3:7

Context: Used to show that the wife is called a 'weaker vessel,' but Weaver argues this does not mean 'vessel' in 1 Thessalonians 4:4 refers to the wife.

Ephesians 5:25-28

Context: Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, to sanctify them, showing the husband's role in maintaining his wife in holiness.

Hebrews 13:4

Context: Marriage is honorable and the bed undefiled, but God will judge whoremongers and adulterers, supporting the distinction between lawful and unlawful passion.

Proverbs 5:15-20

Context: Commands to rejoice with the wife of one's youth and be ravished with her love, showing that marital passion is elevated, not condemned.

Acts 9:15

Context: Paul is called a 'chosen vessel,' illustrating that 'vessel' can refer to a person or body.

Romans 9:21-22

Context: Vessels of honor and dishonor refer to people, supporting the use of 'vessel' for persons.

2 Timothy 2:20-21

Context: Vessels of gold, silver, wood, and earth in a great house, with the call to be a vessel unto honor, sanctified.

2 Corinthians 4:5-7

Context: We have this treasure in earthen vessels, referring to the body as a vessel containing the glory of God.

Proverbs 6:32-33

Context: The adulterer lacks understanding, destroys his own soul, and gets a wound and dishonor, showing the consequences of sexual sin.

Romans 1:24

Context: God gave them up to uncleanness to dishonor their own bodies, illustrating that sexual sin dishonors the body.

1 Corinthians 6:17-18

Context: Flee fornication because it is a sin against one's own body, which is the temple of the Holy Ghost.

Romans 7:8

Context: Sin wrought in Paul all manner of concupiscence, showing the term's connection to sinful desire.

Colossians 3:5

Context: Mortify evil concupiscence, which is idolatry, listing it among sins to be put to death.

Luke 22:15

Context: Jesus desired (epithumia) to eat the Passover, showing that 'lust' can be used in a good sense for strong desire.

1 Corinthians 7:1-5

Context: To avoid fornication, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband, with mutual benevolence, showing lawful marital relations.

Exodus 22:16-17

Context: If a man entices a virgin and lies with her, he must marry her or pay a dowry, showing restitution for sexual sin as theft.

Deuteronomy 22:28-29

Context: A man who lies with an unbetrothed virgin must marry her and may never divorce her, reinforcing the principle of restitution.

Historical References

Judges 19

Context: Weaver references the story of the Levite's concubine who played the whore, explaining that 'fornication' can refer to rebellion and stubbornness, not just sexual sin.

Important Quotes

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God.

Significance: This is the core passage being expounded, summarizing the positive and negative commands regarding sexual purity.

The vessel is your body.

Significance: Weaver's clear definition of 'vessel' in the context, rejecting the interpretation that it refers to one's wife.

The man who commits fornication, the man who commits adultery, has a low estimate of himself, a low value of himself. He does not place a great deal of worth upon himself.

Significance: Connects sexual sin to a lack of self-worth and dishonor, emphasizing the need for sanctification and honor.

Not in the passion of lusts, even as the Gentiles which know not God.

Significance: Weaver's paraphrase of verse 5, highlighting the negative command to avoid unlawful passions like unbelievers.

Seduction, adultery, fornication, is not just a breach of the seventh commandment, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery.' It is also a breach of the eighth commandment, 'Thou shalt not steal.'

Significance: Key argument that sexual immorality is a form of theft, defrauding a brother, which undergirds the warning in verse 6.

Discussion Questions

Why does Weaver argue that 'vessel' in 1 Thessalonians 4:4 refers to the body and not the wife? What scriptural evidence does he use?

Context: Weaver spends significant time refuting the interpretation that 'vessel' means wife, using context and other passages.

How does the Bible distinguish between lawful marital passion and the 'lust of concupiscence'? What examples are given?

Context: Weaver contrasts Proverbs 5, Hebrews 13:4, and 1 Corinthians 7 with the negative command in verse 5.

In what ways does sexual sin dishonor one's own body, according to the scriptures cited?

Context: Weaver references Proverbs 6, Romans 1, and 1 Corinthians 6 to show the dishonor and sin against the body.

How is sexual immorality a form of theft, and what does the Old Testament law prescribe as restitution?

Context: Weaver explains 'defraud' in verse 6 and cites Exodus 22 and Deuteronomy 22 to show the principle of restitution.

What does it mean to 'possess his vessel in sanctification and honour' in practical terms for believers today?

Context: Weaver emphasizes knowing how to control one's body and live a holy life, avoiding impure thoughts and desires.

Applications

Pursue Personal Holiness

Summary: Believers must actively seek to possess their bodies in sanctification and honor, abstaining from all forms of sexual immorality as part of God's will.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'God says that we should know how to possess our vessel in holiness... and in honour' and 'we must know how to deal with impure thoughts.'

Honor Marital Relations

Summary: Husbands and wives should rejoice in one another and fulfill their marital duties, recognizing that lawful passion is a gift from God, not something to be ashamed of.

Evidence: Weaver cites Proverbs 5:18-19 and 1 Corinthians 7:3-5, emphasizing mutual benevolence and satisfaction within marriage.

Avoid Unlawful Desires

Summary: Christians must not live like the Gentiles, consumed by irregular and unlawful lusts, but instead set their passions on what is lawful and godly.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'We are not to live in constant, irregular, unlawful lust even as the Gentiles who know not God.'

Recognize Sexual Sin as Theft

Summary: Understand that sexual immorality defrauds others and is a serious offense against both God and neighbor, requiring repentance and restitution where possible.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If you take that which does not belong to you, it is theft, plain and simple.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T14:37:28Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T03:18:17Z

Clean Transcript

5 Sanctification & Sexual Purity

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

1 Thessalonians 4. Lord willing, the message today is not necessarily going to be that long, only because I cannot complete what I want to complete and then deal with the total verse. So I've decided instead of having one extra long message, I'm just going to cut them down in two, and hopefully we'll be able to remember the points a little bit better. But let's read in 1 Thessalonians 4, beginning with verse 1: "Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God."
#1 | 0:01 to 1:02 | cleaned
"That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit."
#2 | 1:03 to 1:22 | cleaned
Now this is the fifth message in the general theme, "Sanctification and Sexual Purity." And let me just give very quickly a brief review of the verses that we've already covered. First of all, in verse 1, we noticed the apostle's main point and exhortation. He says, "Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus." Now in this verse I showed you there were three main truths. First of all, there was a practical necessity. He says, "that as ye have received of us"—and the practical necessity is we must be taught the truth of God, we must be taught the Word of God. And then secondly, in verse 1, there was a personal application: "how ye ought to walk and to please God."
#3 | 1:23 to 2:14 | cleaned
So all the teaching in the world is not going to do you any good unless you personally apply and personally obey it. And then thirdly, in verse 1, you have a progressive reality. He said, "so ye would abound more and more." So we would be more holy and more obedient every day of our life. And then secondly, in verse 2, we have an explanation. He says, "For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus." So the commandments then refer actually back to verse 1. It was the teaching, the explanation of the Word of God and the law of God that taught these people how they ought to walk and so to please God. And then we came to verse 3, and that is where he began his exposition.
#4 | 2:14 to 3:03 | cleaned
And first of all, under this point, we have an affirmation. He says, "For this is the will of God." And then secondly, in verse 3, you have an explanation: "even your sanctification." Remember, I told you that the word sanctification is hagiasmos. It means to sanctify, to purify. And then, of course, I told you it meant to set apart exclusively for God. It means to be prepared for God. It means to be pure and upright. So you have an explanation. This is the will of God—an affirmation.
#5 | 3:04 to 3:36 | cleaned
And then you have a negation: "that ye should abstain from fornication." And so last week we went through exactly what fornication is. We went through the entirety of the Word of God and looked at all the scriptures. I showed you that fornication and adultery are not one and the same thing. Fornication is a much broader term. Adultery is brought in under that term fornication, but fornication can refer to pornography. It can refer to incest. It can refer to what we would call sodomy. It can even refer to stubbornness and rebelliousness.
#6 | 3:37 to 4:16 | cleaned
You remember I told you from Judges chapter 19 where the man's wife, the Bible says, played the whore against him or played the harlot against him and went to her father's house. Now, she was not down at her father's house engaging in incest. That would have merited a double death penalty. Moreover, a Levite would have never deigned to go there and bring his wife back, had that been what was happening.
#7 | 4:17 to 4:42 | cleaned
But the word fornication just simply refers to her rebellion and to her stubbornness. She would not abide under her husband's house, would not obey him, and she left him and went back to her parents, so to speak. And of course, that is referred to as fornication in the Bible. And so I explained that in detail.
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Now, today, we want to come to verse 4, where he says, "that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour." Now, we're still under the third point, the exposition. And here we're going to deal with our next sub-point, our fourth point. And that is a clarification. In fact, verses 4 and 5 is a clarification. In other words, you have, first of all, in verse 3, an affirmation.
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"This is the will of God." Then you have an explanation: "even your sanctification." Then you have a negation: "that ye should abstain from fornication." And then verse 4 and verse 5 is a clarification.
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Now, the Apostle Paul does this very frequently in his teaching. What he will do is this: he will state a truth, and then he will turn around and restate that same truth in different words. In other words, he further clarifies what he just said. So actually, verses 4 and 5 is a further clarification of verse 3, when he says, "This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication."
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Now, let me go back a little bit. In verse 4, you have the truth clarified and positively stated. In verse 5, you have the truth clarified and negatively stated. You see what Paul is doing? He's clarifying the truth, but he's giving it to you, first of all, positively, and then secondly, he's giving it to you negatively.
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Now, I want you to note that he is talking about individuals. Look in verse 4. He says, "that every one of you"—that each one of you—"should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour." Now, I want you to note what he does.
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Now, let's go back and read verse 3. He says, "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication."
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Now, if you don't really understand what he just said, he's going to clarify further: "that each one of you"—this is what I want—"every one of you should know how to possess your vessel in sanctification and honour." So first of all, today, we're going to look at verse 4, and that is the truth clarified and stated positively. Now, he says in verse 4, "that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel." Now, the first question we must ask is: what in the world is our vessel?
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Now, it may surprise you to find out that there are some commentators who say that the vessel in verse 4 refers to a man's wife. Now I'll be honest with you, while the Scripture does indeed speak of a man's wife as a vessel—and we'll show you the Scripture in just a moment—I do not believe that contextually the word vessel here can be interpreted as wife. It is true that God tells us as husbands that we are to maintain our wives in sanctification and honour, but I don't believe in verse 4 that the vessel can refer to the wife. Look in your Bibles: 1 Thessalonians 4, but turn over to 1 Peter 3 and look at verse 7. 1 Peter 3 and verse 7. Look what God says. He says, "Likewise, ye husbands."
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Now watch this carefully, men. "Dwell with them"—that is your wives—"according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." So first of all, he said, "ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge." Let me just stop right here. Man, listen to me. There is a certain knowledge that you must have to live with your wife. That's what he's saying. You've got to live with them according to knowledge. The knowledge is the teaching of the Word of God. One of the reasons there are so many divorces in America is not just the immorality—that is true—but it's because people are trying to live together with a lack of knowledge.
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And you know what most couples do today? If they have problems, they don't sit down and work them out biblically; they just get divorced and go marry somebody else. Alice and I—the same young folks that we graduated with—we'll soon be married 36 years, but we have met some of the folks that we graduated with; they've been married four or five times in that same length of time. Some of them probably more than that.
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So God says it requires a certain amount of knowledge. Then he says, "giving honour to the wife"—now watch—"as being the weaker vessel." So the Bible is referring to the wife as a vessel. And note, if you would please, the Bible does say here that we're to give honour unto the wife, so that teaches us that the wife is indeed to be maintained in sanctification and honour. But still, that does not mean that 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 4 refers to the wife.
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Now, let's turn in our Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 5. But I want to show you another passage that might excite the men some. Look at Ephesians chapter 5, just showing you that our wives are indeed to be maintained in sanctification and honour, and the Bible does refer to the wife as the weaker vessel. By the way, when the Bible refers to the wife as the weaker vessel, that does not mean that the husband is the strong vessel. The husband is weak, too. The wife is just weaker. She's the weaker vessel. So the opposite of weaker is not strong; it's weak. You have degrees there: weak, weaker, and weakest. So God says we are to give honour to the wife. Now watch in Ephesians chapter 5, and let's begin reading there verse 25.
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"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." Now, I'm not preaching today on the responsibility of husbands, but let me just point this out: "love your wives, even as Christ loved the church." We are to love our wives exactly like or equal to the way Christ loved the church. Now, it is true that we cannot love our wives quantitatively the same way that Christ loves the church, because Jesus Christ is God and he has a greater capacity of loving than we do. But while we cannot love them quantitatively, we can love them qualitatively. In other words, it can be the same kind of love. Well, what kind of love did Christ have for the church? First of all, it was an exclusive love. He loved his church. He didn't love the world. He didn't love the harlot. He loved his church. It was a sacrificial love, which means he gave himself for it. And so when we love our wives the way Christ loved the church, we love them exclusively.
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We love them sacrificially, but that's not all. Look at it in verse 26. After he says, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it"—here's why Christ loved the church: "that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Watch verse 28: "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself." Now, let's go back to verse 25. Follow me, please. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." Why? "That he might sanctify... that he might cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Now, here's the question.
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Why did Christ love the church exclusively? Why did he love the church sacrificially? And the answer is: so that he might make it holy and pure.
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Now, men, here's the question: Has your wife become more holy because she's married to you? That's what the Scripture just says. In other words, if we love our wives the way Christ loved the church, then our wives ought to be more holy and more godly because they're married to us. So the Bible does teach us that we are indeed to maintain our wives in sanctification and honour, and we have a vast responsibility to lead and to guide and direct them in holy and godly living.
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Now I'm going to look at verse 5 in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 very quickly. We're going to come back to it, but I just want to show you that even a perusal of this passage ought to let you know that in verse 4, the word vessel there cannot refer to the wife. He says in verse 4, "that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour." And then he says in verse 5, "not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God." So a quick perusal of verse 5 ought to demonstrate the fact that verse 4 does not refer to the wife. Why?
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Because the Bible is alive with passages that refer to marital joy and bliss and passion. Now, let me just show you what I'm talking about. Look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 4. Hebrews 13 verse 4. You see, the Bible is not condemning passion when it talks about the lust of concupiscence. No. Watch Hebrews 13 verse 4. God says, "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled." But watch the rest of it: "but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."
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Now, note the first part: "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled."
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Now, is it lawful for me to desire my own wife? Yes. God says the way I'm not to live is in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles who know not God.
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Now, turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Proverbs chapter 5. Proverbs chapter 5. And let's begin reading there with verse 15. And by the way, I told you last week you need to read Proverbs 5, 6, and 7. In this passage, all fornication, all adultery, everything is condemned, all right? But I want you to see what is right smack dab in the middle of the condemnation of fornication and adultery and all types of perversion. Watch this. In the book of Proverbs chapter 5, beginning there with verse 15.
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Here's what God tells the husband: "Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well." Don't be drinking anybody else's water, all right? Watch. "Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth." Note: "rejoice with the wife of thy youth."
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"Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love." By the way, the word ravish literally means to err. If you go astray, go astray in her love is what he's saying. "Be thou ravished with her always." Then he says in verse 20, "And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?"
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Why would you do that? You have your own wife. "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings." So while God, on the one hand, is condemning all adultery and fornication and perversion, on the other hand, he is elevating marriage and the joy and the bliss and the happiness of marriage. And he's saying, "rejoice with the wife of thy youth" while he's condemning all the others. So when he says, "not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God," he's not saying do not be loving and kind and passionate towards your wife. He's not condemning that at all. He's elevating that. I'll show you just a moment what he's condemning.
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Now, if this passage has not convinced you, and if Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 4 has not convinced you that marital love is elevated to a high plane in Scripture, then just read the Song of Solomon, because the Song of Solomon is all about marital love. Now, go back in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. He says in verse 4, "that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour." We're going to get to the negative in just a moment. "Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God." He says you're not to act like the ungodly act. Then he says in verse 6, "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter." Now we'll get to that in just a moment. But verse 6 is another verse that teaches undeniably that the vessel cannot be the wife in verse 4, and I'm going to tie it together and show you just a moment. Well, if the vessel in verse 4 is not the wife and does not refer to the wife, what does it mean when it says then that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour?
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Now, let me tell you what the vessel is. The vessel is your body. OK, in the context, the vessel refers to the male believer, particularly in the context. I'm going to prove it to you in just a moment. But let's look at some other scriptures just to show you how the word vessel is used in other places. Look in your Bible to the book of Acts chapter 9. Acts chapter 9.
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Note, if you would please, verse 15. Here is the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. God is telling Ananias what to do. And of course, God had told him to go and lay his hands upon Saul and let him receive his sight. And Ananias balked because he said, "Lord, I've heard about this man and I know what he's done to the saints. And I understand that he's got letters now that if he finds any Christians, he may cast them into prison." But the Lord tells him in verse 15, "But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel." So Saul then was referred to as a chosen vessel. Now, inevitably, someone's going to say, "But you know, Paul served the Lord with his spirit."
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Yes, the Bible says that in the book of Romans chapter 1. Paul said, "whom I serve with my spirit." But may I ask you, what was it that took his spirit to the uttermost sections of the Roman Empire? How did his spirit get around? It got around in his body. Without his body, his spirit would not be going anywhere, you see, because death is the separation of the spirit from the body. So it was his body.
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God said he is a chosen vessel. Look in your Bible to the book of Romans chapter 9. And back in this passage, the word vessel very clearly refers to people or to persons. In Romans chapter 9, beginning there with verse 21, Paul asked this question. Romans 9 verse 21: "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?" What are vessels of wrath? They're people. What are vessels of honour? They're people. So the body, the person then, is referred to as a vessel. Look in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2 Timothy chapter 2. Note verse 20, 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 20.
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Here's an analogy that he's using. He says, "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour." Now watch verse 21: "If a man therefore purge himself from these"—that is, the vessels of dishonour—this would be referring to his habits, his dispositions, his attitudes, the things in his life that's not brought into the form of the Word of God. But he said, "If a man would purge himself from these"—that is, from these vessels of dishonour—"he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." So although not only our vessels—our bodies—are referred to as vessels, but sometimes certain parts of us are even referred to as vessels.
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Then look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4, and note if you would please verse—well, let's read verse 5, 6, and 7 so you can see the context there. 2 Corinthians chapter 4, beginning there with verse 5. Paul says, "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure"—that is, this salvation, this grace, this glory of God—"but we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."
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So once again, the body then is referred to as a vessel. Now, go back in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, and let's try to put this together before we go much further. Now, I just told you in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 4, the word vessel refers to our body. And primarily in the context, the body of male believers. Now let's read verse 3. Look what he says.
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"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication." So we know what the will of God is. It is the will of God that we be sanctified, that we abstain from fornication, and that truth is further clarified in verse 4: "that every one of us should know how to possess our vessel in sanctification and honour." Now, let me take the word sanctification. The word sanctification, once again, is hagiasmos. It means purification. It means holiness. God says that we should know how to possess our vessel in holiness. And then he said, "and in honour." And the word for honour is the word timē. Now listen to me. The word timē means dignity, esteem, value, and worth. Now, God says that we are to know how to possess our bodies in sanctification and in esteem, in value and worth. Now, I know that the world has a lot of garbage when it comes to self-esteem. And we say, "Well, he just has low self-esteem." There's a lot of psychological babble when it comes to that, but there is a biblical truth. And if you have a low esteem or a low value of yourself based upon the Word of God, then you're going to be living a dishonourable life.
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Are you listening to me? The man who commits fornication, the man who commits adultery, has a low estimate of himself, a low value of himself. He does not place a great deal of worth upon himself. In fact, the Bible teaches he dishonours his own body. Let me show you. Pull 1 Thessalonians 4. Look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 6 to begin with. Proverbs chapter 6. Proverbs 6. And let's begin reading there.
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Verse 32, just so you can see the context. Proverbs 6, verse 32. God says, "But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding." You don't have good sense if you commit adultery. "But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away." So what comes with fornication? What comes with adultery? Dishonour. "A wound and dishonour shall he get."
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Turn over your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 1. Now remember I told you that fornication is a term that includes sodomy, it includes incest, it includes everything. But I want you to look at what the Bible says concerning these sodomites. Watch. "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts." Help me out. To what? Romans 1 verse 24: "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts." To what? "To dishonour their own bodies between themselves." To dishonour.
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To have a low value and a low estimate of their worth. Look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 6. 1 Corinthians chapter 6. Let's begin reading there with verse 17. We'll come back to this context a little bit later, but look in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 17. Scripture says, "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." Now watch verse 18: "Flee fornication." Why? "Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." How does he sin against it? He dishonours it for one thing, but another thing: if a man is a Christian, he's defiling his body, which is the temple of the Holy Ghost. So the man then that commits fornication dishonours his own body. Now, the same is true of a woman who commits fornication or adultery. She dishonours her own body.
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But I'm telling you, in the context—and I'm going to show it to you in just a moment—he is talking primarily to the men. He's saying, "Men, I want you to understand that this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and in honour."
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Now, listen, it is impossible to live a holy, consecrated, honourable life when your life is filled with lust and adultery and fornication and covetousness, and those things are consuming you. It's impossible to live a holy life. What is God saying? God is saying we must understand, we must know how to possess our vessels in sanctification and honour. We must know how to deal with impure thoughts. We must know how to deal with impure desires. We must know what to do to make sure that in our lives we obey God and honour him in every area. Now, he said, "This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication, that each one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour."
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Now, let's look at verse 5, because here in verse 5, you have the truth clarified and stated negatively. He gave you the positive in verse 4, now he's giving you the negative in verse 5. He says, "not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God." Now, first of all, let me tell you what the word lust is. The Greek word is pathos. We use that word in our English language. It's taken straight from the Greek. The word pathos actually refers to passion. In this context, it means that passion which is lustful, wicked, unclean, and ungodly. He says, "not in the lust of concupiscence." Now, what in the world is concupiscence? Most folks can't even pronounce it, much less know what it is. Well, let me show you how this word is used. Look in your Bibles, first of all, to Romans 7 and verse 8. Romans 7 and verse 8. Paul says, "But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead."
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Look what he said: "But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner"—all different kinds—"of concupiscence." Well, what's concupiscence? Well, look in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 3 and verse 5. Colossians 3 verse 5, he says, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Now, here it's called evil concupiscence. Every time the word concupiscence is used, it is used in a bad light. Now, what is the Greek word for concupiscence? It is a simple word. It is epithumia. The word epithumia is translated in our Bibles not only concupiscence, but sometimes it is translated lust. Now, let me tell you what epithumia means.
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You see, whenever we talk about lust, usually we refer to sexual impurity or sexual lust, OK? You can be lustful and not have a sexual thought in your mind. How can that be so? Let me tell you how. Epithumia. Epi is a preposition which means upon. Thumia or thumos is where we get the word soul or passion. What is your lust? It's whatever you set your soul upon. It's whatever you set your passion upon. I could lust after Sam's tie. I could lust after Roy's truck. I could lust after a fine automobile or a horse. I don't have to lust after a woman, you see what I'm saying. But your lust is whatever you set your soul upon. It's whatever you set your passion upon. Now, let me tell you something very quickly.
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And I want you to understand this, because although we normally associate the word lust with evil, the word lust sometimes can be a good word and used in a positive sense. For instance, look in your Bibles to the book of Luke, chapter 22. Luke, chapter 22. The word lust is not always used in the Bible in an evil sense. In Luke, chapter 22, verse 15, look what Jesus Christ tells his disciples. Luke 22, verse 15: "And he said unto them"—to his disciples—"With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer." Would you like to know what the word desire is? It's the word epithumia. Literally what he's saying is this: "With lust have I lusted after to eat this passover with you before I suffer." In other words, "I have set my soul upon eating this last supper with you," is what he's saying. Now, was Christ sinning when he did this? No. It's just simply a good use of the word epithumia. Would it be sin for me to lust after obeying God?
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No. A sin for me to lust after serving God? No. Would it be a sin for me to lust after being obedient to God? No. So the word lust can be used in a good sense and a bad sense. However, every time you see the word concupiscence, it's used in a bad sense. The word concupiscence literally means to desire, to lust after, or to covet that which is unlawful.
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It refers also to irregular desires of sexual pleasure. So when he talks about concupiscence—now go back to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Let's read verses 3 and 4 and then verse 5 and try to put it together. He said in verse 3, "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel"—that will be his body—"in sanctification and honour, not in the passion of lusts, even as the Gentiles which know not God."
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Now let me ask you a question. Do most unconverted men set their hearts and their souls upon their wives? No, they set their hearts and souls upon the wives of other men and the daughters of other men. They're not consumed with their wife. They're consumed with everyone else. Do those who are unconverted only do that which is lawful and right, according to God's Word? No, they do that which is unlawful and is violative of the Word of God. So the Word of God is telling us in verse 5 of 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, this is not how we are to live. We are not to live in constant, irregular, unlawful lust even as the Gentiles who know not God. So verse 5 then clarifies for us that the vessel in verse 4 cannot refer to the wife. Why? Because it is lawful for me to desire my wife. Look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 7. 1 Corinthians 7. Let's begin reading there with verse 1. 1 Corinthians 7 verse 1.
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Paul writes, "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman." Now watch. "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband."
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Now, here is the rule: "Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence." That means the husbands are to take care of the wife's needs sexually, "and likewise also the wife unto the husband." The wife has the responsibility to take care of the husband. Watch: "The wife hath not power of her own body"—the needs of the husband would take care of that—"but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife."
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And then God says—and note this word—"Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency." Now listen to me. When a husband withholds himself from his wife, or when a wife withholds herself from her husband without a biblical reason, it is theft. That's what he said: "Defraud ye not one the other." Why? Because my wife belongs to me and I belong to her.
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Everything she has is mine. Everything I have is hers. I owe her due benevolence. She owes me due benevolence. And if I withhold myself or she withholds herself, it's fraud. It's theft. So is it lawful for me to desire her? Well, of course. Is it lawful for her to desire me? Well, of course. Is it lawful for me to desire Janet? No. She's not mine. She's Henry's. Is it lawful for Henry to desire Alice? No. You follow me?
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Here he says, "not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God." There is a lawful use, and there is an unlawful use. So concupiscence refers to that which is unlawful and irregular, and what God is saying is this: I want you to know how to possess your vessel in sanctification and honour. I want you to know what you owe your wife, what your wife owes you.
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You have your full satisfaction in her. She has her full satisfaction in you, and that's it.
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Now, all of our desires, all of our attitudes, everything, says God, is to be regulated by His Word. Now, let's go back to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. I'm only going to mention my next point; we'll only stay on it just a few moments. And we'll preach most of this next week. But I want to just get the first part of verse 6 to tie this together so that you can see what we're talking about in verses 4 and 5. Now, first of all, verse 1, we had an exhortation, okay? Verse 2, we had an explanation. Verses 3 and 4 and 5, you have an exposition. When you get to verse 6, you have an elaboration. In other words, what Paul is doing now in verse...
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6, 7, and 8, he is elaborating further, not on the fact of his exposition, but literally he is elaborating on the application or the implication of his exposition. So watch it in verse 6, he says, "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we have also forewarned you and testified."
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Now, the latter part of that verse I'm going to deal with next week. But let's get with verse 6: "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother."
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Now, I told you earlier, I was going to prove to you that the word vessel in verse 4 referred to our body, and in the context it refers to the male body in particular. Now he says in verse 6, "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter." Now, first of all, look at the word "any." It's in italics, which means it's not really in the original, okay? That's what italics means. It means it was added for clarification. But in the original, there is a definite article, "the." Literally, verse 6 should read this: "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in the matter." Well, what matter are we talking about? The matter of sexual purity. Now, the matter then would refer to sexual impurity with any man's wife, daughter, or maid. Now, look what he says. Let's put it together, verse 3.
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"This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication, that each one of you"—that is each man—"should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour, not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God." And he said, "Men, make sure that you do not go beyond and defraud your brother in the matter."
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Now listen to me, even if a woman is single, unmarried, it would still be a defrauding of someone else on down the line when the woman later married. Now the word defraud here is the Greek word—let's see—it's pleonektēs, and it literally means one who is greedy, one who is covetous, one who is eager to have that which belongs to someone else.
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Now, let me just make an application and try to tie this together for you. You see, if we obeyed God's law, God's law would take care of most immorality in this country. And I'm not talking about the death penalty, although I'll get on that some next week. But you say, "Well, what are you talking about?" Well, look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 22. Exodus 22 to begin with. Exodus 22.
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Turn there to Exodus 22. OK.
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Now, let me just read verse 1 and 2 just to show you that God's talking about restitution, OK? "If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution." You read all the way down. All this is talking about restitution, restitution. Look in verse 12: "And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof." All this is talking about restitution, okay? Now come down to verse 16.
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Verses 1 through 15 is dealing with theft. It's dealing with restitution. And verse 16, it says, "And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins."
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Now, let's stop and think this through. Here's a young man, and he seduces a young girl. What does God say that he must do? He must marry her, and we'll show you a little bit later. And he can never, ever put her away. Never divorce her.
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Now the only exception, the only thing that will stop him from marrying her is found in verse 17: "If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him." I want you to note the father has the final authority even when the daughter has been defiled. If the father says, "Alright, you defiled my daughter, but I'm not going to let her marry you," what's the boy to do?
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He's to pay money according to the dowry of virgins. A dowry was three years' wages in the Bible. So that means if the average standard wage in this area says $50,000 a year, that young man then, who now may not marry that young girl, owes her $150,000. You know, that would tend to cut back on some fornication, wouldn't it? Look in your Bible, Deuteronomy 22, verse 28.
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Totally, I'd show you this passage as well. Deuteronomy 22, verse 28: "If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her."
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"He may not put her away all his days." So, what God says is this. Now listen to me. The reason he says in 1 Thessalonians 4, "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in the matter"—
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Now the reason he used the word defraud is because seduction, adultery, fornication, is not just a breach of the seventh commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." It is also a breach of the eighth commandment, "Thou shalt not steal." That's why seduction demands restitution in Exodus chapter 22 and Deuteronomy 22, because it's theft. You are taking that which does not belong to you. And it is called a defrauding of the brother.
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Although, as I said earlier, the young woman may be single, it does not matter. Later on down the line, she may marry someone and you have defrauded that individual. Go back to verse 3, 4, and 5, and 6 in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Watch carefully. Let's put it together. "This is the will of God, even your sanctification," and part and parcel of our sanctification is that we abstain from fornication. Part and parcel of our sanctification is that every one of us know how to possess our bodies in sanctification and honour. And then he says, "Don't live like the Gentiles in the lust of concupiscence who know not God." And then he said, "Men, make sure that you do not go beyond and defraud any brother in the matter."
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So if you take that which does not belong to you, it is theft, plain and simple. We'll see the extreme warning that Paul gives. He says, "because the Lord is the avenger of all such." Let's pray. Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ today that you would indeed make us holy. Sanctify us. Give us knowledge. Give us wisdom. Give us understanding, that we may know how to possess our vessels in sanctification and honour. May, Father, we be set apart exclusively for Thy use, and Lord, may we be prepared for Thy service and live holy, pure, and godly lives. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask, amen.
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5 Sanctification & Sexual Purity

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver continues his series on sanctification and sexual purity, focusing on 1 Thessalonians 4:4-6. He clarifies that the 'vessel' refers to the believer's body, not one's wife, and explains that believers must possess their bodies in sanctification and honor, avoiding the lustful passions of the Gentiles. He argues that sexual immorality is not only a sin against God but also a form of theft against others, defrauding a brother. The message emphasizes personal holiness, the positive command to honor one's body, and the negative command to reject unlawful desires.

Opening

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

"Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God."

Review of Previous Verses (1 Thessalonians 4:1-3)

Clarification of the Truth in Verses 4-5

Paul clarifies verse 3 by restating the truth positively in verse 4 and negatively in verse 5, emphasizing individual responsibility.

The Meaning of 'Vessel' in Verse 4

Weaver argues that 'vessel' refers to the believer's body, not the wife, supported by context and other scriptures like Acts 9:15 and 2 Corinthians 4:7.

Possessing the Vessel in Sanctification and Honor

Believers must know how to control their bodies in holiness and dignity, as sexual sin dishonors the body and reflects a low self-estimate.

Verse 32, just so you can see the context. Proverbs 6, verse 32. God says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:32-33

"But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding."

You don't have good sense if you commit adultery.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:32-33

"But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away."

So what comes with fornication? What comes with adultery? Dishonour.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:32-33

"A wound and dishonour shall he get."

The Negative Clarification: Not in Lust of Concupiscence

Verse 5 warns against unlawful, irregular desires like the Gentiles, distinguishing between lawful marital passion and sinful lust.

Elaboration: Defrauding a Brother (Verse 6a)

Sexual immorality is a form of theft, defrauding a brother, as it takes what does not belong to you, violating both the seventh and eighth commandments.

Totally, I'd show you this passage as well. Deuteronomy 22, verse 28:

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 22:28-29

"If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her." "He may not put her away all his days."

So, what God says is this. Now listen to me. The reason he says in 1 Thessalonians 4, "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in the matter"—

5 Sanctification & Sexual Purity

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	1022071352496
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover: The Superiority of Christ
Genre	Sermon
Date	2007-10-22
Dictation Name
Book	Book 078: Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover - Volume 1 — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	78

Lecture Guide

Outline

Review of Previous Verses (1 Thessalonians 4:1-3): Weaver reviews the first three verses, highlighting the exhortation to walk and please God, the explanation of commandments, and the affirmation that sanctification is God's will, including abstaining from fornication.
Clarification of the Truth in Verses 4-5: Paul clarifies verse 3 by restating the truth positively in verse 4 and negatively in verse 5, emphasizing individual responsibility.
The Meaning of 'Vessel' in Verse 4: Weaver argues that 'vessel' refers to the believer's body, not the wife, supported by context and other scriptures like Acts 9:15 and 2 Corinthians 4:7.
Possessing the Vessel in Sanctification and Honor: Believers must know how to control their bodies in holiness and dignity, as sexual sin dishonors the body and reflects a low self-estimate.
The Negative Clarification: Not in Lust of Concupiscence: Verse 5 warns against unlawful, irregular desires like the Gentiles, distinguishing between lawful marital passion and sinful lust.
Elaboration: Defrauding a Brother (Verse 6a): Sexual immorality is a form of theft, defrauding a brother, as it takes what does not belong to you, violating both the seventh and eighth commandments.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Vessel Refers to the Body, Not the Wife

Contextually, 'vessel' in 1 Thessalonians 4:4 means the believer's own body, not his wife, because verse 5 contrasts it with unlawful lust, and verse 6 warns against defrauding a brother.

Weaver argues, 'A quick perusal of verse 5 ought to demonstrate the fact that verse 4 does not refer to the wife... because the Bible is alive with passages that refer to marital joy and bliss and passion.'

Sexual Sin Dishonors the Body

Fornication is a sin against one's own body, bringing dishonor and reflecting a low self-worth, as seen in Proverbs 6:32-33 and Romans 1:24.

Weaver cites Proverbs 6:32-33: 'A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away,' and Romans 1:24: 'to dishonour their own bodies.'

Concupiscence is Unlawful Desire

The Greek word epithumia (concupiscence) means setting one's soul on something, and in this context it refers to irregular, unlawful sexual desires, not legitimate marital affection.

Weaver explains, 'The word concupiscence literally means to desire, to lust after, or to covet that which is unlawful... It refers also to irregular desires of sexual pleasure.'

Defrauding a Brother is Theft

In verse 6, 'defraud his brother in the matter' means sexual immorality is a form of theft, as it takes what belongs to another, requiring restitution under God's law.

Weaver states, 'The reason he used the word defraud is because seduction, adultery, fornication... is also a breach of the eighth commandment, Thou shalt not steal.'

Scripture References

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8: The primary passage expounded, focusing on sanctification, abstaining from fornication, possessing one's vessel in honor, and not defrauding a brother.
1 Peter 3:7: Used to show that the wife is called a 'weaker vessel,' but Weaver argues this does not mean 'vessel' in 1 Thessalonians 4:4 refers to the wife.
Ephesians 5:25-28: Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, to sanctify them, showing the husband's role in maintaining his wife in holiness.
Hebrews 13:4: Marriage is honorable and the bed undefiled, but God will judge whoremongers and adulterers, supporting the distinction between lawful and unlawful passion.
Proverbs 5:15-20: Commands to rejoice with the wife of one's youth and be ravished with her love, showing that marital passion is elevated, not condemned.
Acts 9:15: Paul is called a 'chosen vessel,' illustrating that 'vessel' can refer to a person or body.
Romans 9:21-22: Vessels of honor and dishonor refer to people, supporting the use of 'vessel' for persons.
2 Timothy 2:20-21: Vessels of gold, silver, wood, and earth in a great house, with the call to be a vessel unto honor, sanctified.
2 Corinthians 4:5-7: We have this treasure in earthen vessels, referring to the body as a vessel containing the glory of God.
Proverbs 6:32-33: The adulterer lacks understanding, destroys his own soul, and gets a wound and dishonor, showing the consequences of sexual sin.
Romans 1:24: God gave them up to uncleanness to dishonor their own bodies, illustrating that sexual sin dishonors the body.
1 Corinthians 6:17-18: Flee fornication because it is a sin against one's own body, which is the temple of the Holy Ghost.
Romans 7:8: Sin wrought in Paul all manner of concupiscence, showing the term's connection to sinful desire.
Colossians 3:5: Mortify evil concupiscence, which is idolatry, listing it among sins to be put to death.
Luke 22:15: Jesus desired (epithumia) to eat the Passover, showing that 'lust' can be used in a good sense for strong desire.
1 Corinthians 7:1-5: To avoid fornication, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband, with mutual benevolence, showing lawful marital relations.
Exodus 22:16-17: If a man entices a virgin and lies with her, he must marry her or pay a dowry, showing restitution for sexual sin as theft.
Deuteronomy 22:28-29: A man who lies with an unbetrothed virgin must marry her and may never divorce her, reinforcing the principle of restitution.

Historical References

Judges 19: Weaver references the story of the Levite's concubine who played the whore, explaining that 'fornication' can refer to rebellion and stubbornness, not just sexual sin.

Important Quotes

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God.

This is the core passage being expounded, summarizing the positive and negative commands regarding sexual purity.

The vessel is your body.

Weaver's clear definition of 'vessel' in the context, rejecting the interpretation that it refers to one's wife.

The man who commits fornication, the man who commits adultery, has a low estimate of himself, a low value of himself. He does not place a great deal of worth upon himself.

Connects sexual sin to a lack of self-worth and dishonor, emphasizing the need for sanctification and honor.

Not in the passion of lusts, even as the Gentiles which know not God.

Weaver's paraphrase of verse 5, highlighting the negative command to avoid unlawful passions like unbelievers.

Seduction, adultery, fornication, is not just a breach of the seventh commandment, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery.' It is also a breach of the eighth commandment, 'Thou shalt not steal.'

Key argument that sexual immorality is a form of theft, defrauding a brother, which undergirds the warning in verse 6.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

Why does Weaver argue that 'vessel' in 1 Thessalonians 4:4 refers to the body and not the wife? What scriptural evidence does he use?

[Context]

Weaver spends significant time refuting the interpretation that 'vessel' means wife, using context and other passages.

[Question]

How does the Bible distinguish between lawful marital passion and the 'lust of concupiscence'? What examples are given?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts Proverbs 5, Hebrews 13:4, and 1 Corinthians 7 with the negative command in verse 5.

[Question]

In what ways does sexual sin dishonor one's own body, according to the scriptures cited?

[Context]

Weaver references Proverbs 6, Romans 1, and 1 Corinthians 6 to show the dishonor and sin against the body.

[Question]

How is sexual immorality a form of theft, and what does the Old Testament law prescribe as restitution?

[Context]

Weaver explains 'defraud' in verse 6 and cites Exodus 22 and Deuteronomy 22 to show the principle of restitution.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'possess his vessel in sanctification and honour' in practical terms for believers today?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes knowing how to control one's body and live a holy life, avoiding impure thoughts and desires.

Applications

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