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. 2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor; 5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: 6 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. 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
You have learned a lot of things. I have taught many things from the Bible and you have sat through countless sermons in church discussing the finer points of Christianity. You have learned how you ought to walk in your spiritual life and you have learned how to please God. You have learned how you ought to be and what it means to be a Christian. OK, so far, that's just a bunch of knowledge. Fine, knowledge is good, but without action, it's worthless. A few weeks ago, we learned that we know that we know God if we keep His commandments. So you know that you should obey the things that you learn from the Word of God. Today I say that you should obey abundantly. You should continue to obey and walk in the way that you have learned. In this way you should abound. What good does it do you to walk in the right way only some of the time. You walk in the right way, then you walk through the mud, and then you walk in the right way. We learn today that it is the will of God that you walk in His way and be sanctified and free from immorality.
Ephesians 4:1-3
1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
God is calling us to obey Him in all things. We should be able to conduct ourselves in such a way that lives a pure life towards God and towards one another. We will abstain from all specks of filthiness. We will not live sexually immoral lives, but we will also abstain from spiritual immorality. We will not indulge our lusts, but we will also hearts and minds set only on God. We will not sin against each other because we know that it is also a sin against God. God is calling us to live a pure life. He did not call us to uncleanness but in holiness.
You may not want to hear this word. In fact, you may not want to hear any word taught in church. Perhaps you just reject it to spite me. Let me remind you: the one that rejects this does not reject the man teaching it, but God.
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