. Christian Ethics (Living)

The word "ethics" is a very interesting word. It refers to the study of standards of conduct & moral judgment. Ethics is the discipline dealing with what is good & bad.

When we say something is "ethical" or "not ethical" we are claiming that it either does or does not measure up to our standard of conduct. It is either right or wrong.

Medical ethics are those standards by which doctors judge the appropriateness or inappropriateness of a treatment. New Testament Ethics deals specifically with standards of conduct prescribed by the Bible.
New Testament Ethics is very helpful to us. The standards of conduct set out in the Bible are very easy to understand. It is very practical for everyday living.

In 1 Thess. 4 Paul lays out some very basic ethics

LIVE TO PLEASE GOD

1 Thessalonians 4:1-2 ( NIV)

Most of us live to please ourselves. We have allowed our culture to ingrain this into our lives. We're always looking out for #1. The problem is, we've named ourselves "#1".

I feel sorry for us. A part of all of us says, "I am the most important person in my life." It is not that we should not have a high self-worth. It is not that we are not allowed to do anything gratifying. The problem comes when we lift "self" above "God"

Jesus said John 8:29) I always do what pleases him.

Paul said in 2 Cor. 5:9 "we make it our goal to please Him".

Colossians 1:10 "we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way."

Living to please God is the guiding principle for Christian behavior. That is a radical concept. It is radical because it strikes at the roots of our salvation.

It challenges the reality of our Christianity. I cannot claim to know and love God unless I live to please Him. If I am living to please Him I am obeying Him. If I am disobedient to God's will, I am not pleasing Him I am trying to please myself

Fool thinking says that pleasure can be found outside of the will of God. Living to please God is progressive. Our goal is to be perfectly pleasing to God. We can never claim that we have arrived.

Paul says, "we ask & urge you... to do this more & more."

If we would follow this principle our lives would be revolutionized. The first ethic is simply this: "Live to Please God."

CONTROL YOURSELF

Let's look at verse 3-8

These verses tell us that we must control our sex lives. It is amazing how little is said about sex in our churches considering how much the Bible has to say about it. We live in a world where sex is heavily promoted. Everywhere you turn there is bound to be some reference to sex. Most of the time it is referring to sex that is outside of the biblical norm.

We see cereal commercials promoting sex. We see billboards, we see sex. Soap operas promote illicit sex. The movies promote illicit sex, I can't even watch a ball game without somebody trying to push scantily clad women in front of my TV screen.

I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. The point is: God made sex to be a good positive thing. However, our society has dragged it into the gutter.

God's will is that we should be sanctified (or "holy"). We are to live lives that are free from the defilement of the world. God's will is that we should avoid sexual immorality.
God has never changed His plan. God's plan is one man and one woman united for a lifetime in marriage.

Illustration: A teenager and his grandfather were having a conversation. The young man said, "Grandad, your generation didn't have all these social diseases. What did you wear to have safe sex?" Grandad replied, "A wedding ring."

God's plan for Sex is Heterosexual marriage. Paul in 1 Thess tells us to control our own bodies. Those who don't know God do not have anything restraining them from sexual practices outside God's will.

We are children of God. We live by His higher standards. God created sex. He has established marriage as a sacred union between one man and one woman. God created sex both for procreation and for the pleasure of the marriage partners. Heb. 13:4

God's commandments concerning sex are not for the purpose of robbing people of joy. They are for protecting us so that we don't lose our joy.

Warren Weirsbe
"Thou shalt not commit adultery" builds a wall around marriage that makes the relationship, not a prison, but a safe & beautiful garden.

God's purpose is for sex in marriage. This is elementary, it is plain, frank, practical, authoritative, & uninhibited.

The Holy Spirit wants us to control ourselves.

WORK ON LOVING ONE ANOTHER

Don't be like the old man that said "When we were married I told you that I loved you, and if I ever change my mind, I'll let you know."

We know that love and marriage is not a one-time event. It grows and matures over time. The Thessalonians knew how to love their fellow Christians

READ vss.9-12

Paul said,
"keep working on it, allow your love to grow."

You show love for each other, but do so more and more. Paul told them to demonstrate their love for one another.

He said do this to "win the respect of outsiders." Anyone who visits us knows within the first couple of minutes whether we love each other or not. They also know if we love them.

The preaching may be biblical, The singing inspirational. The sermon uplifting however, when a visitor finds no one who cares they are not likely to come back.

How would our church rate? I would like to think we would rate high. I know that no matter how much love we have we can always love more.

Conclusion:

The ethic standards that we have looked at this morning are a simple code of conduct for everyday life.

LIVE TO PLEASE GOD

LEARN TO CONTROL YOURSELF

WORK ON LOVING ONE ANOTHER

If we can do these 3 things, we will be well on our way to living a life of Christian Victory.

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