God's Will for You: Abstain from Sexual Immorality

What is God’s will for your life? 

That may be a question you have been asking the Lord lately, or maybe one you recall being troubled with some years ago now. 

And so this morning I have come prepared with an answer for you. While I might not be able to tell you who to marry or what vocation to pursue, I can give you a definitive and true answer to one aspect of this question because your Bibles state it plainly. For the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality…” (4:3).

God’s will for you is that you would grow in sanctification. That you would be made holy – conforming to the image of His Son. And one specific area where this holiness must come in conflict with your flesh is with the sin of sexual immorality and all of its expressions – whether it be lustful thoughts, pornography use, fornication, or adultery. 

Repeatedly throughout his letters the Apostle Paul warns that the sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom of God. What this severe warning means is that this is not a sin to mess around with or pretend to fight. It needs to be killed. You must make no provision for the flesh. If lust were a burning fire, which it really is (Prov. 6:27–29),  you need to extinguish its flames by cutting off all oxygen and removing the tinder, or else you will be consumed.

I know that some of you hearing this are tired. You have been fighting for years and have grown discouraged. With little victory you have become quietly complacent, assuming in some twisted way that it must just be God’s will for you to suffer in your sin.

But this is not true. 

Your struggle with sin is not unique and this particular sin is like all the rest – it is one that Christ has died for and one that He has given you the grace needed to overcome. It is God’s will for you to gain victory over your lust – and if it is God’s will this is not just a command then, but a promise. Therefore, do not lose heart but keep pressing on.

And if you have been harboring any secret sin – it is time to drag it out of the darkness into the light. Don’t try to fight it on your own. Call in the reinforcements – send up a flare to one of the pastors or your elder so that we can encourage you on. For God is so very kind to His beloved, and this is His will for you, your sanctification.