1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 1 through verse number 12. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 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 ought 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 honor, 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 has not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who also hath given unto us his Holy Spirit. But as touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed you do it toward the brethren, which are in all Macedonia, even, but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more, and that ye study to be quiet, and do your own business, and work with your own hands, as we commanded you, You may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that you may have lack of nothing. You may be seated tonight." Thankful for his goodness and appreciate what the Lord's doing in these days. Now, we're dealing with the will of God as far as the series is concerned, the will of God, and we've talked about that three or four times. That's important, and what we need is the will of God. the saints, Hebrew saints in Hebrews 13, 24, 21, he said that he made, they're talking about that the Lord would make you perfect in every good work to do His will. working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. So Paul's desire for the Hebrew saints was that they would do the will of God and that's God's will for us today is for us to do the will of God as well. That's my will That's my desire for you, that you'll do the will of God, and not only find it, but do it. And I think sometimes the psalmist said, you know, teach me to do thy will. I think sometimes we know more of the will of God than we're willing to obey. And so Paul laid that groundwork, and so we're using a series about doing the will of God. Now how do we know the will of God in our lives? Where do we start to find the will of God for our lives? We've been taught all of our life it's good to be in the will of God, you've got peace and contentment there, but where do we find it? Well, the first thing we need to find is what is God's written will in our lives. If we find that and attempt to obey that, and the reason I say attempt to obey that. I know this old flesh is weak. I understand that. And I know there's times you can't always do, you won't always do what you should. But there ought to be an act of confession and getting right with the Lord that you'd get to that place. But if we'll seek to do the written will of God for our lives, then we can find the unwritten will of God for our lives. And what do you mean the unwritten will? Someone might ask. Well, you know, it's God's will for you to serve him. We know that. But where are you to serve Him? Where are you to be? You need to be in God's divine will, because if you get out of God's will, you're in trouble. You're in trouble if you get out of God's will and remain there. But anyway, Paul, as he'd start, the Word of God says it's the will of God that you be saved. Now, that's the first step. That's the most important thing. and therefore he's not willing that any should perish, but all come to repentance. So it's God's will that you be safe. We've dealt with that in depth. And then we said, secondly, it's God's will that you give thanks, not just be thankful, but give thanks. In everything, give thanks. Didn't say you give thanks for what necessarily comes your way, but you knowing that God's working all things together for good out yonder and you can give thanks that God is touching me, he's working in my life and doing for me that I need. And so we need to give thanks, give thanks in our lives. Give it in the congregation and out in the night hour or when you look at the stars and the sun and the moons or whatever's out daytime or nighttime, give thanks for the God of glory that's still shining his grace upon you, amen. opportunity and His goodness is long-suffering. Well, give thanks. That's the will of God. And then to labor. Labor is another will of God, not only physically but spiritually. You need to strive to enter in. That's God's will for you to do that. And also you need to, it's God's will for you to labor, provide for your own family. Man won't do that, it's worse than an infidel. What he said, now I understand. There's times you can't, I understand that. But God will make a way if you'll strive to do what you need to do about that. But it's God's will to labor. It's God's will to be subject to the higher powers. We talked about that. And of course, that's higher powers we usually think of as being our government. But when government passes laws and rules and regulations that's against God's word, against God's will for our lives and against truth, what do we do? Well, Peter said that one day whenever they arrested him and told him, said, we told you not to preach in his name. His name, they wouldn't, that name, I think is what they said there. And he said, it's better to obey God than man. You see, the government is a minister of God to us. Our government is of all ranks and whatnot. God places them over you, but for two reasons is what they're supposed to be for. to execute vengeance upon those or wrath upon those who do evil and promote that which is good. In other words, they've moved in the area where they're almost reversed today in the lot that they do. So who do we obey? If it's long as it doesn't go against God's word, you obey the government in that sense. But when they go against God's word and what you do, do what Peter did, it's better to obey God than man for after all, God is the highest power. so you obey the higher power. That's the will of God in your life. Then the will of God is to suffer sometimes. In fact, the Bible says, yea, and all that will of Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. You're gonna suffer, and as he said, it's better for you to suffer for well-doing than it is for evil-doing. So it's God's will for you to suffer in those times. Then we got last week, we started in this section that we read in 1 Thessalonians chapter number four, And we said it's God's will for you to live clean. God's will for you to live clean. Look what he said in verse number three, the first part. He said, for this is the will of God, even your sanctification, and that means the setting apart the work of the Holy Spirit. Now, you have the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that sets you apart for salvation and brings you to justification, and that saves you from the penalty of sin, but you have the Holy Spirit working in your life if you're justified, if you're saved. He sets you apart day by day to deliver you from the power of sin so that you can have a victorious life. See, sanctification is the walk of progression toward perfection that will be gained at the first resurrection. Now down in verse 7 of this he said, Therefore God hath not called us to uncleanness, but unto holiness. Now it's a strange thing. The word holiness and the word sanctification in verse three is the same Greek word. And so God, it wants us, the will of God is for us to be holy. The will of God is for us to be set apart, utilizing our life that Jesus might get glory in our life. And so therefore, we need to live clean and we need to be clean on the outside. But folks, a lot of people today in our Baptist churches are clean on the outside, but they're wicked on the inside, got a rotten spirit about it. We call them legalistic Baptists, been there, done that, if you please, trying to clean up and everything. But God wants you to be clean on the outside. Now, some people wanna say, well, it's the inside what counts. But he also told the Pharisees and the scribes and the hypocrites and whatnot in Matthew 23, He said, cleanse first that which is inside, that the outside may be clean also. If you've been saved by the grace of God, there's gonna be some cleanness on the outside. And he lists a representative list in these verses here, just a small, a few things in which he's talking about living clean. And so therefore he said, if you've got, if you've been, and you can't cleanse yourself, I understand that, but he's saying, get the will of God done in your life, let the Lord save you, and he'll cleanse up the inside, and then he said, you clean up the outside in a sense, and he'll help you. He'll enable you to do that by living clean, holy, be ye holy as I'm holy in that sense. And so the Holy Spirit can guide us and help us into that. And as we went on talking last week, we talked about how Paul said, you need to live what you received of me. In other words, I've told you some things. Verse number one, he said, furthermore, then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus that if you have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God, so would you abound more and more. And we looked on down and found that verse two, he said, for you know what commandments we gave you. by the Lord Jesus. You see, we're still under some commands of the Lord. I know we're not under law on this side of the cross, we're under grace as far as the saints of God, but still we know there's commands given to us of the Lord that He said in the Word of God that we need to do. And some of them tie together with the Old Testament as far as tying together, but you have the New Testament connotation about it. And Paul said, I give you commands in which you're to walk. And those wasn't his command. Remember, he moved by the Holy Spirit. God breathed it. So those commands that Paul gave them was God's commands to them. And he said, this is what you need to do. And when you need to walk in that, order your lifestyle in what I've commanded you in that sense. And so he also said that in verse six, the last part, we also have forewarned you and testify. In other words, we've said it already. We've testified, attesting to the facts and the truth of some things that you need to live clean. In other words, we're talking about this is the will of God in your life. Now, he lists some of those basic things here, and he reminds some of them. Now, last week we talked about a couple. We want to talk about some more tonight. But he said there also, first thing he said, verse three, the last part, that you should abstain from fornication. In other words, that was a very, even in those days, there was a lot of sexual sins involved. If we think we're bad, that was bad then, wonder what Paul would think about today. I don't know, but remember, as the days of Noah and the days of Lot, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. You folks, we're in, when people are doing everything, and it's not just one of them, it's both of them. days of Lot full of homosexuality which was an abomination of God. And then of course in the days of Noah they were doing everything imaginable that they could imagine in their lives. But he said it's going to get like that again. And in fact I doubt it's ever all, it's not ever completely left, we know that. So Paul said you need to abstain from fornication. Now fornication is a generic word that is inclusive of all All sins, sexual sins of any kind, shape, or form, no matter what they are, male with male, female with female, or male, animals and corpses and whatnot, and that's out there today. And pornography, and in other words, all that's involved, even adultery is included in fornication. And he said, abstain. A refrain from, hold oneself off from fornication. Now, it's not only sexual fornication, but it's dealing with the idols that they had, idolatry. See, the spiritual fornication, committing spiritual fornication. And the reason a lot of people commit physical fornication is because they've committed spiritual fornication. They've left the truth of God's Word. They got another idol in their lives. So all of those things are inclusive in there. He said, if you've been saved by the grace of God, it's God's will. for you to live clean, abstain from fornication. We also said in verse four last week, there he said that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor. In other words, that word, no means to perceive with the mind, and to understand, and the word possess means to gain and maintain control over. And the vessel's talking about this body, this body. Paul said, I've got to buffet my body to keep it in subjection. Folks, you're gonna have problems, I understand that. Now, but remember, temptation is not sin. Joseph was tempted day after day after day, but he said, I cannot, Potiphar's wife, in case you don't know what I'm talking about, but he still said, I cannot sin against God. He knew how to process his vessel as a 17-year-old boy, as an 18-year-old boy, as a 24-year-old boy, if you please, all the way probably to 26 years, maybe for seven, maybe for nine years. That came to him day after day after day. If he hadn't of buffeted his body, if he hadn't of said no, if he hadn't refused something, you know where Joseph would have lined up, don't you? It's like a lot of this world's doing. Abstain from fornication, but also learn how to possess your vessel. That's God's will. That's part of living clean. Learn how to do it. In other words, know how to do it. Perceive it with the mind and understand how to do that. And so we talked about that last week. You can get the tape on that if you need to look at that. Well, let's go a little further tonight and see another thing of living clean is to know how to treat your fellow man. know how to treat your fellow man. In other words, treat him right is what it's talking about if you're going to live clean. Look what he said in verse number six. He said 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. In other words, he said that no man go beyond and defraud his brother. Now, that's not talking only about just your brother as far as the flesh is concerned. The sibling, we would say, in this day and time, and yet that's still there. Sometimes brothers have a problem even getting along. I understand that, but they don't defraud them. But it applies to fellow Christians, those from the same womb, what the brother means, if you're saved, the fellow Christians, but also it applies to fellow countrymen or fellow man in that sense. We're all from Adam. You realize something, and we're all kin in that sense. And he said, know how to treat them. In other words, you need to live and clean those how. Now, how are you to treat them? Do not defraud him, he said. Go beyond and defraud no man in any matter. In other words, it's what it amounts to. Now, that word defraud means to cheat or to take or hold back property or rights from others by fraud. cheating someone out of something that, in other words, Jacob did that to his brother Esau in that sense, but defrauding them. And in other words, he talks about, oh, in other words, if you think in context, there's a connotation here of dealing with sexual impurity, the fornication and whatnot, and did you know, or a violation of the marriage vows, in other words. Sexual impurity is violations of the marriage vows, but it's also defrauding someone. It's taking from someone something that shouldn't be there. Young people, listen. Listen, God gave you purity and he wants you to keep that. Amen? Young ladies, don't let those boys do what they want to do sometimes. And boys, don't you take, don't you steal, don't you defraud from that young girl and mess her up. I mean, God's going to hold you responsible. He's an avenger. We say, well, it's permissive. It's what do you call, consensual is the word they use today. Don't matter, God said, you're defrauding, you're cheating and it's not right. Outside them bear the bonds of holy matrimony, amen. And so therefore, this is involved in their living clean, in other words. In verse number 12, he adds to this, how to treat your fellow man, as he said there, that you walk honestly toward them that are without. That's all men, in other words. How to treat your fellow men? Walk honestly. Honest means showing fairness and sincerity and genuineness, if you please. Trustworthy, it's being truthful. You know what the world wants to see? The world wants to see somebody that's real today. I mean, how many of you go somewhere and you don't know whether people are telling you the truth or not? Because we've had so many out there that's dishonest, right? Isn't that the way it is? I mean, you go try to purchase something sometimes, and we get, I was a tractor dealer, and I'll tell you, they think every tractor dealer's got a bad name, because they're dishonest. And you don't know what, and I understand, we don't always know, I tell them, I say, hey, I don't know whether this thing will run ten years, it might run ten years, it might blow up tomorrow. Next time you crank it, it might blow. I've had new ones. We delivered a combine one day going up a hill and it galled the piston in the motor. Going up the hill, just leaving out, going to the field. Brand new combine. So you don't know what any equipment is going to do, but if you're honest about it, That's what you need. I think about the time, and I may have told this, but the time an old boy would come and want to buy a corn picker. And I was hoping he'd do me a little bit. I mean, I got it priced $150 on an old corn picker. It was an old new idea, number eight. It was the old one. I mean, it wasn't the 302, it was the old one. Had all the gears outside. They were gear sellers, parts sellers. That's why we made our money. And so he come up and he said, what do you want for that corn picker? I said $150. I was hoping he'd give me $75. And he just said, I'll take it. And I said, now listen, fella, I'm going to tell you. You see that gear right there? That's $40, and that in there is $60, and this is $40, and that's $60. And I went over it, and I said, you're going to be back after you use it today, and you're going to have to buy all those parts. He said, I'll take it. Well, I didn't tell him wrong. Sure enough, he'd come back the next day. And boy, I was honest with him, amen? I was honest with him. See, somebody said all's fair in trade and love and war, you know. But as long as you tell the truth about it, you know. Be honest, and that's what you need to do about that. And so as a result, next year he'd come back and bought a brand new corn picker. Now I've got a picker that's worth $150 on my lot. You know what I'm saying? But be honest about it. And I understand you don't know what's on the inside. But you get the point. He says, live clean before others. Don't defraud. Don't take something that belongs to them dishonest or by fraud, in other words. And do it honestly, because the world wants He wants to see somebody real because there's too many out there that's not real today, amen? Well, there's something else about living clean here in verse number 11. He said, and that you study to be quiet. The word study is also translated in the Greek words translated not only study but it's translated labor or and also strive. In other words the word here when he said study it means to be eager and earnest to do something. It means to make a thing one's ambition to desire very strongly. Study to do what? In this case, he said to be quiet. Strive to be quiet. In other words, to make a desire very strongly to be quiet. We're living in a very unquiet world in this day and time, but be quiet means keep still. It means to live quietly, to cease from anger or heated debates. Boy, I tell you what, we're living in that day to day. Everybody wants to take up for themself and been there, done that, guilty. You don't even have to take up for the Word of God. It'll take up for itself. It's sort of like a lion or a tiger. You turn it loose, it'll take up for itself. Amen? And so sometimes people say certain things. Well, just leave them alone. You know, sometimes you're casting your pearl before a smile, but it's hard for us to keep quiet. God gave us two ears and one mouth, and sometimes we're not too quiet. Oh me, oh me, oh me, I better move on, on this. But study to be quiet, be eager to be quiet. That conveys the truth that we need to be zealously active in endeavoring to live a quiet, a calm, and a restful life, not fretting or not worrying in the world, and also not only in the world, but with the world. man, in other words, and that's what's spoken up in Philippians chapter 4 when he said, worry about nothing, and I'll paraphrase, worry about nothing, pray about everything, and thank God for anything. In other words, then he says that passive, that's the peace of God, that passive all understanding. The world look at you and say, how do you continue? How can you make it? How can you keep on going? And that's what we need to get. Study to be quiet. Study, sometimes you gotta bite your tongue, keep on speaking up, but just study to be quiet. That's part of living clean. And then he says to do your own business in verse number 11, when he says there, and to do your own business. The word do means to practice, to perform. It means a continuous habitual lifestyle, repeatedly or habitually, in other words. It means a habit out of minding your own business. Keep your nose out of everybody else's business is what it says. Mind your own business. Plow your own tater roll. Let everybody else plow there. And I understand when you've got those under you and their children, you've got to instruct and that type of thing. But, oh, it's talking about, you know, you're not going to change your neighbor. Amen. I'm talking about you can pray for them, but you're not gonna make them do what you won't always do. Amen. You ever get that? You ever have that happen? Well, it just don't work that way. Mind your own business. In other words, not like those mentioned in 1 Timothy chapter five, verse number 13, when Paul writes Timothy here, he says, and withal, they learn to be idle. And he's talking about some women here. They learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle, but tattlers also, and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." In other words, that applies to some men, too, as well as preachers, as well as anybody else. Amen. Not minding your own business. Well, anyway, he says, mind your own business, do your own business. Don't be like those idle, busybodies that's just stirring up trouble. And we're facing that all across the world today. People who claim to be Christian are not living clean. God's will is for you to live clean. And if you're not willing to abide by the will of God and the written will, you'll never really know the unwritten will of God for your lives. And then verse number 6, or number 6, I guess it is what we're looking at, verse number 11, the third part, Verse number 11, he said, and to work with your own hands as we command you. Work with your own hands. That's a warning against idleness, if you please. Work, be busy. Be busy. Why does he warn you against idleness? Well, first of all, it's the right thing to do to support your family, but idle mind's a devil's workshop. You sit down and let your mind turn loose and you don't know how to possess your body, the vessel, you'll get in trouble, sure enough, and it ought not to be. I see a lot of people, and I have some people that call me from time to time, and sometimes you can tell they've got too much free time on their hands, amen? Too much free time, and they're just trying to do this and trying to do that, and don't never get focused on the real thing. No wonder we're in such problems today. Work with your own hands, live clean, because that's the will of God. Then also, living clean means to have brotherly love. Brotherly love. Verse number nine, look what he said. He said, but as touching brotherly love, you need not that I write unto you, for yourselves are taught of God to love one another. You go back and study Thessalonica, they had a work of faith, a labor of love, you see. They had a labor of love, and yet, he said, as touching that, said, you had that. I know you've done that. I don't need to write to you about that. But that brotherly love speaks of affection for the brethren. Paul said, no need to write because you're taught of God. You're divinely instructed. Did not Jesus say when he was about to leave out, I'm gonna send you the Holy Spirit who will guide you into all truth? I've got some things you can't bear now. I haven't told you all of it, you can't bear it, but I've got some things I've got to tell you so that you'll, I won't tell you, but the Holy Spirit will come and he'll guide you into all truth. So Paul said, you're divinely instructed in that. Now, if you'll notice here in verse number 9, he talked about as touching brotherly love. Now, brotherly love is one word in the Greek. It's the word philodephia, or in other words, it's the brother kind of love. But then the last, he goes on down, but said, you're taught of God to love one another. That's the agape, the word for agape, the God kind of love. So there's a different word used there. You see, that second word is the word for God's love, the God kind of love, that God's love for man, to man. It's also used of men's love toward God. In other words, and it's used of the love that we're to have towards even our enemies, the agape. The God kind of love. Now, what kind of love was that love? It was a sacrificing love. Did not Jesus love the world that he gave his only begotten God? The Father did, and the Son did. He gave his life on the cross of Calvary. It's a giving love. It's a sacrificing love. It's a kind love. It's a gentle love. And that's the love he said that he's taught us to love one another. That even goes deeper than what we normally think of brotherly love. but says you're taught of God this kind of love. Now how is the saints taught of God this kind of love, the God kind of love? Did not the Bible says in Romans chapter five, verse number five, and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God, the agape of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given of us. In other words, he said that love is shed abroad in our hearts. That means to pour in like a flood, not some little old dewdrop, not some little old sprinkle. It's a, pours in like a flood in you. And he said, it's shed abroad. He said, you're taught of God because God came inside and He's love and He comes inside. And by the way, that's the fruit of the Spirit, the first foundational part of that fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5.22 is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, love. The agape kind of love is there. And so Paul said in verse number 10, here as he goes on, and indeed you do it toward all the brethren, which are in all Macedonia. In other words, you do it, you're loving one another, because they had a labor of love. And so therefore he said, I shouldn't have to even write you about this, but this is the will of God that you live clean, and that involves loving the brethren with a God kind of love. And now the secret of living clean is love. That's the secret of living clean, because you realize something, loving others, in other words, but first loving him. You'll not love others till you love him, and of course, if you're saved, you'll love him, because he first loved you. First John chapter four, verse 20 and 21. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he's a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? In other words, somebody said, well, I don't love the church. I don't love the church, but I love the Lord. I can just worship him out yonder. You're lying. You're lying. You see, the church is his bride. And if you don't love my bride, you don't love me. You understand? And if you don't love the brethren, you don't love God. How can you say you love God when you haven't seen him? When you don't love the brethren, he said. In other words, if we're going to live clean, we're going to demonstrate love to the brethren. Loving him motivates us to live clean outwardly and inwardly. In other words, love will keep you in the center of that road of liberty we talked about. Remember the ditch of liberalism motivated by lust? There's a ditch of legalism motivated by law, but when God sheds a broad love in your heart, he gets you in liberty, and that's motivated by love, loving him and loving others, loving vertically and loving horizontally, loving others out there. So love will keep you in the center of that road. You say, but preacher, if I've got that liberty you talk about, if I've got that, Liberty in the center of the road, I can do what I want to. Oh, listen, that's not what the Bible said. By 1 Corinthians 6, verse number 12, Paul said this, he said, and he's talking about eating meat offered to idols. In other words, it was against the law to do it, the Old Testament law to do it. But Paul said, all things are lawful to me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but I'll not be brought unto the power of any. Paul said that I can eat that meat in context. I can eat it, just ask God's blessing on it, and eat it. No problem. I can eat pig, I can eat pork, and no problem. But, it'll offend some of my brethren. I can't afford to do it. It's not expedient. It's not advantageous. It's not, it's not, another word there, I guess it's not, it's not profitable. That's the word I'm looking for. It's not profitable. to me and to them if I eat that meat because I'll become a stumbling block to them, so therefore I can't do that. So you realize something, even if all things are possible, they're not expedient is what it said. Now the warning is given in Galatians chapter 5 verse number 13 about our liberty. For brethren, you have been called unto liberty, only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh. But by love, serve one another. We're talking about living clean, loving one another. You see, if people use their liberty, well, I'm saved. I'll do what I want. Listen, if you're clean on the inside, you're going to clean up on the outside. God's going to clean you up, and you won't have that attitude because if you use your so-called liberty for a license to sin, you've never met grace. You've never met grace. Grace is one of the greatest restraints, more so than law is. And if we use it that way, it's not right. See, he's saying this is the will of God. And if we're not willing to walk in the will of God, we'll never, I'm talking about the written will, we'll not find the unwritten will of God for our lives. We need to live that way. So if you really love someone, you don't want to hurt them. You don't want to go against them. In other words, if you really love a person, you will be motivated to walk in liberty, in love, to live clean, thereby doing His will, the will of God, doing the will of God for your life by living clean. Listen, as we think about this will of God, this is a list that he's given, but you know something that I want to add to what's right here, and it's not adding to the word of God, but if we have been clean on the inside, and the Lord's done a work, he shed love abroad in our heart, it's love for him and love for others, we're gonna have an expectation and a hope that's steadfast and sure. And that hope is gonna cause you to live clean as well, you see. That hope, that hope will cause you to live clean. Now somebody, you ask somebody, or you say, well I hope so, but you know the tone they got in their voice, it's that full of doubt kind. But the hope so that God says is a great expectation of something good, a hope, a desire for something good with an expectation of receiving it, of it coming your way. Did he not say in Titus 2 11, the grace of God that bring us salvation hath appeared to all men? but it teaches us, that grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust, that's living clean. And to live soberly, righteously, and godly, that's living clean. And to look for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. In other words, we're looking for our Lord to come back. We're looking for Him to come back. In other words, after, and that's the hope, the blessed hope it's called. And the Bible says this in 1 John chapter 3 verse number 2 and 3. Listen to what he said. 1 John chapter 3 verse 2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him In other words, the hope is that we're going to see Him. The hope is that we've been clean on the inside because of a sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost conviction that brought us to the end of ourselves and let us trust Jesus as our Lord. The hope is we're saved. The hope is we're going to heaven. The hope is He's coming back for us one day. Every man then that has this hope in him purifies himself. Didn't say part of them, he said every man. You know what we're looking at today? A lot of people who say, well, I'm going to heaven when I die. They talk about that, but they're not purifying themselves. They're not living clean. They're not meeting the will of God. They're not doing the will of God in their lives of living clean. And he said, but he'll, he'll, he'll have, you got this hope in him, purify himself. Talking about individuals, even as he is pure. In other words, we're talking about living clean. Well, you say, what do you mean? If you've got to hope Jesus is coming, you won't want to be caught in the wrong place. You won't want to be caught with the wrong things in your hand. You won't want to be caught doing the wrong thing. You won't want to be caught with a thought life not right. You know, it talked about not being ashamed at his coming. In other words, it's in 1 John 2, don't be ashamed, won't be ashamed at his coming if you've got the right thought pattern, the thought life, knowing how to process your vessel, walking clean, not wanting to sin against God, keeping confessed up, keep pure, in other words, living clean. That's the will of God. Because you see, if you know He's coming, you don't want to be caught that way. Now, for instance, you think about it, and I know I've used this illustration a lot. We had an old front porch across our house, and sometime we'd get home from school before Mom and Dad did, and we was the only ones there. And I'm sure my sister would think, would tell you real quick that I didn't treat her like I ought to have treated her. But you know what? Whenever I heard the brogand shoe hit the front porch, guess what? I straightened up. There was a straightening up going on the inside, because I knew Daddy was at the door. And I knew Daddy had a belt that was pretty wide, amen? And I didn't want that belt. And so I'd lie, steal, do it. I mean, you know what I'm saying? I'd cheat, do anything I could to cover it up, try to hide how I'd been acting. You know something? God knows. Daddy didn't know. I got by my Daddy a lot. I pulled the wool over his eyes, I think. He probably knew more. He probably had an idea. Some of y'all think you're pulling the wool over mom and dad's. They know, they just hadn't found out yet. Amen. But I want to tell you, God knows exactly what you are. He knows, and if you're His, you're going to have some cleaning up on the outside. That's the will of God. Because the Bible says in James chapter 5, verse number 9, He said this, he said, grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned. Behold, the judge standeth before the door. In other words, the Lord's coming back and it's payday. It's going to be a reckoning day. It's going to be the judgment seat of Christ for the saints of God. Amen. And it's talking to the saints of God. If you knew the judge, and that's the hope you have, if you knew the judge is right at the door, there'd be some reckoning. There'd be some straightening up. There'd be some living clean. And that's what he's talking about. Have this hope in you. We'll purify himself. We'll do the will of God. by living clean, in other words. So Paul says this is the will of God. In other words, even your sanctification that you might live clean, in other words, that's the written will of God for your life. Now Paul said this in verse number 12 of our text verse. He said that after he talked about that you may walk honestly toward them that are without and that you may have lack of nothing. Paul in essence is saying if you practice these things, and he didn't mention all things, he just mentioned some basic things, but if you practice these things, do them, that's what it means to practice an habitual lifestyle. If you practice them, you may have lack of nothing. In essence, you'll have all you need in this life. And so may we ever seek to find the will of God and do it. And the basic list that God gives you here as far as this living clean, this is just the basic list. The Bible says in James chapter 4, verse number 17, he said, Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him is sin. In other words, the basic list, and there's many more, let the Holy Spirit speak to you. In other words, and these are just some of the main ones, but yet they're not main either. I mean, they're all connected, I guess you could say. Just the basic list involves doing right, is what it amounts to. Living clean, doing what the Lord wants you to. If we don't do that, you know what's the word we attach to it? It's called rebellious, rebellion. It's rebellion, rebellious. And rebellion is what 1 Samuel chapter 5 verse number 23 said. He said in 1 Samuel 5, 23, For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he also shall also reject thee from being king. That's what Samuel spoke to Saul. because he didn't do the will of God, is what he did. And Samuel called it, God called it, the rebellion. And he said rebellion is this witchcraft. Now I want to tell you what, I don't know all that witchcraft involved, and I don't even want to study it, amen? But I want to tell you, witchcraft is hideous. Amen? Witchcraft is repugnant to the moral sense, and so is rebellion. It's repugnant. It's hideous. And so is failure to live clean and to do the will of God. In other words, I'm talking about the written will. If we will not do the written will of God in our lives, we'll not know the unwritten will of God in our lives if we'll not do the written will. So you see, God says it's a dangerous thing. Now, what did he say here in this text verse about the will of God to live clean? Abstain from fornication, in other words, and your sanctification and holiness. But look at verse number six. Down about halfway through verse six, he said, well, let me just read the whole thing again as he lists one of these things about living clean, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter. Why? Because that the Lord is the avenger of all such. Now, you think about that. He said, the Lord's the avenger. That word means punisher, one who carries out justice. And He's the judge who knows your very inner thoughts. He knows all about you. But He's the avenger of all such. In other words, He's the avenger of all who are in violation of God's commandments. not living clean, whatever the will of God is, he's the avenger. And what happens is we're gonna have to face him one day and give an account. The judge is at the door. And if we fail to heed God's word as far as the written will is concerned, if we're not in his will and not striving to be in his will, there's danger lies ahead, is what he's saying. Destruction lies ahead, death lies ahead. death for you and your family. You see, you're not hurting just yourself. Have you ever heard somebody, well, I'm not hurting anybody but myself. That's not so. When you want to fulfill the lust of your flesh and not live clean, you're hurting your family. You're hurting all that's around you. And this danger lies ahead because God is the revenger of all such. And I understand most of those in that condition are not safe, but they've missed the will of God as far as their being safe. And that's real danger ahead, destruction in a lake of fire. That's the sad part. But oh, if you don't want to walk in God's will, if you refuse it, God's the avenger. I mean, if you're his, he'll send you home early. Death, premature death, sin unto death, amen, for a saint of God. And so if a man can go on and get by with it, and get by with it, and get by with it, not safe, not safe, not safe. So you see, if you're not in his will, there's danger lies ahead. Destruction lies ahead. Death lies ahead. Death, your death, and the death of your family, destruction of your family. May God help us to find the will of God. And as the psalmist said, do it, not just find it, but do it. He said, teach me to do thy will, oh Lord. So God's laid down some thing. How do I know it? Find what he says in the written word. And if we'll strive to do that, then God will let you know the unwritten will of God for your life. And he said, what did he say there? The last part of verse 12, and you may have lack of nothing. Boy, everybody says, boy, I need this, I need that. And I'm not talking about what you want in the flesh. I'm talking about what you need. Boy, it's a good place to be, have lack of nothing. That'll let you sit with, when the storms are raging, be like old Granny in the Delta was at the time. When the tornado was coming through, the old man across the road, see, she was living clean, rocking on her front porch, and the tornado was coming through the town, the old infidel she'd tried to witness to across the road, agnostic, atheist, whatever he was. Run across the road and heard about it again, said, pray, Granny, pray, there's a tornado coming, she said. She just kept a-rockin' and didn't even worry about it. She said, glory to God, let her rip. I prayed this morning. Have lack of nothing. Hallelujah, what a Savior. That's what we need to give. Worry about nothing, pray about everything, and thank God for anything. And now give the peace of God that passeth all understanding. Folks, the judge is at the door. If you're his, you're gonna have to face him at the judgment seat of Christ. Soon, it's gonna be soon. It's getting closer by the day, amen? Closer by the day. Oh, there's gonna be some things turn loose before we get there, but the judge is at the door. And if we've got that hope in us, he said, it'll cause you to purify yourself, even as he's purifying, because that's the will of God for your life. May God help us to find the will of God and obey it. or else we're in rebellion. And he said, he's the avenger of all such, do such thing. But if you'll do it, he said, you'll have lack of nothing. Man, that's a good place to be. Father, I pray you'd speak to our hearts tonight. Let no one quench your spirit. Help us to seek out the written will of God and abide there. Doesn't matter what tradition says. Doesn't matter what we've been taught. Doesn't matter what a preconceived idea is. What does God say in his word? Just help us to find it. Lord, you've said that we're gonna suffer. but yet you've said abstain from fornication spiritually and physically, you said the labor, you've said in these things, defraud not your brother, have brotherly love, and nor just to have the hope, steadfast and sure, knowing that you're coming one day, and then we'll have lack of nothing if we'll just abide in your will, and not only the written will, but it'll lead us into the unwritten will for our lives, the place we need to be. And Lord, if we find that, get there, then things will work out for your glory and our good. And we'll thank you for it and praise you for we ask it all in Jesus' name. For his sake we do pray. Heads bowed, eyes closed, altars opened.