Be the Church

It’s interesting what you do when you become a parent. Things you never thought you say all of a sudden start coming out of your mouth. “How many times have I told you to…?” “Don’t make me come over there!” Even things like when you drop your kids off with someone else: “I’ll see you soon…be good – be on your very best behavior!”

Paul tackles a LOT at the end of this letter, which somewhat boils down to, “You’ll see the Lord soon…be good! Here’s how.” Keep in mind where we’ve been so far:

• Ch 1: Thanking God for the church…their work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope…
• Ch 2: Defending Paul’s character to defend the work of the gospel…
• Ch 3: Thanking God for their growth & praying for much more…
• Ch 4: The will of God in our present sanctification & our hope in the future Rapture & Resurrection…
• Ch 5: What the church is to be doing until that Day of the Blessed Hope (watching, acting sober, etc.)

Paul ends with what might seem at 1^st glance to be a rather random series of exhortations. But in context, what we see is Paul continuing in the same vein as the rest of Ch 5. What exactly is the church to be doing when it’s watching for the Lord’s return? What does being sober look like in practical terms? He answers those questions by looking at how we ought to relate to one another both in & out of the Body of Christ – what our attitudes ought to be regarding worship – and the work of God in our lives which enables all this to take place.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 (NKJV)
12 And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.

A. Paul may not have been there very long, but he was there long enough to help them establish some leadership within the church. It’s unclear what exactly their leadership structure was, but they did have some sort of leadership team (Elders? Pastors? Deacons?). Whatever they were in title/capacity, they had the responsibility of being “over” the church. How was the congregation to respond?

a. “Recognize” them: Gk literally means “to see.” The idea is to see them for who God called them to be; to understand God is the one who put them there. Keep in mind that ALL of them were new converts, so they needed to be able to recognize who among them God had called.

i. The pastorate is not a chosen career; it’s a specific calling from the Lord…who is the only One who can equip someone to the task.

ii. Be careful about making the assumption that only pastors have the privilege of “full-time ministry.” Every single person in the Body of Christ is a vocational minister – whatever your occupation may be!

b. “Esteem” them: In a superabundant way (very highly), the fellowship was to honor their pastors & elders. Includes both providing for their physical needs and the emotional attachment between congregations & their ministers. Congregations aren’t to hold their pastors apart as somehow “more holy” – but they are to love them in the Lord.

i. BTW – you guys do great here! My family is very loved!

B. Keep in mind this is based on their “labor” and “work.” He who doesn’t work, doesn’t eat (2 Thess 3:10) – and that includes pastors & leaders! It’s not enough to proclaim oneself as a “pastor” and expect the church to honor them (though many attempt to do so!)… Ministers (by definition) minister/ serve the church – and if they’re not willing to labor over it through the Word, prayer, etc, it’s a pretty good indication that they’re probably not called of God…

a. What does the work include? “admonishment” – Definitely includes the idea of rebuke, but the word is broader than that. Also includes the idea of warning, exhorting, & instructing. What’s the best way of doing this? By preaching the Word! 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (16) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. []

C. What does being “at peace” have to do with any of this? Contextually, Paul’s still referring to the relationship between pastors/elders and the congregations they serve. If churches need to be told to esteem & love their pastors, then there’s certainly the possibility that there might be animosity between them because of some of the admonishment pastors had to do. Thus Paul tells them to be at peace with each other.

a. This would also go the other way! Pastors/leaders SERVE the flock of God; they don’t LORD over them. There’s no reason for any sort of the dictatorial it’s-all-about-me attitude that can sometimes crop up.

14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.

A. Paul turns his attention from the church leaders to the rest of the church body. 4 exhortations to body ministry:

a. Warn the “unruly”: military term referring to someone who breaks ranks…could also be translated “idle.” Those who are acting asleep & drunk (vs 7) & not like Christians called by God need to be lovingly admonished & exhorted to walk as children of the light.

b. “Comfort the fainthearted”: literally “little-souled” – those who would want to quit during trials… [] We’re to come alongside them & help them endure…

c. “Uphold the weak”: speaking of being weak in the faith. Referred in Romans 14 & 1 Cor 8 as those prone to legalism because of their lack of understanding of grace. Those who are more mature are to help others grow stronger…

d. “Be patient with all”: Whomever we work alongside in the church, we are to be patient! We were all once the weak or faint-hearted & we had to grow in maturity. Praise God for those in the church who helped us grow! Now we have the privilege & responsibility of helping others do the same.

15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

A. Goes from internal relationships to external relationships. As the church (born again new creations of God, adopted into His family), how should we deal with non-believers? It only stands to reason it would be different from the world’s expectations…

a. Don’t render “evil for evil”: That’s VASTLY different from the world! The world is told to “look out for #1”… [The Untouchables] – “They pull a knife; you pull a gun. They send one of yours to the hospital; you send one of theirs to the morgue.” That’s a completely foreign thought to Christians! We have no business seeking vengeance because vengeance is the Lord’s – and if He so wanted, He could have sought vengeance against US. Since we were forgiven much, the least we could do is forgive others… (Matt 18, Parable of Servant)

i. Does this mean that Christians aren’t to seek justice when criminally harmed? Don’t forget that God’s minister for justice in this world is the government & legal authorities – they bear the sword (Rom 13). Sometimes justice is deferred till eternity; sometimes it’s swift via the judicial system.

b. “Pursue what is good”: Here’s the flip side of the coin. We don’t render evil; we do what is good. It’s one thing not to seek revenge; it’s another to seek how we can show agape love to someone who offended us. [] BTW – that’s not only good for those who are being loved (in spite of their offenses); that’s good for us, too! It helps us model the love and forgiveness our Lord showed us…when we didn’t it in the slightest (Rom 5:8).

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

A. In Ch 4:3, Paul told the church that part of God’s will is for our sanctification…but that’s not all. God’s specific will for our lives includes more than our external behaviors, but also our internal attitudes. And He desires that we would worship Him at all times.

a. “Rejoice always”: As we saw in Philippians, we’re not talking about happiness. Happiness is an emotional response to circumstances… Joy is an attitude we can have in spite of our circumstances. Christians ALWAYS have a reason to rejoice in the Lord – because we’ve been saved!

b. “Pray without ceasing”: [Hasidic Jews in airport] We’re called to more than that; but not legalistically so. The difference between Christian prayer & other religions is that we don’t have to go to a certain place or say certain words or maintain a certain posture – we simply go to God & His throne of grace boldly in our time of need (Heb 4:16). We need to understand that we are children of God – He has adopted us into His family, so we approach Him as His sons & daughters. [] Is there any place where God isn’t? No – from heaven to the grave, God is there (Ps 139:8) & thus wherever we are, we can go to God in prayer for everything all day long whenever possible…

c. “Give thanks” in everything: I’m grateful that Paul doesn’t say, “give thanks FOR everything” (b/c I wouldn’t know how) – he specifically writes, “IN everything, give thanks.” In every situation in which we rejoice, we ought to also give thanks…if for no other reason because we’re not going through it alone. [airport ordeal]

19 Do not quench the Spirit.

A. Too often, this verse is (mis)used to justify all sorts of abuse of spiritual gifts (or what some think they are)… [] The Spirit can be quenched in more ways than simply ignoring the gifts; the Spirit’s work can be quenched when we leave His truth to go follow after the false shenanigans of man!

B. What DOES it mean? Simply to not neglect the ministry of the Holy Spirit within the life of the church. There are many who think that the Holy Spirit is the Christian equivalent to “the force”…He’s far more than that; He’s the 3^rd Person of the Trinity! He is just as alive & active today as He was during the days of Creation when He hovered over the face of the waters (Gen 1:2). Thus when we ignore Him, we quench His work.

i. Where the controversy comes in is in what ways the Scripture teaches that the Spirit is active. Every Bible-believing church believes the Spirit has an active ministry; we simply differ on the particulars… [] We believe that ALL the gifts of the Spirit are active and available for the church today at His moving & will…

20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.

A. In the process of not quenching the Spirit, we need to know how to deal with prophecies given to us by the Spirit… Vs. 20 deals with the cessationists; vs. 21 deals with the charismatic abuse.

B. Don’t despise prophecy: Prophecy within the church is so important that Paul had wished to the Corinthians that he’d rather speak 5 words to the church than 10K in unknown tongues (1 Cor 14:19). Thus we’re not to despise it, but we’re to be grateful for it & receive it when the Lord gives it.

C. Do test prophecy: Just because someone utters the words, “Thus saith the Lord” doesn’t mean it’s true. (Usually an indication to run the opposite direction!) We have a responsibility as a church to test the prophecy we hear according to the Scripture to see if it’s so. Toss the bad; keep the good.

a. How do we know if it’s good? Great definition of prophecy – 1 Corinthians 14:3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. [] We don’t need to look for the fantastic date-setting; simply words from our God to His church…

22 Abstain from every form of evil.

A. Answers a lot of questions before they’re asked. What is it we should do? That which is good… What is it that we shouldn’t do? Anything that even looks like evil…Christians are to keep themselves above reproach.

a. Some take this to mean that Christians should attempt to refrain from ever offending others – but personally that seems to go beyond what Paul’s actually telling the church. Paul’s word in Greek is too strong to be used of mere offenses – the cross of Christ itself is an offense & stumbling block to others (Rom 9:33)…people WILL be offended by us at some point simply because we’re Christians. But we ought not give them reason to be offended through sinful evil actions.

B. Why? Is it because God’s an eternal killjoy? [] Of course not – God is good…ultimately good! The character of God is the very definition of good. Psalm 107:1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. (BTW, that’s repeated 10 times the Scriptures!) And because HE is good, His children should reflect Him & be representative of that.

a. We’re not to abstain from evil because we’re inherently so much better than everyone else. We’re to abstain from evil because we KNOW we’re not any better than anyone else – but God has made us new creations…

23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A. I can’t tell you how much I love the fact that vs 23 comes after vs 22. J It’s a high-minded thing to abstain from every form of evil. If were even slightly possible for us to do in our own strength, then Jesus would never have had to go to the cross. [] But now we’re not the same people we were before we got saved. Now we’ve got a new nature in Christ – now we’re being sanctified. Who sanctifies the Christian? God Himself! What a perfect way to close the letter – after exhorting the church to all sort of holy behavior and actions, now we see the empowerment behind it: God!

B. How thoroughly does God sanctify us? Completely! Spirit, soul, body…everything that we are is completely set apart by God for His purpose & His glory. From our physical actions – to our inner thoughts – to even our very being…all set apart by Him in order to proclaim His own goodness and grace and that we might worship Him for all eternity. Glorious!!

C. Until when? Till Jesus’ coming… Are we going to struggle against the flesh? Yes. Are we going to battle temptation? Of course. Does it have an end-date? Absolutely! One day we’re going to see the Lord Jesus face-to-face, and this life-long process of “sanctification” will finally be complete.

24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

A. Will God sanctify you? Absolutely…He’s faithful. We’re not placing our trust in any 5-step plan to “peace in our lives” or some sort of humanistic self-help guide. Our lives change because GOD is the one changing them! It’s His work, and He will never fail.

25 Brethren, pray for us. [Amen! Please pray for me & any pastor you might have.] 26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. [common form of greeting] 27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.

A. Epistle meant to be read by the whole church… Seems to indicate that Paul understood this letter was inspired by God & thus wanted it shared with everyone.

B. There’s no more healthy spiritual practice we can undertake than reading/hearing the word of God! It transforms us from the inside out (Rom 12:2).

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

A. Want to wrap up 1 Thessalonians? Grace. Grace by which we’ve been saved – grace by which we are sanctified – grace by which we wait for the Lord Jesus.

Conclusion:

The Thessalonians had been asking a common question we still hear today: Is the Lord Jesus coming? The answer? YES! Without a doubt, the Lord Jesus is coming for His church! He will receive us to Himself through either resurrection or rapture, we’ll be with Him for all eternity. That truth is assured, and we can count on it.

So then, what is our response to that? We could put on a pretense of spirituality, go sell all our possessions & then wait on a hillside for Jesus to come back…and thus waste time & ignore the Great Commission. Or we could actually BE the church – which is what Paul is exhorting us to do. Love one another – help each other mature in the faith – pursue what is good rejoicing, praying, and being thankful the whole time – testing prophecy – abstaining from evil – and the whole while being sanctified by God. IOW while we are here, we are to be who Christ has called us to be – do what God has called us to do, all through the power of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of God.

There’s one other response someone could have to this…and that’s to ignore it. Ignore the fact that Jesus died and rose again – ignore the fact that He’s returning – ignore the fact that He’s the Son of God that we will all face one day…and on that day that person will have a rude awakening. People often try to put off thinking about eternity until they’re in it; but at that point it’s too late. Today is day of salvation! This is the day the Lord has given you – don’t waste it! Make no mistake, you need to be saved. We’ve all sinned in our thoughts, words, and actions…even one sin every day is well over 23,000 sins by age 65 – and you’ve got to face God on Judgment Day where He’s promised to punish ALL sin.

Here’s the good news: God has already poured out His wrath on Jesus Christ when He hung on the cross. On that day, Jesus took the punishment you & I deserved & He paid the debt we owed in His life’s blood. Then He rose again from death, declaring Himself to be the Son of God & offering everlasting life and forgiveness to all who call upon Him. But you must receive His forgiveness in order to be saved.

He’s Ready; Are You?

In the 50’s, it would have been the “$64,000 question” – a few years back, it would have been the top question to “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”: When will the Rapture take place? Christians have been asking about the end-times & the coming of the Lord literally since before Christ ascended (Acts 1:6), so it only makes sense that we’re still asking the question 2000 years since that time.

Paul has referenced the coming of Christ all throughout 1 Thessalonians…Ch 1:10 – we wait for His Son who delivers us from the wrath to come…Ch 2:19 – the church was Paul’s glory at the presence of Christ’s coming…Ch 3:13 – Paul prayed that the church’s hearts would be established in holiness at the coming of the Lord. In Ch 4, Paul finally taught it in depth as a revelation from the Lord Jesus that when Jesus descends with a shout & a trumpet, the saints who had passed away would be resurrected & the ones left alive would be raptured (caught up) with Christ in the air. Simply a glorious event!

To the Thessalonians (and us), it’s an event we can be comforted by. They were worried that perhaps their loved ones who had passed away had missed the rapture – but Paul assured them it was still to come. All Christians are going to take part in that Day one way or another. But it’s also quite a controversial event today as Christians try to figure out from the Scriptures when this event is going to take place.

Godly people can (and do!) disagree on the timing of the rapture – CC believes that the premillenial, pretribulational view is the best explanation from the Scriptures…and it definitely seems to be what Paul is teaching here. However, although he does refer to the timing of the rapture, it’s not the only focus of his discussion [forest & trees]. Primarily he’s exhorting the Thessalonians to be watchful for the day, be ready for the day, and be comforted in anticipation of it.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (NKJV)
1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.

A. Paul is transitioning topics just slightly here – broadening the scope from instruction about the Rapture/Resurrection to the timing of the events beginning with the Rapture. He’s not going to go into depth about what happens in those days, because apparently he’d already taught them about it thoroughly.

B. Interesting that in Paul’s short time there, he made it a point to teach them about the Lord’s return. We need to understand that (regardless of what position we take on the endtimes) the Lord Jesus WILL be coming back. Whatever our perspective of the timing, we want to be found ready when He does…

2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

A. Why did they know this? Because Paul obviously taught it to them…

B. Define “the day of the Lord” – isn’t this usually a reference to Judgment Day following the 2^nd coming? Many times, yes… (Isa 2, Amos 5:18, Joel 2:31). Is it a reference to the 2^nd coming here? No…at least not for the specific hour. Most likely a reference to the general timeframe of the end days. How can we know? Because the event that kicks of “the day of the Lord” is going to come “as a thief in the night” – i.e. it’s going to be unexpected.

a. This is a major difference between the Rapture & the 2^nd Coming! The Rapture is imminent, whereas there are many prophecies yet to be fulfilled prior to Jesus’ victorious 2^nd coming in glory. What must happen prior to the 2^nd Coming?

i. War of Gog & Magog has to take place. (Say what?!) Gotta go back to Ezekiel 37 where the rebirth of the nation of Israel is prophesied (dry bones). Next chapters (38-39), shows a massive axis of nations allied against Israel going to war & God miraculously delivering them. Though Israel’s been under constant attack since 1948, these particular nations haven’t yet come together – so this is still to come.

ii. Great apostasy (which we seem to be in the beginnings of this now). Some believe (particularly certain TV preachers) that there will be a world-wide revival & evangelistic outpouring of the gospel right before Jesus’ coming…the Bible actually teaches the opposite. 1 Timothy 4:1-3 (1) Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, (2) speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, (3) forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. [] (also Mark 13:22, 2 Thess 2:3)

iii. Restrainer of sin must be taken out of the way (2 Thess 2:7). Seems to be a reference to the Holy Spirit, who is removed when the church is raptured to be with the Lord Jesus.

iv. Antichrist must be revealed through the “abomination of desolation” – where he sacrifices an offering in the Jewish Temple proclaiming himself to be god (Dan 9:27, Matt 24:15, 2 Thess 2:3-4).

1. Did this already take place before the destruction of the Temple in 70AD as some claim? The most likely candidate would be Antiochus Epiphanes who set up an altar to Zeus & sacrificed swine on it. BUT this took place in 167BC…long before Jesus ever prophesied about it. Other attempts before 70AD never came to pass…so this is yet to be done in the Tribulation.

v. Whole of the Great Tribulation has to take place (Rev 6-19), including the various judgments, the two witnesses, the fall of Babylon & everything else prophesied to take place over what the Bible indicates will be a 7 year time.

b. None of that is like a thief coming at a time that we wouldn’t expect. Yet that’s exactly what Jesus described this event as! Matthew 24:42-44 (42) Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. (43) But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. (44) Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. [] The Rapture is imminent! At any moment our Lord could come and take us home…

3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

A. Referring to the Great Tribulation. Christianity has often experienced trials & tribulation (Jesus promised we would) – but the world has never experienced any tribulation like that which is to come. Jesus proclaimed woe upon those who were pregnant during those days, as people would be fleeing for the hills – and apart from the mercy of God, no one would survive (Matt 24:19-22).

a. Many people try to separate the “OT God” from the “NT God”…but it’s simply impossible – there is only one God & He changes not. In the OT, God consistently reveals His mercy, grace, and promise of salvation through Christ…you would have to be blinded not to see it. Yet in the NT, God still pours out His wrath upon sin & shows His ultimate righteous justice. God is BOTH loving and just – and praise God for it! Without it, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross makes no sense! []

B. The analogy is appropriate. No childbirth is easy – but it’s certainly changed a lot in our generations. [scheduled c-section] For most of history (and much of the world), there’s nothing ‘scheduled’ about it! Wait 9 months, look for the time, but the birth pangs come suddenly & once water breaks – a baby’s coming without stopping… [] Likewise, our world is getting ready…we’re getting closer to the due date. But when it comes, it’s going to come violently & assuredly & no one who is left on earth will be able to escape it. (Rom 8:19-22).

C. Note that the unsaved world will be lulled into a time of peace & safety before it happens. The obvious question is: “How so? Haven’t Christians been warning of this for generations?” Yes – and they’ve been ignoring the warning all along. Even after the rapture, it’s safe to assume that the majority of people won’t want to believe the Scripture. If they didn’t believe Noah even as the rain was coming down (Matt 24:38-39), why would this be any different?

4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

A. Before Jesus Christ, we were in darkness…we were sinful people doing dark things awaiting the judgment of God. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians (1 Cor 6:9-11), we were idolators, fornicators, thieves, covetous, etc – but that was in the past. Amen that we’re not in darkness any longer! Now we “are all sons of light” – we have been adopted into the family of God & now we are the light of the world (Matt 5:14) as we reflect Christ’s light who is the True Light of the world (John 8:12).

B. Thus the Day won’t overtake the church – because we’ve been saved! The Great Tribulation time isn’t for us; we’ll be caught up with Christ.

6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

A. Watch: The world sleeps (and goes on sleeping), but Christians are called to wake up & watch. Greek implies an ongoing alertness & attentiveness. [waiting for someone at the airport] … Begs the question: what for what? Christ! Titus 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, [] We’re watching for that glorious day when Christ Jesus comes back for His church & takes us home!

a. We (being humans) have a tendency to get distracted from that. We end up looking for everything/everyone BUT Christ. There’s nothing wrong with looking for fulfilled prophecy (it actually helps us remember the imminence of the rapture) – but there’s something profoundly wrong when we spend more time trying to identify Antichrist than watching for Jesus Christ. Christian: we have but ONE event on the prophetic calendar to look for – the blessed hope!

B. Be sober: Implies calm, clear-headedness. We don’t have to be panicked about the endtimes…we should be joyful! As we see the times approaching, it means it’s simply one more day until we get to start eternity with Christ our Lord! Yet because we’re approaching the Day with sobriety, we do recognize a holy urgency. We’ve been given the Great Commission, and with the fields already white for the harvest (John 4:35), we’ve got urgent work to be about until Christ takes us home…

7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

A. The picture of drunkenness is appropriate – those who are drunk are unaware of their surroundings & disregard their personal safety (which is why people should never drink & drive!). It’s the same for the world regarding Judgment Day. (eat & drink, for tomorrow we die!) They completely disregard the warnings around them while they live for themselves & hedonistic pleasures…

B. If we’re sons of the day, then we should act like it. Instead of acting like we still lived in darkness & of the night, we should be sober (ready) – how so? By putting on the armor of God.

C. Sound familiar? Paul later used the same idea to the Ephesians in describing our spiritual armor, though a slightly different order. Ephesians 6:14-17 (14) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; [] The important thing isn’t so much what pieces of armor we can match as a metaphor; it’s the spiritual qualities themselves!

a. Whether faith is a breastplate or a shield, it’s still something the Lord equips us with for protection. Whatever fiery darts come at us from the enemy, we can withstand them through faith and love. [trust in God & His word; not circumstances]

b. Interesting that in both lists, salvation is likened to a helmet…it’s foundational! No soldier (even today) ever walks out onto a battlefield without his helmet on…even visiting civilians are required to wear them. Likewise, everything we have in Christ is based upon our salvation. Whatever battles we face, whatever trials we endure, we know we CAN endure because Christ Jesus has saved us. We can look forward to that day when He saves us from the very presence of sin & have confident assurance that what He has started, He will be faithful to complete (Phil 1:6).

9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

A. What’s one reason to believe in the pretrib rapture? Because we’re not appointed to wrath.

B. We WERE appointed to wrath, but that wrath was poured out on Jesus at the cross. In our sin we were treasuring up wrath for ourselves as we rebelled against God & what we knew of Him through Creation & the word (Rom 1-2), but Christ intervened & bore our transgressions & took our iniquities (Isa 53:6) Now we’ve obtained salvation! Never to face the wrath of God again! Romans 5:9-10 (9) Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. (10) For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. []

a. ‘So what happens when God chastises us?’ It’s not the same thing as wrath. There’s a massive gulf between discipline and damnation… We’ve been adopted into the family of God, so it’s a sign of His love for His children that we would experience the discipline of God (Heb 12:6)

10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

A. Different thoughts on this: (1) Whether we live until His return, or die before the Rapture, ultimately we’re now destined to live together with Christ for all eternity… (2) Despite our alertness to the times, our assurance is in the Lord Jesus. Paul exhorts us to be awake to the times so that we’re looking for our King, but our salvation is not dependent on it – that would lead to a works-based salvation…

i. Either way, we’re living forever with Jesus! J

B. Why? Because Jesus died for us. Those few little words say so much! In them is wrapped up the whole idea of what theologians call the “substitutionary atonement.” In plain terms: we deserved death; Jesus didn’t…He took our death and punishment for us. Thus He substituted our sin with His righteousness (2 Cor 5:21). I.e., we broke the law, Jesus paid the fine.

i. This is a glorious truth for everyone who has received His forgiveness & trusted Christ as Lord…but it’s unrealized for those who haven’t. It doesn’t do any good to simply understand the facts about Jesus (many would intellectually acknowledge that Jesus went to the cross); we have to interact with those facts somehow. [unopened Christmas present] We’ve got to receive the gift through repentance & faith!

11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

A. Answers the Thessalonians’ concern. They didn’t have to worry about their friends passing away before Jesus came back for them, because whatever happens to us at the end of our lives here, we’re ultimately going to have eternal life with Jesus there.

a. This is a truth to be comforted by…because every trial has an expiration date.

b. This is a truth to be built up (edified) with…because there’s no better motivation to live for the Lord than the idea that we might see Him at any moment.

B. Note the Rapture/Resurrection/Coming of the Lord isn’t merely something for US to be comforted & edified with…it’s something that we can share with each other as the church. It’s EASY to get distracted by problems & forget about His promises [], but as a church, we can come alongside each other with comfort – with exhortation – with prayer, as we help lift each other up to keep us looking for the blessed hope!

Conclusion:

‘Come on…people have been talking about Jesus’ return for 2000 years. Surely we’re misinterpreted something!’ 2 Peter 3:8-9 (8) But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (9) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. [] If anything, the delay in Jesus’ return is a sign of His mercy! He wants everyone to be saved!

So, as Christians…what does Paul exhort us to?

1. Be watchful (vs 1-4): the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night…we can be assured of this fact!
2. Be ready (vs 5-8): We haven’t a moment to lose, so we shouldn’t spend our time acting like the world. We should be living as children of the light, b/c that’s what Jesus saved us to.
3. Be comforted (vs 9-11): We’re not appointed to wrath – we’ve been saved! One day by death or rapture, we’ll see our Lord face-to-face & we’ll spend the rest of eternity in His presence!

What about you – are you ready? Make no mistake, the Lord Jesus IS coming back, and you will face Him either as Savior or Judge. No one knows the day or the hour – and that’s true both of His 2^nd Coming AND of the day of our death. One way or the other, you will stand before Him. In that day, when every thought and action is laid bare before our Creator, how will you account for your sins? Jesus Christ has already made the provision on your behalf through the Cross – but you must receive it, otherwise you’re rejecting it. He loves you so much – He’s such a good God that He doesn’t want ANY to perish, but you must receive the forgiveness He offers.

The Hope of the Rapture

One of the great questions almost every single human being works through (whatever their beliefs about religion) is: what happens after we die? Atheists believe that everything ceases to exist – Buddhists believe our souls are reincarnated…neither reflects the truth of the Scriptures. But even among those who call themselves Christians, there is much confusion.

It seems this was the driving question that Paul was answering for the Thessalonians. Though he was only in Thessalonica for a very short time, he covered a tremendous amount of doctrine with the church – which prepared them for the persecution that followed. Yet the persecution seems to have been what confused them. With people among their numbers dying, would they miss the 2^nd Coming of Christ? Were they simply just gone? No – as Paul will show them, Christians have the hope and the promise of a resurrection – a rapture – and a glorious reunion with our Lord and King.

Obviously the rapture is one of the most hotly debated topics among Protestant Christians today…with deeply held beliefs on all sides. Calvary Chapel holds to the pre-millenial, pre-tribulational rapture & although there are strengths/weaknesses with every view – we think this best explains what the Scripture teaches.

Paul will get into the timing of the rapture a bit in Ch 5 – but as he finishes Ch 4, he demonstrates the joyful hope we have because of the rapture!

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NKJV)
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

A. There are many Christians who want nothing to do with eschatology (the study of last things). Probably because Christians are so divided over the subject, many feel it’s best not to bring it up at all. But Paul didn’t want the church to be “ignorant” of these things…he wanted them to be informed because otherwise they’d miss out on the hope that these promises offer. (Not that they’d miss out on the events – that’ll occur despite any error we may have in our doctrine. But that they’d miss out on experiencing hope in the present because of the lack of knowledge about the future.)

a. Is eschatology the most important realm of Christian doctrine? No…it’s definitely not something that someone’s salvation hangs on (like the deity of Christ – salvation by faith, etc…). And it’s certainly not something that stops us from showing respect and love to those who believe differently… [] But it IS most definitely important! Beliefs about future things affect our present actions – and having the understanding that our Lord could call us home at any time can be a huge motivator for us…

b. BTW – Paul uses this phrase often. What else did Paul not want the church to be ignorant of?

i. God’s plan for the Jewish people (Rom 11:25)

ii. Spiritual gifts for every believer in Christ (1 Cor 12:1)

iii. The comfort of Christ in our deep sufferings (2 Cor 1:8)

iv. The resurrection & the rapture (1 Thess 4)

v. Interesting that those things over which Paul desired the church not to be ignorant are some of the very things the church argues the most! But we’re told one more thing about ignorance – 2 Timothy 2:23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. [] We can get so caught up in trying to be “right” that we end up being “wrong” in how we go about it…

B. Is death sorrowful? Absolutely… [] But far more so for those of the world than those in Christ! Christians still grieve – it’s natural to miss our loved ones & be pained that they’re no longer with us (even Jesus wept over Lazarus)…BUT we don’t grieve like the world grieves. They have no hope; we have the hope of glory – we have the hope of seeing our Lord & God face to face for all eternity. Thus when our loved ones in Christ die, we can have confident assurance that they have not forever perished – that they are with the Lord Jesus – and that one day we’ll see them again.

C. Note those who have died in Christ have “fallen asleep”. The reference is a euphemism for their physical bodies; not their souls. No such doctrine as “soul sleep” in the Bible. We are absent from the body; present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8).

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

A. IF we believe this. DO you believe this? There’s no more important question you can resolve today than whether or not you believe Jesus died & rose again! Eternity hangs in the balance…this is the very core of the gospel. Romans 10:9-10 (9) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [] Upon this one fact we either see Jesus for who He is: the Son of God physically risen from the dead – and we fall to our knees in repentance; or we deny Him, His power, and His offer of forgiveness.

a. We have much reason to believe Jesus DID die & rise again! More evidence for this one event than the rest of the history of the Roman empire. The histories of Caesar, Livy, Tacitus, Herodotus, and Thucydides have surviving manuscripts of a combined total of 56 copies…with numerous problems of inaccuracies between each copy. The comparison with the New Testament is astonishing – nearly 25000 copies with a rate of accuracy of 99.5%! [] The Roman guards testified to Jesus’ resurrection by living to tell the tale of failing their duties to guard a dead man’s body (they should have been killed for failure). The Jewish people testify to Jesus’ resurrection by having 3000 people in Jerusalem convert on Pentecost (who would have otherwise known the truth). The disciples testify to Jesus’ resurrection through their unwavering testimony despite enduring the harshest tortures and execution the Roman empire had to offer.

i. There is no reason to doubt that Jesus Christ actually physically rose from the dead. The question is: what are you going to do about it?

b. There are many skeptics who have problems with the idea of a rapture – after all, it sounds pretty fantastic & unbelievable. [] But so is the idea of God’s Son coming to earth as a man to die for the sins of the world. After all, why would the perfect God die for sinful man? And why would He bother rising from the grave? But that’s exactly what He did! If we believe that, the Rapture certainly isn’t a problem. It simply makes sense for how a physical (not mythical or imagined) Christ will receive His church to Himself.

B. Because of the fact of Jesus’ resurrection, we can be assured of the believers’ resurrection – that “God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” This was Paul’s whole point in 1 Cor 15 – 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 (20) But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (21) For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. (22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. [] This is exactly why Jesus rose from the dead: it demonstrated that the wages of sin had been paid – it declared that Jesus is the Son of God – and it provides proof that we who believe will be joined with Christ in glory.

a. Note the caveat: we’ve got to sleep in JESUS. Every single person in all creation will stand before God one day, but the only ones that will be brought with Him before Judgment Day will be those who are in Christ.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

A. We get the order of events established here. There is definitely a resurrection of the dead in Christ, and once they’re raised, those who remain alive will be raised. Explains more in vs. 17…

B. How did Paul know all this? Revelation from Christ Jesus. When did he get it? No one knows…but we CAN know by the authority of Christ that it’ll happen. [] Can you imagine the assurance this provides the church? He’s basically telling them, “I know you guys have lost loved ones – but on the authority of Christ, I can assure you that they won’t miss out on anything. In fact, their bodies will be raised before yours will!” J

1. There’s a reason the resurrection/rapture is often referred to as “the blessed hope” – what can possibly bring more hope to a believer in Christ than the promise of our Lord calling us home to Himself? For all those times that you wished that you could have walked in the apostles’ shoes and sat at the feet of Jesus…one day you will! PTL!

C. “coming of the Lord”: Is this the 2^nd Coming? That’s a matter of much debate. Those who hold to a pre-trib rapture argue that it’s not…that Paul is actually referring to the rapture itself. What’s the difference between the 2^nd Coming of Christ & the Rapture? Some claim Jesus’ teaching during the Olivet Discourse is teaching the same thing – is it?

Rapture – 1 Thess 4	2nd Coming – Matt 24
Believers ascend in the clouds (vs 17)	Jesus comes in the clouds (vs 30)
Jesus gathers the church (vs 16)	Angels gather the elect (vs 31)
Dead in Christ are resurrected (vs 15)	No resurrection mentioned
No preconditions – imminent timing (vs 17)	Preceded by the “Abomination of Desolation” and Great Tribulation (vs 15-22)

1. Want the best summary? In the Rapture, Christ comes for His church; in the 2^nd Coming Christ comes with His church (1 Thess 3:13). Revelation 19:11-14 (11) Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. (12) His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. (13) He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. (14) And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. [] Awesome description of Christ! And who follows Him? The church: those clothed in clean fine white linen – the picture of righteousness given to the church by God. We’ve got to be with Him to follow after Him.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

A. What does the rapture look like? It’s glorious! Jesus Himself coming for His bride & calling us hope with a massive voice and divine trumpet…awesome! A lot here – break it down:

B. Jesus Himself comes…this isn’t left to the angels. He may come with the voice of an archangel, but this is our Lord coming for us. Jesus referred to the event Himself – John 14:1-3 (1) “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. (2) In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. [] The whole picture is one of a Jewish wedding, where the bridegroom goes off to prepare a place (chuppah) for his new bride – he returns with pomp at an hour the bride does not expect & takes her home to be wed. [] Bottom line, this is too important to Christ to leave it to anyone else…He’ll personally receive us to Himself!

C. Jesus “will descend from heaven”: Note what Paul doesn’t say – he doesn’t say that Jesus will set foot on the earth (which is what happens with the 2^nd Coming when He’ll judge and reign for 1000 years). Jesus descends – why? Because He ascended…this is a literal physical event taking place.

D. There’s a shout – a voice – and a trumpet…this is a tremendous event!

a. “Shout”: described as the “voice of an archangel”…whether this is Michael (the only archangel mentioned in the Scriptures) or actually Christ Jesus using that “kind” of a voice is conjecture & debatable. What we do know is that it’s a shout of a command – as a commander shouts out to his soldiers. As Lazarus was commanded to “Come forth!” so we shall be commanded to “come up here!”

b. “Trumpet of God”: Along with the commanding shout is a trumpet call – continues the military picture…wasn’t that long ago where our own troops responded to bugle calls in battle. Also referred to in 1 Cor 15:52 – we’ll hear the trump & be changed.

i. Knowing that major events with Christ are often prefigured by the Jewish feasts (Passover = crucifixion, firstfruits = resurrection, Pentecost, etc) – is there a feast that would correspond to something this magnificent? Yes! Rosh Hashahna – the feast of trumpets…

ii. “Is this the 7^th trumpet in Revelation 11?” No. There are key distinctions…primarily that the 7^th trumpet is described as a “woe” (Rev 11:14), proclaims more of God’s wrath (Rev 11:18), and ushers in terrible catastrophes of lightnings, earthquakes, and hail (Rev 11:19). By contrast, the trumpet of God at the rapture ushers in a joyful reunion of Christ & church.

c. ‘How does relate to the idea of a “secret” rapture?’ It doesn’t. But then again, the Bible never gives the impression that the rapture would be “secret.” Virtually the only time the pre-trib rapture is labeled “secret rapture” is when it’s being used as a pejorative by critics. (And then they argue against its ‘secrecy’!) [] On one hand, the rapture is secret because the Lord will come as a thief in the night (1 Thess 5:2) – at a time when the world is not expecting Him. But the rest of the world is absolutely going to notice millions of Christians gone… Let’s have no more talk of a secret rapture; it’s simply the glorious rapture – the blessed hope!

E. 1^st thing that happens is the dead in Christ rise first…reiterates the order of the resurrection/rapture. [] Question: If the dead in Christ have to rise, does this mean that burial is the only option for Christians (vs cremation, etc.)? Absolutely not. Keep in mind that ALL saints of the Lord that have died throughout all history will rise at that time – some dead for thousands of years with no physical remains of their bodies. Yet the promise of the resurrection is true for them too! The God who created the world by His very word surely has no problem in raising people to life whose bodies are gone.

a. Takes us back to 1 Cor 15 – the dead are raised with new bodies. The old body was simply a seed for God to bring forth something totally new…

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

A. Who comes next? We do! J At least, if we’re still alive…[] Make no mistake; we will ALL take part in this event somehow – either by resurrection or rapture. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (51) Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. []

B. What actually happens? Apparently believers who are still alive will be physically changed (like Jesus at the Transfiguation), and will physically rise in the air to be with Christ. “caught up” = Gk harpazo & Latin rapio (hence “rapture”)…literally means “to seize; take by force.” ‘Sounds violent!?’ Not necessarily – simply appropriate language to use when taking someone who’s not expecting to be going anywhere. Obviously it’ll happen quickly (in the twinkling of an eye)…so “seizing” is the right word to use.

a. Pop quiz: Is this the only rapture in the Bible? No – throughout the Scriptures, God left examples for us. It remained a mystery till Christ, but God definitely gave us hints in Enoch (Gen 5:24), Daniel (Dan 3), Elijah (2 Kings 2:11), Philip (Acts 8:39), and possibly John (Rev 4:1). [] Keep in mind that although this is mysterious, God WANTS us to know about these things. Keeps us expectant; keeps us hopeful…

C. Note the “we” – Paul fully expected to be there…he obviously believed that Christ could call him home at any time. Common belief for the church fathers – as a whole they didn’t understand pretribulational rapture, but they definitely held to a premillennial rapture – it was the predominant view until Augustine.

a. Paul gets into it more in Ch 5, but over & over when the Scripture refers to the rapture, we’re reminded of the imminency of it. There is absolutely nothing stopping Jesus from calling us home – it literally could happen at any moment. (Personally, I always thought it would be cool to be taken when we were teaching on it! J)

b. Because it’s imminent, it’s also urgent. There is no time to waste for those who have not repented & trusted Christ… There is no time for Christians to be goofing off & jumping into sin… Jesus can (and will) come at an hour we are not expecting it – thus we must always be ready.

D. Guess what else? We’ll always be with Jesus. ALWAYS. J It’s impossible to imagine anything better.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

A. The Rapture isn’t something to fight over; it’s something to be comforted with! Because Jesus rose from the dead, we can be assured that our loved ones will rise from the dead as well. Because Jesus promised to take us home, we can be assured that He’ll actually come and do it.

B. Whatever troubles you’re experiencing (and we all do) – we can be comforted because every single one of them has an expiration date. If you’re in Christ, one day by death or rapture, you’ll see the Lord face-to-face. And it will be absolutely glorious!

Conclusion:

Does the promise of seeing Christ Jesus bring you comfort? The answer to that question says a lot about your readiness to do so. For every believer in Christ, we have marvelous promises from this little section of Scripture! To those who die before the Day, there is a promise of resurrection… To those who live to see it, there is a promise of rapture… To ALL of us, there is a promise of a reunion with our Lord & King!

Are you ready? As a believer, would you be ready to see Jesus face to face right now – or would you be begging for 1 more day to not leave things undone or unsaid?

What about if you don’t believe – if you haven’t repented and trusted Christ for salvation? Then none of these promises are for you. If you’re left alive, you’ll go through the Great Tribulation & experience the wrath of God poured out on the earth. Far worse than that – if you died in this state, you’d experience the judgment of God for your sins & spend eternity in what the Bible calls Hell. God doesn’t want that! He loves you so much that He sent Jesus to the cross to take the punishment you deserved for your sins. His desire is to shower His grace upon you and forgive you – but you must turn to Him and receive it.

Walking in Holiness

Introduction:

For 3 chapters, Paul has really been giving the Thessalonians a review of what had happened since he left town. He praised God for what God had done through them (Ch 1) – he reminded them of his own character & conduct (Ch 2) – he told them what Timothy had reported back to him (Ch 3)…and in all of it he praised God & prayed that God would continue to help them grow in Christ. In Ch 4, Paul finally starts to get to what he wanted to say in the letter to begin with.

As most people know, the main subject of 1 Thess is the Rapture – but before Paul gets to that, he looks at another idea 1^st: holiness. Logically, this makes perfect sense – whenever it is that the Lord Jesus calls us home, we’re going to be here prior to being called there. Thus the question is: what do we do in the meantime? Be holy! Whether it’s holiness in our bodies, or relationships, or work ethics – God calls us to holy purity because HE is holy.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 (NKJV)
1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

A. ‘Commandments?! What commandments? I thought we were under grace!’ Amen…we ARE under grace. (Paul would be writing something TOTALLY different to them if they were not!) But just because we’re saved from wrath doesn’t give us license to sin in wantonness. We have been saved from the results of the law of Moses & placed under the law of Christ (Gal 6:2). Following the commandments of the NT isn’t an attempt to ‘keep us saved’ or to justify us; it’s simply living out the life Christ calls us to by the power of the Spirit.

a. The whole idea is that this is not optional for the believer. ‘Commandments’ is really a military term referring to orders given by a superior officer. The head of the church is Christ Jesus, and His orders were passed along to the Thessalonians (and us) by the apostles.

B. What is Paul asking them to do?

a. “abound more & more”: In what? Love (Ch 3:12). Paul’s going to explain this more in depth later.

b. Walk in such a way as to please God: vs. 3-12 go into the details of how this takes place, but here we get our motivation. Why do we seek purity/holiness? Because it pleases God! Why wouldn’t we want to walk in such a way that the God who saved us, forgave us, gave us life, and adopted us into His family is pleased? To please Him and give Him glory is our highest motivation!

C. Is Paul laying a guilt trip on them? Absolutely not! He’s urging & exhorting them in the Lord Jesus. This is indeed a command, but not a harsh barking order…rather it’s a brotherly exhortation from someone who cares deeply about their ongoing relationship with Christ.

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;

A. Want to know the will of God for your life? It’s your “sanctification”…i.e. our holiness. Two ways to look at the idea of “holiness/sanctification”:

a. What you are immediately upon salvation. God saves us & sets us apart from the world for His purpose.

b. What your life gradually becomes after you’ve been born again. Again, this is the work of God in our lives – but it’s not a precise moment; it’s a process. Over time as God transforms us by the renewing of our mind through the Word (Rom 12:2), we become more & more like Christ in our character…ultimately conformed to the image of God’s Son (Rom 8:29). Contextually, this is what Paul’s referring to – the work of God played out in the actions of the believer.

B. BTW: The Bible is filled with answers to “What’s the will of God for my life?” People often ask…[] Give thanks in everything (1 Thess 5:18) – Doing good (1 Pet 2:15) – To repent (2 Pet 3:9) – Believe on the Son (1 John 3:23)…and much more! God definitely DOES have a will for your life & it starts with us trusting Christ by faith…

C. The 1^st area of sanctification Paul addresses: holiness of the body… Starts by telling them what NOT to do: “abstain from sexual immorality.” Gk porneia (‘pornography’) – includes all forms of sexual conduct outside of the relationship of husband/wife. Greco/Roman culture was famous for a cavalier attitude in sexual relationships – it was common for a man of relative upstanding character to be married for posterity, maintain one (or several) concubines for pleasure, and to regularly visit temple prostitutes for pagan worship (or just on a whim). (Of course, our own cultural attitude isn’t much better!)

a. Christians are to abstain from this stuff. Our bodies are more than a collection of fleshy organs needing to satisfy temporary needs – our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, thus we include Him in every sin we commit in sexual immorality. 1 Corinthians 6:17-19 (17) But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. (18) Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. (19) Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? []

b. Is this just prudish legalism? Far from it! The marriage bed is undefiled (Heb 13:4) & husbands/wives are encouraged not to stay away from each other except for limited periods of fasting & prayer (1 Cor 7:5). But we need to keep in mind that sex is intended to be the culmination of the marriage relationship, when God spiritually makes 2 people 1 flesh (Gen 2:24) – thus anything outside that is a perversion of what God made for good.

4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;

A. What SHOULD they do? Understand how to possess their own “vessel in sanctification and honor.” Scholars debate the meaning of “vessel” a bit – some think Paul is referring to husbands treating their wives with honor (as the weaker vessel – 1 Pet 3:7). Others think Paul is referring to one’s own body. Contextually, all the other exhortations have to deal with one’s own walk with Christ – so the “body” seems to make most sense.

a. Part of this is simply self-control – which should grow in the life of a believer through the Holy Spirit as they are changed by the love of Christ. Whereas “porneia” is a work of the flesh (Gal 6:19), self-control is the outworking of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 (22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. [] Again – the will of God is our sanctification (holiness being set apart for His glory). As we grow in Christ, we’ll grow in the love of God, including self-control.

B. Illustrates it by contrasting it with the poor example of the Gentiles. They possess their vessels “in passion of lust.” IOW, even animals only mate when nature makes it necessary…for someone given over to sexual immorality, they become a slave to their lusts. For them, it’s not fulfilling a drive – it’s giving themselves over to debauchery.

a. Interesting that Paul uses the Gentiles as the example. After all, aren’t the Thessalonians mostly Gentiles? Yes. BUT the Thessalonians are Gentiles who DO know God. [] Notice that makes all the difference in the world. We are no different in our capacity for debauchery & sin than anyone else…but we have been born again by the Holy Spirit & we know God!

i. We’ve mentioned it many times in the past – don’t give into the lie that says, “You don’t have a choice in sin.” Baloney! You’ve been made a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17) – you’ve been born of His Spirit (John 3:5)…you don’t HAVE to sin. You’ve been freed from the power of sin over your life! []

b. Why didn’t Paul say the same thing about the Jews? Because the Jews (mostly) did live moral lives; but most of them did not know God – if they had, they would have recognized Christ Jesus. ….

i. Many non-Christians are extremely moral people; but they’re not truly good (because only God is good)…the most moral, giving, upstanding citizen is still a sinner in need of a Savior.

6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.

A. Christians should never be one to take advantage of one another…whether in business or otherwise. All the decisions we make in our relationships with one another should be based in the love of Christ & love does not seek its own (1 Cor 13:5).

B. Specifically, Paul’s giving the context of sexual immorality. One of the most common defenses given regarding sexual sin is that it’s a “victimless crime…” Wrong. When we engage with sexual immorality with one another (whatever the specific act: be it adultery, pre-marital, or pornography), we are taking advantage of & defrauding someone else…even if they don’t realize it. It robs them from experiencing true agape love & destroys any testimony of Christ because a Christian did this to them.

C. God will avenge. Strong words! Is Paul saying that God will punish Christians in the afterlife for these things? No – our punishment was poured out on Christ Jesus at the cross. BUT God will allow us to face the consequences of our actions here. [Moses warning Reuben & Gad, Num 32:23 – sin will find you out] Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. []

7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.

A. Want a summary of sanctification? There it is! We WERE unclean (1 Cor 6:11), but Jesus saved us out of that. Since He saved us from it, we’re not to go back & dwell in the filth – He’s saved us to be holy.

B. ‘Is Paul saying that the Christian life is a life of works? Is he saying we’re supposed to go back to the law?’ Absolutely not. But neither are we to be lawless…our faith is demonstrated out by our works (faith w/o works is dead – Jas 2:17). We are saved by grace through faith – and that includes past, present, & future… Thus HE is the one who sets us apart to live holy lives by His grace! []

a. Note that DOESN’T mean we live in sinless perfection. If sinless perfection were possible for man to achieve, than Jesus would never have had to die on the cross. [] Sin is inevitable (and if we claim we haven’t sinned, we’re lying). So what does a holy person do if they sin? Simply confess, receive forgiveness, and move on. (1 John 1:8-9)

8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.

A. There are some who would reject the idea of purity is body/spirit simply because they don’t like being ‘told what to do.’ Paul’s basically saying, “I’m not the one telling you do to this; God is. If you’re rejecting this teaching, you’re rejecting God’s authority.”

B. What’s the relationship of the Holy Spirit to holiness? We can’t experience the latter without being indwelt by the former. The world objects to the idea of purity saying “It’s impossible – you’re flesh & blood just like anyone else.” The Word responds saying, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” (Mark 10:27)

a. Underscores the idea that although our lives are to be holy; it’s not us who makes them that way. This is a work of God the Spirit – this is an outcropping of His grace!

C. Theology break: Note that the Holy Spirit comes from God the Father (also John 14:16). He also proceeds from Christ Jesus (John 15:26, 16:7). Emphasizes the TriUnity of the Godhead. God the Son is fully equal to God the Father because all 3 Persons within the Trinity have the same character, same power, same essence. [Final cause of split between East & West church in 1054 (Nicene Creed).]

9 But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;

A. 2^nd area of holiness: Holiness in relationships. What do interpersonal relationships look like when set apart by the grace of Christ Jesus? They look like love b/c God is love. (1 John 4:8)

B. “brotherly love” = philadelphia (Not the birthplace of the Cheesesteak ) – talking about the ‘love’ relationship between friends. [] Even this kind of relationship should be characterized by a deeper love: the love of Christ (“love one another” = agapao). Should be instinctual for Christians – we’re new creations in Christ & have a new nature since we are now part of the Body of Christ…thus we should (super)naturally love one another.

a. Keep in mind that love is THE defining characteristic of a believer in Christ. John 13:34-35 (34) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (35) By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” [] Does this mean we’ll never have conflicts with one another? Of course not. But when conflicts arise, we need to keep the love of Christ at the forefront.

10 and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;

A. Increase more & more in love? What on earth does THAT look like? (Wiersbe) “How does God cause our love to “increase more and more”? By putting us into circumstances that force us to practice Christian love. … The difficulties that we believers have with one another are opportunities for us to grow in our love. This explains why Christians who have had the most problems with each other often end up loving one another deeply, much to the amazement of the world.” Ever look at conflicts as an opportunity to love? J Great perspective!

a. Goes back to what Paul was saying about “abounding more & more” in vs. 1. If there’s one area we want to grow in our Christian walk, it’s love! As we mature in the faith and deepen our understanding of the magnitude of love demonstrated for us at the Cross, it should cause us to naturally grow in the love and grace we show others. We were forgiven much, so we love much.

B. Worth reiterating: we should have a preferential love for one another in the church 1^st. The Christians as Thessalonica showed their love in a practical way to the other churches in Macedonia. Principle affirmed throughout the NT: John 13, Jesus called us to love “one another”… Gal 6:10 “do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

a. [GAiN – humanitarian aid to the church AND to the lost]

11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

A. 3^rd area of holiness: practical day-to-day life. 3 main areas…

B. Leading a quiet life: Not speaking of silence; but rather of a quiet heart. Paul’s exhorting the church not to go about stirring up trouble or to be restless. All of us have different personalities, but we don’t need to be frantic – we find our rest in Christ Jesus & have peace.

C. Minding our own business: Paul’s going to reiterate this in 2 Thess – apparently there were busybodies in the church that weren’t leading a quiet life & causing trouble among the other believers. (Robertson) “It is amazing how much wisdom people have about other people’s affairs and so little interest in their own.” [] The tendency is for us to reverse what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 7:3-5). We think we’ve got merely a speck in our own eye, so we want to attend to the log in our brother’s. In truth, it’s the opposite. What we consider minor in our own life is what needs to be majorly addressed 1^st.

a. So what do we do if we see a brother/sister in the Lord doing something we don’t agree with? Shouldn’t we bear one another’s burdens & restore someone who’s overtaken by any trespass? Yes – absolutely (Gal 6:1-2). But we need to make sure that it’s restoration instead of meddling. Ask some questions:

i. Is it sin? By whose standards? Oftentimes we might see someone doing something we might disagree with – but it may not meet the Biblical definition of sin. [dietary regs & Sabbath] Romans 14:4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. []

ii. Overall the guiding criteria for how to approach it is in love. If we can’t do that, we may need to wait until a point in which we can.

D. Working productively: It’s possible that the church was so excited about the coming rapture (which is a good thing), that they got lazy & stopped working (which is a bad thing). [Millerites - 1843] Paul encouraged them to work hard – which went against the grain of the Greek culture…

a. Christians should be known as the best workers…we work for the Lord! (Col 3:23)

12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

A. All this ends up being a witness to those who are outside of Christ! When Christians are quiet (not raising Cain), tending to their affairs (not poking their nose in their neighbor’s business), and working hard to support their families, it wins the respect of non-believers…at the very least, it provides them with less ammunition with which to speak poorly about Christ. 1 Peter 3:15-16 (15) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; (16) having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. []

B. Practically speaking, it also ensures we are provided for… Amen for Christian charity, but we are not to purposefully & willfully incur it. He who refuses to work, doesn’t eat (2 Thess 3:8).

Conclusion:

So why does Paul spend so much time (here & other epistles) writing about holy living? It is because he believed that we could work our way to a better salvation? That we could improve upon the grace of Christ? Of course not…perish the thought!

Over & over again, the Bible instructs us to live lives of holiness not because of any merit of our own – but simply because GOD is holy. He is utterly holy…which is the very reason Christ Jesus died for our sin. If salvation required anything less than absolute perfection, the Cross would never have existed. But in comparison with Him, there is nothing holy other than what He sets apart as holy. As a believer in Christ Jesus, God set you apart. As a church, we are a holy priesthood & holy nation (1 Pet 2) – thus our lives are to reflect that spiritual truth. Not because we are able (we’re not!), but because HE is able & He does so because of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

To someone who isn’t a believer in Christ, all this talk about holiness probably doesn’t make any sense. After all, why not live for today & enjoy all the indulgences this world has to offer? Again, the disconnect is that someone who thinks that doesn’t truly grasp the sheer holiness of the Creator God (Whom we all must face). This is the same God of Whom the prophet Isaiah (after he was already being used by God to prophesy) cried out upon seeing Him, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips…” (Isa 6:5). This is the same God of Whom the Bible declares that all of our very best works are like filthy bloody rags in comparison to Him. And we must face Him on Judgment Day. At that time, it’s not going to matter how many people we helped or how much money we gave to good causes – what we’ll be judged for is every sin that ever crossed our hands, lips, and heart. The good news? Forgiveness is available through Christ Jesus! That’s the reason He died on the Cross & rose again from the grave – to pay the penalty you & I deserved for all eternity.

Believing ALL the promises of God

One of our favorite things to do is to eat at a good Chinese buffet. It’s all-you-can-eat & you can go up & down the aisles customizing your plate exactly how you see fit. As fun (and delicious) that is to do at a restaurant, it’s downright unhealthy to do that with our Bibles. Yet that’s exactly how some people treat the promises God gave us in the Scriptures…just pick & choose what they like, while disregarding the stuff that doesn’t appeal to them.

The problem with this is that ALL the Bible is necessary for us (2 Tim 3:16-17)…and (even if we don’t like it or agree with it) ALL the Bible is true. Thus it behooves us to take God at His word & simply believe Him for what He says…whether it’s regarding triumph or trials.

This is where Paul finds himself in regards to the Thessalonians. He had encountered many trials (as did the church itself) & he was afraid that they were going to chuck it all in the face of difficulties – even though God had promised difficulties were going to come. So he was pretty desperate to find out how they were handling it & was rather pleased at the report.

1 Thessalonians 3 (NKJV)
1 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, 2 and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith,

A. When did Paul go to Athens? After Berea (Acts 17:15). Luke doesn’t record quite everything that happened, but apparently Timothy had been sent back to check on the church (remember, Paul had to leave suddenly). Acts 18 picks up with Paul going to Corinth, but mentions Silas & Timothy coming from Macedonia (Acts 18:5) – the location of Thess & Berea.

B. Note the description of Timothy (and I’m not saying that because he’s got a great name! J). Paul goes into depth with him – possibly because of his youth & relative inexperience at the time. Calls him a:

a. “brother”: not merely a brother in the Lord, but a brother in ministry with Paul & Silas – hinting at a trusted relationship.

b. “minister of God”: had a reputation for serving the Lord.

c. “fellow laborer in the gospel”: Shared in the work that was to be done…Timothy didn’t watch it take place; he took part in it.

d. The bottom line is that Timothy had proven character – which was the reason Paul was comfortable sending him to the young Thessalonian church. No one is perfect (outside of Christ), but we need to be able to trust that our teachers/pastors are truly serving the Lord…

e. What exactly is Timothy’s relationship with God? Many translations say “co-worker of God”; NKJV & others “minister of God.” This is actually one area in which Greek manuscripts differ. The majority of manuscripts use the word διάκονος (deacon) = “minister/servant” whereas some others leave out this word entirely. This is one instance where I’m going to show my bias for the Majority Text – because although we ARE co-workers with God in that He has entrusted the Great Commission to us (1 Cor 3:9); we are not co-workers in that we are equal with Him…He is still God & we serve Him.

C. What did Timothy do as a laborer in the gospel?

a. Establish/strengthen the church: The idea is to be made stable/set firm. The church is built by Christ Jesus on the rock of the gospel of Christ Jesus…and every aspect of our growth must be solidly based on Him & Him alone.

i. One way of ensuring this takes place? By sticking close to the word of God!

b. Encourage the church: Greek should sound familiar = παρακαλέω… We share in one of the same ministries of the Holy Spirit, to come along side one another in the church & comfort each other with the same comfort with which we’ve been comforted (2 Cor 1:4).

c. We (as a church) STILL need to be strengthened and encouraged! We may not experience daily persecution (though it’s not as impossible for us as we may think) – but we ARE in a spiritual battle. Against the devil – against temptation…we are in a fight that is only won by Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit! Thus we need to be established in Jesus, and encouraged by His Comforter.

3 that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. 4 For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know.

A. Which afflictions? The various riots breaking out in every city Paul preached in. … (Thess & Berea no exception!)

B. It would be easy (even understandable) for a young church to be “shaken” by this. Greek literally speaks of a dog wagging its tail – and the church could easily have been tossed to & fro wondering “What’s going on around here?”

a. Ever get the impression that once someone gets saved that life is supposed to get easy? It never quite works out that way! This is one reason it’s so important to be firmly established (vs. 2) – it helps prevent us from being shaken (vs. 3)…

C. Paul was “appointed” to this. Jesus told him to expect tribulation & afflictions… [Jesus instructing Ananias - Acts 9:16, “he must suffer for My name’s sake.”]

a. Are we “appointed” as well? Without a doubt…it’s simply part of being a Christian. 2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. []

b. We shouldn’t be surprised when troubles come! Jesus specifically told us to expect it! John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” []

i. (Guzik) “Some believe that affliction means God is angry at the believer. The truth is that affliction means that God loves us enough to give the best when we may only desire what is easy. The symbol of Christianity is the cross, not a feather bed. Affliction is just part of following Jesus; therefore Paul recognized that Christians are appointed to affliction.”

ii. With promises like that, some people surely wonder: “Why on earth would I EVER follow Jesus? Who wants to be persecuted?” The answer: no one wants to be persecuted. But no one wants to spend eternity in Hell either. We don’t follow Christ Jesus to have a good life or an easy life; we follow Christ Jesus so that we might have everlasting life, forgiven by His grace.

5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.

A. So Paul understood that his persecutions were going to be tough for the church to handle… That’s why he sent Timothy to them…

B. Ever have a tragedy shake your faith? … That’s what he was afraid of for the church… … Satan takes advantage of those times to tempt us away from Christ…

a. No matter what’s going on around you – no matter what you’re enduring – no matter what the devil is whispering in your ear…hold fast to the promises of God! Jesus promised He would never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5) – that He would be with us always, even to the end of the age (Matt 28:20) – that He cares about our most basic needs (Matt 6:31) – that He would come back and receive us to Himself (John 14:3) – and much more! We need to take Christ at His word & simply believe Him!

b. It’s interesting that in our spiritual warfare, we’re instructed to take up the sword of the Spirit (the word of God) & yet still stand fast (Eph 6). What’s the picture? Of the believer holding fast to God’s inspired word and trusting Him through faith to endure every battle we encounter. … …

6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you—

A. Apparently the church held fast to the gospel & didn’t think less of Paul (despite the rumors)…

B. They were also growing in the Lord – Timothy had brought “news of your faith and love.” Remember that the church had eventually become an example to the whole region of the gospel of Christ – some of the most prominent ways that was evident was through their faith (trust in the truth of God) & love (outworking of the grace of God)…

7 therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. 8 For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.

A. In the midst of his trials, all Paul wanted to know was whether or not the church was standing fast in Christ…and when he found out, he was comforted.

B. That’s not only reflective of the heart of a pastor; that’s truly good news for any church fellowship in the body of Christ! So many people leave the grace of Christ to chase after legalistic trips – or they leave the sufficiency of Christ to chase after magical signs – or the leave the truth of Christ to chase after the philosophy of man… We need simply to stand fast in the Lord!

9 For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, 10 night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

A. They thanked God for the church… They rejoiced before God for the church… They prayed abundantly for the church… Amen! What a terrific response to a good report coming back from Timothy. They could thank God for what He was doing in the lives of the believers as He strengthened them & matured them in Christ. They could rejoice in praise for their faith. They would pray that God would continue to help them grow.

a. ‘Wait a minute…if Paul was thanking God for their faith, why would he pray for something that was lacking in it?’ Answer a question with a question: do we ever want to stop growing in Christ? Who would want that?! There’s always more to learn of His truth – there’s always more experience of His grace…

B. How did they pray? (1) Consistently: night & day…whenever they thought of the church. (2) Fervently: exceedingly (‘superabundantly’)…with passion & intensity. (3) Eagerly: to see them face to face again. (4) Sufficiently: that they would be matured & made complete in Christ. Great model for intercession among the church!

- Gives an example of their daily prayers here as he launches into one…

11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you.

A. The request is simply that Paul might see them again, but he bathes it in theology.

a. OUR God and Father: When we are born again by the Spirit of God, we are all brought into the same family of God. There may be all kinds of different church congregations and fellowships – but there is only ONE church.

b. He is both God AND Father: He is the Almighty Creator God for Whom the universe fits within the palm of His hand – He is everlasting and is perfectly righteous, holy, and just because He is GOD. At the same time (because of Christ Jesus), He is our loving Abba Father who invites us to come boldly before His throne of grace in our times of need.

c. our Lord Jesus Christ: By linking Him with God the Father, Paul is affirming that Christ is God the Son. Both are equally powerful and equally authoritative – both the Father and Lord Jesus are the One able to actually direct Paul back to Thessalonica.

d. Why is all this important? We need to understand Who it is that we pray to! We don’t raise our hands to the Hindu god Vishnu – we don’t make requests to the Islamic idea of Allah…we pray to the One True God – fully revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ!

12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,

A. Increase and abound in love: The idea with both words is that their agape love would be superabundant – both in quantity and quality… There are a lot of doctrines we hold dear that can sometimes cause division in the church when we put too much emphasis on them… But if there’s one thing a Christian is not going to be able to ‘overdo it’ in, it’s in loving one another!

a. Great Commandment – Matthew 22:38-39 (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ []

b. New Commandment – John 13:34-35 (34) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (35) By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” []

c. Summary of all the law – Romans 13:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. []

d. To put it lightly: we are commanded to love one another! J This is the law of Christ (Gal 6:2) – and it is fulfilled the only way law is ever fulfilled: by the grace of Christ! It can seem impossible to love one another as Christ loved us – and it is, without the Spirit of God working in us…

B. To whom?

a. To one another: The church. Not that the world isn’t important, but as a Body of Believers, showing agape love to one another should hold a position of priority.

b. To all: their neighbors. Who’s our neighbor? Jesus was asked the same question (Luke 10:29) – told the parable of the Good Samaritan.

C. Their example? Paul’s missionary team. [] What a great place to be in maturity – that we could be an example of love to new believers!

13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

A. What does it mean that Jesus would “establish our hearts blameless in holiness”? Just as Paul prayed that the church would grow in their love, he also prays that they would grow in their holiness. Note he doesn’t write of sinless perfection (impossible) – only that they would be blameless.

a. Keep in mind this takes place in exactly the same way as our super-abundance in love: by the grace of Christ! Jesus is the one that sets us apart to begin with (making us holy) – and through His Holy Spirit He empowers us to grow in Him, so that our lives are increasingly holy as we are transformed by the renewing of our mind.

b. Emphasized by the fact that we want to be found blameless before God the Father. In comparison with perfect holiness, what does it matter if man doesn’t think we’re so bad? We need to be found blameless before GOD – and that only happens through Christ Jesus.

B. When do we need to be found blameless? At the coming of Christ. There’s a bit of disagreement on what exactly Paul refers to here.

a. Rapture? – Some think Paul is exhorting the church to be ready to be caught up at any time. Great exhortation! We certainly wouldn’t want to be caught sinning at the very moment that Jesus calls us to Himself in the twinkling of an eye – we want to grow in holiness.

b. 2^nd Coming? – Others think Paul is showing the church is already with Christ in heaven at the Bema Seat & would be found blameless in holiness as the wood, hay, & stubble is burned away in preparation for Christ’s 2^nd Coming in Judgment.

i. My personal opinion: the 2^nd Coming. Note who’s accompanying the Lord Jesus on His return: the church! Gives us a great idea of the timing of the rapture – it’s got to be a separate even from Christ’s 2^nd coming because we’ve got to be with Jesus in order to return with Jesus… He establishes us holy before Him so that we might be with Him at His coming.

c. Whatever the case, make no doubt about it – Jesus Christ IS coming again & every one of us will stand before Him (either in His grace or in His judgment). Are we ready to see Him face-to-face? What if it’s today?

Conclusion:

It’s interesting as we look over those last verses starting with vs. 9 that what Paul was praying for overall for the church was that they’d increase in faith, hope, and love. That their faith would be perfected – that their love would superabound – and that they would remember their hope of eternity epitomized by Christ’s coming. In the end, he seemed to have a lot of confidence that the church would do just that, because they were standing firmly on the promises of God.

Take Jesus at His word! (All of it!)

- Heeding His warnings about trials will help us have faith to endure them when they come. We won’t be tossed to/fro like a wagging dog-tail – we’ll be established and encouraged as we are strengthened day-by-day by the bread of the word of God.

- Believing His promise to return will help us be ready for when He does. Not that we’d ever be able to look forward to the day we see Jesus with pride (God forbid; we are saved solely by His grace!); but that we can look forward with assurance knowing that the work He has begun in us, He will be faithful to complete.

Maybe you’re here as a skeptic today – someone who doesn’t really believe that what the Bible says is true…and so you don’t think that you can trust the promises of God. You need to consider one very important fact: every single promise that the OT made about the 1^st coming of Jesus Christ (over 330 of them) came true. God has a perfect track record in keeping His promises…and because of those prophecies we can know without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus really is the Son of God risen from the dead. Because THAT is true, we can know that every other promise He makes is true…which includes all the promises of judgment because of sin.

God is so holy and so righteous that all sin will be punished – everyone from murderers & idolaters to liars will have their part in the lake of fire (Rev 21:8). This is not God’s will for you! He is so good and so loving that He sent His only Son to die on the cross to take the punishment you deserved so that you can be forgiven and spend eternity with Him. But you must respond to that offer of grace! [How? Repentance & Faith]

The Word and the Christian

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a Christian in the early 1^st century? Obviously, it didn’t take long for the church to be corrupted by false doctrine coming in (Paul’s letters deal with a lot of it!) – but sometimes we can get a romanticized idea of what the early church was like: everyone sitting around a table, worshipping through the Lord’s Supper, doing miracles all day, and seeing 1000’s come to Christ. That wasn’t exactly the case…

Living out a faith that was unrecognized by the Roman authorities and viewed as a heretical cult from the Jewish population in the empire meant that the church lived in dangerous times. Purifying, to be sure! But even the act of conversion meant that someone might be taking a life/death stand. And yet, Paul is overflowing with joy! Why? Because people are being saved.

Context: Paul had only been in Thessalonica for a period of weeks (to perhaps just a month or two) by the time he had to leave suddenly. So he writes this letter to reinforce the teaching that he had begun with the church in order to help them have a solid foundation to their faith. So far, he’s commended them for their work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in their walk with Christ (as they served as an example to others) – and defended himself (and thus the gospel) from some rumors that had cropped up about him & the ministry there. Now he turns his attention back to the church as he looks at their testimony & responds to it in joy.

1 Thessalonians 2:13-20 (NKJV)
13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

A. For which reason? Because God had called them into “His own kingdom & glory” (vs. 12). Gave the whole missionary team reason to be exceedingly thankful…and it’s a good reason! People have gone from death to life & Paul & the team was able to be used by God to make it happen. So they thanked God without ceasing!

a. The Great Commission is not merely a command from our King – it’s an incredible privilege! God has chosen to use people like you & me to share Jesus with the world…it’s something to thank God for.

B. When Thessalonica received the word, they welcomed it. Could be translated “accept” – but the idea is one of receiving a visitor, or to embrace. They took the word of God to themselves. How come they could welcome it? Because they recognized the truth behind it as the very word of God.

a. We have been entrusted not with the words & wisdom of men; we’ve been entrusted with the very word of God! Sometime we take the Bible for granted – but when we do, we forget what we are holding: the words specifically breathed out by the Holy Spirit and preserved for us today in order that we would know, be saved by, and follow Jesus Christ. Do we recognize it as such? This isn’t just any book!

i. In order to receive the word, they had to hear the word. Faith comes by hearing & hearing by the word of God (Rom 10:17). (Courson) “People ask why we spend so much time teaching Bible studies…It is because we firmly believe that this is the very Word of God, and that it will radically alter and influence any person who spends time in its pages.”

ii. Do we worship the Bible? Absolutely not…we worship the God who gave us the Bible. But what a privilege it is to have it! What an invitation it is for us to receive & welcome it!

C. What’s different about the word of God than the word of man? The word of God works…there is effectual power behind the word of God because it IS the word of God. Hebrews 4:12 (12) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. []

a. This is one reason is behooves us to get the Word of God into our hearts – we are effectually changed by it, and it guards us from sinning against Him. (Ps 119:11)

b. Note that the Word only effectively works in those who believe. Does it not work in those who don’t? Yes & No. The word of God is true regardless of our belief…[] BUT, the word of God is incomprehensible to those who don’t believe. 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. [] It is effectual (energeo) & it is powerful (dunamis)!

D. Note that “believe” is present tense. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God right now? It doesn’t matter what you believed in 4^th grade; what do you believe today?

14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans,

A. They didn’t just receive the word; they kept the word & took it to heart as they followed Christ. Remember that other churches had later become imitators of Thessalonica (1 Thess 1:7) – but when they 1^st received the gospel, they themselves needed to imitate someone; thus they imitated the original churches in Judea…they learned from other Christians what it meant to follow Christ.

a. Who are we imitating? Whether we realize it or not, we are learning from someone’s example. Who are we setting up as spiritual examples/teachers for us? What’s the standard we measure those teachers by?

B. One thing they learned? How to live out the word & endure persecution…see vs. 15.

15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men,

A. Is Paul blaming the death of Jesus on the Jews? Can he be viewed as a father of anti-semitism? No! Paul consistently prayed for his Jewish brethren – to the point of wishing himself damned if it meant their salvation (Rom 9:3). The problem is a crossroads between history & distortion. The historical fact is that the Jewish leaders of Jerusalem specifically called out for Jesus’ crucifixion (even when offered a choice around it)…and they whipped up a mob in their favor. The distortion is that we forget that ALL of the disciples were Jewish & indeed Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. Over the centuries, some within the church have taken the few & projected it upon the entire Jewish race…and some real atrocities have taken place by those who called themselves “Christian.” …

a. Keep in mind the real reason God sent Jesus to die on the cross was for OUR sins. He was wounded for our transgressions & bruised for our iniquities. The Cross is not something to blame anyone for; it’s something to thank God for – the demonstration of His love & the payment for our sins!

B. So what IS Paul doing? Simply stating the fact… Persecution from the Jewish leadership at the time was the rule (not the exception) & whether it was the prophets or the apostles, the results were the same.

a. ‘Did they really persecute their own prophets?’ Yes! Jesus affirmed this… (Matt 23:31-36) It makes sense, when you think about it. They were quick to persecute the apostles who spoke the word of God; why not those who spoke it before Christ? Persecution is nothing new – it’s been around since Cain & Abel.

C. Persecution does not please God (for obvious reasons), but it is an unavoidable fact. We can be assured that we will experience persecution at some point (John 15:20 – 2 Tim 3:12). As we saw last week, the question is: will we be ready to respond to it when it happens?

16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.

A. The problem with Paul’s persecution? Not his own safety – but that it prevented the gospel of Christ from going forth! []

B. Historically speaking, the wrath of God did come down upon the Jewish nation in 70AD. Absolute devastation was brought by the Romans upon Jerusalem (and the whole nation)…which is one reason the revival today of Israel as a sovereign nation is so interesting from a prophetic perspective.

C. Wrath is coming upon those not saved by the blood of Christ (as proclaimed through the gospel)…and in fact, it seems to be building up over time. Saw something similar with the nations of Canaan – Genesis 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” []

a. Why does God allow nations & peoples to go on sinning? Why does He allow them to “fill up the measure of their sins”? I suggest that even this is an act of God’s mercy. Every day that goes by is another day that God gives them an opportunity to repent. At our very 1^st sin, God has every right to destroy us in righteous anger…yet He doesn’t. He is longsuffering with us & allows us immeasurable opportunities to fall to our knees & ask for forgiveness. But eventually His justice must break forth – and it is just & it is perfect.

b. Thus people need to be saved!

17 But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire.

A. Referring to his quick departure from town in Acts 17:10 (had to leave under cover of night due to the mob…).

B. “taken away” literally means “to be orphaned” – speaks of not only the suddenness of Paul’s departure, but his relationship with the church. It was like being ripped away from family that he couldn’t wait to get back to.

i. That’s exactly what we are in the Body of Christ: family! We are brothers & sisters together in the Lord Jesus; born again of His Spirit – adopted by His Father – joint heirs together in eternity.

18 Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.

A. Can Satan hinder us from the work of God? Yes! [Daniel 10 – received a vision & mourned for 3 weeks] Daniel 10:12-13 (12) Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. (13) But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. [] We don’t know exactly what happened, but he was hindered by the work of the demonic realm…

a. We need to keep in mind that although the WAR is already decided & won (Jesus wins, in case you were wondering ) – we still have many battles to face. With certainty, we have an enemy that hates God, hates us & will do everything he & his forces can possibly do to try to hinder the work of God & the gospel going forth into all the world.

B. ‘But I thought God was sovereign?!’ God IS sovereign – but He’s not fatalistic… Though the Lord Jesus has been given all authority in heaven & on earth – though God has always been on the throne, He has allowed Satan to roam during this time…and thus he can stop godly people from doing godly things. He’s actually looking to do this very thing – 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. []

a. Here’s the good news: He that is in you is greater than he who is in the world! (1 John 4:4)

19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.

A. What is it that can possibly motivate Paul & others to endure such relentless persecution? The fact that people are being saved by Christ Jesus!

a. Hope: Generally speaks of the believer’s hope of heaven through Christ & contextually that still the case – but with a twist. Like a parent with his kids, Paul not only has a confident hope for himself, but a confident hope for the church – that they would also stand firm on the promises of Christ & live forever with Jesus.

b. Crown: Greek speaks of the wreath or crown given to the victor of an athletic contest. Paul fought the good fight & persevered & the proof of that would be the various souls brought to Christ through his ministry.

i. It’s been often said, “You can’t take it with you.” But even though you can’t take stuff with you to heaven; you can help bring people. What a joyous celebration it’ll be at the Bema Seat of Christ to see how Christ saved so many!

c. Glory & Joy: We can rejoice in our salvation! Our conversion may be the glory of those who gave us the gospel, but ultimately all the glory belongs to God!

B. The Lord Jesus Christ IS coming! One of the resounding themes of 1 Thess is the idea that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming for His church. Every chapter mentions it in some way & Ch 4-5 go into it in detail. Why does Paul emphasize it so much? Because he was waiting for it! Jesus could literally call us home at any moment – there’s not a single thing stopping Him from doing so outside of the timing of God the Father. This is one reason we can have such a joyful hope: because as Christians we can live every day with great expectation as we prepare to meet our King.

a. ‘Oh come on. Christians have been saying that for nearly 2000 years.’ Yes – and for 2000 years, the Lord could have called us home at any time. J The fact that it’s been so long shouldn’t be discouraging; it should be something to praise God for – it’s a direct testimony to His mercy in allowing more people to be born-again into the Kingdom of God! 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. []

b. Rest assured that day IS coming. Are you ready? Are you prepared to be in His presence? Whether you believe in Jesus or not, you WILL stand before Him one day: either as your Savior or your Judge. Every day you’re alive is another day you’ve been given to be prepared and to seek His forgiveness.

Conclusion:

Was it tough living as a 1^st century Christian? Sure, but what a testimony to the church at Thessalonica!

• They received/welcomed the word – they recognized it for what it was: the very word of God to be embraced & received into their lives.
• They kept the word – they didn’t merely hear it, they appropriated it to their own lives as they imitated the church in Judea.
• They lived the word – they stayed faithful to Christ despite the persecutions that abounded around them. The spiritual & physical battle was intense, but they never gave up their walk with Christ.
• The result? They were prepared to meet the Word – Jesus Christ Himself!

One day we WILL see Jesus face to face. Are we ready? Even as believers, we need to ask ourselves this same question. There are many who receive the word, but then never do anything with it & become couch-potato Christians who are tossed to & fro by the world. That’s not God’s will for you at all! Who among us does not want to hear the words “Well done, good & faithful servant!”? As we recognize God’s word for what it is, we’ll take it to heart & be transformed by it – so that when we’re confronted with the spiritual battle that’s guaranteed to come we’ll be ready to live it out.

If you know you’re not a believer in Jesus Christ, you’re in another boat entirely. Again, you will meet Jesus one day – but you’re definitely not ready. What will you be able to say when you’re called to give an account for every word spoken, every deed done, and every thought that you dwelt upon in your mind? Who can stand? Every lie, lustful thought, and blasphemous word brings conviction & no amount of “good works” will be able to balance it out (all our good works are like filthy rags in comparison to God). Friend, you need to experience the grace of God & His forgiveness – and that’s only available through Jesus Christ. He died on the Cross as punishment for your sins & rose again on the 3^rd day promising new life to those who believe.

You know us!

Have you ever been surprised at the things some people said about you? Maybe you had a conversation with somebody & you heard someone else talking about & thought, “Where on earth did they get THAT idea!? That’s not what I said.” You’d want to go back to the 1^st person & say, “Hey – you were there…you know better than that!”

That seems to be exactly what Paul is going through with the Thessalonians. He wasn’t able to spend as much time with the church as he perhaps would have liked (anywhere from 3 weeks to only a few months) – but after he had to suddenly leave town upon a riot breaking out (Acts 17), he learned later that rumors were flying around about him. Some groups of people in town had planted doubts in the mind of the church about Paul & thus Paul needed to do something about it.

Is this just a matter of Paul defending his record? Not likely…he had encountered far more persecution than just some rumors (though rumors surely hurt him emotionally). The problem with people doubting Paul’s credibility is that it casts doubt on the gospel as well, since that was his entire message while he was there. Thus he’s going back to them saying “Hey – you were there…you know better than that!”

As “Christians” we bear the name of Christ. Thus our character becomes vitally important in our witness to others. If we don’t model the gospel truth, we’re creating unnecessary stumbling blocks to someone else believing the gospel truth! That’s why it was so important for Paul to straighten this out so clearly…

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (NKJV)
1 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain.

A. Appealing to the personal experience of the Thessalonians. We don’t know for certain who was spreading rumors against Paul, but there were undoubtedly many. From the history in Thessalonica, it seems most likely that the Jews in town consistently spoke against Paul & that they perhaps had started to persuade those in the church that Paul had taken advantage of them as a false teacher.

B. Why wasn’t Paul’s visit in vain? Because now they are “brethren” – they’re believers! Whatever Paul & co. went through, it was worth it because they heard the gospel & were born again…

2 But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict.

A. Remember Paul’s history at Philippi (Acts 16)…he & Silas had been preaching there for some time (staying at the house of Lydia) when Paul finally got fed up with a demon-possessed slave girl who kept following him around. He cast out the demon & her owners were pretty upset they had lost a source of income (using the girl as a fortune-teller. They stirred up a mob & got Paul & Silas beaten & thrown in jail. They sang worship songs all night in jail & God sent an earthquake to shake things up & opened the prison doors…eventually converting the jailer. [Interesting what God uses to bring us to Christ!] The next day the authorities realized they were in trouble b/c they had beaten Roman citizens without a fair trial & tried to keep things quiet, but Paul demanded a public apology… Afterwards, finally went to Thessalonica.

B. In spite of the imprisonment & beatings, Paul & Silas still spoke the gospel boldly. In spite of the resistance of the town (the riot), they still spoke the gospel boldly… They were determined to keep preaching the gospel even though they could expect physical resistance.

a. We give up so quickly! We say, “Well brother, I wouldn’t want you to offend anyone. It might cause them to disagree with you & then everyone would feel uncomfortable.” Or… “I know they’re asking you to do something at work that’s unbiblical…but surely you don’t actually need to take a stand there – you need the job.” Paul KNEW he was probably going to get physically beaten in every city & he went in boldly with the gospel…

b. I don’t say this to give anyone a guilt trip…only to help us think through these situations before they occur. [Canada news] If it can happen there; it can happen here. We need to be prepared to know where we’re going to take a stand.

3 For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.

A. Paul’s defending his motives & teaching…

B. No error: Paul didn’t preach religious spiritualism – he didn’t preach philosophy – he didn’t preach “any” truth; he preached THE truth. By boldly proclaiming Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God crucified for our sins & risen from the dead, Paul was declaring every other religious method/system as false and useless, with repentance/faith through Jesus Christ as the only truth. And he was right!

a. This can sound harsh to our relativistic culture today where people think “As long as you’re sincere in your belief, then you can believe whatever you want to believe & that will be true for you.” But truth is never relative. Disbelief gravity all you want, but don’t go stepping off a bridge expecting to float. Something has to be absolutely true in regards to sin, salvation, and eternity…and Jesus Christ proved it was Him (John 14:6) through His resurrection!

C. No uncleanness: Gk is referring to impurity – usually in a sexual sense. Paul had a lot of accusations thrown his way, but this would have been a pretty unusual one…but in the Thessalonian culture, it makes sense that his adversaries would have tried to make this one stick too. With all the false teachers/spiritual leaders blowing through town (being on the Egnatian Way…trade route between Rome & Asia), they were obviously trying to paint Paul as “just another” one of the rest. Obviously, he wasn’t & he consistently maintained a pure lifestyle.

a. Even if “uncleanness” refers only to impure motives, the thought is the same. Our lifestyle needs to reflect the gospel as much as our lips do. How many times have you been sharing Christ with someone when they told you that they didn’t want to have anything to do with it b/c they’d already seen what Christians were like on TV? Our witness affects everyone else’s witness as well…

D. No deceit: (Nelson’s) “a word used also of a fishing lure to catch fish, suggesting trickery.” Paul didn’t attempt a ‘bait & switch’ on the people…he gave them the gospel, doctrine, love, and little else. Again, because of all the false teachers sweeping through town for the sole purpose of taking advantage of taking advantage of unsuspecting people there, Paul is distinguishing himself from the rest.

a. Beware of turning the gospel into a sales pitch! People are never going to be persuaded into the kingdom of God (God has to draw them – John 6:44) & when we start ‘selling’ the gospel through gimmicks & trickery, people rightfully get suspicious. There’s nothing wrong with creative attention-getters…but we should always be honest with our intents.

4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.

A. The gospel is something to be entrusted with…it’s something that the church has been given stewardship over. [Parable of the talents] God has entrusted us with something of FAR more value than a few talents of gold; He’s entrusted us with the good news of salvation and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. And since we have this stewardship, we need to remember what stewards do:

a. Stewards protect what they’ve been entrusted with… Like Paul preached without error, we want to preach the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. We don’t add to it through a gospel of legalism; we don’t water it down through a gospel of humanism; we don’t distract from it through a gospel of emotional sensationalism. We just simply proclaim and demonstrate the pure gospel of Jesus Christ.

b. Stewards use what they’ve been entrusted with… (Wiersbe) “Some Christians think that the church’s only responsibility is to protect the Gospel from those who would change it (Gal. 1:6–9). But we also must share the Gospel; otherwise, we are protecting it in vain.” Don’t be like the servant who buried his talent in the ground…use it!

B. Because Paul & Silas were approved stewards of the gospel (they were entrusted with it by God, just like us), they shared it in such a way to please God. Don’t miss this point! Too often we get the idea that we need to think up some way to please the ears of the person hearing the gospel – but that’s got things precisely backwards. The gospel belongs to God, so we share it in a way that pleases His ears – He’s the one we’re going to be giving an account to, so we seek to please Him. Do we want to be winsome? Sure – there’s no reason to be a jerk…our speech is to be graceful, seasoned with salt (Col 4:6). But whatever we share in the name of Christ, we want to ensure we do it in a way that pleases God 1^st.

a. We’re not going to be able to fool God on this account! We may be able to put on a show for people in the pews (or where-ever), but God knows! He tests the heart…

- Not only were their motives pure; their methods were as well…

5 For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness— God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.

A. Didn’t use “flattering words”: Love the way Swanson defines this – “flattering talk, blarney that gratifies one’s vanity.” Paul didn’t lay it on thick…he just spoke the simple truth.

B. Didn’t use “a cloak for covetousness” – i.e., not as a way to gain monetarily from the church. Paul never tried to trick the believers into supporting him; everything he did was with pure motives & out in the open.

a. Even goes so far with Timothy to tell him to watch out for teachers like this – 1 Timothy 6:5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. [] Beware teachers & ministries who seek to enrich themselves off of the church – they’re using the gospel as a cloak for covetousness.

C. Didn’t “seek glory from men”: Neither did Paul flatter the people nor did he expect to be flattered in return. He wasn’t looking for applause & adoration. Why? He was simply a steward! Stewards don’t get glory; they give glory to their Master.

a. Want a great test of an evangelistic or TV ministry? Look to see who the glory is being given to. People turn out in droves to a Billy Graham crusade, but the attention and focus is rarely on Billy; it’s always on the Lord Jesus. In comparison with some revivals on TV, the difference is striking! [] God’s glory is God’s; and He will not share it with another!

B. Didn’t make apostolic “demands”: Not only did Paul avoid trickery to gain a financial advantage – he also avoided obligating the church into giving money to him via guilt through his apostolic right.

- What did they do? Instead of burdening the church, they loved the church!

7 But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 8 So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.

A. They were gentle & cherishing: Though not everyone has the same experience with their mother, it’s hard for language to envision a gentler picture of loving, caring, and nurturing than a mother with her newborn babe. Up at all hours of the night, caring for their every need: dressing, feeding, changing, comforting – mothers simply impart life to their children. That’s the kind of love and caring Paul says that he & Silas had for the church…

B. They were “pleased to impart” the gospel to them: 2 aspects to this…not only did they actually preach the gospel in Thessalonica, but they were fully pleased to do it. Was it work? Yes. Was it exhausting? Surely (see vs 9). Was it worth it? Absolutely! When a newborn is crying for (yet another) feeding at 3am, it’s hard to imagine a time when you’d want a child to be a baby again – but inevitably we look back with fondness because our love for our children makes it worth it. Same with Paul – it was work, but he was pleased to do it because it meant their maturity in Christ.

9 For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.

A. How could Paul make the claim about imparting their lives to the church? Because they made a concerted effort not to be a burden to the church… [bi-vocational ministry] As long as the church wasn’t ready to support Paul, he wasn’t willing to burden them.

a. Does this mean Paul never ministered the gospel full-time? No – in fact, it would seem that Thessalonica helped him do just that while he was in Corinth…he robbed from Macedonia to minister to Corinth (2 Cor 11:8 ). [] The fact that they did support Paul’s missionary efforts speaks volumes about how quickly the church matured! They went from Paul giving freely to them & by the time he was on the road again after a few weeks, they were already supporting him in the ministry.

B. Bottom line: The ministry of the gospel is never about the minister; it’s to the glory of God & edification of the church. Finances should never get in the way or be a stumbling block to the gospel (and too often, it is!).

10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe;

A. Their character reflected their message:

a. They were devout… Some translations say “holy” – which isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s not the normal word Paul uses for “holy.” He’s not referring to being set apart by God as a saint, but rather to his personal piety. Paul obviously never paraded his prayer life in front of people (per the Pharisee in Luke 18:11), but neither was his personal relationship with God a secret. He consistently modeled (right) spiritual living to those around him.

i. Do you do the same in your home? How would your spouse or children describe your prayer and devotional life? Again – not pretentiously or moving outside your personal “prayer closet”…but if our families don’t know anything about our relationship with Christ, it might say something about the quality of our relationship with Christ.

b. They were just… Speaking of righteous living. AMP = “upright” If “devoutly” refers to their relationship with God, then “justly” refers to their relationship with people. Paul was no hypocrite with what he preached…he lived it out too.

c. They were blameless… Not merely that they were factually innocent in regards to the charges & rumors, but that Paul & Silas lived in such a way that when charges were made the blame couldn’t stick. People knew them better than that.

11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children,

A. The content of the message:

a. Exhortation – A call to action…moving doctrine from head to hands.

b. Comfort – An encouragement in trials…there was resistance, and Paul helped them through it.

c. Charge – A record of witness…Paul testified of the truth of the gospel & entrusted the same message he was a steward over to the newborn church. (Who was faithful in the proclamation of it! Ch 1:8 )

B. Interesting that Paul likens himself as both a mother and a father to the church. Like a mother, he nourished the newborn church with the milk of the Word. Like a father, he exhorted them to mature to the next level. (Not that parents can’t do both – but both ARE needed, no matter who the one is that does it.)

12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

A. What was the summary of this exhortation/charge? That they “would walk worthy of God” – we’ve heard this before! (Col 1:10 & Phil 1:27) Ephesians 4:1-3 (1) I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, (2) with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, (3) endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. []

B. Does the way we walk really matter? Yes! Why? Because God called us “into His own kingdom and glory”… He’s saved us, forgiven us, given us new life, and given us a promise of eternity! If for no other reason, we should walk worthy of God simply because we’re so grateful! This isn’t a motivation of legalism; it’s one of love…

Conclusion:

It was precisely because Paul had walked worthy of God that he could exhort the Thessalonians to do the same. No matter what rumors were flying around about Paul, his conduct and character consistently matched his confession. And because of this, people not only heard the truth of the gospel, but saw it demonstrated before their very eyes & were saved.

Somehow we’ve bought into this idea in American Christianity that we can go off & live any way we please – fulfill every hedonistic desire – and then still expect people to respond to the gospel. They’re responding alright, but mostly they’re turned off by it! They see TV ministers trying to use the name of Jesus as a magic word for whatever toy they want at the moment. The most consistent image most unsaved Americans have of Christianity is that of hypocrisy. May we continually pray for true revival in the church! May we pray for a move of repentance to sweep our nation that all parts of the Body of Christ would stop seeking after the stuff & glory of the world & start seeking Christ alone.

Way to Go!

Introduction/Background:

Name the most popular Christian book series in recent history? Left Behind. The whole premise of the story is what would happen to a group of people who got left behind in the rapture & then came to Christ? Not an uncommon question…it’s one that people have been asking for centuries. And even the church has asked, what would happen if we got left behind? Have we already missed the rapture?

That’s exactly the issue Paul was tackling with the church at Thessalonica. In both letters to the Thessalonians, Paul went into much detail about what the end-days were going to look like for Christians, and the moment that Christ Jesus would call every believer to Himself in the twinkling of an eye. And from that…why we should at all times be ready!

1^st read about Thessalonica in Acts 17. Paul & Silas had just gone through the experience in Philippi where they were unfairly imprisoned & God decided to get the guard’s attention through a miraculous earthquake. Paul had earlier received the vision from a man in Macedonia calling him to come & help them, and now Paul & Silas had officially gotten there. Once in Thessalonica, Paul followed his normal strategy by going to the synagogue. There he preached for 3 weeks until he was kicked out by the Jewish leaders.

At this point, scholars disagree on the timeframe. In Luke’s narrative, the Jewish leaders seize Jason (since they couldn’t find Paul) & drag him before the authorities…and Paul moves on to Berea. Whether this happened at the end of 3 weeks or over a period of a few months is unclear since Paul apparently had time to set up his tentmaking business in town & received some gifts from the church at Philippi. Whatever the case, the church at Thessalonica was basically comprised of nothing but new believers in Christ…which makes Paul’s choice of teaching pretty interesting. What we see in 1 Thess is a flyover of everything from the deity of Christ to purity in sanctification to the rapture & 2^nd coming. Likely this is a miniature version of what Paul taught in every city he started a mission in – and wasn’t able to finish in Thessalonica due to his short time there.

Underscores the importance of teaching doctrine within the church! Often church’s advertise themselves as the place to get the best coffee & hear the best jokes each & every Sunday morning…but that has very little to do why God calls us to gather together (doctrine, fellowship, breaking bread, prayers – Acts 2:42).

[MAP] Seaport & center of a trading route crossroads. Thus a lot of different people were passing through. There were some fairly influential Jews there, but a majority of Greeks & other gentiles. (City actually still exists today!) Fairly large city at the time with 2-300,000 ppl there. Date of writing? Probably one of the 1^st letters written by Paul around 51AD (~ 20 years after the Res).

Starts by greeting the church – and it’s a joyful greeting! Paul is rejoicing in their faith & the evangelism that has resulted from it. There’s much to praise God for…and Paul was never one to refrain from doing so. J

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 (NKJV)
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

A. Typical Pauline opening. We sign at the end; they signed at the beginning… Silas & Timothy were with Paul & surely sent the same sentiments, but Paul writes the letter in the 1^st person throughout.

B. What’s the bond between Paul, Silas, Timothy & Thessalonica? They are “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!” They are all part of the same family of faith. Paul may not have been there long, but he was utterly assured of the fact, as he’ll make plain throughout Ch 1.

a. God is our Father because we are in Christ. Always important to keep in mind b/c although God is the Father over all creation, until the point when we are born again, we are outside His family. We are at enmity with Him (Rom 8:7) & are of our ‘father’ the Devil (John 8:44). … BUT through Christ we have been born-again & received the spirit of adoption (Rom 8:15) – and now we have been brought into the very family of God! Not only can we call God our Father, but we can call Him “Abba!” Praise God!!

b. Jesus = His name; Christ = His purpose (anointed to save); Lord = His position (divinity). Paul stresses the divinity of Christ here – note how he links God the Father & Jesus together by them both being the source of grace & peace…

i. Never let anyone tell you that Jesus is less than God! If He’s not fully God, than the whole of the testimony of the New Testament is in doubt, He could not have risen from the dead, and our faith is in vain. Jesus IS God & He IS Lord!

C. Grace & Peace: Always the same sentiments, always the same order. Combination of the common Greek (Charis) and Hebrew (Shalom) greetings. Always in that order b/c the grace of God through Christ Jesus always precedes the peace of God…

2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,

A. Was Paul obsessed with the Thessalonians & never able to think of anything else but them? Of course not – but he did thank God for them every time he thought of them…and he hadn’t been out of Thessalonica for too long by the time he wrote the letter. But Paul always demonstrated a pastoral heart for the churches he planted – he wasn’t there to build up his own resume; he wanted to see them flourish. And prayer is essential for that!

B. What specifically did Paul remember? Their “work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope.” Sound familiar? 1 Cor 13:13 same grouping, listing their importance among the gifts. In 1 Thess, Paul writes what they produce.

a. “Work of faith”: Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? [] But there IS a work…believing on Jesus Christ: John 6:28-29 (28) Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” (29) Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” [] Are we saved BY our work? Absolutely not! We’re saved by grace (Eph 2:8-9)…we’re saved by HIS work on the cross! But when asked what to do to be saved, the answer is always the same: repent & believe…

b. “Labor of love”: Whereas work can be enjoyable, labor is generally something that leaves you exhausted. And living out true agape love can be exhausting, because it’s exemplified in service… [] We often say “A faith that saves is a faith that works” & that’s the labor Paul’s referring to here. Our love for Christ & each other isn’t a lovey-dovey-sit-around-a-milkshake sort of love. It’s active & serving the Lord Jesus however He calls us to serve Him.

i. Underscores our motive for service. Our love for Christ is our primary motivation for everything else that we do. If we go into something for the Lord begrudgingly, complaining the whole way, we need to ask ourselves if we’re doing it for the Lord…

c. “Patience of hope”: While we’re here, we’ve got to be patient until we get there. Personally, I’m really looking forward to heaven – but I’m not expecting it here on earth anytime soon. In this world, we will have trials (anyone saying otherwise is selling something); so we need the patience from the Lord in order to endure…and that comes knowing that there’s more to come. No trial is going to last forever; one day we will be face to face with Jesus!

i. BTW, we’re not just waiting for anything in general. We’re not looking for the 12^th imam of Islam…we’re not awaiting reincarnation. We’ve got patient hope in “our Lord Jesus Christ”

d. Notice this is all past/present/future. We believed in faith – we currently live out the love of Christ – we wait for the future hope of heaven by death or rapture.

4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.

A. Why do we have that faith, hope, & love? Because we’ve been elected by God. We don’t have time to get into all the doctrine of election (go back and read Eph 1 for details)… Suffice to say that if you’re a Christian, God HAS chosen (elected) you to be saved & praise God for it. ‘But I don’t understand how God can choose me & yet I’m commanded to choose Him?’ If you’re married, you didn’t have a problem with it then – why now?

a. The problem we have with election is that we try to use our finite minds to look at things through God’s infinite perspective. From before the foundations of the world, God loved you & appointed you for salvation. From my perspective, it happened in 1987 when I put my faith in Christ Jesus. He chooses us; we must respond to Him in faith – amen! That’s all we need understand.

B. Our election means that we’re beloved! It’s one of the defining characteristics… 1 John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us. [] That’s incredible! Because no matter how unlovable you may think yourself to be, God still loved you for the work that He wanted to see done in you through Christ Jesus. In fact, God loved you precisely when you were completely unlovable…and yet still chose you for His own.

a. ‘How do I know if God loves me like that?’ Find out: repent from your sin & trust Jesus Christ for your salvation…

5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.

A. How do Paul, Silas, & Timothy know that the church at Thessalonica is part of the elect? Because they saw them receive the gospel! Paul describes their conversion in verse 6, but here he describes how the gospel went forth.

a. In word: Faith comes by hearing & hearing by the word of God (Rom 10:17). If someone is going to be converted, they need to be told the gospel 1^st! Paul never hesitated to preach the word of life to people.

b. In power: The word is δύναμις, usually referring to the miraculous power of God [“dynamite”]. In Acts 17, there’s no record of miracles being performed…was something done that’s not in the Scripture? Perhaps. But don’t forget the greatest miracle that’s occurred to every person in Christ: you’ve been born again! Paul will expand on this in verse 6…

c. In the Holy Spirit: It’s impossible for the word of God to go out with power without the working of the Holy Spirit. I don’t understand why some would teach we don’t need to pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit – praise God He indwells us at salvation & seals us for eternal life, but He makes His ongoing power available to every Christian for the asking.

d. In much assurance: The grammar implies that the Holy Spirit was the one Who gave the church their assurance of salvation – as He does us. We’re told to examine ourselves to see if we’re in the faith (2 Cor 13:5); if we’ve truly repented & placed our life/faith/trust in the hands of Christ Jesus alone, the Holy Spirit will assure us of that.

i. If you don’t have that assurance, get on your knees before God & ask Him to search your heart. Ask Him to reveal whatever it is that has gotten in the way of repentance & faith…and then deal with it!

e. In integrity: Paul’s reputation had come under attack in Thessalonica by the Jews who wanted him kicked out – so he’s going to appeal many times to the church’s knowledge of how he acted (esp. in Ch 2). But the point is clear…if we expect to see people converted by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have to live lives that are demonstrably converted by Jesus Christ.

6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,

A. The result of the gospel going powerfully forth through the Holy Spirit? People were converted! They became followers of the Lord…how so? They became followers of Paul & Silas who followed Christ Jesus. Paul didn’t come to set up a sect devoted to himself; he taught people to follow (Gk: μιμητής ~ mimic) him so they would know what to do & how to live in order to imitate Christ. And the imitating Christ is basic discipleship 101: Matthew 16:24-25 (24) Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (25) For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. []

B. Not only did they receive the word, but they received it “in much affliction” – demonstrated when a mob took Jason out & hauled him before the leaders of the city accusing him of treason (Acts 17:7).

a. So often we think that we need the right environment to worship. For most of the world, that’s not the case! They are afflicted – and yet their faith not only survives; it flourishes…

b. In the middle of that affliction, we can have the “joy of the Holy Spirit”… Our joy isn’t based on our circumstances; it’s based on what God has done & is doing in us. He’s saved us – He’s adopted us – He’s preparing a place for us to that we can be with Jesus for all eternity…that’s a reason to have joy!

7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.

A. Because their faith flourished, they became examples to the whole church in Greece. Whether it was Corinth, Berea, Athens, or wherever – Paul could point to the church at Thessalonica & say “Look at them – they’re truly following Christ!” That’s true maturity…they learned from Paul how to imitate Christ & now other churches are learning to imitate Thessalonica in imitating Christ.

B. They weren’t just examples; they were evangelists…because of the work going on in the church, people all over the countryside were getting saved! Remember, Thessalonica was a major trade-route city – with people constantly passing through, they were able to witness to many people & all of Greece seemed to have heard of their witness. [] Even if they weren’t able to go to every corner of the world, they were able to help in that effort by aiding Paul in his journeys. 2 Cor 8:1 implies Thessalonica was one of the churches that helped supply Paul during his ministry in Corinth (somewhat to the shame of the Corinthian church).

i. Mentioned it before, but it’s worth remembering that because of your faithful giving, there are churches & missions in Mexico, Cuba, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Thailand, and more that are supported by CCT. From this little church in East Texas, the word of the Lord is sounding forth…praise God!

9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

A. Who are “they themselves”? The people coming in contact with the Thessalonian witness when passing through. Apparently Paul & Silas came across these people often & whenever they’d start talking to them, the people would say “Oh I’ve heard of you – you’re the ones who shared Christ with Thessalonica.”

B. Don’t you love hearing someone’s testimony? They know what they were, what they turned from, and what God did for them in Christ Jesus! For the Thessalonians, they were idol worshippers… After hearing the gospel, they turned from their idols to God… Now they actively serve the “living and true God”…

a. Notice the work of faith & labor of love here: (1) They turned in a work of faith to believe on Jesus Christ as Lord, apart from their idols. (2) They served the Living God in a labor of love…Paul ties in hope in vs. 10.

b. This is the definition of repentance! To “repent” is simply to “turn” away from sin & “turn” to God…

10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

A. I love this – it’s the gospel in reverse! From the perspective of the church, this is exactly what & why we’re waiting patiently with hope.

a. Jesus delivered us from the wrath of God at the Cross…we absolutely deserved it because of sin & He absolutely fulfilled it in His death. Praise God that for the believer, there is no wrath that awaits us…

b. Jesus is raised from the dead…essential fact! The gospel isn’t merely that Jesus died for our sins (everyone dies), but that He paid the price for our sins, proven & declared through the Resurrection! We don’t follow a dead prophet…or a dead teacher…or a dead anything. Worshipping something that’s not alive is the definition of idolatry. We serve a LIVING Savior!

i. Raised by God the Father. Scripture also affirms Jesus was raised by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:11) & raised by Himself (John 10:17-18). The whole Godhead takes part in the Resurrection – demonstrating not only the power of God, but the fact that Jesus IS God Himself. God alone has power over death; thus Jesus is fully God.

c. Jesus is alive in heaven & will be returning…

B. Notice the future tense here. The wrath of God was poured out at Calvary, but there is wrath yet to come (7 year Great Tribulation – written about in depth in Rev 6-18). And we will be delivered from it…this is not something Christians will go through.

a. Worth acknowledging that there is much debate on the subject of the rapture (and pretty much everything else concerning end-times). There are many Bible-believing, Jesus-loving Christians that view things vastly differently…but at Calvary Chapel, we believe in the pre-tribulation rapture (statement of faith). Want you to know this up-front, so you know the perspective from where we’ll be teaching it.

b. Don’t miss Paul’s point. Over & over throughout the NT, we are told that the Lord Jesus is coming back at any moment. In fact, it was the 1^st thing the apostles were told after Jesus’ ascension! (Acts 1:11) Are you ready?

Conclusion:

So the Thessalonians were doing everything the church should be doing! They believed in a work of faith – they were serving the Lord in a labor of love – they were awaiting the Lord’s coming in patience of hope. They weren’t couch-potato Christians just hanging around looking up for the Rapture; their hope in Christ’s return was so vivid that they could not help but go out and share the gospel with everyone around them. Amen! May every church in Tyler do the same thing…

Where we can get into trouble is in our distractions. We go to both extremes…either:

(1) The Lord hasn’t come yet, so we think we’ve got plenty of time to goof off & dabble in the things of the world. If so, we’re going to be surprised when He comes as a thief in the night.

(2) We get so caught up in the signs of the coming rapture that we neglect to tell people about the glorious gospel so that they might be included in it.

Let us have a patient hope…one that can be assured of things to come, but patiently serving our Lord & King until He does.

I’ll ask again: are you ready? Jesus Christ could literally call every Christian home at any time…are you going to be included in that call? I speak to so many people who think they are Christian because they’re decent people who provide for their family & go to church a few times a year…let me be clear: that in NO way makes anyone a Christian. What makes someone a Christian is by being born-again of the Spirit of God – and that’s only possible through the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus went to the Cross because we had a debt of sin we could not pay; so He paid it in His blood & life. He died the death you deserved…but He’s not dead today; He’s alive! He makes this offer of new life & forgiveness available to the entire world…but you must ask Him for it.