A Walk Through 1 Thessalonians 4
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Chapter 4
'Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and His ways. Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before.' 1 Thessalonians 4:1-6
Dear family, brothers and sisters, live for Jesus. Live in a way that pleases Him. He is Lord, and He wants us to be separate for Him in this world. Don’t cave in to sexual sin, don’t violate your wife. Leave the worldly lust behind, and don’t engage like the heathens. We are called to love God, obey Him, and love our own wives too. The Lord does avenge sin, and it’s a heavy weight to come under His judgment – don’t do it. Love God and love your wife!
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'God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives His Holy Spirit to you. But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God Himself has taught you to love one another. Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.' 1 Thessalonians 4:7-10
Live holy lives, obeying God, and loving one another. Keep loving your brothers and sisters. Keep after it. Keep on it!
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'Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.' 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
Get busy, trusting God and working hard. Others will observe and respect you. And when you speak, they will trust you and give ears to your words.
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'And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with Him the believers who have died.' 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
So we can know what will happen to the believers who have died. And we don't need to grieve without hope. Grieve yes, but hold on to the promise. Jesus will bring them with Him when He returns. All of them. And so we have hope!
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'We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet Him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.' 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
Jesus' return will be amazing. Sudden. Unexpected, I expect. Yet this promise is directly from the Lord. Jesus gave it to Paul, who gave it to the Thessalonians, and then to all of us. There's a day coming, and nobody gets left behind - all the believers will be with Jesus in the air. Be encouraged!
About the author: Brett and Debbie Mason joined All Nations in 2016, and serve on coaching and pastoral care teams. They have worked in the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, Honduras, and now encourage and mentor workers in the US, and many regions abroad.
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