1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

 

Rachel Workman: 4 Finally, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] 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. ² For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

³ God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. ⁴ Then each of you will control his own body^[b] and live in holiness and honor— ⁵ not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. ⁶ Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife,^[c] for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. ⁷ God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. ⁸ 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.

It's pretty obvious that the world is rejecting God. How dare anyone even suggest that anything sexual is even a sin. We live with lustful passion like pagans who do not know God's way. Except we do. It is for our good that we are warned against sexual sin. The world says anything that feels good is good. And the results? People can't even decide what gender they are.

____________________________________________________________________________________

John Burnett:  Finally then, brothers and sisters, we request and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel even more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you knows how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;  As Paul states here, it is crucial that we obstain from sexual sin as it completely detroys our testimony and derails the process of sanctification.  Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ and Christ never committed a sexual sin or any sin for that matter. 6 and that no one violates the rights and takes advantage of his brother or sister in the matter, because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you previously and solemnly warned you.  Vengeance is mine says the Lord and those who claim to belong to God that commit sexual sin will pay a very high price.  I tremble to think of the wrath God will pour out on the priests and pastors who sexually abused people entrusted to them to shepherd. 7 For God has not called us for impurity but in sanctification. 8 Therefore, the one who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.  Repentance in this area is only granted by the Holy Spirit who is given to us by God the Father by His grace for the Glory of His Son.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Tomorrow’s reading for 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

⁹ But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other,^[d] for God himself has taught you to love one another. ¹⁰ Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers^[e] throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.

¹¹ Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. ¹² Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

 

John Burnett:  6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, 7 for this reason, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; 8 for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. 9 For what thanks can we give to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice because of you before our God, 10 as we keep praying most earnestly night and day that we may see your faces, and may complete what is lacking in your faith?

11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you; 12 and may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the [a]coming of our Lord Jesus with all His [b]saints.  Paul is exhorting the Thessalonians to love all people and in verse 13 he begins to refer to the hope we have in the return of Jesus Christ.  There were false teachers that were telling lies about the return of Jesus Christ and that the Thessalonians had missed it.  In chapter 4, Paul sets the record straight.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Tomorrow’s reading for 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

4 Finally, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] 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. ² For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

³ God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. ⁴ Then each of you will control his own body^[b] and live in holiness and honor— ⁵ not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. ⁶ Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife,^[c] for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. ⁷ God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. ⁸ 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.

1 Thessalonians 3:1-5

 

Rachel Workman: 3 Finally, when we could stand it no longer, we decided to stay alone in Athens, ² and we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our brother and God’s co-worker^[a] in proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith, ³ and to keep you from being shaken by the troubles you were going through. But you know that we are destined for such troubles. ⁴ Even while we were with you, we warned you that troubles would soon come—and they did, as you well know. ⁵ That is why, when I could bear it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong. I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you and that our work had been useless.

The trials and testings that come to our lives as Christians are not accidents—they are appointments. We must expect to “suffer for his sake” (Phil. 1:29). Persecution is not foreign to the believer (1 Peter 4:12), but a normal part of the Christian life. Paul had repeatedly told them this while he was with them.

We must warn new believers that the way is not easy as they seek to live for Christ, otherwise, when trials come, these babes in Christ will be discouraged and defeated.

____________________________________________________________________________________

John Burnett:  1 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it best to be left behind, alone at Athens, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you for the benefit of your faith, 3 so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we have been destined for this.  Christ promised persecution for Christians.  This persecution is not limited to the early Church.  4 For even when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it happened, as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be for nothing.  Persecution of the Church tends to purify the Church of those who are playing Church.  I once heard a story of a Russian Church that was meeting when a group of Russian Soldiers busted into the Church to stop the service.  They told the congregates that you could save your life and leave if you wanted to but those who chose to stay for Christ's sake would be killed.  The majority of the congregates left immediately and only a small group of worshipers were left waiting to die for Christ.  Once, everyone who wanted to leave left, the soldiers closed the doors, put down their guns, and said," We didn't want to worship with those who don't belong to Christ," and they began hugging their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

This same persecution is taking place in China, yet the Church is growing at a very fast rate.  Once the fullness of the gentiles takes place, Christ will return.  With the growth of the Church in China, we are getting closer and closer to our redemption and glorification we are promised as adopted co-heirs with Christ.  Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Christianity in China

____________________________________________________________________________________

Tomorrow’s reading for 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

But now Timothy has just returned, bringing us good news about your faith and love. He reports that you always remember our visit with joy and that you want to see us as much as we want to see you. ⁷ So we have been greatly encouraged in the midst of our troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters,^[b] because you have remained strong in your faith. ⁸ It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord.

⁹ How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence. ¹⁰ Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith.

¹¹ May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. ¹² And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. ¹³ May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.