Sunday School Lesson - 1 Thess. 4:1-18 - CALL TO HOLY LIVING
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in 1 Thess. 3:1-13, we heard Paul tell the Thessalonians why Timothy had been sent to them and why he was unable to come with him. After expressing his praise and personal elation over Timothy's glowing report on them, he expressed three broad pastoral concerns essential to the continued growth and survival of this young church, which are just as relevant to evangelical churches today, like MHBC, as the to churches of the First Century. Here they are: (1) In order to survive, a church must actively work to strengthen and encourage the faith of its members. We must stay strong in the fundamentals of the faith-preaching, teaching, personal evangelism, ministering to needs, corporate prayer and worship, and keeping encouragement at the forefront of our interactions with one another. (2) In order to survive, a church should always be prepared to face afflictions or persecution. We must understand that Christian suffering is part of the Christian life. The key is being mature in our faith, simply because mature Christians have real staying power when things get tough and handle various trials as an inevitable consequence of life. As part of this, we must also be prepared to respond to Satanic attacks on our own spiritual family. (3) In order to survive, we must increase and overflow in love for one another, and for all people. True agápē love is what truly distinguishes us from the rest of the world. This unique characteristic is what gives us God's power to accomplish what is otherwise impossible. It defines who we are.
This week, in 1 Thess. 4:1-18, we'll hear Paul shift the emphasis of the letter to instructions for practical Christian living. Although Timothy brought back a generally good report on this young church, he also revealed some concerns relating to moral purity, in particular, sexual immorality; the need to expand their love outside the church to all believers in Macedonia, to mind their own business and work to support themselves, and doctrinal clarification regarding the Second Coming of Christ.
Read 1 Thess. 4:1-2 - THAT YOU EXCELL EVEN MORE
1 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.
v. 1a: "Finally then, brothers and sisters" - The word "Finally" doesn't mean Paul is about to end the letter but is simply moving on to new subject matter.
v. 1b: "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" - Learning to live (or "walk") and please God is a process of biblical instruction and application, which is neither natural nor innate-it's learned. Although Paul says on the one hand, "request and urge," as if it's a suggestion, he follows with the command "ought (Gk. dei,. lit. is necessary, mandatory) to walk," on how a believer must live in order to "please God"; in other words, godly behavior is voluntary, but if you want to please God, it's absolutely necessary, not optional. Do you see that distinction?
v. 1c: "(just as you actually do walk), that you excel even more" - While Paul isn't accusing them of walking wrongly, he wants to make sure that they know for know how to walk rightly from this point forward. That they "excel even more," tells them that they will get better at it with practice.
v. 2: "For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus." - The term instructions" is given in the sense of a military order, in effect, by Jesus Christ, with the expectation that they will be obeyed explicitly.
Read 1 Thess. 4:3-8 - ABSTAIN FROM SEXUAL IMMORALITY
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no one violate the rights and take 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. 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.
v. 3a: "For this is the will of God, your sanctification" - "For" connects the commands that follow to a "walk" that "pleases God" (v. 1) and is "the will of God" for every believer. "Sanctification" means set apart by God and comprises three phases: (1) Positional: when a person is saved; (2) Progressive: the process of spiritual growth throughout a believer's mortal life; and (3) Future: when the believer is perfected in heaven. Thus, holiness isn't a one-time achievement but a life-long growth process.
v. 3b: "that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality" - This is the first of three commands. The word for "abstain" (Gk. apechó [ap-ekh'-o], lit. to be away from, keeping a distance from) is a strong word. It establishes a line that should never be crossed. God approves of sex, encourages us to procreate; however, any sexual activity outside the bounds of heterosexual marriage is immoral.
v. 4: "that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor. Second command: The term "vessel" has been variously interpreted to mean your body or your wife. In either case, it pertains to sexual self-control. A key term is "know how," that is, how to "possess" a proper understanding of sex in terms of "sanctification and honor." According to God's design and plan (Gen. 2:24), this may only be accomplished through the marriage of a man and a women-period, no exceptions!
v. 5 "not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God" - In the Gentile Greek culture of that region of the world, home and family life were near to extinct and sexual fidelity in marriage was virtually non-existent. And sexual debauchery often accompanied the worship rites of the pagan gods. Thus, people were generally free to act according to their "lustful passion" without regard to social consequences or official repercussions. They had no knowledge of the one true God. It's no surprise that some Gentiles in Thessalonica were attracted to the strict social order of the Jews.
v. 6a: "and that no one violate the rights and take advantage of his brother or sister in the matter - Third command: The term "brother or sister" usually identifies a fellow believer, but probably means any fellow human in this context. The principle underlying this is that sexual immorality wrongs the partner in the illicit act by involving him or her in an act contrary to God's will.
v. 6b: "because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you previously and solemnly warned you" - This is the first of three reasons to abstain from sexual immorality: God will never leave sexual sin unpunished. The overwhelming effect of this can be seen in its impact on the home in the present (e.g., Christian divorce rates) and in the future will also result in a loss of eternal rewards for those who chose to ignore God's truth.
v. 7: "For God has not called us for impurity, but in sanctification" - This is the second reason: Sexual sin absolutely goes against God's calling for any believer. For the Thessalonians who had responded to God's effectual call, Paul is telling them (and us, as believers), that God's call has no place in it (or room) for "impurity" (in this case impurity of heart), because sexual purity is clearly made known to us by the truth of God's revelation-the Bible. Sexual impurity stains a believer and brings disgrace before God, certainly, and before others, very possibly. In contrast, our call does include the "sanctification" of sexual relations according to God design and plan as explained in v. 4.
v. 8: "Therefore, the one who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you" - This is the third reason: So far we've learned that sexual immorality is an offense against (1) our families, (2) our calling (i.e., damages/destroys our witness), and here, an offense against God's Holy Spirit that indwells us as believers, in short, an insult to God Himself. At the same time, if a believer yields to the Spirit, it will guide him or her away from sexual sin.
Read 1 Thess. 4:9-12 - WE URGE YOU TO EXCEL EVEN MORE
9 Now as to the love of the brothers and sisters, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 10 for indeed you practice it toward all the brothers and sisters who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to excel even more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we instructed you, 12 so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.
v. 9: "Now as to the love of the brothers and sisters, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another" - Here, Paul changes the subject to Christian love. Not only is a believer to have control of his or her body but also to have a heart of love for their Christian brothers and sisters. This is a sharp contrast to the pagan society around them, which was characterized by love of self rather than others. Love makes Christians distinct.
v. 10: "for indeed you practice it toward all the brothers and sisters who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to excel even more" - Paul praises the Thessalonian believers for the love they have shown for those in their church (which probably comprised a fairly sizeable area geographically) but challenges them to "excel even more" by sharing their Christian love with others who are outside the church. Paul fully understood that the real power and attraction of the gospel was to draw people into the church by demonstrating love. It's easy for us to love people we know and understand but much harder for strangers we don't know and have little in common with.
v. 11a: "and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and" - Paul now shifts to three areas of encouragement them are connected to Christian love for one another. The first, leading "a quiet life," means not being frenzied or uptight in a way that impacts others (i.e, a busy body) but to be calm and collected. This requires us to be more conscious and controlled as to how we affect others.
v. 11b: "attend to your own business and" - The seconds could be rephrased as "minding your own business." Butting into other's affairs uninvited is very simply inconsiderate and unloving.
v. 11c: "work with your hands, just as we instructed you - Third, God expects us to support ourselves as long as we are able and to never take unfair advantage of the generosity of others. The expression, "work with your hands," a metaphor for manual labor, means you should be willing to undertake any kind of job in order to support yourself before seeking the charity of others.
v. 12: "so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need - In the context of v. 11, behaving "properly" means reflecting a self-responsible image to those outside the church.
Read 1 Thess. 4-13-14 - THOSE WHO ARE 'ASLEEP' (Change of Topic)
Note: As mentioned earlier, Paul and Silas were forced to leave Thessalonica before their foundational teaching of Christian doctrine had been completed. In the interval since that time, one or more believers in Thessalonica had died. This caused concerns among them about those who die while awaiting Jesus' return. What was their status? Will they participate with living believers in the joy and glory of the Second Coming or has their death somehow disqualified them? We will now hear Paul address those concerns in the remainder of this chapter.
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed the rest of mankind do, who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.
v. 13a: "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters" - Paul is evidently breaking new ground regarding the status of believers who died while waiting Jesus' return.
v. 13b: "about those who are asleep" - Paul uses "asleep" as a metaphor for death, and it's particularly apt, since death's finality for Christians is removed by the assurance of resurrection.
v.13c: "so that you will not grieve as indeed the rest of mankind do, who have no hope" - While we Christians do grieve over the death of loved ones, we have the "hope" of seeing them again, Amen? In contrast, the pagans viewed death with great horror as the end of everything.
v. 14a: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus" - Notice that Paul did not say that Jesus was asleep but "died." This underscores that fact that Christ bore the full horror of death so that those who believe in Him will not have to. Therefore, "if we believe Jesus died and rose from the dead," it stands to reason that "God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus." We all agree that we are disciples of Jesus, yes? Jesus told His disciples: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be." (Jn. 14:3)
Read 1 Thess. 4:15-19 - THE DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST
For we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore, comfort one another with these words.
v. 15a: "For we say this to you by the word of the Lord" - We covered this previously in 1 Thess. 2:13 a couple of weeks ago: that Paul speaks with the authority of God so that his spoken and written words are in fact the Word of God.
v. 15b: " that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep" - What Paul says in this verse is not in the gospels but was received by him through direct revelation and is accepted doctrine. What it means is that when Christ returns, the living believers will not have any precedence or advantage over those who are asleep (i.e., died).
vv. 16-17: In these two verses, Paul spells out the order of events. In the first phase (v. 16), three noises will call the dead (in Christ) to rise from their sleep/graves: (1) Jesus Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, (2) the voice of an archangel will be heard (Michael is the only one named in Scripture), and (3) the trumpet of God will sound (in Scripture, trumpets proclaim the presence of the Lord). "Then," which announces the second phase (v. 17), the living and the dead will be "caught up together" from the earth into the air to meet Christ. This is the rapture, which is a Latin transliteration of the expression "caught up." Since the "air" is Satan's dominion, this represents a triumphal gathering of the righteous in open defiance of the devil in his own stronghold. In saying that they are caught up "together," Paul makes the point that neither the dead nor living believers will enjoy any advantage over the other at Christ's second coming. Notice that "we (i.e., believing Christians) will always be with the Lord" no matter how we arrived.
v. 18: "Therefore, comfort one another with these words" - This verse sharpens Paul's concern for those who've lost loved ones who believe. He wants them to be reassured that their loved ones haven't lost anything because they died prior to Christ's Second Coming.
APPLICATION-Holy Living:
1. Sanctification in this life-progressive-isn't a one-time achievement but a life-long process. In practical terms, sanctification is a process of biblical instruction and day-to-day application, which is neither natural nor innate-it's learned, and as we learn, we get better and better at it with practice. The goal of sanctification is to show us how to walk-live-in a way that pleases God (v. 1).
2. God never leaves sexual sin unpunished. When God commands us to abstain from sexual immorality, it is a line that should never be crossed. This lesson teaches us that sexual immorality is an offense against (1) our families, (2) our calling as Christians (i.e., destroys our witness), and (3) against God's Holy Spirit that indwells us as believers, in short, an insult to God Himself. The surest way to avoid this sin is to yield to the Spirit, which will guide you away from it.
3. The real power and attraction of the gospel is Christian love. Paul understood that the real power and attraction of the gospel was to draw people on the outside into the church by demonstrating love. It's easy for us to love people we know and understand, like those in our church, but it's much harder to show that same love to strangers we don't know and may have little in common with. It takes action, and that's what agápē love is all about, deciding and taking affirmative steps to show love to people.
APPLICATION-The dead in Christ: When Christ returns, the living believers will not have any precedence or advantage over believers who have previously died. Paul spells out the order of events. In the first phase (v. 16), three noises will call the dead (in Christ) to rise from their sleep/graves: (1) Jesus Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, (2) the voice of an archangel will be heard (Michael is the only one named in Scripture), and (3) the trumpet of God will sound (in Scripture, trumpets proclaim the presence of the Lord). "Then," which announces the second phase (v. 17), the living and the dead will be "caught up together" from the earth into the air to meet Christ. This is the rapture, which is a Latin transliteration of the expression "caught up." Since the "air" is Satan's dominion, this represents a triumphal gathering of the righteous in open defiance of the devil in his own stronghold. In saying that they are caught up "together," Paul makes the point that neither the dead nor living believers will enjoy any advantage over the other at Christ's second coming.
CLOSE IN PRAYER
