1Thessalonians, Chapter 4
Copyright © 1999 Darroll Evans-All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

The topic in this section is sexual immorality.

Christianity carries with it responsibility.

Some would have us believe that God drags us through life by the hair, forcing us into all sorts of situations.

That is an immature view.

Responsibility is something many do not wasn’t to accept.

We are to act responsibly toward all people.

Such conduct is pleasing to God.

Paul reminded the Thessalonians that they you knew the "commandments" he and others gave them through the authority of the Jesus.

Yes! It is true.

Christ has commandments.

Furthermore He expects Christians to live by them.

Christians just don't do certain things.

The world would have you believe that people don't come to Christ because Christianity is so negative.

That is a LIE!

People don't come to Christ because they are not called.

Because they are not called, they are "unwilling" to accept responsibility.

The will of God for every believer (and non-believer) is that he or she abstains from sexual immorality.

When you are called, you are sanctified or set aside for His use.

As a Child of God, you have been called, sanctified and justified before the Father through the work of the Son.

Romans 8:28-31
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Because of our sanctification, it is the will of God that we abstain from sexual immorality.

Sexual immorality may take the form of physical or spiritual sexual immorality.

In verse 4 Paul uses a strange phrase when he says, the Thessalonians "should know how to possess" their vessels in sanctification and honor.

The English appears to be telling us to "gain" or "acquire" our vessels or bodies.

That is also what a shallow literal translation would lead you to believe.

However, the Greek means "to gain or acquire control of."

Only a believer may gain control of his or her vessel.

That control is gained through reliance on Christ Jesus.

The Non-believer does not know God.

In His or her spiritual ignorance lustful passions more easily erupt.

Have you noticed that you may be watching a good drama on TV when suddenly a "lust" scene is "exhibited."

That false scene fails to add anything to the drama or story line, so why did the writers add it?

The ability of TV "writers" has deteriorated to the point that they cannot do anything that is not based on sex and vulgarity.

Writers write about what they know.

Sex and vulgarity is all they know.

Godless people act in that manner.

Some pretend to know God, but in secret they act adversely to their "public" image.

They are just pretenders!

Paul goes on to say that no person should try to defraud or take advantage others.

It is a vain act that shall reap its reward.

A Christian need not seek revenge for such acts, because God shall repay the perpetrator.

The fact of God's retribution is universal.

Reward is an interesting word.

It may indicate something good or bad.

Jesus said, Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12)

What will your reward be?

God has not called His children to live impure lives.

We have been called to reflect the sanctification He has bestowed on us.

Paul continues, subsequently, the person that rejects this truth is not rejecting a man's doctrine.

He or she is rejecting God.

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10
9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

Brotherly love should not be a matter for debate or discussion.

Christ told us to love one another PERIOD.

If God "so loved" the world (John 3:16), why do we find it so difficult to "so love" one another?

I humbly suggest that we practice Christian love until we get it right.

We are not called to lust after the world, but to love the lost enough to present Christ to them, and allow the Holy Spirit to call whom He will when he will!

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

Some see this section as a prayer.

I am not one of them.

"Study" (Gr. philotimeisthai-filotimeisqai ) indicates ambition.

Our spiritual ambition should be to lead quiet lives doing those things that God has set before us, and behaving appropriately toward non-believers.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Here, we find one of the more studied sections of scripture.

It is a "must read" for would-be eschatologists.

We will take it one verse at a time

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

The first thing we find is that Paul does not want his fellow Christians to be ignorant.

This statement has nothing to do with their personal IQ, but it has everything to do with their Christian education.

This concerns those who are “asleep.” 

The ancient world referred to those who were dead as being asleep. 

Since this letter was written to Christians, we may rightfully assume that Paul is referring to those Christians who had died.

Christians are not to be in despair because some in the faith have died. 

We have hope, the hope of resurrection.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Paul goes on to say that if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, "God" will bring with Him those that have fallen asleep, or died in Christ Jesus.

That brings up an interesting point.

Why did Paul say, will God bring with him?"

I submit that this is a reference to God the Son.

That is not a popular speculation.

God the Son is returning "with" the Saints.

Now, whether they return with him in the normal sense or they are resurrected at the same instant He returns is another matter of speculation.

Good and faithful Christians differ on this, but it is a minor matter that need not divide us, as we shall see. 

However, this verse says plainly, “Will God [the Son] bring with Him.” 

No matter what your personal belief in that matter, the results will be the same. 

All who are in Christ Jesus shall come with Him in one way or another.

2 Cor 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

At this point, Paul uses PROPHECY to speak to the Thessalonians.

There is no prior scripture to which he may appeal for this statement.

The phrase, by the word of the Lord, indicates a prophetic message.

There are two basic kinds of Christians.

There are those who are physically dead but spiritually alive, and those who are both physically and spiritually alive.

All Christians whether physically alive or dead, are spiritually alive.

Jesus said, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (Matthew 22:32)

Prevent (Gr. phthasoomen-jQaswmen) speaks of going before, or preceding. 

Those who are alive when Christ returns will not precede those who had died in Christ in the resurrection. 

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Let’s look at verse 16. 

It may also be translated, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven in (Gr. en-en) a shout, in (gr. en-en) the voice of the archangel, and in (Gr. en-en) the trump of God: and the dead in (Gr. en-en) Christ shall rise first”. 

To those with eyes to see and ears to hear Christ's return will not be a secret thing.

Paul says that Our Lord Jesus Christ shall (English & Greek future tense) descend with (in) a shout as of the voice of the archangel, and with (in) the "trumpet of God," indicating a reverberation heard around the world.

Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

The "clouds" indicate witnesses.

Every eye shall see him!

All the families of the earth shall mourn in deep grief because of him.

“Families of the earth” does not indicate Christians!

We are not “of the earth!”

Our citizenship is in heaven!

Phil 3:20 For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

The Bible tells us that the dead in Christ shall rise first.

Then we that are alive (in Christ) and remain physically shall be caught up together with them in the clouds (among the cloud of witnesses) to meet the Lord in the air, never again to be separated from the One Who has loved us so much that he died for us.

1 Thessalonians 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

This section and this chapter ends on a note brings hope to all that call upon the name of the Lord of Glory.

For what reason, because of His promised return, comfort one another with these words.

There is one other thing that I feel compelled to say about this last section.

As you read it, notice that there is no pre, mid, or post tribulation timetable mentioned here.

Those that try to squeeze this into a pet theory are doing so without Biblical mandate, and in my opinion doing so as a disservice to Christ.

It should be enough for us to know that He shall return at the correct moment.

The timing of His returns is in the hands of The Father, not the children.

Chapter 5
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