1 Thessalonians 4:1-18

Written ~ 10-15-2024

Read 1 Thessalonians Chapter Four

1 Thessalonians 4

After Paul found out that the Thessalonian believers were thriving and growing in their faith, his thankfulness couldn’t have been more sincere and heartfelt. In Chapter three we read how Paul longed to visit them and by sending Timothy he was at least able to find out how they were doing, and he was thrilled by the report he received. But in every culture, in every generation, it seems like sexual promiscuity was always something that was rampant, the lustful passions of both non-believers and believers were out of control. So, in this chapter Paul had to touch on this subject and warn the new believers in Thessalonica to stay away from sexual immorality. Then Paul changes the subject almost abruptly and answered some of their questions about what happens to fellow believers who have died.

At the end of chapter three Paul gives the believers this exhortation, “…may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. 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.” (vss. 3:12-13) 

In chapter four Paul continues with the importance of living to please the Lord…

1 Thessalonians 4:1-2…

1 “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.”

These believers relied on the instructions given to them by Paul and his companions. The instructions delivered to them were binding because the message Paul taught came directly from the Lord (see Galatians 1:12). In this letter Paul is reminding the believers of what he had already taught them… but some topics need to be reiterated. In this case it was sexual promiscuity.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-6…

“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.”

What we need to understand for us today… There is a lot of twisting of words… What is ok and not ok when it comes to sexual immorality? Some may think this applies only to “the obvious ones” such as, if they aren’t engaging in an extramarital affair or they aren’t having sex without being married, that means they aren’t falling into the sin of sexual promiscuity. For believers, God warns us to stay from all sexual sin. Did you know that sexual sin can include flirtatious behavior, especially when it’s done outside the marriage covenant? It includes infatuation and lust…Jesus said, “anyone who even looks at a woman (or a man) with lust has already committed adultery with her (or him) in his (or her) heart.” Sexual sin includes luring a man’s attention by the provocative way a woman dresses. In today’s society, social media has taken on a whole new way to exploit sexuality. The way your pictures (selfies) represent you can be just as sexually promiscuous as actually going out and having an affair. As a believer, please hear me, monitor the types of pictures you post of yourself on social media. It says in verse 4:4, “…each of you will control your own bodies and live in holiness and honor…” We aren’t any different than the people Paul was speaking to, it’s just now in the 21st century we have a wider range of how sexual misconduct can be portrayed. Remember, in this chapter Paul is speaking to believers, so I am speaking to believers as well and along with Paul I urge you to live in a way that pleases the Lord, live in holiness and honor. Verse 4:6 says, “…we have solemnly warned you before…” This topic of sexual sin is not a new one, it wasn’t for the Thessalonian believers and it isn’t for us today. It also says in verse 4:6 that when it comes to sexual sin, “…the Lord avenges all such sins…” That means there is punishment due for the person who will not heed the warnings about sexual sin.

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8…

“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.”

Those two verses couldn’t be any clearer. Not only does this apply to sexual sin, but it applies to anything we indulge in that falls outside the will of God. As a believer, it should be our upmost desire to please the Lord in everything we do. Let’s reiterate verse 4:8, “…anyone who refuses to live by these rules…is rejecting God…” What rules you might ask? Every instruction, every command, every rule we have been given by the Lord Himself from the Holy Scriptures. Paul uses the word “holy” in verse 4:3 and again in verse 4:7, it is God’s will for us to be holy, God has called us to be holy… so what does that mean? When we chose to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, His blood cleansed us from all sin and unrighteousness. In the eyes of our Almighty Father, we are holy, clean and sin free. Each day we are to conform to the image of Christ through the help of the Holy Spirit. If we are refusing to obey the Word of the Lord, it will cause us to engage in unholy actions and eventually lead us away from the Lord. Instead of repeatedly falling into sin we must continue to learn, to pursue the things of the Lord, grow in our faith and mature in our walk with our Savior and love one another with a Godly love.

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12…

“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. 10 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. 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.”

These verses have just as much to do with our love for one another as they have to do with our attitudes. The way we live our lives shows the world we belong to Jesus. So, if our conduct shows Jesus, people will be drawn to Jesus. If our conduct shows we are no different than the world, people will not be drawn to Jesus. When we reflect a reverence to the Lord, when we love and serve and keep our eyes on Him, people will notice that we are different. If we are living respectful, loving and peaceful lives, those around us will respect how we live and possibly be more inclined to hear about the Lord and how He transformed our lives.

The next section of chapter four is where Paul seems to change the subject quite abruptly. From fleeing sexual promiscuity and living holy lives to now answering questions about what happens to believers when they die…

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14…

13 “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. 14 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.”

We need to understand that these new believers had the misconception that Jesus was coming back very, very soon. Within their lifetimes in fact. That misunderstanding led to some confusion as to why their friends and family members were dying and Christ had not yet returned. Plus, since Jesus had not returned yet, they questioned what had happened to their believing friends and family members when they died. Paul’s response is one of hope for the believer, yes, we grieve for the loss of a loved one, it’s understandable and natural to grieve their passing. But the hope we have as believers, when the loved one who has died was also a believer, we have the assurance that earthly death is not the end of their story, their souls have been united with Christ. And when Christ does return, their bodies will be raised from the dead just as Christ was raised from the dead.

The explanation Paul gives in the final verses of this chapter should give every believer hope and peace that when you gave your life to the Lord, you will be with Him for eternity in Heaven when you die.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18…

15 “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. 16 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. 17 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. 18 So encourage each other with these words.”

Even though we don’t know when the second coming of the Lord will occur, we need to have the hope that when He does come back, He will join believers who have died and believers who are still alive with Him in heaven. Just as Paul said in verse 4:18, these are words we encourage each another with. We have hope!

The main thing we must keep in mind… that it isn’t the knowing of when this tremendous event is going to take place, but that it will take place, and we need to be prepared and ready at all times. This isn’t the time to be relaxed and live your life for yourself. No, it’s time to live for Christ with everything you’ve got!

Now let me speak to the person reading this who does not yet know the Lord personally. Don’t wait, since we don’t know when the Lord will return, this is not the time to delay making a decision to follow Christ. Once Jesus returns or you die without making the decision to put your faith in the one and only true God, it will be too late. Please consider today as the day you repent and come to Christ. Give your heart and life to Him and let the transformation begin. If you are ready to make that decision, say the following prayer with conviction and sincerity, then your life will be remarkably changed when the Holy Spirit comes, fills you up and takes up residence within you.

Dear Jesus, You know my heart, everything I have done and said. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse my heart white as snow. Breathe life into me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Shine Your light through me. And use me for Your Glory. Amen.

~AMEN~ and Amen