1 Thessalonians 4 Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 1 Thess 4:3-8

3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

A. Find Out:

1. How do they describe two sides of God’s will? v.3
2. What is the positive expression of that? v.4
3. What is the negative to avoid? v.5
4. What warning do they give? v.6b
5. How do they summarise our calling? v.7
6. What is rejecting this instruction? v.8

B. Think:

1. 1. Pick out the general principles in these verses?
2. 2. No pick out the specific ones about sexuality?
3. 3. How are the specific expressions of the general?

C. Comment:

     As the apostles move on into specific behavioral teaching they declare, first of all, a general principle: God wants us to be sanctified. What does that mean? To be sanctified means to be set apart by God to the use for which we’ve been designed, to be holy, different, conforming to His design, not the world’s design! The Bible tells us that we ARE sanctified when we come to Christ and we go through a PROCESS of being sanctified throughout our time on earth, and then will be ENTIRELY sanctified when we go to heaven. Obviously there are many things in our lives that need conforming to God’s design, and the apostles highlight here that of sexual behaviour.

     What does that involve? Self-control! What is the opposite of that? Unrestrained passion. What does that self-control involve? No sex before marriage and then only with one partner of the opposite sex for the rest of your life. That is God’s perfect design. This is holy living. Anything less the apostles call immorality, impure, and as such will incur the Lord’s punishment. People who disregard these instructions, say the apostles, don’t know God and are rejecting Him. Now apply this to the world in which we live in the West and see the extent that men and women think they know better than God. See also the fruits of this folly and realise they don’t!

D. Application:

1. God’s calling on us is to be different, conforming to His design.
2. Conforming has real, practical implications and consequences.

Passage: 1 Thess 4:9-12

9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: you should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

A. Find Out:

1. What do they next speak about, and say about it? v.9a
2. Why didn’t they? v.9b
3. What was the proof of that? v.10
4. What threefold ambition did they suggest for them? v.11
5. With what twofold result? v.12

B. Think:

1. What is obviously the fear in the apostles’ mind in v.9,10
2. Why do you think that is so important?
3. How would you summarise their directions in v.11,12?

C. Comment:

     In the coming verses the apostles seek to bring guidance about the Lord’s return. It may be that there in the church in Thessalonica, there were those who had heard initial teaching about Jesus coming back and therefore thought there wasn’t any point in being purposeful in the Christian life – it was just a case of waiting.

     We make this suggestion because no other reason is given to indicate why the apostles now brings the instructions they do. The first instruction is simply to love one another even more than they have done so far (v.10). The second instruction is to get on with life in such a good way that they will both open the hearts of others towards them and they will not fall into reliance on others. Both of these instructions counter a self-centred, individualistic, casual and lazy approach to life.

    On one hand there is the struggle against persecution and on the other hand the uncertainty about the future. Both these things can have an undermining effect in a person’s life. Opposition is wearying and uncertainty can lead into wrong thinking and then wrong actions. Very well, say the apostles, dig in for the long haul! Keep on establishing the unity of the church in love. Purpose to work, just getting on with your life, not bothering with the upheavals going on in others. Yes, it’s an uncertain life and there are upheavals all over the place and things are changing – so remain steady, don’t you be moved in the same way.

D. Application:

1. Do the world’s upheavals make me feel uncertain? Stand on the Rock.
2. Is life wearying? Work with a purpose, receiving God’s grace.

Passage: 1 Thess 4:13-18

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

A. Find Out:

1. What didn’t they want the church to be? v.13a
2. What didn’t they want them to do? v.13b
3. What did they first believe? v.14a
4. So what did they conclude? v.14b
5. Who will not proceed who? v.15
6. Who will rise first? v.16
7. Then what will happen? v.17

B. Think:

1. Read Mt 24:30,31, Acts 1:11 , 1 Cor 15:51 ,52, Jn 23:43
2. Why were the apostles speaking in today’s verses?
3. What point were they making?

C. Comment:

      There are always questions about our future, about Jesus’ return, and so, obviously, were there in the church in Thessalonica. The primary concern seems to be about those who have already died (v.13). “Fallen asleep” is the apostle’s description of death because they see it as a temporary state. Because God raised Jesus from the dead, they say, we also believe he will raise us from the dead (v.14). The fact that Jesus was literally raised implies a literal raising for us also. More than that, when Jesus returns, they go on, those who have died before us will come back with him (v.14). Jesus himself had spoken about this event (v.15) and so, they say, you don’t need to worry about your loved ones, they will come back with Jesus before he takes us who are still alive (v.15)

      The coming of Jesus will be clear and seen and heard by all (v.16) and when he comes, he will bring those who have already died with him. Then those of us who are Christians will also be caught up to be with Christ. These verses which are so clear and obvious put to death any theory about a “secret rapture” where Christians will be spirited away without the rest of the world knowing. They clearly link it with the very prominent return of Christ. Revelation 19:7 onwards sees this in a wider context of Jesus coming to deal with the world!

D. Application:

1. “The end” is still a mystery – but death is not the end!
2. The ultimate end is us in eternity with God. Rejoice!