1 Thessalonians 4: 1-12
“A Walk That Pleases God”
Vs. 1-3a Walking In His Will
Vs. 3b-8 Walking In Self Discipline
Vs. 9-10 Walking In Love
Vs. 11-12 Walking To Win
Intro.
In First Thessalonians Paul covers their past, present and future. He reminded them how they became Christians and how to maintain their walk with the Lord. Next week Paul will address their future and how that should influence their present. Today, Paul brings up the present; twice in these 12 verses he speaks to them about their walk. It is in fact one of Paul’s favorite subjects in all of his letters. The Christian life begins with a step of faith, which must lead to a walk of faith. Paul uses the word walk 31 times in his letters using several Greek that can be rendered “walk” in English.
- One word means to “march in rank, to conform in virtue and holiness”, Paul uses that word only four times.
- Another word means “to move all around” and is the preferred word that Paul uses as he uses it twice in this passage as well as some 33 other times.
I find it interesting that when Paul is speaking of a “walk” that pleases God he doesn’t use the Greek word that means to “march in some ordered perspective”. Instead he uses the word for “walk” in the Greek that means “freedom of movement”. Saints, a walk that pleases God is not “rank and file marching around” it is about a “life of freedom” that is only found in obedience to God’s Word!
Vs. 1-3a Walking In His Will
Vs. 1 The word “finally” doesn’t mean he is finished, it means that Paul is going to speak about the practical application of “establishing your heart blameless in holiness”, (verse 2:13). I notice Paul tells them five things in verse 1 then they need to know if they are going to have “hearts established in holiness”:
- Brethren: First, whatever he has to say from here on out is qualified by the fact that they are believers in Jesus. Paul is not asking them to do something that they are not capable of doing, he is asking them to be what they are as a Christian!
- We Urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus: Walking to please God is not an option it is a necessity that grows out of a healthy relationship with God. Paul begs them and exhorts them in the “Lordship of Jesus”. This reveals to us that the lack of spiritual growth in a believer’s life is always a “Lordship” issue! Some people will respond to the gospel message that emphasizes Jesus as Savior, because no one wants to go to hell. But He is not your Savior if He is not your Lord!
- That you should abound more and more: Thirdly, Paul uses the word “abound” and in the Greek it describes a bud of a flower coming into full bloom. The flower is starting to open to reveal the beauty of their Christian life, but he didn’t want them to stop but to allow it to come to full bloom. The Christian life is designed to come into full bloom; it ought to pick up speed as we go along.
- Just as you received from us how you ought to walk: Fourthly, Paul tells them that they had already been instructed on how to walk so now he was only telling them to keep going.
- To walk and please God: Lastly, It is our growth in His grace that pleases Him. Folks, it’s not your profession of faith, or what you say you believe that pleases Him. Are you? Right now are you closer to Him than when you first made your profession of faith? Has there been a study growth towards Jesus? “Does all your life please God?”
Vs. 2 The word “commandments” is a military term that means “orders handed down from the superior officer”. These were not suggestions; they are commandments from the Lord Jesus. Many things would clear up if we just applied this in our lives!
Before we were Christians our main interest was to please ourselves. As Christians our main interest is to please God not ourselves. Our first question ought to be, “Does this please God?” You cannot have the benefits of being a Christian and live only to please yourself.
Vs. 3a You can go to any Bible book store and o see books on the “will of God” but right here we are told that the will of God is. Its concern is for us to always center our lives around being set apart. A life that is pleasing to God is one that is in the Will Of God! And the Will of God for us is, “SANCTIFICATION” or “to be separate for God’s use”. This is not the Lord’s hope, He insists on it! It’s His will for your life! Every believer is already set apart for God’s use, so it is not something that we attain instead it is a state by which we through His grace live our lives. If we are not right now living a set apart life for God then according to Paul we are not pleasing Him! Paul is going to suggest three areas where they need to make sure that they were set apart.
Vs. 3b-8 Walking In Self Discipline
Vs. 3b Abstain from sexual immorality: The Bible has a lot to say on the subject of sexual relations. The word “sexual immorality” is the word where we get our word pornography from and refers to any sexual relationships outside of the marriage covenant. Paul is going to state this principle both in a positive way and a negative way as he lived in a culture where sexual immorality was encouraged. Paul didn’t care that this was seen as normal and good, it is God’s will that people be sexually pure. Sex was designed both for procreation as well as pleasure, but Satan has corrupted this making sex outside of marriage what people want. There is no mention of why Paul says this to these believers as such this was to prevent them from going in the wrong direction to start with.
- Vs. 4 Positive: Knowing how to possess your vessel in sanctification of honor. The word vessel here can both refer to our own bodies or your spouse. In either case the idea is to control our lives sexually in a way that pleases God.
- Vs. 5 Negative: Not in passion and lust like the Gentiles who do not know God. Believers living to please God we are not to be driven by our lust! Marriages that are based upon lust will not last! You should find someone who is attractive but the most important feature is not whether they turn you on, it is whether they are turned on towards the Lord!
Vs. 6 Paul says to not live a separate life to God in the area of sexuality will cause social implications as well as spiritual ones and God will judge those who disregard this.
Vs. 7-8 Paul here lists two reasons for his statement:
- Vs. 7 It is your call: If you are a believer then this is what God has called you to. We are not called to be unclean but rather to be Holy even as He is holy! Sexual immorality is inconsistent with who we are now in Jesus! Paul said in 1 Cor. 6:9-12 that we “should glorify God in our bodies and in our Spirit, which are the Lord’s.”
- Vs. 8 To reject it is to reject God: Now this is a universal truth, if you reject the counsel of God’s word then you are not rejecting man’s opinion but Gods. A believer never has an excuse for sin, for we are called to holiness. A holy walk involves being self-disciplined which means that we want what He wants to the denying of pleasing our flesh!
Vs. 9-10 Walking In Love
Vs. 9-10 Paul tells them that what pleases God is to walk in love. They were already walking in love towards one another but here he tells them that they need to increase more and more in this. Our nature determines our actions! He tells them that they are already enjoying success in this area and to continue to blossom in the area of love. Perhaps those people who get under your skin are there to enable you to grow in your love towards others? We are not called to love people based upon their deserving of it we are called to love folks because it is part of our new nature in Christ!
Vs. 11-12 Walking To Win
Vs. 11-12 Lastly Paul tells them that they ought to walk in a way that pleases God and be an example towards those who do not know Jesus. We ought to walk in a way that wins others and Paul tells how that is done.
- A quiet life: Literally a life that holds its peace. Instead of protesting this or picketing that we are to live out what we believe by doing two things:
- Mind your own business: Don’t put your nose into a place where it does not belong. Taking care of me is a full time job as I get into enough trouble without trying to fix the world. If I would only put as much effort into allowing the Lord to fix me as I do the world I would be far better off!
- Work with your own hands: Mind your own store. Keep busy, an idle mind makes for a troubled heart! We ought not use God’s blessing upon our life to make us lazy. Some of these Christians had left their jobs and were sponging off of other Christians.
Vs. 12 As we do this we not only walk properly with the Lord we also do so towards those who are not believers. There you have it, who are you pleasing?
1 Thessalonians 4: 16b-18
“Just do it”
Vs. 16b-18 The Comfort of Being Caught Up
Intro.
In 1990 this article appeared in the L.A. times: CLEVELAND — A woman finished her first marathon Sunday after mistakenly entering the 26-mile Revco-Cleveland Marathon instead of the 10K event in which she had intended to compete. “I thought the marathon had already started,” said Georgene Johnson, 42, of Akron. “So I just took off with the rest of the pack.” Both races had the same starting lines but four miles into the race, she realized something was wrong because the turnaround point was nowhere in sight. She ran up to a male runner and asked, “This is the 10K, isn’t it?” She was then told she was running in the marathon. She said she “felt so dumb that she just stood there and started to cry.”
She even asked a police officer to drive her back to the starting line to compete in the 10K but the officer didn’t have a patrol car. She thought about quitting but right in front of her was a man running and on the back of his shirt was the Nike phrase, “Just do it.” So she did! She finished her first marathon in 4 hours, 4 minutes, good enough for 83rd place in the women’s division.
She was asked some time later about her experience and said, “This isn’t the race I trained for. This isn’t the race I entered. But, for better or worse, this is the race I’m in.” How about it saints, has your Christian race of 10K turned into a Marathon? Well Paul has some “Just do it” words for you to keep you in the race!
Vs. 16b-18 The Comfort of Being Caught Up
On a side note let’s deal with Israel’s feasts and how they relate to a Pre-Tribulation rapture of the church. This is one of those areas where godly people disagree: “Will the rapture happen before the tribulation period, during the tribulation period, or after?” Both 1 Cor. 15 as well as this verse speaks of this trumpet or shofar being blown at the rapture. I think this gives us a clue as to when the rapture will happen. According to Lev. 23 there were seven Holy “convocations” or sacred assemblies the Lord gave to Israel. The word “convocations” literally means “rehearsal”. These seven feasts were to be a rehearsal for the real thing. As you look at them they fall upon certain months of the Jewish calendar.
- Passover: Is on the 14th of Nisan or March – April. This is when Jesus was killed as the Lamb of God.
- Unleavened Bread: Is on the 15th of Nisan, again March – April. This is when the sinless body of Jesus was buried.
- First Fruits: Is on the 16th of Nisan. This is when Jesus rose from the dead and became the “first fruits” of those who would be risen from the dead.
- Feast of Weeks or Pentecost: Is on the 6th of Sivan or May – June. This is when Jesus birthed the Church. Notice that there is a big span of months with no feasts. The picture is Jesus has birthed the church and we have been here on the earth being the instruments of His word and grace.
- Feast of Trumpets: This feast occurs on the 1-2 of Tishri or Sept. – Oct. The Feast of Trumpets happens right after the seven weeks of mourning Sefira, (July – Aug.) which was where they remembered that their temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B. C. Oddly enough the second temple would be destroyed in the same month on 70 A. D. The Temple was the place of unbroken fellowship with the living God so when the temple was destroyed Israel could no longer offer sacrifices to God.
The feast of Trumpets, “Rosh Hashanah”, is the Jewish New Year. It is the festival of celebration and days of joy and holiness. It is “Rosh Hashanah” that the Jews remember the binding of Isaac upon the altar and God granting Abraham a Lamb Himself for a sacrifice. This is the time frame in succession, the time when the church will be gathered together to be with him in great joy.
- Day of Atonement: On the 10th of Tishri (September- October) you have “Yom Kippur” a day when the Jews are given a rest for the affliction, which will take place at the end of the Great tribulation, when Jesus returns to give rest for His people.
- Feast of Tabernacles: This is the last of the seven feast days on the 22nd of Tishri (September- October). This feast is to remind them that God tabernacled among them during the time in the wilderness and of course will again do so during the millennial reign of Jesus.
Looking at the Jewish Feasts in light of biblical prophecy; “All of the feast days have happened up to the feast of trumpets, the rapture of the church which will be followed by the return of Jesus and His millennial reign.”
As I look at the different views concerning the rapture of the church:
- First it appears that the rapture has to happen before the great tribulation which clearly does not fit the post tribulation position.
- Second the mid tribulation does not work either when you consider Rev. 1: 19 and 4:1. In the Rev 1:19 John outlines the book of Revelation into three specific time frames,
- The things which you have seen
- The things which are
- The things which will take place after these things.
It is after the time frame of the church that John hears a trumpet saying “come up here”. The rest of the book speaks of the great tribulation. A fact that is further brought out as the word church appears 19 times in the book but it doesn’t appear during the seven year tribulation period.
Vs. 16b “And the dead in Christ will rise first.” At the rapture of the church those who have died and are in the presence of the Lord will rise first. This does not mean that He will reunite them with their old body, for Paul tells us that in 1 Cor. 15:35 the resurrection of the human body is like the growing of a plant from a seed. The flower is not the identical seed as the plant, yet the seed produces the plant. So we Christians shall receive glorified bodies like the body of Jesus.
Vs. 17 The words rendered “caught up” in Greek har-PAD-zo and translated into Latin is “raptus” where we get our English word rapture. The word carries five ideas:
- To catch away speedily: It’s the same word used to describe Philip being taken away after he led the Ethiopian to Christ. When the Lord returns, we who are alive will be caught away quickly, in the twinkling of an eye. Thus we should live every moment of our lives as if He were going to take us quickly.
- To seize by force: This speaks of the enemies’ attempt to keep someone captive. Saints it is foolish to allow the world of things to be so captivating as to be seized by force.
- To claim for one’s own self: Here the picture of the rapture is from the Lord’s view claiming a bride for Himself.
- To move to a new place: Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for us, so when he comes he is taking us to that place. That’s the picture here.
- To rescue from danger: Clearly we are rescued from the danger of the wrath of God poured out upon an un-repenting world.
The word “meet” means “meeting a royal person”. This is an everlasting meeting for we will always be with the Lord. The goal of redemption is not just to rescue us from judgment, it is to bring us to Jesus. There we will not only be reunited with Jesus but also with those departed loved ones who are in Christ!
Vs. 18 We are told that these words are to be a comfort to believers. During the great tribulation we know that roughly 3 ½ billion people will die. I suggest to you that these words will offer no comfort for post tribulation believers or even the mid tribulation believers but they sure do offer hope to Pre-tribulation believers!
There is a gravestone in an old British cemetery that reads, “Pause, my friend, as you walk by; as you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you will be. Prepare, my friend, to follow me!”
Some guy added a few lines to the epitaph: “To follow you is not my intent, until I know
which way you went!” Do you know which we you are going? Are these words a comfort to you?