Category: 1 Thessalonians

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1 Thessalonians

Because the Lord is coming (part 2)

1 Thessalonians

As Paul concludes this letter, he gives the Thessalonians some final instructions on how to live in light of the Lord’s coming.

He told them,

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

The Thessalonians were going through a lot of persecution. But Paul said in the midst of it all that it was God’s will for them that they rejoice, pray continually, and give thanks in all their circumstances whether good or bad.

I can’t help but wonder if Paul looked back to this experience in Phillipi, just before he came to Thessalonica.

He and Silas had been beaten and thrown into prison for the gospel. How did they respond? They rejoiced, singing hymns to God, praying and giving thanks in the midst of their circumstances.

The result? God literally shook that place and not only delivered Paul and Silas, but brought salvation to their jailer and his family.

And so now, because of his own personal experience, he could encourage the Thessalonians to do the same in the midst of their hardships.

Paul then admonished the church,

Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. (19-22)

How do we put out the Spirit’s fire and extinguish his work in our lives?

First and foremost by not listening to him and trusting him. That was the problem with the Israelites while they were in the wilderness on the way to the promised land. (Hebrews 3:17-19)

That’s why Paul says don’t treat prophesies with contempt. God can speak through people even today.

But at the same time, test their words. Test them by scripture to make sure their words are from God. And if they are, hold on to them. If they are not, reject them.

But however God speaks to you, through people, through his Word, or whatever, don’t just dismiss Him. In doing so, you put out the Spirit’s fire in your life, and when the Lord comes, he will hold you accountable for it.

Finally, Paul ends with a prayer.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (23)

And Paul reminds us,

The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (24)

Because the Lord is coming, may we live lives that are holy and blameless. But remember that it is not by your own efforts that this will happen, but by the power of his Spirit.

So hold on to Him. Don’t quench him in your life.

Instead, let him fill you to overflow, not only making you blameless and holy, but touching the lives of those around you.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (28)

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1 Thessalonians

Because the Lord is coming

I am coming soon

After talking about being ready for the Lord’s return, Paul gives us some instructions on how we as a church and as individual Christians are to live. And he starts with our relationships with each other.

In talking about our leaders within the church, Paul says,

Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 

Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

How often do we take our pastors and other church leaders for granted? How often do we criticize them and disrespect them for their mistakes or failings?

The truth is, we all fail. We all could be subject to criticism if the spotlight were put on us.

But while it is true that leaders are to be held to a higher standard, Paul tells us, “Respect your leaders. They’re working hard for you, probably more than you know.

And don’t just respect them, hold them in the highest regard. Do this in love because of all that they do for you, for God, and his kingdom.”

Why? Because the Lord is coming.

We don’t have time to constantly criticize our pastors and leaders for every little fault they may have and every little mistake they may make.

God will hold them responsible for what they do. He is their judge, not you. So instead of making their lives miserable, Paul says,

Live in peace with each other. (13b)

Remember that while they may be over you in the Lord, they are also your brothers and sisters. So instead of fighting against them, work with them as God leads them and you.

Paul goes on to say,

And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (14)

Pastors and leaders in the church are not the only ones subject to criticism. Often times, others are too. And if they are truly in sin, Paul tells us we are to warn them.

For others, they are timid and easily intimidated by the Enemy in this spiritual war we fight. So encourage them. Stand and fight by their side. Help them be strong in the midst of their circumstances.

Others in the church are weak, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. And Paul says to help them. For they are our brothers and sisters too.

And for all these, we are to be patient with them, knowing that the Lord is patient with us too. God hasn’t given up on us. We shouldn’t give up on each other.

Finally, Paul says,

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. (15)

Even within the church, people wrong us. And it can be hard to forgive.

But again, the Lord is coming. And we can’t afford to hold grudges and bitterness in our hearts. So Paul says to again leave judgment to God, and instead respond with kindness to those who wrong us.

And not only to those within the church, but to those without, that they may see the love of Christ and may be drawn to him too.

The Lord is coming soon.

How are you treating your pastors and leaders?

How are you treating your brothers and sisters in Christ?

And how are you treating those people God has put around you outside the church?

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Being ready for Jesus…whenever he comes for you

1 Thessalonians

A lot of people wonder when Jesus will come back. The Thessalonians wondered about it back in Paul’s day. People wonder about it today.

But Paul essentially reiterates what Jesus said: “We don’t know when Jesus will come back. So be ready for his return every day. That way you’ll never be surprised.”

Paul says,

Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

While people are saying, “Peace and safety,”destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day.

We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.

For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-9)

One thing we learn about the last days before the Lord returns is that people will have a feeling of security. That all is well, and that without God.

Jesus said people will be feasting, marrying, buying and selling, planting and building. Such were the times before the flood. Such were the days before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

These things in themselves, of course, are not evil in themselves. But these people had turned their backs on God and had become completely immoral, calling good “evil” and evil “good.”

Sound familiar?

And just as God swept down on them in judgment, so God will sweep down on judgment once again when Jesus returns. Only those like Noah and Lot will be spared.

Why were they spared? Because they were ready for the Lord’s coming in judgment.

So Paul tells us, don’t live in the darkness of sin, but live as children of light. Live lives such that if your actions are exposed, you have nothing to be ashamed of.

Put on faith, believing in the love God has for you, and believing that his way is best.

Put on love, love for God and love for others, letting it shape your attitudes and your actions.

Put on the hope of your salvation, so that you don’t get discouraged by the hardships you face. Rejoice in knowing that God hasn’t called you to suffer his wrath, but to receive his salvation.

And know that though you will be with the Lord forever someday, that starts today. He desires that we live in relationship with him…today…as we live here on earth. (1 Thessalonians 5:10)

Finally, remember that though the Day of the Lord, the day of his return to earth, is still in the future, for you, the “Day of the Lord,” the day he comes back for you personally, could happen at any time.

You could die in an accident. You could have a sudden heart attack. You could die in an earthquake. Tomorrow is not promised to you. So be ready.

How about you? If the Lord came for you today, would you be ready?

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The hope that we have

Gravestone of hope

“Hopes are for the living; the dead have no hope.”

Those were the words of an ancient Greek poet, and it epitomizes how many people in Paul’s time saw death.

For that matter, I talk to many Japanese today that have that same outlook. They have no hope beyond the grave. For them, this life is all there is. For some reason, many of the Thessalonians had a similar outlook.

Perhaps in seeing their own people die for their faith, they wondered, “What will happen to them when Jesus comes? Will they miss out on the hope and joy of his coming?”

To this, Paul gives a clear no.

He told them,

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.

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.

According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 

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.

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 forever.

Therefore encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Why do we have hope beyond the grave? Because Jesus himself experienced death and was raised again. And Jesus told us, “Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19)

Paul tells us more, that when Jesus comes back, those who have already died will be raised to meet him.

Paul teaches in Philippians that when we die, we immediately go to be with the Lord (Philippians 1:23), and Jesus’ own words to the thief on the cross were that the thief would join him in paradise that very day. (Luke 23:43)

So the picture seems to be that whatever remains of all those who have died in Christ, bones, dust, or whatever, will be raised and joined to their spirits which are in heaven now.

And after that, we Christians who are still alive will also be caught up to meet Jesus and we ourselves will be changed, given new bodies that are imperishable and incorruptible. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

I do believe, by the way, Christians will be around for the tribulation period when Antichrist shows up. I really hope I’m wrong, but that’s how scripture looks to me.

It also shows in the word that Paul uses for “meeting” the Lord in the air. The word is has the idea of meeting a VIP outside a town and escorting him back to their town.

So the picture seems to be that we Christians will meet the Lord in the air and escort him back to earth where he will begin his thousand year reign.

And Paul says from that point on, even though there is much to happen after that, including a final rebellion by Satan, we will always be with the Lord, never to face death ourselves again.

That’s the hope we have. It’s the hope we are to share with those around us who have no hope. And it’s the hope we are to encourage our brothers and sisters with when life becomes a struggle and they feel they can’t go on.

Our troubles will not last forever. Jesus will come back, and all will be made right.

So though all that we go through in life, let us rest in this hope that we have.

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That we may win respect

1 Thessalonians

Hypocrisy.

If there is a word that people like to throw at Christians, it’s hypocrisy.

And too often, it’s all too fitting.

Unfortunately, it was also true in the time of Paul. By the way some Christians were living, they were bringing Christ into disrepute. And so Paul dealt with that in writing to the Thessalonians.

In chapter 4, he’s talking about how we should walk in a manner that pleases God.

Yesterday, we talked about being a clean temple for God.

In the first century, as is true today, sexual morals were extremely loose, and so Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to be sexually pure, and not defile their bodies which are the temple of God.

When we live impure lives, we blend into society rather than standing out from it. And as God’s temple among unbelievers, we are called to stand out.

Paul then shows the Thessalonians another positive way to stand out from society. He told them,

Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia.

Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more. (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10)

The world knows all about lust. They know much less about what true love really is, and most spend much of their lives trying to find it as a result. But Jesus said,

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:35)

When we as Christ’s church love each other, it attracts them.

When the the world sees Christians couples who still love each other even after years of marriage it attracts them.

When the world sees such diverse people in one church caring for each other despite their differences, it attracts them.

When the world sees the church reaching out to touch the lives of those who are hurting, it attracts them.

Why? Because they see something we have that they don’t.

And so Paul tells the Thessalonians, “You do love each other. But do so more and more. Let your light shine ever brighter through the love that you have.”

But there was another problem that the Thessalonians had. A number of them were lazy. Perhaps they thought the Lord was coming soon, so they thought, “Why work?” And they were just leeching off of other Christians.

In doing so, however, they brought disrepute to the name of Christ.

And so Paul says,

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. (11-12)

We cannot live as leeches and shine the light of Christ. Nobody likes a leech.

Further, we’ll see in 2 Thessalonians that not only were people leeching off others, they were being busybodies. And people were looking at them, and saying, “Is this what a Christian is?”

And so Paul admonishes them, “Work. Don’t be dependent on anyone. For in doing so, you’ll win the respect of those unbelievers around you.”

How about you? When others see you, what do they see? Do they see a person filled with the love of Christ? Do they see people who are diligent in all they do?

Do you stand out in this world for the right reasons?

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To be sexually pure

sexual purity

We live in a world much like the times of the New Testament, a world in which sexual impurity is rampant. We see it in TV shows, movies, commercials, the internet; wherever you look, it’s there.

But in buying into the times, we take a cheap imitation of what God intended for us. Instead of lasting relationships where two people truly become one, we take temporary thrills which ultimately leave us broken and empty.

The numbers of people that have been devastated by sexual sin are innumerable. We see divorce, children without fathers (or mothers), unwanted pregnancies and abortions, STDs, and people torn emotionally apart because of it.

In short, we are far from the whole people that God intends us to be.

And so Paul tells the Thessalonians and us,

Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 

For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him.

The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-6)

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.”

What does that mean? It means that we are to be set apart for him. To be his temple that he can dwell in. Paul says in 1 Corinthians that our bodies are his temple. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

But in order for our bodies to be set apart for him, we need to be sexually pure. For when we sin sexually, Paul tells us that we sin against our own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18)

Put another way, when we sin sexually, we defile the very temple of God.

So right after Paul tells us that it’s God’s will we be sanctified, he adds, “that you should avoid sexually immorality.” That means any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage.

Paul tells us that we are not mere animals that simply give into their “instincts.”

Nor are we like those who don’t know God and his will. God has revealed himself and his will to us. And he has given us the ability to make choices.

More, he will hold us responsible for those choices.

When we sin sexually, we wrong the brother or sister that we sleep with.

Not only that, if they are married, we wrong the one they are married to. And if we are married, we wrong the one that we are married to. Paul says we will be judged for that.

For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. (1 Thessalonians 4:7)

Just as God called the Israelites from all the nations to be a holy people, he calls us to be holy as well. The question is, are you?

Paul is very strong about sexual purity, saying,

He who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. (8)

In other words, Paul is saying, “I’m not just giving you my opinions. This is what God is saying. And if you reject what I’m saying, you’re rejecting God.”

Are you rejecting God by the way that you’re living? By violating a gift that he has given to bind two people in marriage?

Remember Paul’s words when he says,

You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

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Ready to face opposition

1 Thessalonians

Nobody likes persecution. Nobody likes being disliked.

But as Christians, that’s a reality that we have to prepare ourselves for. There are some people that simply will not like us because of our faith in Christ.

This is a truth that all Christians need to be prepared to face, and Paul made sure the Thessalonians were ready when he was with them. He said,

We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.

You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. (Philippians 3:2-4)

Destined for trials. Destined for persecution. These are not words that Christians want to hear, but Paul warned the Thessalonians about these things.

Because of that, they were prepared. When persecution came from their own people, they didn’t falter. Rather they stood firm. (1 Thessalonians 3:6-8)

And so should we.

But remember that God does not call us to stand in our own strength. We need to rest in his strength.

Part of that comes from continuing to grow in our faith through the Word of God. Paul prayed that he could come to the Thessalonians once again so that he could, “supply what is lacking in your faith.” (3:10)

None of us are perfect in our knowledge of Christ. All of us need to continue to grow in our faith. So we need to continue to plug ourselves into his church in order to get the spiritual nutrition and strength we need to stand in times of trials.

That comes through the preaching of the Word. But it also comes through the relationships we have with each other as God pours out his love in our hearts, and we learn to love each other and all those God puts into our lives. (3:12)

But most importantly, it comes as God himself strengthens our hearts through his Spirit who dwells in us. And so Paul prays,

May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. (1 Thessalonians 3:13)

As we live our lives for Christ, Satan will oppose us. That’s a given. We see it in Paul’s life, we see it in the Thessalonians’ lives, we see it throughout church history.

Are you ready to face his opposition?

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Words of God? Words of men?

Bible

We often talk about the Bible as the Word of God. But do we treat it that way? As words that truly come from God and are to be obeyed? Or as words from men, to be followed if we like them, but can be discarded if we don’t?

The Thessalonians had made their choice, and we see it in verse 13. Paul tells them,

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

God works in our hearts as we hear his Word and receive it into our hearts. The question is, do we receive it?

Some words are easy to receive. Words about God’s love and grace. But other words are not so easy. Words about holiness. Words about our accountability to him.

Of course, the most important words we need to receive are the words of the gospel. That we can be saved only through faith in Christ alone and his work on the cross. That we can do nothing to save ourselves, and that we need to turn to Christ for our salvation.

Those in the Thessalonian church believed right away. But others didn’t.

The Jewish leaders killed Jesus and the prophets that came before him. They then compounded their evil by driving out Paul from Thessalonica and other places for preaching the gospel. And Paul said of them,

They displease God and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved.

In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last. (15-16)

These Jews as well as the Thessalonian’s own countrymen treated God’s words as mere words of men. The result? They heaped up sin in their lives and God’s wrath fell on them.

How about you? How do you treat the words of God? As words from one who should be obeyed? Or as mere suggestions from flawed humans?

God will hold you accountable for the words that you have heard him speak.

So let’s take them seriously and follow them, that we might find blessing, and each day be transformed more and more into his likeness.

What is God telling you today?

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Genuine ministers

1 Thessalonians

I was reading Philippians 1 with my wife the other day, where Paul talked about how he praised God that the gospel was spreading even though it was through people who preached with impure motives. (Philippians 1:15-18)

The implication being of course, that God can use people to spread his gospel and have it be effective even though these “ministers” will receive no reward at all.

But Paul not only preached the gospel, he was a genuine minister in every way. And we see that in this passage.

We see that in his boldness in preaching, even in the midst of persecution (1 Thessalonians 2:2, but also see Acts 16-17).

And when he taught, he taught accurately, not trying in any way to deceive or manipulate the Thessalonians, but with pure motives. (1 Thessalonians 2:3, 5)

In short, he acted as someone who had been given a trust from God, and more than anything, he sought God’s approval above anyone else’s. (4, 6)

Sometimes Christians soft-pedal the word of God because they are afraid they might offend people.

But Jesus offended people all the time by speaking the truth, particularly the Pharisees and other religious leaders.

And he not only spoke of the love of God, but of the judgment to come for all who rejected him. (Matthew 7:21-23 and 25:31-46 among many other passages)

Paul picked up on the example of Jesus. He told the Ephesians,

Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. (Acts 20:26-27)

Here he references Ezekiel 33 where God warned Ezekiel not to hold back on warning the people of God’s coming judgment, because if he did, God would hold Ezekiel responsible.

So Paul’s purpose whenever he preached the gospel was not to please people, but his Lord.

And yet, his heart for people was also very evident. He never demanded things of them as an apostle of Christ, abusing his authority with them. Rather he was gentle with them, willing to give up his very life for them. (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8)

As a mother, he nursed them in their faith, and as a father, he worked hard for them so that they would not have to support him, but rather that he could support them.

More, as a father, he encouraged, comforted, and urged them to live lives worthy of God. (6-12).

And as a spiritual parent, he was an example to them, living a life that was holy, righteous, blameless, and totally above approach.

That’s what a genuine minister should look like.

But before you start looking at these things and start judging you own pastor, look at yourself.

You see, you are called to be a minister too. A minister to your family, to your friends, and to those around you. You are, as Paul put it, Christ’s ambassador to those God has put in your life. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

So the question is: are you a genuine minister of the gospel that God has entrusted to you?

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A genuine faith

Genuine

This is one of Paul’s earliest letters, perhaps his earliest, written during his second missionary journey.

It was written to the church in Thessalonica, and many things that Paul alludes to in this letter can be found in Acts 16-17, from his troubles in Phillipi to all that happened when he started the church in Thessalonica.

When you read Acts 17, you find out that he was forced to leave Thessalonica much earlier than he had probably wanted to because of some troublemaking Jews who despised the gospel, and who as a result, got him in trouble with the local authorities.

Because of this, and perhaps because of persecution these new Christians were going through from their own countrymen, Paul had been worried that perhaps they were starting to falter in their faith.

So he sent Timothy to check on them, and to his relief, he found that despite their afflictions, they were doing just fine. And so at the start of this letter, he tells them how much he thanks God for all of them.

But in doing so, I think we see the marks of a genuine faith. What are they?

Paul says,

We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:3)

1. A genuine faith doesn’t simply sit. It produces fruit, namely good works.

Jesus said, “You can tell a tree by its fruit. A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.” (Matthew 7:16-20)

2. A genuine faith is prompted by its love for God and for others.

It doesn’t do things because it feels obligated or forced. It delights to do these things.

3. A genuine faith has hope for the future, that Jesus will come back and that all that is wrong in the world will be made right. And because of that, it can endure all things, including any trials or persecutions that may come.

That’s what Paul and others saw in the Thessalonians.

But there is more.

4. Genuine faith comes when people hear the gospel, and the Holy Spirit convicts their hearts of sin.

In short, people cannot claim to have genuine faith and willfully continue in sin. Rather, they understand how bad it is, and the price Jesus paid that we might be forgiven. (5)

5. Genuine faith comes with the power to change through the Holy Spirit, who not only convicts us of sin, but renews our hearts so that we can live a new life. (5)

He in fact, comes to dwell within us and renews us day by day.

6. Genuine faith is also filled with joy through the Holy Spirit, even when facing trials. (6)

7. Genuine faith makes itself known to the those around them. People around us can tell there’s a difference in us. (8)

What kind of difference? That we no longer serve the gods of this world, whether idols, money, possessions, sex, or other such things. That we now in every way serve the true and living God.

As a result, our focus is no longer on things of earth, but on things of heaven. And with that comes love, hope, and inexpressible joy, which brings us right back to our first three points.

What kind of faith do you have?