The Day of the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Up to this point in Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica, he has been talking about the second coming of the Lord.  We went into that in great detail last Sunday.  Paul refers to that event at the end of chapter 4 as the coming of the Lord.  Now as we begin to look at chapter 5, we need to recognize that he is still speaking of this same event.  Chapter 5 does not introduce a new topic, but is a continuation of what he was saying about the coming of the Lord.  The chapter designations are not original to the letter, but editors added those later.  Sometimes it would seem to indicate a new topic, but that is not always the case.  In this case, he is still talking about the same subject.

And as he continues to speak about this event, he calls it by another name in 5:2, which is the day of the Lord.  The day of the Lord is the same event as the coming of the Lord.  Jesus spoke often of the day of His coming, and Matthew 24 was obviously what Paul was thinking of when he wrote this passage.  In Matthew 24:42-44 Jesus said, "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think [He will.]”

We also  find Peter speaking of the coming of the Lord as the day of the Lord in 2Peter chapter 3 vs 4 and then speaking of it by another term in vs 10.  He says in vs4 “[they will say, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For [ever] since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.’”  And then in vs 10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

So the coming of the Lord is His second coming, in which He comes to claim His church, and to judge the unrighteous, and to make a new heavens and a new earth, which begins the eternal reign of Christ on earth with His people.  It’s also referred to as the day of wrath.  It all depends on your perspective.  As a Christian, it’s a day of deliverance, a day of resurrection from the dead, a day when we will be glorified in a new body, in a new heaven and new earth, and so we shall ever be with the Lord. 

But for the unbeliever, those who have not received Jesus as their Savior and Lord, it will be a day of judgement, it will be a day of wrath, a day that ushers in the second death, which lasts forever.

Now it’s understood by reading between the lines that the Thessalonians had some questions or concerns about this event. First, they had questions concerning their loved ones, who had been believers, but had since passed away.  They wanted to know what was going to happen to them at the second coming.  Perhaps they were looking for Christ to come back soon, in their lifetime.  But some had passed away and Christ had not yet returned, and so they wanted to know what was going to happen to those who had died in the Lord.  

The answer to those concerns is found in chapter 4:13-18.  Paul says, don’t worry about the state of your saved loved ones who have passed on.  Those who are alive will not precede those who are asleep, but actually the dead will be resurrected first and join Christ in the air and then those who are still alive will also be raised up to meet them in the clouds. 

Paul then briefly describes the second coming of Christ, and then closes that question by saying, “therefore comfort one another with these words.”  They could be comforted knowing that their loved ones were not going to some how be left out because they had passed away before Christ’s coming.

The other question that they presumably had asked Timothy to convey to Paul concerning the second coming, was when was this going to happen?  It’s the same question the disciples had asked Jesus back in Matthew 24, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”  I think it’s the same question that many people ask  today.  Peter said it would be a point of disbelief for many in the latter part of the church age. 2Peter 3:3-4 “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with [their] mocking, following after their own lusts,  and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For [ever] since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

So everyone, both believers and skeptics, want to know when these things are going to happen.  Many false prophets have suggested dates when they thought that Jesus would appear.  One of the first was a man by the name of William Miller, who began a sect or cult known as the Millerites that eventually morphed into the Seventh Day Adventists.  He taught that Jesus was going to come again sometime in 1843-1844.  His views became quite popular and a number of newspapers began to publicize their immediate expectation of Christ’s coming.  But Jesus didn’t come on the first date set, and then He didn’t come on the second date set.  The movement became known as the Great Disappointment.  But nevertheless, it set the stage for a host of false views concerning eschatology, many of which are still predominantly held in mainstream churches even today.

The late radio teacher Harold Camping of Family Radio, which had an international audience, was one of the latest to make such claims.  His organization even put up bill boards in many major cities in the US and even around the world, proclaiming that May 21, 2011 would be the day of judgment.  A lot of people who had believed  his programing and prophesies were greatly disappointed on May 22, 2011.  People actually sold things, and made final arrangements for their pets and businesses and so forth, all because they believed in what Jesus said we should not pay attention to.  That is, no man knows the day nor the hour. 

There is still in the church and in the culture an almost rabid fascination with end time prophecy.  Every major event is considered by some to be a final piece of the eschatology puzzle that shows conclusively that the end is right around the corner.  Covid 19 was a big one for end time conspiracy buffs.  I remember even reading a very long dissertation that someone sent me a few years ago about 5G.  There was all kinds of Bible verses and mathematical computations and scientific research that had me going there for a while.  Y2K was another one that caused much fear and confusion.  And people are afraid.  People start to almost panic in their preparations for the end of the world.  And unfortunately, I think Christians are likely to be some of the most hard core preppers out there, hoarding guns and ammo and food and water in underground bunkers, so that they can survive the end of the world.

So what does Paul have to say about the date setters?  About the signs of the times?  Paul answers those questions in vs 1, saying, “Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.”  He is speaking of the signs of the end times  which usher in the second coming of the Lord. And I don’t think that Paul is saying here that they already know everything about it and so there isn’t any need to add anything to it. But what I think he’s saying is, “you don’t need to worry about it.”  “You shouldn’t be fixated on figuring out the time.”  While they are to be living in expectation for the Lord to return at any time, on the other hand, they are not to be concerned about coming up with all kinds of mathematical equations and calendars and so forth in an effort to pin it down to a certain date.  Date setting is not something they should be focused on.

Paul says that what they should know very well by now is that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  Jesus used that same metaphor to describe His coming in Matthew 24.  Peter uses that same expression about a thief in 2 Peter 3.  And now Paul uses it.  So they should already know that you can’t predict when a thief is coming to your house.  Therefore it’s foolish for them to be concerned about a date or time.

What Jesus taught by using that metaphor was that you need to be prepared.  Jesus said you must be ready.  Now how are we to be ready for this sudden appearing?  First of all, we have trusted in Jesus as our Savior, applying His substitution as the sacrifice for our sins, and receiving the gift of His righteousness.  Secondly, we are making sure we will be found faithful when He comes. Jesus said "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.”  When Jesus comes, the faithful servant is found doing the Lord’s business.  Being a good steward of the grace given to him.

But for the unbeliever, he will not be prepared when Jesus comes.  Paul says in vs 3, “While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.” Notice that he emphasizes the suddenness of destruction.  When He comes, there will not be a chance to prepare.  You must prepare ahead of time because it will be sudden, and you will be judged by what you are at that moment.

According to Jesus, the world in general will be acting as they did in the days of Noah.  Eating and drinking, buying and selling, building and planting, marrying and giving in marriage.  Their preparation for Christ’s coming is non existent.  They are more concerned about the physical than the spiritual.   I read in the news yesterday that environmental activists were marching this weekend in Washington DC, demanding that Biden declares a climate emergency. They somehow think that they can prevent the end of the world by physical means. That’s going to be the next big crisis by the way.  Covid showed them what was possible.  If politicians can declare something an emergency, then they can do anything they want, make any laws, spend any amount of money.  Environmental groups are worried that man is destroying the earth, and that there will be ocean rising, causing floods which will wipe out mankind.  But Peter said the day of the Lord will bring about destruction of the heavens and earth by fire, not by water.  And that fire will come from the Lord Jesus Christ when He comes in the clouds. Jesus is going to destroy the earth and there is nothing man can do to prevent that.

But while they are focusing on peace and safety, on material things, on physical things,  the day of destruction is creeping upon them, coming closer and closer, and they are completely blind to it.  They can see the physical, but not the spiritual.  Just like the  pregnant woman who lays down to sleep and suddenly awakens in the middle of the night with birth pangs, there is no putting it off.  There is no escaping it.  It’s coming, and it will catch them unawares and unprepared.

But for the Christian, we are already prepared for that day.  The Christians are like the ten virgins in Jesus’ parable that had light in their lamps and oil for their lamps when the bridegroom returns.  Paul says in vs 4, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;  for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;  so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”  

Paul’s repeated use of the term brothers indicates he is talking to believers.  He goes on to say, you are sons of light, not in the darkness.   The world is in darkness, that is why they can’t see the truth.  But we know the truth, we are sons of God, we are in the light as He is in the light.  We know the truth of the gospel.  We have believed in Jesus Christ unto salvation.  We don’t need to be afraid of His coming, or shrink back in fear at His coming.  He is coming for us as a bridegroom comes for His bride, having made ready a home for her.  

Jesus said in John 14:1-3 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, [there] you may be also.”  Jesus is coming for the church as His bride.

But Jesus will come to the world as the King of kings, and Lord of lords, as the Judge of the earth. He will judge all unrighteousness and ungodliness in that day.  And so the world should fear the day of the Lord.  But His church should look forward to that day, as a bride looks forward to and prepares for her wedding day.

So since we should be looking for His return, let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. Vs 7 “For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.  But since we are of [the] day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

Notice three times in those three verses, Paul says be sober. Now we could explain sober as being serious, or solemn. And that might be appropriate.  But notice Paul compares being sober with drinking and being drunk.  So we know from the context he is not talking about being serious, but he is talking about not being intoxicated.

I read an article the other day about the mega church founder of Hillsong that just had to resign because of inappropriate behavior towards certain women.  And he blamed it on at least two occasions with being intoxicated on medicine and alcohol. Maybe his problem started by thinking it was ok to drink.  I used to try to live what I thought was an acceptable Christian life as a husband and father, and yet still have my six pack every night.  I did that for years and thought I was able to walk the line between drunkeness and soberness.  God had to let me go through some pretty heavy trials in my life in order for me to give that up.  I can tell you that if I continued drinking like that I doubt I would still be married today, and I don’t believe I would have ever become a pastor either.  Drinking is a precursor to indulging the lusts of the flesh, and indulging the lusts of the  flesh is not compatible with living in the spirit.

Paul says in light of who we are in Christ, in light of the certain, soon return of the Lord,  be sober, don’t walk according to the lusts of the world.  But since we are of the day, put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.  Now we all recognize this metaphor of spiritual armor from Ephesians 6, don’t we?  But there are some differences. 

First, in Ephesians 6 Paul says the breastplate of righteousness, here he says the breastplate of faith and love.  Did he get confused?  Why the change?  Well, first of all, we should recognize that his urging  us to be watchful, to be ready is the mission of the sentry.  And a sentry should be dressed in his armor.  The difference though between righteousness and faith and love is no difference at all, really.  

Our righteousness is acquired by faith; faith in Christ’s death and resurrection, the transfer of my sins to Christ, and His righteousness to me, affects my atonement, and my salvation.  I am made righteous by faith.  Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.

And love is the outpouring of what has been put in. If we love Christ, we will keep His commandments.  We are to love God and love our neighbor, which is the fulfillment of the law. So Paul is saying that our faith and love are the righteous living that is our breastplate.  It protects our heart, our life.

What’s important to see is that Paul says put it on. He calls active faith and love a vital element of defensive spiritual armor.  As the believer lives out his faith and love it works to protect him and keep him.  We are not told to simply have faith, but to walk in faith.  Faith and love are active, and vital to our defense.  They guard our heart.  So we are to be actively engaged in spiritual warfare for the kingdom of God.  Not biding our time, focused on figuring out dates and times, but actively working to win souls to the kingdom of God.

Then to faith and love, Paul adds hope.  That formula is one he often uses. Faith, hope and love. But notice he describes hope as another piece of armor, the hope of salvation which is our helmet. First let’s be sure we understand what is meant here by salvation.  As I’ve said before, there are three phases of our salvation; justification, sanctification, and glorification.  I believe the context of Paul’s statement indicates this use of salvation is eschatological.  That is, it speaks of the final phase of our salvation which is glorification.  When Christ comes again, we shall all be changed, from mortal to immortal.  From corruptible to incorruptible.  Saved from wrath, saved from destruction.

So in light of that he says, the hope of salvation.  We hope for what we do not yet see, but which has been promised to us by God. A more certain hope, for God is not a man, that He should lie.  But the word of God promises us that Christ will return for us.  And as Christ was the first fruits of the resurrection, we have a further assurance that we also we be raised. 

I think that this helmet of the hope of salvation is there to guard our mind.  The breastplate guards our hearts, the helmet guards our mind.  Our minds are under increasing, never ending attack from the Devil, the flesh, and the world.  Our minds are the source of our fears, our doubts.  Sin starts in the mind before it finds fulfillment in the body.  Our minds are the battlefield.  And our best defense on that battlefield is in the certain hope of Jesus’ return. 

This world is so uncertain right now.  Watching the news these days is like watching a train wreck.  It seems that everything that can go wrong is going wrong, and yet our political leaders are trying to convince us that wrong is right, and down is up, and everything  is going just grand.  Don’t worry, the smartest people in the world, according to their own pundits, are in charge and doing what is good for us.  But for  a lot of us, it is insane times.  I am afraid for my kids future, I’m afraid for the immediate future.  After seeing what has happened in the last couple of years, I am scared to death to think of what they have in store for the next three years.

But my hope is not in the mid term elections.  My hope is not in politics.  My hope is not in America somehow becoming great again. My hope is not in world peace, or creating a safe space for everyone, or in stopping climate change.  My hope is in the return of Jesus Christ my King.  My hope is in the day of the Lord.  My firm hope is that whether I live or die, I will be with the Lord.  You may kill this body, but you cannot harm my soul.  It belongs to the Lord, and He has given me eternal life, and promises me a glorified body, in a glorified new world in which righteousness dwells, and where Jesus reigns.  That is my hope, and the reason I can face what is coming without fear.  Psalm 56:11 “In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Paul expands this idea of the hope of salvation by the following two verses.  Vs 9,10, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.”

Christians aren’t destined for the wrath of God.  But rather Christ has rescued us from wrath.  Paul said that back in chapter one vs ten, [we are] “to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, [that is] Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”  We don’t get wrath, we get salvation.  Instead of dread, we have hope.  Instead of unbelief, we have faith. The unbeliever is destined for wrath.  How that should break our hearts for our unsaved friends and loved ones.

But in opposition to wrath, Paul spells out the basis for our hope, which is salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us.  Listen, make sure you understand this, and you can help your unsaved friends understand this; that salvation is only through Jesus Christ.  You will not escape wrath because you believe in God, and God manifests Himself in various deities, various religions.  Salvation comes through faith in Christ alone.  Peter said in Acts 4:12  "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” The whole basis of salvation is faith in Jesus Christ.  There is no hope without Him.  It is only by the atoning blood of Jesus Christ that we can be accepted by God.  It is only because Jesus took the wrath of God upon Himself in my place, can I stand before God as righteous and be accepted by Him.

So make sure your friends and family don’t have a false hope in a god of any other name, and think names don’t matter.  That we all need to coexist.  I’m sorry, but when Christ returns we are not all going to coexist.  He will separate the sheep from the goats.  And those who have rejected Christ will be judged and suffer the wrath of God.

But here is the hope of our salvation as stated by Paul in vs 10 the Lord Jesus Christ,

“who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.” Whether we die in this life before Christ’s return or whether Christ returns in my lifetime, whether I am dead or alive, I will live together with Him.  If I die, I go to be with the Lord.  And Paul said that is very much better, to be with the Lord. And if I die and am with the Lord in spirit, when He returns to the earth, I will rise up to meet Him and receive a glorified body.  And if I live until He returns, then I will be with the Lord and receive a glorified body.  Either way, I cannot die.  I do not die the second death.  But I will live with the Lord forever because I have even now received everlasting life.  

Paul ends this section the same way he ended the last section in chapter 4.  He says in vs 11 “Therefore comfort one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”  That has the idea of continued fellowship in the church.  The fellowship of the church is where we encourage one another and build up one another in the faith.  Let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as we see the day drawing near. But encourage one another, and strengthen one another and comfort one another with these words.  

The second coming of the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

 

Today we finally get to the passage of scripture that I had in mind when I chose to study 1 Thessalonians a while back.  I came to that decision as we were going through the book of Revelation on Wednesday nights.  And as you have discovered by our scripture reading, the subject of this passage is the second coming of the Lord.  Now we say second coming to distinguish it from the first, but that designation is not given in the scriptures.  In vs 15 it’s just the “coming of the Lord,” or as it is referred to in chapter 5 vs 2, “the day of the Lord.” 

I suppose the day of the Lord is more helpful, because there are a lot of other things that happen concurrently with the second coming.  I suppose that there were some questions that the Thessalonians had concerning death and the resurrection that had been delivered to Paul by Timothy after his visit.  And so Paul wants to answer those questions, and reassure them concerning their own death and resurrection as well as comfort those who had lost loved ones.

But understanding exactly what Paul is talking about here Is very important.  Because this passage is often used as a proof text to support the pre tribulation rapture of the church.  When I say “rapture” I am referring to the premillenial, pretribulation view of eschatology that says there will be a secret coming of the Lord at the beginning of the tribulation for the Christians.  But I believe that if you look closely at the text, there is nothing to support that view over our view that it’s referring to the second coming of the Lord at the end of the age, and the end of the tribulation period.

So let’s begin by looking at this passage as Paul gave it, in the hope that he will address some of these concerns as we go along. Paul begins by saying in vs13; “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.”  He doesn’t want them to be ignorant of what had been promised concerning the resurrection.  Ignorance concerning spiritual things is not good for the faith of a Christian.  For one, it leads to a lack of comfort.  And secondly, ignorance can be harmful for one’s faith.  As I have said many times before, faith is not blind, it’s not wishful thinking.  Faith is founded on the knowledge of God’s promises and believing them.  And so to know the truth is to be strengthened in the faith, which results in being comforted.

Diane asked as question the other night as we were reviewing Revelation.  Her question was in effect, what difference did it make if someone believes in a pre tribulation rapture and someone else believes in an amillenial view of tribulation which has the Lord’s second coming at the end of it? My answer was that I know good men on both sides of that debate.  And so it should make very little difference in terms of our fellowship as brothers and sisters in the Lord.  We both are looking forward to the Lord’s return.  What separates us is a matter of timing for the most part, though there are a lot of other factors involved.

But on the other hand, I do believe it is more comforting to understand the truth concerning such things.  After all, our faith and hope are in the second coming and the resurrection and our eternal life with Christ.   And so to me, it is much more comforting to know for certain all that the Bible teaches us concerning these things and not just base our eternal destiny on inaccurate speculation.  And Paul wants the Thessalonians to take comfort from what he has to say on this subject as well, especially concerning those who have died in the Lord.

Now I said it that way on purpose - “those who have died in the Lord” - in order to explain what is meant by the expression he uses in vs 13, “those who are asleep.”  The death of believers is often referred to in scripture as having fallen asleep.  Sometimes that phrase is used, and then it is clarified as in John 11:11-14 Jesus said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep." The disciples then said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."  Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.  So Jesus then said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.”Believers are spoken of as having fallen asleep, whereas unbelievers are referred to as dead.  Fallen asleep is not a reference to soul sleep, but the idea that the body has fallen asleep but the spirit still lives.

Now this idea of where the spirit of a believer goes when he dies is what prompted me to start to really look intently into what the Bible really teaches concerning death and resurrection. When my dad died about 32 years ago, I wanted to know where he was right then, at that moment.  I wanted comfort in his death, but I wanted to know the truth.  Paul said he was writing these things to comfort them, so that they would not be ignorant.  He says in vs 18, “therefore comfort one another with these words.”

The Greek and Roman world of Paul’s day was a world with little hope in the afterlife.  At the most, they believed that there was some sort of existence in the soul, but not in the body. The Greek philosophers taught the immaterial nature of the soul, but they held out no hope for the body at all. 

But for the Christian Paul says there is hope after death that is based on the promises of God. He says in vs 14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”  Now to be a Christian is to believe that Jesus died and rose again.  Believing in that is the basis for our salvation. But there is much more that Paul is indicating in that sentence than just a creed.  He is saying that Jesus is the first fruit of the resurrection.  And if Jesus is the first fruit of the resurrection, then we can expect to be resurrected as well.

Paul speaks of this resurrection of Christ as the first fruits in 1Cor. 15:20-24 “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.  For since by a man [came] death, by a man also [came] the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming,  then [comes] the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.”

So you see there is more indicated in this phrase “Jesus died and rose again” than simply a reiteration of our creed.  But it is a promise to those that die in Christ,  that just as Christ died and rose again, so they that are in Christ who die will rise again in the same manner. Notice the timing indicated in 1 Cor. 15; “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.” Then “But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming.” What that tells us very clearly is that those who are asleep will remain in that condition until Jesus comes again. 

Now what exactly happened when Jesus died and rose again? Where did Jesus go during that three days? First of all, after His death on the cross, Jesus went to what He called Paradise.  He said to the thief on the cross who believed in Him, “Today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”  Where is Paradise? Well, it is a figurative name that is used to refer to a number of things.  But in this case, I believe He is referring to the upper chamber of Hades which was also known as Abraham’s bosom. You remember the story Jesus told of Lazarus and the rich man who both died, and the rich man went to a place of torment, while Lazarus was being comforted ( notice the use of that word) in Abraham’s bosom.  And Jesus went on to give a description of that place in which He said there was a great gulf dividing the two that no man could cross over.  Lazarus was with his father Abraham, he was being comforted, he was resting from his labors, he was cognizant, conversant, aware, and alive.  The Jewish rabbis taught that this place was Paradise which is in the heart of the earth, which coexists in what is known in the OT as Sheol, and in the NT as Hades.  (Very early Christian theologians St. Augustine, Hippolytus of Rome, Tertullian believed in the righteous abode of the dead in a separate part of Hades)

I believe Jesus indicates that this place where He was before His resurrection was not heaven - as in the abode of God. You remember that when Jesus was raised from the dead He appeared first to Mary Magdalene and He said, ““Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” So we know that Jesus had not yet entered into heaven and in fact it was 40 days before He ascended into heaven.  

Furthermore, Peter writes about where Jesus went in His death in 1Peter 3:18-19 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, [the] just for [the] unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;  in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits [now] in prison.”  So Jesus, though dead in His flesh, but alive in His Spirit, preached to those who were dead in prison.  That prison is Hades, the place of torment.  So Peter agrees that Jesus was in Hades, albeit the place He referred to as Paradise, or Abraham’s Bosom, from which He preached to those spirits in prison. 

The Apostle’s Creed says the same thing.  It’s not scripture, but it is a creed of the early church which attests to this doctrine that Christ went to Hades.  It says, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.”

Now I show you all of that to say that if Christ is the first fruits of those that are asleep, then we shall follow suit. When we die in the Lord, I believe nothing has changed from when Christ died and rose again.  We still descend into the Paradise of Hades, a place where we reunite with our loved ones in the Lord, where we are comforted, where we have rest from our labors, and where we await the resurrection.

So Paul says “if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”  So those that are in Paradise are not forgotten about at Christ’s second coming.  But actually they are the first to rise.  He says in vs15 “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of [the] archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”

Now let’s look at the order of the resurrection from this passage.  First the Lord Himself will descend from heaven.  Jesus is coming back, physically, visibly, majestically.  Other scriptures tell us that it will be as the lightning flashes from east to west.  The day nor the hour anyone knows.  But Jesus said it will be at a time when you do not expect Him.  In 1 Cor. 15:52 it says it will happen in the twinkling of an eye.  In the blink of an eye.  There will not be time for conversion at that point. When Jesus comes you are what you are, and you will be judged for what you are. Either in Christ, or without Christ. Christ comes to deliver those who are His, and judge those who are not.

Paul says He will come with a shout, with the voice of the archangel.  Not much is known about archangels.  There are only two places where this term is used, here and in Jude.  In Jude we are told the archangel is Michael. In Daniel 10:13 the angel Michael is called one of the chief princes, so that we might suppose there is more than one archangel. Perhaps Gabriel is another, but there could be seven, as in the seven angels before God’s throne.  We simply don’t know too much about them.  But regardless, here we learn that the archangel who is at the top of the hierarchy of angels shouts at the return of Christ.  I suppose the whole earth will hear it.  I can’t imagine an archangel shouting and no one hears. I can’t imagine a secret rapture happening with an archangel shouting and a trumpet blasting.

In the OT, when Moses wanted to prepare the people for God descending in the clouds to meet the Israelites, it was with a loud trumpet blast. In the marriage supper of the Lamb described in Revelation 19:7, the event culminates with a loud trumpet blast. And so this is the last trumpet. 1Cor. 15:52 says, the Lord will come, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

Then notice in our text Paul says the dead in Christ will rise first.  There are some who believe that when Christ rose from the dead He took with Him those who had died in the Lord and they are now in heaven.  But there really isn’t any scripture to back that up, Ephesians 4 not withstanding.  It says in Eph 4:8-10  “Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN."  (Now this [expression,] "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?  He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)”. 

I think the better interpretation of that passage is that when we were in sin, we were held captive by Satan to do his will.  But when Christ rose from the dead, He released those who were held captive by Satan  and transferred them to the kingdom of God.  That’s speaking of a spiritual condition, not a physical one. There is no indication that verse is teaching that Christ delivered all the dead in the Lord to heaven.  Besides, there is an interval of 40 days between Christ’s resurrection and His ascension. But there is in that verse a further support for my claim that Christ first descended into Hades, or as it says there, into the lower parts of the earth. 

So I believe our text indicates that the dead in Christ are still in Paradise awaiting the resurrection.  Paul speaking some 30 years after the resurrection of Christ says in Rom 6:5 “For if we have become united with [Him] in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be [in the likeness] of His resurrection,” He is speaking of the resurrection as something future, not something that has already happened. 

So when Christ descends and the shout and the trumpet sounds, the dead in Christ will rise first.  They will meet Christ in the air.  Paul speaks of Christ coming in the clouds.  So we are talking about the sky above us.  That is what is commonly referred to in scripture as the heavens.  Peter said that the earth and the heavens will be burned up at the second coming of Christ.  So in those heavens, in the clouds, Christ will appear, and the dead will rise first and meet Him in the sky above earth. 

And Paul adds to that in 2 Cor. 15 that at their resurrection, the dead will receive a new body.  1Co 15:42, 52-54 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable [body,] it is raised an imperishable [body;] ... 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.  But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.”  The resurrection brings about the immediate glorification of the body as the spirit is raised from the dead so that we will be immortal, imperishable.

After the dead are raised, then those who are still alive on earth who are Christians will be raised.  Vs17 “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”  Those who believe in the rapture have a little difficulty with this verse, because according to them, the church will have already been raptured out at this point.  But they solve that problem by saying that a few people will be saved in the tribulation because they will finally understand the truth of the gospel when they recognize that all the Christians are gone.  But I find that to be not in keeping with the teaching that at the second coming there is no more opportunity to be saved.  In the split second that Christ returns, your eternal fate is sealed. 

According to the amillenial view though, the church will persevere to the end.  Some will be martyrs for the faith.  Some will escape persecution unto death.  In fact, it would seem that Revelation teaches that for the most part, God will preserve His church during the tribulation.  If you read carefully the plagues that  come upon the earth, they are intended for the ungodly, to bring them to repentance,  not those who are sealed by Christ.  But nevertheless, things will get worse and worse until the end, until the Lord descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God.  And those that are alive on the earth who are Christ’s will rise to meet Him and the departed saints and they too will receive an imperishable body.  Paul says in 1 Cor. 15, “we shall all be changed.”  And so all receive a glorified body.

And bear in mind what we learned in our study of Revelation 20-22. The second coming of Christ results in this earth being burned up as Peter also said in 2 Peter 3:12 “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!  But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”  So John sees in his vision in Revelation Jesus descending to earth, the saints being raised to meet Him in the air, and then the world and it’s works being burned up and remade as a new heavens and new earth in which we will dwell forever with the Lord.  Heaven comes down, not we go up into a place called heaven somewhere in outer space.  But we remain on earth, though it is a new earth.

You know with all that is known today about cloning, it’s apparent that a body can be made from just a cell.  So the Lord doesn’t need our entire body in order to raise it, and change it to an immortal, glorified body. God can recreate our glorified bodies out of thin air if He desires to.  So we don’t know exactly how our resurrected body is going to look.  There are millions of Christians who have died in the last 2000 years whose bodies have been scattered to the four corners of the earth by now.  Think of those who died at sea, or who were eaten by animals.  But the Lord is able to keep track of whatever cells there are left, and He promises to raise us up as indestructible, immortal, and glorified.

Paul speaks of that glorified body in 1Cor. 15:35-49 “But someone will say, "How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?" You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies;  and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else.  But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.  All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one [flesh] of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the [glory] of the earthly is another.  There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable [body,] it is raised an imperishable [body;]  it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual [body.]  So also it is written, "The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL." The last Adam [became] a life-giving spirit.  However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.  The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.  As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.  Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.”

John told us in 1John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”  We will have a body like Christ.  A body that doesn’t know sin, that is righteous as He is righteous.  We will be eternal.  And in that glorified state,  Paul said in our text, “and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

That is a comfort, isn’t it?  I hope you have found comfort in these words. Jesus said, “he that lives and believes in Me will never die.  Do you believe this?”  I hope that you do believe and your faith is in Jesus who died and rose again, so that we might have life in Him.  Even eternal life.

Love versus lust, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Paul begins this section with the word finally.  We might be tempted to think that this means he is about to complete his letter.  But Paul is using pastor lingo here.  He means he has finally finished his introductory remarks and is now beginning the main part of his message.  Chapter 4 does mark a new section, a new theme.  Up to now, in a sense Paul has been in the mode of making personal remarks to his friends, his spiritual family in Thessalonica.  Now he begins a new section, and this section is really about sanctification.

I have said before, and it bears repeating, that there are three stages to our salvation.  First there is justification, when we are made accepted by God, when we are given new life by God, transferred from the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of righteousness.  We are credited with the righteousness of Jesus Christ at justification and born again, saved by the grace of God.

The second stage of our salvation is sanctification.  Sanctification is a process of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.  Sanctification is walking in the Spirit and not by the flesh.  Sanctification is the process of being holy, even as God is holy.  It’s learned behavior, as maturity in the human realm is a process of growing and learning once you have been born.  So sanctification is becoming mature in the spiritual realm, walking in the Spirit and not according to the lusts of the flesh. And sanctification is a process of being set apart unto Christ, then following His example as we walk after Him, as we pattern our life after Him.

The third stage of our salvation is glorification.  Glorification is when we are raised to be with Christ in a new body, in a new heaven and earth, in the eternal realm forever and ever.  This happens at the second coming of Christ. The second section of this chapter deals with glorification.  But this first section deals with our sanctification.  How we are to live now in the power of the Spirit as we await the second coming of Christ.

Now excelling and persevering in that process of sanctification is what Paul speaks of in vs 1. He says, “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us [instruction] as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.”

Notice that Paul uses a double imperative in beginning this subject.  He says we request and exhort you i the Lord Jesus.  This is about as strongly worded as you can make an appeal.  It’s not simply a suggestion.  It’s as if he is saying, I urgently command you in the name and authority of Christ Jesus. If Jesus is our Lord - as we must confess Him to be if we are to be saved - then He has the authority to give us commands and instructions about how we are to live.

Paul wants the Thessalonians to understand that the purpose of their walk – their manner of living – was to please God and not themselves. When the Christian has this basic understanding of the purpose of their new life in Christ, then the following instruction regarding Biblical morality makes sense.

Furthermore, he emphasizes that this is accomplished by adherence commandments, or instructions which the apostles gave to the church, through the Lord Jesus Christ. Scholars tell us that the word translated instruction - rendered commandments  in the NKJV - is a military term. It’s not a suggestion, it’s an order.  So this is an order that Paul is making an urgent plea to them to accomplish.  There is a pervasive mentality in the church today that in the new covenant, since we are under grace, then we are not longer under obligation to any commandments.

But nothing could be further from the truth.  We are still obligated to keep the moral law of God.  There is no other way we can define sin outside of the commandments.  The cross took away the penalty of the law for those who trust in Christ for their atonement. We are reconciled to God, we are credited with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, through justification by faith in what Christ accomplished for us through His death and resurrection.  But there remains the law of God which we are to keep, which we are given the power to keep by the indwelling of  the Holy Spirit.  And so if we are going to progress in sanctification, then it will be by adherence to the commandments.  Now there are ceremonial laws which we are no longer obligated to fulfill, because they were a picture of the finished work of Jesus Christ.  And as scriptures tell us, when the perfect comes the partial is put away. Jesus was the perfect fulfillment of the law, particularly the ceremonial laws which prefigured Him. And so for instance, the Sabbath rest is fulfilled in Christ, and we find rest from our labors in Him.  So we are free from the ceremonial aspects of the law. But we are still obligated under the moral aspects of the law.

Jesus said in Matt. 5:17  "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”  He also spoke of two commandments which we are to keep, which encompass all the commandments; that is, to love God with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself.  He said love is the fulfillment of the law.  To love God and love your neighbor encompasses all the law.  Now that law of love isn’t an easy version of the law which was given to us in the new covenant.  If you truly do what that law requires, I guarantee you that it is every bit as difficult if not impossible to keep as the ten commandments. The ten commandments are simply condensed into two laws - loving God and loving your neighbor.

So what proceeds here starting in vs 3 comprises the commandments.  That’s what Paul is saying.  What follows are commandments given by the authority of Jesus Christ.  He makes that clear by vs 2, “For you know what commandments we gave you by [the authority of the Lord Jesus.”  And then he goes on in vs 3 to exhort them to keep the first of these commandments, which is to abstain from immorality.  Vs3 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; [that is,] that you abstain from sexual immorality.”

Notice Paul introduces this commandment by saying, “this is the will of God.” That phrase emphasizes the fact that this is not optional.  This is a commandment.  God’s will doesn’t change from day to day, from generation to generation.  Paul isn’t saying that this is the Lord’s preference, but you can take it or leave it.  It’s not a deal breaker.  No, he says, this is the will of God, your sanctification. You’ve been set apart for this. There is no other way to sanctification that by observing this command. If you disregard it, you do so to your own peril. Sanctification is not optional either.  Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”  And this commandment concerning immorality is essential to our sanctification.

Immorality is from the Greek word porneia.  That’s the root for our word pornography, or pornographic.  The ancient Greek word translated sexual immorality (porneia) has a broad meaning, referring to any sexual relationship outside of the marriage covenant.  The broad nature of the word porneia shows that it isn’t enough to just say that you have not had sexual intercourse with someone who is not your spouse. All sexual behavior outside of the marriage covenant is sin.

 I think that is important to recognize, because we tend to think today, perhaps as did the Thessalonians, that immorality is not such a big deal.  Living together before marriage or outside of marriage is not a big deal in our culture, even within the realm of the church. Young people today think that living together is more practical.  After you have lived together a few years, have perhaps bought a house together, have tried each other out, then maybe you can get married and have a big ceremony and get a lot of presents.  But it’s more logical to live together first for a while.  But God has not sanctioned sex outside of marriage, and He does in fact forbid it.  Contrary to popular opinion, sex outside of marriage is not love, it’s love. It’s selfishness.  It takes advantage of another.  True love does not take advantage of another person for selfish reasons.

God grants great sexual liberty in the marriage relationship. Hebrews 13:4 says “Marriage [is to be held] in honor among all, and the [marriage] bed [is to be] undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”  So sex within marriage is good, it’s honorable. But Satan’s not-very-subtle strategy is often to do all he can to encourage sex outside of marriage and to discourage sex in marriage.  Satan makes the same lie he offered to Eve in the garden, that God is withholding something from you that is good.  And so he seduces you through lust while at the same time disparages God’s motives.

And that idea of sex within marriage being honorable is echoed in the next injunction. Vs 4 can be viewed as a separate injunction, which builds on the first.  Paul says in vs 4, “that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.”  In the past, when I read this verse, I always assumed the reference to “his own vessel” referred to my body.  But actually, Greek scholars tell us that vessel was a term that the rabbis used in reference to one’s wife. I suppose it could be interpreted either way without great harm, but I think the context suggests that the wife is to be held in honor.  Marriage which is the union of husband and wife, is to be held in honor before all, as we read in Hebrews 13:4.  And this is speaking of honoring one’s wife and the marriage commitment. 

Marriage honors the wife and marriage honors God.  Marriage was instituted by God in creation.  We find that account in Gen. 2:23-25 And Adam said, “This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” 

So immorality is in a sense uncovering the nakedness of someone who is not your wife, who you are not committed to be one flesh with for the duration of your life.  To extrapolate on that, immorality is dishonoring someone else’s wife, dishonoring someone else’s marriage. Even if it occurs before either party is married, it is still dishonoring the future marriage of both. Immorality in all it’s various forms is debasing to all concerned.  It reduces love to lust, to degrade something God intended to be honorable, to something that is on the level of animals. And yet I have heard people who try to excuse immoral behavior use animal conduct as an excuse or even a validation of their desires.  Contrary to what evolutionists would try to tell us, we are not animals. We were made in the image of God, not animals. We are made to rule over the animal kingdom, not be ruled by animal passions and lusts.

Paul equates such sexual immorality to the unsaved pagan nations in which they lived. He says in vs 5 “not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God.”  Paul gave these commands to a first-century Roman culture that was marked by rampant sexual immorality. At this time in the Roman Empire, chastity and sexual purity were almost unknown virtues.  In fact, sexual immorality was a major component of a lot of their pagan religions.  Temples were staffed by prostitutes.  Homosexual lifestyles were prevalent and accepted. The ancient writer Demosthenes expressed the generally amoral view of sex in the ancient Roman Empire: “We keep prostitutes for pleasure; we keep mistresses for the day to day needs of the body; we keep wives for the faithful guardianship of our homes.” Nevertheless, Christians were to take their standards of sexual morality from God and not from the pagan  culture in which they lived.

In vs 6, there is another addendum to this commandment.  Paul says, “that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is [the] avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned [you.]”  To defraud someone is to cheat them, to take illegally from them what is not yours to take. When we are sexually immoral, we take advantage of and defraud others and we cheat them in greater ways than we can imagine. The adulterer defrauds his mate and children. The fornicator defrauds his future mate and children, and both defraud their sexual partner.

Repeatedly in Leviticus 18 – a chapter where God instructed Israel on the matter of sexual morality – the idea is given that one may not uncover the nakedness of another  who is not their spouse. The idea is that the nakedness of an individual belongs to his or her spouse and no one else, and it is a violation of God’s law to give that nakedness to anyone else, or for anyone else to take it.

Now Paul has already stated that this commandment was given by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.  But he adds to that in vs 6 the reason for the commandment.  “Because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.”  We see here the first of four reasons for sexual purity. We can trust that God will punish sexual immorality, and that no one gets away with this sin – even if it is undiscovered.  He says, the Lord is the avenger in all these things.  He will punish those who transgress and defraud another in sexual immorality.  I don’t know what that always looks like, whether it is in this life or in the judgment.  But Paul gives a solemn warning about it.  I do know that you don’t want to presume upon the grace of God or think that God doesn’t really care about it.  

Paul gives us more insight into why God may avenge immorality in 1Cor. 6:15-20 which says,  “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!  Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body [with her?] For He says, "THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH."  But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit [with Him.]  Flee immorality. Every [other] sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”  Our body does not belong to us but to Christ. And so we must honor God in our body by honoring our wife or husband in marriage.

That leads us to the second reason we should be sexually pure is found in vs 7 “For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.” The second reason for sexual purity is because of our call, our purpose in salvation. That call is not to uncleanness, but to holiness; therefore, sexual immorality is simply inconsistent with who we are in Jesus Christ. As we just read in 1 Cor. 6:20, we are to glorify God in our body and spirit, which belong to God. 

The third reason for sexual purity is because to reject God’s call to sexual purity is not rejecting man, but God Himself. Vs 8 “So, he who rejects [this] is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.”  We may make a lot of excuses for our immorality, we may try to rationalize sexual immorality, but actually we still reject the will of God when we sin in this way. We are in effect saying I know what is best for me.  I know what is good.  God doesn’t.

Paul doesn’t seem to issue such a strong command here because the Thessalonians were deep in sin. No specific sin is mentioned; it seems that this was meant to prevent sin rather than to rebuke sin, in light of the prevailing low standards in their society and because of the seductive nature of sexual immorality.  

But on the other hand, I think it’s possible that many of you don’t think you can be tempted in this way, or think that sexual immorality not an issue for you.  But I would suggest that you might be deceiving yourself.  There are lots of ways that we can sin in regards to sexual immorality.  When you even look at another man or woman in lust, when you look at someone’s nakedness on television or in the movies, you are in effect defrauding that person of their honor and sinning against God.  And I don’t think that such temptation necessarily has an expiration date on it.  You may have lost desire for your husband or wife, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t still tempted for another person’s husband or wife, even if you never plan on actually doing anything about it.  

The fourth reason for sexual purity is God has given us the Holy Spirit. Paul says you are rejecting “God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.”  We have been given the Holy Spirit, who empowers the Christian to overcome sexual sin. By His Spirit, God has given us the resources for victory; we are responsible to use those resources. To sin in this way then quenches the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is given to lead us.  But when we sin, we suppress the Spirit and take the lead ourselves. 

The thing about the commandment to love one another is that if we truly keep that commandment, then we will not defraud our brother or sister by sexual immorality.  So Paul wants to show the fullness of that command to love one another as a contrast to the desire for sexual immorality which is defrauding.  Love, biblical love, instead of lust.  So he says in vs. 9 “Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for [anyone] to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;  for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more.”  This is really an elaboration on what Paul said about them in the previous chapter, “may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you.”

What that shows is though you may observe the commandment to love one another, you can still continue to practice it, so that you may excel in it. It’s a process of sanctification, as I said earlier.  We will not reach perfection in this age, but we will be perfected in our glorification.  But for now, we must abound more and more in love for one another.  We must practice it, live it out.  But as I said, true Christian love does no harm to another.  But love is doing what is good for them, what is beneficial for them.  And as we just saw in the previous verses, sexual immorality defrauds another person.  It doesn’t build them up.  Love edifies the other person.

The final commandment in this section has multiple parts, but I think it’s obvious they are all related.  We find that commandment starting in vs 10: But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.”

Notice once again Paul reiterates that this is a command.  But when he speaks of living a quiet life, I don’t think he is necessarily saying that you have to go live on a farm in the country. I think it means living a life that is content with what God has given you. A life that is content with your husband or wife, or that is content with being celibate, if that’s your lot in life. I think he may be talking about a life without lusting after the world or the things of the world. 

My son was talking the other day about how we are such a consumer society.  And the world want’s us to be consumers.  They are always selling us something, something newer, better.  They are always tempting us with grass that is greener on the other side of the fence. It’s like a carrot that is continually dangled in front of our noses.  The world can never satisfy, but the Lord can satisfy.  

Paul says if we focused on working with our hands, to supply for our needs and not what we are told we need to be happy, then we will learn the secret of contentment.  I think that is the goal of this instruction, that we learn the secret of contentment.  Paul said in Phil. 4:11-13 “Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever [circumstances] I am.  I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every [circumstance] I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

The secret to contentment is found in Christ.  He is the living water by which those who drink will never thirst again.  He is the bread of heaven which those who eat of it, will never hunger.  He is the Shepherd that those who follow will never want again.  Our lives belong to Him, and if we walk after Him and live to please Him, then we will find satisfaction and sanctification in this life, and glorification and exaltation in the next.  

The ministry of fellowship, 1 Thessalonians 3

Paul is obviously writing a letter to these Thessalonians that is of a very personal.nature.  So far, we haven’t seen any deep doctrinal dissertations.  Rather than doctrinal considerations, he has been bringing them up to speed regarding his own affairs during his absence, thanking God for their progress in the faith, and now in this chapter, responding to Timothy’s report after having visited them.  

But even though we have not yet seen in depth discussions of doctrine up to this point, we have been able to categorize his remarks into various headings.  Namely, in the first chapter, Paul’s remarks about the church in Thessalonica constitutes a list of the characteristics of a godly church which is an example for the church today.

In the second chapter, we see in Paul’s remarks an outline for a godly ministry, particularly emphasizing the ministry of the pastor, but applicable to everyone in the church who ministers the gospel.

Now today we are looking at chapter three, in which Paul continues these remarks about his ministry and the ministry of his team to the church there, from which we might be able to extract another summary of characteristics concerning the ministry of fellowship.  Fellowship is an important aspect of the church.  In fact, to a certain degree, fellowship may be considered a synonym for church.  That’s the reasoning behind naming our church the Beach Fellowship.

In the very first church in Jerusalem, which was begun on the day of Pentecost, there were added to the church 3000 souls who had been saved during Peter’s message and the outpouring of the Spirit.  And it says concerning that church in Acts 2:42 “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” That’s  a pretty good definition of the church.  First of all, they were saved by the preaching of the word.  Then they continually devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to fellowship.  It says a few verses later in Acts that they were coming together to hear the word day by day.

It goes on to say in vs 46 “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,  praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

So breaking bread from house to house is indicated as taking their meals together.  I want to point that out from the text, because many pastors, especially in certain denominations,  have used that as a proof text to say that the early church took the Lord’s supper every time they met together.  We can debate whether hat may be true or not, but I don’t think this text supports that at all.  I think it’s obvious from the text that breaking bread means they were taking their meals together.

But I don’t want to digress further on the subject of the Lord’s Supper. I want to stress the idea of fellowship that characterized the early church.  I believe that in  chapter 3 of Thessalonians, we can see an example of what constitutes fellowship in the early church.  And hopefully, as we look at this chapter, we can find a pattern of fellowship for our own church, an example that we can follow.

Now due to the narrative style of writing that Paul does here, I think it’s difficult to outline it.  Or at least that’s my excuse.  I think it’s easier to just see it as a  list of characteristics of fellowship in the church, and through this list, we can determine what constitutes fellowship, and how we might apply the same characteristics to our church.

The first characteristic we see is the desire for fellowship.  Paul says, in vs 1, “Therefore when we could endure [it] no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone,  and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith.”  Twice Paul speaks of this desire to see them, to hear from them, to have fellowship with them by using the phrase, “when we could endure it no longer.” 

When you really love someone, when they are your family or your loved ones that you are estranged from for whatever reason, there comes a time when you might say, “I can’t stand it any longer! I must talk to them, or I must go to see them!”  If we are brothers and sisters in Christ, if we are called to fellowship with one another, to love one another, then there should be an earnest desire to be together with the church in person.  

Previously in chapter 2, Paul spoke of this desire he had to see them.  He said in chapter 2:8, “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.”  And then in vs 17 “But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while--in person, not in spirit--were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.”

If you’re really a Christian, you should have a desire for Christian fellowship. You should not have to be coerced to go to church.  You should not have to be enticed or manipulated to go to church.  I can assure you that if you’re right with the Lord, you will have a desire to be in fellowship.  That’s a natural affection of the Spirit that we all should share.  You can’t force someone to love you.  But you can expect someone to love you.  And if you have that affection, then it’s natural to want to see them.

So whene they could endure it no longer, they sent Timothy to the church to encourage them.  That’s another characteristic of fellowship. It’s personal.  It’s face to face.  It’s physical.  Paul speaks of a fellowship of the spirit back in 2:17. That’s a reference to being apart physically, but being connected spiritually.  But that wasn’t sufficient.  Listen, I know the concerns many of you have about the virus.  But we were not created for isolation.  We were created to be in face to face fellowship. Virtual fellowship is not sufficient. Romans 12: 1 says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, [which is] your spiritual service of worship.”  Your bodies.  That’s physical.  And I believe that is speaking of presenting your body physically to the church, which is your spiritual service of worship. I believe that whole passage in chapter 12 is talking about fellowship in the church.  Read it for yourself. 

The next characteristic we see there of fellowship is to strengthen and encourage.  Timothy was going to see them face to face to strengthen and encourage the church. That’s the ministry of fellowship that each of us is called to do.  I hear people all the time talk about they need from the church, their need to be fed, their need for this or that from a church.  But what about your ministry to strengthen and encourage others?  When other see you there, it strengthens and encourages them.  When they see you singing, when they see you praying, when they see your faithfulness, it serves to encourage them. There is strength in numbers.  Sometimes, you can strengthen and encourage others just by showing up.  If you really want to take it to the next level, speak to someone else who is in church.  Go out of your way to speak to someone who is not in your cliche of friends.  That’s how you strengthen and encourage others.

The next thing we see about fellowship is that it’s self sacrificing.  Paul and Silas and Timothy sought out fellowship even though they were in the midst of affliction.  vs 2, “we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this.  For indeed when we were with you, we [kept] telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.”

When affliction comes in all of it’s various forms, all too often Christians want to curl up in the fetal position and pull their covers over their head and not go to church.  Their perspective is all inward.  “I’m hurting, so I don’t want to see anyone.  I don’t want to have to speak to anyone.”  Listen, I understand how you can feel that way.  That’s the natural response of the flesh.  When you’re hurting, when you are suffering, you want to go crawl in a hole and lick your wounds.  But that’s the way the devil takes advantage of your afflictions.  If you will stop putting your suffering first, and instead think of others first, then you will perhaps find that God will heal your hurting so that you might minister to others. 

2 Cor. 1:3-4 says, “Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  Don’t let the devil add insult to injury by keeping you down and in self pity when you are in affliction.  Come to church.  Remember James?  When you are suffering, he said  you should come to the elders of the church and let them pray over you so that you may be healed.  We can debate what that specifically means in regards to physical healing, but be assured that at the least it means that when you are hurting, you should come to church.  Don’t let the devil get you separated from the flock, hurting, wounded, and alone.  That’s when he has you at your weakest and most vulnerable.

And that’s exactly what Paul was afraid of for the Thessalonians.  Look at vs 5, “For this reason, when I could endure [it] no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.”  When you are not in church, week after week, it’s not unreasonable to start to worry about someone’s faith.  The devil works through your absence from fellowship.  

I’m sure you’ve all watched the old Wild Kingdom television shows, or something like them.  And they always have the typical scenario; they show the lions stalking in the bush behind the antelope herd. The lions stay hidden and up wind of the herd looking for the weak, the stragglers, the young.  And sure enough, this one little antelope starts to wander away from the herd.  And when he gets far enough, the lions start to run towards him.  The rest of the herd now senses the lions and starts to run, but the little antelope is unable to catch up and the lions end up catching it and tearing it to pieces.  

Peter says in 1Peter 5:8 “Be of sober [spirit,] be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  The moral of the story? Don’t be a silly antelope.  Stay with the herd.  Don’t become separated from fellowship.

The next characteristic we see of fellowship is perseverance or steadfastness of faith.  Vs6 “But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you,  for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith;  for now we [really] live, if you stand firm in the Lord.”

Paul uses that phrase a lot in his epistles - “stand firm in the Lord.”  When you present your body to the church as a living sacrifice, then you stand firm in your faith against the forces of evil, against the temptations by the devil, against the lies of the world. Three times in Ephesians 6 Paul says stand firm.  Eph 6:10-17 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.] Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,  and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil [one.]  And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” 

The church is in a spiritual battle for the souls of men against the world forces of darkness. It’s a battle, and you better not forget it.  It’s a war and you need to stand with your church and defend your faith.  Stand firm.  Be steadfast.  Persevere in the faith. Fellowship is taking your place in the ranks and standing firm. Not wavering.  Not here one day and then absent the next.  Stand firm in fellowship, in participation with the church.

The next characteristic of fellowship we see here in this passage is the prayer of fellowship. Paul says in vs 9 “For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account,  as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith?”

If we go back to Ephesians 6 in the passage about standing firm in spiritual warfare, it goes on to say about our strategy  that we are to pray at all times.  After putting on the helmet of salvation and the sheild of faith, and taking up the sword of the Lord which is the word of God, it then says, in vs18 “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,  and [pray] on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.”  

Prayer for one another, prayer for the ministry of the word, prayer for the pastor, praying at all times, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition (prayer) for all the saints.  Prayer is an essential component of fellowship. It’s not optional.  It’s the way we do battle.  We fight spiritual battles with spiritual means.  Prayer is such a major aspect of fellowship.  Yes, you can and should pray at home, in your car, while you’re working, pray at all times.  You should pray wherever you may be.  But there is something powerful about corporate prayer, praying together.  Remember the early church met together to prayi for Peter who was in prison.  And as a result the angels came and opened up the gates of the prison and Peter walked out.  Prayer is so important.  And everyone is called to participate in it.

The next component of fellowship has already been alluded to but Paul emphasizes it again towards the end of this passage.  And that component is love.  Love is the defining aspect of fellowship.  Jesus said they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another.

Paul says in vs 11 “Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you;  and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also [do] for you.”  Abound in love.  That’s more than just having a warm, fuzzy feeling.  That’s a sacrificial love for others.  That’s having a greater concern for other’s well being than for your own needs or concerns.  Love one another is not a suggestion - it’s a commandment.  

Jesus said in John 13:34  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”  And notice that Paul says not only are we to love one another, that is the church, but we are to love all people.  Woah!  That’s not as easy as it sounds.  If we are truthful, we must admit we all fall short of that one quite often.  

Jesus said in Matt. 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on [the] evil and [the] good, and sends rain on [the] righteous and [the] unrighteous.”  

If we love all people, then we will shine the light of the SON on the evil and the good.  We will do good to all people.  We will overcome evil with good.  That’s how God loved us, when we were evil, when we were His enemies, He loved us enough to lay down His life for us.  So we must love others with a sacrificial love that shows them the love of Christ.

You can love one another and all people and not necessarily be best friends.  It doesn’t mean that you have to hang out together.  But it does mean that you are compassionate, that you forgive what they might have done against you, even if they persecute you.  You love them enough to share the gospel with them.

Finally, the last characteristic Paul gives us of fellowship is holiness.  Vs13  “so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.”   Notice that once again Paul manages to mention the second coming of the Lord in this chapter.  He strategically does so in each chapter, and in the next one, chapter 4, he will spend the entire passage talking in detail about it. 

But also notice that abounding in love for one another and all people results in holiness before God.  Jesus said that if you love God and love your neighbor then all the commandments are fulfilled in those two.  Love does no wrong to a neighbor.  Love triumphs over all.  Love is the fulfillment of the law.  So when we are given a new heart by the Lord in salvation, it gives us the capacity to love as God defines love.  And when we love in the way God tells us to love, we can not transgress the law.  Our hearts are without blame, says Paul.  And when we are without blame, we shall not shrink away in fear before the Lord when He comes again.  We can be confident at the coming of Christ.  

I will close with this exhortation for fellowship from Hebrews 10:19-25 “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,  by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,  and since [we have] a great priest over the house of God,  let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled [clean] from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;  and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,  not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging [one another;] and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”