1 Thessalonians 4
Bible Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4
Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you ought to walk and to please God, for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus…
1 Thessalonians 4: 1-2
Maintaining Holiness
For a good chunk of this chapter, Paul exhorts the church of Thessalonica to maintain themselves in purity and holiness. Although they had received this salvation gospel, they also had to remember to remain sanctified, like abstaining from sexual immorality (verse 3), among others. He even emphasised on the severity of this by saying this…
Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit…
1 Thessalonians 4: 8
This definitely directly applies to us today. Although we are in the true church, having received the true gospel, we cannot just stop our path of faith at that. Instead, we have to maintain this same purity and holiness that Paul was telling to the members in Thessalonica about. And that is to obey and keep the commandments of God all the days of our lives, lest we end up rejecting Him…
Loving Our Brethren
As we have read, some of the past few postings have touched on this aspect in their own way. In this chapter, Paul had linked loving our brethren and treating them properly as part of being holy, for God has commanded us to love our brethren.
That no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified…
1 Thessalonians 4: 6
But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another…
1 Thessalonians 4: 9
Do we know how to love our brethren? Have we ever wronged one of our brothers or sisters in church? Do we truly treat all our brethren equally?
I’m kinda ashamed to reply these questions of mine, for I’ve not cleared most of the qualifications of being a good brother in Christ… Well, not that I’ve ever “sabo-ed” anyone or caused them great sufferings, but still… I haven’t attained a level worthy of being classified as a good brother…
But I thank God that this is a good chapter to remind me to reflect upon myself and strive to love my brethren better… To strive for holiness…
He who loves his brother abides in the light,and there is no cause for stumbling in him…
1 John 2: 10
Comfort of Christ’s Coming
We also know that the church in Thessalonica was a church facing persecutions at the time. I also think Paul wrote the last bit of the chapter with this in mind.
Paul wrote this so as encourage them on “the faithfulness of the coming of Jesus again and confirmed that the day of the return of the Lord is imminent – and that the believers should live as children of the light, and not of the darkness.” (as quoted by biblereadingcompanion in his/her/its sharing last year, which I honestly copied off so I didn’t have to type so much, but then again might be the same as what I’ve just written in this bracket…)
Indeed, Christ is definitely coming very soon (Revelations 22: 20, Hymn 85). Each day that passes by is one day closer to that day…
For those who do not heed His commandments, it would be a day of fear (the scary kind) and impending doom. But for those who do, it would be a day of great rejoicing. No contest as to which group we want to belong…
Because of that, we would have to strive to draw closer to God as that day draws closer, to obey His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.
Also, let us be able to endure any persecutions we face along our path to salvation, never wavering in our faith… If anyone begins to grow weary or downhearted, let us encourage each other with these words, that Christ is coming soon, and we can finally rest when He comes again…
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith…
2 Timothy 4: 7
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PS
1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus (foot note through Jesus sleep).
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an arch-angel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Matthew 27:51-52 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the grave were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep raised;
Matthew 27:53 coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
Who will raise from their sleep? Those who through Jesus sleep/dead in Christ. And saints before the time of Jesus.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
Take it at face value: No one comes to the Father except through Me.
i have 3 brothers, 3 sisters-in-laws, 3 nieces and a nephew-coming-soon who have not come to the Father through Lord Jesus yet. And many close relatives and friends too.
How many do u have?
On judgement day, they will not raise if they do not come to Lord Jesus before that.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Think more about many many who have yet to know Lord Jesus. Ponder deeply. It’ll definitely bring us to our knees.