205: Telling a Better Story; Distinctive and Secure; 1 Thess 4

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, 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 your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Our Story is Distinctive

Distinctive lifestyle

The way Christians are to live is distinctive. Moral norms may change but Christians do not.

Paul has urged them to live a life that pleases God, now he pushes further. He wants to push them further into God’s will.

What is God’s will? For you to be Sanctified

Paul’s concept of “sanctified” comes from Temple.

One went to the Temple to be with God. The problem was sin. One would have to be purified (sanctified). Of course, we have been cleansed by the cross of Christ. Now Christians together are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. That being said, Paul warns of three areas where we need to particularly cautious, distinctive. These are three areas where we need to be sanctified.

First, distinctive sexual ethic

control that is holy and honorable, not crazy

Paul says that we should avoid sexual immorality (πορνείας).

πορνείας

Love one another

πορνείας is a catch-all word for all sexual activity outside the bounds of heterosexual marriage.

This isn’t simply for the believers in Thessalonica. This matter was settled at the Jerusalem Council in .

Paul insists that Christians have to learn to control their bodies.

St. Francis called his body “brother donkey.” In other words, he loved the donkey but it needed to be trained. He was supposed to be in control but it seemed the donkey had a mind of its own.

The Holy Spirit must experience something similar as he guides our lives and yet we keep going in our own directions.

Let’s not assume this is something for someone else.

Is God’s sexual ethic constraining/unfair?

First, God created sex as the ultimate expression of love and intimacy that a man and woman can have for one another (refer to Tough Topics)

Second, true freedom always is always experienced in boundaries.

Fish

Anniversary

It’s better to stick with the manual!

Second, distinctive love

In v. 9 Paul says “about your love for one another, we do not need to write to you.” In other words - you’re doing good but lets talk about it.

“more and more”

If you struggle with someone, pray for them.

John 13:35 NIV

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Third, distinctive mannerism

No Drama

imperturbability

Lead a quiet life

Mind your business

Work hard

Respect of outsiders

Independence

This is a pure life

Secure

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 NIV

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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 one another with these words.

Our Story is Secure

Secure Future

Context

Paul says, “I don’t want you to be in the dark.”

We believe that Jesus died and rose again! This is one of the earliest Christian creeds. All of the Christian faith, flows from this reality.

Paul helps the church to understand what will happen but remember, he wants to stretch their understanding and provide comfort. We don’t grieve like those who don’t have hope.

How do you explain something that someone has no baseline for a reference? You give them pictures.

Jesus himself with return with a loud command (word describes the shouting of a military order) and a trumpet blast.

Popular books would have us believe this is a secret event where believers disappear. If that’s the case, the heavenly trumpet works like a dog-whistle. It just doesn’t seem to fit the picture Paul paints.

Dead in Christ will rise first.

Dead in Christ will rise

Did you notice something odd in the text. It states Jesus will bring with him Christians who have died. Then it states the dead in Christ will rise. What gives?

There is a funny difference in the original language. They are in different tenses. Scholars seem to think Paul has in mind, Christians who have died and Christian who are at the point of death, the dying.

Then believers will be “caught up” or “raptured.”

Actually, we need to focus elsewhere. We need to focus on meeting Jesus in the clouds.

What’s the deal with the clouds?

Clouds at Sinai

Clouds at the transfiguration

Jesus disappeared into a cloud.

Clouds represent the glory and presence of God. Paul says that at the return of Jesus, we’ll be taken into the the glory of God.

What about this idea of meeting? This word has the idea of going out to meet and returning with the person.

Acts 28:15 NIV

The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged.

Acts 28:15

The word is used in ancient Greek of a party going out to welcome the visiting dignitaries.

This is the idea of the wedding party going out to escort the Groom back!

It doesn’t matter if you are living, near death, or died.

It doesn’t matter is Satan is whispering in your ear that you aren’t good enough or that you’ve made too many mistakes.

It doesn’t matter if you continue to struggle and you keep repenting

Because Jesus died and rose again we have a secure future.

We live differently—we grieve differently. We have hope. Our story is secure.

And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.