ARE YOU READY FOR THE GOOD TIMES
1 Thessalonians 4
BE DETERMINED TO PLEASE GOD MORE
V:1. Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
A. The primary focus of a Christian, should be to please God.
1. Our life with Christ began at the cross.
2. His death on the cross was his Fathers pleasure.
Isa 53:10
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he
shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in
his hand.
3. It is God’s pleasure to see us live a life of righteousness.
B. We should never get to the point where we think there is no
room for improvement.
1. Paul urges us to continue in our efforts to please God.
2. The very best we can do is noting more than a filthy rag
before God.
3. The Word is our supreme authority,
4. When we are obedient to the Word, we please God.
VALUE FAMILY
V:3 It is God\’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.
7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit
A. Paul is speaking of adultery and sex outside of marriage.
1. The Greeks practiced open marriages
2. In Corinth, the Greeks worship the goddess of the temple
Aphrodite which housed temple prostitutes.
3. Open marriages was also practiced by Hebrews.
a. Starting with Abraham and Sarah;
Impatient to have a baby, Sarah gave Abraham Haggar to
have a child.
4. Jacob’s uncle, Laban promise Rachel in marriage for 5 years
of service. Laban substituted Leah on the wedding night.
a. Both Leah and Rachel gave Jacob their maidens to have
children.
5. King David committed adultery with wife of one his dedicated
soldiers.
6. King Solomon had 500 wives and 300 concubines.
7. Paul gave clear warning for disobeying God’s commands.
B. Marriage was the first divine human institution created by God.
Gen 2:24
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united
to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
1. God made it plain that marriage is sacred and not to be interrupted by
family members or outsiders.
2. For the two to become one flesh is a permanent bond.
Mark 10:9
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
C. The foundation of the Church is marriage.
1. Christ is the bride groom and we are His bride
2. We are all part of the body of Christ.
3. We are all married to Christ.
4. The body is the Temple of the Lord. 1 Cor 3:17
Col 3:12
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Eph 5:27
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot,
or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish.
5. If we do not honor our own bodies, we are not honoring God.
6. Faith holds the entire Bible as true and applicable to you.
Heb 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who
comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who
earnestly seek him.
LOVE THE BROTHERS IN CHRIST MORE
V:9 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
A. Whatever we are doing that is good, God wants us to do more.
1. God is love, therefore, He commands us to be a model of His
love.
2. We cannot love (agape, a love feast) our brother unless we
love (agape) God first.
3. The word Paul used for brotherly love is philadelphia which is
affection or kindness.
a. In this verse agape is word Paul used for God’s love.
b. The problem with brotherly love is it is selective.
We chose the time and the person we want to be kind to.
c. Agape love covers everybody all the time; friends and enemies.
4. We have to know agape love before will know philadelphia love.
B. There is never an end to the more God does for us.
1. There should never be an end to the more we do
for God.
2. The love God has for His elect is eternal.
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS
V:11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
A. At he very least, God expects us to be role models for others follow.
1. It should gives us joy that others see in us ways to improve.
2. Our lives should be an open book to the Lord’s righteousness.
B. Paul gives us four characteristics to follow.
1. Live a quite life.
a. We don’t have to be boisterous about anything but the
Lord Jesus.
b. But even in claiming our belief in Jesus, we can do it in a
manner, not upsetting to others.
c. We can quietly disagree without saying a word.
d. We can keep our opinions to ourselves, but let our actions
do the speaking.
2. Mind your own business.
a. Gossip is a way of intruding in the life of others
b. Stay out of the gossip circle by turning the conversation
to Jesus
c. Be at peace with what you have, taking care of your family
and business.
b. Wish everyone the best, praying for their success and prosperity.
3. Work with your hands.
a. Be busy doing everything you can to improve your life.
b. Lend a helping hand to others when you see a need,
c. Serve the Lord with kindness, gladness and compassion.
d. We can win the respect of others by always doing the right
things
4. Try not to be dependant on anyone.
a. Trust the Lord in all your situations.
b. Pray without ceasing, so that you are always under His
guidance and directions.
c. Be grateful and use what God has given you wisely.
BE ENCOURAGED BY THE SECOND COMING
V:13. Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 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. 15 According to the Lord\’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 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. 17 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. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
A. Put your hope, that is your confident expectation in the second coming
Of Jesus Christ.
1. Whatever is going on around us, is under the Lord’s control for
His divine purposes.
2. Your birth and your death is in the hands of Jesus.
a. He determined the day you were born and the day you will die.
b. Many have died before us, but their fate was controlled by the Lord.
B. Paul gives us the order of the second coming of the Lord.
1. Our hope, that is our confident expectation of our eternal resurrection
is based and proven by the death and resurrection of Jesus.
2. Jesus death and resurrection was foretold 700 years before it happen
(Isaiah 53:10).
3. The Lord will descend from heaven as He did the first time,
not as a baby, but in His resurrected glorified state with all power
over heaven and earth in His hands.
4. The Lord will step out in mid air and call all those who died in the Lord
into a resurrected body to be with Him.
5. The Archangel will speak with Christ or for Christ awaking all the
dead in Christ.
6. The trumpet will be a battle call to victory for all those who believe
in Christ.
7. At the second coming of Christ, the entire Church body of believers
still alive with be change in an instant into resurrected and gloried
bodies to be with Christ forever.
C. It is the job of the Church to encourage everyone with the good news
Of the second coming of Christ.
1. Weeping may endure for a night, but there will be joy in the morning.
2. Problems are designed to get us ready for the good times.
3. We have to go to a physical death to get to eternal life.
1 Cor 15:52-53
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we
shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put
on immortality.
SUMMARY HOW TO STAY ENCOURAGED
BE DETERMINED TO PLEASE GOD MORE AND MORE
PLACE YOUR HIGHEST VALUE ON FAMILY
LOVE MORE AND MORE
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS
BE CONFIDENT IN THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
THANK GOD FOR THE GOOD NEWS
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church
