SERIES: COMFORTED TILL HIS COMING

TITLE: COMFORTED BY THEIR ENCOUNTER - part 1

TEXT: 1 THESSALONIANS 4:1-12

  • This first letter to the church of Thessalonica was written to comfort these new believers about the return of the Lord.
  • Young church planted/started by Paul in the area of modern day Greece.
  • So far, Paul has been laying the groundwork to answer their questions concerning this matter.
  • Ch. 1– Election (We are God’s elect through exercised faith in Jesus Christ);
  • Ch.2 – Education (How Paul delivered the Gospel and how they received it);
  • Ch. 3 – Endurance (Strong faith that endures till the end)
  • Now, Paul begins to get into the heart of the matter (Furthermore then…).
  • Notice how in this chapter Paul does not dive right into the Lord’s Return in vs. 13, but he spends the first 12 verses getting the new Thessalonian believers ready for the Lord’s return.
  • EX: Making preparations for new baby
  • DEC: It is God’s desire for every believer to be ready when we meet the Lord.
  • Some pass from this life before the Lord returns and meet Him that way.
  • But there will be those who don’t make it to death, but will be alive when the Lord returns (we will talk about this more tonight).
  • The key is, either way you meet Him, will you be ready?
  • PROP: Does your daily walk show that you are ready, watching and waiting with anticipation for the Lord Jesus to return?
  • McGee – We like to look forward to the day when we shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. But, my friend, in the meantime our feet are down here on the ground and need to do some walking.
  • TRANS: We notice in the first 12 verses how we can be prepared for when we meet the Lord.
  1. EDUCATED FOR THE ENCOUNTER– 4:1-2
  2. The Importance Of The Request– 4:1a “Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus…”
  3. Beseech - to request: - ask, desire,
  4. Exhort - o callnear, that is, invite, invoke
  5. Barnes - The use of these words here implies that Paul regarded the subject as of great importance. He might have commanded them - but kind exhortation usually accomplishes more than a command,
  6. What Paul was getting ready to deal with was of the utmost importance.
  7. God is concerned with our daily walk with Him; and most Christian’s daily walk is concerning, at best!
  8. The Increase Of The Responders– 4:1b – “…that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. “
  9. Clarke - God sets no bounds to the communications of his grace and Spirit to them that are faithful.
  10. And if God sets no bounds to the grace he bestows upon us, we should not set any bounds to our growth in his grace!
  11. Many Christians have already decided that they will not grow anymore in their faith.
  12. They are settled and satisfied – they have set the bounds.
  13. But God wants us to abound more and more in and through His grace at work in our lives.
  14. The Issue Of The Responsibility– 4:2
  15. There was no hiding, and no excuse. Paul knew exactly what he had already taught them.
  16. And even though Paul was the messenger, it was Jesus’ message that he delivered.
  17. EXISTING UNTIL THE ENCOUNTER– 4:3-12
  18. It’s God’s Will For Us To Live Holy – 4:3-8
  • Sanctification - consecration, purification
  • This is, or should be, and ongoing process for every born-again believer.
  • Paul shows us three actions to stay away from so that we may live a holy and consecrated life for the Lord:
  • We live holy by abstaining from Debauchery of the flesh– 4:3-4
  • Sexual immorality was rampant in the Greek culture while Paul was writing this letter.
  • This was the climate and lifestyle that many of the Thessalonian believers were saved from.
  • They had that old nature, old desire, that surrounded them and tempted them to fall back to their old ways.
  • But God had called them and empowered them to exercise self-control (4:4).
  • Our society is not much different today.
  • Many lack self-control when it comes to sins of the flesh.
  • We live holy by abstaining from Defrauding of our family – 4:5-6
  • Concupiscence - a longing (especially for what is forbidden)
  • Defraud -to gain or take advantage of another, to overreach
  • This speaks to having good relationships with those around us.
  • What do others think about you and how you treat them?
  • We live holy by abstaining from Despising of our faith– 4:7-8
  • Despiseth - to do away with, to set aside, disregard
  • Too many get mad at the messenger, when really they are just under conviction about the message.
  • When we choose to live in sin, it is not a slap in the face of the preacher, but it is in direct defiance of God.
  • God wants the Christian to live a holy life.
  1. It’s God’s Will For Us To Love Happily – 3:9-10
  2. Sanctification had not only to do with how we live, but also how we love.
  3. John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
  4. PNT - The whole gospel teaches you to love one another. When you are born of God, you are his children and all brethren. As Christ loved the brethren, so must you if you follow him.
  5. A lack of love shows a lack of preparedness to meet the Lord.
  6. Our desire should always be to increase in our love for others.
  7. It’s God’s Will For Us To Labor Honestly – 3:11-12
  8. PNT - Study to be quiet - The Greeks were naturally a restless people, often given to intermeddling in the business of other people.
  9. In essence, stay out of other people’s business and be busy about your own!

CLOSE:

  • A gentleman visiting a certain school gave out that he would give a prize to the pupil whose desk he found in the best order when he returned. "But when will you return?" some of them asked. "That I cannot tell," was the answer.
  • A little girl, who had been noted for her disorderly habits, announced that she meant to win the prize. "You!" her schoolmates jeered; "why, your desk is always out of order." "Oh! but I mean to clean it the first of every week."
  • "But suppose he should come at the end of the week? someone asked. "Then I will clean it every morning." "But he may come at the end of the day."
  • For a moment the little girl was silent. "I know what I'll do," she said decidedly, "I'll just keep it clean."
  • Tonight we will talk about theEVENTS OF THE ENCOUNTER– 4:13-5:11.
  • But this morning ask yourself, “Are you ready to meet the Lord?”

FBC-W 11/7/10 AMPage 1 of 5