1 Thessalonians 5:24-28 - The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you

5:24

“The one who calls you is faithful.” Humanly speaking being completely sanctified is impossible, it is a non starter. “To err is human”. But our sanctification is not founded on us, it founded in Christ. God called us, and He knew what He was doing. He is faithful and will bring to completion the work that He has started.

5:25-28

Whoever put the verse numbers in 1 Thessalonians seemed to delight in short verses! Perhaps he found it easier to remember short verses. Paul asks for prayer, he needed prayer as much as they did. They were to greet each other with a holy kiss. This is a cultural thing, appropriate in some cultures, not in others. Paul intended the letter, in fact he insisted, to be read to the whole church. He closes the letter by expressing the desire that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with them all.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-23 - Do not put out the Spirit's fire

5:19-22

There continues a series of quick fire commands. “Do not quench the Spirit”. Lack of joy, prayer and thanksgiving are sure ways to quench the Spirit, to nullify His effect on our lives. Prophecy is to be treated seriously. This means we do not reject things without thinking, and we do not accept anything without thinking. For charismatics the latter danger is the greater risk, but for cessationists the former is a real danger. Arguing that now we have the New testament we don’t need prophecy is an argument that really does not hold water, and can only be argued from Scripture by eisegesis, not by exegesis. The Biblical command is to test prophecy, and to hold on to what is good. And the Bible is a primary tool in testing anything. We are to reject what is evil.

5:23

“May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through”. There are a few things to note here. One is that it is God Himself who sanctifies us, and He does this through the Holy Spirit. But we should also note the instructions in the preceding verse, and in every other chapter in the Bible! It is God who sanctifies us, but that does not mean we are passive. And the sanctification is to be “through and through”. It is not a minor improvement, but a complete transformation. “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of Christ”. Again emphasising the completeness of the work of salvation, and the high expectations.

1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 - Rejoice always

5:15

Then there is a general instruction. No one is to seek revenge, paying back wrong for wrong, and Timothy is to ensure that this does not happen. Instead people are to “strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else”. Being saved by grace manifestly does not mean we have no responsibility for how we live, and part of church leadership is to make sure the congregation knows that this is the case.

5:16-18

“Rejoice always”, remember that Paul was writing this to a church experiencing some persecution. They were also to pray continually, and to give thanks. So joyfulness, prayerfulness and thankfulness are to be characteristics that mark our lives. This is God’s will for us in Christ. When in difficult circumstances our natural reaction is to wonder what how we should get out of the situation, and this often causes us stress because we don’t know how to get out of the situation. God’s priorities are often different than ours. He pray, rejoicing and giving thanks are often the things we should be doing. So we address the problem, or the circumstances, obliquely, rather than directly, and we may be surprised to find that this is more successful!

1 Thessalonians 5:13,14 - Warn those who are idle

5:13

We are to hold leaders in “the highest regard” “in love” “because of their work”. The latter aspect implies respect because of the position they have. And we are to do this in love, not out of a begrudging sense of duty. We are also to live in peace with each other. There are two ways that are guaranteed to make leaders’ work a misery. One is to be constantly criticising and disrespecting leaders, the other is to be constantly arguing with others in the church. If you or I are such a person then the simple fact is that we are an absolute pain in the neck and a blessing to no one.

5:14

We see here the attitude we are to have towards various groups, or types of people. There is, as is often the case in the Bible, are proper balance. We have an inclination in the church to be “too soft”, thinking this is the same as being caring, or wanting to avoid feeling guilty. Here we are urged to warn those who are idle or disruptive. People who genuinely care for others will often take a harder line than those who are effectively just virtue signalling.  At the same time we are to encourage the disheartened and help the weak. People will become disheartened from time to time, we must not write them off when this happens. Instead we are to be patient with everyone.

1 Thessalonians 5:12 - Acknowledge those who work hard among you

5:12

Heb 13:17 contains a somewhat similar injunction for us to respect our leaders, and to make their task as straightforward as possible. I am sure that we all know people who make a leader’s task as difficult as possible! So we are to respect our leaders. The implication here is that leaders will work hard, they will care for the people, and they will also admonish the people. we are perhaps not always that keen on the latter aspect! Let me say something about leaders and respect. Sometimes people say leaders (or some other group) need to earn respect. This is not true. They should live lives worthy of respect, this is absolutely true, but we are to give respect at the outset, not wait for it to be “earned”. This is the only way an organisation or society can function. If we so wish we can always find some reason why someone has not “earned” respect, we are all sinners after all! Proper functioning of society depends on us respecting positions, respecting leaders, respecting teachers, respecting parents. We give respect from the outset. Now if the person in that position is manifestly not living a life worthy of respect then action needs to be taken, but we are to start from a position of respect. To do otherwise leads to a collapse of society.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 - God did not appoint us to suffer wrath

5:9

The world is led by fear. There are extreme political movements that are led fear, the Nazis are perhaps the most infamous example where they used fear of the Jews to enable them to reach their evil ends. Much of the current climate change movement is led by fear (this does not mean we should not seek to care for the environment). And this fear leads to irrationality, and sometimes plain evil. As followers of Jesus we should not be led by fear, for we have not been appointed to “suffer wrath”, but to receive salvation through Christ. In 1 John 4:18 it says fear has to do with punishment. On the cross Christ took upon Himself the punishment that should have been ours. We do not need to fear.

5:10,11

And the salvation that Christ won for us works whether we die before He returns, or whether we are here when He returns. It seems that the wondering of what happened to those who died was a great source of fear to those who lived at the time. In Hebrews the writer speaks of the fear of death (Heb 2:15). Paul is working to assure them that even if we do die before Christ returns we have no need to fear, we will live together with Him. So instead of leading each other to fear, we are to encourage one another. The salvation Christ has won for us is absolutely complete, covering all situations.

1 Thessalonains 5:8 - Let us be sober

5:8

Paul then uses some of the analogies that he used in Ephesians 6:10-20. We belong to the day. We are to live as wise, not as fools. What is the point of God opening our eyes to the truth if we then choose to live in darkness? So we are to be sober and to be awake.  We put on faith and love as a breastplate. In Eph 6:14 it is the breastplate of righteousness. This shows us that we should not draw too strict a relationship between the item of armour and the role that it plays in the Christian life. Faith and love protect us, just as righteousness does. Helmet is the same here as in Eph 6:17, there it is simply the helmet of salvation, here it is the hope of salvation, so no real difference. The hope of salvation protects our mind, it give us strength, for we know that whatever we are going through right now our salvation is assured. Any setback or defeat is temporary, salvation is eternal.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-7 - You are all children of the light

5:4,5

The previous statement about “coming like a thief in the night” applies to unbelievers, those living in darkness. Paul tells us that we are not in the dark. Now this does not mean that we know the date! The human way of wanting to prepare for the return of Christ, the end of this world, is to want to know when and how it will happen. And sadly many Christians also go down this route. If we think this is a good road to go down there are two points we should consider. First, no one has got it right yet! It is a manifestly failed approach. Secondly, what good has it done, what good would it do if somehow we got it “right”? Knowing the date is not the Jesus approach. The Jesus approach is to live life in a godly way, as we will see the following verses. If we do that then whenever the Lord does return we will be ready.

5:6,7

Israel wanted a king because they wanted to be “like other nations” (1 Sam 8:20). There is a tendency in most of us to want to be like everyone else, not to stand out too much. But we are called to be different. God’s ways are not man’s ways, so when we choose to follow Jesus we will be different, we will stand out.  We are not to be like the world. Instead we are to be like Christ, we are to be sober and awake. This applies both in the sense of not being drunk or intoxicated, but also in being awake to what is going on in the world. Paul has been talking about living in darkness and living in the day. More deeds of evil are done in the dark than in the day. Most drunkenness occurs at night, and people sleep at night. 

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 - About times and dates

5:1

“About times and dates we do not need to write to you”. Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour (Matt 24:36). Given these very clear statements one would have thought that people would have got the message that guessing the day of the second coming is a mugs game. However, we all know that there are plenty of mugs around. If anyone claims to know the day or the hour we can be absolutely sure that they do not know what they are talking about, and we can, indeed should, safely ignore them.

5:2,3

The return of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. It will come suddenly. There will probably have been upheavals in society prior to it, but it might be that there is a time of false peace immediately before His return. Indeed Paul says that they will be saying “peace and safety”. This is reminiscent of Jeremiah Jeremiah 6:14 and 8:11, and Ezekiel 13:10. There will be a godless peace, one founded on unrighteousness. This may well have followed a time of extreme persecution of the church, even with the church seemingly defeated (cf Rev 11:1-10). But the church will rise again. However, while the world is at ease, even rejoicing over the “death” of the church, destruction will come.

1 Thessalonians 4:17,18 - We will always be with the Lord

4:17

Only after the dead have been raised will those who are still alive will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. 4:17 is a verse beloved of pre-tribulation rapture proponents. In reality this verse offers no support for such a notion. First, this happen at the time of Christ’s return, so there is no pre-tribulation aspect to this. The context is of us going to meet the returning Christ. “In the air” could be referring the spiritual realms rather than physically being lifted up. Perhaps most importantly we should note that Paul’s primary concern here is not to provide any pretext for idle notions about any supposed pre-tribulation rapture, but to reassure the Thessalonians that whether we die before Christ returns or whether we are still alive at the time ultimately makes no difference. If we believe that we shall be with the Lord forever.

4:18

“Therefore encourage one another with these words”. This gives us the proper approach to the return of Christ. It is not to engage in heated arguments, but to encourage one another that we can have absolutely sure hope that Christ will return and that we will be with Him forever. In the meantime we are to get on with the work of th kingdom in that sure knowledge. What if a time of really serious persecution comes upon us, what are we to do? Hope that God will “rapture us” out of the trouble? That is a very dangerous hope to have. God may chose to deliver us out of a situation, but there are also numerous warnings and teachings on being prepared to suffer under persecution. Indeed many Christians have done so throughout the ages, and many suffer today. Sharing in Christ’s sufferings is actually part of God’s way of bringing the kingdom in.

1 Thessalonians 4:15,16 - The dead in Christ will rise

4:15

“According to the Lord’s word ...” It seems that what Paul was saying here was based on something that Jesus had said to the disciples. Those who are still here when the Lord returns will not be in a better position than those who have died in faith. Again there is the assumption that Christ will return. Dying before that day is of no disadvantage to us.

4:16

We then get some more detail on the Lord’s return. The Lord’s return will not be in secret, but will be obvious to all. Jesus Himself will return, and He will do so with a loud command, and a great noise from heaven. By the way, schemes for the return of Christ and pre-tribulation rapture that rely on a secret second coming before the public one are badly mistaken. Those who have died in Christ (clearly showing that previous reference to those who have fallen asleep is a way of referring to the dead in Christ) will be raised first. Those who are still around will be transformed.

1 Thessalonians 4:13,14 - We believe that Jesus died and rose again

4:13

The claim that Jesus rose from the dead is a most audacious claim, as is the claim that we too will be raised from the dead on the last day. As we are now two thousand years away from the events it is difficult for us to properly appreciate this, as we are so used to it being the central part of the Christian message. There are broadly speaking two reactions. Those of us who believe accept it as an inherent part of the gospel, but not really appreciating the enormity nor impact of the resurrection. Those who do not regard it as nonsense and just something that Christians believe, probably as wishful thinking. Here Paul is addressing understandable concerns. One can imagine there being all sorts of discussion about what resurrection meant,  and Paul is speaking about what happens to those who have died in faith.

4:14

Paul then gives a clear and succinct statement of what we believe. First, we believe that Jesus died and rose again. “And so ...” The resurrection was not a one-off, those who believe in Him will also be raised by God. So when Jesus returns (note the implicit belief in the bodily return of Jesus), God will bring those who have “fallen asleep” in Christ. Death is not the end, hence the use of the term “fallen asleep”.

1 Thessalonians 4:11,12 - Aspire to live quietly

4:11

We should make it our ambition to lead a quiet life. There are many of us who would say amen to that, but then there are those who take the exact opposite tack! Now Paul did not exactly lead a quiet life, so what is he on about? If we then look at the second half of the verse he talks about minding our own business and working with our hands. Perhaps we get a feel for what Paul meant if we think of the saying “empty vessels make most noise”. Those who are forever talking, especially about themselves, usually actually do very little. They may make a big noise, but in reality do little that is useful. Also, later in the letter Paul will warn those who are idle. So Paul is giving very practical advice here.

4:12

When we just make a big noise we may fool some people for a time, but in the end the only person we fool is ourselves. Outsiders will not respect us, seeing through the facade all too easily. Instead we are to live lives that are worthy of respect, then we will win the respect of outsiders, and will merit respect. The people who make most noise are often demanding that others provide for them as they supposedly “serve the Lord”. The Bible consistently takes a much more robust approach to such people. We should do the same.

1 Thessalonians 4:8-10 - Taught by God to love one another

4:8

Paul then makes it clear that if we disregard the clear Biblical teaching we are not disregarding man but God. This warning applies in general, but is here given in the context of sexual morality. And what is the area of life where "Christians" and "churches" are most likely to disregard Biblical teaching? Sexual morality. We would do well to heed this warning.

It is also worth noting that Paul is writing this to a church that he thought very highly of. All of us need this teaching. The sexual morality of the surrounding culture was virtually non-existent, as is the case with our own society.

4:9,10

Paul now moves on to other matters, first to brotherly love. This might seem a strange topic to bring up, especially as it seems that they were already doing this. Paul just encourages them to do this all the more. We should note how easily this aspect gets forgotten. We can get embroiled in policy or even theological arguments and forget the command from God to love one another.

1 Thessalonians 4:6,7 - The Lord has called us for holiness

4:6

"That no one transgresses and wrongs his brother". We often think of sexual immorality in terms of "me", "why shouldn't I be allowed to do this?" If we commit sexual immorality we both transgress God's law and we hurt other people. Then there is a solemn warning, God will avenge all wrongs. When there are natural disasters such as floods someone will often pipe up that it has happenedas a judgement from God, and such a person will be widely mocked, sometimes rightly so. However, God is an avenging God, and sin invites retribution. Both the Old and New Testaments are consistent and clear on this, including Jesus Himself. 

4:7

"For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness". We need to be aware of what we have been called for. And notice how everything is God centred. All too often our thinking and teaching starts with man and adds God in later, this is a deeply unbiblical approach, which will never lead us to the truth.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 - Abstain from sexual immorality

4:3

We now get some insight into the teaching that the early Christians received, and remember that this instruction was given "through the Lord". The overall aim was sanctification, having our lives cleansed of what was unclean, offensive to God. And this replaced by ways that are pleasing to God.  The first example given is that of sexual immorality, and we are to abstain from this. Note that it doesn't matter if we have desires for something, if it is displeasing to God we don't do it. Churches which encourage immoral behaviour should be utterly ashamed of themselves.

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified”. Being saved means so much more than just being forgiven. Forgiveness is essential, and it is the doorway to so much more. It is definitely not about our “getting away with it”. God saved us so that we would become like Christ, and the Holy Spirit works within us to make us ever more Christlike. So if we resist this, or even have no interest in being sanctified, then we are working against God, we are living as enemies of God. 

4:4,5

We are to control our bodies. Self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit. This teaching was very much at odds with the culture of the day, much the same as today! It is worth noting that one of the attractive features of the gospel in the first century was that it taught sexual restraint. Our bodies, and every one else's, are to be treated with respect and honoured as holy. This is very much at odds with the world's approach.

1 Thessalonians 4:1,2 - How to live and please the Lord

4:1

“We instructed you how to live in order to please God”. So often we want to live in order to please ourselves, or to please other people. Our prime goal should be to live in order to please God. Moreover, our teaching and leading of the church should be to help people to live for God. If we seek to help them to live to please the current culture then we are badly mistaken. Paul did not think that the Thessalonians were no aiming to please God, but he was encouraging them to do this all the more so. We must never rest on our laurels, for we all have much more progress to make.

4:2

Paul and his companions had given the Thessalonians clear instructions. Sometimes we can be too gentle with people, prone to sugar-coating things. That is not something we find either in Jesus or in the New Testament letters. And we give this clear Biblical teaching by the authority of Jesus. In order to do this we have to be under His authority ourselves and we must always check ourselves to see if we are straying in the wrong direction. Teaching with the authority of Jesus is definitely not a licence to exert or exalt ourselves. It is an authority to teach the word of God. So we must be under authority, and we must lead with authority.

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 - We pray that we may see you

3:9,10

Paul continues to stress his enthusiasm for the Thessalonians. There were many people who brought Paul grief! These included direct opponents of various sorts, but also churches! Galatia and Corinth are examples where the direction and attitude of the churches caused pain for Paul. So Paul prayed earnestly that he might be able to come and see them again, and further strengthen the church there. We should all seek to be people who make our leader’s task easier, rather than harder! (Heb 13:17).

3:11-13

Paul continues to express his earnest desire to come and see them, imploring God to make it possible. He then goes on to pray for the Thessalonians, asking that their love may increase all the more. Then he asks that God will strengthen their hearts. Heart in the Bible is not just the emotions, but includes our mind, will and emotions. When faced with great difficulties or opposition we need to be strengthened in our innermost being. So he is praying for God to enable them to live as faithful servants of Christ, and this is done with an allusion to the return of Christ. The return of Christ is an issue he will speak about a little in this letter, and to a greater extent in the second letter. Faithful service today is the best preparation for the return of Christ tomorrow.

1 Thessalonians 3:7,8 - We have been comforted

3:7

Paul and his companions were experiencing persecution. They knew that the atmosphere would be similar in Thessalonica and had been concerned about how the Thessalonians were coping. However, the news that Timothy brought greatly encouraged them. It can be difficult to stand up when our faith is under attack, but when we do so we bring encouragement to other people. Our faithfulness can be a source of strength for others, and other people’s faithfulness can be a source of strength for us.

3:8

“For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.” Prior to receiving Timothy’s report, Paul’s life was wracked with anxiety for the Thessalonians, and when anxiety is dominant in our lives we aren't really living. So we again see the humanity and frailty of Paul. James brings out the points in the last two verses. In James 5:10,11 he urges his readers to look to the prophets who endured under suffering, and to Job. In 5:17 he cites Elijah who “was a human being just as we are” and the power of his prayers. We must not make the likes of Paul into superheroes, into people we cannot possibly emulate. They were normal people like us, but who through faith and the grace of God did amazing things for God. That faith and grace is open to us as well, even in all our weakness.

1 Thessalonains 3:5,6 - Timothy has brought us good news

3:5

We might sometimes be tempted to think of Paul as a “super apostle” (read what he had to say about those in 2 Corinthians!). He was no such thing, and his writings make this clear. He was subject to fears just as we are, and he was deeply concerned about the Thessalonians. Just as our minds sometimes go into overdrive, working out all the ways in which something can go wrong, so did Paul’s mind about the Thessalonians. So he had sent Timothy in order to find out how things were.

3:6

So Timothy went to see the Thessalonians and had just arrived back to report to Paul. And Timothy came with good news about their “faith and love”. If we look at all of Paul’s letters we see that he placed a great emphasis on faith and love. These are the qualities that demonstrate how we are really doing. So in our own lives we should focus on these things. The enemy will try to get us to focus on anything but faith and love, such as money, reputation, health. These things are important, but faith and love are the most important. Moreover, the Thessalonians still thought well of Paul.