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First Thessalonians, chapter four verse one. Furthermore, then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus, for this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor, not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit. But as touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another, and indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia. But we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more, and that ye study to be quiet and to do your own business and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring for- bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the- unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven without- with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. The Lord will bless the reading of his word. Yeah. Thank you, Young. Well, today we come to, uh, uh, chapter four of this interesting epistle. We consider chapters one to three, which mainly were historical, in which the Apostle Paul was just, just laying his case against the, uh, false charges that made against him and Silas and Timothy.
And so those, uh, those first two chapters, Paul is just making his case i- in that respect. In chapter three, as we saw last week, we have Timothy's report after his visit to the Thessalonians. And now in chapters four and five, we have Paul writing to these Thessalonians in the light of what Timothy has reported to him from his visit. And so we find that we move away from that which is historical to that which is more doctrinal. And what we have in these, uh, two chapters, we have brought before us, first of all, the, uh, the Apostle Paul dealing with the, uh, the saints in relation to moral matters, verses one to twelve, and then from verses thirteen to eighteen, doctrinal matters, and then in chapter five with assembly matters.
And so these two chapters really go together, in which the Apostle Paul is going to deal with these three different matters. On the one hand, you've got in verses one to twelve of chapter four, we have Paul dealing with the unbecoming behavior of the saints as, uh, he got the report from Timothy. And then he deals with, in verses thirteen to eighteen, the, uh, the unnecessary sorrow in relation to the coming of the Lord and the dead in Christ. And then we have in chapter five the unsatisfactory relationships within the assembly. And so these two chapters just bring together the teaching of the Apostle Paul in relation to these three matters.
We're going to consider really chapter four today, as far as we can, and we notice that in chapter four we have verses one to twelve, but those verses are divided into two But we have verses one to eight, where we have the will of God, and verses nine to twelve where we have those who are taught of God. And so we find then that in those first twelve verses, we have these two sessions in which the Apostle Paul is reminding these believers what he had taught them when he was with them. He's just reminding them, for he said in verse one, we beseech you, we exhort you, and in verse three, as we commanded you.
And so the apostle, against the background of what Timothy has brought to him in this report, he would beseech them, that he would beg of them, and he would, uh, he would exhort them, and he would command them. In other words, the apostle is going to remind these believers of things that he taught them when he was with them, before he had to suddenly depart from them. And so we find then that in chapter four, the apostle is going to deal with these certain issues that were so necessary, at least from the standpoint of the report that Timothy had brought. For as it says in chapter three verse ten, he wants actually to, to perfect that which was lacking in their faith.
And I take it that chapters four and five is the Apostle Paul perfecting or completing what was lacking in their faith. And so he does take up certain things which he would have said unto them had he been allowed to continue. And so we find in verse one, we find the apostle beseeching, and then he is exhorting. In other words, there's a necessity for the apostle to, as he beg of them to remember what they had been taught. For when you come down to verse two, he's not only beseeching, he's actually commanding. For as he said, which we commanded when we were with you.
What was it that the apostle Paul was so concerned about as far as these believers at Thessalonica was concerned? Just this, it was the subject of their sanctification in verses one to eight, and then the subject of their love of the brethren in verses nine to twelve. uh And as to their sanctification, says the Apostle Paul in verse three, this is the will of God, even your sanctification. And in verse nine he tells us that after all, in regard to their love for the brethren, they needed not that they should write unto them, for they were taught of God in relation to brotherly love.
Another feature to observe is this. In both these sections, the apostle refers to their walk. We find that, uh, when we're in the, in verse three, he says that, uh, verse two— they should walk, uh, so as to please God. The apostle taught them, when he was with them, that they should so walk as to be pleasing to God. But when we come to, uh, to the question of their love, and, uh, in verses nine through to twelve, we find in verse twelve they are to walk honestly. So the testimony in the world may not, uh, may not be affected. And so the apostle would encourage them to, to, to walk in both these sections.
Let's have a look then at one or two things that, uh, the apostle is saying in, in verses one to twelve, first of all. In verse three saying, now this is the will of God, even your sanctification. So the whole subject matter from verses three to eight is a question of their sanctification. And you'll see that simply means that here are people who, through faith in Christ, have been set apart unto God. And it was the will of God that they should be set apart unto God and be, uh, no longer, uh, controlled by the world, uh, that was all around them.
And so says the apostle, now this is the will of God, even your sanctification. Now, having introduced the subject of sanctification, he does then remind us that their sanctification would have reference to their bodies, I think that's verse four— their minds in verse five, and uh, and, and the br- and the brother in verse six, and of course the pleasure of God in verse eight. So you see this matter of sanctification, of living that kind of life that displays that we are those who are set apart unto God. It will have then these remarks made by the apostle in relation to the reality of our sanctification.
First of all, he says, you see, a sanctified life, it will have an effect upon our bodies, and that is where he begins in verse number four, that we may all know how to possess our bodies. And so we find, uh, well, he was how we should know how to possess our vessels. So each brother should know how to possess his own vessel. Now, because the word vessel is used in one Peter chapter three of, of the brother's wife, honor, he says to the husbands, now honor your, your wives who are the weaker vessel.
So we find this word vessel is used in relation to the brother's wife, but here in this chapter, it's used now in relation to the brother's body. And because the, the word vessel is used in this twofold sense, there's been a difference of teaching as to what this verse means. For instance, those who view the vessel in verse four as being the, the brother's wife, what they taught was this, that because they had a wife, that having a wife, having taken a wife and having a wife, it was a safeguard against the sin of fornication. And so the, the word vessel is used in relation to a man's wife, and therefore there have been those who've taught down to the years that this relates, of course, to the, to the question of the man's wife as a safeguard against the sin of fornication.
But when we look at the context of the passage, it may well be that the word vessel here has more to do with the believer's body. Now, why is it that the Apostle Paul, first and foremost, uh, lays stress upon the sanctification of these believers, and because he said they are to be sanctified and therefore not to commit fornication. Then why would the apostle lay stress upon this particular sin? Well, you know, whether when you read the letter to the Corinthians and also this letter to Thessalonians, we must remember that those who formed the church at Corinth and the church at Thessalonica were actually, first of all, they were, they were idolater worshippers.
They worshipped idols, and all part and parcel of the worship o- of i- of the idols was the, the question of fornication. It was part of their religion, and therefore, before they were saved, it was just part of their religion, this question of fornication. And so Paul has to say to them, now that you're Christians, things are different, altogether different. And therefore, because as Christians and sanctified according to the will of God, then you must, uh, remember that fornication is no longer part of your religion, to put it in simple terms.
And so in order that they might be saved from that ongoing sin, which was the, the norm before they were saved, Paul says, in relation to the man, the brother, he said, we must know how to possess, how to possess our vessel, how to possess our bodies, so that our bodies are kept under control. That is, our bodies are disciplined, so they're not given up to what was the normal practice before salvation for these people, the sin of fornication. And so the first thing, as those who are sanctified according to the will of God, we are to learn that we must control our bodies and the members of our bodies so that we might live a life of those who are set apart unto God.
So we see that sanctification actually touches our bodies and them and its members. But then we have in verse five, he now looks at the subject again from the standpoint of the mind, and where he then says, we have to beware of the lust of concupiscence. What he means is this, the word lust simply means passion, and concupiscence means desire. And what Paul is saying unto these believers now, he's saying not only must you have a discipline with regard to your body, but you must have a discipline with regard to your mind, and not give your mind over to, uh, to passionate desires, as would be the case before they were converted.
And so said the Apostle Paul, they must avoid at all costs, know this, uh, the strong desire or the strong, uh, longing for and desire for that which was once the normal practice, I take it in contrast again, the sin of fornication. So we find then that sanctification will bring our bodies under control, disciplined as to its members, and also our minds. We will not let our minds just run wild and be given over unto, unto what he calls the passionate desires. And so he says, in respect of the straight truth of being sanctified, it does affect us, body and mind.
But also affects our brother, or the man's brother, as Paul is using it. Paul says we're not to defraud one's brother. And then when you get to verse number, uh, 6, not to def- despise, uh, the brother. In other words, I take it the apostle has in view here that here's a, a man, and he's got to, uh, he's got to be very careful not to defraud his brother. I take it in the context again that what Paul has before him is this. You see, the man who's married, he has a wife that gives him certain rights. Now, says the apostle, you're not to defraud your brother who's married.
You're not defraud the brother in relation to his, his rights as, uh, as having a wife. In other words, I take it not only was there the possibility of the sin of fornication, but that could also involve another brother's wife. And so we see how the apostle, in laying down this great truth, the will of God, even your sanctification, it must control our bodies and our minds and how we re- how we respond even unto another brother, so we do not defraud or do not despise another brother in the matter of his rights regarding his wife.
But then, of course, he speaks about the Lord. Being sanctified, we must then not despise the Lord. You see, says the apostle in verse, uh, in verse eight, he said, it's not the despising of men, but in so doing it would be a despising of the Lord. And so Paul would have these new believers understand the complete difference Christianity has made to that which were their practice as idol worshippers. And so we find in these first eight verses, the apostle is just dealing with these very important moral matters, that they might live in a way that would be pleasing to God, or as he said, that ye might walk as so as to please God.
And so the way in which to make the application, the way in which we live day by day, ought to be governed by a great desire on our part to be pleasing to God. And so we find that as Paul moves from the historical now to, to the moral issues, he deals first of all with this moral issue in relation to a fornication and a brother's wife. And then we find that from verse nine to verse twelve, the apostle changes, he changes altogether his subject. It's not now the subject of his sanctification in relation to his body and his mind, his brother, it's rather a question of brotherly love.
Now, whereas he said a lot, or has written a lot in those earlier verses about the, the, uh, sanctification and its demands, when it comes to brotherly love, here says the apostle in verse nine, I have no des- I have no need to write unto you of brotherly love. Why? Because ye are taught of God to love one another. So when it comes to sanctification, that's linked with the will of God. When it comes to brotherly love, that's linked with obedience to God. For God, we've been taught of God. In fact, I think the literal rendering could be this: as God taught ones, we love, we love our brethren.
And so we find how the apostle would have these believers now in the good of, uh, of salvation and in the good of, of Christian, uh, demands, would have them to, to so live as to please God. And in pleasing God, it means it would involve them in these matters which he is considering with them. And therefore, they know how to love one another. And says the apostle, just as in the matter of their sanctification, they abounded more and more. He says the same thing in relation to their love, that love which he, in which he increased, was the same word, in which he abounded more and more.
And so these believers at Thessalonica must have given the apostle a great joy because of the way in which their lives have been so changed. And we must warn them against certain issues that were moral. We find when it comes to loving the brethren, he had no need to write unto them. They were God-taught ones, and therefore they not only loved their brethren, but they loved all the brethren throughout Macedonia. And so we see that in these opening verses of this chapter that deals with the, the doctrine concerning moral issues, we find the Apostle Paul is dealing with very, very practical issues again, things that mark or should mark every believer.
Those, of course, to whom he writes in particular because of, uh, the fact they were idol worshippers. But then he says, What's the next one? This time, indeed, you do it toward all the brethren which are in Macedonia, but we beseech you, brethren, that you increase more and more, and that you study to be quiet. Now it says, now he's going to say one or two things. First of all, he's going to say to us that, uh, as we abound in love more and more toward the brethren, he says we are to study to be quiet. That word study means, it's, in fact, it's made up of two Greek words. It means to, to love the honor. And so he's saying to these believers in Thessalonica, you have to love the honor, uh, of being quiet.
That is, living a life of tranquility, not being guilty of stirring up the brethren. Uh, and so he would remind them they ought to love the honor of just living a quiet, tranquil life in the good of what God has done for them through the, through the Lord Jesus Christ. And so they were then to love the honor of being quiet and Do your own business and do work with your hands. And to, and to do their own business. You see, there's a great danger which the Apostle Paul had ascertained from what Timothy called him, that they may get involved in other people's business. Now, says Paul, forget other people's business.
You just concern yourself with your own business affairs. And so they're not only to study, to love the honor of being quiet, but they were not to get involved in the affairs of others. They were just to be involved in their own business affairs, and... And you may walk, you know, and work with your own hands as you come out. Now he said, and to work with your own hands. You see, it does seem, as far as the- these beliefs were concerned, that when the apostle was with them and taught them about the, the glory of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to the, to the earth and to establish his kingdom.
It seems though some of them, against the background of what he had taught, said, well, we give up work. The Lord's coming, and therefore we'll not work, we'll wait for the Lord to come. And so the Apostle Paul is saying, you see, you cannot go on sponging on your brethren on that basis that you've given up work because the Lord is coming. But he said, let every man work with his own hands, really, that they might have lack of nothing. And so you see how the apostle, in this opening section, sets before us the, uh, the tremendous truth of what sanctification means.
When he says, even your sanctification, he said, for God has not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. So I take it, sanctification is really holy living. And says the Apostle Paul, these are the issues associated with holy living as they were waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ to come. And so says verse twelve, That you may walk honestly towards them that are without, and that you may have lack of nothing. See, they were to walk honestly toward them that are without, that's without the family of God. Such should be their way of life. It should do nothing to damage the testimony of the Christians in the world.
And so we find we have these very practical issues dealt with in these opening twelve verses, because against the background of these issues of verses one to twelve, the apostle is going to remind them of another event of which he spoke to them in part when he was with them, but says verse number thirteen, Thirteen. But have you to be my brethren, consume them which are asleep. Now then, you see, here we have a real problem with these believers. They were concerned about those of their number who had fallen asleep, who had died, and this was their problem because they had fallen asleep and the Lord has not come.
Does that mean that that they will, they will miss out on all the glory of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ when he comes to establish his kingdom upon the earth? This was the problem in the second half of the chapter. Not now is it the subject of that sanctification and their love, but on the question of their, they ought not to sorrow, not as others. So you see, he's saying there's an unnecessary, it was altogether unnecessary for them to sorrow in relation to those who had fallen asleep. And it is from that background of verses thirteen and fourteen, that Paul then brings to them the word of the Lord that he received.
In other words, what we call the rapture was a new revelation given unto the Apostle Paul in the light of the, uh, of these, uh, difficulties with the Thessalonians. The reason why the, uh, the those who have fallen asleep will not miss out on the great coming of the Lord to the earth to establish his kingdom, because Paul has been given this new revelation that the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, and so meet the Lord in the air and be forever with him.
So in answer to their sorrow, or to remove their sorrow, the apostle deals with their ignorance. And in dealing with their ignorance, the apostle was given a new revelation from the Lord as to his coming to the air. You see, the Old Testament is full of his coming to the earth. Not a word about his coming to the air. It was altogether a new revelation. And says the apostle to these believers, you need not be concerned about those who have fallen asleep because before ever the Lord come to the earth to reign, he's going to, uh, descend from heaven himself. I think that's a lovely expression. The Lord himself shall descend from heaven.
And when it comes to that time in the purposes of God, for us to be caught up to be with Christ forever, it's the Lord himself who's going to come from heaven. Not some archangel or other angel, but the Lord himself is coming. He's going to step out from heaven, e- enter the air. And when he does that, the dead in Christ, those which were causing these believers so much problem, the dead, they shall rise first. In other words, says Paul, when the Lord steps out into the air, the first thing the Lord is going to do is he is going to raise the dead ignorant, those that have fallen asleep in Jesus.
And now, having fallen asleep in Jesus in time, the Lord is going to raise them out from among the dead ones, and he's going to raise the dead first. And then, says the apostle, then we, which are alive and remain, indicating that there's a great possibility, even the apostle considered, to be alive and remain when the Lord himself comes. Well, the first century is a long way away. We're in the twenty first century. How true is great o- i- is it not possible that the Lord himself shall come now, even in our lifetime? And when he does, he will raise the dead in Christ first, them that have fallen asleep in Jesus, as he called it earlier.
And then we which are alive and remain shall be, well, according to chapter fifteen of one Corinthians, we shall be changed, of course. And during change, we shall be caught up together with those who've been raised from the dead to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we be forever with him. Notice, caught up in the clouds. I take it it's the normal clouds, so that when we're caught up, the clouds will become the platform under the feet of the dead in Christ and those who, who, who, who were living, I mean, when all are brought together to meet Christ in the air, it seems to me as though the clouds will become the platform on which we stand when we meet the Lord, and then we shall be forever with him.
And so in this chapter, the Apostle Paul, he deals with the believer and his sanctification, the believer and his love of the brethren, the believer and the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ as the heir, when we shall all be caught up together. What a moment that will be. When you think from the first century to whatever century it may be when the Lord himself comes, how many, how many believers will be caught up, and a tremendous number beyond our measure, and we shall all meet the Lord in the air, but not only that, and we shall be forever with him.
What a marvelous chapter that we have set before us, as Paul moves from the, from the, uh, the historical issues of chapters one, two, and three to these doctrinal matters that deals with moral, moral matters, and now, of course, here we have this great matter of this coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for, not with, but for all his saints. And so we trust that, uh, God will bless our study in s- in measure even today, and we may just rejoice together in this. We're waiting for the Lord himself. May God bless his word to us.