1 Thessalonians 4 - Because for us who believe, the grave is not the end.

1 Thessalonians 4 New International Version (NIV)

Living to Please God

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. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

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 your own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.[b] The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

9 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. 10 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, 11 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,12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Believers Who Have Died

13 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. 14 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. 15 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. 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 one another with these words.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Thessalonians 4:4 Or learn to live with your own wife; or learn to acquire a wife
2. 1 Thessalonians 4:6 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family.

Observation Questions

Living to Please God

How are the Thessalonians asked to live? (verse 1)
Who's authority were the instructions given by? (verse 2)
What is God's will? (verse 3-6)
What does it look like to be sanctified? (verse 3-7)
What are each of us to learn? (verse 4-5)
Who is saved from being wronged or taken advantage of through sanctification? (verse 6)
Who will punish all those who commit such sins? (verse 6)
What did God not call us to be? (verse 7)
What did God call us to live? (verse 7)
If someone rejects this instruction, who do they reject? (verse 8)
Who gives us his Holy Spirit? (verse 8)
Who teaches us to love each other? (verse 9)
What do Paul, Silas, and Timothy urge the believers to do more and more? (verse 10)
What should a believer's ambition be? (verse 11)
What should a believer's daly life win? (verse 12)
Should a believer be dependent on anybody? (verse 12)

Believers Who Have Died

Why do Paul, Silas, and Timothy want the believers to be informed about death? (verse 13)

Who will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him? (verse 14)

Will those who are left, still alive, precede those who have fallen asleep? (verse 15)

What will happen when the dead in Christ are risen? (verse 16)

For those who are still alive, and left, how will they meet the Lord? (verse 17)

What words are we to use to encourage one another? (verse 13-18)

Thoughts

"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."

Love more!
Be ambitious to lead a quiet life!
Mind your own business!
Work with our hands!

"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."

Because for us who believe, the grave is not the end.

"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."

Application

 avoid sexual immorality; 

 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.