Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: 1 THESSALONIANS #3 - 4:1-18)
F. 4:1-12 A PRACTICAL WALK
1. 4:1-2 EXHORTATIONS PLEASING TO GOD
a. 4:1 EXHORTATION
LoiPON, a-delPHOI, e-roTOmen [2065]huMAS kai pa-ra-kaLOUmen [3870]en KuRIo IeSOU,
For the rest, brethren, I ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus,
HIna, kaTHOS pa-reLAbe-te par' heMON to pos dei huMAS pe-ri-paTEIN [4043]kai aRESkein [700]TheO,
that, as you received of us :how you ought to walk and to please God,
kaLOS kai pe-ri-paTEIte, - HIna pe-risSEUe-te [4052]MALlon.
even as you do walk, - that you abound more.
b. 4:2 For you know what charges we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
OIda-te gar TInas pa-rag-geLIas [3852] eDOka-men [1325]huMIN diA tou KuRIou IeSOU.
2. 4:3-8 SANCTIFICATION
a. 4:3-6 SANCTIFICATION AND FORNICATION
TOUto GAR es-tin THEle-ma [2307]tou TheOU, ho ha-gi-asMOS [38]huMON;
For this is thewill of :God, your sanctification;
aPEches-thai [567]huMAS aPO tes porNEIas [4202];
that you abstain from :fornication;
eiDEnai HEkas-ton huMON to he-auTOU SKEUos [4632]KTASthai [2932]
4that each of you know how to possess himself of his own :vessel
en ha-gi-asMO[38]kai tiME[5092], meen PAthei [3806]e-pi-thuMIas [1939],
in sanctification and honor, 5not in passion of lust,
kaTHAper kai ta ETHneta meeiDOta ton TheON;
even as the nations who know not :God;
to mehu-perBAInein [5233], kai ple-o-nekTEIN [4122]en toPRAGma-ti [4229]to a-delPHON auTOU:
6that no one transgress, and wrong his :brother in the matter:
di' HOti EKdi-kos [1558]KUri-os peRI PANton TOUton,
because theLord is avenger in all these,
kaTHOS kai proEIpa-men [4277]huMIN kai di-e-mar-tuRAme-tha [1263].
as also we forewarned you and testified.
b. 4:7 For :God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
ou gar eKAle-sen huMAS ho TheOS ePI a-ka-tharSIa [167], alLA en ha-gi-asMO[38].
c. 4:8 SANCTIFICATION AND GOD'S COMMAND
toi-gaROUN ho a-theTON [114], ouk ANthro-pon a-theTEI [114], alLA ton TheON,
Therefore who rejects, rejects not man, but :God,
ton diDONta to PNEUma auTOU to HAgi-on eis huMAS.
who gives his :Holy :Spirit unto you.
3. 4:9-10a BROTHERLY LOVE
PeRI de tes phi-la-delPHIas [5360]ou CHREIan [5532]Eche-te GRAphein huMIN:
But concerning brotherly :love you have no need that one write you:
auTOI gar huMEIS The-oDIdakTOI [2312]es-te eis to a-gaPAN alLElous;
for you yourselves are taught of God :to love oneanother;
kai gar poiEIte auTO eis PANtas tous a-delPHOUS tous en hoLEteMa-ke-doNIa.
10a for indeed you do it toward all the brethren :in all :Macedonia.
4. 4:10b-12 INDUSTRY
Pa-ra-kaLOUmen [3870] de huMAS, a-delPHOI, pe-risSEUein [4052] MALlon;
But we exhort you, brethren, that you abound more;
kai phi-la-tiMEISthai [5389]he-suCHAzein [2270], kai PRASsein [4238]ta Idi-a,
11and that you be ambitious to be quiet, and to do your:own business,
kai erGAzes-thai [3026] tais cherSIN huMON, kaTHOS huMIN pa-regGEIla-men [3853];
and to work with your :hands, even as we charged you;
HIna pe-ri-paTEte [4043]eu-scheMOnos [2156]pros tous Exo, kai me-deNOS CHREIan Eche-te.
12 that you may walk becomingly toward them without, and have need of nothing.
G. 4:13-18 RESURRECTION CLARIFICATION
a. 4:13 CONCERNING THOSE WHO SLEEP
Ou THElo-men de huMAS ag-noEIN [50], a-delPHOI, peRI ton koi-moMEnon [2837];
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep;
HIna meluPESthe [3076], kaTHOS kai hoi loiPOI, hoi meEchon-tes elPIda.
that you sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope.
b. 4:14 JESUS' RESURRECTION: GROUND FOR RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD
ei gar piSTEUo-men HOti IeSOUS aPEtha-nen [599]kai aNESte [450],
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose,
HOUtos kai ho TheOS tous koi-meTHENtas [2837] diA tou IeSOU Axei sun auTO.
even so them also that are fallen asleep will :God through :Jesus bring with him.
c, 4:15 ORDER OF THE RESURRECTION
TOUto gar huMIN LEgo-men en LOgoKuRIou,
For this we say to you by the Lord's word,
HOti heMEIS hoi ZONtes [2198], hoi pe-ri-leiPOme-noi [4035]eis ten pa-rouSIan [3952]tou KuRIou,
that we that are alive, that are left unto the presence of the Lord,
ou mePHTHAso-men [5348]tous koi-meTHENtas [2837].
shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.
d. 4:16-17 TIMETABLE OF THE RESURRECTION
HOti auTOS ho KUri-os en keLEUSma-ti [2752], en phoNEar-chagGElou [743],
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout,
kai en SALpig-gi [4533] TheOU, ka-taBEse-tai [2597]ap' ou-raNOU:
with an archangel's voice, and with God's trump:
kai hoi neKROI en ChrisTOa-nasTEson-tai PROton; Epei-ta heMEIS hoi ZONtes, hoi pe-ri-leiPOme-noi,
and the dead in Christ shall rise first; 17then we that are alive, that are left,
HAma sun auTOIS har-pa-geSOme-tha [726]ennePHElais [3507],
shall together with them be caught up in clouds,
eis aPANte-sin [529]tou KuRIou eis aEra: kai HOUtos PANto-te sun KuRIoeSOme-tha.
to meet the Lord into theair: and so shall we ever be with theLord.
e. 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these :words.
HOSte pa-ra-kaLEIte [3870]alLElous en tois LOgois TOUtois.
NOTE: This is a most serious passage, which many professing believers completely ignore. Many parents have children who practice pre-marital sex, and little is thought of it. More - if the parents are rebuked for overlooking their laxity in rearing their children in this area, those who dare challenge them are labeled “cruel”.
Sex out of Biblical bounds is called by the Lord through Paul “fornication”, and uncleanness. My wife and I know of instances where adults practice adulteryagainst their mate, and think little of it. They are like the woman in Proverbs, who also commits adultery against her mate, wipes her mouth, and says, “I have done nothing wrong!” Adultery in the Bible is often linked under the heading of fornication, which encompasses any typeof sexual sin. Often such practicers feel they are spiritually superior to others, according to theirstandards. But the Lord through Bible writers says - “As I have told you before, so I tell you again - they who do such things (habitually, and without conviction) shall notenter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Be not deceived - God is notmocked - and whoever is deceived in this area is not wise!
Paul in the Lord ends up this passage by assuring us that the person rejecting the above teaching is notrejecting man - but God! We mustremember that the day iscoming, when we allas professing believers will appearbefore the Judgment Seat of Christ - and there answer for the deeds done in our body down here! If we have a conscience that responds to sin, and confesses these sins, God is faithful and just to forgiveus our sins, and to cleanseus from all unrighteousness. Thenwe can safely appear before Christ's BEma (Judgment Seat) and notbe rejected. When the apostle Paul reasoned of these things to Felix - he trembled! He knewthat what Paul taught was truth, and unbelievers immediately receive the judgment of eternal separation from God - and believers will indeed answer for their life down here following conversion.
4:9-10b is a mustfor believers. We can't do this on our own, for no good thing dwells in us. But Galatians 2:20 allows Christ to live out His life of love through us. Thatwill do it, for then loveis shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).
And what of 4:10b-12? Are there some professing believers yet today who are moochers? Indeed, yes. If the church again agrees to walk in this word from God, then we will fixthe moochers! If a man does not work, neither should he eat!
And finally, we come to 4:13-18. The Second Coming of Jesus is indeed the major theme of 1 & 2 Thessalonians, linking up with the Feast of Tabernacles. I like to use this portion of Scripture at funerals. What a comfort to those who have just lost a loved one. Heis better off, but we who are left are allowed by Christ to mourn, though notin an unseemly, worldly way. And will we know one another over there? Indeed we will. Agnes Springer wrote a book years ago entitled “Intra Muros”, (Within the Walls). It has been reprinted under a new title, “Within Heaven's Gates”, and answers two questions specifically - we shallknow one another over there, and, the two lives are one. What starts out down here is but a continuation over there. We give out this book to those who have recently lost a loved one, and they again and again confirm what a comfort they received through it. - J.A.W.