THE PROMISE OF REST 1 Thessalonians 4 // INTRO I want to begin this morning with appreciation to you all for allowing Jen and me to travel to Georgia to see my family We also had opportunities to catch up with Jen’s family, and some good friends, which was an additional blessing Every single one of them has impacted our lives and ministry in ways that we could not have anticipated in the beginning of the relationships It’s usually a good time later that you begin to feel the blessing of the connection, and come to appreciate the people in our lives, not for how they can serve or help us, or what we can get from them, but for how they have impacted us But for Jen and myself, these recent days were restful and filled with love and peace and good company, especially my parents And that’s a big deal with all the chaos and upheaval happening in the world today We were able to rest and enjoy family, and see friends we hadn’t seen in a long time It really was a blessing! Thank you! The timing was the Lord’s, and His ways are always perfect But as great as our trip was, the Bible tells us that things are not going to get progressively better and better in the world, but significantly worse And this is why we meet together with our brothers and sisters in Christ, as we see that day approaching And this is also why we share the Gospel with those around us who don’t know it or have it By way of reminder this morning, I want to read 1 Timothy 2:1–6 as we begin: [1] First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. [3] This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, [4] who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. [5] For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. There is only one mediator between God and all Mankind, and He alone is our hope So with that, let’s go to our text this morning // TEXT & EXPOSITION 1 Thessalonians 4 [1] Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. Finally = after all these other things You can find the list of those “other things” in chapters 1-3 Paul writes to urge and exhort the Thessalonican Believers He wanted them to abound more and more, in quality and quantity related to their personal walks with the Lord The request was to be abundantly supplied for every good work in Christ Jesus according to the provision made in the Spirit So think about that for a moment Even when we don’t have all the material that we think we need or want, we have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit IN us! So abound more and more, Church! Keep going forward! Take the ball down the field! Spread the Gospel wherever you go And this is one of the ways that we walk well and please God our Father This isn’t just my drum to beat! This is the heart of our God, and what he has called us to do [2] For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For you know - knowledge - gnosis (in Greek) This is different from Gnosticism, which was an esoteric, hidden knowledge that only a few select initiates could attain to In contrast to that, God offers the revelation of Himself to any and all who would come by faith And that which Paul had given was a commandment through the Lord Jesus And in v3 he tells us what it is [3] For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; That’s not a hard verse to understand, but it is a difficult verse for many to obey Consider our Western American culture and it’s values Yes, it has afforded us freedoms, but freedom alone does not a nation make If all we have is freedom, then it is just mob-rule If all we have is freedom, then it is survival of the fittest, and this is why love is so integral to life in the Spirit There is no freedom without love This is God’s will for you - to be holy That’s what sanctification is SANCTUS (Latin) - HOLY This is God’s will for all people in all places now So then why is not everyone saved (justified) and being sanctified? The answer is, “Human will” We have agency such that we can disobey the God who made us And that’s the textbook definition of SIN He has made each and every person in His likeness, to have a will of their own, to determine whether or not to obey their Creator, and whether to walk with Him or not There are consequences, mind you, but we are free to choose And Paul uses sexual immorality to make his case Are humans free to pursue sexual immorality? Yes, they are! Is it God’s will for them? No, it is not (and this is a point of contestation for many Christians) But God does not desire, want, nor cause people to sin Humans sin by their own will, which was given by God What we do with it is on us So be holy and avoid sexual immorality [4] that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, Remember that this letter is being written to a local Church, not to all people in all places This verse about controlling one’s body is about sex To be more specific, the Spirit, through Paul, is expressing His desire that those whose faith is in Jesus Christ should use one’s body to honor the Lord Jesus To do this well, you have to know what is honorable and dishonorable, especially as an example to others around you If a professing Christian man or woman has a reputation for sleeping around, or as a prostitute, that person is maligning Jesus - the One who bought them with His own precious blood So we are called to possess our vessels (bodies) in sanctification and honor Treat your body well, and do not use it nor yield it for that which is dishonorable [5] not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; Passionate lust is that which drives a person to seek sex outside of wedlock, and that is always sin in God’s eyes But it is not conversely true that seeking some kind of justification to experience sex is somehow made godly simply because a pastor/priest/officiant/justice-of-the-peace said it was so There is a higher law and we all must stand before the Judge of all the universe to answer for our sins And as Christians, our sins are covered by the blood of the Lamb But never take that to mean that you can have your cake and eat it too There is always a penalty or a price when it comes to sin And yes, Jesus has paid the fine, but that doesn’t immediately translate to the restoration of the relationship Nor does it mean that we get away with our sin So tread lightly when passions are high! [6] that no one transgresses and wrongs his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. No one who is born again should defraud or take advantage of anyone else, and especially those who are the born-again children of God But the immediate context here points to God Himself being an avenger in all the sins that have just been listed in the text (lying, stealing, committing sexual immorality, etc.) The Lord Himself is an avenger (and some of you are imagining Jesus with Captain America’s shield) So v6 is a stern warning that we should take to heart And we should train our hearts and minds and consciences to protect one another in the local church from those who would try to abuse her or destroy her [7] For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. The Lord did not call us to uncleanness, but has called us to holiness Our lives must be a reflection of God in us We must embrace the Holy Spirit and give Him carte blanche - the freedom to do whatever He wants to do in our lives For some of us, that might sound scary, and for other of us it sounds fantastic But the simple truth is that God is sovereign, and He does as He pleases, and no one can stay His hand! [8] Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. You should always stop and ask, when studying the Word of God, “What’s the “therefore” there for?” And in this specific case, it’s really a culmination of chapter 4 to this point So those in the Church (this being a letter to a church), if they reject this call to holiness, that person is not rejecting Man or Man’s best thoughts about God That person is rejecting the very breathed-out words of God Himself, and that is a very dangerous place to land This rejection (the disregarding the call to holiness) extends to God Himself So anyone who does this is literally rejecting God Himself, and He is the One who grants the Holy Spirit, who lives in us and guides us as we walk through this life So do not take this lightly! [9] Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, But when it comes to PHILEO (brotherly love), Paul says that there is no need to write to them They didn’t need exhortation to love one another They were already doing that very well, as they had been taught by God [10] for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, And this was not only only about loving the Thessalonian Christians, but all the Believer in the region of Macedonia The local church loved well! And not only the Thessalonians, but the Macedonians, also The encouragement and exhortation from Paul was to continue this practical love for one another in the Body of Christ, and for it to increase in the hearts of the Believers, overflowing into the people around them My question for you this morning is, “Do we? Do we love one another well? Do we love our neighbors well? Do we love them enough to share the Good News of Salvation with them?” I’m convinced that if we aren’t making Jesus known to our neighbors, we don’t love them How can I say that? (and I know that it might offend some of you to hear it spoken) Every soul will spend eternity in one of two places - the Lake of Fire in torment forever OR in the presence of Jesus and His Holy angels, along with the Father and the Spirit Those are the only 2 options There’s no “soul sleep” There’s no reincarnation So you can die twice and live once - die to sin AND die a physical death Or you can die once and live twice - live on earth, and then live forever in the Presence of Jesus The choice is yours! But we need to take that choice to others That’s part of our calling and commission! [11] and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, And as that love abounded, that should inspire the Believers to live quiet lives Does that mean Christians shouldn’t be online influencers? I’ll let you be the judge of that And as an application point when it comes to leading quiet lives, when we started Emmaus Road, we didn’t know that we were going to have 2 MLM’s (multi-level marketing schemes) competing for our congregants in years 1 and 2 It was a clear example of Christians getting caught up in things that they shouldn’t Those 2 sects in our church plant almost ruined us (MLM’s are not evil, but when pushed to the forefront of the Church, they are a distraction that must be dealt with) We don’t come to church to market things to our brothers and sisters so we can grow our personal business with more people We come to love people and to help them know Jesus more That must be THE primarily drive of the local church, above all other things Alternative motives can hinder the love and growth of the Church, so no striving for personal gain here! [12] so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. Again, speaking about those who are outside the Church, looking in, we need to be taking care not to give the wrong impression to others about what the Church is and should be And God’s heart is that the local church should lack nothing So given that reality, how are we going to petition the Lord together?? I hope you’ve been praying with us for the 40 days of Prayer!! Jen and I walked in the cold every day, up and down my parent’s street, and we prayed for you, and for our church to be used of God for His purposes I hope you’re praying that, as well! [13] But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. Paul is speaking about the Christians who are now dead “Fall asleep” is a euphemism for death Paul is trying to tell them that death is not the end There are people who grieve without hope because their loved ones did not put their faith in Jesus Christ alone And I’ll present it again - Die once, Live twice I’m saying it again because I don’t want anyone to miss it Or Live once and Die twice You get to pick! There’s a physical live and a physical death, and there is a spiritual life and a spiritual death You get to pick 3 of 4, so do you want 2 deaths or 2 lives?? It is those who live ONCE, that die a physical death and end up in the Lake of fire forever, which is the eternal death So when it comes to hope, you either have it or you don’t Jesus is our ONLY hope for eternal live The text of v13 ought to encourage us We will be among those who had faith in Jesus and His finished work And Paul expressly says that he doesn’t want any of us to sorrow without hope That’s God’s way here in His Word of saying that He doesn’t want any to perish, either He would rather that people turn to Him and live, but in the end, it is a choice that the individual makes for him or herself And our Lord honors that choice! So those who choose Jesus as Lord go into eternal life in the presence of the Father and His holy angels And those who died in their sins will be held in Sheol until the 1000 year millennial reign of Jesus is done, and then that compartment in the earth (we call Hell) will be emptied out into the Lake of Fire forever and ever without end So I want you to know that when I hear or say these words, it motivates me to share the Gospel And I hope it motivates you, as well [14] For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. So if you REALLY believe that Jesus REALLY died and rose again, are you telling people? Or do you think that by standing next to them, they’ll pick it up by osmosis? Why would we not share the GREATEST NEWS in history???? “Those who have fallen asleep” again, is a euphemism for death The dead in Christ WERE in Sheol, which has 2 compartments -One where the saints were (those who believed on God’s Word and promises - and Hades/Hell where there was torment in fire for those who died in their sins When Jesus died, He presented Himself to those in Sheol, the Saints of old, and He led captivity captive In other words, He led them out of that place and into Heaven And if you want to unpack that more, let’s get coffee this week [15] For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. [16] For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. “Asleep” is a euphemism for death And by this word (v14) we know that the dead in Christ will rise first, and then those who are alive will join Him in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord!! I can’t wait for that Day! AMEN?? [17] Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Jesus will appear in the sky, having descended from Heaven, and the Archangel with cry out loudly, commanding God’s people to assemble before Him The dead in Christ will rise, and then we who are left will be taken in an instant - in the twinkling of an eye WOO BOY!! LET’S GO!!! Now some Christians are uninformed about this, and they think that God’s realm will contain fat little baby cherubs playing harps and flitting from cloud to cloud My friends, if when your life on earth is done, you awaken to that scenario, you are not in Heaven, but somewhere else Heaven is going to be far and exceedingly more fantastical and glorious than any person in history of the human race can conceive And we will have unfettered access to our Lord Jesus, and to the Father, having the Spirit fully in ourselves It’s not something that we can conceptualize now, but it a true reality, nevertheless [18] Therefore encourage one another with these words. How can you NOT?!?!?! That’s THE most encouraging thing in the world! What could be better? We’re not going to live here forever We are going to be with the Father! And these words that came from God through the Apostle Paul are a comfort to us We crave comfort now, here on earth, and some people have more comfort than others But this coming comfort will be of such a level and source that you and I cannot now perceive, nor even imagine it right now So despite not being able to ascertain or conceive it fully, instead, put your hope in it fully, with the imminent expectation of being in His Presence forever and ever, Amen! So may it be! // APPLICATION Every tick of the clock brings us closer and closer to eternity The question you have to answer, if you haven’t already, is: Where are you going to spend eternity? Because, that’s a LONG time to be wrong! And perhaps you’re secure in Christ, and Rapture ready, but are you bringing anyone with you? Are you telling anyone about what’s coming? That’s one of the jobs that Jesus has given us, as His children So I share with you this morning with the lyrics of a powerful song that I love, called “Ancient Words” Holy words long preserved For our walk in this world They resound with God’s own heart O, let the ancient words impart Words of life, words of hope Give us strength, help us cope In this world, where’er we roam Ancient words will guide us home Ancient words ever true Changing me and changing you We have come with open hearts Oh let the ancient words impart // LET’S PRAY I’ll read a section of 2 Peter 1, and you take it in and pray in accordance to what you hear Pray for Emmaus Road and our neighbors, as well as for yourselves and your families 2 Peter 1:2-4 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. AMEN // SING // GO Ancient words ever true, changing me and changing you Is that true in your life? Are you yielding to the Holy Spirit to mold you into the Image of Jesus? Not your outward appearance, but your heart and mind? Let Him shape you and mold you this week as you go into the culture around us Emmaus Road Church, YOU ARE SENT!!