Lesson 8. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4…living a pure life of holiness.


Will’s wharf

Read this chapter before proceeding.
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There is something we can do by God’s help and unmerited grace, His favor and that is to follow the life of the Apostle Paul and his admonishment to walk so as to please God and gratify Him .Will’s Wharf taught me a lot of life’s lessons Growing up on an island that was separated somewhat from the mainland; well life was perhaps more sheltered than most people knew about. But Will’s Wharf was a special; place, sort of a gathering place for the neighbourhood. It was only a few yards from the house we lived in, the house I was born in and when I look back and reflect, our world was pretty small really.
The neighbourhood that I speak of consisted primarily of three houses in which there were a total population of 8 adults and 6 of us kids. Three generations. Now if you walked a short way, you would find a few more houses and people.
Will was our neighbor and a cousin of our dad, an excellent man with an excellent spirit. And as children we would visit his wharf and “borrow “ a dory or dinghy and go for a row out on the harbour. I thought it was like heaven to me, it was where dad taught me to properly tie up a dory compensating for the Bay of Fundy tides. The wharf only went out from the land maybe forty feet or so and the dory’s would ground out on the beach at low or even half tide, so if you were going to borrow one, you needed to pay attention to the time and tide. So you could get it back where it belonged.
As I said, it seemed like heaven to me, but the Bible says that “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered the heart of man the things that God
Has prepared for those that love Him.
This 4th. Chapter of 1 Thessalonians speaks about preparation, preparation for the coming of the Lord. We read in verse 17 “thus shall we ever be with the Lord. I only spent a few short years living near Will’s wharf and if you were to go to Campobello Island today to Thurber’s point near the nubble , you could search there for a long long time but you would not find Will’s wharf. It is gone! It was man made and it was only temporary. Heaven is a place of permanence.
Hebrews 11:13-16 says,13/ “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14/ For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
15/ And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16/ But now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” This is our hope tonight, it is our heavenly hope! Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for us, that where He is we would be there also. And the apostle Paul back here in 1 Thess. 4 is not only proclaiming that Christ is coming but he is telling them how to prepare for His coming, and he alludes to the order of that great event….the dead in Christ, those who died as a born again Christian, knowing and living for Jesus before they died, will rise first, then those who are still living at the time of His return a page2 /Godly life, forgiven of their sins, just like the other crowd who precedes them, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air .And thus we shall always be with the Lord. “ “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” In this Bible study group we read a lot of scripture. I do not apologize for doing so. It was said of Smith Wigglesworth that he too read the scriptures many times instead of sermonizing. Not that I am any Smith Wigglesworth….he was a plumber….I am an electrician.
What a comfort to know your name is written in heaven in the Lamb’s book of life.
If I weren’t sure of that tonight then I would make sure before I go to bed tonight.
There is a song that says “if I were you, I’D GIVE Jesus my heart, If I were you, I’d make a new start, I’d do it today, I wouldn’t delay if I were you…..I’d give Jesus my heart.” This is too important for us to take lightly. And I’m sure when the apostle was concerned for their faith, this is what he had in mind. It should be the most important thing on our minds as well. As we go on in this chapter and then to chapter five and to the second epistle we shall see how he increases his exhortation concerning the coming of the Lord. I said before that if the Apostle thought the Lord was coming soon , even in his day, how much closer is His appearing today? So important an event as the rapture is, requires our utmost and undivided attention, don’t you think? In fact Paul says “we urge you and exhort in the Lord Jesus , that you abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and please God.” This is what these letters are about , how we are to walk and please God. I think since I started or decided to study this particular subject, that the devil has attacked me in my mind more perhaps than any time before and has said to me “do you really believe this? Look around , give your head a shake man…has anything really changed? Or is it all imagination? And that is when I remind him of His unsuccessful attempt to sway Jesus over to his thinking. What did Jesus say and do? He used the scripture to quench the devil’s fire didn’t He? When feelings fail, when doubts arise ….go to this written Word, remember this church Paul is writing to and he reminded them that when they received the Word that he was preaching to them, they did not receive it as the word of men but in truth they accepted it as the Truith, the Word of God .Verse 2 of this the 4th. Chapter of 1Thessalonians sets the tone of Paul’s letter: “for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus..”
This is not salvation by works that he is advocating but it is rather working out our salvation, it is faith by works and it is preparing for the coming of the Lord So Paul urges these Thessalonian Christians as well as you and me to abound more and more in our walk with God that we would please Him in all things….That we walk in all holiness, sanctified, set apart. Can the world tell if you are a Christian? Can they see a difference in us, a lifestyle that is what a good example should be? From the Amplified version , verse 3 reads “For this is the will of God, that you should be consecrated (separated and set apart for pure and holy living:) : that you should abstain and shrink from all sexual vice , That each one of you should know how to possess (control, manage)his own body in consecration (purity, separated from things profane) and honor,
Page three./ 5 Not to be used in the ;passion of lust like the heathen, who are ignorant of the true God and have no knowledge of His will.”
Remember when Paul was in Athens? He saw tan altar with an inscription…
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. And isn’t that true with everyone of us before we were born again by the Spirit of God, before we ever received the mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost ; God was unknown to us? Paul did not just go to Athens to escape persecution, he knew it would follow him anywhere he went and preached Christ, especially the resurrection of the dead. Acts 17:23 “Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim unto you.” Is it possible to worship a God you don]t know? Or was Paul being a bit facetious here and using this inscription as an opening to proclaim the Gospel? Let’s investigate this passage further in Acts 17. beginning with verse 24 “
Acts 17:24-32 (King James Version)
24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
32And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter”
Page4 /Whenever Paul preached or mentioned the resurrection he found himself being persecuted. To the Corinthians he says in 1 Cor. 1:17-31, the end of the chapter from the King James Version, here it is
“1 Corinthians 1:17-31 (King James Version)
17For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; Page5 / 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
So the answer to my question is Paul being facetious or is he using this inscription TO THE UNKNOWN GOD, HE USES IT as an opportunity to once again preach the Gospel of God