I Thessalonians 4:1-18

I Thessalonians 4:1-2 – “Excel still more.” Every church should want to mature to this point. They were not perfect, but were doing well and the next step was to grow.

I Thessalonians 4:3-8 – In Paul’s day, chastity was regarded as an unreasonable restriction. The phrase “possess his own vessel” has been debated for a long time. It could mean one’s own body or could be a reference to one’s wife. (Romans 6:13; I Corinthians 6:19-20; 7:2) The overall message is to abstain from sexual immorality.

Job 31:1; Matthew 5:27 – We have to guard ourselves from sexual immorality.

The idolatrous practices in those days involved sexual immorality, which was part of what made it so popular. These Christians had come out of these idolatrous practices.

I Thessalonians 4:8 – See Nehemiah 9:30; Acts 7:51-52; I Thessalonians 1:5; 2:2, 8-9, 13; 3:2; 4:1-2, 6, 11. The gospel was from God! The “Holy Spirit” here refers to the inspired message they had received and were receiving through Paul as a messenger.

I Thessalonians 4:9-10 – See Matthew 23:23; I Corinthians 13:1-3. It’s possible to follow every law precisely, but ultimately fail if you lack love. Verse 9 is an example of a figure of speech called paralipsis, in which emphasis is added by professing to say little about it. Compare other examples in Philemon 1:9; I Thessalonians 5:1.

I Thessalonians 4:11-12 – Compare II Thessalonians 3:11-12. Get to work!

I Thessalonians 4:13-18 – The dead in Christ will rise first, then those alive in Christ will meet him in the air. This should be a great comfort to us. This does not say that Jesus will come to earth (pre-millenialism). The doctrine of rapture comes from a misinterpretation of this verse. John 5:28-29