1 THESSALONIANS LESSON 6


     We will begin this lesson in I Thessalonians 5:1 "But of the
times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto
you."

     Paul had no more idea of when this would happen than you and I
do. He was like us, in that he was to watch and be ready. The Lord
comes in an hour when we think not. Paul had gone into detail about
what they could expect at the coming of Christ. Now their part is to
watch and be ready. God did not intend for any of us to know the exact
hour. We are, however, children of the light. Ephesians 5:8 "For ye
were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as
children of light:" These Thessalonians and all Christians of today
should walk in the light, expecting that glorious coming of the Lord.
We should live our lives, as if today were that day.

     I Thessalonians 5:2 "For yourselves know perfectly that the day
of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."

     Jesus explains in the following Scripture that no man knows the
exact time of the return of Christ. Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and
hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father
only." If people knew the hour He was coming, they could be bad until
just an hour or so before and then come to Christ. He does not want us
to come to Him because we fear the wrath of God, but because we love
Him and want to please Him. He has a purpose in this coming as a thief
in the night. Of course, this has come for everyone at the end of
their life on earth. Those of one generation will not taste of death.
He will come in the same manner that He went. Acts 1:11 "Which also
said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like
manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."  He went up with a cloud
and will come back the same way.

     I Thessalonians 5:3 "For when they shall say, Peace and safety;
then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with
child; and they shall not escape."

     When the unbelieving shall say it is a time of peace, then shall
be sudden destruction. We know the peace talks are going on all over
the world today. This is one sure sign that the end is near. We see in
the comparison here of the woman having a child, the suddenness of the
birth pains. Suddenly, unawares to her, the pains of birth begin. The
world at peace has no idea that sudden destruction is upon them. The
rain in the days of Noah came suddenly. It had never rained on the
earth before. It was a surprise to the unbelieving world, but not to
Noah.

     I Thessalonians 5:4 "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that
that day should overtake you as a thief."

     The Christians have the Light of Jesus to show the way. The Bible
tells us of all sorts of signs that will be just before the
destruction. Matthew chapter 24 has a nice list of things that will
happen. Most of them have already occurred. All true Christians have a
sort of anticipation of this now.

     I Thessalonians 5:5 "Ye are all the children of light, and the
children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness."

     Darkness obscures our view. The light makes manifest. We can see
clearly in the Light. Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. If we
are Christians, we are of the Light. Satan is darkness to the utmost.
Darkness, is the absence of the Light. Children of darkness, have not
received the Light.

     I Thessalonians 5:6 "Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others;
but let us watch and be sober."

     This does not mean that we are not to rest in sleep. This is
speaking of spiritual sleep. Do not be unaware. The watching and
waking is learning all we can about the Light {Jesus}. Let His Light
shine so brightly within us that it will do away with all darkness.
Sober, in verse 6 above , means to abstain from wine. In other words,
don't be drunk when the Lord comes back.

     I Thessalonians 5:7 "For they that sleep sleep in the night; and
they that be drunken are drunken in the night."

     Most sins are committed at night. Whoever is sinning, seems to
think the darkness will cover the sin. In daytime most people are
working. The light of day keeps many sins from occurring.

     I Thessalonians 5:8 "But let us, who are of the day, be sober,
putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the
hope of salvation."

     Not only are we to be sober, but we are to be doing the things
God would have us doing. The things mentioned here are part of the
armour of God. The breastplate covers the heart. This is saying then,
let faith and love be so full in your heart that it covers your chest.
We know how important faith is, because without faith it is impossible
to please God. In Romans chapter 10 verse 9 it speaks of believing in
our heart. Then faith is a product of a heart of love stayed upon God.
The brain is in the head. The logic of salvation is what is meant by
the helmet. We believe in our heart, but the mind gets up in the logic
of it all. Salvation is sensible to the thought of mankind. All people
want the hope of salvation.

     I Thessalonians 5:9 "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but
to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,"

     We have discussed this before, but the wrath of God occurs the
last 3 and 1/2 years of the 7 year tribulation period. God's wrath is
saved for those who do not believe in Jesus as their Saviour. The
thing that saves us is belief in our heart that Jesus is the Christ
risen from the dead on the third day. We must confess Him with our
mouth. We obtain salvation through Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the
Truth, the Life. No man cometh to the Father, but by Him. He is the
door we must enter to reach the Father. When we enter Him, heaven is
on the other side.

     I Thessalonians 5:10 "Who died for us, that, whether we wake or
sleep, we should live together with him."

     Jesus died in our place. He was our Substitute. He paid our
penalty for sin, which is death. He gave His body on the cross for our
sin that we might obtain life through Him. This is just saying that
the dead in Christ and the living in Christ at His coming will partake
together of the life in Him.

     I Thessalonians 5:11 "Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and
edify one another, even as also ye do."

     He is saying that we should take comfort in the knowledge that we
will live in Him. We should build each other up, reminding those who
have grown weary waiting. He says, why am I telling you this, you
already do this?

     I Thessalonians 5:12 "And we beseech you, brethren, to know them
which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish
you;"

     God has an order in the church as well as in heaven. The pastor
is the leader of the congregation as the shepherd is the flock of
sheep. He teaches the truth. He leads the flock, by teaching from the
Word of God. The job of the pastor is to teach the congregation how to
live victorious lives in Jesus.

     I Thessalonians 5:13 "And to esteem them very highly in love for
their work's sake. [And] be at peace among yourselves."

     This just means that the congregation who have chosen to follow a
certain pastor, should have respect for the office of pastor. The work
the pastor of the church does is to benefit the congregation. You
should love and respect them for the work they do for God. This is
saying live in peace.

     I Thessalonians 5:14 "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that
are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient
toward all [men]."

     It is the job of the leaders in the church to warn one in the
congregation who is unruly. Sometimes it can be done with a sermon to
the whole church. If that does not work, then they should be talked to
kindly, but firmly. It is not good to allow someone to be unruly in
the church. The pastor must keep order to have effective sermons. We
should all help the feebleminded. This could also be those who are
depressed to the point of being feebleminded. The job of the church is
to help those who cannot help themselves. The weak, could mean several
things here, one of which would be mental illness. Patience is one of
the gifts that show when the Spirit of God is in your life.

     I Thessalonians 5:15 "See that none render evil for evil unto any
[man]; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and
to all [men]."

     Christians are to turn the other cheek. We are not to try to get
even for a wrong that has been done. Be kind to those who classify
themselves as your enemies. Kill them with kindness.

     I Thessalonians 5:16 "Rejoice evermore."

     Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.

     I Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."

     We may not be able to pray aloud every minute of every day, but
we can have a prayer in our heart at all times. This also means
continue to pray until the answer comes. The fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much.

     I Thessalonians 5:18 "In every thing give thanks: for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

     Notice, that even the bad things that happen to us are the will
of God for that moment. Troubles come to teach us to lean more on
Jesus. Every problem that we overcome through faith in Him, makes us
stronger than we were before. Knowing all of this, how can we do less
than to praise Him in all things and at all times.

     I Thessalonians 5:19 "Quench not the Spirit."

     The Spirit of God within us is given so that we might minister
more boldly. This same Holy Spirit is our Teacher and our Guide. He is
our Comforter. Only a fool would quench any of these things. When we
quench not the Spirit, we allow the Spirit of God to minister through
us.

     I Thessalonians 5:20 "Despise not prophesyings."

     What is prophesyings? In this instance, it means predictions. God
has used this method to bring warnings to His people throughout the
ages. We should love to hear from God what is going to happen. The
only way we would despise them is if we know we are guilty of
displeasing God and they are warnings to us.

     I Thessalonians 5:21 "Prove all things; hold fast that which is
good."

     This is the same thing as trying the spirits to see whether they
are of God or not. We must stand firmly on the Word of God and then we
will not fail. Don't believe everything you hear. Check it out with
the Word of God.
     I Thessalonians 5:22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil."

     We know that it is bad to do evil, but we see here that it is bad
to even give the appearance of evil. The world is looking at how you
conduct your life. If you give the appearance of evil, you might cause
your weaker brother to sin.

     I Thessalonians 5:23 "And the very God of peace sanctify you
wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be
preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

     The God of peace is Jesus Christ. It is in Him that we are
acceptable to God the Father. We are clothed in the righteousness of
Jesus Christ. He took our sin on His body and clothed us in our white
linen garment free from sin, washed in His precious blood. The spirit
is what we are. The body is the house the spirit dwells in. They are
in constant warfare trying to control our soul, which is the will of
man. Man is a spirit, living in a body with a soul. Blameless is the
same as being justified {just as if I had never sinned}. Jesus wiped
the slate clean when He gave His body for our sin. We received this
cleansing when we received Jesus as our Saviour. It is our obligation
to walk in the salvation we received. Walk in Him and you will be
ready when He returns.

     I Thessalonians 5:24 "Faithful [is] he that calleth you, who also
will do [it]."

     God is not only faithful, but He cannot and will not lie. The
Truth cannot lie. God is the Truth. He fulfills every promise He made.

     I Thessalonians 5:25 "Brethren, pray for us."

     Not only should the pastor pray for his flock, but the
congregation  should pray for their leader. I say with Paul, pray for
me.

     I Thessalonians 5:26 "Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss."

     This is not speaking of a passionate kiss between a woman and a
man, but is speaking of a warm greeting. If a kiss, a kiss on the
cheek.

     I Thessalonians 5:27 "I charge you by the Lord that this epistle
be read unto all the holy brethren."

     We see from this verse that this letter is not just for the
church at Thessalonica, but to all who love God.

     I Thessalonians 5:28 "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be]
with you. Amen."

     Paul always speaks a benediction over all of his converts. We can
say with Paul, so be it.

                     1 Thessalonians 6 Questions


1.  Why did Paul not tell them the hour and day of the coming of
    Christ?
2.  When are we assured the Lord will come back?
3.  Quote Ephesians chapter 5 verse 8.
4.  The day of the Lord comes as a ________ in the ________.
5.  Who knows the day and hour that the Lord will return?
6.  Quote Acts chapter 1 verse 11.
7.  When they shall say peace and safety, what comes?
8.  What is this sudden coming of the Lord compared to?
9.  What is one very good sign that the end is near?
10. When was the first rain upon the earth?
11. Why will the day of the Lord, not overtake the Christian unaware?
12. Where do we find a lot of the things listed that will come before
    the Lord's return?
13. What are Christians called in verse 5?
14. What does the word "sober" in verse 6 mean?
15. They that be drunken are drunken in the _______.
16. Put on the breastplate of ________ and _______.
17. Put on the helmet of ____________.
18. God hath not appointed us unto ________.
19. Who is God's wrath reserved for?
20. _____ was our substitute.
21. Who is the leader of the congregation?
22. Why should you love and respect him?
23. Who must warn the unruly in the church?
24. Be ______ to those who classify themselves as your enemy.
25. Pray without ___________.
26. What are we to give thanks for?
27. ________ not the Spirit.
28. What does prophesying in verse 20 mean?
29. Abstain from all ______________ of evil.
30. Who is the God of Peace?
31. Greet all the brethren with an _______ ____.
32. Quote 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 28.