The lutheransermons's Podcast

Bible Study on 1 Thessalonians - Part 8 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Paul had finished answering questions raised by some of the believers at Thessalonica and assured them all of the certainty of their eternal future through the salvation earned by our Lord Jesus Christ. Even the loved ones who had died in faith were taken care of, in Jesus.

In 1 Thess. 5:12-13, Paul asked those in the Thessalonian church to respect and esteem very highly their leaders. (Likely, Paul had Timothy make sure that they had such leadership when he had visited them. See again 1 Thess. 3:1-2.) These leaders should be respected and loved, not because they were perfect, but because of their work among and over the congregation and their important responsibilities in teaching and sometimes admonishing the people in the will of the Lord, according to His Word. (See again the way Paul himself did such work in this letter in 2:11-12 and 4:1ff. and 4:9-12.)

In 1 Thess. 5:13-15, Paul also reminded the people that they, too, had ministry that they could do with and for each other within the church. Peter described this in 1 Peter 2:9-10, as what some call “the priesthood of all believers.” Pastors and teachers and others in leadership have unique callings, but every Christian has been called to faith in Jesus, “out of darkness into His marvelous light,” and has “received mercy” and forgiveness through Him. That means that every Christian can also “proclaim the excellencies” of the Lord and share His love with others.

That such love and mercy shared among members was also needed was clear from what Paul wrote next. “Be at peace among yourselves,” he wrote (1 Thess. 5:13). Evidently, the church was not always at peace; and no church is, because it is made up of forgiven sinners, who have ups and downs and struggles and need to encourage and be encouraged by one another. Note what Paul wrote, as he continued: “We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all” (1 Thess. 5:14). The Greek word used for “the idle” literally means “the disorderly," those who are undisciplined and unruly and “get out of line” in some way or another. The word is a military word for those who can’t follow orders and can’t march properly. It may refer to people in the church who won’t work and take care of themselves. (We will hear more about that problem in 2 Thessalonians.) It can also refer to other kinds of disorder among people, though, for which people need to be called to account.

There are also in the church “faint-hearted” people who need encouragement. The word can be translated “small-souled” people - people who don’t have much courage in facing affliction from the Jewish synagogue leaders and others who are hostile to Christians. (How often do we still today back down, rather than stand up strongly for what we believe?) We all need encouragement, in those times.

There are also people in the church who are “weak” and need to be helped and supported in some way. This can refer to physical and emotional ills and other troubles, or to moral struggles, or to those who are powerless when confronted with seemingly impossible situations. (Who among us has not been “weak” in one or more of these ways, at times, too?) The verb for “helping” has the idea of “holding on to.” The author, Lenski, says that such people “are not be to let go and to be abandoned as persons who amount to little, but are to be held to and to be supported.

Paul ended this very challenging sentence with the words, “be patient with them all.” The word for “patience” can literally be translated as “long-suffering.” God is long-suffering toward us and our sins and weaknesses, and we have forgiveness through Jesus, as we come to Him in repentance and faith. Otherwise, none of us could survive and live. Knowing that, we are called to be patient with one another and especially with others in the church.

The church is a kind of hospital for sinners. (See the words of Jesus in Matthew 9:10-13. Think about how overwhelmed hospitals are right now, with the Covid situation. There are so many people in the church with problems, too. We as individuals cannot do something for everyone; but together, if we all pitch in, we can do something for many - to help and encourage.)

This “helping” can all be very challenging; and sometimes we are hurt by others, even within a church. Paul added a word of warning, “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seeks to do good to one another and to everyone” (1 Thess. 5:15). It is so easy to want to retaliate when we are wronged; but in the church, forgiveness should rule, as we think of what Jesus has done for us. Proverbs 20:22 says, “Do not say, 'I will repay evil'; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.”

This same advice and encouragement are found in many other places and in other letters of Paul. As I have mentioned before, some think that 1 Thessalonians may have been the first letter (epistle) that Paul wrote to a church. Others think the first may have been the Letter to the Galatians. Regardless, what Paul says very concisely to the Thessalonians, we see in much more detail in, for example, Romans 12:14-21 and in Paul’s description of Christian love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

How can such “patient” love and care grow in our churches? Paul went on to write, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). Here again, Paul is very concise. We can look at other Scriptures that give us more help and direction. See Ephesians 5:20 and Philippians 4:4-13 and Romans 5:1-5, for example. The more we rejoice in God’s love and mercy for us, the more we talk things over with God in prayer and listen to His answers in Scripture, especially in Jesus, the more we can be thankful for all that we do have as God’s people, and can share that hopeful attitude from the Lord with others.

We cannot do any of this on our own, of course. Paul added, pointing us again to God and to the Scriptures, “Do not quench the Spirit, Do not despise prophecies; but test everything; hold to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess. 5:19-22). God often showed His presence with smoke and fire in the Bible, in the wilderness wanderings and at Mt. Sinai and other places. God’s Holy Spirit also showed Himself at Pentecost with tongues of fire that rested on all the disciples; and they were able to speak the Word in other languages to people. Don’t quench that fire of the Spirit, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The Spirit works through the Word of God and gifts like baptism, where the Spirit comes through water and The Word. Use those gifts! See Acts 2:1-11 and 2:37-40 and John 3:1-6.

We also hear what we know is truly prophecy, what God wants to speak to us when we hear His Word, through the Scriptures. All of the Bible is God’s Word, and that Word is the means for testing anything else that claims to be a message from God. See 2 Timothy 3:14-17 and 2 Peter 1:16-21 and 1 John 4:1 and the way that the Bereans tested what Paul said by comparing it with Scripture in Acts 17:11, as they should have done. That is still the test for whatever we hear and read. Compare it with the Word of God. Then, as Paul said, “Hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”

This is the very high standard that God has for the church and for His people in the church, as Paul described it. Paul also knew that none of us lives up to this standard. We try, but none of us comes close to following God’s will as we should. That is why Paul gave the Thessalonians two more great promises from the Lord. The first, in 1 Thess. 5:23, is a prayer that “the God of peace” would bring us peace, through Jesus, and count us as blameless, forgiven and acceptable through what Jesus already did for us, until Jesus returns and declares us “not guilty” on that last day. See again 1 Thess. 1:9-10 and 3:12-13 and 5:9-11.

Paul added one more promise: “He Who calls you is faithful, and He will surely do it.” God will do what He has promised. See Old Testament passages such as Genesis 18:25 and Numbers 23:19. See also Philippians 1:6: “I am sure of this, that He Who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” See 2 Timothy 2:10,13, as well.

Paul knew that his own salvation depended not upon how perfectly he did things, but upon Jesus. He too needed prayer, so that he continued in faith and faithfully sought to do his work, in sharing the Gospel. So, he asked in 1 Thess. 5:26 for prayer for himself and his fellow workers. He also spoke of a greeting with a holy kiss, as an expression of Christian love and concern for others. See Romans 15:30, as another example of this. It would probably be the equivalent of a handshake or hug in our culture or the greeting of peace that some churches use in worship. In these Covid days, it might be a wave to someone from a bit of distance

Paul had one more serious request, which he asked the people to be sure to do in Thessalonica. This letter that Paul had written was to be read to all the people of the church. It was a Word from God, through Paul, and everyone should hear it and pay attention to it. The Jews had read Old Testament Scriptures in their synagogues and in the temple. Now the words of the New Testament were also to be read in the churches. That is what we still do, to this very day. God’s Word is vitally important for us all always.

Paul closed this letter with a blessing, as he did in his future letters. He wanted the people of the church to remember and be guided and blessed especially by “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is only through His undeserved love and favor for us that we have salvation and hope. Hang onto these and similar promises of God in Christ as you close this letter. See also John 10:27-28 and 2 Timothy 4: 8, 18.

Next week, the Lord willing, we will move on to a study of 2 Thessalonians.

Sermon for the 19th Sunday after Pentecost - October 3, 2021

Sermon for the 19th Sunday after Pentecost, based on:

Genesis 2:18-25

Hebrews 2:1-18

Mark 10:2-16

Sermon originally delivered October 7, 2012

Preparing for Worship - October 3, 2021

Several of our Scriptures this weekend deal with questions about marriage. The Old Testament lesson, Genesis 2:18-25, is the foundation passage for God’s institution of marriage. God created the first man and then the first woman from a rib of the man to show how they would be just right for each other and compliment and help each other, in the lifelong commitment of marriage.

The Psalm, Psalm 128, gives the promise of the Lord’s blessings to His people and to families who fear and trust in Him and seek to walk in His ways. This is a tough passage, since in our sinful world, with so much trouble and temptation, things don’t always seem to work out so well. Yet we have God’s Word and His direction to guide and forgive us. Ultimately, we also have God’s peace and His promise: “You shall be blessed and it shall be well with you,” in the promises of eternal life.

Our Epistle lesson, Hebrews 2:1-13 (14-20), calls us to keep Christ and His saving work for us at the center of our personal and family life. “We need to pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it," the author says. If we neglect the "great salvation” of Christ for us, “how shall we escape” God’s judgment?

Jesus became a true man, lower than the angels, to suffer and die for us and defeat the power of death and Satan. Through His resurrection and ascension, He is now “crowned with glory and honor”, though it does not always look that way right now, in our troubled world. By God’s grace and faith we say, "I will put my trust in Him - I and the children God has given me.”

In the Gospel lesson, Mark 10:2-16, Jesus is asked if it is “lawful” to get a divorce. Jesus says that Moses allowed it because of the hardness of sinful human hearts. Jesus calls people back to the OT lesson in Genesis 2 and God’s high standard that He wishes for marriage - seeking a lifelong commitment of one man and one woman in marriage together. Jesus also highlights the importance of children, when the disciples do not want Jesus to be bothered by them. Jesus blesses children and calls for a childlike faith in Him and the Kingdom of God He brings.

Bible Study on 1 Thessalonians - Part 7 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

You may have noticed that in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul talked only about what happens to believers, living and dead, when Jesus returns on the last day. He did that because he was writing the letter especially to encourage the church at Thessalonica, made up of believers. He wanted them (and us) to know that we would all be taken care of, whether living or dead, because of Christ’s death and resurrection for us. Because He lives, we also will live forever with Him

As Chapter 5 begins, though, Paul briefly reminded the church again that there was a whole world of difference between them and unbelievers. Believers trust in Jesus and the light and love and future He gives to them by His grace. Unbelievers may think they have “peace and security,” but it is a false sense of security in themselves and what they have and what they have done or in false “gods” who cannot help them in any real way.

They have their own “truth," but they are actually living in darkness. When Christ returns on the last day, they will face “sudden destruction” and “they will not escape” (1 Thess. 5:1-3). (Paul used a Greek double negative for these words. It means, “They will not, they definitely will not escape” judgment.) If they choose to live their lives apart from God and their Savior, Jesus, in this life, they will live an eternity separated from Christ and His love and His goodness. (We will hear more about this in 2 Thessalonians.)

To make this point, Paul used the same words and picture images used by Jesus Himself and other Biblical writers. The last day and the return of Jesus is definitely coming, but no one knows when that will happen - what “the times and the seasons” will be (1 Thess. 5:1). See Scriptures like Luke 12:40 and 21:34, Matthew 24:3-4. 36-44, and Acts 1:7.

For images of the end coming like “a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2), see Matthew 24:43, Luke 12:39-40, 1 Peter 3:10, Revelation 3:3, 16:15. etc. The image of the end coming like “labor pains” for a pregnant woman simply emphasize the sudden and unexpected nature of the return of Jesus. His return cannot be avoided. It will come, though none of us knows when (1 Thess. 5:3). And it will be a time of great sorrow for the “sons of disobedience” whose nature is to follow Satan and the ways of this world instead of Jesus. See Ephesians 2:1-3 and 5:6-7 and Colossians 3:3-6, for example.

Paul quickly switched, then, to remind the believers in Thessalonica, “You are not in darkness… You are children of light and… of the day.” Believers know that they must continue spiritually “awake” and “sober," self-controlled by Jesus and His Word and will.

As we heard in 1 Thess. 4:11, believers still quietly carry on their own lives and work, but connected to Jesus and with His spiritual armor - “faith and love” and “the hope of salvation” as gifts of God provided by the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 5:4-8). See similar passages such as Romans 13:11-14, 1 Peter 1:13-14, and Ephesians 6:10-17.

Believers do none of this on their own, in their own power. As Paul said so clearly, “God has not destined us, appointed us, for wrath,” for judgment and punishment for all our sins. Rather, God has prepared us “to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This salvation comes to us because “Jesus died for us,” for our sins, in payment for them all; and He has brought us to faith in this Good News. The barrier of sin that separates us from God is taken away and now, “whether we are awake or asleep, alive or dead, we can live with Him.” That is the certainty of our eternal future, as well, because Jesus died and rose again for us (1 Thess. 5:9-10). See also Romans 14:8-9, John 3:16-18, 35-36, etc.

Paul encouraged the Christians of Thessalonica with these great promises of God and what He had done for them and given them in Christ Jesus. And, as we also heard last week, Paul called the believers to encourage each other also with these words of hope. In that way they could help build one another up in faith, as the Holy Spirit worked through that Word in them, too (1 Thess. 5:11). See also Ephesians 2:19-22.

Next week, we might be able to finish the closing words of this letter of Paul and then move on to 2 Thessalonians, which fits in so closely with and follows 1 Thessalonians. 

Sermon for the 18th Sunday after Pentecost - September 26, 2021

Sermon for the 18th Sunday after Pentecost, based on:

Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29

James 5:1-20

Mark 9:38-50

Sermon originally delivered September 30, 2012

Preparing for Worship - September 26, 2021

In the Old Testament lesson, Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29, God’s people again are weeping and complaining that they have only manna to eat, even though it provided plenty of food and could be prepared in various ways. Moses is sick of trying to deal with these people and wishes he could be killed, coming close to the complaints of other prophets in weak moments. (See Jeremiah in Jeremiah 20:7, 14-18, and Elijah in 1 Kings 19:4.) God is angry at these sins, but is also merciful and gives Moses more people to help him and people who have the Spirit of God clearly at work in them, too.

In Psalm 104:27-35, the psalmist is grateful for God’s mercy in providing food and other good things for His creation. The psalmist knows that if God hid His face, all would die without Him. God rejoices in His works, though, and provides new life through His Spirit. The psalmist therefore seeks to meditate on the Lord  and to sing praise to Him and rejoice in Him as long as he lives.

The Epistle lesson is James 5:(1-12) 13-20. James warns about the wealthy who gather riches for themselves in ways that are hurtful and harmful to others, and about those who are always grumbling and complaining about others. “The Judge is standing at the door,“ James warns. Instead, God’s people are to be patient, like a farmer or like Job in his times of personal and family trouble, and to know that the Lord will be compassionate and merciful, as we pray and wait upon Him and forgive and receive forgiveness along with other believers. “The prayer of a righteous person has great power.” That is most especially true of our Lord Jesus, our Savior, as He prays on our behalf. He will care for us.

The Gospel lesson is from Mark 9:38-50. The disciple, John, was critical of someone who was casting out demons in the name of Jesus, but was not one of His regular disciples. Jesus was not jealous but grateful for any who help others in His name, including help for “little ones” who have received the gift of faith, by God’s grace. Jesus went on to warn about the seriousness of sin that could lead people away from Him. People need to battle that sin and seek to cut it out of their lives, by God’s grace and help. Jesus is not speaking of literally cutting out hands or eyes. They are not the problem, but sinful temptation within us. Three times, Jesus spoke of the reality of hell and of unquenchable fire, quoting from Isaiah 66:24. He does not want anyone to end up there, but to be “salt of the earth” (Mathew 5:13), trusting in Jesus and His love and forgiveness for us, and seeking to live in peace with others and help them see the Savior, too.

Bible Study on 1 Thessalonians - Part 6 1 Thessalonians 4:9-5:3

Last week, we heard warnings about temptations to sexual immorality and possibly also to dishonest dealings with others, in business and other matters. These were real dangers for the Thessalonian believers, living in their Greek/Roman culture in a busy commercial seaport city. They are still real dangers for us today.

Paul went on then to write in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 about “brotherly love.” The people of the church at Thessalonica were already doing well with this, but Paul encouraged them to seek to do even more, because they had been “taught by God to love one other.”

The word for “brotherly love” is the word “philadelphia,"from which we have the United States city of the same name, called “the city of brotherly love.” In classical Greek, the word almost always referred to love between literal brothers and sisters, who have the same parents. Christians took over the word to refer to love between brothers and sisters in Christ, within the family of God - special care and concerns for fellow believers in Jesus.  Since Christ died for all, and wants all to be saved, that love is also to extend to our “neighbors” - care for all those God has placed around us in our life. Jesus, the Son of God, had taught, in His summary of the 10 Commandments, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

He also taught that as God has shown great love and mercy to us, we are to seek to show such love and mercy to one another, especially in forgiveness. See, for example, Mark 12:28-31 and Jesus’ parable of the servant who was forgiven a huge debt and refused to forgive his fellow servant a tiny debt - Matthew 18:23-23 and especially vs. 32-33.

Paul also applied such love to the way Christian people are a “witness” to “outsiders,” people who are not Christians. God’s people are to “aspire” - to make it their goal, their ambition - to “walk properly before outsiders” in several ways: “to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs and to work with your own hands… and be dependent on nobody” (1 Thess. 4:11-12).

Christians do not have to make a big show of what they do; nor do they need to be “busybodies," being “nosy” and interfering with the affairs of others. They can just go on with their lives and try to take care of their own needs as best they can and not idly depend on others for what they could do themselves. Greek culture often thought that “working with one’s hands” was degrading and should only be for slaves or servants. Paul said the opposite. Any honest work, even with one’s hands, is good. Jesus was a carpenter before his public ministry began; Paul was a tentmaker; many of the disciples were fishermen; parents must care for their children, often with their hands; we all have a variety of vocations, of “callings,” in everyday life, etc.

From what Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians, it is possible that some Christians thought Jesus was coming back very soon, and just quit their jobs and everyday responsibilities, and were sitting in idleness, waiting for Him. This is not what God wished. Christians are to go on with their daily lives, doing their work faithfully, but ready for Jesus by faith in Him above all. Neither does God demand that everyone must have a “paying” job. Some cannot work, for a variety of reasons, including disabilities,  or may be busy as a parent or a caregiver, without pay, or be an older retiree, etc. However, our quiet, ordinary life can be a positive witness for Christ and Christian values, as much as possible. See also 1 Peter 3:15-17, for example.

Paul then moved on in his letter to address a concern he had likely heard from Timothy, when Timothy returned from his visit to Thessalonica. Some must have been wondering and worrying about people who died, who “fell asleep” before Jesus returned, on the last day. What would happen to them? Would they be OK, somehow? Paul wrote to give these questioners comfort and encouragement.

The loss of a loved one is always difficult. There is grief and sorrow. But God’s people do not need “to grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). The NIV Study Bible notes say, “Inscriptions on tombs and references in literature show that first-century pagans viewed death with horror, as the end of everything.” Paul wrote so that Christians would not be “uninformed” and without hope, even in the midst of death. (The Greek word here is the word from which we get the English word “agnostic." An agnostic is someone who just does not know, for example, whether God exists or not. He may hope God exists, but thinks he just doesn’t know.)

Paul wrote because he wanted the Christians in Thessalonica to know for sure that their loved ones who lived and died in faith in Christ would be taken care of. Paul based his certainty upon the fact that “Jesus died and rose again.” Jesus did not just die a tragic death on our behalf, in payment for our sins. He also “ROSE AGAIN.” That was the unanimous testimony of the early Christian church. Paul himself had not believed that truth and was very anti-Christian until the risen, living Lord Jesus appeared to him and turned him into a believer and witness for Jesus. See Acts 9:1-20. The death and resurrection of Jesus are the foundation of the certainty that though we die, we shall also live, through faith in Jesus and what he has done for us. See John 11:23-26, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 2 Corinthians 4:13-17, and on and on.

“Even so,” Paul wrote, “through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep.” Paul declared this “by a Word from the Lord” (probably revealed directly to him by God) and then described what would happen on the last day, the day of Christ’s return in glory. People who are still alive at the return of Jesus will not “precede” (go ahead of) those who have already died, have fallen asleep (1 Thess. 4:14-15).

The fact that Paul says that God will bring with Jesus those people is an indication that the souls, the spirits, of believers go to be with Jesus in heaven as soon as they die. Death is not a “soul sleep,” where people are somehow not conscious until Jesus returns, as some try to say. Only the physical body is resting in the grave. The souls of believers do rest from their earthly labors, in peace and joy with the Lord in heaven (Revelation 14:13).

• Jesus said to the thief on the cross who came to trust in Him, “Today you will be with Me in paradise”(Luke 23:42-43).
• As Jesus died, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit”(Luke 23:46).
• On the third day, Easter Sunday, Jesus’ grave was empty and the body of Jesus had been raised and changed and glorified (Luke 24:1-7).
• As Stephen was stoned to death, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59).
• In Philippians 1:21, Paul said, “To me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
• In verse 23, he said, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”

These Scriptures tell us that our loved ones who have died are taken care of. Their souls are with Christ in perfect peace. Their bodies rest on earth.

What happens on the last day, then? Paul wrote that the Lord Jesus Himself will descend from heaven  in a very loud, visible way. (This will not be a “secret rapture” of all living believers” for a period of time, while life goes on on earth, as some say.) Instead, there will be “a cry of command,” “the voice of an archangel," “the sound of the trumpet of God," and “the bodies of the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16) and be changed and glorified and reunited with the souls that Christ is bringing with Him, for the fullness of eternal life with the Lord. (Paul writes more about all this in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 42-44.)

The last part of all this is that the bodies of believers who are still alive on that last day will also be changed and glorified (1 Thess. 4:17 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-56) and “caught up” together in the clouds to meet the Lord, and all the heavenly believers, in the air, and all believers will always be with the Lord, in the fullness of what the eternal existence will be.

Paul has answered the concern of the Thessalonians about their loved ones who have already died. All believers, living and dead, are taken care of by Jesus, in His love for them. As Paul said, in another letter, “So, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8-9). (See also Romans 8:11 and 38-39 and many other such Scriptures.) Paul ended this part of his letter by adding, “Therefore, encourage one another with these words.” Death and separation from our loved ones still brings sorrows and hurts us, so much. But we have hope for our loved ones, in God’s promises in the living, risen Lord Jesus (1 Thess. 4:13) and for ourselves, in the promises of Jesus for us, living, too: “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

The Words of 1 Thess. 4:13-18 are often read at funerals or memorial services to give comfort and hope to families. That fact that Paul tells the Christian congregation at Thessalonica to encourage one another with these words reminds us still today that this is the very Word of God Himself, coming through Paul. This Word works, whenever it is used, as we heard in 1 Thess. 2:13, whether spoken by a pastor or teacher or spoken and read by you. Share the Good News of God’s Word! The Holy Spirit is always at work through that Word.

As 1 Thess. 5 begins, Paul wrote about a related issue that some Thessalonians must have been bringing up: Just when will Jesus come back? Paul used two picture images to emphasize that it will be sudden and unexpected: like “a thief in the night” or as “labor pains” suddenly “come upon a pregnant woman” (1 Thess. 5:1-3).

We will talk more about this next week and see how Jesus and others used the same images to show that no one knows when the end will come, except the Heavenly Father. Even Jesus, as true man, did not know during his earthly ministry (Matthew 24:36). We can be prepared, though, by continuing to trust in Jesus our Savior, by God’s grace, and using the powerful Word of God. Again, we will be OK, in and through Christ Jesus.

Sermon for the 17th Sunday after Pentecost - September 19, 2021

Sermon for the 17th Sunday after Pentecost, based on:

Jeremiah 11:18-20

James 3:13-4:10

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon originally delivered September 23, 2012

Preparing for Worship - September 19, 2021

People often think today of the hard time we have as believers in Lord in a very troubled, sinful world. It is not anything new. This week, we see the opposition to God and His will being experienced in each of our lessons. Yet, God is still with His people, serving them.

The Psalm is Psalm 54. David is in danger from King Saul and is in hiding. People around him tell Saul where he is,  and Saul is coming to capture him. You can read the story in 1 Samuel 23:19-29. David writes and prays this psalm, asking for the Lord’s help. “O God, save me by Your Name… Behold, God is my Helper, the Lord is the upholder of my life.” And the Lord continues to care for him.

In the Old Testament lesson, Jeremiah 11:18-20, God reveals to Jeremiah that enemies are out to destroy him, including people from his own home town. He is “like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter” simply because he is speaking the true Word of God and warning people who are unbelievers of their sins. Yet, God will “judge” the situation “righteously” and care for Jeremiah.

The Epistle is from James 3:13-4:10. James speaks of the “jealousy and selfish ambition” of so many people who oppose “the wisdom from above,” from God, and create “disorder and every vile practice,” and so many “quarrels and fights.” James calls all to repent and “humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

In the Gospel lesson, Mark 9:30-37, Jesus takes His disciples aside to teach them about His coming suffering and death and resurrection, for them and for the world. They only care about themselves, though, and “had argued with one another about who was the greatest” among them. Jesus has to teach them again that in the Kingdom of God, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” Jesus then used the example of receiving and helping a little child, as that kind of service; and He would soon give up everything by dying in our place on the cross, to serve and forgive and save us.

Bible Study on 1 Thessalonians - Part 5 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

In the first three chapters of 1 Thessalonians, we have heard of Paul’s gratefulness to God that those who came to faith in Jesus were continuing in that faith, even with times of persecution from Jews and others opposed to Christ. Paul continued to pray for the Thessalonian church and hoped to visit them in the future. He rejoiced in the good report about the church from Timothy, but wanted to strengthen the people’s faith and understanding on certain issues of concern that he had heard from Timothy. Paul dealt first with sexual immorality.

This was a huge problem for most areas where Paul went, sharing the Word of God and the Good News of Jesus with people. The Greek and Roman cultures had very few standards about sexual activity, for a variety of reasons. This is very simplified, but:

• They did not know the one true Triune God and the moral standards God had set for the Jewish nation in the Old Testament and the very similar standards of the New Testament. (This could be another extensive Bible study, but in summary, God created the first marriage, bringing the first two people, one male and one female, together in a life-long commitment. Sexual activity was to be within the marriage, with the possibility of children being born, but in a stable atmosphere.) (See Genesis 1-2, and Jesus‘ affirmation of this in Mark 10:2-9.)
• Ancient philosophies often said that all that mattered was the soul or spirit of a person. What one did with the body did not really matter. For some, “hedonism”- the pursuit of pleasure and sensual self-indulgence - was the highest good. Most anything was permissible, if it felt good.
• Many ancient religions and temples had temple prostitutes. Having sex in this setting could help fertility of nature and crops and stir up the “gods” and “goddesses” to act in favorable ways.
• Some leaders were moral, but many were extremely immoral in their own sexual behaviors and the bad examples they set. As a result, immorality was rampant. Sailors in a seaport city like Thessalonica had the supposed “lovers in every port” where they went. And on and on.
• Women often had equally low standards, and male homosexuality and sex between men and boys (that even today many would call “child abuse”) was all too common. (If we think standards are low now, they were even worse in those days - and sadly, we seem to be moving back into pre-Christian times, where most anything was OK.)

Paul wrote, as I Thess. 4 begins, with God’s standards, “in” and “through the Lord Jesus.” He and Timothy and Silas had already taught these principles, but they needed to be reinforced: how believers “ought to walk” and “please God” and follow “the will of God.” Paul put it very simply - “abstain from sexual immorality.” The word he used is a general term for all kinds of sexual immorality - premarital sex, breaking the bond of marriage by adultery, prostitution, homosexual behavior, rape, incest, and on and on (1 Thess. 4:1-3).

Paul complimented the Thessalonian believers, as they were trying to follow God’s standard. This was a way to “please God,” in gratefulness for all that God had done in sending His Son to be the Savior. It was and is also right and best for people themselves and is not self-centered “passion or lust” and does not “transgress” against and “wrong” others in this matter, by taking advantage of them and upsetting families and children

Paul also spoke of the fact that our bodies are not our own to do with what we want, but can be “controlled” in “holiness and honor” and not in “impurity.” (See the words of Colossians 1:9-14, where we can be strengthened by God’s Word and remembering how much God has already done for us, in His great love for us, in Jesus. He will surely also tell us what is really best for us and others.)

See a much longer discussion of this same issue of sexual morality and immorality in 1 Corinthians 6:13-20. Note that as believers, we are a “walking temple,’ belonging to God, in which the Holy Spirit lives, purchased by the sacrifice of Christ for us. Our bodies are important, and we can glorify God by what we do with them, according to His will. This ties in with 1 Thess. 4:8, where Paul reminded the Thessalonian believers that “God gave His Holy Spirit” to them to bring them to faith and enable them to follow their Lord’s will “more,” as he encouraged them.

(See also the promises of God in the Old Testament in Ezekiel 36:25-28, where He predicted the gift of Holy Baptism, where the “stony heart” of our sinful nature would be taken away and we would receive a “new heart” and God would put “His Spirit within us” Who can “cause us to walk more in His statutes.” There is our power, in the Lord working in us.)

Paul “asked” the Thessalonian believers to go in this direction, but he also “urged“ them to do so and “gave them instructions” (the Greek word means almost like a manual for military service, with rules to be obeyed). Finally, he also gave them a “solemn warning” that the Lord could be an “avenger," bringing judgment, if people continually resisted God’s will. (Think of all the sexually transmitted diseases floating around, these days.) These people could eventually drift away from God himself and abandon their faith, too. This is not at all what God wants, though.

There are also a few alternative ways to understand a few of these verses. Some translate verse four to mean that God’s will is “that each of you should know how to take a wife for himself.” The Greek literally says something like “how to receive a vessel for himself, in holiness and honor.” (See the text notes in an ESV Bible, for example.) There is at least one other place in the New Testament where a wife is called a “vessel” - 1 Peter 3:7. This translation would emphasize the seriousness of making the choice about the person we marry and wanting to do so in a way that honors God  and His Word. What a blessing when we do find the right person, too, and both seek to act in God’s love and forgiveness.

If you looked at a King James Bible, you would find that verse six is translated: “That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter” (in business dealings or in coveting  what others have so much that we hurt or harm them or in other such ways). That translation would mean that God is also warning about dishonest dealings in business and acting in evil and covetous ways, too. This is possible, as Thessalonica was a commerce center between areas to the east and west, and advice about dealing honestly with others would be important, in this context. Some point out, too, that there are other Scriptures where Paul closely ties sexual immorality with greed and coveting. (See Ephesians 4:19-20 and 5:3, 5, and Colossians 3:5, for example.)

Finally, take seriously that “This is the will of God: your sanctification.” God really wants us to try to do the good things He teaches us. They honor God and are best for us and our marriages and families and are helpful for others around us, too, as we interact with them. We have also heard in this lesson that God gives us His Word to guide us, and the Holy Spirit is working through that Word within us, and Jesus promises that he will be with us always. We do have His strength to help us always.

At the same time, do not think that your salvation depends upon finally being holy enough and doing God’s wishes well enough. If that were true, none of us could be saved.

For example, we just had James 3:1-12 as a reading in worship, and we are called to have holy, sanctified tongues. In that same passage, though, James reminds us that “No human being can tame the tongue.” We try, but we do not always use our tongues in good and right ways. Finally, our hope and salvation are only in Jesus and His perfect life lived for us, and His sacrifice on the cross to pay for all our sins - past sins and failings, too. We are declared forgiven and holy only through trust in what He has already done for us.

Read again the words of Ezekiel 36:25 and the promises of 1 John 1:7-2:2, including “the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” There alone is our hope - not in ourselves, but in Jesus.