Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Living with Endurance | New Testament | 1 Thessalonians 4

Episode Date: May 30, 2023

Christians have the responsibility and privilege of representing Jesus to the world. So, how should you do that? What is so good about living for Christ? In today's episode, Tanya uses 1 Thessalonians 4 as a prayer for endurance for Christians. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in one year. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: 1 Thessalonians 4

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. When our oldest son moved out for college, Eric and I had to figure out how to be parents to a college kid and three girls at home. And there were some learning curves, there still are. And mine are too personal to share. So I'll just share Eric's. See, at dinner, it was just the ladies. And we could all get a little animated when we talk about our struggles we have and the things that are

on our minds. And Eric, being a problem solver, would offer clear and viable solutions to our challenges. The real problem, though, was that we didn't actually want to act on clear and viable solutions, at least not yet. We just want to doverbally process. So kudos to Eric, because unless there is real and imminent danger, he adapts quickly and has learned to say, that must have been really hard. And then follows up with hefty encouragement. So the girls and I know we have the ability to navigate and solve our own problems. Now, I know I often say this is my favorite episode or my favorite part of the Bible, but here we go again in First Thessalonians chapter four.

It's so, so good. And if you have time today, I hope you read it. If you have more time, just read all of First Thessalonians while you're there. So Paul hears back from Timothy, who's gone to Thessalonica to check on the church there, and he finds out that they're doing really well. And despite persecution for a drastically different lifestyle and allegiance to King Jesus, the people have experienced true delight of living in Jesus and sharing him with others. Now, while they still have issues, they mostly need encouragement to keep going.

Listen to verse one and notice how Paul knows that they're going to be okay. He says, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. Does Paul know they're going to be okay because they're living? lives pleasing to God? Well, not really. That's evidence, but not the cause. The real reason Paul knows they're living well and can do this more and more is because they are living in God. God is not an outward source, but an inward delight of their hearts. They have within them the power to live in a way

that follows King Jesus. So what are those ways? Well, there are three parts of Paul's encouragement in this chapter. First, live with more inward purity and holiness. Second, live with more outward love and humility. And finally, live with more certain hope in the bodily resurrection. So first, in verses 1 through 8, Paul explains how being one with Jesus produces an inward purity and holiness that looks different. Pagan worship and sexual promiscuity went hand in hand. And for the people in this culture, this was just the way things were. But following King Jesus was to stand out for living differently. To follow Jesus' teaching, they needed a serious commitment to sexual purity inside a loving, committed relationship with their spouse. And the reason wasn't vague. It was because their lives,

and therefore their physical bodies belong to Christ. Versus seven and eight, Paul's words, For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you His Holy Spirit. Having given themselves to Christ, they should honor one another as people in Christ, even with their physical bodies. It was a sign of the inward change Jesus had done to their hearts. Now, Paul knew that living in consistency with King Jesus and his teachings could arouse suspicion. So in the next section, he tells them how to meet those suspicions with love. verses 9 through 12 are about being Jesus to those around you.

Loving, serving Christians should be known as people who work hard and are generous. Paul tells them that their ambition should lead to a quiet life, minding their own business and working with their hands. These words should remind us of the way Jesus lived his life. And it should help us see the essence of Christian living is not tied to having influence and exerting power, but about seeing and serving people. As Jesus touched the leper, talk with the Samaritan woman and fed the crowd, we should live with open hands to see and meet people where they are.

Are you in health care? You're the hands of Jesus in that clinic or hospital. Are you a teacher or a student? You're the mouth of Jesus in your school. Are you a mom or dad? You're the heart of Jesus in your home. Living in Jesus means we have the responsibility. and the privilege of representing him to the world.

And Paul says it's based on a quiet and humble life. Do for one what you would do for all if you could. Your mission is not to draw attention to yourself, but to Jesus. How can you quietly be the hands of Jesus wherever you're going to be today? Who will you see? What's on your list? Where will you be? Now this daily life of allegiance to Jesus brings Paul to the last point,

because the reality was that even though the Thessalonian, had tasted and seen that Jesus was good, and there was no turning back. There was still a question about when he was returning, and what would happen to those in their church who had died since Paul's last visit? See, Paul preached that Jesus would return, and they believed it. Would it be today? When would he come? What would happen to those who had died, or those among them who had been martyred for

believing in Jesus? I don't know if we walk around with as much momentary concern about the future coming of King Jesus. But we should definitely have it always on our minds in a way that affects the way we live. Paul reminds them that the bodily resurrection of believers to live forever with Jesus is a sure reality. It matters because not even death can separate us from King Jesus. And in Titus 2.13, it's called our blessed hope. The way the Thessalonians felt about losing people they love, that's the same way we feel. The sorrow is so deep and, for those of us who have experienced at the lost edges itself inside our bodies and our minds

in ways that are so deep we sometimes feel like we can't even breathe. Paul does not minimize this kind of suffering, but he reminds the Thessalonians that our mourning is different. Verse 13, You do not grieve like the rest of mankind who has no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again. And so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. And verse 16, for the Lord himself will come down from heaven. See, when Jesus returns, there will be a bodily resurrection. And this will be the culminating act of redemption. And this is also what Jesus' resurrection

assures us of. See, Rome's peace, well, it came from war and military occupation. This is not the kind of peace Paul is talking about. Our peace comes from knowing Jesus will return and confront the evil that hurts people. He will confront sin and death, and we live in blessed hope of this reality. So first, Thessalonians 4. Well, it's a prayer for endurance with the big why spelled out as living in Christ. What about you? Are you living outwardly to please Christ and finding it to be exhausting? Let's make sure we aren't missing the best part about following King Jesus, delighting in being with him. The essence of the relationship you have with Jesus works out of your mind and your heart

to produce the holy life he calls you to. You don't have to do it on your own. Any struggle you have is one he can help you with. Any transformation of tongue or heart or habit is one that he will help you face. Delight in him, be with him, remember you are in him. He already delights in you. Before you forget, sign up for the brand new TMBT newsletter. hit the link in the show notes, and you'll get an email every Wednesday

that will help you beat the midweek slump and go deeper in your walk with Jesus. Thanks for listening.