MESSAGE 9 - 1 THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 5:9-11 – EXALTED IN CHRIST IN ORDER TO ENCOURAGE/COMFORT ONE ANOTHER
[A]. THE CHRISTIAN’S EXALTED POSITION
{{1Thessalonians 5:9 “God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ 1Thess. 5:10 who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.”}}
(a). We have looked at verse 9 in two previous messages, but 9 and 10 go together. Paul says we have been destined for salvation, which is a blessing because all the cases where the New Testament mentions destined or predestined, it always means the end of that is a blessing. Here, it is salvation. I think many of you know that salvation is in three tenses. There is the past, the present and the future. The past is where believers have been saved through faith in the Lord from the penalty of sin. The present is where we are being saved from the power of sin in daily lives through the Holy Spirit. The future is when we will be saved from the very presence of sin itself in the presence of the Lord. How I look forward to that time!
In verse 9, Paul is using the idea of the future application of salvation.
THE PAST IS THIS – {{Ephesians 2:5 “even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” - Ephesians 2:8 “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God.”}} (Note the “have been” usage here – past tense.)
THE PRESENT IS THIS – {{Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” 1Peter 2:2 “like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”}} (This process is a continuous one in the present as we develop in Christ.)
THE FUTURE IS THIS – {{1Peter 1:9 “obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Romans 13:11 “This do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep, for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.” Revelation 12:10 I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night.” Romans 13:11 “This do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep, for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.”}} (In the future the complete aspect of salvation will be realised. We will have salvation in full – completely saved.)
(b). Paul correctly, in 1Thessalonians verse 10, links all this together with the death of Christ and the outcome is that we will live together with Him. That is so marvellous because that infers His Bride, His glorious Church will live with Him. The Apostle uses the little clause “whether we are awake or asleep” to define those who partake of this great blessing in Christ. We will explain both groups.
Awake or asleep – which one do you long for? Is your greater desire to stay in this life and enjoy the beauty of the earth and the family; the hobbies and pursuits you love; to continue in a job you might like, OR is your desire to be caught up with the Lord and to be with Him; to depart from this world that is seeing increasing wickedness?
If I look back on my life I think I have altered my feelings with age. When you are young, you have all life’s challenges and interests before you, and prospect of marriage, and so many interests that I think many young Christian people want to hold onto, the ropes that hold them to this earth. On the other hand, many old, or older people see the world for what it is, and their spirits long more and more for heaven. I spoke on that in the past in a message titled “The Tug of Heaven”. (https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-tug-of-heaven-is-growing-stronger-ron-ferguson-sermon-on-death-268356)
Then again, when you are solidly engaged in Christian service your aspect becomes a conflict, almost as Paul realised when he wrote these words – {{Philippians 1:21-25 “for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain, but if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labour for me, and I do not know which to choose. I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better, yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake, and convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith.”}} If the Lord is pleased to leave you here, then be active for Him, but first of all, desire to know Him better and better, by spending as much time as you can, as good stewards, in knowing Him.
(c). The end of verse 10 is most wonderful and I think we pass over it without contemplation. It says that “WE MAY LIVE TOGETHER WITH HIM”. Think of how this applied when the Lord was on earth. The disciples lived together with Him – they walked with Him; they ate with Him; they listened to Him; they spoke with Him; they questioned Him; they passed through trials with Him. When we transfer that to ourselves, we understand that the Lord lives in us, and with us, in the spiritual sense; we walk with Him as sheep in following Him as our Good Shepherd who died for us, and He walks life’s path with us too; we eat with him, and as He passed the bread and food in His earthly sojourn, so too does He do it for us, for His food is His inspired word; we listen to Him as we read and meditate on the bible; we speak with Him in prayer and He answers in our spirits and in His word.
I love the words in the song “I Come To The Garden Alone”. [[I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses, and a voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses – and He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own, and the joy I share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.”]] We question things too, not in a skeptical way, but to know the centre of His will in our lives; we pass through trials too, and the blessed Lord has promised never to leave us nor forsake us, and He abides forever. That means life’s journey is full and complete with our ever-present Lord. Nevertheless, all that is only part of the meaning of the statement, “we may live together with Him,” for all His blood-bought children shall live with Him for all eternity, and shall have overflowing joy and peace, and we will know Him as He is, and we shall see Him. He will be the Chief Shepherd of the Sheep and all His sheep will know His voice and be in His presence and follow Him in the closest union. Even so, come Lord Jesus.
(d). One has written: [[The stress lies in the contrast - Christ DIED for us, that we might LIVE with Him - a life of spiritual union with Him, and continuing undestroyed, whether the man wakes or sleeps to this world. {{“I came,” said Jesus, “that men might have life . . . I am the living bread, which came down from heaven. If any one eats of this bread, he shall live for ever. Yes, and the bread which I will give is My flesh, for the life of the world”}} (John 10:10; John 6:51). Risen from the grave, our Saviour “lives” evermore to God. Death no longer lords it over Him (Romans 6:9-10). Those who are Christ’s, are “joined to the Lord” as “one spirit” with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17), and share His life, which flows from the heavenly Head to all the earthly members of His Body. This is the life “that is life indeed” (1 Timothy 6:19) and it is superior, being “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-4). Such is Paul’s conception of the nature of the Christian’s life.]]
[B]. NOW COMES A GREAT “THEREFORE”
{{1Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, JUST AS YOU ALSO ARE DOING.”}}
This is an important “Therefore” and it takes us back through the preceding themes of chapter 5 and into the end of chapter 4. Let’s gather those themes up and put them in a basket – “those who have died will not miss the Rapture; the terrible Day of the Lord will come, but not before the Church is removed; Christians will have no part in the coming wrath of God; we will be saved because Christ died for us; whether we are alive here on earth or alive with the Lord in heaven we live in Him.” Now, in those themes, there is great consolation for the Christians, and Paul again turned to the words of comfort and consolation that we now find in verse 11.
You know there are six English words in this verse that are so encouraging – “JUST AS YOU ALSO ARE DOING,” for what Paul instructs them to do, they are doing it already, so his words are encouraging them to continue in that. There are two aspects relating to this –
(1). ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER:- That is of immense importance in these closing days of the Church age when the desire to live for the Lord is facing greater and greater opposition. This word translated as “encourage” is actually the same word that closes chapter 4 – {{1Thessalonians 4:18 “Therefore COMFORT one another with these words,”}} - the same pa?a?a?e?? used of the Holy Spirit as a Comforter. Some Greek scholars say it should be translated as “comfort” in verse 11 also (1Thessalonians 5:11). We encourage by words, by actions, and by putting others before ourselves. We comfort them that way also.
Paul actually has a lot to say to Christians about their behaviour towards each other, and there is a great responsibility to the fellow members of the faith. Note these verses – {{Hebrews 3:13 but encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 10:24 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, Heb 10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”}}
There is one thing that disturbs me in nearly all churches except the very small ones. Human beings are social “creatures” and gather in groups, but in churches people seem to form cliques and strong association groups. There is nothing wrong in that but it does cause a fragmentation in the church overall. You might be in a church for many years and there is a sizable portion of the people there you don’t know at all, only your own small circle of people. I think that is a shame, and I also feel that something can be done about it to make the relationships better. After all, in heaven there won’t be cliques for we shall know everyone as Christ knows us.
(2). (a). BUILD UP ONE ANOTHER:- Think of this as raising one another to make each one higher. The aim is to make the person stronger and more complete, raising him or her towards heaven. A selfish person wants to raise only himself or herself up, not the other individual.
How do you build a person up? How do you build up a house or palace? You do it by construction, and the connection of materials. When we apply this to building up in the Christian life, what materials are we using to make a “connected Christian”? The outcome is growth and stability, so the factors leading to this are found in the word of God – Consider these two verses : {{2Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, 2Tim 3:17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”}}
Therefore, to build someone up, that person needs to be taught (but how can you teach, if you yourself are failing in your own life to learn from God?). That person needs reproof (but how can you reprove anyone, when you don’t live a disciplined life and reject gentle reprimand yourself?); that person needs correction (but how can you correct when you yourself have incorrect teaching and values because you have neglected the word of God?); that person needs training in righteousness (but how can you train others when you have not been guided by the Holy Spirit in the right way to live because you are not receptive to the Spirit’s leading?).
These are serious issues and ought to challenge us as to our own lives and to the ministry we ought to have among the saints – to one another - for you yourselves need not sit around wanting someone to spoon feed you in order to build you up, when it is something you can do for yourselves also as Jude would very strongly tell you – {{Jude 1:20 “but you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit . . .”}} Just to recap, verse 11 in your 5 th chapter of Thessalonians needs the application of Scripture to build all of us up as Paul elsewhere confirms – {{Acts 20:32 “and now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, WHICH IS ABLE TO BUILD YOU UP and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”}}
Nehemiah had a great building task ahead of him. He was to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem that had been smashed down by the Babylonians but the task looked daunting to some. There was a lot of debris and there was a lot of opposition. What Nehemiah did was to go out in quietness one night to assess the whole situation and then after that he began the task.
Some of us have a lot of debris in our lives and the task of clearing that away before you start building may be daunting, but don’t you understand that God is there to assist all the way. He will cut away and remove all the useless stuff so you can then start building a wonderful construction in your life.
The great secret to that is willingness. Do you want to be the best for God? Are you satisfied with an unhappy, half-committed life? Come to the Lord and repent and turn from the useless things, and allow the word of God and the Holy Spirit to begin the construction in your life that will result in a wonderful building for God so He can use you to minister to others.
2. (b). Whitby explains it as “edify yourselves into one body” and it means that the edification process we all engage in will form one, united and strong body. McLaren says the figure of “building” in the New Testament, as the great duty of the Christian life, is set forth under three aspects – “self-edification, united edification, and divine edification.” He introduces divine edification in this way – [[“When he spoke to the elders of the church of Ephesus he said that Christ was able ‘to build them up.’ When he wrote to the Corinthians he said, ‘You are God’s building.’ To the Ephesians he wrote, ‘You are built for an habitation of God through the Spirit,’ and so high above all our individual and all our united effort, he carries up our thoughts to the divine Master-builder.”]]
2. (c). May I say one important thing before moving on. It is under the Holy Spirit’s control that you must encourage and build up. Too many go off in their own strength and handle the Bible incorrectly, and reprove others harshly and argumentatively, and correct others wrongly. Those with motes in their own eyes are running around trying to remove specks from the eyes of others and they are damaging them in the process.
The Lord wants us all to have shepherd hearts as we encourage, strengthen and pray for others. Those who go around gossiping about other Christians can’t fulfill the requirements of this Thessalonians verse. Those who think they are superior in the Christian faith can’t fulfill the requirements of this verse. Those who think they are more enlightened than others can’t fulfill the requirements of this verse.
The whole ministry of building and construction must be done in the greatest meekness after examining the own self first. It is all to be conducted in humility and by waiting on the Lord. They who pull down, and divide, and destroy, instead of building up God’s people are enemies of the flock, and regrettably there are too many in some churches.
In a church fellowship, it also means being watchful for the wolves that would destroy the flock, even in subtle ways. It is the “little foxes” that destroy the grapes. Liberal Theology is one of the prongs of the devil’s pitchfork to weaken and destroy the Church. Small acorns grow into large oaks and too many overlook the small acorns and then wonder why division has happened or why lives are in turmoil. As for us, in regard to our fellow Christians, let us encourage and comfort and build up, that we might honour God and serve Him with a pure heart. Amen.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
