I Thessalonians 4: Called to Holiness

This week, Mr. Ratcliff is back and joins Crystal to discuss I Thessalonians 4 with an emphasis on holy living, loving others, and the hope we have in Jesus. 

I Thessalonians 4:16-18 KJV

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

We will continue our study through I and II Thessalonians for the next several episodes. Here's the link to the study guide if you'd like one to accompany your study. 

Available Bible Studies and Bible Study Guides (affiliate links):

• It's Time.
• Arise, Go.
• Pullin' Weeds, Plantin' Seeds
• There's a Fly in my Tea!
• Study Your Bible With Me Series

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hi there! Welcome to Wisdom for Wednesday, your midweek pause for truth, encouragement, and practical faith. I'm your host, Crystal Ratcliffe, author, speaker, and fellow traveler on this journey of growing in God's Word. Each week we'll dive into scripture together and have the opportunity to be encouraged in the truth that never changes. If you're able, grab your Bible, a cup of coffee, and let's seek God's wisdom together. Hi there, and welcome back to the Wisdom for Wednesday podcast. This is Crystal and Mark. Mr. Ratcliffe.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

Oh yeah, Mr. Ratcliffe.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

Mr. Ratcliffe is here with me again today, and I know some of you were very excited about that. I just wanted to give you a short update and say we had a wonderful homegoing service for my dad. It was just, it was just such a perfect way to have closure and celebrate his life. And so we're just very thankful for that. It was a blessing, and I appreciate all of you who've been praying for our family. And so we're going to jump in here today and talk about 1 Thessalonians chapter 4.

SPEAKER_01 1:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Last week Courtney did an amazing job on the episode from chapter 3. It was titled Established Not Shaken. And she did so good. If you have not listened to that, you're going to want to go back and listen. Now, because of what we have here in the text today, I am going to give this little warning. If you are listening with little ears, you may want to put in your headphones today or listen at a time when they are taking a nap or something like that. Just we'll try to be sensitive to the topic, but just want to give you that little warning there. So are you ready to get into this?

SPEAKER_01 1:50

Let's do it.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

Okay. So from chapter four, we're going to go ahead and read the first. I'm going to start out. I think I'm going to read the first 12 verses. It says, Furthermore, then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor, not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God. That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit. But as touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another, and indeed you do it toward all the brethren, which are in all Macedonia. But we we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more, and that ye study to be quiet and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands as we commanded you, that ye walk honestly toward them that are without, and that sorry, that ye walk, that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. So we can see here in this section that we are called to live holy lives. And I noticed right away from verse one, I mentioned this verse when we had our walk worthy episode from chapter two, because it says, Um, as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. And then that word exhort there is to encourage, to strengthen, to instruct, but also to incite or urge to do right. So they had been instructed in how to walk or live and please God. And Paul exhorted them to abound more and more, or we could say to grow in holiness. And then we see there in verse 3 the word sanctification. Now that has kind of a dual meaning, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:24

Yeah, yeah. So when you get saved, you are set apart, which is basically what sanctification is. So you're set apart unto God, and then it's also a process of as we go through this life, we learn by studying the Word of God and walking with God and obeying God that we become more and more separated to God and what he would have for us to do. It's a kind of a purification process, if you want to call it that.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

Yeah, like the process of becoming more holy.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:02

So if you have done some of my Bible studies, I know it's in Pulling Weeds, Plant and Seeds, and I think it's also in a rise go. I love the Webster's 1828 dictionary of sanctification. It says sanctification is the act of God's grace by which the affections of men are purified or alienated from the world and exalted to a supreme love for God. And so that definition that tells me that it's an act of God's grace. I'm incapable of doing it on my own. My affection should be alienated from sin in this world. They should no longer have a hold on me or be dis or be desirable to me. And my affection should be exalted to a supreme love to God. So through the process of sanctification, my ultimate desire becomes to please God.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Yeah, and I think you have to choose to do that. I mean, studying the word and obeying the word, it's a heart thing. Yeah, I wanna so I want to know God better. And I want to be able to be used by Him better, and so it's it's it's a process, nobody accomplishes it right away.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

Yes, and that's something I kind of discussed from chapter two as well, is that everyone is in their own growing process and it takes time, it's different for each of us, and we shouldn't expect new Christians to know everything, but at the same time, we should expect mature Christians to be living differently.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

Well, you would think.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

Yeah. And we should be asking ourselves, hey, how do I still need to grow?

SPEAKER_01 6:43

Well, it's much like Paul, uh, he says in Philippians chapter four that he hadn't attained, and I would think that there the rest of us, if Paul never did, we definitely w haven't at this point. Yes, but he does go on to say there in Philippians chapter four that we need to be pressing towards the mark. And that's very much what we're doing with sanctification. We're learning what God desires from us, and we're learning that we should love him more, and as we obey him more, we show our love for him more, and we draw closer to him.

SPEAKER_00 7:22

Yeah. Good. So then we go right from sanctification to abstain from fornication. Why do you think that is, Mr. Ratcliffe? I have no idea.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

I would say that well, in our day and time and in theirs, that that was very much part of their lifestyle. So remember that that Paul was thankful that they um turned to God from d from their dumb idols, basically, the idols that didn't speak to them like God speaks to them. But they turned from those things, and the much of the worship of that day and age involved sexual activity. Yeah. And so to be more sanctified to God, those things were gonna have to be cut out of their lives, and they would become more holy.

SPEAKER_00 8:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

In their actions and in their words, and uh in their relationships.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

Right. And I had this note down there's danger in sexual sin, fornication. There was that word lust for concupiscence in there, which is a desire, a craving or a longing for what is forbidden. But we know from 1 Corinthians 6 18 it says, flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. So we're told here to abstain from it. It's to have restraint from those passions or apt appetites. And like you said, then that was a normal practice that they did. So they had to be taught differently. But I would think I would say that in our society today, sexual sin and fornication is widely accepted.

SPEAKER_01 9:14

Sure, even in Christian circles, right?

SPEAKER_00 9:16

Even in Christian circles, many think it's okay to live with their boyfriend or girlfriend before they get married. Um, the world is constantly pushing same-sex relationships on us, but fornication is all sexual immorality outside of the bonds of biblical marriage, which is between a man and a woman. And God designed marriage and sex, he created sex for procreation and pleasure for the marriage partners.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

Yeah, that's exactly what God designed it for. I don't know if you ever listened to your Bible that like audio, but I have to skip over Song of Solomon.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

Yeah, the animated version, or is it called animated? Yeah, when they try to make it sound more like a story, theatrical? Yes, something like that.

SPEAKER_01 10:07

Yeah, I gotta skip over that.

SPEAKER_00 10:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

And just read it myself. Because that that's the relationship that Solomon's having with his wife. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:19

Which shows us that it's right and it's good to have a desire for your spouse and pleasure with your spouse.

SPEAKER_01 10:27

Right. Within the bounds of marriage.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Yes. So we can see that God warns against sexual sin repeatedly in scripture, and he does that for our protection. And I just want to add here for ladies, I would say that is we also need to be careful about what we read, what we watch, um, any any of those sorts of things that can put thoughts into our mind. Because Jesus said that if you look at a woman and lust after her, you've committed adultery. And so that would apply for women looking at men um in the same way. And I would say that fornication, any sexual immorality, it starts in your mind.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

Sure. I mean, Jesus said, I think the best well-known one is in Matthew chapter seven, where he talks about, you know, if you look upon a woman and lust after her, and then he goes on to say that that um what comes out of the heart of man is what defiles man, and he goes on to list those things, murderers and adulteries, and so again we go back to sanctification. That as I study the word of God, what it does is it it should affect how I think, how what I say, and it does matter what you put in, but as you grow in the Lord and you walk with God through with his word, it should purify how you think, it should purify your responses, it should purify all those things.

SPEAKER_00 12:02

Which then we get to verse four, it says that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Right. The word of God helps us to understand, and and we've been going through this in the college class. The Bible is for you to use practically in your life. It's God's instruction. It's so that we know him and know him better, but he also has given us instruction on how to live and how to um put restraints on our lusts and how to work around those things in ways that are pleasing to him.

SPEAKER_00 12:45

Yeah. So and this is this is really contrary to the world today, because I I think the message of the world today is anything goes. If it feels good, just do it. But this is telling us, hey, you need to control your bodies, control your fleshly appetites.

SPEAKER_01 13:01

Um I think so. You have to lean on the Holy Spirit in those times. Because I mean, let's be honest, it's gonna happen. There's gonna be times that lustful thoughts go across your mind. I don't care if you're a man or a woman. I'm just being truthful here. But you have to use the word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to help you in those moments to put those things out of your mind. You gotta have the scripture in there for the Holy Spirit to be able to use it in those situations of life.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

Right.

SPEAKER_01 13:38

It's practical.

SPEAKER_00 13:39

Yes, and I would say though they use the word vessel here. He uses the word vessel, and we are a vessel of the Holy Spirit. If we're saved, we're a temple of the Holy Ghost.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Right.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

So, and that's like you said, we have to lean on the Holy Spirit to help us with those things.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 13:55

Okay, so verse six, it goes on to say that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. So defraud, when I looked that up, it's do not cross moral boundaries or take advantage of your brother in any matter, it says.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

Well, obviously, in context, it's talking about a sexual relationship. But it also goes on to talk about in any matter. So again, we go back to sanctification. And as I learn the word of God, it helps me not to defraud my brother in anything.

SPEAKER_00 14:40

Yeah. Okay, so that verse seven says again, we're called to holiness, not uncleanness. And then we go into verse eight and it says, Don't despise, which means to disregard or reject the call to holiness. It's not coming, it's coming from God, it's not coming from man. And he's given us the Holy Spirit to help us live holy. And then we see that they were reminded of their brotherly love. You might remember that we talked about that from chapter one. Um, who taught them how to love like that? Well, it was God, and we cannot love others as we should apart from God. Paul says, increase more and more. I think there's always room to love more like Christ, to love others who are difficult to love, to love others maybe who don't reciprocate it in the way that you think they should. And it's so very hard. I I know that I have had situations in my life where someone is making it very hard to love them like I should.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

Well, so God's love is unconditional. And honestly, he calls us to love people unconditionally as well. Whether they return that love to you or not doesn't give us the opportunity not to love them. I hope that's the right way to say that. But we're to go about and love people really unconditionally. It it's much like I love Crystal. Whether she ever reciprocated her love to me, which she does, and it's great, and I love her, but I love her unconditionally. And that's the way we're supposed to love others, and it it does help us abound more and more.

SPEAKER_00 16:29

Yeah. Um, I do find it interesting that in verse 11 it says to basically be quiet and mind your own business. And that's placed right between talking about love and walking honestly toward them that are without. And I think that's because those are ways that we show love and have a good testimony that would draw others to Christ, not gossiping, not meddling. You know, those things destroy relationships. That's the opposite of loving.

SPEAKER_01 17:00

Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

So I just thought that was interesting that it was right there. And then I had this note that I wrote down love others enough to be quiet and mind my own business.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

I like it.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

Good advice, right?

SPEAKER_01 17:15

I like it.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

Okay, so then we get to verse 13. Do you want to read or do you want me to?

SPEAKER_01 17:20

Um I'll read it. Okay. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

SPEAKER_00 18:14

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 18:16

Amen. That's it.

SPEAKER_00 18:18

Okay. I mentioned when we first started this study that Paul was writing not only to encourage holy living, but he was correcting some things about their thinking concerning Jesus' coming. So in this section, we're talking about the rapture. That word is not used, but the word caught away is, which is basically the rapture, which is imminent, it could happen at any time. Um, but their concern was about those that had already died, because sleep applied to believers who had died, and it's not the soul that sleeps, it's the body. And so that was their concern.

SPEAKER_01 18:51

Yeah, I would remind us that he is talking to believers. He's writing to the church of Thessalonica. So these folks have believed that Jesus has died and rose again. But to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And so their bodies are in the ground, but their soul, their spirit is with God.

SPEAKER_00 19:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:13

And he goes on to say that in the fall in in that verse 14 as well, that God, Jesus will bring those with him. Those that are asleep will be raised from the dead, and he will bring them with him.

SPEAKER_00 19:27

Yes, yeah. And actually it says in verse 16 that the dead in Christ shall rise first. So they will I mean it's all gonna happen like that, but it's all it's like a lot of things in the Bible.

SPEAKER_01 19:40

I don't get all of it, but God sure does.

SPEAKER_00 19:43

Yes, and it takes faith.

SPEAKER_01 19:46

That's right. Yeah, you know what I what I always have loved well not always, since I studied this. Actually, the Lord let me study this for a sermon at one time, and um what what he showed to me was in verse sixteen the Bible says the Lord Himself. So Jesus is coming back to get me.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:17

The Lord. That it's not grandpa, it's not my dad, it's not some other person, your dad. Yeah, it's the Lord, right, the one who saved my soul, who gave himself for me. My Lord and Savior is coming back for me. He's coming back to catch me up into the clouds with him. And and it's interesting there also in verse 17 where it says, We'll be caught up oh, where is it? Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord. You know, I've never met the Lord face to face. But I will that day.

SPEAKER_00 21:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:04

It's gonna be good.

SPEAKER_00 21:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

And he goes on to say there in the end of that verse, so shall we ever be with the Lord.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:13

What an amazing thing. If that doesn't bring you comfort, right.

SPEAKER_00 21:19

What does? Exactly. Exactly. I think that's a perfect place to end.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

Me too.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Thank you so much for joining us on the Wisdom for Wednesday podcast, Mr. Ratcliffe.

SPEAKER_01 21:31

I'm happy to be here.

SPEAKER_00 21:33

Is that true?

SPEAKER_01 21:35

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

Okay, well, we are gonna stop right there. I do want to just remind you that next week I have a ministry mindset series interview that you're gonna want to tune in and to and listen. And then we will pick up our study in First Thessalonians chapter five, will be in the the first Wednesday of May. I'm not sure. What date is that? So I just want to remind you that there is the support the show link in the show notes, and that helps to go for the podcasting fees. I do appreciate those of you who have given a little bit toward that. That just helps us out, and we appreciate it. So I hope you have a wonderful week and make sure you come back next time.