Paul gives an outline of eschatology, that is, the theology of the end times.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

Jesus doesn’t delegate this to anyone else.
In Acts 1, the angels promised He would return in the clouds.
The shout and the voice are the commands of a general.
The trumpet is the call to attention.

And the dead in Christ will rise first.

The dead are not forgotten.
They won’t miss out.
They are given special consideration.
We can be reassured by this.

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

The rest of the believers
Will be caught up like Philip in Acts 8:39 or Paul in 2 Cor. 12:2-4
In the Old Testament, clouds meant the presence of God.
To meet the Lord, like a bride is received by her groom.

And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

So that’s how
After that
We shall always be with the Lord, in His presence.
The way it was meant to be.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Don’t let this be a source of confusion,
Anxiety or fear,
Or even worse – arguments and division.
How ever, whenever, Jesus Himself will descend and call us to Himself.
That’s the plan.

For God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness. 1 Thessalonians 4:7

The Greeks lived in a sexualized culture.
Immorality, prostitution, pornography,
Adultery, religious cult sex, homosexuality.

Following Christ meant living counter to that culture.
It meant living a life set apart
A sanctified life.

But they were also called to live holy lives,
Lives that adhere to God’s moral precepts.
Lives marked by righteousness.

We live in a sexualized culture as well.
God’s standards haven’t changed.
Neither has His calling.

It is not a call to a relative morality–
Moral compared to everyone else.
It is a call to an absolute standard.

Absolute commitment.
Absolutely sanctification.
Absolute holiness.

[S]o that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. 1 Thessalonians 3:3

In the verses before
Paul has sent Timothy
To encourage and establish them.

They (and Paul) weren’t suffering hardship
Because God was displeased
Or because they were failures.

On the contrary

The believers in Thessalonica
Were standing strong,
And their testimony was well-known.

The world will oppose believers.
Always.
Jesus told us as much (John 16:33).

We are destined for opposition
For suffering
And affliction.

It’s important to remember–
It’s not because we’re doing things wrong.
It’s because we’re living authentic Christlike lives.

The world hates us.
But it hated Christ first.
And in return for their hatred
Christ loved and gave His life for His enemies.

So that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 2:12

Paul had recounted in verses 1-11 how hard he had worked
Preaching, instructing, modeling,
Coaching, encouraging, affirming,
Like a good leader should.

The effectiveness of the message
Relies on the integrity of the messenger.

Our gospel witness is greatly impacted
By the way we live.

That’s why Paul says,
“You walk worthy.”

Worthy of the God who calls you.
Worthy of the calling.
Worthy to be part of His kingdom.
Worthy to share in that glory.

Every good leader wants that for every follower.
Every true follower aspires to that worthiness.

Then Paul offers a prayer of thanksgiving for the true followers.
Want to encourage your leaders?
Strive to walk worthy.

You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7

Imitators of us and the Lord
The Greek is mimetes.
We get the word “mimic” from the root.
It means someone who follows a pattern or a model.
It implies a focus on behavior and faithfulness to the original.

Example to all the believers
The Greek is tupos.
We get the word “type” from the root.
It means an example or a pattern to be followed.
It carries the idea of helping others understand the original.

We are both imitators and examples.
We imitate Christ.
We faithfully reproduce Christ’s behavior.
Others understand what following Jesus is all about
By watching us.

When you realize what an awesome responsibility
What an amazing stewardship we have been given
It begins to sink in
What a compliment Paul pays the Thessalonians.
What would he say about us?