Hope may seem abstract, but it lives in our daily words and actions. Paul urges the believers to let their hope shape the way they live now and we can learn how that is true for us as well.
(1 Thessalonians 4:1-12)
SERMON OUTLINE
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified” (1 Thessalonians 4:3a)
Living with Holy Hope – Aiming to Please God (1 Thessalonians 4:1-2)
- Paul’s overriding concern is that the Thessalonians live to please God (4:1a)
- That they do so more and more (4:1b)
- To this end Paul offers practical instruction (4:2f )
Living with Holy Hope in Our Bodies and Sexuality (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8)
- God’s will and holy hope (4:3a)
- The embodied life of holy hope (4:3b-6a)
- The seriousness of relinquishing holy hope in the body and sexuality (4:6b-8)
Living with Holy Hope in Relationships and Daily Living (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12)
- Mutual love reflects our hope in Christ (4:9-10)
- A quiet life and adequate work reflects our hope in Christ (4:11-12)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- How has hope shaped the way you live your daily life? Is there an example from your experience of when hope redirected you or helped you keep going? What happened?
- This weekend we continue our series, “Hope Rising,” from 1 Thessalonians by turning to 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12. Begin your study in prayer by asking God to speak to you through His Word, and then, whether you’re on your own or with a group, read that text aloud.
- Chapter 4 of this letter signals a pivot in Paul’s writing from explanations of his absence from them to instruction on practical matters. What would you say is Paul’s primary concern in this next section of the letter as outlined in verses 1-2?
- Verses 3-8 begin the first of two sections of exhortation. What is the main topic of this first section according to verse 3?
- How does Paul contrast the Christian approach to sexuality and the body with the “pagan” approach to sexuality and the body in verses 3-6a?
- What warnings does Paul offer in this area in verses 6b-8?
- The Christian Scripture speaks of both the radical goodness of our bodies and sexuality (Genesis 1-2) but also the broken and sinful tendencies we often take with our bodies and sexuality. What do you think about this?
- What do you think it mean to live in holiness and honor with your body and sexuality?
- Verses 9-12 introduce a new section focused on mutual love. What catches your attention in verses 9-10?
- What does Paul urge the believers toward in verses 11-12?
- What do you think it looks like to live out verses 11-12 today? How might our witness be enhanced by what Paul describes here?
- What is one thing God is revealing to you through this study? If you’re on your own, write that down, pray over it, and share it with someone this week. If you are with a small group, share your answers with one another before closing in prayer.
DIG DEEPER
- Memorize 1 Thessalonians 4:3 or 4:9
- Take time this week to prayerfully reflect on and read through 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12.
- What does God draw out for you from this passage? Where is God bringing you joy?
- Where is God highlighting areas of pain or sin? Respond to God in prayer or journaling.
- Dig deeper into the nature of our bodies and sexuality by watching or listening to our series “Love – Sex – Body: Toward a Biblical Theology of Embodied Sexuality”