1Thessalonians 4

Live to Please God

4Finally, dear brothers and sisters

, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.G3063G3767G2065G5209G80G2532G3870G1722G2962G2424G2531G3880G3844G2257G4459G5209G1163G4043G2532G700G2316G2443G4052G31232For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.G1063G1492G5101G3852G1325G5213G1223G2962G24243God's will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.G1063G5124G2076G2307G2316G5216G38G5209G567G575G42024Then each of you will control his own body① and live in holiness and honor—/ ①Or will know how to take a wife for himself; or will learn to live with his own wife; Greek reads will know how to possess his own vesselG1538G5216G1492G2932G1438G4632G1722G38G2532G50925not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways.G3361G1722G3806G1939G2532G2509G1484G3588G1492G3361G23166Never harm or cheat a Christian brother in this matter by violating his wife

, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before.G3361G5233G2532G4122G846G80G1722G4229G1360G2962G1558G4012G3956G5130G2531G4277G2532G4277G5213G2532G12637God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives.G1063G2316G2564G3756G2564G2248G1909G167G235G1722G388Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.G5105G114G114G3756G444G235G2316G1325G2532G1325G1519G2248G846G40G41519But we don't need to write to you about the importance of loving each other

, for God himself has taught you to love one another.G1161G4012G5360G2192G5532G3756G1125G5213G1063G5210G846G2075G2312G1519G25G24010Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers

throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.G2532G1063G4160G846G1519G3956G80G3588G1722G3650G3109G1161G3870G5209G80G4052G312311Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.G2532G5389G2270G2532G4238G2398G2532G2038G5216G2398G5495G2531G3853G521312Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.G2443G4043G2156G4314G1854G2532G2192G5532G3367

The Hope of the Resurrection

13And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died

so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.G1161G2309G3756G2309G5209G50G80G4012G2837G3363G3076G3363G2532G2531G3062G3588G2192G3361G168014For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.G1063G1487G4100G3754G2424G599G2532G450G3779G2532G2837G1223G2424G71G2316G71G4862G84615We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died

.G1063G5124G3004G5213G1722G3056G2962G3754G2249G3588G2198G4035G1519G3952G2962G5348G3364G5348G3588G283716For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died

will rise from their graves.G3754G2962G846G2597G575G3772G1722G2752G1722G5456G743G2532G1722G4536G2316G2532G3498G1722G5547G450G441217Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.G1899G2249G3588G2198G4035G726G260G4862G846G1722G3507G1519G529G2962G1519G109G2532G3779G2071G3842G2071G4862G296218So encourage each other with these words.G5620G3870G240G1722G5125G3056