◄ 1 Thessalonians 4:10 ►
And you are indeed showing this love to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to excel more and more
Study Bible
And you are indeed showing this love

The believers in Thessalonica were already practicing the love Paul had commended. Their faith had become visible in costly care, hospitality, generosity, and steadfast fellowship amid opposition. Christian love takes its pattern from Christ, who gave Himself for His people, and it identifies His disciples before the world.

1Th 3:12 And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow…
1Jn 3:18 Little children, let us love not in word and speech…
Heb 13:1 Continue in brotherly love.

to all the brothers throughout Macedonia.

Their concern reached beyond their own assembly to fellow believers across the Roman province of Macedonia, including churches such as Philippi and Berea. The gospel created a family that crossed city, social, and ethnic boundaries. Such shared love strengthened congregations facing hardship and displayed the unity of Christ’s one body.

2Co 8:1 Now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace…
2Co 8:2 In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy…
1Th 1:8 For not only did the message of the Lord ring out…

But we urge you, brothers,

Paul addressed them as members of God’s household and appealed to them with pastoral affection. Mature believers still need encouragement, since love can grow cold under pressure, routine, or self-interest. The church is called to stir one another toward love and good works.

Heb 13:22 I urge you, brothers, to bear with my word of exhortation,…
Rom 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy,…
1Co 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord…

to excel more and more

Faithful love was not a finished achievement but a grace in which they were to abound. Growth in holiness includes increasing devotion to fellow believers, practical service, forgiveness, and willingness to bear one another’s burdens. Christlike love continues pressing forward until His people are fully conformed to Him.

Php 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound…
2Co 8:7 But just as you excel in everything—in faith…
2Th 1:3 We are obligated to thank God for you all the time…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul
The apostle who authored the letter to the Thessalonians, providing guidance and encouragement to the early Christian community.

2. Thessalonians
The recipients of the letter, a group of believers in Thessalonica, a city in Macedonia, known for their faith and love.

3. Macedonia
A region in Northern Greece where the Thessalonian church was located, and where their love and faith were being demonstrated to other believers.

4. Brothers
Refers to fellow believers in Christ, emphasizing the familial bond within the Christian community.

5. Love
The central theme of this verse, highlighting the Thessalonians' practice of love towards others and the call to continue growing in it.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Love in the Christian Community
Love is a defining characteristic of a true Christian community. The Thessalonians are commended for their love, which serves as a model for us today.

Continuous Growth in Love
Paul urges the Thessalonians to "excel more and more" in love, indicating that love is not static but should continually grow and expand.

Love as a Witness to Others
The Thessalonians' love was evident to all in Macedonia, showing that genuine love can be a powerful witness to the world.

Encouragement to Persevere in Love
Even when love is present, there is always room for improvement and perseverance. We should never become complacent in our expressions of love.

Practical Expressions of Love
Consider how love can be practically demonstrated in everyday interactions, both within the church and in the broader community.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the love demonstrated by the Thessalonians serve as a model for our own church community today?

2. In what ways can we "excel more and more" in love, both individually and collectively?

3. How does the concept of brotherly love in 1 Thessalonians 4:10 connect with Jesus' command in John 13:34-35?

4. What are some practical ways we can show love to fellow believers and those outside the church?

5. Reflect on a time when you experienced or witnessed love within the Christian community. How did it impact your faith or the faith of others?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Corinthians 13
This chapter provides a detailed description of love, which is the same love Paul commends the Thessalonians for showing.

Philippians 1:9
Paul prays for love to abound more and more, similar to his urging in 1 Thessalonians 4:10.

2 Thessalonians 1:3
Paul again acknowledges the growing love among the Thessalonians, showing a consistent theme in his letters to them.

John 13:34-35
Jesus commands His disciples to love one another, which is the foundation of the love Paul speaks about.

Hebrews 13:1
Encourages believers to continue in brotherly love, aligning with Paul's exhortation to the Thessalonians.
Sermons
Inculcation of Brotherly LoveT. Croskery 1 Thessalonians 4:9, 10
A Lady Once Made a Complaint to Frederick the GreatClerical Library1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
A Lesson for BusybodiesClerical Library1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
A Precept on BusinessJ. Hamilton, D. D.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Brotherly LoveW. Jay.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Brotherly Love Divinely TaughtJ. Burns, D. D.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Brotherly Love the Proof of a True SanctificationG. Barlow.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Brotherly Love the Test of ReligionJ. Parker, D. D.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Brotherly Love, the Sham and the RealC. H. Spurgeon.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
BusinessBp. S. S. Harris.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Business LifeJ. O. Dykes, D. D.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Christian AdvancementBp. Jewell.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Considerations Conducive to the Quiet Minding of Our Own BusinessI. Barrow.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Continuance in Brotherly LoveW. Baxendale.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Energy of Quiet ForcesAdvanced Textbook of Geology1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Instances of Brotherly LoveG. Barlow.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Love in PracticeC. Simeon.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Love One AnotherS. S. Times1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Moral IncreaseJ. Armstrong, D. D.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Of Quietness and Doing Our Own BusinessIsaac Barrow, D. D.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Peaceful, Humble ActivityJ. H. Newman, D. D.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Practical Brotherly LoveSunday Magazine1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
ProgressT. Guthrie, D. D.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Quiet WorkH. J. W. Buxton.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Reproof of a BusybodyW. Denton.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
The Business of LifeD. Thomas, D. D.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
The Business of LifeE. J. Hardy, M. A.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
The Christian's GrowthT. Guthrie, D. D.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
The Dignity of LabourT. Carlyle.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
The Great Duties of the Christian LifeR. Fergusson.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
The Importance of Attending to Our Own BusinessBp. Jewell.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
The Means of Creating and Promoting Brotherly LoveJ. T. Serjeant.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
The Nature of Brotherly LoveJ. Parker, D. D.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
The Pacific Spirit Another Proof of a True SanctificationW. Barlow.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
The Quiet SpiritA. Craig.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
The Study of Quietness and the Practice of Our Own BusineA. Farindon, B. D.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
The Unifying Power of Brotherly LoveJ. Hutchinson, D. D.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Work Should be WorshipWilliam Grant.1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
The Christian Circle and Accounting by Them that are WithoutR. Finlayson 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
The Law of LoveB.C. Caffin 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
People
Paul, Thessalonians
Places
Macedonia, Thessalonica
Topics
Abound, Beseech, Brethren, Brothers, Desire, Excel, Exhort, Increase, Increased, Indeed, Love, Lovers, Macedonia, Macedo'nia, Practice, Throughout, Towards, Truly, Urge, Yet
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Thessalonians 4:10

     5661   brothers
     8415   encouragement, examples
     8443   growth
     8654   importunity, to people

1 Thessalonians 4:8-10

     3209   Holy Spirit, and love

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

     8348   spiritual growth, nature of

Library
Twenty Fifth Sunday after Trinity Living and Dead when Christ Returns.
Text: 1 Thessalonians 4, 13-18. 13 But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Be Ye Therefore Perfect, Even as Your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect. Matthew 5:48.
In the 43rd verse, the Savior says, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy; but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward …
Charles G. Finney—Lectures to Professing Christians

April the Tenth Resurrection-Light
"If we believe that Jesus died and rose again...." --1 THESSALONIANS iv. 13-18. That is the eastern light which fills the valley of time with wonderful beams of glory. It is the great dawn in which we find the promise of our own day. Everything wears a new face in the light of our Lord's resurrection. I once watched the dawn on the East Coast of England. Before there was a grey streak in the sky everything was held in grimmest gloom. The toil of the two fishing-boats seemed very sombre. The sleeping …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Chrysostom -- Excessive Grief at the Death of Friends
Chrysostom (that is, "Of the Golden Mouth") was a title given to John, Archbishop of Constantinople. He was born of a patrician family at Antioch about 347, and owed much to the early Christian training of his Christian mother, Anthusa. He studied under Libanius, and for a time practised law, but was converted and baptized in 368. He made a profound study of the Scriptures, the whole of which, it is said, he learned to repeat by heart. Like Basil and Gregory he began his religious life as a hermit …
Various—The World's Great Sermons, Volume I

The Relation of the Will of God to Sanctification
"This is the will of God, even your sanctification."--I THESS. iv. 3. "As He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.'"--I PET. i. 15, 16. "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God. . . . By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."--HEB. x. 9, 10. OUR discussion of the will of God landed us--perhaps in rather an unforeseen way--in the great subject of sanctification. …
Henry Drummond—The Ideal Life

Sanctification
'For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.' I Thess 4:4. The word sanctification signifies to consecrate and set apart to a holy use: thus they are sanctified persons who are separated from the world, and set apart for God's service. Sanctification has a privative and a positive part. I. A privative part, which lies in the purging out of sin. Sin is compared to leaven, which sours; and to leprosy, which defiles. Sanctification purges out the old leaven.' I Cor 5:5. Though it takes not …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The True Christian Life
TEXT: "My beloved is mine, and I am his."--Sol. Song 2:16. "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine."--Sol. Song 6:3. "I am my beloved's and his desire is toward me."--Sol. Song 7:10. These three texts should be read together, and the significant change found in each text as the thought unfolds should be studied carefully. They remind one of three mountain peaks one rising higher than the other until the third is lifted into the very heavens. Indeed, if one should live in the spirit of this …
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

The Death of Death
'But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. 21. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.... 50. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, (for the trumpet shall sound;) and the dead shall …
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

"Pray Without Ceasing"
Observe, however, what immediately follows the text: "In everything give thanks." When joy and prayer are married their first born child is gratitude. When we joy in God for what we have, and believingly pray to him for more, then our souls thank him both in the enjoyment of what we have, and in the prospect of what is yet to come. Those three texts are three companion pictures, representing the life of a true Christian, the central sketch is the connecting link between those on either side. These …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 18: 1872

The Bible
THE WORD OF GOD "When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of man, but as it is in truth, the word of God." (1 Thessalonians 2:13.) THE Apostle here testifies that he believes himself to be the bearer of a revelation direct from God; that the words he speaks and the words he writes are not the words of man, but the Word of God, warm with his breath, filled with his thoughts, and stamped with his will. In this same epistle he writes: "For this we say unto …
I. M. Haldeman—Christ, Christianity and the Bible

The Education of the World.
IN a world of mere phenomena, where all events are bound to one another by a rigid law of cause and effect, it is possible to imagine the course of a long period bringing all things at the end of it into exactly the same relations as they occupied at the beginning. We should, then, obviously have a succession of cycles rigidly similar to one another, both in events and in the sequence of them. The universe would eternally repeat the same changes in a fixed order of recurrence, though each cycle might …
Frederick Temple—Essays and Reviews: The Education of the World

Letter cxix. To Minervius and Alexander.
Minervius and Alexander two monks of Toulouse had written to Jerome asking him to explain for them a large number of passages in scripture. Jerome in his reply postpones most of these to a future time but deals with two in detail viz. (1) "we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed," 1 Cor. xv. 51; and (2) "we shall be caught up in the clouds," 1 Thes. iv. 17. With regard to (1) Jerome prefers the reading "we shall all sleep but we shall not all be changed," and with regard to (2) he looks …
St. Jerome—The Principal Works of St. Jerome

Sanctification
TEXT: "This is the will of God, even your sanctification."--1 Thess. 4:3. It is quite significant that the Apostle Paul writes explicitly concerning sanctification to a church in which he had such delight that he could write as follows: "Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the Church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, …
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

The Beginning of the New Testament
[Illustration: (drop cap T) Coin of Thessalonica] Turn to the list of books given in the beginning of your New Testament. You will see that first come the four Gospels, or glimpses of the Saviour's life given by four different writers. Then follows the Acts of the Apostles, and, lastly, after the twenty-one epistles, the volume ends with the Revelation. Now this is not the order in which the books were written--they are only arranged like this for our convenience. The first words of the New Testament …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

The Resurrection
'Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.' John 5:58, 29. Q-38: WHAT BENEFITS DO BELIEVERS RECEIVE FROM CHRIST AT THE RESURRECTION? A: At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgement, and made perfectly blessed in the …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Paul a Pattern of Prayer
TEXT: "If ye shall ask anything in my name I will do it."--John 14:14. Jesus testified in no uncertain way concerning prayer, for not alone in this chapter does he speak but in all his messages to his disciples he is seeking to lead them into the place where they may know how to pray. In this fourteenth chapter of John, where he is coming into the shadow of the cross and is speaking to his disciples concerning those things which ought to have the greatest weight with them, the heart of his message …
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

The Doctrine of the Last Things.
A. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. B. THE RESURRECTION. C. THE JUDGMENT. D. THE DESTINY OF THE WICKED. E. THE REWARD OF THE RIGHTEOUS. THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAST THINGS. Under this caption are treated such doctrines as the Second Coming of Christ, the Resurrection of both the righteous and wicked, the Judgments, Final Awards, and Eternal Destiny. A. THE SECOND COMING OF CHEIST. I. ITS IMPORTANCE. 1. PROMINENCE IN THE SCRIPTURES. 2. THE CHRISTIAN HOPE. 3. THE CHRISTIAN INCENTIVE. 4. THE CHRISTIAN COMFORT. …
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible

Effectual Calling
'Them he also called.' Rom 8:80. Q-xxxi: WHAT IS EFFECTUAL CALLING? A: It is a gracious work of the Spirit, whereby he causes us to embrace Christ freely, as he is offered to us in the gospel. In this verse is the golden chain of salvation, made up of four links, of which one is vocation. Them he also called.' Calling is nova creatio, a new creation,' the first resurrection. There is a two-fold call: (1.) An outward call: (2.) An inward call. (1.) An outward call, which is God's offer of grace to …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Epistles of St. Paul
WHEN we pass from primitive Christian preaching to the epistles of St. Paul, we are embarrassed not by the scantiness but by the abundance of our materials. It is not possible to argue that the death of Christ has less than a central, or rather than the central and fundamental place, in the apostle's gospel. But before proceeding to investigate more closely the significance he assigns to it, there are some preliminary considerations to which it is necessary to attend. Attempts have often been made, …
James Denney—The Death of Christ

The Unity of God
Q-5: ARE THERE MORE GODS THAN ONE? A: There is but one only, the living and true God. That there is a God has been proved; and those that will not believe the verity of his essence, shall feel the severity of his wrath. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.' Deut 6:6. He is the only God.' Deut 4:49. Know therefore this day, and consider it in thy heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath, there is none else.' A just God and a Saviour; there is none beside …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

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