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Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
Paul
What did we learn about Paul from this letter?
What do we see in the young (middle-aged) but young in faith - Paul?
What is ahead for him? Does he seem ready to face it?
What kind of things is Paul exhorting us to do in response to this letter?
How much of it do you feel is applicable to today? Which parts are not in your mind? If so why?
What did we learn about Jesus / God / Faith?
What can we learn our relationship about God via Paul's relationship with God?
What can we learn about pastoral leadership through Paul?
What about God's priorities?
Journal these answers: Kim to Do.
What light bulbs does this passage raise?
What questions do you still have about it?
How can we apply this passage to our lives?
Who might benefit from hearing this passage?
What can we learn about Christ from this passage?
Final Point: There is a ton of application in these letters. That's what we're going to do a lot of.
Great resource: http://realitysf.com/blog/hermeneutics-paul-the-epistles/
Is this passage entirely circumstantial, meaning there is absolutely no similarity between their context and ours?
Or is it circumstantial but similar, meaning it is speaking to a different situation and context but one in which we can draw similarities to our own?
Or is this passage universal, meaning it is true for all people in all times and circumstances?
And is this a new passage expressing the author’s thoughts or is it a reiteration of past Biblical teachings? If so, what is the authority structure of the original command being affirmed? Entirely circumstantial, circumstantial but similar, or universal?
Pray Constantly
Pray Constantly
We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,
What does this really mean? What does it really look like for believers?
Qualities
Qualities
remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
How often do you see these qualities in Christians around you, in the church, etc. How often do you feel you exhibit these qualities yourself.
What are you personally laboring at today? How is your hope?
In Power and Full Conviction
In Power and Full Conviction
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
What does it look like when the Gospel comes in word, power, and in the Holy Spirit with full conviction?
Have you seen the Gospel presented in all 4 ways recently? When? How?
because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
What is this supposed to tell us about pastoral leadership or how we lead our homes in worship, prayer, devotion?
Our Walk
Our Walk
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
What are some ways we can strive to look like Thessalonians?
1) They were grounded in Jesus
2) They were passionate about their calling.
3) They were hopeful about the future.
"they were the elect of God not because they worked at their faith but because they had a faith that worked" - CCC
How would others assess your faith?
What fruits would they see? What evidences would they see that you are an authentic follower of Jesus?
Are others inspired by your life - are you a contagious Christian?
Why do so many Christians fail to understand what God wants them to do with their life "time with Jesus matters most."?
Being an Example
Being an Example
so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
Why was it so important that they were an example?
Why is it equally so important that we are an example today?
so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
Greek word means something that describes a seal that marked a wax stamp or coins.
In, Out, Up
In, Out, Up
For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.
What kind of impact is the church having today?
What are you doing today?
Why do so many churches struggle to have an impact on the world? What can be done to revitalize them?
Where can you have a bigger role? In Out, In, Up?
Idols
Idols
For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
Clear the Stage: Jimmy Needham: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6smGew7dGto (lyric video). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-uGsUu_olM (with band).
What are you still facing? Which ones have you yet to stare down?
"an idol has such a controlling position in your heart that you can spend most of you passion, energy, and time without a second thought." - Tim Keller.
Ending Comments
Ending Comments
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
What would it be like to be a member of this community?
Do you feel you are part of a community that is as strong as Thessalonica?
What could you do to make it more like Thessalonica?
How can the faith of the Thessalonians inspire us.
Closing Questions:
What can we learn about Paul from this passage? Something to ask at the end of every chapter in every letter.
What light bulbs does this passage raise?
What questions do you still have about it?
How can we apply this passage to our lives?
Who might benefit from hearing this passage?
What can we learn about Christ from this passage?
Paul
What did we learn about Paul from this letter?
What do we see in the young (middle-aged) but young in faith - Paul?
What is ahead for him? Does he seem ready to face it?
What kind of things is Paul exhorting us to do in response to this letter?
How much of it do you feel is applicable to today? Which parts are not in your mind? If so why?
What did we learn about Jesus / God / Faith?
What can we learn our relationship about God via Paul's relationship with God?
What can we learn about pastoral leadership through Paul?
What about God's priorities?
Journal these answers: Kim to Do.
What light bulbs does this passage raise?
What questions do you still have about it?
How can we apply this passage to our lives?
Who might benefit from hearing this passage?
What can we learn about Christ from this passage?
Final Point: There is a ton of application in these letters. That's what we're going to do a lot of.
Great resource: http://realitysf.com/blog/hermeneutics-paul-the-epistles/
Is this passage entirely circumstantial, meaning there is absolutely no similarity between their context and ours?
Or is it circumstantial but similar, meaning it is speaking to a different situation and context but one in which we can draw similarities to our own?
Or is this passage universal, meaning it is true for all people in all times and circumstances?
And is this a new passage expressing the author’s thoughts or is it a reiteration of past Biblical teachings? If so, what is the authority structure of the original command being affirmed? Entirely circumstantial, circumstantial but similar, or universal?
Paul
Paul
For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain.
What are some of the most dynamic spiritual leaders you've had the priv. of knowing / following?
And why?
What character qualities made these folks so influential in your life?
For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain.
The missionary martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal: In spiritual work, if nowhere else, the character of the worker decides the quality of his work. Shelley and Byron may be moral free-lancers and still write good poetry. Wagner may be lecherous and still produce fine music, but it cannot be so in any work for God.
Key point about this passage
Key point about this passage
But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.
"you will only be as authentic with your people in public as you are with your relationship with God in private." - CCC
Why do many people see Christians as Phony or Fake these days?
Who is one of the most authentic Christians you have ever known and why?
But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.
Read:
"shamefully": Hubrizo expresses insulting and outrageous treatment and especially treatment which is calculated to publicly insult and openly humiliate the victim.
The original sense of this group, which is of obscure derivation, is that of invading the sphere of another, with an implication of arrogance. Conveyed is the idea of trespass with overweening force and the infliction of insult, injury, etc. There are warnings against hubris, which is a common fault among the free, but which finally brings destruction to the self or others.
It's where we get our word Hubris.
But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.
means literally speaking out of every word and conveys the idea idea of freedom to say all and thus means to speak freely, openly, boldly, fearlessly, without constraint. The Greeks used this word for speaking in a democratic assembly.
-The Fear of Man Brings a Snare - The pioneer evangelist Peter Cartwright spent 70 years in the work of the Lord and always preached the Word of God without fear or favor. One Sunday he was asked to speak at a Methodist church in the southern part of the United States. During the song just before the message, the pastor whispered to him that Andrew Jackson had just entered the sanctuary. He cautioned Cartwright to be very careful of what he said lest he offend their famous guest. The evangelist, however, knowing that “the fear of man bringeth a snare” (), was determined not to compromise the truth. He also knew that great leaders need the Lord as much as anyone, so he boldly proclaimed the gospel. In fact, halfway though his sermon he said, “I understand that Andrew Jackson is present in the congregation today. If he does not repent of his sins and accept Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, he will be just as lost as anyone else who has never asked God for His forgiveness.”
Instead of becoming angry, Jackson admired the preacher for his courage. He listened with keen interest to the message and felt such deep conviction that after the service Cartwright was able to lead him to the Lord. From that moment on, the two became the best of friends.
After the sermon, because Jackson was known for his fiery temper and his deadly duels, Cartwright was advised by several people to leave town immediately. Cartwright shrugged them off and remained. Far from being angry, however, Jackson waited patiently outside to meet Cartwright. When they finally did meet, Jackson is reported to have said, "Sir, if I had a regiment of men like you, I could whip the world!"
He then invited the evangelist to dinner; and thereafter asked him to stay and continue preaching at a church near to the Hermitage so he could hear more.
Funny Point about Jackson:
The devil, however, tried very had to have the last word. At Jackson’s funeral, his pet parrot had to be removed because it began swearing! https://www.robertjmorgan.com/hymn-stories/andrew-jacksons-conversion/
Music: Confidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA9kSBv1QrI&list=PL330A461779A9106A&index=75 - Sanctus Real - Confidence
Music: Lyric Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuZPOVFcFJ4
But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.
Richison: No one likes to communicate that, but this is part of the Gospel message. That is why most Christians, including preachers want to remain in the safe cloister of the church. Everyone likes to be liked. If we love the Lord, we must set forth the unvarnished facts of the gospel. That means we have to reveal human nature in its stark reality… Suffering for the gospel sharpens our boldness, if all things are spiritually equal… No one can daunt people in ministry who have confidence in God. Nothing can drive them from telling about Christ and His gospel. They are far from the current consumer Christianity that seeks self–interest above all else. As the saying goes, “No pain, no gain.”… Most of us concern ourselves with self–protection, but the successful Christian life is no rosy bed of ease. Do you declare the gospel in spite of opposition, or do you fold up and silently steal away? (Ref)
MacArthur comments that "Paul’s statement here makes it clear that confident, bold, biblical preaching does not lead to popularity. Rather, it leads to conflict that requires courage and renewed boldness.
Paul's Approach to Ministry
Paul's Approach to Ministry
For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
What was it?
What can we learn from it?
What impact did it have on the Thessalonians?
The passage outlines a number of ways someone should pastor or lead.
Tenacity, Integrity, Authority, Accountability, Humility. Do you lead your house this way, do you lead others this way, is the church led this way?
Paul mentions three areas where we need to focus on pleasing God: Pure doctrine; pure living; and, pure motives.
For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,
A plethora of people peddle their own viewpoints in the church today. Paul did not come with his own viewpoint; he came with the Word of God.
What are some of the viewpoints that you feel drive us away from the word of God today? In the church in specific.
For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,
In the first century world Paul lived in, there were many competing religions (not to different from our modern times!), and many ministers of those religions were motivated by greed and gain (certainly not different from today!). Accordingly, certain questionable practices common among unsound religious leaders found no place in his evangelistic labours. And so Paul begins by emphasizing that their exhortation was without any evil intent.
For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,
Impurity (167) (akatharsia [word study] from a = without + kathaíro = cleanse) is literally worthless material, waste; of graves decayed flesh, causing ceremonial uncleanness. It is a broad term referring to moral uncleanness in thought, word, and deed and thus describes a state of moral impurity and especially sexual sin or immorality (“the impurity of lustful, luxurious, profligate living”). It is not surprising that akatharsia was used to describe filth or refuse. Akatharsia medically referred to an infected, oozing wound and the general term often used of decaying matter, like the contents of a grave.
For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,
Dolos describes deceit, treachery, fraud, deceitful cunning, duplicity, trick, wile, guile, subtilty, snare, deliberate dishonesty. It represents a deliberate attempt to mislead other people by telling lies. It is a desire to gain advantage or preserve position by deceiving others. As noted the idea is to set bait so as to catch them. To bait or deceive in order to achieve one’s end. When a person wants something, he looks at the other person’s weakness or ignorance, and he tries to appeal to it. He appeals to it by deceiving and beguiling the person.
"not to please man"
"not to please man"
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
Do you truly live as if you have to please one man?
If not where do you fail to do so?
What can we pray for when it comes to helping you focus on pleasing God over men?
"God is more knowledgeable, impartial, and merciful judge than any other human court or committee. To be accountable to him is to be delivered from the tyranny of human criticism." John Stott.
"ultimately what matters is not what others think about you, but what God knows about you." - CCC
How does God "test our hearts?"
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
Dokimazo involves not only testing but determining the genuineness or value of an event or object. That which has been tested is demonstrated to be genuine and trustworthy.
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
Spurgeon: A minister said to me, "If I were to preach in your bold style, I would lose some of my richest people and offend the rest." And if he did, would he not have an easy conscience, and is not that worth more than money? The minister who cares for any man's opinion when he is doing his duty is unworthy of his office. (Ed note: Amen!)
Keathly: Whenever our primary aim is to please men, we lose our capacity to please God. Conversely, only when we seek to please God and speak according to His Word in love, do we truly have the capacity to minister effectively to others.
Pleasing people stems from wrong motives such as fear of rejection, desire for approval, power, praise, and so on. Also, pleasing people occurs when we are seeking to meet our needs by our own strategies of protection or defense.
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
Macarthur: In most modern cultures, the heart is thought of as the seat of emotions and feelings. But most ancients—Hebrews, Greeks, and many others—considered the heart to be the center of knowledge, understanding, thinking, and wisdom. The New Testament also uses it in that way. The heart was considered to be the seat of the mind and will, and it could be taught what the brain could never know. Emotions and feelings were associated with the intestines, or bowels."
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEGGVmSSr-I - Confidence. Heart. Official Lyric Video
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AkNqLuVgY. - Brandon Health - Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGPMX4zU9jc - Changed Jordan Feliz
For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness.
Francois Fenelon was the court preacher for King Louis XIV of France in the 17th century. One Sunday when the king and his attendants arrived at the chapel for the regular service, no one else was there but the preacher. King Louis demanded, “What does this mean?” Fenelon replied, “I had published that you would not come to church today, in order that your Majesty might see who serves God in truth and who flatters the king.”
McGee: Flattery disarms us—we really never know what to say. When people criticize me, I know what to say, but I never know what to say when someone flatters me. It disarms a person…
For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness.
The first Christian book of order is called The Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, and in it there are some illuminating instructions. “Let every apostles that cometh unto you be received as the Lord. And he shall stay one day and, if need be, the next also, but if he stay three days he is a false prophet. And when the apostle goeth forth, let him take nothing save bread, till he reach his lodging. But if he ask money, he is a false prophet.” “No prophet that ordereth a table in the Spirit shall eat of it, else he is a false prophet.” “If he that cometh is a passer-by, succour him as far as you can. But he shall not abide with you longer than two or three days unless there be necessity. But if he be minded to settle among you and be a craftsman, let him work and eat. But if he has no trade, according to your understanding, provide that he shall not live idle among you, being a Christian. But if he will not do this, he is a Christmonger: of such men beware.” (Didache, chapters 11 and 12). The date of The Didache is about A. D. 100. Even the Early Church knew the perennial problem of those who traded on charity. (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminster Press or Logos)
Paul - No Demands
Paul - No Demands
Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.
What kind of demands could he have made?
Why do you think he didn't make them?
What does this imply for church leadership today?
Richison: Most of us feel that it is our responsibility to establish a reputation. There is a great difference between reputation and character. Reputation is what people think we are and character is what we actually are. Why should we seek to establish our reputation when we all march under the same flag, the flag of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no place for competition among Christian leaders or Christian churches. We are all in the same army and we all have the same general, Jesus. We may not all have the same rank but we all march under the same flag. We are all in the service of General Jesus.
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.
Macarthur: The standard for worldly leadership is to accomplish the leader’s desires through people. In the church, pastors have the privilege of seeing things God desires done in people.
That changes the dynamic. As good parents are concerned about their children’s hearts, so are good pastors.
Sharing yourself with Others is Hard
Sharing yourself with Others is Hard
So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
How hard is it for us to share our own selves. In a true and authentic way with others.
Do you share your life with others in your church?
What can you do to get to know others better? What can you do to let others know you better?
So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
Lives..
Psuche denotes their inner being, their entire personality. Literally, they gave up their souls—their real inner beings—not so much to die for them but to live for the sake of the Thessalonians.
Bruce comments that "psuche is here the seat of affection and will (cf. ; ; ). The meaning is not simply we were willing to give (lay down) our lives for you but we were willing to give ourselves to you, to put ourselves at your disposal, without reservation.
Labor and Ministry
Labor and Ministry
For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
Question: What do you think about full time ministry, vs. part-time, vs. ministry leaders who hold a full time day job as many of these early church leaders did.
Interesting article with scripture verses. https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/paying-pastors-church-buildings-and-weekly-sermons
For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
Paul Tucker said that "One of the products of the Fall is that we remember the things we ought to forget—and forget the things we ought to remember."
Question: What do you struggle to remember about God, Jesus, Faith, etc.?
Pray For these Things...
Aldous Huxley adds that "Each man's memory is his private literature". And now as new creatures in Christ (-note), we should continually seek to fill our mind with the best "literature", washing it with the water of the Word
For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
They performed manual labor in order to give the gospel without charge. In a Jewish setting, there would have been nothing unusual about this, since every rabbi had a trade. However, in Thessalonica it would have been remarkable, since non-Jewish traveling lecturers were often less scrupulous, and the Greeks generally despised manual labor.
Question: What would it be like if our pastors worked full time jobs today? Would that be worse or better?
Question: Why did we end up the way we are today?
For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
Kerusso means to make a formal or an official announcement and thus to announce by means of a herald or one who functions as a herald
You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.
Question: What do you think about Paul declaring himself blameless? Why was it so important?
Amemptos: The noun describes that which is without defect or blemish and thus describes not being able to find fault in someone or some thing
Spurgeon: Brethren, we shall not win success unless we hunt for it by careful lives. You wish to see your Sunday-school class converted. You are anxious to be blest on your tract-district. You want to see that little mission-hall crowded, and souls converted. Begin by looking to your own life. As the man is, depend upon it, so will his life-work be. There will not come out of any one of us that which is not in us. You must fill the pitcher, or you cannot go round and fill the cups of those who thirstily ask you for water.
That which you would in part of grace or life must be in yourself first; and when God has wrought it in you, then it shall be yours to work out.
McGee: People will say ugly things about you, but the important thing is to make sure the criticisms are not true. Paul and his companions maintained a holy life. A holy life does count. It has nothing to do with obtaining your salvation, but it has everything to do with the salvation of folk around you, because they are watching you.
we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Method of his preaching:
Vance Havner once said: It is not the business of the preacher to fill the house. It is his business to fill the pulpit.
Similarly Dwight L. Moody (1837-99) claimed: The best way to revive a church is to build a fire in the pulpit
Question: How do you think Paul preached? What would it have been like to listen to him?
we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Marturomai
Question: What was the last charged sermon you listened to?
McGee: Greek word: has a note of severity in it—it involves discipline. It is a virile word, a robust, firm, masculine word. I’m afraid that we find a lot of sissy preaching in our pulpits today. The popular thing is to have a little sermonette given by a preacherette to Christianettes.
There is so little urgency. Someone has defined the average church service in a liberal church as when a mild-mannered man gets up before a group of mild-mannered people and urges them to be more mild-mannered.
we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Ray Stedman comments on walk writing
I like that figure because a walk, of course, merely consists of two simple steps, repeated over and over again. It is not a complicated thing. In the same way, the Christian life is a matter of taking two steps, one step after another. Then you are beginning to walk.
Those two steps follow in this passage. Paul describes them as, "Put off the old man" (-note; -note) and "put on the new." (see notes on specific attitudes and actions beginning in -note) Then repeat them. That is all. Keep walking through every day like that. That is how Scripture exhorts us to live. (Click for full text of True Human Potential)
Question: What does a worthy walk look like?
Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
Question: Why do people view Christians as phony or fake?
How did Paul ask the Thessalonians to investigate the integrity of his life? What did they find? Why did he ask this?
The word of men vs. the word of God
The word of men vs. the word of God
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
Question: How often do people try to bring the word of God down to man's level?
Question: What examples do you see of this today? (morals, education, relationships, husband/wife, parents/kids, etc.)
Gender Discussion: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/lying-journalists-transgender-reality/
“Words in their primary or immediate signification, stand for nothing, but the ideas in the mind of him that uses them,” wrote John Locke. Ideas are merely the concatenations of words; if you can compel the use of certain words, you control thought and force those who differ into silence. Often, that seems to be the actual goal of gender-identity enthusiasts, since the minuscule numbers of those afflicted with true dysphoria couldn’t otherwise justify the rewriting of all manner of school applications and government forms."
It can renew your life
Question: How often do people claim the word is important to them but they don't spend time in it? What causes this in people that you actually know? Knowing intellectually vs. internally.
"It's one thing to recognize it's divine authority it's another to recognize it's sufficiency." - CCC
What are some ways recently that God's word has impacted you when you welcomed it in?
What does the word of God do - What Work does it perform? - MC
What does the word of God Do?
2 -
-17-100
Question: Do you welcome the word? Do I submit to it? Do I see it as authoritative over my life? Why or Why Not? - MC
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
Explain why I read passages from other people. Because they've spent more time studying it than all of us combined... :)
Prayer:
Ray Pritchard has some convicting thoughts writing that "Prayer bridges the gap between people. You can be here and they can be way over there, and through prayer you can bridge the gap that separates you. Prayer spans the miles that separate us. Prayer overcomes the misunderstanding that separates us. Prayer leaps across the bad memories that pull us apart. Prayer nullifies the estrangement that keeps us from speaking. There can be bitterness and anger between you, even years of alienation. But that doesn’t matter when you pray because prayer bridges the gap between you and those you love. Your heart can touch their heart by the simple act of praying. What starts in your heart goes first to the Father’s heart, and purified by the sunlight of his love, your prayer falls like an arrow in the heart of the one you love. Prayer can do that! It enables you to touch people you can’t even speak to… If you love someone, you’ll pray for them. If you don’t love them, you’ll stop praying eventually. Because when you pray, one of two things will happen: You will either start loving or you will stop praying. (A Heart to Heart Ministry)
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
The Thessalonians’ attitude to God’s Word made them one of the most outstanding churches in the first century. (; ; ; ; ;; ; :13g)
Question: How does your church view the Word?
Question: How does your church show that they really believe it is the Word of God and not of men?
Question: What is being showcased in the Sunday School classes… the Word of God or offerings such as video series that give little more than token acknowledgement to the pure Word, instead substituting words of men about various topics from finance, to marriage, to a host of other "user friendly" topics?
Question: Has your church ever considered reading through the Bible as a body?
Question: How much of God's Word is found in your normal church bulletin?
Question: How much emphasis does your church place on memorizing and meditating on the Word of God?
Your answers to these questions should give you some idea of whether your church truly has accepted the Word of God as divine and able to perform its work in those who believe!)
POWER OF THE WORD - The renowned preacher C H Spurgeon once tested an auditorium in which he was to speak that evening. Stepping into the pulpit, he loudly proclaimed, "Behold the lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world."
Satisfied with the acoustics, he left and went his way. Unknown to him, there were two men working in the rafters of that large auditorium, neither one Christians. One of the men was pricked in his conscience by the verse Spurgeon quoted and became a believer later that day! Such is the penetrating power of God's eternal word! Little wonder that Paul is so insistent on our "preaching of the Word."
Paul and the Jews
Paul and the Jews
For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind
Question: What does this imply about Paul's belief in his past actions?
Question: How does it sound to today's ears?
For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,
Pick Up here: October 7th, 2018...
Start with a review of what we've seen so far in the book:
Chapter1: praise for them as a congregation
Chapter 2: Paul's ministry to them. How he went about it.
what have we learned about Paul so far - just from this letter?
Discuss this point about imitation and how it matters.
Greek word: Mimets
A person who mimes acts a part with mimic gesture and action, usually without words. Let your actions speak louder than your words and then you will have a platform to proclaim the word of truth, the gospel. As believers in their message the Thessalonians began to pattern their lives after the example set by the missionaries.
I would suggest that the Judean churches were recognized to be the “first fruits” of God’s work in establishing the new covenant () and enjoyed a certain status among the rest of the Christian churches throughout the empire
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 3482-3484). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
What did Jesus Say about Suffering in this World?
What did Jesus Say about Suffering in this World?
For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,
Read the story:
For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,
The persecution in Jer. would have been perhaps the most pronounced of Jewish people who converted. And he's saying that they faced the same in Thessalonica.
who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind
This is the only place in the Pauline writings where the Jews are stated to be responsible for Messiah's death and the intensity of this denunciation is without parallel in his writings. Paul proceeds to make multiple charges against the Jews in the next two verses.
First: Killed Jesus.
Second: Killed the Prophets (, ; ).
Third: Drove them out of Town (, ; , ; , , ; , ; , ; ;
Fourth: Displeased God
Fifth: Against all men
"— they are hostile to all men. The hostility of the Jews against the rest of humanity was a characterization that frequently appeared in ancient authors. Tacitus, the Roman historian, says that they were loyal to one another “but toward every other people they feel only hate and enmity”
Sixth: Kept them from speaking to Gentiles:
made an effort to keep Paul and his coworkers from speaking to the Gentiles but managed to silence them on more than one occasion (; , ). In Thessalonica itself their efforts resulted in a truncated ministry to the Gentiles ().
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 3564-3566). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Paul declares that the Jewish opposition to the preaching is the conclusion136 of a long history of sin: In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The point is that throughout their history (always) they have resisted the divine initiative.137 Therefore this affirmation is really the conclusion of everything that has been said previously in vv. 15-16a concerning their opposition to the divine plan going back to the time of the prophets. The statement echoes a theme that appears over and again in biblical and extrabiblical literature, namely that the sins of a people come up to their complete measure before divine judgment is poured out upon them.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 3590-3596). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Quite a change for Paul to say this.
Question: How might he have been relating to his family for example? Were any of them converted?
by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!
Such a strong comment from someone who was once "just" a Judaizer
Wrath: orge
John MacArthur comments that "Orge does not refer to an explosive outburst of temper but to an inner, deep resentment that seethes and smolders, often unnoticed by others. It is therefore an anger that only the Lord and the believer know about. Therefore, it is a special danger, (for the believer because the anger of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God) in that it can be privately harbored.
William Barclay - The Greeks defined thumos as the kind of anger which is like the flame which comes from straw; it quickly blazes up and just as quickly subsides.
On the other hand, they described ogre as anger which has become habitual… Orge is anger which has become inveterate; it is long-lasting, slow-burning anger, which refuses to be pacified and nurses its wrath to keep it warm…
The apostle is not speaking prophetically about the future judgment, whether it be the destruction of the temple in AD 70 or the final judgment that will occur when Christ returns. Rather, the reference is to some manifestation of this wrath in the present time that even the readers of this letter could perceive. A number of authors have noted that during AD 49 the Jewish people suffered greatly, including their expulsion from Rome by Claudius’s decree and the massacre of thousands of Jews in the temple during the Passover of 49. These events, although not the fullness of the divine judgment, were an inauguration of the wrath that will find its culmination at the time of Christ’s coming.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 3623-3629). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us.
MacArthur explains that egkopto
is a military term referring to digging a trench or breaking up a road. One of the countermeasures an ancient army would take against the opposition was to dig a massive trench that would prevent enemy troops from reaching its men. Another way to frustrate the enemy’s progress would be to tear up a brick or stone road so that he could not traverse it. Thus Paul depicted the powerful devil as supernaturally obstructing the apostle’s strong desire to revisit Thessalonica. (MacArthur, John: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Moody Press or Logos)
Question: In what ways was Paul hindered at this point in his journey?
On his own quite a bit. The Jews. Traveling, Traveling, Traveling.
However, at a number of points in his writings Paul reflects on the conflict with Satan, the “adversary,”156 who wages war against him and the Christians (; ; ; ; ; ).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 3689-3692). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Question: What's inhibiting your walk? Or that of others? Do some of these mirror Paul's concerns? Where do they differ?
hope and new christians
hope and new christians
For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?
To a Better Understanding of Hope
Hope (1680) (elpis [word study]) in Scripture is not the world's definition of "I hope so", with a few rare exceptions (e.g., .) Hope is defined as a desire for some future good with the expectation of obtaining it. Hope is confident expectancy. Hope is the looking forward to something with some reason for confidence respecting fulfillment.
Ray Stedman - "One of the great reasons the church is so confused in this day, one of the reasons the church says so little of true significance to the world, is that it has neglected and abandoned, by and large, the hope of the coming of the Lord. There are very few sermons preached on it.
There is very little said about it. There is no time given to a consideration of what this hope means and why it is set forth so frequently and so clearly in the Scriptures. Great sections of the Scriptures that deal with the hope of our Lord's return are simply ignored by Christians."
Comment: Isn't this the right way to go? To celebrate new faith, new Christians, new Life? Do we truly seek this out? In our every day? Who are we hoping for in this regard right now? Who can we pray for?
For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?
Understand the Crown of Rejoicing
MC: crown of rejoicing (v. 19)—The Bible speaks of eternal life as a wreath awarded for an athletic victory.
It is spoken of in terms of:
(1) the imperishable wreath that celebrates salvation’s victory over corruption ();
(2) the righteous wreath that celebrates salvation’s victory over unrighteousness ();
(3) the unfading wreath of glory that celebrates salvation’s victory over defilement ();
(4) the wreath of life that celebrates salvation’s victory over death (; ); and here
(5) the wreath of exultation, which celebrates salvation’s victory over Satan and mankind’s persecution of believers.
Paul the Pastor
Paul the Pastor
For you are our glory and joy.
What have we learned about Paul so far?
What kind of pastor was he at this point?
What kind of churches did he create?
How did they likely feel about him?
What did he care about?
What is before him? What is behind him?
Agonize Over
Agonize Over
Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone,
Factor: It wasn't a minor thing to sacrifice Timothy's help. Athens was a city full of God, full of challenges to spread the Gospel and an important town to do so. But he didn't forget who he left behind.
He was also agonizing over Satan's attack. He was also suggesting that there was a cure:
Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone,
The word kataleipo was used in secular Greek to describe the leaving of a loved one behind at death and clearly expresses how serious Paul took his separation from his coworkers.
This was a great act of self-sacrifice on the part of Paul; because to be without an assistant and fellow-labourer in the gospel in such a city as Athens, the very centre and strong hold of heathenism, full of temples and idols, must necessarily have brought upon him many discomforts; and yet his anxiety for the Thessalonians overcame all motives of personal convenience.
Question: What must this have been like for Paul?
Question: When have you felt left behind in the faith by others?
Question: Or who have you left behind (as you moved, etc.) who was a strong impact on your faith?
and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith,
In classic Greek parakaleo was used to describe the exhorting of troops who were about to go into battle.
Sometimes parakaleo conveys the idea of comfort, sometimes of exhortation but always at the root there is the idea of enabling a person to meet some difficult situation with confidence and with gallantry.
Application Question: Who supports you? Who helps you in your christian walk the most? Who do you wish helped you more?
that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.
Understanding the Word Afflications in This Context
thlipsis derives from roots that graphically portray the process in which a person is first limited, then walled in, and gradually squeezed until something must give.
. that the Thessalonians were for some reason surprised or perturbed that persecution would be a part of their life in the new age, and that its presence cast doubt on the validity of their faith.”
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 3898-3900). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Question: Do our churches today really preach that we will face affliction (in the public sphere, in life), simply for sharing or having faith (being the enemy of the devil)?
Our Daily Homily, F B Meyer: We all love the sunshine, but the Arabs have a proverb that "all sunshine makes the desert"....There are certain plants of the Christian life, such as meekness, gentleness, kindness, humility, which cannot come to perfection if the sun of prosperity always shines.
A. W. Tozer was right when he said, “Before God can use a person greatly, He must allow that person to be hurt deeply.” This isn’t because God is mean, but because He knows we can’t comfort others unless we’ve been comforted ourselves.
Affliction - New Wine - Hillsong
Affliction - New Wine - Hillsong
For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.
https://hillsong.com/lyrics/new-wine/
VERSE 1:
In the crushing
In the pressing
You are making new wine
In the soil I now surrender
You are breaking new ground
PRE-CHORUS:
So I yield to You and to Your careful hand
When I trust You I don’t need to understand
CHORUS:
Make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus bring new wine out of me
BRIDGE:
Where there is new wine
There is new power
There is new freedom
The Kingdom is here
I lay down my old flames
To carry Your new fire today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ozGKlOzEVc - the music video
Church Question: How can a pastor prepare his church for persecution? What's the right way to do that?
We need watchers
We need watchers
For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.
Pick Up Here: October 14th, 2018
Comment: "We may be saved by grace alone through faith alone, but God never intended for us to live life alone" - CCC
Application Question: Who watches over you in your faith?
Application Question: Who is the person who comes beside you when your faith is weak or weakening? Much like Timothy was sent.
How long did it take....
How long did it take....
But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you—
The trip from Athens to Thessalonica was approximately 220 miles (350 km.) overland, a journey that would have taken ten to eleven days. If Timothy had remained there for a minimum of a week, the whole trip from Athens to Thessalonica and then to Corinth beyond Athens would have taken approximately a month. notes that the time between leaving the church and writing this letter was relatively short, but whatever time elapsed between the apostles’ exit and the news Timothy brought, the wait would have been long and agonizing. Timothy has just now arrived, with “good news,” and the letter all but explodes with joy and thanks to God.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 3951-3956). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Joy at New Belief
Joy at New Belief
For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God,
Question: What does this say about pastoral love and how we should see it?
"Some of God’s greatest saints sit in the churches. They may never write books, preach crusades, or offer invocations at prestigious events, but they faithfully and consistently walk with Jesus Christ.
Their presence in the churches raises an important question for church leaders: is their admiration for their people as great as their people’s admiration for them?" - CCC
The question implies that Paul and his companions could not find an adequate way to thank God, so great was their joy! This was a conventional way of saying that the gift exceeded all bounds. Seneca says that one should respond to a great benefit received in a similar way: “I shall never be able to repay you my gratitude, but, at any rate, I shall not cease from declaring everywhere that I am unable to repay it.”218
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 4076-4080). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Paul's Transparency
Paul's Transparency
as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?
It's early but do you sense the degree of transparency that Paul shares. Isn't it interesting that God gave us a man who would lay it out all out. Not someone who would hold back and said platitudes. - CCC
Second, Paul states how intense their prayers were. The adverb most earnestly (hyperekperissou), which appears infrequently in Greek literature is the highest form of comparison that can be expressed. Their prayers were intense beyond measure.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 4100-4102). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Application Question: Who has affected you most by "how" they pray? Beyond even what they pray in specific? (Kim)
Application Question: What ways do you pray through the bible? During the day? What way is the most effective for you?
supply and lacking
supply and lacking
as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?
Word Study: Supply
Katartizo conveys the fundamental idea of putting something into its appropriate condition so it will function well. It conveys the idea of making whole by fitting together, to order and arrange properly.
Secular Greek used katartizo for manning a fleet or outfitting an army with provisions so they would be thoroughly prepared to go to war. This latter secular use has spiritual parallels for the saints in Thessalonica (indeed all saints) needed to be thoroughly prepared and "outfitted" with the provision of sound doctrinal truth in order to wage war against the lies and perversions of truth by the Tempter (cp ) and his minions.
Question: What would be lacking the faith of a church if it had only been visited by a missionary for a few weeks and then left on it's own to face persecution?
Question: What did the Thessalonians need more of?
Question: What do you think was lacking in the new church's faith at this point?
Question: What does this say about Pauls' view of pastoring? When it comes to new churches in the faith?
Question: What is the church in short supply today (our church and the global church)?
Application Question: What do you need in more supply right now? What do you need to help support you?
or:
Application Question: What is the most effective way you have found to fight temptation and persevere in the faith when times get hard?
and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,
Why is he asking them to exhibit more love when he's already praised them for their love numerous times?
so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Review: The Heart in Ancient Times
But most ancients—Hebrews, Greeks, and many others—considered the heart to be the center of knowledge, understanding, thinking, and wisdom. The New Testament also uses it in that way. The heart was considered to be the seat of the mind and will, and it could be taught what the brain could never know. Emotions and feelings were associated with the intestines, or bowels
Question: How might the world interpret this verse today and how might it lead them astray? How different is it for him to say keep your "mind" blameless vs. your "heart?"
so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Elsewhere in the NT the celestial beings, called either “angels” or “holy ones,” will accompany the Lord in his coming (; ; ; ; ; ). reflects this hope. The Lord Jesus will come with power and glory, as a warrior on the day of the Lord
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 4267-4269). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
With this sublime prayer-wish the historical and personal portion of the epistle comes to a close. If Timothy's report had contained no account of "what is lacking in your faith" () the letter might suitably have closed here. Rut the mention of the deficiencies in the faith of the readers prepares the way for the second half of the letter, which deals with the needed instructions and exhortations.
Question: Paul Review. What would it be like to receive a pastoral letter today?
Question: What might Paul say to Good Shepherd? Good, Bad, etc.
Question: What might Paul say to the Churches in America?
Richison makes a pithy point writing that…Afflictions...
If the church receives nothing but favor from the world system then there is something wrong with the church. The world hates the church when it finds out what the church believes. (Ref)
Question: Do our churches today really preach that we will face affliction (in the public sphere, in life), simply for sharing or having faith (being the enemy of the devil)?
Question: How would you summarize this chapter?
Do more
Do more
Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.
What do you think about the fact that Paul exhorts them to do "more" after all their challenges?
Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.
Ray Stedman illustrates the Christian's walk noting that walking…
merely consists of two simple steps, repeated over and over again. It is not a complicated thing. In the same way, the Christian life is a matter of taking two steps, one step after another. Then you are beginning to walk. Those two steps (are seen in ). Paul describes them as, "Put off the old man" (see ) and "put on the new." (see specific attitudes and actions in ) Then repeat them. That is all. Keep walking through every day like that. That is how Scripture exhorts us to live."
For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
Over and again he urges the Thessalonians to recall what they already knew ( , , , ; ;
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
Those committed to living carnal lives cannot prove the will of God. We cannot conform ourselves to the world and find God’s will at the same time.
Here, as at a number of points in the NT, the “will of God” is God’s moral plan for human beings that should be both known and put into practice (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 4426-4428). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
Oswald Chambers
It is quite true to say, “I can’t live a holy life,” but you can decide to let Jesus make you holy.
The destined end of man is not happiness, nor health, but holiness. God’s one aim is the production of saints. He is not an eternal blessing machine for men; he did not come to save men out of pity; he came to save men because he had created them to be holy.
Ray Stedman has the following comments on sanctification writing…
I am sorry that the word sanctification appears here because I find a lot of people have very confused ideas as to what constitutes sanctification.
Some think it is a kind of a religious sheep dip that they are put through; an experience of cleansing and commitment entered into once for all. Once they have been dipped, they feel, everything is fine. Others think that sanctification is an extraction process. God uses a kind of sin magnet to extract all the sin and then from then on they can live to please him. Some people actually think they have not sinned for years. Obviously, nobody has told them the truth yet. A little deeper investigation would reveal how wrong they are. Actually, the word sanctification is really almost the same as the word that is translated holiness in this passage. It comes from the same root. But again, I find that many are confused about holiness.
When I was younger, most people thought of holiness as grimness. I did not like "holy" people. They looked like they had been soaked in embalming fluid. They were grim and dull; they frowned on anything that was fun or pleasurable. But that is not holiness. I like the good English word wholeness, which also derives from the same root. Everybody wants to be a whole person. The Old Testament speaks about "the beauty of holiness" {, , , }, the inner attractiveness that is apparent when someone begins to function inwardly as he or she was intended.
What this says is that God is designing beautiful people! That is what he wants. And not merely outwardly beautiful people like those we see on television, but inwardly beautiful people. He is more interested in inward beauty, in making admirable, trustworthy, strong, loving, compassionate people -- having all the qualities which make for inner beauty. That is what God calls wholeness, and that is his will for you. Isn't it exciting that God wants to make you a whole person?
The second thing Paul says about such wholeness is that it includes moral purity. "… abstain from immorality," says the apostle in the very next sentence. Moral purity is part of wholeness. You cannot be a whole person if you indulge in sexual immorality. We need to be very clear about these words. Words like immorality do not seem to register with many people. Let us put it plainly:
Immorality means no sexual wrongdoing;
The reason is, it destroys the wholeness that both you and God want. There is nothing more beautiful than a young person who has his or her life in order. At times I have been saddened to watch beautiful young men and women, who have been raised in godly homes, who reflect moral beauty in their lives, but they begin to let their standards go when they get out into the world. Watch them a year or two later and you will see the hardness in their faces, the slovenly habits that they have picked up. Things have begun to drift. There is a downward slant to life. They are beginning to lose the beauty of wholeness that God has in mind.
In this day in which we live I know that probably many of you are thinking that it is too late for you; you already have messed up your lives. But the glory of the gospel is that the word is not that we must never do this; rather the word is, "Do it no longer."
That is what you find all through these passages. Let us live no longer for ourselves but for "Him who loved us" and "gave himself for us," {, }.
All of us have messed up our lives in one way or another; we have destroyed the wholeness already.
But the glory of the good news is that in coming to Jesus, through his work on the cross on our behalf and his raising again from the dead, he can actually give us a new start. All the past is wiped out and forgiven. We are restored.
As Paul wrote in Second Corinthians, "I have espoused you [I have betrothed you] as a chaste virgin unto Christ," { KJV}. The Corinthians had already messed up their lives in many sexual ways, yet Paul declares that because they had come to Christ they were now a chaste virgin.
If, even as a Christian, we have messed up, the Word of God makes very clear that we can be restored. If we acknowledge that we have done wrong, and accept God's forgiveness through Christ, we are a chaste virgin again in Christ. What glorious good news that is!
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
(D L Moody understood Peter's exhortation once stating "I have more trouble with D. L. Moody than with any man I know.") (see note )
Ray Pritchard's Practical Guidelines for dealing with sexual temptation…
1. Know your limits.
2. Stay out of questionable areas.
3. Don’t fight the battle alone.
4. Don’t make excuses.
5. Be honest about your problem.
6. Trace the cycle of lust in your life.
7. Remember who you are.
That last point is critical. You have a father and a mother, you probably have brothers and sisters. You certainly have friends who love you. You’ve got people at work or at school who depend on you. You’ve even got casual acquaintances who watch you and unbelievers who know you are a Christian. Put simply, you can’t afford to let all those people down.
Above and beyond all that, remember who you are in Christ. You are a child of God, a totally new creation, you are saved, redeemed, justified, forgiven, regenerated, and seated with Christ in heavenly places. All the promises of God now belong to you. You bear the name of your Heavenly Father. You are called to live to his glory. You made for better things! You were not made to live in sin.
Patrick Morely: Visibility brings a certain level of self-discipline. Sometimes I think peer pressure actually influences us more to live righteously than the fear of a holy God. We all want to get along with others and have a good reputation, and these ambitions keep our behavior in check.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
David: I will set no worthless (Hebrew = belial = good for nothing, unprofitable and also a name for our Adversary, the Deceiver) thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip (Hebrew = dabaq = stick like glue!) on me. (-note)
:
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. "I will neither delight in it, aim at it or endure it. If I have wickedness brought before me by others I will turn away from it, I will not gaze upon it with pleasure. The psalmist is very sweeping in his resolve, he declines the least, the most reputable, the most customary form of evil -- no wicked thing; not only shall it not dwell in his heart, but not even before his eyes, for what fascinates the eye is very apt to gain admission into the heart, even as Eve's apple first pleased her sight and then prevailed over her mind and hand.
Richison offers a good word of encouragement to those who have fallen into the sticky wicket of sexual sin observing that…
It is never too late to walk with God. Many of you have already sinned sexually. It is God’s will that you move on. He will welcome you into His fellowship. God makes it clear that He will restore us to fellowship. As we trusted the finished work of Christ for salvation, so we trust His finished work on the cross for our sin (, , , )
Control Ourselves
Control Ourselves
that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
Question: Why is this so important? What are some ways to control this?
Question: Why was it so important to them at that time?
that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
A Walk In The Woods - A friend of mine wrote to me about certain "reservations" in his life—areas of secret sin that he reserved for himself and into which he frequently withdrew.
These "reserves" are like the large tracts of wilderness in my home state of Idaho. It may sound exciting to wander around these untamed regions by oneself, but it's dangerous.
So too, each journey into sin takes its toll. We sacrifice our closeness with God, forfeiting His blessing (, , , , -note), and we lose our influence on others that comes from purity of mind and body ().
The wild areas in us may never be fully tamed, but we can set up perimeters that keep us from wandering into them. One perimeter is to remember that we are dead to sin's power (). We do not have to give in to it.
The second perimeter is to resist temptation when it first attracts us. Initial temptation may not be strong, but if we entertain it, it will in time gain power and overwhelm us.
The third perimeter is accountability. Find a person who will commit to ask you each week, "Have you 'taken a hike in the wild'? Have you gone where you should not go?"
that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
"vessel"
John MacArthur on the other hand writes…
Paul was admonishing the Thessalonians to control their bodies, the unredeemed human flesh that is the beachhead for sin and immorality
This verse is the most problematic of this section. The NIV translates it, that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable. The NIV also suggests two alternative translations in a note, the first being that a man should “learn to live with his own wife” in sanctification and honor, and the other that a man should “learn to acquire a wife” in sanctification and honor.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 4453-4456). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
Piper: The way to fight lust is to feed faith with the knowledge of an irresistibly glorious God. Do you know God this morning? Are you growing week by week in the knowledge of God's greatness? Do you meditate on his word day and night? Do you ponder the pictures of his Son in the Gospels?… Do you look at everything in your day as his creation? Do you pray for a sensitive heart that can be ravished by the revelation of his glory? I call you to make those commitments now for the sake of your own soul and for the glory of God.
Comment/Question: This is how it works for most of us right, when God is in the forefront we sin less. When he's in the background we sin more.
not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
According to Paul, ignorance of God, or the absence of a relationship with him, was understood as the prime cause of immorality among the Gentiles (; ).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 4546-4547). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.
In this verse Paul appealed on the basis of the other person involved in the immoral act. The brother as noted earlier could refer to any other human, not necessarily a Christian. Sexual immorality wrongs the partner in the forbidden act by involving him or her in behavior contrary to God’s will and therefore under His judgment.
that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.
The apostle reminds the sexual offender that it is not the officials of the city, nor the spouse of the one with whom he or she committed adultery, but rather the Lord himself who is the Avenger “in all these things” (NRSV, peri pantōn toutōn, without the word sin as in the NIV), again speaking euphemistically of sexual transgression itself.
The Lord is the avenger “in all these things,” whether or not the protagonists are members of the church! What many would view in our day as a strictly “personal” issue is understood by the apostle as a community issue that has eternal consequences.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 4592-4594). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Marshall notes that...
It is not popular with some people who argue that if God commands Christians to return good for evil and love to their enemies, he himself ought to follow the same principles. The difficulty is probably that in contemporary English the words `avenge' and 'vengeance' have taken on the sense of acting out of personal vindictiveness, whereas in the Bible the thought is rather that God takes the side of the victims of crime and wickedness and secures justice for them, and that he acts as the upholder of the moral order against those who think that they can break it with impunity.
Piper:
The great error that I am trying to explode in these messages is the error that says, faith in God is one thing and the fight for holiness is another thing. Faith gets you to heaven and holiness gets you rewards. You get your justification by faith, and you get your sanctification by works. You start the Christian life in the power of the Spirit, you press on in the efforts of the flesh. This is the great evangelical error of our day. The battle for obedience is optional, they say, because only faith is necessary for salvation.
Holiness
Holiness
For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
In what ways are we called to be holy? In what ways is God Holy?
"Holy is the Lord" - Chris Tomlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYMjO9mL0Tw - Build My Life
https://songselect.ccli.com/search/results?SongContent=&PrimaryLanguage=&Keys=&Themes=&List=&Sort=Popularity&SearchText=holiness
Sanctification is at the same time both a divine work and a human obligation that can only be met through the power of the Holy Spirit (v. 8).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 4633-4634). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
Piper:
1. TEACH YOUR PEOPLE TO KNOW GOD.
Brothers and sisters, our people do not know God very well. If you asked them to talk for five minutes about the character of God most couldn't do it. Preachers shy away from the doctrine of God because it seems abstracted from what immediately moves people. But Paul implies in v5 that the key to conquering sexual temptation is to know God. "Don't give reign to your passions like Gentiles who don't know God."
2. EXHORT YOUR PEOPLE TO PRACTICAL HOLINESS
We need to be specific and earnest in urging our people to change their behavior. Practical holiness is a gift of God not a merely human achievement.
3. PUT ONE AND TWO TOGETHER AND HELP YOUR PEOPLE SEE ALL THEIR LIFE IN RELATION TO GOD
Drive home . If you reject the exhortation to sexual purity you reject God. It is amazing how many professing Christians think that their day to day choices have no bearing on their relation to God. We must tirelessly remind them that a sharp word at the breakfast table is rebellion against the Holy Spirit. Breaking the speed limit is probably a failure to trust God to take care of your schedule. Lust is an insult to the all-satisfying fellowship of God. Holding a grudge cuts one off from the forgiveness of God. And all the joys of life can either be exalted by a spirit of gratitude and worship toward God, or debased to idolatry by ignoring their relation to God.
4. FINALLY WE MUST WARN THE PEOPLE OF GOD'S VENGEANCE
Thousands of pastors do not believe this because they cannot make it square with their view of eternal security. How can you warn the saints on Sunday morning of God's vengeance if their faith in Christ delivers them from the wrath to come?
Zane Hodges of Dallas Seminary says in a recent book,
"It may be safely said that no man in Christian history -- with the exception of our Lord Himself -- ever motivated believers more or threatened them less than did [Paul]".
PA: The Holy Spirit creates holy desires within us so that we have an appetite for God’s holy Word (; ; -see notes ; ; ) and not the polluted garbage of the flesh (; ; -see notes ; ; ). Also, He teaches us the Word and helps us to recall God’s promises in times of temptation (; -note). As we yield to the Spirit, He empowers us to walk in holiness and not to detour into the lusts of the world and the flesh. The fruit of the Spirit overcomes the works of the flesh (-see notes, -note).
Not What But Who was Being Rejected
Not What But Who was Being Rejected
Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
But the emphasis in this verse is not placed upon what but rather who is rejected by these disobedient Christians. Truly, the apostolic teaching was rejected, but in the end what was at issue was their relationship to God.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 4641-4642). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another,
Probably referring to a letter that Timothy brought back asking these questions:
The issues that concerned the Thessalonians and that called for clarification were fraternal love (4.9-10), the destiny of the dead in the Lord (4.13-18), and the time of the day of the Lord (5.1-11).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 4691-4692). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another,
Often mentioned. But what does it mean to you? When have you best exhibited it? When has it been exhibited to you?
When has someone failed to exhibit to you in the church? How did you respond?
Siblings should be best friends, and, as Plutarch said, “Most friendships are in reality shadows and imitations and images of that first friendship which Nature implanted in children toward parents and in brothers toward brothers,” a thought that is echoed in Hierocles as well.68 This fraternal love is a paradigm for the relationship between Christians who have become brothers and sisters in the community of faith (they are called “brothers and sisters” nineteen times in 1 Thessalonians alone).69 In the NT the term “fraternal love,” while not appearing frequently, describes the relationship between those who are brothers and sisters due to their common faith in Christ (; ; ; ; cf. ; ) and is understood as the fruit of the new birth (; ).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 4721-4728). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Live Quietly, Mind Your Own Business, and Work with your Hands
Live Quietly, Mind Your Own Business, and Work with your Hands
and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,
Clients were attached to patrons of higher status and economic solvency, hoping to receive from them benefits such as food and representation, while they gave their patrons honor and augmented their status in society by showing up for the morning greeting at their home and giving them public support. The more clients a person would have, the more important he or she would appear to others. Honor was the name of the game. Perseus (1.54-55) satirizes a patron, saying, “You know how to present a shivering client with a threadbare cloak, and then you say, ‘I love the Truth; tell me the truth about myself!‘”
In fact, to mind your own business was the exact opposite of “participating in public affairs” (prassein to koina).92 We can safely assume that the apostle is calling believers to stay out of public/political affairs.93 However, this interpretation has been questioned since those who would need the following exhortation, to work with your hands, would be those of the artisan class, people who would not wield political power nor have the social status to engage in the political process.94 But Paùl is addressing those who, as clients, had become attached to prominent patrons, whether inside or outside the church. Central to the politics of the era was this relationship between patron and client. The client who had citizenship could support the patron’s cause and vote in the assembly (dēmos in Thessalonica),95 but to have real access to power the intervention of the patron was needed.
Given the institution of patronage, we can well understand why the apostles would call the Thessalonians to retire from public life, especially in this context where the civil rights of the Christians were threatened due to persecution.97 In other words, Paul does not want the brothers and sisters to utilize the “normal” channels of public debate and judicial defense to resolve the tension between the members of the church and the rest of the Thessalonians (2.14). They had another solution.
Therefore, to call those who had lived as clients to engage in manual labor to gain their living was shocking.
1.28), it would be unwise for us to understand the prohibition as a call to us to abandon any form of involvement in politics. What the apostle warns against is becoming dependent as well as disruptive members of society whose reputation in no way enhances the gospel.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 4840-4849). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
What does this mean today? What kind of quiet time do you have? With or apart from God? What does it do for you when you have it?
How do we mind our own business yet balance that with evangelism?
How are we to "work with our hands" was this met literally? What type of work did Paul do and the other apostles?
Andrew, Peter, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, worked as fishermen
Matthew, called Levi in Luke, worked as a tax collector for the Roman government
Simon was known as the Zealot, not strictly a profession, and as a Canaanite. Zealots engaged in politics and anarchy, attempting to overthrow the Roman government.
The Bible provides no information on the professions of Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Thaddaeus or James, the son of Alphaeus
Paul - Tent Maker
How often do you feel that your job isn't one that's God honoring per se? How do you think through that?
Timothy Keller: Greeks believed that not all work was created equal. Work that used the mind was more noble, less beastly.
Walk Properly and Be Dependent On No One
Walk Properly and Be Dependent On No One
so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
Why was it so important to be dependent on no one?
"Manual labor was despised by ancient Greek culture. They thought that the better a man was, the less he should work. In contrast, God gave us a carpenter King, fisherman apostles, and tent-making missionaries." - Enduring Word Commentary
What might that mean for today vs. then?
What does it imply about entanglements with money, etc.
so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
Martin makes the point that it was never…
Paul’s intent that the church disrupt society or overthrow governments. Rather, he encouraged Christians to be good citizens and exemplary members of their families and of their society but to do so in a manner consistent with the teachings of Christ. Only in this sense was the Pauline gospel intended to change society. It set out to change the individuals who made up society while awaiting that climactic event when the power of God would truly change the world forever.
Ray Stedman: Here in the United States, in 1846, a group of followers of William Miller abandoned their work, sold their possessions, and went out on a hilltop to wait for the Lord to appear because this prophet had told them that Jesus was coming at a certain day and hour. There was tremendous expectancy on their part, but, of course, Jesus did not come. They became fools in the eyes of people because of their extreme action and turned many against biblical prophecy by what they had done.
Estimates of Miller's followers—the Millerites—vary between 50,000, and 500,000. Miller's legacy includes the Advent Christian Church with 61,000 members, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church with over 19 million members. Both these denominations have a direct connection with the Millerites and the Great Disappointment of 1844. A number of other individuals with ties to the Millerites founded various short-lived groups. These include Clorinda S. Minor, who led a group of seven to Palestine to prepare for Christ's second coming at a later date.
These events paved the way for the Adventists who formed the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They contended that what had happened on October 22 was not Jesus' return, as Miller had thought, but the start of Jesus' final work of atonement, the cleansing in the heavenly sanctuary, leading up to the Second Coming.[5][6][7][8]
Coming of the Lord
Coming of the Lord
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
Which of the following describes your response to sermons that talk about the end times?
Nervous, irritation, excites, pushes you to study, come away with more questions than answers
"that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope..."
Great Resource: https://s3.amazonaws.com/Challies_VisualTheology/views-of-end-times-horz-v3.png
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
Stedman adds that koimao…
is never used in the New Testament of anyone but believers. It never says of a non-believer when he died that he "fell asleep." There is a wonderful lesson in that. It shows that death, for the believer, is nothing more than sleep. When your loved ones fall asleep you do not run to the phone and dial 911 for emergency service for them. You know that they are quietly resting, that they will awaken again, and that you will have contact with them again soon. That is why the New Testament regards the death of believers as nothing but sleep.
Koimao is the root of our English word cemetery (koimeterion) which was adopted by the early Christians as their optimistic name for the graveyard, being used this way first in Christian burials in the Roman Catacombs. The Koimeterion literally meant "a sleeping place" and was used by Greeks to describe a place of rest, a room for sleeping (bedroom), or a rest house for strangers. Koimeterion was also a synonym for a dormitory or place where people sleep.
When someone dies?
When someone dies?
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
What experiences do you have about worry more about Heaven or Hell? After someone you know dies?
When have you had this experience happen to someone around you (where they knew someone)? What kind of reaction did they have?
Who's death has affected you the most when it comes to eternal timeframes and the end times?
For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
Why was this their concern in your opinion?
For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
the sources. The point Paul makes is simply that the dead in Christ will be raised first (v. 16b), and then the living and the dead will be taken up to meet the Lord (e 17). The question we are left to ponder is why the Thessalonians needed such strong assurance that the living were not going to precede the dead in Christ. Some have suggested that Jewish apocalyptic literature at times projects the idea that the living will be in a more advantageous position when the kingdom of God is inaugurated (; Pss. Sol. 17.50; ), and that this teaching had affected the Thessalonians.139 However, the possibility that this young gentile congregation would have read and understood this obscure point in Jewish theology is remote. More likely, the Thessalonians understood that only the living would have the honor of going out to meet the Lord in his royal and triumphal parousia (coming; see vv. 16 and 17 and comments), and the apostle responds by saying that the dead will rise first and will have this place of honor in the procession. The dead in Christ will in no way be excluded from the grand celebration that will surround the parousia of the Lord but will enjoy a place of honor.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5088-5097). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
The apostle refers to the deceased using the euphemistic those who fall asleep (as in 4.14-15; 5.10), although he has no reservations about calling them “the dead” (4.16). This euphemistic way of speaking about the dead appears in both Jewish and Christian texts and implies nothing about the intermediate state.115 Some have erroneously concluded that this epithet for the dead implies that the soul sleeps after death, but the NT teaching clearly points to a conscious existence during the intermediate state (; ; ; ; ; ). At times the dead are described as “those who sleep” with a view to the anticipated resurrection of their body (; ; ; ; ). But the deceased are also referred to as “those who sleep” in Greek and Latin literature and inscriptions,116 and for that reason we should understand the term as a simple synonym for “the dead” without reading into it a more profound theological meaning. This was a common and universal way to speak of those who had died.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 4970-4979). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Timing of this passage - Before the Writing of Revelation - Almost 50 years
Timing of this passage - Before the Writing of Revelation - Almost 50 years
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
One thing to factor in here: Paul is dead before Revelation is written. Yet he clearly has a vision of the future coming.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
The third great sound at this event is the trumpet call of God. The trumpet was not primarily a musical instrument during this era but found its place rather in military exercises, cultic events, and funeral processions. In the Roman army nothing happened without sounding the trumpet. In funeral processions the trumpets were sounded, and so common was this custom that when the emperor Claudius died the sound of the trumpets was so deafening that it was thought that the dead could hear them.146 But the idea of this verse is not simply that the dead will hear the great sound of the trumpet call of God, but that they will respond to the command to rise. According to the OT, the trumpet of God would announce the coming of the day of the Lord (; ) and the time when the dispersed people of God would be gathered and God would bring them salvation (; ), events that in Jewish literature were also associated with the sounding of the trumpet of God.147 Not only in our text but also in the trumpet of God announces or commands the resurrection of the dead, while in the trumpet of God calls together the dispersed people of God.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5123-5132). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Read the Verses about being caught up in the clouds.
Read the Verses about being caught up in the clouds.
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Paul’s concern here is pastoral and not eschatological. we may wish that he had divulged more details, but that was clearly never his intention.
Key Question
Key Question
Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Why were the Thessalonians experiencing sorrow and grief? What are some examples today where ignorance of biblical doctrine creates the same sorrow and grief?
Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The previous passage has suffered much ill as it has been mined to provide clues concerning the timing of the “rapture” of the church. Will this great event occur before seven years of tribulation, in the middle of this period, or at the very end? In the haste to answer this question, the real purpose of is overlooked. This teaching was presented to comfort those in grief by connecting the confession of the creed (“Jesus died and rose again”) with the reality of the resurrection of the dead in Christ. This is not the stuff of speculative prophecy or bestsellers on the end times. The text is located at the funeral home, the memorial service, and the graveside. It is placed in the hands of each believer to comfort others in their time of greatest sorrow. The decidedly bizarre pictures of airplanes dropping out of the sky and cars careening out of control as the rapture happens detract from the hope that this passage is designed to teach. The picture presented here is of the royal coming of Jesus Christ. The church, as the official delegation, goes out to meet him, with the dead heading up the procession as those most honored.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5210-5218). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Passages on the Day of the Lord
Passages on the Day of the Lord
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
, ,
Thief in the night
Thief in the night
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
What does it say to you about the Lord that he will not warn us about his coming?
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
4) Paul spoke of “the day of the Lord.” It will be the time when God pours out His fury on the wicked. Take a few minutes to look up some of the cited passages. How is this “day” described? Record your observations below. ; ; : : :
Then read
MacArthur, John F.. 1 and 2 Thessalonians and Titus: Living Faithfully in View of Christ's Coming (MacArthur Bible Studies) (p. 45). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
Therefore, the day of the Lord becomes that eschatological event when the Lord comes to judge the inhabitants of the earth and to pour out his wrath because of sin (, ; ; ; ; , ; ; , ; , ; ; ; ; ; ; ).
Since Jesus taught the disciples that it was impossible to know when this day would occur (; ; ), it was necessary to be ready for it at all times
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5273-5274). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Indifference or Willful Ignorance
Indifference or Willful Ignorance
While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
What's the difference between Indifference or Willful Ignorance when it comes to God?
While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. (, , ) (cf ,)
Peace and security The Roman Empire used the phrase “peace and safety” in its propaganda to promote the idea of Roman Peace (Pax Romana).
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (1 Th 5:3). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
161 Only one hundred years earlier the great orator Cicero was exiled in Thessalonica, during which time he complained bitterly about the city’s lack of security.162 The barbarians had taken control of the Via Egnatia, and the Thessalonians defended themselves behind the walls of the city. But with the establishment of the pax Romana under Augustus, peace and safety became the byword in the city as throughout the empire, and so the apocalyptic teaching of the apostles would have sounded decidedly strange.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5295-5299). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
In a number of inscriptions commemorating deceased women, the cause of death was inscribed as labor pains (ōdin),172 so this metaphorical way of speaking of the final destruction is not so strange as it first appears to those of us who live in a world where many of the dangers of childbirth have been minimized.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5321-5324). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
Overtake (2638) (katalambano from katá = adds intensity [or surprise as in ] to the meaning of the verb + lambáno = take) means to take eagerly, grasp with force, lay hold of, seize with hostile intent (this literal meaning vividly depicted by the demon who seizes the son and dashed him to the ground in ). Katalambano was used in the sense of laying hold of so as to gain control of. In a secular Greek use we read "they were pursued and overtaken."
Children of the Light
Children of the Light
For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
MC: sons of light (v. 5)—This is a Hebrew expression that characterizes believers as children of God, their heavenly Father, who is light and in whom is no darkness at all (; see ; ; ).
Hiebert writes that…
The Hebrews described a person as "the son of" anything that completely dominated and controlled him. Thus the expression means that spiritual light is the pervading element of their character. (Hiebert, D. E. First and Second Thessalonians)
Light is used figuratively in Scripture to describe the glory of God’s dwelling place, , the nature of God, , the impartiality of God, , the favor of God, , the favor of the King, , the favor of an influential man, , of God, as the illuminator of His people, , , the Lord Jesus as the illuminator of men, ; , the illuminating power of the Scriptures, Ps119:105, of the judgments and commandments of God, ; , cp. , the guidance of God, ; ; ; of the guidance of man, , of salvation, , of righteousness, ; , ; , , of witness for God, , , of prosperity and general well-being, ; ; , , .
What is the difference between those born in the light and those born int he darkness
NIGHT
PEOPLE
Experience the
Day of the Lord
Are destroyed
on earth
Spiritual Death
No hope
Dwell
in spiritual darkness
Spiritually Asleep
Spiritually Drunk
Never
With the Lord
DAY
PEOPLE
Experience the
Rapture
Are caught up
to heaven
Spiritual Life
Hope
Dwell
in spiritual light
Spiritually Alert
Spiritually Sober
Forever
With the Lord
For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
They are not in darkness. The darkness is the dominion of sin that characterizes the life of the unconverted (; ; ; ), whose understanding has been “darkened” (; ), and who therefore live in darkness ().
Not surprisingly, authors could describe Christian salvation as the passage from darkness to light (; ; ; ) and redemption as “being enlight-ened” (; ). The Christian is one who has left the sinful life of “the darkness” and who lives in the light of holiness (; ; ; ). The believers in Thessalonica have been liberated from moral darkness and do not live in sin — they are not in darkness — and so are prepared for this day. The darkness is moral and does not refer to “ignorance” about the teaching on the day of the Lord.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5341-5346). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Not be of the night
Not be of the night
So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
"John MacArthur has an interesting comment observing that..
Night people can only be night people. They are not human chameleons who can suddenly become day people. Furthermore night people cannot do the deeds of the day people. But tragically the reverse prescription can exist so that day people can do the deeds of the night! We can reach back to old patterns of behavior, the dirty paths we used to walk on, but when we do we are the most miserable of people because we have not only our innate conscience screaming at us, but even more impacting, we have the still small voice of the Spirit reminding us of our wayward ways"
So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
What do we use to put ourselves to sleep about the word of God and his power?
keep awake and be sober
keep awake and be sober
So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
How do we keep awake and remain sober at all times?
In the temple, during the night, the captain of the temple made his rounds, and the guards had to rise at his approach and salute him in a particular manner. Any guard (doorkeeper) found asleep on duty was beaten, or his garments were set on fire. Compare : "Blessed is he that watched and keepeth his garments." The preparations for the morning service required all to be early astir. The superintending priest might knock at the door at any moment. The Rabbis use almost the very words in which Scripture describes the unexpected coming of the Master. "Sometimes he came at the cockcrowing, sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later. He came and knocked and they opened to him" -- Edersheim, The Temple.
This intimate relationship between their new existence and their new moral life touches a fundamental aspect of Christian ethics: What they are is what they should do.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5385-5386). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
5.14). In the Gospels, the Lord calls the disciples to shun “sleep” by being “alert” so that they do not fall into temptation (; ; )
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5394-5396). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.
sins. Before the time when city streets were brightly illuminated by streetlights, the night was thought to be a horrible and sinister time....
....As Chrysostom commented, “For it is just as corrupt and wicked men do all things as in the night, escaping the notice of all, and enclosing themselves in darkness. For tell me, does not the adulterer watch for the evening, and the thief for the night? Does not the violator of the tombs carry on all his trade in the night?”189
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5422-5424). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Keeping the forthcoming night in mind.
Keeping the forthcoming night in mind.
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
On the night of April 8, 1871, evangelist D. L. Moody preached to his largest Chicago audience ever on the topic, ""What then shall I do with Jesus?"" At the end of his sermon, Moody urged everyone present to return in one week with a response--to follow Jesus Christ or not. But as the audience left the meeting hall, fire bells were ringing throughout the city. The Great Chicago Fire had begun, the hall was destroyed, and the following week there was no meeting.
For the rest of his life, Moody regretted not having given an invitation to receive Christ that very night. Some of the people in his audience died in the Fire, and that night may have been their last chance. Chicago and Moody were caught off guard by the fire. Christ's Second Coming will also be unexpected, but Scripture is full of warnings for us to be watchful and to live holy lives (see ).
At a number of points in his letters, Paul makes use of military metaphors to describe Christians and their conduct (; ; ; ; ; ). The source of the teaching in v. 8 is (repeated in ), where God himself is compared to a soldier, “He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head.”
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5448-5451). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
Protects the head / mind, etc.
MC: Satan’s "broadsword" has two sides to it: discouragement and doubt. Satan wants to belt you in the head with discouragement and doubt.
Judgement and a Holy God
Judgement and a Holy God
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Read a passage from Revelation. How does this make you feel react, respond?
But we are "No Longer Slaves to Fear" - Play the music video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TkUMJtK5k - lyric video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxkNj5hcy5E - live video
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
C H Spurgeon writes that…
The wrath of God does not end with death. This is a truth which the preacher cannot mention without trembling, nor without wondering that he does not tremble more. The eternity of punishment is a thought which crushes the heart. You have buried the man, but you have not buried his sins. His sins live and are immortal
J. I. Packer sounds a sad note writing that
the subject of divine wrath has become taboo in modern society, and Christians by and large have accepted the taboo and conditioned themselves never to raise the matter (Knowing God, p. 149).
Ray Pritchard has the following note on the forgotten doctrine of God's wrath declaring that…
It is truly a forgotten doctrine, even in the evangelical church. I’ll dare say that many of you have never heard a sermon on God’s wrath—that is, not a full sermon devoted to this one topic. The reasons for this apparent neglect are not hard to find. Most of us would rather hear about love and grace. I know I would rather preach about God’s grace. After all, to speak of the wrath of God makes us appear narrow-minded, judgmental, and God help us, fundamentalist… God’s wrath is difficult to comprehend, so in some ways, this is a doctrine that is easy to overlook. The thought that nice people we know might someday go to eternal hell is so overwhelming—and so disheartening—that we’d much rather not think about it at all." (Forgotten Doctrine: The Wrath of God) (Bolding added)
who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
This exchange touches the heart of the gospel of God.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Location 5508). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Where do you need? When have you recently done it?
Where do you need? When have you recently done it?
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
Praise: Where have you encouraged?
Need: Where do you need encouragement?
The goal of each member of the community is to build up other members of the church (; ; ,, , ; , ; ) through the use of the gifts of the Spirit.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5551-5553). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Ask vs. Urge
Ask vs. Urge
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
What does he "ask" for in verse 12. Versus what he "urges" for in verse 13.
Why the difference in your mind?
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
These verses 12-15 - are the social obligations of the believers.
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
There are three things leaders are supposed to talk about and share. Labor, Over You in the Lord (guardians or protectors), and Admonish.
Where does respect start and stop when it comes to a pastor?
Where does respectful disagreement and surrender fit in?
Although it is impossible to prevent completely, pastors can still do much to create an environment where contentiousness is minimized. If they desire for people to know and value them, then pastors must take the time to get to know and value their people. In an effort to keep a “holy distance” from their people, pastors might find themselves in the unfortunate position of being isolated from them. This is never a good thing. In fact, it is contrary to the calling of a pastor. Peter reminds pastors that they are to be attentive shepherds who lovingly guide, feed, and care for their sheep (). You cannot care for your sheep if you do not spend time with your sheep. And if you do not desire to spend time with sheep, then you better not be a shepherd. You cannot shepherd God’s people if you don’t share your life with them (2:8).
Howell, Mark. Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 153). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
One of the pioneering studies on the “form criticism of the epistles” was that of E. G. Selwyn, who, in his magisterial commentary on 1 Peter, outlines his observations on the common core of Christian teaching that had made its way into several letters.202 In one of his comparative charts he not only shows the close relationship between this section in 1 Thessalonians and Romans, but also suggests that some of the following was integrated into 1 Peter.203 Such parallels signal that Paul and others considered this teaching to be fundamental for new Christians in any church as they sought to define their lives and conduct vis-à-vis the moral currents that surrounded them. What seems, then, to be simply a random collection of moral exhortations fired in a shotgun pattern is really part of a set outline of teaching. That outline touches on their social obligations toward church leadership (5.12-13), to various groups within the church (5.14), and to those outside the Christian community (5.15). The section then addresses the themes of proper Christian character before God (5.16-18) and the proper function of prophecy in the church (5.19-22).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5575-5584). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
An author would not employ this word to describe the task of imparting information, though it might be linked with teaching (), but would rather take it up to point to giving advice and correction designed to change the conduct of a person (5.14; ). While personal correction has almost become anathema in the church today, ancient opinion was that correction by others was profitable for a person’s well-being.213 “To admonish” was considered one of the primary responsibilities of parents toward their children (e.g., ; Philo, De Specialibus Legibus 2.232; ), of leaders toward their congregations (; ; ), and of the various members of the congregation toward their brothers and sisters in the faith ().
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5644-5651). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
A number of years ago Our Daily Bread featured an article titled, “Getting Rid of the Pastor.” Apparently, some members of a local congregation approached another pastor to seek advice about how to get rid of their pastor. Seeing through their request, this pastor offered them the following wise counsel: Look your pastor straight in the eye while he is preaching and say “Amen!” once in a while. He’ll preach himself to death. Pat him on the back and tell him his good points. He’ll work himself to death. Rededicate your life to Christ and ask your minister for a job to do. He’ll die of heart failure. Get the church to pray for him. Soon he’ll become so effective that a larger church will take him off your hands. (Richard DeHaan, Our Daily Bread, July
Howell, Mark. Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (pp. 153-154). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Esteem them "because" of their work, not because of their position: Green
Types of people in the church
Types of people in the church
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
Who do we know who needs this kind of help that we can pray for?
The goal was that the community was to take up some of the tasks not just the leadership.
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
Those who are in need of this admonition are the idle (ataktous), who are not the “lazy” but rather those who are “disorderly” or “undisciplined” in the community. The term appears in such places as the gymnasiarchal law of Berea that prescribes the disciplinary measures that should be taken to correct the conduct of those of the gymnasium who do not follow the rules and who are therefore “disorderly.”218 The “disorderly” members of the church are most likely those who had chosen to maintain their status as dependent clients and who had opted not to respond to the teaching and the apostolic example concerning the necessity of working to earn one’s own bread
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5701-5707). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
Greek society did not consider weakness to be a virtue in any way (cf. ; , ). Epictetus harshly degrades the weak, saying that “every faculty which is acquired by the uneducated and the weak is dangerous for them, as being apt to make them conceited and puffed up over it” (1.8.8).221 But the church’s response to the weak was to be different. The brothers and sisters were to help such people, which meant that they should take an interest in them, pay attention to them, and remain loyal to them
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5727-5731). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
Finally, Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to be patient with everyone. How many churches would be transformed today by heeding this simple call?
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5733-5734). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
The NIV’s rendering of the verb try (diōkete) does not communicate the force of this word, which does more than suggest that they should “at least make an effort” to do good to those who do them evil. They should rather “pursue” or “strive for” this type of conduct.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5782-5784). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
List of Commands
List of Commands
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
16:18 these are the verses that are the obligations to believers personally...
How well are you doing with these today? Over time? Is there one you do better than others? Another that you struggle with more often?
How do we effectively live out such a laundry list of commmands?
Where you ever given such a list? By who? When?
Rejoice: "joy is not something we work on, it is something we live in" - CCC
Pray Constantly: "God has determined that certain expressions of his power only will be exercised in response to prayer. Simply put God won't do unless you pray for it. The greatest tragedy in life is prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked." - Mark Batterson
Rejoice always,
contrast, joy was not a characteristic of other religions of the era. The church was unique in its proclamation that joy was at the heart of its faith
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5808-5809). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
pray without ceasing,
MC: pray (v. 17)—This does not mean to pray repetitiously or continuously without a break (see ), but rather pray persistently (see ; ) and regularly (see ; ; , ).
MacArthur, John F.. 1 and 2 Thessalonians and Titus: Living Faithfully in View of Christ's Coming (MacArthur Bible Studies) (p. 52). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
The fact that Paul commands us to pray in this manner reveals two significant truths about God. First, God wants to hear from you. Let that thought soak in for a moment. The God of this universe wants to hear from you. On the basis of your relationship with Jesus Christ, you have been granted an all-access ticket into His presence (). Second, if God expects that you will ask Him for things, then it follows that He has the ability to give you what you ask. In fact, He has the ability to give you more than you ask (). Think about your most pressing needs, your most formidable opponents, or even your most out-of-reach dreams. If God desires that you bring those matters before Him, then you can be sure that He has more than enough ability to do something about them. As Jeremiah so aptly puts it, nothing is too difficult for our God ().
Howell, Mark. Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 162). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
God has determined that certain expressions of His power will only be exercised in response to prayer. Simply put, God won’t do it unless you pray for it. We have not because we ask not. . . . The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked. (Batterson, Circle Maker, 17)
Howell, Mark. Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 161). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Nothing is accidental. God oversees the affairs of our lives even to the smallest of details. If He is at work in us, then we can be confident that He is also at work around us. Only God can take the thousands of seemingly insignificant details of our lives and weave them together to bring about our ultimate good. Even when we cannot see the good, we can still take comfort that God is good. Although we cannot give thanks for everything, we can still give thanks in everything. The apostle Paul sums it up perfectly:
Howell, Mark. Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 178). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
What about these exhortations?
What about these exhortations?
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
How are you doing?
This phrase means "don't put out the spirit's fire." That's the way it's used in the other passages in the NT.
These are exhortations about how to utilize prophecy effectively or not...
Do not quench the Spirit.
Since the presence of the Holy Spirit in the community is compared with fire (; ; ; ; ; ; ; and ), the verb “to quench” would aptly describe the attempts to eliminate these manifestations.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5878-5880). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Discernment
Discernment
Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.
Who do you turn for discernment? Are you good at it yourself?
Do not "despise" prophecies. This is a pretty strong phrase.
"It is not secret that the Christian Church is not in good health at all in many place of the world. She has been languishing because she's been fed, as the current line has it "junk food" all kinds of artificial preservatives and all sorts of natural substitutes have been served up to us. As a result of theological and biblical malnutrition has affected the very generation who has tried to avoid this with their own bodies." - Kaiser
Do not despise prophecies,
We are not told why some members of the church wanted to curtail prophetic activity in the community, but we do know that during this era there was a rising scepticism about the validity of prophecy. Some hundred years earlier Cicero brought into question the validity of divination in general, of which prophecy was a subset. Scepticism about the oracles was fueled especially by the Epicureans, against whom Plutarch sets his defense of Delphi.
In the city of Thessalonica, oracular manifestations were associated with the cult of Isis and Serapis,242 and so, given the general questions about oracles that existed at this time plus the way the church had distanced itself from pagan cults
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5925-5927). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
but test everything; hold fast what is good.
How do we test everything? How far in our lives does this encompass?
What are some practical ways to do this?
Jesus, “Watch out for false prophets. . . . By their fruit you will recognize them” ().
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5942-5943). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Closing Thoughts
Closing Thoughts
Abstain from every form of evil.
Closing Book
What would a church look like if it took care of just simply verses 12 through 22. What good would that church do in the world?
Helping the Church Grow
Helping the Church Grow
Abstain from every form of evil.
In what ways are you helping your church grow? In light of all of the above?
Someone has said that church would be easy if it weren’t for people. While in a humorous way that might be true, with all joking aside, if it weren’t for people, there wouldn’t be church. But the fact remains that when you bring people together with varying personalities, styles, likes, and preferences, problems are sure to ensue. Have you stopped to consider that the church is the only institution on earth where a person has to admit how bad they are before they can actually join?
Howell, Mark. Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 148). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
It's Jesus work not theirs.
He is able to bring about this sanctifying work within their lives, whatever their past and whatever situation they face in the present (cf. ; ).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 6040-6041). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
15 In the early Christian communities, which embraced all social classes (slaves, libertini, and free) and various races (Greeks, Romans, Macedonians, and Jews), the holy kiss would serve as an affirmation of their filial unity as “brothers and sisters” in the common faith. In the case of the Thessalonians, the tensions that existed between the brothers and sisters (5.13-15, 19-20) would be another reason why the apostle urged that all should be greeted with a kiss.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 6063-6066). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
They are bound by an oath to make sure the content of this letter is communicated to everyone. The reason for such a strong exhortation is most likely found in the tensions that existed between certain members of the congregation (4.6; 5.13-14, 20), especially between the majority of the believers and the disorderly among them (4.3-8 and 5.14).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 6079-6081). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Paul
Paul
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
How do you think people might have responded to this letter?
What additional questions might they have had?
Paul
What did we learn about Paul from this letter?
What do we see in the young (middle-aged) but young in faith - Paul?
What is ahead for him? Does he seem ready to face it?
What kind of things is Paul exhorting us to do in response to this letter?
How much of it do you feel is applicable to today? Which parts are not in your mind? If so why?
What did we learn about Jesus / God / Faith?
What can we learn our relationship about God via Paul's relationship with God?
What can we learn about pastoral leadership through Paul?
What about God's priorities?
Journal these answers: Kim to Do.
How might the Thessalonians have responded after reading this letter?
Encouragement
Encouragement
We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.
How did the Thessalonians likely feel about this passage as it was read.
What is praiseworthy about our church?
We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
Gospel Preaching, People, and Passion the hallmarks of the Thessalonians
What is the difference between contributing to God's work and participating in it?
What are some possible reactions that a church might have to persecution and adversity?
Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.
These believers were not simply distressed emotionally but buffeted by great hostility.9 The following verses imply that the persecution of the church had in no way abated but had rather intensified. In spite of their persecutions and trials, these believers were enduring
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 6229-6231). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
CCE: The person who has a genuine faith in God will view affliction and suffering through the lens of an enduring hope—not the kind of endurance that waits to thank God when the trial passes, but the kind of endurance that thanks God even if the trial does not pass. The very sobering reality of the Christian faith is that the possibility exists that God will not allow your trials to pass.
2 Corinthians 12:9:10
This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—
So intimate is the relationship between the kingdom of God and the suffering of the people of God that Paul included the teaching that “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” () as part of his basic instruction of new Christians.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 6281-6283). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—
CS Lewis: "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a dead world." - problem of pain.
Read:
Tim Keller: Some suffering is given to chastise, some is given to prevent future wrongs not correct past ones, and some has no purpose but to ask us to love God alone and so discover ultimate peace and freedom. - paraprhase.
CCE: As strange as this may sound to our ears, their suffering was evidence that God loved them, not a sign that He had abandoned them. Paul is reassuring them that their suffering has an eternal purpose. This paints an entirely different picture of suffering than many of us have of it. We can imagine how such a picture would dramatically influence the way in which we live. With this picture of suffering in mind, listen to how Paul challenges the Philippians: Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ . . . not being frightened in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction for them, but of your deliverance—and this is from God. For it has been given to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him. ()
CCE: The writer of Hebrews helps you see why God disciplines His people: Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline—which all receive—then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had natural fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it. ()
What is this passage supposed to teach us about pain?
since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
Read
How is God's vengeance different from your vengeance?
How is God just in how he deals with sinners and saints?
Sinners and Believers - song?
since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
Over and over biblical and extrabiblical literature declares that God’s judgment is in accordance with his justice (; ; ; , [7.9-10, 12]; 9.4, 8 [9.5, 9]; 35.24 [34.24]; ; ; ; ; ; ). God is not capricious but rather judges justly. Hence those who mount the opposition against the church will suffer for their opposition, while the community of God will receive its rightful recompense. God considers it a just thing to pay back trouble to those who trouble you.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 6294-6298). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels
in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
How is God's vengence different from your vengence?
They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
But the passage also takes a side in the debate that was boiling during that era concerning the inevitability of divine judgment. The Epicureans questioned any notion of future divine judgment, and they were not alone in such speculation.23 The argument against divine retribution revolved around the apparent tardiness of its execution. The fictive debate Plutarch sets up around the issue begins with the comments of Patrocleas, who says, “The delay and procrastination of the Deity in punishing the wicked appears to me the most telling argument by far.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 6439-6443). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
when he comes … in his saints
when he comes … in his saints
when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
What does it mean he will be glorifed?
To this … by his power
To this … by his power
To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,
He didn't ask that they are removed from the problems but they can handle it.
What good work are you doing now that we could pray for that you would appreciate the Lord's help with?
so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul places special emphasis on the way the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified. The name of a person in that era was much more than a way to distinguish him or her from others. The name often became a symbol of all that a person was, his or her qualities and power, and revealed that person’s fundamental character.14 For that reason, the name was intimately linked with a person’s reputation and honor, much as we would speak about a person’s “good name” or “bad name” (; ; ).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 6560-6564). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Overall mindset
Overall mindset
so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
What was the overall mindset of the thessalonians - how do you stack up next to them?
How does a Christian develop the kind of kingdom mindset displayed by the Thessalonians?
Whether we are suffering or enjoying a problem free existence the ultimate goal is to bring God glory? How can we do that in both circumstances?
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,
Amongst the people you know what is the general interest level in the end times or the coming of Christ?
not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
What challenges you when you think of the end times?
What leads you to be skaken in belief / doubt, etc.
not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
Research this some more?
The believed that the day of the lord had already come, and therefore they had missed it. What sorrow they must have felt.
When have you received "bad" advice about the gospel? About Jesus, About God? What did that lead to? How did you resolve it?
2 Peter 1:12:15
Our big difficulty in interpreting what he says is that it is a supplement to his oral preaching. He and his correspondents both knew what he had said when he was in Thessalonica, so there was no point in repeating it. He could take it as known, and simply add what was necessary to clear up the misunderstandings that had arisen. We find it very difficult to fill in the gaps and to catch his allusions, which are so difficult, indeed, that many and various suggestions have been put forward in the attempt to elucidate the apostle’s meaning. We must bear in mind the gaps in our knowledge and not be too confident in our interpretations
Howell, Mark. Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 222). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Application Question: What's something you recently read, Christian book or otherwise that you found out to be not so trustworthy?
Another possibility is that the error regarding the day of the Lord entered by some report. The term used is “word” (logou), which in a variety of contexts can refer to a message preached, a teaching, or a discourse (2.15; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and Diodorus Siculus 40.5a.1).12 We know from other NT writings that itinerant preachers circulated among the churches and promoted heterodox teachings (; ).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 6653-6657). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
How would you feel if you missed the rapture?
The left behind series was 10 books that highlighted how folks might have felt.
"“You have to admit, when people disappear, some rules go out the window.” - Left Behind Series
But much like other times in our lives we let a lie about something rob us of peace.
Health, Wealth, Children. If God's in control, well then he's in control. But this is hard right?
Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
Apostasy: is a military term that means abandoning the position
CCE: No one really knows what he meant by this, so what might we speculate?
Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
Read:
What do we learn from this passage?
Have you ever thought who this must be? Who it might be? What might be the sign?
What do you know about the AntiChrist? What questions do you have?
interestingly enough he can't be satan - based on what's said in verse 9
What Makes this section hard?
What Makes this section hard?
who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
CCE: God will send them strong delusion (literally “a working of deceit”) by having the restrainer step aside (2:6-7) and by letting Satan’s undiluted and unchecked lying have its sway over all the earth. God does this by His permissive will, not His determinative will. In other words, Satan will be, for a time, totally free to give the people exactly what they want to believe, i.e. the lie (cf. ; ; ). The populace will not be restrained (cf. 2:7) from believing Satan’s ultimate deception—the lie that Antichrist is God and salvation is through him. (Richard Mayhue, Triumphs and Trials, 191)
Permissive vs. Determinative Will....
CCE: "one big difficulty in interpreting what he says is that it appears that it is a supplement to his oral preaching. He and his correspondents both knew what he had said when he was in Thessalonica so there was no point in repeating it." - Morris - CCC
What does this mean for interpreting these letters.
What do you think he previously told them?
So with this in mind: "What is Paul's Main Point?
who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
What does this image bring to your mind?
What would it be like to have Satan proclaim that he is God?
Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
How much did Paul know about what was to be part of Revelation?
How much did God reveal to him? And in what form? As he obviously taught it in some form to the Thessalonians in the past.
What does this say about how important it is for pastors to share about the Gospel - the entire Gospel - including Revelation? And where we are headed.
And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.
Who do you think the restrainer is? It's not clear.
What do you think is the right thing to do with passages like this one? In terms of determining clarity?
Many suggestions have been made to identify the restraining force of 1Th. , . These include: (1) human government; (2) preaching of the gospel; (3) the binding of Satan; (4) the providence of God; (5) the Jewish state; (6) the church; (7) the Holy Spirit; and 8) Michael. Whatever now restrains the Antichrist of 1Th. , , from being revealed in the fullness of his apostasy and evil, must be more than human or even angelic power.7
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
Outside of the fact that this is in God's control, no one really knows who this is.
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
Why do you think Paul's discussion about these events are so brief in this passage?
What do you think he previously told them?
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.
love THE TRUTH
love THE TRUTH
and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
The thought is not that they had rejected any and every form of truth but the truth that was contained in the gospel. Instead of “receiving” (edexanto)80 the truth, these people did not obey the gospel that was preached to them (1.8). But, curiously, the text states that such people do not receive “the love of the truth.” Milligan suggests that these people “had not only not ‘welcomed’ . . . this truth, but had no liking for it,
In any era of pluralism, the exclusivity of the gospel is a scandal.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 7055-7056). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
In our age, when truth is increasingly viewed as relative and personal, thoughts about the power and consequences of embracing error move to the periphery.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 7039-7040). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
What is your reaction to God Sends in this passage? His permissive not determinative will. Satan for a time will have free reign to give the people just want they want to believe, the lie of salvation through Satan.
How do we keep a kingdom mindset? How do we stay eternally focused? What does that mean for each of us? What steps can we take?
Read:
How would you explain this to a non Christian?
Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,
Since they did not receive the truth of the gospel, God sends them confusion so that they cannot distinguish between the truth and the lie and, in the end, they believe the lie as if it were the truth. As strange as this kind of judgment may seem to us, it is in harmony with the biblical witness, which shows the way God gives sinners over to the very sin and error they have embraced ( [81.12-13]; , , ; ; ).83 The thought is similar to that in those texts in the OT that describe how God uses malignant spirits to execute his judgments and will even employ the inspiration of false prophets ( /; ; ).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 7061-7066). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
Story about "trying" vs. a "change in status" - Tim Keller
To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
They did not need a how to lesson, but a what now lesson.
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
Hold onto traditions. What they were taught.
The call to be constant and stable (stēkete) reflects one of the principal concerns of the apostles in their pastoral ministry to new Christians (see ; ; ; ; ).
These teachings that they had already received were the antidote for the destabilizing confusion that had entered the church “by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come” (2.2).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 7175-7177). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
What does this say about Paul's typical exhortations?
What do you think about this as a prayer in general? How much richness is there in it.
When have you felt God's good hope this week?
the word of … may speed ahead
the word of … may speed ahead
Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you,
What allows the word of the Lord to speed ahead?
But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
the Lord is faithful (v. 3)—See . God is faithful in regard to creation (), His promises (; ; ), salvation (), temptation (), suffering (), and to strengthen and protect from Satan (see ; ; ).
MacArthur, John F.. 1 and 2 Thessalonians and Titus: Living Faithfully in View of Christ's Coming (MacArthur Bible Studies) (p. 80). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.
What was your family's feelings about work ethic?
How did various family members live this out (or not)?
Why is work a valuable thing?
What are some biblical reasons that Christians should be excellent workers at any job that they have?
This passage has five admonishments:
Don't be Lazy
Don't Be a Burden
Don't be Weary
Don't be Negligent
Don't be Forgetful
It wasn't that they felt the day of the Lord was coming, because he doesn't bring it up here...Another and more suitable explanation of the problem is to understand it against the backdrop of the institution of patronage that was pervasive in the ancient world.25 Clients depended on their rich patrons, receiving benefits from them such as food, money, and representation, while the patrons enjoyed the public honor that accrued to, their account for having so many clients. In this relationship the patron was under social obligation to continue the economic and social support of his or her clients. To cut a client off would place the patron in a relationship of enmity with the client.26 Paul, on the other hand, taught Christians who were clients that they should not depend on their patrons for their support, whether or not the person was a Christian (), and he reminded Christian patrons that they were not under any obligation to continue their support of those in the congregation who simply did not want to change their status and work. At the same time, the apostles encouraged the patrons to continue to act as benefactors to those who were in true need (). In fact, God himself is a Patron, and as such a Protector, of his people, though this fact is never understood as license for not doing what was one’s social duty, that being to work for one’s own food.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 7456-7467). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.
What is our instruction in regards to idle believers?
How should the church respond to idleness at work, home, church?
How often is church discipline practiced in our culture? Why or Why Not?
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.
The verb translated to keep away from (stellesthai), which appears in the NT only in this verse and in , means “to stand aloof” or even “avoid.”
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 7504-7505). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.
Again this appears...thoughts?
It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.
How do you imitate hard work in your job / volunteer activites, etc.?
How can we become the kind of worker who honors God?
How do we factor in illness, etc.?
For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
What is your reaction to this? Is the church today willing to make this statement? Is Society?
The following clause presents the exact nature of the disorderly conduct: They are not busy; they are busybodies (NRSV, “mere busybodies, not doing any work”). The problem of the disorderly was not simply that they did not want to work (v. 10) but that they refused to work (v. 11b).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 7634-7636). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
For we hear … work, but busybodies
For we hear … work, but busybodies
For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.
Who is a distraction at your work? Who has been a distraction?
What is the connection between solid rest and hard work in the christian walk?
What are some biblical reasons that we should be excellent workers at any job we have?
Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
Why work quietly and earn their own living? Why both?
Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
activity. In this context, as in , it means that those who were in the position of clients should not take up the cause of their patrons in public assembly and so should not occupy themselves in political causes (see comments on that verse). Philo commented on this type of person who was meddlesome and did not lead a quiet life, saying, “Besides, the worthless man whose life is one long restlessness haunts market-places, theatres, law-courts, council-halls, assemblies, and every group and gathering of men; his tongue he lets loose for unmeasured, endless, indiscriminate talk, bringing chaos and confusion into everything, mixing true with false, fit with unfit, public with private, holy with profane, sensible with absurd, because he has not been trained to that silence (hēsychian) which in season is most excellent.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 7671-7676). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
What is this supposed to teach us about church discipline? About how we are supposed to behave, react, etc.?
Read:
Is it supposed to lead us to judgement? Or are we to warn them as a brother. How does it not violate
How does fit into this? And
What is the ultimate purpose of church discipline?
Casting Crowns: If We are the Body? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_7j1SMuTN0
What are the consequences if a church does not pursue good discipline?
If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.
The concern that motivated this call to separation is not that the rest of the church will be infected by the behavior of the unruly, but that the unruly will respond to the discipline. This separation implies that other members of the church should not meet with the disorderly; therefore they would be excluded even from the common meal of the assembly (; ). Moreover, the members of the church are not to engage them socially, although the call to admonish them implies that they would not be cut off from all communication (v. 15).
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 7717-7721). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.
In the case of the Christians, separation from the group would throw the disorderly brother into a precarious social situation. He had already experienced rejection and dishonor from his contemporaries in the city (), and now he would not be in communion with the new society to which he belonged and in which he found his new identity as a member of the family of God. He would have lost his honor both in the society at large and within the new family.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 7730-7734). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
What an amazing thing if we could all experience this.
Read:
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.
When authors made use of this services of an amanuensis, it was customary for them to include a greeting in their own hand at the end of the letter (; ; ; ). At times this greeting would be written without any indication that it was the author himself who added it by hand. A number of ancient letters that have survived include a final note in a hand other than that which wrote the body of the letter, with no indication that the author took the pen apart from the change in the handwriting.4 This was the most common practice. The change was evident to anyone who read the letter. However, Paul frequently included a note about the change in his hand because his letters were read publicly in the assembly of the Christians.5 Not everyone could see the greeting in his handwriting, but everyone could hear it.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 7795-7802). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
About Paul
About Paul
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Truths
What truths did you learn about God / Jesus from this letter?
Paul
What did we learn about Paul from this letter?
About his pastoral care?
About his relationship with the churches that he founded?
What about his theology?
caught
caught
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Harpazo means to take suddenly and vehemently, often with violence and speed or quickly and without warning. The idea is to take by force with a sudden swoop and usually indicates a force which cannot be resisted. In eschatological terms (future events, prophetically related) as in the present verse, harpazo refers to what is often known as the "rapture" (Latin = raptura = seizing or Latin = rapio = seize, snatch)
Harpazo thus can be translated by the verb to rapture which describes the act of conveying or transporting a person from one place to another or from one sphere of existence to another. The English word rapture can also convey the idea of ecstasy as with one who is "carried out of" oneself with joy, but that is not the primary sense conveyed by the NT usage here in 1 Thessalonians.
caught up (v. 17)—Literally, snatched away. This passage, along with and , form the biblical basis for “the rapture” of the church. The time of the Rapture cannot be conclusively determined from this passage alone.
MacArthur, John F.. 1 and 2 Thessalonians and Titus: Living Faithfully in View of Christ's Coming (MacArthur Bible Studies) (p. 42). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
The place of this meeting is in the air.153 At times this expression (eis aera) means simply “up” (Achilles Tatius 7.15.3; Josephus, Antiquitates 7.327 [7.13.3]), and it may be that the apostle has nothing more in mind here.
Green, Gene L.. The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) (Kindle Locations 5185-5187). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
meet
meet
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Hiebert has a similar comment on the meaning of apantesis writing that "In Hellenistic Greek the expression had become a kind of technical term denoting "a ceremonial meeting with a person of position. In papyrus usage it was used of an official delegation going forth to meet a newly appointed magistrate, or other dignitary, upon his arrival in their district." Hogg and Vine remark, "Almost invariably the word suggests that those who go out to meet him intend to return to their starting place with the person met."
In regard to the timing of the Rapture, the most commonly held view among evangelicals is that the Rapture will be Pre-Tribulation. This view holds that Christ does not actually set foot on earth but that believers meet Him in the air as described in 1Th 4:13-18. At the end of the Tribulation, when the Lord returns, Christians who have been raptured will come with the Lord (see notes beginning at Re 19:11-note; Re 19:14-note).
5
5
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
There is a bit of irony here. They were ignoring the information they already had to ask for information they did not need. Dates and times were not what they needed. Instead, they needed to remember that the Lord’s coming was imminent. John MacArthur makes this point: Being spiritually prepared for the return of Christ does not involve date setting, clock watching,
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
What would happen if people actually knew the times and seasons - the actual date of his return?