Calvary
Chapel Bible College
September
8, 2021
Classroom introduction (for Nick & Var)
Let’s introduce ourselves…
Share your name, where you were born, where you go to church, and why you
are in Bible College.
Homework
Let’s share our memory verse – one at a time.
(1
Thessalonians 1:5 NKJV) For our gospel did not come to you
in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance,
as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.
Did you come up with any nuggets to share as you’ve been chewing on this
verse this week?
In three weeks I’m going to ask you to pick what
passage you want to do your “project” on – your five minute
devotional.
Introduction
After having gone through great persecution in Philippi, where they were
beaten and thrown into jail, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke made their way
south through Macedonia until they got to the city of Thessalonica. This takes place in Acts 17.
They spent three weeks in Thessalonica, reasoning in the synagogue there.
They spoke not only to the Jews in the synagogue, but also “devout Greeks”
(Acts 17:4), and there was a multitude of these Gentiles that came to Christ.
Many believers in the Thessalonian church were Gentile believers.
The Jews who did not believe became envious of Paul and had Paul and his
companions expelled from the city.
Paul then went on to Berea, where he had a much better reception … until the
unbelieving Jews from Thessalonica tracked him down and forced him to move on
once again.
Paul then went on to Athens and eventually Corinth where he would write two
letters back to the Thessalonian church.
You can mark in your Bible at Acts 18:5, that Paul wrote these letters to
Thessalonica between AD 50-54.
1:1 Greeting
Notice the top of the screen. That’s
the “pericope” for verse 1. More in a
minute…
:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God
the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy
Silvanus is another form of Silas.
These are the three that had been working with the Thessalonians, along
with Luke who is not mentioned. That’s
probably because Luke will not be sent back to Thessalonica whereas Silas and
Timothy will.
:1 To the church of the Thessalonians
Paul’s letter is addressed to this group of believers in Thessalonica.
:1 in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
There’s more to Paul’s “address” than just the city.
Grammatically, Paul uses a “dative” here, or more specifically we could
call it a “locative”, meaning that their “location” was “in God the Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ”.
Lesson
My location
If we used our telescope to find the location of the church in
Thessalonica, it would not show up in Macedonia, but “in God”.
You too, believers, are also located “in God” and “in Christ”.
There may be times when you begin to feel as if God has “lost” you, or forgotten about you.
Illustration
When I was fresh out of seminary (40 years ago), I began
to wonder if God had forgotten about me.
My wife and I struggled with knowing where God was leading us and where
we were supposed to be in ministry. I
had spent four years in college, three and a half years in seminary, six years
as a youth pastor, all in preparation for ministry. Yet no doors were opening.
I even wrote a song back then and called it “the Wanderin’ in the Wilderness Blues”.
Yet God knew where we were. He hadn’t forgotten about us. We were in Him.
Illustration
I remember calling up a company once to ask for help with
a piece of software (that alone dates this story to be very old). The person on the other end of the line put
me on hold. And then forgot about
me. I sat on hold for over a half an
hour, waiting for someone to get back to me, and no one did.
Do you ever feel like that with God? Do you feel like He’s “forgotten” you or
misplaced your number?
These are times we need to go back to the basics and remember that we are
“in Christ”.
Paul wrote,
(2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV) For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Walking by faith means that I don’t always “see” God or
know what He is doing, but I keep moving forward anyway. I trust Him even when I don’t see Him.
Illustration
About 12 years ago I was struggling with some of the difficult things that
were going on in the church. My secretary, Laurie, told me I had a phone
message, and it was from some guy named Chris from Boyden Beach in Florida. I
returned the phone call. It was a guy
I’ve never met. He said he had been praying and that my name came to his mind,
and that God wanted him to be praying for me. He didn’t ask me for anything. He
didn’t ask me to vote for anything. He didn’t try to sell me something. He just
told me that God wanted him to be praying for me.
I can’t tell you how awed I was to think that God cared enough about me to
put my name on the heart of a total
stranger.
You are not forgotten. He knows you
by name.
I have a location. We have a
location. We are in God, in Christ.
:1 Grace to you and peace
Yes, this is a typical greeting in the first century, but …
This is in the greeting of every one of Paul’s letters with one exception,
when he writes to his spiritual son, Timothy.
In both of Paul’s letters to Timothy, he writes,
(1 Timothy 1:2
NKJV) To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from
God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
I like the addition of “mercy”.
Lesson
Finding peace
Paul always puts the words in the same order.
First comes “grace”, then comes “peace”.
If you want to know the “peace” of God, you need to know the “grace” of
God.
Grace is the unmerited favor that God wants to show us if we will turn to
Him.
God will forgive our sins if we seek His forgiveness that
comes only through Jesus.
Paul wrote,
(Romans
5:1 NKJV) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
It’s not just that way with God, it also works in our relationships with
others.
Sometimes the thing that keeps us from experiencing peace with each other
is because we refuse to be gracious to one another.
(Ephesians 4:31–32
NKJV) —31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put
away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
even as God in Christ forgave you.
The word “forgive” in the Greek is “xarizomai” the word for “grace”. We are to “grace” one another.
I think there’s something else there as well. I didn’t notice it until I memorized and started
using Aaron’s blessing in praying over people, then I noticed the parallel.
(Numbers 6:24–26
NKJV) —24 “The Lord bless you
and keep you; 25
The
Lord make His face shine upon you, And
be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His
countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’
I think we ought to pray that over each other.
We want to pray for peace, but it’s only through grace
that it happens.
1:2-10 The Real Deal
About Pericopes – do you see the paragraph laid out in your Bible? Mine has vs.2-10 as a group with a title
(“Their Good Example”). That “title” is
called the “pericope”.
You are each going to do a “pericope project” where you will write your own
titles (or copy mine if you really want).
You lay out the paragraphs and then give them titles.
Then perhaps also give a title to the chapter as well.
A good pericope is three words or less.
You can do more words, but learn to be
precise. And learn your pericopes. This is one way of remembering the layout of
Paul’s letter.
I will always have the “pericope” of the paragraph we’re looking at in the
top margin of my PowerPoint so you know where we are
and what the paragraph is about.
The Thessalonian church was the “real deal”. They weren’t fake Christians. See how many things you can find that
indicate that their Christianity was genuine. I count seven, see how many you
can find.
I’ll ask you at the end of the passage if you can list what you’ve seen.
:2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our
prayers,
:3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and
patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,
without ceasing – adialeiptos –
without intermission, incessantly, without ceasing
work – ergon – an act,
deed, thing done
faith – pistis – faith
love – agape – brotherly
love, affection, good will, love, benevolence
patience – hupomone – steadfastness, constancy, endurance;
in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate
purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and
sufferings
hope – elpis – expectation of good, hope
:3 work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope
Paul wrote to the Corinthians,
(1 Corinthians
13:13 NKJV) And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of
these is love.
Those are three magnificent traits that Christians ought to be known for –
faith, hope, and love.
But what does that look like?
Does faith just sit on the couch “trusting” God will fix
everything?
Does love come easy?
Does hope last for ten minutes until the next trial comes?
The Thessalonians understood how these traits of faith, hope, and love worked.
Lesson
Work of faith
There’s a long-standing argument in Christianity over faith and works. Are we saved by faith? Are we saved by works?
We are saved by faith, but it’s a faith that works.
Sometimes we get the idea that having “faith” means doing nothing. But when you genuinely trust the Lord, it often
results in action in your life.
In the movie “Hidden Figures”, three black women in the 1960s are trying to
establish careers at NASA at the beginning of the space program.
There were plenty of white men who didn’t think they could contribute.
There comes a point in the movie where one gal’s boss brings her into a
meeting of the big wigs to figure out where John Glenn’s space capsule will
land. Most of the men don’t think she could handle a calculation like that.
So Katherine does her thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAEnv1PvBvw
If you are a real Christian, you should be able to “do the math”. You should be able to live it out so others
can see it’s real.
There should be a “work of faith”.
Lesson
Labor of love
This is a “keyword”.
Write it down for your quick quiz.
labor – kopos – labor; intense labor united with
trouble and toil
This is give-birth-to-a-baby kind of labor.
This is hard, difficult work.
I don’t know if you’ve realized this yet, but it isn’t always easy loving
people like we should. Sometimes it
takes hard work.
Jesus said,
(Luke 6:27–29 NLT)
—27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do
good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone
slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your
coat, offer your shirt also.
What part of that is easy?
I really love this TV series called “The Chosen”.
If you haven’t seen it yet, go to thechosen.tv or download their free app
on your mobile device. You can watch for
free.
Throughout the first season, the producers are carefully showing you just
how much the Jewish tax-collectors were hated.
They focus on Matthew, who is hated, spit on, and even
rejected by his own parents.
The disciples that follow Jesus (like Simon) are
particularly disgusted with Matthew since he has been a source of trouble with
them and their taxes.
At the end of episode 1.7, Jesus and His disciples are walking through the
marketplace at Capernaum, when they pass by the tax-booth of Matthew while he
is at work.
Even into the second season, you will see over and over
that some of the disciples, like Simon Peter, still have a hard time with
Matthew. They have a hard time loving him.
Love takes labor.
It takes hard work.
Yet something happens when we love others like we are supposed to.
(John 13:34–35
NKJV) —34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I
have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are
My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
People will know that we belong to Jesus.
The last phrase here is…
Lesson
Patience of hope
patience – hupomone – this is the characteristic of a man
who doesn’t quit under the greatest difficulties.
Illustration
Someone once did tests with Norwegian wharf rats. These are the rats that live under the piers
along the waterfront. One group of rats
was placed in a large container of water, in the dark, with no place to stand
on, they had to keep swimming. They all
drowned within fifteen minutes. The second group was placed in a similar
container, yet every ten minutes the lab technician would open the container,
take the rats out, stroke them a few seconds, and put them back in the
water. They didn’t have time to rest,
they just got a little encouragement.
These rats went on swimming for over 12 hours.
They could endure because they had hope.
Sometimes we have mistaken ideas about how things should be.
In the movie “Hidden Figures”, Katherine isn’t just known as a
mathematician, she’s known as a “computer” at NASA, in those days that was a
person who “computes” complex calculations, complex “problems”. Her future husband just can’t imagine that a
woman can do this. At first.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DJ8jYRh_0E
I think that sometimes we get the wrong idea about being a
Christian.
We get to think that being a good Christian means that our
lives don’t have any problems. That’s
like saying that we wouldn’t know how to “compute”
Not at all. Being a
good Christian means that you endure your problems.
You wear glasses. You can do the math.
We endure because we have hope.
It’s easy to endure when life is going well.
Think of the Thessalonians. They
didn’t have an easy life. Their whole
city seemed to be against them.
They endured because they had hope in the Lord.
Hope in the return of Jesus Christ will be a major theme
throughout these letters.
:4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.
election – ekloge – the act of picking out, choosing
:4 your election by God
Paul knew that these men and women had been chosen by God.
Sometimes we get all confused over the question of whether we chose God, or
He chose us.
I have no problem thinking that God chose me before I chose Him.
I found out He chose me when I chose Him.
Illustration
In Jr. High, I was not the most coordinated kid. I think I hold the Ladera Vista record for
strikeouts during lunch time softball. (I picked the nerdiest picture I could
find of me)
I was kind of like this kid…
Video: Values – Greatest Pitcher
https://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/99-the-greatest
Except I didn’t see myself as the greatest pitcher.
Not one hit for two years.
I know what it’s like to not be wanted on a team.
I personally like the idea that God has chosen me.
:5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and
in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were
among you for your sake.
:5 our gospel … in power
word – logos – word
power – dunamis – strength, power, ability.
assurance – plerophoria – full assurance, most certain
confidence
Lesson
A powerful message
The message that Jesus came to die for sinners and bring us back to God is
a powerful message.
But this message is more than words.
The power comes from the Holy
Spirit, when a person truly opens up their life to
God.
The Holy Spirit changes lives.
Just a side note – the third person of the Trinity is not
just any “spirit”, but He is known as the “Holy Spirit”.
In other words, He is all about holiness.
We as charismatic Christians like to talk about the
baptism or fullness of the Spirit, but sometimes we ignore this concept of
“holiness”.
A person who is “full of the Spirit”, ought to display a
life of growing purity, of holiness.
More about this when we get to chapter four.
Holiness isn’t instantaneous. It’s something we grow in as Christians. The process of us growing in holiness is
called “sanctification”.
Illustration
The evangelist Dwight Moody told a story of walking down the street one day
when he was stopped by a drunk. “Mr.
Moody,” said the drunk, “you converted me at one of your meetings!” Moody replied, “Well it certainly looks as if
I converted you. If Jesus had converted
you, you wouldn’t be drunk!”
The real gospel has power in it. It
changes lives. That’s the Spirit.
Illustration
Soon after Saint Augustine’s conversion, he was walking down the street in
Milan, Italy. There he accosted a
prostitute whom he had known most intimately.
She called but he would not answer. He kept right on walking. “Augustine,” she called again. “It is I!”
Without slowing down, but with assurance of Christ in his heart, he
testified, “Yes, but it is no longer I.”
Augustine had experienced the power of God in his life. His life had been changed.
:5 what kind of men we were among you
Paul will give us a bit more of his example when we get to chapter two.
These people didn’t just hear words from Paul, they saw up close that what
he talked about was real because of what they saw in Paul’s life. His walk
matched his talk.
:5 for your sake
As you’ll see next week, Paul’s life example didn’t exactly match those of
some of our evangelical super-stars.
Some might call Paul a little bit of a “wimp” when he describes himself …
(1
Thessalonians 2:7 NKJV) But we were gentle among you, just
as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.
But keep in mind who was on Paul’s heart when he chose how to conduct
himself.
Paul wasn’t out to make himself a “superstar”.
He wasn’t out to make himself some sort of a Marvel Super-hero, where he is
the hero of every story he tells.
He was trying to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
His concern was on those he ministered to, not his own reputation.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians –
(1
Corinthians 9:22 NKJV) to the weak I became as weak, that I
might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
:6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word
in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,
:6 followers of us and of the Lord
followers – mimetes (“mimic”) – an imitator
It’s kind of like doing an “impression”.
I will sometimes do impressions for my grandkids – like Winnie the Pooh,
Kermit the Frog, or Goofy.
The Thessalonians were learning to “do an impression” of Paul.
This is what “discipleship” or “mentoring” ought to be about.
When people do an “impression” of you, they learn what it is to follow
Jesus.
:6 received the word in much affliction
affliction – thlipsis – a pressing, pressing together,
pressure; metaph. oppression, affliction, tribulation
As we saw in Acts 17, things didn’t go easy for the church in Thessalonica.
They had lots of opposition. And
they still followed Jesus. And with joy.
How a person goes through difficulty can give us a hint as to how genuine
their faith is.
Jesus told a story about how the gospel affects different people by
likening it to seeds being sown in different kinds of soil.
(Matthew 13:20–21
NLT) —20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message
and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They
fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s
word.
The Thessalonians endured their afflictions, and still had joy.
:7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.
:7 in Macedonia and Achaia
The northern and southern parts of Greece.
Thessalonica was in the northern, Macedonian part of Greece. Paul is writing from Corinth, located in the
southern part, Achaia.
Can you name the other cities of Macedonia we’ve talked about? (Philippi,
Berea)
Can you name another city in Achaia? (Athens)
:7 you became examples
examples – tupos (“type”) – the mark of a stroke or blow
A “typewriter” strikes a ribbon and leaves a mark.
The Thessalonians had left a mark on those throughout Greece in how they
had dealt with their persecution.
People need to “see” the gospel leave a mark.
Illustration
Frightened by the clamor of thunder in the night, a little child cried
out. Holding her securely in his arms,
her father explained that she needn’t fear.
God would take care of her because He loved her greatly.
“I know God will take care of me and love me,” she replied. “But right now,
Daddy, I want someone with skin on to love me.”
That’s what people need, for us to be God’s love to them with “skin on”.
That’s what it means to leave a mark, to set an example.
Lesson
Setting the right example
This is another “keyword”
The Thessalonians set the “right example” by how they endured their
afflictions.
In the year 165AD, a devastating epidemic swept through the Roman
Empire. Some think this might have been
the first appearance of smallpox in the west.
The epidemic lasted 15 years, and close to a third of the population
died from it. Emperor Marcus Aurelius
(who would later die of the disease) wrote about caravans of carts and wagons
hauling away the dead.
A century later there was another equally devastating plague. Bishop Dionysius described events in
Alexandria: “At the first onset of the disease, they [pagans] pushed the
sufferers away and fled from their dearest, throwing them into the roads before
they were dead and treated unburied corpses as dirt, hoping thereby to avert
the spread and contagion of the fatal disease; but do what they might, they
found it difficult to escape”….
Christians on the other hand acted differently. They sought to take care of the sick rather
than abandon them.
In the fourth century, the emperor Julian tried to restore paganism, and
wrote to the high priest of Galatia to encourage the pagans to distribute grain
and wine to the poor, noting that “the impious Galileans [Christians], in
addition to their own, support ours, [and] it is shameful that our poor should
be wanting our aid.”
(he was frustrated that pagans didn’t even help their own people, but the
Christians helped everyone)
In the year 165, during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, a devastating
epidemic swept through the Roman Empire. Some medical historians suspect this
was the first appearance of smallpox in the West. Whatever the actual disease,
it was lethal—as many contagious diseases are when they strike a previously
unexposed population. During the fifteen-year duration of the epidemic, a
quarter to a third of the population probably died of it. At the height of the
epidemic, mortality was so great in many cities that the emperor Marcus
Aurelius (who subsequently died of the disease) wrote of caravans of carts and
wagons hauling out the dead. Then, a century later came another great plague.
Once again the Greco-Roman world trembled as, on all
sides, family, friends, and neighbors died horribly. No one knew how to treat
the stricken. Nor did most people try. During the first plague, the famous
classical physician Galen fled Rome for his country estate where he stayed
until the danger subsided. But for those who could not flee, the typical
response was to try to avoid any contact with the afflicted, since it was
understood that the disease was contagious. Hence, when their first symptom
appeared, victims often were thrown into the streets, where the dead and dying
lay in piles. In a pastoral letter written during the second epidemic (ca.
251), Bishop Dionysius described events in Alexandria: “At the first onset of
the disease, they [pagans] pushed the sufferers away and fled from their
dearest, throwing them into the roads before they were dead and treated
unburied corpses as dirt, hoping thereby to avert the spread and contagion of
the fatal disease; but do what they might, they found it difficult to escape”….
As for action, Christians met the obligation to care for the sick rather
than desert them, and thereby saved enormous numbers of lives! As William H.
McNeill pointed out in his celebrated Plagues and Peoples, under the
circumstances prevailing in this era, even “quite elementary nursing will
greatly reduce mortality. Simple provision of food and water, for instance,
will allow persons who are temporarily too weak to cope for themselves to
recover instead of perishing miserably.” It is entirely plausible that
Christian nursing would have reduced mortality by as much as two-thirds! The
fact that most stricken Christians survived did not go unnoticed, lending
immense credibility to Christian "miracle working." Indeed, the
miracles often included pagan neighbors and relatives. This surely must have
produced some conversions, especially by those who were nursed back to health.
In addition, while Christians did nurse some pagans, being so outnumbered,
obviously they could not have cared for most of them, while all, or nearly all,
Christians would have been nursed. Hence Christians as a group would have
enjoyed a far superior survival rate, and, on these grounds alone, the
percentage of Christians in the population would have increased substantially as a result of both plagues.
What went on during the epidemics was only an intensification of what went
on every day among Christians… Indeed, the impact of Christian mercy was so
evident that in the fourth century when the emperor Julian attempted to restore
paganism, he exhorted the pagan priesthood to compete with the Christian
charities. In a letter to the high priest of Galatia, Julian urged the
distribution of grain and wine to the poor, noting that “the impious Galileans
[Christians], in addition to their own, support ours, [and] it is shameful that
our poor should be wanting our aid.” But there was little or no response to
Julian’s proposals because there were no doctrines and no traditional practices
for the pagan priest to build upon…. Christians believed in life everlasting.
At most, pagans believed in an unattractive existence in the underworld. Thus,
for Galen to have remained in Rome to treat the afflicted during the first
great plague would have required far greater bravery than was needed by
Christian deacons and presbyters to do so. Faith mattered.[1]
I’m not trying to get political here.
But I think we need to be careful about how we act during our own
pandemic. I get concerned that some in
the church are more concerned about their “rights” than they are in reaching
lost people for Jesus.
I love what our pastor is doing with our local school district. Rather than yelling at the school district
for what we perceive they are or aren’t doing, we’ve come alongside and are helping
to feed needy families. And the school
district is paying attention.
The Thessalonians set the right example by learning to endure their
afflictions with joy.
How do people see you handling the pandemic? Do they see your joy in the Lord? Do they see you serving the Lord?
Or do they hear your whining?
:8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in
Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone
out, so that we do not need to say anything.
:8 from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth
sounded forth – execheomai – to
sound forth, emit, sound, resound. The
word carries the idea of to “echo out”.
Not only did word get out about the church in Thessalonica, but some of the
believers in Thessalonica themselves would join Paul’s team and preach the
gospel.
Paul eventually left Corinth, spent three years in Ephesus, and when he
left there, he had some Thessalonians with him (4 ½ years after being in
Thessalonica)
(Acts 20:4 NKJV) And Sopater
of Berea accompanied him to Asia—also Aristarchus and Secundus of the
Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of
Asia.
Aristarchus would still be with Paul when he was being sent to Rome as a
prisoner in Acts 27:2.
(Acts 27:2 NKJV) —2
So,
entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts
of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us.
He would also be with Paul when Paul wrote to the Colossians and Philemon.
(Colossians 4:10 NKJV) Aristarchus my fellow prisoner
greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received
instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him),
(Philemon
23–24 NKJV) —23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in
Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 as do Mark,
Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow laborers.
:8 Macedonia and Achaia
A little geographical refresher.
Macedonia is the northern area of modern Greece.
This is where Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea are.
Achaia is the southern area of modern Greece.
This is where Athen and Corinth are.
:8 but also in every place
This little persecuted church of Thessalonica has made an impact on the
world.
:9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to
you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
:9 they themselves declare
declare – apaggello – to bring tidings (from a person or a
thing), bring word, report; to proclaim, to make known openly, declare
entry – eisodos – an entrance; the place or way leading
into a place (as a gate); the act of entering
turned – epistrepho – to turn to
The people of Macedonia and Achaia had told Paul about the effect the
gospel had upon the believers in Thessalonica.
They had turned away from their idols to serve the true God.
This is what “repentance” is.
Turning from something, and turning towards
God.
:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even
Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
:10 to wait for His Son from heaven
to wait – anameno – to wait for one (with the added
notion of patience and trust)
The theme of the Second Coming will be a big one to the Thessalonians.
They learned to “serve” while they were “waiting”.
:10 who delivers us from the wrath to come
When Jesus returns to the earth, He will judge the earth.
Because Jesus died to pay for our sins and we have put our faith in Him, we
will not have to face the judgment of God.
One last overall lesson…
Lesson
The Real Deal
Paul has mentioned several things through this paragraph (vs. 2-10) that
speak of the proof of the conversion of these folks in Thessalonica. These were the things that made them the
“Real Deal”.
Do you recall any of them? What
showed they were genuine believers, the real deal?
Their work of faith
Their labor of love
Their patience of hope
Their example of enduring under affliction with joy
They turned from idols.
They serve the Living God
They are waiting for Jesus’ return
These are the kinds of things that show others that our faith in Jesus is
real.
Homework
Read both 1&2Thessalonians in NIV
Memorize 1Thess. 2:8
(1
Thessalonians 2:8 NKJV) So, affectionately longing for you,
we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our
own lives, because you had become dear to us.
Be ready to recite it in class next week.
Memorize it soon so you can chew on it during the week.
Go to our class’s “test” section
Share a prayer request
Take the Quick Quiz for you.
In three weeks I’ll ask you to pick your passage
to do your short devotional on.
Keywords
Which was one of the things that showed that the Thessalonians were genuine
Christians?
Labor of love
They knew lots of Bible verses
Their parents were good Christians
What was another thing that showed the Thessalonians were genuine
Christians?
They set the right example
They protested against Rome
They only used the King James Bible