Thessalonians - Part 13

Bridging from 1st to 2nd Thessalonians 

•1 Thessalonians - Three key purposes in mind.

1.To express his thanks to God for them (1:2; 2:13; 3:9)

2.To explain why he had not yet visited them again (2:17-18)

3.To correct doctrinal (3:10; 4:13; 5:1-11) and practical (4:1-12; 5:12-18) problems.

•1 Thessalonians

•expresses his thanks and praise for the Thessalonian believers (1:2-10).

•encourage the Christians who were making good progress in their new faith (2:1-16).

•defend himself against attacks by his enemies, specifically his Jewish opponents (2:1-16).

•Exhort his readers to stand firm in persecution—and not return to paganism (2:17—3:13).

•encourage his readers to continue growing in Christ (4:1-12; 5:16-24).

•clarify the "fate" of Christians who die before the Lord's return (4:13-18)

•urge his readers to watch for the Lord to return (5:1-11).

•deal with certain aspects of church life (5:12-15).

•Paul’s message to the Thessalonian church can be summarized in one word—“hope.”

•Paul’s central emphasis: in the tumult, chaos, confusion, and rough-and-tumble of life, you must trust God and God’s future by moving forward in faith and faithfulness

•Paul’s Faith / Hope / Love - 1 Thessalonians 1:2–3 (ESV)

• We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

•Application - Paul called the Thessalonians his hope, glory, and joy. That’s affirmation!

•Do you frequently affirm the people you love?

•Do you strive to spend time with them, seek them out, send them your greetings, even drop them a note?

•First, with regard to our commitment to fellow Christians, Paul’s words remind us that we must be ready to accept, support, and encourage one another in the family of God to excel in works of faith, in labor of love, and in perseverance of hope.

•Second, regarding our commitment to non-Christians, Paul’s words inform us that we must live in such a way that our actions are evidence of the word of the living God for all those who are lost.

•Third, concerning our commitment to Christ, Paul’s words urge us to be free of any and all entanglements that pull us away from the Savior. 

2nd Thessalonians - What could have been in the message to Paul that caused him to Write another letter

Timing / Occasion for 2 THESSALONIANS

•The Thessalonians had made progress in their faith and love (1:3).

•They had remained firm under repeated outbreaks of persecution (1:4)

•Their distress about the death of their loved ones had been relieved by the teachings of the First Epistle.

•But their excitement relative to the second coming had been intensified.

•They were agitated by the view “that the day of the Lord is already here” (2 Thess. 2:2, Gr.).

•Thinking that they were already in “the day of the Lord” just preceding His return, they were looking for the immediate return of Christ.

•This expectancy of a speedy coming of the Lord had even caused some of them to give up their accustomed occupations.

•This leisure time had led some of them to become busybodies, interfering with those who wanted to work (3:10–12)

•2 Thessalonians - Synopsis / purpose

•encourage to persevere in the face of continuing persecution (1:3-10).

•Clarify the events/chronological order—the day of the Lord, to dispel false teaching (2:1-12).

•instruct the church how to deal with lazy Christians in their midst (3:6-15).

•The place/date of writing – (Salutation – list writers)

•Corinth – last time Paul, Silas, and Timothy together

•1st letter writing was AD 50 – 2nd letter writing was about the Winter of AD 51

•2 Thessalonians - Three main groups of people are addressed in this epistle:

1.Persecutors of the church (chapter 1)

2.False teachers (chapter 2)

3.Idle church members (chapter 3). 

Application

•Faith and Hope, Not Fear and Fretting

•Unity in Ministry

•Working for the Kingdom

•First, join the work of the church through prayer. 

•Second, join the work of the church through giving.

•Third, join the work of the church through serving.

•So what are you waiting for? The Second Coming? Join in on the work of your church through persistent prayer, consistent giving, and committed involvement in serving. Start today!

• Notes from Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on 1 & 2 Thessalonians, vol. 10, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2016)