Monday, August 24, 2015

1 Thessalonians 2

Barclay's list of the false accusations against Paul from this chapter:

  • Paul has a police record and is therefore untrustworthy (verse 2, referring to his imprisonment in Philippi).
  • Paul is delusional (1 Thessalonians 2:3, error).
  • Paul's ministry is based on impure motives (1 Thessalonians 2:3, uncleanness).
  • Paul deliberately deceives others (1 Thessalonians 2:3, in deceit).
  • Paul preaches to please others, not God (1 Thessalonians 2:4, not as pleasing men).
  • Paul is in the ministry as a mercenary, to get what he can out of it materially (1 Thessalonians 2:5, 2:9, nor a cloak for covetousness).
  • Paul only wants personal glory (1 Thessalonians 2:6, nor did we seek glory from men).
  • Paul is something of a dictator (1 Thessalonians 2:7 we were gentle among you).

(1) You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure.

  • Not a failure:
    • Opponents claimed that Paul’s visit was a failure since he and Silas were "run out of town" after only three Sabbath services.

(2) You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition.

  • Philippi:
    • Philippi is about eighty-five miles northeast of Thessalonica, about three or four days away by foot.
    • Acts 16:12-15: From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days. On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.
  • Badly treated:
    • Acts 16:22-23: “A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape.
  • Courage ... boldly:
    • Paul's enemies said he left town quickly because he was a self-serving coward.
  • Here is the record of Paul’s visits to these Greek/Macedonian cities:
    • Philippi - Beaten and jailed.
    • Thessalonica - Riot, Paul escapes by night.
    • Berea - More trouble, Paul goes to Athens.
    • Athens - Ridicule from the intellectuals.
    • Corinth - Taken to court, falsely accused.

(3) So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery.

  • Not ... deceit ... impure motives ... trickery:
    • Paul did not seek money, fame or popularity by sharing the Good News by showing that he and Silas had suffered for sharing the Good News in Philippi.
    • The tactics of the enemy are always the same: smear the messenger and thereby smear the message. By discrediting Paul and his message the enemy would also discredit the authenticity of the Thessalonians' faith.
    • Apparently, Paul had been accused of using shady means and ulterior motives in his ministry in Thessalonica.

(4) For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.

  • Please God, not people:
    • The Tyndale Commentary: “The point is that, while Paul served men, he did not live to serve them. His service was primarily service of God, and he delighted to refer to himself as ‘the slave of God’, or ‘of Christ’.”
    • Galatians 1:10: Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

(5) Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money!

  • Flattery:
    • The word "flattery" (kolakeia) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. One of the principal arts of the deceiver on all subjects is flattery; and Paul says, that when preaching to the Thessalonians he had carefully avoided it. He now appeals to that fact as a proof of his own integrity.
    • Paul is denying several false charges. The purpose of flattery is to gain power over people, commonly used by religious charlatans even today. Paul says he didn't do that because God is watching.
    • Proverbs 26:28: A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.
    • Proverbs 29:5: To flatter friends is to lay a trap for their feet.
  • Pretending:
    • One of our problems with most politicians is that we know they are just pretending to really care about us.
    • Luke 16:15: Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.
  • Money:
    • Of all the complaints hurled against the church by outsiders, the greatest one is this: “All they care about is money,” which is often true. A quick "Google" search about the riches accumulated by some of the television evangelists and the mansions they live in is quite revealing.

    • Above - Billy Graham's house in North Carolina.
      Billy Graham never took a salary over $100,000.

      Above - T. D Jakes' $1,700,000 mansion

      Above - Joel Olsteen's $10,500,000 mansion.

      Above - One of many of Pat Robertson's properties.

      Above - Benny Hinn's property

      Above - Kenneth Copeland's lake front mansion.

      Above - The Joyce Meyer Family Compound

      Above image from www.simplicityinthegospel.com/2014_06_08_archive.html
    • L. Ron Hubbard (Founder of Scientology) once said "Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wanted to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion."
    • Compare the clothing worn by the head of the Roman church and his attendants and a representation what John the Baptist wore and tell me who is all about money!
    • Matthew 6:19-21,24: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. ... “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
    • Matthew 8:20: But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
    • Mark 10:21-23: Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”
    • Acts 20:33-35: “I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes. You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
    • 2 Corinthians 2:17: You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.
    • 1 Timothy 6:10: For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

(6) As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else.

  • Human praise:
    • We enjoy the praise of others. The danger is, we might crave the praise of men and live for the praise of others. The religious hypocrites in Matthew 6 were guilty of this. Men-pleasers seek the approval of men above the approval of  God. The personal priority of every child of God must be, to seek the approval of God.
    • Matthew 6:2: When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do - blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.
    • Matthew 23:1-12: Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’ “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
    • Luke 6:26: What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets.
    • John 5:40-42: Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life. “Your approval means nothing to me, because I know you don’t have God’s love within you.
    • John 12:42-43: Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.
    • Acts 12:1-3: About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration. )
    • Galatians 1:10: Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

(7) As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children.

  • Like children ... a mother:
    • David Guzik: "Paul was like a nursing mother, who only looks to give to her child. Though some among the Thessalonians had accused Paul of ministering out of self interest, but Paul simply asks the Christians in Thessalonica to remember the gentle character of his ministry among them."

(8) We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.

  • Our own lives:
    • David Guzik: "It has been said that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Paul gave both his care and his knowledge to the Thessalonians."

(9) Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you.

  • Earn a living:
    • Ray Stedman: "Every Jewish boy had to learn a trade, and Paul's trade was tent making. Rather than take offerings from his new converts, he worked long hours into the night making tents. Perhaps, as they listened to him teaching and instructing them during the daytime, these Thessalonians noticed that Paul's hands were not the cultured, soft hands of a rich man who had never worked. They were, rather, the horny hands of a laborer who worked hard at his trade, and they knew it was in order that he might bless them, and not be a burden on them."
    • Acts 18:1-3: Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.
    • 1 Corinthians 9:3-14: This is my answer to those who question my authority. Don’t we have the right to live in your homes and share your meals? Don’t we have the right to bring a believing wife with us as the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers do, and as Peter does? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have to work to support ourselves? What soldier has to pay his own expenses? What farmer plants a vineyard and doesn’t have the right to eat some of its fruit? What shepherd cares for a flock of sheep and isn’t allowed to drink some of the milk? Am I expressing merely a human opinion, or does the law say the same thing? For the law of Moses says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this? Wasn’t he actually speaking to us? Yes, it was written for us, so that the one who plows and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest. Since we have planted spiritual seed among you, aren’t we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink? If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported? But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ. Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings. In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it.
      • By the way, did you notice the comment above about Peter's wife - the so-called first pope?
    • 2 Corinthians 11:8-9: I “robbed” other churches by accepting their contributions so I could serve you at no cost. And when I was with you and didn’t have enough to live on, I did not become a financial burden to anyone. For the brothers who came from Macedonia brought me all that I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be.
    • Philippians 4:16: Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once.
    • 2 Thessalonians 3:7-8: For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you.  We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you.

(10) You yourselves are our witnesses - and so is God - that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers.

  • What this means is: "We honored God, we treated people right and we gave no one a legitimate reason to blame us for our behavior." Paul was above reproach.

(11) And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children.

  • Paul changed the metaphor of a mother's care to that of a father's care. It was Paul's love as a parent that motivated his care of the Thessalonians. This is in stark contrast to the way many ministers view the people to whom they minister today.

(12) We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.

  • Worthy ("walk worthy of God" in the KJV):
    • "Walk" is the Greek verb peripateo, which means: "to walk, live, conduct one's life." It literally means: "to walk about or around."
      "Worthy" is the adverb axios, which means: "worthily, in a manner worthy of, suitably."
    • Illustration by Pastor Chris Jordan at SermonCentral.com from the movie The Lion King: "Young lion cub Simba was born to be king, but because of a mistake, he ran away from the kingdom and ended up ‘in the world’ living a “Hakuna Matata” life – no worries, no responsibilities. However, he had a vision of his father saying, “Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king!” We need to remember who we are in CHRIST! O We are children of the King – royalty – let’s act like it!"
    • Excerpt from John Piper at www.desiringgod.org/articles/walk-worthy-of-god: Hebrews 11:6 says, "it is impossible to please God without faith" So the call to walk in "in a way that God would consider worthy" is at least a call to walk by faith. Walking "worthy of the Lord" would mean acting in a way that shows how worthy and able and gracious and strong the Lord is. Act in a way that fits the great value and glorious nature of God and the gospel and your calling. And what fits with that great value? Faith. Above all things, faith and its fruit of love fits the worth of God and the gospel.
    • From What's Wrong With Postmodern Evangelicalism's 'Come As You Are' Message?" by Dr. Paul M. Elliott:
      1. First of all, walking worthy of the Lord means understanding what pleases Him - that is, His will. "Be filled with (that is, controlled by) the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." That is how you will understand what pleases the Lord, by getting ever deeper into His Word, and thus understanding His will, what glorifies Him.
      2. Secondly, walking worthy of the Lord means understanding who He is. Paul goes into considerable depth on that subject in Colossians chapter one. It is a rich and comprehensive picture of who the Lord Jesus Christ is, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do in the future. Desiring to fully please Him is thoroughly bound up in an understanding of who He is, that He is the Sovereign Creator and God of the Universe, and that you belong to Him and not to yourself.
      3. Thirdly, walking worthy of the Lord means understanding the imperative that governs your relationship with Him as Savior and Lord. It is a slap in the face of Christ to say that He is your Lord and Savior, but live like the devil. We are to "walk worthy of the Lord." The word translated "worthy" literally means, "of equal weight." The idea is that we as Christians are to live a life that is as much like the life of the Lord Jesus Christ as we possibly can. God says, "Be holy, because I am holy." That is the standard.
    • From "What Does It Mean to Walk Worthy of Christ?" by Dr. Paul M. Elliott: Six Characteristics of a Worthy Walk:
      "As we look closely at Colossians 1:10-12 we find that Paul lays out several key characteristics of a walk that is worthy of the name of Christ.
      1. Walking worthy of the Lord means pursuing the goal of pleasing the Lord in everything you do, in all areas of your life. We find this in verse ten: "that you might walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him," in other words, conducting your entire life with a view toward pleasing Christ.
      2. Walking worthy of the Lord means continually bearing the right kind of fruit. We find this also in verse ten "being fruitful in every good work."
      3. Walking worthy of the Lord means continually increasing in your knowledge of God. We find that also in verse ten. The Christian needs to accumulate knowledge of God from God's Word for the right reason, for the goal of a worthy walk. And because a worthy walk is a lifetime pursuit, increasing your knowledge of God is also a lifetime pursuit. You can never say, "I know enough. I've arrived. I don't need any more. I can rest on the knowledge I have." God always has more to teach you. You will never exhaust the depths of His Word.
      4. Walking worthy of the Lord means continually receiving God's strength. We find that in verse 11: "strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power." Not proceeding in our own strength, but in God's strength. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," Paul says in Philippians 4:13. And here in Colossians the word "strengthened" is a passive verb. It is something God does to us, does for us.
      5. Walking worthy of the Lord means that God will build patience and longsuffering into your way of life. We find this also in verse 11: "for all patience and longsuffering with joy" The word "patience" has to do with endurance, with steadfast waiting on God. The word "longsuffering" has to do with calmness and forbearance in the Christian life.
      6. Walking worthy of the Lord involves continually giving joyful praise to God, because of what He has done for us through Christ. In most Bible translations, the words "with joy" appear at the end of verse eleven, which connects them with patience and longsuffering. But those words also have a connection to what follows in verse twelve: "with joy giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light." The reason the Christian can praise and thank God the Father, even in the midst of situations that require patience and longsuffering, is because of what God the Father has done for us through Christ. We have a glorious inheritance - the new heavens and the new earth, eternal life with Christ, and all the yet-to-be-revealed glories that await us. All because of the preeminent Christ!"
    • Ephesians 4:1-2: Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
    • Philippians 1:27: Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
    • Colossians 1:10 (ESV): so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
    • 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2: Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

(13) Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God - which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.

  • Mere human ideas:
    • The Good News of Christ is not empty Greek philosophy, to which they were accustomed.
    • 1 Corinthians 1:18: The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
  • Word of God:
    • Daniel Webster said, "If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper. But if we or our posterity neglect it and its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity." Webster's words have proved to prophetic as we watch this country sink into the slime of abortion, gay marriage, denial of Christ, main-stream churches denying the Bible and Christ and our politicians and bureaucrats becoming increasingly isolated and corrupt.
    • Ray Stedman: "Jeremiah says that the Word of God came to him like a "burning in his bones," Jeremiah 20:9). It was something he had to utter; he could not keep quiet about it. Elijah declared that the Word of God came to him like "a still small voice," (1 Kings 19:12). It probably was not a voice at all but a quiet realization that God was speaking to him. Daniel said that God spoke to him in "visions and dreams in the night" (Daniel 2:9, 7:2, 8:2, 10:8 and others), and he went on to interpret those strange and marvelous dreams and visions. Moses said that when God communicated with him, he spoke to him "face-to-face, like a man speaks with his friends," (Exodus 33:11). That does not mean that Moses saw God, because the Bible also says that no one has ever seen God. What Moses was saying was that the communication was so clear it was as though God was speaking directly to him. As a result, Moses wrote the first five books in our Bible. The Apostle Peter wrote that "holy men of old spoke as they were carried along by the Spirit," (2 Peter 1:21 KJV). This is the most common way in which the Word of God has come to us."
    • Jeremiah 20:9: But if I say I’ll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!
    • John 1:1: In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
    • 2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
    • Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
  • Work (Greek energeo):
    • It's the word of God that energizes believers and is the power of God!

(14) And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God’s churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews.

  • Suffered persecution:
    • 2 Corinthians 8:1-2: Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.
    • Hebrews 10:32-34: Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.
  • The Jews:
    • Hiebert: "The Jews' opposition to the work of the missionaries among the Gentiles was not due to the fact that they were seeking to win Gentiles. The Jews themselves were vigorously engaged in this period of their history in actively proselytizing Gentiles. Their fierce opposition was due to the fact that Christian missionaries offered salvation to Gentiles without demanding that they first become Jews." This opposition by the Jews in modern Israel exists today - it is illegal to openly proselytize in Israel.
    • They had become the opposite of what God had intended them to be:
      • Isaiah 49:6: He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
    • Having been one of the persecutors himself, Paul knew what he was saying.
    • Matthew 12:14: Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus.
    • Matthew 26:3-4,59: At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. ... Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death.
    • Matthew 27:1: Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death.
    • Mark 11:18, 14:1: When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching. ... It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him.
    • John 5:17-18: But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.
    • Acts 2:23,36: But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. ... “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”
    • Acts 5:30: The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross.
    • Acts 7:51-53: “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One - the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”
    • Acts 8:1: Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.
    • Acts 14:2: Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas.
    • Acts 17:5-6: But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too.
    • Acts 17:13: But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble.
    • Acts 20:19: I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews.
    • 1 Corinthians 15:9: For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
    • 1 Timothy 1:12-13: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.

(15) For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity

  • Jews killed the prophets:
    • 1 Kings 19:10,14: Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” ... He replied again, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
    • Nehemiah 9:26: But despite all this, they were disobedient and rebelled against you. They turned their backs on your Law, they killed your prophets who warned them to return to you, and they committed terrible blasphemies.
    • Jeremiah 26:20-23: At this time Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim was also prophesying for the LORD. And he predicted the same terrible disaster against the city and nation as Jeremiah did. When King Jehoiakim and the army officers and officials heard what he was saying, the king sent someone to kill him. But Uriah heard about the plan and escaped in fear to Egypt. Then King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Acbor to Egypt along with several other men to capture Uriah. They took him prisoner and brought him back to King Jehoiakim. The king then killed Uriah with a sword and had him buried in an unmarked grave.
    • Matthew 23:37-39: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord’
    • Luke 24:19-20: “What things?” Jesus asked. “The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him.
    • John 18:35: “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?”
    • John 19:11: Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”
    • Acts 7:52-60: Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One - the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One - the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
    • Hebrews 11:35-40: Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.
  • Persecuted us too:
    • It was characteristic of them to persecute, and they spared no one. If they had persecuted the apostles themselves, who were their own countrymen, it should not be considered strange that they should persecute those who were Gentiles.

(16) as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.

  • Gentiles:
    • Matthew 21:33-46: “Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same. “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him. “When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?” The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.” Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’ I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on. ” When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them - they were the wicked farmers. They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.
    • Acts 9:15-16: But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
    • Acts 13:44-50: The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’ ”When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region. Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town.
    • Acts 15:1-29: While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers : “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question. The church sent the delegates to Jerusalem, and they stopped along the way in Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers. They told them - much to everyone’s joy - that the Gentiles, too, were being converted. When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported everything God had done through them. But then some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.” So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. When they had finished, James stood and said, “Brothers, listen to me. Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. And this conversion of Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted. As it is written: ‘Afterward I will return and restore the fallen house of David. I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, so that the rest of humanity might seek the LORD, including the Gentiles - all those I have called to be mine. The LORD has spoken - he who made these things known so long ago.’ “And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.” Then the apostles and elders together with the whole church in Jerusalem chose delegates, and they sent them to Antioch of Syria with Paul and Barnabas to report on this decision. The men chosen were two of the church leaders - Judas (also called Barsabbas) and Silas. This is the letter they took with them: “This letter is from the apostles and elders, your brothers in Jerusalem. It is written to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Greetings! “We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but we did not send them! So we decided, having come to complete agreement, to send you official representatives, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are sending Judas and Silas to confirm what we have decided concerning your question. “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements: You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell.”
    • Acts 20:21: I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike - the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.
    • Acts 22:21-22: “But the Lord said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’ ” The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, “Away with such a fellow! He isn’t fit to live!”
    • Romans 1:5: Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.
    • Romans 3:29: After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is.
    • Romans 11:13: I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this,
    • Romans 11:25: I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.
    • Romans 15:16-18: I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit. So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them.
    • Galatians 1:15-16: But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being.
    • Galatians 2:2,7-9: I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing. ... Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles. In fact, James, Peter, and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews.
    • Ephesians 3:1-2,8: 1 When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . . assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. ... Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.
    • Colossians 1:27: For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.
    • 1 Timothy 2:7: And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I’m not exaggerating - just telling the truth.
  • Pile up their sins:
    • Ephesians 5:6: Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.
  • Caught up with them:
    • Ray Stedman: "Paul makes reference to the dark cloud of national disaster that was hanging over Israel at this time. As he wrote this letter, the Roman armies were already hassled by Jewish rebellion. Before long they would lay siege to Jerusalem and finally break down its walls, destroy the temple, take the Jews captive, and lead them out into dispersion among the nations of the earth. Paul knew that was coming. God has in great patience allowed them to "fill up the measure of their sins." He waited to the last moment. God is not an angry, vindictive Being who hurls thunderbolts of judgment upon men at slight provocation. No, he gives us a chance to wake up see what is happening to us, and waits for us to change. But if we do not, there comes a time when he forces us to live with the consequences of our actions. Disasters hit in order to shake us and wake us. That is what Paul is talking about. God's wrath brings upon us terrible consequences as a last-ditch measure to open our eyes to reality."
    • Paul was aware of what Jesus had prophesied about Jerusalem, he was aware of what the Old Testament had said awaited the Jews (and the world) e.g. Daniel 9.27 about the sacrilegious object that causes desecration, he was aware that at the Judgment the final wrath of God would be revealed. He saw it all as one. It was all the consequence of their rejection of their destiny. His emphasis is on that rejection, with its resulting consequence, not on the detail of the outworking of the wrath.
    • America also has rejected Jesus Christ and turned to the grossest of sins. America too will fall under the judging hand of Almighty God. God will not long tolerate a nation who turns to sin.
    • Paul was saying that God's mercy for the Jews was running out. Paul's prediction came true with the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place in A.D. 70 under the Roman general Titus, who later became emperor.
    • Romans 10:19-21: But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said, “I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.” And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying, “I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.” But regarding Israel, God said, “All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.”

(17) Dear brothers and sisters, after we were separated from you for a little while (though our hearts never left you), we tried very hard to come back because of our intense longing to see you again.

  • Separated from you:
    • The Greek word here rendered, "separated from you" (aporfanisyentev) is related to the idea of being orphaned having lost a parent
    • Acts 20:1-5 describes Paul's eventual return to Thessalonica and to other churches in the area: When the uproar was over, Paul sent for the believers and encouraged them. Then he said good-bye and left for Macedonia. While there, he encouraged the believers in all the towns he passed through. Then he traveled down to Greece, where he stayed for three months. He was preparing to sail back to Syria when he discovered a plot by some Jews against his life, so he decided to return through Macedonia. Several men were traveling with him. They were Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica; Gaius from Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. They went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.
    • Romans 15:25-26: But before I come, I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there. For you see, the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem.

(18) We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us.

  • Satan:
    • Satan tricked Eve. Satan provoked David to number Israel. Satan tested Job. In Zechariah's day, Satan resisted Joshua the High Priest. Satan tempted Jesus three times in the wilderness. Satan wanted to sift Peter like wheat. Satan afflicted a woman for eighteen years (in Luke 13). Satan entered into Judas Iscariot. Satan filled Annanias' heart to lie to the Holy Spirit. A messenger of Satan buffeted Paul. Don't let anybody tell you that Satan is not a real being.
    • John 8:44: For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
    • 2 Corinthians 2:11: so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.
    • Ephesians 6:12: For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
    • 1 Peter 5:8: Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

(19) After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you!

  • When he returns:
    • Every chapter in 1st Thessalonians has some reference to Jesus’ Second Coming.
  • Crown: (Greek - stephanos)
    • A crown in the ancient world was a picture of victory - the proof that his "visit to you was not a failure" (verse 1)
    • Philippians 4:1: Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
    • 2 Timothy 4:7-8: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me - the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
  • Returns (Greek - parousia):
    • "Parousia ["coming"] comes from two words: 'to be' and 'present.'
    • Parousia is used outside the New Testament to refer to the coming visit or arrival of a king to a city, whose "visitations" were revered and sometimes even feared.
    • Jesus is coming again! This is the first of six occurrences in Paul's Thessalonian letters of the Greek word parousia ("coming"), as it relates to the second coming of Christ:, all of which refer to the same event. Paul's only other use of the term in this sense occurs in 1 Corinthians 15:23:
      • 1 Thessalonians 3:13: May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.
      • 1 Thessalonians 4:15: We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.
      • 1 Thessalonians 5:23: Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
      • 2 Thessalonians 2:1: Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.
      • 2 Thessalonians 2:8: Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.
      • 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10: And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people - praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.
      • 1 Corinthians 15:23: But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.
      • 2 Corinthians 1:14: even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.
      • Philippians 2:16: Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.

(20) Yes, you are our pride and joy.

  • Christ's coming is when the outcome of our works of faith will be disclosed. Paul's joy and crown at that day will be the presence of his beloved spiritual children, those who were converted under his ministry. May we too see those we have won to Him.

APPLICATION:

  • J. Vernon McGee: "Is anyone going to be in heaven who will come up to you and thank you for having a part in giving out the Word of God? It is a wonderful hope to look forward to the time when Christ Jesus takes the church out of this world. It is even more joyous to know that someone who trusted Christ because of your witness will go along with you to meet the Lord!"
  • Dr. Ray Pritchard: "What will you have to show for your life when you stand before Jesus Christ? A good job? A college degree? Money in the bank? Lots of friends? A large reputation? A successful career? The praise of others? If that’s all you’ve got to show for your years on planet earth, then you really don’t have much going for you. Sooner than you think, you’ll be lying in a box six feet underground with grass growing over your head. And all the things of this life won’t matter at all. Someone else will have your money and your job. Your fame will fade, your glory will disappear, and everything you owned will belong to others. You will eventually be forgotten except by those people who stumble on your gravestone a hundred years from now and say, “I wonder who this guy was.”"
  • Howard Hendricks: “Only two things this world are eternal - the Word of God and people. It only makes sense to build your life around those things that will last forever.”

NEXT STUDY: 1 Thessalonians 3: Finally, when we could stand it no longer, we decided to stay alone in Athens, and we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our brother and God’s co-worker in proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith, and to keep you from being shaken by the troubles you were going through. But you know that we are destined for such troubles. Even while we were with you, we warned you that troubles would soon come - and they did, as you well know. That is why, when I could bear it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong. I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you and that our work had been useless. But now Timothy has just returned, bringing us good news about your faith and love. He reports that you always remember our visit with joy and that you want to see us as much as we want to see you. So we have been greatly encouraged in the midst of our troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord. How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence. Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith. May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.

NOTES:

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