BULLSEYE!
ACCURATE
BIBLE
KNOWLEDGE!
(Part 1 of 2)
QUESTION: “WHAT
DOES PAUL
WRITE TO THE CHURCH AT THESSALONICA?”
ANSWER: “IN 1st
THESSALONIANS HE WRITES ABOUT THEIR PERSECUTION, HIS ENCOURAGEMENT AND
THE
RAPTURE”
BACKGROUND
Paul
arrives at Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-14), starts preaching for a
few weeks
(Acts 17:2) and a lot of Greeks get saved.
But
the Jews
get all envious, grab Jason
and bash him up (Acts 17:7-9).
So
Paul then clears off to Berea for safety (Acts 17:10) and then to
Corinth. But Timothy stays at Berea (Acts 17:14).
Timothy
then joins him at Corinth and tells him “Paul, that new church at
Thessalonica is suffering persecution.”
This
causes Paul a lot of concern as he wasn’t able to spend much time
with them, and teach them about being Christians with proper doctrine.
So
Paul out of great tenderness, lays his
heart bare, as if writing to little children – which of course, they
were in
the faith.
As
he says But
we were gentle among you, even as a nurse
cherisheth her children: 1 Thessalonians 2:7. They just
loved Paul and he writes to them with his full affection, and
not just
as one with the authority of their spiritual leader.
He
talks to them with the love and tenderness that a father would
have for his own children.
FOUR MAJOR
THEMES
1. THEY WERE STANDING FAST
IN THE
FAITH
Timothy
also told Paul that in spite of the persecution they were
suffering, they were standing fast in
the faith.
Not only
that, but they were good examples to others.
So
that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia
and Achaia. 1 Thessalonians 1:7
But
now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good
tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of
us
always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: Therefore,
brethren,
we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by
your
faith: 1 Thessalonians 3:6-7
2.
BUT THEY WERE NEGLECTING THEIR EVERYDAY WORK AND BECOMING LAZY.
But
all was not rosy. There were defects, errors and evil
practices among them that had to be corrected. Their religious
knowledge
had become too narrow and too fixed on the rapture.
Many
of them were neglecting their everyday work and becoming
lazy.
And
that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and
to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may
walk
honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of
nothing. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
3.
THEY WERE DISTRESSED THAT THE DEAD WOULD MISS THE RAPTURE
Furthermore,
some of them had died (or been killed), and those
remaining were very distressed that these departed friends would miss
the blessing of being taken to heaven in the rapture.
But
I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which
are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no
hope. 1 Thessalonians 4:13
4.
THEY WERE TO SEPARATE THEMSELVES FROM THEIR FORMER UNSAVED LIVES OF
FORNICATION AND COVETOUSNESS.
In
addition, Paul urges them to separate themselves from their
former unsaved lives of fornication and covetousness.
1 Furthermore
then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that
as ye
have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so
ye would
abound more and more. 2 For
ye know
what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, even
your
sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
4 That every one of you
should know how to possess
his vessel in sanctification and honour; 5 Not
in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know
not God: 6 That no
man go beyond and defraud his
brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all
such, as
we also have forewarned you and testified. 7 For
God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 8 He therefore that despiseth,
despiseth not
man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. 1 Thess 4:1
1
THESSALONIANS
Paul’s greetings
to the church (v1)
Paul gives
thanks to God for how the gospel came to them (v2-5)
How they
became followers of Paul and good examples to others (v6-10)
PAUL GREETS TO THE
CHURCH
1:1 Paul,
and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the
church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord
Jesus
Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the
Lord
Jesus Christ.
Paul
includes the other two men to show the
persecuted church in Thessalonica that there are other Christian
brothers who
are concerned for them as well. “We’re all in this together”.
ARE
THERE TWO GODS?
God
our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ (1Thess 1:1)
in
the sight of God and our Father (verse 3)
God
and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Col 1:2-3)
the
great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (Titus 2:13)
God
our Saviour (Titus 3:4)
the
Godhead (Rom 1:20; Col 2:9)
No.
People
get confused especially those in the ‘christian’ cults of SDA’s,
Mormons and so on.
Who is God?
What is the Godhead?
Are there
two Gods?
Is Jesus
Christ God?
Is Jesus
Christ the Father?
Is God our
Saviour?
Is Jesus
Christ our Saviour?
DO
THE ABOVE SCRIPTURES INDICATE TWO GODS?
No.
However,
in order to prop up their own beliefs, they select only the ones
they want, to prove that Jesus Christ is not God. Easily done.
HOW CAN THE SON OF GOD BE
GOD?
Simply put
we have the following three scriptures which prove that Christ is God.
For
unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor,
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
But unto the Son he saith,
Thy throne, O God, is for ever
and ever … Hebrews 1:8
For
the Lord himself (Jesus Christ) shall
descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: … 1 Thessalonians 4:16
Who,
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal
with God: Phil 2:6-7
This
greeting is similar to Paul’s greetings to the other churches with
the words of ‘grace’ and ‘peace’. He wants them to have God’s grace and
God’s
peace. How do we get that? Through Jesus Christ.
WHAT IS THE GRACE WE NEED?
For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works,
lest any
man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
Grace
is a gift.
God’s
grace is found in Jesus Christ
It
is accessed through faith
You
don’t work for it, earn it or buy it
We
have the familiar definition of G.R.A.C.E. being God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
WHAT IS THE PEACE WE NEED?
Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:14
From
the moment that God sent Jesus to be found in a manger (Luke 2:12)
mankind could now have peace with God.
You
see, those without Christ will have God’s wrath. Those who are saved
are in Jesus Christ (1Corinthians 12:13).
God
does not put his wrath on Jesus Christ or those in Jesus (1Thess
5:9).
THIS IS WHAT WE CALL
‘VERTICAL PEACE’
This
is the only peace to have.
It’s
peace with God.
The
world’s idea of peace is simply ‘horizontal peace’ which is
everyone getting along down here. It’s peace between the nations and no
wars on
earth … which has never happened, it is not happening now and will never
happen.
So
we have God’s grace and peace by Jesus Christ, through Jesus Christ
and only with Jesus Christ.
GOD’S GRACE AND PEACE IS
JESUS CHRIST
HIMSELF
To
have this, you must be become a Christian.
See (Part
2 of
2)
****
****
Harley
Hitchcock
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com
“CONTACT US”
Australian
Bible
Ministries, PO
Box 5058 Mt. Gravatt East 4122 Qld, Australia
www.AustralianBibleMinistries.com