Bible study: 1 Thessalonians Chapter 2

 I want to explain that when I give a number next to a word out of the Bible, the number is from the Strong's Concordance and gives the meaning to either the Hebrew word if in the Old Testament or the Greek word if in the New Testament.  The Strong's Concordance is a great study guide and I highly recommend you get one to help you in your study of the Bible.

 

Chapter 2

V1 not in vain or not without results

V2 shamefully treated in Philippi
    Lord made them bolder
    with much contention
    This is  important, because a lot of times contention makes people back off

V3 exhortation didn’t come from bad motives

V4 put in trust with the gospel
    We have to have the right motives––to please God and to share the Gospel or the Good News.
    they didn’t change the truth to impress anyone, or just because certain people were listen
    In other words if someone was living a life style that God said was wrong, they didn’t make light of it––they spoke the truth, the plain truth without compromise.

V5  never used flattering words
    spoke the truth without motives no matter what.
    and not greedy for gain
    no compromise

V6  they didn’t seek to glorify themselves or others

V7  at the same time they were gentile and not brash or overbearing
Ephesians 5:15 the first part:  But speaking the truth in love…
this is so important that we conduct ourselves in love to others to show them Jesus and how much He loves them.

V8  They cared about them so much they were pleased to share the Word of God and their very lives
    Because the Thessalonians were so dear to them

V9  It was important to Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to not be a burden on the Thessalonians
    See V4-5

V10  holily––3743 hos-ee-oce piously;  from 3741 Hos-ee-os  holy, righteous, unpolluted with wickedness, right us conformed to God and His Laws.

Justly1346 dikaios equitably—fairly, impartially

unblameably
we behaved ourselves among you.

How we behave is very important.  Paul, Silas, and Timothy are great examples to us on how to behave.

V11  exhort 3870 parakaleo to call upon someone to do something, to admonish

comforted 3888 paramutheomai, encourage, console

charged 3140 to be well reported of, to be a witness, bear witness

As a father teaches, admonishes, guides his children how to live in life.  How to act not only as a child, but how to conduct themselves as an adult.

V12 the charge:  Walk worthy of God…
Who called you  into His kingdom and glory

V13 When they heard the Word of God preached, they received it as Truth
which effectively works in you
effectively works 1754 en-erg-eh-o  This is where we get our word:  energy from
  to be active,  effectually or fervently (intense, hot, glowing, burning), to produce effect, to show forth, be mighty in, work

V14  Followers of Jesus often suffer.
    the Thessalonians suffered

Acts 17:1-9
    V9  They took bail from Jason and the others they had arrested and let them go.
    17:10-15—Jews of Thessalonica:  not the Christians from there, but the unbelievers

like your own countrymen

V15 who killed the Lord Jesus
    and persecuted us

V16 forbidding us to speak to the gentiles––When I read something like this it reminds me of the verse Matt 23:15 scribes and Pharisees proselytizing and making two-fold the child of hell than themselves.
    we can see that here:  Acts 17:5
    as well as other places through Acts

…to fill up their sins alway… Amplified Classic  “Forbidding and hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles (the nations) that they may be saved.  So as always they fill up (to the brim the measure of) their sins.  But God’s wrath has come upon them at last––completely and forever!

fill up 378 an-ap-lay-ro-oo  complete, occupy, to accomplish, fill up, fulfill, spoken of measure
Genesis 6:5
Genesis 15:16
    Other examples:
Ecc 9:3
Matt 23:31-32
Acts 13:10
Romans 1:29

But it can be for good as well
Galatians 6:2
        
Measure (part of the definition of fill-up) as a measuring up—How full are we with the things of the Lord—His Word, thoughts of Him etc.

V17 we being taken from you  Back in Acts 17
Like desiring to see a child

V18   hindered—God works through people, so the demons do also
Romans 15:22 For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you.

V19-20  This is our desire!!

Bible Study: 1 Thessalonians Chapter one

Bible Study                                                1 Thessalonians

Thessalonica was the chief seaport of ancient Macedonia and an important commercial and military center.  Paul was forced to leave Philippi and he went to Thessalonica and was also forced to leave there.  Eventually he sent Timothy to finish his work there.

V1  These 3 ministered together in Corinthian.
        2 Corinthians 1:18-20

         Church in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.
    
    Challenge:  In Colossians and in Ephesians, highlight verses that talk about in Him, in Whom, in Christ, in the Lord, in Love.
    This tells whose you are and where you are located.

Grace and Peace

Grace- Charis (greek)-– The divine influence upon the heart and its reflections in the life, including gratitude.

Peace- eirene (greek) , in Hebrew it is Shalom––to join, quietness, rest, to set at one again (this means wholeness), tranquility.  Peace meaning health, happiness, prosperity, and every kind of good.

Grace will always be listed first because a person must have a right relationship with God before they can experience His peace.

V2  Interceding—it is a Christians duty to be interceding for others.

V3 Remembering without ceasing your:

    work of faith––John 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, “This is the work of God, that you believe on Him Whom He has sent.”

Work––Ergon––Deed, doing, sense of undertaking, to take upon oneself
Faith––Pistis––Confiding belief in the truth.  (to have confidence to trust)

To believe on Him to the point that you take Him at His word.  Act as though it were true and Jesus meant every Word.

James 2:18-22 Holman––But some will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”  Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.  You believe God is one; you do well.  The demons also believe––and shudder.  Foolish man!  Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?  Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?  You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works faith was perfected.

AND Faith works by love:  Galatians 5: 6 and 14



Labor of love

Labor––2873 pains, trouble, weariness

Love––26 Agape––the God kind of love,  God’s love flowing through us  to others.  And quite often it is trouble, and pains-taking and causes us to be weary.



Patience of hope

Patience 5281 hupoomone (hoop-om-on-ay)––constancy:  remain constant; patient continuance:  WAITING

Hope1680 elpis––Confident of expectation of good

All three depends on Faith in God’s Word.  Knowing the Word.
This also correlates with 1 Corinthians 13:13  And now abides faith, hope, charity (love:  God kind of love); these three; but the greatest of these is charity.


V4 Election of God:  Amplified classic:  O brethren beloved of God, we recognize and know that He has selected (chosen) you

Complete Jewish Bible:  We know brothers, that God has loved and chosen you.

[Talk about ministry]

2 Corinthians 5:18-19  And all things are of God, Who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ and has given us to the ministry of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the Word of reconciliation.

We may never be on TV, radio, travel with the gospel, but we can tell our family, friends, neighbors, and all those we meet about Jesus and what He has done for us.  This is how the masses are reached.


V5  In other words in demonstration of the Holy Spirit

Power:  specially miraculous power; intrinsic power––>within, internal, secret.  

We MUST take in God’s Word into our being, in our secret place
––> our spirits
 
Holy Spirit:  Jesus said:  Howbeit when He, theSpirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all Truth:  for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak:  and He will show you things to come.

This verse sounds like John 12:49-50 and John 5:19

in much assurance:  entire, confidence, full assurance; from persuasion.

About Abraham when told he was going to have Isaac

Romans 4:18-21  Who against hope believe in hope that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, ‘So shall your seed be.’
And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:  
he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
 and being fully persuaded that, what He has promised, He was able also to perform.

Against hope––His and Sarah’s bodies were well past the ability to have babies.  There was no earthly hope for them to have children.  BUT he had hope in God and was fully persuaded that what God was telling him was true and He would perform.

Talk about healing:
God wants us to be “fully persuaded” as well.

How does one do that?

First of all we have to know the Word.  What does God’s Word say about healing?  Search the Scriptures and grab them and hold on to them.   When we know what God’s Word says about healing we have something we can hold on to.  Do we believe it?  Do we KNOW it?  Then we take that scripture(s) before God and hold it up to Him and say Your Word says…

Habits or routines:  Routines can be good–––or they can prevent us from hearing from God.

When things happen, bad, we come to God wondering if He is able to perform His promises.  We come to Him tense.  We come up for prayer, which is good, but desperately hoping, wondering if God will hear us.

Rest:  Hebrews 4:9-11  There remains therefore a rest to the people of God.   For he that is entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works as God did from is.  Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the example of unbelief.

And it is labor.  It is a different labor that is in 1 Thessalonians 1:3.  This is 4704 spoo-dadzo  to make an effort, to be earnest, diligent, endeavor

Rest 2663 katapausis—reposing, to make to cease
To cease from worrying, from despair.    To be confident in the Lord that He is able and will keep His Word.  KNOW IT from with in the secret place where the Word is hidden.

Psalm 115:1-3  Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Your Name give glory, for Your mercy, and for Your Truth’s sake.  
Wherefore should the heathen say, ‘Where is now their God?”
But our God is in the heavens:  He has done whatsoever He has pleased.

And what does He please?  

God wasn’t moved by criticisms, or their hatred, or their unbelief or any other negative thing they have to offer.

Matthew 6:31  Therefore take no thought saying, “What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or Wherewithal shall we be clothed?”

Take NO thought SAYING––don’t be saying any thing contrary to God’s Word.  Don’t be speaking any negative thing.  Only speak what God says about the situation.  If you are not fully persuaded, certainly don’t speak contrary to His Word.  This is the only way is to study it, read it and know God will never, EVER lie.

Look at the scriptures, read, study it until you know and are fully persuaded as Abraham that what God says is true and don’t be moved from it.

Abraham was fully persuaded that what God had promised He was able also to perform.  Be fully persuaded.


1Thessalonians 1:5—-in much assurance

V6  The Thessalonians became followers of not only of these 3 men but of the Lord Jesus Christ:
    in much affliction
    with JOY in the Holy Ghost
They recognized they taught the Word of God.

V7 they became ensamples 5179––tupos––stamp, model

This word cannot be interchangeable with the word example.  It is quite different.  It is like the type leaving an imprint.  Such as they way newspapers used to be printed with the type.  Type-setters had to set the type.  Also like an old fashioned typewriter.  The arms that hold the letters at the end that hit the paper is also called type.  Both types leave imprints onto the paper.  This is what the people of Thessalonika did and what we do as Christians sharing the gospel with others.  We leave an imprint on them.

to ALL that believe in Macedonia and Achaia

Show map if possible

V8 wasn’t just limited to all that but went even further!    
 From you sounded out the Word of the Lord to EVEN more places

Holman:  V8  For the Lord’s message rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out, so we don’t need to say anything.

Up to today–to us!  John 20:27-29:  Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach here your finger, and behold my hands; and reach here your hand, and thrust it into My side:  and be not faithless, but believing.’  Thomas answered and said unto Him.  ‘My Lord and my God.”  Jesus said unto him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed:  blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.’                  That is us!!!

V9  They told us how you:
    what welcome you gave us
    how you repented
    turned from idol worship
    turned to the One True God
    and serve Him alone.

V10  How you look forward to His return