Region
Acts 17:10; 18:5; 20:1-4; 2Cor 8:1-4; 9:1-4; 2Tim 4:10
Situation: It was a city 80 miles SW of Philippi. Commercial and communications center at the crossroads of E-W route from Italy to Asia. N-S route from Achaia.
Recipients
Paul came to Thessaloniki on his 2nd missionary journey, after blessing and beating at Philippi. He preached three Sabbath days in a synagogue. Souls were saved. Afterwards, likely saw Gentiles reached. Taught:
- Inevitability of suffering – 1 Thess 3:4
- Activity of the Man of Sin – (cf. 2 Thess 2:5)
- Kingdom truth
- Eschatology
If the Thessalonians were an ensample to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia, we should be able to learn what a local church should be like by studying the epistle.
Recurring Themes
The Character of the Servant: His Energy, Transparency, Jeopardy, Sanctity, Harmony
The Coming of the Savior: Related to Heaven, Hope, Hearts, Himself, Helmet
The Concern of the Spirit: Salvation, Confirmation, Sanctification, Edification (1:5, 6; 4:8; 5:19)
The Capability of the Father:
- Ch 1 Transform Lives
- Ch 2 Conform Likeness in them
- Ch 3 Reform them in Trials (4x your faith)
- Ch 4 Inform them with Light
- Ch 5 Perform His Promises
The Company of the Saints:
- Ch 1 Trumpet announcement (Gospel)
- Ch 2 Traits of an Assembly (Guidelines)
- Ch 3 Target of Satanic Attack (Guarding)
- Ch 4 Testimony in the world (Godliness)
- Ch 5 Trustees of Divine Truth (Guardians)
Reasons for Writing
- To Express Delight in them
- To Encourage them in their Danger
- To Enlighten them as to Doctrine
- To Exhort as to Disorder
- To Explain concerning Defamers
Review of the Structure
- Ch 1-3:3 Things they Knew (1:4, 5; 2:1, 5, 10, 11; 3:3, 4)
- Ch 4:1-11 Things they were Supposed to Know
- Ch 4:13-18 Things they Needed to Know
- Ch 5:1-11 Things they Knew
Ch 1-3 Three Thanksgivings followed by a Prayer (1:2; 2:13; 3:9)
- Remembering…
- Reception of the Word
- Rejoicing over present condition
Ch 3:10-13 Prayer for direction to their presence
Ch 4-5 Three Exhortations followed by a Prayer (ch 4; 5:14; 5:11)
- Exhorted re Sanctity and Sorrow
- Exhortation to Shepherds
- Exhortation to Saints
Ch 5:23-24 Prayer for moral conformity in his absence
“Thessalonian” means “victory of God”
- ch 1 Victory over idols
- ch 2 Victory over the ideas of men (v13)
- ch 3 Victory over persecution and Satan
- ch 4 Victory over the grave
- ch 5 Victory over an evil world
God and the Assembly
- ch 1 God Motivating the Assembly in its Activity
- ch 2 God Maintaining the Assembly in its Simplicity
- ch 3 God Ministering to the Assembly in its Adversity
- ch 4 God Molding the Assembly in its Identity
- ch 5 God Measuring the Assembly in its Responsibility
The Lord’s Coming
- ch 1 The Conversion of Sinners
- ch 2 The Compensation of Servants
- ch 3 The Character of Saints
- ch 4 The Comfort of the Sorrowing
- ch 5 The Consecration of Sons
Repetitive Words
- Always (1:2; 2:16; 3:6; 4:17; 5:15, 16)
- In the sight of (1:3; 2:19; 3:9, 13)
- Even as (kathos; 1:5; 2:2, 4, 5, 13, 14; 3:4; 4:1, 6, 11, 13; 5:11)
- Brethren (14x)
- Became (1:5, 6, 7; 2:7, 8, 14)
Range of Subjects
- Ch 1 The Fulness of Christ – Sufficiency of the Assembly
- Ch 2 The Fervency of Paul – Standard for Shepherding
- Ch 3 The Faith of Saints – Sphere of Liberty
- Ch 4 The Focus for Christian Testimony – Spirituality in Every Day Life
- Ch 5 The Faithfulness of the Assembly – Scope of Responsibility
Riches of their Resources in God – from chapter 1
- v1 God of Relationship
- v1 God of Resources
- v4 God of Ratification
- v8 God of Redemption
- v9 God of Reversals
- v9 God of Reality
- v10 God of Resurrection
