Some Study Note for the Book of
FIRST THESSALONIANS

This Book Belongs To: _____________________________________

“I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren”
(I Thessalonians 5:27).

1

Introduction:

-Read and study the Book of I Thessalonians.
-The following comments are my beliefs and my current understanding. Use these comments only as helps and/or suggestions.
-These are study notes, not a thorough commentary, that I prepared while teaching a class on this Book to a church class.
-Only the scriptures, the very word of God, are inspired of God. Every word of God is perfect, inerrant and pure. The writings and comments of any man are subject to error, but the word of God is not.
-Pray and seek the Lord to help you in understanding His word, and then apply those learned Biblical truths to your life.

-The charge to the Thessalonian church concerning this Book: “I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren” (I Thessalonians 5:27).

Author and Purpose: The Holy Spirit (II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:19-21; I Thessalonians 2:13).

The God-inspired writer(s): 1:1 2:18 . [Remember that this Book is the word of God. It is not that ‘Paul said’ this or that, but it is what ‘God says to His churches through Paul and other inspired writers’. It is God’s word, not man’s word. God determined what was to be written and how it was to be written. His word is powerful and authoritative. It has all the authority of God Himself.]

This Book is thought to be written in approximately A.D. 52 - 54.

Location of Thessalonica: (See a Bible Map). [Other names: Thessaloniki; Salonika; Saloniki]. This city still exists in modern day Greece.
This may be the earliest of Paul’s inspired writings. It is thought to have been written from Corinth (cf. Acts 18:5).

Background of the founding of Jesus’ church at Thessalonica: Acts 17:1-10. While there, there was ‘much contention’ (I Thessalonians 2:2). The church at Thessalonica was established during the second missionary journey of the Apostle Paul (Acts 15:36 – 18:22). The establishment of the New Testament church there was after what Paul and Silas had endured in Philippi (Acts 16). They were in Philippi due to the ‘Macedonian call’ from the Lord (Acts 16:9-11). Instead of being discouraged due to their persecution, they were encouraged by the working of the Lord.

Information about the city of Thessalonica: “The original name of this city was Therma; and that part of the Macedonian shore on which it was situated retained through the Roman period the designation of the Thermaic Gulf. Cassander the son of Antipater rebuilt and enlarged Therma, and named it after his wife Thessalonica, the sister of Alexander the Great. The name ever since, under various slight modifications, has been continuous, and the city itself has never ceased to be eminent. Saloniki is still the most important town of European Turkey, next after Constantinople. Strabo in the first century speaks of Thessalonica as the most populous city in Macedonia” (Smith’s Bible Dictionary).

Note that in every chapter of this Book there is a reference to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:14-17; 5:23).

The current situation this church was that of afflictions and persecutions (I Thessalonians 1:6; 2:14; 3:3, 4; II Thessalonians 1:4).

-(Note: The abbreviation ‘cf.’ means ‘compare’. Read and study these reference scriptures.)

CHAPTER ONE

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.

-Compare the salutations: I Corinthians 1:3; II Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1.

-The use of the authoritative title, ‘Apostle’, for Paul is not used here as he is inspired of God to pen this epistle.

-The use of the word, ‘church’: A scriptural New Testament church; the kind that Jesus began and is still building. Definition: One of Jesus’ New Testament churches might be defined as: “A called-out, local, visible assembly of scripturally baptized saved people covenanted together to carry out the Great Commission and the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

-A scriptural New Testament church has to have been started by the authority of another scriptural New Testament church. This authority linage must be traced back to the Lord Himself.

-Jesus began His New Testament church, from which other true New Testament churches were begotten. Jesus is the Head of every one of His churches.

-Every one of Jesus’ churches is “..the pillar and ground of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15). The teachings of this Book to the Lord’s church at Thessalonica is applicable to every one of the Lord’s true New Testament churches.

-Since “Theos” refers to God, Timotheus means “honoring God”. Timotheus is the same as Timothy.

-Silvanus is the same as Silas, the one who penned I Peter (cf. I Peter 5:12). As Peter was inspired of God and spoke the words of God, Silvanus would write them down.

-All three men are in agreement with this God-inspired writing.

-The word “in”: refers to positionally; Jesus’ church is positionally in the Father and in the Son. This is a place of great eternal honor and security. Compare Colossians 3:3.

-Their desire, actually God’s desire since this is God’s word, is for ‘grace’ (‘unmerited favor’; ‘undeserved goodness’) and ‘peace’ from the Father and the Son be upon the members of this, and every, New Testament church body, of which Jesus is the Head.

-Grace: favors of God shown to those who are completely undeserving, such as His blessings, His protection, His comforting, His provisions, His guidance, etc. Each member had already experienced God’s grace in salvation, or he could not be a member of Jesus’ church .

-Peace: the “peace OF God”, at peace with themselves (church unity), and with others. (The “peace WITH God” is the peace a saved person has with God eternally from the point of salvation. “Peace with God” (salvation): Romans 5:1. “Peace of God”: Philippians 4:7; Colossians 3:15; this depends on the conduct of a child of God).

-Grace is first, and then peace. There can be no peace without the grace of God.

1:2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;

-Again, it is “we”, and “our”, Paul, Silas and Timothy that give thanks to God for this church.

-cf. I Thessalonians 2:13 (one of the reasons that thanks was given to God for this church).

-Give thanks unto the Lord for all of His true New Testament churches, for their faithfulness, their stand for truth, their love and service unto Him.

-The church must have been glad to know they were remembered and prayed for. They probably gave God thanks for Paul, Silas and Timothy for praying for them. In all things God is to be thanked and praised.

-Note: this letter is to “the church” (singular), and yet thanks is given “for you all” (plural), again showing the oneness, the unity of the church body.

-The one body of Christ, every true New Testament church, is composed of many members. Each church body has only one Head, the Lord Jesus Christ.

-A member of a New Testament church is a member of only that one local, visible church.

-A member, of that church, is NOT a part of some larger, imaginary universal church. So many people have been deceived into believing in a universal, invisible church. It doesn’t exist!

-Prayer was made specifically for this church, not merely generally for “all the children of God”. Prayer should be as specific as possible. Prayer was also made for other New Testament churches.

1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

-This church had made an impression upon Paul and the others. Since this is the word of God, it is especially Him that remembers.

-More reasons are given for giving thanks for this church, and for any faithful New Testament church: Their Faith, Hope and Charity (cf. I Corinthians 13:13; Galatians 5:6).

-Work of faith; Faith in the Lord and in His word causes us to work (cf. Hebrews 11). This faith is expressed by our work (cf. James 2:17, 18). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

-Labour of love; Love causes us to labour. Love is expressed by our labour. We are to labour together with God (I Corinthians 3:9). A love of God will lead one to labour with God.

-Patience of hope; Biblical hope is ‘confident expectation’. Hope is expressed by patience. Patience is ‘patiently and faithfully enduring through afflictions and trials’. It is enduring these trials and remaining faithful to the Lord during the entire time. To the child of God, Jesus Christ Himself is our Hope (cf. I Timothy 1:1).

-This work, labour and patience is that kind which is involved in the Lord’s work and His service, not merely secular work and labour or merely being patient with others.

-Faith, love and hope are to be practiced by the child of God. These characteristics can be seen and heard in the lives of those who practice them.

-Notice the faithfulness in this matter by these brethren, “without ceasing” (1:3), and “always” (1:2). This was not something that Paul, Silas and Timothy done periodically, intermittently, or haphazardly. They were faithful in prayer.

-The great value of tribulation in our lives: Romans 5:1-5 (Tribulation worketh patience; Patience worketh experience; Experience worketh hope; Hope “..maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” [By this our faith in the Lord and His Word is strengthened.])

-The great value of the trial of our faith (cf. James 1:2-4; I Peter 1:6-9).

-We see the evidence of their faith, love and hope: I Thessalonians 1:9, 10
---Turned to God from idols (Faith) [Past]
---Serving the living and true God (Love) [Present]
---Waiting for Jesus (Hope) [Present; waiting for His Future coming]
-God sees and hears everything. There is nothing that He misses or overlooks. He even knows the secrets of the heart (cf. Psalm 44:21; Romans 2:16). God is an all-knowing God.[Note: In Psalm 139 God reveals His omniscience, His omnipotence and His omnipresence.]

1:4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

-These are brethren in Christ. They are saved, children of God, and this is known to the Lord and these inspired writers.

-Not only are these brethren in the family of God, these brethren are also the church of the living God. All saved people are in the family of God, but not all saved people are part of one of the true New Testament churches of God. They could be, and they should be, but not all are.

-Study the word ‘elect’: Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12; I Timothy 5:21; Titus 1:1; I Peter 1:2, 2:6; II John 1.

-Study the word ‘election’: Romans 9:11, 11:5, 7, 28; I Thessalonians 1:4; II Peter 1:10.

-When a person, by his own will and choice, receives Jesus Christ as Saviour and is saved, God receives this person. God chooses those that choose the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. This is personal election. Since Jesus is the Christ, the anointed One, the chosen One (Luke 23:35), all of those ‘in him’ are the elect. They are the elect because they are in the Elect One, the Lord Jesus Christ (Isaiah 42:1; I Peter 2:6).

-The one who hears and believes the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then responds by repenting toward God, believes upon the Lord Jesus Christ and calls upon the name of the Lord in prayer asking for forgiveness of sins and for God to save him, then God saves this person.

-This is the way of personal election. God does not predestinate certain people to be saved and certain people to be lost. However, since God is omniscient, infinite in wisdom and knowledge, He does know who will be saved or lost, but the choice is up to each individual. Each person decides whether he will, or will not, believe the gospel of Christ, repent toward God, believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and call upon the name of the Lord for salvation. Each person has a free will in these matters.

-God’s desire is for every person to repent toward Him and be saved (cf. I Timothy 2:3-6; II Peter 3:9).

-God has chosen (elected) His New Testament church to be the way that He is worshipped, served and honored in this current age.

-A person may be saved and not be a member, not be a part of, a New Testament church, but a saved person who is not a member of a New Testament church cannot worship God, serve God and honor God in the way that God desires and demands to be worshipped, served and honored.

-His church has been chosen by God Himself, who is Sovereign, to be: the body of Christ (cf. Ephesians 1:22, 23; Colossians 1:18, 24); the bride of Christ (cf. II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:22-32); the temple of God (cf. I Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:21); and the house of God (cf. I Timothy 3:15).

-Each of Jesus' churches has been purchased with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28), and He loves each one of His churches (Ephesians 5:25).

-God is glorified and honored through His house (cf. Ephesians 3:21; Haggai 1:8). In this present age, God’s house is each one of His New Testament churches, and Jesus is the Head of each one of His churches.

-We must be reminded that God’s ways and thoughts are greater and higher than man's. All that God does is infinitely good and right and for His purposes.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8, 9).

-Since God knows every person, who will eventually be saved or lost, and since He is the one, true and living God and is completely Sovereign, He places people in the place and time that He chooses, and uses them to accomplish His purposes.

-We try to impress upon all people, from the scriptures, the great need to get saved, then follow in scriptural baptism, then unite with a scriptural New Testament church and then serve the Lord faithfully in that church.

1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

-The word ‘For’ implies ‘because’.

-The ‘gospel’ is the ‘good news’, the ‘glad tidings’ of the Lord Jesus Christ as revealed in the scriptures in I Corinthians 15:1-8. It is the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

-They preached ‘the gospel of Christ’ (I Thessalonians 3:2), not mere words of man, but the very word of God.

-God blesses His word. The Holy Spirit uses God’s word in convicting, persuading, leading, guiding and teaching people. The word of God is powerful (Hebrews 4:12). So, the command for God-called preachers is to “Preach the word;..” (II Timothy 4:2).

-Many people there in Thessalonica heard the word of God, believed it and received Jesus as their Saviour.

-They now had the assurance that the word of God is absolutely true. Now they understood about salvation and had the assurance that God had given them His gift of eternal life.

-Matthew 13:19, Mark 4:15, Luke 8:12: The devil can take away the word sown in the heart if the person hearing allows him to. If this person does not have a real desire to hear, learn and apply the word of God then the devil can take away that word and as far as their conduct is concerned, it is as if they never heard the word of God. Their heart is hardened, even as the hard packed soil is by the way side.

-The Holy Spirit can sow, plant the word of God in our hearts if we allow Him, and if we truly have the desire to hear, learn and apply His word in our lives and desire to seek God (cf. Hebrews 11:6).

-This word planted in the heart of the hearer by the Spirit of God can then bear fruit, and by this our heavenly Father is glorified (Matthew 5:16; John 15:8).

-It is important for children of God to behave in a godly manner always, to please God, and also for the sake of others. So that others can see the real difference that Jesus makes in the conduct and manner of life of a saved person.

1:6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

-These brethren were not just hearers of the word, they became doers of the word (cf. James 1:22). They became followers of the disciples of Christ and thus of Christ Himself.

-God’s blessings are more spiritual in nature than physical, but physical blessings certainly are from God, too.

-This shows an important spiritual principal: A child of God can be in the center of God’s will and have afflictions, persecutions, and trials. Biblical examples include: Job, Paul, the Apostles (I Corinthians 4:9-11). Of course, Jesus is the primary example of this, for He lived according to the perfect will of God.

-Here is how they received the word. Remember that these lived in a very idolatrous city and region (vs. 9). Idolatrous people can be saved. All sinners can be saved.

-If a person will actually receive the word, he will become a follower of the Lord.

-Perhaps they were afflicted by losing their jobs, ostracized by their families, persecuted, etc., (cf. I Thessalonians 3:3, 4).

1:7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

-Other saved people were watching and observing these church members, just as others are watching and observing us. Consider yourself, “What kind of Christian example am I?”

-These church members were good examples of being children of God and as being a church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

-The following verse reveals in what manner in particular this church was an example.

1:8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

-This church was a good example (vs. 7) to the Lord’s other churches in that they were evangelistic. They worked and laboured in taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to others (cf. vs. 3).

-‘For’ implies ‘because’. They sounded out the word of God. Their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ could be seen and heard by others. Faith in the Lord is shown, demonstrated, by works.

-These church members had received God’s word (vs. 6), and now they sounded out God’s word (vs. 8).

-What we learn from God’s word is to be shared with others, not kept to ourselves. “Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things” (Galatians 6:6). “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

-Paul and those with him had been good examples to the church (vs. 5), now this church was being a good example to others.

-cf. II Corinthians 8:1-5

1:9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;

-Notice, “to God”, “from idols”. To turn to Christ, a person must turn from something(s).

-They had turned. This is repentance. Previously these, who were now church members, had been idol worshippers.

-True repentance toward God results in a changed life and lifestyle. If a person continues in a sinful lifestyle, then there was no genuine repentance toward God. Genuine repentance toward God involves a change of heart, a change of mind, and a change of life. This change involves a personal desire and resulting actions in regards to God and to sin.

-Repentance toward God is required in order for the Lord to save the soul of anyone (cf. Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 20:21; II Peter 3:9).

-Now they were serving the Lord (cf. vs. 3 regarding the work that real faith produces, etc.).

-These brethren had gone from worshipping idol gods which they could see and hold, to serving the One true and living God whom they could not see with their natural eye. God is a Spirit and He is invisible. We are to serve Him and endure as if we do see Him. Moses is an example of this, as revealed in Hebrews 11:27, “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.”

-We are to serve Jesus because we love Him. Jesus is to be our first (primary, foremost) love (II Corinthians 5:14, 15; Revelation 2:4; contrast, I Corinthians 16:22). Jesus is to be preeminent in our lives (cf. Colossians 1:18).

-John 21:15 – 17. Do you love Jesus? Are we doing what Jesus instructs us to do?

-The first and great commandment involves loving the Lord: Matthew 22:36-38; Mark 12:30.

-cf. Mark 8:34, 35.

-The conduct of these church members gave evidence of their genuine repentance toward God.

-Do our lives give evidence of genuine repentance toward God, and that we are His children?

-Consider what John the Baptist told those who had repented toward God and then asked him what they were to now do, indications of true repentance: Luke 3:8-14).

1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

-In verse 9 we find Faith (they turned to God), and Love (they served the Lord, involves labour), and now in this verse we have the Patience of Hope (they were to wait for Jesus). This is a further explanation of verse 3, of their faith, love and hope.

-To ‘wait’ is not to set and do nothing, but to be working and waiting. We are to be waiting patiently (cf. James 5:7-11).

-An example: when we are waiting for the arrival of a dear loved one whom we have not seen in a long time, we will be busy in preparing for their arrival. There will be many things to do, things to get in order and to get done while we are waiting for them to arrive.

-‘his Son’ refers to Jesus. Jesus is the Son of the living and true God (vs. 9; cf. John 20:30, 31).

-To be ‘delivered’ is to be saved, referring to salvation. When a person is saved he is delivered from the wages of sin (‘death’ – Romans 6:23), from the power of sin (Romans 6:14), and one day when the child of God is with Jesus in glory he will be delivered from the very presence of sin in his life, and then a later time from the very presence of sin in his environment. The child of God is also delivered from the power of darkness (Colossians 1:13), and from God’s wrath.

-God has not appointed His children to wrath (I Thessalonians 5:9).

-Jesus, at the age of 12 years in the flesh (Luke 2:49) was busy about the Father’s business. This is an example for the child of God as we ‘wait’ for Him.

-In Luke 19:13 “.. Occupy till I come” implies that Jesus’ churches are to be busy. We are to be waiting for Him, but we are to be busy in preparing for His coming.

-God’s wrath will be poured out on all who reject His Son as personal Saviour. (See ‘wrath’: John 3:36; Romans 5:9; Revelation 6:16, 17, 14:9-12; [“patience”, patiently enduring trials and persecutions all the while remaining faithful to the Lord] Jude 14, 15).

-Note in every chapter of this Book there is a reference to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:14-17; 5:23).

CHAPTER TWO

2:1 For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain:

-We are to conduct our lives in a godly manner before others to be a good Christian example and to help them.

-The word ‘know’: to know with an absolute knowledge; to know by personal experience.

-cf. I Thessalonians 1:5, 9.

-The word ‘brethren’: I Thessalonians 1:4; 2:1, 9, 14, 17; 3:7; 4:1, 10 (2x), 13; 5:1, 4, 12, 14, 25, 26, 27.

-This is dealing with the conduct of Paul, Silas and Timothy when they were among the brethren there in Thessalonica.

-Their conduct and speech was not just ‘hot air’. They were not there to entertain those in Thessalonica. They were not there to teach some new philosophy devised by man (cf. Colossians 2:8). They came to Thessalonica speaking the truths of God, and living in a manner that was consistent with being children of God.

-Our lives must be in agreement with our speech if we want to others to hear and heed our message.

-These brethren knew for a certainty what kind of men that Paul, Silas and Timothy were. Those in Thessalonica knew that Paul, Silas and Timothy were men of God by the lives they lived before them. We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

-When we assemble together, or when out in public, we must remember that there is a right way to conduct ourselves in behavior, speech and attitude (cf. I Timothy 3:15).

-The child of God who is a member of one of Jesus’ true New Testament churches is a representative, an ambassador (cf. II Corinthians 5:20) of Jesus and of that church. When a child of God is scripturally baptized by the authority of one of Jesus’ New Testament churches, he is then publicly identified with the triune Godhead, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (For this is the name he must be baptized in). All that this person does and says from that point forward, reflects upon the Lord and His church. Thus, after baptism we should “.. walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). What a great privilege, and yet what a great responsibility!

2:2 But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.

-“even”: indicating ‘even’ to this extreme, all that Paul and others with him had endured and suffered.

-“shamefully entreated”: abused, injured, treated in a dishonoring way.

-“contention”: struggle, conflict, agonizing.

-“bold”: with fearless candor; confidence in the Lord, not in our own abilities, intellect, etc. They were trusting in the Lord and walking by faith in Him and in His word.

-At Philippi: Acts 16:12-40 (Note especially vss. 22, 23).

-At Thessalonica: Acts 17:1-10

-Even after all that Paul and Silas had been through, they were still bold in the Lord to preach the gospel.

-Personal evaluation: What is our response to rejection, persecution in doing the Lord’s work? We should continue boldly, in our God.

-We should never quit or give up doing the Lord’s work even though we may be going through much conflict.

-They did not change their message in order to avoid persecution when they arrived in Thessalonica.

2:3 For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:

-“deceit”: delusion, lies, evil intent.
-“guile”: snare, deceiving, even as a lure like fish bait.
-“uncleanness”: impurity, bad motives (such as greed).
-“exhortation”: Gr.:paraklasis; a summons to one’s side, a calling near; encouragement.

-Paul and the others done what they done, not for self-gain. It was done in truth, in love, because they cared for the souls of the people. They genuinely cared for God’s truth and for people (cf. II Corinthians 7:2).

-False teachers use these: deceit, uncleanness, guile. They care only for themselves.

-We need to study, learn and apply the word of God in our lives in a very practical manner (cf. II Timothy 2:15; Ephesians 4:14, 15).

-Personal evaluation: What are our true motives for teaching or preaching God’s word, or for serving Him? Our motive is not to be something that is selfish, but always to be that we love the Lord and we do what He has called us to do for His honor and glory.

2:4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

-Note the wording, “as…even so”.

-God called Paul and the others to preach the word and entrusted this to them. Every God- called preacher has been given this same responsibility, to preach the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully. He gave them this charge, a great responsibility and entrusted them to carry it out.

-“.. the gospel of God ..”(I Thessalonians 2:2).

-“gospel”: cf. I Thessalonians 1:5; 2:2, 4, 8, 9; 3:2.

-Their motive for preaching the gospel was to please God, not to please men. They were not seeking popularity with mankind (cf. Galatians 1:10).

-What they spoke, they spoke in love and in truth. People do not always appreciate truth (cf. Galatians 4:16, and II Timothy 4:2-4).

-Personal evaluation: Who do we want to please, God or men (including ourselves)? (cf. Galatians 1:10; Hebrews 11:6, diligently seek God).

-The Lord tests our hearts and our faith. He proves His people (cf. I Chronicles 29:17; Jeremiah 11:20; James 1:2-4; I Peter 1:7).

-A preacher is to preach the truth, preach the word (II Timothy 4:2). God’s word is truth (John 17:17).

-One can use the Bible, read the Bible, quote the Bible and still teach false doctrine. The word of God must be ‘rightly divided’ (II Timothy 2:15), that is, it must be ‘cut straight’, interpreted as to what it truly says without any personal bias. The word of God must be understood in light of the context of the immediate surrounding scriptures and be in agreement with the Bible as a whole. God’s word is to be preached according to what He is genuinely stating.

2:5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness; God is witness:

-Paul, Silas and Timothy did not have a hidden agenda, an ulterior motive, for selfish purposes.

-They did not soften the message from God to tickle the ears of the hearers, something to make them ‘feel good’.

-A person can flatter, falsely build up, brag on, compliment another person or persons in order to persuade the person or persons to follow or give to the person using the flattery. They may proceed to ask for money or something else. If a person being flattered is not alert, they may have a tendency to repay the flatterer with flattery, money, positions, favors, etc.

-Flattery can be a powerful tool of the deceiver.

-Flattery: Psalm 5:9; 12:2, 3; 78:35-37; Proverbs 20:19; 26:28; 29:5; Daniel 11:21 (the antichrist will use this tactic of flattery; this is part of his strategy to “.. by peace shall destroy many ..” (Daniel 8:25) ).

-Flattery is one way that false teachers, deceivers, work to appeal to the sin nature and lusts of people (cf. II Peter 2:18).

-God knows our hearts. He knows the truth about all of our desires and motives.

2:6 Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

-The office of Apostle was a special temporary office in Jesus’ church. They had special authority from Jesus Himself. The requirements to be an Apostle are given in Acts 1:21, 22.

-The Apostle Paul was an exception as he was called directly by Jesus from heaven (Acts 9:1-6, 15; Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:1; I Timothy 1:1).

-The call to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ was a special calling and they were given special abilities so that they could do miracles.

-The Apostle John may have been the last Apostle to die. Whenever the last Apostle died, that office ceased in the Lord's churches.

-They did not boast of themselves, seek glory for themselves or be burdensome to the church, although they could have. They did not attempt to exalt themselves. Contrast this attitude to many of the world’s religious leaders and preachers of today.

-cf. vs. 9 and II Thessalonians 3:8.

-They did not seek glory of the church members at Thessalonica, “nor yet of others”, neither of anyone else.

-Their true desire as God-called preachers of the gospel was that the Lord only be glorified.

-“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14).

2:7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:

-Instead of being burdensome to the church members (vs. 6), Paul and the others were gentle, mild, child-like toward them.

-They showed the members tenderness, gentleness and lovingkindness.

-The word ‘cherisheth’ means: to keep warm; to warm, as a bird does with the baby birds in a nest, or as a mother hen does with her chicks, or as a mother does with her baby; to keep close (cf. Matthew 23:37).

-This is that kind of love from the heart. Real love from a heart that cherishes the other.

-cf. II Timothy 2:23-25 (There are some questions that we are to avoid, because they gender, stir up, strife. So, when the preacher seems to avoid certain questions, understand he may have a Biblical reason for doing so.)

2:8 So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

-“affectionately desirous” means to have a strong affection for, a yearning after.

-“willing” indicates their will, their volition, a willing choice, their desire of their heart.

-“because” indicates the reason this was done, the church at Thessalonica was dear unto Paul, Timothy, Silas and others.

-Sharing and teaching the gospel message was not a job to these preachers, it was more like the care a mother willingly gives to her child, doing whatever is necessary to provide that care, and done because of a great love.

-They not only gave the gospel message, they gave themselves. What a good example.

-cf. II Corinthians 8:1-5: “.. they were willing of themselves;” (vs. 3); “..first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us..” (vs. 5).

-“dear” is from the word “agape”, a deep, unselfish love (cf. 1:4 “brethren beloved”).

-They had committed their own lives to these church brethren. It was much more than an assigned task or job.

2:9 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

-“labour” indicates that which is wearisome; working to the point of exhaustion.

-“travail” involves painful effort; effort that is difficult.

-“chargeable” means to be indebted to.

-They laboured, effort put forth beyond work, night and day so they would not be indebted to the church. Paul’s secular trade was that of a tentmaker (Acts 18:3).

-cf. I Corinthians 4:11-14; Ephesians 4:28.

-These preachers were not jokesters, not flatterers, not greedy of money and did not speak to please men, but to please God.

-There are many today that have the attitude that someone “owes” them, and cry out “give to me what I deserve”, “I demand my rights” and do not attempt to work and earn a living, and are not concerned about the condition of others. This is evidenced by the number of legal lawsuits.

-Seemingly there are those that are able to work and do not work because they are lazy. Yet the scriptures teach us to work and labour to earn a living and be able to give to help others, and especially to support the Lord’s works.

-cf. II Thessalonians 3:7-10.

-This was done as a mother labours for her children during the night and day to provide for her children. This shows genuine love and care for them.

-While at Thessalonica, the church at Philippi helped the Apostle Paul (Philippians 4:16).

-The gospel of Jesus Christ was “imparted” to the church at Thessalonica (vs. 8) and it was “preached” unto them (vs. 9).

-Their true motive, to please God and to help the people. It was not for selfish reasons.

2:10 Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:

-These brethren, Paul and the others, could not truthfully be accused of wrongdoing, or doing what they did for selfish purposes. Their behavior and conduct was that of holiness and righteousness.

-We all are being observed, as they were, by one another and by others. We should conduct ourselves in this same manner, holily, justly and unblameably.

-cf. II Peter 3:11, 12; Titus 2:11-14; I Timothy 3:15.

-Remember that the Judaizers usually followed behind Paul and others to accuse them to the Jews that they were teaching a doctrine contrary to the scriptures. God inspires the Apostle Paul to write this to remind the people about their conduct when they were with them because of the accusations of the Judaizers.

-cf. Acts 17:13, 14

2:11 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,

-“As ye know”: cf. 2:1.

-“exhorted” means to urge on one along a particular course; encouraged.

-“comforted”: to give consolation; comforted them in the Lord (Romans 8:28); teach them to be content in all circumstances (Philippians 4:11); this does not indicate they were to have themselves a ‘pity-party’ as some do during afflictions.

-“charged”: to give them their responsibility; the things that God expects of them (cf. II Corinthians 5:15; I Timothy 6:17-19). See the warning in Hebrews 2:1-3.

Every church member has responsibilities to God. Each one is to be faithful, holy, have on the whole armour of God. We have the responsibility to follow the Bible examples of the holy men of God, such as Paul, but especially the Lord Jesus Christ. “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:” (I Peter 2:21).

-This was all done in love, even as a good father will exhort, comfort and charge his children whom he loves. Our heavenly Father does the same to, and for, His children. This charge is a commandment, even as our fathers in the flesh told us what to do. We are commanded to be faithful to the Lord, to be holy, to put on the whole armour of God, etc.

2:12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

-“That ye” indicates the purpose, what the result should be of what was just revealed in the previous verses.

-“walk” is our conduct of life, our daily lifestyle, our manner of living.

-“walk worthy”: This phrase is used 3 times in the scriptures:
---(1) Ephesians 4:1-3 (of the vocation [calling] wherewith ye are called)
---(2) Colossians 1:10 (“of the Lord unto all pleasing”)
---(3) I Thessalonians 2:12 (this present verse) (“walk worthy of God”)

-The Lord’s churches have a definite calling from Him. He has called us unto His kingdom and glory. What a tremendous eternal blessing for His churches, but this comes with a great present responsibility.

-Remember that the New Testament church there at Thessalonica was in an area which was carnal, idolatrous, wicked (thieves, prostitutes, etc.), and these church members had a calling from God, unto (‘referring to’, ‘in reference to’) God’s kingdom and His glory, to walk worthy of God.

-Even in such wicked circumstances the Lord’s children are responsible to God to conduct their lives in a way that pleases the Lord. We are to live our lives in a manner that is befitting a child of God.

-They had Paul and the others as their examples as revealed in the previous verses.

-Note the words ‘among you’ in I Thessalonians 1:5 2:7, 10 and other wording indicating how they conducted their lives in the presence of the church members.

2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

-Inspired of God, Paul, Timothy and Silas gave thanks to the Lord for the manner in which the church members at Thessalonica received and believed the word of God when they preached and taught it there.

-These people received it as the very word of God, which it is, and not as mere man’s words that were made up.

-The words were not just words of Paul, they were words of God. Inspired words of God, as is all of the scriptures.

-This means the words were pure, true, factual and real. Probably too many times we may be guilty of saying, “Paul says in …”, or “John says in..”, and then give a scripture. When in actuality it is “God says in...”, not Paul, not John.

-If we do say this, “Paul says in …”, we need to repent and begin emphasizing that all the scriptures are the word of God, inspired of Him.

-We believe in verbal inspiration of every word, every word inspired of God.

-God and His word actively works in His children in His churches (cf. Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:29; Hebrews 13:21).

-God’s word is inspired of God, all of it (II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:16-21).

-God inspired men to pen the scriptures, but we must always remember that the source of the words are from God Himself (cf. II Chronicles 36:22; Jeremiah 2:1, 18:5; Ezekiel 3:16, 6:1, 7:1, 11:14, 12:21, 13:1, 14:2, 15:1, 16:1, 17:1, 11, 18:1, 20:45, 21:1, 8, 18; Zechariah 4:8, etc.).

-We need to ask ourselves, “How do I receive God’s word?” Do we sometimes get upset at the preacher when he is preaching God’s word, thinking that it is him that says some things, when it is actually the Lord saying those things in His word? Should we have the attitude towards God’s word that we can ‘take it or leave it’? Do we sometimes believe that God’s word is merely making good suggestions to us instead of commandments from God?

-The word of God is true in every aspect: spiritually, geologically, geographically, socially, historically, archaelogically, meteorogically, eternally, etc. “Every word of God is pure:..” (Proverbs 30:5).

-God’s word can be rejected (I Samuel 8:7). By rejecting God’s word, a person rejects God.

2:14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:

-Since these at Thessalonica received and believed God’s word they then submitted to it and became followers of the Lord’s New Testament churches. Even though they were enduring afflictions (1:6, 3:3) and tribulation (3:4) they were followers of the Lord’s churches.

-They suffered for the cause of Jesus and His truth (2:14, 3:4). Such suffering is appointed to those that follow Jesus (Philippians 1:29; II Timothy 3:12; I Peter 2:19-21, 4:15, 16, 19).

-Note the word “churches”, it is plural. There is no such thing as an invisible, universal church. A ‘universal’ church of the Lord Jesus Christ does not exist. That doctrine is not of God since it is not true. Each of the Lord’s churches is always a local, visible assembly, and never universal. The word ‘catholic’ means ‘universal’, and we are aware of the great heresies of that group.

-Jesus’ true New Testament churches were never a part of Catholicism, thus none of His true New Testament churches are Protestants. His churches have always been separate from such heretical groups.

-Notice that the Lord’s churches are positionally “in Christ Jesus”. This makes each one of Jesus’ churches very important. We should love His churches.

-When a person is saved, the change in his life should be evident. The person’s conduct and lifestyle will be different from the world, and the world will not want to fellowship with this one. The world will think this one to be strange (I Peter 4:3-5).

-cf. I Peter 4:12

-God uses the suffering of His children for His purposes. Examples: Acts 16:22-34; Philippians 1:12-14. Many have suffered in His churches to defend the doctrines of the Bible. We are to “…earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).

-It was other Thessalonians that brought the suffering upon the church members there (‘your own countrymen’). The church members were hated, afflicted, persecuted and mocked.

2:15 Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:

-It was the Jews, Israel, (2:14) that had the Lord Jesus crucified and had killed the Jewish prophets that God had called and sent.

-It was the Jews that persecuted Paul, the Apostles and those with him.

-They may have thought that they were pleasing God (cf. John 16:2, 3).

-The world hated Jesus. They despised Him. They will hate and despise the faithful children of God that are striving to please the Lord (I John 3:13).

-Those who would hear Jesus, will listen and hear the message from His true New Testament churches (John 15:18-21).

2:16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins always: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

-The enemies of God’s people may not always be able to kill them, but they will strive to hinder them in spreading the gospel and in serving the Lord. Today, there is an effort to forbid even speaking about Jesus, to post the Ten Commandments and other such restrictions.

-In many various ways, the world attempts to hinder the Lord’s churches from doing what we are commanded of God to do, even to forbid the assembling of ourselves together to worship the Lord as He commanded.

-No one has the right or authority to override what God commands. We know that the devil is behind all such movements. The Lord may use these same situations to test, prove His children whether we will continue to obey Him or not.

-Acts 4:17 (Sanhedrin to Peter and John)

-Acts 5:40-42

-The wrath of God: John 3:36; Romans 1:18; God is a consuming fire, (Hebrews 12:28, 29); Hebrews 10:28-38.

-‘To the uttermost’: completely, totally

-Revelation 14:10, 11

-Yet despite all the sufferings, afflictions, persecutions and opposition this church is still commanded to go to all people, Jews and Gentiles, with the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ so that those people might be saved.

-We must always remember that the suffering encountered for the cause of Christ in this life is only for a little while, but it will have eternal benefits (Romans 8:18; II Corinthians 4:16-18).

2:17 But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.

-“Taken from you”: See Acts 17:10; he was being protected and led by the Holy Spirit.

-Even if something is for the rest of this earthly life, it is but a ‘short time’.

-Paul, Timothy and Silas had a great desire to see the church members in Thessalonica. This desire is a deep longing, as a father or mother has a desire to see their own children.

-This is one of the motivating factors for every church member to assemble together on time for worship services, even early, to see one another and to fellowship one with another (cf. Hebrews 10:24, 25). This is part of the “..exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).

-cf. Psalm 122:1 and 133:1.

2:18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.

-The phrase “we would” indicates their will, their desire. Paul is one of the human writers.

-The phrase “once and again” would equate similar to “time and time again”, repeatedly. Thus, implying that “Satan hindered us” once and again (time and time again).

-The devil is actively striving to hinder and devour the things and people of God (I Peter 5:8).

-The word ‘satan’ literally means ‘adversary’. He strives to keep the lost, lost and to keep the saved from growing spiritually, from being obedient, submissive and faithful to the Lord. He wants to have God’s children to be rebellious, disobedient and unfaithful to the Lord. The devil wants to have the worship that only the Lord is to have.

-We are in a real spiritual warfare. Some today blame our current downturn of our economy on a foreign country, on the politicians, on the illegal immigrants and do not understand the reality of the spiritual battle that children of God are in.

-Maybe we are focused on the worldly things more than the things of God. Maybe we have allowed our thinking to have been so influenced by this world, more than the word of God. As a nation we have turned from the Lord and His word. We can see the economic disaster, but can we see the spiritual disasters: souls dying lost and going into hell where they will be forever and ever; or, God’s New Testament churches being lukewarm and not zealous of the things of God (worshipping Him, Bible reading and studying, praying, witnessing, etc.)? “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

-The devil is working in the lives of the children of God. Don’t give in to his temptations.

-This spiritual warfare that God’s children are involved in is just as real as the angelic- demonic warfare as seen in Daniel chapter 10, and in Revelation 12:7.

2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

-Crowns in the scriptures are sometimes used to speak of heavenly rewards.
---These include:
------the soul winner’s crown as presented here in this verse.
------the crown of life (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10).
------the crown of glory (I Peter 5:4).
------the crown of righteousness (II Timothy 4:8).
------an incorruptible crown (I Corinthians 9:25, 26).

-cf. Philippians 4:1

-cf. Revelation 3:11 (Indicating the possibility that reward crowns can be lost by our actions in this present life. Also, note II John 8 “full reward”.)

-Again, as in every chapter of I Thessalonians the Lord’s churches are reminded of the second coming of Jesus Christ. Rewarding of children of God takes place at Jesus’ coming for His children (cf. Luke 14:14; Revelation 22:12). Jesus is coming, we need to keep our eyes upon Him (Hebrews 12:1, 2).

2:20 For ye are our glory and joy.

-Neither Paul, Timothy nor Silas have anything to glory of (to boast of), but what Christ has done there in Thessalonica, Jesus’ New Testament church (“ye”).

-God’s order for mankind is:
--First, hear, believe and then respond to the gospel of Christ and be willing to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Saviour.
--Secondly, submit to scriptural baptism (immersion and submersion in water by the authority of a scriptural New Testament church).
--Then, serve the Lord faithfully in His church, of which you are a member, to bring Him glory: “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:21; cf. Acts 2:41,42).
-Submitting to God’s order really is very important, in this life and in eternity to come.

CHAPTER THREE

3:1 Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone;

-“forbear” – “to bear up under”; see vs. 5.

-cf. Acts 17:14-16 (While at Athens, Greece Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica after he had come from Berea.). (See the next verse.)

-Paul departed Athens and went to Corinth (Acts 17:33 – 18:1).

-Silas and Timothy come back from Macedonia (Acts 18:5). Remember that Thessalonica was in Macedonia.

-Paul continues teaching the word of God there in Corinth for a year and a half (Acts 18:11).

-Paul was compelled to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to those in Athens, Greece (Acts 17:15-34).

-A God-called preacher must preach the word of God. God places this yearning in the preacher’s heart. Jeremiah thought that he could be quiet about God. He could not. He had to preach (cf. Jeremiah 20:8, 9). He could not forbear.

3:2 And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:

-Here is a description of Timothy:
--He is saved, a brother in Christ to Paul and other children of God.
--He is a minister, a servant of God. He is a God-called preacher, and a servant of God and His people.
--He is a fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ. He is a companion in labour. He laboured in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He worked.

-To learn more about Timothy, look up all the scriptures where his name is used and read the two inspired-of-God Books written to him. He is known as Timothy and Timotheus, so look up both names.

-This was done so that:
--Jesus’ church at Thessalonica would be established, in Bible doctrine, in Bible conduct and in Bible practice. This was a young church. Paul had not spent too much time there teaching them (Acts 17:2, 10).

--To comfort and encourage this church to continue serving the Lord though they were afflicted and persecuted for their faith in Christ.

-One of the several reasons that children of God have trials, afflictions, persecutions in this life is so that we can experience God’s comfort and then are able to comfort others with this same comfort (cf. II Corinthians 1:3, 4). Thus, in all of the comfort given, the Lord is to be honored and hopefully thanked.

3:3 That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.

-This verse continues the thought from verse 2, why Timothy was sent to the church at Thessalonica.

-“That no man..”, not even one church member, from the youngest to the oldest.

-“be moved”, away from fellowship with God, moved from Bible doctrine, moved from stedfastness in truth. There is always this danger (cf. II Peter 3:17).

-There are dangers that a saved person, even a church member faces during trials, afflictions and the such. These dangers include: discouragement, turning from the Lord, quit praying, quit reading the Bible, quit witnessing to others and quit assembling together in the church to worship the Lord.

-This is the danger of neglecting the salvation that God has so graciously given to His children. He admonishes us not to do this (Hebrews 2:1-3).

-cf. I Thessalonians 2:14.

-Don’t quit serving the Lord for any reason. Don’t slow down, don’t compromise His truth.

-Don’t allow any afflictions to cause you to move from standing and living for the truth.

-We are appointed to afflictions in this life as the children of God, and especially a New Testament church (the body of Christ), just as it is appointed unto men once to die and after that the judgment. They serve as valuable purposes for us.

-During afflictions: Be content during all things (Philippians 4:11).

-Draw nigh to the Lord (James 4:8); grow spiritually to the point in your life that Jesus is first in your life (Acts 20:24; Colossians 1:18).

-Follow the Bible examples of the faithful servants of the Lord that continued to serve the Lord during great trials in their lives.

-Be again reminded of Romans 8:28, 29, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

-“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:5-7).

3:4 For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

-The Lord’s churches are appointed to suffer as we follow Jesus. He suffered more than anyone has ever suffered. Consider Philippians 1:29 I Peter 1:20, 21 4:12-19.

-Paul had been persecuted (cf. I Thessalonians 2:15) and they would be persecuted.

-The Lord had inspired Paul to forewarn these people. We also use the word of God to warn people today about unfaithfulness, worldliness, the devil and his tactics, the world, the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.

-“and ye know”: first-hand knowledge; the kind of knowledge that comes from the actual experience.

3:5 For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.

-“forbear”: see verses 1 and 2.

-“I sent to know”: Timothy had been sent (cf. vs. 2). God wanted Paul to know directly about the condition of the church at Thessalonica.

-The possibility of their labour being in vain does not indicate that the members could loose their salvation. That is impossible. Every saved person has ‘everlasting life’, ‘eternal life’ and is kept by the power of God and preserved in Jesus. How then could their labour be in vain? If the church had not grown spiritually, if they had turned from the Lord and His word, then the labour would be in vain by Paul and the others. The people would then not have followed their Bible teaching.

-The ‘tempter’ is the devil. He is Satan (I Thessalonians 2:18).

-cf. Matthew 4:3; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2 (he is the devil, Satan, the tempter).

-The devil is a liar, murderer and the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:3, 9, 12).

-Remember how the devil tempted Adam, by first tempting his wife, Eve. The devil will use other people to tempt a person to sin. Think about what the devil did in the life of Job to try to get him to turn from the Lord. There was much loss, much death, much suffering just to get one man, Job, to sin. The devil even tempted Jesus, the Son of God.

-cf. I Peter 5:8, 9; The devil seeks to devour, destroy the lives of the children of God. He cannot take away a person’s salvation, but he can influence a person, if we allow him, if we give in to his temptations, and we can lose our witness for Jesus. The devil wants to destroy lives, homes and the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to always be on guard for his workings, his devices, his tactics.

-The devil can lead churches astray if that church allows him. Consider the churches in Galatia as they were turning back to the Mosaic Law. Consider all the problems in the church at Corinth.

-When a person is in the midst of afflictions, they are more susceptible, vulnerable to the temptations of the devil. Get prepared. Be strong in the Lord. Put on the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).

-The devil and his angels are very real and present enemies to the people of God.

-“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. ..” (James 4:7, 8).

3:6 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:

-The ‘good tidings’ means ‘good news’. It is the good tidings of the church’s faith and charity, and that they have good memories of Paul and the others (cf. Hebrews 13:17, the respect for those who shared and taught the scriptures to them). Be one that brings joy and not grief to the Pastor.

-Notice: ‘good tidings’ and ‘good remembrance’.

-“as”: means ‘in the same way or manner’. The church members were greatly desiring to see them, in the same way that they wanted to come and see the church members.

-This must have been a great encouragment and joy to Paul, Timothy and Silas.

-‘Faith’: 1:3, 8; 3:2, 5, 6, 7, 10; 5:8.

3:7 Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith:

-“Therefore”: ‘the result was’, based upon what was just stated, especially in vs. 6.

-Even though the church was going through great trials, just knowing that the people loved them gave them great comfort. They would be reminded of God’s great love for them.

-If the heart is joyful, the body can endure much affliction. Paul and the others were also themselves enduring afflictions and distresses, all for the cause of Christ.

-It was the faith in the Lord of the church that comforted them. (God’s comfort: II Corinthians 1:3-5.).

3:8 For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.

-“We”: Paul, Timothy and Silas, will continue to live, with joy and contentment, if this New Testament church will continue to stand fast in the Lord, and not be moved from doctrinal soundness.

-“stand fast”: We must continue to stand fast in the truths of the Lord. Many start the Christian race, but few finish it. An example: Demas (Philemon 24; II Timothy 4:10).

-May we all be reminded of Ezekiel 33:13, “When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.”

-We should finish the Christian race, the course, that the Lord has called us to run (cf. II Timothy 4:7; I Corinthians 16:13; II Thessalonians 2:15; Hebrews 12:1, 2).

-The manner in which we live affects others.

-When one church member is unfaithful, it hurts and discourages others, even the entire church.

-When one is faithful it helps others, brings encouragement and joy to them, and strengthens them all in the Lord.

-Those that quit, or that compromise the truths of God, grieves others and it grieves God.

3:9 For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;

-As if to say, “You have caused us to joy before the Lord and we give Him thanks for you.”

-cf. I Thessalonians 2:13

-God is to receive all the thanks! (cf. II Corinthians 4:15; Philippians 2:13; Hebrews 13:21).

-Live your life in such a faithful way to the Lord and His church that others will be thankful to the Lord for you.

3:10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

-Verses 9 and 10 go together to make one question.

-There are degrees of how we can pray. Paul, Timothy and Silas prayed exceedingly. They put forth the time and effort into this prayer to the Lord. Epaphras laboured fervently in prayers for the church in Colosse (Colossians 4:12) that they would “.. stand perfect and complete in all the will of God”.

-Notice also the time factor that they were praying, “Night and day”. They did not just pray one time, it was ongoing. “Pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17).

-A person’s faith in the Lord can be lacking. Such faith needs to be perfected. The verb ‘perfect’ means ‘to make whole’, ‘to repair or mend’, and ‘strengthen’. Paul, Timothy and Silas prayed that they might come to the church and perfect the faith of the church members. They would teach and expound more of the scriptures to show that they can fully trust the Lord with everything in their lives, even during the times of great afflictions.

-Sometimes our faith may be strong in one area and weak in another. An example is that we may fully trust the Lord in our personal medical care, but not trust Him in the area of our personal finances. We need to study more of the scriptures, hear them taught and preached and then practice that which we learn from the scriptures.

-We also always need to be active in prayer to the Lord. Our faith may be strong when all is going well, but weak when afflictions and trials come. Our faith may be strong when we are around those whose faith is strong, but not so strong when we have to stand by ourselves.

-Our faith needs to be perfected so that in all circumstances, at all times our faith in the Lord is strong.

-We are to study God’s word, apply it to our lives, and obey Him.

3:11 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.

-This was their request of the Lord. In verse 9 there was thanksgiving to the Lord in their prayer, in this verse they make a request. There are several elements to prayer. See the Model Prayer (it is NOT the Lord’s prayer) in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4.

-This church was loved and these brethren wanted to see and to fellowship with them again.

-All of the Triune Godhead is involved in the hearing and answering of the prayer of the child of God.

-These brethren were trusting in, and depending upon, the Lord to answer this prayer in His time, when it is His will. His will and way are always the best, and the best for us.

-cf. I Thessalonians 2:17, 18

3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

-This continues the prayer for this church begun in verse 10.

-Faith can be perfected (vs. 10), love can be increased as seen in this verse and in I Thessalonians 4:9, 10 (“increase more and more”), and our walk to please the Lord can be increased as seen in I Thessalonians 4:1 (“abound more and more”).

-We are to love one another as members of the same local New Testament church. We are to love all people in the same manner as Paul, and those with him, loved those idolatrous Thessalonians and shared the glorious gospel of Christ with them even if they caused them afflictions. The love of God is in the heart of the child of God (Romans 5:5), and we should exercise it and show forth that love.

3:13 To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

-“To the end”: the goal.

-“stablish”: fix, settle once and for all.

-“unblameable in holiness”: doing no wrong; living a holy life, pleasing to the Lord.

-Again, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned, as it is in every chapter of this Book. Jesus’ coming is certain!

-God’s children are to be holy and live holy lives, separated from the sin of the world and unto the holiness of God.

-When a person is born again of God that person is:
--immediately saved from the penalty of sin (which is eternal death),
--immediately saved from the power of sin (no longer in bondage to sin),
--and one day, will be saved from the very presence of sin eternally (and will live in perfect righteousness).

CHAPTER FOUR

4:1 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.

-‘beseech’: to plead, request.

-‘exhort’: to pursue a certain course.

-We are to strive more and more to walk in such a manner as to please God. We are to be growing and maturing spiritually.

-We are never to be at a spiritual ‘plateau’, but always increasing in knowledge of the Lord.

-It is one thing to receive the lesson as to what we are to do, it is another thing for us to actually do it. We are to be doers of the word and not hearers only (cf. James 1:22).

-There is a way that members of a New Testament church ‘ought to walk and to please God’, and this way is given to us in the word of God. This way does not come automatically when we are saved, it does not come naturally, it comes from studying and applying God’s word in our lives, trusting the Lord, following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and obeying Him in the manner that He instructs His churches in the scriptures.

-cf. I Timothy 3:15 “..how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” .

4:2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

-Note the phrase,“..by the Lord Jesus”: vss. 1, 2. By the Lord Jesus’ authority. By the authority of the Lord.

-Notice that the things written to them in the scriptures were commandments, not requests and not suggestions.

-Sometimes commentators will write, in regards to scriptures, that the Lord ‘asks us’ to do, or not do, something. Actually, He gives commands, not requests. In this way, we either obey or disobey, the commandments of the Lord.

-They did not offer various options to choose from. It is a valuable lesson for us to learn.

-God’s word is not a Book of suggestions or recommendations for us, rather a book of commands from our heavenly Father. These are either obeyed or disobeyed.

-God’s commandments are righteous demands.

4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

-The will of God is found in His word. His will for me is what God wants me to do and not to do. Just as a loving parent will clearly instruct and command the child, whom the parent loves greatly, concerning what to do and not to do. This is done for the child’s own benefit.

-It is God’s will for all people to be saved and that none would perish. He gives His children and His churches commandments (vs. 2). His will is found in His word (cf. I Thessalonians 5:18).

-‘sanctification’ means to be set apart for God, His use and His purposes.

-The root word for sanctification is used to indicate hallow, holy, holiness, saint, sanctuary and sanctify.

-There are two types of sanctification spoken of in the scriptures, Positional and Practical.

-Positional sanctification: This is a permanent sanctification. When a person is born again of God, saved, he is sanctified (‘set apart’) in Christ (I Corinthians 1:2; 6:11).

-Practical sanctification: This is how we are to choose to live, to practice holiness in our lives. This is the sanctification that we are to demonstrate in our everyday walk in this life. We are to set our lives apart from evil, and set it apart to live a holy life for the Lord.

-We are not to fellowship, or be in unity, or harmony, with the sinfulness of this world. We are to be separate from sinfulness (II Corinthians 6:14-18).

-Fornication: sexual activity outside of marriage, that which is not between a husband and his wife; Thessalonica was a city of idol worship and sexual perversions (cf. Acts 17:5 ‘lewd’) (cf. I Corinthians 6:13-20; I Corinthians 10:8; Numbers 25:1, 9). A person is to save the body for marriage.

-No church member or saved person is ever to be guilty of fornication (cf. Ephesians 5:3).

-Fornication is a work of the flesh (cf. Galatians 5:19-21).

-The word ‘abstain’ means “to hold oneself from”; to withhold; to keep from.

-There are some things that a child of God is to abstain from (cf. I Thessalonians 5:22; I Peter 2:11).

-Remember, marriage between the husband and his wife, is a picture of Jesus and His bride, His New Testament churches (Romans 7:4; II Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:22-33).

4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

-Every church member (“every one of you”) was to do this.

-Each one was to know, by practice, this by actual conduct of his life.

-‘Possess’: ‘as your own property’, with responsibilities.

-‘vessel’ is the body of flesh that the person dwells in. The body is the vessel that contains each person’s soul and spirit. The body of flesh is a container made from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7), a tabernacle to house the soul and spirit.

-‘sanctification’ here implies purity. We are to live a pure life in the body that we dwell in.

-Remember this is the way we are to walk to please the Lord (vs. 1).

-There are many other ways we are to conduct ourselves in the body in order to please the Lord, not only sexual and moral purity, but we are not to lie, gossip, backbite, whisper (cf. Proverbs 16:28). We are to submit to the laws of the land and submit to our employer, and many other scriptural teachings that we are to obey in order to please our Saviour.

-We should conduct our lives in such a manner as to “..be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” (I Peter 1:7).

4:5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

-Here is the negative, how not to possess our vessel, our bodies.

-‘lust of concupiscense’ refers to fleshly, carnal passions, yearnings and desires.

-This was the environment in which this church lived in. It is the same wicked environment we are in today.

-Children of God are not to live as the lost heathen do, not as the majority of this world does.

-We are exposed to this wickedness, but we are not to be partakers of it, or have the same yearnings.

-Children of God are not to think, or behave as do lost people. This is part of being honest, actually living as who we are, a child of the living God. A child of God is not to conduct his life as do lost people, the children of the devil.

-According to Hebrews 11:6 we are to ‘diligently seek’ the Lord. We are to seek Him, His will and His ways.

-The Lord tells us the things that we are to occupy our mind with, to think on: Philippians 4:8. Then in Philippians 4:9 we are told to ‘do’ those things we have learned from the word of God.

-As born-again children of God, and especially members of one of His blood-bought churches, there are things we are to do, and there are things that we are not to do.

-We are to do all things ‘.. to the glory of God’ (I Corinthians 10:31).

4:6 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.

-Note that vss. 3-6 are one sentence, one complete thought.

-Here is God’s will concerning His children, especially members of His churches.

-We are not to ‘go beyond’ (not to overstep that which is right) and ‘defraud’ (take advantage of; rob, steal from, cheat) our brethren.

-We are to always be honest (see comments vs. 5) and never cheat anyone (cf. Proverbs 11:1; 20:10, 11, 23).

-Every child of God is to have a good reputation.

-We are not to avenge ourselves when we are wrongfully treated. God will deal righteously with this (cf. Deuteronomy 32:35, 36, 41-43 (Song of Moses); Psalm 94:1; Romans 12:17-21; Hebrews 10:30, 31).

-One day God will have vengeance on the lost (cf. II Thessalonians 1:8).

-Remember, “..whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

-Notice this is a warning to the church, they, and we, have now been ‘forewarned’. When we love someone we will warn them of danger. To disobey God is dangerous.

4:7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

-The word ‘For’ implies cause, the reason for what was just stated.

-God called us to salvation, and then He calls us to holy living, not to uncleanness of living.

-The words, holiness, holy, saint, sanctification and hallowed are all from the same root word. It implies separation unto God, and separation from sin. We are saved for His divine purposes and for His glory.

-‘called’ (cf. I Thessalonians 2:12).

-cf. I Peter 1:14-17 2:17 “fear God”.

4:8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

-‘despiseth’: to have a disregard for; to set aside; to nullify; to make void

-Every saved person has the indwelling Holy Spirit immediately upon the new birth from God (cf. Romans 8:9-11).

-cf. John 13:20

-cf. Luke 10:16 (Others may despise us while we are walking to please God, but actually they are despising God and not us.)

-cf. I Samuel 8:5-7. To Samuel it seemed as if the people were rejecting him, but they were actually rejecting God. When we stand for the truth and others reject it, they are rejecting the God of truth and not us. (In these verses we see the Problem, the Prayer and the Lord’s Proclamation to Samuel.)

4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

-The first word ‘love’ in this verse is the ‘philadelphia’ type of love, brotherly love.

-The second word ‘love’ in this verse is the ‘agape’ love, the self-sacrificial love, self-denying love, the kind of love that God has for all mankind (cf. John 3:16).

-cf. I Peter 1:22 (In this verse the first ‘love’ in the verse is the ‘philadelphia’ type of love. The second word ‘love’ is the ‘agape’ love.)

-The indwelling Holy Spirit teaches His children to have this ‘agape’ love toward one another in His churches. We must put into practice in our lives that love that is in us.

-One of the very important ministries of the Holy Spirit is to teach His children (Luke 12:12; John 14:26; I Corinthians 2:13).

4:10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

-We are to grow and increase in our love of one another in the local New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

-A church member is not to become stagnant, or remain the same in their love towards one another. We are to be increasing more and more. This implies growth in love.

-cf. I Thessalonians 3:12.

-This is one of the traits of a child of God that we are to ‘abound’ in (cf. II Peter 1:5-8).

4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

-‘study’: strive earnestly.

-‘quiet’: not disturbing others.

-A busybody is busy about other people’s lives, intruding, interfering and gossiping.
-cf. II Thessalonians 3:11, 12
-cf. I Timothy 5:11-15
-cf. I Peter 4:15

-We are to mind our own business and not to be ‘snoops’ in the business of others. This is a serious problem today with social media. Things are ‘posted’ today that never would have been written about, shared, or talked about a few years ago.

-We are to work and earn our own living, as a witness to the lost (vs. 12).

4:12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

-‘That’: shows reason and purpose, ‘so that’. This relates back to verse 11.

-A child of God, especially one that is a member of one of Jesus’ New Testament churches, is to set a good example and provide what others may need. We are to help those outside of the church membership, those “without”.

-The greatest way we can help those “outside” is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them, that they might hear and believe the gospel, then repent toward God, have complete faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.

-vss. 10-12 is one sentence, one complete thought. Read and study these verses together.

-‘honesty’: a child of God is to walk, conduct his life, as a child of God. A child of God is not to walk as a lost person, that would not be honest.

-Lost people are busybodies, they do not truly love others, they are self-loving and self-seeking. God’s children are not to be as the children of this world.

-Honesty would also include being honest in all our dealings with others in this life. As a child of God we are never to lie, steal, deceive nor cheat in anything (cf. comments vs. 6).

-God will make sure that His faithful child does not lack anything that is needed (cf. Psalm 23:1; Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19).

-God always provides for His children (cf. Psalm 37:25).

-We are to be content when we have food and clothing (cf. I Timothy 6:8). To the child of God, Jesus is our contentment, our satisfaction (Hebrews 13:5, 6).

4:13 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.

-In addition to afflictions, persecutions and peer pressures, there is the concern of these church members in regards to death occurring before Jesus’ return.

-‘ignorant’: not knowing (We might say, “I would not have you not knowing”, thus, “I would have you to know this wonderful truth”).

-‘asleep’: the body of the deceased child of God; “sleep in Jesus” (vs. 14); “dead in Christ” (vs. 16), that is, those who were ‘in Christ’, saved, and then died a natural death (cf. Acts 7:60 Stephen; John 11:11-13).

-The body is asleep, until the resurrection, at which time it will be awakened and changed. The soul of the deceased child of God is alive and in Paradise with the Lord (cf. II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23).

-‘Death’ means separation. In natural death, the soul and spirit are separated from the physical body. In spiritual death, the soul and spirit are separated from God.

-The ‘second death’ is what a lost person will experience when he is in his resurrected body and is cast into the eternal lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8), thus, separated from God from that point of time eternally.

-The concern of some of the church members at Thessalonica seems to have been in regards to those who were saved and then died before Jesus returned. Would they miss out on the rapture, on the many blessings of being alive when Jesus came back? Were they at a great disadvantage?

-They understood the wonderful truth that Jesus could return at any time. This is the doctrine of Jesus' imminent return.

-The Lord assures them that these would be at no disadvantage whatsoever.

-Even though we sorrow because those of our brethren in Christ, or our loved ones in the flesh, that are saved, depart this life, the sorrow that we have due to their departure is not to be a sorrow as if they had no hope. In one sense the departure of a child of God from this life into the presence of God causes our hearts to rejoice, and yet we do sorrow because we miss that person.

-When a child of God dies, we can say, “See you again soon”. When a lost person dies, we will have to say “Goodbye” to him forever, never to be seen again by the child of God, separated forever.

-Those who die lost without Jesus as their Saviour have no hope whatsoever. This is so very, very sad. They will eternally have no rest, no peace, no joy, no comfort. When they die, they are immediately in the torments of hell (‘hades’). One day they will be resurrected, their works judged and then they will be cast into the everlasting lake of fire and brimstone, hell (‘gehenna’).

-For these we sorrow in a very different manner.

-They died and are without any hope of ever being saved and delivered from hell. They will not have a second chance to be saved. Ephesians 2:12 speaks of the lost, that they have ‘no hope’. This is because they are “without Christ” and “without God”.

-Other instances of ‘not be ignorant”: (1) Romans 11:25 (restoration of Israel); (2) I Corinthians 10:1 (Events of Israel in the wilderness); (3) in this present text (re: the rapture and resurrection of the saints; (4) I Corinthians 12:1 (spiritual gifts).

4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

-The word ‘if’ in this sentence has the meaning of ‘since’. We absolutely believe that Jesus died and rose again. This is an essential part of the gospel of Christ. He lives!

-Jesus died for our sins, the sins of the world, according to the scriptures. He was buried and He rose again the 3rd day according to the scriptures (cf. I Corinthians 15:3-5).

-If a person is saved, then that person has believed, and does believe, the gospel of Christ. This is a requirement for being saved in the first place.

-cf. I Thessalonians 3:13 “with all His saints”.

-Notice, it is “God” who is coming. We know that it is Jesus who is coming. Jesus is God. He is God the Son. Jesus is “The mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6). He is Immanuel, “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). Another definite declaration of the Deity of Jesus Christ is Hebrews 1:8, where the Father Himself addresses His Son, Jesus, as God.

-These are the souls of saved people who have died a natural death, and have gone into the presence of the Lord prior to Jesus’ second coming. When Jesus comes in the air for His children (the rapture), those souls are with Him.

-cf. Revelation 6:9 (the souls of saved people who died in the tribulation; they are alive in heaven).

-These events are just as certain as the very death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. These events are sure, they will occur one day.

-Jesus’ second coming might be thought of as occurring in two phases: (1) His coming in the air for His children (rapture of the living saved, and the resurrection of the dead saved); (2) His coming with His children to this earth to establish His everlasting Kingdom.

4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

-The authority for this truth is the very word of God, the Lord Himself.

-“we which are alive and remain” refers to saved people who are alive on earth in their natural bodies when Jesus comes in the air at the rapture and resurrection.

-The word ‘prevent’ means ‘to precede’. The rapture of the living saved on earth at that time, will not precede the resurrection of the bodies of the saved that have departed this life.

-Since the word “we” is used, this indicates that it was possible for the Lord to return in the days that this was written. Remember, the prophecy regarding the requirement that the gospel must to be preached in all the world before the end of the age (Matthew 24:14) has already been fulfilled (Romans 10:18; Colossians 1:23).

4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

-Vss. 16 and 17 go together to make one sentence.

-In these verses we are given the process of the rapture and resurrection of the saved. -‘the Lord himself’ is the Lord Jesus Christ (I Thessalonians 3:13).

-At the present time Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven, but on this occasion He Himself, will descend from that position for a short time.

-Notice the words ‘with’: with a shout; with the voice of the archangel; with the trump of God.

-Note: there is only one archangel. The word is never used in plural in the scriptures, and yet some still will claim that Michael and Gabriel are, and Lucifer was, archangels. When someone teaches this they cast doubt upon the word of God, and they are wrong.

-Even by definition there can only be one archangel (‘chief angel’; ‘highest angel’). There are other ranks of angels (thrones, dominions, powers, principalities, etc), but the ‘highest’ angel in rank is the archangel.

-The word ‘archangel’ is used two times in the word of God. It is used in this verse and in Jude 9. It is in Jude 9 that God reveals that the archangel is Michael.

-Remember also that with Jesus at this time are the souls of His children that have departed this earthly life (vs. 14).

-‘The dead in Christ’ are those who are saved, thus ‘in Christ’, and have died a natural death.

-Their bodies are raised and changed into glorious bodies (Philippians 3:20, 21 I John 3:2).

-The souls of Jesus’ children that are with Him enter back into the same bodies that they dwelt in during their earthly life, only now those vile earthly bodies are glorious heavenly bodies (cf. I Corinthians 15, the resurrection chapter of the Bible). This follows the pattern of Jesus' resurrection. That same body that He had during His earthly life, was the body that was changed into a glorious body.

-Note, it is only the saved that are raptured and resurrected at this time. It will be some 1,000 years later that the lost people will be resurrected (cf. Revelation 20:11-15).

4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

-The word ‘Then’ indicates the order of events. There is the resurrection of the children of God who had died, and who come in the air with Jesus. Their souls enter into their changed and now glorious bodies. They are raised first, THEN, the children of God who are still living in their natural bodies upon this earth will experience this tremendous and glorious change.

-The ones who “are alive and remain” are the children of God still living upon the earth at this time of Jesus’ coming in the air.

-‘caught up’: snatched away; catch away (cf. II Corinthians 12:2, 4).

-These will be changed, too (cf. I Corinthians 15:51-53).

-Note what the emphasis in on, ‘to meet the Lord’. The emphasis in the word of God is always on the Lord, not other men, people, angels or places. Heaven is only heaven because that is where our Creator, our Maker and our Redeemer is. We are to love the Lord more than anyone or anything else. Our greatest desire and longing is to be with Him (cf. I Thessalonians 5:10 “with him”).

-From this point on, these children of God (vvs. 16, 17) will be “with the Lord”.

-Resurrection - 4:16; Rapture - 4:17; Reunion - 4:17 (‘caught up together’, ‘with the Lord’)

-These events may be pictured in Revelation 4:1, 2.

-Since the inspired writer wrote “Then WE which are alive”, it seems that it was very possible for Jesus to return in the air even during his own lifetime here on earth. This is another proof of the doctrine of the imminent return of Jesus Christ. He can come at any time. Be watching. Be ready.

4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

-Words from God’s word can be very comforting. This is because the scriptures are absolutely true, trustworthy and unchanging. The Lord is the “.. God of all comfort” (II Corinthians 1:3, 4).

-Other things can be of some comfort, such as acts and deeds of kindness, or other kind words.

-But the greatest comfort, real comfort, comes from the word of God. In the time of death of a loved one, these words in the previous verses are of great comfort. God’s children are to help one another by reminding them of “these words” in these verses.

-Also, see I Thessalonians 1:10 2:19 3:13 and this passage regarding Jesus’ coming, which is a truth that is always very comforting.

CHAPTER FIVE

5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

-Chapter Five is a chapter of action in view of Jesus’ return.

-The word ‘times’ is quantitative (duration). -The word ‘seasons’ is qualitative (condition; such as a season of prosperity, or the summer season is hot, etc.)

-We have just studied Jesus’ coming in the air (4:14-17) when the resurrection and the rapture of all saved people will take place. The Lord wants His children to know the truth about the resurrection and the rapture of His children, BUT, the times and seasons we do not need to know. We may think we know, we may want to know, but we have no real need to know.

-Instead, in this Chapter the Lord does tell us some things we do need to know and what we are to be doing.

-The ‘times and seasons’ are not an indicator, because Jesus comes as a thief in the night. A thief can come at any time, usually when no one is expecting him to come.

-cf. Acts 1:6, 7

-The words ‘times’ and ‘seasons’ are used in the scriptures in 3 verses: Daniel 2:21 Acts 1:7 I Thessalonians 5:1

-cf. Matthew 16:3, 4 to find out what the Lord says about those who “seeketh after a sign”.

-Three times the word ‘need’ is used in I Thessalonians: 1:8 (re: faith) 4:9 (re: love) 5:1 (re: hope - the timing of Jesus’ return)

-There are many things that the children of God need to know, and need to be doing, but we do not need to know “the times and the seasons” of Jesus’ return.

5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

-Here is something that these brethren did know perfectly, completely. This truth that they fully knew is that “the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night”.

-They knew this from their study of the Old Testament scriptures.

-Some of the passages dealing with the day of the LORD, and of the Lord, include:
--- Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9.
--- Jeremiah 46:10.
--- Ezekiel 13:5; 30:3.
--- Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11; 3:14.
--- Amos 5:18 (2x); 5:20.
--- Obadiah 15.
--- Zephaniah 1:7, 14-18.
--- Zechariah 14:1.
--- I Corinthians 5:5.
--- II Corinthians 1:14.
--- I Thessalonians 5:2.
--- II Peter 3:10.

-The word “as” indicates ‘in the same manner’. The day of the Lord so comes in the same manner that a thief comes: quietly, unannounced, suddenly, comes and goes quickly and quietly, usually coming unexpectedly (cf. Matthew 24:36, 42, 44, 25:13; Luke 12:40).

-The day of the Lord is a period of time, not just 24 hours. It begins with Jesus’ coming.

-His coming is in two phases: (1) Jesus comes in the air for His children (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; John 14:3), and (2) Jesus comes with His children to this earth to establish His everlasting kingdom (Psalm 145:13; Daniel 4:3; Daniel 7:27; Matthew 24:29, 30; I Thessalonians 3:13; II Peter 1:11).

-Jesus’ first coming to this earth, in flesh, was also in two phases: (1) For 9 months He was in the womb, hidden from the world, and (2) Then, His birth when He was revealed to the world.

5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

-When Israel thinks that she is in a time of peace and safety, perhaps due to the peace treaty that the antichrist establishes between Israel and her enemies, then sudden destruction will come upon them (cf. Daniel 8:23-25 9:27 11:36).

-The thing that the people of Israel want very much is peace. They will not have real, lasting peace until the Lord Jesus Christ comes and establishes His visible, everlasting kingdom.

-The destruction at that time is likened unto a woman that is in travail, it will be painful, and it will seem painful for a long time, increasing in intensity before it is finally over.

-Man will not escape God’s judgment.

5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief

-But these brethren in Jesus’ church at Thessalonica knew that Jesus was coming. Today, those that are saved and a member of one of Jesus’ New Testament churches should be well aware that Jesus’ coming could be at any time. His coming again is imminent. We know that Jesus can come at any time.

-The exact time of His coming is not known, but the fact that Jesus is coming again is known and believed by His people.

-We are to be looking, and longing for, the coming of our Saviour. We are to be watching, ready, prepared and expecting it daily (cf. Titus 2:13).

-If a person is expecting ‘the thief’, then that person should be ready and watching.

-‘that day’ is the day of Jesus’ coming.

-We can know that Jesus’ coming is near, ‘at hand’ by indications that He told us about: -II Timothy 3; II Timothy 4:3, 4; II Thessalonians 2:3 ‘a falling away’

-“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37). (cf. Genesis 6 to see the conditions as they were in the days of Noah: wickedness of man, continual evil thoughts, corruption and violence.) [This coming of the Lord is His coming in His power and glory to the earth to establish His kingdom.]

-“Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (Luke 17:28-30).

This is speaking of the trend of the increasing of the abominable sin of sodomy, homosexuality (cf. Romans 1:24-32).

-These are everyday occurrences at this very present time. The children of God are not in spiritual darkness or ignorance. We know that Jesus’ coming is nigh (James 5:8; Hebrews 10:37).

5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

-Children of God are those who are saved and have the indwelling Holy Spirit because they have been born spiritually of God (John 1:12, 13).

-This Letter is written to those children of God who are members of the Lord’s church at Thessalonica (I Thessalonians 1:1), thus it is applicable to all of His true New Testament churches.

-God is light (I John 1:5). Light is symbolic of truth, purity, understanding and holiness.

-The word of God is a lamp and a light (Psalm 119:105; II Peter 1:19).

-Daniel 5:14 (Light is associated with understanding and excellent wisdom.)

-Spiritual darkness, night, is symbolic of evil, sin. Those in this spiritual condition are lost, do not know the truth, are not holy and do not have spiritual understanding, because they do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit. They have rejected Jesus as their personal Saviour. (Literal physical darkness is not evil. God created physical darkness, the night (Psalm 18:11)).

-So, the children of God, children of light, will perceive that the occurrences of the present time are indicative of the last days and of Jesus’ coming.

-I Corinthians 2:9, 10 (God has shown His churches great truths in His word about many future things. The fine, intricate details may not be given, but the broad outline, the ‘big picture’ is given and may be known by the children of God.)

5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

-The word ‘Therefore’ relates back to vs. 5, meaning that ‘because of this’, or ‘since ye are children of light’.

-‘sleep’: spiritual slumber, spiritual sleep, not alert spiritually; “carnal indifference to spiritual things” (Vines).

-‘watch’: spiritual alertness, fully alert spiritually.

-‘sober’: being clear-minded spiritually; being clear-thinking spiritually.

-A child of God cannot lose his salvation, but may ‘go to sleep’ spiritually and not be alert or clear-minded spiritually. This one would not be aware of what is going on spiritually and not aware of the times. This one would be more worldly-minded, fleshly-minded than spiritually minded.

-It is possible for a child of God to “.. neglect so great salvation;..”, but we are warned not to do this (Hebrews 2:1-3).

-It is possible for a child of God to be so backslidden so far that he can forget that “.. he was purged from his old sins” (II Peter 1:9), and can live as if he was lost (Hebrews 5:12).

-Romans 13:11, 12 “.. put on the armour of light”

-We are not to sleep spiritually; spiritual slumber; “spiritual conformity to the world” (Vines).

-We are to be watching and to be sober (cf. I Peter 4:7).

5:7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

-‘sleep’, ‘drunken’: not watching, not sober; Their mind is asleep, or as a drunken person is just thinking about feeling good, ‘drown their sorrows’. How sad!

-A child of God is not of the night, and not of the darkness (vs. 5).

-‘sleep’ refers to inactivity, conformity to the world, indifference, unaware.

-‘drunken’ refers to being controlled by something other than the indwelling Holy Spirit; drunk with wine, or loving the things of this world, desiring power and pleasure.

-Luke 21:34-36

-Many sinful activities take place in the dark, in the night, perhaps because man thinks that no one will see his sinful deeds. God sees in the dark as well as in the day. Nothing is hidden from the One to whom we must give an account of our lives to. “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).

5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

-“But”: a word of contrast, those of the night and of darkness (vs. 7), contrasted to those of the day and of light (vs. 8).

-“who are of the day”: in the light and awake spiritually, having understanding, and are alert spiritually.

-These can only be those who have the indwelling Holy Spirit, and not because of any personal intellect or abilities.

-sober: see vs. 6

-Notice, ‘faith’, ‘love’ and ‘hope’. Review 1:3 (faith-work; love-labour; hope-patience), and I Corinthians 13:13).

-helmet: see Ephesians 6:10-18.

-We are to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ (cf. II Timothy 2:3).

5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

-The Day of the LORD is a day of wrath (Zephaniah 1:14-17) upon the lost in the world.

-There have been many harsh times upon this earth (Babylonian captivity of Judah, the dark ages, Hitler’s persecution of the Jews, two world wars, devasting disease epidemics, etc.), but none of these have been the Day of the LORD. This will be much, much worse (cf. Matthew 24:21, 22; Revelation 6-20).

-Review Revelation 3:10, Romans 5:9 (‘saved from wrath’).

-Those who have not received Jesus Christ as their Saviour when they depart this life will come under God’s terrible wrath (cf. John 3:18, 36).

-cf. Revelation 14:9-12

-We have no need to know of the times and the seasons (5:1), but God’s children are not appointed to wrath. God’s children will never experience the wrath of God.

-cf. Romans 2:8, 9; 8:1, 9.

-God’s appointment for His children is salvation, joy, peace and not wrath. Salvation for anyone is only possible by, through, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus (‘Jehovah is salvation’) is the Lord, is the LORD, the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Saviour of the world.

5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

-‘we’: speaking about the saved, children of God.

-‘wake’; alive in our present natural fleshly body.

-‘sleep’: refers to the body of a child of God when he experiences natural death; the soul and the spirit are separated from the fleshly body, his body is asleep in the grave awaiting the resurrection day; the spirit returns to God; the soul, the very being of the person, is in the very presence of God; conscious and very much alert.

-The Lord Jesus Christ (5:9) is the One who ‘died for us’. The result of this is that whether His child is living in the fleshly body, or separated from the fleshly body, the person, his soul is alive ‘together with’ Christ (cf. John 11:25, 26).

-At the rapture, when the resurrection of the saved dead and the translation of the saved living occur, we will meet the Lord (4:17).

-We shall ever be with the Lord (4:17).

-We will live together with the Lord (5:10). -The life of the child of God is “.. hid with Christ in God”(Colossians 3:3); “.. with him ..” (vs. 4)).

-Heaven is about being with Christ.

-Eternity is about being with Christ.

-Christ is the One who died for us, saved us, purchased us, delivered us from eternity in hell.

5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

-‘Wherefore’: ‘because of this’ (vss. 9, 10). This is to be the proper response to the previous verses.

-‘yourselves together’: as a church body, in this present time in this wicked world.

-‘edify’: build up; again, referring to those in the same local New Testament church, “one another”.

-Two commandments in this verse: (1) comfort yourselves together, and (2) edify one another.

-Members of the same church should “.. consider one another ..” (Hebrews 10:24, 25).

-These needed comforting because of the severe afflictions they were enduring for the cause of Christ (I Thessalonians 3:3, 4).

-Paul and others had comforted these (I Thessalonians 2:11).

-cf. 4:18

-cf. Acts 2:42 ‘church fellowship’

5:12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

-‘beseech’: plead.

-Here is another commandment to the church, “to know them”. A church must investigate, and know much about the man they call to be Pastor. The church must know of his salvation and his call to preach the word of God. They must know of the doctrinal beliefs of the man. There is much to know about a man before a church calls him as Pastor. They must ‘try’ him using the word of God (cf. 1 John 4:1; Revelation 2:2).

-‘over you in the Lord’: the Pastor is the under-Shepherd, Jesus is the Shepherd. The Pastor is to tend to the flock spiritually (cf. I Peter 5:1-3; Hebrews 13:7, 17, 24).

-‘admonish’: to put them in mind; reminding the members of the scriptures with its instructions and warnings from God (cf. Acts 20:31).

-II Timothy 4:2-4

5:13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

-Here is another commandment, “esteem them very highly in love”. ‘Them’ referring to those that are ‘over you in the Lord’ (vs. 12).

-‘Know” these and ‘esteem” these ones called of God. Don’t discourage them.

-‘Esteem’: includes respecting, honoring their teaching by hearing and obeying God’s word.

-The Pastor is a God-called man, yet he is still just a man (cf. Acts 14:15; James 5:17).

-He is not to force obedience to the Lord upon others. The Holy Spirit is the One who convinces us regarding God’s word.

-The work of the Pastor includes: prayer, studying the word of God, teaching, preaching, witnessing to others of Jesus, visiting in the hospitals, involvement with church ministries such as the Nursing Home Ministry, producing scriptural tracts and booklets, and other such things. In other words, the work associated with the ministry of the gospel of Christ.

-There is to be peace between the Pastor and the church members, and between the members, with all other members.

-‘Peace’: agreement, harmony; unity, no divisions, no jealousy, no envy among the church of the living God.

-The entire church body is to be in agreement.

-Other recent commandments given are found in vss. 11 and 12.

-I Timothy 5:17, 18.

-Philippians 2:3.

-These things must be done in obedience to the Lord in order to be ready and prepared for Jesus’ coming, in preparation of eternity.

5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

-‘warn’: I Corinthians 4:10-14; to inform regarding danger.

-‘unruly’: not subject to rule; disorderly; idleness; insubordinate; out of step; non-workers (II Thessalonians 3:6); I Thessalonians 4:11 (‘work’).

-‘feebleminded’: fainthearted; despondent; down in attitude and spirit.

-‘comfort’: by your presence, help, giving this one appropriate scriptures for what is going on in his life, sending a card, calling to encourage this person (I Thessalonians 4:18).

-‘support’: strengthen, hold onto, lend them your hand (Acts 20:35); they might be weak in faith.

-‘patient’: longsuffering with one another and all people (Ephesians 4:2).

5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

-Remembering vs. 10 that we live together with Christ. The Spirit of Christ, Christ Himself, indwells every child of God (cf. Romans 8:8, 9). He is always right there with His child.

-‘none’: not even one church member.

-‘any’: no person, no matter who it is, or what any person may have done to you, your family, etc. Even if they have done something terrible.

-‘good’: right; the things of God; the will of God.

-do good, not evil (cf. Galatians 6:9 II Thessalonians 3:13).

-‘yourselves’: members of a New Testament church.

-We must get our eyes off of the things of this life and onto the spiritual, the things of God.

-cf. Colossians 3:1-3; I Peter 3:9; Matthew 5:44-48; Galatians 6:10

-‘all men’: cf. I Thessalonians 2:15, 3:12, 5:14, 15; II Thessalonians 3:2; I Timothy 2:1, 4.

5:16 Rejoice evermore.

-We are to have continual joy in our hearts (always, at all times, in all circumstances and situations).

-Rejoice because: of God’s grace towards us, His mercy, His deliverance from eternal death and hell, His gift of eternal life, His salvation, His giving His children a home in heaven with Him, His love, His help, His provisions, His protection, His blessings, His kindness, His compassion, His word, His true churches, His longsuffering and so much more, including the truth that He rules for ever and ever.

-Rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 3:1, 3, 4:4).

-Rejoice: the continual response of a child of God, who being filled with joy in his heart and who is completely satisfied and content in every situation, in every trial and in every circumstance that comes along in life, because he knows who he belongs to, who his Father is and who his Saviour is, and is fully trusting in Him.

-cf. I Peter 1:5-8, 4:13; Psalm 2:11, 5:11, 33:1, 118:24.

5:17 Pray without ceasing.

-Prayer: honest communication between a child of God and his heavenly Father; our talking to God. He wants us to talk to Him. He speaks to His children by the Holy Spirit through His word.

-We are not to quit or fail to pray daily, and even many times each day. This does not mean we are to be praying audibly continuously throughout each day. Prayer is to be part of our daily life.

-We are to pray to the Lord in faith, and not doubting (James 1:6, 7).

-We must harmonize various Biblical teachings on prayer: Matthew 21:22.

-John 14:13, 14 (To ask in Jesus’ name is to ask that which is in agreement with the person and purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that the Father will be glorified).

-I John 5:14, 15 (Must ask that which is ‘according to His will’.)

-As has been said many times, “Prayer is not about us getting our will done, it is about having God’s will done.”

-We should pray for others and their needs. Pray and give the Lord thanksgiving. We should pray for our enemies, for those in authority and for one another. We should pray and confess our sins to the Lord and ask His forgiveness.

-Jesus gave ‘The Model Prayer’ as an example of how His children to pray. It contains several necessary elements. Matthew 6:9-13. (Note: This can NOT be the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus never sinned and could never pray ‘And forgive us our debts’.)

-Matthew 5:38-48, 7:7-11.

-Luke 18:1 (‘not to faint’: not grow weary). The Parable: vss. 2-8.
-Luke 21:36.
-Romans 12:12.
-Ephesians 6:18.

5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

-In this verse it is not ‘for’ everything, but always ‘in’ every thing (We are also to give the Lord thanks ‘for’ all things (cf. Ephesians 5:20)).

-In every situation, every circumstance, whatever setting we are in, give the Lord thanks.

-Remember Romans 8:28, 29. For the Lord’s purposes (cf. II Timothy 1:9).

-We can know the will of God. His will is revealed in the scriptures. Jesus is our great example and pattern for us to follow, in attitude, in conduct, in speech, in actions and reactions.

-Philippians 4:6

-Hebrews 13:15, 16

5:19 Quench not the Spirit.

-‘Quench’: When we quench a thirst, we eliminate the thirst. When we quench a fire, we put water on it and it goes out. We are not to allow the flesh nature to conquer, overpower, the Holy Spirit’s leadership in our lives. To allow the flesh nature to rule us is like pouring water on fire, the Holy Spirit. We are not to turn to the flesh for wisdom, energy, power or effort. We are to have no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3). We are to submit to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit always leads in agreement with God’s word, which is truth.

-We are not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).

-We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). We are to allow Him to control us.

-Galatians 5:16, 17.

-We are to desire the Holy Spirit to continue to lead and direct us, but we must be submissive. He will not force us to follow His will.

-Some wonder and doubt about their salvation because they are not submissive to the Holy Spirit, not faithfully obeying God’s word.

5:20 Despise not prophesyings.

-‘Despise’: to make no account of; to regard as nothing; to treat with contempt.

-God’s prophets were men that were saved, called by God, sent by God and inspired of God.

-God’s prophets told forth what God told them to speak. They were more than future-tellers, they were forth-tellers, telling forth what God gave them to tell (cf. II Peter 1:19-21).

-‘prophesyings’: telling forth the word of God; those things that cannot be known by natural means.

-We are to hear and heed the word of God.

-Some will not like what the Bible says, so they will not hear the Bible teacher or preacher. These take the scriptures lightly and not seriously.

-The word of God is where, and how the Holy Spirit (vs. 19) teaches us, and leads us. To despise prophesyings is to quench the Spirit.

5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

-‘Prove’: test; try (cf. Revelation 2:2).

-We are to prove our words before we speak; prove our actions before we act; prove our motives; prove our salvation (II Corinthians 13:5).

-Men are to be proven before they are ordained as Pastors and Deacons (I Timothy 3:10 note the word ‘also’, pastors and also deacons).

-We are to prove religious teachings: I John 4:1. We are not to be gullible and believe every religious teaching presented. Test it by God’s word to see if it truly is of God, in agreement with His word when rightly divided. Don’t take teaching at face value. Many use emotion, flattery and other schemes to convince the gullible that they are telling the truth, when in fact, they are deceivers. God’s word is truth.

-We must always be mindful that the devil has his preachers (II Corinthians 11:13-15).

-Search and study the scriptures: Acts 17:11, before accepting a teaching as being a truth of God.

-God proves us by sending us trials and tests. He tests our faith (I Peter 1:6-8).

-‘Hold fast’: cleave to, cling to.

-‘that which is good’: God is good. God’s word is good. God’s truth is good. Read God’s word, study His word, submit to, do, apply, obey His Word, pray, etc. Cleave to God, His word and His truth.

5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

-This command is in contrast to ‘hold fast to that which is good’ (vs. 21).

-‘Abstain’: ‘to hold oneself from’; more than ‘Just say ‘no’, actually do not do it.

-Evil is opposite of good (vs. 21).

-cf. 5:15

-Have no connection or fellowship with evil, even the appearance of evil.

-Consider the following: what if someone saw you with an empty alchoholic beverage can or bottle in your hand that someone had thrown in your yard and you were on your way to throw it in the trash. (It may ‘appear’ as if you are drinking. Probably it would be better if you had a sack and picked up the can or bottle and immediately put it into the sack); what if someone saw you coming out of a liquor store into which you had only gone to deliver a message to a worker there. (It ‘appears’ as if you were shopping there). We have to be careful and not identify with evil.

-We must think ahead before we act: Think about if another church member saw what you were doing, could it appear to him as if you were doing something wrong? Also, what if a lost person saw someone who proclaimed to be a Christian involved in something that could easily be perceived as being wrong. That might hinder him believing the gospel witness of the one proclaiming to be a Christian. We are never to be a stumblingblock to others.

5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-Church members are to be at peace among themselves. This peace comes from the God of peace.

-Sanctify: to set apart from sin, self and this world, for God’s purposes and uses.

-Wholly: set apart totally, completely for God’s purposes and uses.

-The 3 components of a human being: spirit and soul (the two invisible components of every person, the inward parts); the body (the visible part of every person, the outward part).

-These have been defined as follows:
--- spirit: the part of us that has “God-consciousness”; the life-giving principle from God.
--- soul: the part of us that has “self-consciousness”; the person himself.
--- body: the part of us that has “world-consciousness”; the flesh; natural.

-We are to be blameless (cf. 2:10) in body, thought, desires, motives, purposes, deeds etc.

-We can be blameless only if sanctified wholly (spirit, soul, body), inwardly and outwardly.

-The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned in every chapter of I Thessalonians (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:14-17; 5:23).

5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

-God is faithful. He will do His word. Everything will be done exactly and precisely as given in His word (I Corinthians 1:9, 10:13; II Timothy 2:11-13).

-He is trustworthy. He is believable. He is unchangeable (Psalm 102:26, 27; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 1:12, 6:17, 18, 13:8).

-The Lord has called His churches to service (Matthew 28:19, 20). He has called His churches to faithful service (cf. I Thessalonians 2:12 4:7 5:24).

-The Lord is our helper, comforter, provider, protector, leader, guide and teacher.

-The word of God is perfect, without any error (Psalm 12:6, 7 Proverbs 30:5).

-The word of God is preserved for ever (I Kings 8:56; Psalm 12:7, 119:89; Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33).

5:25 Brethren, pray for us.

-This is a request for the Thessalonica church to pray for Paul and those with him.

-Paul and those with him prayed for the church (cf. 1:2).

-We desire the prayers of those in the Lord’s New Testament churches.

-They were not necessarily asking the church to pray for them for physical health or safety, but something on a higher, greater, more spiritual level. The physical, the natural is short lived, temporary. Even when we pray for better health for someone, the truth is that they will eventually die a natural death. This does not mean it is wrong to pray for someone’s physical well-being, but we must include in this request that it be granted only if it is God’s will.

-Perhaps the request for prayer is for them:
--- to speak the word of God with boldness (cf. Acts 4:29-31; Ephesians 6:20; I Peter 4:11);
--- to endure the suffering for the Lord’s name’s sake (cf. Acts 9:15, 16 Philippians 1:29);
--- to be used for God’s eternal purposes (cf. II Timothy 1:9);
--- to be faithful witnesses of Christ whereever they were (Philippians 1:12-14 4:22);
--- to lead many more souls to Christ for salvation;
--- for other such reasons for spiritual purposes, not fleshly.

5:26 Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.

-The Thessalonica church was to greet the brethren that bring this inspired letter to them.

-This would be due to the love of the brethren.

-These were Christian greetings. A holy kiss was not something that appealed to the fleshly sin nature. Even today in some parts of the world, people greet each other with a kiss.

-These are ‘holy brethren’ (cf. 5:27).

5:27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.

-The command by the Lord is that this Book of I Thessalonians be read unto all the holy brethren there in the church at Thessalonica, and probably to other New Testament churches.

-This is a charge to us, ‘Read the book’.

-The word ‘Brethren’ is used 17 times in this Book.

-‘Charge’ – cf. I Thessalonians 2:9, 11. The word ‘charge’, or a form of this word, is used 3 times in this Book.

-The church at Thessalonica had to be assembled together in one place for this to be read to ‘all’ of them. This is logical since part of the definition for a New Testament church is that they be assembled together in one place at the same time.

5:28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

-cf. 1:1 ‘Grace’. God’s grace is His ‘unmerited favor’, ‘undeserved favor’, ‘undeserved good gifts’ shown toward others.

-This epistle is written to the church at Thessalonica as one body, ‘you’. Each New Testament church is ‘the body of Christ’. Each New Testament church is “the whole church” (Romans 16:23). A ‘universal, invisible’ church does NOT exist, regardless of the popular acceptance of this teaching. Truth is not determined by how popular something is. Truth is determined by God and is revealed in His word.

-This applies to each one of Jesus’ true New Testament churches as being a local, visible, called-out, assembly of saved, scripturally baptized people, who have covenanted together to carry out the great commission and the commands of her Head, the Lord Jesus Christ. (See comments on 2:14).

-The desire is not for God’s chastisement, but for His grace upon this church of His.

-We continually stand in need of God’s grace. A child of God is saved by the grace of God, and it is by the grace of God that any can serve Him.

-We hope that this study has been a help and an encouragement to you. We hope also that you will continue to study this book of I Thessalonians, and find many more great truths in it. Remember, we must apply in our lives what the Lord commands in His word.

-Please notify me of any and all mistakes that you find in these Notes, so that I might correct them. Thank you.

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