Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: 1 THESSALONIANS #1 - 1:1-2:12 )
1 THESSALONIANS SUMMARY: PREPARING CONVERTS FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD
A. 1:1 APOSTOLIC GREETING
PAUlos kai Si-lou-aNOS, kai TiMOthe-os, teek-kleSIa Thes-sa-lo-niKEon
Paul and Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of Thessalonians
en TheO paTRI, kai KuRIoIeSOU ChrisT0: CHAris [5485]huMIN kai eiREne[1515].
in God theFather, and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
B. 1:2-10 APOSTOLIC COMMENDATION
a. 1:2-5 EVIDENCES OF FAITH
Eu-cha-riSTOUmen [2188] to TheOPANto-te peRI PANton huMON,
We thank :God alway for you all,
MNEIan [3417] poiOUme-noi ePI ton pro-seuCHON [4335]heMON;
making mention in our :prayers;
a-di-aLEIPtos [89]mne-moNEUon-tes [3421]huMON tou ERgou [2041]tes PIste-os
3 remembering without ceasing your :work of :faith
kai tou KOpou [2873] tes aGApes kai tes hu-po-moNES [5281]tes elPIdos [1680]
and :toil of :love and :patience of :hope
tou KuRIou heMON IeSOU ChrisTOU, EMpros-then tou TheOU kai paTROS heMON,
in our :Lord Jesus Christ, before our :God and Father;
eiDOtes [1492], a-delPHOI e-ga-peMEnoi [25]huPO tou TheOU, ten e-kloGEN [1589]huMON,
4 knowing, brethren beloved of :God, your :election,
HOti to eu-agGEli-on [2098] huMON ouk e-geNEtheeis huMAS en LOgoMOnon,
5because our :gospel came not unto you in word only,
alLA kai en duNAmei [1411], kai en PNEUma-ti HaGIo, kai ple-ro-phoRIa [4136]polLE;
but also in power, and in theHoly Spirit, and much assurance;
kaTHOS OIda-te HOIoi e-geNEthe-men en huMIN di' huMAS.
even as you know what manner of menwe became among you for yoursake.
b. 1:6-7 EXAMPLE OF APOSTLES
kai huMEIS mi-meTAI [3402]heMON e-geNEthe-te, kai tou KuRIou,
And you became imitators of us, and of the Lord,
deXAme-noi [1209] ton LOgon en THLIpsei [2347] polLE, meTA CHAras [5479]PNEUma-tos HaGIou;
having received the word in much tribulation, with joy of theHoly Spirit;
HOste geNESthai huMAS TUpon [5179]PAsin tois piSTEUou-sin en teMa-ka-doNIa kai en teA-CHAIa.
7 so that you became an example to all that believe in :Macedonia and in :Achaia.
c. 1:8 WITNESS: PROOF OF FAITH
aph' huMON gar eXEche-tai [1837]ho LOgos tou KuRIou ou MOnon en teMa-ke-doNIa kai A-CHAIa,
For from you has sounded forth the word of the Lord not only in :Macedonia and Achaia,
all' en panTI TOpohe PIstis huMON he pros ton TheON e-xeLElu-then [1831];
but in every place your :faith :unto God is gone forth;
HOste me CHREIan [5532]Echein heMAS laLEIN ti.
so that we have no need to speak anything.
d. 1:9-10 WAITING FOR THE SON FROM HEAVE N
auTOI gar peRI heMON a-pagGELlou-sin [518]hoPOIan EIso-don [1529]EScho-men pros huMAS;
For THEY report concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you;
kai pos e-peSTREpsa-te [1994]pros ton TheON aPO ton eiDOlon [1497],
and how you turned unto :God from :idols,
douLEUein [1398] TheO ZONti [2198]kai a-le-thiNO[228],
to be bondmen of a living and true God,
kai a-naMEnein [362] ton huiON auTOU ek ton ou-raNON, hon Egei-ren [1453]ek ton neKRON [3498]:
10and to wait for his :Son from the heavens, whom he raised from the dead:
IeSOUN, ton 'ruOme-non [4506]heMAS ek tes orGES [3709]tes er-choMEnes.
Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath :to come.
C. 2:1-12 PROOF OF GOD'S GOSPEL AUTHORSHIP
a. 2:1-2 CONDUCT OF PAUL AND HIS COMPANIONS
AuTOI gar OIda-te, a-delPHOI, ten EIso-don heMON ten pros huMAS, HOti ou keNE [2756]GEgo-nen:
For yourselves, brethren, know our :entering in unto you, that it has not become vain:
alLA pro-paTHONtes [4310] kai hu-brisTHENtes [5195], kaTHOS OIda-te, en PhiLIPpois,
2but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi,
e-par-re-si-aSAme-tha [3955]en to TheOheMON laLEsai pros huMAS
we waxed bold in our :God to speak unto you
to eu-agGEli-on tou TheOU en polLO aGOni [73].
the gospel of :God in much conflict.
b. 2:3-4 HOW TO PLEASE GOD
hegar paRAkle-sis [3874]heMON ouk en PLAnes [4106], ouDE ex a-ka-tharSIas [167], ouDE en DOlo[1388]:
For our :exhortation isnot of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:
alLA kaTHOS de-do-kiMASme-tha [1381]HUpo tou TheOU pi-steuTHEnai [4100]to eu-agGEli-on,
4 but even as we have been approved of God to be intrusted with the gospel,
HOUtos laLOUmen;
so we speak;
ouch hos anTHROpois aRESkon-tes [700], alLA TheO todo-kiMAzon-ti [1381]tas karDIas heMON.
not as pleasing men, but God who proves our :hearts.
c. 2:5-6 BY OPENNESS
OUte GAR po-te en LOgoko-laKIas [2850]e-geNEthe-men, kaTHOS OIda-te,
For neither were we ever using wordsof flattery, as you know,
OUte proPHAsei [4392] ple-o-neXIas [4124], TheOS MARtus [3144];
nor a cloak of covetousness, God iswitness;
OUte zeTOUNtes [2212]ex anTHROpon DOxan [1391], OUte aph' huMON OUte ap' ALlon,
6nor seeking glory of men, neither from you nor from others,
duNAme-noi en BArei [922] EInai hos ChrisTOU aPOsto-loi [652].
though able to be a burden as apostles of Christ.
d. 2:7-8 BY GENTLENESS
alLA e-geNEthe-men NEpi-o]en MEso huMON, hos eAN troPHOS THALpe [2282]ta he-auTES TEKna:
But we became babes in your midst,as when a nurse cherishes her own :children:
HOUtos ho-meiROme-noi [2442]huMON, eu-doKOUmen [2206]me-taDOUnai [3330]huMIN,
8thus longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you,
ou MOnon to eu-agGEli-on tou TheOU, alLA kai tas he-auTON psuCHAS,
not the gospel of :God only, but also our own :souls,
di' HOti a-ga-peTOI heMIN e-geNEthe-te.
because you were become very dear to us.
e. 2:9 NOT CHARGEABLE
mne-moNEUe-te [3421]gar, a-delPHOI, ton KOpon [2873]heMON kai ton MOCHthon [3449]:
For you remember, brethren, our :toil and :travail:
nukTOS kai heMEras er-gaZOme-noi [2036], pros to mee-pi-baRE-SAI [1912]ti-na huMON,
working night and day, that we burden not any of you,
e-keRUxa-men [2784]eis huMAS to eu-agGEli-on tou TheOU.
we preached unto you the gospel of :God.
f. 2:10-12 EXHORTING THEM
huMEIS MARtu-res [3144], kai ho TheOS,
You are witnesses, :God also,
hos hoSIos [3743]kai diKAIos [1346]kai aMEMP-tos [274]huMIN tois piSTEUou-sin e-geNEthemen:
how holily and righteously and unblamably we became towardyou that believe:
kaTHAper OIda-te hos, HEna HEka-ston huMON, hos paTER TEKna he-auTOU,
11as you know how we wereexhorting you, each of you,
pa-ra-kaLOUNtes [3870]huMAS, kai pa-ra-muTHOUme-noi [3888], kai mar-tuROme-nos [3140],
as a father his own children, and encouraging, and testifying,
eis to pe-ri-paTEIN huMAS aXIos [516]tou TheOU
12that you should walk worthily of the God
tou kaLOUNtos huMAS eis ten he-auTOU ba-siLEIan [932]kai DOxan [1391] .
that calls you into his own :kingdom and glory.
NOTE: 1 & 2 Thessalonians are special letters from Jesus through the Apostle Paul, majoring on His Second Coming. These two letters, carefully read and studied, can clear up much of the eschatology (Last Day occurrences) controversy in the church today. But over and above all this, Jesus is coming again- this time not as the Redeeming Savior, but now as the all-conquering Judge and King. Yet it is important to see the sequence of our Lord and Savior's work. In the Book of Romans, Paul sets Him forth as the great author of “Justification by Faith”. Link this with the Feast of Passover.
In the Book of Ephesians the high water-mark of the Church - the “One New Man” of Jew and Gentile with Jesus as the Head, is set forth. Link this with the Feast of Pentecost.
But 1 & 2 Thessalonians major on the Return of our Lord; and therefore can be linked with the Feast of Tabernacles.
These letters of Paul from Romans to 1 & 2 Thessalonians are like a University Course. Only a life of full commitment and obedience to Christ allows the Holy Spirit to enlighten us as to their true meaning. Even Peter said that Paul wrote many things difficult to understand, which the unstablewrest to their own destruction.
I see 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus as letters for the Post Graduate School. And how do we categorize the Book of Revelation? The only Bible book that has promises of blessing for its reading? I leave it up to you!
Now let us highlight a few of the verses of Part 1, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:12.
1:5 - “because our :gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in theHoly Spirit, and much assurance.” The Gospel in Word? Yes! But also in the 3-fold manner brought forth by Paul here.
1:6-7 - Paul commends these believers for becoming imitatorsof him and his fellow-workers! Just as they suffered tribulation in this life, so these Thessalonian believers likewise. Read “Brother Yun - The Heavenly Man” by Paul Hattaway. Here we find the sameoutlook clearly spelled out.
1:10 - Here begins Paul's key emphasis of these two letters - the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus. Thisis the hope that purifies. This is the emphasis every time we celebrate the Lord's Supper. “Do this as often as you do it - in remembrance of Me - till I come!”
2:2 - “we waxed bold in our :God to speak unto you the gospel of :God in much conflict(aGOni).”Milton wrote a book “Samson Agonistes.” Professor Louis Markos wrote a book on C. S. Lewis - “Lewis Agonistes,” showing the 5-fold area in which Lewis agonized in bringing the church back to truth - its original moorings. Norman P. Grubb in his biography “Rees Howells, Intercessor”, points out that there are 3 qualification for the true intercessor. 1. Identification- he must be identified with the Lord, and with the one for whom he intercedes. 2. Then there is the agonyof the intercessor. The Spirit prays through us with groanings that cannot be uttered. Have we made ourselves available to Him for this? 3. Lastly comes the authorityof the intercessor. This comes when we have gained “the position of intercession”. These 3 points are clearly explained in chapter 12, “What is an Intercessor”? of the above book.
2:4 - God could entrust the Gospel to Paul, because he sought to please God, not man - neither his Thessalonian hearers, orothers.
2:9-12 - See here the spirit of service by Paul and his band. There are 9 points of service he mentions here. Can you find and identify them? - J.A.W.