I THESSALONIANS---CHRIST IS COMING!


INTRODUCTION

1.    The city of Thessalonica

A.   Was founded by Cassander, King of Macedon, about 315 B.C. and is located about 100 miles west of Philippi

B.   A great commercial center during Paul’s time

C.   For centuries it remained one of the chief strongholds of Christianity and was called the “Orthodox City”.

D.   Its inhabitants were Greeks, Romans, and apparently a fairly large contingent of Jews.

E.   The city still exists today under the name Salonika and is located in modern Greece.

 

2.    The church of Thessalonica

A.   The record of the founding of the church is in Acts 17:1-9.

B.   Outline of events with regard to its founding

1)    During Paul’s second missionary journey

2)    Paul had traveled with his companions, Timothy and Silas, from Philippi (Acts 16) to Thessalonica.

3)    There Paul preached “as his manner was” in a Jewish synagogue.

4)    The result of the ministry there was that “some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few”. (Acts 17:4)

5)    This was followed by persecution of the apostles and the church led by unbelieving Jews who hired “lewd fellows of the baser sort” to instigate and carry out a riot against them. (Acts 17:5)

6)    The reason for the persecution: “These that have turned the world upside down are come here also...saying there is another king, one Jesus.” (Acts 17:6, 7)

a.    Political pretense

b.    Spiritual upheaval

7)    After preaching only three to four weeks, Paul was forced to leave the city under pressure. (Acts 17:9-10)

8)    “It is an unprecedented thing even in the ministry of Paul, this establishment of a flourishing church in less than a month. He preached to them for three Sabbath days, although no doubt he continued his meetings during these weeks. Paul’s success in Thessalonica has not been the usual experience of missionaries among the heathen. Carey in India, Judson in Burma, Morrison in China, Moffat in Africa waited each seven years for his first convert. But here, the Holy Spirit allowed Paul to reap a sudden harvest.”                              --Mears

 

BACKGROUND OF THE EPISTLE

1.    The first epistle to the Thessalonians was the first one that Paul ever wrote.

 

2.    Among other things, this lets it be known what the apostle did during his early ministry and what the church was taught.

 

3.    It is clear that Paul taught all the major truths to this church even though his stay there was very short.

A.   “Even though Paul had ministered in Thessalonica for less than a month, many great doctrines of the Christian faith are alluded to in this epistle: The Trinity (cf. 1:1 with vs. 5-6); the Holy Spirit (1:5, 6; 4:8; 5:19); Christ’s second advent (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:14-17; 5:23); the day of the LORD (5:1-3); assurance (1:5); conversion (1:9); election (1:4); resurrection (4:14-18); sanctification (4:3; 5:23); and Christian behavior (2:12; 4:1).                                                                               --New Scofield Bible, p. 1290; note 1

B.   This epistle shows that Christian theology did not evolve; rather, it is the product of the revelation of God.

 

OCCASION OF THE EPISTLE

1.    Paul was concerned for the believers in the church who were suffering in the persecution. (3:6-8)

 

2.    To send them his affectionate greetings

 

3.    To correct a mistaken view they were beginning to hold regarding the second coming of Christ

A.   “Paul had preached in that city that there is another king, Jesus (Acts 17:7); and many had understood him to teach that Christ must immediately return. Therefore they had given up their work (cf. I Thess. 2:9; 4:11; II Thess, 3:8, 10-12) and conducted themselves in a disorderly fashion (I Thess. 5:14; II Thess. 3:6, 7, 11). Others grieved over the death of loved ones, fearing they might have missed something since they did not live until the coming of Christ (I Thess. 4:13, 18).” --Theissen

B.   “A strange fear had struck at the faith of the mourners. Had their deceased Christian loved ones forfeited their participation in the hoped-for golden daybreak?” --Baxter

 

4.    To defend his ministry among them due to some opposition that had arisen from his foes. (2:1-20) This opposition seems to have come from outsiders and not from those within the church.

 

5.    To exhort them to purity and fidelity in life. Some seemed to be tempted to return to heathen practices. (4:1-8; 5:19-21)

 

A THREE-FOLD COMMENDATION

Paul commends the church for three primary things in vs. 3 and 9.

                          Verse 3                                                                     Verse 9

1.    “Your work of faith”                                            “Ye turned to God from idols”

2.    “And labor of love”                                             “To serve the living and true God”

3.    “And patience of hope”                                      “And to wait for His Son from heaven”

 

THEME OF THE BOOK

1.    The theme of I Thessalonians is the return of Christ and its effect on the lives of believers.

 

2.    The Lord’s return is the motivating force behind the thought of each chapter.

A.   Salvation and the Lord’s coming (1:10)

B.   Soul-Winning and the Lord’s coming (2:19, 20)

C.   Sanctification and the Lord’s coming (3:13)

D.   Speculation and the Lord’s coming (4:16, 17)

E.   Service and the Lord’s coming (5:23)

 

VITAL STATISTICS

1.    Time of writing - 53 A.D. (written within 20 years of Christ’s ascension)

 

2.    Place of writing - Corinth

 

KEY PASSAGE: 4:13-18

SIDELIGHT

“Our Lord’s coming is mentioned 318 times in the 260 chapters of the New Testament, occupying one in every twenty verses from Matthew to Revelation. Surely this should be sufficient to show its importance.”                                                                                                 --Lee


OUTLINE OF THE BOOK

  I.     SALVATION AND THE LORD’S COMING (ch. 1)

A.   Their faith attested (v. 8)

B.   Their faith acknowledged (v. 8)

C.   Their faith activated (vs. 9-10)

 

 II.     SOUL-WINNING AND THE LORD’S COMING (ch. 2)

A.   Paul exhorted them to salvation by personal example. (v. 9)

B.   Paul encouraged them to soul-winning by personal expectation. (vs. 19-20)

 

III.    SANCTIFICATION AND THE LORD’S COMING (ch. 3)

A.   Paul prays for them that their lives might be strengthened. (vs. 1-9)

B.   Paul prays for their spiritual development. (vs. 10-13)

C.   Paul prays for their sanctification. (vs. 10-13)

 

IV.    SPECULATION AND THE LORD’S COMING (ch. 4)

A.   The problem - ignorance among the saints of the resurrection of the dead at Christ’s return

B.   The promise - there is a great experience awaiting both the living and the dead. (vs. 14-18)

C.   The prospect - of the Lord’s return is to be the comforting and stabilizing factor in their lives. (v. 18)

 

 V.     SERVICE AND THE LORD’S COMING (ch. 5)

A.   The return of the Lord brings final salvation to the saints.

B.   The day of the LORD brings judgment to the sinner. (vs. 2-9)

C.   The Lord’s coming should thrust us into intense service (vs. 4-6, 8) which is made possible only by proper living (vs. 14-24).