1 Thessalonians 2

B. THE CONDUCT OF THE APOSTLE AND HIS . 2:1-12

1. Their Witness. 2:1-2

2. Their Word. 2:3-6

3. Their Walk. 2:7-12

4. Negative terms. 2:1-6

5. Positive terms. 2:7-12

6. Their Integrity. 2:1-4

7. Their Industry. 2:5-9

8. Their Interaction. 2:10-12

9. The Mother side of his ministry. 2:7-9 (Comforting)

10. The Father side of his ministry. 2:10-13 (Charging)

11. The Brother side of his ministry. 2:14-16 (Challenging)

12. The Ministry of the Shepherd. 2:1-12, 19-20

13. The Memorial of the Sheep. 2:13-14

14. The Militancy of the Serpent. 2:14-18

1 Thessalonians 2:1-2

1. Their Witness. 2:1-2 (The Suffering Traveler)

V.1 a) Coming - Not Serving Worthlessly.

It was not in vain because many were saved and a church was established.

V.2 b) Conflict - Not Speaking in Weakness.

I. Suffering didn’ t cause fear but boldness in proclaiming the Gospel. 2.Tim.1:7; Acts 4:23-31 II. A person who sought personal recognition or money, would not have continued in such environment but quickly moved on to another city.

1 Thessalonians 2:3-6

2. Their Word. 2:3-6 (The Faithful Steward)

V.3 a) Clean Speech -

The words they spoke they also lived, they spoke from a good conscience and conviction.

I. Deceit - (Gr. plane) used in 2.Thes.2:11 and Eph.4:14 and means error and deceit. They preached the Truth.

II. Uncleanness - (Gr. akatharsia) means impurity. They preached with pure motives.

III. Guile - (Gr. dolos) means a trick (like a bait). 2.Cor.4:2 They preached to bring them to God without any hidden agendas.

V.4 b) Called to Speak - Didn’ t preach to please men. Gal.1:10 3 characteristic of the apostolic ministry:

I. Approved by God.

II. Entrusted by God.

III. Wanted only to please God.

V.5 c) Confidential Speech - Didn’ t preach for money.

They only spoke straight about the Gospel of Christ and they didn’ t preach for gain. He came to Give and not to Get. Acts 20:33 V.6 d) Claims not Spoken - Didn’ t preach for the glory of man.

The apostolic ministry is an authoritative ministry that creates respect but they didn’ t demand it from them. 1.Cor.9:1-22

1 Thessalonians 2:7-12

3. Their Walk. 2:7-12

The Gentle Mother. v.7-8 The Tireless Labourer. v.9 The Consistent Example. v.10 The Concerned Father. v.11-12

V.7 a) Cherished as a Mother - How he feed his children

I. The Church of Thessalonica was a young church therefore Paul in this letter includes the family aspect in various ways.

II. In this verse Paul shows that he was like a mother for them. In v.11 he is like a father for them.

III. True spiritual maturity and pastoral care should be caring like a mother and mentoring like a father.

V.8 b) Care Maintained - What he feeds his children

True spiritual maturity and pastoral care is to lay down the life for the brethren. John 10:11-15 V.9 c) Contentment in Money Matters -

They laboured hard to earn to meet their own needs, they also laboured hard to meet the spiritual needs of the Thessalonians - Double labouring.

V.10 d) Cleanness Manifested -

I. Their Blameless Balanced Behaviour among the Believers.

They were like a mother that Bear her Baby in her Bosom. v.7 They Bypassed their own needs to Build them up. v.8 They were Busy in Burdening themselves that they would not be Bothersome for them. v.9

II. 3 characteristics of godly men.

1. Spiritual testimony - (Devoutly), Godward - upward.

2. Social testimony - (Justly), Manward - outward.

3. Self directional testimony - (Blameless), Selfward - inward.

V.11 e) Comforted and Charged in Maturity -

I. They were like a father to them:

1. A father exhorts. (Learning the right way)

2. A father comforts. (Loving the right way)

3. A father charges. (Living the right way)

II. True spiritual maturity and pastoral care is to cause a right Learning, Loving and Living.

V.12 f) Call and Mandate -

I. To have a walk worthy of God they needed parenting from a spiritually mature person, in this case Paul parented them

II. After having responded to the calling they received parenting.

1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

C. THE CONDUCT OF THE . 2:13-16

1. Their Reception of the Word. 2:13

2. Their Response to the Word. 2:14

3. The Rejection of the Word. 2:15-16

4. Their Reception of the Word. 2:13 This is the 2nd thanksgiving of 3. (1:2-5; 2:13; 3:9-13)

5. The first thanksgiving (1:2-5) was caused by - Remembrance as they thought of their Exemplary Work.

6. The second thanksgiving (2:13) was caused by - Reasoning as they thought of the Entrance of the Word.

V.13 a) Effective - Working Word

I. Paul gives thanks to God that they:

1. Received the Word of God.

2. Realized the Word was from God.

3. Recognized and believed by faith Rom.10:17, faith causes the Word of God to have its effective work among believers.

II. The Word if Welcomed by faith

1. Establishes a Way even in the Wilderness

2. Enables Work even where there is Weakness

3. Equips to Walk Worthy even where there is Weariness.

4. Their Response to the Word. 2:14 V.14 b) Exemplary - Withstanding in Witness

I. The Church of Thessalonica became imitators of the first Church in Jerusalem, they both suffered from their countrymen, they had entered into the lives of persecuted godly Christians. 2.Tim.3:12 II. The Jews here is referring to the Jewish leadership. Matt. 16:21; 20:18-19; 23:29; 26:3-4, 59; 27:1-2, 41-43; 3. The Rejection of the Word. 2:15-16 V.15 c) Executions - Whipping and Wreckage

I. The Jews caused Jesus to be whipped and killed, killed the prophets and continued the persecution upon the Church.

II. Because of these persecutions they do not please God, not even man they pleased.

V.16 d) Escalating - Wickedness and Wrath

I. Because of these persecutions and resisting the grace of God, the cup of their sins is full and the full wrath of God has come on them.

II. This wrath can either be the judgment of God seen through His rejection, or it could be the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., or the great tribulation.

1 Thessalonians 2:17-20

D. THE CONCERN OF THE APOSTLE. 2:17-20

1. His Heart for the Thessalonians. 2:17

2. His Hindrance by Satan. 2:18

3. His Hope in the Thessalonians. 2:19-20

4. His Heart for the Thessalonians. 2:17 (The Homesick Brother)

V.17 a) Desired to Come -

I. They were as parents’ taken away from their children, as no one can take away parents hearts from their children, in the same way could Satan not take their hearts for the Thessalonians.

II. Like parents that has not seen their children for a while, so they had a great desire to see them.

III. Taken away (Gr. Aporphanizo) means to be separated as an orphan. The Thessalonians had become orphans for a short time. 2. His Hindrance by Satan. 2:18 V.18 b) Decided to Come -

I. Satan can hinder God’ s messengers. Rom.15:22; 1.Cor.16:9 Only in a limited and controlled way, Job.1:12 where it works for the best of His children. Rom.8:28 II. The Holy Spirit can also hinder, Acts 16:6-7 and He is right now hindering Satan’ s coming messenger - the Antichrist. 2.Thes.2:6-8 3. His Hope in the Thessalonians. 2:19-20 (The Expectant Soul-winner)

V.19-20 c) Delivery at His Coming-

I. At Christ coming He will give commendations and rewards to the faithful. Matt.25:14-23; Rev.22:12 II. The reward of the saints is measured by what they did to His people. Matt.25:31-40 III. Paul and his co-ministers knew that the Thessalonians would be their - Hope, joy, crown and glory.

IV. The crown is not only how far they ran the race but also how far they helped other believers to run the race. It is not just a crown for the head of the faithful but a reward and everlasting joy and glory.

V. There are different crowns for the faithful:

1. Incorruptible crown. 1.Cor.9:24-25 A crown for those who run the race and complete the task of God for their lives. 2.Tim.4:7

2. Crown of righteousness. 2.Tim.4:8 A crown given to those who longed for Christ’ s appearing, those who longed for righteousness and only sees Jesus as the fulfiller of that righteousness. Matt.5:6

3. Crown of life. James 1:12; Rev.2:10 A crown for everyone who enters heaven and remained faithful until they died.

4. Crown of glory. 1.Pet.5:4 A crown given to them that were living examples for the Church of God.

5. Crown of rejoicing. 1.Thess.2:19 A crown given to them that builds up the saints and caused them to run the race.