LAB: 1 Thessalonians 3-5 Notes

 The Messy Way To Know God's Will/ 1 Thess. 3:1-5/ Pt 1. 

• God plans our troubles (3:3b-4). This is the support for 1-3a, 5.
• Athens, alone - hardship in idolatry in the city. 
• "God's coworker" God ordains secondary means. 
• "Sent" not just prayer; exhort them; go to them. 
• "Bear it no longer" thought, assess, felt (pressured), action.
• Live in the messiness of God's will with heartful rest. 

How to Become a Coworker of God/ Pt 2.

• God's coworker in the Gospel of Christ. 
• "established" not "shaken" in the exhortation.
• God gave His Son therefore He will give us all things. Gospel - Good works (Romans 8:32-37).
• Preach the Gospel and its implications for your life. 
• Believe His word/Him even in affliction and be stronger for it. 

God Destined Your Affliction - Don't Be Shaken/ Pt 3.

• "Affliction" 1:6, 2:14, 3:3.
• Affliction is evidence of God's design to make us worthy of His kingdom. 
• All Christians are destined for suffering; not as condemnation but as santification.
• Affliction is good for you for it is His love Heb. 12:6-11.

Does God or Satan Send Affliction/ Pt 4. 

• 2 Thess. 3:1-3. How does God use evil men to send affliction?
• Acts 4:27-28 His hand does not sin but uses secondary means to bring about His plans. 
• God governs all men, good and bad, for our good. 

Can the Gospel Come in Vain to the Elect?/ Pt 5. 

• People can "believe" for a time. 
• Paul was sure Thess. was elect. We are secure in Him. 
• 1 John 2:19; perseverance. Paul wonders if they are born of God. 
• Thess has faith and love, 3:6, according to Timothy. Their perseverance was proven to Paul. 
• We need means, endurance, and encouragement, to meet God's ends-eternal salvation 2 Tim. 2:10.

We Live if You Stand In Faith/ 1 Thess. 3:6-10/ Pt 1.

• Faith and love, 3:7. It remembers and longs for its object. 
• Love is an outgrowth of faith. 
• "standing" in faith in God 1 Cor. 16:13.
• Their faith is life to Paul.
• Paul's highest valve is being realized in Thess.

Inexpressive Joy Is the Essence of Paul's life/ Pt 2.

• No answer in v. 10 because of Paul's joy in them is inexpressible.
• Their standing in God is life in Paul.
• Does your faith, work in God match Paul's?

Prayer is Not One and Done/ Pt 3. 

• "N and D" not answered right away. 
• Wait for an answer in prayer. Today is today; God will do the work in season. 
• Keep praying, and don't lose heart. 
• "Lacking" more to do in faith. Increase in love, faith, hope, and knowledge. 

How Do We Break Thru Satan's Obstacles?/ 1 Thess. 3:11-13/ Pt 1.

• 3:11, benediction/bi-directional. 
• Paul knows how to get to them but the obstacles of Satan are what he prays against. 
• The fatherhood of God and the lordship of Christ break Satan's obstacles. 

We Act God's Miracle of Love/ Pt 2.

• Becoming dear to one another and doing good to each other. 
• Love them with the love of Christ. 
• Our love comes from God's love to us. 
• You do, God works Phil. 2:12-13.

Love Establishes Us in Holiness/ Pt 3. 

• Love, established and increases, establish us in holiness. 
• Holiness: found in God, His inner glory shown to us. 
• Our holiness is a harmony in our thoughts, desires, and actions with God's holiness. 
• Our holiness is motivated by the love of God. 

How Can We Be Found Blameless at the End?/ Pt 4. 

• Holiness - love - established at Christ's coming.
• He died for us/our sin. He is our substitute. 
• Imputed righteousness in Christ is our hope. 
• Here Paul speaks of personal righteousness; loving His people. 
• Blameless: keep of short accounts, repent/forgive quickly. 
• Imperfect blamelessness thru perfect blamelessness in Christ. 
• We were elected for this Eph. 1:4-6.

Made Holy to Meet the Holy Ones/ Pt 5.

• God saved us to make us all holy in Him. 
• "Holy ones" Angels or saints? Yes. 
• Pray that your love will increase for believers, and unbelievers because you are heaven-bound. 

Can Christians Please God by Our Behavior?/ 1 Thess. 4:1-2/ Pt 1.

• Justified in God thru Christ and sanctified in God thru Christ in our holiness and good works.
• God is pleased by faith, trusting Him (Heb. 11:6). Therefore, do what God delights in. 

Apostle, Comforter, and Champion/ Pt 2. 

• Ask God and ask Church. Primary and secondary causes. Use them both. 
• We are rooted in God therefore we are in union with each other. 
• We ask in faith in obedience to God. 
• Encourage and challenge each other in the faith. 

Take Your Wife in Holiness - Not a Brother's/ 1 Thess. 4:3-8/ Pt 1.

• Holiness: pleasing God in accord with His will. 
• "will" the commanded will of God. 
• Sanctification in our sexuality; know God.  
• "vessel" wife, possibly our body 1 Peter 3:7.
• "Wrong...brother" coveting brother's wife 1 Cor. 7:2.

5 Reasons for Marital Faithfulness/ Pt 2.

• Take your own wife because you honor God and she is worthy of that honor as your sister 1 Peter 3:7.
• Take your own wife to not act in dishonor; but holy and honorable Romans 1:28-29.
• Take your own wife to not wrong your brother' love him in loving your own wife. 
• Take your own wife because the Lord is an avenger in these things. 

Should Sexual Purity Be Motivated by God's Vengeance?/ Pt 3.

• "I told you" Col. 3:5-6, Eph. 5:5-6, Heb. 13:4.
• "avenger" 2 Thess. 1:7-8.
• Give way to sexual desire and therefore live as if you don't know God the avenger and therefore be under His wrath. 
• Christ delivers us from this wrath. 
• Yes, to turn hypocrisy into holiness. 

The Sovereign Call to Sexual Purity/ Pt 4. 

• "Called" sovereign will, not merely the commanded will of God. He called; He'll sanctify. 
• Sovereignty called us to santification in our sexuality. 
• Know God, be who you are in your sexuality, and therefore honor God in honoring your wife. 

Sexual Immorality is Against God and Man/ Pt 5.

• "Against this" against God, His will, Church. Because it is God's will to be pure. 
• "HS to you" He gave Himself to you, you, therefore, give yourself to Him. 
• He in you, you in Him; not others. 
• Holy God in you, you increase in holiness. His presence is the guarantee of our sanctification.
• "Don't grieve the HS" Eph 4:30. Be for God because He is for you. 
• Confess to God and be kept in Him and out of rebellion. 

Was Paul's Letter Needed or Not/ 1 Thess. 4:9-12/ Pt 1.

• Encouragement is needed for the Elect. 
• The Thess. Church is doing well, and Paul is encouraging them all the more. 
• God uses secondary means to sanctify you.  

Should Christians Be Quiet Towards Outsiders?/ Pt 2. 

• Ambition: to aspire. Don't drift in life. 
• Be proper. Not idle. Work well. 
• "Outsiders" Col. 4:5-6.
• "Quietly" not being a busy body; mind yourself. "Sound no trumpet" Matt. 6:2-4.

What to Say to the Grieving/ 1 Thess. 4:13-18/ Pt 1.

• "those who are asleep" death, saints. Those with Christ right now.
• "grieve" we grieve but we also hope. 
• "hope" heaven, life, joy, forever. 

When Will the Dead Be Raised?/ Pt 2. 

• "with Him..." Jesus died and rose thus He will bring them from the graves. 
• Dead raised first at the second coming. 
• God will raise us on the last day. 

Will There Be a Rapture?/ Pt 3. 

• Christ ascended and will return in the clouds. 
• He will raise us and we will all return with Him. 
• Encouragement/hope: we will all be with the Lord. 
• Judgment purifies us and we escape the final wrath. 
• Matt. 25:1-10 go out to meet Him and return with Him. 

How Is the Day of the Lord Like a Theif?/ Pt 4.

• "times and seasons" Acts 1:6-8. Don't try to know when but work till then. 
• Wrath is coming, suddenly. Some don't care ("peace").
• Birth: Pain, sudden. But life; like the return. 
• "Theif" Matt. 24:36-46. 
• "Ready" Spiritually, cormo deo. 

The Sons of Light Will Survive the End/ 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 / Pt 1.

• "Darkness" Spiritual. We are spiritual therefore it will not come to us like a thief.
• "Children" John 8:39-44. Like the Father; in step with Him. 
• 2 Cor. 4:4-6 How we became children of light. 
• "Sons of light" John 12:35-36. We will be blessed at His coming. 

Prepare Your Heart for Cancer/ Pt 2. 

• Be ready for bad news with the good news. 
• Be ready to help others with good news. 
• My life is not God's wrath. 
• My life is to obtain salvation. He died for you; substitution. 
• The bad news my kill you; "asleep" but you are "with Him".
• No wrath; all salvation with God in Christ. 

What Is the Day of the Lord?/ Pt 3.

• Malachi 4:1-5. Wrath and redemption. 
• The day has already begun. 
• Zech. 14:8-9 And that day will one day be complete. 
• Christ's Day 1 Cor. 1:8, Phil. 1:6, 10.

A Vision for Leading and Being Lead/ 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22/ Pt 1.

• Respect: Labors, over you who admonish you. Esteem them in love. 
• This leads to peace in the Church. 
• Among those over you.  All of you are in Lord. 
• Lead; initiative, guidance, plan/vision, speaks. 
• Love your pastor because of his work for you.

Drunk People Make Bad Soldiers/ Pt 2.

• Be not asleep, drunk as son of light. 
• Don't be spiritually lazy/asleep. Or out of touch with reality (drunk).
• Don't be taken off guard by 2nd coming. 

Elders, Overseers, Bishops, Pastors, Deacons/ Pt 3.

• Paul established leaders in all his churches. Not priests, for we are all are 1 Peter 2:9.
• Elder-overseers/bishop, pastor. To teach, lead. Acts 20:17-28; Titus 1:5-7.
• Phil. 1:1 deacons, not leaders. 1 Tim. 3:1-8.
• Leaders: teach, lead. Deacons work for the church. 
• Elders: Plural, many in the Church. 

Does Christian Love Esteem Some More Than Others?/ Pt 4. 

• Love: valuing God. 
• Esteem the Elect, evangelism to the unregenerate. 
• Love all, but love/esteem highly those that work for you.

Though Love Toward Idle People/ Pt 5.

• Encourage the idle, be patient with them.
• Earn your own living till His coming. 
• Love applied 1 Thess. 4:9-12. Love works. 
• Tough vs. tender love. 

God Makes People the Means of Presevering Faith/ Pt 5.

• God uses means. "Means" means you, for others 1 Cor. 3:5-7.
• Work hard with tough and tender love for their salvation 1 Cor. 1:28-29.
• Salvation is a community project (the church).

Are We Drained or Filled by Serving the Weak?/ Pt 6.

• "Fainthearted" Lit: small soul. 
• Ps. 119:32. Big heart, big obedience. Truth grows the heart Ps. 96:3-4.
• Great: God, savior, salvation, promises. Pour God's greatness into your heart Eph. 1:7-19.
• "Weak" Romans 15:1. Serve all kinds of weak people. 
• "help the weak" Acts 20:35.

How Can People with Short Fuses Become Patient?/ Pt 7.

• "patient" 1 Cor. 13:4-7. Love suffers long. 
• Patient- strengthened with the power of glorious might with joy. Col. 1:11. 
• Might from Spirit Gal. 5:22. Hope in promise produces patience. Heb. 6:11-12.
• All obstacles are a re-route to something good by God. 
• All detours are designed by God for your good Gen. 50:20.