• Themes and take-aways from 1 and 2 Thessalonians:

  • Compliments / indications they’re doing well

    • I Thessalonians 1:2-3, 9; 2:19-20; 4:1, 9-10

    • II Thessalonians 1:3-4; 3:4

  • End of the world

    • I Thessalonians 4:15-17

    • II Thessalonians 1:8

    • Acts 24:24

    • We need to know about the end of the world and teach our children about it!

  • Example / imitate / model

    • I Thessalonians 1:5-7; II Thessalonians 3:7-9

    • Follow good examples and be good examples!

  • Non-Christians (others / outsiders, contrast to converts in Thessalonica)

    • You are not like this anymore!

    • I Thessalonians 2:14-16

    • II Thessalonians 1:8

    • I Thessalonians 4:4-5, 13

  • Word / instruction / gospel

    • I Thessalonians 1:5; 2:13; 4:2; 5:19-20, 27

    • II Thessalonians 2:15; 3:14

    • God’s word is the instruction in your life.

  • Prayer

    • I Thessalonians 1:2; 5:25 – Prayer beings and ends the letter.

    • I Thessalonians 5:17; 3:9-10

    • II Thessalonians 1:3, 11; 3:1

  • Persecution

    • II Thessalonians 1:6; 3:3-4; 1:4-6

• Help! We’re in a crisis of Bible illiteracy!

• We just don’t know what the Bible says.

  • Hosea 4:1-2, 6; 8:12-14 – Hosea was one of the prophets who pointed out that problem.

  • Survey after survey indicates that our knowledge of the Bible is going down.

    • Albert Mohler – The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy: It’s Our Problem

    • Ephesians 3:4-5

• Therefore, we need to read it!

  • II Timothy 3:14-17; II Timothy 1:5

  • I Timothy 4:13 – All churches need to preach and teach it!

    • Dan Kimball – How Not to Read the Bible

  • The Bible is NOT being taught in many pulpits.

    • Malachi 2:4-7

    • Matthew 23:13-15

• We also need to make the effort to understand it!

  • II Timothy 2:15

  • II Peter 3:15-16

  • A.J. Jacobs – The Year of Living Biblically

• Psalms 119:105

• Zechariah 8:1-14:21

• Zechariah was mentioned in Ezra 5:1; 6:14 and possibly also Matthew 23:35.

• Zechariah 8:1-15 – God would again bless them.

• Zechariah 8:16-17 – God’s blessings would be conditional. Their fast days would become feasts of joy.

• Zechariah 9:1-17 – God pronounces judgment on the Gentile nations, but a remnant of even these would return to God – clearly a Messianic prophecy.

• Zechariah 10:2 – Idols are false and can never give blessings.

• Zechariah 11 – Allegory of the good and foolish shepherds.

  • Zechariah 11:7 – The good shepherd made two staffs: Favor and Union.

  • Zechariah 11:11 – The staff (covenant) was broken.

  • Zechariah 11:13 – Prophecy of Judas Iscariot and his betrayal.

  • Zechariah 11:14 – Union was broken, signifying the breaking of the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

  • Zechariah 11:15-17 – The foolish shepherd would not care for the flock. Hebrews 13:17

• Zechariah 12 – Jerusalem defeats the nations because God fights for her.

  • Zechariah 12:7 – Allusion to Judah receiving the gospel first.

• Zechariah 13-14 – The Messiah: the kingship and church.

  • Zechariah 13:1 – Fountain = Christ’s blood.

  • Zechariah 13:2-3 – There would be no more prophets.

  • Zechariah 13:7 – The shepherd would be smitten. Matthew 26:31

  • Zechariah 14:3 – God is with us in our battles.

  • Zechariah 14:8 – This might be implying that Jesus’ blood cleanses those in the Old and New Covenants.

  • Zechariah 14:17-18 – All people must come to the new Jerusalem (the church) to serve God.

• Lessons for us:

  • God’s people must walk in His name to be His people.

  • Jesus’ blood is for all in all time.

  • Woe to foolish shepherds.

  • Jesus is now king.

  • Prophets and unclean spirits are gone.

  • All preaching must have a “thus sayeth the Lord.”

  • All must come to new Jerusalem (the church).

  • Good shepherds care for God’s flock.

  • God won’t bless those who don’t serve Him.

Introduction

• 1 Corinthians 3:1-3
• Baptism is just the beginning of life in Christ.

What are some telltale signs of spiritual immaturity?

I go around with a chip on my shoulder.

• Romans 15:1-3
• I Thessalonians 5:15-18
• Christians always have something to rejoice about!

I’m still using impure entertainment.

• Ephesians 5:3-4
• II Samuel 11 – David and Bathsheba
• Romans 12:2
• Galatians 5:19-24
• Suggestions: ClearPlay, VidAngel

I fight fire with fire.

• Romans 12:14-21 – Overcome evil with good!
• Matthew 5:44
• Luke 6:28
• I Peter 2:12

• II Thessalonians 2:13-3:18

• II Thessalonians 2:1-12 – Review. See Romans 1:24, 26, 28. God does not miraculously intervene to keep us from sinning. What then should we do? See II Thessalonians 2:15. Hold fast to what we’ve been taught!

• II Thessalonians 2:13-17

  • Calvinists would say that v13 shows that God made the choice and they were sanctified miraculously by the Spirit. See Acts 10:34-35. God decided on the criteria for salvation, not on individual people that would be saved.

  • The “sanctification by the Spirit” may not necessarily be miraculous. Compare Revelation 1:11; 2:7. The terms “Spirit” or “Holy Spirit” were often interchanged with the inspired words or messengers God used. Compare II Thessalonians 2:14-15; I Thessalonians 2:13; Acts 17:1-4. God doesn’t make people Christians – He gives them free will and they choose to respond to the truth God set before them.

• II Thessalonians 3:1-5 – Prayers were requested for the spread of the gospel and rescue from perverse and evil men. See Philippians 1:22. Do we pray for God’s word to spread?

• II Thessalonians 3:6 – See I Corinthians 5:9-13. Christians cannot associate with those who have turned their back on God.

• II Thessalonians 3:7-12 – There was a particular problem of idleness, possibly because they thought the end of the world was imminent. Paul was trying to be a good example to them by working to support himself.

• II Thessalonians 3:13-15 – Unruly brothers must be disciplined. It is not easy, but it is necessary to try to bring them back to God. This discipline must come out of love!

• II Thessalonians 3:16-18 – Paul prayed for them to have peace with God.