As Paul pens this section, he is nearing the end of his letter to the Thessalonians. As he does in other letters, Paul uses this final section of verses to cram in a bunch of “rapid-fire” challenges and instruction.
This section (1 Thess 5:12-22) falls into three sets of commands, and this week, we examine the first, which deals with relationships within the Christian Community. In 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15, Paul presents a roadmap for how relationships should look. Here are the three “navigation points” we identify in this passage:
1. Respect and esteem highly your spiritual leaders and their ministry. (12-13a)
2. Patiently disciple those who struggle. (14)
3. Live at peace, avoid revenge, and do good to each other. (13b, 15)
The Big Idea of verses 12-15 is: The church community should reflect Christ-like humility and grace in every relationship.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 (Part 1)
Living Together in the Community of Faith
September 27, 2020 • Dr. Peter Radford
2 Thessalonians 3:16-18
January 10, 2021 • Dr. Peter Radford
This week, we complete our study of the Thessalonian epistles. In the final verses of the text we find that Paul ends his letters right where he starts them, emphasizing grace and peace. From these final verses, we identify two key principles of grace and peace: 1. The secret to experience the peace of God is practicing God’s presence (16) 2. The secret to experiencing grace is to understand the ongoing work of the grace of Christ in our lives (18) In the end, the thrust of the sermon is that God wants believers to practice peace and walk in grace.
2 Thessalonians 3:13-15
January 3, 2021 • Dr. Peter Radford
In this brief passage, Paul instructs the church how to address brothers and sisters who fall into sin. This sobering text outlines the responsibility of believers to those who walk in disobedience: 1. Keep doing right (13) 2. Take note of the sinning brother or sister (14) 3. Disassociate from the person who has chosen a lifestyle of sin (14) 4. Don’t consider the sinning brother or sister an enemy (15) 5. Keep admonishing the Christian caught in sin like a brother (15) In the end, the Big Idea we emphasized was that you have a responsibility when your brother/sister falls into sin.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-12
December 13, 2020 • Dr. Peter Radford
In this text, Paul corrects a problem that occurs within the church of Thessalonica: Some believers are choosing to be idle and likely freeloading on the generosity of church. Paul offers the solution of grace-filled living to correct this behavior. From this week’s text, we find three principles for living in a grace-filled community: 1. Your sin can quickly infect another believer. (v. 6) 2. Your example can inspire others to follow Christ. (vv. 7-10) 3. You may need correction to continue following Christ. (vv. 11-12) The Big Idea we identify is that God calls Christians to live graciously in Christian community and to use their influence in the lives of others to bring about Christlikeness.