1 Thessalonians Chapter 2 Verse 13

•Paul’s not just thankful here, he’s something beyond He says here that there is a level of thankfulness that just doesn’t go away! “We are thanking God without ceasing!” He has genuine joy over the fact that they have received truth from him, Timothy and Silas but not just as words of mere men, but as it is in truth, the word of God! Two real quick points I want to make here…

•It is entirely emboldening and reassuring not to think or to feel but to know that what is being taught is the word of God. And not just for the people being taught but also for the teacher. The Bible is mysterious like that…that in the teaching of the word of God and in the receiving of the word of God, both are edified!

•As the listener, the receiver, everything becomes important and actionable. It’s not just information or data or direction, these are the words of eternal life because as it is in truth, this is the word of God. And for the teacher, nothing to sell, nothing to peddle, nothing to even work out in your own head and heart and life because you already have…and so joy, hope, love, confidence, comfort courage and adrenaline just meet up in the best energy drink ever! And the filter drops. No longer needed. The worry of will they accept me or like me, just drops. No longer needed. This is the word of God!

•Second thing I want to say quickly then we’ll move on because there is MUCH more in the second part of this verse, there are many out there, even whole movements such as the Emergent Church that say we can’t know the true meaning of the word of God. Ever hear someone say, “Well that’s just your interpretation…?” Listen, I want you to hear this. If we can’t know the true meaning and correct interpretation of the word of God then He may as well not have written it!

•The fact is yes we can for the vast majority of all of scripture. There are a handful of scriptures out there that are enigmatic and mysterious but know this…not many. Maybe 2%. It just so happens that folks talk a lot about that 2% and so it feels like more but after going through the word and systematically studying the word of God in a disciplined walk with God, the verdict is in…this book of simple! As a church we can attest to that. Remember going through Revelation! It revealed itself to us! And so the world is wrong. The Emergent Movement is wrong. There is truth and it can be known! It is clear and just as Paul and Timothy and Silas did, we can rightfully divide the word of God!

•How? Take a look at the second half of this first verse. It is so good! Paul says, “…the word of God which also effectively works in you who believe.” How does it “work?” How does it reveal itself? How does it make sense? How is the arithmetic solved? Paul says, “Believing is seeing!”

•This phrase “effectively works” is a single Greek word and I love it. Its “energeo.” The energy drink of the word of God being shotgunned! It charges us up! It activates! It energizes…all who read it? Not so much. All who agree with it? Not so much. All who understand it and then go into their lives and use it against others as Bible verse bullets to show themselves smart or spiritual. Definitely not so much! The word of God literally energizes and comes alive and reveals the depth of its truth, “In you who believe!”

•And check this out…this isn’t just believe like you believe in Santa Clause! This word in the Greek means literally, “to commit.” Oh man this is so TRUE! I LOVE THIS! The word of God comes explosively pervasively alive in the lives of those who commit their trust to it because in so doing, you are actually trusting its Author! This is what it means to believe! You want energy in your walk? You want your filter to drop and just plain turn off without you having to worry about what’s going to come out of your mouth or what they think? You want to actually find the energy to walk worthy of the Lord like we talked about last week? Time to commit to the word of God being just that!

1 Thessalonians Chapter 2 Verse 14a

•Now this doesn’t mean that they were copy cats! Mindless drones taking direction and doing only what they saw the church doing…that’s religion and it doesn’t sustain any joy or power in any walk. What this means is that by receiving the word of God, being filled with the truth and power of the Holy Spirit, the family of God simply spread to Thessalonica! Ever go to another church maybe visiting family or traveling with work and you just feel like you’re at home? Is that because they are imitating your home church? NO! It’s because they are the church too!

1 Thessalonians Chapter 2 Verses 14 – 15

•Brand new church. Brand new Christians. Brand new leaders…Paul encourages them that the haters have been hating long before y’all came to faith! Stay the course! The same spirit behind the folks that give you a hard time was behind the folks that killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets of old. And Paul says two things about them. He says, “They don’t please God.” And we find the root of that in John 15:21…they don’t please Him because they don’t know Him…consistent still today…

•And Paul says they are, “contrary to all men.” In other words, they are cynical, skeptical, suspicious continually in their thinking which makes them just naturally that way….so don’t take it so personally…

1 Thessalonians Chapter 2 Verse 16

•So a glimpse into what was making the Jews so upset there in Thessalonica…they were disgusted at the fact that gentiles were being saved without first becoming Jews! But more interestingly, Paul here reminds and comforts the church that they gotta push through this disapproval and persecution of man because it’s sin and God is not only displeased but He is against them! To suffer for the word of man is not worth it but to suffer for the word of God is so worth it!

•And Paul says here, keep cool! Remember that this is the word of God! His will! His people! So it’s His problem! And really, God’s wrath is upon them. Now, God’s wrath is not some angry fit and then a Ryu fireball from heaven. God’s wrath is simply God’s character! He is against sin in every way possible. Doesn’t mean He throws fits, it means that He never changes. No variation, no turning and also no darkness at all.

•This is a huge truth and one that we have covered before. God’s wrath and God’s love are completely equal because they are completely the same. He is forever and always against sin and He is forever and always for righteousness! Paul reminds the church, God is against them so chill…because when that happens, you don’t make it out well…

1 Thessalonians Chapter 2 Verses 17 – 18

•Paul recognizes the spiritual battle, I wonder do you? It will change your methods and weapons and tactics and strategies if so…you will separate the person from the problem and give grace, give patience, wisdom and strength…Paul sees it! And he calls out Satan himself. That name used 36 times in the New Testament. 6 times 6…and what’s interesting, one definition of the Greek word is a Satan-like man…it doesn’t have to be Satan himself but also his pawn…anyone blocking the work of God and His word…Remember what Jesus said to Peter…

1 Thessalonians Chapter 2 Verses 19 – 20

•This is so cool! I mean number one, Paul is revealing his reason…for them to get home! But so exciting is how he says it because at the sound of the trumpet we will all be caught up and meet Jesus in the clouds and from then on out, we’re never apart from Him until the day Jesus appears to the world after the Great Tribulation and when He rides in, with Him comes the Calvary!