To This We Are Appointed
Thessalonians 1 • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 10 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
1 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, 2 and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, 3 that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. 4 For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know. 5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.
1 Thess 3:
Here is the behind-the-scenes we discussed in that Paul couldn’t stand the thought of the new church in Thessalonian being left so soon not knowing if the Gospel took hold, how they were doing, etc. Paul thought it best to go to Athens alone and send Timothy to establish and encourage them. He must’ve done a really, really good job!
I know “brother” is a well-known and simple word but listen to the Greek of it: adelphos—a and delphos. A denotes unity and delphus is a womb or a WOMB OF UNITY! Isn’t that neat?!
“Adelphos generally denotes a fellowship of life based on identity of origin…members of the same family, tribe, countrymen, so forth…one of the same nature…a fellowship of love equivalent to or bringing with it a community of life.”
As born-again believers, we all have the same origin and the same nature; therefore, there should be a fellowship of love and life regardless of where you go to church. If you’re born again, we are family; therefore, the universal church should be a womb of unity!
The word minister is deacon in the Greek. Their main job in the early church age was to help the bishops and elders, which is what Timothy is doing here for Paul, disciple the new believers, baptize them, and the general care of the church. Stephen and Phillip were both deacons who distributed the alms with POWER! There were both men and women deacons (, ). They had to be able to teach and preach the Gospel. Later Timothy was the elder of the church at Ephesus.
Paul sends him to do two things: Establish and encourage them in the faith. Notice it wasn’t to establish them in a denomination or even a church but in the faith (believing in the good news about Jesus and following Him).
Establish means “to fix something so that it stands upright and immovable.” Fix doesn’t mean repair. It’s referring “to put in order.” It also means “to commit oneself to something,” and here it’s committing oneself to the faith. As we’ve discussed we are established on Paul’s gospel of Christ in us. It can also refer to strengthening someone using medicine. Establishing them in the faith was not only important for their spiritual health, but it also strengthened them when faced with persecution.
Encourage. It’s parakaleo in the Greek and is “to call to the side of.” It means to aid, help, comfort, and encourage. This word was common in describing the act of encouraging soldiers.
We Are Appointed to This
We Are Appointed to This
3 that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.
1 Thess 3:3
3 that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. 4 For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know.
We are appointed to tribulation. The word appointed means “to exist.” If you’re a Christian and you want to know why you exist, it’s to be persecuted. LOL!
22 And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.”
22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”
Remember that tribulation is thlipso, which is the act of putting a heavy boulder on someone’s chest to slowly suffocate them and was used by the Romans as punishment for a crime. For us it’s a compressing, a squeezing. Why is this a good thing and something we are appointed to?
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Difficult is the exact same word. Few find the way that leads to life because it is difficult, hard and filled with persecution; therefore, many take the easier path. But to enter the kingdom of God, there will be tribulation because we live in a world dominated by the adversary. But it’s worth it! That’s why you see so many exhortations to rejoice when enduring tribulation and persecution. In fact, the greatest generation of believers will be those who endure the tribulation at the end of the age!
On the other side of this, it is better for us to pray for our leaders so that we may dwell in peace and truly establish the church in a city and region, but again we are living as representatives of a kingdom contrary to the world system. The word exist means “to live.” That means that as long as we are on earth and a threat to the enemy, we will encounter tribulation in this life.
22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”
Enter means “to move into a space, to move into, to come into.” This is interesting because when you move into a space, you’re setting up a permanent dwelling. In this case, it’s referring to moving into the kingdom of God. Listen to The Passion:
22 At each place they went, they strengthened the lives of the believers and encouraged them to go deeper in their faith. And they taught them, “It is necessary for us to enter into the realm of God’s kingdom, because that’s the only way we will endure our many trials and persecutions.”
On the other side of this, it is better for us to pray for our leaders so that we may dwell in peace and truly establish the church in a city and region, but again we are living as representatives of a kingdom contrary to the world system. The word exist means “to live.” That means that as long as we are on earth and a threat to the enemy, we will encounter tribulation in this life.
This is another passage that could go either way, a chicken or the egg conundrum but both apply! Listen to the comments on this:
That is, the only way to avoid the oppression of the age is to enter deeper into God’s kingdom realm. An alternate translation would be “Through great tribulation we enter into God’s kingdom realm.” Neither translation of this sentence implies a future kingdom, but a kingdom realm that is presently accessible.
Jesus told us to announce that “the kingdom has come upon you” when we minister. The kingdom is now and later. Every deliverance, every healing, every salvation is an act of war against the kingdom of darkness, which sparks opposition. But it’s by dwelling in the kingdom now that we can endure tribulation!
1 Peter 2:18-
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
The word harsh means “crooked, bent, warped…fig. crooked, perverse, wicked, and unjust.” Now Peter says that were are CALLED to suffer wrongfully as we obey God. The word “called” is the exact same word we studied last week. It’s to “urgently invite someone to accept responsibilities for a particular task, implying a new relationship to the one who does the calling.” Part of our responsibilities in the kingdom is tribulation and persecution. Jesus left us an example to follow. In fact, Peter says we should follow His steps.
Steps is “literally to walk in the tracks.” He then reveals those steps:
1 Pet 2:22
22 “Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
Whatever He calls us to, He empowers us to do. That empowerment is in relationship with Him. What does the kingdom look like in the midst of tribulation?
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
IN the Holy Spirit. When we’re in the Spirit, we will not be shaken. Shaken means “to be so emotionally disturbed as to give up one’s beliefs—‘to give up one’s beliefs, shaken in one’s beliefs, to turn back from one’s beliefs.” Here’s what’s interesting—the word could mean “to be deluded and to be shaken” but the Greek favors the former more meaning that “the deception for new converts is the hope of escaping the pressure by apostasy from Christ.” The problem with this delusion is that escaping present persecution means losing eternal salvation. However, the idea of being shaken also applies so, again, we have a two for one!
5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.
Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 373). New York: United Bible Societies.
Paul viewed this shaking and delusion to be temptation from the Tempter, which is a title for the Devil, the one who tempts.
6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you—7 therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. 8 For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.
9 For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God,
6 But now, Timothy has just returned to us and brought us the terrific news of your faith and love. He informed us that you still hold us dear in your hearts and that you long to see us as much as we long to see you. 7 So, our dear brothers and sisters, in the midst of all our distress and difficulties, your steadfastness of faith has greatly encouraged our hearts. 8 We feel alive again as long as we know that you are standing firm in the Lord.
9 How could we ever thank God enough for all the wonderful joy that we feel before our God because of you? 10 Every night and day we sincerely and fervently pray that we may see you face-to-face and furnish you with whatever may be lacking in your faith.
Furnish (also “perfect” in NKJV) is “to establish…especially in terms of Christian character worked out in the sense of UNITY of the members of the community.” There’s that “womb of unity” again. It’s in this womb of unity within the community of believers that our character is worked out. WE SHOULD ALL BE MAKING EACH OTHER BETTER.
1 thess 3:11
11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
Paul’s thoughts were always of establishing his converts in such a way that they’d be blameless as they stood before the Lord at His coming. It’s kind of like proud parents at a high school graduation. You’re proud of your kid not yourself. That was Paul’s heart.
The dominion of the Christ life establishes you in blameless innocence before our God and Father in the constant awareness of his presence in our mutual togetherness with all the Saints. The Mirror
“Establish your hearts.” Heart is simply “the seat and center of human life…seat of the desires, feelings, affections, passions, impulses.” In the NT distinct from the Greek use of the word, it’s “the place in man at which God bears witness to himself. Paul wants our desires, feelings, affections, passions, and impulses to be blameless in holiness.”
Blameless means “innocent.” Holiness is the beauty of the Lord. It’s not something He achieves; it’s Who He is, His essence. It’s a quality not a state meaning that because Christ imparted Himself to us, His nature, when we were born again, He imparted His righteousness and holiness to us as qualities found in the atonement meaning we can’t be even more holy or righteous than we are now. Unfortunately, our soul isn’t always aware of this reality, which is why it’s crucial to educate it.