The Dynamic Word
Notes
Transcript
Please take your Bible and turn to 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 as we consider The Dynamic Word.
Throughout this study we have come across various references to the Word of God. It has been referred to as:
Our gospel
The [received] word
The word of the Lord
The gospel of God
The gospel
Elsewhere we learn of how the word of God was derived. Paul informed Timothy that all scripture (the written word) was God-breathed. Therefore it is reliable and useful. Peter informed his readers about the accuracy of the prophetic word, process by which is came, and the source of the word.
So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.
But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,
for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
Peter also addressed the effectiveness of the word in
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
And the writer of the book of Hebrews addressed the dynamic power of the word in
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
In today’s passage Paul refers to the dynamic impact of the received word in the lives of the Thessalonian believers. As we consider this passage we will look at Paul’s gratitude for way in which the Thessalonians received the word, the results of their reception, and the rejection of the word of God by unbelievers. First, let’s read our passage:
For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.
For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews,
who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men,
hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost.
Let’s look first at
The Dynamic Gratitude of Paul
The Dynamic Gratitude of Paul
Notice the very first phrase:
For this reason we also constantly thank God ...
Gratitude is a rather persistent theme with Paul as well as the other NT writers. In chapter 1 the apostle expressed his gratitude for the Thessalonians partnership in ministry. In our present passage he reverts to gratitude for the growth he perceives in the life of these believers. Towards the end of this letter he exhorts the believers in this regard:
Rejoice always;
in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
The Dynamic Reception of the Word
The Dynamic Reception of the Word
Look again at verse 13.
For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.
Let’s consider first
The Source of the Word
The Source of the Word
Paul clarifies that the word that was received was not from man, but from God. Literally the phrase the word of God which you heard from us reads, “A word heard from us out from God.” And that is exactly how the believers in Thessalonica accepted the life-saving message of the gospel.
Let’s look next at
The Form of the Word
The Form of the Word
In this case Paul is referring to the spoken word, or the preaching of the word of God. Writing to the Romans Paul stated:
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Those who respond by faith to word of God, call upon the Lord and are saved from the coming wrath.
In order for the them call upon the Lord, they must first hear the message of the gospel.
In order for them to hear the message there must be one to preach the message.
Before someone preaches the message, someone must be sent for the purpose of preaching the message.
In our passage there are two distinct terms that Paul used to refer to the reception of the Word by the Thessalonian believers.
When you received the word of God which you heard from us ...
Received — objective
1 and 2 Thessalonians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Thessalonians’ Reception of God’s Word
Paralabontes (received) refers to an objective reception of a particular message, in this case the gospel.
You accepted it not as the word of men ...
Accepted — subjective
1 and 2 Thessalonians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Thessalonians’ Reception of God’s Word
Edexasthe (accepted) connotes an inward welcome of the message, a transference from the mind to the heart.
The outcome was that message for what it really is, the word of God.
Let’s consider next
The Performance of the Word
The Performance of the Word
Notice first the limitation of the performance of the word of God — in this text it is limited to you who believe.
Notice second that it is the word of God which performs its effective work; not the word of man. True spiritual work is not performed by the preacher, nor by the hearer or even the reader of the word, as important as each of those are; true spiritual work is performed by the penetrating, piercing word of God. And since the Holy Spirit is the true author of the word of God, then the performance of the word is inseparable from the working of the Holy Spirit.
This does not mean that the believer is to be passive in his or her response to the word. We are to actively receive and accept the word of God. Paul, I believe, refers to such in his closing remarks to this epistle.
We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
We’ve been looking at the dynamic reception of the word. Let’s turn our attention to
The Dynamic Results of the Word
The Dynamic Results of the Word
Look with me at verse 14.
For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews,
The first result of the dynamic work of the word in the life of the Thessalonian believers was that of imitation.
Imitation is the way in which children often learn things. They observe a parent or older sibling doing something and then they try to imitate it themselves. As an example consider our little guy, Luke. He has observed that I often take an empty water bottle and use it like a conductors baton and conduct whatever song is running through my mind at the time. (Sadly, this is an unconscious habit I developed during Jr. High). So Luke used to pick up an empty water bottle and walk to me, swing the bottle in air while singing “he, he, he.” A habit that I picked up from my dad was to hold my hands behind my back as I stand. And all of the little boys who have been in our home over the last five years have picked up on that habit.
When the Holy Spirit regenerates a person who is in Christ, at first they are spiritual babes. And they learn best by observing spiritual mentors.
In this case the imitation is of a group which they had probably never met — the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. Which actually brings us the second result of the word of God — suffering.
The churches of Judea could all be seen as daughter churches of the original church in Jerusalem. And Paul had an active hand in their development! Irony, of all ironies is that these churches came about because of the persecution which Paul brought against those who belonged to Christ. Therefore, he knew firsthand the kind of suffering they endured. And that is way in which the Thessalonians were imitating the church in Judea. Just as the churches in Judea endured suffering from their own countrymen, so the believers in Thessalonica endured suffering from the hands of their own countrymen. And it was the unbelieving Jews in this city which stirred up the rabble-rousers in the marketplace.
Let’s turn our attention from the results of the word to
The Rejection of the Word
The Rejection of the Word
Look with me at verses 15-16.
who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost.
Some commentators have warned that people have used Paul’s words here to justify anti-Semitic behavior. I cannot caution us too carefully about that. Being a Jew himself, Paul certainly wouldn’t have agreed to any such atrocities. Rather, he would later write in this very letter: See that no one repays another with evil for evil.
That being said, it cannot be denied that the Jews were instrumental in persecuting the people of God. Describing these Jews who brought suffering to the churches of Judea Paul first referred to
The Resulting Murders
The Resulting Murders
The reference to killing the prophets is in connection with the OT prophets, of whom John the Baptist was the last. It is mentioned second, not because of chronology, but because Jesus death was the greatest of their crimes against God.
Jesus himself had stated the weightiness of the Jewish leaders treatment of God’s messengers.
“Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city,
so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
This brings us to
The Resulting Persecutions
The Resulting Persecutions
The Resulting Disposition
The Resulting Disposition
The Resulting Outcome
The Resulting Outcome
