God of Peace

1 Thessalonians 5:22-23 - Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:13-15 - Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

Conclusions:

• Hold elders in the highest regard in love, not merely because of personal attachment or respect for their high position, but in appreciation for their work
• Living in peace applies to Christian relationships in general, but in 1 Thessalonians 5:13, it probably refers especially to right relations between leaders and those under them
• Those who are idle are loafers
• It seems that some Thessalonians were so sure that the second coming was close that they had given up their jobs to prepare for it, but Paul says they should work
• The timid and the weak are to be helped, not rejected, by the strong
• Retaliation is never a Christian option
• Christians are called to forgive

Application:

• Do you have right relations with your leaders?
• Do you help the timid and the weak?
• Do you forgive instead of retaliate?

All Scripture verses from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Prophecies

1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 - Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good.

1 Corinthians 12:8-10,28 - To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues…And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

Romans 12:9 - Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Conclusions:

• A prophecy is a communication of the mind of God imparted to a believer by the Holy Spirit
• A prophecy may be a prediction or an indication of the will of God in a given situation
• Since there also can be false prophecies that come from evil spirits, distinguishing between spirits is necessary in order to distinguish the true from the false
• The apostles and prophets were part of the foundation of the church, and teaching was associated with the pastoral office
• Apostles, prophets and teachers are listed as first, second and third, indicating their importance in the church
• Miracle workers, healers, helpers, administrators, and speakers in tongues were introduced after apostles, prophets and teachers, indicating the variety that follows
• Apart from 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul does not rank the spiritual gifts in importance since he has already insisted that all gifts are important
• Apostles are those chosen by Christ during His earthly ministry to be with Him and to go out and preach
• Apostles were also to be witnesses of the resurrection
• Any act of helping others may be the product of a spiritual gift, though the primary reference here is probably ministry to the poor, needy, sick and distressed
• Those with gifts of administration were enabled by the Holy Spirit to organize project plans and spiritual programs in the church
• The approval of prophecy does not mean that anyone who claims to speak in the name of the Lord is to be accepted without question
• Paul does not say what specific tests are to be applied, but he is clear that every teaching must be tested—surely they must be in agreement with his gospel
• Love is the Christians love for fellow Christians and perhaps also for his fellowman
• Sincere love is true love, without pretense
• The love Paul speaks of is not mere emotion but is active love

Application:

• What are your spiritual gifts?
• What is your part in the body?
• Do you test all teachings?
• Do you love fellow Christians?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV.

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Give Thanks In All Circumstances

1 Thessalonians 5:16-20 - Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt.

Ephesians 4:30 - And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Conclusions:

• Christians are differentiated from the natural man
• Because of what God has done, Christians are continually thankful whatever the circumstances
• People are naturally happy on some occasions, but the Christian’s joy is not dependent on circumstances
• Joy comes from what Christ has done, and it is constant
• There is a warmth, a glow, about the Spirit’s presence
• The kind of conduct Paul is opposing may include loafing, immorality and the other sins he has denounced
• On the other hand, Paul may be warning against a mechanical attitude toward worship that discourages the expression of the gifts of the Spirit in the local assembly
• Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by sin, such as unwholesome talk, bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and malice
• The Holy Spirit is a person, not just an influence, for only a person can be grieved

Application:

• Are you continually thankful, whatever the circumstances?
• Is your joy dependent on circumstances?
• Do you have a mechanical attitude toward worship?
• Do you frieve the Holy Spirit?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

The Timid...The Weak

1 Thessalonians 5:14 - And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

2 Thessalonians 3:11 - We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies.

Romans 14:1,6-7,9,14-15 - Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters…He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone…For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living…As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.

1 Corinthians 8:13 - Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

Conclusions:

• Those who are idle are loafers
• It seems that some Thessalonians were so sure that the second coming was close that they had given up their jobs in order to prepare for it, but Paul says they should work
• The timid and the weak are to be helped, not rejected, by the strong
• Busybodies are worse than idle, they were interfering with other people’s affairs, a problem to which idleness leaves
• The Judaizers thought they could put God in their debt by works of righteousness and were trying to force this heretical teaching on the Galatian churches
• Fellowship among Christians is not to be based on everyone’s agreement on disputable questions
• Christians do not agree on all matters pertaining to the Christian life, nor do they need to
• The motivation behind the actions of both the strong and the weak is to be the same
• Both the strong and the weak should want to serve the Lord and give thanks for His provision
• No Christian lives to Himself alone
• We do not live to please ourselves but the Lord
• Even in death the important thing is one’s relationship to the Lord
• Christ’s Lordship over both the dead and the living arises out of His death and resurrection
• Now that Paul was a Christian, the old food taboos no longer applied
• Sin is not just a matter of subjective opinion or conscience
• Paul is not discussing conduct that in the light of Scripture is clearly sinful, but conduct concerning which Christians may legitimately differ
• With regard to unsinful conduct, decision should be guided by conscience
• Love is the key to proper settlement of disputes
• Christ so valued the weak brother as to die for him
• Surely the strong Christian ought to be willing to make adjustments in his own behavior for the sake of such brothers
• Paul will forever refrain from engaging in the harmless practice of eating meat sacrificed to idols if it will cause his weak Christian brother, who feels it is wrong, also to eat that meat

Application:

• Do you help the weak and timid? Or are you weak and timid?
• Are you a busybody?
• Do you fellowship with Christians you disagree with?
• Do you want to serve the Lord and give thanks for His provision?
• Do you live to please the Lord?
• Is Christ your Lord?
• Is your unsinful conduct guided by conscience?
• Do you make adjustments in your own behavior for the sake of others?
• Do you do things that cause your brother to fall into sin?

All Scripture verses from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Over You In The Lord

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 - Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

1 Timothy 5:17 - The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

Hebrews 13:17 - Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Mark 9:50 - "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

Conclusions:

• All elders were to exercise leadership and to teach and preach, and all were to receive honor
• Those who excelled in leadership were to be counted worthy of double honor
• Double honor was especially true of those who labored at teaching and preaching
• Double honor should include financial support
• Dictatorial leadership is not condoned by the command to submit to authority, but respect for authority, orderliness and discipline in the church are taught throughout the New Testament
• Hold elders in the highest regard in love, not merely because of personal attachment or respect for their high position, but in appreciation for their work
• Living in peace applies to Christian relationships in general, but in 1 Thessalonians 5:13 they probably refer especially to right relations between leaders and those under them
• The distinctive mark of discipleship typified by salt is allegiance to Jesus and the gospel
• Strife is resolved and peace restored when we recognize in one another a common commitment to Jesus and the gospel

Application:

• Do you honor your elders?
• Do you obey your leaders and submit to their authority?
• Do you hold your elders in the highest regard and live at peace with them?
• Do you have a commitment to Jesus and the gospel?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Live Together With Him

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 - For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Romans 14:9 - For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Ephesians 4:29 - Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Conclusions:

• Awake or asleep is alive or dead; or, if the sense is moral, are alert or carnal
• Christ’s Lordship over both the dead and the living arises out of His death and resurrection
• The primary purpose of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is not to give a chronology of future events, though that is involved, but to urge mutual encouragement
• The Christian not only stops saying unwholesome things; he also begins to say things that will help build others up

Application:

• Have you entered a relationship that nothing can destroy?
• Is Christ Your Lord?
• Do you encourage others?
• Do you say things that will help build others up?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible.

The Day

1 Thessalonians 5:1-2,5,7-8 - Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night…You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness…For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

Ephesians 6:14-15 - Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Isaiah 59:17 - He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.

Romans 13:12 - The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 - We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Conclusions:

• Christians do not simply live in the light, they are characterized by light
• Character, not brute force, wins the battle, just as in the case of the Messiah
• The warrior’s character is his defense
• God Himself is symbolically described as putting on a breastplate of righteousness when He goes forth to bring about justice
• The Lord’s armor is compared to the believer’s armor in the battle against Satan
• God’s vengeance is part of the day of the Lord
• The day of the Lord is the consummation of all things
• There will be some preliminary signs, but the coming of the Lord will be as unexpected as that of a thief in the night
• The night is the present evil age
• These texts do not mean that the early Christians believed that Jesus would return within a few years
• Early Christians regarded the death and resurrection of Christ as the crucial events of history that began the last days
• Since the next great event in God’s redemptive plan is the second coming of Jesus Christ, the night, no matter how long chronologically it may last, is nearly over
• The day is the appearing of Jesus Christ, which ushers in the consummation of the kingdom
• Faith produces action
• Hope is not unfounded wishful thinking, but firm confidence in our Lord Jesus Christ and His return

Application:

• Are you characterized by Light?
• Is character your defense?
• Are you wearing the Lord's armor in the battle against Satan?
• Are you ready for the Lord's coming?
• Have you put on the armor of light?
• Do you have firm confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ?

All Scripture verses from the NIV

Conclusions derived from the NIV Study Bible