Second Thessalonians - Chapter 3

All,

This week we are wrapping up our study of Second Thessalonians. Thus, we need to decide on what to study next. Given that we're in the summer season and many of us are away from church for a week or two on vacation or other travels I'd like to propose we stay in the New Testament and study some of the shorter letters which are easily covered in a week or two. This way anyone who misses a week or two will not feel lost returning in the middle of a larger multi-month study. Please bring your ideas with you to Sunday School tomorrow morning.

Now, let's proceed with wrapping up Second Thessalonians.

I. Introduction

A. A Request for Prayer and a Prayer for Them
B. A Charge to Discipline the Disorderly
C. Concluding Remarks

II. A Request for Prayer and a Prayer for Them

A. First Paul requests the Thessalonians pray for him and his work
1. Asks that they pray for God to facilitate the rapid and wide dissemination of the Gospel
2. Asks that they pray for Paul's deliverance from his enemies.
a. Dr. Constable believes Paul was referencing unbelieving Jews who were causing him difficulty in Corinth.
3. Imagine how the Thessalonians must have felt when they read that their leader was asking for them to pray for him!
4. Important to note Paul was not asking selfishly for prayers about wordly things. He was asking for prayers that God might intervene to help him further advance his ministry.
a. Read James 4:2 - James gives powerful instruction on how and what to pray for and that God wants us to pray and ask.
B. After expressing confidence in them he then prays that they might have a greater appreciation of God's love for them and the patience/steadfastness of Christ

III. A Charge to Discipline the Disorderly

A. Passage is mostly about how to treat "disorderly" christians. However, Paul does briefly address the offenders in v12.
B. Issue is about congregants who had stopped working and had begun living on the generosity of the other members.
C. Paul reminds them that he himself worked while he was among them specifically for the purpose of giving them an example to imitate.
D. Clearly this was a topic that had been discussed previously.
1. Paul mentions that he taught them about this while he was among them
2. Also wrote about same topic in his first letter (see First Thessalonians 4:11) - gently encouraging them.
E. Clearly some had not gotten the hint and now stronger, more direct language was needed.
F. Why had some of the congregants stopped working?
1. Believed Lord's return was imminent. Instead of believing the Lord COULD come soon, they had come to believe He WOULD come soon.
2. In anticipation of this event they had become excited and quit their jobs
G. Paul provides direct instruction to the offenders, in effect saying, "Calm yourself down and get back to work and provide for yourselves."
H. Paul also provides instruction on how to "discipline" those who do not heed his words.
1. Basically he tells them to shun them and in this way they will be shamed into admitting the error of their ways and will fall in line with God's teaching.
2. Also tells them to continue to love them as brothers not to treat them as enemies.

IV. Concluding Remarks

A. Another prayer for the Thessalonians
B. A confirmation of his authorship (he writes these sentences in his own handwriting instead of through a scribe)
C. Final benediction

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

(1) Notes on Second Thessalonians, 2010 Edition, Dr. Thomas L. Constable
(2) The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, A Study Guide with Introductory Comments, Summaries, Outlines, and Review Questions by Mark A. Copeland
(3) The New Testament and Wycliffe Bible Commentary, The Iversen-Norman Associates, New York 1971

Unit 5 - (Part 1) Ch. 4:14 - Ch. 6:20

I. Holding Fast and Praying Boldly (Ch. 4:14-16)

A. "Preacher" returns to 'parabola of salvation'. Has discussed this twice previously for different reasons.
1. Ch. 1:1-4 - purpose was to give congregants confidence that God was in-charge despite the appearance of chaos going on all around them.
2. Ch. 2:5-18 - purpose was to give congregants hope. Jesus is able to help those who are being tested because he has 'been there, done that'.
3. This third time his goal is to encourage his congregants to engage in bold, even audacious prayer (4:16 - "approach the throne of grace with boldness").

B. Confident Prayer
1. Not a matter of technique
2. Built upon how we perceive our relationship with God
3. "...bold prayer is an expression of theological trust; the practice of prayer rests on what we believe about God and God's relationship to us." (Long p. 64)
4. Must approach God in prayer with awe. Humans (because of our sinful nature) are unworthy to approach God. It is only because of Jesus' sacrifice that we are able to do so. Jesus is our "great high priest" who opens up the way to God.

II. Jesus and the Job Description of High Priest (Ch. 5:1-10)

A. Three Provisions for Job of High Priest - "Preacher" shows how Jesus is superior in all 3 areas.
1. The Function of the High Priest
2. The Person of the High Priest
3. The Appointment of the High Priest

B. The Function of the High Priest
1. Function as mediator between God and man.
2. Function as messenger of salvation.
3. Jesus greater than human, levitical priests in two ways
a. Not just mediator (presenting peoples sacrifices) for salvation, he offered himself as the source of salvation
b. Old human priests had to keep going back to alter...new sins required new sacrifices to be made. In contrast the salvation provided by Jesus' high priesthood is eternal.

C. The Person of the High Priest
1. In addition to liturgical duties also serves as pastor
2. "Preacher" shows Jesus is superior as pastor. "Jesus, like the old priests, was fully human, but unlike them his humanity did not erode into despair, loss of faith, and sin." Thus, Jesus knows the pain of being human and "is compassionate toward those who have lost sight of the truth that they are God's very own children." (Long p. 68)

D. The Appointment of the High Priest
1. High Priests do not 'volunteer' for the postion. Rather, are called by God.
2. Likewise, Jesus was called by God to not only be our High Priest but also to be his Son.
3. Jesus appointment as High Priest was not for a lifetime, but forever.

III. The Preacher as Crafty Teacher (Ch. 5:11 - Ch. 6:12)

A. Too Dull to Get It (5:11-14)
1. Tells them they are like babes, too immature to understand deeper christological lessons
2. Doesn't really mean it, just trying to motivate them to rise to the challenge.

B. No Turning Back (6:1-8)
1. To advance one must move beyond basic teachings about Christ
a. Need for Repentance and Faith
b. Meaning of Baptism
c. Laying on of Hands
d. Promise of the Resurrection
e. Final Judgement
2. Only Two Directions - Forward or Backward
a. Forward - maturing becoming deeper in faith
b. Backward - lazy. can easily succumb to temptation and be pulled away from Christ's promise.
3. Then makes scary statement. Possible to lose salvation by backsliding.
a. Long suggests the "Preacher" is expressing a practical frustration in ministry (people who fall away are not likely to return) vs. an absolute claim that God's grace has limits.

C. Prize Students (6:9-12)
1. Whereas at the beginning of the section he was chastizing them for being immature and dull in their faith, now just a few verses later he is praising them for being prize students.
a. The "Preacher" wants to supply encouragment
b. Encourages them to be "imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (6:12)
2. Begs two questions
a. Who are they to imitate?
b. What are the promises?
3. Imitate Whom?
a. Abraham, or
b. Whole host of people who have been faithful to God's calling throughout history
c. Their own contemporaries who are leading a faithful life
d. Long thinks the "Preacher" means all of the above
4. What Promises?
a. Specific promises...a great and blessed nation, or land flowing with milk and honey, or
b. More general promise..."Follow the path of obedience and faith and I will bring you to a place of rest and joy."

IV. The Sure and Steady Promises of God (Ch. 6:13-20)

A. God Swears (6:13-18)
1. Passage based on old oral tradition of oath taking.
2. Ultimate guarranty one was telling the truth was to make an oath in Yahwey's name.
3. Hebrew law condoned this practice (Deut. 6:13)
4. God has promised and sworn an oath on his own name. Double guarranty.

B. Hope: The Anchor of the Soul (6:19-20)
1. Christian hope is anchored by God's promise and oath, the unshakeable reliability of God.

Bibliography

Barclay, William. The New Daily Study Bible – The Letter to the Hebrews. London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002

Harrison, Everett F. Interpretation Bible Studies. Louisville: John Knox Press, 2008

Long, Thomas G. Hebrews, Interpretation – A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville: John Knox Press, 1997