Cornerstone Class Outline for 1/27/19—Tom Nash
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Announcements,
praises and prayer requests—Vicki Kerns
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2 orders of
business:
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| Purchase Mornings with Larry at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HNQKB1L |
1.
We’re finishing
up 1 Thessalonians. Is everyone okay with doing 2 Thessalonians next?
2.
Hand out maps of
Paul’s second missionary journey to those who didn’t get one:
o
I found this map
of Paul’s second missionary journey on the Blue Letter Bible website. You can
find maps like this in the backs of your Bibles, but I liked this one because
of the nice descriptions of his journey below the map.
o
I’d like to spend
a couple of minutes going through this as a review to give us some context to 1
Thessalonians.
o
Paul started in
Antioch and travelled through Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey)
o
He crosses the Aegean
Sea into Macedonia, eventually ending up in Thessalonica.
§ Paul spent at least 3 weeks in Thessalonica teaching
about the Messia
§ Some Jews believed, as well as a large number of
Gentiles and prominent women
§ Essentially, the Jews and city officials chased Paul
out of town
§ Also, this describes the harsh environment that the
new Thessalonian believers had to live in. We know they were a persecuted
church, which is why much of 1 Thessalonians is full of encouragement from
Paul.
o
From Berea, Paul
traveled to Athens, then Corinth
o
In Corinth he
wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians in about 51 AD
o
By the way, 1 and
2 Thessalonians were Paul’s first canonical letters
o
I think by seeing
Paul’s travels on a map, it gives us some context that helps us to better
understand the details of scripture.
·
Introduction:
o
I recently heard
this quote from Asbury seminary professor Steve Seamands:
§ “Ministry is finding out what Jesus is doing—and piggy
backing.”
o
It’s so easy to
focus on myself and whether or not I’m doing a good job.
o
My prayer
shouldn’t be so much, “Lord, help me to be a better discussion leader.”
o
Rather, I should
pray, “Lord, help me to understand what you are doing, and help me to follow
your agenda.”
o
I think that
takes some of the load off of us when we understand that the ministry belongs
to Jesus. I’m simply following His lead.
·
Discussion. Let’s
read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 NIV:
“12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to
acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who
admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.
Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn
those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak,
be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong,
but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks
in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat
prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22
reject every kind of evil.
23 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. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and
he will do it.”
25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all
God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this
letter read to all the brothers and sisters.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
o
At first reading,
these final verses seem kind of non-connected, as if Paul is just cramming in a
bunch of exhortations before saying farewell. However, these verses do have a structure
to the seeming disorder. A Bible commentator [Michael W. Holmes] organizes verses
12-22 into four sections:
1.
Verses 12-13
focus on our attitudes toward our church leaders
§ Congregational Responsibilities Toward Leaders
(5:12-13)
2.
Verses 14-15 deal
with how the church should manage those with “spiritual problems and needs.”
§ Congregational Responsibilities Toward Individuals
(5:14-15)
3.
Verses 16-18
focus on how we can nurture our relationship with God
§ Congregational Responsibilities Toward God (5:16-18)
4.
Verses 19-22 are
five commands about our response to the workings of the Holy Spirit
§ Congregational Responsibilities Toward the Spirit
(5:19-22)
o
Then Paul
concludes the epistle in 5:23-28 with a prayer of blessings for the
Thessalonians (vv. 23-24), prayer request for Paul and his companions (v.25),
final instructions (vv. 26-27), and a benediction (v. 28).
·
Questions on 1
Thes. 5:12-28 NIV:
o
In verses 12-13,
what types of church leaders does Paul have in mind?
o
What things can
we do to support church leaders?
o
In verse 14, how
do we warn idle and disruptive people?
o
In verse 14 we’re
told to be “patient with everyone.” How do we do this?
o
Verse 15 tells us
not to “pay back wrong for wrong.” Does that mean we are to let people walk all
over us?
o
Verse 16 tells us
to “Rejoice always.” Does that mean we are to be happy all the time? What does
it mean?
o
How do we “pray
continually” in v. 17?
o
Does v. 18 mean
that we are to thank God for all the bad things that happen to us?
o
What are some
ways in which we can quench the Spirit?
o
If someone gives
you a word of edification, how do you test it for truth?
o
Verse 23 mentions
the body, soul and spirit. Does this mean that human beings consist of three
parts? If so, what’s the difference between the soul and the spirit?
o
It was common “in
both Greco-Roman and Jewish cultures” to greet friends and family with a kiss.
Are there circumstances in our modern American culture where a holy kiss would
be appropriate?
·
Application/Conclusion:
o
We’ve just covered
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 NIV. Paul uses a lot of imperatives, or commands, in
these verses. There’s a sense in which the application is obvious when God commands
us to do something.
§ It’s like the Nike slogan: “Just do it.”
o
We are to obey
His commands. On the other hand, we can’t obey God using our own strength. 2
Cor. 12:9 NIV says, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my
power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
§ It seems to me as we recognize our weakness before
God, that is when we find strength to obey Him.
o
I’d like to read
1 John 5:3-5 NIV: “3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And
his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the
world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who
is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son
of God.”
§ Christians are born again, Spirit empowered believers
in Jesus. We have supernatural strength from God, therefore we can obey Him.
o
Of all Paul’s
imperatives, which one applies the most to you?
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Closing prayer
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