Cornerstone Class Outline for 2/3/19
· Announcements,
praises and prayer requests—Vicki Kerns
 |
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·
Introduction to 2
Thessalonians:
1.
Hand out 1-page
overview
2.
Spend 3-5 minutes
giving overview
2 Thessalonians Overview
Note:
this overview based largely on the following two sources:
1 and 2 Thessalonians: The NIV
Application Commentary by Michael W. Holmes
First & Second
Thessalonians—Everyman’s Bible Commentary by Charles C. Ryrie
·
Thessalonica
in 49-51 A.D.
o
Largest
city in Macedonia: population perhaps 200,000
o
Wealthy
commercial center: along major highway
and seaport
o
“Free
city” governed by local rulers called politarchs
o
Very
polytheistic culture:
§ Greek gods and philosophers
§ Roman emperor worshipped as a deity—emphasized
by city leaders to maintain favor with Rome
§ Egyptian gods: Isis and Osiris
§ Cult of Cabirus favored by rulers and
aristocracy.
§ Syncretism emphasized: religions were
mixed—melting pot of cults
§ Large Jewish community with a
synagogue
·
Christianity
in Thessalonica:
o
Church
established by Paul, Timothy and Silus about 49-51 A.D.
o
Consisted
mostly of gentile believers; and some Jewish converts
o
Suffered
persecution from the start
§ The Jewish community saw Christianity
as a heretical offshoot of Judaism with a false messiah.
§ The Thessalonian gentile rulers saw it
as a threat to emperor worship, civic cults and a threat to polytheistic,
syncretistic culture.
·
Trinity
required exclusive worship
·
All
other gods viewed as false by Christians
·
Christian
evangelism a threat
·
The
epistle of 2 Thessalonians:
o
Written
in about 51 A.D. from Corinth, perhaps about 2-3 months after 1 Thessalonians
o
Audience:
a church consisting of new believers
o
Author:
Paul (with Timothy and Silas)
·
Purpose
of the epistle
o
Encouragement
in the midst of persecution
o
Correction
and teaching about the Day of the Lord
o
Instructions
on dealing with disruptive and idle Christians
·
Outline
of 2 Thessalonians:
o
Greeting
1:1-2
o
Encouragement
in Persecution 1:3-12
o
Correction
and Teaching concerning The Day of the Lord, the Second Coming, the Lawless
One, Judgment of Unbelievers, Salvation of Believers 2:1-17
o
Prayer
requests and encouragement 3:1-5
o
Warnings
for the Idle and Disruptive 3:6-15
o
Conclusion
3:16-18
·
Discussion. Let’s
read 2 Thessalonians 1:1-5 NIV:
“1
Paul, Silas and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and
sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the
love all of you have for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God’s
churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and
trials you are enduring.
5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right,
and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you
are suffering.”
·
QUESTIONS on
1:1-5
o
In verses 1 and
2, do you see evidence for the deity of Christ?
§ God and Jesus bestowing grace and peace
o
What is the grace
and peace mentioned in verse 2?
§ Grace is God’s unmerited favor toward us, especially
seen in the giving of His Son as an atoning sacrifice.
§ Peace is multifaceted. One type of peace is the peace
with God or reconciliation we have with the Father because of Christ’s death
and resurrection—we are no longer enemies with God, but are now His friends.
Could refer to the felt peace in our heart; or peace with each other, a unity given by
God through grace.
o
In verses 3 and 4,
why was the faith and love of the Thessalonians growing and increasing?
§ Certainly, their growth happened because they
persevered and maintained faith in the face of intense persecution. The testing
of our faith produces perseverance. God uses perseverance to make us mature and
complete. James 1:2-3 NIV says “2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and
sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the
testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work
so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
o
Have you
experienced much persecution as a Christian?
o
How have trials
in your life resulted in growth in your faith and love?
o
The Thessalonians
became stronger Christians because they maintained faith and persevered through
suffering. Verse 5 says they “will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God….”
Does this mean they earned their worthiness because they responded rightly to
suffering?
§ Perhaps verse 5 is saying that their response and
growth in suffering is evidence of genuine faith. God judged them worthy at
salvation and their exemplary lives prove that God was correct.
·
Let’s read 2
Thessalonians 1:6-10
“6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who
trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This
will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with
his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey
the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting
destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of
his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be
marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you
believed our testimony to you.”
·
QUESTIONS on
1:6-10
o
Verses 6 and 7
say that, when Jesus returns, God’s gonna pay the persecutors back and give
relief to the persecuted. How does that make you feel?
o
In verse 8, what
does it mean to “obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”?
§ I think it simply means to repent (turn to God) and
believe the Good News that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins and
was resurrected from the dead.
o
Verse 9 is
describing Hell. Is Hell an eternal torture chamber? What do you think it is?
o
Verse 10 refers
to Christ’s second coming. With verse 7b in mind, will Christ’s second coming
be quiet and secretive, or loud, bright and obvious?
·
Let’s read 2
Thessalonians 1:11-12
“11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you,
that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may
bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted
by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified
in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus
Christ.”
·
QUESTIONS on 1:11-12
o
In verse 11, Paul
prays that God will make the Thessalonians “worthy of his calling.” What
spiritual process is Paul referring to?
§ Probably sanctification or spiritual growth
o
In verse 12, how
will the name of Jesus be glorified in the Thessalonians?
§ God does it according to His unmerited favor toward
those who believe.
·
Application/Conclusion
o
Paul begins and
ends 2 Thessalonians 1 with a focus on God’s grace
§ We don’t deserve the blessings and favor God has given
us
§ We should frequently thank the Lord for His grace
toward us
·
Closing prayer
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