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STUDIES IN I AND II THESSALONIANS
BY GLENN PEASE
INTRODUCTION
These messages are among the first I ever did in my
first full time church. They were preached in the evening service. They do not have
the depth that I would put into them were I doing this study today, but they
are still relevant studies of this portion of what God has revealed to us
through the Apostle Paul.
CONTENTS FOR I THESSALONIANS
1. THE MASTER MOTIVE Based on I Thess. 2:3-4
2. AN APOSTOLIC ATTITUDE Based on I Thess. 2:5-6
3. GOD’S GENTLEMAN
Based on I Thess. 2:7
4. BLAMELESS
BEHAVIOR Based on I Thess. 2:8-12
5. FRUITFUL FRUSTRATION Based on I Thess. 2:13-20
6. THANK GOD IT WORKS Based on I Thess. 2:13
7. FIGHTING GOD
Based on I Thess. 2:14-16
8. SATAN’S HINDRANCE Based on I Thess. 2:17-20
9. APPOINTED TO AFFLICTION Based on I Thess. 3:1-4
10. A STEADFAST FAITH Based on I Thess. 3:5-8
11. THE IMPOSSIBLE IS
INDISPENSABLE I Thess. 3:9‑10
12. DIVINE DIRECTION Based on I
Thess. 3:10-13
13. SANCTIFICATION AND SEX Based on I Thess. 4:1‑8
14. REVOLUTIONARY RESOLUTIONS
Based on I Thess. 4:9-12
15. NO REST FOR THE
RIGHTEOUS Based on I Thess. 5:6-11
16. LEADERSHIP IN THE EARLY
CHURCH I Thess. 5:12-13
17. THANKFUL NO MATTER WHAT! Based on I Thess. 5:18
18. LET THE FIRE BURN Based on I Thess. 5:19
CONTENTS FOR II
THESSALONIANS
2. UNFULFILLED PROPHECIES II THESS. 1:9 TO 2:2
3. THE MAN OF SIN AND THE SECOND COMING. 2:3f
4. THE MAN OF SIN
Based on II THESS. 2:5f
5. THE LAST DAYS
Based on II Thess. 2:7-10
6. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT Based on II Thess. 2:18-f
7. WHEN WITHDRAWAL IS WISE Based on II Thess. 3:1f
1. THE MASTER MOTIVE Based on I Thess. 2:3-4
How
should a Christian defend himself when his character and motives are attacked in
an effort to belittle the Gospel which he proclaims? Paul had to face this question everywhere he went, for the
Judaisers were hot on his trail trying to destroy the fruit of his labors. From the defensive nature of this chapter it
is clear that they had arrived at Thessalonika as well, and they were trying to
discredit the whole revival experience.
You can imagine the subtle attacks they would use to undermine these new
converts and cause them to question.
They
would say something like, “O you say that Paul was the man who got this new
movement going. Isn’t he the man with
the prison record going around stirring up trouble everywhere? He is a brave man doing what he is doing,
but then a man would do almost anything if there is enough money in it. Just get a few good speeches together and
you can make a mint feeding people fancy ideas about religion. I wouldn’t mind starting my own religion
either if I was free, like Paul, to be able to hit and run.” Others would be far less subtle, and they
would just accuse Paul outright of being a religious racketeer out to get all
he could from anyone sucker enough to fall for his deception.
We
need to keep in mind that this was a new thing. Paul appeared on the scene with the Gospel. They believed and then Paul had to move on,
and they had no Bible or long history to fall back on. Attacks like this would be serious. Paul was worried about how they would hold
out under tribulation and these attacks on the one who brought them the
Gospel. In this chapter we see him
defending himself, and we want to look at the two fold approach he uses in his
defense.
I. HE
REJECTS THE FALSE CHARGES.
Paul
just flatly rejects any such charges that he was trying to trick them with
impure motives. Peter likewise had to
defend himself as he wrote, “We have not followed cunningly devised
fables.” Men do not go around defending
themselves unless there is an attack on them, and so these verses reveal the
constant battle the Apostles had with public relations. This has been a major area of conflict
through the ages. Christian schools and
organizations need public relations offices constantly keeping people informed
that the charges against them are false.
In
Paul’s day many false prophets were already active, and as things went on they
got worse. John later says that
anti-Christ is even now already at work in our midst. In such a situation you have counterfeits at large that men can
point to as examples of falsehood and deceit.
Paul could do what many evangelists since could not do. The whole profession of evangelism has been
given a black eye by the false and deceitful methods by which some get
decisions. Paul used no such methods,
and yet he was of the greatest success.
He respected people and did not take them for fools. There were no tricks when Paul
preached. He presented the Gospel in
its simplicity.
We
never read of Paul trying to get hands up and then pressuring those people to
come forward. Paul believed in the
sovereignty of God when it comes to evangelism. You do your best and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. This is why I appreciate Billy Graham. He gives the message and offers those who
want to receive Christ the opportunity to come. There are no tricks or pressure.
If God does not move them there is no point in trying to get a
decision. It is only a Spirit induced
decisionthat is a saving decision.
Knowing that, Paul avoided all appearances of evil. He could say in perfect confidence that he
has rejected all deceit.
Even
if deceit can sometimes get more results, honest dependance upon God is the
only way to go. You might wonder about
what practical value this is to us. I
can’t speak for everyone, but my experience has been that a good many
Christians feel that the end justifies the means. They feel that when it comes to getting a person to decide for
Christ anything goes. I use to think it
was very clever of a student I knew to think up unique ways of witnessing. He would go into a restaurant and sit downby
some man. Then he would have a friend
come in and sit by him. He would begin
to witness to his friend as if he was a stranger, and do so loud enough to make
sure the other man heard.
Such a
method is highly unlikely to be effective, and the whole thing is based on
deceit and the philosophy that the end justifies the means. Since the motive is worthy, it is felt that
deception is legitimate. Scripture says
this is not so. Such a method could
possibly lead someone to respond to the Gospel, but they would find out that
they were involved in a plan of deception, and they or friends would accuse us
of being fanatics and deceivers. We
would in a position of being tempted to carry on further deception, or admit it
and give the unsaved ground to stand on in their charges. We would leave the convert in a very
troubled and dangerous state.
Deception is of the devil, and it cannot play a part in the
communication of the Gospel. Paul knew it
from the start, and with a clear conscience before God he could write to his
converts and reject all such charges as false.
His attitude was like that of the noble who was asked by his King to
practice deceit. His response was, “O
King! Believe me, rather much would I
fall by virtue than rise by guilt to certain victory.”
II. HE
REVEALS HIS TRUE MOTIVE.
We
sometimes think we are pretty sharp with all our studies in modern
psychology. We have learned that the
best way to treat a so-called bad boy, or anyone who has rebelled against the
standards imposed on him, is to take him into your fellowship and confidence
and give him responsibility. God, of
course, did not need to wait for modern psychology to discover this before He
put it into practice. He took the man
who was out to crush the advance of His kingdom and made him chief embassador
for His kingdom. He entrusted Paul with
the Gospel. He went from antagonist to
ambassador, from enemy to emissary, from persecutor to preacher. God not only gives us the gift of salvation,
but He trusts us to carry the gift to others.
This is an amazing fact, for every time a person puts their trust in
Christ, Christ puts His trust in them.
He trusts them to share the good
news with others.
There
is a story that Jesus was asked before His ascension, “What are your plans for
the spread of the Gospel?” “I shall
leave that to my disciples.” “But what
if they fail you?” “I have no other
plans.” Our part in God’s plan is tremendous. He intrusts us with the Gospel, and if we
don’t circulate it, it will be of no more value to others than is the misers
treasure. We are not to be Gospel
collectors, but Gospel communicators.
We are not to be Gospel misers, but Gospel messengers. How can others hear it if we have it but
hoard it?
The
Gospel falls into Aristotle’s category of the undiminished giver. It is of such a character that the more you
give it away the more you have.
Anything material I would share with others would leave me with less,
but to share ideas and truths not only leaves my stock undiminished, but
increases their strength by repetition.
For example, I have an idea right now, and I am the only one here with it. I will share it with you. In verse 4 Paul uses the plural we. He is taking Silas and Timothy in with
himself, and by implication includes all of us who have received the Gospel. I
have now multiplied that idea by as many as are here, but I still have all of
it, and plus it has been more deeply impressed on me for having shared it.
Paul
says that God trusted us with the Gospel, and we are honoring that trust when
we speak it and share it. The reason we
do not use any deceitful means to get it across is that our own master motive is
to please God. Even success through
deceit would not be pleasing to God.
Here is the motive that explains the conduct of Paul, and of all who
give their lives to be used for His glory.
Someone wrote,
Not for the eyes of men may
this day’s work be done,
But unto thee, O God, that with the setting sun,
My heart may know the
matchless prize
Of such approval in your eyes.
With
this as a driving motivation, life takes on a consistency and unity that
nothing else can produce. One author
said, “We found out to our grief that in a world in which anything goes,
everything is soon gone.” When our
master motive is to please God, then only that which is pleasing to Him is
allowable. In verse 1 and 2 we see that
Paul received courage from God for communicating the Gospel, and now we see
that the means must correspond with that end.
Not only is it important to reach people, it is also important how to do
it, for that how must be pleasing to God.
It is
a worthy end to want to support your family, but to sell dope as a means to
attain that end is so unworthy of the end that the whole plan is evil. It is having this master motive of Paul of
desiring in all that we do to please God that keeps our means worthy of the
ends we seek. Without it we cannot tell
a Christian from a non-Christian, for many non-Christians do good deeds, but
they have no desire to please God necessarily.
Their master motive is to please self.
If the Christian does not have the master motive of pleasing God he may
do much good, but the motive is selfish.
T. S. Elliot said, “The last temptation is the greatest treason, to do
the right deed for the wrong reason.”
Most
of our problems as Christians are related to our motives. The reason we often face frustration and
anxiety, just as the world does, its because
we lack a definite conscious of just what we are doing and why. If things don’t go well, we feel like giving
up, but Paul didn’t, and neither would we if we were constantly conscious that
the purpose for which we do anything is primarily to please God. It pleases God that we study His Word, and
so we should be doing so constantly, even if it is difficult, and we do not
always grasp its meaning.
This is
the secret of Paul’s constant drive, for even with all of his trials and
frustrations, he could rejoice in the Lord always because his master motive was
to please God. George A. Coe in his
book The Motives Of Men wrote, “The disillusionment that creeps over 20th century man concerns, not the ability of the
universe to supply what he desires, but his own capacity for really desiring
anything greatly significant.” Only the
person with a master motive greater than life itself can find ultimate
satisfaction and purpose to life. That
is why there is no greater goal for the Christian than to follow Paul in
developing his motive for living as our master motive.
2. AN APOSTOLIC ATTITUDE Based on I Thess. 2:5-6
We have all heard it said that is doesn’t make any
difference what you believe as long as you are sincere. This is true only if what you are talking
about doesn’t make any difference. If
you sincerely believe that white potatoes are better for you than red potatoes
it will not make any great difference if you are right or wrong. If, however, you are as equally sincere in
your belief that rotten potatoes are as good for you as fresh ones, it can have
a great deal of difference on your health.
Whether corn or wheat would be the best crop to raise can be debated by
farmers, and men can have sincere convictions either way, but when it comes to
the matter of the best time to plant-January or April-one might be sincere in
his conviction that January is best, but the consequences will be tragic. The point is, sincerity is only enough when
the question involved has no great significance one way or the other. Are dogs or cats the best pets is a good
example.
If the consequences of our belief are important it is not
enough to be sincere. We must also be
right or suffer the consequences. This
conclusion holds true on the natural level, and is even more significant in the
realm of the spiritual. No body with an
ounce of conviction can believe that sincerity is adequate in our theological
beliefs unless he is willing to conclude that the consequences of being wrong
are insignificant. In other words, are
theological issues on the same level as opinions about red and white
potatoes?
As evangelicals we are ready to say in a moment that
sincerity is not enough, for you can be sincerely wrong. We are so on the defensive against the idea
that sincerity is enough that we neglect the positive truth that though it is
not enough, it is still essential.
Water is not enough to get your clothes clean, but we do not ignore it
on that account. We just add soap. Sincerity is not enough to save us, but
salvation without sincerity is just as inconceivable. Sincerity means being in reality what one appears to be. It means to be genuine and honest in
intention. It is the opposite of
hypocrisy.
Paul in his defense to the Thessalonians stresses the fact
of his sincerity in all areas of his conduct among them. Paul would not have deified sincerity as
Lady Chudleigh did when she wrote,
Sincerity’s my chief
delight;
The darling pleasure of the mind;
Oh, that I could to her
invite,
All the whole race of human kind;
Take her, mortals, she’s
worth more than all your glory,
All your fame,
Then all your glittering
boasted store,
Then all the things that you can name.
She’ll with her bring a joy
divine,
All that’s good, and all that’s fine.
Paul would not give sincerity the place of the Savior, but
he would, no doubt agree with Mencius who said, “There is no greater delight
than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination.” Paul does just that as he reviews his life
before them and notes 3 specific areas in which sincerity characterized
him.
I. IN THE MATTER OF SPEECH.
v. 5
Almost every man of literature from the ancient Greeks on down
had something to say about the dangers of flattery. The power of words does not depend upon their truth. There is great power in falsehood when that
falsehood is pleasing, or in accord with what people want to hear. Hitler proved that a big lie told often
enough can sway a nation. Flattery
played a part in the first sin, for Satan appealed to Eve’s pride by
suggesting, “Surely you realize you are capable of being like God, knowing good
and evil. Such capacity should not be
held back. Exert yourself and become
the great one that you are.” Eve was
the first, but far from the last, to be flattered into thinking they could
disobey God and come out on top.
Man is an easy target for flattery. Robert McCraken says there are praise
records that tell you how good you are.
Man has such a craving for acceptance and praise that he is capable of
believing anything good said about him.
He does not like flattery as such, but he likes to believe that what is
said about him is simply stating the facts.
The Roman Emperor’s stated Emperor worship just to unite the people, but
some of them got to the point where they believed they deserved worship. The power of positive thinking works even if
it is not true. Because this is the
case, it is a powerful means of persuasion for gaining allegiance.
Paul could have come to the Thessalonians and gained a
greater following if he had flattered the people and told him how truly pious
they were, and that God would certainly welcome such good people as
themselves. But he appeals to their
memory and reminds them that he said no such thing. The implication is that Paul preached that all were sinners, were
lost and the only hope was in Christ who was crucified and risen again. There was no flattery, but just the pure
Gospel that flowed from his tongue. He
never used flattery in his teaching. It
can never be a proper means for any goal in the Christian life, for it means
false, and insincere praise. There is a
true praise, and we ought to exercise it constantly. We ought to express appreciation, but we must avoid trying to
build the kingdom of God by use of insincere speech.
What Shakespeare said of a character in Two Gentlemen Of
Verona fits Paul perfectly, and we need to pray that we fit this description as
well.
“His words are bonds, his
oaths are oracles;
His love sincere, his thoughts immaculate;
His tears pure messengers
sent from his heart;
His heart as far from fraud, as heaven from earth.
II. IN THE MATTER OF SUPPORT.
For Paul, Christianity made good armor, but not to be used
as a cloak. The idea of the cloak gives
the thought of insincerity, or of seeming one thing on the outside, but
underneath the facade, something different.
Let us remember that a number of the upper class received Christ at
Thessalonika, and so the standard charge of Paul’s enemies in such a situation
would naturally be that he comes with all this sweet talk of good news because
he has an eye on your purse strings. He
is out finding lost sheep alright, and the woollier the better, for under his
cloak he carries his shears.
This is as contemporary as today’s paper. You hear every once in a while of someone in
the church who runs away with all the funds, or that people are threatened into
giving. We must be prepared to face
such stories with an answer. We can
point out that it is never proper to judge anything by a poor example. You do not judge a rose by a wilted one, or
the taste of milk from a sour carton.
The folly of men does not take God by surprise. He knew the corruptions that would enter the
church, and that is why He warned in II Peter 2:1-3: “But there were also false
prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive
heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-bringing swift
destruction on themselves. Many will
follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit
you with stories they have made up.
Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their
destruction has not been sleeping.”
Covetousness and greed cover over with flattering words
would play a large part in the history of the church, and the very fact that it
was known from the start assures us that we need not be shocked, for we are not
ignorant of Satan’s devices. This makes
it all the more important that we be completely sincere in all matters of
financial support. Billy Graham
recognizes this. All evangelists have
been accused of making a haul by preaching the Gospel, and so he publishes his
income in the papers of the cities where he has crusades. He follows Paul’s example of complete
honesty in avoiding all appearance of evil.
There is a fable of the fox who was flattering the crow for
her lovely singing because he wanted what she held in her mouth. If Christians cannot make it plain that this
is not our motive in trying to reach people, we shall fail. The world has evidence galore that this is
the motive of so many who approach them, and so only honest and open sincerity
can convince them that this is not our motive. Only the sincere Christian
really has an offer of this kind to the world.
There are motives of greed to one degree or another in every appeal that
comes to men. Even the salesman who has
a good product and knows it will be for your benefit has another motive besides
concern for you, and that is that there will be gain for himself. But we have the privilege of offering good
news with the power to save without asking any price.
The tragedy of many money making schemes in the churches is
not only that they brainwash people into thinking that the end justifies the
means, but they also convince the world that the end, which is salvation, is
not free at all, and like everything else it is going to cost you. What the world hears is not justification by
faith alone, but justification by faith, plus cash, and especially the
cash. Paul avoided all possibility of
such charges, even if he had to work nights to make a living. He wrote in Acts 20:33, “I have coveted no
man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.” In
II Cor. 12:14 he wrote, “I will not be burdensome to you, for I seek not yours,
but you...” His complete sincerity in
all matters of speech and support was the Apostle’s attitude, and it must be
ours.
III. IN THE MATTER OF SUCCESS.
Success never went to Paul’s head. He could have stood on his dignity as an
Apostle, and from a pedestal of superiority thrown his weight around, but he
never did. Here again we see Paul’s
absolute sincerity, for he knew he only had the position he did by the grace of
God. He was the chief of sinners in his
own eyes, and honesty with the facts demanded that he not use his position of
power for self-advancement.
It was said of Leonard Bacon of Yale, “Dr. Bacon’s idea of
heaven is a great debate in which Dr. Bacon had the floor.” The same motives that operate in Hollywood
often operate in the church, and unless a Christian is characterized by the
attitude of sincerity in all that he does, he can forget he is a servant, and
begin to think he has some claim to honor.
Goodspeed translated, “We might have stood on our
dignity.” Luccock wrote, “More
institutions have died of dignity than for any other cause. Or, if they have not actually died, they
have been so crumpled up with rheumatism that they could not get up from an
invalid’s chair. The church has had
tragic seizures of the paralysis of dignity, when she has been unable to rise,
gird herself, take a towel like her master, and follow him in lowly service.”
Success is dangerous to the insincere person, for he cannot
say with Paul that to please God is his highest motive, or that he seeks not
the glory of men. The danger is that
his dignity will lead to the decay of his devotion to Christ, and self will
again take the throne. Many of the
problems in the Christian life, and in the relationship of the Christian with
the world would be eliminated if the apostolic attitude of sincerity in all
things became the attitude of all believers.
3. GOD’S GENTLEMAN
Based on I Thess. 2:7
History is the record of the battle of competing ideas and
philosophies that clash with one another in their effort to gain the allegiance
of men. The whole world is under the
pressure of such competing ideologies.
Is theism or atheism the truth?
Is liberalism or conservatism the way to go in politics and
theology? The whole question of force
or freedom is ever with us all the way from international relations to our own
family relations. The question is,
which is best, which is right, which is most effective in a given
situation? Is it ruthless
self-assertion or gentle self-sacrifice?
Which is most effective in dealing with a nation you have defeated, or
in dealing with a criminal or a person with anti-social behavior?
The natural tendency of man is to choose force, for any
thing else is a sign of weakness. Peter
was a good man, but he was persuaded that the sword was the best way to handle
things in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus rebuked him and told him that those who lived by the sword will
perish by the sword. Paul was a
Pharisee of the Pharisees, and he was zealous for God. He was throughly convinced that force was
the best policy. He persecuted and arrested
Christians. He was involved in the
stoning of Stephen. Paul received
authority to do this, and he asserted that authority. Might is right was the philosophy controlling him, but he met a
greater master on that road to Damascus, and he received a new heart and new
instructions. He was now given the
authority to go to the Gentiles with the good news that Jesus Christ died for
them, and if they would believe they could be released from the chains of sin
and darkness. We want to look at the
way in which Paul carried out these new orders for his life. In contrast to his old ways, we see him
being God’s gentleman for the Gentiles.
The first thing we notice in this statement is the contrast
from what he was as a faithful Jew.
Paul did not come to the Thessalonians with an army, and with a sword in
hand. What has happened? Is Paul less zealous for Christ than he was
when he was against Christ? Has he lost
his zeal? No! He has gained a new and greater zeal and power, and it is the
power of gentleness. He has discovered
that you only win a person when you convince them, and not when you coerce
them. Many have tried to force people
into the kingdom of God, but it is folly, for it does not work. People only really become a part of the family
of God by choosing to receive God’s gift in Christ. You cannot force people to love Jesus.
Jesus had all power, and He sent disciples into all the
world to teach and preach. Paul was
under that same commission, but he was no longer to go with a sword of steel,
but with the sword of speech. He was
not to go with weapons to cut and blast, but with words to convince and
bless. He was to go, not with soldiers
to compel, but with the Spirit to convince.
Paul was to enter the Gentile kingdom of darkness with the gentle weapon
of light. Jesus, the captain of our
salvation, holds us each responsible for the use of this weapon. He said, “Let your light so shine before men
that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” The Gospel is to spread by the power of
gentleness and not force.
When the church has forgotten this, and began to use
physical force to compel people to believe, it became corrupted by
paganism. Force has always failed to advance
the faith, but love has never failed.
This is a principle in history that the philosopher Locke observed as
applying to all of men’s efforts. He
wrote, “Gentleness is far more successful in all its enterprises than violence;
indeed, violence generally frustrates its own purpose, while gentleness
scarcely ever fails.” We see this
principle illustrated in so many ways Western and gangster films. The bad guys are often defeated by their own
greed for power and possessions. They
double cross and betray one another.
Little do the producers of these films realize that they are promoting
the principles of God.
Paul and many others since have proven the same true: “Gentleness wins more hearts than sternness.”