1 Thessalonians
Lesson 8 - Encouragement and Instruction for Today1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
As we saw last week, Paul encouraged the church at Thessalonica -- and us today -- by reassuring them that even if they died before Christ’s return they would be resurrected and not miss his return. He further encouraged them -- and us -- to be diligent and sober in our actions and not to fear the wrath and judgment of God, since through Christ we will kept from them.
With this reassurance, he now tells us how we are to live and conduct ourselves within the church body as we eagerly look toward Christ’s return. We will specifically be looking at Paul’s commands to rejoice “evermore” and “in everything give thanks” and consider what this means during times of turmoil and challenge in our lives. Paul’s commands are excellent for all of us to apply to our lives. I pray you will be blessed even more than usual by your study of this passage.
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 and consider the following questions:
- There are three groups, or people, addressed by Paul in this passage. Can you identify them?
- Verses 12 and 13 refer to …
- Verses 14 and 15 refer to …
- Verses 16 – 22 refer to …
- Within the church then Paul calls out our responsibilities and relationships to the leadership that God places over us within his church, the people who make up that church body, and us individually. In referring to the church leaders, why does Paul say we are to “esteem them very highly?”
- Identified in verses 14 and 15 are five things we are to do as a church body, they are:
- Warn the ____________
- Comfort the __________
- Support the ____________
- Be patient towards _________
- See that none render evil for ______________
- Paul then instructs us individually, in verses 16-22 we are told to:
- Rejoice ___________
- Pray without __________
- In everything give ______________
- Quench not the ____________________
- Despise not __________________
- Prove (or test) all _____________________
- Abstain from ______________________
- In verse 18 Paul tells us to give thanks in “everything”. Why does he say we should do this?
- In verse 23 what does it mean to be “sanctified”?
- Finally, consider verse 16, verse 18 and James 1:2. How can we rejoice in everything, when many things in life are difficult, painful, challenging, uncertain, and cause us to become filled with anxiety?
Thanks for studying with us.
Yours in Christ,
Wes