Bible Studies
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 – The Candle of Promise
Background:
Paul had established the church in Thessalonica a couple of years earlier and wrote this letter to be delivered by Timothy in order to provide hope in the midst of persecution and to provide clarity concerning the Second Coming of Christ. A question was arising – what happens to Christians who die before Christ’s return?
Key Verses: (NIV)
- 9: “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?” – Paul, successful in establishing this church, thanks God for the joy he feels because of the work God is doing through the Thessalonians.
- 10: “Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.” – Paul had not spent much time with the Thessalonians when he had first established the church. He prayed fervently that God would allow him the opportunity to reconnect with these people and provide them the additional training they needed for being Christians.
- 12: “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.” – Paul is teaching and modeling the importance of love within a Christian community.
- 13: “May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.” – Referring to the process of sanctification, Paul stresses the importance of focusing on God and the preparation of holiness within our lives while waiting for Christ’s return.
- Are you satisfied with how God is using you? Do you grow impatient?
Promises of the Gospel:
Doris Day advised us in the 1950s that we should not worry about the future: “Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be.” In general, however, as a society, we have grown hardened to such idealistic thinking. We laugh about the simplistic the-sun-will-come-out-tomorrow view of the world. Or, we chastise the concept as being naïve and immature. We are more sophisticated than that now. We have broader intellectual capabilities. We can fix things. We can make things happen. Paul doesn’t argue against action but he does suggest that our hope for a brighter tomorrow lies in our ability to love. When the storm clouds of life gather, if any hope is to be found, it will be found in the promises that God is eternally faithful and the future He has in store is bright.
For this first week in Advent, we light the Candle of Promise.
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