1 Thessalonians 2 – Glory be to God

Happy Resurrection Day! Rejoice, if you are saved! If you are not, repent! Turn to the Risen King!

Please read through the chapter before reading my notes.

Paul, Silas and Timothy came to Thessolanica humbly, but powerfully with God’s Word. With the Gospel. They didn’t do it to please the people there, but to please God.

They weren’t trying to get the Thessalonians to like them, they weren’t trying ot make friends, they weren’t “sharing the Gospel without using words”. They came with the Truth, for God’s glory, and no one else’s. Paul didn’t preach so he’d look spiritual, or so that the Thessalonians could be happy. He didn’t come and try to change the culture so they could share the Gospel freely with nothing in their way.

Actually, everything was in their way.

In verse 2, Paul makes it clear that they suffered sever opposition, not only in the city of Philippi, but there in Thessalonica as well. And it wasn’t just some name-calling, a few offensive comments and mocking. Paul said that they had been treated “outrageously”. In the book of Acts, we can see some of this violence (Acts 16:11-40). They were beaten and thrown in prison. By God’s mighty hand, they were released from the prison, and even shared the Gospel with the guard, and started a church in Philippi.

All by God’s powerful hand.

Not only did He help them out of their physical dilemma, but as the latter part of verse two makes clear, He empowered their hearts to continue sharing His Word even through the pain.

By motivation to serve God, and to glorify God, Paul and the others were able to carry on preaching in holiness and righteousness.

They knew, form experience, incredibly recent experience, that the Gospel wasn’t often recieved well. It would have been easier to get people on their side if they had used flattery, or made Christianity look easy, pleasurable, profitable.

But they did not.

Because they loved God, more than they loved men. Because they praised God, and didn’t want the praise of men. Because they didn’t care about anything but God, they carried on. And shared to holy truth.

ANd people were saved, and adopted into the family of God, becaus ePaul and the others had God’s purpose and glory first in their hearts and minds.

Just for reference, and evidence that God’s will was on Paul’s mind, in this one chapter, twenty verses, Paul mentioned The Lord by name seventeen times.

All this to say, God worked powerfully through Paul because Paul wanted to bring Him glory, and Him alone.

Because Paul sought to serve God with all of himself, God used him to build the foundations of many churches.

And though Paul didn’t go to the Thessalonians to make friends, to become so close to the Thessalonians that they were like family, that’s what happened. Because Paul was living entirely for God.

The Thessalonians were truly like family to him, as you can see from verses seven, eleven, and fourteen. When Paul brought the truth to them, they grew closer together as they sought God. Paul nurtured them as a mother, with patience and love, and encouraged them in strength as a father. And they became like brethren.

Seeking God is the purpose of the Christian faith. Seeking to bring Him glory. That should be our purpose in living. That is why we are to live righteous and holy lives. To bring Him glory in our actions and demeanor. That is why we read His Word. To glorify Him by knowing Him better and praising Him more.

That is even why we share the Gospel. The point of evangelism is not to convert people. Conversion is a work of the Lord in someone’s heart, not reciting a prayer because their terrified of Hell.

The purpose of sharing the Gospel is to bring God glory. That is the sole purpose.

Glorifying God is our sole purpose in being alive. In existing. We were made to glorify Him, and are fashioned, through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, into justified creatures able to worship Him. Able to glorify Him to the fullest.

Because without the work of the Holy Spirit, we would continue to hate God and love ourselves. That is evident in verses fourteen through sixteen.

“For you, brethren, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way, they heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has com upon them at last.”

1Thessalonians 2:14-16

The churches that are in Christ were violently persecuted. Because they were living for His glory. The unbelieving Thessalonians, like the Jewish leaders, hated the church, because the church loved God and lived to serve Him.

Whether it is loudly proclaimed or not, unbelievers hate us as we live for His glory. Because they hate Him.

When you live for His glory, the world will hate you, and your fellow believers who live for Him will love you dearly. Because nothing is as strong as the bond between believers living for God.

Paul loved the church at Thessalonica. Because they were seeking God with great faith (1 Thessalonians 1), he considered them his glory and joy.

Indeed, if we are serving God and living for His glory, it should be a joy and glory to us when we see others bringing Him glory as well.