Women s Ministry. 1Thessalonians

Transcription

1 Women s Ministry Bible Study 1Thessalonians We Shall All Be Changed Paul s Resounding Plea: The Entreaties: To Love One Another 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 Book 4B Winter 2012

2 KEYS TO BIBLE STUDY A. PRAYER Ask God, Himself to be your teacher and to guide as you seek to understand what he has to say. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things freely given to us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:12. He is very interested in your growth in faith and in your knowledge of Him. Pray with expectancy. You can be confident that He will reveal Himself through His word. B. DESIRE Our life in Christ is more precious than Gold. We must be nourished to be healthy and to grow. God s word is our spiritual food. 1Peter 2:2 tells us, As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby. Many Christians are weak and starving because they are not reading and personally studying. Jesus said, Thou shalt not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 As with any loving Father, God has so much that He wants to teach us. He wants to assure, guide, warn, enlighten and encourage. Stop and pray that you will have a desire and hunger to feast on His word. C. COMMITMENT King David once said, I will not give to the Lord that which costs me nothing. There is absolutely no doubt that there is a price to pay when we commit ourselves to spend the time for study. There will be days or weeks when many other things will distract us and vie for our time. Our commitment must be from our heart and given unto God. Choose this day whom you will serve. Joshua 24:15 Find a certain time that is best for you to set aside each day. Early in the morning, before responsibilities of the day begin, alone at lunch time, or in the quiet of the evening are best for most. The enemy of our souls will make it his goal to distract. Pray and persevere! The rewards will be great. 2

3 PAUL S RESOUNDING PLEA The Entreaties: To Love One Another 1Thess. 4:9-12 Last week we began part two of our outline, Paul s Exhortations to the Ideal Congregation (4:1-5:28). That section of scripture (4:1-8), which related to purity, looked at part A of Paul s Resounding Plea: The Entreaties in the outline. Our review of chapters 1-3 reminded us of the brief time Paul, Timothy, and Silas had to build a doctrinal foundation and show the Thessalonians by example how to put doctrine into practice. We also learned that Paul had a strong desire for these converts to understand the meaning of living a life unto the Lord and chapters 4 and 5 deal with doctrine and practice. Lastly, we were reminded that the content of 1Thessalonians is about the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus at any moment. As seen in the last verses of each chapter in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 2:19 and 3:13 Paul wanted to keep his readers minds and hearts focused on eternity. We began our study of walking in holiness in verses 4:1-8. In the first verse Paul wrote: Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more (1 Thessalonians 4:1ESV). It sounded as though Paul was finishing his message with these believers, but Paul was just getting started. In the next few verses Paul challenged the Thessalonians to live a holy life. He pointed out that they had received instruction and commandments about how they were to live and acknowledged that they were following those instructions, but he also urged them to live in a way that pleases God even more than they were already doing. In verses 3-5, Paul focused their attention on God's will for their lives, sanctification. Paul was pointing out to these believers that God desired a holy life, one that was set apart for His glory. Romans 6, says it like this: I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. (Romans 6:19 ESV) Paul told these new believers that they should keep themselves away from sexual immorality. He said that they were to maintain self-control over their own body, in holiness and honor. Because they had become a new creation in Christ Jesus, they were not to live lives in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who did not know God. Paul concluded this section of scripture by saying: Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you (1 Thessalonians 4:8 ESV). In this next section of scripture, verses 9-12, we will read about how Paul urged these Thessalonians to increase in love for one another more and more and to be mindful of their conduct before those who don t know God. 3

4 DAY ONE: OBSERVATION Observe what you are reading: Facts who, what, when, where, why Read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-18 Job 34:29 Isaiah 30:15-18 Philippians 1:27 Key Words Key Verses 4

5 DAY TWO: INTERPRETATION Read 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 Isaiah 32:17 Jeremiah 31:31-34 John 13:1-134 Interpret what you have read: What is happening? Why is this occurring? 5

6 DAY THREE: INSTRUCTION Read 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 John 15: Thessalonians 3:11-15 What did I learn about God? What did I learn about life? 6

7 DAY FOUR: APPLICATION Read 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 Ephesians 4: Thessalonians 3: Peter 1:5-6 What did I learn about myself? What can I apply to my life? 7

8 DAY FIVE: PRAYER Read 1 Thessalonians 4: Peter 4:1-8 1 Timothy 2:1-4 2 Peter 1:5-6 What can I take from this scripture and pray back to God? What can I take from what I learned and pray back to God? 8

9 DAY SIX: SUMMARY Read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 Write a 2 paragraph summary of this section of scripture: What personally spoke to you the most? How or Why? 9