by Darrel Cline (darrelcline biblical-thinking.org)
Chapter # 1 Paragraph # 2 Study # 7 March 27, 2024 Broadlands, Louisiana (Download Audio)
I. The Overall Paragraph In Terms Of Its Focus.
A. Paul's prayers because of the response the Thessalonians gave to the message of the Gospel.
1. Began with "thanksgiving" expressed to God.
2. Moved from this gratitude to incessant, intercessory, prayer.
3. Focused upon the obvious changes that occurred when the Thessalonians heard and believed the Gospel.
a. Begins with what Paul called "the 'of you' work of The Faith".
b. Moves to what Paul called "the 'of you' labor of The Love".
c. Proceeds to what Paul called "the patience of the hope".
1) In general terms.
a) The "problem" issue is "the presence of difficulties" that need to be faced with "endurance" so that one does not succumb to their consequences at the "soul" level.
b) This issue is tied to "the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ". Technically, this is not "in" but "of" so that what we are to understand is that we are to endure by "the hope of our Lord, Jesus Christ", meaning that we are not hoping "in" our Lord as if we are focused upon our "standing" in Him, but, rather, our hope is "of" our Lord in terms of what is promised us regarding the future regarding what He is going to do. This is addressed in the next observation.
c) It is also tied, in this chapter, to "to wait for His Son from heaven" (1:10) who "is delivering" us from the coming wrath.
(1) This means that "wrath" is determined upon this world.
(2) This also means that we are presently being delivered by our "hope" because of the impact "hope" has upon our hearts/minds/choices/actions, and because this "hope" is rooted in a very real escape from "all things wrath imposed", i.e., there is no condemnation to come upon believers. Our relationship to God does involve "discipline" but not "condemnation".
(3) This also means that we "shall be delivered" from the "wrath" that is coming upon this world.
2) In regard to Paul's "hope" thesis.
a) His next reference to "hope" in this letter is found in 2:19, where the issue is identified in a question: "What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?" and is answered with another question: "Are not even you...?"
(1) This is a "timed" question in that it references "the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming".
(2) It is also a "relational" question wherein the thing hoped for is that the believers in Thessalonica will be present also with Paul, Timothy, and Silvanus in that event.
b) In the next reference to "hope" Paul refers to those who "have no hope" (4:13) in the context of the coming of Jesus to gather us up and out of this world.
c) His last reference to "hope" in this letter is found in 5:8 where the content of "hope" is a "helmet" that is focused upon our experience of "ultimate salvation" as a matter of an actual, eventual, deliverance from everything that is currently associated with all of the problems of life in an extremely "fallen" world environment.
d) The sole reference to "hope" in his next letter is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:16 where he says we are recipients of a "grace-based" everlasting consolation and good hope. (Note Romans 4:4 and 4:16 where "grace" is the only way anyone can have any expectation that "the promise is sure".)