Moving on... 1 Thessalonians 1
11/24/2009 11:40:58 PM
1 Thessalonians # 1 in series
Good Morning,
Today the Gospel moves into Europe!
I take you now to Acts chapter 17 for this exciting stop on Paul’s second missionary journey. . .
“Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.
But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.”
The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.” Vv. 1-9,
Immediately following, the believers got Paul and Silas out of town so that the work of the gospel would not be thwarted—clearly, they had run into a buzz saw in Thessalonica. Nonetheless, Jews and Gentiles alike had come to saving faith after Paul’s logical and convincing arguments, showing from the Jewish Scriptures what the prophets had said about the coming Messiah, and how Jesus had fulfilled them…exactly.
What kind of prophecies did Paul highlight for the Thessalonians?
Look at just eight of the prophecies about Jesus:
--that He would be:
Born in Bethlehem prophecy: Micah 5:2 fulfillment: Matthew 2:1, 2:4-8,
Luke 2:4-7; John 7.42
But you, Bethlehem...out of you shall come forth the One
to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting (abbreviated)
Preceded by a messenger (john the Baptist) Isaiah 40:3 Matthew 3:1-2, 11:10,
Luke 1:17; John 1:23
A voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord...'
Would enter Jerusalem Zechariah 9:9 Matthew 21:6-11, Luke 19:35-37a
on a donkey Your King is coming to you...lowly and riding on a donkey...
Betrayed by a friend Psalm 41:9 Matthew 10:4
Even my familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up
his heel against me.
Sold for 30 pieces of silver Zechariah 11:12 Matthew 26:15
'if it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.' So they weighed
out for my wages 30 pieces of silver.
That the Money would be thrown down, used to buy Zechariah 11:13 Matthew 27:5, 27:7
a potter's field
I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.
Dumb before His accusers Isaiah 53:7 Matthew 27:12
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth.
Hands and feet pierced Psalm 22:16 Luke 23:33
They pierced My hands and feet. (nailing Jesus to the cross)
Note: This was not the way of execution at the time this prophecy was written; crucifixion came in with Roman rule.
**The chance that any man might have lived and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th--1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 Science Speaks, Peter Stoner
Look at the details of these prophecies--most written some 700 years before the birth of Jesus—There is no way they could have been manipulated, calculated or staged . . . quite amazing really.
On top of five dozen prophecies being fulfilled in one Man—Jesus Christ--most of the recipients of Paul’s letter would have been alive and at least familiar with the stories of Jesus the Nazarene, and His ministry in the land of Palestine. . . of the changed lives of all who came in contact with Him . . . after all, Paul was writing these words about 50 A.D., just 17 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus.
So Paul’s stop in Thessalonica brought about the conversion of Jews and Gentiles alike. Paul moves on from Thessalonica, perhaps prematurely in his mind, but he carries the people in his heart. He writes two letters (1 and 2 Thessalonians) to them to encourage and instruct them further. Join me as we receive the letters from Paul, and learn alongside the young converts Paul was addressing.
Paul begins the first letter to the Thessalonians as always, wishing them “Grace and Peace” from God~ for He is the source of both grace and peace, my friends! The order is crucial. . . first grace, then peace. . . we will not really know peace without experiencing God’s grace. But in Him, we find both. “For in Him we live and move and have our being~” Acts 17.28
May the God of grace