Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion you should be able to:

• Describe the location, politics and culture of ancient Thessalonica

• Provide a biblically sound interpretation of Paul’s teaching on the second coming of Jesus

• Gain insight into the Thessalonian Christians and the difficulties they encountered

• Describe the founding of the Thessalonian church

• Apply Paul’s teaching on holiness and the sanctity of sex to your own life

• Explain why Paul instructed other Christians to imitate him

• Understand the need for and method of church discipline

• Better understand the theology and character of the Apostle Paul

Course Outline

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and Course

Unit 1: The “Big Picture” of First Thessalonians

• Strategic Location

• Favored Political Status

• Unique Government Structure

• Religiously Pluralistic Environment

Unit 2: Gospel Comes to Thessalonica

• Philippi to Thessalonica

• Three Sabbath Synagogue Ministry

• Post Synagogue Ministry

• Opposition to Paul’s Ministry

• Paul and Silas Forced to Leave

Unit 3: Letter Opening and Thanksgiving (1 Thess 1:1–10)

• Letter Opening

• Introducing the Thanksgiving Section

• Form and Function (Part 1)

• Form and Function (Part 2)

• Big Picture of the Letter

• First Theme: Paul’s Integrity

• Second Theme: Persecution

• Third Theme: Proper Moral Conduct

• Fourth Theme: Second Coming of Christ

Unit 4: Paul’s Picture of a Pastor and Parishioners (1 Thess 2:1–12)

• Paul’s Problem

• Paul’s Solution

• Picture 1: Infant

• Picture 2: Nursing Mother

• Picture 3: Father

Unit 5: Do Not Give Up (1 Thess 2:17–3:10)

• Internal Structure of the Passage

• Literary Analysis

• Don’t Give Up on Paul (Part 1)

• Don’t Give Up on Paul (Part 2)

• Don’t Give Up on the Faith (Part 1)

• Don’t Give Up on the Faith (Part 2)

• God Hasn’t Given Up on You

• Application

Unit 6: Sanctity of Sex (1 Thess 3:12–4:8)

• Transitional Prayers

• Introduction

• Setting the Stage: Modern Society

• Setting the Stage: Ancient Society

• Structure of Paul’s Appeal

• The Claim

• The Commands

• The Causes (Part 1)

• The Causes (Part 2)

• Conclusion to Biblical View of Sex

Unit 7: Jesus Is Coming Again! (1 Thess 4:13–18)

• Christ’s Return

• Grammatical Interpretation (Part 1)

• Grammatical Interpretation (Part 2)

• Structure

• Historical Analysis (Part 1)

• Historical Analysis (Part 2)

• Theological Analysis

• Logic of Verse 14

• Summary and Application

• The Rapture (Part 1)

• The Rapture (Part 2)

• Summary

Unit 8: Ready and Steady for the Day of the Lord (1 Thess 5:1–11)

• Introduction

• Trouble in the World

• Trouble in the Text

• Structure of the Text

• Opening Assertion and Reason 1

• Result

• Reason 2 and Conclusion

• Application: Trouble in the World

Unit 9: Life in the Family of God (1 Thess 5:12–22)

• Introduction

• Trouble in the Text

• Structure of the Text

• Respecting Congregational Leaders

• Ministering to Troubled Congregational Members

• Ministering to the Weak

• God’s Will in Congregational Worship

• Testing Prophecy

• Letter Closing

Unit 10: Second Thessalonians: Overview, Thanksgiving (2 Thess 1:1–12)

• Big Picture

• Letter Opening

• Introduction to Thanksgiving

• Structure of the Thanksgiving

• Two Unique Features of the Thanksgiving

• Two Causes of Thanksgiving (Part 1)

• Two Causes of Thanksgiving (Part 2)

• Persecution

• Comfort (Part 1)

• Comfort (Part 2)

• Just Judgment of God

• The Challenge

• Summary, Setting the Stage

Unit 11: Comfort Concerning the Day of the Lord (2 Thess 2:1–17)

• Title and Difficulty of Passage

• Character and Ending of Passage

• Structure of the Passage

• The Crisis: Meaning of the False Claim

• The Crisis: Source of the False Claim

• The Correction (Part 1)

• The Correction (Part 2)

• Comfort

• Command

• Closing Prayer

Unit 12: Exhortations Concerning Rebellious Idlers (2 Thess 3:1–18)

• Preliminary Issues (Part 1)

• Preliminary Issues (Part 2)

• Preliminary Issues (Part 3)

• Opening Command

• Example of Paul (Part 1)

• Example of Paul (Part 2)

• Teaching of Paul

• Applying Paul’s Example and Teaching

• Closing Commands

• Application: Attitude toward Work

• Application: Importance of Church Discipline

• Letter Closing

Conclusion

• Equipped to Be Ready and Steady

Details

• Title: NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians

• Instructor: Jeffrey A. D. Weima

• Publisher: Lexham Press

• Publication Date: 2019

• Product Type: Logos Mobile Education

• Resource Type: Courseware, including transcripts, audio, and video resources

• Courses: 1

• Video Hours: 14