2 Timothy 4:9-22
Paul closes out what was to be his final letter in Scripture, giving to Timothy some last instructions, mostly on practical and personal matters. In these, Paul’s character and priorities continue to shine through, and so we stand to profit all the way to the end from the man who earlier said “be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
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Christlike, Gospel-Centered Read More »
2 Timothy 2:14-26
Paul turns to address how the man of God is to respond to the wolves in sheep’s clothing which the Lord promised, and Paul predicted would come to Ephesus. In his advice to Timothy, the apostle sets up the pattern for all God’s people in responding to false teachers, neither squabbling nor compromising, but hoping in the goodness and power of God and His purposes.
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Neither War nor Peace – A Gospel Response to False Teachers Read More »
Isaiah 6; 2 Timothy 2:10
Isaiah had one of the most famous visions of God in all the Bible. He was cleansed by God, and called to ministry by God in God’s very presence. Yet, he was called to what would seem to be a failing ministry. Why? Paul was called to be the apostle to the Gentiles, and he died a Roman prisoner, abandoned by nearly everyone. Why?
Through these men’s ministries and preaching, we see something important and foundational to God’s purposes in calling us today, even when He calls us to suffer and to seem to fail.
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1 Thessalonians 5:25-28
Paul wraps up his letter to the church at Thessalonica with three particular instructions and a very important prayer. While the three instructions are specific to the situation in which they were given, they nevertheless tell God’s people today some important things about prayer, fellowship, and scripture. and the closing touches on the very heart, not only of this letter, but also of the whole Biblical storyline itself.
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God’s Grace for God’s People Read More »
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Paul’s instructions turn now from our relationships between each other, to focus on our relationship to Him. Through these, we see the very grace and love of God as manifested in His insistence that we regularly and completely reorient the attentions of our hearts to Him.
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A Vertical Reorientation Read More »
1 Thessalonians 5:15
The history of the human race, the overall character of societies, and our own everyday experience all show how singularly unable we are to get along with one another for long. Offense builds on offense, and relationships decay into strife. In examining God’s commandment not only to abstain from vengeance, but positively to seek out the good for everyone, we come face to face with the very character of God, how and why he commands such a radical transformation in us, and how such an impossible change comes to pass.
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Divine Greatness in Human Reconciliation Read More »
1 Thessalonians 5:11-15
From an American, democratically-oriented standpoint, the issue of authority is sometimes a touchy one. This section of Paul’s letter expounds the relationships between leaders in the local church and those they serve. We also see some very important things about the mutual interaction of God’s people, and how these two work properly together, so that God’s people may display His glory by living life and flourishing under His loving smile.
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The Church Under the Smile of God Read More »
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
There is a place in the Christian life for the Bible’s teachings about Christ’s second coming, but what is that place? Moreover, what isn’t it? From this text, we will look at His purpose for us is in regard to the coming, climactic event of our Lord’s return, what He has taught us about it, and what bearing it has on us and on the world today.
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What Do You Know That’s Good? Read More »
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
What is the Christian hope, and what does it mean for how we are to mourn our dead? In this passage, we learn both how Christ has changed death for His people and how to comfort one another in bereavement with God’s own words.
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Comfort One Another With These Words Read More »
1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
The believers in Thessalonica were so taught by God to love one another that their love spilled over from their city to the brothers and sisters in their whole region. Nevertheless, Paul urged them to even greater heights of obedience by encouraging them in the area of work. What does the Bible have to say to us today about a proper theology of work? What does the Gospel stand to correct in our own age’s fallen view of this aspect of life?
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Excel Still More (Part 2) Read More »
