LESSONS FROM THE PERSECUTED CHURCH
1 THESSALONIANS 2:13-16
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
(1 Thessalonians 2:13–16, NLT) “Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe. And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God’s churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews. For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.”
The Word of God is always working in me.
1. God’s Word is true.
(John 10:35, GN) “We know that what the scripture says is true for ever.”
(Psalm 119:160, NLT) “The very essence of your words is truth; all your just regulations will stand forever.”
2. God’s Word is catalyst for change.
(1 Thessalonians 2:13, NLT) “And this word continues to work in you who believe.”
(2 Timothy 3:16, NLT) “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”
3. God’s Word creates conflict.
(1 Thessalonians 2:14–15, NLT) “And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God’s churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews. For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity”
GROWTHWORK
1. Perseverance requires trusting the Good News is true.
(1 Thessalonians 2:13, NLT) “Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God.”
2. Perseverance requires trusting God’s Word to work in you.
(1 Thessalonians 2:13, NLT) “And this word continues to work in you who believe.”
3. Perseverance requires learning from other persecuted believers.
(1 Thessalonians 2:14, NLT) “In this way, you imitated the believers in God’s churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews.”
4. Perseverance requires trusting God’s judgement.
(1 Thessalonians 2:15–16, NLT) “For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.”