Category Archives: Small Group Study Questions

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes & Small Group Questions

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When Faith and Culture Collide. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

v. 1 Now about the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need for explanations.

These verses connect directly to 4:13-18. The concerns the church had for those who had passed away regarding the Parousia were matched by their need to understand what happens to those who love Jesus and are alive when He returns. That’s the reason for the “Now, about that…” beginning. It almost appears they have been chatting with Paul about this already.

In ch. 4, Paul had need to write in order to help; here in ch. 5, he doesn’t have to explain in order to help. He simply encourages with the truth.

Concerning “times and seasons” can be times and opportunities or opportune moments. The two words indicate the stretch of time generally and the specific time period. And it would be that specific time where opportunity to live for the Kingdom is found.

Matthew 24 and Acts 1:7 relate directly what Jesus says. It’s not for us to know the very moment.

Illustration: Late Great Planet Earth, my experience. Click bait or worse at times. If you are interested in End Times Prophecies I recommend you read and watch with wisdom. Ask this question: does this knowledge propel me to live the Good News more effectively and fervently? Or does this knowledge only affirm my worries or concerns instead of causing me to fall in love with Jesus and live and share the Good News with more passion?

v. 2 Because you know all too well that the Day of the Lord comes like a thief during the night.

Paul likes to remind the church that “you, yourselves know…” In this case, they know very well that Jesus will come, and will come without warning.

In this set of verses, the church in our understanding is contrasted with the world who has ignored Jesus.

John 14 – Jesus goes away in order to come back and make things right.

The world is having “its day.” The Lord will come and bring His Day, His judgment, His reign.

Is there a connection between the Day of the Lord and Sunday’s worship becoming known as “the Lord’s Day.” It’s a foretaste of heaven to worship Jesus, see His grace and power poured out, etc.

Like a thief who intentionally shows up without warning, without noise, and in the night, to catch the person unawares.

v. 3 For while others might boast, “Peace, prosperity, stability,” at that very hour ruin looms suddenly;  just like a woman having a child has labor pains in her womb, it’s inescapable.

Ezekiel 13:10 and elsewhere, “they will say peace where there is no peace.” The boasts of peace and prosperity are echo chamber promises that don’t pan out. Peace and there is war; prosperity and there is want; stability and at the same time shifting sands. The verse means at the very time they proudly spout “peace” the opposition is happening.

One verb means “hanging over” and the adverb is suddenly.

v. 4 You, however, are not in the dark in such a manner that the Day should overcome you like a thief.

Since we are not walking around in the dark, we recognize the truth and see the Day coming. It will not suddenly loom as we are alert; neither will it bring pains like the sudden throes of labor. We see the thief at the stoop; we see the Day since we are children of the day.

v. 5 Because you all live as children of light and belong to the day; we do not live for the darkness and in the night.

For the Christian, the Day of the Lord will be filled with light, goodness, revelation, truth, joy; for the world, that Day will be like night, fearful, wandering aimlessly, destructive. You are sons and daughters of light.

Because we are children of light, we see, we know, we are freed from fear, our sin doesn’t haunt us, the guilt that holds others prisoners is gone in the light, the hope for a future is a product of the light.

Because we are children of light, we are ready for the Day of the Lord.

v. 6 We, then, don’t live as if we are asleep like everyone else but we keep our eyes open and  live sensibly.

Sleep is essential to life; but living as if we are asleep to the truth, to the mission of the Kingdom’s Good News, leaves us dead spiritually. We thrive when we are alive to the Good News. We live circumspectly and soberly. We keep our senses about us.

v. 7 For there are those who live like they are asleep in the night and those who are in the dark and barely aware from their drunken slumber.

Both of these images go against what people know are good healthy practices. If you live all the time as if you were asleep in the dead of night, you would not have real life. If you were drunken and lived in a stupor all day as if you had been on a binge, you would not have real life (but a real hangover.) If I did a verbatim translation: They that sleep, sleep in the night; they that are drunk, are drunk in the night.

This is juxtaposed with the following verse.

v. 8 But because we belong to the day, we should be clear-headed; since we are suited up with faith’s spiritual Kevlar, with love, and with the headgear of redemption’s hope.

Remember the earlier call to sober or mindful living. Here we are sober or clear-headed. And the reason is we live in Christ and have his protective gear on. Breastplate and helmet. Kevlar is the modern breastplate.

v. 9 After all, God has not positioned us for wrath, but instead we possess salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ;

God has not destined us, determined for us, positioned us for wrath. Instead, it’s salvation we have in Christ Jesus.

We have obtained, we possess salvation in Christ.

v. 10 The one who died for us so that together with Him, we might live no matter if we are alert and alive or asleep in death.

This refers back to the last chapter and those asleep in Christ (dead) will receive their reward but if we can live, we can also as alert and alive followers of Jesus still meet him.

The Gospel is Christ’s Redemptive as well as Returning work.

v. 11 That’s the reason you can encourage one another and build each other up just like you are already doing.

There is the reason for hope: He has saved us, not for wrath and punishment, but for redemption and relationship. Jesus will come again to make all things right. He will leave no one who trusts in Him behind. Edify is the word we’ve used for decades. Lift up each other. Build one another up.

Small Group Questions:

  1. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met or known?
  2. Before we read our passage, what is one thing you have heard about regarding Jesus and His Second Coming?
  3. Why does this passage compare the “Day of the Lord” or Jesus’ Return to a thief and to childbirth? How does this help us be awake?
  4. What “times or seasons” do you see that makes you consider that Jesus will return soon?
  5. How can we pray and be encouraged today?

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes: When Faith and Culture Collide. Part Three

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Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 (PRT)

2:17-18 Still, brothers and sisters, we were saddened to be apart from you for a brief season (apart in person, but not in heart); out of our great desire to see your faces, we made every effort and then some because we wanted to come to you. In fact, I, Paul made attempt after attempt, but Satan held us up.

vv. 19-20  For surely what do we look forward to or find joy in or wear as a token of pride and rejoicing when I stand before the Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? For you are our honor and our joy.

3:1-2 So then, since we could no longer endure this separation, we determined it would be best to stay behind in Athens on our own and send Timothy, our brother and partner in God’s work for the sake of the Good News of Christ in order to strengthen you and encourage you in your faith.

v. 3 all this is so that no one will be shaken by the pressures and persecution; for you know that we are destined for these kinds of  things.

v. 4 And in fact, when we were with you, we told you ahead of time that we would suffer troubles, and you well know it happened.

v. 5 . For this very reason I could no longer endure this pressure, I sent Timothy so we could be assured of your faith and that in no way the Tempter could have somehow trapped you and our work among you would be useless.

v. 6 Just now, however, Timothy has arrived here with good news after being with you. He has told us of your faith and love and that you hold good memories of us, greatly desiring to see us just like we desire to see you.

v. 7 Brothers and sisters, we were encouraged by this report, because of your faith through the hardships and persecutions.

v. 8 For the present, if you stand firm in your faith , we continue to breathe easier.

v. 9 For how thankful we are to God concerning you. We rejoice with all possible joy before our God because of you!

v. 10 Around the clock, we pray increasingly that we might see your face and restore what is needed in your faith.

vv. 17-18 Still, brothers and sisters, we were saddened to be apart from you for a brief season (apart in person, but not in heart); out of our great desire to see your faces, we made every effort and then some because we wanted to come to you. In fact, I, Paul made attempt after attempt, but Satan held us up.

When the culture wars come, we need each other. We miss one another. Things happen that keep us from seeing each other’s faces.

Read this as a continuing of the thoughts of v. 12.

Paul didn’t want his absence to be seen as uncaring. He is unified with them and love this church. He was resolved to visit them.

“Saddened” has at its root grief, or being ripped away from them. It’s the only time he uses this word and it could mean to be “orphaned” in their relationship (though this doesn’t seem to fit the meaning so much as forced into a grief.} They have great memories in their hearts; but it’s not the same as seeing face to face.

Paul uses family as the metaphor of church life. Fathers, mothers, orphaned, baby. Here, the separation felt like being orphaned. The separation made them love and long to be with them even more.

Their plans were trashed as they planned to return after a short season. God’s plans and ours aren’t always the same.

The Enemy cut in on, or “hijacked” his plans to return to this community of small groups. He upped his efforts and still could not make it happen. He was “stuck” in Athens, so he preached in Athens and Corinth.

vv. 19-20  For surely what do we look forward to or find joy in or wear as a token of pride and rejoicing when I stand before the Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? For you are our honor and our joy.

For Paul, it was because he saw so many of them come to Christ. He invested in them.

The “crown of glory” or token of pride is an idiom for the victor’s wreath after running the race successfully. This is not Paul stealing God’s glory and honor; it is Paul lavishing value on the church for their faith and steadfastness in the face of persecution. He finds joy inside and respect from without because of their success and faith.

The wreath circle the winner’s crown when the race is done and we stand before the Father in the Kingdom. It’s the Parousia.

1 Thessalonians 3:1-10 (PRT)

3:1-2 So then, since we could no longer endure this separation, we determined it would be best to stay behind in Athens on our own and send Timothy, our brother and partner in God’s work for the sake of the Good News of Christ in order to strengthen you and encourage you in your faith.

He, and the team, could no longer stand “not knowing” and “not seeing their faces” that they determined a Plan B. He longed for new, so much so, that he pulled out all stops after being blocked by the Enemy. And he sent a stand in: Timothy, who was integral along with Silas in the planting of this church. Paul and his team stayed back and sent Timothy.

This coincides with Acts: Paul and his team left Thessalonica under cover of dark to escape the vicious beatings that they experienced in Philippi. They traveled to Berea and then Athens; but Paul needed to hear news to know he was on course in the work and sent Timothy (and probably Silas) to reconnoiter. They returned to him at Corinth with the good news about their faith.

The ”partner in God’s Work” is fellow-laborer in the ministry of the Good News of the Kingdom.

v. 3 all this is so that no one will be shaken by the pressures and persecution; for you know that we are destined for these kinds of  things.

The pressures are real, the persecution, the tribulation, the stress points affect us. Paul understands the persecution and pressures when one lives for the Kingdom. He can genuinely say, I know what you go through.

v. 4 And in fact, when we were with you, we told you ahead of time that we would suffer troubles, and you well know it happened.

No surprise. In fact, when we don’t have a sense of pressure, a longing, an urgency, we may not be in a great place. Illust. One who would catch a vision for a nation or people group.

These troubles are not personal but a result of their passion for Jesus and for their community. We may feel pressures because of our own mistakes or life issues; these troubles or pressures are different, though all very real. Persecution or pressures like Paul reminds us is from the choice we make to live the Good News, share the truth, and adopt what is on the Father’s heart as our own.

v. 5 For the very reason I could no longer endure this pressure, I sent Timothy in order to be assured of your faith so that in no way the Tempter had somehow trapped you and our work among you would be useless.

This was early, early in his mission work. One of the first in Europe. And his first letter to one o his church plants. He was concerned. He knew the tempter was working to destroy the works of the Kingdom. His pressure is for the faith of the Jesus-followers he left in and fell in love with in Thessalonica. Their pressure is to see him again and to represent Jesus well in a culture at odds with the Good News of the Kingdom.

The Tempter, Satan, the Adversary, works through his minions to seek to stifle God’s work and discourage the faith of believers. He is real, but he is not omni.

v. 6 Just now, however, Timothy has arrived here with good news after being with you. He has told us of your faith and love and that you hold good memories of us, greatly desiring to see us just like we desire to see you.

Don’t you like how Paul time-jumped here? He sent Timothy and, oh  wait, he’s back. The relief he felt when he heard of their faith from the report Timothy brought back must have reassured him to keep on with the mission. By now, he is in Corinth, and the ministry there was both longer and fruitful; and with opposition.

This passage shows what surrounds a move from God. 1) The Good News is shared with success and evidence of the work of God. 2) An expectation, a movement of prayer and worship, and a unity grow. 3) The culture opposes. 4) The faith of the Christ-followers is strengthened. 5) Churches send others to the work of the Kingdom.

v. 7 Brothers and sisters, we were encouraged by this report, because of your faith through the hardships and persecutions.

The surprise – in the hardship, we stand. Again, there is the inner hardships we bear and the opposition we face when we stand for the Good News of the Kingdom. Note here that opposition comes, not because Paul or the Christ-followers in Thessalonica sought it but because the repented, they discarded idols, they chose to live by a new code, one of love for other and peace and joy inside. The opposition is because the Enemy wants the status quo, wants a culture that makes it easy to ignore God.

v. 8 For the present, if you stand firm in your faith , we continue to breathe easier.

Keep in mind that, for Paul, this Good News of the Kingdom was for all; and here, he is concerned that how they share it is validated. This is Europe’s first exposure to the Good News. The word for “breathe easy” is “to live” – as in, they can really live again and get back to real life. It’s like Paul has been holding his breath as he waited for the report.

Illust. I catch my breath when I get a call or visit from a church family member.

v. 9 For how thankful we are to God concerning you. We rejoice with all possible joy before our God because of you!

Thankfulness is the response when we hear of someone’s faith strengthening, not thankfulness for the persecution, but thankfulness in the persecution. We don’t rejoice that someone faces pressure; we rejoice that God is strong and faith continues in the pressures.

Joy-joy. It’s not just joy, but joy upon joy that he experiences in the report.

v. 10 Around the clock, we pray increasingly that we might see your face and restore what is needed in your faith.

Prayer both night and day and in increasing measure are the results of the news of the continued revival in Thessalonica, along with a longing to see them face-to-face and continue their discipling.

The “restore” is a word that comes from “mending the nets.” The Thessalonians had a solid net, but with more attention and training, it would be stronger.

Small Group Study Questions:

  1. When have  your plans been “hijacked” by the Enemy? What was on the other side when your plans changed? (vv. 17-18)
  2. In this passage, Paul writes about Satan “hindering” his return and the Tempter trying to destroy their faith (2:17-18, 3:5). How real do you think Satan is? What evidence do you see of his being real?
  3. Paul writes that he missed the “faces” of the Thessalonian Christ-followers. How important is being “present” in others’ lives to the Christian? What “substitutes” does our culture offer that fall short of this?
  4. What pressures from within or trials from without concern you personally?
  5. What is your biggest need today regarding your faith? How can we pray for you and strengthen you as you choose to live the Good News and share truth in love (v. 10)?

When Faith and Culture Collide: Part Three

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Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

Background: Thessalonica formerly known as Therme in Macedonia found at the top point of the gulf that juts into Greece and Macedonia on the Aegean Sea. Still there. Capital of Macedonia region and declared a “free city” a century before the church was founded. The half-way point on the great highway from Rome to Constantinople. This is a city for the nations.

It’s an international city, a free city with its own constitution and laws, a wealthy and diverse city, and a beach town.

This would be the key city from which to take the Good News throughout Macedonia.

Paul and Silas along with Timothy visited and planted the church in Thessalonica in Act 17:1ff. This is where Aristarchus was from and probably became a believer during the 2nd missionary journey. He was with Paul all the way to Rome through several cities as his companion.

The likelihood is that Paul and his team would be in Thessalonica for several months – at least six – perhaps as a home base from which to travel.

When the Jewish jealousy led to a mob riot, Paul and much of his team left for Berea a small near-by town. They were productive in planting churches there as well as in Thessalonica, but the Jewish authorities from Thessalonica traveled to Berea to stir up riots there, too.

The church in Thessalonica is more one from all the nations than Jewish (hence the “turn from idols” reference) even though he started at the Synagogue (Acts 17).

These two letters to the believers in Thessalonica are Paul’s earliest and, though he couldn’t attend to their growth because of the danger of harm to their leaders because of his presence, he wrote, prayed, and sent Timothy. Paul was able to return there at least three times; probably more often since it was on the main highway from West to East.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-13  (PRT)

v. 1 For our arrival to you, as you know, brothers has not been a hollow exercise.  

v. 2 You know that we suffered and were treated with outrageous hostility and abuse in Philippi. Still, we spoke the Good News to you in a boldness from our God even in the middle of the conflict.

v. 3 For our appeal to you was not an illusion, nor was it sneaky or sullied by impure motivations.  

v. 4 With God’s stamp of approval, we have been entrusted with the message of the Good News; because of this, we speak from hearts scrutinized for approval by God and not for the accolades of people.

v. 5 God can back us up that at no time did we come to you with an empty and fawning word of flattery nor use that word as an excuse to manipulate you for personal gain; of course, you know this, too.

v. 6 We didn’t come seeking praises from people; neither did we weigh you down by exerting our authority as apostles on you or others.

 v. 7 Instead, when we were in the middle of your lives, we were gentle with you just like a nursing mother would care for her own children.

 v. 8 That’s why in our affectionate longing for you we not only shared the message of God’s Good News but also our very own lives; that’s how much we love you.

v. 9 For you remember our hard work and laboring round the clock that we engaged in so we wouldn’t be a burden to any of you as we proclaimed God’s Good News to you.

 v. 10 You as well as God can testify how we lived toward you who believe; we were devoted, upright, and blameless.

 vv. 11-12 You know, it’s just as you would be like a father who would draw his children alongside, we do the same to encourage and comfort and urge you to live in a manner that is worthy of God who invites you into His Kingdom and glory.

Teaching Notes:

v. 1 For our arrival to you, as you know, brothers has not been a hollow exercise.  

The trip and time spent with this church has been fruitful and not just a hollow or empty exercise. These first 12 verses describe the fruitfulness of the Apostle’s work in this city. The Gospel’s impact left them totally changed in relation to their culture.

Illustration: God knows my name and my bent, how I act, respond, deal with difficulties and difficult people. He doesn’t compare me to anyone else but Jesus and that’s why grace and mercy are needed each day. I don’t meet the ideal. I am his child. Some people just seem to be made for a life of “extra” – they are extra kind, extra patient, extra loving, extra faithful, etc. – God’s Spirit poured out shows kindness beyond their “extra.” And He pours out kindness through you, through who you are. I’ve know some quite crusty people and kindness from the Spirit is in their context (crustiness.) We each wear the Holy Spirit’s evidences uniquely and at the same time marked by His character. Don’t try to be someone else. Be you in His fruitfulness.

Not empty, but filled with fruit. Like a fruit bowl. Culture conflict when all around are self-centered, unfaithful, devalue life. The work, the labor, the energy invested in chapter one is securely effective in chapter two.

“Our arrival” is important – Paul and his companion not long before were pushing on toward the north and into Asia. And they were blocked “by the Holy Spirit.” That’s when a dream came pleading for Paul to come to Macedonia: Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea. His arrival was providential.

v. 2 You know that we suffered and were treated with outrageous hostility and abuse in Philippi. Still, we spoke the Good News to you in a boldness from our God even in the middle of the conflict.

The word for “treated with insults and abuses” is one word that indicated they crossed the line morally, legally, ethically. They treated them with outrage, indignity, and violence. Acts 16-17. In Philippi they were beaten and imprisoned; in Thess. they were facing the same, except they weren’t where the mob looked and escaped to a neighboring city. They faced pain, rejection, legal action, persecution. They preached the truth with boldness even though it followed them to harm them.

v. 3 For our appeal to you was not an illusion, nor was it sneaky or sullied by impure motivations.

Sneaky, deceptive or manipulative. Sullied by impurity, uncleanness. This word is used for sexual impurity, too. The idea is this: what we preached or appealed to you was neither over-the-top nor deceptive. We didn’t manipulate you or give false expectations.

This is the key verse: the appeal was not a vaporous illusion or mirage, it was not motivated by sneaky or suspicious intent, neither was this pure truth tainted by a manipulative desire. This is the integrity. They knew this to be true and the lives of those who now represent the Good News to their culture know it too. Something changed them!

v. 4 With God’s stamp of approval, we have been entrusted with the message of the Good News; because of this, we speak from hearts scrutinized for approval by God and not for the accolades of people.

God gives his approval even as he careful searches our hearts and word. We don’t do this so people will be pleased and happy with us. He is testing our words and the heart from whence they come.  God is testing us.  His stamp of approval is on us because He has examined our hearts and our treatment of the message. The “approval” as at its base a sense of being tested, like an evaluation process. That shows up later in the verse.

v. 5 God can back us up that at no time did we come to you with an empty and fawning word of flattery nor use that word as an excuse to manipulate you for personal gain; of course, you know this, too.

The flattery that might seeks to make someone like us or, even worse, the words that might manipulate someone to give their resources to us – these are both false examples of what it means to be faithful with the truth. The word extort is used here: that is the manipulative word that seeks gain. This verse applies to the outward – flattering lips, and the inward, manipulative heart.

There’s was a culture of  manipulation, empty word (throwing flowers), plans to extort and deflect from truth. The Gospel, and their lives, are the opposite. The collision is coming – their culture could not stand up to such a powerful truth.

v. 6 We didn’t come seeking praises from people; neither did we weigh you down by exerting our authority as apostles on you or others.

We didn’t claim the authority over you because we are apostles.  We didn’t play the apostle card to get praise or power. Not driven by ambition but by the selfless lifting up of others. When one life is changed by the Good News, the whole culture is lifted up.

v. 7 Instead, when we were in the middle of your lives, we were gentle with you just like a nursing mother would care for her own children.

We weren’t heavy-handed; we were gentle in our ministry and preaching to you. Instead of distancing from and discarding the values of one’s life, we became gentle, like a nursemaid. Cultural conflict here is that weak equals discarded.

v. 8 That’s why in our affectionate longing for you we not only shared the message of God’s Good News but also our very own lives; that’s how much we love you.

This verse mainly says you are loved; we have come to call you beloved. This word for love is the deep affection of a mother toward a child.

They gladly gave away the Good News and their very souls. For souls here, probably represents the total life.

v. 9 For you remember our hard work and laboring round the clock that we engaged in so we wouldn’t be a burden to any of you as we proclaimed God’s Good News to you.

Burden as in causing extra toil or weight on their part. Night and Day, or around the clock. Paul didn’t want to exact additional toll from them as they considered the redemptive message. This verse could be our work and hard work that we worked.

They worked to provide for their needs. They did so in order to keep them from resenting their presence. They knew the Apostle wasn’t there for private gain; his rough hands calloused from the goat’s hair cloth that served as tent material proved. While people needed to see and hear the Good News, he preached; when they slept, he completed his tent orders.

v. 10 You as well as God can testify how we lived toward you who believe; we were devoted, upright, and blameless.

These three words are relational. We lived holily or devoted to God and to you. We lived righteously and upright around you. We lived blameless and without fault in our intents toward you. God witnessed this; they testify to this, too.

vv. 11-12 You know, it’s just as you would be like a father who would draw his children alongside, we do the same to encourage and comfort and urge you to live in a manner that is worthy of God who invites you into His Kingdom and glory.

Paul is drawing a parallel: you know how a daddy come alongside his kids so they will live honorably, we are doing the same to bring you toward a life that honors your Daddy in heaven, too. Invites as in he calls us to life in the value of His nature and His Kingdom. Interesting that they were gentle and loving with the  heart of a mother; they were models and encouragers like a father. There is the sense of both encouraging and warning as a dad would his son leaving for college or his first job.

v. 13 And through all this, we also constantly give thanks to God since you have heard from us and taken as your own this message, and not from man but from God since it is truly from Him; and this message is at work inside of you who believe.

They believe it and God is at work demonstrating the fruit of this belief. And it is at work in those who keep on believing.

Small Group Study Questions:

  1. Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12. As you read, choose a verse from this passage that means the most to you. Why does this verse stand out for you personally?
  2. We are discussing what happens When Faith and Culture Collide. When culture seems to feed on deceptions, what can Christ-followers do to counter this?
  3. This passage talks about how the Good News is shared. What words stand out as you look at these verses that show the integrity of the Good News?
  4. V. 7 talks about mothers and v. 12 talks about fathers. How do these two images reflect our choice to live the Good News and share the Good News in the face of a culture that is broken and deceptive?
  5. When have you felt like a relationship was harmed because integrity was broken? How can we pray for you today for healing the relationship?

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

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Genesis 2:7, John 20:19-23, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

(PRT) Genesis 2:7, John 20:19-23, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Gen. 2:7 And the Lord God molded and created the first human out of the dust and dirt of the earth, and He breathed into his nostrils the spirit and breath of life; and the man became alive, a living being.

  • That the Father created you and me is unavoidable for the Christian.
  • That the Father created you and me uniquely with soul, consciousness, and a desire to know Him lays the foundation for our relationship with Him.
  • That we are created from the dry and dusty dirt of earth connects us to our purposes here.
  • That we have the very breath of the Father in our souls connects us to the purposes of the Kingdom.

John 20:19 Then, the evening came on that same first day of the week, and the doors where Jesus’ followers were staying were shut and locked out of fear of the Jews; and Jesus entered and stood among them and said to them: “Peace to you.” v. 20 And after saying this, he showed them his two hands and his side. The disciples were overjoyed because they had clearly seen the Lord. v. 21 Then Jesus quieted them and said again: “Peace to you. Just like the Father sent me on the mission, I also commission you and send you out on mission.” v. 22 And after he said this, he breathed on them, and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. v. 23 What sins you forgive, they are forgiven; what you hold onto, they stay.

  • Jesus doesn’t stop for locked doors or chained gates; he shows up where his Kingdom belongs.
  • Jesus says to you and me when we are fearful, “peace. Focus on me and my nearness.
  • Jesus says to you and me when we experience the fulness and joy of His life in us, “peace.” Focus on me and my mission.
  • Jesus gives us His Spirit to empower us, to guide us, and to accomplish the Kingdom through us.
  • Jesus’ Spirit inside us gives us discernment on how to show others how to be forgiven.

2 Timothy 3: 16 All the Scripture is God-breathed and effective for instruction in doctrine, for persuasive conviction, for straightening our lives again, and for training us in God’s standard of what is right. v. 17 That way, the person devoted to God can be complete, fully equipped, and ready to face every good work.

  • The Spirit of God has given us His Word.
  • This God-breathed Scripture is given with a purpose and outcome.
  • He has breathed His Word so we can be full of His truth, grow up in His purposes, and do the good works He puts before us.
  • This Scripture teaches us, convicts us, straightens us out, and trains us to know right from wrong.
  • His Truth is meant to move from the page, to the mind, into our hearts, and out from our lives through words and actions.

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

Gen. 2:7 And the Lord God molded and created the first human out of the dust and dirt of the earth, and He breathed into his nostrils the spirit and breath of life; and the man became alive, a living being.

The image is God the Father taking the dust and dirt, mixing it like clay with water, crafting a human, then coming face-to-face with his creation to give life through the Spirit. Add this to John 1 and how all things are created through Jesus the Son and the Trinity is deeply invested in this creative act of humanity.

When we read this verse and those around it, the “order” seems out of place in the events or actions. But the verbs do not indicate this is a chronological check list. This verse says God did it.

The dust and dirt are the finest of earth’s particles. He didn’t shovel up a load of clay but took the pure, dry dirt from the ground to form us. The earth doesn’t produce man’s body; God creates it. However, the dirt of earth is elevated as a gift from which people gain their sustenance and explore their creativity.

Then, the life-breath is given. The stuff of earth; the breath from heaven. Though the words themselves are mainly the breath of our lungs that maintains our lives, that He came to humans face-to-face to deliver this breath makes this unique. The human becomes animate and individual We don’t see the Father breathing into the nostrils of the armadillo, even though by His creative force, the armadillo breathes and is animated.

John 20:19 Then, the evening came on that same Sunday, and the doors where Jesus’ followers were staying were shut and locked out of fear of the Jews; and Jesus entered and stood among them and said to them: “Peace to you.”

The gates outside were locked and chained; the entryway to the room was shut and locked. He opens them miraculously. He goes through them. Jesus didn’t obey locks and chains. Where he belongs, he enters.

The disciples were hunkered down waiting for the intensity of the manhunt to blow over. They, at this point, had no answers for the Jewish authorities’ suspicions.  This is the point of hope. And hope based on faith in the truth of the Good News of God’s love for people through Jesus became their answer.

“that day” is something that each follower would look back on. And the evening of that day, Jesus shows up.

Peace to you is a common expression of greeting made more important when Jesus promises his supernatural peace to be ours. Here, it likely is also because of the fear prevalent in the room and the possible fear his sudden appearance made.

v. 20 And after saying this, he showed them his two hands and his side. The disciples were overjoyed because they had clearly seen the Lord.

Jesus knew their eyes needed a new image. Their last image was a brutal death and the finality of his dead body slumped over those removing Jesus from his instrument of execution. He held out his hands so they could see he really did hang on the cross and he survived. He uncovered his ribcage so they could see he really did get pierced by a Roman spear and lived. They knew he could not live through both cross and spear to the heart; he rose from the dead. He wasn’t resuscitated. He wasn’t in a swoon. He died. And he now lives and stands in the middle of their gathering. And they had clearly seen Him in His physical, recognizable body.

v. 21 Then Jesus quieted them and said again: “Peace to you. Just like the Father sent me on the mission, I also commission you and send you out on mission.”

Jesus says “peace” twice. The first time, because they were afraid; the second time because they were overjoyed.

Jesus uses two different words for “send” here. The Father sent Jesus to the mission of redemption. He came as a child, grew up and lived sinless, proclaimed and demonstrated the Kingdom of Heaven is near, was betrayed, tried, convicted, beaten, crucified, killed, buried, and rose again. He accomplished His mission. It was a specified mission to accomplish. Done. And now the hand off. Jesus now commissions his followers to the mission of taking the Good News of the Kingdom to those near and far. And the word John uses here is a more general term. We are sent to live our lives, to pursue good, to obey God, to raise our families, to worship in church, to be filled with the Spirit – so that, as we do these things, we will take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. We take His accomplished mission, the message of the Good News of the Kingdom, as our mission.

v. 22 And after he said this, he breathed on them, and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit.

This word for breathed is the same Greek that translates Gen 2:7. He breathed onto their lives a measure of the Holy Spirit; this prepared them for the full infilling and washing over by the Spirit on Pentecost. The image here is the Son gathering his followers near and, face-to-face breathing over them (one at a time, or all at once is not so important and not defined here.) And in this breathing, he imparts the Spirit to illumine them and strengthen them for the next 40 days. This was such a critical time. They could possibly scatter in fear and miss Pentecost (Peter has already renewed his occupation of fishing, it seems. Thomas was missing in action in this first visit Jesus makes.)

He breathed. It was not symbolic of the Spirit of God rising up inside the disciples; it was an impartation of the holy breath of God infilling his followers.

Some scholars say this was the “down payment” on Pentecost, and this makes sense. Jesus imparted all of the Spirit they would need to accomplish their mission for the next 40 days as they awaited the full “promise of the Father.”

Ezekiel 37:9 the prophet appeals to the winds to breathe on those dead, the bones in the valley, that they might come back to life.

v. 23 What sins you forgive, they are forgiven; what you hold onto, they stay.

This passage can be confusing. It can be who’s ever sins you forgive them, they are forgiven; but if you hold onto them or retain them, they will stay retained. In the context, it doesn’t seem to fit, and I can only wonder if this is one of those passages that John remembered in the middle of his account and inserted. I’m used to reading chronologically; that’s not always the way the accounts are written. My first choice is to read it in context with v. 22. That means their willingness to forgive is vitally connected with the work of the Holy Spirit inside His followers. This is confirmed by the example of Jesus’ proclamation, “Father forgive them.” And then Stephen saying the same thing. It’s an extension of grace and forgiveness in the face of harmful designs.

This is the formula for the Catholic practice of the confessional that developed through the early centuries of the church’s spread. Protestant and evangelicals take this passage and run as far away from this as possible. After all, only God can forgive sins. But we: 1) must forgive the sins others commit that harm us, and 2) we “pronounce” forgiveness when someone else extends forgiveness toward us. We don’t forgive on behalf of God, but our affirmation of someone’s announced change can strengthen the action as “done” and “under God’s grace.”

2 Timothy 3: 16 All the Scripture is God-breathed and effective for instruction in doctrine, for persuasive conviction, for straightening our lives again, and for training us in God’s standard of what is right.

The four areas God’s Word here is fruitful for: teaching truth, convicting us of the truth, correcting our lives to the truth, and training us to live measured by the plumbline of God’s view of righteousness. They are all different but help us align with a life that benefits from God’s blessing and keep us from the lies of the enemy.

The teaching is related to the doctrinal truth of theology as it relates to life.

The convicting of truth is a making plain what might be hidden, proving what is unclear.

The correcting is a putting down so it can be a standard in our lives.

The training has a meaning of discipline.

v. 17 That way, the person devoted to God can be complete, fully equipped, and ready to face every good work.

Literally, the man of God, hence the person devoted or belonging to God. Two different words having to do with complete. The first is the status of being fitted out completely; the second fully equipped in the face of what life might bring their way, so they can do good works.

Small Group Study Questions:

  1. What family member were you closest to when you were a child? What is you favorite memory with this person?
  2. How does God’s characteristics in Genesis 2:7 bring Him close to humanity? Which of God’s characteristics – creativity, compassion, or communications – shows up in your own life?
  3. Where does God need to breath His Spirit’s provision and power in your life today?
  4. What is God’s mission for Jesus’ followers in John 20:19-23? How does your understanding of God’s mission change how you live?
  5. How can we pray for you as you pursue His mission this week?

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes: Hebrews 9:24-28.

Hebrews - Study Notes, Pastor Rick's Study Notes, Small Group Study Questions, , , , , ,

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

(PRT) Hebrews 9:24-28

v. 24 For Christ has not entered a holy place constructed by people copied from what is genuine; but right now he is in heaven appearing in the presence of God making our petition for us. v. 25 And neither did he offer himself up again and again, just like a high priest enters into the Holy of Holies each and every year with the blood from another sacrifice. v. 26 If that were the case, he would need to suffer again and again from the beginning of the whole universe until right now. Instead, Christ has been revealed through his own sacrifice for sin’s cancellation once for all until the very end of the ages. v. 27 For throughout time, it is determined therefore that each person dies once, then afterwards faces judgment. v. 28 Likewise, Christ has been offered once in order to bear away the sins of many and afterwards he will appear again to the ones freed from sin and waiting for salvation.

 v. 24 For Christ has not entered a holy place constructed by people copied from what is genuine; but right now he is in heaven appearing in the presence of God making our petition for us.

Jesus went to the temple, but though he was the only one qualified to enter the Holiest place and offer sacrifices, He never did.

He offered Himself in the place it mattered – the Holy Place of Heaven. He had to rise from the dead to make this happen.

In this verse, the word emphanistamai is appeared as in visibly present. Different from “appeared” in v. 26 and v.28. This is appeared as in disclosed or coming into to be seen for the purpose intended. Εμφανιζω. John 14 says that when we trust in Jesus, he shows up to show us the Father’s love, he reveals himself to us. He has come with a purpose. He is our advocate!

He is in the priestly role of intercession.

v. 25 And neither should he offer himself up again and again, just like a high priest enters into the temple each and every year with the blood from another sacrifice.

Every year, the same sacrifice has to be presented from a human context. But Jesus once for all who trust in Him handled the sacrifice once for all time.

Again and again is from the present active subjunctive.  The blood from another would be the cows and goats of the Day of Atonement.

The Day of Atonement is the sabbath of sabbaths; this is the day most ceremonial. What Jesus did to attain our forgiveness is so much higher than the highest day of Judaism.

On the Day of Atonement: 1) the enemy had no right to accuse, 2) sacrifice was made fully for all sins for all nations, 3) the day of perfect pardon from sin repented of. That day is now the norm for the Christian. The accuser is shut down, the nations are invited to take Jesus as Lord, and our forgiveness carries the strength of the name of the only one who could forgive.

v. 26 If that were the case, he would need to suffer again and again from the beginning of the whole universe until right now. Instead, Christ has been revealed through his own sacrifice for sin’s cancellation once for all until the very end of the ages.

This perpetual sacrifice would mean that Jesus never accomplished the sacrifice. Sin’s annulment or cancellation. Strong word. Since the beginning of creation is “from the foundations of the world.”

The work here for appeared is pephanirotai – manifested. To be revealed or appear. This word declares. It’s the same word in 2 Cor 3:3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts. He’s come, he’s appeared to forgive and redeem. He saves!

v. 27 For throughout time, it is determined therefore that each person dies once, then afterwards faces judgment.

This is “a judgment” and not “the Judgment.” This is the first layer of judgment, that is either belonging or rejecting Christ. Matt 25 – goats and lamb passage, those who know him; that is know him in such a way that the rest of life is invested in those who need Him.

“Determined” is “laid up for” as in already in the plans of God.

v. 28 Likewise, Christ has been offered once in order to bear away the sins of many and afterwards he will appear again to the ones freed from sin and waiting for salvation.

His sacrifice is for eternity for all who trust in Him. Here the word for “appear” is a third one, ophtasetai, to be seen. Orao. To be physically seen or experienced. He’s coming back!

Bear the sins away may point to the moment sin was piled on the shoulders of the only man who had won the right to suffer in order to give peace, the be afflicted in order to heal, and to die in order to give life.

We die and face judgment; Jesus died for us so we could be freed from sin and enjoy salvation.

Waiting for salvation – Philippians 3, we are awaiting our entry into heaven since we are citizens awaiting salvation. Our passage today answers the big questions of life, like:

(1) Why Am I Here?

(1) Why Does My Life sometimes feel unimportant or insignificant?

(2) What causes me to be so restless?

(2) Where does the longing for more come from?

(3) What is the Meaning and Purpose of my Life?

(3)Where Do I go after this life?

Small Group Questions:

  1. What is your first memory of feeling like you were created for something special?
  2. In what ways does our passage contrast with the idea that we get to live again and again through ideas like reincarnation and karma?
  3. How does the fact that we live and die and then face judgment make you feel? What can you change in relation to this judgment?
  4. Would you like for our group to pray for you about anything related to these verses?
  5. How can we support and pray for you this week?