1 Chronicles

My notes listening to Jack Abeelen on 1 Chronicles

Babylonian captivity--606 BC to 536 BC, 70 years total

Chronicles adds to the historical account of this time, official records.

God gives us the large view at times, then comes back and gives us specific lessons.

Deuteronomy is an interpretation and application of the law after 40 years of wilderness experience.

Focus:
1) lineage of  God--from Adam to David to Jesus, generational, watch the way the Lord fulfilled His promise
2) God's covenants--temple, meeting, worship of God

1 Chronicles-emphasis on David
2 Chronicles--emphasis on David's posterity

Chapters 1-10

At the end, historically we'll be at Ezra and Nehemiah, though he's recently covered those, so will jump to Revelation.

Best to read the prophets when going through this history.

  

The 1st Letter to the Thessalonians 4

Notes from Jack Abeelen:

Context

Paul's ministry in Europe began towards the end of his second missionary journey when the Lord called him with his team to go there. And to be honest, it didn't go well early on.  He landed in Philippi. There were some folks that did get saved, but it ended up in false imprisonment and beating. Then Paul went down the road and ended up in this town. He spent only three weeks in Thessalonica.  He did see fruit of the gospel being taught, but then crowds came, and there was a riot.  He ended up in Berea and they followed him there, did the same thing. Months later he would be in Corinth when we would send Timothy from Athens, but he heard from him when he was in Corinth, and  he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica. Paul didn't expect much. But when Timothy did come back, he had tremendously good news.  The church was doing more than well--it was excelling. All of Macedonia had heard of the Lord through this fellowship. And Paul couldn't be happier; it was such a boost to his discouragement.  So he sends this first letter to thank Lord for what He did and to encourage these saints in their walk with the Lord.

This was a tough place, a place where it was okay to kill Christians. Despite this, God was doing a work. Paul talks a lot about the Lord coming back amid his words of encouragement to them.  Every chapter ends with that.

"One final word, friends. We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance." 1 Th 4:1 MSG

These last few chapters are about literally about sanctification.

Sanctification---to be holy. It means to be dedicated to one use.   Example: If you go to a picnic and you pick a cup and put your name on it--set aside.  It's yours, specifically. Positional sanctification--done deal once you believe. God opened his heart and He received the thief on the cross. Bu if you live beyond your salvation date, you need to be practically sanctified---only means that you start to become who you are--your are God's child, He lives in you. He begins to make the changes He wants to make. You increase in holiness. God has more of you day by day. These chapters are interested in this.

First eight verses were about immorality--temple prostitutes were a part of life and these folks were used to it. The world changes its views and morality oftentimes is found on a sliding scale. But God's ways don't change. So Paul talked about how they could overcome in Christ the immortality around them.

In 9-12, Paul focuses on their example. The more mundane things. You may think this doesn't sound very spiritual but the Lord puts get emphasis on it.  There is tremendous power in being a practical witness in this life to the unbeliever. 

Walking in love yes, but also in the consistent behavior in the life of a believer. We can be a stumbling block or a help, just in the way that we live our lives.  One of the results of being saved is that your life becomes a living example of His presence, of His will.  Especially when you look at Christians behaviors in terms of relationships, or honesty, or compassion, or dependability. The world is watching, and they want to see what you claim to have. 

What do the people around you think of the Lord because of you and your behavior? What impression are you leaving? Behavior is a witness. Old saying: what you are doing is speaking so loud, I can't hear what you are saying. What influence do we have? God's desire that your spiritual relationship with Him can adorn your daily behavior.  You can't leave God out of the life He's wanting you to involve Him with.  

Our daily witness is our daily life. 

God wants balance in our life spiritually.  Not all about prophecy and the future--today matters too. Sometimes our relationships are just with the church, but you can't ignore the world.  Most of the extremes miss God's best. Satan's plan is always to drive you to the edges because that's where you are least effective.  Jesus in John 17, asks God to sanctify us--not take us out of the world, in it but not of it, but sanctify  them, set apart in Your truth.  This is the same message. We are in it, not of it. Salt and light. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 5:9--when God told you to stay away from the sexually immoral, he was talking about believers, not the world.

His love in our lives is the hallmark of His work in us. Creation is moved by nature. Dogs don't have to be taught to bark. Nature most often determines behavior. When you get saved, the Holy Spirit comes into your life and you begin to take on the nature of God. 2 Peter--God makes us partakers of His divine nature by which we've escaped the corruption of the world.  He begins to show Himself in your life. There's no way to separate God from HIs presence from you--He's going to make himself known.  Hope will never disappoint you because His love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit."

The world knows selfish love...what you can get out of it for yourself, also reciprocal love, but the unconditional love, that comes from the cross.  Only the Lord can produce this.

The longer you know God, the more you will love Him.

Romans 5  "God demonstrates his love to us while we were yet sinners."

"Let brotherly love continue..." Aspire to live a quiet life, mind your own business, live properly toward those on the outside...Aspire---make it a goal, sanctification.  You'll reach the lost, you will lack nothing (provide for your own needs).  

Aspire to live a quiet--without strife, don't draw attention to yourself. Don't be "the loud guy." We are never called to be involved in disorder or riot.  With the kind of weirdness of action that draws attention to us and not to the Lord. The kind of radicalism we sometimes thing is effective doesn't necessarily add to our testimony but can ruin it. As our lives are changed, it will be seen by others. Faith is radical enough. You don't have to practice your faith in a way that begins to push people away.

When Timothy took over the church in Ephesus. It's the practical kinds of things---it's all kinds of spiritual.  Because it affects the vessel God is using.

Live an unobtrusive life. We can do some pretty strange things and call it useful to the Lord.  Just don't be a weirdo.  Jesus saves weirdos, but He doesn't use them. The gospel is offensive enough, don't you add to it. Faith can make you stupid in that regard.

Mind your own business. Don't be a busy body. No one ever gets in trouble minding their own business.  Trouble comes when you step outside that restraint, and you put your nose where it doesn't belong. Look, that's a pretty good trait of an unbeliever. The world is all about self and opinions. It is certainly the impetus behind the whole blogging and social media world is about now...putting your two two cents in. 

Christian tale-bearing is tale bearing still. We love carrying the story. Athenians loved to tell something new, their whole life comprised of hearing and telling something new. But the Lord is looking for a quietness and an integrity in His people. The world is looking for this in us too, but when they don't see it in us...they keep going.

Go to work. Haggai, Zephaniah, Amos, Paul---they all worked hard while maintaining ministry to the Lord.  Today Christians often have an ethic of doing the least possible and getting the most in return.  There are few worse witnesses than a job poorly done claiming to know the Lord.  God made you to work. Whatever You do, do it heartily unto the Lord and not to men. 

If someone doesn't provide for his own, your own household, you are worse than an unbeliever.---Paul

If you don't work, you don't eat. Any action of your faith that makes me have to pay for your faith is not faith. If you are going to walk out in faith, then stand in faith.

v. 12 Walk in such a way that you would have a proper way toward the unbeliever. Live in a honest, decent way to the lost. By so doing, the lost will see Jesus in you.

If you'll adopt these things in a sanctified kind of way, you'll lack nothing. God will provide then--it's His will and His way. How does God feed the birds? He gives them strong wings, good eyes, ability to swoop in and capture prey.

Walk in wisdom to those outside, that you redeem the time. Non-believers are watching--what does that God that you say you love do for you?

Sanctification has to be practical, it has to be seen. 

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Introduction from Jack Abeelen

 Jack Abeelen--Morningstar Christian Chapel, September 27, 2020 The Birth of a Church!

Written by Paul first, within 20 years of Christ's ascension. 

Paul on his 2nd missionary journey with Silas determined he would go back and revisit churches he had planted in hopes of strengthening them.  After this, not sure where to go.  Sought to go to Asia (Turkey), but he kept running into a blockade of sort by the Holy Spirit--not told what stopped him, just HS behind it.  Ended up Troas--had vision/dream of a man in Macedonia saying come visit us.  Acts 16. Birth of first church in Europe. Focuses on conversion of three individuals:

1. Lydia of Thyatira, successful woman of business, met believers outside on river on the Sabbath. She became center of church at Philippi.

2. Woman possessed by devil told fortunes for her masters for $. Paul delivered her, masters went to authorities who arrested them and beat them, then threw them in prison. They sang worship songs. God sent earthquake.

3. Jailer converted and his family, Paul went back. Authorities realized they had beat a Roman citizen. They begged them to leave city....travelled and stopped at two other cities but finally ended up in Thessalonica. 

Thessalonica on the  Ignatian highway (Roman east to west highway). Preached for three Sabbath days in a row (three weeks). Acts 17-- a of people listened, especially Greek proselytes. Orthodox leaders got angry---hired people to cause disturbance--they run out of town, 50 miles to Beria, then they ministered there for awhile but then they came down and chased him out again.

Leaves Beria under threat of death, gets on boat, travels to Athens (intellectuals at Mars Hill) then Corinth...in a perverse town, Corinth, by himself. Doesn't have friends with him...arrives discouraged.  Didn't do any ministry at Corinth at all, sat on his hands, finally Timothy and Silas he was encouraged to go back to work, the Lord appears to him here and then he goes back to work for the next year and a half.

Concerned about Thessalonica during this time.  He sends Silas in one direction and Timothy back to Thessalonica. Wanted to know what was going on in Thessalonica.  Paul had made tents while there.

Timothy comes back and reports the church is thriving. Paul's so thrilled that he writes these epistles with great relief. Chapter 3:7--in all of our affliction and in all of our distress, we are comforted by your faith.

Six words to describe the Church in this chapter: elect, engaged

1) Elect--ecclesia means "called out," collectively not primarily a social organization, it's a living kind of spiritual organism that people have been called out of darkness and into light.  The church is not of the world spiritually; they've been called out of it in Christ. 

Our position in Christ never changes.  With regard to the issue of election, Jack says the Bible teaches both.  The lost are never referred to with the word "election" (would be cruel), but it is taught to the believer.

The Bible teaches both election and free will.  Two sided sign in Heaven--

1) side before entering: "Whosoever will let him come and drink freely of the river of life. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. -- Rev. 22:17 

2) once inside, notice that other side says "Chosen in Him before the foundations of the world."

It's an assurance to the elect. Election is a comfort, an assurance, to the believer and to Paul.  You are the chosen ones now.

If ever in doubt about God choosing and you choosing. Absolutes that can ground you:

*God desires all men to be saved.

* Man will be responsible for the choices he makes and give answers to the Lord.

God's actions in term of election are always rooted in his foreknowledge--because he's God, he can look ahead and pave the way for You.

He rejoices in the death of the saints and not for the lost.

Tells us to go out into the world and preach to all---

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You can't diminish the importance of intercessory prayer in the Bible. He's a busy man but he's always praying. Who do you pray for regularly on their behalf? Paul is praying for all of them.

2) Engaged.  He sees outward evidence, had seen works of faith. They carried with them the fruit of knowing the Lord. "It came with power, assurance."

Proof for Paul says "I saw your labors of love."  labor---means wear yourself out.

Unsaved people live for themselves.  Saved people begin to care about others.

They are driven by their love of the Lord to serve consistently.

If faith stirs you, then the love of Jesus drives you. Love doesn't usually have a limit...not by sacrifice or cost.

Paul says he saw they had "endurance of hope"  --patience is driven by hope.  

Horrible place to try and plant a church or be the church. They had quite a testimony. Think of it---only three weeks there and they left, then Thessalonica was entirely a work of God, had OT, no Bible studies, etc. They were the work of God and His Spirit.

He mentions he came to Corinth not with mere words, but with power that their faith would be in God not man's words. 

Elaine Chestnut bio--beggar with acid injury---no one would step up for a skin graft.  She operated on herself.  This is the love of God. Paul preached his faith, but lived it first.

3) Examples. v 6 1Th 1:6  "You became imitators of us and [through us] of the Lord" How wonderful when hearers become doers. "So that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia." 1Th 1:7

Copy what you've seen. Who do you look up to? Who looks up to you?

Tribulation brings out what's inside.  The Thessalonians had endured in a way that they became examples, leaving their imprint.  Later Paul says "there's nobody like them."

4) Enthusiastic "Your faith in God has gone out"  don't have to say a thing. "Has sounded out" Went from receiving to transmitting...The prudent thing would have been to shut up and stay silent (because of persecution),  but they spoke out.

1Th 1:8  For the word of the Lord has resounded from you and has echoed [like thunder], not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place [the news of] your [great] faith in God has spread, so that we never need to say anything about it. 

5) Evangelistic in approach--reached beyond where they are living.

6) Expectant people.  v 9 "But they themselves declare...and to wait for his son..." Turned from their childhood idolatry to Jesus. Keep your focus on the Lord's coming, present tense. Be hopeful.