1 Thessalonians: Outlines

The Signature of God on the Children of Light

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• Sign Of Election: The Power Of The Holy Spirit And Deep Conviction (1:4,5)
• Sign Of True Faith: The Word Of God Is At Work (2:13)
• Sign Of God's Will: Sanctification, Sexual Purity, And Brotherly Love (4:3-10)
• Sign Of Hopeful Perseverence: Productive Labor, Economic Independence (4:11,12)
• Sign Of Encouragement: The Lord's Certain Return As Our Basis Of Hope (4:13-18)
• Sign Of Endurance: Living Alert And Self Control In Anticipation Of The Lord's Return (5:1-8)
• Sign Of Redeeming Love: Christ's Death For our Fellowship in Life And Death (5:10,11)

The Certain Destiny of the Children of Light

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• Assurance: God Raised Jesus From The Dead, He Saves Us From The Coming Wrath (1:10)
• Assurance: God Calls Us To His Kingdom And Glory (2:12)
• Resurrection Of Believers: Grounded in God's Word And The Resurrection Of Christ (4:14)
• Assurance: Times And Dates Uneccessary, God Did Not Appoint Us To Suffer Wrath (5:1-9)

Imperatives for the Children of Light

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• Love By: Respect And Honor For Those Who Labor For The Flock (5:12,13)
• Love By: Living In Peace With One Another (5:13)
• Love By: Warning, Encouragement, Bearing and Being Patient, Kindness (5:14,15)
• Love By: Joy, Continual Prayer, Continuous Thanksgiving (5:16-18)
• Love By: Not Quenching Spirit or Despising Prophecies, Holding The Good, Eschewing Evil (5:19)

The Characteristics and Destiny of the Enemies of the Children of Light

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• Sign Of Wickedness: Killing The Prophets And Jesus, Driving Out Paul (2:15)
• Nature of Wickedness: Displeasing Hostile To God, Heaping Up Sins till Wrath (2:15,16)
• Nature of Wrath: The Lord Will Punish Sins Of Immoraltiy And Manipulation (4:6)
• Sign of Disobedience: Those Who Reject Apostalic Instruction Reject God's Spirit (4:8)
• Time Of Wrath: While People Are Saying Peace And Safety (5:3)
• Nature of Children of Darkness: Dullness And Drunkness (5:7)

Thessalonians' Faith as a Model for All Believers

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• Marked By Work Of Faith, Labor Of Love, Endurance Of Hope (1:3)
• Chosen By God Imitators Of Paul In Spite Of Severe Suffering(1:4-6)
• Welcomed Message With Joy, Became A Model To All Believers In The Region (1:6-8)
• Turned From Idols To Serve The True And Living God, They Wait For God's Son(1:9,10)
• Received The Word Of God As Word Of God, Became Imitators Of The Churches In Judea (2:13)
• Remained Faithful After Paul's Departure (3:6-9)

Admonishment to Grow in Love

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• Paul Prays That The Thessalonians Love Will Increase And Overflow For One Another (3:12)
• Paul Prays For The Strengthening Of Their Hearts In Order For Them To Be Blameless (3:13)
• Taught By God To Love One Another, Paul Urges Them To Love One Another Even More (4:9,10)

Thessalonians' Model of Love: Paul's Apostolic Ministry on Their Behalf

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• Paul's Love And Desire To Share The Gospel And His Very Life (2:6-9)
• Paul's Holiness, Blamelessness, And Righteousness As A Father For Children (2:10)
• Paul Encouraged, Comforted, And Urged Them To Live Lives Worthy Of God (2:12)
• Paul's Concern That His Trials Might Be Unsettling For The Thessalonians (3:3)

Paul's Prayers for the Thessalonian Believers

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• Paul's Thanksgiving For The Thessalonians (1:2)
• Paul's Night And Day Prayers To Be Restored To Them(3:10,11)
• Paul's Prayers For Their Hearts To Be Strengthened and Love Increase (3:12,13)
• Paul's Prayers For The God Of Peace To Sanctifiy Them Through And Through (5:23)

Paul's Hope Concerning His Personal Ministry

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• Paul Remembers The Labor Of The Thessalonians (1:3)
• Paul Does Not See Former Visit As A Failure (2:1)
• Paul Sees The Thessalonians As His Joy, Hope And Crown Of Glory (2:19,20)
• Paul's Reminder That He Was Destined For Trials (3:3,4)
• Paul's Concerned That His Labors Might Have Been In Vain (3:5)

Paul's Living Model for the Thessalonian Believers

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• He Points To His Model Before The Thessalonians (1:5)
• He Dared To Tell The Thessalonians The Gospel, In Spite Of Strong Opposition (2:2)
• He Speaks Sincerely, As A Man Entrusted By God With The Gospel (2:3,4)
• He Did Not Use Flattery, Nor Was Filled With Greed, Nor Looking For Praise From Men (2:5,6)
• He Was Gentle, Like A Mother Caring For Her Young (2:7)
• He Worked In Order Not To Be A Burden To Whom He Preached The Gospel (2:9)
• He Reminds Them Of His Toil And Hardship Among Them, Working Day And Night (2:9)
• He Dealt With Each Of Them As A Father Deals With His Children (2:11)

Paul's Apostolic Ministry and Devotion to the Church

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• He Is Not Trying To Please Men, But God Who Tests His Heart (2:4)
• He Was Willing To Share Both The Gospel And His Very Life Because Of Dearness Of Them (2:8)
• Paul Encouraged, Comforted, And Urged Them To Live Lives Worthy Of God (2:12)
• Out Of Intense Longing Paul Made Every Effort To Come Visit The Thessalonians (2:17)
• Satan Stopped Paul From Being Able To See The Thessalonians (2:18)
• He Sent Timothy Out Of Urgency To Find Out How They Were Doing (3:1-5)
• He Is Greatly Encouraged By The Report From Timothy About The Thessalonians (3:6-9)
• His Goal Is For Them To Be Blameless When Jesus Comes With His Holy Ones (3:13)
• Paul Had Given The Thessalonians Apostolic Orders On How To Live By Authority Of Jesus (4:1,2)
• Paul Urges Them To Love One Another Even More (4:10)
• Paul Does Not Want Them To Be Ignorant About Those Who Have Died (4:13)
• Paul Does Not Want Them To Grieve Like Those Who Have No Hope (4:13)
• Paul's Desire Is That Their Whole Spirit, Soul, And Body Will Be Kept Blameless (5:23)

The Call for Present Perseverance

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• The goal is to be blameless and holy in the presence of God when Jesus comes from heaven (3:13)
• Paul concerned that his efforts might have been useless (3:5)
• Called to make ambition to lead a quiet life, working with our own hands (4:11)
• The Lord's return is the basis of our encouragement for one another (4:18)
• So we should be alert and self controlled, not like those who are asleep (5:6)

The Present Condition of the Children of Light

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• Knowledge of God's election based on receiving the word in the power of the Holy Spirit (1:4,5)
• They turned to the true and living God from idols, to wait for Son from heaven (1:9,10)
• God calls us into His kingdom and glory (2:12)
• He died for us so that we could have fellowship with Him whether alive or asleep (5:10)
• We are not in darkness so this day should not surprise us (5:4)
• As sons of light, believers do not belong to the darkness (5:5)
• Dullness and drunkness are characteristic of the children of the night (5:7)
• The children of light are asked to put on faith and love as a breast plate and hope as helmet (5:8)
• Those who are children of the day should be self controlled (5:8)
• God did not appoint His children to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through Christ (5:9)

The Resurrection and Coming Parousia of the Lord

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• Jesus, who was raised from the dead, rescues us from the coming wrath (1:10)
• Jesus will come from heaven with all of his holy ones (3:13)
• The resurrection of believers is predicated on the resurrection of Christ (4:14)
• Those who are alive at his return will not precede those who have died (4:15)
• The resurrection of believers is based on the authority of God's word (4:15)
• The Lord will return with the call of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God (4:16)
• The dead in Christ will rise first, and those who remain will be caught up with Him (4:16,17)
• Then we will always be with the Lord (4:17)
• We do not know dates and seasons (5:1)
• The day of the Lord will come like a theif in the night (5:2)
• While people are saying peace and safety destruction will come upon them like labor pains (5:3)