Spurgeon's Notes on 1 THESSALONIANS
Chapter 1 Verses 1-10
1 Thessalonians 1:1. Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul is very full of Christ. His heart is full of love to God our Father, and, therefore, it is that twice over in as many lines he mentions both names. He uses no vain repetitions, as the heathen do; but his inmost soul is taken up with communion with the Father and with the Son; and so in one single verse he twice gives us their names.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
Paul had a very high opinion of the Church in Thessalonica, and no doubt it deserved it. See how he speaks of it — with such confidence. "Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God." Their character was such that he felt sure that he saw the mark of God’s elect about them, and he speaks most positively of them — perhaps more positively than he does of any other church. Well, there were three grand signs. There was the work of faith, the labor of love, and the patience of hope; and where we see three works of the Spirit we may be fully persuaded that electing love is there.
1 Thessalonians 1:5. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance; as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
Paul never had a happier time in preaching, it would seem, than when he preached to these Thessalonians. He felt a power resting upon him. He spoke the gospel with great positiveness and assurance, and consequently the people received it in power, and the assurance of the hearer made the assurance of the speaker. It is a great mercy when it is so.
1 Thessalonians 1:6. And you became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit:
Ah! dear friends, we read of one that he was more honorable than his brethren because his mother bore him with sorrow. And so when faith is born in the heart in the midst of affliction, it is a very precious faith. It is faith indeed. "Having received the Word in much affliction with joy." I seem to see that joy of theirs floating, like Noah’s ark, above the floods of their affliction. It seems to be a contradiction that we can be in affliction and yet be full of joy. But many a believer will tell you that there is no contradiction in it. He knows what it is to be sorrowful, and yet to be always rejoicing.
1 Thessalonians 1:7. So that you were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
Brethren, let us not only be Christians, but let us be samples of Christians. They are sure to pick out the best for a sample. Oh! that we might be such that, if God himself were to select Christians to show what they are like, he might select us to be samples.
1 Thessalonians 1:8-10. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from Heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Paul here states that all the churches abroad knew what a wonderful time he had had with the Thessalonians, and with what alacrity they had received the gospel, and how they had turned away from their idols in thorough earnest to become worshipers of the living God. This was a great comfort to Paul, and he speaks about them here with great joy.
Chapter 2
Spurgeon did not write any commentary for this chapter.
Chapter 3
Spurgeon did not write any commentary for this chapter.
Chapter 4 Verses 13-18
1 Thessalonians 4:13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
You cannot help sorrowing, for you miss your dear ones so much; but you do not sorrow like the heathen who believe their departed friends to be extinct and annihilated. You have a glorious hope concerning those who have fallen asleep in Christ, you believe that they are still live, and that, by-and-by, their bodies will rise again.
1 Thessalonians 4:14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
There is such a union between Christ and his people that they never can be divided from him. In life, they live in him, in death, they sleep in him; and when he comes again, he will bring them with him. Christ cannot be without his people. A head without a body would be a ghastly thing, and Christ without his people would be incomplete and imperfect.
1 Thessalonians 4:15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
We shall have no preference over the saints who are sleeping in Jesus, we shall not go before them, we shall be on a blessed equality with them.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Whatever ideas we have concerning the details of Christ’s coming, this summing up of the whole matter is unutterably precious to us: "so shall we ever be with the Lord." There is no separating Christ and his people. If you are one with him, he will not be in Heaven and leave you behind; nor will he be glorified in the presence of his Father without making you to be partakers of the glory. What joy there is for us in this blessed truth!
1 Thessalonians 4:18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
This exposition consisted of readings from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; and 1 Thessalonians 5.
Chapter 5 Verses 1-28
1 Thessalonians 5:1-2. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
It will be a great surprise to the wicked. It will take them at unawares. Just at that moment when they least expect it will Christ come; and as the thief comes to destroy and to kill, so will the coming of Christ be the death of their carnal ease — the destruction of their earthly hopes.
1 Thessalonians 5:3. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
A terrible text that "They shall not escape." They shall not escape by their own power or force or wisdom. They shall not escape even by the annihilation which they might well desire, but which shall not come to them. They shall not escape.
1 Thessalonians 5:4. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
You know that Christ will come. You expect the dissolution of this present state. To you therefore, it will come as one who calls at daytime. You cannot know the hour. You must not know it; but since you know that he will come, and come to your joy; and since you are in the light, you look with gladness to that coming.
1 Thessalonians 5:5-6. You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others;
If we were children of the night, sleep is a proper occupation for the night; but as we are the children of the day, let us not sleep as others.
1 Thessalonians 5:6. But let us watch and be sober.
Watchfulness and sobriety are appropriate duties for the day. To be ever serving our Lord with constancy, and to keep ourselves from the fascinations of the world which make men’s minds drunk — may these two things be our daily care.
1 Thessalonians 5:7. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
There are a few who have reached to such a pitch of shameless idleness that they sleep in the day, and there are others who have come to such a state of debauchery that they are drunken in the day. But this is not the common way of things, nor even in the judgment of the most licentious of the world is this at all a proper state of things. "They that sleep sleep in the night. They that are drunken are drunken in the night." Let us who are of the day be sober, and let us of course be awake, but let us be more than awake, since watchfulness is here joined to wakefulness, and watchfulness in a soldier requires that his armor be on. So Paul pushes the parallel a little farther.
1 Thessalonians 5:8. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
Soldiers when they sleep put off their armor; but in the day when they are awake and on their guard they wear their armor, and are ready for the fray. See how much is involved in Christian wakefulness. God help us to carry out every virtue to its legitimate consequences, not to be wakeful after a fashion, but wakeful after God’s fashion.
1 Thessalonians 5:9. For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.
In making us children of light, he gave evidence that our appointment was for the light — that his eternal ordinances were that through the light of gospel grace we should enter into the light of eternal glory by and by. "God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Thessalonians 5:10. Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
They who have served their day and generation, when they sleep are not parted from their Lord. They become not the children of the darkness by that fact, for he died for us, that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with him. Whether we are living here or living there, we shall still live together with him.
1 Thessalonians 5:11. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also you do.
The more of this the better. Christian people should constantly converse with one another for mutual edification.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.
You see, in the church of old they edified one another, but for all that they did not cast off God’s ordinance of Christian ministry. There was rule in the church then as there should be now; and the apostle, when he speaks of this individual edification, this mutual instruction, does not forget to notice those who were the pastors of the flock. He says, "Know them which labor among you and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake."
1 Thessalonians 5:13. And be at peace among yourselves.
How can a church prosper if it is not?
1 Thessalonians 5:14-16. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore.
Here follows a string of Christian precepts a golden chain. "Rejoice evermore."
1 Thessalonians 5:17-19. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit.
Do not despise his operations, either in yourselves or in your brethren. Do not quench him by neglect, much less by open opposition.
1 Thessalonians 5:20-22. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Not from that which other people choose to think evil, but from all real evil whatever it is — even from the very shadow that it casts and the shape which it assumes.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-26. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he who calls you, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.
Give one another a hearty shake of the hands. That is the western interpretation of the eastern form. Outward forms differ. The inward sense abides the same. Let brotherly love continue in a hearty friendliness among yourselves.
1 Thessalonians 5:27-28. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.