Encouragement for Living Amid Afflictions
Weekly Reading
Monday: Exodus 18, Matthew 23
Tuesday: Matthew 24
Wednesday: Exodus 19
Thursday: Matthew 25
Friday: Exodus 20
Saturday: Psalm 19-20, Proverbs 4
Sunday: 1 Samuel 8-16
Tuesday: Matthew 24
Wednesday: Exodus 19
Thursday: Matthew 25
Friday: Exodus 20
Saturday: Psalm 19-20, Proverbs 4
Sunday: 1 Samuel 8-16
Discussion Questions
1. When misunderstandings arise within the church, to whom should Christians go?
2. What should be our first response to individuals who are enduring tribulation in their lives?
3. What is the responsibility of mature Christians concerning new members of the faith?
4. Discuss some of the ways that your faith has grown through trials in your life.
5. Why do all Christians need encouragement and affirmation from time to time?
2. What should be our first response to individuals who are enduring tribulation in their lives?
3. What is the responsibility of mature Christians concerning new members of the faith?
4. Discuss some of the ways that your faith has grown through trials in your life.
5. Why do all Christians need encouragement and affirmation from time to time?
Sermon Notes
Key Passage: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
John 13:35
2 Thessalonians 1:4 AMP
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Ephesians 1:18 New Century Version
“With a genuine pastor’s heart, Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to find meaning in faith-stretching trials and love-strengthening challenges. Only with a firm conviction of the goodness and the sovereignty of God could Paul urge the Thessalonians to press on in the face of affliction. Paul knew—and the Thessalonians were learning—that God was still at work even in the midst of their suffering." - Charles Swindoll, Living Insights New Testament Commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians
“Hope is one of the theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next…It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at heaven, and you will get earth ‘thrown in’ : aim at earth and you will get neither.” - C.S. Lewis
The Greek word “thlipsis.” Strong’s Greek Word Study defines it this way: "to crush, press together, hem in, compress; it is a strong term which does not refer to minor inconveniences, but to real hardship."
Our word for tribulation comes from the Latin word “tribulum,” which was “a piece of heavy wood which had spikes driven into its lower side.”
“Look upward to thy heavenly Father, and behold Him pure and holy. Dost thou know thou art one day to be like Him? Wilt thou easily be conformed to His image? Wilt thou not require much refining in the furnace of affliction to purify thee?” - Charles Spurgeon
“The furnace of affliction is a good place for you; it helps you to become more like Christ, and it is fitting you for heaven.” - Charles Spurgeon
“Ah, to be your instrument, O God, like Paul to the Gentiles, like Philip to the eunuch, like Jesus to the world… to be your instrument. To be like a scalpel in the gentile hands of a surgeon, healing and mending. To be like a plow in the weathered hands of a farmer, sowing and tending. To be like a scythe in the hands of a reaper, gathering and using. To be…an instrument for noble purposes. To be honed and tuned, in sync with your will, sensitive to your touch. This, my God, is my prayer. Draw me from your fire; form me on your anvil; shape me with your hands, and let me be your tool.” - Max Lucado
The Greek word for relief is “anesis.” In using this word, Paul wants to remind them that one day God will give the Thessalonians and us relief from our current afflictions!
John 13:35
2 Thessalonians 1:4 AMP
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Ephesians 1:18 New Century Version
“With a genuine pastor’s heart, Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to find meaning in faith-stretching trials and love-strengthening challenges. Only with a firm conviction of the goodness and the sovereignty of God could Paul urge the Thessalonians to press on in the face of affliction. Paul knew—and the Thessalonians were learning—that God was still at work even in the midst of their suffering." - Charles Swindoll, Living Insights New Testament Commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians
“Hope is one of the theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next…It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at heaven, and you will get earth ‘thrown in’ : aim at earth and you will get neither.” - C.S. Lewis
The Greek word “thlipsis.” Strong’s Greek Word Study defines it this way: "to crush, press together, hem in, compress; it is a strong term which does not refer to minor inconveniences, but to real hardship."
Our word for tribulation comes from the Latin word “tribulum,” which was “a piece of heavy wood which had spikes driven into its lower side.”
“Look upward to thy heavenly Father, and behold Him pure and holy. Dost thou know thou art one day to be like Him? Wilt thou easily be conformed to His image? Wilt thou not require much refining in the furnace of affliction to purify thee?” - Charles Spurgeon
“The furnace of affliction is a good place for you; it helps you to become more like Christ, and it is fitting you for heaven.” - Charles Spurgeon
“Ah, to be your instrument, O God, like Paul to the Gentiles, like Philip to the eunuch, like Jesus to the world… to be your instrument. To be like a scalpel in the gentile hands of a surgeon, healing and mending. To be like a plow in the weathered hands of a farmer, sowing and tending. To be like a scythe in the hands of a reaper, gathering and using. To be…an instrument for noble purposes. To be honed and tuned, in sync with your will, sensitive to your touch. This, my God, is my prayer. Draw me from your fire; form me on your anvil; shape me with your hands, and let me be your tool.” - Max Lucado
The Greek word for relief is “anesis.” In using this word, Paul wants to remind them that one day God will give the Thessalonians and us relief from our current afflictions!
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