2 Thessalonians 3 Studies
For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.
Passage: 2 Thess 3:1-5
1 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honoured, just as it was with you. 2 And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
A. Find Out:
- What do the apostles first ask the church to pray for? v.1
- What do they then ask them to pray for? v.2
- Of what are they sure? v.3
- Of what were they confident? v.4
- What 2 things did they want to happen? v.5
B. Think:
- Of what were the apostles aware about themselves?
- Yet how did they want to overcome fear in the church?
- Why would love and perseverance be helpful to the church?
C. Comment:
As the apostles have it in mind to draw this letter to a close (Finally v.1) they ask the church to pray for them. Perhaps they are aware of their own need, perhaps they want to encourage the church to pray, perhaps they want yet a further opportunity to generally build up the church.
They acknowledge that they need the Lord’s help in spreading the Gospel and also that they are involved in warfare where unbelievers would oppose them. This the church at Thessalonica knows all about. They have had plenty of that. But the moment the apostles say that they are aware that this may take the eyes of the church back to persecution and the difficulties that go with it, so they reaffirm their belief (v.3) that the Lord will strengthen the church and protect it against Satan’s attacks.
They pile on the encouragement with an affirmation that they are sure the church will keep on with the things they were taught. In a variety of ways, therefore, they encourage the church: by showing that they go through the same things as the apostles, that God will keep them, and that their past experience brings confidence in the apostles to believe they will keep on doing it.
Finally they desire that the church will know and experience more and more of God’s love, which will hold them secure, and of Christ’s ability to persevere, i.e. following Christ’s example of just keeping on despite opposition (which would further act as a stabilising influence on them.
D. Application:
- Are we aware that life is often a battle? Pray.
- Does the battle sometimes weary us? Persevere in God’s love.
Passage: 2 Thess 3:6-13
6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, labouring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.’
11 We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.
A. Find Out:
- Who are they to avoid? v.6
- What had they done? v.7,8
- Why did they do this? v.9
- What rule had they laid down? v.10
- How did they describe some of the people? v.11
- What instruction did they give them? v.12
B. Think:
- What instructions do the apostles give about work?
- How could they say that themselves?
C. Comment:
This is one of the rare passages in Scripture that actually speaks about work. It could really be summed up by three words: teaching, example, application.
Teaching: the apostles has clearly already taught about this when they had been in Thessalonica. This is interesting because they had only been there a short time and you would expect that they had only preached the Gospel and taught fundamentals, and yet working was one of the things they had covered.
Example: more than this, they had made a point of working themselves so that they had not been a burden to the church there. They made the same point in 2:9 of the first letter. Look at us, they say, we worked to provide for ourselves, we didn’t rely upon others.
Application: right, they say now, you ought to be doing the things we taught, the things we exampled, yet we hear that there are people among you who are not doing this, who are just lazing around, doing nothing. This should not be so!
We need to hold the balance of teaching of Scripture here. The call is for each person to work to provide for their family, yet those who preach the Gospel (?church leaders) are to receive from the church, for that is their ‘work’. The key thing that the apostles are teaching against is idleness. It’s an indication of something more on the inside.
D. Application:
- Whoever we are in Christ, are we ‘active’?
- If we are not working, do we really have a legitimate reason?
Passage: 2 Thess 3:14-18
14 Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed. 15 Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer.
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
17 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
A. Find Out:
- What were the church to do with those who ignored the letter? v.14
- How were they to temper that? v.15
- What blessing did they leave them? v.16
- How did Paul personalize the letter? v.17
- What final blessing did they leave? v.18
B. Think:
- How important did the apostles rate this letter?
- Why do you think that was?
- How do the final greetings reflect the opening greetings?
C. Comment:
As they draw this letter to a close the apostles now add weight to all they have been saying by a strict censure of anyone who does not obey their teachings. Imagine a leader-teacher coming to your church, teaching and then saying, if any one disregards what I’ve taught, don’t have anything to do with them, shun them, ignore them. That lays a claim of importance to the teaching! Yet, say the apostles, keep the door open, don’t treat such a person as an enemy, just as a disobedient brother. What the apostles are saying is that these things are of fundamental importance, and if anyone disobeys them they are in serious error! Did the letter strike you as THAT important? It’s important enough to the apostles to be able to say, censure those who disobey our teaching!
The final greetings of verses 16 to 18 reflect the greeting of verses 1 and 2. There is the desire to peace for the church, first of all. Peace is a foundation stone of the Christian life. It is what God wants for each of us. It comes when we believe what He says and we rest in His love for us. Then and only then do we have peace. Paul personalises the end of the letter with his own writing, someone else having written the bulk of it at their dictation. This is me, he is saying. Finally he asks for grace for them, that divinely given ability to cope, that power and presence that comes from God to help us live our daily lives.
D. Application:
- Do we see obedience to Scripture as all important?
- Do we rest in God’s love, receiving His enabling, daily?