November 27, 2025 | 1-2 Thessalonians
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Introduction and Thanksgiving Greetings
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Hey everybody. Welcome back to another edition of the Daily Bible podcast. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. We are happily thankful for all of you who listen. We're happily thankful for our church, our wives, our kids, everyone else in between. We are so thankful for you people. We are happy and thankful that's right for you.
You people? Yeah. What do you mean by you people? What? Come on. You said it not me. I was repeating what you just said. I'm saying no, I said for you, you added people anyways. Yeah.
Upcoming Changes to the Daily Bible Podcast
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Hey, we alluded to it a week ago or so about our plans for the Daily Bible Podcast and next year and daily Bible reading plan for next year.
And so I think we have landed. On the direction that we're gonna go on that. So we are shifting our plan. Yes, there's the sigh from Pastor Adam. We are shifting our plan. We're still doing a daily Bible reading, but we are going to a passage a plan that's gonna allow us to spend time in both the Old Testament and the New Testament every single day.
And so it's gonna be every day you're still reading the Bible, you're still gonna read through the Bible. In a whole year, you're gonna read the whole Bible in a year. So that's gonna be done, but it's not gonna be the chronological [00:01:00] plan. It's going to be more just working your way through a Bible book, one book at a time, getting your way all the way through.
So Old Testament and New Testament every single day. We are gonna continue the Daily Bible podcast, though. That's something else that we landed on. We were talking about do we do something that we put in a can or do we continue to do this each and every day? And I think we're gonna continue to do it each and every day as we have been.
So for those of you that. Listen to us. Hopefully that's encouraging to you. But yeah, just know that we're getting ready to shift and we should have those cards ready for you pretty soon so you can begin to plan and pray through jumping on board with us for reading the Bible in 2026. That's right.
And if you are a man or a woman or a child.
Thanksgiving Football Game Announcement
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This morning looking for something to do and you're not part of this Turkey tro tradition that most people are doing these days. We've got a football game for you. Pastor PJ will be dressed to the nines head to toe in football attire. I don't have that. Well, he'll be, it's like one of those football games or the guys show up on the bus and they're dressed like with some fruit.
Super fancy clothing on the street. Is that what? That's what you're doing. You want me to show up in a suit? [00:02:00] That would be pretty great. Okay. And then you suit up for the game. I wanna see you head to toe with the helmet, the pads, the gear, all the things. Be the try hard, be the guy that shows up that's like over the top.
Yeah, I think people would love that. So you're invited to this, pastor PJ is hereby committing right now in front of all of you that this is what he's gonna do and we'd like to see there as well. 'cause he'd like to plow you over with his football gear and show you how tough he is. I'm just kidding.
He's not gonna do that part, but maybe he'll do the other things. Yeah, I'm not committing to anything, but I'll, I will be there. But you're not denying it. I will be there. You're not denying it. I will be there. Okay. Yeah. Is there gonna be a women's game? Well, word on the street is if we get enough ladies there be.
How many ladies do we need A number? I would say at least 10. Okay. 10 ladies. 10 Ladies, how many do we have right now? You know, five on five. Okay. That I know of. Two. Two. Okay. So we feel like got eight more. So eight more ladies show. How old do they have to be? I mean, Annie High schooling up. So Annie can play.
Annie's not in high school. She's not in high school yet. No, she's not. [00:03:00] What if Annie were to identify as a high schooler? I don't think she wants to play football. She football's her least favorite sport. Okay. She's always like, dad is, seriously, there's more football on tv, so, all right. All right. Well, hey, if you're pregnant, you can't play.
Just so you know. No, we just want you to know that. Yeah. You can't do that. Or laying down the law here. So anyone high school and above can play. Yep. Who's a woman? Yes. Okay. In a woman's game. In a woman's game, yes. Yes. Not in a men's game. No, they can't. There's no mixing. There's no purple. No. And there's reasons for that too, so, okay.
Yeah. We trust you on that one. Yeah. Anyways, Steve Yang is a bull in a China shop. We don't want him running anybody over, and that'd be terrifying. Will there be children's rounds? There will. Children's games. Yeah. They'll be playing as well. Yeah. Okay. Is that the one that you're playing in?
Probably, yeah. Quarterback dominate in that game, man. Defensive end hurdling kids. Yeah. Anyways.
Discussion on First and Second Thessalonians
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Oh, hey, we've got two books to cover today, so we should probably get into it. You know, it's not that much reading. It's not, it's a lot of content though, if that makes sense. It's thick, small, [00:04:00] small letters.
Lot large content. Yeah, lots of things involved. So let's get started then. First and second Thessalonians, why are we reading this right now? First of all? Well, because of the second missionary journey and what we just read in Acts 17, he was, he just passed Thessalonica. In Thessalonica. They were more noble.
Yep. Or no? No. The marines were noble than the Thessalonians, right? Because the Thessalonians did not like him so much. They were trying to do bad things, but Paul loves the Thessalonians. In fact that's really, that's essentially the first three chapters of First Thessalonians is all about Paul's love for the church in Thessalonica.
He is keen on them and their response to the gospel, he is praising them for how they have shown forth their own testimony. Their faith in God has gone forth everywhere. Verse eight of chapter one there. And. Paul's just saying, I love you and I love how you receive the word.
He even says over in chapter two, he says, you accepted the word not as the word of men, but as what it really is the word of God, which is at work in you [00:05:00] believers. The Thessalonians even suffered for their faith, which. Paul finds commendable as well and just expresses his love for them, his concern for their suffering that they were going through, such that he was willing to send Timothy to them and let Timothy go away from Paul as useful as Timothy was to Paul to go and check on this, the Thessalonians.
So Paul loves these people and that just comes through abundantly in this letter. Indeed, that's one of my favorite parts of the letter is his affection. And so much of what he says is so instructive for us as pastors, as Christians in general, who are looking to know what it looks like to care for the people that you're doing life with as believers.
Yeah. Yeah. One of my favorite phrases in, paul literature comes from his letters to the Thessalonians. In fact that it happens twice here in chapter four. And it's not translated this way in the ESV, but it's the idea of excel still more so. Paul loves the Thessalonians. They're doing a really good job, and yet he's gonna say, just as you are doing so, do so more and more.
There it is. And so that's chapter four verse one. Do so more and more. And so Paul, it's just a good [00:06:00] reminder that Paul is saying to them, Hey, don't rest on your laurels. Don't rest on the fact that I'm puffing you up and telling you how much I love you and how great you're doing, and how you've excelled so much. Excel, even more keep going.
And it's a good reminder to us to say, man, we'll, we're never gonna get to the place as Christians have saying, we're done. We're done, Jesus. Right. We're just gonna. Wait here in the waiting room until you come back for us. And that's true individually. That's also true corporately, that there's always gonna be room for us as a church to excel still more at carrying out the mission of making disciples by reaching people for Christ, teaching people to be like Christ and training people to serve Christ.
So Paul is telling the church in Thessalonia, you guys are doing a great job, but hey, keep going. Excel still more. And then he goes on and addresses what the will of God is and the will of God, he says is their sanctification now specifically, he's gonna deal with the area of sexual immorality. So. As I was reading it this time, pr I had a question, do you think this was an area of weakness for them, that he was specifically calling out, or do you feel like he was identifying a threat?
Generally in the culture, saying the [00:07:00] culture is generally speaking a sexually immoral culture, and so you need to be on guard against these things. I think the latter is probably more likely given the fact that he's so complimentary and so affirmative of the church. It seems more that this is a pervasive and dominant theme within the culture, that they need to be aware not to imbibe and not to allow to permeate their congregation, and that's the danger you live.
Eat, breathe, sleep in the culture, you're likely gonna become a lot like that unless you actively resist it. And so I think he offers him the strongest endorsement not to do that. He says here in verse six, the Lord is an avenger in all these things. Beware because if you do this, if you allow this particular sin category to infect you, you're putting yourself at odds with the Lord, the true avenger in these things.
That's terrifying. Yeah, it's, and I would agree with you, in fact, in that. Verse six. He says that no one transgressor wronged his brother in the matter. And I think what supports this is right after this section in verse nine, he says, now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you.
For you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. In other words, you're doing really well in [00:08:00] this. And again, he says it right there in verse 10. He says, but we urge you brothers do this more and more. So it. The problem of what he's addressing in the first part of chapter four is defrauding the brothers in Christ and sinning against one another, which God is going to avenge.
And then he goes back to Thessalonians, he says, but you guys are doing really well in this. You guys are loving one another. Really well Excel still more even in this as chapter four ends though, and first Thess ends we get to, or I guess it doesn't end until chapter five. Hello. As chapter four comes to a conclusion, we get to.
Paul's Teachings on the Rapture and End Times
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One of the more controversial passages because this is one of the key texts that we point to as dispensationalist to defend the rapture of the church. You'll read this and not find the word rapture, but you will find the concept there in verse 15. We declare you by word from the Lord that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord will not proceed.
Those who fallen asleep and then he describes it, the Lord is gonna descend with a voice. Of an archangel in the cry of command with the sound of the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will [00:09:00] rise first, and then we who are alive, who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
So this is not the second coming. This is not when he. Descends and his feet land on the mount of Olives, and the mountain is split in two. As we read about in Zechariah, this is a return that is an intermediary return where he comes back for the bride, he comes back for the church and we are caught up.
Those that are alive at the time are caught up to be with him in the air. Now he says the dead in Christ will rise first. This is the time where those that have died. Earlier and maybe that's gonna be us. If he doesn't come back before then this is the time where they receive their glorified bodies.
That's what it means that the dead in Christ are gonna rise. It's not that the dead in Christ are in a soul sleep, that they're not with the Lord because Paul says to be absent from the bodies, to be present with the Lord. Rather, this is when the body is reunited with the spirit. And so this is when the glorified body happens for believers at the first resurrection, which takes place here in First Thessalonians chapter four.
The reason why, just to stop briefly, I know we have a lot more to cover, but let me just quickly [00:10:00] talk about this particular passage because it is probably the primary passage that we would point to when it comes to defending the idea of the. The rapture and the reason why we would even think in a whole separate category is because this doesn't fit anything else.
There's nothing else on the es eschatological timeline that we would say, oh, this is, this makes perfect sense. This is the second coming, or this is the great white throne judgment. Or This is the first judgment or the second this doesn't fit anywhere. And so we think that Paul means what he says.
And that even though it's obscure in that it's only one singular text that says this explicitly, we think it also happens to fit a few other places on the timeline, or at least it fits other passages rather, is what I'm trying to say. And so what we have here is then an exegetical question. Do we try to shoehorn this in to some other part of the eschatological calendar or.
Do we say this is so at variance with everything else that we see that it's probably another event. And of course, you know that we lean on that second answer. We think that this is so different that it warrants a whole other approach to this text and saying, okay, this must refer to something [00:11:00] different than the return of Christ, as you just mentioned, PPJ.
So. There are people out there who are pretty dogmatic or Hey, hey, whatever. I'm okay if they want to take shots. This is part of what theologians do. Pastors like to have fun this way. We talk about each other's theology, and so people will make fun of people who believe in the pre premil rap or the pre tribulational rapture because like all you guys got one verse and this is all you got is this and okay, fine.
Let's just point out the reason why we think this is at a variance with everything else that we see in terms of the. End times calendar. This seems to be its own event. Yeah. Great. Helpful clarification for that for sure. And he goes on and talks more about this in chapter five, and he calls it and refers to it as the Day of the Lord.
He says, you have no need of anything to be written for you, for yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like at thief in the night. Now, day of the Lord, we talked about this in the Old Testament, can refer to something that's more than a singular day. And I think that's what's going on here.
I think this is a reference to the beginning of the end times, and that is. Begin with the rapture and it will span all the way through the the tribulation period which happens following the rapture, the [00:12:00] millennial kingdom, and then all the way up into the great white throne judgment. And so that's the period of God's judgment and that is gonna take place as the day of the Lord.
And Paul's saying, you don't need to be unaware. This is gonna happen. It's gonna come like a thief in the night it's imminent. In other words, there's nothing else on the eschatological. Timeline that we're waiting for to happen before Christ comes back for the church that's gonna launch or inaugurate this time known as the day of the Lord.
And so he's encouraging the people in Thessalonika there to live ready for that day because they don't know when that day is going to come. As we get into Second Thessalonians, then it seems that Paul's preaching may have. Created a little bit of a stir because he writes Second Thessalonians in large part to answer some further questions regarding the end times and what's coming.
He begins again, commending them in the opening chapter and talking about his love for them. And he says, your faith is growing abundantly and the love every one of you has for one another is. Increasing. So he's again, praising them and expressing his love for them and his concern for them, [00:13:00] and then even addressing the suffering that they were going through.
And he talks about the fact that there is going to come relief, but that relief is going to come in the future, that the Lord would, verse seven, eventually grant relief. To you who are afflicted as well as to us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven. So he, Paul is instructing them even saying, look, the ultimate relief from suffering that you're longing for is not gonna come here on earth necessarily, but it is going to come for sure when the Lord comes back from heaven.
We're gonna be talking about that in one peter when we get back to it back in the spring. But Paul is encouraging this group of believers there and even a little bit there of the justice that's gonna come against those that are causing them to suffer. He says in verse nine, they will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his might.
So Paul's even holding that out as to say those, that, that are causing you so much torment and suffering God will bring justice against them. But then in chapter two, he gets to. I unpack more of the eschatology and talks about the fact that some had tried to deceive them as saying that somehow the day the Lord had already happened, the [00:14:00] rapture had already happened, they missed it.
And Paul says, don't be deceived for, there are things that have to happen first. And he talks about the man of lawlessness and this man of lawlessness we know as the antichrist. And that is the one who's gonna rise to power during the tribulation period. That he's going to rise to a place of power over not just a country or a group of countries, but over the world.
And he's gonna hold sway. And this is going to be in accordance with God's plans. And he's even gonna be allowed by God's permission of Satan to empower him to do some pretty outrageous and miraculous things such that there would be a strong delusion that would come across a lot of the people that are gonna follow this man of lawlessness.
And so he's writing to the Thessalonians saying to them, Hey, you need to stand firm. Because basically he's saying to them, look around, this has not happened yet. And so be. Don't be distraught by somebody saying it's, look the day of the Lord has already happened. The rapture has already happened.
Know that these things are gonna happen, and if you haven't seen these things that have happened yet, then it shows that this future rapture, this future day of the Lord is yet still future? It hasn't happened yet. Yeah. I [00:15:00] find it especially interesting here in verse nine that the power and the activity of Satan is going to come with false signs and wonders, which tells us that there are, you should expect that there are going to be times when, or at least a time when things like this are going to start.
Magically appearing more than they ever have, and the next time that we're told to expect that is during this particular time, this particular season. So you ought to be aware that's, you should not be looking for these things prior to that time because this is when they're supposed to ramp up. But also notice too, God sends 'em a strong delusion that you just mentioned PPJ, so that they may believe what is false.
But notice here it's in verse 10, that it says it's because they refuse to love the truth and be saved. Mm-hmm. That's why God sends these things. It's a refusal to submit to God's word or to submit to God's truth that leads God to say, okay, if that's what you want, then so be it. I'm gonna let you have what you want.
Have your cake and eat it to you want deception. Here you go. It's human responsibility and God's sovereignty both. And they refuse the truth. He sends the delusion, right? That's right. And so it's both, yeah. Of those things working. Hey, everybody wants to know who the antichrist is. If you could just answer that before you keep going.
Yeah. It's [00:16:00] and so later on, now that we've established that, it'd be a shame if our data got corrupted and that thing that you just recorded right now just disappeared, somehow disappeared in god's, that'd be terrible if that happened. Well, but we're gonna trust God's sovereignty over that.
We'll, trust God's 'cause. We just laid it out. We did with the timelines specifically down to the day and hour. Yeah. And if it just. Disappeared. That would be God's providence. That'd be God's providence. Chapter three.
Final Instructions and Encouragement
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Then as Paul continues and lands, the letter is basically Paul saying, okay, so here's what I want you to do in the meantime, and he's gonna give them instructions and he's gonna say, number one, I need you to pray for us because we've still got work to be doing.
And that's how he starts chapter three there. But then he goes on and warns them against. Idleness, which is the heading of the ESV, and I think it's fitting and he talks about those that don't work and that they're not eligible for support. If they're not willing to work, don't support them.
Now, that's not to say there's no room for supporting people. Sometimes people can't work. Sometimes people have different circumstances. But if someone says, well, I don't wanna work, I just wanna free handout, Paul would say, no we're not gonna do that. That's biblically not something that the church is called to do [00:17:00] there.
And then he is gonna encourage people to not grow weary in. Doing good as you're waiting for the return of Christ. As you're waiting for these things don't give up. Don't slow up. Don't let up. But again, as Paul has said already in one Thessalonians twice there Excel still more keep going.
And so he's writing into the church saying, yes, Jesus is coming back. This is what it's gonna be like. We don't know when it could be soon. In the meantime, here's what you should be doing. You should be found faithful. Just like Jesus told the parable of the servant that's found doing the master's work when the master returns.
That's what Paul's wanting, the Thessalonians is to focus on. Yeah, we got a lot of work to do and in the meantime, God doesn't want us to stop believing, but to hold on to that feeling.
Closing Remarks and Prayer
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Alright, y'all, let's pray. God, thanks for your word and for that confidence that we have in Christ, that we'll be with you someday. That he is coming back for your bride the church. And we just are eager to be ready and help us to be found faithful as a faithful lampstand.
We wanna be a church like the Thessalonians, a church that you would commend, a church that you would say, Hey, you're doing well. Excel still more so. Help us not to let up or slow up in that Lord. Give us a passion to exalt Christ [00:18:00] in all that we do. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Keep reading your Bibles.
Happy Thanksgiving. And tune in again tomorrow for another edition of the Daily Bible Podcast. Enjoy some cranberry for Pastor PJ Jelly Out of the can gross. Bye.
Bernard: Well, thank you for listening to another episode of the Daily Bible Podcast! We're honored to have you join us. This is a ministry of Compass Bible Church in north Texas. You can find out more information about our Church at compassntx.org. We would love for you to leave a review, to rate, or to share this podcast on whatever platform you're listening on, and we hope to see you again tomorrow for another episode of the Daily Bible Podcast.
PJ: Yeah. I would agree with everything that you said