Detailed Outline of 1 Thessalonians
The Coming of Christ for His Church Calls Us to Excel Still More in Holiness, Hope, and Love
-
Paul’s practical instruction—revealing specific ways to excel still more in holiness, hope, and love (1Th 4; 1Th 5:1-22)
-
Practical instructions concerning living out holiness (1Th 4:1-12)
-
Believers must excel still more in obedience to the Lord (1Th 4:1-2)
-
Obedience to the Lord is a family privilege (1Th 4:1a)
-
Obedience to the Lord is a blessed obligation (1Th 4:1b)
-
Obedience to the Lord can always increase still more (1Th 4:1c)
-
Obedience to the Lord cannot be separated from God’s Word and the Person of Jesus (1Th 4:1-2)
-
Believers must embrace sexual purity as God’s will for them personally (1Th 4:3-8)
-
Purity starts with a real desire to please the Lord and do His will (1Th 4:3)
-
Purity demands that you continually keep away from sexual sin (1Th 4:3b)
-
Purity continues as you live by the faith-conviction that you can control your body in holiness and honor (1Th 4:4)
-
Purity requires cultivating a different passion than unbelievers—the passion to know God (1Th 4:5)
-
Purity involves an ongoing choice to love others, rather than take advantage of them (1Th 4:6a)
-
Purity must be viewed in light of God’s judgment, God’s purpose, and God’s indwelling Presence (1Th 4:6b-8)
-
Remember God’s judgment (1Th 4:6b)
-
Remember God’s purpose for your life (1Th 4:7)
-
Remember God’s indwelling Presence (1Th 4:8)
-
Believers must excel still more in love for one another, and work hard as a testimony to unbelievers (1Th 4:9-12)
-
Love other believers still more and more (1Th 4:9-10)
-
Love for other believers is a sovereign gift (1Th 4:9-10a)
-
Love for other believers is our responsibility, and should be increasing more and more (1Th 4:10b)
-
Lead a quiet life and attend to your own business [as far as it depends on you] (1Th 4:11a)
-
Labor with your own hands and be a good testimony to unbelievers (1Th 4:11b-12)
-
Believers are commanded to work hard (1Th 4:11b)
-
Believers should be concerned about their testimony even in financial matters (1Th 4:12)
-
Practical instructions concerning living in light of our hope (1Th 4:13-18; 1Th 5:1-11)
-
Encourage one another concerning the return of the Lord, the resurrection, and the rapture (1Th 4:13-18)
-
The resurrection and return of the Lord bring hope to our grief as believers (1Th 4:13-14)
-
If a believer dies, we ought not grieve as those who have no hope (1Th 4:13)
-
If we believe in the gospel, we have the promise of resurrection glory with Jesus (1Th 4:14)
-
The return of the Lord, the resurrection, and the rapture guarantee our eternal fellowship with one another and Christ (1Th 4:15-17)
-
The dead in Christ will not miss the return of the Lord (1Th 4:15)
-
The details of the Lord’s return guarantee our glorious reunion and fellowship (1Th 4:16-17)
-
The return of the Lord (1Th 4:16abc)
-
The resurrection of the dead in Christ (1Th 4:16d)
-
The rapture and reunion of the saints (1Th 4:17ab)
-
The realization of our eternal hope (1Th 4:17c)
-
The reason for biblical eschatology is encouragement—not debate over timing (1Th 4:18)
-
Encourage one another concerning the Day of the Lord (1Th 5:1-11)
-
The coming Day of the Lord will be a day of sudden and total destruction for unbelievers (1Th 5:1-5)
-
The chronology of the Day of the Lord (1Th 5:1-2)
-
It cannot be specifically dated (1Th 5:1-2)
-
It is sure (1Th 5:2a)
-
It will come unexpectedly (1Th 5:2b)
-
The character of the Day of the Lord (1Th 5:3)
-
For unbelievers, it will be a day of unexpected destruction (1Th 5:3a)
-
For unbelievers, it will be a day of inescapable destruction (1Th 5:3b)
-
The comfort for believers concerning the Day of the Lord (1Th 5:4-5)
-
The coming Day of the Lord exhorts believers to stay spiritually alert and look for salvation of the Lord (1Th 5:6-10)
-
Keep spiritually alert (1Th 5:6-8)
-
Keep looking for the rapture [or keep trusting in God’s promises of salvation in Christ] (1Th 5: 9-10)
-
The coming Day of the Lord should be a subject of encouragement and edification for believers—not speculation and fear (1Th 5:11)
-
Practical instructions concerning living together in harmony (1Th 5:12-22)
-
Pursuing peace relationally (1Th 5:12-15)
-
We must choose to recognize and respect our shepherds (1Th 5:12-13a)
-
Recognize their labor, their leadership, and their counsel (1Th 5:12)
-
Regard them very highly in love (1Th 5:13a)
-
We must choose to live in peace with one another (1Th 5:13b)
-
We must choose to minister to others with wisdom and patience (1Th 5:14)
-
Admonish those the unruly (1Th 5:14a)
-
Encourage the fainthearted (1Th 5:14b)
-
Help the weak (1Th 5:14c)
-
Be patient with everyone (1Th 5:14d)
-
We must choose to overlook offenses and seek the good of others (1Th 5:15)
-
Pursuing peace personally, altogether (1Th 5:16-22)
-
You must choose to rejoice at all times (1Th 5:16)
-
You must choose to pray without ceasing (1Th 5:17)
-
You must choose to give thanks in everything (1Th 5:18)
-
We must choose to be submissive to the ministry of God’s Spirit [listen to God’s Spirit] (1Th 5:19)
-
We must choose to cherish to the ministry of God’s Word [love God’s Word] (1Th 5:20)
-
We must choose to be discerning in all things, holding on to what is good, rejecting every form of evil [learn to live with discernment] (1Th 5:21-22)
Paul’s Pastoral Integrity—Recounting the Evidence of a God-Honoring [Sincere] Ministry (1Th 2; 1Th 3)
← Prior Section
Paul’s Prayers in Conclusion and Closing Remarks (1Th 5:23-28)
Next Section →