A sermon for the Watford church of Christ

A sermon for the Watford church of Christ

Delighting in one another : Who or what do we delight in?

Let’s see what we can learn from this passage…..
‘…distress (anankē) being basically ‘the choking, pressing care’, and persecution (thlipsis) ‘the crushing trouble’ (Lightfoot).’ Tyndale
As if his life has been on hold until this news arrived. In a time without rapid communication it must have been hard to be in the dark for so long.
‘night and day’: He works night and day 1 Thessalonians 2:9 and he prays night and day.
‘…one gets the impression of a man struggling to put into words a feeling too deep for words.’ Tyndale
‘come to you’: His heart is to be with them. He wants relationship, not just communication. Email and other messaging can never substitute for presence. Let us never be content with virtual presence. Timothy’s visit has encouraged him, but it has not satiated his desire to be with them in person.
Faith, love – connection with holiness

QUESTION: What are some of the reasons we can and should delight in one another?
How delight in one another?

  1. Speak of faith and love
    We need faith and love – help each other with this
    Faith – 5 mentions in chapter

‘joy in the presence’ – a powerful picture. Paul holds the Thessalonians in God’s presence. Perhaps in memory, or prayer. Tells us something of Paul’s relationship with God.

  1. Pray for one another
    Paul’s prayers make a difference
    “May God – framed in God

Note:
‘you’ – plural 17 times in this section
‘we’, ‘us’ – 10
‘our – 3.

Conclusion
Jesus died for his friends, Jn 15:13 – people he delights in

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: malcolm@malcolmcox.org.

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“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm