11/9/25 SERMON NOTES 1THESSALONIANS - WEEK3 | Tyler Kirby
Psalm 115:1 NLT “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name goes all the glory…”
1John 4:4 NLT “the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world."
Joshua 1:9 NIV “Be strong and courageous…for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
1Thessalonians 2:13-20 “13And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. 14For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews 15who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone 16in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last."
“The worst feature of unbelief is not its own damnation but its effort to frustrate the salvation of others.” Robert Lenski
17But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.
The church (the ekklesia) should be more like a family than an organization.
18For we wanted to come to you - certainly I, Paul, did, again and again - but Satan blocked our way.
Things to know about the devil:
1. He’s a created being
Genesis 2:1 NKJV “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, (refers to angels) were finished.”
2. He was the perfect angel
Ezekiel 28:12b-13 NLT “12You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. 13You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone … all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. 14I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. (Guardian / cherub angels were the highest ranking angels…tasked with proclaiming and protecting God’s glory. Lucifer was the leader of this group) You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. 15You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created…”
3. Pride got the best of him
God revealed His plan for this new world with new beings created in His image. The angels’ job would be to serve this new creation.
Hebrews 1:14 NIV “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”
Ezekiel 28:16,17 NKJV “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor (appearance)…”
Revelation 12:9 NLT “This great dragon - the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world - was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.”
4. He’s a manipulator & deceiver
He devised a deceptive plan to keep this new creation from experiencing God’s presence.
Genesis 3:14-15 NKJV “14…Because you have done this, you are cursed…15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, (Eve…represents humanity) and between your seed (offspring - demons) and her Seed; (Jesus) He shall bruise your head, (refers to Christ defeating Satan - mortal blow to the head) and you shall bruise His heel.” (refers to Satan’s temporary wound to Christ - His suffering and death on the cross)
In humanity’s worst moment, God was already planning redemption!
5. He has a murderous heart
Revelation 12:1-5 NIV “1Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman (Symbolic of Israel) clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. (Jesus came through Israel) 3Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4Its tail swept a third of the stars (angels) out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5She gave birth to a son, a male child, who ‘will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.’ And her child was snatched up to God and to His throne.
6. He wants to destroy Israel
Revelation 12:13 NIV “When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman (Israel) who had given birth to the male child.”
Satan hates Israel because the Savior came through Israel.
2 things to remember about the enemy
-He’s on God’s leash
Job 1:12 NLT “…the LORD said to Satan. ‘Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.’ So Satan left the LORD’s presence."
-We have authority over him
Luke 10:19a NLT “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy…”
1Thessalonians 2:19-20 "19For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? 20Indeed, you are our glory and joy."
Our greatest joy and victory won’t just be that we made it to heaven … but that others are there because we showed them who He was on earth.