Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

• Read 1 Thessalonians 2:13 five times.
• Is the statement “for this reason” looking backwards to the context preceding it, or forward to what is coming in the verse(s) ahead? What evidence do you have to support your case?
• What is the reason mentioned in the first part of the verse referring to? In other words, what is “this reason?”
• Who is the “we”, that stands as the subject of verse 13?
• What is the response these men have toward “this reason?”
• What does it mean to accept the word as the word of men?
• What does it mean to accept the word as the word of God?
• Are there any evidences that build a case for this really being the word of God? If so, what are they?
• Who are those who receive the work of the word?

Prayerfully Meditate

• It says they “also constantly thank God.” What else did they do? What is the also referring to?
• How often are they thanking God?
• For what are they thanking God? Be specific.
• How does the thanksgiving expressed in 2:13 relate to the thanksgiving of 1:2?
• How is this thankfulness (and really all thankfulness) an act of humility?
• What does accepting the word these men brought as the word of God reveal about preaching?
• How is this word really the word of God and not the word of men if it was spoken by men?
• Why would acceptance of this word in this manner lead to thankfulness on behalf of these men?
• What does the work of the word do in the lives of those who receive it?