The sermon will explore the concept of faith as a long-term commitment to righteousness, using teachings from 1 Thessalonians and Matthew, and seeking divine help to overcome life's trials and temptations.
Good to see you all back as we continue our series through the New Testament letter, 1st Thessalonians. As you may remember, the church in Thessalonica was one of the churches established by Paul during his second missionary journey. Like many other Roman cities of the time, Thessalonica is a diverse one and there are many varying “cultures” present. And each culture brought with it unique practices, values, and faiths. Because of this, there was a fair amount of hostility towards Christians because of their practices. And much of this had to do with the exclusivity of Christian faith which believes that Jesus alone is “the way, the truth, and the life. And no one comes to the Father except through Him.” (John 14:6)
Admittedly, the Christian road of faith is a narrow one… Which can become problematic for followers of Christ when there are endless options and choices available.
The truth is, as a human race we are constantly presented with more choices and options. In fact many of us suffer from something called “decision fatigue” simply because we have an overwhelming amount of decisions and choices to make everyday. And it doesn’t look like this phenomena is going to change anytime soon, which is why it’s even more important to stay focused on Christ.
As we’ll see today, Paul encouraged the Thessalonian church to stay focused on their faith as well. Our propensity to “wander” is a long-standing problem, but Paul gives us several key points to focus on as we learn to stand firm in righteous living.
The life of faith is a marathon, not a sprint and we need to stay committed to the path of righteousness in spite of life’s many ups and downs.
Ever the encourager, Paul essentially says here, “Hey! You guys are living for Christ already so just keep doing that more and more.” But, he says something else here that is crucial to understand if you want to live a long life of sustained righteousness. It’s obvious Paul and his companions instructed the church, and the church listened.
First and foremost I think we’ve all got to admit we have a really difficult time listening to instruction from others ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium
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