Today we are going to start a series on 1 & 2 Thessalonians
• We are going to start obviously with the first book
• What we see early on is that This is a letter about people.
• People that had heard the Word, learned the Word, and were spreading the Word.
• This was something that was uncommon at the time.
The idea of God as a Person who loves us
• came as a surprise in the first century.
• Of all the Hellenistic creeds, none was based on a love of humanity;
• None had any message for the poor and the wretched,
• None had a message for the publican and the sinner.
• These mystery cults offered their members a mystical association.
• Help was only given in case of illness or with burial costs.
• Because cult members were not family.
• Their god or goddess did not love them,
• And their fellow brothers and sisters weren’t bound together in a mutual commitment of love.
But then the Gospel message came.
• God does love you.
• Christ did die for you.
• And God invited them to receive forgiveness of sins and to become a member of His family, forever.
• The message of the Gospel was the same as it is now,
• God seeks to establish a permanent personal relationship with you!
Paul has taught these people the meaning of the Gospel’s core.
• A personal God lives.
• The God of the universe calls us to know and serve Him.
• This God invaded history in the person of His Son, and through His Son’s death and resurrection God rescues us from coming judgment.
• Jesus’ return testifies to the promise that the universe has an end as well as a beginning.
Read 1 Thess. 1
This is a letter about people
• Elect People They have been chosen by God himself.
• Exemplary People - They were an example to the world
• And Enthusiastic People – They were a part of AN EVANGELISTIC CHURCH
• Their faith in God has become known everywhere.
• And they were part of AN EXPECTANT CHURCH
• They are looking forward to the return of Jesus from heaven.
We’ve all heard the old joke,
“If you ever find the perfect church, please don’t join it. If you do, it won’t be perfect anymore!”
• Since local churches are made up of human beings, saved by God’s grace, no church is perfect.
• But some churches are closer to the New Testament idea than others.
• The church at Thessalonica was in this category.
At least three times in this letter,
• Paul gave thanks for the church and the way it responded to his ministry
• Not every pastor can be that thankful.
We see they were An Elect People (1 Thes. 1:1–4)
We see this in the opening of the letter
We see this in the way that Paul addresses them
• They belong to
• God the Father—This shows that they were no longer heathen.
• the Lord Jesus Christ—This means they were not Jews, they were Christians.
• Grace be unto you, and peace—that you may have favor and peace in God
What characteristics of this church made it so ideal that I brought joy to Paul’s heart?
• The word church means “a called-out people.”
• Whenever you read about a call in the Bible, it indicates divine election
• God is calling out people from this world
• Seven times in John 17, Jesus referrers to believers as those who the Father gave to Him out of the world (John 17:2, 6, 9, 11–12, 24).
• Here Paul states that he knew the Thessalonians had been chosen by God
The doctrine of divine election confuses some people and frightens others,
• We will never truly understand the total concept of election.
• But we should not ignore this important doctrine that is taught throughout the Bible.
This letter is about people But the Chapter involves Salvation
• Some important facts about being chosen and Salvation are
Salvation begins with God. “
Jn 15:16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.
Eph 1:4 Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
• The entire plan of salvation was born in the heart of God long before man was created or the universe formed.
Salvation involves God’s love.
• Paul called these saints Brothers and Sisters loved
• Not only by him but also by God.
• God’s love made Calvary possible
• And it was there that Jesus died for our sins.
• It’s not God’s love that saves the sinner; it’s God’s grace.
• Because of His Grace, God gives us what we don’t deserve,
• And because of His Mercy God doesn’t give us what we do deserve.
This explains why Paul often opened his letters with, “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ”
Salvation involves faith.
• “Paul, Silas and Timothy brought the Gospel to Thessalonica and preached in the power of God (1 Thes. 1:5).
• Some people who heard the message believed and turned from their idols to the true and living God (1 Thes. 1:9).
• The Spirit of God used the Word of God to generate faith (Rom. 10:17).
• Paul called this “sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thes. 2:13).
Salvation involves the Trinity.
• As you read this letter, you discover the doctrine of the Trinity.
• Christians believe in one God existing in three Persons: God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
• But what we sometimes forget is that all three Persons are involved in our salvation.
I was saved By God the Father when He chose me in Christ before the world began.
I was saved By God the Son when He died for me on the cross.
I was saved By God the Holy Spirit, on a Sunday morning in November, when I heard the Word and I trusted Jesus Christ,
At that moment, the entire plan of Salvation came together and I became a child of God.
• If you had asked me that day if I was one of the elect, I would have been speechless.
• Because at that time I knew nothing about election.
• But the Holy Spirit witnessed in my heart that I was a child of God.
Salvation changes lives.
• How did Paul know that these Thessalonians were elected of God?
• It was because He saw the change in their lives.
• If you put verse 3 next to verses 9–10, You get the picture:
What we see in this letter is how these people responded to God’s Word
• It shows the reality of His work in them.
• The Gospel came to them (vv. 4–5),
• they welcomed that Word (v. 6),
• and their lives showed its impact:
• They became agents who spread the Word in their city and the region around them (vv. 7–8)
• and word of their sincerity in turning to God from idols has spread everywhere (vv. 9–10).
Now as I said is a letter about people
• Now a local church must be made up of elect people,
• People who have been saved by the grace of God.
• One problem that we see today is a presence, in the church family, of unbelievers
• Unbelievers whose names may be on the church roll,
• But not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
• Every church member has to examine his heart to determine
• Whether he or she has truly been born again and belongs to God’s elect.
Now there are Three positive traits that seem important to God:
• Work, labor, endurance.
• These are important because they are the result of three Christian virtues
• Which only the Holy Spirit can produce in a person’s life: faith, love, and hope.
• We have no control over the memories that others leave us.
• But we do have control over the memories we leave our loved ones!
• We need to allow the Spirit to work in us,
• So that when we are remembered, it will be with joy stimulated by the expression of our own faith, love, and hope.
These Three characteristics stood out in Paul’s mind.
First, they had performed an important work produced by faith in Christ.
• Verse 9 mentions that they had turned to the true God from idols.
• Faith in Christ had produced true repentance.
Second, they performed labor prompted by love for Christ.
• This consisted in their serving the living and true God (v. 9) in the midst of persecution (v. 6).
• Despite severe suffering the Thessalonians welcomed the message.
• When they turned from idols to serve God, these believers angered their friends
• The Jews must have felt the hatred of their unbelieving brothers
• The Gentiles must have had to deal with the pagans that resided in commercial Thessalonica.
• No doubt some of them lost their jobs because of their new faith.
Third, We see they had endurance
• They held up patiently under a heavy load”;
• They were inspired by the hope in Christ.
Specifically they were waiting for God’s Son to return from heaven (1 Thes. 1:10).
• These three virtues should be the mark of every Christian
• Faith, Love, and Hope— stood out in the Thessalonian believers’ lives
• Each of these virtues found their roots in Jesus Christ,
• And each one of them produced praiseworthy behavior.
The Thessalonians had shown saving faith in Christ
• In the past when they had believed the gospel,
• In the present by loving Christ,
• And in the future as they were waiting for His return.
• Their lives were focused on Christ.
• Because of this it’s no big surprise that Paul and his companions gave thanks for them.
“They were people God had chosen” (1:4).
• Characteristically Paul addressed his fellow Christians as brothers.
• Today we refer to them as Brothers and Sisters
• He used this term 15 times in this one brief epistle
• And 7 times in 2 Thessalonians
God’s activity in saving an individual
• An individual’s response to the Lord is hidden,
• It take place in the person’s heart.
• But the reality of a person’s salvation soon becomes evident in their life.
• The true Christian becomes an “imitator” of the Lord.
• A changed life reveals God’s choice and our faith.
Paul himself had come a long way
• From being a proud Pharisee, who spent his life hunting, persecuting and killing Christians.
• To a Humble man who considered Gentiles his equals.
• He reminded his readers that they were loved by God.
• The proof of God’s love for the Thessalonians was His choice for them to receive salvation.
• The fact that God has chosen to bless some individuals with eternal life is clearly taught in many places in both the Old and New Testaments
• Equally clear is the fact that God holds each individual personally responsible for his decision to trust or not trust Jesus Christ
• The Thessalonians’ response to the gospel message proved that God had chosen them for salvation
Closing
• The person who claims to be one of God’s elect, but whose life hasn’t changed, is only fooling himself.
• Those whom God chooses, He changes.
• This does not mean they are perfect,
• But they are possessors of a new life that cannot be hidden.
• Faith, hope, and love are the three cardinal rules of the Christian life,
• and they are the three greatest evidences of salvation.
• Faith must always lead to works (James 2:14–26).
• It has been said, “We are not saved by faith plus works, but by a faith that works.”
• If the Thessalonians had continued to worship their dead idols
• while professing faith in the living God,
• It would have proved that they were not among God’s elect.
• Love is also evidence of salvation:
• Ro 5:5 For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
• We are “taught by God to love one another” (1 Thes. 4:9).
• We serve Christ because we love Him; this is the “labor of love” that Paul mentioned.
• Jn 14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.
• Hope is the third evidence of salvation
• Waiting for Jesus Christ to return
• The return of Jesus Christ is the main theme of both of these Thessalonian letters.
• Unsaved people are not eagerly awaiting the Lord’s return.
• The facts is when our Lord catches His church up into the air, unsaved people will be totally surprised (1 Thes. 5:1–11).
Stop Week 1_______________________________
Part 2
I have said that this letter is about people
• But what kind of people were they
• And what can we learn about these people that we can model today?
• What has it about these people that brought Joy to Paul’s heart?
They were An Elect People (1 Thes. 1:1–4)
• Letters written in first-century Greco-Roman culture began with three statements which are found in the opening verse of 1 Thessalonians:
• The name(s) of the writer(s), Paul, Silas and Timothy
• The name(s) of the addressee(s) here being the church of the Thessalonians.
• And a word of formal greeting.- Here being Grace and Peace
• Grace was the common Greek salutation meaning “greetings” or “rejoice.”
• Peace is the equivalent to of “favor,” “prosperity,” and “well-being.”
• Put together it would mean
• We rejoice and greet you those who have found favor, prosperity, and well-being.
• Paul’s sincerity was matched by the Thessalonians’ commitment (1:6).
• The Greek word translated “imitated” (1:6) is related to the English word “mimic.”
• Paul’s integrity and their commitment confiremed Paul’s knowledge of their election (1:4).
• They reflected Paul and the Lord
• Paul noticed how the Thessalonians’ witness confirmed what a positive and godly influence he had had.
• The hostility some of the Thessalonians felt toward him could not overshadow what God had done through him
The letter is addressed to the local church as a group of people called out by God from the mass of humanity to a life of devotion to Him.
An Exemplary People (1 Thes. 1:5–7) They had Power
• The response of his converts was a supernatural work of God,
• not a response to a sermon.
• When Paul preached to them, he did not just share human opinion and philosophy
• His message was marked by the power of God
• The Holy Spirit brought it home to their hearts with deep conviction
• Not only did Paul and his traveling companions preach a convincing message,
• But they also lived lives consistent with that message
• When they were with The Thessalonians
• The Thessalonians were fully aware of their teachers’ way of life and that their motive was to benefit the Thessalonians.
• The message Paul preached—the gospel of the grace of God—had entered into the minds and hearts of these people and they had been saved.
• And From this belief, their lives had blossomed.
At the same time
• A lot of traveling preachers and philosophers were only interested in making money from ignorant people.
• But the Holy Spirit used the Word with it’s great power,
• Assurance(1:5). This is the conviction of the speaker, the utter certainty that the Gospel message is God’s own Word.
• And the Thessalonians responded by receiving both the message and the messengers.
• The Spirit’s power operates in and through the person who shares the Gospel.
• When we witness we’re not alone.
• We have to rely on the Holy Spirit.
An Enthusiastic People (1 Thes. 1:8)
• This verse explains how the Thessalonians became examples to other Christians.
• After they received the gospel (v. 5) they passed it on to others.
• Their “work of faith and their labor of love” was shown in their sharing of the Gospel with others.
• First they were “receivers” (the Word came to them, 1 Thes. 1:5)
• Then they became “transmitters” (the Word went out from them, 1 Thes. 1:8).
• (Football – Quarterback receives and then passes Transmits the Ball)
• Every believer and every local church must receive and transmit God’s Word.
• The Gospel message is best when shared
• Ever had a box of chocolate- it’s good but better when you have some one to share with)
Wherever Paul went, people were telling him about the faith of the Thessalonian believers.
• Paul saw the Thessalonians as amplifiers or relay stations that not only received the gospel message
• But sent it farther on its way with increased power and scope.
• (Example Microphone takes in the message, Sound board puts it out)
• They spread the Word
• Not in the way that they actually became missionaries:
• But by witnessing to the Christian merchants of Thessalonica who travelled in various directions,
• These were the people bearing “the word of the Lord” with them,
• They, were the people that Paul was hearing these reports from.
• Their reports took their faith abroad
• And these Christian merchants were virtually missionaries,
• They were recommending the Gospel to all they came in contact with
• All that were within the reach of their influence by word and example
• The image is that of a trumpet filling with its clear-sounding echo all the surrounding places.
• At the end of each of the four Gospels and at the beginning of the Book of Acts, there are commissions for the churches to obey.
• This was their responsibility to educate all they came in contact with.
• Not only was it a responsibility it was a privilege
• A responsibility and privilege that every church today has as well
• To share the message of salvation with the lost world.
But many congregations are content
• Content to pay a staff to do the witnessing and soul-winning.
• But in New Testament churches, the entire congregation was involved in sharing the Good News.
• It was through the personal lives and testimonies of these people that had been transformed that neighbors heard about their faith in God.
• A recent survey of church growth indicated that 70 to 80 percent of a church’s growth
• Is the result of friends witnessing to friends and relatives witnessing to relatives.
• While visitation evangelism and by that I mean going door to door
• And other methods of outreach help,
• Personal contact brings in the harvest.
• So as they went, the gospel was heard, everywhere,
• So an evangelistic ministry campaign wasn’t needed.
An Expectant People (1 Thes. 1:9–10)
• Their work of faith made them an elect people,
• Because they had turned to God from their idols and they trusted Jesus Christ.
• Their labor of love made them an exemplary and enthusiastic people
• Because they were living the Word of God and they were sharing the Gospel.
• Their patience of hope made them an expectant people, looking for their Savior’s return.
• Their boldness should challenge every true child of God.
These believers had turned to God, the only true God, from idols.
• This strongly suggests that many of those believers had been pagan Gentiles.
• The Jews, of course, hated idolatry.
• Humans have the freedom to choose who their master will be,
• But what we have to understand is everyone chooses a master.
• The Thessalonians had chosen to serve the living and true God rather than God’s creatures or satanic powers (cf. Rom. 1:18-23).
• The fact that God is a living Person was precious to the Jews and to Paul;
• This is the characteristic by which God is most often distinguished from so-called gods in the Old Testament.
• He is the only living God; all other gods are not alive and therefore not worthy of worship.
1:10. Not only had the Thessalonians turned to God in repentance and begun to serve Him,
• But they were also awaiting the return of His Son from heaven.
• They were looking for Jesus’ to come through the clouds,
• literally, “To come out of the heavens.”
But it wasn’t the clouds,
• It wasn’t the signs of His coming,
• It wasn’t His deliverance that interested these believers;
• It was the fact that it was Jesus, the Son of the living God.
• He was the object of their hope,
• He was the focus of their attention.
• Jesus Himself, always fills the hopes of His saints!
The return of Jesus is a source of hope for Christians for several reasons,
• But the reason that Paul mentions it here is because of Jesus’ deliverance of the saints from the coming wrath of God.
• The wrath of God will be poured out on unrighteous people because of their failure to trust in Christ
• The return of Christ is a very prominent theme in 1 Thessalonians. Paul concluded every chapter in this letter with some reference to the coming of Christ
Closing
Faith, hope, and love are evidences of election.
• These spiritual qualities are bound together and can come only from God.
• Reformation alone doesn’t work.
• A person can give up drinking, drugs, and crime.
• But unless he or she turns from evil to God,
• No real change can be maintained.
Reform, no. Complete renewal through the power of the Gospel, yes.
• God has chosen the church so that we can be witnesses today.
• The fact that we are God’s elect people does not excuse us from the task of evangelism.
Christians are waiting for Jesus Christ, and He may return at any time.
• We are not waiting for “signs”;
• We are waiting for the Savior.
• We are waiting for the redemption of the body and the hope of righteousness.
• When Jesus returns we will receive new bodies
• and we will be like Him
• He will take us to the home
• To a Home that He has prepared
• And He will reward us for the service that we have given in His name
• A local church that truly lives in the expectation of seeing Jesus Christ at any time
• Will be an enthusiastic and victorious group of people.
• Expecting the Lord’s return is a great motivation for soul-winning and Christian stability
• It is a wonderful comfort in times of sorrow and a great encouragement for godly living
It is tragic when churches forget this wonderful doctrine.
• It is even more tragic when churches believe it / preach it—but do not practice it.
• Churches are made up of individuals.
• When you and I speak of the church, we must never refer to it as “they.”
• We should say “we.”
• We are the church!
• This means that if you and I have these spiritual characteristics,
• Our church will become what God wants it to be.
• And The result will be the winning of the lost and the glorifying of the Lord.
• What every church should be is what every Christian should be:
• elect (born again),
• exemplary (imitating the right people),
• enthusiastic (sharing the Gospel with others),
• And expectant (daily looking for Jesus Christ to return).
Perhaps it is time for us to reevaluate.
