Introduction:
A. No doubt you have heard a preacher say, “If you ever find the perfect church, please don’t join it. If you do, it won’t be perfect anymore!” Right?
B. I came across a poem based on that statement. It goes like this:
“If you should find the perfect church, without one spot or sore.
For goodness sake! Don’t join that church! For it won’t be perfect anymore.
If you should find the perfect church, where all anxieties cease.
Then pass it by, lest you join it, and mar the masterpiece.
But since no perfect church exists, with perfect women and men,
Let’s stop looking for that church, and start loving the church that we’re in.”
C. That sounds like a great plan, don’t you think?
1. Let’s love the church we are in and strive to make it the best it can be.
2. Even though there are no perfect churches, some churches are closer to the New Testament ideal than others, both in doctrine and in discipleship.
3. We certainly want to strive to be as close to the ideal as possible.
D. The church at Thessalonica was not a perfect church, but they were closer to the ideal than many.
1. In this first chapter of 1 Thessalonians, Paul praises the church for many things, and he holds them up as a model for us to follow.
2. So what can we learn from the Thessalonians about being a model church?
3. What characteristics did Paul praise that we should be striving toward?
F. Let’s work our way through the first chapter and see what lessons God would want us to learn.
G. Before we get into the body of the chapter, let’s notice something about Paul’s salutation.
1. As was typical of first century letters, including Paul’s letters, the proper form began with identifying the author – who was writing the letter, and then identifying the recipient – who was to receive the letter, and then ended with giving a simple greeting.
2. So Paul began this letter like this: 1 Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
a. Paul, Silas and Timothy were well known to the Thessalonians. They had all been a part of starting the church in Thessalonica, and Paul had sent Timothy back to check on the church after they all had to abruptly leave because of persecution.
1. It is significant that Paul made no mention of his apostleship as he did in the introduction of many of his letters – perhaps he didn’t because his apostolic status was not being questioned.
2. Paul simply and humbly identified himself and his co-laborers as if they were all equals.
b. Then Paul identified the recipients as the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. We who are in the church don’t just know about God and Jesus, we are in a union with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ – What a privilege that is!
c. Paul concluded the salutation with his common greeting “Grace and peace to you.”
1. We need God’s grace and peace in a daily portion – nothing is more needed and more valuable than God’s grace and peace!
H. The next thing that was characteristic of Paul’s letters was his opening prayer.
1. Sometimes Paul would offer a prayer for them in the body of the letter, and other times, like here, he would just tell them that he constantly prayed for them and what it was he constantly prayed.
2. Paul wrote: 2 We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.
3. And the reason for Paul’s thanksgiving for them will be our first point for today.
I. They were a Model Church because of their Faithful Service.
A. Paul wrote: 3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1. Paul was indeed so thankful for them and for the evidence of God’s work in their lives.
2. Paul thanked God for their faith that worked, their love that labored and their hope that endured
– this trio of Christian virtues was a favorite of Paul’s.
a. At the end of 1 Corinthians 13, Paul wrote, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13)
b. Because the major theme of the letters to the Thessalonians is being ready for Christ’s coming, Paul shifted hope to the end of the list to make it the focus.
3. Let’s look more closely at Paul’s description of their example of faithful service.
B. First, They were a great example of faithful service because of their work produced by faith.
1. The Thessalonians had a faith that produced good works.
a. For them faith wasn’t just a matter of talk, but was a matter of positive action.
2. The Bible clearly teaches that we are not saved by works – rather, we are saved by grace through faith.
a. But even though we are not saved by works, we must realize that we can’t be saved without works.
b. James, in his letter, tells us that faith without works is dead.
3. So let’s ask ourselves: What is our faith causing us to do? Is it causing us to work for the Lord?
a. It better be, right?
C. Second, They were a great example of faithful service because of their labor prompted by love.
1. The word for labor here is koros and it is a different word for work than in the previous phrase.
a. The previous word for work, ergon, emphasizes the result of the effort, while koros emphasizes the pain and weariness involved in the effort.
2. The love that the Thessalonians had for Christ motivated them to serve even when they were weary. They labored even when it was hard and painful.
3. And how can we develop that kind of love for Christ and for people?
a. I believe we must allow God to pour His love into our hearts.
b. We must come to grips with how great is God’s love for us – for you and me.
c. When God’s love gets ahold of us, it will do something in us and through us.
d. That’s what Paul meant when he wrote, “For Christ’s love compels us…” (2 Cor. 5:14)
4. So let’s ask ourselves: What is our love causing us to do? Is it causing us to labor for the Lord and His people? It should be and needs to be prompting us in that way.
D. Third, They were a great example of faithful service because of their endurance inspired by hope.
1. Paul will speak a lot about hope in this letter.
a. Hope is a powerful factor in our lives.
b. It’s amazing what we can endure if we know that tomorrow will be better and that the future is brighter.
c. Hope gives us the will to carry on when we would otherwise give up.
2. The greatest hope we have in our lives is the hope of eternal life.
a. It is the hope that Jesus will return someday and reward us for our faithfulness.
b. That kind of hope can give us great endurance.
3. The members of the church in Thessalonica had a firm grip on that hope and it produced in them great endurance.
4. So let’s ask ourselves: Do we have a firm grip on that hope? And is it causing us to endure; to hang in there and not give up?
a. That’s what the hope of eternal life is supposed to do for us.
E. The Christians at Thessalonica were faithful in the face of great opposition because these three things were at work in their hearts – faith, love and hope.
1. Let’s follow their example!
II. They were a Model Church because of their Open Receptivity to the Lord.
A. The call of salvation always begins with God, because it originates with God and is offered by God.
1. God reaches out to everyone with love and grace, but the recipient must be open and receptive.
2. Paul wrote: 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.
3. God sent Paul and his team to Thessalonica with the Word of the Lord.
a. When Paul preached the Holy Spirit moved with power.
b. Deep conviction came over the Thessalonians, leading them to repent.
4. That was one of the promises that Jesus made about the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, When the Holy Spirit comes, “he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment…” (Jn. 16:8)
5. The Thessalonians heard the Word, and were receptive to it.
B. The Thessalonians not only heard the gospel preached, they saw it being lived in Paul’s life. His life was a rich example of the power of the gospel.
1. You know, example is one of the most powerful teaching instruments there is.
2. The Thessalonians liked what they saw in Paul, because they could see Jesus living in him.
a. Paul often said, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.”
3. This is part of the discipleship process – we see God at work in someone else and we hunger for more of God in ourselves.
4. How helpful it is when we have good examples to follow and when we allow ourselves to be mentored.
5. The receptivity of the Thessalonians was shown in their willingness to submit themselves and to follow the good leadership and to follow the good example of Paul.
C. An even more amazing aspect of their receptivity was the fact that they gave themselves to Christ even in the face of severe suffering.
1. How easy it is to be turned away from the faith when we immediately encounter painful consequences because of our faith.
2. The Thessalonians were paying a heavy price for their faith.
a. They were being ostracized by family and friends, and it was probably costing them financially, like with Jason in Acts 17 who had to post a bond.
3. But instead of getting bitter, these Thessalonians just got better and were filled with joy.
a. This is a paradox the world cannot understand – in the midst of persecution for our faith, the Holy Spirit can give us a joy that carries us through it all.
D. We need to ask ourselves: How openly receptive am I to God’s call?
1. Even after we become Christians there is still a need to be openly receptive.
2. God wants us to come to worship with open hearts ready to receive God’s message.
3. God wants us to continue to be open to imitating the good examples in our congregation – to submit ourselves to good leadership and mentoring.
4. And God doesn’t want our receptivity to wane when trouble, hardship and persecution strikes.
III. They were a Model Church because of their Evangelistic Influence for the Lord.
A. Paul wrote: 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
B. The evangelistic influence of the Thessalonians had a number of components.
1. The first component of their evangelistic influence was their example.
a. They followed Paul’s example and then they became a model for others.
b. They allowed themselves to be mentored, and then they became mentors.
c. If we preach the message, but we don’t live it, then we will have little credibility.
d. But if we preach it and live it, then we will be a powerful example.
2. The second component of their evangelistic influence was their proclamation of the gospel.
a. Paul said that God’s message rang out from them to everywhere.
b. The word used for “rang out” is used only here in the NT and means “to blast forth” or “to sound forth very intensely.”
c. Outside the NT, the term was used to refer to a blaring trumpet, or rolling thunder.
d. Because Thessalonica was a hub of travel and trade, people coming through could hear the word of the Lord from the Thessalonians and then carry the message with them wherever they went.
e. It’s easy to share our faith in here, but it’s not so easy out there, right?
f. Let’s ask ourselves: how is the Lord’s message ringing out from my life? What am I doing to be a trumpet of the good news?
g. I would encourage you to take part in the evangelism training we are going to have in a couple of weeks – it will be a week of intensive study and preparation, but I know that it will prepare us to do a great work for God.
3. The third component of their evangelistic influence was their testimony.
a. What was their testimony? They had turned from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son.
b. Those three elements are basic to each of our testimonies as well – we can tell people about what we were, what we are, and what we will be.
C. Let’s look for a minute at the Thessalonians’ testimony.
1. First, notice they used to be, what they were – they had turned from idols.
a. Mount Olympus, where the Greek gods were said to live, was just 50 miles from Thessalonica, so the people of Thessalonica were very used to worshiping idols.
1. But that was something that had to change, they could not serve both God and idols.
2. When we turn to God, we must turn our backs on that which had been taking the place of God in our lives.
b. Even though we don’t worship idols like they did in NT times, there are still idols being worshiped today.
1. God has created us to be worshiping people - Every human heart has an altar in it.
2. Jonathan Edward said, “The great contest for the human heart is between the true God and idols.”
3. An idol is really anything that takes the place of Almighty God in our lives.
c. Modern America is one of the most idolatrous places in the world.
1. What are some of our idols? Money, possessions, power and fame. Being obsessed with looks, youth, work, sports, or recreation. Being addicted to food, drugs, alcohol, or sex.
2. Every idolater is a prisoner, one who is held in humiliating bondage.
3. We must allow God to help us to break free.
4. We cannot serve more than one master.
d. We must ask ourselves: Have we really turned from idols or do they still have a hold on us?
1. What is your story of turning? What have you turned from to serve the living God?
2. So the first part of our testimony has to do with what we were.
2. The second part of our testimony is what we are.
a. Ours should be the story of a transformed life, a life of serving the true and living God.
b. How is your life different from before you were a Christian? How is God changing you?
c. How is it a thrill for you to serve the living God?
d. What ministry things are you really excited about?
e. How is God using you to build His kingdom?
f. How was your life so empty, but now is so full because you serve the living God?
3. The final part of our testimony is what we will be.
a. After turning from idols we serve the living God, and while we serve, we wait.
b. What are we awaiting? We are awaiting Christ’s return.
c. Let’s ask ourselves: How focused are we really on the return of Christ?
1. Are we really hoping for it to happen soon and are we expecting it to happen soon?
2. Or are we focused more on the things of this world…hoping for a better house, a new computer, a new car, our next vacation, or a happy retirement?
3. Obviously, none of those things are wrong - in and of themselves, but they can take over and become our idols.
4. They can distract us from the most important things, and cause us not to be preparing for Christ’s return.
D. What will happen when Christ returns?
1. Paul said that Jesus the Son God, who was raised from the dead, will come from heaven, and will rescue us from the coming wrath.
2. We don’t like to talk about God’s wrath, but it is real, and it is going to be poured out on all that is evil, and upon everyone who lived in rebellion to God.
3. But those of us who have put our faith in Jesus, and are serving Him and trusting in His grace, we will be rescued from the coming wrath – Isn’t that great news?
E. The words of James are very suitable: “You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” (James 5:8)
1. I like the story told about an old farmer who had a grandfather clock that went haywire and chimed fourteen times one midnight. He jumped out of bed and said, “Wake up, Nellie, it’s later than it’s ever been before.”
2. It truly is later than it’s ever been before.
3. Let’s be sure we are ready.
4. Let’s do our best to be model Christians and a model Church so that we will be pleasing to God and lead many others to Christ, and be a model for them to follow.
Resources:
The NIV Application Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Michael W. Holmes, Zondervan, 1998.
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, John MacArthur, Moody, 2002.
The Bible Exposition Commentary, 1 Thessalonians, Warren W. Wiersbe, Victor Books, 1989.
Cause for Commendation, Sermon by Richard Tow, SermonCentral.com
What the Church Ought to Be, Sermon by Dr. Marc Axelrod, SermonCentral.com
