This church was established on Paul’s second missionary journey. It was when Paul and Silas had just left Philippi and passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia to arrive at Thessalonica.
Many of the people who heard Paul preach came to believe in the gospel that he preached.
The unbelieving Jews became jealous and created an uproar in the city. The commotion they stirred up was so great it was necessary for Paul and Silas to leave secretly for Berea.
Despite such threatening beginnings, a strong church was established in Thessalonica.
The membership consisted of some of the most notable men in church history, such as: Jason, Aristarchus, and Secundus.
According to Acts 17, Paul spent the first three Sabbath days he was there preaching that Christ came, died, and rose again.
But, as already stated, because of the severe persecutions he had to flee for his life. He sent Timothy to check on them and Timothy came back to him with a thrilling report.
His heart was so warmed by Timothy’s report that he sat down and wrote the second letter to the Thessalonians.
After receiving Paul’s first letter, the believers in Thessalonica had apparently responded to Paul, asking him some questions about the Lord’s return. These questions are what prompted the second letter to the Thessalonians.
This second epistle was written for two reasons:
(1) To give the church in Thessalonica more specific instructions on certain matters.
(2) To set their minds at ease about the second coming of Christ.
Also, Paul wrote to deal with the matter of a letter that some had written, forging his name to it. The reason we believe that is because he says, 2 Thess. 2:2, “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.”
2 Thessalonians tells us exactly what a church needs to do to make it strong.
The church in Thessalonica was being fiercely attacked. When a church is being attacked it needs strength more then than ever.
It is the duty of a minister to give comfort to his people during trying times. In this second letter to the Thessalonians Paul was doing just that!
As we work our way through this epistle, we will find things that will be a tremendous help to our church, as it was to their church. First, notice...
I. THE GREETING
Look at 2 Thess. 1:1-2. We read, “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Notice, as Paul addressed this church, he said, “...unto the church of the Thessalonians IN GOD our Father and THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.”
Paul knew a great deal about the church at Thessalonica. He knew they were IN GOD and IN CHRIST. It is clear from Paul’s writings that he believed in the local church. He did everything he could to edify the local church. Things are different these days. Much is being done today to replace the local church.
• Some are doing this ignorantly.
Illus: That is, there are Christians who feel they are doing God a service when they conduct church services on the beaches and camp grounds.
However, about all they are accomplishing is an attempt to soothe the conscience of people so they can feel they have worshipped God, when actually all they have done is get Him out of the way so they can do what they really want to do the rest of the day.
Many have not thought this through. They may be sincere in their efforts, but what they are doing is encouraging people to desecrate God’s day and destroy the local church.
• Some television ministries are aggressively trying to destroy local churches. That is, they do not come out and say they are doing this, but you can hear it in the messages they send across the airwaves. You can tell they would be thrilled if everyone sat home on Sundays, watched them for thirty minutes or an hour, sent all their tithes and offerings to them and then went to do whatever they wanted to do.
• We have so-called Christian radio stations constantly encouraging people not to call the local church for spiritual counseling and assistance. No, they want people to call them so they can put them on their mailing list and start sending them their monthly newsletter that tells what they are doing and how you can assist them by giving to their operations.
We have television stations telling people to send them money so they can spread the gospel.
Listen, God has never commission a radio station, God has always worked through the local church.
Now I recognize some may feel I am being somewhat hard on some of these people, but listen, I believe with all my heart in the local church. You and I both know when we believe in something God established, and we see it being subtly being attacked, then shame on us if we do not speak out!
The church is being attacked from all sides today. Organizations are trying to strip it of its responsibilities and of its tithes and offerings which God ordained that it should operate with.
Much is being done to destroy the local church today.
REMEMBER--it was the local church the Lord was speaking of when He said, “...the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” God’s church shall always prevail--in spite of the Elmer Gantry ministries on television and in spite of the abundance of liberal ministries!
Paul loved the local church. He understood this was what God had in mind when He wrote to the church of Thessalonica. He knew God had entrusted the gospel to the local church.
Illus: Legend has it that after Christ died for the sins of mankind and returned to the right hand of the Father, the angels of heaven asked Him, “What provision have you made for the church to continue?” The Lord told the angels that the only provision He had made was to entrust the mission of the church into the hands of mortals. The angels, knowing the frailty and sinful nature of men, said, “But what if they fail?” The Lord answered, “I have made no other provision!”
According to God’s Word, He has made no other provision. It is the local church that is carrying out the work of God today.
Notice what Paul said about the church! Look as we read verse 1 again, “...unto the church of the Thessalonians IN GOD OUR FATHER and the LORD JESUS CHRIST.”
Notice two things Paul was teaching in his greeting:
(1) Paul taught the deity of Christ. That is, he recognized the church was IN GOD and IN CHRIST. He gives Christ the same position of deity as God.
(2) Paul recognized the TRUE CHURCH IN GOD AND CHRIST is not in the WORLD. For example, he did not address the letter: “To the Church at Thessalonica at 1220 N. Main Street.
We do not know exactly where the church met, but we do know what Paul said about them, “...unto the church of the Thessalonians IN GOD OUR FATHER and the LORD JESUS CHRIST.”
You see, our church building might be IN THE WORLD, but THE CHURCH IS IN CHRIST!. That is, the TRUE CHURCH IS IN GOD!
Paul greeted the church in Thessalonica that was IN GOD and IN CHRIST! This is THE GREETING. Paul also recognized...
II. THE GROWTH
Look at verses 3-5. We read, “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer.”
Notice that he said, “...your faith GROWETH EXCEEDINGLY...” The word, “exceedingly” (huperaxanei), means: “To grow beyond measure; to go far beyond what was expected.”
Theirs was an exciting church. It would be hard for any pastor today to imagine pastoring a church full of Christians who were growing in the Lord exceedingly.
Illus: Have you noticed that some children seem to hardly grow? That is, you may see them one day and see them a year later and it seems they have hardly grown at all. Some may even seem to get smaller. Then there are others that you may see one day and see again only a week later and it seems they have grown a couple of inches.
The church of Thessalonica was like the fast-growing child. Paul said that their faith grew EXCEEDINGLY. No wonder Paul said, verse 3, “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren,...”
Notice something else about these marvelous saints of God. Not only did their faith grow EXCEEDINGLY, also their love ABOUNDED. They had an abounding love.
An ABOUNDING LOVE is the kind of love that loves God today and will love Him tomorrow. It is a love that ABOUNDS during the good times and the bad times.
In the letter of 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10, Paul had exhorted the church to grow more and more in love for one another.
They needed this message because there was some tension in the church about the Lord’s return.
Paul’s exhortation had worked: the church had straightened out their differences, and then the members were walking hand-in-hand with one another.
This is the reason Paul thanked God for their ABOUNDING LOVE.
ON WHAT BASIS DID PAUL RECOGNIZE THEIR GROWTH?
He recognized their growth in several areas, such as...
A. THEIR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER
Look at the last part of verse 3. We read, “...because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth.”
In other words, they had gone through some trying times, but through it all they had worked out their differences and their love for each other still abounded.
So often we see people who profess to be Christians who have differences with other brothers and sisters. Sometimes the differences grow so big they try to destroy each other with insults and innuendoes. People can not grow in the Lord like that!
1 John 4:21 tells us, “And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”
In other words, you can not love God if you do not love your brethren. The church of Thessalonica was IN GOD and IN CHRIST. Paul said their love abounded one toward another.
They did not just talk and sing about love for each other, they LOVED ONE ANOTHER! That was not all. Notice...
B. THEIR LOVE FOR GOD
Look at verse 4. We read, “So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that YE ENDURE.”
Listen, these Christians suffered PERSECUTIONS and TRIBULATIONS, but they grew through it.
Many believe the reason we have so many spiritual “babies” in churches today is because we do not have to face TRIBULATIONS and PERSECUTIONS that early church members had to face. That could be right!
Anyone can say he loves God when things are going his way. It is when trouble comes, and things are not going our way, that we can show that we really love God.
The church in Thessalonica was IN GOD and IN CHRIST. They love God during good times and hard times. Paul said he gloried in them because their love for God could be seen, “...in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure.”
Conclusion/Summary:
You may remember the old “Star Kist” tuna fish commercial that featured “Charlie.” Charlie was a friendly, but neurotic tuna. He was very unsure of his identity. He knew “Star Kist” looked for only the best tuna. He was really wanting to be one of the Star Kist tunas, but they always passed him by. Charlie always was saying, “I’m a good fish. I am a tuna with good taste. So why is it that Star Kist would not come for me?” Charlie jumped to an interesting conclusion. He began to assume he was not cultured enough. So, he said to himself, “I’ll have to be a Renaissance fish. I’ll have to learn a lot of different things well, then I’ll get Star Kist’s attention. Then they will come looking for me.” So he learned to play a violin. He began drinking “Perrier” water. He did all the things a modern, sophisticated fish could do.
But, despite all his efforts, the Star Kist fisherman’s hood always eluded him with the same reminder:
“Sorry Charlie! Star Kist is not looking for tuna with good taste, but tuna that taste good.”
Our churches are filled with people who do not seem to know what God is looking for. God is simply looking for good Christians, like those we read about in Thessalonians. The church has been placed here for one purpose. That purpose can be seen in verse 12. We read, “That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
(1 of 2)
I. THE GREETING
II. THE GROWTH
(2 of 2)
I. THE GIVING
