“EVIDENCE OF TRUE FAITH” 1 Thess. 1:1-10
FBCF – 2/8/26
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Bereans – Acts 17:11 – “…they received the word w/ all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” NLT – “…They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.”
We all should be like the Bereans, examining the things we hear from preachers & teachers to see if they’re accurately teaching the truth of God’s Word. Each week, I listen to my sermon from the previous Sunday to critique myself & be a Berean to my own sermons. And this past week as I listened, I realized I said something in the Refuge service that does not line up w/ Scripture. Made statement that sometimes when we are thinking about lost people, we may say or think, “They’re going to get what they deserve.” And then in passing I said, “And you are, too.” And that little statement is not true if you’re a Christ-follower. Let me be clear here: It IS true if you reject Jesus & die in your sins. You WILL get what you deserve – death & an eternity in hell apart from the presence of God. But if you are saved, the glorious truth of the Gospel is that you DON’T get what you deserve! That’s what GRACE is all about! Eph. 2:8-9 – “For it is by GRACE that you are saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works so that no one can boast.” Our salvation & the gift of eternal life is a gift of GRACE to us b/c we DON’T get what we deserve. We still deserve death & hell, but when we trust Christ alone for our salvation, He graciously, mercifully, & lovingly gives us the underserved gift of eternal life.
So please forgive me & hold me accountable to the truth of God’s Word.
Today – begin series in 1 Thess entitled, “Handbook for Christ-followers.” Spend the next 8 wks studying this NT book. One of Paul’s letters that was written to encourage new believers, give the assurance of eternal life, remind the church of the soon-coming Rapture of the Church, & challenge & encourage them to live a godly life.
When you consider what the definition of a handbook is:
- A book of instruction or guidance, as for an occupation
- A guidebook for travelers
- A reference book in a particular field
- A scholarly book on a particular subject
…you’ll begin to see how 1 Thess is a wonderful handbook for every Christ-follower. It will instruct us & guide us as we strive to life for Christ. It will give us clear directions as we travel the road of life in a God-glorifying way. It will provide us w/ life-changing information & truth of the hope we have of the 2nd coming of Jesus.
So, be encouraged, Church! Be excited about your life in Christ! Be enthusiastic as you live for life that brings honor & glory to God! Be incredibly stoked that one day soon, Jesus is coming back! So, let’s jump in!
EXPLANATION – 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
3 bullet points about 1 Thessalonians:
- One of P’s earliest letters – written about AD 51, probably in his late 40’s. P was saved around AD 33-34 when he was about 30, & wrote his last letter, 2 Timothy, around AD 67 & died when he was about my age – 60-61 yrs old.
- Church was started in Thessalonica after P went there on his 2nd missionary journey & preached the Gospel. Acts 17:2-4 – “And Paul went in, as was his custom, & on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining & proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer & to rise from the dead, & saying, ‘This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.’ And some of them were persuaded & joined Paul & Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks & not a few of the leading women.” There’s the birth of the church in Thessalonica. There are your charter members of the church.
- P send Timothy back to them to get them established – 1 Thess. 3:2 – “…we sent Timothy, our brother & God’s coworker in the Gospel of Christ, to establish & exhort you in your faith…”
These were young believers in a young church & needed to be encouraged. We aren’t a young church, but we have some young believers who need a Paul in their life! They need someone w/ genuine faith in Jesus to pour into their lives, & there are a bunch of you who could do that & should do that.
APPLICATION – Genuine faith in Jesus will be evident in our lives.
Here are 4 ways it will be evident:
A PRAYER LIFE THAT IT STRONG – v. 2-3 – What words characterize your prayer life?
- Our memory verse, which is taken from 1 Thess, challenges us to “pray w/out ceasing” (5:17). Do those words describe your prayer life?
- P emphasized giving thanks for the believers in the church there. Is your prayer life filled w/ gratitude to God for the people He has brought into your life?
- P was “constantly mentioning” them in his prayers. The word “constantly” means “unceasingly” or “incessantly.” Who are you praying for in a constant, unceasing, incessant way?
- Simply put: Is your prayer life strong?
3 basic building blocks for a strong prayer life:
- Get you a time – When are you going to pray every day? Set aside a dedicated time every day to spend in the presence of your Heavenly Father, talking to Him & listening to Him. Mark 1:35
- Get you a place – Jesus prayed in solitary places, up on the mountain, in the garden, in the wilderness – You can pray anywhere, but I strongly encourage you to have a specific place where you retreat to spend time w/ the Father – your War Room!
- Get you a plan – I’m a strong proponent of written prayer lists. Keep you on track. Helps you to stay faithful in praying for those who’ve asked you to pray for them. Let’s you see when, where, & how God answers your prayers. So encouraging!
But then be ready to pray at other times & in other places.
- Walked in UMMC several wks ago. Guy in wheelchair just inside door. C-collar on – bruises & cuts on his face – bandages all over his body – obviously been in a wreck – prompted by HS to stop & pray for him.
- Guy in front of me at Sullivan’s last week – Looked familiar – He was getting in car as I walked out – Told him he looked familiar to me – replied he had been in church here – We talked – shared Gospel – prayed w/ him.
P.U.S.H. – “PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS” – Memory verse – Back to our memory verse: “Pray w/out ceasing.”
AN EXAMPLE THAT IS SOLID – v. 4-7 – When P shared the Gospel w/ the Thessalonians, he didn’t just share it in words, “but also in power & in the HS & w/ full conviction.” In other words, he really believed it & lived it. He was fully convicted, fully persuaded, fully confident of its truth. He didn’t just accept it intellectually. He didn’t just talk about it or act like it on Sundays in church. He walked it out in front of them daily b/c his life had been transformed by it! He set an example for them to follow - & they did! In fact, they imitated him b/c he was imitating Jesus. 1 Cor. 11:1 – “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” And as they followed his example, they then became an example of Jesus to others. THAT’S A SOLID EXAMPLE & THAT’S HOW IT WORKS! You live for Christ – Others see it & follow your example – then others see their example & follow it. That’s the call that is on our lives as Christ-followers. Live a life worthy of imitation!
I believe that one of the things that holds some of you back from totally selling out to Jesus & setting a solid example for others to follow is b/c the enemy has convinced you that you can’t do it & that no one would believe it. Many of you have lived here your whole life, been surrounded by many of the people in this room for your whole life, went to school w/ them, played ball w/ them, partied w/ them, done business w/ them, lived here in this community w/ them, & the enemy has lied to you & gotten you to think that no one would believe it if you truly sold out to Jesus & let Him radically change your life. The enemy has convinced you that no one would follow your example, so you just settle for a lukewarm, mediocre existence of doing just enough to soothe your conscience when you sit in here each week, when you KNOW that the Holy Spirit is convicting you & that God is calling you deeper. You KNOW there’s more to the Christian life than what you’re doing right now. But you’re scared that you won’t be able to set the example you need to set, so you don’t step out & make that commitment.
The answer to that is: You’re right. YOU can’t! But in the power of the Gospel & the power of Holy Spirit, you can & you WILL set a solid example that others can follow!
A FAITH THAT IS SPREADING – v. 8 – The brothers & sisters @ Thessalonica were getting after it – “your faith has gone forth everywhere!” How awesome is that! And how awesome would that be if it was being said of you & me! “Your faith is spreading!” – in your family – @ TCA, MRA, other schools - @ State, MC, NE, EMCC, Hinds, Holmes & Gulf Coast - @ your workplace, your business, your office – across Flora & Madison County, Yazoo (prison last night), Hinds, MS (MBDR this wk, people watching this service in Cleveland, Columbus, etc.), US (mission trip to MT, Swayze & Macie in Jersey, people watching service right now in LA, FL, WI, etc.), the world (mission trip to DR, possibly to Africa or Central Asia). IS YOUR FAITH SPREADING???
A HOPE THAT IS SURE – v. 9-10 – We are waiting on JESUS! Next thing on God’s “to-do” list is the Rapture!
CONCLUSION – P & Silas true faith reputation – When they arrived in Thessalonica – “Turn the world upside down” (Acts 17:6)
Let's live a life that glorifies the Lord & gives strong evidence of our faith in Him. And let's turn the world upside down for HIS glory!
