Be
Encouraged!
I Thessalonians 1:1-3; Acts 17:1-9
Introduction: The “backstory” to I Thessalonians is found in Paul’s
second missionary journey in Acts 17… Paul is writing to encourage a young
church he had only recently helped plant. Remember the start of the second
missionary journey. Paul had had a dispute with Barnabas over John-Mark, and
the result was they decided to go out on two separate teams. Barnabas took John
Mark and Paul took Silas. As Paul and Silas came to Lystra, they met a young
disciple named Timothy, who continued with them on their travel westward. God
somehow closed the doors for ministry in Asia minor, we are not told how, just
that the Spirit did not allow them to minister further in Asia Minor. As they
neared the coast, Luke joined the team, and God spoke to Paul through a vision,
a man from Macedonia was beaconing him to “Come, and help us!” The team
concluded God was calling them to cross over into Europe. After a successful
ministry in Philippi, accompanied by persecution and being jailed, the team
traveled down to Thessalonica. The pattern was repeated there, successful
ministry starting in the synagogue, where Paul and his colleagues ministered
for three Sabbaths, where they “…reasoned with them from the
Scriptures, 3 explaining and
proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the
dead…” (Acts 17:2-3). He preached that Jesus is that promised Messiah.
Persecution followed, forcing them to leave under duress. The team traveled on
to Athens, and before heading to Corinth, Timothy was sent back to check on the
status of the Thessalonians. Paul writes this response from Corinth, after
having received Timothy’s positive report on the church in Thessalonica. As we
look at this opening we’ll see…
The Maine* Idea: As believers living in a fallen world, we can be encouraged
by God’s presence as He works in us and through us.
I. Be Encouraged by the Presence of God (1). Unlike typical letters that we
would write today, in the ancient world letter writers would typically begin by
first identifying themselves, and then extending “greetings” to the
recipient(s). Paul makes a change from the typical Greek salutation,
“Greetings,” and adds something similar to a Jewish greeting, “Grace to you
and peace…” He begins,
Paul,
Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
First, the Encouragers: Paul,
Silvanus, Timothy. This opening identifies the “writers” at the outset,
which would have been typical. Paul does
this in all of his letters, but even so this letter is a little different in a
couple of respects. For one thing, Paul doesn’t set himself off from the other
members of the missionary team, simply identifies the three leaders of the team
that the Thessalonian had seen and heard, Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy. In
letters like Galatians, where Paul’s authority as an apostle was being
attacked, he asserts forcefully his authority as a messenger of Christ: Paul,
an apostle, not from men or by men, but through Jesus Christ… In fact in
that letter he spends two chapters affirming the authority and the message he had received directly from Christ. Here he is less formal, it seems these believers
knew and recognized the message and the messenger.
Paul is writing to encourage this young
church, reminding them that they are in the world, they dwell in Thessalonica,
but they also have a new position! First, Paul is addressing the Thessalonians as
a church, in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The word
“church” of course never refers to merely a building in the New Testament. It
is the assembly of believers in Christ Jesus. In some cases it can refer more
broadly to the universal church, but most often it refers to the believers in
Christ in a particular location. But
they also have another sphere, or better, source of identity. John Stott points
out that
Jesus
spoke of his disciples being ‘in’ him as branches are ‘in’ the vine, while Paul
sees us as being ‘in Christ’ as limbs are ‘in’ the body. In both cases the
relationship in mind is a vital, organic union which makes possible the sharing
of a common life.
What is
unique here is how Paul uses the preposition “in” and links it with “God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” We get a sense of how the church was
understanding and assuming the relationships in the Godhead. Father, Son, and
Spirit, three persons, one God. The Holy Spirit can be called the “Spirit of
Christ” in one place (Rom 8:9) and then in another a divine person sent
by the Son (See John 14-16). There is mystery, but we can accept even what is
beyond our full understanding. So the church is “in” Thessalonica, but the
source of its life is God Himself. So, Stott eloquently says that
…the
church is ‘in’ God as the source from which its life comes, whereas it is ‘in’
the world only as the sphere in which it lives. Nevertheless, it is still
correct to say that every church has two homes, two environments, two habitats.
It lives in God and it lives in the world…
It is to this fellowship of believers, who, like us, have a kind of dual citizenship that Paul is writing! The Greeting is one that will become a
favorite of Paul, “grace and peace to you…” Paul seems to have originated this form of
greeting, emphasizing key aspects of Christianity. First, he desires grace
for the Thessalonians. God’s unmerited favor. In this letter, Paul only
uses the word twice, here in the greeting, and in the last verse, as a
benediction. This letter is not primarily defending or presenting the doctrine
of salvation, it assumes it, the Thessalonians are clearly believers! Grace is
the basis of our standing before God. As Paul says in Ephesians 2:5,8 “by
grace you have been saved…”
Peace, likewise, is an important
concept for Paul. Foundationally, we
have peace with God. We were enemies, by nature children of wrath, but now have
been reconciled to Him in Christ. In this sense it describes our relationship
with God. We also have the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
guarding our hearts and minds in Christ. Paul also uses the word to
describe our relationships in the church, particularly Jews and gentiles now at
peace in the body of Christ. Read the beautiful description at the end of
Ephesians 2…
14 For he himself is our peace,
who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of
hostility 15 by abolishing
the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new
man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to
God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace
to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have
access in one Spirit to the Father. 19
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens
with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure,
being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built
together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
So here the
church is a building after all, metaphorically speaking! A holy temple
to the Lord! Think of what the Temple represented. The presence of God in the
midst of His people. In the wilderness the Tabernacle could be described as “the
holy place,” because God was there. It was the “tent of meeting,” because it
was where the people, through Aaron and Moses met with God and heard from Him.
It was the “dwelling place,” because it symbolized God’s presence in the midst
of his people. When Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, God's glory decended on it. Paul would later write to the Corinthians, “Do you not know
that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
Here he greets the church of the Thessalonians, in Christ Jesus and God the Father. The tabernacle
in the wilderness. The Temple in Jerusalem. The church in the world. He will never leave us or forsake us. He
said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” God’s presence
brings peace, the provisional, initial peace that we can experience now, as we
anticipate shalom, the peace, the rest, the good life for which we were
created. Already, and not yet. As believers living in a fallen world, we can be
encouraged by God’s presence as He works in us and through us.
II. Be encouraged by the Promise of Prayer (2).
“…We give
thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers…”
Praying with thanksgiving about you…
What a wonderful testimony these young believers already had, so much so that
Paul was compelled, as he prayed for them, to express his thankfulness to God!
We recently had a series on prayer in one of our adult classes. I know Al
preached here on “Kingdom Prayer.” Paul no doubt taught and exemplified
prayerfulness while with the Thessalonians. He wants to make sure they
understand that though, as he is writing, he is a distance away in Corinth,
that he is still praying for them, and thanking God for them in his prayers.
How thankful are you
Praying without ceasing for you… “constantly
mentioning you in our prayers.” It is easy to say that we will pray, but it
is harder to make it a priority. Aren't you encouraged when you learn that someone is praying for you? What a privilege it is to pray! And not only prayers regarding our wants or
even our own needs, but also prayers for others, including thanking God for
what He is doing in them. Why should we be thankful for God’s work in our
brothers and sisters in the church? Because, now that they are being
transformed, they bless us personally? That may be something to be thankful
for, but I don’t think that is at the heart of it. As we read this chapter
we’ll see that the testimony of the Thessalonians is going out into the world,
and as it does, it is bringing glory to God. Think about that.
We’ve heard that
the fastest growing church in the world right now is the church in Iran. Have
we paused to pray for those believers? I think so, though we should pray still
more. Have we thanked God for those believers? Hmmm… We should! Why? Because it
is God’s work in them and through them that will bring glory to Him! Jesus is building His church! Praise
God, thank Him for what He is doing in believers in Africa and Asia, countries
like Iran, and India, and China, even in North Korea. The same God who is
working in them is working in us. To God be the glory! As believers living in a fallen world, we can
be encouraged by God’s presence as He works in us and through us.
III. Be encouraged by the Power of the Gospel (1:3; cf. Rom 1:16). The gospel can
transform people, empower a church, and impact a city. Paul wrote tot the
Romans and said in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel,
for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew
first and also to the Greek.” That was the missionaries’ model in
Thessalonica, they went first to the Jewish synagogue, and there encountered
not only Jews, but God-fearing gentiles. Paul will reflect throughout this
chapter on the reception of the apostolic preaching of the Gospel by the
Thessalonians. Here we have a summary statement that will be “fleshed out” in
the following verses…
“…remembering
before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and
steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
John Calvin
called this verse “a brief definition of true Christianity.” The
substance of Paul’s prayers of thanksgiving to God center on the evidence of
their lives transformed by the Gospel.
Ronald Ward comments,
The triad
“faith, love, hope” can be used as a summary of Christianity. Faith looks back
to the Cross, with all its wealth of meaning; Christians love the brethren in
the present; and hope has its eye on the future, sure and certain… (Commentary on 1 and 2
Thessalonians, p. 29).
…your work
of faith… A working faith (1:3a). James says that faith without
works is dead, being by itself. Paul is in agreement, here he says that
authentic faith, works. Later in this chapter Paul will describe the conversion
of the Thessalonians: “…you turned to God from idols, to serve the living
and true God…” For Paul faith is not just an intellectual assent to certain
facts, or simply acknowledging as true certain points of theology. It means
believing Jesus is who He claimed to be, trusting Him as your only hope of
salvation, and believing Him, taking Him at His word. Paul is grateful to God,
and remembers before Him in prayer, the “work of faith…” Of the
Thessalonians Paul is implying that their profession of faith was followed by
an observable transformation in their lives. They turned to God from
idols… Their past idolatry was exactly that, PAST. Their new
faith was accompanied by a new life, and God was at the center of it. As the
chapter goes on he will specifically spell out how their conversion was so
dynamic, so evident to onlookers, that it was being spoken of far and wide. Remember
in our Jonah series how the Ninevites turned from their wicked ways to the God
of Jonah? We see that same idea here. This was no mere “decision,” no simple
“profession of faith.” It was a conversion, a complete “about face.”
Friends, let me say it again, that kind of change will be visible, that will be
noticed by the people in your oikos especially, the relatives, friends,
neighbors and co-workers that you interact with on a regular basis. Do they see
in your life a faith that works?
…your labor
of love… A laboring love (1:3b). We sometimes use that expression,
right? “Wow, that looks like a lot of work you are doing!” someone asks. You
reply, “It’s really a labor of love.” You could mean that it is something you
just love to do, or you could mean, it is something that you can do with joy
because you love the people/person you are serving! Later in this chapter Paul
will note how the Thessalonians “…turned to God from idols to serve the
living and true God…” Is our labor in the Lord, our Christian service,
burdensome?
…your…
steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. An enduring hope
(1:3c). “Hope” in the biblical sense is something that we have talked about. It
looks to the future, with a confident expectation. This is the first reference
to the promise of our future victory in Jesus in this letter. Besides bringing encouragement, both letters to
the Thessalonians seem to be answering some questions the Thessalonians had
about the future return of Christ. Here we get a hint as to one of the
practical implications of our future hope: it results in steadfastness,
the ability to bear up under trials.
What is God saying to me in this passage? As believers living in a fallen
world, we can be encouraged by God’s presence as He works in us and through us.
What would God have me to do in response to this passage? As we read the Scriptures, we often
will identify in some way with that characters in the story. The Thessalonians
were new believers, but they had a clear testimony of new life through faith in
Christ. It wasn’t just what they said, it was how they lived. Their conversion
was being spoken throughout Macedonia and Achaia. When we see evil or injustice
around us, remember Jesus, what He endured, why He came. And remember and be
encouraged, we have victory in Jesus!
AMEN.
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