1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy

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Thankful for Grace

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Introduction

M.P.S. – When we receive the grace of God, the grace of God always changes us. 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 1

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 2

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and 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 delivers us from the wrath to come. 3

Exposition

The first few verses of a letter like First Thessalonians often seem unimportant to modern audiences. We feel like we are reading someone else’s mail. All these thanksgiving statements and prayers and greetings seem forever trapped in the past. So, more often than not, we read over them quickly, if we even read them at all. I contend, however, that we do this to our own detriment. These sections are often packed full of wonderful encouragement and challenges. So, before we immediately jump to how these verses speak to us, let’s consider for a brief moment, how these verses originally spoke to the church in Thessalonica. In these opening verses, the apostle Paul expresses his thankfulness to God for His gracious in the church of Thessalonica. Every time that Paul prays, he thanks God for all the members of the Thessalonian church. Paul, Silvanus (also known as Silas), and probably Timothy were responsible for planting the church (Acts 17:1-9). As the gospel was preached, more and more people came to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, the true King of Israel.

This message challenged the authority of the Roman empire, as we are told in Acts 17:7-9, which led to Paul and Silas being kicked out of the city. The Thessalonian Christians could have been fearful, but instead, they were faithful to the message of the grace of God that they received by the power of the Holy Spirit. Even after Paul was forced out of the city, the Thessalonians remained committed to Jesus. So, only a few months after being forced to leave, Paul decides to write a letter to the church to encourage and instruct them about how to live faithful lives to Christ. In the opening verses of 1 Thessalonians, Paul accomplishes three things. He renews his relationship with the church in Thessalonica. He exhorts them to keep up the good work. And finally, he gives them a preview regarding the rest of his letter. Paul thanks God for how the Thessalonian’s faith, love, and hope has resulted in steadfast work for the Lord. Even in the context of affliction and suffering, the Thessalonians exhibited joy in the Holy Spirit. Even though the governing officials were hostile to the new Christians, they remained faithful. Their faithfulness in the midst of trials and tribulation ensure Paul that this church truly belonged to God. They were a part of God’s chosen people, which resulted in them serving as examples to all the believers in their region. The Thessalonians were known for their faith. They were known for their repentance from idolatry. They were known for their hope in the return of Christ. For this reason, Paul was thankful for God’s grace in the church of Thessalonica. What can the First Baptist Church of Camden learn today from the first Christian church of Thessalonica? What can these opening verses from 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 teach us about how the grace of God changes those who receive His grace? I believe there are three points for us to consider in these verses about how God’s grace changes those who receive it. When we receive God’s grace… I.

We turn.

We turn away from worshiping other things to worship the one, true God. Another way to say that “we turn” is to say that we “repent.” In verse 9, Paul describes the conversion of the people in Thessalonica by saying that they “turned to God from idols.” Now, of course, I’m fairly certain that no one here today has an ancient figurine at home that you burn incense to and worship regularly, so most of you are probably thinking that you do not even have any idols in your life to turn away from, but that is the part that is so deceptive. While you may not have any figurines at your home that you worship, you are still in constant danger of being an idol-worshippers. You might ask, “Well, then, what is an idol?” I think that Tim Keller has a great definition for an idol. In his book, Counterfeit Gods, he writes, “What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” Keller continues to describe how we can identify idols in our life, stating, “A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it your life would feel hardly worth living.”

Now, do you see how dangerous and deceptive idolatry can be? We can make idols out of very good things. Is there anything in your life that if you lost it you would feel as those life was not worth living? Is there anything in your life that you are more passionate about than knowing God? Is there anything in your life that you enjoy more than God? Whatever it is, that is your idol. And the gospel of Jesus Christ calls you turn away from it to God. You cannot hold onto to your idols and still receive the grace of God. When we receive the grace of God, the grace of God changes us by causing us to turn away from lesser things to the greater thing, namely, God himself! T.S. - When we receive the grace of God, we must turn away from idols to God. This is the first truth that we learn from 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10. The second truth that we encounter is that when we receive God’s grace… II.

We serve.

We serve others with the good news of God’s grace. The same news that we received. Not only did the Thessalonians turn away from idols to God, they started serving others with the gospel of God. Look at verse 3 where Paul thanks God for the church’s “work of faith, labor of love, and steadfast hope.” If you move from verse 3 to verses 7-8, which detail the evangelistic ministry of the Thessalonian church. Even after Paul departed from the region, these Christians insisted on serving others by preaching the good news of God’s grace in Jesus. Paul even calls these Christians examples in their whole region. People throughout all of Macedonia were hearing about the faith of the church in Thessalonica, because these Christians lived exemplary lives among the people while calling everyone to repent of their idolatry and turn to Jesus, who “rescues sinners from the wrath to come!” The Thessalonian church did not hoard the gospel. They didn’t keep the good news to themselves. They wanted other people to experience the grace of God like they had. They wanted to see God’s “Word come with power and the Holy Spirit with great conviction.” People who received God’s grace want others to receive God’s grace too. One of the best indicators of whether or not you have received God’s grace personal is found in your willingness to share God’s grace with others. One of the ways that Paul was able to say to the Thessalonian church that they belonged to God, that they were chosen by God, was by observing their obedience to share the good news of God’s grace with others. This is one of the reasons why we spent last Sunday morning walking through how to share God’s grace with others by presenting the Gospel to them. You and I have no excuse not to share the gospel of God’s grace with people in our community this year, unless we have not really received His grace ourselves. God’s gives us His grace that we might give it away to others by pointing them to Jesus. We have not received God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense to hoard it for ourselves. No! We have received God’s grace that we might share it with others! God has served us with His grace that we might serve others! When we do so, we imitate Christ and set an example for others just like the Thessalonians.

T.S. – When we receive the grace of God, the grace of God changes us by making us turn from our idolatry to God and serve us with the gospel of Jesus. Finally, when we receive the grace of God… III.

We wait.

We wait patiently with endurance for Jesus to return. After receiving the grace of God and being changed so that we would no longer worship idols and serve ourselves to our own destruction, but instead, turn to God and serve others with the gospel, we finally come to the point where we wait on the Lord. The Thessalonians provide a great example for us in their own endurance. Even with the apostle Paul gone from their area, they stayed faithful, but their faithfulness came with a cost. They were persecuted. They went through great tribulations and trials for their faith. They were ostracized by their community. They were threatened and punished by their government. They tempted to quit, but instead, they endured to the end. They waited patiently on the Lord with hope-filled expectation. As we will see later in this book, Paul instructed the church about what happens to those who died before Christ’s return, but for the moment, Paul wanted the church to know that the grace of God that got them to their present circumstance was the same grace would sustain them while they waited a little bit longer. T.S. - We, like the Thessalonians, must also wait patiently for the Lord. We must not grow weary in doing good, serving the lost and hurting in our community with the gospel of Jesus. For, if we do not grow weary, in due season, we will reap a harvest. This is the promise of the Lord to us! The question is not whether God is faithful to fulfill His promises to those who wait. The question is, will we receive the grace of God and faithfully wait on the Lord to honor His Word? Conclusion

When we receive the grace of God, the grace of God always changes us. When God’s grace invades our life, we must turn, we must serve, and we must wait. We turn from idolatry. We serve others. We wait on Jesus. Those who have received God’s grace cannot help but turn, serve, and wait. In fact, it is pretty safe to say that those who have not turned away from worshipping and depending upon other things, that those who have no interest in serving other by sharing the gospel in word and deed, that those who have no interest in the return of Christ, it is safe to say that such people are not safe. That they have not yet been delivered from the wrath to come through Jesus. So, what about you this morning? Have you received the grace of God in Jesus Christ? Have you turned from the idols in your life? Are you serving other with the gospel? Are you waiting on the Lord?