1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Intro: Second Coming Hope

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1 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Intro: Second Coming Hope Michael Silva / October 22, 2017 Opening: Joke: 1. After dying in a car crash, three friends go to Heaven for orientation. 2. They are all asked the same question, "When you're lying in your casket, and friends and family are mourning over you, what would you like to hear them say about you?" 3. The first guy immediately responds, "I would like to hear them say that I was one of the great doctors of my time, and a great family man." 4. The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in the children of tomorrow." 5. The last guy thinks for a moment, and then replies, "I guess I'd like to hear them say, 'Look, he's still alive!'" Transition: We are starting a new study in an important book that was intended to help give us hope in knowing that Jesus is coming again. That book is... 1 Thessalonians. 1. Many people have questions about what happens after someone dies. This letter helps to address some of those questions. 2. Moreover, times are rough and getting worse Is there any hope?! for us in light of all the deadly earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, and violence all around the world? a) Yes, there is. And this letter helps us to know what, or who is coming. Book Intro: 1. 1 Thessalonians is one the first letters written by Paul around 51 A.D. a) This letter and Galatians are Paul earliest written letters. b) Paul is writing to the church that has formed in the city of Thessalonica, the chief city of Macedonia. i) Thessalonica is in modern day Greece. ii) The city was founded in 316 B.C., named for the sister of Alexander the Great. 2. Paul first visited Thessalonica during his 2 nd missionary journey. a) Paul and Silas began their 2 nd missionary journey, with the intent of revisiting the places Paul had visited on his 1 st missionary journey. i) You ll remember there was some drama just before this trip began Barnabas wanted to bring John Mark. (1) Paul said no. And Barnabas and Paul split and Silas joined Paul in Barnabas place. (Acts 15:36-41) (2) Along the way they picked up a young disciple named Timothy in the city of Lystra. (16:1-3)

2 b) As they came up alongside the region of Galatia the Holy Spirit forbid them from going down into Asia (Modern Day Turkey). (16:6) i) So instead they tried to go north into Bithynia and again were prevented by the Spirit. (16:7) c) So they skirted the coastline and came to Troas. (16:8) i) There, Paul received what s referred to as the Macedonian call Read Acts 16:9-10. d) They first came to Philippi from which we get our letter to the Philippians. i) We meet Lydia, the seller of purple there. ii) It was in Philippi that Paul healed a little demon possessed slave girl. iii) This angered the locals for they saw that they had now lost their hope of profit from this girl so they seized Paul and Silas, beat them and put them in prison. iv) It was midnight, and there in prison Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns and all of a sudden, a great earthquake struck (1) Immediately all the doors and everyone s chains were unlocked & opened. (2) The jailer knew he would be put to death if anyone in his charge escaped so he was about to kill himself when Paul intervened, which led to the jail getting saved. (3) The jail took Paul and Silas home with him, cared for him and his whole family was converted and was baptized. v) The next day a controversy arose in the city of Philippi because the officials had broken Roman law by having Paul and Silas who were Roman citizens beaten. vi) As a result, they urged Paul and Silas to just leave, which they did. e) This brings us to Acts 17:1-10a [READ]; they have now come to Thessalonica. i) The response was huge! A great multitude were persuaded (Acts 17:3) ii) Verse 6 describes the impact of Paul and Silas ministry, they had turned the world upside down for Christ. (1) All this in only 3 weeks (Sabbaths). iii) But because of persecution he had to depart in the middle of the night under the cover of darkness. 3. Paul and Silas 2 nd missionary journey continued and when they had arrived at Athens and then Corinth they had gotten word that while the church in Thessalonica was doing extremely well, they had some questions. a) They knew Jesus was going to be coming back, but what about the people who physically die before His coming? Do they miss it? 4. Paul s purpose in writing this letter Jesus is coming again to gather the living and the dead! a) The point of this letter is that no one s going to miss the coming of the Lord. 5. Key Themes and Topics include a) Praying over others. Page 2

3 b) The Second Coming of our Lord. c) Hope in knowing the Lord is coming again. d) Our hope should yield holiness. e) Living a God-centered life until He comes again. 6. Key Verses: 1 Thessalonians 4: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Let's read our passage: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 (NKJV) i And Pray 1 Thessalonians 1:1 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 from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1. Paul is the author of this letter, but with no title, unlike his other letters. a) In his first letter, writing to those whom he knew well, he humbly greets them simply as a follow brother in Christ. b) Silvanus is another name for Silas. Young Timothy has joined them. 2. Paul is writing to the church of the Thessalonians a) The word church means called out. i) The church was never meant to blend into its culture, but rather to stand out as a light and witness. b) Notice the church is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3. Here Paul establishes a standard introduction of Grace and peace in his letters. a) Always in that order. b) We cannot experience peace until we experience the free gift of God s Grace. 1 Thessalonians 1:2 2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 1. Here are one of the key themes of this letter, thankfulness. a) While there was some confusion that Paul wanted to address, there were not any major issues, problems, or sin that needed to be corrected. Page 3

4 b) Having been in Thessalonica for only a short time, the church was doing very well. c) Paul models an important attitude that we must intentionally choose to pursue, thankfulness. i) Especially as we get older and times grow worse, it s easy to grow cynical, but we are to be thankful instead! 2. Facebook post: 3 ways to fail at everything in life a) Complain about everything Blame others for your problems Never be grateful. i) This does not describe Paul and I hope it doesn t describe us either! 1 Thessalonians 1:3 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 1. This is the first instance where Paul combines these three powerhouse traits Faith, Love, & Hope. a) He would go on to write in 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 2. While works do not produce faith or salvation, Faith should produce works. a) James 2:18 But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. b) I love the gospel account where we see faith and works combined i) It s Luke 5:4 6 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 3. That which takes place in the heart has a way of revealing itself in our actions. a) Faith produces work. b) Love produces labor. c) Hope produces patience. 4. A quote from J.V. McGee, One time when Dwight L. Moody came home, his family said to him, Cancel your next meeting. You look so weary and we know you are tired. He gave this tremendous response, I am weary in the work, but I am not weary of the work. I tell you, it is wonderful to get weary in the work of God but not to get weary of the work of God. 1 Thessalonians 1:4 4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. 1. God s sovereignty and man s responsibility form a wonderful union in the life of a believer. a) Can we fully explain the union of these two? Not completely. To me, it s like lightning Page 4

5 i) According to NASA, you need cold air and warm air. When they meet, the warm air goes up. It makes thunderstorm clouds! The cold air has ice crystals. The warm air has water droplets. During the storm, the droplets and crystals bump together and move apart in the air. This rubbing makes static electrical charges in the clouds. ii) Just like a battery, these clouds have a "plus" end and a "minus" end. The plus, or positive, charges in the cloud are at the top. The minus, or negative, charges are at the bottom. When the charge at the bottom gets strong enough, the cloud lets out energy. iii) The energy goes through the air. It goes to a place that has the opposite charge. It can go from the cloud to the ground. Or, [it] can go from the cloud to another cloud. b) Okay?! So, you can explain it, but I don t really fully understand this incredible phenomenon in nature! i) Lightning still occurs, even if I don t fully understand it. ii) And that like God s saving power! God makes it happen and it s powerful! 2. John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. a) Followers of Christ know that they both chose Jesus as their Lord and Savior and were chosen by God to be a fruitful follower of Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1:5 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. 1. Not in word only Paul wasn t all talk. He had a walk and works to back it up. a) Bullying is a real problem these days i) But bullies tend to be all talk. When really challenged they often retreat. There is nothing there but words. b) That wasn t Paul. c) Making it personal: Are we all-talk Christians? What in our lives backs-up the faith we boast in? 2. With Paul s words was a power that came from the Holy Spirit. a) God Himself in Spirit form was with Paul and empowering him. i) I love Jeremy Camp s song which says, The same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in us. b) Jesus said in Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Page 5

6 1 Thessalonians 1:6-8 6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. 1. Paul preached and they responded by becoming followers of Paul & Silas, but more importantly, followers of the Lord. a) From our account in Acts 17, we know that the hostile Jews made Paul and Silas the focus of their attacks, the new believers in Thessalonica also suffered much affliction. i) affliction or tribulation, means intense pressure. b) Notice their attitude and response to the persecution, they took it with joy of the Holy Spirit. i) Water Darts! When retrieving them from the bottom of the pool have you experienced the pressure in your ears? (1) We can t withstand very much pressure alone. (2) But a submarine can! ii) The Holy Spirit is our submarine, in Him we can endure great affliction and intense pressure with joy. 2. The Holy Spirit s work in the lives of the believers in Thessalonica resulted in their being examples in Macedonia in the north, Achaia to the south, and also in every place. a) This is my prayer for our church! b) Did you know that our little church helps to support i) The Moffet s work in the Middle East. ii) Kara s work in East Asia. iii) The Toma family s work in Japan. iv) Far Reaching Ministries in Uganda and the Sudan. v) Chosen Peoples Ministry toward Jewish people around the world. vi) Z88 s Christian radio ministry in Central Florida. vii) Samaritan s Purse hurricane relief in TX, FL, and the Caribbean. viii) The Monteith family who provide spiritual and emotional care and support to over 100 missionaries around the world. (1) From England to Israel, from Nicaragua to New Zealand. c) This is God s heart for His church, that we would reach the world with His gospel message. Page 6

7 1 Thessalonians 1: For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to 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, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. 1. It was apparent and well known that the believers Thessalonica had turned from idols to serve the living and true God. a) Part of serving the living and true God is waiting for the return of Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead. i) Jesus conquered death! And He s coming again soon. This is the hope we have. b) And those who follow Him will be delivered from the wrath to come. i) Judgment will come upon those who have not been forgiven of their sins by Jesus alone. ii) That time of wrath is coming quickly, now is the time to turn from idols to the only true and living God and Jesus Christ His Son. Conclusion: What s the big take away from this passage? 1. Is there anything in your life that you need to turn from to more fully follow Jesus? a) Meditate on the hope we have in Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to empower us to live in holiness for His glory. Invitation: Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. i All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. Page 7