INTRO: Shortly after the Council of Jerusalem meeting in Acts 15, Paul sets out on his second missionary journey towards Ephesus However, they were prevented from going to Ephesus and found themselves turning northwest towards the Aegean Sea at the port of Alexandria Troas By the time they reach Troas, Timothy is with them The night they arrive, Paul has a dream in Acts 16 of a man from Macedonia saying come to Macedonia and help us Immediately they leave by this time Luke joins them so they are now Luke, Timothy, Paul and Silas They head towards Philippi where they plant a church and begin to experience trouble with the city authorities They were arrested, beaten and thrown into jail When they find out they are Roman citizens, they are released and go towards Thessalonica However, the Jews caused problems for Paul in Thessalonica and they sought to arrest him When they couldn t find Paul they arrested Justus and tried him for inciting riots with the preaching of the gospel So they post bail and leave Thessalonica for Berea and Paul, Silas and Timothy start a work in Berea We read of the Bereans that they were more noble than the Thessalonians because they searched the scriptures to see if Paul is telling them the truth But then a group came from Thessalonica and began to stir up trouble against Paul So Paul left Berea and went to Athens Greece and he left Timothy and Silas behind to establish the believers in the faith From Athens, Paul goes to Corinth and Timothy and Silas meet Paul there in Corinth While in Corinth, Paul hears of some problems that had developed in the Thessalonian church and he writes his first letter Keep in mind, Paul was only there 3 weeks, but when you read the depth of the letter to the Thessalonians, you recognize the depth of Paul s teaching Another thing to notice, Paul doesn t mention his apostleship It s because his apostleship isn t in question, it s not being challenged so there was no need to affirm that he was an apostle by the will of God
1 Thessalonians 1:1 4 (NKJV) 1 Paul, Silvanus (Silas), 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. 2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 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, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. In most of Paul s letters, he mentions his prayers for the churches He was constantly praying for the churches He told the Colossians that he was fervently praying for them Here he says to the Thessalonians I m always thanking God for you, mentioning you in our prayers without ceasing What an incredible example of a man of God! To Timothy Paul wrote I wish that men would pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing (1 Timothy 2:8) One of the things Pastor Chuck would notice was who was at prayer and particularly who wasn t at prayer He was so convinced that nothing could be done without prayer that he believed if a Pastor wasn t a man of prayer, he could not be led by the Spirit the two are inseparable Notice what Paul is remembering Their work of faith, labor of love and patience of hope Now there seems to be some confusion about grace and works If I tell someone it s their responsibility to share their faith or to reach out to young men and women I get push back I m not being led to do that The Spirit isn t telling me to do that and you re pressuring me The problem is both are in the scripture We are to do the work of an evangelist and older men teach the younger men, older women teach the younger women These are commands but often the response to a command is I don t want to do something just because the Bible says to otherwise it s a work Christians are led by the Spirit, they aren t supposed to feel obligated to do something
Now there are works that we were created by God to do But we don t do the works in order to be accepted by God, to receive salvation or to be justified in order to receive forgiveness of sins There is no work I can do to justify myself before God There are no rules, no laws I can keep to give me a righteous standing before God But there are responsibilities that we have as believers Just like a family has responsibilities, the family of God has responsibilities The Thessalonians were excellent at fulfilling their responsibilities It was proof of their genuine love for God 1 Thessalonians 1:5 (NKJV) 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. Paul was aware of his humanity He wasn t trying to present himself as some kind of super hero for Jesus All He did was say words the Word of God and the Holy Spirit confirmed the Word of God with power and complete confidence the people knew they were hearing from God That is a work of the Spirit This is the Calvary Chapel model of ministry the Power of the Word in the Power of the Spirit 1 Thessalonians 1:6 7 (NKJV) 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. Paul used himself, Silas and Timothy as examples That s something that is missing from our pulpits today pastors who are examples to the flock But as followers of Jesus our lives are examples to others and the question we must always ask is what kind of an example am I being? In fact, Paul says this you followed our example and now you are examples to all who believe
1 Thessalonians 1:8 10 (NKJV) 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. 9 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. Now that s the kind of reputation a church should have A reputation of people who have turned from idols to serve God A people who know Jesus is alive and Jesus is returning soon and who live with those two realities in mind 1 Thessalonians 2:1 3 (NKJV) 2 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict. 3 For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit. When Paul was in Philippi there was much conflict It is the Greek word agoni which is our English word agony Paul says they were treated spitefully, shamefully, hurtfully In Acts 16 we read how Paul cast a demon out of a girl who was being enslaved because of her fortune-telling ability But after Paul cast the demon out of her, the men who held her in captivity lost their source of income and had them arrested We read that a multitude rose up against them and in response the magistrates tore off their clothes and had them beaten with rods and thrown into prison all for casting a demon out of a girl The next day, because they had no right to imprison them the magistrates tried to release Paul but Paul said no way I am a Roman citizen and I was beaten and imprisoned without a trial This is what Paul is referring to when he was treated shamefully But the magistrates pleaded with Paul to leave because they knew they were in trouble for beating him without a trial and Paul left and went to Thessalonica with a greater sense of boldness
Notice what Paul says our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit We weren t mistreated because we said something wrong or unclean according to Jewish law, nor were we trying to rip people off We were mistreated for casting a demon out of a girl that was the demonstration of the power of the Spirit that Paul refers to in vs. 5 1 Thessalonians 2:4 6 (NKJV) 4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. 5 For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. The word test means to be tested in battle It implies that a man is being watched in battle whether or not he proves himself to be reliable or trustworthy It does not mean God tests us, what God does is He watches us when we go through times of testing to see if we prove ourselves to be reliable Now, God knows how it will turn out so the testing is not for Him it s for us it gives us an opportunity to live what we believe Thus in Thessalonica, Paul was approved by God it s the same word as tested he was counted as one who could be trusted with the gospel He was willing to deliver this girl from demonic possession and when he was thrown into jail he led the jailer to Christ He is trustworthy, reliable with the gospel He wasn t trying to flatter himself into some position of favor I ve learned that when someone showers you with flattery, there s a dagger waiting for your back He didn t secretly have a desire or covet some position of leadership There are those who come into the church and they see the prominence leaders are given and they covet a person s position of leadership When they don t get it, they leave mad and disgruntled It s because they don t understand a minister is a servant that s what the word means one who waits on tables As one preacher said if you think you re called to the ministry and you can do anything else in life do it, don t go into the ministry
But if you can t do anything but minister, then give yourself to it wholeheartedly Paul wasn t after glory from men didn t post pictures of himself on Instagram telling the Thessalonians how amazing his message was Wasn t posting banners of his meetings with a life sized photo of himself Even though he could have made demands as an apostle Paul didn t come in as a leader, he came in as a servant and by serving he led the people to Jesus 1 Thessalonians 2:7 9 (NKJV) 7 But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 8 So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 9 For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. One of the hardest things about being a pastor is people leaving It s hard because you don t just impart the Word of God, you impart your lives and people become dear to you When someone leaves disgruntled, someone you ve ministered to, poured your life into it can discourage you from ever pouring into someone again That s when the test of ministry comes in why are you in the ministry? Notice, Paul says we were gentle among you, affectionately longing for you, we were happy to give you the gospel and share our lives Even after all the trouble we experienced in Philippi we re going to open ourselves up and do it again here in Thessalonica. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NKJV) 13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. Notice Paul says when you received the word of God from us you welcomed it as the word of God In 1:5 Paul speaks about giving the gospel in the power of the Spirit That s how the word of God should be given
When it s being given out in the power of the Spirit, just being under the teaching of God s Word increases your faith, it grows you up, it matures you as you received wisdom and revelation from God I find it interesting to hear about those who like to criticize pastors, especially those who faithfully teach the Word of God They hear something they don t like and instead of receiving it as a Word from God, they criticize the pastor because they didn t like it I ve had people criticize me for talking about them in a message The only people who have a right to criticize me about that are my wife and kids or anyone else I ve mentioned by name I simply teach the text and I let God s Word speak for itself When people think they re being talked about in a message, it s because they ve added a sense of importance to themselves that isn t justified What they should be asking is God is speaking through His Word, why am I not listening? Why do I resist the word of God? Paul preached the word and it irritated some people, even caused many to riot against Paul The ones who receive it, the word of God effectively works in their lives 1 Thessalonians 2:14 16 (NKJV) 14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. Notice the result of receiving Paul s teachings from the word of God they became like the rest of the churches of God They suffered like the other Christians at the hands of those who killed Jesus and their own prophets As you grow in the Lord, you will come under persecution The same spirit that killed Jesus is alive today and after all of us It s not our job to retaliate against those who attack or persecute us because they are storing up wrath on themselves God will deal with them and it s sad because it doesn t have to happen
1 Thessalonians 2:17 20 (NKJV) 17 But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. 18 Therefore we wanted to come to you even I, Paul, time and again but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy. Interesting Satan hindered them obstructed them from coming But isn t God sovereign? Isn t God more powerful? How could Satan stop Paul from coming? How could this happen? Remember, Paul is in Corinth writing to the Thessalonians The reason he is in Corinth is because a group of Jews came from Philippi and ran him out of town and they are still there stirring up trouble It s not safe for Paul to return but he s not blaming the Jews that are stirring up trouble he s blaming Satan Something we need to keep in mind we wrestle not against principalities and powers we wrestle against Satan When a person attacks a ministry or a man of God they are being manipulated and used by Satan that is what Paul is referring to What does Satan want to stop? Paul s influence in their lives They are Paul s glory and joy Nonetheless, Paul points their focus higher look guys we want to come but what is our hope, our joy our crown of rejoicing? Isn t it being in the Presence of Jesus together? Satan appears to be winning now but he loses in the end because can t stop us from being together in the Presence of the Lord when Jesus returns. 1 Thessalonians 3:1 3 (NKJV) 3 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, 2 and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, 3 that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. I find it interesting that Paul sends Timothy to them Paul said that Timothy had his same heart for the people and he trusted him greatly
Obviously Timothy respected Paul and trusted him as a leader that could direct his life where he would go and who he ministered to Pastor Chuck would send guys out to start Calvary Chapels based on the letters he would get from an area 1 Thessalonians 3:4 5 (NKJV) 4 For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know. 5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain. Keep in mind they didn t have facebook or cell phones They relied on messengers that would give a report So Paul is going through it, he s suffering tribulation and he s wondering if the influence of the men who ran Paul out had led them to reject their faith What a disappointment if the work in Thessalonica was reversed by these evil men that attacked Paul s ministry 1 Thessalonians 3:6 8 (NKJV) 6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you 7 therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. 8 For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. Good news has such a powerful effect In Paul s life it brought life to him knowing the Thessalonians were standing fast in the Lord 1 Thessalonians 3:9 10 (NKJV) 9 For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, 10 night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith? Again, Paul mentions that he is praying night and day Notice his prayers that he would see them and that God would complete whatever was lacking in their faith
That really is the heart of ministry... the desire to see people come to a mature, complete faith in God 1 Thessalonians 3:11 13 (NKJV) 11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. In vs. 12-13 Paul prays for what is lacking That they would increase and abound in love for one another They would increase and abound in love to all That God would establish your hearts blameless in holiness Establish confirm or strengthen Blameless free of guilt, nothing to be guilty over Holiness set apart from God What are they lacking? The realization of grace Paul is praying that they would be strengthened in the fact that they are free of guilt, without blame because they are set apart (holy) for God How does that happen? Through Jesus That is the only way I can have confidence before God it s in Jesus When I am standing in my own righteousness when Jesus returns I m not going to make it But when I m standing in His righteousness, I am blameless in holiness Let that truth be confirmed in your hearts Paul prays