1 Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians Faith 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
2 Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians Faith Text: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, 1. Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto 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, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; 4. Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. 5. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. 6. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: 7. So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. 8. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to Godward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything. 9. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye 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, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Commentary: 3 1 Thessalonians 1:1, Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. I. Paul, Silas and Timothy greeted the church in Thessalonica. A. Paul is the author of this epistle (letter). B. Paul included his faithful co-workers in the salutation. 1. Acts 15:19,Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turning to God: 2. Hebrews 13:23, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 3. Acts 15:40, And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. 4. Acts 16:1, Then came he to Derbe and Lystra; and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: 5. Timothy s father was a Greek and Silvanus (Silas) was a Roman citizen. C. Paul wrote to: 1. the church
4 2. of the Thessalonians 3. in a. God the father and b. the Lord (indicating diety) Jesus Christ. D. Many other Thessalonians, those still living in sinful paganism and other unconverted Jews, were not addressed in this letter. II. To the church they extended: A. Grace B. Peace 1. This is a wish for divine favor. 1. This is a Hebrew greeting (shalom) indicating a wish for wholeness and soundness. 1 Thessalonians 1:2, 3, We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; I. The authors: A. gave thanks always for all Christians at Thessalonica. B. thanked God for their:
1. work of faith, 5 2. labor of love, 3. stedfastness (patience, endurance) of hope. C. knew God had chosen them by the gospel. II. Work, labor and stedfastness remind us of other New Testament triads and sequences. A. 1 Corinthians 13:13, And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. B. Revelation 2:2, I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: C. 1 Timothy 6:11, But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. D. 2 Timothy 3:10, But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, E. Titus 2:2, That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. F. 1 Thessalonians 5:8, But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love: and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1 Thessalonians 1:4, Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. I. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they knew they were: A. Christian brethren 1. The word brethren is used in 1 and 2 Thessalonians 21 times. (Morris via Coffman) B. beloved of God C. elected to salvation 1. Those who believe in Christ and obey his will sincerely from the heart are beloved of God, foreordained to eternal life, elected to salvation. 2. Those who choose to do otherwise are elected to condemnation. 3. God votes for your salvation. Satan votes for your condemnation. You cast the deciding vote! 1 Thessalonians 1:5, For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. I. Paul, Silas and Timothy had preached the gospel, our gospel in Thessalonica with: A. power 6
1. Romans 15:19, Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. B. the Holy Spirit C. with full conviction D. with lives consistent with the gospel they preached. 1. Paul definitely practiced what he preached. 2. We must do likewise! 1 Thessalonians 1:6, And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: I. The Thessalonians had become: A. imitators of Paul, Silas and Timothy B. and of the Lord. C. No conflict was involved. 1. To imitate one was to imitate the others. D. There must be consistency between our lives and the life of Christ. II. The Thessalonians, when they heard the gospel,... 7
A. became imitators of Paul, Silas and Timothy and the Lord Jesus. B. received the word in: 1. much tribulation, affliction a. Acts 17:5-9, But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go. 2. with the joy of the Holy Spirit. a. Galatians 5:22, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, b. Acts 8:39, And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. 8
1 Thessalonians 1:7, 8, So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. I. The Thessalonians had become an example to all the believers in Macedonia (northern Greece) and in Achaia (southern Greece), all of Greece. II. The word of the Lord had been sounded forth from the Thessalonian disciples far and near. A. Paul, Silas and Timothy did not need to commend the Thessalonian Christians to anyone. B. Their faithfulness and missionary zeal were known everywhere in that whole geographical area. 1 Thessalonians 1:9, For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; I. Other Christians throughout Greece knew how the Thessalonians had accepted Paul, Silas and Timothy and II. how they had turned from idols to serve the living and true God and A. Those who had turned from idols were obviously heathen pagans. B. the living God is here contrasted to non-living idols. 9
1. Isaiah 41:23, Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together. C. turning from idols was not enough. They had also turned to the Living and True God! 1 Thessalonians 1:10, And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. I. The Thessalonian Christians were to wait for God s Son from heaven, Christ s second coming, A. whom God raised from the dead. 1. Acts 17:31, Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. B. who, Jesus rescues, delivers us from the wrath to come. 1. Ephesians 5:6, Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 2. Romans 1:18, 28, 32, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of 10
death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. 3. Romans 3:8, 9, And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? Whose damnation is just. 4. Ephesians 2:3, Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 5. Colossians 3:6, For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 11
Questions 12 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 1. Who were Silvanus and Timothy? What connection did they have with the church at Thessalonica? 2. To the they extended and. Define grace and peace. 3. For what did Paul thank God? See verses 2 and 3. 4. Add other Biblical qualities to work of faith, labor of love, stedfastness, patience, endurance of hope. 5. The Thessalonians were, of, to.
6. Explain the process of election. 7. Paul had preached the gospel with, the, with and with with the they. 8. The Thessalonians had become of, and and of the. 9. They received the in, and with the of the. 10. The had become an example to all the in ( ) and in ( ), all of. 11. did not need to the to anyone because their and was known in that whole. 12. The Thessalonians had from to serve the and. 13
13. from was not. They had also to the and. 14. For what are Christians to wait? 15. What does the Bible say about God s wrath? 14