Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Thessalonians 1

Good morning church!

Very glad to be back with our church family this morning.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

We were able to gather with all of our children which was wonderful.

Would you guys join me in prayer for our service this morning.....

Now at risk of predictably doing all the things that Joe pointed out to you that I do when I teach…we are going to be beginning a new book this morning, 1 Thessalonians, as you can see up on the screens…but before we go there, I want to look at some Bible background.

So if you are already there, keep a finger in it and turn with me to Acts 17.

Now just a little background to the back ground…Paul is on his second missionary journey at this snapshot in time that we are going to look at.

On this journey, he travels to a place called Thessalonica.

This was the capital city in Macedonia and the time was probably early summer of AD 50 and as late as AD 51.

You can see where the city is located by my big red arrow on the map on your screens.

And on our map we can see that Thessalonica was a port city, major trade went through this region.

Not only was it on a sea port, it was an important city—the second largest in Greece.

According to Andrew Knowles in the Bible Guide, not only was it a port city, but It stands on the Egnatian Way—one of the great Roman roads.

This road runs from east to west across the north of Greece, linking the Aegean Sea in the east to the Adriatic Sea in the west.

We know that Paul liked to travel to areas where there would be lots of people to hear the Gospel, and this is what took him to Thessalonica.

Things did not go exactly as planned though as we will see, and he didn’t get to stay for very long.

We will read this in just a moment, but he leaves Thessalonica and then immediately goes to Berea, and then on to Athens, and then Corinth.

As we read Acts 17 we will see that Timothy and Silas, who had been with Paul at Thessalonica stated there when he left.

They later join Paul in Corinth where Timothy’s gives Paul a report on what happened to the church after he left.

So lets look as Acts 17:1-4

So Paul shows up in town, goes to the local Synagogue of the Jews, and starts reasoning with them from the scriptures.

Listening to them, hearing them, and then giving them good reasons to believe in the Christ from the Scriptures.

And we read in verse two that this went on for 3 Sabbaths before the Jews that weren't persuaded ran him out of town.

So Paul was with them for only three weekends!

He goes to a couple of other places.

Timothy joins him in Corinth to give the good report, and then Paul writes this letter to the church that we are starting this morning.

A lot of background I know, but I think important background to help us understand Paul and to help us understand this church in Thessalonica.

Let’s begin.

Paul greets them with his common greeting of Grace and Peace, which he does in the majority of his letters, except the pastoral epistles, the letters he writes to pastors, he includes mercy because pastors need a lot of mercy.

Those things might sound the same, they are similar, but they aren’t the same things.

Probably some of the best simplest explanations I have heard is Grace is God’s unmerited or unearned favor....by grace we are saved through faith.

So it can be considered getting what we don’t deserve.

Where mercy is also about kindness or compassion, but rather than being about what we are getting, it’s about what we aren’t getting.

Mercy is not getting what we do deserve.

Titus 3:5

As you guys know Paul combines the two most common greetings of the day, something very relatable to the people, grace with the Greek population, and Shalom, or Peace in the Jewish culture.

To give them greater understanding of God.

It is only by the grace of God, that we can ever experience the peace of God.

But in his greeting he also tells us something about this church…1 Thes 1:1

it is a church founded in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…it is not a church built on a man, a personality or persona.

It was not a church developed or expanded by a program, a demographic study or church planting strategy.

It was the Lord’s church like we see in the book of Acts…Acts 2:46-47

Paul goes on in his greeting...

Paul doesn’t tell them we pray for you every day, all day, or more than any of the other churches, but he says were always thankful for you, and we do faithfully make mention of you in our prayers.

And then he lists out three things that really stand out about them...

Now what stands out to me here is that Paul can say what he says in verse 4. Knowing…your election by God.

That is one of my very biggest concerns about those that call this church their home…are they among the elect of God.

Are they really saved.

I’m accountable before the Lord for what goes on here, I’m subject to a double judgement, I’m called to be a Sheppard.

And I fear for some of you, and some that aren’t with us this morning that gather with us on occasion…do they really have assurance of salvation?

I’m not the judge of that, God is, but yet what evidence is there.

What is your worship like?

I don’t mean how loud to you sing, although singing is a big part of worship.

But what is your worship to the Lord like.

I don’t see what anybody gives to the Lord here, but do you worship in that way, do you worship in your service?

See I was perplexed at how in the world Paul could say that after having only spent three weekends with these people.

How did he know their conversion was real?

How could he know that it was sincere and that it stuck and didn’t just wither away?

Because there was proof!

There was evidence.

The whole book of James tells us that you can’t have faith, you can’t have real faith, a saving faith, without proof spilling out all over the place.

And Paul says I can know you are part of the elect of God because of your faith, your love, and your hope.

You guys that were here last week.

Do you remember the story that Joe shared about Paul and Silas being in Jail?

They are singing and worshiping at midnight, an earthquake shakes things up so much that the doors open and they could go free.

But they didn’t and the other prisoners saw that their faith really worked in their lives and these none christian criminals who could have gone free didn’t because they saw something that was real.

That story was in Acts 16, Acts 17, was the background story I read you about Paul going to Thessalonica, that that happened just before his visit here and they got to see real faith producing works.

And now Paul, hearing the testimony of Timothy about these guys, could say… you have faith that produces works, the love that you have is what produces your labor and the hope in your lives has produced patience.

I can see, without doubt, that you’re the real deal and part of God’s elect.

Sometimes people joke about stoic Mainers being part of the chosen frozen, but understand church there really is no such thing.

A faith that saves, produces this holy trifecta that Paul talks about here and in other places,.... hope, faith, and love.

People should see that in your lives, not just hear about it from you.

Notice what Paul says in verse 5… 1 Thes 1:5

Now don’t mistake what he is saying here.

The word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword.

But Paul is saying you guys didn’t just receive words on a page.

It wasn’t just an academic understanding of some religious documents, or parchments that he read.

As I continue my studies, I am amazed at the number of men that are considered Biblical scholars, or I should say rather academic scholars that study the scriptures, but have not experienced the power in it, or the true understanding of it through the Person of the Holy Spirit.

Paul is saying that’s not the case with you church in Thessalonica, you received it in power and in the Holy Spirit and that gave you much assurance.

Remember, what Jesus said to His disciples, the guys that had spent over three years with Him? Go out and tell the whole world about Me and make disciples, it’s above nearly every exit door of this church, but before you go, He said…Luke 24:49

Do it in the power of the Holy Spirit, or don’t do it at all! Then in verse 6...

The Apostle Paul is pretty famous for saying follow me as I follow Christ.

And Pastors are pretty famous for saying, could you say that?

What if everyone followed Jesus like you do?

What a pathetic church that would be wouldn’t it!…ok,

maybe they don’t say that, but that’s what they’re saying right, or I should say, that’s what I’m hearing when they say it and I’m in the room.

Why can’t you be more like Paul?

And I think which Paul, the follow me Paul, or the chief among sinners Paul, because I think I probably fall somewhere in the middle.

Man that’s prideful…did I just say I was less of a sinner than Paul?…Have mercy for your pastor.

I’ll tell you what I think he’s saying here.

Paul is writing to Christians in this church and it applies to Christians in our church.

We should be saying this, not just saying this, we should be doing this.

This is what making disciples is all about.

Hey, let me show you how to follow Jesus is a way that you can see that He is real and my relationship with Him is real.

Like Paul and Silas did when they didn’t bust out of the Pokie.

And everyone around them could see their faith was real and they were willing to follow Him even when it cost them something.

They had faith that produced works, love for the jailer, and they had Hope in Jesus that gave the patience to just trust Him with their release.

It’s not just this.