Last Sunday we began looking at the characteristics of a group of believers in a community called Thessalonica. In a personal letter to them which we've come to call I Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul extols this small, newly born congregation as an example for other churches to follow. His goal is not to simply give praise, but to encourage them on in doing more of the same. Paul had become head yell-leader for the Thessalonian church.

In verse 3 we see that these believers are praised for their Christians virtues--faith, hope and love. In verses 4-8 he moves on and commends these Christians and lifts them up as examples in discipleship. Once again the emphasis is on the quality of their performance in being followers of Christ.

They were exemplary in three areas: [1] They were exemplary in their spiritual assurance; [2] They were exemplary in their spiritual appearance; and [3] They were exemplary in their spiritual accountability.

I. THE THESSALONIANS WERE EXAMPLES IN THEIR SPIRITUAL ASSURANCE

vv. 4-5 "Brothers loved by God, we know that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simple with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction."

the Thessalonian believers had received the gospel message of salvation by grace through Christ as preached by Paul

it was a gospel not just of slick words and tantalizing philosophies
it was a gospel that was backed by the power to change the lives of those who had received it

Acts 17:1-3 "When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath day he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. 'This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,' he said."

some Thessalonians had joyfully received the gospel message and joined together in forming a Christian community

the Thessalonian believers knew who they were and to whom they belonged

they had believed upon the name of Jesus
they had become a community of saints
they knew they were the children of God and they acted accordingly

Paul looked at their "works of faith," their "labor of love," and their "patience of hope" and concluded; "Yes, these people really have been called and chosen by God."

the quality of the Christian virtues of faith, hope and love were unmistakable signs of the new life apparent in them

A. VIRTUOUS CHRISTIAN LIVING LEADS TO SPIRITUAL ASSURANCE

Paul looked at the abundant evidence in these people's lives and knew beyond a shadow-of-a-doubt that they were true believers

accordingly he calls them "beloved brothers"
because of their mutual faith in the risen Lord they now have a kindred spirit with Paul

Paul seeks to assure them of their assurance in the Lord

". . . we know that he [God] has chosen you . . ."

the Thessalonian believers could have assurance of their eternal security
why?

because the gospel had come to them in power and in the Holy Spirit v. 5
like Paul, these believers could proclaim with confidence:

2 Tim. 1:12 ". . . I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."

a Christian's eternal security does not rest in our choice to follow Christ, but in God's decision to choose us in Christ

John 15:16 "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you."
I John 4:19 "We love him, because he first loved us."

Paul uses a wonderful phrase in I Thess. 1:4

it is "has chosen us"
it is one Greek word which takes three english words to translate

the word is verb tense we do not have in the English language

it means a transaction, which when completed, is irreversible and irrevocable

when Paul writes, "He has chosen us" it means God has chosen you once for all, & He will never let you down & never let you go!
brothers and sisters; that's security!

God wants each of His children to experience the assurance which comes from knowing our eternity is secure in Christ because God has chosen us in Christ

ILLUS. Too many Christians have the "Little Engine that Could" mentality when it comes to facing the "mountain of eternal security." They look at it and say, "I think I'm saved: I think I'm saved: I think I'm saved." God's goal for the believer's life is to boldly proclaim, "I know I'm saved: I know I'm saved: I know I'm saved."

the Christian does not have to worry about trying to "hang on" to God because God is hanging on to me and His grip is a lot more sure than mine
the Thessalonian believers were examples in spiritual assurance

are you?

II. THE THESSALONIANS WERE EXAMPLES IN THEIR SPIRITUAL APPEARANCE

now, what do I mean by their spiritual appearance
I mean, "Just what does a Christian look like anyway?"
Paul gives us a clue in verse 6

"You became imitators of us and of the Lord . . ."

A. CHRISTIANS BEGIN BY MIMICKING OTHER CHRISTIANS

that word "imitator" is the Greek word "mimetes" and is the root of our English word "mimic"
the Thessalonian believers, though their salvation was of Christ, became mimickers of the Apostle Paul's lifestyle

Paul's life presented the Thessalonian believers a consistent, spiritual pattern for them to model their lives after
Paul told the Corinthian believers much the same thing

1 Corinthians 11:1 /"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ."?

that's pretty heavy when you think about it

it leads me to wonder about the impact my "pattern" of Christian living has on others
it needs to make each of you wonder about the impact your life has one those who are watching you

every believer begins their Christian life by modeling themselves after the significant Christians they see around them

if they are dedicated, committed, loving, Christ-honoring Christians, then chances are good we will be also
this is what the Thessalonians found in Paul and it is what they became

but--and this is an important point--they eventually moved beyond that and as they discovered more about the Lord Jesus Christ who indwelt them through his Holy Spirit, they began to pattern their lives after the Son of God and not merely a Godly man

B. CHRISTIANS SHOULD BECOME IMITATORS OF CHRIST

Ephesians 5:1 "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;"

there comes a time in a Christian's life when we stop looking at others as our examples and begin looking at Christ

people--even good Christian people--will disappoint us
they will not always live up to our expectations

ask those who looked to Jimmy Swaggart as their spiritual example
ask those who looked to Sandy Patty as their pattern for Christian living (just recently filing for divorce)
ask those who looked to the Apostle Peter as their standard for Christ-like living

Christ will always live up to our expectations and is the perfect example for us to follow in action and thought

how do we know when we are mimicking Christ?

when you see the world through the eyes of Jesus--with love and compassion for those outside a relationship with the Savior you are mimicking Christ
when their is a burden in your heart for lost you are mimicking Christ
when you renew your mind and soul daily through prayer and Scripture reading you are mimicking our Lord
when you are filled with the Spirit and your emotions radiate love, joy and peace you are mimicking Jesus
when your will is daily surrendered to the Father's will you are imitating the Savior

the Thessalonians began be mimicking Paul and ended up by imitating Christ
they were examples in their spiritual appearance

III. THE THESSALONIANS WERE EXAMPLES IN THEIR SPIRITUAL ACCOUNTABILITY

v. 7 "And you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia . . . For from you sounded out the word of the Lord . . . in every place your faith toward God is spread abroad, so that we need not to speak anything."

the church at Thessalonica made themselves accountable for spreading the gospel message which they themselves had so recently received

A. THE THESSALONIANS "LEFT THEIR MARK" ON THEIR COMMUNITY

the word "example" in verse seven is the Greek word "typto" meaning to strike

it refers to the figure left behind by the mark of a blow

ILLUS. Several years ago I helped a member of our church put up a hay barn. Melvin Jones had a hammer with a peculiar cross-hatched pattern on its head. You could always tell where Melvin had been hammering because there was the distinctive mark of his hammer.

what's the point?

you and I are examples

we are to "leave our mark" on everything and everyone we come into contact with
our church must leave its mark upon this community

the mark we leave behind is the presence and proclamation of Jesus

the Thessalonians "left their mark" upon an entire region by "thundering forth" the gospel

that's what the word "sounded" (KJV) or "rang out" (NIV) literally means

their example in Christian virtuousness and discipleship was such an example that Paul says of them:

". . . your faith in God has become known everywhere . . ."

here is the dynamic power of personal influence by people filled with the Spirit and on fire for Jesus
in just a short period of time the news of the Spirit's movement in Thessalonica was spreading rapidly

travelers on the Roman highway that ran through town carried the news east and west
sailors who docked in this harbor city gossiped about it in ports throughout the Mediterranean

the Thessalonian believers had become examples in spiritual accountability

they felt indebted to carry the gospel of salvation in Christ to all who would listen

do we have the same sense of accountability in our lives?

Conclusion. The Thessalonian congregation is an example for our modern-day church. They were exemplary in their spiritual assurance, their spiritual appearance and their spiritual accountability.

Are you? Or is their room for improvement in any or all of these areas in your life? If so, you need to make a decision this morning. Others are watching you. Can you say with sincerity of heart, that if others patterned their life after yours that they would be a model Christian?

A Model Example for Modern Churches 2