Church planting churches live by the gospel.

Series Big Idea: A vision for church planting

Sermon Big Idea: Church planting churches live by the gospel.

Intro:

Paul the church planterWriting to his beloved Thessalonicans.

¶ We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,

remembering before our God and Father your work

Church planted on his second church planting journey.Encouraging the persecuted, fearful, and confused churchHis first task is to encourage them remembering who they have been by the power of God working through the gospel. He does this throughout the first two chapters, but we will just focus on the first chapter. Chiasm not a chasm though you may feel you have fallen into a chasm.

A1 Work of faith

B1 Labor of love

C1 Steadfastness of hope

D1 The gospel came

in word

in power

in the Holy Spirit

with full conviction

E1 The kind of men we proved to be

Z You became imitators

of us

of the Lord

E2 You became an example

D2 The word has sounded forth and you faith has gone everywhere

A2 Turned [in faith] to from idols

B2 Served [in love] the living and true God

C2 Wait [with hope] for his Son from heaven

I. Church planting churches receive the gospel.

What do they receive? The gospel.

What is the gospel?

and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Jesus raised from the deadTo deliver us from the wrath to comeWhen he returns for usBut the gospel is not merely received in word, but is a power for transformation that the elect experience.

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,

because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

In powerIn the Holy SpiritWith full convictionTransition: With full conviction, the gospel is believed.

II. Church planting churches believe the gospel.

As the Thessalonicans received the gospel with full conviction, they believed.

remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

FaithWork of trust that we will see more clearly in a few minutes means that because of what they believed to be true about what Jesus had done and would do, they lived differently. If, last week, you did not wash your hands, in part because you did not think that you could contract the coronavirus, but then this week you truly believed that you might contract and die from the coronavirus, your belief would likely include washing your hands. Why? Because you have beLoveEverybody loves.The gospel creates not merely a self-less love, but a love that thinks less of self. A love more and more oriented on the other, and chiefly on God himself.HopeWe all hope, or at least want to hope.But all our big hopes, the ones we set our life on, must be able to meet the suffering and death trials. Do our hopes still makes sense in suffering, do they still make sense in death?Paul’s evidence of encouragement to the Thessalonians at the beginning of his letter is that their hope has already made sense in suffering, and his later argument is that their hope does make sense in death.Transition: The gospel truly believed is experienced in the real stuff of everyday life.

III. Church planting churches experience the gospel.

The faith, love, and hope of the gospel believed is experienced as joy in affiliation.

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,

Transition: The sort of good news that can produce real joy in affliction is like a good wine that is made better when it’s shared.Come and see, see and believeA new single track through the woods.A relatable meme

IV. Church planting churches exhibit the gospel.

Th. 1:9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Turned to God from idolsRepentance is visibleRepentance that is visible is an active confession to others of our moral deficiency and our spiritual dependance on God’s forgiveness and powerServe the Living and true GodThe reoriented love of verse 3 revealed it self in reoriented serviceWait for his Son from heavenThe new hope of verse 3is set upon the return of Jesus

V. Church planting churches proclaim the gospel.

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,

so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.

Imitators of joy in affliction.

you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,

Examples of the word sounding forth

you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you . . . but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere . . .