1 Thess 1

Big Idea:

Being thankful because Jesus is Lord of our (the church) lives.

Intro:

Good morning! Welcome to Church Online!

Today is an exciting day. We are moving onto - if you will - Phase 3 in our year-long series focused on “Growing in Christ.” This year we’ve been using Legos as a theme to help us grow.

We started with Duplos - the building block of Legos. In that phase, we discussed the foundation of our faith, which is God Himself. We learned about the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Next, we moved onto the Gifts the Spirit. The abilities God gives us when we put our faith in Christ. Gifts that help us grow the church. It would be similar to opening a Lego set and seeing what pieces we have to build with.

Today, we are starting a phase 3, which is a series titled, “Reading the Instructions.” When you open a Lego set, most open the instructions to see how to build with the pieces they’re given.

That’s what we’re doing. It’s a series that’s discussing what the church is supposed to look like - to show us what we’re building. And our instructions is God’s word - the Bible, specifically 1 & 2 Thessalonians. We’re going to go verse-by-verse through these letters over the next two months.

And I’m excited because I think this church has a lot of similarities to ours:

When Paul wrote to them, they were a new, healthy, and growing church - so are we!

One reason Paul wrote to them was because his time with them got cut short. He was forced to leave their city before he was ready. So, he writes to teach them how to continue growing in Christ. That obviously helps us too (as a new church looking for instructions on how to grow).

Finally, this new church faced some difficult circumstances early on. They had to grow in the midst of trials. Obviously, as a new church during COVID - we can relate!

So, I think this is going to be an awesome series for us! I believe God is going to piece things together in our church and we’ll start seeing something beautiful develop.

And River Kids - You are going to be receiving getting mail from us that’s just for you, as part of this new series! Parents help your kids keep an eye out for something special that will help them grow in Christ!

Alright, let’s jump into it.

If you have your Bible or app open, turn to 1 Thess 1:1...

1 Thessalonians 1:1–3 ESV

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we begin “reading the instructions” on what the church is supposed to look like, I believe we see something extremely important. A healthy and growing church is a thankful church!

And in chapter 1, Paul gives 3 reasons on why a healthy church should be thankful… the first is...

Exegesis:

1) We’re moving toward Jesus (vv. 2-3).

When Paul thought about this new and growing church, he was thankful. I love how it says he gives “thanks to God ALWAYS for ALL of you.” Some Bible scholars believe Paul may had the names of each church member down on a list. And as he read their name, he would pray for them, and thank God for them. Constantly. ALL OF THEM!

I emphasize “all” because the sense of the passage highlights this. He was thankful for EVERY SINGLE PERSON in the church. Not just the worship leaders. Not just those who memorized Scriptures. Not just those who gave money. EVERY SINGLE PERSON.

No matter how fast or slow they were growing in their faith, he gave thanks to God. He remembered his brief time in this city. He’d remember the time when Caleb acted in faith. He thought about when Lily gave out of the love in her heart. He remembered when Shane stayed confident in his hope in God, even though he was going through some really hard times… And he gave thanks.

Why?

Because all of it was MOVEMENT toward Jesus. And anytime that happens, it’s a miracle! It’s amazing. It’s worth celebrating! And in a broken world like ours, we need some things to be thankful about, amen?

Here at The River Church we take seriously the Great Commission - Jesus’ mission to the church. He said...

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

An important word in this Commission is disciple. A disciple is someone who is following Jesus. And in a new, healthy, and growing church, we should be making disciples (discipleship). And one of my favorite statement about discipleship is:

Discipleship is not a destination. Discipleship is a direction.

Discipleship is the lifelong process of following Jesus and becoming more like Him. No Christian ever arrives at discipleship. It’s not completing classes. It’s not putting in enough years (25 yrs of Christianity). Or having a lot of good works under your belt. Discipleship is a direction. It’s movement toward Jesus.

And here’s my challenge and encouragement to our church. If we are to be the church God is calling us to be, we need to always move toward Jesus. Sometimes it’ll be a baby-step. Other times we’ll be running. There’s a lot of factors that impact our pace. Whatever our current pace - as a new and growing church - let’s wake up each morning, turn our face towards Jesus, and say, “I’m going that way!!!”

When that’s happening, we can be thankful! And we’ll be growing in faith. Verse 4...

1 Thessalonians 1:4–6 ESV

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. 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,

Second reason we should be thankful is...

2) We’re found in Jesus (vv. 4-6).

As you’re waking up in the morning and intentionally turning towards Jesus, do so knowing you’re ridiculously loved by God! In fact, wake up saying this, “I am loved by God. I am chosen by God.”

In Christianity, we call this our “identity in Christ.” It’s who we are now that we put our faith in Jesus. Before, we were sinners and enemies of God. That was our identity. Paul described it this way...

Ephesians 2:1–3 NLT

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

But all that changed the moment we trusted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Not just because the we recieved forgiveness for our sins. But because God exchanged our old heart of stone for a new heart of flesh, capable of responding and loving God. We became a new person!

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

That’s our identity now! We are loved. We are chosen! Yes, we still sin and are broken, but that’s not our identity. It is just descriptive of our present condition. The greater heavenly reality - the way God sees us - is we are FOUND in Jesus. And because of that - we can be thankful!

Healthy and growing church are all about being found in Jesus!

Paul tells the Thessalonians - This is who you are! And I thank God for it. You should be too! And then he helps them remember this by pointing to their experience - their encounter - they had with God and the gospel, when he first came to their city. It changed everything in their life! Look at verse 6...

1 Thessalonians 1:6 ESV

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,

Many of you know I grew up in San Diego. The weather there is always the same - 70 and sunny. So during the summer, we swam all the time. Now - River Kids and River Youth - I am NOT recommending this. I’m just sharing stories!!!

But back in the day, we used to do a thing called “Body Glove.” There used to be a company called Body Glove who had a logo with the outline of a hand and a circle around it. And this logo was typically placed on the back of the t-shirt.

And during the summer, as us guys were swimming, we’d walk up to a friend and yell, “Body Glove!” And then we’d smack the back of our friend with an open hand like the Body Glove logo. [And do this manly motion] And because there’d be no shirt on and usually the friend had gotten out of the pool, the combination allowed a gnarly outline of a hand on their back. An exact copy of the smacking hand! The impact left an imprint on the person.

That’s the process Paul is describing here. He’s reminding them of the impact Jesus had on their life. It was so powerful that it changed their life. They were now shaped in the likeness of the force that impacted them - that force being Jesus Christ!

And look how powerful this force is… he says, “You were so changed by Jesus that you followed Him even though it caused you to suffer. And that suffering didn’t cause you to turn away, but actually brought you joy!”

That’s radical! But that’s what happens when a church is growing in a healthy way. No earthly thing, person, or circumstance can take away your joy or distract you from your mission. Because you’re radically changed! Your identity is now found in Jesus!

And speaking of mission, look at the final verses of chapter 1...

1 Thessalonians 1:7–10 ESV

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. 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.

The third reason to be thankful is...

3) We’re infectious about Jesus (vv. 7-10).

I know the phrase “infectious” is not a word we like right now, but it does a good job describing what God was doing in this new and growing church.

It was so powerful that everyone was talking about it. But not just in Thessalonica, but in Macedonia and Achaia. That’d be like saying, “Not just in Glastonbury, but in Connecticut and New England.”

And here’s what’s crazy, Paul’s likely not referring to this church sending out missionaries to preach the gospel in Macedonia and Achaia. No. The people who are talking are unbelievers - non-Christians!

Thessalonica was a popular city. Lots of people passed through this city. And what was likely happening was travelers would come to the city, see what God was doing, and travel to other places in Macedonia and Achaia, and say, “Yo… did you hear what’s going on in Thessalonica? They all started following this Jesus-guy. They threw away all of their idols and starting serving God. Some of them are suffering because of their decision. But they still follow Jesus with joy! It’s crazy! It’s like they are completely different people!”

And when Paul got to those cities and preached, they’d say, “Oh! We heard about this Jesus you’re talking about! So and so just came back from Thessalonica and told us about what’s going on there!”

And that’s what happens supposed to happen when we’re doing this church stuff right. It’s infectious. It’s supposed to spread! The news about Jesus spreads faster than any virus! And it doesn’t just spread by direct contact, but if you will, it spreads thru asymptomatic carriers!

As I’ve briefly mentioned, this church was suffering. People were persecuting them for their new faith in Jesus. Which limited their ability to go places. In a sense, they had to stay home and worship Jesus in private settings - sound familiar? But as Paul once told Timothy… “The word of God is not chained...” (2 Tim 2:9).

When we allow Jesus to become the center of our lives, it not only changes us, it changes those around us. The good news and the joy of the Lord begins to spread, being carried by people who aren’t even Christians! How awesome is that? And when that is happening, we can be thankful! Because it means God is doing big things!

Church Family - let me just encourage you - God is doing a work like that in Glastonbury. We may be forced to stay home, but the news about what Jesus is doing is not quarantined! God is still changing our lives. God is still changing our families. God is still changing our community. You cannot contain the gospel.

Here in Glastonbury, we are seeing families moving toward Jesus; families being found in Jesus; AND... non-church people are starting to talk about what Jesus is doing in Glastonbury! Let’s thank God because the moment this happens, it means God is also beginning a work in these people’s hearts too. And when God begins a good work, He will finish it!

Response:

As we close, know that a healthy and growing church is a thankful church. It is thankful because...

We are moving towards Jesus.

We are found in Jesus.

And, we are infectious about Jesus.

These are small signs and evidence that God is still doing miraculous works in our day. Things worthy of joy and thanksgiving! So, let’s keeping growing in these three things!

Wake up each morning, turn your eyes toward Jesus, and say, “I’m going that way!”

Remind yourself of your identity in Christ. Tell yourself, “I am chosen by God. I am loved by God.” It sounds cheesy but it’s so important!

The other day I was running with Shannon. I believe she has the gift of encouragement. God has gifted her the ability to encourage people to do things they may not believe they can do. But the other day, she was encouraging herself on a run, “I can do this. I can finish without stopping or walking.”

We got to do the same thing in this Christian-life. We have to encourage ourselves to remember who we are in Jesus. We are chosen. We are loved!

Finally, let’s be infectious about Jesus. Keep your mask on for COVID, but spread Jesus everywhere!

Let your light shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven! I want people to say, “Did you hear what God is doing in Glastonbury? They are completely different people now! They are joyful even during COVID!”

Maybe it’s as simple as wearing your TRC shirt to the grocery store. They can’t see your smile, but they can see your shirt!

Or sharing Church Online on your Facebook page! Or, like April Mullin, using YouVersion to make verse images to share with others! Let social media “sound forth” your faith in God everywhere!

However you can, share Jesus by talking about how He has impacted your life. When you do, others will carry the news for you, even if you’re stuck at home.

And above all, be thankful! God is doing a new thing - a great thing - in our church!

Let’s pray...

Father, we thank you for all you’re doing in our lives. By your grace, you are moving us towards Jesus. You are changing us to be more like Jesus. And You’re spreading the good news about Jesus through our lives! Thank you for that. And help us to continue to grow by faith, so we can be the church You’re calling us to be.

And Father, we also pray for those who may be hearing this gospel for the first time. Or maybe they’ve been to church many times, but never understood the gospel until today. Lord, we pray for the good work you’ve begun in their heart. We pray they would be found in Jesus - they’d turn from their sin and toward Jesus - understanding they are chosen and deeply loved, as they trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

And we ask all these things in Jesus name, amen.

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