Christ's Labor of Love
An Exposition of 1 Thessalonians • Sermon • Submitted
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Please turn in your Bible to 1 Thessalonians 1:1-4. As you do so, I will remind you that a while ago I offered a challenge for you to begin memorizing 1 Thessalonians with me. I’m not going to embarrass anyone by asking if you are. But while you are turning there I thought I would attempt to recite chapter 1 for you. Since I am memorizing this in the English Standard Version, I will be using that translation for this series. I’ve put the text up on the screen so you can help me when I falter.
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.
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,
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.
I don’t recite this so that you can give me accolades. I do it by way of trying to motivate you to memorize it as well. If I can, so can you!
Since we have been going through the first two missionary journeys of Paul found in the book of Acts, you should be familiar with the founding of this special church. Paul, Silas, and Timothy traveled 100 miles from Philippi to begin their ministry in Thessalonica. Paul spent three weeks reasoning in the synagogue, and perhaps as much as 6 months ministering to the Gentiles, meeting in the home of a man named Jason.
With the Jews Paul explained the Scriptures from the perspective of the coming of Christ. He proved to them that the Scriptures taught that the Christ had to die and rise from the dead. And he proclaimed to them that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah — that He died on the cross of suffering, and that He rose triumphantly from the dead.
Some of the Jews were persuaded by Paul’s message and embraced Jesus as their Messiah. Along with them some of the devout Greeks and leading women were also persuaded. But eventually the Jews became jealous that folks were leaving the synagogue in favor of the newfound thing called the church. And they raised such a ruckus that the missionaries had to leave the city.
From Thessalonica the missionaries traveled to Berea. And when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul and company were sharing the gospel there, they traveled to Berea and started a ruckus there as well. Though Silas and Timothy remained behind in Berea, Paul was sent out the region of Macedonia, and ended up in the region of Achaia.
Though the Book of Acts doesn’t mention this, apparently Silas and Timothy eventually joined Paul in Athens. But then Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica and Silas to Philippi to bring back reports about the welfare of these newly founded churches. Paul, still by himself, moved on to Corinth. Eventually Silas and Timothy caught up with him in there. After hearing the report from Thessalonica, Paul wrote the first of his two epistles. The second epistle followed a few months later, while Paul was still in Corinth.
We will delve into the various themes in this letter as they come up in our exposition. But first I wanted to give you an idea of how I came to the decision to preach through this book.
As we drawing near the end of our study of the Gospel of Matthew, I was prayerfully considering where to go next. Though I considered studying an Old Testament text, I was drawn to studying one of the epistles. But which one? There are sixteen of them after all (If I counted correctly). We’ve already studied Jude, Philippians, 1 Peter, and Galatians. So I had narrowed it down to 2 Peter, 1 John, or 1 Thessalonians.
Anyway, I have been using the Spurgeon Study Bible for my devotions this year. (By the way, it is an excellent devotional resource! I highly recommend that you get yourself a copy of it.) And during my devotions one day I was reading Spurgeon’s comment on Isaiah 40:3
A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Spurgeon wrote:
“This voice was John the Baptist’s who came to proclaim the coming Savior. That was the best comfort God’s people could have — the coming of the Lord. So it is now. The joy of the church is the coming of the Lord, and to each one of us the greatest source of joy is the drawing near to us of our Lord.”
I began thinking about that statement. The coming of the Lord is in two stages. In the past He came to be our sin bearer, and that is what we looked at in the Gospel of Matthew. But in the future He is coming again to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords! And since that is one of the major themes of the epistles to the Thessalonians, I determined that we should study these epistles.
Now with that lengthy introduction behind us, let’s begin our exposition.
As believers in Jesus Christ we should be grateful for Christ’s labor of love; we should express our gratitude for the costly purchase of the church by Jesus Christ, for the past, present, and future work of Christ in our lives, and for God’s choosing us to be the objects of His love.
Let’s begin by considering
The Costly Purchase
of the church by Jesus Christ. Look again at verse 1.
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
Let’s consider the following:
The authors
The recipients
The term, church — ekklesia — literally means “called out ones”
The church is called out to be God’s own precious possession
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
The church is called out to be separate from the world
Let’s consider the high cost of our redemption
In his farewell speech to the elders of the Ephesian church Paul warned them about Satan’s future attacks on the church. In doing he stated:
Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
The Costly Purchase
The Work of Christ in Our Lives
Look with me at verses 2-3.
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.
Constancy in Prayer
Constancy in Prayer
Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer that calls me from a world of care, and bids me at my Father’s throne make all my wants and wishes known: in seasons of distress and grief my soul has often found relief and oft escaped the tempter’s snare by thy return, sweet hour of prayer.
At the end of this letter Paul exhorted the believers in Thessalonica to:
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
And that’s exactly what Paul and company were doing as well.
Productive Faith
Productive Faith
Spurgeon wrote:
“Faith performing her work with energy is healthy and alive.”
Motivated Labor
Motivated Labor
Spurgeon again wrote:
“Their love did not consist in words or in a kind disposition. But it worked with a will.”
Enduring Hope
Enduring Hope
Once again Spurgeon said:
“As for hope — that bright-eyed grace which looks within the veil and realizes things not seen yet — it was peculiarly their endowment. This allowed them to bear with patience their suffering for Christ...”
One commentator has noted that this Pauline triad (faith, hope, and love) relates to the past, present, and future aspects of our salvation.
Work of faith relates to the past aspect of salvation in which we were justified before God due to the work of Christ on our behalf.
Labor of love relates to the present aspect of our salvation in which were are being sanctified.
Steadfastness of hope relates to the future aspect of salvation in which the believer will be glorified.
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
The Costly Purchase
The Work of Christ in Our Lives
The Choice of God
Look at verse 4.
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,
The elective purpose of God was that these believers in Thessalonica would hear the message of the gospel of God
That they would receive the message
as being from God and not man
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
Furthermore, the elective purpose of God was that they would repent of their idolatry and serve the One and only True God
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,
The elective purpose of God is that these believers in Thessalonica be conformed to the image of Christ
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
This is the same elective purpose which God has for us and for all believers of all times
This morning we have been looking at Christ’s labor of love. We have looked at the great price which He paid to secure our pardon, and purchase us as His own special possession. We have looked at the work of Christ in our lives, producing a faith which works, a love which labors, and a hope which endures. And we have looked at the elective purpose of God for the believer.
My hope for the believer is, first of all, that you will find encouragement and comfort in both Christ’s work and God’s purpose for your lives. Secondly, I hope that these truths will stimulate you on to persevere in your work of faith, and labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
For those who have never embraced Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, my hope is that this would be the day in which God grants you repentance that leads to eternal life. That you would turn from whatever form of idolatry you are now serving, and to serving the living and true God.
Let’s pray.
Closing Song: #660
I Will Serve Thee