BEING AN EXAMPLE
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6 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, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 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. 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, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
I. IMITATING THE FAITH OF OTHERS
A. 1 Thessalonians 1:5–6 (ESV) — 5 … You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 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…
5 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. 6 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,
B. After Paul has told the church in Thessalonian how they know they are beloved by God, that is, chosen by Him, he then continues by reminding them about how he, Silas, and Timothy had behaved in their midst.
C. It was the loving character of this team of men that made a genuine imprint on the hearts of the Thessalonian church.
D. While our message, the gospel or good news of Jesus Christ, is most important, our character as messengers will either hinder or help when it comes to how others perceive the message.
E. (Ravi Zacharias – spoke the truth, but has become a stumbling block now)
F. This reference to ‘what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake’ leads to an important concept for the church.
G. The Thessalonians became imitators of Paul, Silas, Timothy and the Lord.
H. In what way?
I. “…for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit…”
J. They were not imitating their hair styles or fashion sense.
K. It was their mannerisms or voice inflections when presenting the gospel.
L. It was their faith in holding to the message in times of affliction, but not just holding to the message, but doing so with the joy of the Holy Spirit.
M. The Thessalonians, in the middle of a pagan environment, without any veteran church leadership, had in the power of the Holy Spirit become imitators of the apostle, his co-laborers, and—most important—Christ…The Thessalonian believers’ lifestyles started becoming far different from the sordid, idolatrous paganism of their past and from the legalistic self-righteousness of the Jews in their city. They had become imitators of Jesus Christ. [1]
N. We are called to imitate the faith others hold in the Lord and what it produces in their lives.
O. Hebrews 6:12 (ESV) — 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
P. Hebrews 13:7 (ESV) — 7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
Q. We are to imitate the doing of good.
R. 3 John 11 (ESV) — 11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.
11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.
S. We are to imitate God.
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
II. BEING AN EXAMPLE
A. 1 Thessalonians 1:6–7 (ESV) — 6 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, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
6 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, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
B. As I said earlier, the text is stating the area of imitation was in how they received the word in affliction and yet the joy of the Holy Spirit filled their lives.
C. Acts 17:1–9 (ESV) — 1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
D. Some of the Christians were brought before the city authorities and were persecuted. Yes, they imitated Paul as Paul imitated Jesus. But this imitation was an imitation of picking up their crosses and following Paul as Paul followed Jesus. This is what Paul is talking about. He is not talking about principles. He is talking about a way of life. As mentioned previously, baptism is an example of this new identity, this new life, and it is also an example of this call to suffering. When you see a baptism, you are witnessing the death of someone to the old world in order that they might be resurrected to a new life and follow Jesus. In baptism you die to your wants and desires and wishes, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.[2]
E. Seeing afflicted Christians hold fast to Jesus with joy makes a real impact on the lives of others.
F. It becomes an example.
G. The Thessalonians were impacted by Paul and his team and the Lord Jesus so that they joyfully suffered affliction because of the word that came in power, and the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction (1:5).
H. This in turn provided an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
I. The church needs examples today. We need to imitate those who faith and patience inherit the promises. The life of Christ, which is lived by faith in him, needs to be seen.
J. Would we be examples? Let’s follow the example of those who live by faith in the Lord.
[1] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2002). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (pp. 23–24). Chicago: Moody Press.
[2] Grant, J. H., Jr. (2011). 1 & 2 Thessalonians: The Hope of Salvation. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (p. 49). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.