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1 Thessalonians 1:6-8 Their Example of Joy
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.
“And you became imitators of us and the Lord”
A long time ago, I was listening to another pastor, who if I remember correctly, shared the name of our pastor.
He was the pastor of Oakland Baptist Church, the church at which my parents are still members.
The last sermon, if I remember correctly, or at least his favorite sermon was what he called his “tater” sermon.
In this sermon, he listed the different members of this “tater” family.
You had dic, you know, dictator.
You had ol’ spec, you could imagine, spectator.
Rotator, irratator, and on and on the list goes.
Well, we got one of the family members here, and he is the imitator.
Paul characterizes the Thessalonian believers as being imitators of the apostles and the Lord Jesus himself.
Now remember something of our context here.
Think about the ridiculousness of the Gospel message for a moment.
Paul is going around to pagan, Greek cities preaching a Jewish Messiah who was born under questionable circumstances, supposedly lived without any sin, was killed as a criminal alongside of two other criminals.
You know, anti-Christian graffiti was discovered carved on an ancient Roman building during the very early period of Christianity.
It pictured a man bowing down to a crucified donkey with the inscription “Alexamenos worships his God.”
The Christian message was utterly ridiculous to the original pagan audience.
But the fact that certain Thessalonians accepted the message was an obvious work of the Holy Spirit.
“for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit”
The work of the Holy Spirit is evident all throughout this time period.
Anytime someone accepts the gospel message it is a miracle wrought by the Holy Spirit.
The people are living in a backwards city where the prevailing pressure around them to submit to the dominate power of Rome in order to earn blessing.
This “great tribulation” I believe is experienced in every generation.
The pressure to conform to something other than Christ out there in the world that has dominate power.
For these early Christians living in the free city of Thessalonica it would be to conform to Rome and worship the emperor.
It was this dominate power, after all that gave them their free status; and it was this power, that could swoop in and take it away.
(As they will soon sweep into Jerusalem and take everything away, including the temple).
Tribulation occurs in every age.
In our generation past, the enlightenment, and modern man had a certain arrogance about them that they could leave “those primitive religious notions.”
Now, post-modern man perhaps has in some sense last that dogmatic arrogance that they know all things; however, they still scoff at anyone who claims to have arrived at truth.
Hence, if you claim that Jesus is the only way, you’re merely a narrow-minded bigot.
Furthermore, not only do we face philosophical tribulation, we also face a new moral tribulation.
You see, for years now the majority moral opinion in our nation largely coincided with biblical ethics.
In other words, what most America people said was right and wrong agreed generally, with what the Bible said was right and wrong.
But no longer.
You’re forced, almost in Orwellian ways, to say that homosexuality is okay, transgender philosophy is fine.
And if you don’t?
Then you run the risk of being “cancelled” your platform of influence will be pulled like a rug from under your feet.
You could even perhaps lose your job over these things!
The moral revolution is clear: bow down to the image or be thrown into the fiery furnace.
Not only do we face moral tribulation, we face spiritual tribulation.
You see, all of these things in our human society is ultimately demonic in origins.
Satan works tirelessly against the work of the Church.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood” as you know.
So what is the Thessalonian believer’s response in the midst of all their original tribulation?
Joy, joy that could only come from the Holy Spirit; supernatural joy.
This is not just a mind numbing joy; nor is it a manipulative joy.
Rather it is a joy that reminds us this world is not our home, we look to another.
Here is what John Flavel says of this joy:
“Rejoice. . . in thy present mercy, and long ardently to be with thine own Christ in his glroy.
There be many things disperesed through this treatise of Christ to animate such joy and excite such longings.
It was truly observed by a worthy author, . . .
‘That it is in a manner as natural for us to leap when we see the new Jerusalem, as it is to laugh when we are tickled: Joy is not under the soul’s command when Christ kisseth it.
And for your desires to be with Christ, what consideration can you find in this world strong enough to rein them in?”
And indeed, if you cannot “rein in your joy” for Christ wrought in you by the Holy Spirit then you will have not choice but to tell the world!
Notice what this joy in the midst of tribulation has done in verse 7:
“So that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia”
This joy amidst tribulation has produced a testimony; an example to the people not only in their own city but also to people in their region and the neighboring region!
What if that could be said about us?
What if that could be said about Sandy Valley?
That church has such a joy in this hostile culture, a joy produced by the Holy Spirit.
What if we became an example not only in Houston County, but also in Bibb county.
What if our example spread to another state?
Churches adapted to the culture by use of the stage.
You see, each church has a “select few” Christians they parade in front of everyone.
I say this because I suppose when you hear me say “we could be an example” you might suppose via my preaching, or through our worship in song.
You hear how other people talk about their churches right?
Oh, I love my pastor, he’s so nice, and his preaching is good.
Or, “Our worship is amazing!”
When they’re just talking about the singing.
Should we have biblical preaching?
Yes! Should our worship in song glorify the Lord?
Of course!
But this vision is too small.
You see, our local gathering is not just marked by me here on the stage, or Dallas at the piano, or Diana at the microphone.
Our church is all of us.
You teaching the Sunday school classes, volunteering in the library, the nursery, the sound and media team, the WMU, our support of outreach ministry, you sitting right there in the pew!
This is Sandy Valley, this is who we are.
Is our example, all of us together, because we are in this together.
I’ve covenented with you as a local body.
If your membership is at Sandy Valley, you are apart of this particular and peculiar body that God called out.
Is our example marked by this same type of joy?
When the culture around us, the demonic world around us pressures us in this great tribulation we face, do we look to the beyond to the infinite beauties of Christ and have joy?
The plot thickens: their testimony is further recognized:
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.
The word of the Lord, of which Jesus himself is the author, has “sounded forth.”
This word is like the sound of a trumpet blast.
Something clear and piercing that can be heard for miles.
The testimony of this group of believers is such that has gone forth everywhere, to the extent that the apostle himself doesn’t have to say anything.
He doesn’t have to boast in this group to other believers, because these other believers have already heard of their testimony.
Think about churches that have gained national or international notoriety.
I think of Hillsong church in Australia.
What are they known for?
Their music, which I don’t recommend anymore since they joined the New Apostolic Reformation.
I think about Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas.
It has gained notoriety far and wide for its false teaching: name it and claim it, or blab it and grab it theology.
It is a syncretization of New Thought movement and Christianity and now has nation-wide attention as its pastor gets hosted on the Oprah Winfrey show (at least, used to, I don’t really keep up with it anymore).
I also think about some more orthodox churches like Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA.
This church has notoriety because of its biblical preaching done with power.
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