"The Gospel & the Church"

“The Gospel & The Church”

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Introduction

The OUTLINE of 1 Thessalonians in the broadest GENERAL terms would be as follows:

Chapters 1-3 - A CELEBRATION of FAITHFULNESS!

Chapters 4-5 - A CHALLENGE to GROW!

Within those two broad divisions, there are THREE prayers that provide a framework of the general outline:

1. A Prayer of Thanksgiving - (1:2-5)

2. A Transitional Prayer for Endurance - (3:11-13)

3. A Final Prayer of Hope - (5:23-26)

John Stott writes,

For 1 Thessalonians opens a window on to a newly planted church in the middle of the first century AD. It tells us how it came into being, what the apostle taught it, what were its strengths and weaknesses, its theological and moral problems, and how it was spreading the gospel.

What is of particular interest, because it applies to Christian communities in every age and place, is the interaction which the apostle portrays between the church and the gospel. He shows how the gospel creates the church and the church spreads the gospel, and how the gospel shapes the church, as the church seeks to live a life that is worthy of the gospel.

I’d like us to travel down the road with Dr. Stott for a few weeks and consider the relationship between, “The Gospel of God & The Church of God!”

We begin with...

I. The Church of God – (1:1b-4)

You might expect a months-old congregation of newly converted Jews and pagans to be struggling!

As Stott describes: “Their convictions have been newly acquired. Their Christian moral standards have been recently adopted. And they are being sorely tested by persecution.”

Instead, Timothy discovers a vibrant, growing congregation! – (3:2, 6)

Q: How is this possible?

A: This was God’s Church!

Paul describes it in four ways:

1. The Church is a Community Which LIVES “...in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” - (1:1b)

There were in Thessalonica all sorts of ekklēsiai(assemblies), both secular and religious.

This was an assembly/an ekklēsiai “…in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ...”

I believe this is an important truth to remember: The Church—this Church, belongs to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

You can join all sorts of organizations covering all sorts of causes or activities!

Of all the things we could do, I believe the church should only do what only the church can do—to be a community of faith that lives “...in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!”

2. The Church is a Community Which is MARKED by “Grace and Peace” - (1:1c)

I realize I’m pushing it a bit. “Grace to you and peace,”was a common greeting, both among Christians and others.

“Grace” being the Christianized version of the Greek greeting, “Chairein” (‘Rejoice!’ or ‘Hail!’), along with the Jewish greeting shalom(‘Peace!’).

However, we are marked by grace and peace, because we have RECEIVED grace and peace!

Stott – Still today we can desire for the church no greater blessings than grace and peace. God’s ‘peace’ is not just the absence of conflict, but the fullness of health and harmony through reconciliation with him and with each other. ‘The entire gospel is involved in this word’, writes Ernest Best. And God’s ‘grace’ is his free, undeserved favour through Christ which confers this peace and sustains it.

Consider GRACE for a few moments.

(Ephesians 2:8–9) – “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that one can boast.”

MERCY is NOT receiving what I deserve; GRACE is receiving what I do not deserve!

God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense!

(Romans 5:20–21) – “The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

If grace reigns “…through righteousness leading to eternal life,” shouldn’t grace also reign in the everyday life of a local church?

Because we have EXPERIENCED the grace of God, we should also be a people marked by grace! Grace should flow from our lives!

How is that possible?

Like everything else in the Christian experience, it comes from God!

(John 4:10–15)

When you drink from the waters of grace, you become a spring of water—a source of grace to others as well!

We are also marked by PEACE!

Just like grace, we become instruments of peace when we experiencethe peace of God!

Before Christ, we did not experience peace. In fact, Paul describes the unbeliever with these words:

(Romans 3:15–18) – “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

AFTER Christ, we have a new standing:

(Romans 5:1) – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(Romans 8:6) – “Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace.”

Notice a change, not just in our standing, but in the intention or direction of our lives:

(Romans 12:18) – “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

(Romans 14:19) – “So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.”

(Romans 15:13) – “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with the hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

(2 Corinthians 13:11) – “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice. Become mature, be encouraged, be of the same mind, be at peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

(Galatians 5:22) – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

(Ephesians 4:1–3) – “I […]urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

(Ephesians 6:15) – “and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.”

(Philippians 4:7) – “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

(Colossians 3:15) – “And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule in your hearts. And be thankful.”

(2 Thessalonians 3:16) – “May the Lord of peacehimself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”

(2 Timothy 2:22) – “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

(Hebrews 12:14) – “Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord.”

(James 3:18) – “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.”

(1 Peter 3:10–12) – “For ‘Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’”

(2 Peter 3:14) – “Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”

And perhaps the most important as it relates to our study this morning:

(Matthew 5:9) – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

Peace marks you as a child of God!

CONCLUSION: Are you marked by the graceand peace of God?

I want to close this message with something we said at the beginning: “The Church is to be a community of grace and peace!”

More than just a simple GREETING, the very heart of our life together in Jesus Christ is that we are marked with GRACE and PEACE—with God, with ourselves, and with others!

· If you do not have peace, there’s a good chance you have not experienced grace. And the place of grace and peace is God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

NEXT WEEK, we will continue looking at the characteristics of the Church, which will also serve as a bridge to our consideration (and understanding) of the Gospel!