Paul's Epistles -
Part 1 – Introduction
Pastor Bruce A.
Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
INTRODUCTION
We began looking at the basics of
Christianity and the foundation of the church. How it was constructed, how it
is to operate, and the instructions we as followers of Christ are given.
We looked at the Book of Acts, which shows
the ups and downs of the Apostles and the early church. Many of the issues they
had then, we still deal with today. So it is good for us to read these books
and keep an eye on ourselves.
After Acts, we looked at the first few
chapters of Revelation to read what the letters Jesus sent to the churches
consisted of. We learned where the church were doing good, where they were
messing up, and in all cases, how they were “supposed” to be.
We took those letters, compiled them and
read them as if it were Christ’s instructions to us, as individuals, and as a
church.
From the letter’s of Christ, we turned
then to Paul’s letters, or epistles.
First looking at the Book of Romans, then
to I and II Corinthians, from there to Galatians, and now we are looking at his
letter to the Thessalonians.
This letter is believed to be Paul’s first
letter.
He begins with salutations and
thanksgiving, then continues in the first chapter with praise for the churches
hard work, and results.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE I Thessalonians 1
Paul, Silas and Timothy,
To the church of the
Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you.
2 We always thank God for all
of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember
before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted
by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus
Christ.
4 For we know, brothers and
sisters (adelphoi
in Greek, meaning believers) loved by God, that he has
chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with
words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how
we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of
us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe
suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so
you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and
Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in
Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore
we do not need to say anything about it,9 for they themselves report what
kind of reception you gave us. They tell 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 rescues us from
the coming wrath.
I.
WE THANK GOD FOR
YOU CONTINUALLY
a.
Work produced by faith
i. The “works” spoken
of here are produced BY Faith
1.
They are not done to OBTAIN Faith!
ii. Works
cannot save, but the saved will have works!
1.
James 1:14 “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if
someone claims to have faith but has no works? Can such faith save them?”
2.
James 1:17 “…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by
action, is dead.”
iii. The
Thessalonians had proper works that were produced BY their Faith!
b.
Labor prompted by love
i. Luke 10:25-28 “25 On one occasion
an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I
do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do
you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’;
and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do
this and you will live.”
1.
Love is an action we do (I
Corinthians 13)
2.
Not based on feelings or emotions, but
works prompted by love for others, and the Thessalonians had that
c.
Endurance inspired by hope in the Lord Jesus Christ
i. Last week at the
end of Galatians, we read Paul encouraging the Galatians to not give up, to
endure, and not grow tired of doing good to the end, and if they did so, they
would receive their reward.
ii. What inspired us to endure to the end?
1.
Our hope that when we continue to live the
way we are instructed to, we will receive what the Lord Jesus Christ has
promised, everlasting life.
2.
All promises in the scripture work both
ways. For better understanding, as Paul says in Galatians, if we do not endure
to the end, we may suffer loss!
II.
WE KNOW GOD HAS
CHOSEN YOU
a.
Because our Gospel came to you not simply with words,
but with power
i. The Holy Spirit and
deep conviction
ii. They
knew the Holy Spirit was at work because thee Thessalonians lives were changed!
iii. If you
say you have accepted Jesus Christ, and your life has not changed, if you are
still living as you were before, you have a problem.
iv. Either
you have not accepted the gospel, or you are resisting the Holy Spirit’s work
in your life.
v. NO ONE is so good
that their lives are not dramatically changed by the presence of the Holy
Spirit from Salvation!
1.
Scripture is clear, we become NEW CREATURES,
NEW CREATIONS, and the old has passed away!
2.
If the old has not passed away, you are
NOT a new creature nor a new creation!
3.
You may bring your baggage to the cross,
but if you walk away with your baggage, you are no better off than when you
arrived.
b.
We lived among you for your sake
i. Not because they
had to, but to help them grow Spiritually as examples
c.
You became imitators of us and the Lord
i. You welcomed the
message in the midst of severe suffering
1.
They had been rejected by friends and
family because of their belief in Jesus as the Messiah
2.
However, knowing the Word and Gospel to be
true, they welcomes the message of the cross
a.
And did so with joy given by the Holy
Spirit
ii. Doing
so, you became a model to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia
1.
Nothing advertises the Gospel better than
a changed life!
iii. Your
faith in God has become known everywhere
1.
They were adhering to the Gospel they
preached
III.
THEREFORE WE DO NOT
NEED TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT
a.
They report of what kind of reception you gave us
i. The Spiritual Fruit
produced by the Thessalonians testified to the character of the laborers
b.
They tell how you turned to God from idols
i. How you now serve
the living and true God
c.
They tell how you wait for His Son from heaven whom
God raised from the dead
i. The resurrection of
Christ guarantees the resurrection of Saints
CONCLUSION – JESUS, WHO RESCUES US FROM
THE COMING WRATH
There is a coming Judgment
It will ultimately come to all who reject
Christ and the cross.
But because of the cross, through Jesus Christ,
we can be saved from that coming Judgment!
Paul praises the Thessalonians for
welcoming the Gospel, receiving it, living by it, producing fruit, and
displaying changed lives because of it!
Work produced by faith, labor prompted by
love and endurance inspired by hope in the Lord Jesus Christ
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