There is a kind of agony to communication at various points in your life.
Particularly what I have in mind when I say that is the early stages of a relationship that you think has the potential of becoming romantic.
The way that you talk, the way that you fashion your words means a lot to you and it means a lot to the person that you're pursuing or that you hope to pursue in those moments.
The college that Julie and I attended, we had a nightly letter exchange program called the Pony Express.
And it was through the Pony Express every night, you could send a note or a package or a class assignment that maybe someone needed help with if they cared about you enough to send that to you.
They could exchange that with you.
There would be two people after hours, after curfew for the college.
Two people would be designated from the guys.
Two people would be designated from the ladies.
They would collect all the letters or packages that were going to be exchanged.
The guys would meet the ladies in the parking lot.
They would exchange the baskets full of notes like the Pony Express.
And then they would take it back to their respective dormitories and pass them out.
Now, in that context, the early days of a relationship involved writing flirtatious notes that maybe if you really were interested in the person,
spray a little bit of cologne on there if you had it.
You hoped that if you got something in return that it didn't smell like paper.
You wanted it to smell like something nicer than paper.
That meant something significant, right?
You would hope to receive maybe some brownies or cookies in return.
Something that would show that the person you're writing to that you're interested in has some type of interest in you in return.
And when Julie and I were first interested in one another, we would often utilize this system.
But it was a bit of an agony that went along with it, determining exactly what words should I use as I'm writing this letter.
You know, do I say, dear Julie?
Does that say too much?
Like, dear?
Doesn't that mean beloved?
Maybe I should just say Julie.
Or maybe I shouldn't put her name at all.
When you get to the end, you're trying to figure out how to actually sign off on this letter.
I can't put love yet because I hadn't told her that.
She's going to get the wrong idea.
She's going to think I'm going to propose soon or whatever.
And maybe I should put in Christ.
But no, that's too formal.
That's too Christian.
We don't want to write that way either.
It's agonizing.
It's excruciating in the early days of those relationships.
How do I communicate?
How do I write these notes?
You didn't want to be so casual that your interest wasn't adequately expressed.
But being too forward might scare them away.
Now, those in the younger generation, like my daughters,
they don't know much about writing letters with paper and pen.
They text message.
That's the thing that they do, right?
But they understand.
You understand what it's like.
It's the same thing.
When you're writing, you're about to send that text message to somebody that matters to you,
that you actually care about what they think and how they may read,
you're plaguing yourself with, what punctuation should I use?
You know, periods may make them think that I'm mad at them.
Or explanation points may think that I'm too excited about this.
How am I supposed to communicate?
And the reason for that is even the simplest forms of communication,
they carry deep meaning, significant meaning.
We care about that because we know words matter.
And we know the structure of words matter.
We know the way that we say things has significant meaning.
And it's going to have a perceived meaning.
It's going to have an actual meaning.
And it's important.
When we come to the opening verse of 1 Thessalonians,
we find that this is really, it's a simple greeting,
and yet it's still loaded with profoundly rich meaning.
It follows a pattern that's consistent with letter writing
and the first century and Greco-Roman culture,
naming the letters authors and recipients,
including a formal statement of greeting.
Still, as we read through this,
a thoughtful person will recognize
that there's so much more to this opening formula than meets the eye.
The authorship, these first three names that's listed,
it points back to the glorious yet tumultuous beginnings
of the church in Thessalonica.
The recipient designation.
The way that Paul and his team write it,
it expresses an identity-shaping reality that, honestly,
we're often prone to take for granted or to forget about.
The greeting itself, it presents a wonderful hope
that not only sets the tone for the letter,
but it provides the reader, particularly the reader in Thessalonica,
with strength of faith and obedience until the day of the Lord's return.
Three massive, meaningful truths here.
Their beginnings, their identity, their hope.
All three of them are teeming with gospel significance.
And this focus on God's saving work through Jesus Christ
is actually what gives this verse and all of the letter its substance.
The fact that all of it is rooted in the gospel of Jesus.
And what I want to do with this verse today,
and as far as our study,
is by way of introduction to the letter,
I want to break down these three statements
to expose for you their gospel significance,
their gospel meaning.
And in doing that,
I hope to simultaneously kind of lay a groundwork
for what this letter is about
and what its focus is
and kind of give you a roadmap
for our study in the coming months.
And then, of course,
I want you to be encouraged by these words
in the way that I believe
the Thessalonian Christians
would have immediately been encouraged by these words,
even just the simple opening greeting of the letter.
First thing I want you to see here
is their gospel beginnings.
Their gospel beginnings.
Look again at verse one,
just the first three words here.
Paul, Silvanus, who we know is Silas,
and Timothy.
However else this letter might be described
by those who are given to study it,
it is first and foremost
a letter of friendship.
It's a letter of friendship.
There's an incredible warmth
and intimacy
that envelops this letter,
showing the depth of friendship
enjoyed by the church
and this ministry team that founded it.
The Apostle Paul, of course,
is the leader of that team,
and the team included his,
what we would describe as a senior associate.
His name was Silas,
and then also a junior associate
whose name was Timothy.
And we see that there are all three
mentioned at the beginning
because this letter really,
though Paul is the leader,
he would be designated as the primary author.
Really, they're writing this as a team.
Often throughout the letter,
we find the first person plural pronouns
being used,
we and us,
so that even though Paul
is the primary author,
he's writing on behalf
of the three of them together.
Therefore, all three are included
as authors in the opening statements.
However, to truly grasp
the relationship between these men
and the church,
to understand the context
that gave way to the writing
of this letter,
we need to trace Paul's movements.
And fortunately for us,
they're provided for us
in the book of Acts.
So I want you to turn with me
to beginning at Acts chapter 15,
at the very end of it,
and I just want us to walk through
tracing Paul's steps
and his team's steps.
And along the way,
I hope what it's going to do
is it's going to help us
understand better
his relationship to this church
in the context
that informs
the content of the letter.
We first find
at the end of chapter 15
and the beginning of chapter 16
that this team,
Paul and Silas and Timothy,
are assembled at this moment
for the very first time.
Paul's already been
on one missionary journey
up to this point.
His partner was not these men.
His partner was a man
named Barnabas,
his senior associate.
And then the junior associate
at that time was,
at least temporarily,
was a man named John Mark.
Unfortunately,
beginning in verse 36,
we're not going to read it,
but just for your own notes,
if you'd like to keep track of it,
in verse 36,
we find actually
a sorrowful moment.
Paul and Barnabas
are preparing to launch out
on a second missionary journey.
They want to visit the churches
that they established
the first time around,
check on them,
strengthen them.
The problem is,
Barnabas wants to take John Mark,
and Paul thinks
that's a bad idea.
And he thinks it's a bad idea
because John Mark
had abandoned them
on their first journey.
Hurt by that,
no doubt,
but also wanting to be wise
in the way that he carried out
the next series of season
of his ministry,
Paul thought it would be
a bad idea to take them.
And what we find
is that these two
very close friends
and colleagues in the gospel
have such a sharp disagreement
that they decide
they're going to have
to do this separately.
Barnabas takes John Mark
and he goes to one area.
Paul then picks up Silas,
or Silvanus,
who had come from Jerusalem.
After the Jerusalem Council,
you can read about that
in Acts 15,
Silas is tasked
as one of the men
to go to the Gentile churches
to tell them
about what had been discussed
and decided in terms
of the gospel
and its relationship
to the Gentiles
at the Jerusalem Council.
He's a faithful man,
a skilled man,
a ministry-minded man.
Paul asked him to join him,
and that's exactly what he does.
Just look at chapter 15
and verse 40.
Paul chose Silas
and departed,
having been commended
by the brothers
to the grace of the Lord.
And the first place
that Paul and Silas go
is to revisit some of the churches
he had established earlier.
They make it eventually
to a place called Lystra.
At the very beginning
of chapter 16,
we find that while they're in Lystra,
they pick up another companion
whose name is Timothy.
Just look at verse 1
of chapter 16.
Paul came also to Derbe
and to Lystra.
A disciple was there
named Timothy,
the son of a Jewish woman
who was a believer,
but his father was a Greek.
He was well spoken of
by the brothers
at Lystra and Iconium.
And Paul wanted Timothy
to accompany him.
And so he did.
So this is how we see,
even before the people
of Thessalonica
ever come into the picture here,
we see God working
in kind of a unique way,
even in a way
that we would say
is probably sorrowful
and hurtful.
There's this,
what we might think of
as maybe a disintegration
of a close friendship
happening on one hand.
Maybe it's not quite that extreme,
but certainly the breaking apart
of a gospel ministry team.
And what does God do
through that?
Well, God just keeps working,
doesn't he?
He continues to work
in Barnabas and Mark.
He continues to work in Paul
and he begins to assemble
this team,
Silas and Timothy
coming along with Paul.
And so after they pick up
Timothy and Lystra,
they head out
and Paul has tremendous plans.
So when we get to chapter 16,
verses 6 through 10,
we find that Paul has
actually great plans
for this particular journey.
He wanted to go
into Asia Minor
to preach perhaps
in cities like Ephesus.
But you'll notice in verse 6
that God kept them
from doing it.
Look at verse 6.
They went through the region
of Phrygia and Galatia,
having been forbidden
by the Holy Spirit
to speak the word in Asia.
Paul tells Silas and Timothy,
we're going to go
into Asia Minor.
We're going to try
to preach in some synagogues there
if we can find some.
We're going to plant
some churches.
And as soon as they do,
he doesn't explain
how this happens.
He just says,
God wouldn't let us do it.
So they say,
okay, what are we going to do?
Well, why don't we try
to go to Bithynia instead?
But again, God says,
no.
Look at verse 7.
When they had come up
to Mysia,
they attempted to go
into Bithynia,
but the Spirit of Jesus
did not allow them.
Now, I've got the map
on the screen for you here
if you care to see that.
You'll see where they started
is over here in Syria
in Antioch.
That was their sending church,
so to speak.
Paul and Silas leave Antioch
and they jump up to Tarsus
and then over to Lystra.
That's where they pick up Timothy.
And where they actually desire to go
is in this yellow area.
If you can see,
I don't know how clear it is for you,
but there's this yellow area
right in the middle of the picture.
That's where they wanted to go.
If you look far over
on the west side
of that yellow area,
you'll see Ephesus
and Thyatira.
If you read through
the seven churches
in Revelation 2 and 3,
this would have been the cities
that Paul would have been aiming
to go at.
The churches that John
had actually addressed
in that letter.
But as they're trying to go there,
Paul's thinking in his mind,
I'm going to go preach the gospel.
Surely God will bless us,
but God says,
no, I don't want you
to preach the gospel
in Asia Minor.
So he says,
okay, can't do Asia.
Maybe we'll go north
to Bithynia.
God doesn't let him
do that either.
Now, if you're like me,
what you would do
in that situation
is probably get
a little frustrated.
Lord, here I am.
I'm trying to do your work.
I'm trying to preach
the gospel
where people haven't preached
the gospel
and you won't let me.
You ever make plans
and God gets in the way
and refuses?
It can be frustrating,
can't it?
What do they do?
Well, Paul,
in really great wisdom,
goes to Troas.
You'll see it's
on the west side of Asia.
They go the north end.
They take probably
the Ignatian Way
is what that's called.
They go all the way
over to Troas,
which is a port city.
Now, I love that Paul
does this.
You know why he does this?
I'm convinced
the reason he goes
to Troas
is because he could
basically sail
anywhere he needed
to go from Troas.
So he goes there
and he waits.
And what's he waiting on?
Clarity from the Lord.
Lord, where do you want me to go?
I'll go wherever
you want me to go.
You don't want me
to go to Asia Minor?
That's fine.
Don't want me to go
to Bithynia?
That's fine.
Wherever you want me to go,
I'm just going to wait
in Troas
and I'll be prepared
when you tell me.
And it's at this point
in this text
that we read about
what is called
the Macedonian call.
While he's in Troas,
the Holy Spirit
gives Paul a vision.
He sees a man
of Macedonia
calling him to come.
Paul takes that
as a sign from the Lord
that what he intends
for him to do
is not to go
to those other places
but to go into Europe,
into Macedonia,
a place where the gospel,
as far as we understand,
had not yet gone.
And what does Paul do?
He goes.
Of course.
He goes.
Now I want you to take
a moment and consider
God's sovereign work
in this ministry endeavor.
It was not Paul's plan
to go to Macedonia
at that time.
But God,
through the work
of the Holy Spirit,
intervenes.
Why?
Because God had
a saving plan
for the people
of Macedonia
that Paul was totally
unaware of.
but because he was
flexible
and he was sensitive
to the leadership
of the Lord
in his life,
he followed through
and the Lord used him
to great effect.
Proverbs 19, 21,
many are the plans
in the mind of a man
but it is the purposes
of the Lord
that will stand.
A month from now,
we'll celebrate
five years
as a church
and as a church plan.
And those of you
that have been with us
since the early days
will probably say
this is not exactly
what we expected
our church to look like
and where we expected
to meet
in the course
of five years.
That's okay.
God's got a work
that he's doing
in our church
and that he's doing
through our ministry
that we might not
ever understand.
Our job is to be faithful,
to be faithful,
to follow his leadership,
be sensitive
to land.
Paul's desire
to obey the Lord
created this flexibility
of heart
so that he was willing
to go wherever God led him
even if it meant
abandoning all of his plans
in the process.
And what was the result?
Really, really
incredible hardship
was the result.
Tremendous persecution,
overwhelming stress,
and also
the miraculous conversion
of many,
perhaps hundreds,
of lost souls
who up to that point
had never even heard
the name of Jesus Christ.
Paul, I think,
would say
that's worth it.
You see,
I think there's something
for us here.
I think we need to learn
to hold our plans loosely
in life
as hard as that is to do
and to remain sensitive
at all times
to the leadership
of the Lord.
We need to always acknowledge
that God's plans
for us
are not easy.
And if you've got
an idea in your mind
that to obey the Lord
and be faithful to him
means that it will
always come
in what we determine
as blessing,
then you've really
got the wrong idea.
God's ways
are very often hard.
still yet,
God's ways
are always good,
always right,
always fruitful
for the gospel,
for his saving work
and his sanctifying work
and his people
and his saving work
in others.
The gospel went
to Thessalonica
not because Paul
wanted to take it there,
but because God
was determined
to get it there
through Paul.
And how precious
of a thought this is.
How precious
of a thought
that God
would use our lives,
that he would use
a church like ours
to reach people
in such a magnificent way,
even through hardship
and difficulty
and stress.
Yet,
is it worth it
if the result
is the conversion
of the loss?
And I'd say,
it's worth every moment
if people come
to know Christ,
if he's determined
to use us
in that way.
So the thing
we establish,
at least up to this point
in Paul's movements,
is what's happening
eventually when we get
to the part
about Thessalonica
is not Paul's plan.
This is God's work.
It's God's work
of grace
that's unfolding here.
Well,
they go into Macedonia
and when we get
to verses 11 through 40
and it's a familiar story
to you,
I'm sure,
we see Paul's exploits
in the city
of Philippi.
And let me just give you
a couple highlights.
Their time in Philippi,
it began
with the conversion
of a wealthy woman
named Lydia.
Her family was converted
and baptized
and then so was
a servant girl
who was being abused
for money.
Well,
the people who were
abusing her
didn't appreciate
the fact that they
lost their income
through the conversion
of this servant girl.
So Paul,
after being obedient
to the Lord
and doing exactly
what the Lord
told him to do,
guess where he
and Silas land
when they get
to Philippi?
They're dragged
into the marketplace
before the city leaders.
They're stripped naked.
They're beaten
almost to death
and then they're
cast into a jail cell.
Can you imagine?
With wisdom,
you've waited in Troas.
Lord,
just send me
wherever you want
to send me
and God says,
go to Macedonia.
So they go to Macedonia.
As soon as they get there,
a couple of people
get saved
but then they're
almost killed
and then they're
put in prison.
They're humiliated
in the process of it.
And again,
if you're like me,
you'd have been
a little discouraged,
probably a little angry,
ready to quit.
Oh, not Paul and Silas.
You know what they did.
At midnight,
they begin to pray
and sing praises
to the Lord
and miraculously,
God unlocks
their chains
through an earthquake
and opens up the gates
but they don't leave anywhere.
And overwhelmed
by what he's heard
through the night
in their praises,
the jailer,
who is responsible
for the prisoners,
runs in,
can't believe
that they're all still there
and what is it
that he asks?
What must I do
to be saved?
He asks the right question.
What I have to do
to be saved?
And Paul preaches
the gospel
and him and his family
get saved
and they're baptized.
That's the beginnings
of the church
in Philippi
but that's not
an easy beginning.
That's hard.
Finally,
the city leaders
let them go
but they tell them
they can't stay,
they're going to have to leave.
And so Paul
and Silas
and Timothy
and Luke
probably at this point
they leave
and guess where they went?
Another town over
called Thessalonica
or Thessalonica.
Now look with me
at chapter 17
and let's just read
the first four verses.
Now when they had passed
through Amphipolis
and Apollonia
they came to Thessalonica
where there was a synagogue
of the Jews
and notice what Paul did.
Paul went in
as was his custom
and on three Sabbath days
he reasoned with them
from the scriptures
explaining and proving
that it was necessary
for the Christ,
the Messiah
to suffer
and to rise from the dead
and then saying
this Jesus
whom I proclaim to you
is this Christ
who suffered
and rose from the dead.
What do we find
in these verses?
We find the gospel
beginnings
of the church
of the Thessalonians.
And what we see here
is that everywhere
Paul went
his priority
was to preach
the gospel of Jesus
as a matter
of first importance.
There's a lot of things
he could have reasoned
with them about.
There's a lot of things
you and I
might reason
with people about
in this world
and outside of the walls
of this church.
But if the priority
of our proclamation
is not the gospel
of Jesus
we're wasting our time.
Paul knew that.
He knew in following
the pattern
of Jesus himself
the priority must be
the proclamation
of the gospel.
So that's what he does.
He finds the synagogue
which is his custom
and he goes in
and he takes his Bible
and he opens his Bible
and he shows them
he proves to them
out of the scriptures
the Messiah must die
and rise again.
And by the way
somebody just did that.
Jesus
of Nazareth.
His preaching
was rooted
in the Old Testament
law and prophets
he explained
from the scriptures
the gospel message
of Jesus.
This is the apostolic
pattern
for all Christian ministry.
We must faithfully
preach Christ
from all the scriptures
calling sinners
to respond
to the gospel message
in repentance
and faith.
faith.
This is the gospel
upon which a true church
is founded
and it's the foundation
that was laid
for the Thessalonian church.
If they didn't know
anything else
from Paul
and Silas
and Timothy's visit
in the early days
they knew the gospel message
and the gospel message
was enough
to transform them
and to empower them
to move forward
even despite
the tremendous hardship
that was going to come
their way.
Amazing.
gospel beginnings.
Now read with me
verses 5-10.
What happens
after they are saved?
Let's start at verse 4 actually.
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.
Lots of people
coming to Christ here.
But the Jews were jealous
jealous.
Taking some men
of the rabble
they formed a mob
set the city
in an uproar
and attacked
the house of Jason
who must have been
one of these early converts
that was
perhaps the church
was meeting in his home.
They were seeking
to bring them out
to the crowd
and when they could not
find them
they dragged Jason
and some of the brothers
before the city authority
shouting
these men
who have turned
the world upside down
have come here also
and Jason
has received them
and they are all
acting against
the decrees of Caesar
saying that there is
another king
Jesus
and the people
of the city
and the city authorities
were disturbed
when they heard
these things.
This was frightening.
It actually terrified
them to think
as a Roman
free city state
that there is
a movement
that's happening
within their city
that would somehow
go against Caesar
that would threaten
their independence
it would threaten
their freedom
it would threaten
their safety
so they're disturbed
verse 9
and when they had
taken money
as security
from Jason
and the rest of them
they let them go
and the brothers
immediately sent
Paul and Silas
away by night
to Berea.
Okay we got
gospel beginnings
in Thessalonica
we have a different
type of a beginning
in Thessalonica
as well.
Severe persecution
severe
Christians being
dragged out of
their homes
taking by riot
into the mobs
of people
in marketplaces
or perhaps
wherever it was
that they had
gathered before
the city leaders
their lives
are being threatened.
Can you imagine
something like this
happening here?
Davidson,
Cornelius
just imagine
today
a mob of people
come into the
elementary school
they drag us out
they're going to
take us down
to the town hall
down the street
where perhaps
hundreds of people
have gathered
calling for us
to be killed
because of their
faith in Christ
because he is
our Lord.
Now
many of you are
seasoned Christians
you've been Christians
long enough to know
that that's a reality
that's probably
going to happen.
These believers
in Thessalonica
they're brand new
Christians
and that's how
their faith starts
with that kind
of hardship.
The young Christians
protect Paul
and Silas
they help them
escape under
cover of darkness
but the trouble
of persecution
from Thessalonica
wasn't over
it was far from over.
Well that takes us
to the next one
we're going to move
fairly quickly
through the next part.
We get to verses
10 through 15
in chapter 17
we find that
Paul and Silas
go about 45 miles
west of Thessalonica
to Berea
and what's important
for us to recognize
here is that
as they were preaching
people were being
saved again
and then when the
people that hated
them so much
in Thessalonica
heard that the people
in Berea
were coming to faith
they made the journey
too.
They went all the way
to Berea
and what did they do
while they were there?
They incited
another riot
threatening the lives
of Paul and Silas
and Timothy
and their team
Luke
at this point
so not only
is there persecution
in Thessalonica
but the kind of
persecution
that's happening
there
it's so strong
that it's actually
spreading to the
other cities
and the home base
for the persecutors
was the backyard
of the new church
in Thessalonica
that's their condition
that's their life
now.
when we get a little
further in the chapter
we find that
Paul goes to Athens
that's about 300 miles
south of Berea
so now he's getting
far enough away
where perhaps
they don't want to
travel this far
to cause a problem
particularly
in a city like
Athens.
Now I want to
encourage you to go
and read this particular
section on your own
this afternoon
and we won't have time
to go through it
but it's an amazing text
and it's an amazing
sermon
that Paul preaches
to what would be
the equivalent
in our day
of an agnostic situation
amazing sermon
that would be
worth your time
but the point
for us to piece
together now
is the movements
here
okay
Paul preached
through Athens
but he sent
Silas and Timothy
back
into Macedonia
he wants them
to go and check
on the churches
there
he's the one
that the people
are most upset
with
he sends Timothy
to Thessalonica
to check on the people
he sends Silas
somewhere
we don't know
if it was Thessalonica
maybe it was Philippi
or another place
but what we know
is he's alone
in Athens
and he preaches
the gospel
while he's there
to great effect
or to minimal effect
excuse me
and then he decides
to move on
to Corinth
and that's where
the passage picks up
in chapter 18
I want you to look
with me just at
the first few verses
of chapter 18
this is about 50 miles
west of Athens
remember Silas and Timothy
are not with him right now
he's by himself
perhaps Luke is
with them still
after this Paul left Athens
and went to Corinth
and he found a Jew
named Aquila
a native of Pontus
recently come from Italy
with his wife Priscilla
because Claudius
had commanded
all the Jews
to leave Rome
and he went to see them
and because he was
of the same trade
he stayed with them
and worked
for they were tent makers
by trade
and he reasoned
in the synagogue
every Sabbath
tried to persuade Jews
and Greeks
now let's just pause
for a second
this has been
a frustrating journey
right
fruitful
sure
also frustrating
first
God changes
all of his plans
and sends him
to Macedonia
everywhere he goes
in Macedonia
people want to kill him
this man is tired
he's traveled
hundreds of miles
on foot
he's been beaten
nearly to death
at least once
maybe a couple
of times
at this point
is it any surprise
that when we get
to 1 Corinthians
chapter 2
Paul reflecting
on this moment
in Acts 18
says
when I came to you
I came to you
in weakness
weakness
and in fear
and trembling
weakness
fear
trembling
that's the story
of Paul's life
at this moment
but what is it
that he does
in verse 4
he just kept going
he's in the synagogue
every day
every Sabbath
preaching the gospel
trying to persuade
Jews and Greeks
and he enjoys
wonderful fruitfulness
there he stays
for at least
a year and a half
where the Lord
is blessing
his ministry
there in Corinth
surely
a sign of God's
blessing
and the renewal
and refreshment
of his ministry
for a season
but look at verse 5
Silas and Timothy
show up
when Silas and Timothy
arrived from Macedonia
where he had sent them
Paul was occupied
with the word
testifying to the Jews
that the Christ
was
Jesus
now
here's the point
and we'll get back
to verse Thessalonians
eventually
Silas and Timothy
joined Paul
in Corinth
to update him
on the condition
of the Thessalonians
and it was there
in Acts 18
at some point
after they arrived
that the three of them
sat down
perhaps Silas
is the writer
we know he wrote
for Peter
at one point
and Paul says
Silas write this
Paul
Silvanus
Timothy
to the church
of the Thessalonians
and God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ
grace to you
and peace
now
when that letter
actually makes it
to Thessalonica
and those dear people
hear just the opening greeting
you want to tell me
that that was just
a simple greeting
for them
I don't think so
just the first three words
the names
of the missionaries
that had
sacrificed
their very lives
to bring them
the gospel message
that had transformed them
oh no
this would have recalled
for them
their gospel beginnings
their gospel love
and friendship
and camaraderie
those were more
than just names
to these people
they were God's
instruments
for bringing them
the gospel message
that changed their lives
for all of eternity
what do we know
about the church
and of the Thessalonians
well the first thing
we know is that
they had a gospel rich
beginning
second
and quicker
I want you to see
their gospel identity
here
gospel beginnings
gospel identity
as a result
of those beginnings
now just look at
1 Thessalonians 1
verse 1 again
Paul
Silvanus
Timothy
to the church
of the Thessalonians
in God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ
now in our culture
church
the word
is universally
associated
with religion
particularly
Christianity
that was not
the case
in the first century
church
or as you've heard me
say many times
before
ecclesia
would be
the Greek word
in Greco-Roman
society
it wasn't
a religious word
it was a civic word
it was used
secularly
to describe
formal gatherings
formal assemblies
of people
for civic purposes
about 200 years
BC
somebody
some Greeks
take the Hebrew Bible
and they translated
into Greek
we call it
the Septuagint
or sometimes
you'll see it
abbreviated
as an LXX
to refer to
the Septuagint
it means 70
and that is
just a Greek
translation
of the Old Testament
and when this
Greek translation
of the Old Testament
comes out
what we find
is that
ecclesia
is the Greek word
that's used
to describe
the assembly
of God's people
in particular
so if you were
to go back
and read
in your Old Testament
there's a number
of references
where the Greek
translation
actually uses
ecclesia
now that gives us
an idea
for what Paul
is trying to
communicate here
now the fact
that Jesus
and the apostles
use this specific
word for Christians
in the New Testament
reflects their
understanding
that Christians
even Gentiles
which would have
mattered in this
circumstance
and in this context
even the Gentiles
constituted
the new
people of God
when Paul
calls this
congregation
the church
of the Thessalonians
he's speaking
of them both
as a physical
assembly
that is they're
a group of people
that gather
but he's speaking
of them also
as the assembly
of God's people
who gather
together
in the name
of the Lord
Jesus Christ
that was the
distinction
so they're an
assembly in a
civic sense
they're a physical
gathering
that's what a church
is
they're also
God's people
as Christians
and that distinction
comes through
the Lord
Jesus Christ
they are the church
of the Thessalonians
that would have
mattered
now
the recipient
designation
moving on
from there
is all about
this
church's
gospel identity
Christ's church
finds its
very existence
the preposition
here
in
the very
existence
of Christ's church
is in
the sovereign
plan of God
the Father
brought about
through the
saving work
of his son
Jesus Christ
our Lord
and Savior
it was the
father's
sovereign plan
in ages
past
to send
his son
to die
for our sins
to rise
from the dead
for our salvation
and to call
out of this
world
people whom
he would
redeem
on whom
he would
bestow
his eternal
atonement
and forgiveness
they would
become
his people
this was
the sovereign
plan of God
through
Jesus Christ
that's their
identity
this was
Paul's very
argument
when he went
to Thessalonica
and preached
he used the
scriptures
to prove
this
but their
gospel identity
it was very
personal as
well wasn't
it
you just
read about
it
the history
of the
church
it was
God's
sovereign
plan
to intervene
in Paul's
plans
so that the
gospel of
Jesus would
be taken
to Thessalonica
it is the
sovereign
plan of
God
through the
work of
Jesus Christ
that made
them what
they were
it was their
very identity
as a people
and it is
no different
for us
than it
was for
them
our very
identity
as a people
as a
true church
is rooted
in the
sovereign
plan of
God
to save
us
through the
crucifixion
and resurrection
of Jesus
Christ
his sinless
son
the sovereign
plan of
God the
father
has brought
this particular
group of
Christians
together
as an
assembly
in the
name of
Jesus
Christ
it's who
we are
the very
core of
our identity
as a people
here might
be adequately
described as
the church
of Lake
Norman
in God
the father
and the
Lord Jesus
Christ
church is who
we are
and if we
ever get to a
point that we
start to think
that our
belonging and
that our
existence
and that this
group of
people as a
formal
covenanted
group has
anything to
do other
than the
gospel of
Jesus Christ
then we
will cease
to be a
true church
who we
are as
Christians
we are
God's people
meeting in the
name of our
Lord Jesus
Christ
to glorify his
name in this
world and to
do his work
until he
returns and
there's a lot
of implications
crucial implications
of that for
us
everything we
are as
individuals and
as a church
that means that
it is a work
of God's
grace
we're going to
get to that in
the next point
it also means
that it only
makes sense
that born
again believers
who have
expressed saving
faith in the
Lord Jesus
Christ only
they can really
truly belong to
this assembly
when we talk
about meaningful
membership in
our church
that's what
we mean
there is no
belong before
you believe
dynamic here
that's foreign
to the scriptures
and we want
unbelievers to
come and be a
part of our
worship services
we want them
to hear the
gospel but you
cannot be a
part of the
church if you
are not in
Christ
that matters
we need to
care about that
as a church
as we think
about membership
our gospel
identity it must
be the motivation
and the goal of
everything we do
as a Christian
church
we've been
called as
God's people
in Christ
and this will
dramatically affect
the way that we
relate to one
another
and the way that
we relate to
those outside of
our church
it is who we
are
we are gospel
people
by the sovereign
plan of God
in the Lord
Jesus Christ
thirdly and
finally
we see their
gospel hope
their gospel
are you still
with me
we're almost
there
Paul
Silvanus
and Timothy
to the church
of the Thessalonians
and God the
Father and the
Lord Jesus
Christ
grace to you
and peace
Paul had this
unique way
of turning
everything he
set his hand
to into
gospel
significance
these words
are a subtle
yet significant
departure from
the typical
greeting of
letters in that
culture
the traditional
greeting in
Hellenist culture
was a word
called
kairain
it literally
translates to
rejoice but
in a letter
it meant just
simply greetings
explanation point
if you're a
texter
greetings
we say
hello
which means
health to you
in English
when we greet
somebody and we
say hello
what we mean is
I hope things
are well for you
when they met
somebody formally
in their culture
they would say
kairain
I rejoice
with you
greetings to you
I hope things
are well with you
Paul just makes
a subtle change
in this word
he doesn't use
kairain
he uses a word
charis
it's almost
exactly the same
if you see it
written out
except it doesn't
mean rejoice
it means
grace
unmerited
favor
peace
in the sense
of wholeness
and well-being
now what's
Paul saying
in this
he's wishing
upon them
the continued
outpouring
of God's
grace
and peace
but again
he intends
a gospel
connection here
the grace
and peace
of God
he knows
can only
come
through the
person
and work
of Jesus
Christ
God's grace
is supremely
revealed to us
in sending
his son
to die
for our sins
and in
offering
forgiveness
and reconciliation
and eternal
life
to undeserving
sinners
as a free
gift
that's the
grace
that he's
wishing upon
them
and it is
as a result
of that
grace
that we
are made
truly
whole
experiencing
the peace
of God
that surpasses
all understanding
Gordon Fee
writes this
the sum
total
of God's
activity
toward his
human creatures
is found
in the word
grace
God has
given himself
to his
people
bountifully
and mercifully
in Christ
nothing is
deserved
nothing can
be achieved
and the sum
total of
those benefits
as they are
experienced
by the
recipients
of God's
grace
is peace
God's
eschatological
shalom
both now
and to
come
the latter
peace
flows out
of the
former
grace
and both
together
come from
God our
father
through our
Lord Jesus
Christ
gospel
beginnings
gospel
identity
gospel hope
now let's
finish it
this way
why
first
Thessalonians
why is Paul
writing this
letter
well first
because he's
concerned
the first
three chapters
is basically
him speaking
to dear
friends about
which he is
concerned not
only for their
spiritual health
but their
physical health
and it comes
through clearly
but there's
another reason
this simple
greeting it
communicates the
gospel hope
that the
Thessalonian
church
desperately
needed to be
reminded of
the dominant
theological theme
in this letter
both letters
really
is the
return of
Christ
the nature
of it
the timing
of it
what it will
be like
and when it
will happen
in fact
each chapter
explicitly
refers to it
now why do you
think the church
was so concerned
about that
particular doctrine
and why do you
think that Paul
pointed them to
the promise
of Christ's
return so often
in the letter
because it was
a congregation
facing severe
hardship
their questions
and concerns
about Christ's
return had
everything to do
with the difficulty
with which they
were living
as Christians
and Paul knew
only the hope
of the gospel
could ground
them
God's eternal
grace and peace
through Jesus
Christ is the
only thing
that would make
the difference
for them in that
moment
put yourself
in their shoes
you've heard
of the return
of Christ
Paul was at
least there
long enough
probably there
for a few
months before
the riot
they had heard
at least enough
of the return
of Christ
and the hope
of Christ's
return
that they were
concerned to
ask about it
so there was
some familiarity
there
but why would
they ask
about it
because every
day they're
fighting for
their lives
as Christians
and surely
they're looking
around and
they're saying
Paul you said
he's coming
back and you
said he's
coming soon
can you help
us understand
when that's
going to happen
have we missed
it is part
of their
question
they're hurting
and what is
the answer
Paul gives
it's the
gospel
the same
faith that
calls us
to salvation
calls us
to trust
in the
promise
of Christ
return
it's the
grace of
Christ that
saves us
it's his
grace that
keeps us
it's his
grace that
unites us
with other
believers in
the context
of the church
and eventually
it will
relieve us
it will
relieve us
of every
pain
of every
sorrow
of every
struggle
of everything
we face
in this
life
and peace
in this
world may
be scarce
and for sure
it is
but eternal
peace with God
is a reality
for all who
are in Christ
by faith
and you can
trust it
and what
first Thessalonians
will help us
do is learn
how to live
in light
of that
gospel truth
until he
comes