A Christian was in a college class when the professor began making some negative, sarcastic remarks about Christianity and the Bible. The Christian had the courage of her convictions and went up to the professor after class. She did not apologize for her faith and did not argue with him. She simply said that she disagreed with him and had good reasons for her faith. The professor began mocking her for her faith and her belief that the Bible is historically accurate. He said, “Tell me, what did it feel like for Jonah to be three days in the belly of a big fish!?” The Christian said, “Well, I don’t know. Maybe when I get to heaven I’ll ask him.” The professor sneered, “Well, what if he’s not in heaven?” To which the witty Christian replied, “Then you ask him.”
Our society was, at one time, apathetic to Christianity. Now, it seems in certain areas, it has become antagonistic to Christianity. At one time, if you told someone you were praying for them, they would shrug it off. Now, if you tell them you’re praying for them, they unfriend you.
In some ways, the suffering we endure today is like the suffering the Christians endured in the first century. So when Paul wrote the 1st letter to the Church in Thessalonica, he had some words of encouragement for them which are relevant for us today…
As we feed our spirits on Paul’s message to the Thessalonians, we note that in the midst of suffering…
WE SHOULD BE THANKFUL – 1:1-3:
Specifically, why should we be thankful?
For “works of faith:” Faith in Christ will produce good works. We show our faith by our works (James 2:18).
For “labor of love:” In Ephesians 5:2, Paul talks about Christ’s love for us that motivated Him to give Himself as a sacrifice for us and that’s the kind of love we need to have for each other. For the Thessalonians, since they had the proper love for each other, they labored (worked hard) for each other and for Christ.
For “steadfastness of hope:” Even though these were relatively young Christians, their hope in Jesus Christ, their hope for a resurrection one day, gave them steadfastness, perseverance in the Christian faith. They kept their eyes fixed on the prize of heaven! Their hope was well placed – in our Lord Jesus Christ. He never disappoints!
BE CERTAIN ABOUT YOUR ELECTION – 1:4-7:
How did Paul know they were chosen? First, because they were “beloved by God!” In John 3:16, we see that God loved the whole world. Yet, there is a special sense in which those who have faithfully obeyed Jesus Christ and accepted that special gracious love of God in Christ are members of His beloved body, His beloved family. In Jude 21, the brother of Jesus wrote: “keep yourselves in the love of God.” So, we have to stay faithful to Christ if we want to stay in the love of Christ.
When we lived in Romania, we saw a handful of people make the decision to become disciples of Jesus Christ. Some of those left the country for financial reasons and we have no contact with them; we lost contact with them. Some of those disciples went back to their old way of life because when persecution and cares of this world come, Satan can choke out the seed. But there is a small remnant of disciples who are still faithful. They heard the word of God; they did not reject it. Despite difficult circumstances, in a society that is very much against them, they are keeping themselves in the love of God (Jude 21)!
LET’S RECOGNIZE THE EFFECT OF OUR GOOD EXAMPLE – 1:8-10:
How were they a good example?
Paul says the Gospel had “sounded forth” from them (ver. 8). The original Greek suggests that the word, the gospel, was still echoing and reverberating throughout the region of Macedonia (northern Greece) and Achaia (southern Greece). As a part of their example, notice what people were hearing:
They had turned from idols – the idols of Zeus and Apollo and Dianna. These idols were dead; they were false.
They had turned to serve the “living God.” He is the true God, the only God. Back in the OT, the prophet Jeremiah (10:1-7) had said that false gods were like a scarecrow in a cucumber field. There is not much substance there! For the Thessalonians, their good example was having a stronger impact than they had realized!
Yes, all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). Jesus warned His apostles in John 16:2 that people who kill them will think they are offering service to God. In other words, they are doing it out of sincerely held convictions. But they would be wrong nevertheless.
When we suffer for the sake of our convictions, let us be thankful for the Christian family we have; let us remember we are chosen by God; let us recognize the power of our example toward others.
Thoughts for this sermon / devotional came from Earl Edwards book Expository Sermon Outlines on 1 & 2 Thessalonians.
Paul Holland