2 Thessalonians 1:1-4
Introduction
In our study of 1st Thessalonians, we became quite acquainted with this wonderful group of believers from the city of Thessalonica. I want you to take a stroll with me back through what we have learned about them so far. There is something very satisfying about working systematically through a whole book of the Bible so that you have a grasp of the whole message and how the different parts fit together to make the main points. A deep and joyful confidence comes into the mind of a believer whose knowledge of Scripture is not second hand and piecemeal but instead is textually based and orderly. I hope that you will continue to read these letters and be familiar with their teachings so you might make better application of them, and as we all do so, may God be pleased with our willingness to study and know Him.
Remember that Luke told us in Acts that during Paul’s second missionary journey through Asia Minor he had made a stop in this city to preach and teach and try to win converts to Christ so that a church could be planted there for that same purpose. The Bible tells us that he was in Thessalonica for a short while, but by the time he had left he had caused quite an uproar in the city. Now, this is no small thing considering that there were somewhere between 250 and 350,000 people in the city.
When was the last time you heard of someone’s preaching and people getting saved causing an uproar in the city? Even a small city? Well that’s exactly what happened. Many of the chief people there repented of their sin and placed their faith in Christ. Lives were being changed and people were forsaking long established lives of sin, sins that the city’s economy was built upon. When the locals couldn’t stand it any more, they ran Paul out of town and wanted very much to kill him. But even though they chased him out of town, the damage was done – a group of believers, how large it was we don’t know – had been gathered together to form the church at Thessalonica to which Paul would later write our two letters.
In the first letter, Paul addressed a number of subjects that we have already covered. He thanked them for their love and fervent labor for the Lord, and he was thankful to God that they had stood strong after he left in the face of such strong opposition. I think their stand was admirable considering that these were new believers, quite young in the faith. Even in their infancy they had a great zeal for Christ that would see them through some dark moments. Their lives had been changed for sure, so much so that they were gaining a reputation throughout the region for their example of faithfulness. They were willing to work and do what needed to be done to continue to win more and more people to Christ, and they had great reason to, for they truly believed that they would see the return of Christ during their lifetime.
Now I suppose many people object to Christianity at this point and say that for 2,000 years people have always believed that they would be the ones to see the return of Christ, and He still hasn’t come; so he must not be coming, right? Well, that’s what faith is all about isn’t it? No matter how far removed we may find ourselves from the cross, our expectation for the imminent return of Christ stands firm, our hope is in Him, and our faith grows stronger as we are opposed time and time again.
Paul continued to brag on this church as he pointed out that they were growing and continuing in tribulation. They were staying true to the gospel message in a polytheistic culture. That may not sound like a big deal, but it was just as big a deal then as it is today. Today we live in a world that claims that your way of salvation is just as good as mine and that your God is my god and that all roads lead to heaven. I’ll tell you, churches are finding it increasingly difficult to stay true to the faith once delivered to the saints, but stay true they must, which is what our Thessalonian friends did.
They had a right understanding of the biblical teaching that God has called every believer into the ministry, not just preachers, the ministry of reconciliation, so they gave their lives to this end, touching other lives in the process by their willingness to give, their willingness to suffer and die and be exiled. These people were treated harshly for their faith in Christ, a treatment you and I know little about, and their faithfulness was a great testimony to the reality of the change that had taken place in their lives and it communicated a great authenticity about what they believed. You see, it is one thing to say I trust Christ when things are going fine, but it is another thing altogether to say I trust Christ when there is a gun to my head.
In spite of the Thessalonian’s stand under opposition, Paul did have some concerns about it. He wrote to them and warned them about the dangers of trials and trouble, wanting to make sure that they didn’t fall away under the great strain. There is always the danger of doubting and questioning God when things get too difficult in our lives, giving in to temptations and living in such a way as to bring shame and reproach on the name of Christ. People do it all the time when they are not growing in the Lord, when they are content to remain babes in Christ, but just as sure as there are dangers in the face of trouble, there are great opportunities too. Trials give you the opportunity to grow, much like exercise causes your muscles to grow. Trials cause believers to band together and encourage and motivate one another; they further establish our hope in the return of Christ and help us to “set our affections on things above, not on things on the earth.”
However, as we continue to live on this earth, and as they continued to do so, we have a God-given responsibility to live up to the name of Jesus Christ. The story is told of a soldier in Alexander the Great’s army who was insubordinate and unruly. He was giving his officials so much trouble that Alexander found out about it and rode up to speak to the man. He asked the soldier, “What is your name man?” The man responded by saying, “My name is the same as yours. My name is Alexander.” The general looked the man over for a few moments and then told him, “Well then, you either change your name or change your conduct.” Perhaps the Lord feels that way sometimes.
Paul addressed such issues as sexual purity, brotherly love, and responsible living. They had many concerns about the return of Christ, which Paul explained to them, going on to talk about the great Day of the Lord, when Christ will return to execute judgment on the nations so He might establish His kingdom of righteousness and holiness. Paul finished his first letter by encouraging the church to honor and follow its leaders, to help those along who were weak in the faith, to be at peace among themselves and have a right attitude toward the Lord God in all things.
Now, that brings us to the second letter Paul wrote to these believers, what we call the book of 2nd Thessalonians. Unlike the first letter, Paul is much more concentrated in his scope in this shorter letter. The bulk of this writing deals with the return of Christ, a day that will be most glorious as the Lord returns for His people and judges those who rejected Him. But it is really not so much about that day as it is about our getting along until that day, about standing strong and keeping the faith until Christ comes, because the closer we get to the return of Christ the more difficult it will be to do these things. Now just in case you find yourself saying that it is not so difficult to keep the faith, that no one is bothering us, I would beg of you to consider that it is far more difficult to keep the faith in these conditions than it is to keep the faith in times of great persecution. Believers today don’t know what they believe, don’t care that they ought to believe it, don’t understand why they ought to believe it, and in fact seem to believe that you can believe what you want to believe so long as no one is bothered by it. Keep the faith? What faith?
Let’s take a moment to read the first four verses of our letter and consider a few introductory comments Paul makes that I want to be true of our church and of you as individual believers.
“Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure.”
Very quickly tonight let’s examine three comments Paul makes about this church.
To the Church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
Now we know to whom Paul was writing, and we’ll get around to what he was writing, but notice something about the church that we most often pass over. They were in God the Father and they were in the Lord Jesus Christ. That church and our church too are in a Father and in a Lord. What do those two words imply about God?
First, what does the word Father imply? When you think of a Father, what comes to mind? I think that Father implies care and sustaining and protection and provision and discipline. So, to be in the Father would mean mainly to be in His care and under his protection. All the things that a father should do for his children God the Father does for His churches.
The other designation is Lord: we are in the Lord Jesus Christ. What does the word Lord imply? I think it implies authority and leadership and ownership. So, to be in the Lord would mean that we are under His charge, under His authority and in His possession. We belong to Him!
So, Paul greets the church in such a way as to remind them that they are a family in the care of a Father and that they are servants in the charge of their Lord. Paul wasn’t just throwing words away trying to be eloquent in speech. Remember, there’s not a wasted word in your Bible! Every one of them carries some importance, and these two descriptions of God as Father and Lord communicate two of our deepest needs as a church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What are these two needs? The first is the need for rescue and help; the second is the need for purpose and meaning. We need a heavenly Father to pity us and rescue us from sin and misery. We need His help at every step of the way because we are so weak and vulnerable. But we also need a heavenly Lord to guide us as a church and give us a great and meaningful charge to fulfill. We don’t want to be a social club – you don’t need church for that. We have great purpose under the leadership of our Lord and that purpose is to join Him in His redemptive work throughout the world!
The second comment that I want to draw your attention to is found in verse 3.
We Are Bound to Thank God Always for You
Paul said that they were bound, or obligated to thank God for them, but why? Two reasons are mentioned in the verse, two reasons that you ought to consider and by which you ought to test yourselves. By were they under obligation to thank God? Because first they were growing in their faith, and second because of their continuing love for one another.
Now, faith is the vertical response to grace. It is our response to God’s goodness and His faithfulness in our lives, whether that faithfulness and goodness is expressed in the Bible or in our personal circumstances. When we come to see God for who He is our response ought always be faith. If faith is the vertical response to God, then love is the horizontal response to that same grace in our lives. Do you think its coincidence that these two human responses are found together here?
Listen, when you and I are in right relation to God, our vertical relationship, then it follows that we’ll be in right relation to man, our horizontal relationships. If you are having trouble loving other people, whether it be your spouse, your boss, your friends, your fellow church members, or anyone else, you can be sure that the reason is to be found in your relationship to God. If you are in right relation to God, you cannot harbor ill feelings to man. You can’t do it! If you are having trouble forgiving, being tender, or any other thing, it is not them that needs to change, nor is it going to change with time. The only solution is to get in a right vertical relation.
I want you to see something else here too, it is the beauty of growth. Paul didn’t say that he was just thankful for their faith and love. He was impressed by the way their faith was growing exceedingly, or abundantly. There is not a person in any of the Lord’s churches who doesn’t need to grow. None of you have arrived, and neither have I. The Christian life is to be one that is characterized by a process of growth rather than a quick arrival at perfection.
Now just in case we miss this, notice who Paul thanks for this growth in faith and love. Does he thank the Thessalonian believers for their growth? No! He says he is bound to thank God. What does this mean? It means that we can’t take credit for our growth. You and I don’t have any right or reason to take credit for anything we do or anything we become in Christ. Whatever progress we have made has been made by the grace of God.
This is one reason why not growing in the Christian life is so alarming. If God is the one who gives the growth and if God commands that we grow, which He does, then to be not growing in faith and love means one of two things. It means that God is not present in our lives and we have deceived ourselves into thinking we are saved when we are not, or it means that we have been grieving the Holy Spirit with a subtle, temporary rebellion so deep that you resist God and refuse to allow His sanctifying work to take place in your life.
So the question that must be answered today is this: Are you growing in your faith in God and are you growing in your love for other people? If you are, then God is to be thanked. If you are not, then you must repent for refusing God’s work of grace in your life.
The last comment I want to point out is in verse 4.
We Ourselves Glory in You
The first words there, “so that…” show us that their growing faith and love were cause for boasting. Paul boasted particularly because the Thessalonian’s faith and love were growing in spite of persecution, but it wasn’t just that they were growing in these things, they were proving themselves to be persevering and faithful in these great trials of their faith.
Now notice a subtle difference in faith in verse 3 and faith in verse 4. The faith in verse 4 is the result of their faith in verse 3. In other words, because of their faith in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, they were proving themselves to be faithful. You see, there are only two responses when trial and trouble crop up in our lives or in the life of a church. We will either fold or be faithful. We will either persevere or panic, and it is our relationship to God that determines the outcome. You see, there are too many believers today who fill the pews who are fickle in their faith. They say they believe God and they say they are following His leadership, but when the least little bit of trouble comes up they want to cry out and run. They are the first to bellyache. These are the Christians who fall out of church or fall out of sorts with others in the church and act like the babies they are. I am not making fun of them, because I have been one and when I am out of fellowship with the Lord I can even act like one. So, it gets back to growing in our relationships with the Lord.
How can you learn to endure and stand faithful? Well, you need to be continually growing in your study of the Word of God. I don’t necessarily mean just familiarizing yourselves with the stories – I mean that you need to get into the Word and wrestle with the deeper things of God from time to time, such as we have been considering on Wednesday nights in our studies of the prophets. You need to get into the Word and be reminded of the unchanging character of God, consider and meditate on the faithfulness of God, the goodness of God, the purposes of God and so forth.
How do you learn to endure? You learn who to run to in times of trouble – not a bottle, not caffeine, not nicotine, not a pill, but the Lord! You run to Him in prayer, you run to Him in His Word, run to Him in quiet time, and you learn to find assurance in Him and His overpowering presence.
How do you endure? You learn to start small. You get involved somewhere in God’s service and you learn just like an infant does, and the more you grow the bigger the steps become, the more difficult the trials, and the more seasoned you get. Listen, all these things add up to a life that is growing in the grace of God so that faithfulness and perseverance are the resulting things that characterize your life.
Conclusion
Let me ask you something – are you growing in the Lord? What is the evidence of it? Can it be said of you that you are growing exceedingly in your faith in God? Can others see it in your life? What about your love for other people? Do you wrestle with it? Do you endure under trial or do you run? These are all questions that deserve an honest answer before the Lord.
I like what Paul did in verse 4 – he gave the church in Thessalonica a reputation to live up to. He said that he had been boasting of their love, their faith, their patience and faithfulness to all the churches he went to. Now they had to live up to that reputation!
I hope it can be said in our community and even in our greater work that Woodlawn Baptist Church and the members of this church are people who have a great and growing faith in God, and that our faith in Him can be seen in a multitude of ways.
