Introducing 1 Thessalonians, Our Next Sermon Series

One of Alexander the Great's army officers had a wife named Thessalonica. Not a common name, for sure, but she is the reason that we have a letter in our New Testament named 1 Thessalonians, the subject of our next sermon series. More to the point, the city that bears her name—still, by the way, even after 2500 years—is where the apostle Paul and three of his gospel co-workers planted a church somewhere around 50 A.D. You can read about that in Acts 17:1-10.

In planting this church they did what they normally did with their evangelism: They preached in the synagogues that Jesus was the Christ. That is, until the Jews in Thessalonica got angry, formed a mob, and accused the apostles before the local government officials: "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus" (Acts 17:6, 7). Sadly, after what was likely months of fruitful gospel ministry, the Christians sent these apostles away, fearing that only death or imprisonment would greet them if they stayed.

From here they went to Berea and eventually to Corinth. It was during this 18-month stay in Corinth that Paul received reports about how the Thessalonian church was faring. Mostly he was encouraged. He affirms their faith and love over and over again throughout the first letter. He sees their zeal for the gospel as a sure sign that God is continuing his mighty work in them.

And yet, he had concerns. There are some who are proving lazy idlers. Instead of working hard to earn a living for themselves they seem to be presuming on the generosity of others. Further, the church has gotten a wrong understanding of the return of Christ. Somehow they got the idea that the return of Christ had already happened. Oops.

These apostles are also affected by the increasing persecution their beloved Thessalonians are receiving as a result of this young church's evangelistic efforts. These fatherly and affectionate gospel ministers are pierced in their hearts by such news.

All of this inspires them to write a letter to the Thessalonians, one that would be followed a few months later by a second letter (creatively titled 2 Thessalonians in our Bibles).

For the next several months we will work our way through Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. We are excited to do this because the letter is both less familiar than some of Paul's other writings and yet filled with rich instruction and exhortation.

We find there both a clear gospel and a clear picture of how that gospel is to impact our lives. As John Stott says in his commentary on the letter (an excellent choice if you're looking for a readable commentary on this book):

"It is the gospel that shapes the church, just as it is the church that spreads the gospel. This seems to me to be the underlying theme of the Thessalonian letters…. 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 " (The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 10, 20).

Another and related prominent theme in the letter is the "coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Four times in this short letter Paul speaks of the "coming" or "appearing" of Jesus Christ (the Greek is parousia). In 2:19 he says that his "joy" when Christ appears is the Thessalonians themselves. In 3:13 he is praying that God would make this church "blameless in holiness...at the coming of our Lord Jesus." In 4:15 he speaks of it in the discussion on the Rapture (4:13-5:11). The last time is in 5:23 when he prays that God would sanctify these believers so that they are "kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

So one way to think of this letter is an answer to the question, How should we then live between the first and second appearings of the Lord Jesus Christ? As we navigate hardships and sins and other brothers and sisters in the church, how do we keep one hand on the cross and what it means for us and the other on the eventual return of Christ? This "already and not yet" side of the Christian life is a thread that runs throughout both 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

To give you a taste of what to expect with this powerful letter, here are five passages from the epistle we will unpack in weeks ahead:

For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thess. 1:9-10)

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality. (1 Thess. 4:3)

But we urge you, brothers,…to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,  so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 Thess. 4:10-12)

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:16-17)

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thess. 5:16-18)

To get ready for this series, which begins Sunday, try and read through at least 1 Thessalonians, if not both letters. The two epistles are only eight chapters combined. You can do this in one sitting. Maybe even try to read it a few times in the next weeks. Or choose one or two verses from 1 Thessalonians to memorize. One of the verses above would be a good choice.

I'll close this with a blessing out of Paul's letter, a blessing that is certainly our desire and prayer for you:

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess. 5:23)

Daniel