1 Thessalonians 1:4-6
~17 min read
💭 Consider this: What cost might you be avoiding in your own walk with Christ? How could embracing that cost strengthen your service in the church and your witness to others?
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for tonight's message is taken from 1 Thessalonians 1:4-6. Allow me to read for you. "Knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost." The Lord bless the reading of His holy and sacred word.
There is a saying, there's no perfect church in this world. If you ever find a perfect church, please don't join it. If you do, it will not be perfect anymore. Indeed, the local church is made up of human beings saved by God's grace. Therefore, there is no church perfect. However, some churches are more exemplary than others. The church of Thessalonica was such a church.
What about Bethel Bible-Presbyterian Church? We may be far from being exemplary, but how far away are we? We pray that every believer in this church may learn from the example of the Thessalonians, and one day we may be reckoned as an exemplary church by the Almighty God.
This portion of Scripture was part of a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians. And in this passage he gave a description of the believers, the church at Thessalonica, in which we want to draw some valuable lessons. The title of our message is "The Exemplary Church."
I. They Were The Elects Of God
Our first point is, they were the elect of God. Verse four says, "Knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God." The word "elect" or "election" means chosen. Paul knew the Thessalonians were a people chosen by God. Basically, an elect is someone chosen by God for salvation.
There are people who reject the doctrine of election. But do you realise that by rejecting the election of God, you have to remove a large portion of the Bible, because the words "elect," "election," and "chosen" appear in more than 100 verses? The doctrine of election cannot be ignored. The problem is not so much about the people rejecting the doctrine of election, but it is what they believe about election. What does election mean?
The Bible tells us that God chose us for salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, not just before we were born, but even before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:4 says, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world." So before the world was created, God had already elected the believers.
There are some people who say that God chose us because of something He foresees in us. In other words, God looks down from Heaven and He says, "I can see that so-and-so has a good heart. So-and-so has done many wonderful deeds. Therefore, I'm going to choose him." Do you really think it is so? What does the Bible say about that?
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." There is nothing we have done or not done that deserves ourselves to be saved. It is simply a gift of God, and a gift is not a gift when we have done something to earn it.
Others try to explain election by saying, "Well, according to 1 Peter chapter 1:2, 'elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.'" So they would say, see the word "foreknowledge," that means God looked down from heaven and into the passage of time, and He foreknew the future: who would choose Him and who would not, who would seek Him and who would not, and on that basis He chose those whom He knew would choose Him.
That is a wrong interpretation of the word "foreknowledge." The word "foreknowledge" (prognosis) actually means God predetermining to have a saving relationship with some individuals based on His eternal plan.
For example, Acts 2:23 says, "Him, [referring to Jesus Christ], being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." Does it mean that God the Father looked down from heaven and into the passage of time and He saw that Jesus would choose to die at the hands of wicked men, and on that basis He chose Jesus to be the Saviour of the world?
Most certainly not. It is God's foreknowledge. It is His eternal plan and divine purpose that Jesus Christ would be the Saviour of the world.
That is why God said to Jeremiah the prophet in Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." Notice the emphasis on the word "I." "I formed thee. I knew thee. I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee." It has everything to do with God's sovereign election and nothing to do with Jeremiah's choice and anything he had done.
When we hear people teach that God looked down from heaven and into the passage of time and chose those whom He knew would choose Him, do you know what is terribly wrong with that kind of teaching?
Firstly, salvation would then be by works, not by faith only. But that kind of wrong teaching also does not take God's Word seriously. God said very clearly about our sinful, depraved condition with no uncertain terms.
"There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God." There is not one human being on this earth who, left on his own, would ever on his own accord love Jesus Christ.
That was the reason Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:44. No man can come to Jesus Christ except God first draws him.
Many years ago, Dr. Harry Ironside, the Bible teacher, told a story of an older Christian who was asked to share his testimony. The man shared how God had sought him and found him. How God loved him, called him, saved him, delivered him, and sanctified him. It was a great testimony of the grace, love, power, and glory of God.
But after the meeting, one rather legalistic brother took him aside and criticised his testimony. He said, "I appreciate everything you have said about what God had done for you, but you didn't mention anything about your part in it. You should mention something about your part."
The older Christian replied, "Oh yes, I apologise for that. I really should have said something about my part. I was running away, but God sought me until He found me."
Dear friend, isn't it true that all of us have been running away? But God's love was set on us. He has elected us. He has chosen us to come to faith in His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Are you thankful that you are a believer and God has chosen you even before the foundation of the world?
Can a man be certain that he is an elect of God? Yes, he can. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we know in our heart what kind of a sinner we are and how the gospel was preached to us. And the gospel was powerful enough to transport us out of darkness into God's marvellous light.
But how can one human being say to another human being, "You are an elect of God," when we cannot see into the innermost of a man's heart? How could Paul know for sure that the Thessalonians were the elect of God?
Through the manifestation of their transformed lives. Paul had witnessed the lives of the Thessalonians, and he knew for sure that they were the elect of God. This is the power of the gospel.
II. They Received The Gospel Of Christ
This brings us to our second point. They received the gospel of Christ. Verse 5, "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake."
Paul was not just describing the Thessalonians' experience, but his own experience as well, including that of Silas and Timothy. If you have not personally received the gospel of Christ in word, in power, in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, you can never preach the gospel in the same power and with the same conviction.
To say, "For our gospel came not unto you in word only," means the gospel came unto them. But it did not just consist of words. It was not just mere talk. There was more to it.
Firstly, there was the preaching of the Word. There must be a clear declaration of the Word, and that is how God saves sinners. Remember Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." There's no salvation apart from the preaching of the gospel. So when Paul says, "For our gospel came not unto you in word only," he was acknowledging that firstly, it did come to them in Words. The gospel was preached to them.
Secondly, the gospel came unto them in power. What is this power he was talking about? It wasn't just preaching. There was a powerful transformation. It wasn't just the imparting of knowledge. There was a life-changing testimony taking place. The people's lives were changed as a result of what they heard and believed.
Do you realise that whenever the gospel is preached as God has intended for it to be preached, the power of God is at work right there? The Bible is the very Word of God and is able to save the souls of men and transform their lives. And the best thing you and I can ever do in this world is to declare it.
People may forget the preacher. They may forget our testimonies. They may forget our illustrations. But it is the Word of God that remains and transforms their lives. There is power in the Word of God to save us from eternal damnation. Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." There is power in the Word of God to transform our lives.
1 Thessalonians 2:13, "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." In other words, the Word of God is powerfully working and transforming the lives of those who believe. If you believe in the gospel, the power of God is already at work in your life, transforming you moment by moment.
Thirdly, the gospel came unto them in the Holy Ghost. As the gospel was preached and received by faith, the lives of the people were powerfully transformed. Paul knew that what he witnessed was not the efforts of men, but the working of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was transforming the hearts, minds, and lives of the people. When you witness someone coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and subsequently his life is transformed, he starts to attend church, worshipping and serving God, it cannot be explained by psychological phenomenon. It is not some new ideas or some philosophical thinking that has changed his life. It is the wonder-working of the Holy Spirit.
You see, a conversion takes place when the Almighty God, through the preaching of the Word, makes the sinner whose heart was hard at one time to be opened, and then he is made into a brand new creation, so that:
- The man who was once dead in sin and trespasses is now spiritually alive.
- The man who was blind is now able to see.
- The man who was enslaved in sin is free from the bondage.
- The man who was a child of Satan is now a child of God.
It is all because of the Spirit of God taking residence in the person's life and transforming the person from inside out. It is a supernatural, spiritual, divine work.
Fourthly, the gospel came unto them in much assurance, which means fully convicted or fully assured. It is a settled and passionate conviction of the truth. You can preach the gospel accurately, eloquently, persuasively. You can be very convincing. But do you know how a man is converted?
When the Holy Spirit reaches into the heart and worketh faith and repentance, and that person is indeed convinced, convicted, and assured that this is the truth. When we have this assurance, it does not mean that we will never have questions regarding the truth of the Bible.
There's an important distinction between questioning and doubting. Questioning is a matter of honesty. It is a willingness to be open to those things that we are lacking or limited in our understanding. We want to learn. Therefore, we question.
However, doubting is different. It is a refusal to act in faith and obedience. That is the distinction. So if we want to be an exemplary church, we must be committed to preach the gospel of Christ in word, in power, in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance. And the result is that we will produce followers of Christ.
III. They Were Imitators Of Christ
Our final point is, the imitators of Christ. Look at the second part of 1 Thessalonians 1: 5-6, "as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost”. The word "followers" means imitators, from where we get the English word for "mimic." Whether we like it or not, people tend to follow people for the right or wrong reasons. We must never underestimate the power of imitation in our culture.
Today we live in a time whereby we are constantly bombarded with a mindset from the movies, television, and internet, that if we follow and imitate the celebrities and the way they live their lives, we can find fulfilment and happiness. That is why young people would dress like them, talk like them, live like them, play like them, and imitate them, thinking that it is the way to achieve happiness in life. That is a blatant lie.
Many of those celebrities are living miserable lives, and most importantly, they do not believe the gospel and they are on their way to eternal hell. Imagine following someone who is on his or her way to eternal hell. How tragic.
Now, we may not be tempted by the worldly culture, but we must also be aware of another kind of temptation. A temptation from the so-called Christian world. What do we mean by that? It is a similar temptation. The message is, "Imitate me. I'm spiritual. So if you do this, you will be spiritual as well."
Perhaps a Christian couple has a good marriage, or so they think, and decide to write a book about their experiences. The book claims that if you follow and copy their marriage life, you will have success.
Or perhaps a so-called successful ministry of a particular church; the leaders of that church wrote a book or they have a seminar to teach how to grow your church. Hundreds and thousands of ministers will read the book or attend the seminar, all trying to imitate the church that they may grow their own church.
I believe all of us are familiar with the books we see in the Christian bookstore: Seven Steps to Make Your Marriage Work, Six Steps to Raise Up Wonderful Kids, Ten Steps to Grow Your Church. "If it works for them, it will work for me. So I will follow and imitate them." Many of those so-called principles in those books have no biblical basis at all for discipleship.
The biblical teaching of being followers and imitators is rooted in the Word of God and in the lives of those who follow obediently the teachings of the Bible. Paul said, “Ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.”—It is because of you—”And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord”—Jesus Christ.
Paul did not show them six or seven steps to discipleship or to live a godly Christian life. He simply showed them what kind of a man he was. And having watched him and how he lived his life, the result was that the Thessalonians became the followers of the Apostles and of the Lord Jesus Christ, having received the Word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost.
Allow me to briefly give you the background of the book of Thessalonians. When Paul arrived in Thessalonica, he went into the synagogue and preached about Jesus Christ. He explained and spoke about how Jesus must suffer, die, and rise again from the dead.
Many people believed the gospel, but some of the Jews were not persuaded. They gathered a group and attacked the Christians. When they could not find Paul and Silas, they brought Jason, a believer, and some of the other believers before the authorities, saying that those men, Paul and Silas, had turned the world upside down with their teachings, teaching contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there was another king, named Jesus, and Jason had received them.
What reward did Jason and the believers receive for believing in the gospel and hosting the Christian missionaries? Suffering, hardships, persecutions. That was why Paul said, "Having received the word, in much affliction." However, even in the midst of afflictions, they had the “joy of the Holy Ghost.” Remember, when the believers were saved, it was the work of the Holy Spirit. And this divine work would continue even in the midst of adversities.
So what kind of a man was Paul?
- He was a man of the gospel. Paul saw the gospel as the centre of his life.
- He was a man focusing on God's kingdom, not Caesar's empire.
- He was a man who followed another king, not Caesar, but Jesus Christ.
- He was a man who was willing to follow Christ no matter what happened, and to produce a new generation of believers, "for your sake."
Today in many churches, the gospel of Christ is often being marketed as a cure for hardship and suffering. I believe you have heard messages like, "Trust in Jesus and all will be well. If your career is at its lowest point, come to Jesus and you will be rich and famous. If you receive Jesus into your life, every day will be filled with prosperity." Is it really true? Are we giving an accurate picture of what it means to follow Christ?
People have reduced the gospel of Jesus Christ to some emotional well-being and material gains. Remember what our Lord Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Matthew 16:24) And when you take up the cross and follow Christ, Jesus said, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." (Matthew 8:20) Are you still willing to follow Him? Well, Paul was, and the Thessalonians as well.
We need spiritual leaders like Paul in the church and in the ministries to give us an accurate picture of what it means to follow Christ. Our young people need spiritual leaders and mature believers for them to follow after. Just as a newborn baby needs the family, so a newborn Christian needs the local church and spiritual leaders and mature believers as examples to the believers. We need spiritual leaders in our families to lead our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, to teach them what it means to be a Christian.
There's a saying, children have never been good at listening and obeying their parents, but they have never failed to imitate them. Are you a good testimony for your children at home? Do you point them to the Lord Jesus Christ? Please do not take for granted that your children are all believers. We want them to truly believe the gospel with full conviction and to know in their hearts that this is the truth.
Not everyone is called to be a leader, but everyone is called to be a follower, a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. A story was told of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application form that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being honest, she wrote "No" and returned the application form, expecting the worst.
To her surprise, she received a letter from the college that said, "Dear Applicant, a study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that we have at least one follower." I hope it makes sense to you. Everyone wants to be a leader. But let us not forget that we ought to first be a follower. Good leaders will produce good followers.
The believers at Thessalonica not only received the message and the messengers, but they also imitated their lives, and they would teach others just like the Apostles. And likewise, others will teach the new generation of believers. And as the Lord would tarry, it will go on and on and on. We need godly leaders like Paul. We need godly followers like Jason and the believers at Thessalonica who would follow Christ no matter what happens. People who were elected by God. People who had received the gospel of Christ and their lives were transformed. People who were imitators of Christ. This is the only way the church will survive, producing a new generation of believers. And we pray that this cycle will go on and on until our Lord Jesus returns. This is what we want Bethel Bible-Presbyterian Church to be. An exemplary church like the church of Thessalonica, to the glory of God. Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, we give Thee thanks for enabling us to consider the church of Thessalonica. We know that there's no perfect church in this world. However, some churches are more exemplary than others. And the church at Thessalonica was such a church.
The people were elected by Thee. Thou art the One who had elected them even before the foundation of the world and has determined to have a saving relationship with them based on Thy eternal plan. And they who had received the gospel of Christ, their lives were transformed. And they were imitators of the faithful Apostles and ultimately of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the kind of exemplary church we want Bethel to be. We need spiritual leaders like Paul. We need spiritual believers like Jason and the other believers at Thessalonica, so that through their examples, we will produce a new generation of faithful believers through the wonder-working of Thy Spirit.
And we pray that Bethel Bible-Presbyterian Church will be such an exemplary church, not for our own sakes, but for the glory of God. May Thou bless our church with this understanding, that we put into application whatever Thou hast taught us in Thy precious Word. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF 1 THESSALONIANSThe Exemplary ChurchThe Exemplary Church1 Thessalonians 1:4-6
To Perfect That Which Is Lacking In Your FaithTo Perfect That Which Is Lacking In Your Faith1 Thessalonians 3:1-10
Living In Holiness To Please GodLiving In Holiness To Please God1 Thessalonians 4:1-2
The Importance Of Brotherly LoveThe Importance Of Brotherly Love1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
Wherefore Comfort One Another With These WordsWherefore Comfort One Another With These Words1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
The Significance of Christ’s Death and ResurrectionThe Significance of Christ’s Death and Resurrection1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Morning Devotion 1Morning Devotion 11 Thessalonians 5:16-18
The Unceasing ThreeThe Unceasing Three1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Essential Attitudes for the New YearEssential Attitudes for the New Year1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
30th Anniversary Seminar - Message #3: The Church and the Sacraments30th Anniversary Seminar - Message #3: The Church and the Sacraments1 Thessalonians 5:17
30th Anniversary Seminar - Message #4: The Church and the Prayers30th Anniversary Seminar - Message #4: The Church and the Prayers1 Thessalonians 5:17
Morning Devotion 2Morning Devotion 21 Thessalonians 5:19
The Believer’s Relationship with God & His WordThe Believer’s Relationship with God & His Word1 Thessalonians 5:19-22
Morning Devotion 3Morning Devotion 31 Thessalonians 5:20-22
A Prayer for the Fellow BelieversA Prayer for the Fellow Believers1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
The Things Every Church NeedsThe Things Every Church Needs1 Thessalonians 5:25-28
