Title: Paul's Thanks
Contents: It is said that there are a lot of believers who cannot choose a church and are looking for a good church. I understand the desire to attend a good church. But is there a perfect church in this world? It is said that there is no perfect church. All churches have problems. There is such a funny joke. If you are looking for a very complete church, you should never sign up for it. Because at the moment you register, the church is not a perfect church. However, the Thessalonian church that today's text speaks of was a good church close to perfection, although not perfect.
The Thessalonian church, which has received such a good reputation, is the first place Paul arrived after being released from prison in Philippi, as recorded in Acts 17 during Paul's second missionary journey, and preached the gospel there for three weeks. It was a church that was established after preaching. It was an area where persecution was so severe that Paul fled to Berea at night. It was such a difficult area that the Thessalonians came to Berea and caused a commotion to escape Paul to Athens. After hearing this news about the Thessalonian church through Timothy, Paul wrote a letter from Corinth with a grateful heart. This is the first epistle to the Thessalonians, and it is also the first epistle written by Paul.
With the exception of Galatians, Paul begins all his epistles by giving thanks to the saints. 1 Thessalonians is no exception. We would like to share God's grace through today's text.
1. Paul thanked God while praying. (Verse 2)
Paul's thanksgiving was of one heart and soul. Not only did Paul himself thank him, but he also gave thanks to Silvanus and his co-workers Timothy. The co-workers also united in Paul's thanksgiving for the Thessalonian saints. “We are…thankful”. It shows that it is not only the fruit of Paul's own work, but also the work of his co-workers. Just as a miracle happened when Paul and Silas worked together and praised God and gave thanks in everything in the prison in Philippi, I hope that we too will work together at Advent Church and see the fruits of our work and give thanks sincerely, so that miracles will surely happen. .
They thanked God. The spiritual fruits of the Thessalonian church are not only the results of the ministry of Paul and his co-workers. Through them, it is the result of God's work and it is through God's grace. Only God is the subject of our work. It is God's mission. So they thanked God.
They continued to give thanks. They were always grateful. I continued to give thanks to God every day without missing a single day. If we obey the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “give thanks in all circumstances,” we will always give thanks.
They gave a comprehensive audit. In “Because of you all,” the crowd speaks of all the Thessalonian saints. Paul is thankful for all the saints without exception. Not all saints in the Thessalonian church would have been perfect. Some of them must have been imperfect. Nevertheless, Paul thanked all the saints. In the name of the Lord, I ask that you give thanks like Paul did even if there are some saints who have some problems within us.
2. Paul thanked God as he remembered the Thessalonian saints. (verse 3)
Paul went to Heavenly Father and remembered the Thessalonians, giving thanks and praying. The Thessalonian Saints had specific things for which Paul was grateful. It was a direct reason for Paul's thanks and a specific thanksgiving to the Thessalonian Saints. So what did the Thessalonian Saints have? They were three. They had history, toil, and perseverance. But Paul immediately attaches to each of them the words faith, love, and hope. Look at verse 3. “Remembering without ceasing before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Thessalonian believers had the work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope.
Dear brothers and sisters, this church in Thessalonica is compared with the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2. In Revelation 2:2, the Lord said to the church in Ephesus, “I know your works and your toil and your patience.” Like the Thessalonian church, the church in Ephesus had history, hard work, and patience. However, unlike the Thessalonian church, the Ephesian church did not have a very important element. What was missing? There were no elements of faith, love, and hope in the Ephesian church. So the Lord rebuked the church terribly. Revelation 2:4-5. “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore, remember where you have fallen, repent and do the first deeds. If you do not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”
Dear saints, faith, love, and hope must always be with us. They are absolutely necessary elements for our history, hard work, and perseverance to produce beautiful results. They are the fruits of the Spirit and the Word. The Thessalonian believers did not simply work, toil, and persevere with their own strength and wisdom. The gospel, the Word, was sown as a seed in their hearts and grew by the power of the Holy Spirit, and it is expressed as spiritual fruits.
Let's look at it in detail. First of all, it is the history of faith. This is history produced by faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. People asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the work of God?” I made a fingerprint. Jesus answered, “It is the work of God that you believe in him whom God has sent.” It is God's work to believe. Believing is the greatest thing and power. The true work of God is revealed through believing. We are saved by faith and we live by faith. The object of faith is important. It is believing in Jesus Christ, the one sent by God. This faith is the work of the Holy Spirit and the Word. Because faith comes from hearing the word of God.
The second is the labor of love. It refers to hard work done because of love. who do you love It is to love Jesus Christ. All labor should be done out of love for Jesus Christ. And to love the church, the body of Christ. The church has zealous saints. There is zeal for evangelism and zeal for service. But it always creaks. It's hard work, but it makes a loud noise. We work only when we have the strength. Serve only when you are interested. In toil, quarrels, murmurs, and dissonance arise. If you do it for your own satisfaction. It is not toil with love, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. But the Thessalonian saints labored with love.
The last one is the patience of hope. Patience inspired by hope. Instead of enduring with resignation and giving up, we endured with hope. Who are you hoping for? Verse 4 “hopes in our Lord Jesus Christ”. In verse 10, they waited for “the coming of his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead.” They lived waiting for the second coming of Jesus. Jesus Christ, who will come again, was our hope and hope.
3. Paul was grateful to know God's choice for them. (Verse 4)
Paul gave thanks to God while remembering the work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope that the Thessalonians had. How can they have these spiritual fruits? Did you do it with your own wisdom, will, and effort? Of course, their participation was there, but it was not their own efforts. Then who is it? Paul was saying that God had given them grace This is the ultimate reason to be grateful for them.
What was the rationale for choosing them? God's election is God's sovereign and gracious act. The reason for the choice lies not in any merit or deeds of man, but in God's unconditional love. In verse 4, Paul calls “brethren loved by God”. This expression shows two relationships, one toward man and one toward God. In a human relationship, Paul accepts them as brothers, and in a relationship with God, he shows that they are objects of God's unchanging love. The verb “beloved” is a present perfect passive tense participle, indicating that the love of agape has continued since ancient times and continues even now. It is unconditional love. It is the sacrificial love shown on the cross. It is an unchanging, eternal love. Always a new love. God loves you. I hope you believe it.
Dear saints, the truth of God's election was revealed for the benefit of believers, and election is entirely an expression of God's love. The fact that God has chosen us wholly to belong to us is that our salvation is entirely a gift of God and not obtained in return for any human effort or merit. So we can't boast of ourselves at all, and we will have to give thanks entirely to God.