Well, please take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians. This morning I am beginning an exposition of the first letter of the Apostle Paul to the church of the Thessalonians. And this morning will be an introduction to this letter that we might learn about the establishment of this church, the birth of this church as recorded for us in the book of Acts. And then as we see the general content of this letter. And so I'll be reading the first chapter, 10 verses, which will tell us something about the church. And then we'll go to the book of Acts and see how and under what circumstances this church was established. And this will aid us in understanding the content of the letter. And then finally, we'll make some points of application as we embark on this exposition. Follow along as I read 1 Thessalonians 1. I'm reading from the New American Standard, the 1995 edition. 1 Thessalonians 1, hear the word of God. Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers, constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brethren, beloved by God, His choice of you. For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction, just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come." Amen? Can't wait to get into those verses. In our English Bibles, the first letter to the Thessalonians contains five chapters, 89 verses. 1 Thessalonians is categorized as one of the New Testament epistles. The word epistle just means letter. This is a letter written from the Apostle Paul to the church located in Thessalonica, a church which he founded through the preaching of the gospel during his second missionary journey. Now, for many years now, when beginning a series of expository sermons on a book of the Bible, I've begun by putting that book in the larger picture of the Bible as a whole, and I've been told that's been helpful. Therefore, I want to briefly do this again before we begin to look at 1 Thessalonians. Now, you probably have a page at the front of your Bibles that contains all the books of the Bible as they are in the Scriptures. If you have that, turn to it. Maybe you don't know it's there, but you probably have a page somewhere in your Bibles. This is why you need a Bible. Not a phone, but a Bible. I know, I'm getting old, right, Ernest? But if you have it, look at it. So you can see these books as I speak of them and know where 1 Thessalonians falls among them. Let's begin by understanding the structure of the Bible as a whole. Our Bibles are divided into two major divisions. The Old Testament and the New Testament. With the Old Testament containing 39 books and the New Testament containing 27 books. So first consider the Old Testament. The Old Testament is comprised of three main sections, we might say. History, poetry, and prophecy. History, poetry, and prophecy. The Old Testament books of history are 17 books. 17 books from Genesis to Esther. As you look at the list there, from Genesis to Esther. The first five books of those 17 books of history are called the Pentateuch. And Pentateuch simply means five books or five volumes. And it refers to the first five books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These five books are often called the books of the law or the Torah. Torah means teaching, instruction, or law. These books begin with the beginning. Genesis means beginning or origin. And therefore our Bibles begin in Genesis 1-1 with these words, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. It begins with God who then created the heavens and the earth. The Pentateuch ends with Deuteronomy chapter 34, with the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River, mourning the death of Moses and ready to enter into the promised land under the leadership of Joshua. After the five history books called the Pentateuch, there are 12 other books of history. From Joshua to Esther, we find 12 books containing the history of the Israelites in the promised land, their conquest of the land, their exile from the land because of their sin, and then their return to the land in latter years. And so we have those 17 books of the Old Testament that are known as history from Genesis to Esther. And they are consecutive as far as the accounting of history. But then we come to five books of poetry, or what we call wisdom literature. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. And these five books are called poetry because of their literary form. They contain what we call Hebrew poetry, which contains Hebrew parallelism. So these five books are not historically consecutive like the history books. They were written at various times and fit back into certain periods of history of the previous 17 books. For example, the events of Job probably took place during the patriarchal period recorded in the book of Genesis. Many of the Psalms were written by David prior to him being king of Israel and then during his kingship. The Proverbs were written primarily by King Solomon, who succeeded his father David to the throne of Israel. And so the five books, which are called wisdom literature, are sometimes simply known as the Psalms, as kind of a heading to those five books as a whole. And then we come to 17 books of prophecy. Now, while obviously they contain history, these books of prophecy are primarily accounts of God's word to Israel through the prophets, which God raised up and called them to speak to Israel throughout various periods of their history, and often calling them to repentance because of their sin. And so while the prophets are full of warnings concerning impending judgment, if Israel does not repent, The books are also filled with promises. Prophecies of the coming of the Messiah and the new covenant in His blood. Now these 17 books of prophecy are broken down into 5 books and then 12 books. The first 5 books we call the major prophets, and then the next 12 we call the minor prophets. The first five books of prophecy, the major prophets include Isaiah, Jeremiah, then Lamentations written by Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. They're called major prophets, not because they're more important, but because they're generally larger books. The next 12 books of prophecy are called the minor prophets because their length is generally shorter. The books of prophecy are not chronological. They're not consecutive historically. They fit back into various times of Israel's history. So, we have those 39 books of the Old Testament. 17 books of history, 5 books of poetry or wisdom literature, and then 17 books of prophecy. These books are God's revelation of Himself, His promises of redemption through the Messiah who was yet to come. So the Old Testament is looking forward to the coming of Jesus Christ. They point to Him. They speak of Him. And that's why after Jesus' resurrection on the road to Emmaus, You remember in Luke 24, verse 27, it says, Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, he explained to them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures, referring to the Old Testament Scriptures. And it says in Luke 24, verse 44, that he said to them, These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you. that all things which are written about me in the law of Moses, that's the head of the 17 books of history, so that's a reference to those 17 books, and the prophets, taking the 17 prophets, and the Psalms, that in our Bibles fit in the middle, must be fulfilled. So it pointed to the coming of Christ. So then we come to the New Testament. The structure of our New Testaments can be understood this way. There are 27 books, five books of history, then 13 letters of the Apostle Paul, then eight what we call general epistles written by others, and then finally the book of Revelation. There are five books of history. The gospels comprise four of them, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And then the book of Acts, known as the Acts of the Apostles, as now the gospel spreads from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth. And then we have the 13 letters of the Apostle Paul. They're written to churches, but some to individuals. And then there are eight general epistles. That is, they're written by others, not the Apostle Paul. Hebrews, whose author we don't know for sure, and then James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and then the epistle of Jude. And then there's the book of Revelation, written by the apostle John to strengthen and encourage the church, that through much tribulation must enter the kingdom of heaven. So the New Testament records the coming of the promised Messiah in the gospels, the spread of the gospel, and the expansion of the church to the nations in the book of Acts, the sanctification of the church in the epistles, and the consummation of all things at the return of Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation. So generally speaking, the Old Testament points to the coming of Christ. The New Testament records the coming of Christ while it points us to his future final return, the judgment and the eternal state. Or we can say it this way, the Old Testament points to the coming of Christ, the gospel records the coming of Christ, and the rest of our New Testaments look back at the coming of Christ, His birth, His life, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, while constantly pointing us to His second coming. Now, let's narrow our focus to those 13 letters of the Apostle Paul. We call these the Pauline Epistles. They were written to churches and to individuals. They are Romans, that great exposition and explanation of the gospel, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. These are written to churches in Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, Thessalonica. And then we have four of Paul's letters written to individuals. First and second, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. These letters are part of Holy Scripture, inspired by God, preserved for the church until Christ comes. They are rich in doctrine and instruction. They teach us what we need that we might live the Christian life. They are profitable, just as the Old Testament scriptures, for instruction, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. And so now we narrow the focus even more and we come to the book of 1 Thessalonians. Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, it says. To the Church of the Thessalonians, in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace to you and peace. So the Apostle Paul, as he authored this God-inspired book, Silvanus, also known as Silas and Timothy, were with Paul during his missionary journey, so he adds them to this greeting. Now, what do we know about Thessalonica? He's writing to a church in a place called Thessalonica. Well, Thessalonica is what is now modern day Thessaloniki, located in Greece. It is currently the second largest city in Greece. Thessaloniki is capital of a geographic region known as Macedonia. Now the time that this letter was written by the apostle Thessalonica as it was called then had a population of about 200,000 which would have made it a very large city at the time. It was a very religious city with two distinct religious communities. There was a Jewish population And these Jews would have been called Hellenistic Jews. That is, they were enculturated into the Greek way of living while maintaining still their Jewish heritage. And then there would have been a large pagan population. Those who did not worship the true and living God. And this pagan religion of the day included sexual immorality as a part of their practice. And with such immoral influences around the church, the apostle addresses sexual purity in 1 Thessalonians 4, where he writes in verse 3, this is the will of God, your sanctification, that is that you abstain from sexual immorality. And those words are applicable to them because of the paganism that was filled with immorality all around them. Some of them having been saved out of that. God calls his church the purity in the midst of an impure society. Now, let's consider the establishment of the church in Thessalonica by turning to Acts chapter 17. And then we're going to consider the general content of this first letter. And as I said, we'll make some points of application by way of just introducing the book. We need this because it helps us understand the content of the book. We need to understand the history of the church in Thessalonica. And so we consider the establishment of the church in Thessalonica. How did the gospel come to this city? How did a church come to be in Thessalonica? Well, we see that in Acts chapter 17. in Acts chapter 17. Now, when you land in Acts chapter 17, you're landing, so to speak, somewhere in Paul's second missionary journey. The gospel came to Thessalonica when Paul preached the gospel there on his second missionary journey. And as a result, a local church was born in that city. Now Paul's second missionary journey is recorded for us in the book of Acts from Acts 15.36-18.22. So that is his second missionary journey, 15.36-18.22. And the apostle in his missionary journeys would often travel along major trade routes, which led him to major cities of the day. Now, during Paul's first missionary journey, Barnabas traveled with him. But who is with him now on this second missionary journey? Well, Silas is with him. We see that in Acts 15 verse 40. By the way, that's just another name for Silvanus. So if you read Silvanus or Silas, it's referring to the same person. In Acts chapter 16 verses 1 through 3, the apostle meets a young man named Timothy, and he decides to take him along with him on this missionary journey. So there's Silas who's joined him, and then Timothy joins him for part of this missionary journey. And then there's Luke. Luke the physician he's described as. He's the author of the gospel of Luke and also the author of the book of Acts. And he joined the Apostle Paul for part of this second missionary journey. We know this because in Acts 16 verses 10 through 17, Luke uses the first person plural we. Sometimes he doesn't, he just describes events. But in certain cases, he now uses first person plural we, describing their travels from Troas to Philippi in those verses. So Luke went from Troas to Philippi, but he did not go to Thessalonica. Now, the Apostle Paul was traveling in Asia. But then he had a vision that changed his course. It's commonly called the Macedonian Call. So if actually you look back in chapter 16, verses 9 and 10, you see this vision. Acts 16, verses 9 and 10. A vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him and saying, come over to Macedonia and help us. When he had seen the vision, immediately, We, there's Luke, he's with them now, sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Now why is this significant? It's significant because it brings the gospel from the East to the West, into Europe. And as a result of this Macedonian call, Paul is now directed to Europe and the gospel spreads to Europe. Don't we thank God that the gospel spread to the West, to Europe? And then of course, further West, as there would be pilgrims that would come to this land. And so as a result of the vision, they set sail on the Aegean Sea and eventually reached the city of Philippi. described in Acts 16 verse 14 as a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony. And there they preach the gospel. And you'll recall a woman named Lydia is saved. The Lord opens her heart to receive the things spoken of by Paul. And her household has the gospel preached to them. They believe and are baptized and a church is born in Philippi in Acts 16 verses 13 to 15. But the gospel is met with great opposition. And a mob arises against Paul and Silas. And they are imprisoned in Philippi. And you know the story. While they're in prison singing a hymn, God miraculously opens the doors He sets Paul and Silas free. They preach the gospel to the Philippian jailer, who also believes. He and his household have the gospel preached to them, and they all believe and are baptized. And so the gospel spreads in Europe. And there's been a gospel witness in Europe ever since. Because the Lord is building his church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. So then it tells us in Acts 16 verse 40, they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia. When they saw the brethren, they encouraged them and departed. So then we come to Acts chapter 17. They depart Philippi and it says, now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. So now the gospel, so to speak, through the Apostle Paul, arrives in Thessalonica. What did the Apostle Paul do? He was just beaten with rods and imprisoned because of preaching the gospel. Would this discourage him? Would it deter him from preaching the gospel now in Thessalonica? No, he's looking for a synagogue of the Jews. And so it tells us in verse 2, according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, saying, This Jesus, whom I am proclaiming to you, is the Christ. And so here we see Paul's unrelenting boldness. Persecution does not dissuade him. And we'll see this in 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 2, where he says, after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition. We see his unrelenting boldness. Being beaten and imprisoned in Philippi did not deter him from boldly preaching the gospel in Thessalonica. We'll come back to that shortly. But for now, consider in verses 2 and 3 of Acts 17, Paul's usual evangelistic method. His usual evangelistic method. It says, according to Paul's custom, this was his way of doing things as he was on this missionary journey. He went to them. To whom? The Jews in the synagogue. And for three Sabbaths, here's what he did. He reasoned with them. He explained things to them. He gave evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. Why? Because the Jews were looking for a conqueror. They somehow had forgotten about the suffering servant. Isaiah 53 in our Bibles. The one who would come and be bruised for our transgressions. He's going to them and showing them from the scriptures, it says, that the Christ had to suffer and proclaiming that this one is the Christ. So here was his method. He reasoned with them. That word reasoned in verse two means to discuss, to discourse with, to conduct a discussion. He's dialoguing with them. He's receiving questions and answering them. This is what Paul did. He took time to teach the gospel. In verse 3 says he's explaining and giving evidence. The word explaining means to open the eyes of understanding, to open the mind, to take what is maybe obscure to someone and to make it plain. To open it up, you might say. So he's explaining. He's taking the Old Testament scriptures and he's explaining things to these Jews. This is again what Jesus did in Luke 24, verse 32. Those on the road to Emmaus afterwards said, were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road while He was explaining, same Greek word there, the Scriptures to us. So Paul took that method, let me explain, let me open up the Scriptures. And it says he was giving evidence. And as he was placing it before them, here's the evidence. Exhibit number one, or exhibit A, however it is in the courtroom. Here it is, and he lays out, here's exhibit B. I'm placing it before you. So he's expounding the Scriptures. He's pointing out, here's what it says, and explaining it before them. Again, this was Paul's usual evangelistic method. You see it in Athens in verse 17 of the same chapter. He was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews. You see it in chapter 18, verse 4. He was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to persuade the Jews and Greeks. You see it in Acts 19, verse 8, when he's in Ephesus. He's reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God from the scriptures. And always, as we see in verse 2, he's doing it from the scriptures. The Apostle reasoned from the Scriptures. He explained the Scriptures. He gave evidence from the Scriptures. As the Apostle Paul would remind Timothy in 2 Timothy 3 verse 15, it is the sacred writings, referring to the Old Testament, which is able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation, which is through faith in Christ Jesus. This is why he said in 2 Timothy 4 verse 2, preach the Word. Preach the Scriptures. And that's what he'll remind them of in 1 Thessalonians 2, verses 3 and 4 of 1 Thessalonians. For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak. Speaking the what? The Word of God. And so in 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 13, he says they accepted their words not as the word of men, but as it really was, the word of God which also performs its work in you who believe. He was preaching, explaining, persuading from the Scriptures. So this is Paul's custom, his usual method of evangelism that we see here in the book of Acts. Undeterred by persecution. He boldly proclaimed the gospel from the scriptures. And we see in verse four, that the scriptures did their powerful work. For the scriptures are living and active. The word of God is living and active. And so it tells us in Acts 17, verse four, and some of them were persuaded. They were convinced. the word means. They believed as a result of being convinced by the scriptures. I mean, we learn from this, just interject this in our own evangelism. We're not trying to tell people what we think. We're trying to show them from the scriptures. We wanna open up the scriptures to them that the Holy Spirit might use the written word of God to persuade them, to convince them of sin. of righteousness, their need of righteousness, and of the coming judgment, and point them to Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 1 verse 5, he will speak of this. For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. I mean, this was Paul coming in, opening up the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit is at work to rescue sinners. And it came in power. The Scriptures did its work. Those who were graciously chosen by God. He'll refer to that in 1 Thessalonians 1 verse 4. His choice of you, he will say. Those graciously chosen of God unto salvation before the foundation of the world now believe and are saved. A church is born in Thessalonica. A place where Previously, there were no believers. Now there are believers. And in verse four, we also see not only the gospel's power, but the gospel's reach. It says, and some of them, who are the them there, the Jews, were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks, So not only Jews, but Greeks and a number of leading women. You remember in Romans 1 verse 16, the apostle Paul said, for I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Here we have an example of that. Jews and Gentiles were saved. And who were among them? Well, there are Jews that were a part of the synagogue, but also God-fearing Greeks who went to the synagogue and heard. Now, what does it mean, God-fearing Greeks? Well, there's a distinction made when you read in the scriptures, and in particular the book of Acts, between proselytes to Judaism. Proselytes would have been those who submitted even to circumcision. But God-fearing Greeks were those who joined the synagogue without submitting to circumcision and some of the other ceremonial laws. And that's what this is referring to. But then it says leading women. Now, what does that refer to? Well, it doesn't explain, but might've been wives of prominent leaders in the city. Could have been like Lydia, who was a seller of purple fabrics back in Philippi, who was probably well known in the community and maybe somewhat wealthy because of her employment. These ladies may have been wealthy as well, either by marriage or by their own work. Now keep that in mind. It may be that their conversion took money from the local synagogue, which may have been one of the reasons for the persecution that would follow. And accusations we'll read of that Paul addresses in 1 Thessalonians of him doing it for greed. Some pretext for money. And so from this there were various attacks on his character. But you see the gospel's reach, the gospel is spreading. Even as Jesus said, go and preach the gospel to all the nations, even as Acts says, it will spread from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. Now it's reached Europe. Now it's reached this city of Thessalonica, but not without opposition. So beginning in verse five, we see the gospel's opposition. But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. So Luke doesn't explain all the details here, but he tells us that jealousy is at the root of their opposition. Maybe they were jealous of Paul's ability to reason from the Scriptures, his ability to persuade others about Jesus Christ. Maybe they saw some of the prominent women and others leave their synagogue and follow Christ, and they're envious. Maybe they saw that even Gentiles, Greeks, were believing in Jesus, and they were jealous because they were not so successful. But their jealousy leads to violence. They form a mob and it says they set the city in an uproar. The word uproar means to throw into disorder, to disturb. This was no peaceful protest. This was a riot. And it says they were seeking to bring them out to the people. That is Paul and Silas. They wanted to bring them out to do harm to them. Verse six, when they did not find them, that is Paul and Silas and Timothy, they began dragging Jason. Now we don't know anything about Jason, but they assumed he must have been a newcomer. They must have assumed that Paul and Silas, Timothy were staying with them. So they dragged Jason and some of the brethren before the city authorities shouting, these men who have upset the world have come here also. So they've heard of them. They've heard of Paul and his fellow missionaries. And they couldn't put down their arguments in the synagogue from the Scriptures, so they attack them with accusations. They accuse Paul, Silas, and Timothy of causing a revolt against the government. They say, these are men who have upset the world. Everywhere they go, they cause a disturbance and a revolt and a rebellion. Verse 7, and Jason has welcomed them. And they all act contrary, here's the false accusation, to the decrees of Caesar saying there is another king, Jesus. By the way, here's the irony of their claims. The gospel brings peace, most importantly, peace with God. And yet they falsely accuse them of being political agitators. And the ones who were really causing disturbances among the people were those who were persecuting the church. At the heart of their false claims was that they were saying there was another king that people should serve other than Caesar. Now you notice how slander and how stirring up trouble often takes at least part of the truth. It is true now, isn't it? That they proclaim Jesus as king, Jesus is Lord. He is Lord over all. And the Church's allegiance is to King Jesus, not ultimately the Caesar. So they were proclaiming that the King was coming back one day. We'll read of that throughout 1 Thessalonians. And no doubt the Apostle Paul was showing them from the Scriptures that he would make the nations and his enemies his footstool. Psalm 2 verse 8, ask of me and I will surely give you the nations as your inheritance. Or Psalm 110 verse 1, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. But as we know from the rest of the scriptures, allegiance to King Jesus makes us good citizens of the kingdoms of this world. As long as the laws of the land don't require believers to violate the laws of Jesus. then we must obey God rather than man. But the goal is not to stir up disturbances in culture, but the goal of believers is to live peaceful lives until Christ comes. We'll see that in 1 Thessalonians, in chapter 4, verses 11 and 12. Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, not a life of disturbing the culture. He says, lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands. so that you will behave properly toward outsiders, unbelievers, and not be in any need. So the Jews here were just really looking for a reason to persecute them. They couldn't find Paul or Timothy or Silas, so they take Jason and other new believers into custody instead. And it tells us in verses 8 and 9, they stirred up the crowd in the city authorities who heard these things. And when they received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them. Now this pledge is translated when they had taken money as security in the English standard version, maybe a form of bond that they took from them. They released them. So then we read in verse 10, the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. And when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. So for their safety, say, it's time for you to go. So they send them away to Berea. By the way, do you think they might be a little anxious about continuing their evangelistic method in the synagogue in Berea? You think Paul and Silas might say, do we need to change our method? Maybe we need to do something different. We've been kicked out of Philippi. The church has sent us away. They've sent us away from Thessalonica lest we die. But it says in verse 10, when they arrived in Berea, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. I mean, think of it. They're writing a journal. Preach the gospel in Philippi. Persecuted. Beaten. In prison. Sent away for safety. Arrived in Thessalonica. Preached the gospel in the synagogue. Persecuted. A riot. Sent to, by night, to Berea. Arrived in Berea. Preached the gospel. You get the idea. They're not deterred. Someone might say, well maybe you should change your method a little bit. No, people are believing and churches are being planted even in the midst of opposition. So this is the establishment of the church in Thessalonica. A church founded in adversity and in the face of opposition, but it did not impede the gospel from advancing. Now, that's how it was established. Now, just consider, turn to 1 Thessalonians and consider the general content of this first letter to the church at Thessalonica. The content is often driven by the circumstances at the time, the occasion for writing. Now why did the Apostle Paul write to the church at this particular time? Well, you remember, he had to leave rather abruptly. So he's concerned. There's no social media, there's no texting. So he doesn't know what's going on with him. So look at 1 Thessalonians 3 and it explains to us really the occasion for writing. 1 Thessalonians 3. Therefore, when we can endure it no longer, We thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone. So now they're in Athens, and he sends Timothy, verse two, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith. So he's wondering, what happened when we left? There's this opposition. They took, they dragged Jason and other believers. They get out on bonds, so to speak, and there's this pledge. So what's happening to them? Are they going to falter? Verse three, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. For indeed, when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction. And so it came to pass. In the short time Paul was there, he's telling them, like he told others, through many tribulations, you must enter into the kingdom of God. You're going to suffer affliction. So it says in verse five, for this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us, just as we also long to see you, for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction, we were comforted about you through your faith. For now we really live if you stand firm in the Lord." The Apostle Paul was like a good parent who's concerned for his children. He calls the church his children in the faith. And he loved them. He wants to know, how are they doing? And Timothy brings back good news. And he's concerned with all the slander against his name. What are they going to think of him? Are they going to be turned against him? No. They're still thinking kindly of him. And he's encouraged. And he rejoices. But the report also demonstrated the church needed to be strengthened. Their faith was being tested and tried. And they were being tempted by sin in the midst of the paganism that pervaded Thessalonica. So he exhorts them and encourages them. And so how does he do that? Well, when you read through a book of the Bible, again, I would encourage you, by the way, be doing this, read through 1 Thessalonians as we begin to go through this book, so you're familiar with it. So you begin to understand the history of this and what he is writing about and why. Well, in light of God's grace in their salvation, by the way, He begins with grace, He ends with grace. The word grace is only mentioned two times in the book letter here to the Thessalonians, just twice. But it begins that way, grace to you and peace. And it ends with the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. God shows them grace. He saves them by His grace, but He also wants them now to walk in grace. To walk, as he says in chapter 2 verse 12, to walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. The grace of God in salvation does not resolve the church from walking according to the commandments of King Jesus. The grace of God in salvation binds us to the commandments of our King. We're not justified by works of the law. We've just seen that through our study of the Ten Commandments, but sanctification requires obedience to the commandments of the law of God. So in chapter four, he'll remind them, you know, in verse two, the commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. And he begins to tell them how they can now be sanctified by walking according to those commandments. And so a theme is walking now in the gospel. Sanctification by obedience to the commandments of King Jesus. But we see another theme, the theme of love throughout this letter. In chapter 1, verse 3, he speaks of their labor of love In chapter 3, verse 12, he calls them to love one another, to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, not just Christians. And in chapter 4, verse 9, he says, Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. And in chapter 5, verses 12 and 13, he'll even talk about how to love their pastors. He tells them, that they should appreciate those who diligently labor among them and have charge over them in the Lord. And in verse 13, he says that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. So that's a central thing. Love in the body. But when you read through 1 Thessalonians, what really stands out are the number of references to the coming of the Lord. Chapter 1, verse 10. He speaks of them waiting for His Son from heaven. In chapter 2, verse 19, He speaks of the coming of the Lord Jesus. In chapter 3, verse 13, he speaks of the coming of the Lord Jesus with all his saints. In chapter 4, verse 15, he speaks of the coming of the Lord. And in chapter 5, verse 23, again, the coming of our Lord Jesus. And then in chapter 5, he speaks of the day of the Lord, when the Lord returns. this day that will come like a thief in the night. In fact, every chapter, now understanding we have added the verses and chapters, but at the end of every chapter in our English Bibles, there is something about the coming of the Lord Jesus. And this would be especially comforting to them in the face of persecution. So what is really the theme of 1 Thessalonians? Romans, we might say, is the gospel. Philippians, the book of joy. Ephesians, the book of God's sovereign grace to Jew and Gentile in one church. 1 John, the epistle of love. What about 1 Thessalonians? We could say how to live in light of His coming. Living in light of His coming. We can really break it up this way. It's really about walking with Christ and waiting for Christ. And He has to remind them, if we go into 2 Thessalonians, that while we're waiting for Christ, we're not passive. We're not sitting around doing nothing. Now we're walking with Christ in this world while we're waiting for Him. This letter will aid us too as we wait for His return. It will help us to, as some have said, to keep our eyes to the skies. And don't we need that? We do because when we live in light of His coming, then we'll walk obediently. in sanctification, in love, and in expectation. We'll walk in perseverance, even in persecution and trials. As long as we keep waiting and we keep our eyes fixed upon the coming of Christ, we will be encouraged to persevere through any circumstance. We will live as those who await the consummation of our salvation. So as we walk through this first letter of the Apostle Paul to the church in Thessalonica, we'll be instructed as to how we are to walk with Christ as we wait for Christ. And the two are related. Now, let me just briefly give you some points of application. Here's some things we learned from just this introduction to 1 Thessalonians. There's much more, and we'll see some of this further as we walk through the letter. But here's some things we learned. First, the gospel will always be met with opposition. The gospel will always be met with opposition. What makes us think it's any different today than it was in the time of the book of Acts? For Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3 verse 12, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. He says to him, this is a general principle that is true. All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. By the way, that's a description of Christians. Just like we're those who love God, we're those who desire to live godly. That's a mark of a Christian who's been born again by the power of the Spirit. And when we now walk according to the gospel, not just debate the gospel, but walk according to the gospel, there will be persecution. And it's certain, it's inevitable. Doesn't mean it will always be as intense a persecution as at other times, but it's true that godliness In light of the gospel, in the church and among believers will be met with hatred, jealousy, persecution. For Jesus himself said, A slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours. Do not grow weary in living and proclaiming the gospel, and do not be surprised when the gospel is met with opposition. Secondly, by way of application, the church needs boldness to proclaim the gospel in a hostile world. And the Apostle Paul will talk about that in chapter 2, verse 2, when he says, We had the boldness in our God to speak the gospel of God to you amid much opposition. And he's telling them this, not only to show them this is what God did in us, and you can trust it. We're not in this for money. We're not in this for personal gain. We're in this even when there's opposition to the glory of God. But he's also setting an example to them. that not only should Paul, but the people of God in the church must have boldness to speak the gospel. To speak it fearlessly, plainly, openly, uninhibited, unashamed. We don't have time to look at it, but you see it throughout the gospels of those who proclaim the gospel boldly. In fact, that was the prayer of the church in Acts chapter 4. that your bond servants may speak your word with all confidence. With all confidence, it means with all boldness. And it says they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. The gospel will be opposed, but the church needs boldness, boldness in God with reliance upon him. Thirdly, remember, Jesus is building His church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. The gospel will succeed. The gospel, through this Macedonian call, is now turned to Europe, and there's been a gospel witness ever since. The light has never gone out. Jesus is building His church. Nothing will prevail against it. And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God has willed his truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can't endure, for lo, his doom is sure. One little word from God Almighty will fell him, F-E-L-L, make him fall. And that word, above all earthly powers, no thanks to them abideth. The Spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also. The body they may kill, God's truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever. The gospel will prevail. But the only way it will prevail is if we live it. Proclaim it and live it. And so, building Christ's church is not just preaching the gospel, but what we'll see in 1 Thessalonians, it's living in light of the gospel. And this is how disciples are made. And then we do it how? In expectation of his return. So this book is gonna turn our eyes to the future as well. not only to what Christ has done to save us from our sin, and not only what our Lord and Savior, the King, Jesus, calls us to do by way of commandments that we have in the scriptures, but it's going to point us to the consummation of our salvation, always looking and waiting for His return. And this will give us steadfast hope. This will give us perseverance. This will give us the help we need, that we might not be overwhelmed with discouragement and despair in a fallen world. And looking and waiting, living in light of His return will keep us from loving this world too much and being too settled down in this age. And this will aid us in walking in holiness and purity to His glory. It will help us to hold our hands to the plow. And so, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us learn from this God-inspired letter of the Apostle Paul. Let us learn how to live in light of his coming and how to walk with Christ and how to wait for Christ. Let's bow our heads together in prayer. Our Father in heaven, as we come to this study of this book, this letter to the church at Thessalonica, Lord, it is so applicable to us in our own souls in this day. We are prone to fear the persecution of others, the displeasure of men. We are prone to not boldly proclaim the gospel. And we are prone to being conformed to the ungodliness around us. Lord, I pray you would use this letter to ground us in the gospel and to aid us in walking according to the gospel, that the ministry of this church, that the ministry of its pastors and how we live would be to your glory, that we would not be dissuaded by opposition or persecution or the worldliness around us. And I pray that we would not lose hope, but that we would have a steadfastness which comes from hope. as we walk with Christ and wait for Him and look for His coming. May we be encouraged by these words and strengthened in our souls. We pray in Jesus' name and for His sake and all God's people said. Amen. Amen. Let's stand together for our benediction. Just to remind you, this evening we'll gather It's six o'clock for our time around the table of the Lord to remember the death of our Savior. The words of 1 Thessalonians are these, Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he who calls you, and he also will bring at the pass The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Amen.