Sermon Tone Analysis

People who Spark Joy?

We’ve all heard about Marie Kondo and her instructions that we should only keep those items of clothing that ‘spark joy’.

Well i wonder if you can think of people who spark joy in your life?

People whom you are just so incredibly thankful for?

People who have helped you grow

Who have taught you wise lessons

Who have supported you through thick and thin.

People who have grown because of your investment in them.

Who have outshone you and outgrown you but who you’ve helped along the way.

There are many people we can give thansk for.

And for Paul, the people in the church in Thessalonica were such people.

He was so thankful to God for them and their encouragment.

Thessalonians - Background and Context (1 Thes 1:1)

Who wrote it?

Paul (v1)

Who was it written to?

Church in Thessalonica.

(v1)

Big town in Paul’s day, around 200,000 people!

Second biggest city in Greece today, with over 1 Mil.

What do we know about them?

Acts 17 tells us a fair bit of info.

The initial converts were made up of some Jewish converts, but mostly God fearing Greeks - those Gentiles who believed in the God of Israel, but who hadn’t gone the whole way - eg. circumcision - so were not full members of the Synagoge.

And a notable number of ‘prominent women’.

The Jews got jealous of Paul, we can presume it was in a large part due to his success with some of their more wealthy givers, and so they seek to run them out of town.

When did he write it?

AD 51.

How do we know that?

Luke recounts Paul’s time in Thessalonica in Acts 17.

Then in Acts 18, Luke tells us that Paul went from Thessalonica to Corinth, via Athens.

Paul was in Corinth when Silas and Timothy rejoin him.

We know that when Paul was in Athens he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica (3:1-2) and it is his return to Paul with news that has prompted this letter.

Now Luke tells us a key historical fact about Corinth when Paul was there.

Gallio was proconsul (ruler of the area).

And Historians and Archaeologists have figured out from other historical work and information when that was very accurately.

Between July 51 and June 52.

Why did Paul write it?

In response to the news Timothy has bought back to him regarding how the church in Thessalonica is going.

It seems if you read the whole letter through that Paul has gotten mostly good news from Timothy.

They are doing ok, however they need encouragement in a few areas, as we’ll see as we work our way through the book.

What’s it got to say to us?

Paul wrote to a small church in a large secular city.

Sound familar?

They were a church, like us under pressure to conform to the ways of society and Paul ultimately is writing to encourage them to not do that, and instead to dedicate themselves to living holy lives for God.

Lives that set them apart from the world around them.

And for Paul, as for us, the reason we should do this is that Jesus will return.

Which is what makes 1 Thes a good book for Advent.

Thessalonian Faith (1 Thes 1:2-10)

Paul Thanks God for the Thessalonians Faith (1 Thes 1:2-3)

Paul opens with thanksgiving

Here we see Paul’s love and affection and care for those whom he has ministered too.

Whenever he prays he thanks God for the church in Thessalonica.

The Pastor’s heart for his people is on show here.

What is Paul thankful for specifically?

We see that in v3.

Work produced by faith

Like we saw last week in Luke.

It goes faith first and then works in response.

Not the other way around.

Paul’s thankful that their faith in Jesus has lead them to live good lives.

Labor prompted by love

This again make the same point.

They Thessalonians faith is working itself out.

Here in probable active works of the church to love their neighbours.

Endurance inspired by hope in Jesus

They are able to carry on doing these good deeds, these labors of love, because they know what God has done for them through Jesus.

They rely on his love and strength to keep on going, even when things are tough.

And we know from Acts 17 and from places in this letter, it wasn’t easy being Christian in Thessalonica.

We too ought to be inspired to love and good works in our community because of what Jesus has done for us.

Would Paul be able to give the same thanksgiving prayer for you?

For us?

The Christian who has truely understood God’s grace and love will respond with a relentless effort to share that love with others.

Faith comes from God (1 Thes 1:4-5)

So Paul thanks God for their visible faith (vv2-3).

Now lest they start to feel like they deserve special praise, Paul reminds them the source of their faith.

God loved them first and chose them to be part of the church.

It is God who has opened their hearts to be recpetive to the gospel.

How does Paul know this?

Because when the word of God was preached to them it didn’t just bounce off them.

But it convicted them and transformed them.

This God ordained faith of the Thessalonians is a further source of Paul’s thanksgiving to God.

Do you want to see your children saved?

Your spouse?

Your mum and dad?

Your siblings?

Your friends and neighbours?

Then you need to pray for God to open their hearts.

Part of the logic for Prayer Triplets is that we will start gathering together in small groups to pray not just for sick people, or for wars.

But for the salvation of our loved ones.

And this passage reminds us that’s never going to happen unless God opens their hearts.

So let’s get praying, for God answers prayer!

Through Leaders (1 Thes 1:6)

Paul thanks God for their faith.

He thanks God for working powerfully in the Thesalonians life.

Next he describes how the Thesalonians matured in their faith.

Paul and his companions came to town with the good news about Jesus.

People responded.

And then Paul, Silas and Timothy taught them how to live like Jesus.

It wasn’t easy for them.

They were persecuted.