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Let’s say you are the father of a very beautiful 15 or 16 year old girl, who tells you that she has a boyfriend that she wants you to meet. What are the characteristics you are looking for in that boy? Polite, kind, respectful and so on. How do you know that is how he really is? By the way he behaves. How can you as a Dad make sure this is the kind of guy she ends up with? By setting the example for her. When he comes to the door to meet you will you be cleaning your shotgun or handgun? How will you greet him? What are you watching for in his manner?
If you think about it the best way to tell if someone is the way they claim to be is by their behavior and by the way other people describe them. This is the only way that their character is tested out. This is the way our Christian character is also tested out.
Vs 1. We begin our study of the text of 1 Thess. today. Paul uses the normal greeting for that time in history; who the letter is from, who it is written to and then a formal greeting. Because Paul is the one dictating the letter his name is used first.
He addresses the letter to the church of the Thessalonians, who are in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. For Paul Jesus is as much God as the Father is and if the church is in God then it is secure in His love and strength. John 1:12–13 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Paul next gives the church the formal greeting of grace and peace. This is a mixture of the Greek and Hebrew standard greetings used. The Jews would greet others with the words ‘Shalom’ which means peace. Mr. Spock, live long and prosper. Can any person truly have peace if they have not experienced the grace of God first, through Christ and are in the family of God? People you think of with a smile.
Vs 2-3 Paul expresses his gratitude to God and his thankfulness for the Thessalonian’ believers, these folks are a constant source of joy to Paul and his companions. When Paul, Silas and Timothy prayed for them there was a joy in their hearts over who these folks were, not grief or frustration, because these people lived as models of what a Christian should be.
There were 3 characteristics that stood out in how they lived their lives and how the acted toward those they came in contact with as well as the focus they had for where they were truly heading.
These 3 characteristics that stood out in these believers were faith, hope and love. 1 Cor. 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. These characteristics in the Thessalonian believers produced an abundance of other qualities that made Paul fill up with joy when his thoughts came to them. What a blessing and encouragement they were to him. These virtues found their place in Jesus, One worthy of their, our, obedience and good behavior. Jesus was the anchor of their salvation, the One whom they served in the present and whom they looked forward to being with in the future. No wonder Paul gave thanks for them.
Vs 4 There was no doubt in Paul’s mind that they were saved, he calls them brothers, equals in the faith with him. 1 Cor. 12:24–26 But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. God had chosen them to be His people and He will hold them responsible for their calling and obedience to Christ in it. But they proved out their faith by the way they lived out their lives.
Vs 5 The way they had responded to the gospel, the good news of forgiveness of sins through Christ’s death on the cross for them, was a result of the work of the Holy Spirit in them convincing them of their personal need for Christ and a deep conviction of their sin before Jesus. John 16:5-11 The gospel Paul preached changed their lives just as it had changed Paul’s, with deep conviction. Paul and his companions set an example before the Thessalonian believers in the Lord and these folks take hold of it and hold tight following the example set for them, living lives that honor God.
Vs 6 Their lives proved out their faith because they not only lived as their teachers did but went all the way to even live as Jesus did, even in the midst of severe suffering and persecution. They looked to those who set the first example for them and followed and then Paul and his companions point them to Jesus, the perfect example. 1 Pet. 2:21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. No matter how tough things got they held tight to the message and the hope of the gospel.
The Jews who came to faith would have to put up with the persecution of the non-believing Jews, just as they had persecuted Paul and Silas. The Greeks who turned to faith in Christ would have to fight against the persecution and questions of their friends and relatives who still practiced paganism. Refusing parties and orgies. 1 Pet. 4:1-5 Think about the women who were married to some of the high officials in the city, Acts 17:4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. These women had to go home to their unbelieving husbands who probably did not appreciate their wives new found morals and sensitive consciences. In spite of all this grief they had to face the new believers still held tight to their faith with joy because they knew their sins had been forgiven. Have you ever noticed that those who have troubles and trials as Christians and turn to God, often have a deeper faith and hope in Christ than those who live life more comfortably spiritually? Our joy as Christians should not be determined by our circumstances but by our relationship with Christ. Our source of joy should be the same as that of the Thessalonian believers, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us. Rom. 5:5
Vs 7 The character of these believers was not only evident to those around them but also too many others as well. In fact their faith was talked about by others who talked to others and so on. Who they were in Christ spread too many nations throughout the Roman Empire and possibly beyond. Egnatian Way and the seaport. Their lives became a testimony for Christ to people who didn’t even know them personally. 2 Cor. 8:1-5 Paul even commended them as models of Christian faith to others. One good test of the character of a Christian is how they manage their finances.
Radio Repeater Vs 8 The Thessalonian believers lived as examples of Christ to others and sent forth the message of the gospel transforming the lives of their friends and neighbors and even those they came in contact with. Their faith in Christ spread far and wide, repeaters of the gospel Paul had left them with.
Vs 9 The Thessalonian believers didn’t need to tell Paul about how great they were and what great things they did for the Lord. Others were telling Paul of their love and faith and the changed lives they now lived, turning from idols to God, to serve the true and living God. This gives us a clue to the great numbers of pagans who turned to Christ and away from Paganism. Vs 10 These believers now lived as servants of God with joy in their hearts for the forgiveness of sins but they also looked forward to the coming of Christ from heaven. Jesus was now the object of their hope and faith and where their attention was focused upon. They understood that all the little things they did for Christ in love would not go unnoticed by God.
Jesus’ return was their source of hope to help them endure the persecution they faced. They understood that because of who Jesus is and what He did for them they would not suffer the coming wrath of God upon sinful mankind. John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
The Thessalonian believers had great faith in Christ which helped them persevere on through the trails they faced. Their faith produced hope, the hope of better days with Jesus when He comes in His majestic glory and their lives with Him for eternity. Their faith produced a love that filled their being by the Holy Spirit in them and then spread out to those around them in acts of loving kindness that left them with a bright witness for the Lord.
Faith, hope and love are the basic characteristics from which our witness can grow and effect all we come in to contact with leaving them with an example of what a true Christian is and a model to follow as we point others to Christ.
What does our Christian character look like to others today? Do people recognize the difference in us because of Christ?
