Be Ready : I Thessalonians 1:4-10

What this episode covers

1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 Blank Outline Completed Outline 1 Thessalonians 1:1- 10 We’re going to read from 1st Thessalonians chapter 1, verses 4 through 10. Words are on the screen, and you can follow along as I read what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica. Paul wrote, for we know, brothers and sisters, loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so, you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore, we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell us how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who rescues us from the coming wrath. All right, we’re going to start the book of 1st Thessalonians this morning. And it was about three weeks ago that we kind of gave an introductory message, and then we had a graduation Sunday, and we had a Father’s Day Sunday. But we’re going to jump into 1st Thessalonians. And the theme of 1st Thessalonians is to be ready to live in light of Christ’s return. And it’s interesting, as you read through Paul’s letter to this church that he helped establish, and now he’s writing back to them to encourage them, at the end of every chapter, there’s five chapters, there’s a reference to the coming of Christ, a reference to the second coming of Christ in the end of every chapter. The church at Thessalonica was composed of… And so, 1st Thessalonians has a lot to do with the fact that Christ is coming again someday, and that we need to be ready for that. This morning we’re going to look at three characteristics of that first century church in Thessalonica, from chapter 1. And they’re characteristics that describe that group of people, those believers 2,000 years ago. But I also want to suggest these same three characteristics need to describe your life, my life, and our church. i. An elect people And so, we’re going to just jump into this, and let’s look at the first one here, that the church at Thessalonica was composed of an elect people, an elect people. Let me read the first three verses, or four verses of 1st Thessalonians, we read four through ten. Let me read the introductory verses here from chapter 1. Paul, Silas, and Timothy, to the church of Thessalonians, in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, here’s Paul’s normal greeting, grace and peace to you. We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, for we know, brothers and sisters, loved by God, that he has chosen you. God has chosen you. Now, here’s the $64,000 question, and it’s been debated all through church history. Did God choose us, or did we choose him? And that’s been debated all through church history, and we’re not going to solve that equation this morning, but the doctrine of election is all through Scripture. In the Old Testament, God had, what, the chosen people. He chose Abraham to be the father of, what, the Jewish nation, and the nation of Israel became God’s chosen people. Why did God choose Israel? Why didn’t he choose some other nation? We don’t know. That was in the heart of God. In fact, Deuteronomy chapter 7 talks about this choosing, that God chose the nation of Israel, and here’s what Deuteronomy 7, beginning in verse 6, for you are a people holy to the Lord your God, the Lord your Go

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