“Do This More and More” [Matt's Messages]

“Do This More and More”

Eternal Encouragement - 1&2 Thessalonians

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

June 1, 2025 :: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12  

“Well done! Keep up the good work! Attaboy! Attagirl!”

There are few things more encouraging to hear than someone telling you that you’re doing a good job.

I just said those words to Keagan when he read to us. I used that phrase that I learned in the UK a couple years ago, “Well done, you.”

“Well done, you. Keep it up!>A pat on the back and an encouraging word, “More of that, please.”“You’re doing it right. Keep going! “Stay on that track, and you’ll get where you are supposed to be.”

Those kind of words are some of the most encouraging you will ever hear.

This fellow right here has said that to me so many times in the last 27 years. Wallace Kephart turns 89 years old tomorrow. Happy birthday, Wally. 89, wow! Can I brag on you for a second?

One of the things that Wally has consistently done for me over the last 27 years is to tell me that I’m doing a good job and to keep it up. He’s not been afraid to tell me when he disagrees with me or give me counsel to change something that he thinks needs fixed. But Wally has always told me when he appreciates what I’m doing and encourages me to do that same good thing more and more. Well done, you, Wally! Keep it up! Thank you and happy birthday to you.

That’s the kind of encouragement that the Apostle Paul is giving here to his beloved friends from the church he planted in Thessalonica. He’s written three chapters about his love for them, his desire for their continual growth in godliness, and his longing to be back with them once more.

He’s been constantly praying for them, and he even broke out into prayer in the last two sentences of chapter 3:

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones” (1 Thess. 3:12-13 NIVO).

And now in chapter 4, Paul turns to telling them what he wants them to do. He’s going to give them instruction. And in this section (4:1-12), it’s repeated instruction. Paul is reminding them about stuff that he’s told them before. 

And one of the most encouraging things he says is that they are already doing it. Paul knows that they are already living this way.  He just wants them to do it more and more.

Did you hear that phrase when Keagan was reading it to us? “Do this more and more.” It’s in verse 1, and it’s in verse 10. And the idea is all over the place in these twelve verses.

Paul is not confronting them with their failures like he sometimes has to do with other churches. Paul is encouraging them to keep up the good work. And to double it. And to double it again. 

“Do this more and more.”

I think there are at least three major things that Paul is encouraging them to do more and more which could serve as a summary for this section of the letter. Here’s the first one:

#1. LIVE TO PLEASE GOD.

“Do this more and more.” Look with me at 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 1.

“Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.”

There is so much encouragement in that verse! Starting with this idea: It is possible to live to please God!

I think that we often think about God as impossible to please. He is holy, after all, and we are not. We can get to thinking of God as implacable, unhappy, demanding, harsh, always looking to find fault and telling us, “You’re doing it wrong.” Some of you had a father or a mother like that, and it has skewed your view of God. 

But Paul says that not only did he teach them how to they can live (literally “walk”) to please God, but that these Christians are actually doing it!

"....we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living.”

That’s so encouraging to me. And it must have been encouraging to them.

Now, of course, they could not do it on their own. For starters, they needed Jesus to forgive them of their sins, and they needed the Holy Spirit to come live inside of them and give them power to live to please God. And they needed to have faith. Because without faith it is impossible to please God (see Hebrews 11:6). But they had those things! And they were doing it. The Christians in Thessalonica were living their lives in a God-pleasing way. And now Paul writes to them, “Good job! Now keep it up. Do it more and more.”

I said a couple of weeks ago that encouragement comes in two basic flavors. There is comfort (or consolation) and there is urging (or exhortation). One flavor of encouragement is, “You are doing it right. It’s going to be okay. God has you where He wants you.” That’s comfort or consolation. The other flavor is more of a kick in the pants. “I encourage you to do this or to do that.” Like, a parent saying, “I encourage you to go clean your room.”

This verse has both of those kinds of encouragement, doesn’t it? And the one feeds the other. “You are doing it right. Now do it more and more!” 

Paul says, “We ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus.” That word for “urge” is the same word translated “encourage” in other parts of Thessalonians. Your version might have “encourage” there. I think the CSB translates it that way. It’s more than just a suggestion. This is not optional, but it is not a rebuke either! Do this more and more: Live to please God.

Is that your basic stance in life? Are you focused on living your life for the pleasure of God? Or are you trying to please someone else?

Maybe yourself? Our default setting is to live for our own pleasure. Our entire culture is built on that idea! “Suit yourself. You do you. Have it your way. Whatever makes you happy.” 

Or many of us have fallen into the trap of living to please other people. That’s one of my biggest temptations. I like to be liked, and I loved to be loved. And I want people to approve of me. So I start doing things to make them happy with me. And that leads to all kinds of trouble.

Paul says he taught the Thessalonians to live for something higher and holier; to live to please God. And they were doing it!

Not perfectly. Not as much as they could. He wants them to increasingly do it more and more. But they were doing it. And to the degree that you and I are living for God right now, praise God! Way to go! Well done, you. I see it in so many of your lives. You want to know what God wants and you want to walk it out in your own life. You pray, “Have Your Own Way, Lord. Have your own way!” And that’s exactly right! Keep that up! And do it more and more and more.

Because the opposite is a terrible thought. Living our lives to displease God! What a scary idea. I don’t want to walk in that neighborhood. And neither did the Thessalonians. They wanted to know what God wanted, and then they wanted to do it. And they even knew what it was that God wanted. Look at verse 2.

“For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. [They were taught this already.] It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality...” (vv. 2-3).

Do this more and more:

#2. LIVE OUT A HOLY SEXUALITY.

Paul says, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.” We don’t have wonder about that.

Have you ever thought, “I wonder what God’s will is for me.” Well, He’s told us right here! God’s desire is for you and me to be holy. To live holy lives. That’s what it means to be “sanctified.” It means to be set apart from the world, set apart from our old way of living, to be set apart from sin. God wants you and me to live differently from how we used to and how the world still does.

And specifically here, Paul says that God wants us to be holy in how we use our bodies in sexual ways.

V.3, “[Y]ou should avoid sexual immorality...”

What is that? The Greek word there is “porneia.” And it refers a whole range of sexual misconduct–basically any sexual act that take place outside of a loving biblical marriage of one man and one woman covenanted together for life.

So that includes adultery. A married man or a married woman having sex with someone other than their wife or their husband. Cheating. (Or an “open marriage” if both spouses are complicit in this immorality.)

And it includes sexual abuse and rape, of course. It includes incest.

And porneia includes prostitution, both selling or buying. In Thessalonica, prostitution was often tied to the worship of idols. The idols that the Thessalonians had turned away from to serve the living and true God (1:9).

In the Greek and Roman world of this time, there was almost an “anything goes” kind of ethic about sex, at least for the free men. Men could do just about whatever they wanted with other men, with children, with slaves, with prostitutes, with concubines, and against their wives.

But Paul says that God wants the Christians to “avoid” all of that. To say, “no to porneia.”

Porneia includes homosexual acts. Many of the things our culture is planning to celebrate this month with “pride.”

It also includes the use of pornography. You can see how we get our word “porn” from “porneia.” Lusting after, fantasizing over, desiring other bodies, bodies of those with whom we are not in covenant.

And porneia also includes boyfriends and girlfriends having sex with one another before they are married. Not just hooking up in promiscuity but also committed couples living sexually as if they are married when they are not married.

I know that’s “normal” now. Both in the culture and increasingly among people who claim to be followers of Jesus. But the Bible is saying that true followers of Jesus will run away from all of that. “It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality...”

We should run like the plague from porneia!

Notice that Paul doesn’t just say what not to do, but also what to do. What to do instead, verse 4.

“It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality [v.4] that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God” (vv.3-4).

More and more, God wants us to live out a holy sexuality. To control our bodies in a way that is holy and honorable.

Now that phrase, “to control his own body” is a difficult one to translate from the Greek. It could be woodenly translated, “to possess his own vessel” which what does that mean? Some of your versions have a footnote with the reading, “acquire your wife” which takes the “possess” as “come into possession” and assumes that the “vessel” is like where Peter calls wives a “weaker vessel” (like 1 Peter 3:7). And that’s possible. That’s why it’s footnoted. 

But most English versions take the “possess” as “controlling your possession” and the “vessel” as either being your body or perhaps the more sexual parts of your body. The parts that men, especially, sometimes have trouble controlling. I think that’s more likely and fits better in the context.

The point is that Paul is saying that Christians don’t have to sin sexually and shouldn’t. That it’s possible to learn to control your body in way that is holy and honorable!

Sexual self-control is possible. 

Isn’t that encouraging?! You and I do not have to engage in porneia of any kind.

If you are single, you can be chaste unless and until you are biblically married. One man and one woman promised to each other for life.

If you are married, you can be faithful to your husband or to your wife.

If you are addicted to pornography, you can quit.

If you have been visiting a prostitute, you can stop going. If you have been selling yourself, you can get out of the trade. And that includes selling yourself on OnlyFans. 

If you have been living like you’re married when you are not, you can move out and live a God-honoring life with your body.

Sexual self-control is possible. A pure sex life is possible. Paul says to live it out more and more.

It will be hard! That’s why Paul was praying for it in verse 13. “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones” (1 Thess. 3:13 NIVO). It takes strengthening of our hearts. But it is possible to be blameless and holy with our bodies!

You will not hear that from the world. We must be different from the world. Verse 5, “... not in passionate lust like the heathen who do not know God.” We don’t have to live “hot and heavy like the heathen” (Kerry S. Doyal). We can and should live differently, distinctly, set apart, holy. And the Thessalonians were! So Paul encourages them to do it more and more.

Notice that he doesn’t say that we should lecture the world on how to control their bodies, on how to possess their vessels. He’s writing to Christians about the Christian sexual ethic. More than telling the world, we should be showing the world how to live out a holy sexuality. We probably ought to get our act together before we go lecturing the world on how to behave with their bodies.

Now, I can imagine someone saying, “Pastor Matt, I just don’t see why this is so important. Who are we to judge?” And I understand that there other things to also be concerned about than just sexuality. Sometimes, Christians can get a reputation for thinking and talking about sex all the time. And some do. There are many other things that we should be concerned about: injustice, violence, and much more.

But it’s actually the world that talks about sexuality all the time. It’s like they know deep down that they are doing something wrong and are desperate to justify themselves and keep us on the defensive.

And the same is true for Christians caught up in sexual sin. There are so many justifications and excuses that some Christians offer up to downplay the importance of avoiding sexuality immorality in all of its forms.

But it is important because it is God’s will. It says so right here. And it also says that sexual self-control is possible because it’s God’s will.

And it doesn’t just affect us. Our sexual sin affects others, as well. That’s bound up in that word “honorable” in verse 4. Did you notice that word? Have you ever thought about your sexuality being either holy or unholy? Well, how about honorable or dishonorable? Paul says in verse 6 that when we sin sexually we are dishonoring other people. Look at verse 6.

“...and that in this matter [of sexual practice] no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him.”

Do we think about sexuality that way? That when we engage in porneia of any kind that we are not just sinning against God but against other people. 

For example, if we engage in adultery, we are sinning against a spouse. Wronging a brother (or a sister).

If we engage in sex before being married, we are sinning against a potential eventual spouse. If you don’t get married to that man or that woman, and they eventually get married to someone else, you were illicitly having their marriage partner. You were stealing from them.

It doesn’t matter that they were giving themselves to you willingly. You were taking what isn’t yours.

Sexual sin is stealing. The point is not just that you might make a baby you didn’t intend to. The point is that you didn’t honor their body the way you should. It wasn’t your body to enjoy.

The same thing is true with prostitution. 

The same thing is true with pornography. Her body on that screen is not yours to enjoy. His body on that page is not yours to enjoy. You are wronging someone, probably multiple someones. You are taking advantage of them. You are exploiting them. Even if they are complicit.

Of course, that’s true with abuse and rape. That’s obviously stealing.

And that includes marital rape. Just because her body is yours in covenant, guys, does not mean that you can demand it or take it at any time you want.

Our sexuality must be holy and must be honorable. We should be honoring others with our bodies and in how we treat their bodies. More and more. 

Because God cares, and He will do something about it. Look at the end of verse 6.

“The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”

If sexual sin is stealing (and it is), then it is an injustice. And God hates injustice and will eventually balance all of the scales. Some English versions say, “God is an avenger.” That means He will make things right once again. God will right every wrong. That might be some time. It sure seems like people are getting away with very impure lives. Our culture keeps going down, down, down that trail.

And one day, the Lord will bring judgment on all porneia. Paul already told them that and warned them. Because God cares. He didn’t save us so that we could live unholy lives. He didn’t save us so that we could just go on like we always have. He saved us to make us holy like Him. We were saved to be sanctified, down to our sex lives. V.8

“Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.”

This isn’t just Paul saying this or Pastor Matt. It’s God. The same God who put His Holy Spirit inside of you wants you to be holy, too. And to live out a holy sexuality more and more.

Now, what if you haven’t? These are strong words and serious ones. And we have all sinned sexually. We are all sexual sinners. Every last one of us. 

The question is do we repent of our sexual sin and do we trust in what Jesus did for us on the Cross and at the Empty Tomb? Through that we can be forgiven. Jesus took the punishment for our sexual sin, and He came back to life to give us the power to live a holy life. Look at verse 7 again.

“God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”

And, therefore, it is possible! That’s how the Thessalonians were living. The question is if we are aimed in that same direction, as well. We will all sin from now until Jesus comes, but we don’t have to at any given moment, and we don’t have to be controlled by it. We confess it and (by the power of the Holy Spirit living within us) learn to control our own bodies in a way that is holy and honorable. More and more.

In verse 9, Paul changes the subject, but only slightly. He is still talking about honoring in another other, but he broadens it from our bodies to brotherly love. Look at verse 9.

“Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more” (vv.9-10).

There’s that “more and more!” And that’s point number three and last:

#3. LOVE YOUR SPIRITUAL FAMILY.

More and more. Love your spiritual family.

Look at how encouraging Paul is once again! He says that he doesn’t have to teach them about how to love each other because they have been taught by God to love each other. And they’re doing it! That must have been so encouraging for them to read.

“Way to go, Thessalonians! Well done, you. Keep it up. Do it more and more.”

I’m not exactly sure what he means when he says they were taught by God. Perhaps he means that they have learned by the example of the Lord Jesus. They knew how as the Son of God Jesus showed us how to love each other. That’s certainly true.

Maybe he means that the Holy Spirit has been working inside of the believers in that church so that they obviously had been “God-taught” to love one another from the inside out. That’s probably true, as well.

Whatever he means, Paul could tell that God had taught them to love each other with “brotherly love.” The Greek word there is actually “philadelphias” where we get the name of our Pennsylvania city over by New Jersey. 

It basically means “love for siblings of the same Father.” And we Christians have the same Father, don’t we? Paul says that the Thessalonians were doing a great job of loving each other (that’s encouraging!), and at the same time, he encourages them (same word) to do so more and more.

How we doing at loving our brothers and sisters in Christ? Especially those who are different from us. It’s easy to love people when they are the same or think the same or act the same as we do. But what about those who are different? Or those who are difficult? Some siblings are easy to love and others take a lot more effort. We have to work at it more and more.

One key way to love our spiritual family is to encourage them. That’s why I asked Jenni to create these “encouragement cards” that are in your bulletins. And there are more out in the foyer. Who might you send one of these to this week? Let me encourage you to think about someone whom you have maybe just met here at Lanse Free Church. We are growing as a spiritual family, and it’s harder to know each other and to encourage each other since there are now so many of us. How about looking around and picking someone that you are just beginning to get to know, and look in the church directory for their address or put it their box out in the foyer? Or hand it to them!

Our church family is a very loving church family. I’ve seen it again and again and again and again. Well done, you! Now, do it more and more!

There are lots of ways to love our spiritual family, but in verses 11 and 12, Paul focuses on one particular way–not being a burden to each other. Look at verse 11.

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you [this is another thing they had already been taught], so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (vv.11-12).

Do you see how that is loving?

Paul says that we should be ambitious to be quiet. That’s a surprising way to put it! I think he means not “quiet” as in the opposite of “loud,” but quiet as in peaceful and peaceable. We are good neighbors. We’re not trying to be a problem. We’re not trying to stir up trouble in our relationships. Sometimes trouble comes, and we deal with it. And of course we speak up when we are called to. He’s not saying to always be silent. Paul was not always silent! But we are striving for peace.

And we are supposed to “mind our own business.” Not to be busybodies, not to meddle in things that don’t have anything to do with us. “Not my circus, not my monkeys,” right? Solomon said, Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own” (Prov. 26:17, NIV). That’s not loving! Paul will have more to say about that in this letter and the next.

And then Paul says, “Work with your hands...” And I don’t think he’s emphasizing manual labor as much as personal labor. Paul wants Christians [who can] to work for their own living. To be busy instead of busybodies. And not to be a burden to others.

Maybe some of the more poor Christians were tempted to give up work and let the more wealthy Christians support them. Paul had shown them with his own example that even a Christian who could rightfully be supported might pass up that support for loving reasons (see chapter 2). And now he’s encouraging them to think about others and work hard themselves to not be burden on the other brothers. v.12  “...so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”

Now, of course, if you need to be dependent, then be dependent. The Christians in the New Testament took care of widows and the disabled and their elderly parents.  If you don’t have your own hands to work with, then you can’t “work with your own hands.” But Christians who can, should, out of love for the brothers.

And as a witness to the world. Look at verse 12.

“...so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders...”

The world is watching to see if we love our spiritual family. The world is watching to see if all the things we say about Jesus actually changes our lives. The world is watching to see if we live our lives differently, including our sex lives.

Is it true that because of Jesus those Christians can be self-controlled?

Can they honor other people with their bodies?

Can those Christians keep from fighting with each other and lead quiet lives?

Can they mind their own beeswax?

Can they stay busy and not be a burden on each other?

Can they actually live to please their God?

What’s the answer to that?

Yes, it is possible! The Thessalonians did it. 

And the Lord was calling them (and now us) to do this more and more.

***

Messages in this Series:

01. To the Church of the Thessalonians - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
02. We Loved You So Much - 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
03. You Are Our Glory and Joy - 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13

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“You Are Our Glory and Joy” [Matt's Messages]

“You Are Our Glory and Joy”

Eternal Encouragement - 1&2 Thessalonians

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

May 25, 2025 :: 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13  

The sermon title for today is pulled straight out verse 20 of chapter 2 which says, “Indeed, you are our glory and joy.”

Question: Who is the “you” in that sentence? Think before you answer.

Who is the “you” in that sentence? Who do you think would be the “glory and joy” of the Apostle Paul?

My guess, if I didn’t already know, is that it would be Jesus! Like if this was Psalm or a prayer: “Jesus, you are our glory and joy.”

And, of course, that’s true. In fact, Paul says elsewhere that he glories in nothing except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (see Gal. 6:14 and 1 Cor 1:31).

But the “you” in verse 20 and in our sermon title is not Jesus. It is the brothers and sisters of the church of the Thessalonians. The church family that Paul had had to leave behind after planting the church in Acts chapter 17. It is those precious people that Paul calls his glory and his joy.

This whole passage is so full of emotion. Paul cares so deeply about these people, and it just gushes out of just about every verse.

Remember last time Paul said, “We loved you so much!...You had become dear to us.” He was only there a few months, but these precious people had been imprinted upon the apostle’s heart. 

If you remember, Paul said that he was kind of like a mother and kind of like a father to these folks, spiritually speaking. Paul was gentle and caring and committed like a nursing mother would be, and he was strong and firm and instructive like a loving father would be.

And here, he’s kind of like these parents of our graduates today. Who are saying to their kids, “You are pride and joy.”

Kelcey, Doug, Kayleigh, your parents are saying, “You are our pride and joy.” And the Apostle Paul is saying to the church at Thessalonica, “You are our pride and joy.”

“You are our glory and joy.”

Paul cares so much. But they might not think so. Because he’s not there! Paul has had to go away, and he’s not come back. And we said last time that there might have been some people that were saying that Paul didn’t care about them and had abandoned them and taken off with their money. 

Well, Paul showed in chapter 2 that he wasn’t scamming them when he was with them. He hadn’t even received any money from them. He was not a burden to them even though he could have been. [

And here he assures them that he wasn’t deserting them either, even in his absence. 

Look with me at chapter 2, verse 17, and notice what he calls them. “Brothers [and sisters].” Don’t miss how deeply Paul cares about his spiritual siblings.

Some people think that Paul was emotionally cold. I think that’s because he uses logic so much and careful reasoning, but Paul is the furthest thing from emotionally cold. He is sizzling with emotion, and here it is (almost embarrassing!) affection. Look at verse 17.

“But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.  For we wanted to come to you–certainly I, Paul, did, again and again–but Satan stopped us.”

Do you hear it? 

Paul was torn up about being torn away from the Thessalonians.

The Greek word translated “torn away” in verse 17 is the word from which we get “orphaned.” Paul felt orphaned from them because he had to leave town. 

In this book, he’s called himself a brother, a mother, a father, a little baby, and here, he’s an orphan. Not that they are orphans, though they might have felt like it with their spiritual mother and father gone, but that he was an orphan, missing them so much and feeling alone.

My wife is away right now visiting her family out west. I feel orphaned, too. And it’s not because anybody has done anything wrong. It’s just that we are far from each other, and it hurts. Paul says that he was “torn away.” He says only “in person, not in thought.” He was only far from them physically. His heart was with them. Just like mine is with my wife even though she’s 2,000 miles away. And I have an intense longing for her. And that’s how Paul felt about the Thessalonians.

Paul loved them. And he tried again and again to get back to be with them, “but,” Paul says, “Satan stopped us.”

Now, I don’t know exactly what that means. I don’t know what happened that was Satan blocking Paul’s path to return to Thessalonica. I can come up with some guesses, but that’s all they would be, guesses. And I don’t know how Paul knew that it was Satan that was blocking them. Perhaps divine revelation. 

But we do know that Satan can get in our way. Remember a few weeks ago, we read in Daniel chapter 10 about how the Prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked the shining messenger of God[!] until Michael came and assisted him.

 

So, of course, mere mortals like us can be hindered by Satan for a time.

That’s frustrating! Paul was frustrated. He longed to be back with these precious people, but for the time being, Satan stood in his way. Of course, Satan is not all-powerful (like the Lord is). So the Lord, obviously, had to have His own reasons for allowing Satan to stop them at that point. And Paul knew that, but that doesn’t make it easy. 

Paul’s heart was with them. Why? Because they were his glory and joy. See his rhetorical question in verse 19?

“For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy” (2:19-20).

Jesus Christ is coming back soon. Amen? And Paul knew that. Paul taught it. He talks about the return of Christ at least once in every chapter in 1st and 2nd Thessalonians.  And Paul says that when Jesus comes, these people will be his hope, his joy, and his crown of glory.

What does he mean? He can’t mean that he puts his hope in them or that he finds his ultimate joy  in them or that they are the ultimate source of his glory. Paul does not worship the Thessalonians. He worships Jesus alone. But because he loves these people, he has told them about Jesus, and they have come to believe in Jesus. And he has labored among them and served them and brought them along.

So that one day when Jesus returns, Paul will get to enjoy Jesus WITH them. And he’ll get to present them to Jesus as his offering. And he will be rewarded with them. They will be his crown!!!

That’s not a big heavy metallic thing here. This is like the wreath that is placed on the head of an Olympic medalist in ancient Greece. These people are a prize! Not that Paul has won them through his own effort in which he can be sinfully proud, but that they are a reward for his faithful love for them.

“Here, Jesus, these people are for you.”

And Jesus says, “Here, Paul, these people are for you.” They are part of Paul’s glorying in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ! “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy” (2:19-20).

How encouraging!!!

That must have been so encouraging for the Thessalonians to read. Right?! It's the opposite of being abandoned. They were rejoiced in. They were the anticipation of Paul’s greatest joy and glory on the day of Christ Jesus.

Has anyone ever said this to you? I’m saying it to you today. “Lanse Free Church, you are my glory and joy.” When Jesus returns, I want to be able to say, “These people here. Oh, they are my glory and joy. They are my hope, my joy, my crown of glory. I loved them in 2025 for Jesus’ sake, and I’ll love them forever as I glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Have you ever said this to someone else? Who is your glory and joy? Who have you loved and labored for for Jesus’ sake? Who have you loved so much you have delighted to share the gospel with them and your life, as well? Because that’s what it’s all about!

At our Elders’ Meeting on Thursday night, we talked about that, as your church elders. Who are the people in our lives that we are striving to make disciples of?

Who do you have in mind? And what are you doing about it?

Today, I have 3 points of application that I hope capture the flow of this passage, and here’s the first one. Because you are our glory and joy...

#1. WE REALLY WANT YOU TO BE ENCOURAGED IN YOUR FAITH.

In fact, we want people to have “eternal encouragement,” right? That’s our theme for the Thessalonian correspondence. Eternal encouragement. See what Paul says in chapter 3, verse 1.

“So [our glory and joy] when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know” (3:1-4).

I love how Paul says that he couldn’t stand it any longer. Paul felt like he was just going to burst if he didn’t find out how this church was doing! And it was worth being orphaned some more. He sent his son in the faith, Timothy on a mission to Thessalonica. Apparently, Satan couldn’t stop Timothy from getting there the way he could Paul. Or, least, that was their hope. 

Paul calls Timothy, “our brother” which is, again, a strong word of affection and connection. But he also calls him [catch this!], “God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ!” Wow! What a name that is! Not Paul’s fellow worker (though he is), but God’s fellow worker.

What an honor to have that title attached to your name! And you know, if you and I are doing what God has told us to do with Him doing it through us, we can call ourselves that, too! Put that on your business card! “God’s fellow worker.” The only way that someone can truly be our glory and joy is if God is doing that work through us. The only way our glorying or boasting or rejoicing in someone else can be legitimate is if it we’re loving them with the strength that God provides.

And that’s what young Timothy was doing. Tim was sent back to Thessalonica to (notice verse 2), “strengthen and encourage you in your faith.” Paul really wanted them to be encouraged. 

Do you want that for the people in your life? Paul was willing to be left alone in Athens to make sure that these precious people had what they needed.

What are you and I willing to give up so that the people in our lives are strengthened in and encouraged in their faith?

Are we willing to give up our time?

Are we willing to give up our money?

Are we willing to give up our attention?

Are we willing to give up our favorite people?

Paul loved Timothy. I’m sure it was hard to let him go. He hated to be alone. You’ll notice that about Paul. He loved to have a team. He loved to have people around him and longed for them when they were away.

But these folks were important to Paul. They were his glory and joy! And they were worth sending off Timothy to strengthen and encourage them in their faith. Because their faith was going to be shaken. He says “so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them.”

Paul says that he knew and he had told them so that they knew that persecution was inevitable. Our Lord Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble...” It is not optional. 

We should not be surprised when the hard times come. We do not believe in a “prosperity gospel” that says that faithful Christians are always healthy, wealthy, and prosperous and never under attack.

No, faithful Christians expect to be attacked. We are destined for it, just like Jesus was. If we are under attack, that does not mean we’re doing it wrong. In fact, it probably means we are doing it right! But even if we know it’s coming, that doesn’t make it easy. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t shake us. And that’s why we need encouragement. That’s why need strengthening. Because the hard times are sure to come.

So, who are you encouraging? Have you sent a note of encouragement this past week? Have you sent a text, a message, a card, snap, a letter? Have you made a phone call? To that person or people whom you want to say, “You are my glory and joy.” You really want to encourage them in their faith.

Paul was so worried about the Thessalonians. I almost wonder if he was too worried about them. But I appreciate his honesty, because I often feel the same way. Look at verse 5.

“For this reason [the expected unsettling persecution], when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless.”

Again, Paul was just about to burst with concern for them. That’s why he sent Timothy. To find out if they are still believers back there in Thessalonica or if they had planted the seed of the gospel, and it had withered on the vine.

The absolute worst thing that Paul could imagine was NOT that the church of the Thessalonians had been martyred. Not that the church had been attacked or even killed for their faith. The absolute worst thing that Paul could imagine was that they had been attacked and then given up their faith. That they had made shipwreck of their faith and walked away from trusting in Jesus. Paul was afraid that Satan had gotten to that church.

But, praise God, they were okay! Look at verse 6.

“But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.  Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith” (vv.6-7).

Because your are our glory and joy...

#2. WE ARE REALLY ENCOURAGED BY YOUR FAITH.

In verse 5, I feel like Paul is holding his breath while Timothy was away, and in verse 6, I hear this great big sigh of relief.

Good news about their faith and love! That’s the same word we translate as “gospel.” Timothy brings the good news–the gospel–that the Thessalonians are still walking with Jesus! 

They still love Jesus. The persecution has come, but they have not stopped. Just like Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they have not backed down.

And just as Paul and his team still loved them, they still loved Paul and his team.

“He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.”

And that was so encouraging to Paul! “Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.” Comforted, strengthened, consoled. He wanted to encourage them, and in the process he was encouraged!

Have you ever experienced this? You’ve been worried about somebody and their relationship with Jesus, and then you find out that they are living for Him. What a great feeling that is!

Especially if you were their spiritual parent in some way.

Yesterday, there was a special speaker at the Men’s Breakfast talking to the men and the boys. Keith and John had asked Peter Mitchell if he would share his testimony, his story of his faith in Jesus Christ. He agreed right when he was asked. He was like, “Gulp. Ok. I’ll do my best.”

And this parent was so encouraged to hear him speak! “Peter, you are our glory and joy.”

And that’s true for you, too, Isaac. I was so encouraged to hear about your time of growing as a submissive disciple of Jesus this last year in Capernwray Hall in England. “Isaac, you are our glory and joy.”

And that’s true for everyone here who is walking with Jesus by faith and full of love. Do you want to encourage the people who have taught you the gospel? Then keep believing it! Keep living it!

Look at verse 8.

“For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.”

Paul says, “This is living! Knowing my disciples are ‘standing firm’ makes me feel alive. Praise God!”

Kelcey, Douglas, Kayleigh, do you want to really encourage your parents and your church family?

Then keep walking with Jesus and grow in your own faith. Dig into your Bible. Go deeper in prayer. Commit to your church. If you go off to college, get involved in a campus ministry, join a small group Bible study, take part in a local church near campus on Sundays.

Some people, when they graduate from school, graduate from church. No, don’t do that. Make church your own. Don’t go now because your have to. Go because you can. And you will give great joy and encouragement to your parents and to your spiritual parents, those who have discipled you along the way.

We are really encouraged by your faith.

Paul just can’t get over how encouraging it is. “This is really living!” Look at verse 9.

“How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?”

Paul loves them so much, and he’s so thankful for all the joy that they bring him just be being faithful to Jesus.

Has anyone ever said this to you? “How can we thank God enough for [put your name in there] in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?”

Let me say it to you now. “How can we thank God enough for, Lanse Free Church, in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?”

Now, let me turn it around. Have you ever said this to someone else?

Notice that he thanks God for their faith. He isn’t flattering them or buttering them up. He’s genuinely glad that they bring him joy in God’s presence just by being faithful to Jesus. 

“You are our glory and joy.”

And, therefore, point number three and last:

#3. WE REALLY PRAY THAT GOD SUPPLIES ANYTHING LACKING IN YOUR FAITH.

Look at verse 10.

“Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.”

 

Just because Paul got good news from Timothy about this church, doesn’t mean that he’s going to stop praying for them.

No, he’s going to pray for them more and more!

Night and day. He prays “most earnestly” or “unreservedly.” The Greek word there is “hyperekperisoo,” which we often translated “exceedingly abundantly.” It’s that word I’ve illustrated before by pouring water all over the stage!

One scholar I read this week says that it might be captured best by, “flat out.” We pray “flat out” that we would get to be with you again and “supply what is lacking in your faith.”

What does that mean? I don’t think that he means their faith is defective. He means that they are still needy and there are still things that they need to hear and learn about.

Paul got pulled away before they had heard all of the teaching that he wanted to give to them. We’ll see in chapter 4, that they didn’t know some important things yet about the resurrection and the return of Christ (see 4:13-18). 

There are always some things lacking in our faith that need to be shored up. We’re never at 100%. We all need topped off. Sometimes our spiritual batteries are at 1%, right? And the screen is dimming, and we need to get plugged back in and recharged before we run all the way out.

What is lacking in your faith?

Paul prays and really prays and prays some more that the Lord would supply anything that was lacking in the Thessalonians faith.

So, I think that’s a word for the parents of our graduates today.

Don’t stop praying for your kids! Don’t stop praying that the Lord would supply anything that is lacking in their faith. Even if they are doing well right now. Don’t stop.

The Thessalonians were doing well, but that didn’t stop Paul from giving thanks and then praying night and day for them to have what they needed spiritually.

And how much more should we pray if we have a wayward child? To be our glory and joy, we have to pray for the Lord to get them back on track. Because we can’t do it for them. We can’t make them. That’s between them and the Lord. But we can pray and pray and pray some more. And pray until we die or the Lord returns.

<> Paul prays so much for them that he can’t help but break out in prayer right here in this letter! Look at verse 11.

“Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you.”

He’s praying that Satan would be stopped from stopping them.

“Father, clear the way. Lord Jesus, clear the way. Please knock Satan off our path so that we can get together with the Thessalonians once again and teach them what they need to know and encourage them as they encourage us.”

And look at what he prays in verses 12 and 13!

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones” (vv.12-13).

Paul is really praying that the Lord supplies anything that is lacking in their faith. And he basically prays for two big things:

Overflowing love and full holiness as they get ready for Jesus to return.

In verse 12, he prays for love.

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”

Increase and overflow. What a great thing to pray for! Let’s pray this for our children and for our whole church family. That we have love inside of us that bubbles up and bubbles over. Paul prays that they would love each other like he loves them. And, boy, does Paul love them! Right?!

And he prays not just that they would love, but that they would be holy. V.13 again.

“May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones” (v.13).

Again, Jesus Christ is coming back soon. Amen? And again, Paul knows that and wants the Thessalonians to be ready for it. And the way we get ready is to put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and what he did for us on the Cross and then to grow in faith and trust in obedience to His commands. Growing more and more like Jesus as we do.

It doesn’t just happen. We have to have our hearts strengthened. We have to repent. We have to change. We’ll see more about that in the next chapter, next week, chapter 4 as he tells the Thessalonians how to live.

We must grow in holiness. Not in our own strength, but in the strength that God supplies. To our hearts! Because one day soon we will stand in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

And we want to be ready. Ready and rejoicing.

Rejoicing that we have really encouraged others in their faith. Making whatever sacrifices are necessary so that those we love are strengthened and encouraged. 

Rejoicing in being really encouraged by their real faith. Because that’s really living when you know that your disciples are standing firm.

And rejoicing that the Lord has supplied all that was lacking in their faith through our flat out prayers for their love and holiness.

And rejoicing when he comes with His holy ones and presenting our disciples to Jesus and being given our disciples back to us by Jesus as our crown.

Because they are our glory and joy in and for and because of Jesus Christ.

***

Messages in this Series:

01. To the Church of the Thessalonians - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

02. We Loved You So Much - 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Read More

“We Loved You So Much” [Matt's Messages]

“We Loved You So Much”

Eternal Encouragement - 1&2 Thessalonians

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

May 11, 2025 :: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16  

Those words in verse 8 just jump off the page, don’t they?

“We loved you so much!”

The Apostle Paul writing back to this “baby church” that he had helped to start but had to leave. 

“We loved you so much!”

They were dear to him. Verse 8 ends by saying, “You had become so dear to us.” 

We saw last week in chapter 1 how Paul and his ministry team cared so much for the brothers and sisters of the church of the Thessalonians. He felt so tender and affectionate and caring for his spiritual siblings in Thessalonica. He was broken-hearted when he had to leave town (Acts 17:1-9). He was concerned when he hadn’t heard from them. He was so encouraged to finally hear how well they were doing–following his example and being an example to all of their region. And he never stopped praying for them. Remembering before God their work, labor, and endurance because of their faith, love, and hope in Jesus and His soon return.

“We loved you so much!”

And I think it must have been really painful for Paul to hear back that some people were saying that it was actually the opposite. That Paul really didn’t care about them. That Paul had really just been using them. That his time among them was empty and fake.

I think that’s what was happening, and that’s why Paul seems to be so much on the defensive. Did you hear that when it was read to us? Paul seems kind of defensive? Reading between the lines, I think that Paul has heard some slander about him and his team. Paul has gotten word that there are accusations floating around about him and what he was “really doing” back when he was living in Thessalonica. And the insinuations are false, and so Paul is writing, in part, to set the record straight and to remind and reassure his beloved friends of his true intentions towards them. And that must have been hard for him to do.

But one of the benefits of that for us today is that it reveals the heart of the  Apostle Paul, and it gives us a model for ministry. Because Paul has to explain what he did, how he did it, and why he did it, we can draw lessons from that for how we can faithfully minister to others in our day!

Including how we serve others in our community.

And how we serve others in our church.

And how we serve our children in our homes.

In God’s providence, this is a perfect passage for Mother’s Day.

For one, because there’s a bit in there about moms. And how the Apostle Paul was like a Mom. That’s one to think about! But also because what Paul did in his Christian ministry gives Christian Moms a model for what they do as Christians Mothers in their homes.

So, Moms, listen up. Paul’s going to encourage you in your ministry of motherhood.

Doesn’t he just sound a like a Christian Mother? 

“We loved you so much!”

And Paul knows that they should know that.  He’s going to say that again and again in this short passage. That they know better than what they’re hearing. They saw it with their own eyes. Look at verse 1.

“You know, brothers [and sisters!], that our visit to you was not a failure.”

“You know it. You were there. Don’t listen to whatever people are saying about how our time among you was a waste of time.” 

That word translated “failure” there often means, “empty.” And Paul could be using it to emphasize that their time there was not empty of good results. But Paul could also be saying that it wasn’t “empty” in terms of Paul’s heart toward them. He didn’t have an empty heart. He loved them so much. And they should know it.

I have four points this morning to try to summarize this passage, and here’s the first one. Paul is saying, “We loved you so much...”

#1. WE DARED TO TELL YOU THE GOSPEL OF GOD.

Look at verse 2. 

“You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.”

Proof number one that we loved you? We told you about Jesus even though lots of people didn’t want us to. Paul and Silas had been arrested, stripped, and beaten in Philippi, the town they had been at just before Thessalonica. They had been thrown in jail. And, I don’t know about you, but I would have been just go home after that. But they didn’t. They loved the Thessalonians and brought the gospel to their town! For three weeks, Paul presented Jesus in the synagogue. And some Jews believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but others definitely did not. They started a riot in the streets! And everybody in the church decided it was better for Paul to leave at that time.

I think that probably the rumor was spreading that Paul had just slunk out of town, perhaps with a big of money. But that’s not how it was. Paul had been bold. He says, “as you know...with the help our God we dared to tell you His gospel in spite of strong opposition.” "We didn’t slink away! We stood up because we loved you so much."

I love that he calls it, “his gospel,” “God’s gospel,” “the gospel of God.” Because it’s more than just this good news is about God. It’s the good news  from God. It’s the good news that belongs to God. In verse 5 of chapter 1, he called it, “our gospel” because it he owned it so much, but there is someone else Who owns it even so much more! It’s God’s gospel, and by His power and with His love, Paul dared to share it with the Thessalonians.

And so we should we. We need to dare to share the gospel. We need to be bold. Because if we don’t we aren’t being loving.

Moms, dare to share the gospel with your children. 

And don’t stop until either they or you die. Even in the face of strong opposition. Even if they put you in prison. Even if your kids don’t want to hear it any more. Moms, dare to share the good news about God–about His love and about His Son about His sacrifice about His resurrection about His soon return–with your children. Because you love them so much!

Number two. Paul says:

#2. WE DEVOTED OURSELVES TO PLEASING GOD ALONE.

It seems to me that gossip was spreading that Paul was a fake. Paul was a fraudster, a charlatan. He was just out to get their money. It was all a scam. 

There were, in that day, traveling philosophers who would go from town to town setting up shop and peddling their worldview and collecting a fee. They brought their “seminars” to town and then sometimes left in the middle of the night with big bags of cash. 

Well, Paul and Silas had left in the middle of the night in Acts chapter 17 (v.10). And you can just imagine their neighbors saying, “You didn’t give any money to that Paul guy, did you? You know that that Christianity stuff is just a scam, right? ‘Give us your money, and you’ll be healthy, wealthy, and prosperous. I’ll pray for you.’”

That happens, right? There are fly-by-night “ministries” out there. There are scams. There are people just trying to sell you something. 

But that wasn’t Paul! Look at verse 3.

“For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. [This isn’t a bait and switch!] On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.” 

Paul says that they were devoted, on the heart level, to pleasing God and God alone. That’s what they cared about.

Verse 4 is really important to me because it is the key verse for our EFCA Seminary Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (also knowns as TEDS). Our school’s motto is “Entrusted with the Gospel.”

And even though TEDS is moving from Chicago to Western Canada, our motto remains the same. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is the gospel. It has been entrusted to us. It’s God’s gospel, but He’s put it in our hands and in our mouths. And we have answer to Him for what we do with it!

On the heart level! Paul says that “God tests our hearts.” He examines our hearts. He sees what we really want, what really matters to us, what really motivates us. And Paul says that for him it wasn’t money. And the Thessalonians should know it, too. Verse 5.

“You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed–God is our witness.”

What a strong thing to say! Paul knows that the Thessalonians can’t actually see his heart, but God can. And so He calls God to witness to Paul’s own heart motivations. “I never put on hypocrite’s mask to butter you guys up to get your money into my pockets. You know I never buttered you up. You know I was always telling you what you needed to hear not what you wanted to hear. And God knows my heart. I’m not selling you anything!”

Church, this is how I want to be, as well. That’s one of the reasons why when I wrote a book some years ago, I made sure that nobody felt like they had to buy one. I wanted everyone who wanted to read it to get one, but nobody to feel like I was out for your money. So we found a way to get one for everybody at no profit to me. Especially because you all take such good care of me! You provide for me generously as your pastor. Thank you, once again.

Now because you do provide for me, I’m probably even more tempted than Paul was to say what you might want to hear. So I regularly need to say to the Lord, “I’m doing this for you and for you alone. Not for them. Not for their dollars and not for their praise.” Look at verse 6.

“We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.”

 

Moms, that’s important for you, too.

Because sometimes moms can slip into doing their mothering for the praise of other people.

The praise of other moms.

The praise of their moms.

The praise of their dads.

The praise of everybody on Instagram!

The praise of their kids?

Moms, don’t do your mom-stuff for the praise coming from your kids. “We were not looking for praise from [people], not from you or anyone else.” But God! 

And you know what? When your are loving your children to please God, then you will love them the most and the best.

“We loved you so much when we loved God the most!”

Look again at verse 6.

“As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children” (vv.6b-7).

Now some of your versions says, “gentle” in verse 7, and some say, “like infants” or “like young children.” There’s a switch from the 1984 to the 2011 versions of the NIV.

And that’s because there is a question about which word is original in the Greek New Testament here. Was it supposed to be “napioi” or “aypioi?” Some manuscripts have one and some have other, and you can see how a little mistake could enter into the copying process. Because they sound so much alike.

And it doesn’t matter a whole lot because both are biblical and true. Paul was gentle like a mother caring for her children. But the older and better manuscripts have “young children.” So it’s more likely that Paul is saying that he and Silas were like babies not burdens to the Thessalonians. They were light and easy and had innocent motives. They could have expected the church to take care of them. Gospel workers can expect to be supported by gospel churches (see 1 Corinthians 9:7-14 and 2 Corinthians 11:7-11). That’s part of the reason why you support me. And it’s even more true for gospel missionaries like Paul. But instead of being a heavy thing for them to lug around, Paul says they were a light thing, like a baby. He didn’t throw his weight around and demand their support. In fact, we’ll see in just a minute that he didn’t take any money from them at all!

And here’s why: Because He loved them so much. Look at verse 7 again.

“...like a mother caring for her little children...We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us” (vv.7b-8).

#3. WE DELIGHTED TO SHARE OUR OWN LIVES WITH YOU.

Paul says that he and his team were like “a mother caring for her little children.” The Greek there is actually the word for “wet-nurse.” So it’s not just any mom, it’s a nursing mom. 

Paul, the nursing mom–that’s quite an image!

How does a nursing mom feel about her little children? How does she treat them?

Tenderness.

Gentleness.

Possessiveness.

Affection.

Care.

Devotion.

Cherishing.

Protection.

Commitment.

There is so much commitment when a mom picks up her little one to provide their nourishment from her own body. That’s life on life right there.

Thank you, Moms, for loving your children that way when you could.

Paul says that’s how he was with the Thessalonians! He really truly cared for and cherished them.

So much so that he didn’t just give them the gospel of God (which is the greatest gift he could give them! And what a delight to share it with them even in the face of strong opposition! But that’s not all he shared with them). He also shared his own life, his own self with them, too.

Paul wanted the best for the Thessalonians. Like a mom wants the best for her kids. So he didn’t just tell them the truth and then retreat back to his room. He shared his life with them, too.

There’s a lesson there for all of us if we want to be effective in our ministries. We can’t just tell people the truth. We need to show them the truth in how we live. And we need to relate to people personally, closely, relationally.

Some of us may want to just type our ministry onto a little screen and share gospel memes all day long. But never put ourselves out there with people. Some pastors just want to stand up here and preach but don’t want to sit with their flock in a living room, a hospital room, an office, or the bleachers.

I want to be the kind of pastor that shares my life with you. Partially so that you can follow my example. We talked about this last week. We need to intentionally live our lives as models as others. And you can’t do that away from others! We have to spend time with each other.

But not just to be an example, but to be family. Because we truly love each other.

“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”

Lanse Free Church, you are so dear to me. I’m going away this week on vacation, but it’s not because I don’t love you. It’s because I need to rest up to love you better. And I can’t hardly wait to listen to Abraham’s message from next Sunday. Abe Skacel is one of my favorite Bible teachers to learn from. And he will give you the gospel of God.

How encouraging this must have been for the Thessalonians to hear!

Have you ever gotten a note like verse 8?

“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”

That must have warmed all of their hearts if they took it to heart.

How many of you sent a note of encouragement this week? An card, a text, an email, a snap, a dm? Maybe send this to someone this week? Maybe send them verse 8? Have you given a mom a card yet today? Maybe add verse 8 to it. Flip it around if you have a Christian mom? “Mom, thank you for loving me so much that you delighted to share with me not only the gospel of God by your life, as well, because I was so dear to you. I’m so grateful.”

In verse 9, Paul reminds them again what they saw with own eyes. He says:

“Surely you remember, brothers [and sisters], our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.”

Here’s more proof that Paul really loved them. Even though he could have asked them to support him, he worked a full time job on top of being a full time missionary so that this baby church wouldn’t have been burdened by him and his team.

They know this! Nobody should listen to the slander going around town that Paul was in for the money. He didn’t take any money in Thessalonica, even though he could have. They know this, and God knows this. V.10

“You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.”

“We loved you so much! Our hearts were pure and full of pure love. And from those hearts of pure love we tried with all of our strength to persuade you to live for the kingdom of God.” Look at verse 11.

“For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory” (vv.11-12).

Point of number four and last. Paul says:

#4. WE DETERMINED TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO LIVE YOUR OWN LIVES FOR GOD.

Now we get Paul the Dad. We’ve had Paul the infant, Paul the brother, Paul the Mother, and now we get Paul the Father in verse 11.

“For you know [firsthand] that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children...”

How does a father do that? Lots of ways. Does a father love his children? All the good ones do. And they often love their kids in somewhat different ways from their moms. Here Paul emphasizes the Dad as the challenger. The Dad as the educator. The Dad as the motivator. 

He’s got 3 words to describe what a Dad does in verse 12: “Encouraging, comforting, and urging.”

There’s that word “encouraging” that we’re going to see again and again in these two letters. And here it isn’t so much the comforting and consoling (that’s the second word), “encouraging” as in exhorting and entreating.

“Come on! This is what you’re supposed to do.” Like a Dad coaching his kid on the ballfield.

But not in a harsh way. The second word is “comforting.” That’s the other kind of encouraging. Telling them that they’re going to be okay. That they are loved no matter what. That they don’t have to earn their way into God’s love. He has loved them when they were unlovable. They are completely known and completely loved.

And Paul says we “urged you.” They “implored” them. They “charged” them. They did everything they could to lovingly persuade the Thessalonians to “live lives worthy of God.” Literally, “to walk worthy of God.”

That’s what I’m doing up here right now. I’m trying to act like a Dad and encourage you live your life for God.

It’s important to understand that Paul is not saying that they can somehow make themselves worthy of God’s love. That’s not what he means. He means that they needed to live their lives in a way that was appropriate for someone who was so loved. To walk in a way that was fitting for someone who was so loved by God.

If God has called us into his kingdom then we should strive by faith to live as citizens of that kingdom. Consistent with that kingdom.

He’s just saying that he went into “Dad-mode” to convince the Thessalonians that it was worth it to live for God’s glory because they were called to God’s glory! Does that make sense?

We all need to go into dad-mode and do that, too. To the people around us. In the community, in our church family, and in our family family. If we love them, then we will determine to encourage them to live their lives for the king of kingdoms.

Because He loves them! And Paul says in verse 13 that he was so encouraged because they believed him! It worked! Look at verse 13.

“And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us [mom-mode, dad-mode], you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe” (v.13).

It worked! The Thessalonians listened to Paul’s encouragement and received the Word of God as the Word of God. And it did its thing in them. And here’s how we know–they were willing to suffer for it. V.14

“For you, brothers [and sisters], became imitators of God's churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last” (vv.14-16).

There’s a lot there. Some people have thought that Paul was over the top here. Almost antisemitic. But of course, Paul is semitic. He is a Jew and happy to be one. But there were some Jews who conspired with some Gentiles to put Jesus to death on the Cross. And there were some Jews who had killed the prophets. And there were some Jews who had driven Paul out of Thessalonica that night in Acts 17. And there were some Jews who had persecuted the churches back in Judea and were persecuted the churches in Macedonia to try to keep them from sharing the Messiah with the Gentiles. These are wicked things and their sins had the reached a limit that must be judged. They were displeasing God. The opposite of what Paul was trying to do.

Paul knows because it wasn’t that long ago that he was on their team. But now he’s changed. And his point is that so have the church of the Thessalonians. They have gone from serving idols and loving themselves to loving God and living for his kingdom, even if it hurts.

That’s what I want for us here at Lanse Free Church. I want us to receive the Word of God as the Word of God. Not the words of Matt Mitchell. But the Word of God as the Word of God. And have it do its work in us who believe.

Moms, give your kids the Word of God! You can’t change their hearts, but God’s Word can. Determine to encourage your kids to live their lives for God. I can’t promise that they all will, but I can tell you that it’s the loving thing to do.

We loved you so much:

That we dared to tell you the Gospel of God.

That we devoted ourselves to pleasing God alone.

That we delighted to share our own lives with you.

That we determined to encourage you to live your own lives for God.

And that’s worth it all.

***

Messages in this Series:

01. To the Church of the Thessalonians - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

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“To the Church of the Thessalonians” [Matt's Messages]

“To the Church of the Thessalonians”

Eternal Encouragement - 1&2 Thessalonians

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

May 4, 2025 :: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10  

Now, why are we going study 1st and 2nd Thessalonians this spring and summer? How come? I can think of a number of good reasons:

It’s definitely time to get back into our New Testaments. We have just been in the Old Testament with Daniel, and I like to toggle between the two whenever I can.

And it’s been a while since we did a New Testament letter. We did 1 Peter back in 2021 into ‘22, but we’ve mainly been dwelling in the gospels when we’ve been in the New Testament.

And it’s been a long time since we studied one of the letters of the Apostle Paul. In fact, it’s been 5 years since we studied a letter from Paul. We did Philippians back in 2020 during the first summer of the pandemic. And before that was Galatians in 2017. That seems like a long time ago! Many of you won’t remember that because it was so long ago, you weren’t here then, or you were too young to remember that.

And, on top of that, in my nearly 27 years as your pastor, I have never preached 1 and 2 Thessalonians all the way through. It seems like it’s high time to get into them for a balanced scriptural diet.

But even more important than all those things are what these Thessalonian letters are all about. And one good way of summarizing it is to say that they are full of encouragement.

How many here could use some encouragement? Raise your hand. Yes, me, too. I think we all can. So here’s the title I’ve picked out for this two-book series, and I lifted it from 2 Thessalonians 2:16. It’s called: “Eternal Encouragement.” Doesn’t that sound good? 

Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:16 and 17, “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word” (2 Thess. 2:16-17).

That’s what I’m hoping for, right there, with this series. That our hearts, church, would be encouraged and that you and I would be strengthened in every good deed and word. Eternal encouragement.

Now, some of your versions will have the word “comfort” there. “Eternal comfort,” and that’s a good translation. Giving comfort to our hearts. Assurance, confidence, consolation, especially when things get hard. But the word for “encouragement” can mean also more than that. Just like our English word “encouragement” can mean more than that, too. It can also have the meaning of “exhortation.” Like, the state patrolman that says, “I’m going to encourage you to slow down on this interstate.” Encouragement as a kick-in-the-pants or a course-direction. We need that sometimes, too, don’t we? Well, Paul is going to give some of that kind of strong encouragement to the Thessalonians along the way, as well. 

Eternal encouragement. That’s forever! We’ve been learning a lot about forever recently. Everlasting life. And eternity. The Ancient of Days in the Book of Daniel. He always was, always is, and always will be. That’s eternal!

And we’ve thinking a lot about the future in the Book of Daniel. The Apostle Paul also writes a lot about the future in the two letters to the Thessalonians. These two books are also full of what theologians call “eschatology” or the doctrine of final things. In fact, the Apostle Paul talks about the return of Jesus Christ at least once in every single chapter of these two books!

We’re going to keep focused on the future. And, especially, how to live our lives now in light of the future. How eternity encourages us. That’s what we’re going to learn about. How what is to come affects our lives in the here and the now. Does that make sense? We’re going to see it right here in the first chapter of First Thessalonians. Let’s read the first verse.

“Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.”

Our sermon title comes right out this verse. It is simply, “To the Church of the Thessalonians.” This letter and all of its eternal encouragement was written for this church family that was located in Thessalonica.

It’s a letter from, “Paul, Silas, and Timothy.” Mainly from the Apostle Paul, but he had these two other men on his ministry team, and they all cared deeply about the church of the Thessalonians, so they all got their names put on there.

And they wrote this letter about the year 50 or 51 AD, and they sent it to “The Church of the Thessalonians.” And that’s not a building. That’s a group of people who have formed a church congregation. And, in fact, it was the Apostle Paul who helped to plant that church.

This is a baby church.

Our teens are studying the Book of Acts right now on Sunday nights at Youth Bible Study, and I think they’ve just gotten to where the Apostle Paul has become a Christian and started to share the gospel beyond the boundaries of Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. They are headed to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Paul and his missionary team are headed out into the Roman world to tell people about Jesus. And on their second missionary trip, they visited the province of Macedonia, and they hit a city called “Thessalonica.” It still exists today, but now they call it “Thessaloniki.” Same difference.

Thessalonica was a great big city in Paul’s day. Over 100,000 people. Maybe closer to 200,000. It was a great location. It is a port city on the Aegean sea with a great harbor, and it’s on the main commercial road called the Egnatian Way. A big bustling town founded by the Greek commander Cassander back in 315BC and named after his wife Thessalin who was the half-sister of Alexander the Great. (The big horn on the shaggy goat!)

Well, 360 years later, the Apostle Paul hits town, and the first thing he always does is to find the Jews and tell them about how Jesus is the their Messiah. We read us the story in Acts chapter 17. Paul taught in the synagogue for three Sabbaths. To the Jews first. And then he went to the Greeks. Teens, you’re going to see this strategy over and over again. Jews first, then Greeks.

And the Bible says that some of the Jews were persuaded! And some of the Greek men and bunch of prominent women! And they formed a church. A baby church. The Church of the Thessalonians.

But the rest of the Jews were jealous and angry, so they got some rabble-rousers together and formed a mob and attacked the house where they thought Paul was. And started a riot! And so Paul and the church decided that it was best if Paul and his team left town and went to the next place which was called Berea. And then they went on from there to Athens and then to Corinth.

And Paul got to worrying about the baby church.

“I wonder if they are okay.”

“I wonder if they are still there.”

“I wonder if they know we still care.”

“I wonder how they are doing.”

So, Paul sent his teammate Timothy back to Thessalonica to check on the church of the Thessalonians, and gather some good intel. And by the time Timothy got back, Paul was very encouraged! And so he wrote a letter back to the church of the Thessalonians to encourage them!

That’s First Thessalonians! This is one of the very first Christian letters. It’s one of the very oldest Christian letters that we still have, especially by Paul. The only one older by Paul is probably the book of Galatians. Paul wrote this letter while the events of the Book of Acts were still unfolding!

And he wants to encourage the church of the Thessalonians. He says that they are “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Don’t miss that. I almost titled this message, “In God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” and started the sermon like so many Daniel sermons, “1 Thessalonians chapter 1 is about God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Because it is! We can’t miss that this letter, while addressed to the church and focused on their encouragement, is not ultimately about the church of the Thessalonians but about where that church is located.

And it’s not primarily located in Thessalonica! It’s located “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

What a way to think, huh? This church. We’re not primarily the church in Lanse or Cooper Township or Clearfield County or Central Pennsylvania. We are a church “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Wow!

And Paul ends his greeting with the blessing, “Grace and peace to you,” which is not just words, but the encouragement he wants them to have.

“Grace and peace to you.” Do you see how encouraging these two books are going to be?

Today, I have four main points of eternal encouragement from the first chapter of first Thessalonians. Four ways that Paul encouraged them that I think speak to us today, as well.

Here’s the first one:

#1. THE CHURCH OF THE THESSALONIANS WAS TRULY LOVED.

 

We’re going to feel this week after week as we read these letters.

There is so much affection from Paul towards this baby church. They were dearly loved. He was only with them, what, a few months at the most? But they are imprinted on his heart. See what he says about how grateful he was for them. Look at verse 2.

“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (vv.2-3).

He just exudes sweet affection for this church. He couldn’t stop praying for them. He and Silas and Timothy were always bringing up the Thessalonians during their prayer times. And remembering before God all of what they appreciated about the church when they prayed.

Can you see the prayer meeting in your mind? “Lord, we just want to thank You for the church of the Thessalonians. We remember their hard work for the gospel (that came from their faith, Lord. They truly believed.) Lord, we remember their labor of love. They didn’t just play at love. They worked at it. They labored at love. Thank you for that! And, Lord, they didn’t give up. They had endurance. And that wasn’t from them. That came from You. That came from their hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. That He has come and is coming again. Lord, thank You for their steadfast hope and faithfulness!”

Every time Paul thought about this church, he was encouraged and just loved them and gave thanks for them before God.

How encouraging that must have been for them to read that letter. Right?!

Have you ever gotten a letter like that? Where somebody told you that they were praying for you and mainly that they were praying thanksgiving for you?! That they have seen these signs of God’s grace in your life and could not help but thank God for you!

“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.”

Who could you say that to this week? Who could you write a note to (a text, an email, a “snap,” a message) and just tell them how thankful you are for what God is doing in and through them?

Don’t send it to me. Look around the room right now. And think who you could send a note like this to. It might make all the difference for someone this week.

“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.”

They were loved.

And, church, this is how I feel about you. We’re coming up on 27 years now of ministry together, and I am so grateful for all 27 years. I’m so thankful to God for your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. And LEFC is not a baby church. We are 133 years old. We should be mature in this!

I love you, Lanse Free Church.

And keep it up! I think that when they got this letter from Paul, it was an encouragement looking backwards, but it was also an encouragement (in the other way) looking forwards, to not stop with their work, labor, and endurance from faith, love, and hope. Keep it up! Because you are truly loved.

And the truest, deepest, most fundamental love was not Paul’s love for his church, but God’s love for this church. Look at verse 4.

“For we know, brothers 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 with deep conviction” (vv.4-5a).

Paul calls them “brothers.” That’s easy to miss because we’re used to it, but that’s a very important word [Greek: adelphoi]. Paul uses it something like 20 times in these two short letters. That word emphasizes they are spiritual siblings. Brothers and sisters. They are family. They are loved.

They are the family of God. They are (v.4) “loved by God.”

And here’s how loved they are by God! They are chosen by God. They were loved by God before they ever knew Him. They were loved by God before they could ever choose Him.

“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.”

Now, the whole doctrine of election (God’s choosing) is mysterious and difficult to wrap our minds around. And different Christians put it together different ways in their brains. But all Christians who believe their Bibles believe in God’s choosing. Because here it is in verse 4! And all Christians who believe their Bibles are thankful for it and are encouraged by it.

Because on our own, we would never choose God. He’s got to make the first move. And He has!  

“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, [how?] because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction” (vv.4-5a).

Paul was there! He saw these believers become believers. He saw that God was at work in them. He knows how the Holy Spirit showed up on the scene.

Perhaps there were miracles. There definitely was a miracle. These people had been converted!

“Our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.”

I love how he calls it, “their” gospel. He doesn’t mean that it came from them. It’s God’s gospel! It’s the gospel of Jesus Christ! But he loves it and owns it as his own. And so do they!

It came with power! “It did not come simply with words.” It did come with words. The gospel is words. You can’t share the gospel without words. But it did not come simply with words, only with words. It came with power! “...with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.”

I’m not sure if that conviction was the Thessalonians or Paul’s, Silas’s, and Timothy’s? They really believed the gospel! They were sure it was true, and they shared it like it was true! “With deep conviction.” Either way, when they were done, they all had the same deep conviction! The missionary team and the baby church. Because these Thessalonians were genuinely converted.

That’s point number two:

#2. THE CHURCH OF THE THESSALONIANS WAS TRULY CHANGED.

They had (v.3) genuine faith, love, and hope. Those three items show up again and again in the letters of Paul. Faith, hope, and love. Paul could see that they had them, and that’s why he was sure that they were chosen.

You see, we know that we’re chosen because we’re changed.

We go from unbelief to faith.

We go from hate to love.

And we go from despair to hope because of Jesus Christ.

Paul saw tons of evidence of genuine conversion in this baby church. 

And one of things he saw was that they began to live like he did. Look again at verse 5.

“You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit” (vv.5b-6).

Paul was so encouraged by how this fledgling church started imitating him and his team. They looked at his life, and they said, “I want to be like that.”

Not in everything, but in the essential things. The Christ-like things.

He says, “You became imitators of us AND OF THE LORD.”

In the ways that Paul followed Jesus, the Thessalonians began to follow Paul. And here was one of the key ways–they had joy even when they were suffering. Even when they were being persecuted.

Did our Lord Jesus do that? For the joy set before Him, He endured the Cross.

Did Paul do that? Right before they went to Thessalonica in Acts 17, they were in a city called Phillipi in Acts 16. And Paul got into trouble there and got thrown into prison with Silas. And you know what they did there?

They sang! They sang with joy in their prison. Who does that?! Somebody who is genuinely changed. That’s who.

And Paul could tell that the Thessalonians had been truly changed. Timothy brought back word that they were holding on even when things got tough. More than just holding on. They were rejoicing just like Paul and just like our Lord because the Holy Spirit was at work in them.

Have you ever had joy despite your circumstances? Have you ever been able to rejoice even when life was dark and hard? That’s the Holy Spirit at work in you and it’s a sign that you’ve been truly changed. How encouraging!

We think it would be encouraging to not have to go through the trial, but  it’s a mark of genuineness when we go through the trial and we still can sing in our prisons!

The Thessalonians followed Paul’s pattern of life so well that they began to be an example for others! Look at verse 7.

“You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.”

How encouraging was that?! To be so truly changed that other people are now following your example!

Here’s point number three:

#3. THE CHURCH OF THE THESSALONIANS WAS TRULY EFFECTIVE.

This little baby church was having an outsized effect on others. 

Paul says that all of the believers in the northern province of Macedonia (that where Thessalonica was) and all the believers of in the southern province of Achaia were keying off of this tiny church!

Now that may not have been that many people, but it must have been encouraging to this little church that other people were watching them and being encouraged to live like Jesus, too!

Can I encourage you, church? I believe that people are watching you and that you’re being a model for the believers in our region. I think that other Christians are cuing off of you right now.

That’s a big responsibility, but a good one! Are you aware of that? Are you intentionally living your life right now as a model for others? If someone was to say, “I want to live as a true Christian, so I’m going to live like you do...” are you ready for that? Because that’s how it’s supposed to work. People are supposed to look at our lives and say, “That’s what a follower of Jesus looks like. So I’m going to pattern my life after theirs.”

Not perfectly, of course. And not in every respect. Not everybody is supposed to act like a quirky fifty-two year-old former circus performer like me. But they are supposed to track after my faith, after my love, after my hope. They are supposed to see my work, my labor, my endurance. And my joy in spite of suffering.

Are you ready for somebody to follow you? The Thessalonians were after just a few months of being discipled by Paul. So much so that they were effective throughout their region and beyond! Look at verse 8.

“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” (vv.8-9).

The church of the Thessalonians had become famous. Not for being slick or cool, but for being real. And really committed to the gospel. 

“The Lord’s message rang out from you.” I love that! It sounded forth. It echoed. It reverberated. They heard the gospel and they believed the gospel and they shared the gospel. They heard the gospel and they believed the gospel and they shared the gospel. They heard the gospel and they believed the gospel and they shared the gospel. 

So that it reverberated throughout the land and is still reverberating today! Here we are reading about it in central Pennsylvania in 2025! I think that’s pretty effective!

How encouraging that must have been to read that in Paul’s letter! Their faith had gone viral. May it be so for us, as well. They didn’t keep the gospel to themselves. It rang out from them.

I want the gospel to ring out from Lanse Free Church. Who could we tell? Who could you tell this week about what the Lord has done for you? How He has truly loved you and truly changed you. Is there a name when I ask that question? Is there a face? Somebody you know that you should be talking to this week. Maybe today? 

Let it ring out! Let the gospel sound forth and echo throughout Central Pennsylvania and beyond. Paul says that they were so effective, he doesn’t have to tell people about the Thessalonians. Everybody’s heard the story. That might be an exaggeration but it’s based on truth. People were telling Paul the story! About how the Thessalonians heard the gospel and were genuinely converted. Verse 9.

“They tell how you [Thessalonians] 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” (vv.9-10).

That’s how truly changed they were. They were no longer worshipping fake and dead gods like Zeus and Apollo and Artemis and Athena. They were no longer worshipping fake and dead Roman gods like Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Now, they were serving the true and living God. The everlasting God. The God Who Lives Forever (like we said last week in Daniel 12).

And now their lives are taken up by waiting. Waiting for the return of the King of Kingdoms, the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 10 again.

You have turned 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.”

Point number four and last:

#4. THE CHURCH OF THE THESSALONIANS WAS TRULY SAFE.

Because they had come to believe in Jesus Christ–the One who had been crucified on a Roman cross but had not stayed dead. Christ the Lord is still risen today!–they knew that they were safe from the wrath to come.

It’s not that God is not wrathful. He is. He is holy! God is going to judge the world in wrath bringing justice against all sin and wickedness. And we all deserve God’s wrath. We all deserve shame and everlasting contempt.

But Jesus has:

“Fully paid for all our sins

with His precious blood,

and has set us free

from all the power of the devil.” [Heidelberg Catechism Question #1]

And He has come back to life to give us everlasting life. We just have to wait for Him! We are safe if we are in Jesus.

I don’t know when He is coming back. I just know that He IS coming back, and He will rescue me from the coming wrath.

And that is eternal encouragement. 

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