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Warren Wiersbe - Introduction to 1 Thessalonians - 1 of 20 | Back to the Bible | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: Warren Wiersbe - Introduction to 1 Thessalonians - 1 of 20
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Summary
Core Theme
This content explores the Epistle to the Thessalonians, highlighting its potential to bring excitement to churches, encouragement to ministers, and enlightenment to individual Christians by emphasizing faith, hope, and love as evidence, motivation, and the secret to a happy Christian life, all centered on the imminent return of Jesus Christ.
[Music]
welcome to back to the Bible radio
featuring best-selling author an
internationally known Bible teacher
Warren where's being it is not
considered polite to read other people's
mail except when you read other people's
mail in the New Testament and then it's
commanded the letters of the Apostles
sent to the individuals and the churches
found in the New Testament are letters
that we must read and we must study and
we must practice what they teach that's
why we are now embarking on one of
Paul's earliest letters first
Thessalonians now you may be asking why
study first Thessalonians well because
first Thessalonians when this letter is
understood and practiced can make three
very wonderful contributions to us today
this letter can make a contribution to
our churches to us individually and to
those who are ministering the Word of
God if we understand the message the
content and the intent of first
Thessalonians it can bring excitement to
our churches and know how we need that
today secondly it can bring
encouragement to our ministers thirdly
enlightenment for the individual
Christian so many Christians today are
confused about morals they're confused
about death they're confused about the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and in
this letter the Apostle Paul brings
enlightenment he is shining the truth of
the word of God upon our hearts and
telling us how to walk in this present
evil world and so these are the three
words that are going to guide us as we
study first Thessalonians excitment the
reality of Jesus Christ and his coming
again encouragement let's keep on doing
the job no matter how difficult the day
may be enlightenment let's walk as those
who are pleasing God obeying his word
let's look at 1st Thessalonians first of
all sort of an
overview to see what it has to say to
our churches and the key word here is
the word excitement notice in verse 5 of
chapter 1 Paul is remembering what
happened in Thessalonica for our gospel
did not come to you in word only but
also in power and in the Holy Spirit and
in much assurance as you know what kind
of men we were among you for your sake
and you became followers of us and of
the Lord so that you became examples to
all Macedonia and Achaia and in verse 8
he says for from you the word of the
Lord has sounded forth here are people
who had become excited about the gospel
of Jesus Christ now our local churches
today have needs and you know we're all
saying the same thing we need revival
what is revival well it means life again
here is a local church in Thessalonica
that was just taken over by the power of
the gospel they were alive in the Lord
they were excited about what God had
done in their lives now we don't like to
say this but sometimes a local church is
a place that is dull business as usual
we sort of repeat our dullness from week
to week in some places or we might go
the other extreme and have a false
excitement a false fire that really
doesn't last
you see dullness in the Christian life
is a sin the Christian life ought to be
the most exciting thing and being in
God's sanctuary with God's people ought
to be an experience of real excitement
not business as usual there's a lack of
reality in some churches words but not
actions there doesn't seem to be that
power of the Spirit of God in many
churches there's an unconcerned for the
lost not only the lost at our own
doorstep but the lost around the world
dullness lack of reality unconcerned for
the lost inconsistency there
been scandals in local churches just as
much as scandals on the media I fear
that in many places our local churches
are settled in the world they've gotten
rich and increased with goods they say
that we have need of nothing and don't
realize that they are really the
neediest people of all I think one
reason we've lost our excitement is we
have lost the motivation of the return
of Jesus Christ in first Thessalonians
the Apostle Paul emphasizes the coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ and these
people in Thessalonica were excited
about Jesus because they were expectant
they were looking for him to return now
he did not return in the first century
he has not returned so far but he's
going to come again and living in the
light of his coming living in the future
tense is what brings excitement to the
Christian life in Chapter 1 the
Thessalonians search was a really
excited church in chapters 2 and 3 they
were an established church that's good
too to have your head in the clouds but
you'd better have your feet on the
ground and they did persecution did not
move them or cause them to want to quit
oh we need that today so as we study
first Thessalonians I do trust that some
of the excitement of this book will
reach into our churches now secondly
this book also can make a contribution
to those who are serving the Lord
that means encouragement you know
pastors and Christian workers are
discouraged these days so they may not
say it they may not even look like it
but they are so often I receive letters
from Christian workers and they're
telling me of their heartbreaks and
their discouragement and I'm glad they
write we pray for them and we write back
and say look don't quit it's always too
soon to quit that's what dr. Edmund used
to say at Wheaton College it's always
too soon to quit some time ago a survey
was made of four thousand six hundred
and sixty five Protestant ministers and fifty-eight
fifty-eight
percent of them said they felt their
work was futile one-fourth of these men
were already burned out emotionally
physically spiritually now these are not
people who chose the ministry as a
career these were people called of God
going through battles going through
warfare and ready to quit well in
Chapter 1 Paul the Evangelist came to
town and he turned the place upside down
now in chapters 2 & 3 you have Paul the
pastor Paul was not simply a soul winner
he was a life builder Paul the pastor
and in chapter 2 he encourages the
people in chapter 3 he establishes the
people it was not easy it was a
difficult job in fact Paul was chased
out of town he had to leave Thessalonica
could not go back he had to send Timothy
back and then Timothy brought him word
that the people were standing firm in
the Lord
what is ministry well ministry means
evangelism chapter 1 winning souls to
Christ nothing will encourage your heart
like leading others to the Lord Jesus
Christ if you're discouraged today just
close your books and lock your library
door and go out and find some Lost
Center and lead that Center to Jesus
Christ then in chapters 2 & 3 Paul said
it's not enough to be an evangelist you
should also be a pastor at encourager
and establisher go out and help some
young Christian grow in the faith
chapters 4 and 5 we have Paul the exhort
her he exhorts them verse 1 finally then
brethren we urge and exhort in the Lord
Jesus that you should have bound more
and more just as you received from us
how you ought to walk and to please God
and he tells them there how they ought
to walk he exhorts them now this is what
ministry is all about evangelism
encouragement establishment exhortation
a balanced Ministry of the word of the
Living God thirdly this book first
Thessalonians brings to us as individual
Christians the enlightenment that we
need for our personal lives it's good to
have the enlightenment of the Word of
God thy word is a lamp unto my feet a
light unto my path the Word of God is a
lamp in a dark place we're living in a
dark world standards are changing
attitudes are changing things that used
to be wrong are now not only considered
right but they are promoted all we're
living in a dark difficult dangerous
world and Paul wrote first Thessalonians
2 a group of Christians in a big city
Thessalonica was probably the largest
and the most important city in Macedonia
some two hundred thousand people there
and Paul arrived with the Silas and
Timothy established a church and these
people were being tempted they were
being tried there was persecution there
was temptation and Paul wrote this
letter to help them know how to live the
Christian life in Chapter one the church
was born in Chapter two the church was
nurtured chapter three the church was established
established
taught to stand he says in chapter three
verse eight for now we live if you stand
fast in the Lord just like a child the
child is born the child is nurtured the
child is established and then chapters
four and five the child is taught how to
walk chapter four verse one
just as you receive from us how you
ought to walk and to please God
Christians need to be built up they need
to be enlightened and established in the
faith the Church of Jesus Christ is a
family we've been born by the same Holy
Spirit we pray to the same father we
belong to the same family we have the
same heavenly home it's a family letter
it's a very practical letter now you'll
notice as you read first Thessalonians
and I trust you will read it completely
through you'll notice that every chapter
ends with a reference to the return of
the Lord Jesus
the Lord Jesus is coming again this is
an encouragement to us to live a
faith hope love now we all know that
these are the great Christian Grace's in
the Christian life in 1st Corinthians
13:13 that great love chapter the last
verse Paul says and now abide Faith Hope
Love these three and the greatest of
these is love
Faith Hope Love interestingly enough you
find faith hope and love linked together
at least 12 times in the New Testament
but the first time that Paul ever linked
them together in writing was probably
first Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse
3 let's read together
1st Thessalonians chapter 1 and let's
start at verse 1 Paul Silvanus and
Timothy to the Church of the
Thessalonians in God the Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ we give thanks to God always for
you all making mention of you in our
prayers remembering without ceasing your
work of faith labor of love and patience
of Hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the
sight of our God and Father knowing
beloved brethren your election by God
that's quite a statement isn't it as you
examine 1st Thessalonians 1:3 and the
other references in the new testament to
faith hope and love you make some
interesting discoveries you understand
why God put these three Grace's together
and what they mean in the Christian life
first of all you discover that faith
hope and love are evidences of salvation
Paul makes a bold statement in verse 4
knowing beloved brethren your election
by God he says I know that God has
chosen you people I know that you people
are truly born again there are in our
world many counterfeit Christians
wherever there is the real there's going
to be the counterfeit there are many
people who really think they are going
to heaven they've done good works
live good lives they have a certain
amount of morality but do they manifest
in their lives the work of faith the
labor of love
and the patience of Hope faith hope and love
love
are evidences of salvation
now if you'll connect verse 3 of 1st
Thessalonians 1 with verses 9 and 10 you
will see how they go together verse 9
for they themselves declare concerning
us what manner of entry we had to you
and how you turned to God from idols
that's the work of faith to serve the
living and true God now that's the labor
of love and to wait for his son from heaven
heaven
that's the patience of hope in other
words a true Christian is someone who
has turned to God from sin who having
turned to God believes in him and is
born again and then starts serving the
living in the true God more than that a
true Christian is one who has patience
of hope he is looking for the Lord Jesus
to come back I have yet to meet an
unsaved person who's looking for Jesus
to come back now certainly he wouldn't
be because he's not ready a Christian is
one who has turned to God from sin put
faith in the Living God faith in Jesus
Christ the Savior that person has
experienced the new birth down inside
now the evidences of this new birth our
faith hope and love
now I want us to turn in our New
Testaments to some parallel passages to
show how important this really is let's
look at ephesians chapter 1 verse 15
ephesians chapter 1 verse 15 says
therefore i also after i heard of your
faith in the lord jesus and your love
for all the saints do not cease to give
thanks for you making mention of you in
my prayers now there we have
faith and love verse 18 the eyes of your
understanding being enlightened that you
may know what is the hope of his calling
faith hope love what was true of the
people in Thessalonica was also true of
the people in Ephesus now let's look at
Colossians just turn a pager to
Colossians chapter 1 verses 4 and 5
since we heard of your faith in Christ
Jesus and of your love for all the
saints because of the hope which is laid
up for you in heaven faith hope love the
people in colossi also had this
experience there you have faith hope and
love these are the things which
accompany salvation I may be wrong but I
have suspicions about people who say oh
yes I'm born again but they don't read
their Bibles they don't exercise faith
in the Lord they aren't looking for
Jesus to come back there settle down
very comfortable in this world and they
certainly don't have much love for God's
people in fact they ignore Church and
stay away from the Assembly of God's
people but they tell us that they're
born again faith hope and love are
evidences of salvation secondly faith
hope and love are motives for Christian
living what keeps Christians going in a
difficult world now the Thessalonians
Christians were in a difficult place the
church had been assaulted Paul had been
driven out of the city you read about
this in Acts chapter 17 and here they
were a group of young Christians being
persecuted some of them I'm sure lost
their jobs some of them perhaps were
even arrested but they were going on
with the Lord there are a lot of people
who profess to be Christians and they
quipped they are quitters remembering
without ceasing your work of faith faith
always leads to works James tells us
that in James chapter 2 why do we work
for the Lord because we have faith in
him and faith leads to works why do we
keep on going because Hope gives us
endurance you see
this Living Hope that we have that Jesus
is coming again
it keeps us going as you read the Word
of God you find so often the writers in
Scripture saying now lift your eyes high
keep looking up keep looking out there
Jesus is coming again looking unto Jesus
the author and finisher of our faith who
for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross despising the shame in
other words look ahead don't look back
don't look around look ahead because
Jesus is coming again
oh what a motive that is to keep on
going I don't know what your motives are
for Christian service maybe it's
recognition if you're serving the Lord
because of recognition or appreciation
you're going to be disappointed but if
you're serving the Lord because you want
to love him trust him and you're looking
forward to seeing him that'll keep you going
going
faith inspires works hope inspires
endurance love leads to labor the word
for labor here is the word that means
toil fatigue working to the point of
fatigue oh I may be speaking now to some
dear Christian who is just ready to quit
you're tired
Paul says remembering without ceasing
your work of faith your labor of love
your fatiguing laborious toil that was
inspired by love now love is the
greatest inspiration in all the world
because two people love each other they
will sacrifice for each other the word
for love here is the word agape at
sacrificial love there's an interesting
parallel here in Hebrews chapter 10
Hebrews chapter 10 beginning at verse 19
therefore brethren having boldness to
enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus
verse 22 let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith verse
23 let us hold fast the confession of
our hope without wavering verse 24 and
let us consider one another in
order to stir up love and good works you
see faith hope and love are motivations
for Christian service motivations to
walk with the Lord and keep on going
thirdly they are the secret of a happy
life what makes for a happy life all the
world thinks that happiness is something
on the outside no it's on the inside
they think happiness is something you
can acquire and all know it's a
byproduct of something else
happiness is a byproduct of life the
right kind of life they think you can go
out and buy happiness you can't you can
buy entertainment but you can't buy
happiness someone has said that true
happiness is the result of something to
do someone to love and something to look
forward to I like that that's true well
we have something to do a work of faith
we have someone to love a labor of love
we have something to look forward to
patience of Hope faith hope and love
centered in the Lord Jesus Christ make
for happiness in the Christian life you
know that times and the seasons are
going to run their course our Lord Jesus
is going to come again and one of these
days we are going to see the Lord Jesus
now between now and then we need to have
faith and love and hope as our armor we
need to have faith hope and love to
protect us from the sin around us we're
going to go through suffering we're
gonna go through persecution faith looks
at circumstances and sees a purpose hope
looks at circumstances and sees a
prospect glory love looks at
circumstances and sees a person and when
you have faith hope and love motivating
your life and guarding your life you can
have victory over persecution victory
over sin victory over suffering through
faith hope and love a balanced life
thanks for being a part of our back to
the Bible listening family it's
wonderful to have you with us each day
so be sure to come back again for more
wisdom from God's Word back to the Bible
leading you forward in your relationship
with Jesus Christ that's all we have
time for today
please join us again for more back to
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