Introduction
As we all know, we live in a period of acute polarization in America. People are quick to assess
and label and segregate others according to their perceived identity. Is that person a woke liberal
or a Trump republican? What is his ethnic group or social background or sexual orientation or
religious affiliation? During this period of snap judgments and identity labelling, being called a
Christian has taken on a bunch of extraneous connotations. My daughter once remarked that it is
really no longer helpful to be viewed as an evangelical Christian. Because with that label, people
make all kinds of assumptions about us, some which are correct and many which are very wrong.
As Christians, it is important that who we are does not become defined by those around us. We
are not people who gather in certain places or vote in certain ways or oppose certain issues. More
important than ever, we ourselves need to know who we really are. What makes a person a
Christian? What does it mean to live a Christian life?
We are starting a new series in the book of First Thessalonians. Paul is writing to group of
relatively new believers, living in a society where people’s understanding of Christianity is still
evolving. How Paul addresses the Thessalonians in the opening verses, gives them, as well as
gives us, some clarity on the marks of a Christian life.
Before we look into this, let’s start with a word of prayer.
Give Thanks to God for You
First Thessalonians is an epistle, a letter, written by the Apostle Paul to the believers in
Thessalonica. When we study an epistle in the Bible, it is helpful to know about the context
surrounding the writing of the letter. For this particular book, we do know quite a bit about the
context. The Book of Acts describes how Paul evangelized and ministered in Thessalonica
during his second missionary journey. By putting together the accounts in Acts with the contents
of the epistle, we are able to learn about the circumstances that led to the writing of First
Thessalonians.
This is a map of Paul’s second missionary journey (show first slide of map). Most of this
information is taken from Acts chapters 15-18. Paul took Silas with him on a trip and they started
by going into Asia Minor (present day Turkey), into the Galatia region. At Lystra, they picked up
Timothy to travel with them. At this point, they were mostly going to the same cities as Paul’s
first missionary journey, visiting and encouraging the established churches.
Then they got to Troas, at the tip of Asia Minor, where a vision appeared to Paul in the night
(Acts 16:9). A man of Macedonia (in Greece) appealed to him, “Come over to Macedonia to help
us.” This is a blowup of the first map (show second slide of map). From Troas, they went by ship
to Samothrace and then Neapolis and then Philippi. Paul’s first recorded converts in Europe were
in Philippi, Lydia and her household. Opposition arose in Philippi and Paul and Silas were
beaten, thrown into prison, and then told to leave the city. From Philippi, they passed through
Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica
Thessalonica was quite similar to present-day Austin in several ways. It was the capital of
Macedonia, which is a region in Greece, the dominant empire of the time. It was an important
city on a major trade route and became an economic and cultural center with a diverse
population. Inhabitants were of all different social economic levels. Paul’s converts in
Thessalonica included some prominent Greeks but likely consisted mostly of people who were
not well off.
In Thessalonica, Paul, Silas and Timothy went to the Jewish synagogue and began teaching
about Jesus. Over several weeks, some of the Jews and many Greeks came to believe in Jews.
Then the Jews who did not believe stirred up opposition against them and Paul’s group had to
flee the city with little notice. They went to Berea, where they also preached the gospel and
converted additional Greeks. But the Jews of Thessalonica followed them to continue the
persecution and they had to leave Berea also. Paul went to Athens next and then to Corinth,
where he stayed for a year and a half.
Imagine what Paul was experiencing. He visited these cities preaching the Gospel. People are
hearing about Jesus for the first time and many are responding in faith. But he had to leave the
cities one after another because of persecution. He was probably feeling some discouragement
from the opposition and worried about the new believers he left behind. So after Athens, Paul
sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to see how those new believers are doing. Timothy rejoined
Paul in Corinth and brought him an encouraging report of the Thessalonians growing in faith and
longing to see Paul again.
It is in this context that Paul wrote First Thessalonians. It was one of his earliest epistles, likely
the second earliest after Galatians. It was the letter of a concerned pastor writing to his flock, to
relatively new believers who have followed Christ for no more than a year or two. He addressed
some of their concerns and struggles. But overall, the letter was filled with encouragement and
thankfulness, as Paul rejoiced over their perseverance in the faith.
Let’s look at this letter from Paul.
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:1 (NASB95) 1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the
Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
There were standard ways for beginning a letter in ancient times. Paul followed these
conventions but always gave them a Christian twist. First, the letter sender would identify
himself. In this letter, it says, Paul, Silvanus (which is the long form of the name Silas) and
Timothy. The letter was written by Paul only, but he named his coworkers, because they were a
team. They worked together at Thessalonica and were together again in Corinth as Paul wrote
this letter.
Next, the recipients would be identified, for example a letter might say: to Marcus, my friend in
Athens. Paul addressed it to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. The central identity of the church is not that it was in Thessalonica or Macedonia,
but that it was in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s what made them who they
were, they were the church of God and of Jesus.
The naming of the recipient would usually be followed by a salutation. χαῖρε, Greek word
meaning Greetings, is often used. But notice Paul’s play on this word, instead of χαῖρε, he said
χάρις, which is the word for grace. Grace refers to the unmerited, undeserved favor from God.
Grace to you, and peace. Peace does not just mean freedom from trouble in the Bible. Peace
communicates the Hebrew concept “shalom”, which has the connotation of wholeness, wellness,
flourishing. And the order of the words is important. It is because of the grace of God that
believers can have the peace of wholeness and flourishing.
After the initial address, ancient letters would often have some kind of blessing or expression of
thanks. Paul wrote this as well, but instead of the recipients, God was the one being thanked.
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:2–5 (NASB95) 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making
mention of you in our prayers; 3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love
and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, 4
knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; 5 for our gospel did not come to you in
word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know
what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
I read all three verses because in the original Greek language verses 2 to 5 is a single sentence.
You are probably thinking, that’s a mighty long and complicated sentence. And it is, but it is not
atypical of Paul’s writing.
Paul was well educated and often wrote using extended sentences with multiple connecting
words and subordinated clauses. If it is any comfort, the Apostle Peter himself remarked that in
Paul’s letters, some things are hard to understand (2 Peter 3:16). However, it is highly
worthwhile not to gloss over the words but to dig in and understand them well. Because we
would find that God’s words through Paul contain depth of theological thinking and wealth of
insightful instruction. Thus, I want to dissect the construction of this sentence a bit, so we can
accurately comprehend what Paul is saying.
As we all remember from high school grammar, every sentence has a main verb. This is true in
English as well as in Greek. In this sentence and the main verb is “give thanks” which is a single
word in Greek. Following the main verb, there are three participles in this sentence. I put it in
outline form so it’s easier to see:
We give thanks to God . . .
– making mention of you . . .
– bearing in mind your work . . .
– knowing his choice of you . . .
The -ing words are the participles. Participles support and modify the main verb, providing
additional information and detail. In our case the participles tell us how and why Paul is giving
thanks to God for the Thessalonians.
We are going to look at each of these participial clauses in turn. The third participle has
additional dependent clauses following it, and we will look at those as well when we get there.
Making Mention of You in Prayer
Starting with the first participle.
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:2 (NASB95) 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making
mention of you in our prayers;
The first participle tells us the manner of how Paul is giving thanks to God. He thanks God by
making mention of the Thessalonians in his prayers. This is not surprising. Here was Paul the
pastor, forced to separate from his flock of new converts for an extended period of time. He was
concerned about them. But what could he do for them since he was so far away? He prays for
them. We at times forget that prayer is often the most important and most powerful thing we can
do for our loved ones and fellow believers. We want to jump in and help through our actions.
And often it is when active help is not possible, as in the case with Paul, we realize how much
we can support through prayers.
Notice the broad, encompassing terms Paul used in this sentence. We give thanks to God always
for all of you. And then next verse, constantly bearing in mind your work of faith. Paul conveyed
that he was continual and persistent in his prayers for the Thessalonians.
My daughter Noel went to high school while we were in California. Her school had an outdoor
expedition component. All students during their junior year go on a backpacking trip. For more
than three weeks, they hike through Death Valley National Park with heavy backpacks, sleeping
outdoors under the tents they carry. They do go through training beforehand and guides are with
them the entire trip. Still, as parents, we were concerned for her, especially since our family
doesn’t even do regular overnight camping. And there’s no communication with the students
while they are out in the wilderness. For the three weeks while my daughter was on this trip, my
wife set a recurring vibrating alarm on her own watch, so that it would buzz my wife several
times a day. Every time she felt the alarm, my wife would pray for my daughter.
That’s picture I get when I read about Paul praying to God and thanking him always for all the
Thessalonians, constantly remembering them. It is the picture of a loving pastor with genuine
concern for his new converts. Because he was separated by distance and could not be with them
in person, he relied on God and prayed for them constantly. This is also a reminder to me, when I
hear about my family members or my Christian friends going through struggles. Even when I
cannot be with them in person, I can support them through persistent prayer before God. It is
amazing we have this powerful avenue of support, this path to encourage and uplift others,
available to us anytime. It is also amazing that we do not take advantage of it more often.
Paul gave thanks to God for the Thessalonians by mentioning them in his prayers. As he did this,
Paul was also constantly bearing in mind the work they were doing.
Bearing in Mind Your Work
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (NASB95) 3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of
love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,
I want to look first at the tail end of this verse, because it is potentially confusing. It says,
“steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father.” So is the
verse referring to the steadfastness of hope or to our Lord Jesus Christ being in the presence of
our God and Father? Actually, it is neither. The potential confusion arises because of differences
in sentence construction between Greek and English. I will put this clause in outline form for
clarity’s sake as well.
– constantly bearing in mind
– your work of faith
– and labor of love
– and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
– in the presence of our God and Father,
The phrase “in our Lord Jesus Christ” is in a grammatical form that ties it closely to the word
hope right before it. While “in the presence of our God” is a prepositional phrase that links to
participle “bearing in mind”.
This can be confusing because in English we tend to put a prepositional phrase close to what it
modifies. In Greek, placement is much more flexible, and this type of structure is not unusual.
Bearing in mind at the beginning, in the presence of God at the end, wrapping the content of
what is being remembered in between.
Other translations deviated from the word order of the original language in order to clarify
meaning. Both the ESV and NIV move the prepositional phrase up to be next to the participle.
Those translations say, Remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of
love and so on.
So Paul, as he gave thanks to God, was remembering before God something about the
Thessalonians. Paul listed the triad of Christian virtues which he often cites in his letters: faith,
love and hope. But he was not keeping in mind the Thessalonian’s faith, love, and hope, but their
work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in Jesus Christ.
First, let’s talk about the work of faith. Since the Reformation, one of outstanding features of
protestant Christianity is that we take seriously the biblical teaching that we saved by faith alone.
By that, we mean that works play no role in securing our salvation. However, that does not mean
that works play no role in the Christian life. True faith is always accompanied by works of faith.
The Bible is clear on this. Paul says in Ephesians 2:8–9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Paul makes it clear: we are not saved by works. However, on the very next verse he says
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand so that we would walk in them.
We are not saved by good works. We are saved for good works.
That’s why Jesus teaches that every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down (Matt. 7:19).
That’s why James teaches that faith not accompanied by good works is dead faith (James 2:17).
And Paul agreed with both Jesus and James. With faith comes works of faith. This was true with
the Thessalonians, as with any genuine believer. And for this Paul thanked God
Paul also thanked God for their labors of love. Whenever Paul cited the terms faith, love, and
hope together, love meant agape love for others. You guys have likely heard before that Greek
has multiple words for love with different connotations. Actually, the divisions were not strict,
the terms are used somewhat interchangeably, but each term did have its emphasis in
connotation. But because Paul wanted to emphasize the unique nature of Christian love, he made
the division of usage very strict in his writings. When Paul used the word agape, he always
meant a specific type of love. In Paul’s letters, agape was the type of love God showers on us and
thus, the type of love we are to share with others.
A good way to understand agape is to contrast it to eros, which is romantic love. My wife is so
lovely in my eyes, so full of goodness and compassion. In my view, she is so deserving of
admiration and devotion. In contrast, agape is having that potency of love for someone who is
not lovely or full of goodness or deserving of admiration. That’s how God loved us, when we do
not evoke love or deserve love. Also, as I love my wife, my great hope and desire, is that she
loves me in return. In contrast, agape is not self-seeking. It is selfless and sacrificial and does not
require reciprocation. God continues to love us even when we turn from him. And agape is the
type of love we are to have for others, especially those in the family of God. Selfless, sacrificial
love for the undeserving. And we are to labor at it.
Earlier in our career, my wife and I wanted to get experience managing people on manufacturing
lines. We both went to work for an electrical component manufacturer, supervising production
workers. The factory was the largest employer in a very small town in rural Midwest. It was a
real cultural shock for us and a difficult experience. Maybe because they spent their whole lives
in an insular isolated community, the workers were often petty and judgmental and mean-spirited
in how they dealt with each other. And the company culture did not help, as the managers looked
out for themselves. Within this less-than-friendly town, there was a church. Not a perfect church
by any means, but a church that loved Jesus Christ, which we joined.
We were part of a small group. It had a mix of professionals and blue-collar workers, mostly
Caucasians, except for us and a Hispanic couple. Once, we all prayed for the Hispanic couple
because their old truck stopped working. It was difficult for them, because he needed the truck
for his work and they were not well off. But we didn’t just pray, the small group decided to pitch
in to help them out. We got enough money together for them to buy another vehicle.
To me, that’s labor of love. For the size of group we were and the finances most of us had, it was
not easy, it involved sacrifice. And given the town we were in and given how different people’s
backgrounds were, that act was highly unusual. But that’s what agape love is. It is not just
expressing compassion, it is not just offering prayer, it is laboring sacrificially in concrete acts of
love, regardless of the loveliness of the people. And that’s the type of love and labor Paul saw in
the Thessalonians and he thanked God.
Thirdly, Paul thanked God for the Thessalonian’s steadfastness of hope in Jesus. I like to fish.
And every time I go fishing, I really hope to catch fish. The meaning of the word hope in that
context is totally different from the meaning of the word hope in the Bible. Because regardless of
how earnest is my hope, I often do not catch fish. I am hoping it might happen with no certainty
that it actually will. The meaning of hope in the Bible is so antithetical to that meaning, I
sometimes wish we can make up a totally different word for it in English. Hope in the Bible
refers to the full assurance, the certainty of expectation that the promises of God will be fulfilled.
We have just finished the series in the Book of Daniel, which speaks of the Son of Man coming
to rule at the End Times, to establish the new kingdom that will crush all prior kingdoms. The
Thessalonian’s steadfastness of hope in Jesus refers to their unshakable anticipation, their certain
expectation, as they look forward to the promised return of Christ as king. This firmness of hope
is so central and essential to a follower of Christ. Who wants to trust someone who might or
might not return? How can we not be overwhelmed by the gyrations of the stock market or the
lurches of leadership decisions or the swings in world affairs if we cannot fix our eyes on an
immovable future hope?
We just celebrated Easter, and one hymn I love is “Because He Lives.” Because He lives, I can
face tomorrow, Because He lives, all fear is gone; Because I know He holds the future. Life is
worth the living, just because he lives. The Christian life can only be lived because we know
with certainty that He holds the future. And Paul thanked God for the Thessalonian’s
steadfastness of hope in Jesus holding the future.
Work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope are all marks of followers of Christ. The
Apostle Paul thanked God for the outward manifestations of the faith, love and hope blooming in
hearts the new believers in Thessalonica.
Knowing His Choice of You
Let’s continue and look at the third participial clause.
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:4–5 (NASB95) 4 knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; 5
for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and
with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your
sake.
The basis of Paul’s thankfulness for the Thessalonians, was that they were chosen by God. The
Bible is clear on this, Christians are the people of God because they are people chosen by God.
His choice of you, the word choice is the same Greek word that is often translated election. And
that choice is an act of love by God. We all were headed for fully-deserved condemnation. We
are saved, only because God chose us, to lovingly save us through Christ. That’s why there is no
boasting, we can only thank God for that loving choice, as Paul was doing regarding the
believers in Thessalonica. But how did Paul know that the Thessalonians are indeed chosen by
God?
There are two additional dependent clauses embedded within this third participial clause. The
first begins with a causal connecting word: for, meaning because. Paul knew that they were
chosen because the gospel came to them not in word only, but in power and in the Holy Spirit
and with full conviction. The application of God’s power and the work of the Holy Spirit meant
that there was not only the hearing of words, but also the changing of hearts, causing the
Thessalonians to embrace the gospel, which was preached to them with such conviction.
The second dependent clause begins with a comparative connection word: just as. Paul knew that
they are chosen by God because the gospel came to them in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with
conviction. Just as they knew that Paul and his team are true preachers of the gospel, because the
Thessalonians saw how they lived among them. The genuineness of the message carriers further
supported the fact that their reception of the gospel was genuine, because the true gospel
message was carried to them by true messengers of God.
Do you see the overarching role God plays in our personal salvation process? Salvation did not
happen because we, in our good sense, made the wise decision to accept Christ. Salvation
happened because God sent trustworthy messengers to tell us the gospel, with truth words and
with conviction. Salvation happened because God’s awesome power accompanied those words
and the Holy Spirit transformed our hearts so what we became convicted of the love of God and
our need for Christ. Salvation happened because God chose and called us. None of the us, given
the depth of our depravity and sin, would have recognized or welcomed God’s love on our own.
If you think about it, the transformation of a stubborn and sinful heart is one of God’s most
amazing miracles. Paul thanked God for the Thessalonians, because he witnessed the gospel
coming to them in God’s power and in the Holy Spirit, and thus he knew that they were indeed
beloved and chosen by God.
Let’s sum up what we learned in verses 2 to 5. Paul thanked God for the Thessalonians,
mentioning them in his prayers, bearing in mind their efforts of faith, love, and hope, knowing
that they have been lovingly chosen by God because of how the gospel came to them. That is a
lot of information in a single sentence, and a wealth of key theological truths. John Calvin, the
reformer, calls this passage, “A brief definition of true Christianity.” Paul was basically thanking
God that these new believers were true followers of Christ. They had been saved by the grace of
God and as a result, were living changed lives in Jesus. In effect, Paul thanked God because the
Thessalonians bore the marks of true Christians.
Conclusion
We began this message by asking the question, what makes a person a Christian. If I had asked
this group beforehand, please give me a definition of a Christian, many of you might have said, a
Christian is someone who has accepted Christ as his savior. Yes, every genuine Christian has
accepted Christ as his or her savior. But I think Paul would argue that accepting Christ is a
necessary component but not a complete definition of what it means to be a Christian. If you
want to give someone a very general description of the writings of Paul, you might say that Paul
was mainly addressing the issue: we have been saved through the grace and mercy of God, how
then shall we live? In fact, in the New Testament overall, there is an underlying assumption, a
fundamental premise, that once you are saved through Christ, you don’t just go back to living the
way you used to live.
We water down the Christian message if we give the impression that we just have to accept
Christ and then we are all done. Yes, absolutely, salvation is a free gift and we do not work for it
in any way. However, receiving the free give is not the end, but the beginning of the Christian
walk.
God promises that he will complete the good work he began among us (Phil 1:6). So we can
have full assurance and security from the moment we believe. But that does not mean that the
transformation stops there, it only begins there. God works differently with every individual. For
some, change is sudden and dramatic. For others the process is gradually and drawn out. We just
know that transformation in life is inevitable after salvation.
That’s because genuine reception of the gospel message is more than mere mental assent. It is
more than just agreeing with certain words or concepts. The gospel is the power of God unto
everyone who believes (Rom 1:16). It comes with the work of the Holy Sprit on our hearts, to
change our hearts to embrace the gospel message, so that we can begin a new transformed life in
Christ.
A Christian is defined by his calling as well as his changed life. How he is saved as well as how
he lives after salvation. The saving grace of God as well as the transformed life of a child of
God. And the transformed life of a child of God is a life filled with work of faith, labor of love,
and steadfastness of hope. That’s how Paul addressed the new Christian in Thessalonica. That’s
also who we are as Christians in America today.
So regardless of how people perceive us, regardless of how people label us, regardless of what
people expect from us, we know who we really are. We are a people loved and chosen by God.
We are people saved by Jesus. We are a people living transformed lives as followers of Christ.
Let us help each other to live in that true identity every moment of our lives.
Let us pray.
North Village Church
This sermon is brought to you by North Village Church, a non-denominational church in Austin. established in 2009 and built around Jesus and Bible teaching.
Are you looking for a church in Austin? At North Village Church we put Jesus at the center of our church family. We worship together every Sunday at 10:30am, encourage Christ centered fellowship through groups, and host special events such as Bible studies and Theological Training, to ensure that we are rooted in in God’s Word. We also serve our local community in association with several Austin based organizations.
North Village Church is made up of professionals, married couples, singles, and families who are wanting to experience the life-transforming power of Jesus. If you are a family with children or teens, we can support you with either or both our Kids Ministry and Youth Ministry.
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