1 Thessalonians 1:1

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Well let’s study the book of First Thessalonians together. First Thessalonians—that’s our source material for the next few months as we study God’s Word. I want to welcome all of you here this morning as we begin this new series, “Kingdom Called,” and embrace what God has for us in this book of First Thessalonians.

I’m incredibly eager to see what God has for us as a church in this book. And I’m curious to see how the Lord is going to change our lives over the next few months as we study this book, and how we are going to be different at the end of this series from what we are now at the beginning.

Now some of you today might say, “Kingdom Called!” “What does that mean? Why did Pastor Tony name this series on First Thessalonians by that title?” Well, we’ll get into that this morning as well as a few other things. But before we get into the book of First Thessalonians itself, let me give you a little background on this book, its writing, and its original audience. And to help us with that, turn with me to the book of Acts in the NT, Acts 17.

In the midst of a difficult and struggling Second Missionary Journey, the Apostle Paul had a vision. And in this vision, a man from Macedonia begged him to come to his country and help his people. So, Paul, seeing this as a sign from God, left immediately for that region (Acts 16:7) along with his travel companions, Silas, Timothy, and possibly as well Doctor Luke, who wrote the book of Acts. And after planting a church and avoiding disaster in Philippi, the Apostle Paul and his band of brothers eventually came to the city of Thessalonica, the capital and one of the two largest cities of the region of Macedonia. And they had success in this city, until a mob broke out and chased them out of the city. Paul and Silas were chased away, but correspondence with the Thessalonians and a new church that had started there would continue. After being prevented by Satan to return to Thessalonica, Paul sent his understudy, Timothy, to the young church. Timothy brought back to Paul a glowing report of their steadfast faithfulness and spiritual growth. After Timothy’s report, Paul sat down to write two letters of exhortation and instruction for the church, probably during his stay at Corinth. Those two letters are the letters that we know as First and Second Thessalonians.

And those letters, by the way, were not written with a gruff and excoriating tone like Paul’s letter to the Galatians or to the Corinthians. They are encouraging letters. They are letters of affirmation and gentle exhortation. And they are letters that above everything else, encourage the Thessalonian Christians to serve and follow and worship the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Now here’s the map of Paul’s Journey to Macedonia. Paul traveled first to Philippi, and now he travels about 100 miles from Philippi to Thessalonica.4 This is the city that later housed a church where Paul sent those two letters: First and Second Thessalonians. But at this point, there’s no church yet. There are no believers even yet at verse 1 when Paul and Silas step into the synagogue.

2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days… I don’t know if that was three consecutive Sabbaths or just three over a period of time. I’m inclined to think the latter… he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead…

Now these are Jews and God-fearing Gentiles that Paul went to see in the synagogue. That was his custom in a new city. He’d go to a synagogue and try to relay the good news about the Messiah, Jesus, to the Jew first and then the Gentile.

And just look at those verbs in verse 2 and verse 3. He “reasoned with them,” “explaining,” and “proving.” Let me just make an obvious statement here, “This wasn’t a “relativistic, all-roads-lead-to-heaven, type of conversation.” This wasn’t a “Your opinion is valid; my opinion is valid. Let’s just hold hands and sing Kumbaya,” kind of conversation. Paul was reasoning with them. Paul was explaining to them. Paul was even proving to them that the Hebrew Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He pleaded with them and persuaded them from Scripture, just like he did before in Philippi, Lystra, Derbe, Antioch, Damascus, and all the other cities he had been already.

Now probably what Paul did was reference OT Scriptures that he used before. Luke doesn’t tell us specifically what Scriptures he used to prove that Christ must suffer and rise from the dead. Probably he used Isaiah 53.11 “[H]e was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (53:5). Probably he used Psalm 2 to describe Christ’s deity and authority as the Son. Probably he used Psalm 16 to explain Christ’s resurrection, “You will not let your Holy One see corruption” (16:2). He argued along similar lines at other stops during his missionary journeys. That’s how Paul reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead.

And here’s the climax in verse 3. Are you ready for it? Here’s the greatest thing these Jews have ever heard. Here’s that “eureka moment” that every First Century Jew was waiting for. Are you ready for it? Look what Paul says at the end of verse 3:

and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

“He’s here. The Messiah is here!” Paul says. The Messiah! The Christ! He’s here. By the way, those two words are synonymous. The Jews had been waiting for centuries for the coming of the Messiah, the anointed one.

מָשִׁי חַ in Hebrew; Χριστός in Greek. And Paul is relaying to them now this good news: “Salvation is here. Not only did the Christ have to suffer and die according to the OT. But the Christ has already appeared. And his name is Jesus! He has already suffered and died and been resurrected.”

And look what happens after that in verse 4.

4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

So, there you go—the church in Thessalonica is born.12 And at least some embraced the truth of what Paul was telling them, that “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ!”

Go ahead and write this down as #1 in your notes. I want to give you three statements today and with that ask you three questions. Here’s the first statement and the first question.

You know, it’s a remarkable thing to stop and think that the same Jesus Christ that we believe in and worship, in San Antonio, Texas, is the Jesus Christ that the Thessalonian church, 2000 years ago, believed and worshipped. Their story is our story. Their faith is our faith. Maybe that’s why we find so much commonality with what Paul writes in First Thessalonians. He’s writing to them, but he might as well be writing to us.

In fact, as Paul opens up that letter to the Thessalonians, Christ’s Messiah-ship is a central point of focus, because Paul says,

1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

In fact, that word, Christ (Χριστός in Greek), is used ten times in First Thessalonians, sometimes in combination with Jesus: Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus. Sometimes it’s used alone as shorthand for who Jesus is. He’s the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one, the one promised by God to come and take away our sin. Do you believe in him, church? Do you? Some do in Thessalonica… Some don’t.

Look at verse 5 with me. Paul says in verse 4,

4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

But in verse 5,

5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble,14 they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.

Wow, that’s surprising! Paul preaches the gospel, some people get saved, and some people have the gall to oppose him! That’s not supposed to happen. When we preach the gospel, only good things happen, and we never ever experience opposition, right? Or do we?

You know there’s an interesting passage in the NT, where Paul talks about the fragrance of life to some and the fragrance of death to others. And one of the things the Bible teaches is that in order to be the fragrance of life to some, you’ve got to risk being the fragrance of death to others. That’s what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:14-17. And the reason Paul said that is because he lived it. The pages of the book of Acts are filled with stories about some who believe and some who reject. Some receive Christ and rejoice; others reject him and get angry! Fragrance of life and fragrance of death! That pattern continues in our day, by the way. So don’t be surprised, Verse By Verse Fellowship, when people oppose you for preaching the gospel. Paul experienced that. Why wouldn’t we?

Let’s see what happens next. Verse 6.

6 And when they could not find them [that’s Paul and Silas], they dragged Jason I don’t even know who this guy Jason is. I assume that he’s one of the new believers in Thessalonica. And he’s probably a Greek convert, because the name Jason isn’t a Jewish name, it’s a pagan, Greek name. So, this new convert, Jason, is in hot water because of a racial issue between Jews and Gentiles stirred up by this troublemaker, Paul. And it’s not just Jason.

They dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men [again Paul and Silas] who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them.

Can I just pause here for a moment and say something? I sympathize with this guy, Jason. This guy, Jason, and this group of new converts (Luke calls them “brothers” in verse 6) believed Paul and his message. Jason even received this guy into his home and showed him hospitality. And how has Paul repaid them? How has Jesus repaid them? Now they’re being dragged before the city authorities because of their faith. Who knows, their lives might be in danger. They should have said at this point, “Man, this Jesus-stuff doesn’t work. This isn’t good news. This is bad news. This guy and this message are going to get us killed!” That’s what they should have said, right?

And maybe that’s what they would have said, if Paul had preached to them like a lot of the ridiculous prosperity pastors in our day preach about Jesus. “If you vote for Jesus, all your wildest dreams will come true!” Well that doesn’t really work for Jason and his friends. But Paul didn’t preach that kind of gospel. And by the way, Jesus didn’t preach that kind of gospel. When Paul and Silas preached Christ in Thessalonica, they said something like this: “look, if you accept this gospel, it might not go great for you. We just preached this gospel in Philippi and they threw us in jail for it. They beat us, and we are Roman citizens. So, count the cost, Thessalonians.”

The reason I know this and the reason I emphasize this point is because we’re going to see a lot of statements in the book of First Thessalonians where Paul praises the church for their steadfastness and their faithfulness through various trials and challenges. Paul says in… 1 Thessalonians 1:6 – And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 3:4 –For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.

Also Paul says in…

2 Thessalonians 1:4 – Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

Bravo, Thessalonians. These Thessalonian Christians weren’t a bunch of namby-pamby Christians that tuck tail and run when they face a little opposition. They were tough-minded, perseverant Christians! There’s something we can learn from them, Verse By Verse Fellowship. The American church could stand to be a little more tough-minded about following Jesus.

Let me ask you something, church. Is your faith in Christ such that you’d be willing to suffer persecution and take a beating for him? I tell you what there’s a lot more “take a beating for Jesus” in the NT then there is “vote for Jesus and all your wildest dreams will come true.” I guess it depends ultimately if you embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior for eternity, for this life and the life to come, or if you are just in it for the temporary benefits. Trusting in Jesus for your best life now!

Back to Acts 17. So, they dragged Jason and the other Christians before the city officials. And they start shouting:

“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things.

If people started believing Jesus was the King instead of Caesar, that could get this city into some serious hot water with the Empire. What’s ironic here is how the Jews are the ring-leaders in this whole thing. Because the Jews of this day had no love for the Empire or for Caesar. They’re just trying to stir the pot to get rid of Paul and Silas, and squash all this talk about this guy Jesus as the Messiah.

By the way, identifying Christ as King instead of Caesar was a big deal in this culture. That was treasonous in this culture, and that could get you killed. Thousands of Christians were killed in the Roman Empire because they bowed the knee to King Jesus and wouldn’t bow the knee to Caesar. People would pay money to see them torn to shreds by wild animals in Coliseums.

And you might say, “Ok, there’s a simple solution here. Just tell them that Jesus isn’t a King. Just tell them that Jesus was born in a barn in backwater Bethlehem! Tell them that Jesus was a Jewish peasant. He’s not a King. He’s a Messiah, sure. It’s a spiritual term! He’s a savior. He came to die for our sins, but he doesn’t want to rule and reign. Tell them Caesar has nothing to worry about with Jesus!”

Here’s the problem with that strategy. Here’s the problem with using that argument to “get out of hot water” with the city officials. Do you know what the problem with that argument is? Jesus is a King. You know what? Some of what they are arguing here is correct! There is a king competing with Caesar, and he is the King of Kings!25 And his name is Jesus. Go ahead and write this down as #2 in your notes.

Here’s why that argument—“He’s just a Messiah, he’s not a King”—doesn’t fly. The problem with that is that according to Psalm 2, Messiah-ship intimates Kingship. The hope for the Messiah was a hope for a new King David who would come and rule over the universe. They can’t say that Jesus didn’t come as a King to compete with Caesar, because Jesus’s kingship is way more important than Caesar. In fact, Jesus’s kingship outdistances the Roman Caesars by about a trillion years!

And by the way, who was Caesar at the time of this writing? Do you know? At this time, the Caesar was probably Claudius.26 The fact that you have to look that up in a history book or commentary proves that Jesus is more powerful and important than any of the Roman Caesars. Claudius is a historical blip on the map. Jesus’s kingship, on the other hand, lasts forever. He is a competing king, and unlike Caesar, his kingdom lasts forever!

By the way, one of the themes in First Thessalonians, and we’ll talk about this a lot in this series, is the return of King Jesus. Jesus is coming back, and his rule and his reign is eternal!

Now let me finish up this story in Acts 17, and then we’ll talk more about Jesus’s Kingship. Look at verse 9 with me.

9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

So there was this huge uproar. But the end of the matter is kind of anticlimactic, right? They have this riot and then they drag Jason and the new believers before the officials. All for what? To pay a fine? Nobody gets stoned and left for dead? Nobody gets whipped or beaten or imprisoned? That sometimes happens in the book of Acts.

But what probably happened with this fine is that Paul and Silas are forced to leave the city. Which isn’t great, because now they’ve got to leave this group of brand-new believers, these impressionable baby Christians, and hit the road.

So, verse 10 says,

10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away28 by night to Berea [Berea is roughly 50 miles from Thessalonica], and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.

Paul and Silas are gluttons for punishment. What’s the first thing they do when they get to another city? They go back to the Jewish synagogue and start telling people about Jesus. I love that!

And there are some interesting statements about this in the book of 1 Thessalonians itself. Paul says…

1 Thessalonians 2:1-2 – For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.

He also says in…

1 Thessalonians 2:17-18 – But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us.

Some scholars have speculated that what Paul is referring to there is the bond that Jason posted as security with the city officials.31 If Jason had put his house up as security or even all of his financial assets, then perhaps Paul’s return to Thessalonica would have bankrupted Jason and left the church without a place to meet. 

Maybe that’s the case. I don’t know. But we do know that the persecution didn’t end when Paul left town. Because Paul also says in 1 Thessalonians: 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15 – For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind. 

Now I want to read another passage from 1 Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians 3:1-8. And as I read this, I want you to hear this as Jason or one of the prominent women in Thessalonica or one or the other Thessalonian believers would have heard it. Listen and hear Paul’s heart. And hear the joy that Paul feels at knowing that the church presses on and perseveres in the face of suffering. 

1 Thessalonians 3:1-8 –Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, I guess Paul and Silas were persona-non-grata in Thessalonica, so they send Timothy to check on the church. that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain. In other words, “we were afraid you might have abandoned your faith. We thought you might have left Jesus as a result of your suffering!” But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you—for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. In other words, here’s what Paul’s saying: “We have no greater joy than to hear that our children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4). 

Paul says to the Thessalonian church essentially, “Our greatest joy in the midst of affliction, is hearing that you, Thessalonians, are standing fast in the Lord in the midst of your affliction.” “I’m energized by that,” Paul says. “I rejoice in that.” 

This passage reminds me about what happened in China after the Boxer Rebellion and later after WW2. During that time, many Christian missionaries were killed and forced to leave China. And the missionaries were fearful because they left these fledgling Christian churches with thousands of Christians behind. And they fretted over them and what was going to happen to them? But when foreigners and missionaries were let back into the country several years later, to their great surprise those churches of thousands had turned into churches of millions. And God did a mighty work in China in the midst of that affliction without the leadership of those missionaries. 

That’s how Paul feels right here. He was afraid they were going to die or disband as a church. But they didn’t die, according to Timothy. They flourished. And why did the Thessalonians remain faithful to Christ, even though it brought about great suffering in their life? Why not bail on their faith? Why not embrace a religious system that’s a little more user-friendly than Christianity? Something that doesn’t cause so much animosity? Maybe you are thinking that right now. Is Christianity really worth it? There’s so much animosity towards Christians right now in our country. And Christianity isn’t progressive enough to change with the times that we are currently living in. 

Why not choose something else? Why not choose Buddhism as a religion? Nobody ever gets mad at Buddhists! Why did the Thessalonians remain faithful to Christ, even though it brought about great suffering in their lives? Why should we be faithful to Christ in our day, even though it’s uncomfortable and inconvenient and even passé in our day? 

Here’s why. Here’s the answer. Because Jesus isn’t just a religious figure. He’s not just a politician or a symbol of something. He’s a king. He’s the King! He’s the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe. And he doesn’t just call you to be a part of a religion or a way of life. He calls you into his eternal kingdom. And that trumps everything else that could possibly influence your life. Paul says this in 1 Thessalonians 2:12. This is the theme verse for our series, “Kingdom Called.” Here’s the reality of what we are trying to live out as Christians. Paul says, 1 Thessalonians 2:12 – we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. Christ is our King. And he has called us into his kingdom and glory. 

That trumps everything else in this world. And he has called us to “walk in a manner worthy of God.” That means enduring hardships, like Jesus endured hardships. That means living lives of holiness and honor, like Jesus lived a life of holiness and honor. That means living lives that are pleasing to our King and imitative of our King. Because Jesus is the King!35 Are you part of his kingdom, Verse By Verse Fellowship? Are you living for him and walking in a manner worthy of him? Putting up with affliction even in order to follow him? Waiting for his return? 

You might say, “Yeah, Pastor Tony, but I could use some help with that. I could use some instruction for how to do that. I could use some encouragement to keep doing it.” Yeah, me too. Me too. If you want some help with that, then stick around in the next few months as we study First Thessalonians. And we’ll learn together about how we can better do that.

One final point. Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is the King. Those terms in many ways are synonymous, as we’ve talked about already. But let me bump it up a notch with this last statement. This last title for Jesus is even more impressive than calling him Christ or King. Write this down as #3. κύριος in Greek

Are you surrendered to him? Are you now? Here’s why I say that this title, Lord, is even more impressive than Christ or King. Here’s possibly why Paul put this title first in his introduction…

1 Thessalonians 1:1 To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the [κύριος] Lord Jesus Christ:36 Grace to you and peace.

It’s because that term “Lord” [κύριος] is a reference to Jesus’s ability. It’s a reference to Jesus’s absolute authority. And it’s a reference to Jesus’s deity. Write those down under a, b, and c. a. κύριος

It’s a reference to Jesus’s ability, because Jesus is not some regional king who reigns over a localized kingdom, like the King or Queen of England who rules over all the lands of the English. He’s the Sovereign Lord over the Universe who reigns over everything. b. κύριος

Secondly that term “Lord” (κύριος) is a reference to his authority. Because nothing happens in Christ’s kingdom without his authority. That’s why Paul prays in…

1 Thessalonians 3:11-12 – Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you.

He prays to the Lord, because only the Lord has the authority to do this. In fact, it’s only the Lord Jesus who has given us access to God the Father, because his death and resurrection have made a way for us to call God our Father. c. κύριος

And also, Lord (κύριος) indicates deity. Some of you probably know this already, but the word that translates Yahweh in the Greek Septuagint is the word κύριος. And κύριος is used 24 times in 1 Thessalonians, oftentimes directly followed by the name “Jesus.” You’ll see over and over again in this book, “The Lord Jesus” or “The Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Well when the Greek translators of the OT came across the name “Yahweh” in the OT, which shows up about 7,000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, they translated it with the Greek word, κύριος. So, when the Greek writers of the NT, like Paul, attach the word κύριος to the name Jesus, they mean more than Jesus is just a powerful ruler or Lord of this world. He’s the Yahweh of the OT. He’s the Yahweh who created the universe in the book of Genesis.

So, Jesus is the Lord. He’s Yahweh. You don’t treat him as an equal. You don’t compartmentalize HIM as one of your things, one of your commitments in this world. You surrender all to him. Have you surrendered all to him?

Pastor Gary Thomas says this in his book, Seeking the Face of God. He says, “Christian health is not defined by how happy we are, how prosperous or healthy we are, or even by how many people we have led to the Lord in the past year. Christian health is ultimately defined by how sincerely we wave our flag of surrender.” How healthy are we as a church? How healthy are we at VBVF? How healthy are we and how surrendered are we?

You might say, “Ok, Pastor Tony. 1 Thessalonians. Interesting book. Why are we studying this now? What’s your goal for this book and for this series? What are you hoping to accomplish?” Well my hope is really the same for every sermon series I preach. It’s that we, through the Scriptures, might be, 2 Timothy 3:17, “complete, equipped for every good work.” But more particularly… if I could address the book of 1 Thessalonians for a second… more particularly my goal is that we surrender fully to Christ the King and live lives that fully embrace his kingship! 1 Thessalonians 2:12. 

Here it is again. Our theme verse: Walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” That’s what we’re going for in this series. Fully Surrendered to Christ the King! And walking in a manner worthy of him. That’s what we’re called to do. We’re Kingdom Called, church. Let’s get after this together.

Taught by Dr. Tony Caffey

Senior Pastor of Verse By Verse Fellowship

1 Thessalonians Series