As you can see, the title of today’s message is ‘A Salvation That is Real.’ That title suggests that perhaps sometimes there is a salvation, or perhaps I should say, a claim to salvation that is not real. Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) According to Christ, a salvation that is real will produce obedience to God. On another occasion Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) John wrote in the book of 1 John, “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3) This is not to say that we will always do everything exactly the way we should. John MacArthur says that the issue is not ‘perfection’, but ‘direction.’ Someone who is truly born again will desire to be going in the same direction that God is going.
Today we’re going to study about a group of Christians that were going in the right direction and there was no doubt about their salvation. As a matter of fact, their salvation was so real it was an example to all the other churches around them. Today we’re going to do a brief study about the church of Thessalonica.
1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; 4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. 5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. 6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: 7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything. 9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
I. The Evidence of a Genuine Salvation
1 Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; 4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
A. The Work of Faith
The first thing Paul mentions about them is their work of faith. James tells us that true saving faith is active. James tells us that faith that does not produce some kind of spiritual work is useless and will not save us. (James 14-26) This is not to suggest that we must work for our salvation or that our salvation is grace plus works. What Paul and James are telling us is that true saving faith will manifest itself in the way we live. Paul tells us that the way he knows they have been chosen by God for salvation is by the fact that they are producing good works. Jesus said that every branch in Him produces fruit.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance…
The Thessalonian’s salvation was more than a profession of faith. It was also a possession of the Holy Spirit and His power being manifested through their lives.
The establishment of the Thessalonian church was an amazing thing. We read in Acts 17 of how Paul, along with Silas, were led by God to journey to Thessalonica and begin preaching the gospel. Apparently they were there for only three weeks. Can you imagine trying to win people to Christ and plant a church in only three weeks? Yet when God shows up, some amazing things can happen. They were there for only three weeks, but here is what the people of that city said about them. “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…” (Acts 17:6) My prayer to God is that He will help our church to become the kind of church that could turn this world we live in today upside down.
B. The Faithfulness of Their Work
1 Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ…
One of the themes found in 1st and 2nd Thessalonians is Paul’s rebuking of those who were lazy. It’s in 2nd Thessalonians that we find that famous verse that says “if any would not work, neither should he eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10) Paul wasn’t lazy and he had a hard time tolerating laziness. That was true both physically and spiritually. Concerning his own effort to serve the Lord, Paul said, “I worked harder than all of them–yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (see 1 Corinthians 15:10) Paul wasn’t patting himself on the back over how intensely he sought to serve the Lord, but rather he was trying to stress the importance of using everything God gives us for God’s glory. Paul said, “It wasn’t me doing all of this. It was God doing it through me. I was simply the vessel yielded to Him to be used.” That’s a good work ethic for every Christian to emulate.
II. The Effects of Genuine Salvation
There was undeniable evidence of the Thessalonian’s salvation. They were active and busy in serving the Lord. But it wasn’t just about being busy. They served in order to see results.
1 Thessalonians 1:6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: 7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything. 9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
A. Examples to Believers
Paul and Silas had only three weeks to present the gospel and to get these new converts established in their faith. Three weeks isn’t much time. Yet apparently Paul and Silas made a tremendous impact upon them. How so?
1. The Thessalonian Believers Followed the Example of Paul and Silas
1 Thessalonians 1:6 And ye became followers of us…
It is from the Greek word for ‘follower’ that we get the English word ‘mimic.’ To mimic someone is to imitate what you see them do. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NASB) Peter tells me as a pastor to not lord authority over you, but to be a leader before you by my personal example. (see 1 Peter 5:3) Paul’s personal example was a major part of his shepherding God’s people.
2. The Thessalonian Believers Grew to Follow the Example of Christ
Paul and Silas were with them for only three weeks. That’s not a long time to influence people, but apparently they did. But then as time grew on and the Thessalonian believers began to grow in their faith, they realized that there was a greater example for them to follow.
1 Thessalonians 1:6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord…
3. The Thessalonian Believers Became an Example Themselves
1 Thessalonians 1:7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
Macedonia and Achaia were regions that contained cities such as Corinth, Philippi and Berea. Notice what Paul says. The believers at Thessalonica became examples to all the believers in those cities and regions.
It was the Scottish preacher Robert M’Cheyne who wrote – “It is not great talents God blesses so much as likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.”
B. Evangelists of Non-Believers
Robert M’Cheyne said something else very profound. “The Christian is a person who makes it easy for others to believe in God.”
1 Thessalonica 1:8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything. 9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
We often refer to Paul and Silas as missionaries and church planters. These men traveled thousands of miles during their lifetimes and led thousands to the Lord. Yet rarely do we realize that much of their success was due to the faithful work of Christians like the Thessalonians. Jesus told His disciples, “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” (John 4:38) Paul told the Corinthians that God uses one to plant the seed, another water, and yet another to reap the harvest. But in reality it’s God who causes the things to grow. Paul told the Thessalonians that wherever they went, someone there had heard about their genuine faith in Christ.
III. The Elements of Genuine Salvation
During the last part of my message I want to focus upon what it is that produces a salvation that is real. What produces the kind of Christianity that changes not only our lives, but the lives of those around us?
If I had to summarize this passage of scripture into one sentence, it would be this –
“The Thessalonians were shining examples of what it means to be a Christian.”
They loved, they labored, and they lived out their Christianity.
What enabled this young church that had only a very small amount of Bible training to become so effective? I believe it all lies in one fact. They experienced a genuine conversion when they came to Christ.
1 Thessalonica 1:9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
The word translated as ‘turned to God’ is often translated as conversion. Genuine salvation is more than a profession. It’s a spiritual conversion. To convert something means to change it from one form to another.
Apparently there was a total change in the lifestyles of these Thessalonians once they came to Christ. One of the great misconceptions about what it means to become a Christian is that we think that we only need to pray a certain prayer for forgiveness so that we don’t have to go to hell, and that’s pretty much it. To many, changing who we are and how we live is an option. It’s like an add-on feature on a new car. It’s a luxury we all would like to have, but it’s not necessary.
Yet that is not what the Bible teaches us about genuine salvation. Here is the gospel message that Paul preached to the Thessalonians and anyone else who would listen.
“Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:21)
Why did the Thessalonians have such an impact upon their friends and family? Why was their faith spoken of throughout the surrounding cities and regions? It was because there had been an undeniable and perhaps even unexplainable change in the way they lived. There was a change in the way they talked. Probably some of them had to learn a new vocabulary. There was a change in the way they managed their business and finances. Perhaps some were like Zacchaeus and had to go back and make some restitution. No doubt for some of them there was a change in their clothing and forms of entertainment. There was also a change in their attitudes. Notice that Paul says –
1 Thessalonians 1:6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
Do you know why Paul and Silas were there for only three weeks? It was because there were some hard-hearted Jews living in Thessalonica who would not believe that Jesus was the Messiah and who attacked not only Paul and Silas, but also many of the new converts. One young believer’s name was Jason whose house was invaded and he and some fellow believers were drug off to jail. Yet apparently these new converts responded to their persecutors in a remarkable way. Paul speaks of them receiving the word in “much affliction”, yet with the “joy of the Holy Ghost.” Even their enemies were forced to recognize that there was undeniable evidence that something supernatural had happened to these individuals. What can cause such a supernatural change to happen so quickly? It’s called “conversion.”
What does it mean to convert people to Christ? Consider what Jesus said to Paul.
Acts 26:17 …I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins … NIV
According to what Jesus said, there are two necessary parts to someone being saved and receiving forgiveness of their sins. Those two elements are repentance and faith.
A. Repentance Towards God
What message did Paul preach to the Thessalonians? Apparently he preached about the necessity of repentance from sin.
1 Thessalonica 1:9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
What does it mean to repent? The word ‘repentance’ literally means to have a change of mind. Repentance is changing the way we think and act.
Paul said that there must be repentance towards God. Why towards God?
1. When We Sin, We Sin Against God
When David repented of his sin he prayed, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…” (Psalm 51:4) David realized that he had not only sinned against Bathsheba and her husband Uriah, he had also sinned against God.
As Joseph was resisting the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife, he said to her, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9)
2. God Must be the One Who Forgives
Because God is the one we sin against, it is from Him that we must receive forgiveness. David prayed, “Have mercy on me, O God,according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassionblot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” (Psalm 51:1-2) David felt dirty because of his sin and pleaded with God not only to forgive him, but to cleanse him. That’s the kind of repentance that not only brings salvation, but changes our life.
B. Faith Towards Jesus Christ
Paul said that he preached, “…repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:21)
God alone can forgive us of our sins. When we sin, we sin against Him. Can God forgive us of our sins? Will God forgive us of our sins? The Bible says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (see 1 John 1:9)
Yet God will forgive us of our sins when we place and faith and trust in His Son Jesus Christ. Two thousand years ago God did an amazing thing. He sent His Son to this earth to die in our place. Christ was crucified for our sins. As the prophet Isaiah wrote –
“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6)
The good news that Paul preached to the Thessalonians was that Christ died for our sins. (see 1 Corinthians 15:3)
They believed what Paul preached to them and in faith they turned from their sin and to Christ for salvation.
"Seeds of Faith" 