1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Have you ever worried about someone, about how they were doing or how things would turn out? For several years a woman had been having trouble getting to sleep at night because she feared burglars. One night her husband heard a noise in the house, so he went downstairs to investigate. When he got there, he did find a burglar. Flipping the light on, he said, ?Am I ever glad to see you. Come upstairs and meet my wife. She has been waiting 10 years to meet you.?

We all worry over various things, over situations, over loved ones and over those things that are close to our hearts. I think the apostle Paul was a great worrier, that is he had deep concerns for the people he loved, the people of the early church. He was concerned about how they were doing, about the struggles that were coming their way and how they would handle it. Today we're going to start a series on the book of 1 Thessalonians, it's the record of a letter Paul wrote to the newly planted church of Thessalonica . But first let me give you some background as to where this city is and how Paul came to know of them.

Have a look at this map that details the route that took Paul to Thessalonica:



It was on his second trip from Jerusalem that Paul and his traveling companions ended up in northern Greece . After considerable opposition in Phillippi, they came to Thessalonica. As Paul preached here, there was an amazing response? idol worshippers turned to Christ, some of the wealthier and prominent women turned to Christ, a considerable number who were Gentile and some who were Jewish turned to Christ. This was an excited and transformed group and it drew the attention of the Jewish leaders who immediately forced Paul to leave. They even pursued him to the next town of Berea as the same results began to occur there. Paul went Athens and then Corinth . It was almost a year later and he was eager to hear how the young church in Thessalonica was doing. Timothy arrives with Silas, bringing the news that not only were the believers still meeting but the church fellowship in Thessalonica was vibrant in its faith. It is his response to this great news that is at the heart of Paul's letter, this letter that we now begin to read. Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians 1 as we consider what this directs us to do today.

I. Encourage the Saints as Their Faith is Tested.

God does amazing things with faith, He grants it to us as a gift, He invites us to exercise it, He justifies us because of it and He tests it to reveal Himself. How do you respond when God tests your faith, or harder still, how do you respond when God tests the faith of those you love? The tests of time, where patience and continuity and perseverance have a load put upon them, the tests of trials that threaten to defeat us, or the tests of temptation where faith is watered down with desires'these were the kind of tests that the Thessalonians underwent. They are the kind of tests that you?ll see your spouse or your children or your close friends going through.

The exhortation to be of good faith is what Paul responded with, it's what we need to respond with as well as we see the faith of those we love, tested. Look at how Paul encouraged them:

1. He was thankful to God for them, and he told them so.

2. He was ever praying for them, and he told them so.

3. He remembered their faith response, and he told them so.

4. He remembered to them that God in His love had chosen them.

5. He remembered the empowering response of God in them, and he told them so.

When your faith is tested it will not be just to prove that it is still there, it moves it from a thing of personal belief to a demonstration that God is holy and sovereign, a demonstration of His purposes in you. Let's take a closer look at what faith will look like as it experiences the tests of time, trial and temptation.

II. Recognize the Evidences of Faith.

Everything leaves evidence, the tsunami of South Asia left the evidence of it's presence, the tiniest mouse will leave evidence of it's presence, a virus leaves evidence of it's presence. Do you not think that something much greater than all these, something that has eternal characteristics, will also leave a great trail of the evidence of it's presence? That's what Paul does, he looks at the trail of evidence that is left by the faith of the Thessalonians. This is what he sees:

1. They have become imitators of those who have gone before them... ?You know what kind of men we proved to be among you??. What they proved to be were men of faith, how they responded to difficulty taught those who watched them. They were following Paul and Christ Jesus, taking them as an example to imitate.

2. They had become examples themselves, in such a short time all the believers of Macedonia and Achaia were being influenced by the evidence of the Thessalonians? faith.

3. The word sounded forth from them, people were being brought into contact with Jesus Christ by their testimony and teaching.

4. They cared for people with their hospitality, the way they did this evidenced a faith that said 'my Jesus is Alive!?

5. Their lives were transformed, they used to be only interested in junk, they were into ?heavy metal?, but something had happened, that stuff didn't have the hold on them anymore. Now it was a true and living God that captured their heart.

6. They were at peace because of grace. The main spring of their faith was this: Jesus who is in heaven is coming again to earth; He is coming again to earth because He has been raised from the dead; He has been raised from the dead because He has successfully rescued us from the wrath to come. Because of this we have a great peace that is secured by grace.

The evidence of your faith is seen, and it's meant to be seen. Do you have a faith in Christ Jesus as your savior? Do you have a faith in the true and living God? Look to see the evidence of it, take effort to encourage others as their faith is tested and may the evidence of your faith bring a great pleasure to God.

Let us celebrate communion now as an evidence of our faith, proclaiming His death until He comes.

Rev. Spence Laycock pastors at Church of the Open Bible, Ponoka, Alberta, Canada.
www.churchoftheopenbible.ab.ca