The Model Church, Part 1

Turn with me in your Bible, if you would, to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. And the ushers this morning had a little friendly wager on whether or not I would complete the 10 verses in chapter 1. It was an over-under, over-under 4, and it's going to be under 4. So in case you were wondering, but we're going to read it anyway just to set it in your mind so you understand where we're going in chapter 1 with the model church. So chapter 1, verse 1 says, 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.

We give thanks to God always for all of you making mention of you in our prayers, 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, knowing, brethren, beloved by God, his choice of you. 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. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord.

Having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us what kind of reception we had with you and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God and to wait for a son from heaven to be raised from the dead.

That is Jesus who rescues us from the wrath to come. Chapter 1 defines for us the model church. The church of Thessalonica becomes a pattern for all churches to follow. The question would be asked, what makes a model church? Is it the number of activities that it has? The various ministry that it proclaims? Is it the church attendance that makes it a model church? Is it its location? Is it the fact that it's a finely tuned organization? What makes a model church? Well, in Acts 16, we read where Paul was in Troas, and you see this vision from a man in Macedonia.

Dylan would come up over here. He knew it was from the Lord. So he, Silvanus or Silas, and Timothy set forth across the Aegean Sea to Philippi first, and then to Thessalonica.

And there we read in Acts 17, they were there for three Sabbaths. Not just three Sabbaths, they were probably there longer than that, but it tells us that for three Sabbaths, Paul would reason with the Jews in the synagogue about the Messiah, who is the Christ, why he came, why he died, how he rose again from the dead, and of course, how he's coming again. And there are many Greeks who believed. And thus, the church was born in Thessalonica. At the same time, there were Jews who didn't believe, who came against Paul, Silas, and Timothy, and started to persecute them and wanted to get rid of them because it says in Acts 17 that they had turned the world upside down.

Those that had turned the world upside down have come to us. And I told you last week, it's remarkable how word spreads so rapidly in an age where there was no social media. How it would spread so rapidly from Jerusalem all the way to Thessalonica about these men who had turned the world upside down. And it begs the question, whose world are you turning upside down? Whose world are you even turning around? Think about that. These men were known because they had turned the world upside down because they were great preachers of the gospel.

Ask yourself this question, have you turned your family upside down? Have you even turned your family around? How about your workplace? Have you turned your workplace upside down? Is that what's known about you? It was for Paul, Silas, and Timothy, so much so that when they came to Thessalonica, the Jews erupted in protest against their message because there was another king, it says in Acts 17, that they were to worship and not Caesar. But we must ask the question, what kind of influence do we have?

Does anybody think of us as turning anything around, let alone upside down? I would trust that that would be the case for us. But that was Paul, Silas, and Timothy. And they would leave, and they would go to Berea, and those Jews would follow them to Berea and persecute them again. But here was this church that was birthed in Thessalonica, and the uniqueness about them was that they had a Christianity that was so contagious that it erupted everywhere. It was a church that was birthed on the Via Ignatia, that great Roman freeway, the first freeway ever built.

And so there was much trade, and commerce, and many visitors that would come to Thessalonica. And they made sure that they told those people about the Christ and the Messiah, so much so that the word spread everywhere from Thessalonica because of this little church that was birthed in this community and that were so contagious that everybody began to hear, so much so that Paul said, we have nothing to say because everybody's already said it about you. That's remarkable. And that was a church at Thessalonica.

So, the question comes, what makes them the model church? Over the next week, or two, or three, or four, however long it takes to get through the 10 verses in Chapter 1, I know people had a cardiac arrest when we began the book of Genesis, and I spent five weeks on the phrase, in the beginning, God. They thought we'd never get through Genesis, but we did, we made it. See? So, we're going to make it through 1 Thessalonians. Unless the Lord comes again, or the Lord takes me home, we'll get through 1 Thessalonians.

How long it takes, who knows? But what's the hurry? What does a model church look like? So, I'm going to give you four principles, just four out of the first 10 verses that will help you understand what makes a model church so you can evaluate your life in our church in light of that, because that's the standard.

Our church's standard is not some church in our community or in another part of the country. The standard for our church is the word of God. What does God's word say? And so, we must learn to follow what the word of the Lord says so that we might be the kind of examples so we can be the model church as the church of Thessalonica was. So, here's the first point.

The church of Thessalonica was a model church because they abundantly developed in the gospel. They abundantly developed in the gospel. Look what it says. We give thanks to God always for all of you. We'll just stop right there for a second.

We give thanks to God always for all of you. He didn't say, we're giving thanks to God for those in leadership or we're giving thanks to God for those certain ones of you, but all of you. He wasn't saying, we give thanks to God for all those of you who sit on the right side of the auditorium and not so much for those of you who sit on the left side of the auditorium. No, he's giving thanks to everybody. Why? Because they were all involved in the ministry. They were all participants in the ministry.

Paul was giving thanks to God for all of them, not just some of them. And if Paul was writing a letter to the church at West Covina, Christ's community church, would he be able to say, I give thanks to every single one of you always, always? Paul did with these people in Thessalonica. He says, making mention of you in our prayers constantly. He was a man of prayer. But in that prayer was always praise, and he gave great praise to God for this church because they would abundantly develop in the gospel.

And how did they do that? Three ways. It tells you in verse number three, their work of faith, their labor of love, and steadfastness of hope.

So he says, we give thanks to God because your work that's been produced by faith, your labor that's been prompted by love, and your steadfastness that's been inspired by hope. And they would develop immensely in all three categories. Now, notice what it says.

It says, in verse one, that this church is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, and it says in verse number four, knowing, brethren, beloved of God, his choice of you. Now, think about this. This is a great statement. How does Paul know they're chosen by God? How does Paul know they're in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ? How does he know that? Because some way, somehow, they said a prayer while he was there? No, they didn't mention that. Some way, somehow, they walked down the proverbial aisle and made some kind of confession?

Doesn't say that either. So how does Paul know they're in God the Father? How does Paul know they are chosen by God? How does Paul know they are beloved by God? That's a great question because it tells us that you can know whether someone is part of the chosen, someone who's elected by God, someone who's beloved by God, because Paul knows. He didn't say, I'm writing to you and thanking God because I really, I kind of assume or I think that you're in God. I kind of think that you've been chosen by God.

I have this inkling that you are. Oh, no. Paul says, I know. That means you can know whether someone is chosen by God. How do you know? Because those whom God chooses, He changes. Simple little statement which rings true. Those whom God chooses, He changes. Listen to this in 1 Corinthians 6. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, Paul says. Neither fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, homosexuals, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, swindlers, none of them will inherit the kingdom of God.

Such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in the spirit of our God. In other words, it's the trilogy of buts. But this, but that, but this. You were this way, but you were chosen by God and now you've changed. Why? You've been washed. You've been sanctified. You've been justified. You've been set apart. You've been declared righteous before God because you've been cleansed in the blood of the Lamb. So Paul is saying, I know you are elected by God.

I know you're chosen by God. Why? Because it's absolutely evident in your life. He doesn't point back to a particular time in which they made a decision. The Bible never does that. We do it. Well, yeah, I gave my life to Christ on this date, in this place, in this situation, and we love to be able to go back to a date, but the Bible never does that. The Bible always says it's the present manner of life that dictates whether or not someone truly is born again because those whom God chooses, He changes.

And note this, when did God choose them? He chose them in eternity past. Ephesians 1, verse number 4, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blame us before Him in love. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He fully bestowed on us in the beloved. So when did God do this choosing? He did it before the foundation of the world.

I love what it says over in 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse number 9, where it says, God saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, or from the beginning of eternity or for when eternity was. Everything was speaking back in the past. When was your name written down in the last book of life? When you gave your life to Christ? Oh, no. Revelation 13, Revelation 17, your name was written in the last book of life before the foundation of the world.

Why? Because that's when you were chosen. That's when you were beloved. That's when you were elected. And Paul says, I know you guys. I mean, I am so in tune with you. I know that you are chosen by God and you are in the beloved. He says that again in 2 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse number 13. He says, but we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved by God or by the Lord, excuse me, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

It was for this he called you through our gospel that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, he reaffirms the fact that they have been called by God, they've been chosen by God, they are beloved by God. Wow. This is so good. See? Because Paul is not wondering whether or not they are truly believers. And how long he was there, whether it was three weeks or six weeks or three months, we don't necessarily know how long. We know that he developed a tent-making business while he was there.

We know he received an offering from Philippi while he was there. So we know that these things were taking place. So maybe it was only for a few months. But, but, he knows those whom God chooses, he changes. And how does he change them? He changed them in terms of their service, their sacrifice, and their steadfastness. Your work of faith, your labor of love, and your steadfastness of hope. Three areas where they abundantly developed in the gospel, their service, their sacrifice, and their steadfastness.

Look what it says. We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers, constantly bearing in mind your work of faith. Your work produced simply by faith. That's it. Listen, faith always works. It always does. Faith is the root, works are the fruit. And he says, we thank God always for you guys because your faith manifested itself in the works that you are doing toward God and toward one another. And he mentions it in the first chapter, how they proclaimed the gospel, how people were coming to saving faith, how they look forward to the return of Christ, how they received the word of God with joy amidst much tribulation.

There was a work about their lives that didn't save them, but was manifested because they were saved. See? That's why Paul tells Titus in Titus 2, verse number 7, these words, in all things, show yourself a pattern of good works. In Second Timothy 2, verse number 19, Paul says these words, that everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

And they had done that. We'll see that in chapter 4. So if you name the name of Christ, you depart from iniquity, you're involved in the works that God has labeled as work. Hey, listen, so much so, listen, this is so good because at the end in chapter 5, he lists a series of commands, but never explains to them how to do them because he doesn't have to. Why doesn't he have to? Because they're so obedient to the faith. What is faith? Faith is trusting obedience. Faith is believing absolutely, that's trusting, and behaving accordingly.

That's obedience. Faith is believing absolutely in what God has said so that I will behave accordingly to all that God has said. And that's what they're doing. They believe what God says.

So when you come to the end of chapter 5, he says these words. He says, rejoice always. He doesn't explain what circumstances, he just says, rejoice always, because he knows they're going to rejoice always. And then he says, pray without ceasing. No one's saying, well, what do you mean by that, Paul? Do you mean that I'm supposed to pray at work all day? Does that mean I pray and close my eyes and walk, pray? What does that mean? No, he just says, pray without ceasing because he doesn't have to explain it to them because it's a command and they know to obey the commands.

And then he says this. He says, in everything, give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. He doesn't explain, okay, so you give thanks in this situation, according to this situation, according to this event. No, he just gives a command. Do not quench the spirit. Just don't do it. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Examine everything carefully. Hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. He doesn't have to explain anything to them. Why? Because they are so obedient to the faith, they just list the command and they say, yes, that's the way we should be.

So when the Bible says rejoice always, we say, we're going to rejoice always. That's what we're going to do. Don't explain it to me. Just rejoice always. When the Bible says examine everything, I examine everything.

I abstain from evil. I do that which is good. Cling to that which is good. I just do what the Bible says.

That's what they did. That's the work produced by faith. That's why James says in James chapter 2, faith without works is what? It's dead. He says, I'm going to show you my faith by my works. Now, works doesn't save you. Faith saves you, right? Really, God saves you. But it's by faith or by grace through faith that you're saved. Buddy, Ephesians 2.10 says that we are his workmanship created unto good works. In other words, by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves. It's a gift of God, not of works as he mentioned both.

So we're saved by grace through faith. But then he says in verse number 10, we are his literary masterpiece. We are his making. We are his working. In other words, God's at work in us. And if God's at work in us, he's going to produce in us the works that glorify his name because we have been created unto good works. So if it is predetermined and you are chosen before the foundation of the world to be saved, it is also predetermined and before the foundation of the world that you will manifest the evidences of your salvation.

It's just that simple. So he praises them, praises God for them. Because of their works produced by faith. He praises them, number one, for their service, and number two, for their sacrifice.

Because he says, a labor that's been prompted by love. Now, this labor is different than the work in the previous phrase because the word labor deals with the fatiguing work. In other words, it deals with the cost associated in the work. In other words, they were genuinely, sacrificially, compassionately involved all the time sacrificing simply because they loved the Lord. So, Paul commends them for their service and for their sacrifice in their service. Why? Because they worked with all of their energy.

This was an energetic service. Think about this. These people were so committed to the Lord that they were going to work to the point of exhaustion to make sure the gospel was spread. Worked to the point of exhaustion to make sure that people were saved. Worked to the point of exhaustion that the needs of others would be met. Worked to the point of exhaustion that those who suffered because of persecution, in which we will see later as we go through the book that they did, that they ministered to their needs.

They sacrificed themselves on behalf of others. What does Paul say in 2 Corinthians 5, 14 and 15? The love of Christ compels me. It moves me. I am motivated by one thing and one thing only. It is the love of Jesus Christ, my Lord. I love my Lord, therefore, I love the brethren, and I am so compelled, I am constrained, I am moved and motivated simply by the love of Jesus Christ, my Lord. And I am so energized that I am willing to be exhausted to do so. How about you? When was the last time you were so exhausted because of the sacrifice you expended and extended on behalf of the Lord and the ministry of the Lord?

That's a good question. That's a great question. One day, I was told of Dwight L. Moody to cancel his next meeting. They said, you look so weary and we know that you are tired. And he replied, I am weary in the work, but I am not weary of the work. How about you? Are you weary because you're involved in the ministry? That's the way it should be. Ron Lee Davis wrote a book called Gold in the Making. In that book, he tells the story of a missionary who visited a leprosarium. It goes like this. As he was talking with some of the people there who were afflicted with the terrible disease of leprosy, he met one particular leper who had a vital, glowing love of Jesus Christ.

The two of them began to visit together. The leper said to my friend, you know, I didn't always have this joy, this love of God in my heart. When I first came to this leprosarium, I was the most angry, most bitter man here.

But there was one man from the village nearby who came out every day to visit me. Every single day, he came out and brought me food. At first, I threw it back in his face.

He'd come out and offer to play cards with me, but I shouted at him to leave me alone. He wanted to talk with me, but I would have nothing to say to him. Still, he kept coming, coming to visit me day after day after day after day. Finally, I could do nothing else but ask him why.

Why do you keep coming to see me, to love me, when all I ever show you is bitterness and hatred? He told me it's because of the love of Jesus Christ himself. Then my friend asked the leper, well, how long did this man from the village come out to see you before you gave your heart to Christ? The leper answered, he came every day for 13 years. He came for 4,745 consecutive days. We can't even pray for our loved ones for 13 minutes without getting impatient with God. Every day for 13 years. Think about that.

You know, Gil and Martha Saldana are not with us, they're on vacation, but, you know, they prayed for their son, Sal, for 40 years to come to Christ. Now, he, Sal, his wife, Teresa, are part of our church. They've been faithfully coming, by the way, from Riverside every Sunday because they gave their life to Christ. That's because their parents prayed every day for 40 years. You see, that's fatiguing work. That's sacrifice. That is a labor that's prompted by love. Paul says, we give thanks always for your service, your work produced by faith, for your sacrifice, your labor prompted by love, and for your steadfastness.

Your steadfastness, that is, your steadfastness or your endurance, that's inspired by hope. They never quit. They never gave up, they never gave in. They just kept on keeping on, that they were steadfast. This is what the reformers called the perseverance of the saints. They persevered through thick and thin. They did not give up. They bore up under pressure. They had steadfast endurance. They had staying power amidst severe persecution. Why? Because their hope. Their hope was in Christ. Hope is always rooted in God, right?

We know that because God is hope. The gospel is hope, according to Colossians 1, 5. Christ Jesus is our hope, 1 Timothy 1, verse number 1. Hope is rooted in God. It's not rooted in anything else, it's rooted in God. But hope was received by grace, right? 2 Thessalonians 2, verse number 16, Paul says these words, he says, Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace. Hope that's rooted in God is received by grace. Hope that's received by grace is reinforced by Scripture.

Why? These things are written in Romans 15, verse number 4. That through perseverance and encouragement, you might have hope. That's why the Old Testament was written. It gives you hope. You can read about it in Psalm 119. Hope that's rooted in God, received by grace, reinforced by Scripture, will be realized at the return of Christ because he is the blessed hope. Titus chapter 2 tells us that. And that hope that is realized at the return of Christ is reinforced in my service for the king. Because I hope in the coming Christ, I am reinforced into serving my king.

That's what 1 Thessalonians 2 or, yeah, 1 Thessalonians 2, 4 says, but Titus chapter 2 says this, For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds.

Do that. That was a church of Thessalonica. They were a church that served because they were the church who sacrificed. They were a church of staying power, perseverance, through thick and thin. They didn't give up. And they abundantly developed in this. Because look what it says in 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. He says, verse 3, We are always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting because your faith is greatly enlarged. Whoa, greatly enlarged? And the love for each other of you toward one another grows ever greater.

So not only is your faith enlarged, which encourages your service and your work for the Lord, but your love for the brethren has grown even greater. And there was just a few months between the writing of 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians. And then he says this, Therefore, we always speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance, your steadfastness, your ability to endure, and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. Wow. They abundantly developed in the gospel.

How about us? Listen to Proverbs chapter 4, verse number 18. The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Listen carefully. The path of the righteous, their light does not grow dimmer, it grows brighter. The light does not get darker, it gets brighter. The path of the righteous is like the dawn of a day. In other words, when you wake up, and I like to wake up before the sun comes up, but it's all dark, and then the sun begins to rise. And as it rises, the whole day gets brighter and brighter and brighter.

That's the path of the righteous. It doesn't get darker. It doesn't become dimmer. It gets brighter and brighter until the full day. Until the day that Christ returns and comes again, the path of the righteous just grows brighter and brighter and brighter. How about your path? Is it bright? Is it lighting up? So much so that you're turning the world upside down, that you're turning your family around, that everyone around you knows of your service, your sacrifice, and your steadfastness. Let's pray.

Father, we thank you, Lord, for today. You are so good to us, and you've given us your word that speaks to us so clearly and plainly. My prayer for us as a church, that we adhere to the words of the Apostle Paul to the church at Thessalonica, and that, Lord, we would respond positively, we'd be encouraged and stimulated, motivated in our service and sacrifice and steadfastness, that we would continue to develop in the gospel of Christ our Lord, so others all around would see and hear. So much so that if Paul was writing a letter to us, he'd had no need to say anything because everybody else is saying everything.

So, our prayer, Father, is that you go before us. If there be one today who does not know you, whose light is not getting brighter at the passing moments of each and every day, may they come to saving faith today. May they give their life to Christ today, for today is a day of salvation. In Jesus' name, amen.