The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15: “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)  Nehemiah exclaims, “The joy of the Lord’s presence is your strength even in the worst circumstances of life.” (Nehemiah 8:10) Jesus said, “I came to give life in abundance - life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10)

Yet so many times words like victory - joy - strength - fullness of life - just do not seem to fit our day to day experience of life in Christ. So often life in Christ is something that we do because our faith is a part of our lives - but its hard to see it as the foundation and means and strength of our lives. Its an obligation - a burden - not the victorious - overcoming - God empowered life that we long for.

That’s why this series. More than just living we want to be victorious. We want to live this victorious life that is available to us in Jesus Christ.

I encourage you to turn with me to 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10. During the next few weeks we’re going to be looking at what Paul shares with the church in Thessalonica about this life of victory - and how we can experience this life - as individuals and as a church.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10: “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 - now notice these next three phrases - constantly bearing in mind your - one - work of faith and - two - labor of love and - three - steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father.”

Here’s the example of victorious life in Christ - these three graces of victorious Christian living: Faith, Love, and Hope.

Paul commends the Thessalonians for their “Work of Faith.”

Do you remember when Jesus said to Peter, “Lower your nets again”? Peter has been out fishing all night - they haven’t caught a thing - he’s tired and irritable - but he does what Jesus asks because its Jesus who asks it. And they caught more fish than they could haul into their boats. (Luke 5:4-7)

That’s working faith - faith that believes God and steps out in action.

Second, Paul commends the Thessalonians for their “Labor of Love.”

The great evangelist and preacher Dwight L. Moody came home one day and his family said to him, “Cancel your next meeting. You look so weary and we know you’re tired.” He gave this tremendous response, “I am weary in the work, but I am not weary of the work.”

The Thessalonians were going through tremendous trials because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Within 20 years after this letter was written - the ancient East would come apart in social and political upheaval. The seeds of that turmoil we’re already developing in Thessalonica. These believers were hounded, pressured, afflicted, arrested, imprisoned for their faith.

But they didn’t give up. They didn’t cave in. They responded in joyful obedience to God - laboring in love for their Savior who had shown His love for them on the cross.

Third, Paul commends the Thessalonians for their “Steadfastness of Hope.”

Every chapter of 1 Thessalonians ends with a reminder that Jesus is returning. It’s a prominent theme in his letter.

Jesus had said, “Because I live you shall live also.” (John 14:19) To a church living amidst great turmoil - these are words inspiring confidence. These were believers who were looking backward to the resurrection - Jesus' victory over sin and death - and they were confidently looking forward to their own personal victory over death.

Steadfast hope endures. Its unshakable by circumstances. Its unshaken by threat to life - unshaken by death.

Paul writes - beginning in verse 7: “so that - by the way you’re living - you - Thessalonians - became an example to all 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.”

Paul would go into a town - to share the Gospel - and people would say, “We’ve already heard about what happened in Thessalonica. We’ve heard what God is doing in them. We want that kind of intimate trust in God - that passion for serving God - that bold confidence for life - unshaken by today’s circumstances. We want that type of victory in our lives too!”

That’s the way we want to live our lives today. So, how did they do that? Where did all that passion and life and victory come from? How can we have that in our own lives today?

The first part of this answer - the first key to living victoriously - is found here in verse 4. Paul writes, “knowing, brethren beloved of God, His choice for you”

Think about your birthday - the first one. Way back when…. God doesn’t ask us if we would like to be born - where we’d like to be born - what kind of parents or siblings we’d like. He didn’t ask us if we wanted to be male or female. God is responsible for our existence.

Psalm 139:13-16 tells us that God formed us in the womb - wove us together - and even before we we’re conceived - God knew the content and extent of our lives. Matthew 10:30 tells us that God knows the number of hairs on our head. Some of us have more - some of us have less. God intimately knows us - created us - according to His sovereign will.

And God chooses us. 1 John 4:10 tells us that God loved us and sent Jesus to die on the cross for us - even before we had ever thought about God. Ephesians 2:8-10 tell us that God has saved us by His grace - not our efforts - He choose us and recreated us spiritually in Christ - to do good works that He prepared for us to do long before we even knew Him.

Jesus speaks to His disciples and says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” (John 15:16)

God’s choosing is a statement about the sovereignty of God. That is that when God wants to do something God will do it. In this case. God chooses to save us.

Going on, verse 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. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit.”

Notice three things here. First, Paul writes about His ministry. Paul, Silas, and Timothy arrived in Thessalonica in the Fall of 50 A.D. It was Paul himself who founded this church.

Second, notice that it was the Holy Spirit who brought Paul to the Thessalonians. He came “in the Holy Spirit.”

Third, notice that the Thessalonians received Paul’s message “with the joy of the Holy Spirit.”

God is at work here - sending Paul - the Holy Spirit is working - is speaking. The Bible teaches us that its the Holy Spirit who touches our human spirit ministering to the deepest of our human needs. The Holy Spirit is the one who speaks to our heart about sin and what keeps us from God. The Holy Spirit brings about our spiritual rebirth. The Holy Spirit indwells, fills, and empowers, and guides, and helps us to grow spiritually. The Holy Spirit is the God’s guarantee that we will make it to Heaven.

God lovingly chooses to do this for us - salvation - our life in Christ - our eternal hope - are all because of God.

The whole of the victorious Christian life begins by knowing that God lovingly chose us. Just ponder that for a minute. You are beloved of God. God has chosen you. Turn to the person next to you and tell them that. “God loves you. God has chosen you!”

Going on - verses 9 and 10: “For they themselves - that is all those who had heard about what God was doing in the Thessalonians - 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 His Son from heaven whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”

In Paul’s day, Thessalonica was a city of around 200,000 people located about 100 miles north of Athens. It was a Roman colony. Very sophisticated - trendy - rich - strategic - important. Idolatry was a part of daily life in Thessalonica.

Driving around the Bay Area - more and more I have been convicted of how idolatrous this area really is. In fact, this whole region has become a living symbol of idolatry. San Francisco - with its skyline thrust into the sky in arrogance proclaiming itself as one of the great financial centers of the world. Silicon valley - the technological capital of the world. Oakland - well, Oakland has the Raiders.

An idol is anything or anyone that occupies a greater place in our heart than God. We worship sex - self-indulgence - ourselves. Our excess has become our idolatry. With all of its liberal minded sophistication and arrogance - the Bay Area has little use for God. Looking honestly at our hearts we know that we struggle with idols as well.

As God began to minister to the hearts and minds of the Thessalonians - they turned to God from idols. That’s crucial. God lovingly chooses. But, we need to respond. To turn towards God and away from idols.

Notice how Paul writes this. “you turned to God from idols.”

So many have this backwards. They’re trying to turn from idols to God. They’re trying to turn their lives around - trying to change their hearts - trying to live the Christian life. And that only leads to trying to do a religious duty for God - faith as an obligation. It leads to frustration and failure. There’s no joy or strength or victory in that.

Take a look at the palm of your hand. Now turn your palm away from you. The back of your hand turns with it. We turn to God from idols. As we turn, the rest of our lives follow.

Turning to God means receiving what God has already chosen to do for us in Jesus Christ - to turn towards His offer of victory over sin and death - the life that He freely gives us. When you have turned your heart over to God - in response to His choosing - His loving call to you - He makes it possible to begin to know the victorious Christian life.