This morning we’re beginning a new series of messages.  We’re going to be looking together at Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica - and how we can live victorious Christian lives.

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.  We’re getting hammered and wondering where God is.  Or, 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.  There are times when life in Christ seems like 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 live the victorious life that’s available to us in Jesus Christ.  To take advantage and experience all that God has for us in Jesus.

During the next few Sundays 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.

Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians 1 - starting at verse 1.  If you need a Bible there’s one someplace under a chair in front of you.  There are also Message Notes in your bulletin that I encourage you to take advantage of.

Thessalonica is located in northern Greece.  In Paul’s day it had a population of about 100,000 plus people.  Maybe as many as 200,000.  It was the capital of the Roman Province of Macedonia - think northern Greece.  It had a great natural harbor.  It was located on the Engatian Way - a major east west trade route.

Today it’s the modern city of Thessaloniki or Salonika - which is the second largest city in Greece - about the size of Fresno.  This a panorama of the city today.  You can see that it is on the coast.  This is the agora or marketplace of Paul’s Thessalonica.  Today it’s an archeological tourist spot surrounded by the modern city of Thessaloniki.

Paul - Timothy - and Silas - spent several weeks in Thessalonica preaching in the synagogue and elsewhere.  During that time a number of Jews and Gentiles believed in Jesus - which caused a riot - which happened probably in this place.

During Paul’s second missions trip - between 49 to 51 A.D. Paul was in Corinth for about 18 months - located here - about 200 miles from Thessalonica.  While Paul is Corinth - Timothy and Silas came down to Corinth and brought a report on what was happening in Thessalonica.

Which is why Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonians.  Paul heard what was going on up in Thessalonica.  So Paul is writing to the believers there trying to encourage them and build them up in their relationship with Jesus - to remind them of the victorious life that they have in Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 1 - verse 1:  Paul and Silvanus - or Silas - 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.

This morning we’re focused on being Victorious in Salvation.  These first three verses focus us on The Life of Salvation.  Let’s say that together.  “The life of salvation.”  What life in Jesus is like.

Did you notice the big three virtues of the Christian life listed here in these verses?  They’re in a different order than in 1 Corinthians 13 - “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” - 1 Corinthians 13:13.  What are they here?  Faith, love, and hope.  These are the big three virtues of the Christian life.

Paul commends the Thessalonians for their “Work of Faith.” - your work produced by faith.

Do you remember when Jesus said to Peter, “Lower your nets again”?  Peter’s been out fishing all night.  They’ve caught what?  Nada.  Nothing.  Maybe an old sandal or something.  Peter’s tired and irritable.  But he does what Jesus asks because its Jesus who asks it.  Result?  They caught more fish than they could haul into their boats. (Luke 5:4-7)

That’s working faith.  If we understood what comes next it wouldn’t be faith.  But faith that produces work believes God and steps out in action - steps out into His great purposes for our lives. 

That’s huge.  Because when we come to salvation in Jesus there’s an aha moment when we begin to realize that life isn’t about how clever we are - our lives aren’t hanging on the strength of our wisdom or ability.  Victorious life doesn’t depend on our somehow overcoming our shortcomings or hang ups.

God hasn’t created us to life by fear - but by what?  Faith in Him.  We don’t have to fear our circumstances or our inadequacies.  The ability to navigate through life is all about God.  Trust God.  Move forward.  

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

But they didn’t give up.  They didn’t cave in.  They kept on keeping on for Jesus.  Trusting Him - following Him - living righteously - faithfully - sharing His gospel with others.

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.”  D.L. Moody gave this tremendous response - he said, “I am weary in the work, but I am not weary of the work.” (1)

Work means work.  That’s why its called… work.  Sometimes its not easy to be a follower of Jesus.  Amen?  To stay faithful when everything around us is saying something different.  Sometimes its hard to speak up for Jesus - to share Him with others.  There are choices we need to make as we navigate through life.

By faith we know that as we follow Jesus nothing is wasted.  By faith we know that our lives have purpose.  That following Jesus through life is the way to through life.  It may be hard.  But there’s encouragement there.  Keep going.  Keep following.  Keep working for Him.

Second, Paul commends the Thessalonians for their “Labor of Love.” - their labor that’s prompted by love.

If God didn’t love us we’d have no clue what love is.  Would you agree with that?  If God didn’t love us we’d have no clue what love is.  Agreed?

The thing that the world around us passes off as love is really self-love.  Its selfish.  Self-focused.  What I gain.  What pleases me.  What meets my needs.  What brings me gratification.  Remember Toyota?  “I love what you do for me”  Some of you are old enough to remember that.  Some of you won’t admit it.

God’s love is self-less.  Jesus going to the cross for each one of us is the greatest example of what real love is all about.  Real love that opens up to us a relationship with God.  That makes possible the real loving community of the church - the fellowship - the being part of the Body of Christ.  Real love that makes relationships - that makes marriage - happen.  Real love that we crave to experience.  Real love that we were created to experience.

Real love that’s undeserved.  That has no expectation of being returned - maybe even rejected - painfully.  Selfless love.

Laboring in love - is work that expends itself on behalf of someone else.  So great is our concern for others that we labor on their behalf - regardless of the cost to self.

Which is what the Thessalonians were doing.  Laboring to provide for the needs of others.  Laboring to share the gospel with others.  Laboring in love.  Regardless of the crud that was thrown at them by the city they lived in they responded in joyful obedience to God - laboring in love for their Savior who had shown His love for them on the cross.

The people around us are killing themselves with selfish love.  Like pigs fattening themselves up for the slaughter thinking that they’re really doing great.  Don’t bother me with details just pass some more slop.  If we really want to love selflessly we need to be working at meeting their greatest need which is to know God’s love in Jesus.

Third, Paul commends the Thessalonians for their “Steadfastness of Hope.” - endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Jesus 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.

How many of you saw the sign in front of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church this past week?  Over on McKee?  “Life without God is like a pencil without a point.”  Isn’t that great?

Knowing we can trust God - that we can experience His love - that we know hope.  Laboring - working - enduring - the life of the saved - it all has a God given point - meaning - value.  It all fits within His purposes.  It is so worth living - so fulfilling - victorious.    

Verses 4 to 6 focus on The Source of Salvation.  Let’s say that together.  “The source of salvation.”

Verse 4:  Knowing brethren beloved of 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.

Not too many years ago when I was in Middle School I was a part of a group called Boys’ Brigade.  Anyone ever hear of Boys’ Brigade?  Its kinda like a cross between AWANA and the Boy Scouts.

I remember my first Boys’ Brigade campout.  It was over by the coast.  Great spot.  We arrived.  Tents got set up.  We had dinner and a campfire - singing songs - a campfire talk - roasting marshmallows.  All of what goes on at a campout.

When it was time to head for the tents I realized that I didn’t have a tent to go to.  People had pretty much paired off with their friends and I was the new kid.  We had just started attending that church.

I remember going up to a tent and asking if I could sleep there.  The answer that came from inside the tent:  “No.”  As I went from tent to tent to tent asking if I could sleep there - at each tent the answer was the same.  “No.”  Sometimes they were nicer.  “No, we don’t have room for you.”  Sometimes there were snickers from inside the tent - muted laughter.  Finally there was a leader who I think took pity on me and invited me to join his tent.

As a Brigade newcomer Middle School kid - struggling with identity and “finding myself” and trying to make it seem like it really didn’t bother me - that kind of rejection was a really really tough thing to deal with.  Have any of you experienced something like that?

Paul writes that the source of the Christian life is God - that God has chosen us.  Verse 4 - we are beloved - chosen - of God.

Think about your birthday - the first one.  Way back when….  God doesn’t ask us if we’d 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 - tall or short - thin or husky - wimpy or buff.  God is responsible for our existence.  He created us.

Psalm 139:13-16 - familiar verses - Psalm 139 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.  How long we’re gonna live and what’s gonna happen to us.

Matthew 10:30 tells us that God knows the number of hairs on our head.  Some of us have more - some of us have a lessening amount.  God intimately knows us - every little detail of our lives down to our cell structure and most intimate thoughts.  He 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.  God made that choice for us even before we had ever thought about God.

Ephesians 2:8-10 - familiar verses - verses that tell us that God has saved us by His grace - not our efforts - not because we were such wonderful people - all righteous and holy and worthy of forgiving and restoring to a relationship with Him.  But God knowing the depth of our depravity - the full extent of our sinfulness - God makes the choice to offer to us a whole new life in Christ.  To live victoriously in the life that He prepared for us long before we even knew Him.  Prepared for us even before creation was creation.

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 chooses to do something God will do it.  In this case.  God chooses to give salvation to us - to you.  To bring about and put before us - to lay on the table before us - the reality of salvation.  Our choice - given our God given free will - our choice is to accept what He’s already chosen to do for us.

Isn’t that astounding?

Notice how God reveals His choosing to us.  Verse 5 - “For our gospel did not come to you in word only.”

Paul, Silas, and Timothy arrived in Thessalonica in the Fall of 50 A.D.  Paul himself founded this church..  They didn’t just Facemail or text or Twitter the gospel - send a scroll.  They came and shared it face to face - person to person.  Lived out the reality of the gospel - working in faith - laboring in love - steadfast in hope - lived out the victorious life in Christ in the day to day stuff of life - lived all that out in front of the Thessalonians. 

Paul writes, “You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.”

For me it was back in July of 1965 - a five day club at the home of Joe and Grace Spinella - where I first remember hearing the gospel and responding by inviting Jesus into my heart to be my Savior.  Think about that for yourself.  How many of you came to salvation because someone shared the gospel with you?  Or you saw the gospel being lived out in their lives.

God uses people to reveal His choosing of us.

The gospel comes - Paul writes - “with power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction..”

The Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin - speaks to our heart about our sin and what keeps us from God.  The Bible teaches that when we receive Jesus as our Savior the Holy Spirit is the one who brings about our spiritual rebirth - working powerfully in our lives.

Then Paul writes that God speaks His word to us - verse 6 - so that even in the midst of tribulation we have the joy of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible teaches that when we come to salvation in Jesus its the Holy Spirit who enters into us - indwells us, fills us, and empowers us, guides us, and helps us to grow spiritually - who touches us at our deepest needs and ministers to us - supplying whatever we need to live victoriously in Jesus.

There is joy when we realize the very presence of God in our lives.  God Who chooses to reveal Himself to us and to enter into our lives at the deepest level.

Grab that:  God is at work here.  God uses people like Paul and Timothy and Silas and a Joe and Grace Spinella - or people like us - sending people to share His gospel.  Behind that ministry through people is God at work speaking to us and through us.  God revealing His choice for us.

Ponder that:  Salvation - our life in Christ - our eternal hope - are all because of God.  The whole of the victorious Christian life - the source of victorious living is God.  God who lovingly chose you.

Let that reality sink in.  You are beloved of God.  God has chosen you.  Turn to the person next to you and tell them that.  “God loves you!  God chose you!” 

Verses 7 to 10 focus on The Example of Salvation.  Let’s say that together.  “The example of salvation.”

Verse 7:  So that - meaning since you’ve responded to God’s choosing you - so that - as a result of your response - you - Thessalonian believers have - became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.

Actually that’s Ahhh Chaaaai uh.  Let’s try that together.  “Ahhh Chaaaai uh.”  Gesundheit.  Achaia is the Roman province in southern Greece where Paul is writing from.  Where Corinth is.  Because of their response to the gospel the Thessalonians have become and example through out all of Greece. 

Verse 8:  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.

The dynamic trio - Paul, Timothy, and Silas - the dynamic trio 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 you shared with them and what God is doing in them.  We want that kind of life for ourselves.  To have that kind of faith and love and hope in the midst of what’s going on our lives.  We want to have that kind of victory in our lives as well.  So, how do we get that?”

And the trio would whip out their Knowing God Personally booklet.  They would have done good news bad news good news you choose - but the Gospel of John hadn’t be written yet.  So no John 3:16.  But the point is that because of the example of the Thessalonian believers the way was prepared.  The door was open.  Hearts were ready to receive.  All the trio needed to do was lead them to Jesus.  

But let’s be careful.  Who’s behind the example of the Thessalonians?  God.  Right?  God is at work here.  God Who sends people to share His gospel.

Look at verse 9 - what example was it that the Thessalonians had given?  Verse 9:  “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.”

Last Tuesday I was over in San Francisco.  One small observation.  The Bay Area is not Merced.  There are slight differences.

San Francisco has 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.  The whole region is a living symbol of idolatry.  Self-sufficient - we really have no need of God - unless He fits our version of God - we’ve got it covered self-sufficiency.

An idol is anything or anyone that occupies a greater place in our heart than God.  With all of its liberal minded sophistication and arrogance - the Bay Area has little use for God.  Perhaps that is something Merced has in common with the Bay Area.

Looking honestly at our hearts we know that we struggle with idols.  It might be hard to think of ourselves this way.  But we worship sex - our addictions - self-indulgence - our hang ups - ourselves.  Our excess has become our idolatry.  An idol is anything or anyone that occupies a greater place in our heart than God.  And we have idols. 

In Paul’s day, Thessalonica was very sophisticated - trendy - rich - strategic - important.   Idolatry was very much a part of daily life in Thessalonica.

The Thessalonians became an example by turning to God from idols.  Notice how Paul writes that.   “you turned to God from idols.”

Humor me if you remember doing this.  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.

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.

It just doesn’t work because our focus is on what we’re trying to get away from - looking backwards - rather than looking to God - which is where we want to go.  Its like getting stuck in reverse and trying to move forward.  Isn’t dieting easier if we stop focusing on what we’re giving up and give ourselves whole heartedly to what we’re gaining?  No pun intended.

Salvation isn’t just saying some prayer and now I can go on with my life.  Salvation means we repent.  We purposefully - intentionally - choose to change the direction of our lives - towards God.  We stop trying to solve the problems of our past and instead give our lives to God.

When we do that - turn towards God - accepting that His offer of salvation in Jesus is really there - what God has graciously and undeservedly chosen to give to us - when we choose to trust Him with our lives - God enters in to our lives - begins His work of changing us - transforming us - at the heart level - producing through us works of faith - labors of love - unshakable hope - the reality of victorious life in Christ.

That example - the working of God in their lives - the victorious life of the saved - that example is what others saw in the Thessalonians.  It was infinitely better than what they had.  And they wanted it.

Two questions...

Question number one:  Do you have that life?

Question number two:  Are you living it?

_________________________
1. J.V. McGee, 1 Thessalonians

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.