1 THESSOLONIANS 1:1-10 the Gospel Received in Much Assurance and Much Affliction the Vitality of a Living Christian Faith

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1 THESSOLONIANS 1:1-10 The Gospel Received in Much Assurance and Much Affliction The Vitality of a Living Christian Faith

Thessalonica was a Roman colony located in Macedonia and not in Greece proper. The city was first named Therma because of the hot springs in that area. In 316 A.D. Cassander, one of the four generals who divided up the empire of Alexander the Great took Macedonia and made Thessalonica his home base. He renamed the city in memory of his wife, Thessalonike, who was a half sister of Alexander. The city is still in existence and is now known as Salonika.

Rome had a somewhat different policy with their captured people from what many other nations have had. For example, it seems that we try to Americanize all the people throughout the world, as if that would be the ideal. Rome was much wiser than that. She did not attempt to directly change the culture, the habits, the customs, or the language of the people whom she conquered. Instead, she would set up colonies which were arranged geographically in strategic spots throughout the empire. A city which was a Roman colony would gradually adopt Roman laws and customs and ways. In the local department stores you would see the latest things they were wearing in Rome itself. Thus these colonies were very much like a little Rome. Thessalonica was such a Roman colony, and it was an important city in the life of the Roman Empire. It was Cicero who said, “Thessalonica is in the bosom of the empire.” It was right in the center or the heart of the empire and was the chief city of Macedonia.

Even though many Greeks looked down on the Macedonians as semi-barbarian, Greek mythology recognized that the Macedonians were related to the Greeks as “cousins”. By the time of Alexander the Great, who was himself Macedonian, the Macedonians had largely become "Greek" in culture and religion. [Refer to APPENDIX A: THE GODS OF THESSOLONICA ].

Paul found himself in Thessolonica because in a night vision he saw a man of Macedonia who stood and pleaded with him, “ Come and help us !” { Acts 16:9 }. Paul was there for only three weeks (Sabbaths) but an energetic church was started there and he taught them some vital doctrines. He rejoiced for the Greeks in Thessalonica who had accepted the gospel and had become models for all of Macedonia and Greece by turning " from idols to serve the living and true God " ( I Thess. 1:9 ). Turning from idols meant they had abandoned their former religions and gods and that they had embraced Christianity. Many non-believing Jews and Greeks in Thessalonica would have reacted to these conversions with hostility because they saw the gospel as having " turned the world upside down " ( Acts 17:6 ) and as a violation of Caesar's decrees. The Jews because they viewed Christianity as a heretical sect and the Greeks because they threatened the very existence of their pagan society. As a result nonbelievers persecuted the early church and forced Paul to flee the city. He went first to Berea but the Judeizers followed him there, stirred up more trouble and forced him to flee way down south to Athens 1. Eventually Paul found himself in Corinth from where he wrote this letter.

v. 1 PAUL ’S GREETING TO THE CHURCH AT THESSOLONICA [1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ]

This introduction is typical of Paul’s other epistles, but there are some differences to which we need to call attention. Paul joins Silas and Timothy with himself in his greeting. Remember that Silas and Timothy had just returned to Paul with their report from Thessalonica. By joining their names with his, the Thessalonians would know they are all in agreement concerning this letter.

1 Thessalonica was located fifty miles west of Philippi and about one hundred miles north of Athens.

1 1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 Also, Paul reveals his humility when he joins these men with himself. Silas and Timothy would have been unknown had not Paul associated himself with them. This is a very noble gesture on the part of Paul. He is always identifying himself with the brethren. He was not aloof, separated, and segregated above all the others who were working for the Lord Jesus. This is something we need to remember today in regard to the ministry. Don’t put your preacher on a pedestal; let him be right down among you. According to the Word of God the difference between clergy and laity is a false distinction. God has a very high standard of living for all of us.

“Unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ .” They may have a little different life–style and have different problems from the church in Philippi, but, just like the church in Philippi, it 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 ” is a formal introduction which Paul uses in all of his epistles. Grace comes first {this was the traditional Greek greeting}, followed by the peace of God {this was the traditional Jewish greeting}. Both the grace and the peace come from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ and it has brought Jew and Gentile together { Eph. 2:13-18 }.

v. 21 THANKSGIVING & PRAYER FOR OTHER BELIEVERS [2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, ] Paul prayed for all of the churches that he had founded. Paul had a tremendous prayer list, and it would make an interesting study for you to find all the people who were on that list. You would be surprised how many different churches, individuals, and groups of people Paul prayed for.

“We give thanks to God always for you all .” Paul gives thanks for this church because of many things, and one of the most important was because they were a good example ; it was a model church.

APPLICATION : When was the last time you heard someone expressing thanks to God for another believer? When was the last time you thanked God and/or prayed for another believer?

The next verse is one of the most remarkable in the Bible, and it follows a pattern of the apostle Paul which we find in his writing. He emphasized the number three.

v. 3 THE THREE GRACES OF A VIBRANT CHRISTIAN LIFE [3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, ]

“Remembering without ceasing your [1] work of faith , [2] and labor of love , [3] and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 This is a very important verse of Scripture and contains a wealth of meaning. Paul associates the three Christian graces: FAITH and LOVE and HOPE . In 1 Corinthians he also brought these three graces together. “ And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love ” ( 1 Cor. 13:13 ). It is important to see what these three attributes are associated with for we learn the practical side of the Christian life.

It is interesting to note that the physical universe, in its most fundamental forms, can be classified into triads—a ‘fingerprint’ of the triune nature of God! The universe is divided into time, space and matter. Time is divided into past, present and future. Space is divided into length, width and height. Some speak of a ‘4 th dimension’ but it does not appear in our physical universe. And matter is divided into gas, liquid and solid. Have you ever noticed that you need at least three legs on a chair for it to be stable and stand upright 2?

You can see that this universe in which you and I live bears the mark of the Trinity. The interesting thing is that the Word of God says the same thing about man. Paul speaks of man bearing the mark of the trinity. We will discuss this specifically when we get to 1 Thess. 5:13 : “… and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ .” This tells us that man is a trinity also.

In this verse Paul actually gives three graces of the Christian life :

The past is the work of faith. The present is a labor of love. The future is the patience of hope

That is supposed to be the biography of the Christian and the abiding, permanent, and eternal features of the Christian life.

Faith, hope, and love are abstract nouns. How can we get them out of space and theory into the reality of life down here? How can we make them concrete instead of abstract qualities?

So the question here is how we are going to get these words down into something concrete and tangible. McGee says that Paul takes these three words from the “beautiful isle of somewhere” and puts them into shoe leather. He gets them down to where the shoe leather meets the sidewalks of our hometown. He fleshes up these abstract qualities by taking them out of the morgue of never–never land. Notice how he does it. From the “work of faith,” the “labor of love,” and the “patience of hope,” he cites the three steps in the lives of the Thessalonian believers: “How ye turned to God from idols ”—that’s the work of faith {v. 9 } “To serve the living and true God ”—that’s a labor of love {v.9 } “To wait for his Son from heaven ”—is the patience of hope {v. 10 }

2 There are some other interesting examples of the significance of the number three. For example, have you noticed that in Genesis only three sons of Adam are named? I am sure that Adam and Eve had more than three sons; they probably had one hundred or more—they started the human race— but only three of the sons are named: Cain, Abel, and Seth.

3 1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 Now the “ work of faith ” is a strange expression because we are told that “… by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boas t” ( Eph. 2:8–9). Yet here it is called the ‘work of faith’. I think that Paul is making it very clear that he and James do not contradict each other. James writes, “Yea, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works ” ( James 2:18 ). That is the work of faith. It is the way faith is demonstrated to others. (The writings of James and the writings of Paul certainly do not contradict each other—as some have suggested—because they are both writing about the same thing.) Faith is the response of the soul of man to the Word of God . When a man responds to the Word of God, then he walks by faith. Paul says this in 2 Corinthians 5:7 : “ For we walk by faith, not by sight .” These Thessalonians turned to God from idols. Paul didn’t go into Thessalonica and say, “I don’t think it is proper for you people to worship idols. That’s a terrible thing to do.” He never said anything like that. When he went there he preached Christ! Idolatry wasn’t repulsive to these people, but when they heard Paul present Christ, they believed God and they turned to God. When they turned to God, they automatically turned from idols. Paul remembered without ceasing not only the ‘work of faith ’ of the Thessalonian believers but also their “ labor of love .” Now, what is the labor of love? God does not save by love; He saves by grace, which is love in action. Labor and love don’t seem to fit together. But, you see, love will labor. And when it does, it just doesn’t seem to be labor. Labor isn’t laborious when it is a labor of love. The Lord Jesus really put it right on the line when He said, “ If ye love me, keep my commandments ” ( John 14:15 ). If you don’t love Him, you will find it nothing but tedium and labor to try to keep His commandments. I don’t think it is worthwhile trying. If working for the Lord is a great burden to you today, I believe the Lord Jesus would say to you, “Give it up, brother. Don’t bother with it.” He doesn’t want it to be like that. We are to love Him. Then whatever we do for Him will be a labor of love. That should characterize the life of the believer. Love to God is expressed in obedience . I get tired of all this talk about being a dedicated Christian. If you want to make that claim, then prove it, brother. Prove it by your love, and love manifests itself in obedience. Now the third thing for which Paul commends the Thessalonian believers is their “patience of hope .” After they had turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, they also waited for His Son from heaven. That is the patience of hope. Every man lives with some hope for the future. And that hope, whatever it is, will sustain him. Down through the centuries man has expressed this. Martin Luther said, “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.”

4 1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 Long before him Sophocles, the pagan, had written: “It is hope which maintains most of mankind.” A modern man, O. S. Marden, says, “There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.” The poet, Alexander Pope, wrote: “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” A statesman, Thomas Jefferson, said, “I steer my bark with hope in the head, leaving fear astern.” And Carlyle, the Scottish philosopher, commented, “Man is, properly speaking, based upon hope, he has no other possession but hope, this world of his is emphatically the place of hope.” Frederick the Great, the great emperor of Germany, said, “The time I live in is a time of turmoil. My hope is in God.” What a glorious, wonderful life it is to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven. That is the “blessed hope.” Multitudes today place their hope in man, thinking that man can resolve all his problems and bring peace and prosperity to the world. Man cannot do that. If your hope is in this world, you are chasing wind of happiness that you will never be able to grasp with your hands. What is your hope today? Is your hope in some political party or in some man–made organization? God have mercy on anyone whose hope rests upon some little, frail bark that man is paddling! I don’t think that any man or any party or any group down here can work out the problems of this world. The scepter of this universe is in nail–pierced hands, and He will move at the right time. This one thing I know: all things do work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His eternal and holy purpose (see Rom. 8:28). So here Paul has brought together faith and love and hope, the three tenses of the Christian life: the work of faith, which looks back to the Cross and produces good works in the life; the labor of love, which is the present basis and motivation on which a child of God is to serve Christ; and the patience of hope, which looks into the future. What a wonderful trinity of Christian graces! It should be the biography of every believer. It was the biography of the church in Thessalonica, and I hope it is the biography of your church too.

APPLICATION : What evidence of work produced by faith, action produced by love or patience produced by hope would others find if they examined your life?

Now Paul takes up another great truth—

5 1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 v. 4 WE HAVE BEEN “ELECTED ” BY GOD [4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. ] Here we come again to that word election . Paul writes in Ephesians: “ According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love ” ( Eph. 1:4 ). In Rom. 8:29-30 Paul writes, “ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified .” Paul doesn’t mind writing about election in this epistle to the Thessalonian believers. And he presents it from God’s side of the ledger. You and I do not see His side, and we have never seen it. But there are certain great axioms of truth that we must put down. When I studied plane geometry, certain axioms were stated without being proven, such as the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. I have never had an occasion to dispute it, but nobody has ever attempted to prove it to me, although there is a proposition in geometry that will prove it. Nevertheless, there are certain things that we accept as fact without proof. And one of the things is the fact that there are certain things which cannot be proven to be true but are facts never-the-less. Likewise Paul doesn’t attempt to argue election or to prove election; he simply states it as a fact. “ Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God .” That is God’s side of the picture. Now God is no tyrant—no one is chosen against his will, and no one is rejected against his will. God is right in all that He does. Paul asks, “ What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God ?” And he answers his own question with a strong negative, “ God forbid ” ( Rom. 9:14 ). God is right in all that He does. His invitation still stands, “… If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink ” ( John 7:37 ). Are you thirsty? Then come to Christ. He stands ready to receive you.

You say you are not thirsty? Then forget it. God offers a full and free salvation to this lost world today. He says to men and women, “Take it or leave it.” That is where our freedom comes in. We can either choose Him or reject Him. There is no middle ground. Each person has the freedom to do one or the other.

v. 5 THE GOSPEL IS DELIVERED IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT & MUCH ASSURANCE [5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. ]

Paul is saying, “You knew that when we came among you, we were just human beings—just weak human beings with lips and tongues of clay. All we could do was say words, but we gave out the Word of God. And the Word of God came to you, “not in word only, but in power and in the Holy Spirit .”

6 1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 When the Word of God goes forth—although they are just words—when the Spirit of God takes those words and uses them, they are powerful! But the thing that is so tremendous is that the Spirit of God will use the Word of God. That is our confidence. People are not born again by the weakness of the human flesh, not by saying a few words by radio or by the printed page. But they are “… born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever ” ( 1 Pet. 1:23 ). I believe the Spirit of God can take the Word of God and make it real to you. I believe the Word of God is that kind of thing. I don’t think the Spirit of God could do much with the telephone directory or the Sears and Roebuck catalog or with popular magazines that are published today. But I do believe that the Spirit of God can and will take the Word of God and perform the greatest miracle possible—changing an unbelieving, lost sinner into a child of God! The Word of God went into Thessalonica, that Roman colony which was pagan and heathen and was controlled by one of the greatest political and military powers this world has known, and there it reached the hearts and lives of people and transformed them. That is what happened in Thessalonica, and it can still do the same today. The first thing necessary is for a person to hear the Word of God. That is the factual basis. People must hear the gospel. “ So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God ” ( Rom. 10:17 ). That is the natural part of the process. But that doesn’t end it, because the Word of God is a supernatural book. Without the Holy Spirit the gospel is merely words. With the Holy Spirit it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus said the Holy Spirit would do: “ Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him to you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged ” ( John 16:7–11 ).

v. 6 THE WORD IS RECEIVED IN MUCH AFFLICTION & JOY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT [6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, ]

Paul could cite Silas and Timothy and himself as examples. Personally, I would hesitate to give myself as an example; I don’t think I am a very good one. But Paul the apostle, going from place to place throughout the Roman Empire, offered himself as an example to these believers. “Having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost .” Affliction (or suffering) and joy are two words that are actually antipodes apart—they are as far apart as the east is from the west. They don’t belong together. They are as extreme as night is from daylight, as cold is from heat. They are not things that we would associate together.

7 1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 If a person is suffering and in affliction, he cannot have any joy, according to our natural way of looking at it. And if he’s having joy in his life, then surely he isn’t suffering! Yet there have been wonderful saints of God who have endured affliction and at the same time have had the joy of the Lord in their hearts. That is real triumph. We hear a lot about healing today. But I know some saints of God who are a lot more wonderful than I ever hope to be. These people are lying right now on beds of pain, beds of affliction, and they have the joy of the Lord in their hearts. That is the bittersweet of life; that is like the Chinese dish they call “sweet–and–sour.” For the Christian there can be that which is sour and bitter in life, while at the same time there is sweetness in the heart and life.

v. 7 OUR CHRISTIAN WALK IS AN EXAMPLE TO OTHER BELIEVERS [7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. ]

“In Macedonia and Achaia ”—this refers to the European section of the Greco–Macedonian empire of Alexander the Great. The church at Thessalonica, a Roman colony, was an example—after just a few months—to all the other churches. What a glorious, wonderful testimony they had. Today we often hear of individual Christians who are examples to others. However, there are actually very few churches which are known far and near as being examples of the Christian faith. I think it is strange that we do not have more local churches which are examples to all believers. As examples we are a testimony—either good or bad, but we are always on display and other people form their opinions about Jesus Christ by the way we talk and live. Paul elaborates on this in 2 Cor 2:14-17 ; “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ .

APPLICATION :

What Christian do you know who is providing an example worth imitating? In what specific ways can you imitate this example?

8 1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 v. 8 FAITHFUL PREACHING OF THE WORD LEADS TO A GODLY REPUTATION [8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. ] Paul found that wherever he traveled the reputation of this church had already gone ahead of him. The believers were already talking about the church in Thessalonica; so it wasn’t necessary for Paul to tell them anything about it. This reveals something of the great reputation this church had in that day.

Paul elaborates on this when he writes in 2 Cor 3:1-3:

“Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart .”

APPLICATION : What if a report of your life, your reputation as a Christian, came back to you? What would others be saying about you? Would you be encouraged or embarrassed?

v. 9-10 TRUE REPENTANCE LEADS TO A CHANGED LIFE & A CHANGED OUTLOOK [ 9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you 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 who delivers us from the wrath to come .] Paul’s message offered a marked contrast to the paganism and heathenism which were present in Thessalonica.

Among the Greek gods were Titans, Olympians, and lesser gods. The Titans were the earliest gods and represented the basic elements of reality. Some examples are Ge (earth), Uranus (sky) and Chronos (time).

At Mount Olympus the twelve Olympian gods led by Zeus (storm) who overthrew the Titans. All the other Olympian gods were either the siblings or children of Zeus. They were Hera (marriage), Apollo (arts), Artemis (chastity and hunting), Hermes (commerce), Athena (wisdom), Ares (war), Aphrodite (love), Hephaistos (fire), Hestia (family hearth), Poseidon (sea), and Hades (underworld).

While some of the lesser gods were rarely mentioned in Greek literature, others were nearly as important as the Olympian gods, such as Dionysus (wine) and Asclepius (healing).

By the time of Paul, many of the Greek gods were equated with Roman gods. For example, the Roman god Jupiter was equated with Zeus. In addition, Greek gods could be combined with other gods, such as Zeus-Serapis. Refer to Table 1-1 for a summary the pagan gods worshipped in ancient Thessolonica.

9 1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 Table 1-1. Pagan Gods Worshipped in Thessolonica Name of Pagan God Associated With ZEUS Storms HERA Marriage APOLLO Arts ARTEMIS Chastity & Hunting HERMES Commerce ATHENA Wisdom ARES War APHRODITE Love HEPHAISTOS Fire HESTIA Family Hearth POSEIDON Sea HADES Underworld Dionysus Wine Asclepius Healing

The most common mystery religions during the time of Paul seem to be the Eleusian mysteries, the Dionysion mysteries, the mysteries of Isis, and the mysteries of Cybele the Great Mother.

The Greeks primarily thought of their gods in human form and reflected that understanding in the idols they created to represent the gods. However, some gods appear with animal features, such as the winged Nike (victory); the Centaur, which was part horse; and Pan, which was part goat.

In spite of all of the challenges against traditional Greek religion, Paul found temples and idols throughout Thessalonica. While walking there, he would have passed temples to Zeus and Aphrodite and seen paintings of mythical scenes on walls and pottery. The two most prominent traditional gods in Thessalonica were Dionysus and Cabirus. Since Dionysus was the god of wine and joy, his celebrations and worship involved intoxication and orgies. Not surprisingly, Paul warned against "lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God " { 1Thess. 4:5 }.

Cabirus was a lesser god elsewhere in Macedonia and Greece but was the chief and most popular god in Thessalonica. During the time of Paul, the mystery religion of Cabirus would have been one of if not the most important cult in the city. While much remains unknown about the religion, Cabirus was worshiped as a fertility god. The cult's mythology held that Cabirus had been martyred by his two brothers and had been buried at Mount Olympus, but he would often return from the dead to aid his followers, especially sailors. Initiation into the cult involved confession of sins and a water baptism, which symbolized the initiate being cleansed by the martyred god's blood. The close association of the cult with the city meant that any attack on the city-sponsored worship of Cabirus could have been perceived as an attack on the city itself.

Thessalonians also worshiped the Egyptian god Serapis and his wife Isis as evidenced by the remains of their temples. The Greek dynasty in Egypt, the Ptolemies, viewed Serapis as the combined form of Osiris and Apis. Osiris had been killed by his brother Seth, but Isis, Osiris's wife, resurrected her husband from the dead. Isis then gave birth to their son Horus, who became the pharaoh. Osiris then ruled the underworld.

Religion permeated every aspect of life and society in first-century Thessalonica. Festivals, theatre, education, war, government, and athletics were all religious events or institutions. Turning from Greek religion meant more than turning from idol worship; it meant turning from one's traditions, community, and family. While many Greeks would have seen Christianity as "turning the world upside down," Paul knew it meant turning the world to the only true and living God.

10  1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 We have already looked at these two verses in connection with verse 3. Their response gave witness to the kind of “entering in” Paul and Silas and Timothy had had with them. Paul tells what that response was: (1) Your work of faith —how ye turned to God from idols; (2) your labor of love —to serve the living and true God; and (3) your patience of hope —to wait for His Son from heaven.

Now I would like to look at these verses from a little different point of view. When Paul arrived in Thessalonica, he did not announce that he would give a series of messages denouncing idolatry or telling about the errors that were involved in the worship of Apollo, Venus, or any of the other gods and goddesses of the Roman Empire. But when Paul arrived in Thessalonica, he preached Christ. When he preached Christ, they turned to God from idols. Notice that he doesn’t say they turned from idols to God. Someone will say, “You’re splitting hairs.” I surely am. These are hairs that need to be split. We need to do some straight thinking about this.

“How ye turned to God from idols .” We hear today that repentance is essential to salvation. Repentance and believing are presented as two steps in a process. Actually, they are both wrapped up in the same package, and you have them both right here. When Paul preached Christ, they turned to God from idols. I want you to see something that is very important. When they turned to God, that is the work of faith; that is what faith did. The Lord Jesus said, “… This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent ” ( John 6:29 ). These people turned to God from idols; they turned from idols, too. That’s right—and that is repentance. The repentance followed the turning to God. It didn’t precede it. When they turned to God, they automatically turned from idols. Take your hand and hold it so the palm of your hand is facing toward you. Now turn your hand around. When you turned your hand around, the back side of your hand now faces you, and the palm of your hand automatically turned away from you. Just so, you cannot turn to Christ Jesus without turning from something, my friend. That turning from something is repentance. McGee in his notes tells a story about a little boat that went up and down the Mississippi River. It had a little bitty boiler and a great big whistle. When that boat was carrying a load and was going upstream, it was in trouble when the whistle would blow, because the boat would begin to drift downstream. There are a lot of people who have a little boiler and a great big whistle. They can repent and shed tears all over the place, but that doesn’t do any good. It is only when a person turns to Christ that he will turn from something. He will turn from his sin. If a man doesn’t turn from his sin, it is because he hasn’t turned to Christ. I am sure that when the Thessalonian believers turned from their idols, they wept over the time they had wasted in idol worship. After they had turned to God, there was a real repentance over the misspent years. The turning to God came first, then they realized that turning to God meant turning from idols. Now I want to point out that Jesus Christ the Savior of the world is to be preached to a world of lost sinners, but the message of repentance is preached to the church . Read the messages to the seven churches of Asia as recorded in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3. The message of the Lord Jesus to the churches is to repent.

11  1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 Today it seems that the church is telling everyone outside the church to repent. The Bible teaches that it is the people in the church who need to repent. We need to get down on our faces before God and repent. That is not the message for us to give to the unsaved man down the street. He needs to know that he has a Savior. “To serve the living and true God .” The Thessalonians were now serving God; it was the labor of love. You cannot serve Christ unless you love Him. The Lord Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” ( John 14:15 ). Suppose you don’t love Him? Then there are none of His commandments for you You think you want to go out to preach the gospel, but you don’t love Him? Then stay home. To go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature is a command, and it is for those who love Him. If you don’t love Him, don’t do it. When the Lord Jesus talked to Simon Peter (as recorded in John 21 ), He didn’t ask, “Peter, why in the world did you deny Me?” He didn’t say, “Peter, do you promise Me you will do better if I let you preach the sermon on the Day of Pentecost?” He never said anything like that. He asked, “Peter, do you love Me?” If Peter had said, “No,” I think the Lord would have told him to forget about service. Does that sound harsh to you? I didn’t say it; Jesus did: “If ye love me, keep my commandments .” “To wait for his Son from heaven ” does not mean to sit down. It means to be busy for the Lord. That is the patience of hope. It means to keep on serving the Lord, giving out the Word of God while you wait. The coming of Christ to take His church out of the world is not an escape mechanism. Rather, it is an incentive to serve Him and to give out the Word of God. “… Even so, come, Lord Jesus ” ( Rev. 22:20 ).

The future wrath is the “wrath of the LORD” { Isa. 13:13 } and the “wrath of the Lamb” { Rev. 6:16-17 } during the Great Tribulation { Rev. 20:5-6, 11-15 }. But it also refers to the FINAL JUDGMENT in the LAKE OF FIRE , burning with ‘brimstone’ { Rev. 14:10; 19:20; 20:10; 21:8 }. “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power , but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years { Rev. 20:6 }.

A heathen inscription in Thessalonica read: “ After death no reviving, after the grave no meeting again .”

The Christian message is based on a resurrected Savior who is our hope of a future resurrection and deliverance from God’s wrath. This is in stark contrast to the paganism and the hopelessness of the paganism in Thessolonica and the world today.

12  1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS :

(1) What ‘idols have you turned from’ since becoming a follower of Jesus Christ? (2) What evidence is there in you life that you ‘serve the living God’? (3) How do you demonstrate that you ‘wait for His Son from Heaven’? (4) How does your changed life as a Christian reflect that God raised Jesus from the dead? (5) Who do you know that needs to be ‘saved from the wrath to come’?

Bibliography (1) New Unger's Bible Dictionary , Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright © 1988 . (2) Thru the Bible With J. Vernon McGee, 1 Corinthians-Revelation, Vol.5; The Book of 1 Thessalonians , J. Vernon McGee, pp. 370-405, copyright © 1982 (3) Bible Knowledge Commentary/New Testament , Cook Communications Ministries; Copyright © 1983, 2000 . (5) Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary , Thomas Nelson Publishers, Copyright © 1986 . (6) Jon Courson’s Application Commentary , New Testament, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tenn., Copyright © 2003 . (7) Biblical Illustrator , LifeWay Publishers, Winter 2008-09, Vol. 35, No. 2 .

13  1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 APPENDIX A: THE GODS OF THESSOLONICA

Thessalonica was located in Macedonia and not in Greece proper. Even though many Greeks looked down on the Macedonians as semi-barbarian, Greek mythology recognized that the Macedonians were related to the Greeks as “cousins”. By the time of Alexander the Great, who was himself Macedonian, the Macedonians had largely become "Greek" in culture and religion. To understand, therefore, the traditional religion and gods of Macedonia and Thessalonica, one needs to study Greek religion. The Macedonians told Greek myths and worshiped Greek gods. Mount Olympus itself was located in Macedonia about 50 miles from Thessalonica. The two main sources of Greek mythology are Homer, who wrote the Odyssey; and Hesiod, who wrote Theogony, which provides a genealogy of the gods. While many myths dealt with only the gods, the majority of the myths described the interaction between |gods and heroes. The myths permeated all of Greek society as expressed through literature, art, drama, temple worship, and stories told to children. Myths helped to define social roles and values as well as describe the character of the gods. While the gods were perceived as immortal and powerful, each had its own sphere of influence. One god was not worshiped to the exclusion of the others, because to neglect one god was to neglect that area of reality. Among the Greek gods were Titans, Olympians, and lesser gods. The Titans were the earliest gods and represented the basic elements of reality. Some examples are Ge (earth), Uranus (sky), and Chronos (time).

At Mount Olympus the twelve Olympian gods led by Zeus (storm) overthrew the Titans. All the other Olympian gods were either the siblings or children of Zeus. They were Hera (marriage), Apollo (arts), Artemis (chastity and hunting), Hermes (commerce), Athena (wisdom), Ares (war), Aphrodite (love), Hephaistos (fire), Hestia (family hearth), Poseidon (sea), and Hades (underworld).

While some of the lesser gods were rarely mentioned in Greek literature, others were nearly as important as the Olympian gods, such as Dionysus (wine) and Asclepius (healing).

Countless myths offer details about Zeus and his numerous affairs with goddesses and women. Many of his children, such as Hercules, became the heroes of old. Heroes were greater than normal men, but less powerful than the gods. After their deaths the heroes were worshiped with special honors.5 Hero worship later paved the way for ruler and emperor worship. Following Alexander the Great, the main Greek and Macedonian kings portrayed themselves as descended from the gods. Some kings were honored as divine after their deaths, but others such as Antiochus IV were worshiped as gods, even in life.

In the wake of Alexander the Great's conquests, Greece and Macedonia experienced an influx of foreign religions. Through the process of hellenization , these oriental cults and deities lost their localized, national identities and were viewed instead as universal saviors. These religious changes gave rise to "mystery religions." The mystery religions involved an initiation for the new believer and purification rites, which allowed a personal relationship with the deity and the promise of a blessed afterlife

The most common mystery religions during the time of Paul seem to be the Eleusian mysteries, the Dionysian mysteries, the mysteries of Isis, and the mysteries of Cybele the Great Mother.

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The Greeks made their idols from a variety of materials, including clay, stone, wood, marble, and bronze. For example, the image of Athena in Athens was made of olive wood and the image of Hera in Tiryns was made of pear wood. To give their images a more life-like appearance, the Greeks sometimes adorned the images with items such as armor, weapons, and clothing.

Specific symbols accompanied and identified particular gods. For example, Apollo appeared with a bow, Athena appeared with a lance, and Poseidon appeared with a trident.

Since the Greeks believed the gods took pleasure in the quality of their temples and images, Greek artisans produced some of the best architecture and art in the ancient world. The statue of the Olympian Zeus at Olympia and the temple of Artemis at Ephesus were among the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Some idols were small statuettes worshiped in homes, while others were life-sized or even huge statues housed in temples. Worshipers offered prayers, incense, and sacrifices to the gods in the temples. In exchange for sacrifices or offerings, the worshipers hoped to receive a blessing or a divine message (or "oracle") from the gods.

The most famous oracle in Greece was located at the temple of Apollo in Delphi. There the priestess inhaled vapors within the temple. In an ecstatic state she uttered the message of Apollo, which the priest then interpreted for the worshiper.

Not everyone in Greece believed the oracles, priests, or myths. In fact, for centuries a growing number of Greek philosophers grew increasingly skeptical about the very existence of the gods. They sought instead more natural explanations of the world, and they grew increasingly embarrassed by the immorality of the gods as expressed in their myths. They also objected to anthropomorphism (gods in human form) and began to argue for a single disembodied mind, force, or principle. An increasing number of alternative religions including oriental gods, mystery religions, Judaism, and Christianity further challenged traditional Greek religion.

As Jews had spread throughout Greece and the Roman Empire, they argued against idols, won converts, and created many God fearers. Against this backdrop, Paul reiterated for early believers the heart of the Jewish argument that idols were dead objects of human creation and not living and true gods { compare Isa. 44:9-20; Rom. 1:22-23,25; 1 Cor. 8:1-6} .

15  1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Klaus G. Schiessel Dec 2008 With the rise of Roman control, the Thessalonians embraced the worship of the goddess Roma and Caesar Augustus. Paul probably saw the temple of Augustus in Thessalonica, and he certainly would have seen the divinity of Caesar proclaimed on coins minted in Thessalonica. Many of the coins had even replaced the image of Zeus with that of Augustus. Any challenge of emperor worship or pro- motion of another kingdom or lord threatened retaliation from Rome.

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