Background and History to Thessalonians

Transcript

GR 1113
11/11/1984
Background and History to Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 1, Acts 17:1-5
Gil Rugh

We're going to be in the Book of Acts this evening. The Book of Acts. If I don't know where we're going to be we're in trouble, I am anyway. Acts chapter 17 in your Bibles. Want to begin a study with you today in the Book of I Thessalonians.

The background for the establishing of that church is in the Book of Acts and the 17th chapter. The epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians are special letters in that they are some of the earliest letters that Paul wrote. Perhaps apart from the Book of Galatians, after the Book of Galatians, the Book of I Thessalonians is the earliest of Paul's letters. Written somewhere around 50 A.D. So less than 20 years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Paul founded this church and then wrote back to them.

The church at Thessalonica was established on the second missionary journey of the Apostle Paul. And in the Book of Acts, if you go back to the end of chapter 15, verse 36, you have the orientation for the beginning of this trip where Paul decides to go and revisit the cities where they had proclaimed the Word of God on a previous trip. Paul and Barnabas traveling together. Paul and Barnabas have a disagreement over taking Mark with them on this trip and they decide to divide over that issue, Barnabas goes his own way, taking Mark with him and Paul takes a new associate, Silas by name and begins what is known as his second missionary journey. Early in the tour the Spirit directs them, keeps them from going into areas that they would have gone into in Asia and in verse 9 as they are at Troas at Acts chapter 16, a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A certain man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him and saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us. And when he had seen the vision immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. So the gospel will be taken to Europe for the first time by the Apostle Paul. And he leaves Troas and he crosses over into Macedonia and the first major city that he takes up a ministry in is the city of Philippi and something of Paul's ministry there is recorded. A woman from Thyatira, a merchant woman, in verse 14, is reached with the gospel. The Lord opens her heart. She believes and is saved. And the first convert in the Macedonian ministry is Lydia, a woman. And it's going to characterize the Macedonian ministry. Women are going to form a key part in it and they are going to be some of the key converts on Paul's journey through this part of the world.

Opposition builds because of the ministry of Paul and Silas and they cast a demon out of a girl. This causes some conflict. The crowds react after being instigated by some leaders and Paul and Silas are beaten and thrown into prison.

And again you see the sovereign control of God in it because one of the outstanding conversions under Paul's ministry takes place as a reult of his being imprisoned at Philippi. There's an earthquake in the middle of the night. The jail doors are opened. The jailer comes out and Paul announces that they're still there.

The jailer recognizes the supernatural hand of God in what has transpired and so in verse 30 after he brought them out, Paul and Silas, he said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They said, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved and your household. I take it the thrust of that verse is, if you'll believe in Christ, you'll be saved. If your household will believe in Christ, your household wd.ll be saved. It's not saying that their household will be saved as a result of their believing. But the qualifications for salvation are the same for you and for all your household. Salvation is available not only to you but to your whole household. You must believe in Christ.
And in verse 32 "And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who wore in his house." So you see that they do? They minister the Word to the Philippian jailer and to everyone in his house. And the result is that they hear the Word and believe and they are baptized.

And the end of verse 34 tells us that he believed in God with his whole household. So you see he and his whole household are converted by faith in Christ on this occasion.

Then the Apostle Paul and Silas are sent on their way from Philippi. It has been a mixed blessing to be there, quite frankly. They got beaten very severely, but they have seen converts. But they are not privileged to stay and build the ministry. The pressure is on them to leave that city and so after encouraging their converts they leave. And you can imagine something of the Apostle Paul's heart. You know what it's like when you lead someone to Jesus Christ. You have a burden for them, and a desire to leave them and develop them, and protect them as they mature in the Word. Paul didn't have that privilege here. You have to leave them as new believers knowing they were going to be under pressure and go on to a new/ area. And Paul leaves Philippi. He makes a couple of stops, chapter 17 verse 1. Amphipolis and Apollonia on the way to Thessalonica. No indication of a ministry in those two cities. It's about 90 to 100 miles from Philippi to Thessalonica. So about 30 miles to each of the cities and then the last trip world be a 40 mile journey.

To come to Thessalonica and there is a synagogue of the Jews. And it was Paul' s practice to center his ministry in those towns and cities that had a synagogue. Now Philippi did not evidently. He went to a place of prayer there along the river, but wherever possible he went to tire synagogue because that formed a contact point. Because Paul could deal with them at tire synagogue out of tire Old Testament Scriptures. They had a beginning point. And that’s where his ministry begins. At Thessalonica.

So we read. Thessalonica, incidentally, is a large city. About 200,000 in Paul's day. It was a free city because of its associations with the Romans and taking the right side in certain conflicts, they were giving the privilege of being given a free city. They had their own rulers. And they governed themselves. Of course, under the ultimate authority of the Romans, but they had a lot more liberty than a normal city or colony even would have had.

The name "Thessalonica" was named after the half-sister of Alexander the Great where the name came from.

Verse 2. "And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures. So Paul finds his way to the synagogue and begins to minister. Now when we study Thessalonica we will find out what he was doing also in-between. He took a job while he was at Thessalonica. Paul had to support himself and so through the week he worked at his trade and then on the Sabbath they went into the synagogue for there Sabbaths, reasoned with them out of the Scriptures. This causes some question. How long was the total duration of Paul's ministry at Thessalonica? Well, we know he was there for at least three weeks. Some would say then he left Thessalonica and we'll see. He is thrown out of Thessalonica is what happens. If possible he had a little longer ministry than three weeks. Perhaps two or three months. Some indication again in the letter to the Thessalonians indicated that his ministry had a great impact on those who were pagans, who worshipped idols. They would not have been a result of his synagogue ministry but of the ministry outside the synagogue. So it could have been he reasoned for them three weeks in the synagogue and then was put out of the synagogue and maintained a ministry for some time longer. But perhaps two or three months. But at any rate, it1 s a short ministry at Thessalonica relatively speaking. Anywhere from three weeks to three months he spends at Thessalonica.

We are told at the end of verse 2 he reasoned with them out of the Scriptures. And the word really means to give an address. To conduct a discussion, to speak, to preach. So it's a general word. He would cone in, take the Scriptures and speak to them from the Scriptures. Now what he did is explained in verse 3. "Explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead. He had two parts in what he did—explaining and giving evidence. So as he reasoned he was explaining and giving evidence.
The word "to explain" means to interpret. To open something up. That's the basic meaning of the word. To open something. Then to explain or interpret. So he would take the Scriptures and present the truth of the Scriptures to them, the truth concerning the Messiah, that the Christ had to suffer, had to rise again from the dead. In that connection then there was giving evidence as we have it—explaining and giving evidence. The word basically means to put something before someone. It's used of placing food before someone. And what he was doing was showing them from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. He was demonstrating and pointing out his explanation. What the Scriptures said—how this applied to Jesus Christ. Now important to see that Paul's discussion here centers in the Scriptures. He preaches to them and discusses with them from the Scriptures explaining the Scriptures, giving evidence from the Scriptures. What does the Scripture say about the Messiah 'who will come? Well, it speaks of His suffering, it speaks of His death, it speaks of His resurrection. Then he would show them that this Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ at the end of verse 3. So, very simple.
Three points he had in his message. Christ had to suffer. Christ had to rise again from the dead. Jesus is the Christ. First establishing that their Scriptures, the Old Testament, said the Messiah had to suffer. Showing from the Old Testament Scriptures that the Messiah had to rise again from the dead.
You see something of this development of this kind of argument in Acts chapter 2 in Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost. And having established the fact that the Jewish Messiah would suffer and die and be raised from the dead, then he has prepared them to show the evidence now that Jesus fulfills these Scriptures so He is indeed the Messiah.

Look over in I Corinthians chapter 2. The Corinthians church is going to be established later after Paul leaves Thessalonica. Paul will leave Thessalonica, go to Berea, down to Athens and on to Corinth to establish the church at Corinth. In I Corinthians chapter 2 Paul relates what his pattern of ministry was. "When I came to you [in verse 1] brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom proclaiming to you the testimony of God for I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Kim crucified.

Paul was with them in much weakness, fear and trembling. That's a result of what has happened to him at Philippi and at Thessalonica and at Berea and at Athens so that by the time he gets to Corinth he has fear and trembling as he comes and ministers the Word there. But you note the simplicity of Paul's approach—not brilliant intellect, not with brilliant communication, the brilliance of speech. For the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That Christ must suffer and die and be raised from the dead and Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One. A simple message. The same message that we have.

Look over in Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter 13. Here Paul is at Antioch, tie city in Antioch. He was on his first missionary journey and you see down, we'll pick up down in verse 27. "For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers recognizing neither him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. Though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed. When they had carried all that out that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from a cross, laid Him in a tomb, but God raised Him from the dead. You see the simplicity of the message.

Everywhere that Paul went he was basically giving tie same message. That the Messiah suffered and died and was raised from the dead and Jesus is the Messiah who fulfills the Old Testament Scripture. He goes on in Acts chapter 13 to show that this fulfilled Old Testament Scripture. He quotes from the II Psalm in verse 33 and goes on as David writes. Down in verse 35. Therefore he says also in another Psalm. You will not allow Your holy One to undergo decay." David died, was buried, his body has decayed.

Verse 37. "But He whom God raised did not undergo decay. Therefore let it be known to you brethren that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. You see we have this simple gospel message. Paul develops this in I Corinthians 15 when he says I came to you, I preached the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now stress that and it seems simple to us and it is simple. But understand in the Book of Acts we have the carrying out of the plan of God in the establishing and founding of the Church of Jesus Christ and that is done through the ministering of the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ- The facts and the message do not change. They are the same. So I take it it is true for us today I Peter chapter 3:15 says we are to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us concerning the faith that is in us. I take it any believer, even if only have been a believer for a couple of days, ought to be able to share with someone the basic facts of the gospel, that Jesus Christ suffered and died, was buried and was raised from the dead and if you'll believe in Him there's forgiveness of sins.

Now that's how simple the message is and we as believers ought to have it fixed in our minds. That's the message God wants to use in transforming lives. You see the exciting thing about the message. It is so simple. There's not a person in this auditorium who if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, cannot share that message in its simplicity. Sometimes we get all jumbled and confused and twisted in our art tempts to witness to people because we try to turn it into a display of brilliance. In reasoning and arguing in a way that will prove that we are more intelligent and more clever and have more answers. I take it the Apostle Paul was a brilliant man and the Greeks admired wisdom. They admired intellect. So when he came, just the simplicity of the crucified Christ. Death, burial, and resurrection. That pays the penalty for your sin if you believe in Him—you have life. That's what people need to hear from us. Wherever we sure it's a simple massacre. Say, oh, people don't want to hear that. They didn't want to hear it where Paul went either. See what happened to him in Philippi.

Want to see what happens to him at Thessalonica. What happens to him at Berea. What happens to him at Athens. What will happen at Corinth. You know, he had trouble everywhere he went but God used it to save those that He chose to save.

Come back to Acts chapter 17. Let's see the impact of this simple message of the Apostle Paul. Verse 4. "And some of them were persuaded." Very simple. Some believed. Some were convinced by the presentation of the Scripture concerning Jesus Christ that He indeed was the Savior. Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas along with a great multitude of God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women. See here, as it was at Philippi, Lydia, here now, a number of the leading women come to believe.

There are three groups mentioned here. Some of them were persuaded. I take it that would be the Jews because they are distinguished from the other groups here. Then there are a great multitude of the God-fearing Greeks. God-fearing Greeks were the Gentile converts to Judaism. They formed a ripe field for the gospel in New Testament times. They had come to recognize the truth of the Old Testament and had converted to Judaism but they still didn't fit because they weren't Jews. But they are converts to Judaism. Now when the gospel is presented many of them come to believe and the leading women in Macedonia.
The province of Macedonia. Women played a more open and out-front prominent role in all the activities of life. And I take it we see that here demonstrated as they come to the fore even in the believing of the gospel message.

But the Jews and you ought to underline the first statement in verse 4. Some of them were persuaded. Then you come to verse 5. But the Jews becoming jealous. Taking some wicked men, a mob from the market place. They form a mob. They put the city in an uproar. They come to the house of Jason, evidently a convert to Paul, where Paul is staying with Silas. So the gospel has an impact, an effect. This stirs up jealousy on the part of the Jews. And you ought to note here that opposition to the ministry is often a sign of effectiveness in the ministry. What causes the Jews to be stirred up is, some are being
converted and so they stir the mob. They go to look for Paul and Silas for whatever reason, they can't find him. So they take hold of Jason and brought him before the city authority and note what they say about him at the end of verse 6. "These men who have upset the world have come here also. The word "to upset", to disturb, to trouble, to upset. The impact of the gospel had been so strong that even using of their using hyperbole is amazing. This is not new to the Jews here. Paul's first missionary journey perhaps even though he didn't come over into Europe. The impact of that and the ripples of that.
The word had spread. These are the men who have troubled the world, disturbed the known world with the message of Jesus Christ.

Verse 7. Jason has welcomed them. They act contrary to tire decrees of Caesar because they preach another king, Jesus. Now you note here how the Jews wind them all up. We're good Romans. The only king we want is Caesar. They have not changed in the years, 17 or so years since the crucifixion of Christ. They stirred up the crowd, the city, the authorities. When they received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them. What the pledge was, we don't know. Evidently some kind of bond or guarantee they'll be no more trouble.

So, verse 10. The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. Now Berea is about 40 or 50 miles from the Thessalonica. So evidentially because of the bond secured from Jason, the problems in the city, they recognize they ought to leave and they immediately by night, it's that serious a situation, send them off on that journey.

Now we ought to recognize here, the Apostle Paul and Silas are men. And you know what it's like when you share the gospel someplace and you see some results and some interest. Maybe some response. But then there's some opposition that just seems to shut things down. Persecution. Wonder what's going through the Apostle Paul' s mind as he has to leave town by night. You know you go back and say maybe I ought to find a little different approach because you know this is sort of the way I left Philippi and now here I go out of Thessalonica. What I appreciate about the Apostle Paul is he's a slow learner. So you note what he does in verse 10. "When they arrived they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now I just don't know. I try to sit because I study the Book of Acts and say, well, how would I have handled all of this? What if I was travelling with Paul? Where would ray courage have been? Paul says, Oh, boy. Here we are. We're almost at Berea. This is great. You know, I think they have a synagogue at Berea and we get there on the Sabbath we can go into the synagogue.

I say, wait a minute. Wait a minute. You know what happened at Thessalonica? Yes, people were saved.. No, I mean the trouble we had. Oh, I forgot about that. You know it depends on how you think about it. Paul saw the opportunity for ministry there and he is not discouraged. He charges right into the synagogue at Berea. No thought of laying low for a while. Let's take a couple of weeks off, let things settle down.

Verse 11. This Berea. That's where we get the name that the Berean Fundamental Churches use. It's a good name because verse 11 these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica for they received the Word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these teachings were so.
And I take it what Paul did was share the same Word he had shared at Thessalonica, the truth concerning the suffering and death and resurrection of the Messiah and the identification of Jesus Christ as that Messiah. They examined the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. I take it they examined it with a open heart. Jesus said to the Jews of His day in John chapter 3. "You search the Scriptures for in them you think that you have eternal, life. It is they which testify of Me and you will not come to Me that you may have life." The Jews search the Scriptures, but with a closed mind. But the Bereans were open to consider what the apostles said and sifted through the Scriptures, open to what God would show them from the Scriptures to see whether these things were so.

Many of them therefore believed along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. There you see the impact again on Gentiles. Now seems that things are going well here again. But, word gets back to Thessalonica. You know, amazing how word traveled in those days, isn't it? 30 miles is a long way to walk. 40 miles. 50 miles. But word gets back to Thessalonica and the opponents of Paul are obstinate. You know, we think Paul was stubborn. Their opponents were stubborn too. They send men from Thessalonica to come down to Berea to stir up trouble against the apostle Paul.

Verse 13. When the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the Word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also they came there likewise agitating and stirring up the crowd. Immediately the brethren sent Paul out to go as far as the sea. Silas and Timothy remained there. They remained. During the ministry evidently Paul is the focal point and they want to get him out of town. Here goes Paul again. What happened? We got to get you out of town. So immediately send Paul off. We don't have time to go through it all, but you know what happens

He comes to Athens, that does Paul do in Athens? Looks up a good motel, locks himself in and decides he's just going to wait. No. Verse 16. While Paul was waiting for them at Athens his spirit was being provoked within him.

So where do you find him? Verse 17. "He was reasoning in the synagogue and the God-fearing Gentiles and in the marketplace every day with those who happen to be present. These patterns don't change. No change. What's going to happen when Paul leaves Athens?

We're going to jump over to chapter 18 and you're going to find the same thing. Jump down to verse 4 of chapter 18.Preaching in the synagogue every Sabbath trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. You see the pattern of the Apostle Paul. Now we ought to see that in the context of continual opposition, continual persecution, continual resistance. You know he didn't go into these cities and have crusades and have thousands of people converted. He went in and did have the privilege of leading numbers of them to Christ. But that was in the context of such intense persecution that he had to leave those cities to spare his own life. Philippi to Thessalonica to Berea to Athens to Corinth. But we'd have to say that was a very successful ministry because he is going to write back to the church at Philippi. He is going to write back to the church at Thessalonica. He is going to write back to the church at Corinth. God was
accomplishing His purposes in the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul in building together believers wherever Paul went and wherever Paul ministered.

Say that because you and I need the same kind of tenacity and aggressiveness that the Apostle Paul had. The fact that I have people oppose the ministry. That oppose the testimony concerning Christ doesn't mean that I am not to continue sharing it. You know we usually do well and we'll witness and someone is saved. and we think, boy, I want to spend my life telling people about Christ. Then we hit a couple of obstacles where people close the door. We think well maybe that's not what God wants me to do after all. Well, the Apostle Paul doesn't have that.

I think if we travelled, with the Apostle Paul, would have found out he had the same kind of resistance and opposition. You know, we learn. I think I'm using this in a facetious way. I say the Apostle Paul was a slow learner. Everywhere he went he did the same thing. He presented the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and naturally stirred up opposition.

We're quick learners. In a sense. We have learned that people don't want to hear that. It's going to cause trouble if they do. You think of how many places you were in the last week, in the last two weeks, in the last month, where there were unbelievers. Now how many times did you take to share with them the simple gospel, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on a cross to pay the penalty for sins, was buried and was raised from idle dead because the penalty was paid. If you'll believe in Him you can have forgiveness of sins.

Well, I didn't do it a lot of places. Why? There is the sense of persecution and resistance, but I take encouragement from the ministry of the Apostle Paul that even though that may be expected the power of God is resident in the gospel and the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.

Come over to the Book of I Thessalonians. Just look at the first verse with me for a few minutes. that happens in the pattern is Paul has established the Church at Thessalonica and he has had to leave quickly and he is concerned about the welfare and well-being of those believers at Thessalonica. The have in effect been abandoned but through no fault of his own. Here they are just weeks or months old in the faith and they are left on their own in the midst of a hostile city and they don't have the New Testament to hold onto.

They have what Paul has taught them. How would you like to have to sit down and then pull together? Do you remember what he said about this? Do you remember what he taught us about this? We are going to see in the letter to the Thessalonians, he taught them a lot in that brief time. So he is concerned.
So what Paul does is when he gets to Corinth, stops in Athens you remember, after Berea, he ministers in Athens shortly, goes on to Corinth. When he gets to Corinth then he writes a letter to the Thessalonians and covers some of those things that are a burden to him, a concern about them. Some of the things that he wants them to understand and have clarified.

The letter opens up. "Paul and Slyvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace. Paul, Slyvanus and Timothy." They were the three men joined together in the ministry to that city. They are joined together in this letter.
Slyvanus is the same as Silas in the Book of Acts. Silvanus and Silas are the sane man, Silas accompanying Paul on the second missionary journey. He is mentioned a number of times in Acts. We won't take the time to look and see something of his ministry.

The letter is written to the church of the Thessalonians. Now it's amazing. Paul spent a relatively brief time, perhaps as little as three weeks, probably no more than three months, and yet he had established those believers into a church, a local body of believers. You say, oh, boy. You have to have all this teaching and all this doctrine and all this. Well, they got as much as they could get. They were believers in Jesus Christ, were they not? That meant they were part of the body of Christ. That meant that ought to be expressed in a local assembly there so those believers in that spot are the church of the Thessalonians. I think it’s interesting. Everywhere Paul goes where his ministry has any effect and people are saved, those believers are established in a local church. They become the local church there and then Paul works through writing to them and visiting them and sending messengers to them, to build them up in the faith to maturity in Christ. And you can imagine the task. Here's the church of the Thessalonians. The oldest believer in the whole church can't be more than a few months old. Can you imagine the danger for that church? And not only that—they are in a city where the opposition is hostile and we' re going to see as we read the letter, there' s going to be tremendous persecution. Remember this church would be included when Paul wrote from in his letter to the Corinthians to encourage the Corinthians in their giving. The churches of Macedonia gave out of their poverty and that included the church at Thessalonica. And some inkling there that probably because of their identification with Christ and stand for the faith, the people there under persecution have lost their jobs and have become social outcasts in the city. Tremendous pressure and here you have believers who are only weeks and months old now that have to stand for Jesus Christ in that situation.

The church of the Thessalonians. "In God the Father and the Lord Jesus." Amazing. I take it that's given as tremendous encouragement to these believers, to remind them. They are the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Note there's one preposition here, "in." "In God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" and that grammatically joins God the Father and Jesus Christ very closely together. It becomes a clear statement again of the Deity of Jesus Christ. "In God the Father." That's the sphere. The element in which they live. The church of the Thessalonians. But it's the church of the Thessalonians who dwell in God the Father. The stress on the Father emphasizes security. His love, His strength. That picture of Him being their Father. He is responsible for them. Paul can't be there but they are in God the Father. That puts the persecution and the resistance and the opposition in a totally different light and in Jesus Christ. They are jointed to live in that sphere, in that relationship, in that environment with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who is sovereign and rules over all.

Back in Colossians chapter 3 just before The Book before I Corinthians. Colossians chapter 3:3. Paul writes. "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." You note the security that that brings. Your life is hidden with Christ in God. That's the sphere now in which you reside. There's a comfort and an assurance that cones in knowing that that's my dwelling place even in the midst of a hostile environment. And the emphasis on the Lord Jesus Christ reminds them that He’s sovereign over His church and He’s sovereign and in control of all time circumstances of their lives .

Then he gives a word of greeting. "Grace to you and peace." Grace and peace to you. And you know you can understand how this can come from the heart of the apostle Paul. To these who were new converts, that he had time joy of leading to Christ. His grace to you, grace being the mercy and favor of God. Unmerited favor, we usually define it. It's His gracious provision to have experienced His salvation which is of course in grace but it’s now the constant provision that God makes for those that now belong to Him in all the areas of their need. His grace, His gracious provision is given to them.

Look over in II Corinthians. Back up to II Corinthians chapter 12. The Apostle Paul could understand something of the adequacy and sufficiency of the grace of God. In II Corinthians chapter 12:9 as Paul prayed that God would give him deliverance from the thorn in the flesh that plagued him, that messenger of Satan that was such a burden to him it seemed to make his ministry so much more difficult.

Verse 9, the response of God was. "My grace is sufficient for you." What he's saying there. That My favor, the provision that I will make for you is adequate and sufficient that the thorn in the flesh does not need to be removed because I will make adequate provision to enable you to stand up and minister effectively under that burden. Important to see that. Sometimes God's burdens, the trials that we undergo are God's provision to use us and His grace is always adequate for us no matter what we are going through. He goes on here in II Corinthians 12:9. "For power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will boast about my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions, difficulties for Christ's sake for when I am weak, then I am strong. When I am weak Christ’s power is being seen in me most clearly and when am I at my strongest? When Christ's power is seen in me most clearly. So it's a paradox. When I'm time weakest humanly speaking, I'm the strongest spiritually speaking. The most effective often in my service for Jesus Christ. So when Paul writes to these Thessalonians and says "Grace to you”, that's a very meaningful expression. In your pressures. When you have to come home to your family and say, I lost my job. When you are reduced to abject poverty because of your stand for time gospel for Jesus Christ. Remember, My grace is sufficient for you. That happened to the Thessalonians. Reduced to poverty as Paul wrote to the Corinthians in II Corinthians 8. Grace to you and peace and time word "peace" again. They have experienced peace with God through a faith in Christ. What he is talking about now7—that daily provision of God for His people that he talks about in Philippians chapter 4 where we roll over our burdens onto Him and the peace of God which transcends and goes beyond understanding, stands guard at our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

So what he's telling these Thessalonians is, God will make gracious provision for you in every area of need and as you are undergoing the trials and tribulations He'll provide for you the peace, the tranquility of heart and mind that only He can give in those circumstances and situations.

So here's a church founded in the midst of adversity. How's it founded? Very simply. A man went and proclaimed the truth that Jesus Christ died on a cross to pay the penalty for sins, was buried and was raised from the dead. Forgiveness of sins is for those who will believe in His name and by the gracious work of the Spirit some believed, some were saved and were established as the Church at Thessalonica.

Now Paul writes back and reminds them. They are secure. They are in God the Father. They are under the authority and control of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are those who will be the recipients of God's gracious provision for them in every circumstance of life. They will be privileged to experience His peace in every circumstance.

You know the exciting thing about that? That's true for us as the Church in this location, we are those who are God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, those who are privileged to live in the realm of His grace and peace. My desire is that would multiply our effectiveness and impact in using us as He used Paul to make Jesus Christ known in this place and in every place we go.

Why has God given you the job He's given you? Why has He given you the contacts He has given you? Why in light of His purpose for you in 100 years? So that you can represent Him there. I must see my life and my circumstances and my situation in light of that. Why am I here in this circumstance, in this I
situation? Because God wants to use me to honor Himself and that's what will matter in light of eternity. We're privileged to be His Church under His authority being used to accomplish His purposes.

Let's pray together