Church as it’s supposed to be; A People of encouragement
1 Thessalonians 1:5b-10
You know what kind of men we showed ourselves to be among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has been declared, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone out, so that we need not to say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead: Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.
It is said that Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire, once had captured a prince and his family. When they came before him, the monarch asked the prisoner, "What will you give me if I release you?" "The half of my wealth," was his reply. "And if I release your children?" "Everything I possess." "And if I release your wife?" "Your Majesty, I will give myself." Cyrus was so moved by his devotion that he freed them all. As they returned home, the prince said to his wife, "Wasn't Cyrus a handsome man!" With a look of deep love for her husband, she said to him, "I didn't notice. I could only keep my eyes on you- -the one who was willing to give himself for me."
Unknown.
In this letter to the church at Thessalonica, we get a glimpse into what Church is supposed to be.
Of all the churches that Paul founded, and wrote to, the church at Thessalonica was one of the best.
Paul writes to the church at Thessalonica with encouragement, a desire to see them again, comforting them. Listen to these words from 1st and 2nd Thessalonians;
Let’s just take the outline of the book as an indication of how good the church was;
The church as it is supposed to be is:
1) a people of encouragement (1:2–10);
2) a people of self-sacrifice (2:1–12);
10 You are witnesses with God how holy, righteously, and blamelessly we behaved ourselves toward you who believe. 11 As you know, we exhorted, comforted, and implored every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12 to the end that you should walk worthily of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom and glory.
3) a people of controversy (2:13–16);
4) a people of joy (2:17–3:13);
5) a people of purity (4:1–8);
6) a people of work (4:9–12);
7) a people of clarity (4:13–5:11);
8) a people of unity (5:12–15);
9) a people of growth (5:16–22).
So, we’re going to look at these letters over the coming weeks, to discover “Church, as it is supposed to be.”
1st point- the church is supposed to be a people of encouragement, 2nd point is that the church is a people of self-sacrifice
Let’s pray
I. II. The church as it is supposed to be is a people of encouragement (1:2–10) Encouragement
How do we encourage each other in the church? Verse 1 through 10 give us an example from the relationship between Paul and this church, and between this church and other churches. It’s a symbiosis of encouragement.
3 ways that the church of Thessalonica encouraged and was encouraged; We covered them last week.
Lifting each other up in prayer, Reminding each other of our position, Exhibiting for each other a Right Pattern
2 We always give thanks to God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.
A. Reminding each other of our position—past, present, and future
4 We know, brothers[a] loved by God, that you are chosen, 5 and that our Good News came to you not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance.
B. Exhibiting for each other a Right Pattern
Let’s just look at how Paul was an example for the church in Thessalonica, and how they were examples, or patterns for other churches.
1. Paul to the church—his example
You know what kind of men we showed ourselves to be among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,
Paul set an example for the church in Thessalonica. He was their pattern for how to live the Christian life.
4 You became imitators of us and of the Lord,
Think of it. Paul told these people to follow his example. Hold it, you mean, I’m supposed to be an example to others in the church? Yes. Listen to what Paul said in 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 11:1 Be imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Well that’s kind of arrogant. We don’t say that. “Follow my example.” In fact, we’re more likely to say, “Don’t follow my example.” But he didn’t just say, “Follow my example.” He said “imitate me, as I imitate Christ.” He was the visual illustration of how to follow Christ. And that’s the right way of thinking about our example to each other.
As a pastor, I can say, “imitate me as I imitate Christ.”
That’s where we go astray. You say, “some pastor or church leader let me down, they went astray, so I’m leaving the church.” “I looked up to them.” You shouldn’t be looking up to them, you should look up to them, as they look up to Christ.
The church is a people of encouragement when they are examples of faith for each other. We are encouraged in our faith when we see others victories.
And I tell you what, this is one of the most encouraging things for me. Despite what you may have heard, I am not perfect. I feel like there are some things that I do well, and a lot of things that, well…not so well. Let me be frank with you. I can talk about the meaning of Scripture all day long, but if someone loses a loved one, I don’t always know what to say.
Denise knows that part better. Some others of you are great at that. And so, we get together as the Church, and hopefully you can look at me as an example of studying the Word, and I can look at you for an example of comforting people in their grief.
Some of you inspire me, because of your giving spirit, or your dedication to thankless labor. There are all kinds of examples for me in this Church. And that is what church is supposed to be; a people who encourage each other by their example.
So, we follow each others examples in church, but not blindly. We see a fellow Christian, we watch their life, and all the parts which are examples of following Christ we imitate. “Well what about the parts where they are not following Christ? Don’t imitate that.
4 You became imitators of us and of the Lord,
having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,
And the Thessalonian church then became an example to other churches
2. The Thessalonian church to other churches
so that you became an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has been declared, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone out, so that we need not to say anything.
The pattern of their lives became so well known, that word about them went ahead of Paul.
So, we saw what kind of example Paul set, what kind of example did the church of the Thessalonians set?
3 things-past, present and future
Paul tells
They were an example by how they came to faith in the past, how they continued in faith in the present, and how they looked forward to the future.
past
9 For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you, and how you turned to God from idols, 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
This is their past. They turned to God from serving idols. We shouldn’t devalue this. These people were choosing to follow a man they had never met. To turn away from polytheism, which was the theology of their culture. If they were God-fearers, they were even turning away from the synagogue. There was no 1st Baptist church. Many of their family and friends would at best call them fools, and at worst, disown or persecute them.
present
to serve a living and true God,
They were examples by their daily walk with the Lord.
And they were examples
10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead: Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.
They were living their lives…
1 John 3: 2 Beloved, now we are children of God. It is not yet revealed what we will be; but we know that when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure. 4 Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.
Paul was a pattern for them, they were a pattern for other churches, Christ is the pattern for us all. That is what the people of the church are supposed to be.
Church-a people of encouragement by pattern
Now before I leave this point, to go on to the church as a people of self-sacrifice, I want to deal with a doctrinal issue from verse 10.
pattern
10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead: Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.
Now, the reason that I want to focus in on this phrase is because of the way that many haven’t interpreted it. Paul is commending the believers in Thessalonica for their attitude of patiently waiting for Jesus’ return from heaven, and then it says about Jesus that He, “delivers us from the wrath to come.”
What does that mean? Well it’s commonly taught that it means that Christians won’t have to go through the Tribulation, that they will be “caught away” or raptured before it starts.
Now, many of you know that I believe that Christians will be raptured, “after the Tribulation.” ==Matthew 24
So, obviously I need to address this phrase in regard to interpretation.
The phrase says that Jesus “delivers us from the wrath to come.” Does that mean that Christians won’t go through the Tribulation? Well, in order to answer that we need to know two things; First, what does the word “delivers us from” (rhyomenon) means? And what is the wrath to come? (orges tes erchomenes) Let’s start with the second question; What is the “wrath to come?
Now it don’t matter a hill of beans to me if you agree with me about the timing of the rapture. You say before, I say after. But I do think that we need to be much more careful with the Word of God. This verse does not say that Christians will be taken out of this world before the Tribulation.
Is the wrath to come the Tribulation?
Does it say He delivers you by the rapture
That’s what I mean about being careful with the Word of God.
I just heard a preacher this week emphatically state that Paul was talking about the coming Tribulation when he said that these believers were delivered from the wrath to come, and this is a promise of a pre-trib rapture.
What is the wrath (anger of God over sin-expressed in judgment) to come? I will agree that the Tribulation is a part of it. A very small part.
But if you look up word “wrath” in relation to the wrath of God, it also has another bigger meaning; the judgment of God culminating in the eternal separation from God in Hell.
Hell is the final expression of the wrath of God.
John 3:36 36 One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys[a] the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
Romans 5: 8 But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God’s wrath through him.
Now, undeniably the Tribulation time can be called the time of God’s wrath, or judgment. The Tribulation displays God’s wrath and judgment, and Hell displays God’s judgment. So, in my opinion, this passage (Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come) is just saying that the people of God are saved from God’s judgment by Jesus’ atoning death. We won’t suffer God’s wrath in the Tribulation, or in eternity because of Jesus’ death.
1 Thessalonians 5: 9 because God did not appoint us to wrath, but to the acquiring of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
So, I usually get agreement up to this point. The “wrath to come” takes in all of God’s judgment.
But the second question we have to answer is, What does it mean that Jesus “delivers us” from the wrath to come? Let’s say that I concede the point. Let’s just go with “the wrath to come” being the Tribulation. What does it mean that Christians will be delivered, or rescued from the wrath to come?
Does it mean that He has to take you out of this world in order to rescue you? The answer is “no.” Let me illustrate. Let’s say that you’ve been shipwrecked out on the ocean. You are in a life raft. And to compound your bad state of affairs, you have a shark circling your raft. But you have a battery powered short wave radio, and you get through to me to tell me of your imminent danger. But I say to you, “Don’t worry, I will rescue you from the shark.”
So, you tell me, how can I rescue you? Maybe I’ve hijacked an alien spacecraft, and I swoop down and beam you up, and take you to their home planet. Would that be rescuing you from the shark? Yes How about if I just sent a cruise ship, or helicopter to pick you up? What if I flew by and shot the shark with a long-range rifle, or dropped that rifle into your raft, and you shot the shark. Did I rescue you from the shark? Yes So there’s more than one way to rescue you from a shark.
So, if, for the sake of argument, we agree that Jesus delivers us from God’s wrath, and we agree that God’s wrath here means the Tribulation. Does Jesus have to take us out of this world in order to rescue us from God’s wrath? No. He could rescue us like Lot was rescued from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, by getting us out of town before the destruction hit. He could rescue us like God rescued Elijah from the famine, by feeding us by birds, or multiplying flour and oil. He could rescue us like Noah, who didn’t leave the world, in order to be saved from the flood, but he was warned by God to prepare for that day of judgment, and then he had to ride on an ark for over a year, watching as the world was decimated. Or you could be delivered like it’s described in the Old Testament,
Psalm 91:6-8 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked
Now, does that mean that no Christian will die during the Tribulation-no-they may die by martyrdom, or natural causes-but not by God’s wrath.
If we all agree that God’s wrath will not be inflicted on Christians during the Tribulation, does that mean He has to take us out of the world, rapture us, in order to prevent our suffering the wrath of God? No.
Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the Lord’s anger.
They were a pattern by how they were converted, how they lived, and how they looked with anticipation for the return of their Lord who saved them from God’s judgment. They were encouraging by their pattern.