Let the Lord's Message Ring Out
1 Thessalonians 1v8-10
9th July 2021
Paul, Silas and Timothy began their first letter to the church in Thessalonica with many very encouraging words. They continue this by writing:
1 Thessalonians 1v8a
The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia — your
faith in God has become known everywhere.
The city of Thessalonica was situated on the Ignatian Way, a major land route linking the East and the West. It was also on the Aegean Sea, allowing trade with ports around the world. News of what happened in Thessalonica would travel far, and it would travel quickly. But the transmission of the Gospel still required the church to tell people the truth about Jesus.
Paul says the message of Jesus "rang out" from the church in Thessalonica. The 4th-century bishop known as St John Crystostom, said that Paul was likening the preaching of the Gospel to "the sound of a loud trumpet". Paul says that, in the mere two years of that church's existence, their faith in God was known all over Greece, and beyond: everywhere, in fact. Paul and his friends had taught them well.
A church that accepts New Testament teaching, and holds onto its joy, even in the midst of suffering, can achieve great things for God.
1 Thessalonians 1v8b-9a
…Therefore we do not need to say anything about it,
for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us.
When Paul and his colleagues visited a new town, they didn't need to tell the people there about the church at Thessalonica. In every town, the people already knew about the Thessalonians, and they would tell Paul about their faith in Jesus, and how warmly they received the apostles and their message of salvation. In Athens, in Corinth and elsewhere, wherever Paul and his friends went, they were greeted by people who wanted to talk about the church of the Thessalonians. This is what they heard:
1 Thessalonians 1v9b-10
…They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true
God,
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead — Jesus,
who rescues us from the coming wrath.
The Thessalonians, and some of us, once worshipped idols, but now they, and we, worship God. Unlike the idols they used to revere, the God we worship is living and true. Their old gods were dead things, but the true God is alive. He's real, whereas theirs were imaginary. And our God is true in another sense. The idols were - and are today - as it were, masks worn by demons, lying spirits sent by Satan to hurt and deceive. The true God is 100% honest, and comes to bring truth and healing.
The Thessalonians didn't just worship God; they served God. They didn't just honour Him in songs and prayers; they get on with the job of propagating the Good News, as we must.
The Thessalonians had learnt to wait for Jesus Christ, the Son of God. While they and we serve God in the here-and-now, we confidently expect Jesus to return to and fulfil all the prophecies about the perfection of the kingdom of God. The kingdom is growing on earth all the time, but we nevertheless wait for it to be perfected when He returns. What an amazing day that'll be!
The Thessalonians knew and proclaimed the truth of the Resurrection - that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. This is the key to the Gospel. Jesus is alive! He died to pay for our sins, and He rose again to prove that we're forgiven, eternally accepted by God and adopted as His people.
And they knew that Jesus rescues us from the coming wrath. The Day of Judgement is definitely coming. One day, all sinners will stand before the throne of God. And we're all sinners. Some of us are forgiven, justified, washed clean, accepted, through faith in the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Nobody else is forgiven. That's why the Thessalonians sent the Good News of Jesus around the world. That's why every church, including ours, should do all it can to follow their example, and tell people about Jesus.
And when we give thanks to God in prayer, let us remember to thank Him because we're saved from the coming wrath. God is the perfect judge of all the earth. He will ensure perfect justice is done. Somebody will pay for every wrong thing I've done, or said, or thought. Either that will be Jesus, or it will be me. There is no third option. Praise and thanks be to God that Jesus has already paid the penalty for all my wrong doing, wrong speaking and wrong thinking, and all yours. Praise and thanks be to God that we will never have to pay the price for our sins.
Let's tell this wonderful Good News to as many people as we possibly can.