Book of 1st Thessalonians: Introduction (Part A)

To obey God. We all aspire to those who, in the body of Christ are Christians who say this obedience is overdone, overrated, very likely that you are outside the faith. That's your approach. Obedience is critical amongst the believers I'm talking about not the unbelievers or Bibles.

They exist for us to be built up to Meech mate to be made better. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.

Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Thessalonians.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of first Thessalonians chapter 1 as he begins his introduction to this book. Well, we in introducing Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians.

This morning, but I don't know that were going to get to the first verse. So at the point where it said let's turn in our Bibles to first Thessalonians. Let's do that.

But I don't know how far we were going to get our Lord said blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled, but it is alarming to notice how many who say they are Christians appear to be too self-centered to benefit from the information that surrounds the events in Scripture.

So I'm saying is there are many who are claiming to be Christians, and I'm not disputing that weather they are not, but they come to church and they really looking just for an emotional hit to last them through the week and while there's nothing wrong with our emotions is something very wrong with them taking the lead. Especially all the time.

There is more to us than just feeling things about what Christ is done. He's trying to get our attention is trying to listen to me. I'm trying to talk to you.

I want to arm you, I want to build you up, I want to give you things that you would otherwise not have part for me and going to do that to the Scripture is matter of fact I'm going to raise up teachers who I'm going to used to do this they going to make important points and share insights that I first shared with them.

All of this to make you better serve me and if I could find a congregation interested enough in the things about my Scripture I get a lot done, but again so many don't give the Lord that chance never make it to that step. Just that had a bad week of had a bad day I'm having a bad time. I just want to hear about salvation and good things to come by. The one thing in this of course is something that Satan loves to take hold of. So when a man like me steps into the pulpit and says I want to introduce to you the Thessalonian letters should be a very exciting experience for all Christians me as a Bible teacher in preparation for this, going to do this. What how my going to approach it. What am I going to give to the congregation. Are they going to be engaged in benefit from what I don't know the answer to that, apart from seeking the Lord and responding to his promptings. When something points out the Scripture on the history belonging to the Scripture stands out and then I try to lock onto it and hopefully step into the pulpit and deliver it the way that I received it and so much rather than just simply feeling the wonderful things of Scripture. Let us learn to trust God and obey him. That's a problem big problem not as a problem for all of us because were born sinners and we will die. Sinners saved by grace but we still have this flash and it is a traitor. It is against everything that God is his forte is rebellious and the spiritist to subdue the flesh needs to duke it out to the end.

Well, to obey God. We all aspire to that. But those who, in the body of Christ are Christians who say this obedience is is overdone, overrated is very likely that you are outside the faith.

That's your approach. Obedience is critical amongst the believers I'm talking about, not the unbelievers or Bibles.

They exist for us to be built up to Meech mate to be made better when we have the communion we read that section. Often times in Corinthians were pulses let a man examine himself, to see whether or not he's in the faith. All of us need to do that. Take inventory from time to time with what where online now versus five years ago in Christ. What has changed. What is different about me. Well, if nothing else, let it be this. I'm still fighting to be a better believer to be more like Jesus. Let it at least be that much even if you cannot achieve the goals that you have anticipated. So, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. How that happened on this God disorders say let it be and it is so sometimes. But that's not how he does it on a day-to-day basis.

There are many things that are involved. It's not just one thing though it is one person, God always in control, but God begins to minister to us in very many ways but by one of the most important is to know the word of God have the word hidden in my heart to understand what he wants and not try to fill in the blanks of you ever taking an exam he did know the answers and if they had was multiple-choice to the fill-in and write about it, you done soon as you see that I can just go legal to something else.

But when you know when you know the answers you cannot wait to fill them in his want to look at that good on this one is me and you just go walk with all the little bit of that is what God wants from his people.

He wants us to fill in the blanks from a position of authority of faith and trust of familiarity with him.

So we read in first Corinthians from Corinth, the city of current Paul wrote the first Thessalonians letter from the city of current and again you think about the good churches in the New Testament the bad churches with some of the good ones were Antioch in Syria Philadelphia Thessalonian Philippi. There are a few others but those of the great churches that you want to belong to Smyrna great church my no one belong to the church.

They were telling the questions over there in Smyrna. But then there will a great many of the church that you know what, I don't think I want to attend that church on MSN and I believe is over there but I'm not going to well blame one on them a few low to see if Jerusalem church in Jerusalem. Big problems with legalism you couldn't make the break that easily. Sardis was another one.

The churches in the region of Galatia had a very hard time in the early phases Corinth, I don't want however you know they lacked no spiritual gift.

Paul said about the church in Corinth, but they also didn't like about Looney Tunes any kind of negation, Tweety Bird, Yosemite Sam, all of them were in that congregation as well as to know guys like us but Corinth was where the action was sticker cop on the beach.

You know me might you know what I want to beat out in the suburbs versus a guy and I want I want with the action is missing, what is that one is one is not what I'm saying is a Christian looking at the church at Corinth and then looking at the church about Philippi is always the actual cards certainly was it you wanted to apply your Christian faith, go to: but Philippi. What a wonderful church.

It was one of the four Macedonian churches mentioned in the New Testament, Philippi, Thessalonica, an accomplice and Maria, all of them good things came out of those churches and this Thessalonians letter. Both of them wanted to of course deals with this, but Paul also said what I never read from first Corinthians that I was going to do. At least I thought that I said it first Corinthians, God speaking through Paul to the flock at Corinth. He says God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ outlawed our Lord, you called into this fellowship with him partnership with Christ were talking about or answering my question.

How does God go about filling us. Now how does the fetus wanted when he says blessed are those happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they shall be filled.

The houses take place will step one.

God is faithful that understanding has to be a part of it that understanding that he also is the one that called us and not only is he called us to salvation. He's called us to co-labor to work with him to roll with him on board with him. He goes on in this first print the letter in the third chapter he says for we are God's fellow workers by speaking about men such as himself. Simon Peter Palos.

Those who are teaching with God's fellow workers and he says your God's field from which God intends to reach a heart will reap a harvest yet justice feel that he plows all the time that your Christian life is a field that is just constantly plowed is anything ever sewed them anything ever watered and nurtured is anything ever grow on it is the fruit is good fruit.

Well, that a man examine themselves were not free inspectors here from Katie sometime but we we we we we give the Lord is due he is sovereign.

We can change lives. Only he can change lives but we can talk about it.

That's what the world needs from us they need us to tell them about the one change lives and they need to see us in and it deep in it, not just saying. Well, he says, for we are God's fellow workers.

You are God's field, you are God's building. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11. This is another church that, for I would've loved to have belong to this church in her golden age that is before the second century kicked in, because by the time we get to the if the revelation in the letters of Jesus to this church in particular, he is saying you left your first love anybody here like that.

Started walking with Jesus, you enjoy to me loved on life got hard for one reason or another. Now you not so in love with him just sort of surviving waiting to cash in your chips is phrase goes Ephesians chapter 4, though this is the care that this church was of recipient of so many great Bible teaches here the apostle Paul Palos of John the apostle Timothy so many uses and he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastor teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry. That's what the pastors are supposed to do. The saints why so that they can minister effectively any continues for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ to make the body of Christ, robust, strong, even bodacious if see a church that the people really love the Lord.

They go they get dressed up. They really don't care about what's in the Scriptures is talking about the introduction to Thessalonians. Can you handle it or not, or do you come to church to get a Band-Aid on every single time. That's your plan forever or so I need Band-Aid to get hit, but I want also know how to dodge some of those things that hit me so I need the word God's desire that said, I like that I put it there.

I do all things good. I'm going to give you some man and they going to contribute to this so that when the body of Christ is big and bad world pays attention, but they don't have to like this, but they must respect us and that's what oftentimes doesn't happen, they don't like the church and they don't respect that that's the story of the woman rides the beast in Revelation. Finally, she is destroyed by the world. She represents the apostate church that will be here to the great tribulation.

To the end and wiped out because they didn't respect her nonuser respect are respected too much by your enemies and look for ways to take you out. That's what will happen to the two witnesses. Students who respected them killed. In fact, that is the story of Christianity when she is not upholding the righteous commission that she has received.

The world is not respect her persecutor anyway. When she does uphold the righteous things of Christ in the midst of the time and season of Satan's exaltation. She is still discrete sought to be destroyed and persecuted time of Satan's exaltation if it moves around like whether you know whenever there's a drought somewhere was raining somewhere else. Satan's exaltation. Sometimes, you know, for instance, in Nazi Germany Europe World War II Satan was exalted, but he wasn't exalted everywhere on earth and knowing when to the seasons come and go help the believer to understand okay this is where I am right now this is where I must minister and so during the times of peace.

The church preaches the gospel would during the times of persecution. The church bleeds out loud for the gospel. This is the case between the church at Philadelphia in Revelation 3 and the church at Smyrna. In Revelation 2 the church in Smyrna lived in a place where Satan was exalted church in Philadelphia did not have that problem out at the time. However go to with a trip to Philadelphia was located. Today, modern-day Turkey. You cannot preaches they preached a zombie waiting for you so the edifying of the body.

The body is supposed to be built up to do these things that are hopefully I've been communicating. It says till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by trickery of men, and cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting and that is so powerful because like he has. That's why I love the Scripture that is true. I believe that I experienced that I know it so I don't want to be tossed to and fro. Pastor, how do I stop. How do you stabilize me. I don't Scripture does hello does this go on. According to Ephesians 4 till we are in heaven. We see Christ is the pursuit of perfection.

Don't be afraid of that line, you know, you know, perfect home.

Not but I'm in it to be. That day is coming where I am shooting for him to say well done.

I want to hear Jesus say here, man has it, you did what about those failures. I cover those. That's why on the Lord is so first Thessalonians is a tease he is and go back to some historical stuff to set the stage. Having said all that, first Thessalonians deals with the coming of Christ as it impacts the church.

The first letter deals with Christ's coming as it impacts the church. The second letter deals with the coming of Christ as it impacts the world see the Lord is saying and can teach you some things here so you know where you're going, you know you are you won't have this identity crisis: I tell you who you are. Your blood bought center that's what you are a blood bought center and used by God, if you will allow me for what to build up the church to the extract from the world. Those who are in the world so that they too can be part of this edifying church that's Christianity in these two letters together provide the one to punch dealing with the church. First Thessalonians concerning the coming of Christ.

That's broad second Thessalonians, dealing with the coming of Christ as it impacts the world that is in times and so God is taken the time and the pain and there is pain in it for him to declare his word. Step one and then to preserve it.

Step two. Declaration of the word was not nearly as difficult as the preservation of the word from our standpoint. These are lessons for us.

So with that with those opening remarks we now consider some of the introduction historical background to the city itself. Well, about 300 years before Christ. One of Alexander the great's generals Sander married the stepsister of Alexander the great. And as they did in those days when the conquered places they do.

They name do whatever they wanted. The name and he named it after Alexander's sister sister sister Lulu New York coming out there so you know you can always tell a person with her from when you get them excited. Just try to turn down a notch vessel Nike that was her name and the city is Thessalonica and today it is modern file on Nikki one of the ways to pronounce it.

It's still there. It's big, it's a thriving city almost a million people in one of the largest cities that part of the world and in the second largest noncapital in that Baltic area of the world. Major seaport. To this day, thriving city, as I mentioned, and it's it's interesting how would you like to be today Pastor of St. Carol Chappell Thessalonica with love that anytime someone will write to you would be to the church.

Thessalonica okay anyway, gettinga pastor joke half right. Well the biblical background, though that's just you know the basic information as to the city then and this is in contrast to say place like cog policy will be studied last week was a study on them last week that this still just a mound. A hill is nothing there.

No one has Doug Coliseum, but Thessalonica is there to this day, and I and some of the ancient ruins or are being worked on by archaeologists also. Well, as I mentioned, is one of the four churches that we know about in that region of the world at that time will apply first church in Europe Philippi.

That's where Paul you know he was in Turkey received this vision a Macedonian come on over and preach to us. And Paul goes over there and establishes the first church in Europe.

Philippi and then Nick Coppola's is where he wintered vacation there and you know that a lot of preaching. I wasn't too far from Philippi, Thessalonica, than Berea, where he was chased to from Thessalonica and the also be chased out of Berea and ends up in the Athens and it will cover some of that because it is is I think it's rich with information that is going to mean something not just news. You know, sitting at a Bible study without anointing is just one of your your child of God's anointing that I don't think you know if you can avoid it. You young scholars in college and they offer the Bible as literature or they offer anything on the Bible skip that you don't need to hear from them.

Look, we don't teach civil engineering.

For example, Aurora quantum physics at and argue glad and we don't want them teaching about our God and use a believer should know that unless you are in extracting being inserted your you know what you called with a call when the news reporters are embedded if you go to some taken is because of who sister this now kicked the hornet's nest of so to speak, then you will have at it. But if it's like what can I learn what's wrong with you, not saying you gonna charge for that.

But back to this, you know you said in the Bible study with no anointing as this information is nothing if the Heartbreakers they don't even know they have in their hands. But if you go to an anointed Bible study than than the word sounds forth and you recognize that you want more you want to spread it. I remember being first time I went to a church that really dealt with the word of God.

I could remember sitting in the pew statistics amazing.

I want to sit here, take it all and I want to go through every book of the Bible with this group of believers, but at the same time take it somewhere. Also tell somebody else that you can learn the Scripture and mean something that no man could have ever compiled such a record is this so this church in Thessalonica was started when Paul went out the second time to the first time he goes out you know they're in the church in Antioch in Syria. The Holy Spirit is a separate report of Paul and Barnabas may send them out and they go around the start churches they come back to Antioch and then after while pulses we need to go follow up on these new churches that God has allowed us to plan for him and so they get into this big argument over who's going and who's not.

And so they split up and Paul takes a man with him name Silas Silas was one of the officials sent from the church in Jerusalem to oversee the announcement to the Gentiles that they did not have to be Jews to be Christian in the came to light pole and respect stay with you, going back to get Gentiles getting saved Jews getting say this is the place to make impulsive wellness and I'm going to some places and going deep inside Gentile territory.

Are you any outside as I'm with you. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of first Thessalonians cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry.

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