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Resounding Faith | Transforming Lives

September 8, 2024
1 Thessalonians 1:1-8

1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

2We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

4For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

8For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.

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Purpose

To discover and experience Jesus Christ in our midst

To cultivate mutually encouraging relationships

To participate in God’s mission to the world 

Opening Prayer

Keep your Church, Lord God, with your perpetual mercy, and because the frailty of man without you cannot but fall, keep us always under your protection, and lead us to everything that makes for our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Responsive Prayer — Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

And his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;

His steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Summary and Connection

This study is about how we catch the gospel and pass it on to others — or, as John Stott would explain it, “God’s plan for ongoing evangelism through local churches.” As he opens his letter, Paul commends the Thessalonians (who are relatively new Christians) for their faith, love, and hope in Jesus. Their beautiful response to the gospel has itself become a proclamation of the gospel to the surrounding areas. We just launched a sermon series called Resounding Faith, and we want to begin by asking: How does this happen? How do we catch the gospel? How does the gospel change us? Finally, how does the gospel go out?

Discussion Questions

1. Looking at the Bible

Observation: Read the passage privately. What does the text say? What is the theme of this passage? Do you notice any keywords?

In verse 3, notice the classic triad of faith, love, and hope. Think about how Paul uses these.

  • What does he mean by a “work of faith”?
  • What does he mean by a “labor of love”?
  • What does he mean by “steadfastness of hope”?

2. Looking at Jesus

At Central we believe that all of Scripture points to Jesus. In other words, Jesus is the theological center of the Bible. Every passage not only points to Jesus, but the grand narrative of the Bible also finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus.

Reread verse 6.

  • How did Jesus model joy in affliction in his life?
  • What gave Jesus joy?

3. Looking at Our Hearts

Reread verses 4-8 again. According to these verses:

  • What does it mean that we are chosen, as individuals and as a people?
  • How does Paul say that we can know we are chosen? 

4. Looking at Our World

Reread verses 7-8. According to these verses:

  • How does the gospel go forth from a local church?
  • How does the gospel we believe relate to the faith other people see in us? 

Sending

God’s word is a lamp to our feet. Christ’s teachings are a light to our path. May God’s word take root in our lives. May Christ’s love nourish and sustain us. Amen.

  • View Study Guide Notes

    Question 1: “Faith” is a whole-life trust in Jesus and in the good news that he has come to save us. Faith has an emphasis on the past. “Love” is affection toward God and neighbor. Love has a present focus. “Hope” keeps us steady in an uncertain world. Hope is future-oriented. Now, everyone has a faith, has affections, and is counting on one hope or another to keep them grounded. But notice, for the Christian, that all three of these — faith, love, and hope — are “in our Lord Jesus Christ.” In him we have faith. In him we have love to share. In his final return we place our ultimate hope.

    Question 2: Paul commends the Thessalonians for imitating both him and Jesus in the way that they “received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” Elsewhere, many times, Paul urges his listeners to “imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor 4:16; cf 2 Thess 3:7; Gal 4:12; Phil 3:17, 4:9). The overwhelming joy of the good news that we are loved in Jesus and that he is one day returning to complete his renewal of us and the whole creation. And in particular, we ought to remember what Hebrews 12:2 says about Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” What gave Jesus joy? Making peace between God and man, sealing the promises of grace, and fulfilling his role as savior. In a word, saving us is Jesus’ joy.

    Question 3: To be “chosen” or “elect” is a doctrine with which many people in our culture struggle. It makes sense: Our time and place puts a high priority on freedom, the individual, and choices. But is it fair that we have choices, and God, who is far greater and wiser than we are, does not? The Bible’s answer is that, of course, God has choices, and he exercises his choices for our good — which is just another way to describe grace. And Paul says that we know we have received grace because we are “loved of God” (verse 4), we respond in faith (verses 5-6), and we are assured as a community (verses 7-8). These three ways of knowing give us a multi-dimensional assurance that we have been chosen by grace.

    Question 4: Another approach to this question is an application of our earlier questions: How do we live as a chosen people? What does it mean that we live and work with faith, love, hope, and joy in affliction? We are called to show the world how much we rely on the good news that we believe. Or, as Paul S. Jeon writes, “Do we desire to see the gospel go forth everywhere? Then we must be equally serious about living intentionally for the sake of others so that they too will receive the gospel with much conviction” (Living Intentionally Before God).