1 Thessalonians Sermon Podcast
How Christians live and relate to one another in the church directly relates to how effective they are in God's work and their continued sanctification. Many things can hinder sanctification, but none are more destructive than an unhealthy church and unhealthy relationships in the church.
This passage teaches three categories of instructions for how Christians are to live, relating to the leadership of elders, ministry to one another, and living according to the will of God.
Christians do not ignore God's coming judgment and wrath but, because of the redemptive work of salvation, have both a hopeful and sobering anticipation of the Day of the Lord.
The judgment of God is a terrible thing. For all the suffering and hardships of this world, nothing compares to being completely and eternally separated from God and His unrelenting wrath. It is unpleasant to think of such a terrible thing. It is unsettling to recognize that all those who have refused the Lord Jesus will fall under God's wrath. This unpleasantness and unsettling truth tempt some to ignore the reality of the coming of the Lord in judgment. However, the Day of the Lord is coming. God's judgment and wrath are sure, and though unpleasant, it is unwise and dangerous not to understand what the Bible teaches about these things.
How should Christians think about and respond to the coming Day of the Lord and God's judgment of the wicked? This passage teaches the church three ways to think about and respond to the coming Day of the Lord. Christians should think about and respond to the coming Day of the Lord by being confident in faith that the Day of the Lord is coming, live in preparation for the Day of the Lord, and be encouraged by what Jesus has done.
The hope of heaven and the promise of the second coming of Jesus change how you understand and experience the hardships of this world. There are many things you will never experience, but the Bible declares that until Jesus comes again, there is one thing that everyone will experience, and that is death.
Grief is the common bond between every generation, every culture, and every people group.
When confronted with death, it draws your attention to the big questions concerning eternity, entrance into heaven, and the judgment of God and hell. The Thessalonians were new Christians and had many questions, but their greatest concern was about the Christians who had died before Christ's return.
Paul writes these instructions to inform and encourage the church with God’s word. Confusion was causing them to worry and grieve, but Paul wanted them to be encouraged by the word of God. This passage teaches three ways that the word of God encourages and gives you hope.
Pastor Ben Smith preaches from 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 on how growing in brotherly love transforms your relationship with the saints, the direction of your life, and your testimony before the world. The transformation of the gospel has both a restrictive and empowering effect on your life. In the previous verse (1-8), the Bible declares that the transforming work of God in the lives of true Christians is to cause you to abstain from sexual immorality. Most read this only as something restrictive. However, in verse 4, the Bible teaches that Christians are able to abstain from sexual immorality because, through the empowerment of God, Christians have mastery over their bodies and are no longer controlled by the passion of lust like the world (5).
Building on this, verses 9-12 declare that the transforming work of God in the lives of true Christians enables you to love one another and that this love transforms everything about your life. This passage identifies three ways brotherly love transforms your life.
God’s will for your sanctification requires that you abstain from sexual immorality, possess your body in honor, and live holy before God.
We are living in a hyper-sexualized culture. It seems sexual perversion and sexual immorality are everywhere.
However, though the world may be full of sexual immorality, the command of God and the evidence of salvation is that Christians must abstain from sexual immorality. How, then, can you live sexually pure in a sexually perverse world? This passage teaches three requirements that you must do to live a life holy before God.
You must be saved. (1-3a)
You must be self-controlled. (3b-6)
You must be submissive before God. (7-8)
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The earliest disagreement I can remember having with my wife came in the early days of our courtship. We were both students at Shorter University and in the last year of our studies. Though we had known each other since our freshman year, we had only recently begun a serious relationship and were excited to spend as much time together as possible. I had invited Dana over to my apartment and was preparing a meal for her. The specifics of the meal have long since evaporated from my memory, but the particulars of our disagreement remain fresh. I had recently purchased a 4lbs. bag of sugar and was preparing to use the new sugar in whatever I was making. When I opened the sugar container, Dana noticed a singular black ant crawling across the top of the sugar. The building my apartment was in was an older building and thus the occasional bug was just part of living there. When Dana pointed out the little ant, I scooped it out and went on with my business of preparing food. Dana immediately protested and demanded that I throw away the entire container of sugar. I countered that the majority of the sugar was untouched by the ant and throwing out all of it would be wasteful. She contended that it was all contaminated by the presence of the little ant.
The story of Cliff Young has always fascinated me. If you have not heard of Cliff Young then let me tell you a story of how a 61-year-old farmer turned the professional running world upside-down.
In 1983, Australia hosted its ultramarathon, a 573.7-mile foot race from Sydney to Melbourne. This is a race that takes days to run, and professionals from all over the world came to participate. Shortly before the race began, a 61-year-old farmer named Cliff Young, wearing overalls and galoshes over his boots, walked up to the registration table and requested a number to enter the race. The people at the registration table thought it was a joke—that somebody was setting them up—so they laughed. But Cliff Young said, "No, I'd really like to run." So, they gave him a number and pinned it on his old overalls.
1 Thessalonians Sermon Manuscripts
21 sermon pulpit notes for preaching, teaching, and studying 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
12 sermons from 1 Thessalonians. 9 sermons from 2 Thessalonians.
Each sermon includes an outline handout and a fill-in-the-blank outline handout.
1 Thessalonians (12 Sermons)
1. An Example to the Believers, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
2. Please God, Not Man, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
3. A Good Testimony, 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12
4. Receive the Word, 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16
5. Stand Firm in the Faith, 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5
6. Encouragement of Faithfulness, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-17
7. Abstain from Sexual Immorality, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
8. Love One Another, 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
9. Encourage One Another, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
10. Ready for the Day of the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
11. The Will of God for You, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22
12. God is Faithful, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28
2 Thessalonians (9 Sermons)
Worthy of Thanksgiving, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4
The King is Coming, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
Testimony of Glory, 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Do Not be Alarmed, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Stand Firm, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
Trust and Obey, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
Church Discipline, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12
Faithful Endurance, 2 Thessalonians 3:13-15
Peace, 2 Thessalonians 3:16-17
Pulpit notes for preaching, teaching, and studying 1 Thessalonians.
303 pages
Page dimensions: 5.5 × 8.5 in
Twelve sermons from 1 Thessalonians.
1. An Example to the Believers, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
2. Please God, Not Man, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
3. A Good Testimony, 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12
4. Receive the Word, 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16
5. Stand Firm in the Faith, 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5
6. Encouragement of Faithfulness, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-17
7. Abstain from Sexual Immorality, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
8. Love One Another, 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
9. Encourage One Another, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
10. Ready for the Day of the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
11. The Will of God for You, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22
12. God is Faithful, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28
Pastor Ben Smith’s sermon pulpit notes for preaching 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10. The PDF file contains sermon notes, illustrations, and sermon outline handouts.
Pastor Ben Smith’s sermon pulpit notes for preaching 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8. The PDF file contains sermon notes, illustrations, and sermon outline handouts.
Pastor Ben Smith’s sermon pulpit notes for preaching 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12. The PDF file contains sermon notes, illustrations, and sermon outline handouts.
Pastor Ben Smith’s sermon pulpit notes for preaching 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16. The PDF file contains sermon notes, illustrations, and sermon outline handouts.
1 Thessalonians Sermon Books
Twelve sermons from 1 Thessalonians by Ben Smith. The 303-page booklet is plastic comb-bound, and each page is three-hole-punched so that individual sermons can be put in a three-ring binder.
Each sermon includes complete pulpit notes, an outline handout, a fill-in-the-blank outline handout, and reflection questions.
Page dimensions: 5.5 × 8.5 in
Booklet dimensions: 6.25 x 8.5 x 1 in
1. An Example to the Believers, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
2. Please God, Not Man, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
3. A Good Testimony, 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12
4. Receive the Word, 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16
5. Stand Firm in the Faith, 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5
6. Encouragement of Faithfulness, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-17
7. Abstain from Sexual Immorality, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
8. Love One Another, 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
9. Encourage One Another, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
10. Ready for the Day of the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
11. The Will of God for You, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22
12. God is Faithful, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28
Everyone who has been saved by God is being sanctified. God begins the work at the moment of salvation and continues the work until it is fully completed when he raptures the church.
The fundamental truth to understanding 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 is that God is the one who saves and the one who has, and is, and will completely sanctify every believer when he raptures the church. The church is a congregation of people who have been saved and are being sanctified. How are you, as those who have been saved and are being sanctified, to live in the present?
Paul concluded his letter with a prayer for sanctification, instructions for living faithfully, and a blessing of grace. All three of which teach how the redeemed are to live in the present.