1 Thessalonians 1:1 “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
This sermon from American Pastor J.D. Montieth explores Paul’s epistles to the Thessalonians in a new series titled The Word of the Lord. This sermon, the first in the series, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5 introduces the first epistle to the Thessalonians : “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy came to the Thessalonians with one voice declaring unto them the Word of the Lord. A threefold cord is not quickly broken, and as such, three believing servants of God, were a unified voice confirming the truth that would be revealed. In regards to establishing something as the truth, two or three witnesses are required.
“The reason that both the Father and Jesus Christ are mentioned, is because one cannot truly possess One, without possessing the Other. As God is seen and made visible through the Son, and no man can see the Father, but through the One sent to declare Him. Thus, it is impossible by biblical standards to hold one Member of the Trinity and not hold the Others. So that for a man to be truly saved, then all three Members of the Godhead—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—must be embraced. The great commission demands that men are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Simply because all three are divinely bound, and to truly believe in One, will lead to belief in the other Two.
“It is thus only when men take on the care and well-being of the people of God, that proves, that in their heart, they have true love for Him. So that if a man does not truly love the brethren, whom he can see, we know he does not love God, Whom he cannot. Ultimately, no man can properly be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, and have God as his Father, and lack the supernatural element of divine love in his heart. So that if there exists an absence of love, then there is also no true knowledge of God held. Teaching us, that without love, though men may claim they know the Lord, His Word tells us they really do not. Since any who love not, know not God, nor have any true relationship with Him. Just as love reveals that God is in men’s lives, its absence reveals that He is not.
“It is worthy of note, that a man’s faith in God is not the basis of God choosing him, but the result of it. Those then who ultimately believe, are those first selected by the Lord to be His own. What is true of Christians, is equally true of apostles and all other ministries in the Church. So that for any to properly and successfully function in Christian ministry, they need to be first chosen and ordained by Christ for their ministry.
“If a man has not spiritual power in his ministry, then you can know that God has not inspired it. If we learn anything in the study of Thessalonians, then let it be this, that the true gospel of Jesus Christ will always carry with it spiritual power, and not as many suppose, only words. What also separated the ministry of Christ from the pedantic and uninspired religion of the scribes and Pharisees, was that He taught as One having authority.
“As the Son of Man, Jesus has right over man, and as the Son of God, Jesus has right to that which is God’s. By then these two qualities of being both the Son of Man and the Son of God, Jesus Christ will reign the world. Hence, the Word of the Lord will always carry authority with it, simply because it is the Word of He, Who will one day rule all things, both in this world, and all other heavenly regions beyond it.”
This sermon was preached live in the In the Mouth of Two or Three Witnesses Series. Other sections of Scriptures highlighted in this sermon: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5.