THANKSGIVING TO GOD

1 Thessalonians 1:3-4

3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love
all of you have for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and
faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

Introduction: (on the 2nd Thessalonians)

Pau wrote this letter probably a year after the 1 st Thessalonian were written, still AD 51, this was written to correct the false
teaching on the second coming of Jesus Christ but before he addresses this issue, Paul appreciated the Thessalonians because
of their faith.

In here, Paul expresses his thanksgiving to God because the Thessalonian believers are growing/excelling even in
persecutions and trials. In what area are they growing? As we have read, they are excelling in faith & love.

We are encouraged as Christians leaders to express thanksgiving to God for believers who continually excel/grow in their
faith to God and love for each other and testify it to others. From the word rightly so or ought to in other version the Greek
word meaning “opheilo” expresses the idea of a personal obligation to acknowledge the good thing in the lives of the people
under you.
Believers must continually excel or grow in faith & love and continually persevere amidst trials and persecution…..

There are 2 reasons why Paul expresses/offers his thanksgiving to God…….

….first he offer thanksgiving for the Faith of Thessalonians believers

I. EXCELLING IN FAITH v3
-means here faith is growing more and more
-from the Greek word “huperauxano” means to increase beyond measure, grow exceedingly

-Paul have said this because he saw that their faith to God is excelling/abounding comparing from when they first
receive the Gospel as it was said in 1 Thessalonians 1, the Gospel that came to them is not merely words but with
power, with the Holy Spirit and conviction and they welcomed this message amidst persecution they are suffering
and still even they are facing persecutions but there is progress in their faith, they are growing in short they are
maturing….
Why?
 Faith here in Greek is “pistis” from “peithô means "persuade, be persuaded" – properly, persuasion
(be persuaded, come to trust); faith.

 We know that faith is always a gift from God and never something that can be produced by people,

 Faith always received from God, and never generated by us. It is the work of God and not man.
As it says in…..
Romans 12:3: "For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly
of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each
a measure of faith (4102/pistis)" (NASU).

Ephesians 2:8,9: " For by grace you have been saved through faith (4102/pistis); and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast" (NASU).

Why they excel in their faith? Its because their faith comes from God, surely if their faith comes from men, they will
give up easily.
 For us believers today, are we same with the Thessalonian believers who are excelling in their faith to God even they
are surrounded with harships/troubles. Sa konting problem ana nga lng madali tayung nasu sway to the point of
telling “ayoko na”. Lets try to reflect and evaluate ourselves. Where our faith comes from?

….second he offer thanksgiving for the Faith of Thessalonians believers

II. EXCELLING IN LOVE v3

-their love for one another is increasing
 Increasing in Greek word is “pleonazo” means to abound abundant

 Love in Greek “Agápē” – properly, love which centers in moral preference, agápē focuses on preference;
from the word “agapao” in antiquity (ancient time) meant "to prefer". In NT “agape” typically refers to
divine love (what God prefers).

 This is a command from God

John 13:34-35
34 I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also
love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one
another.”

Love is from God

1 John 4:7-8
7 Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and
knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Message heard from the beginning….

1John 3:11
11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we are to love one another;

 This is an answered prayer for Paul because he prayed in 1 Thessalonian 3:12

 Why they excel in their love for each other? Its because their love comes from God, surely if their love
comes from men, they will not love their brother in Christ.
 For us believers today, are we same with the Thessalonian believers who are excelling in their love to one
another. Do we love all the believers around us or those who are lovable only. Are we expressing love to
one another, or do we persecute one another? But let us not mis understood when somebody is teaching or
rebuking you bec that is one way of showing love to make our action right…amen! Lets try to reflect and
evaluate ourselves again.

….as a result of their growth, Paul boast about the Thessalonians believers among God’s Churches, in short they become a
model/example among believers

III. RESULT OF EXCELLING IN FAITH & LOVE v4

-boast among God’s other Churches/believers
- EXAMPLE AMONG GOD’S other CHURCHES
 before presumably the church in Achaia/Macedonia, others boast about them…lets read in….
I Thessalonians 1:7-9
7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you
not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to
 say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to
God from idols to serve the living and true God,

 but in here Paul restates this ground with difference, Paul speaks now of their perseverance

a. Perseverance
-in Greek “hypomonḗ” from hypó, "under" and ménō, "remain, endure" – properly, remaining under,
endurance; steadfastness, especially as God enables the believer to "remain (endure) under" the
challenges He allots in life.

b. Faith
-in Greek word “pistis” means trust in this context

 In their circumstances they had trusted God and persevered, in all the trials and persecutions they had, they
were enduring, the persecutions were a recurring/repititive problems in this church.
 Trials here in Greek is “thlipsis” means pressures that we human beings are subject in this present evil age.
 But let not trials & persecution separate us from God as it says in

Romans 8:35
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or
nakedness or danger or sword?

 But let trials & persecution strengthen us

2 Corinthians 12:10
10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.

May we continue to trust God and persevere in all the trials and persecutions we are enduring/suffering
Persecution is part of our life…as we received and believed Him
1 Timothy 3:12
12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

Matthew 5:10-12
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you
because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.

IV. CONCLUSION
-if you have notice the Thessalonian believers excel/grow in their faith to God (Vertical) and excel in their love to
one another (Horizontal) and as a result of their growth they become an example to other believers in their
perseverance and faith in all the trials and persecutions they are facing.
May this be a challenge to us, to continually grow in our faith (Vertical) and Love towards others (Horizontal) which
will result to perseverance and strengthened faith in all areas of our life that we are facing each day…amen!