Receiving the Word as God's Word (I Thessalonians 2:13)

Children's Lesson (click here) 

I. Identity of the Entity

This is what you might hear if you answered that call or listened to that new voicemail message:

“This call is to inform you that the IRS is filing lawsuit against you. To get more information about this case file please call immediately on our department number: [then a phone number is provided] I repeat [phone number provided again]. This matter is very serious emergency and we are calling you from investigation team of IRS. Thank you.”

Most of you will recognize that transcript (or something like it) from those seemingly inescapable 'robocalls', the ones that all of us have had to endure for many years. Now, most people today are aware of scams like this. But think with me for a moment about why this kind of scam has worked in the past, and sadly, continues to work with some today. The effectiveness of this particular scam is directly linked to the supposed identity of the entity leaving you a message. If it's really the IRS communicating with you, then you really should respond, right? If the 'robocall' simply said, “Hey, this is Lou from Tri-City Tax Consultants”, you would probably be, and rightly be, less concerned about the consequences of not responding to that message.

Two-thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul touched on this same topic in I Thessalonians 2. No, he wasn't writing to disciples of Jesus in Thessalonica about robocalls. He was writing about the identity of the entity leaving them a message. Turn there if you haven't: I Thessalonians 2, v. 13.

II. The Passage: “When You Received the Word” (2:13)

Thessalonica was a city in northern Greece, an area historically known as Macedonia. You can read about Paul and Silas's ministry in this city and the establishing of this particular church in Acts 17. This letter, I Thessalonians, was probably written not long after Paul and his team were, for their own safety, sent away from the city. Listen to what Paul writes in 2:13...

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

So the identity of the entity that was leaving (or sending) the Thessalonians a message was God himself. He was so doing so through the words of Paul and Silas. But their words were ultimately God's words. That's why Paul is so grateful here: the converts in Thessalonica recognized who was ultimately speaking to them.

So what was this “word of God” communicated through, but far bigger than “the word of men”? Well, just look back to 2:9, “...we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.”

Similarly, back in 2:2, Paul testifies “we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God...” Verse 5 of chapter 1 also affirms this. The Good News these men and women had received was received as the Good News of God; that it, it was accepted, not as a wonderful expression of human storytelling or human wisdom, but as a declaration from God himself.

But here's the question I want us to spend some time on this morning: If the Thessalonians recognized his message as God's message, how did Paul recognize that they recognized the message in this way?

Well, thankfully, we don't have to speculate about an answer. Paul himself provides us with not one, but two answers to that question. If we move to the next verse, we discover that...

1. Their Acceptance was Evident from Their Endurance (2:14)

Paul seems to say, “How do we know that you accepted our message as God's message?”...

[2:14] For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews...

Paul made this same point in the previous chapter. Look back at 1:6-7:

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word (!) in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, [7] so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia (northern Greece) and in Achaia (southern Greece).

Paul accepted this is as powerful evidence of their beliefs about the gospel because Jesus himself had taught that such suffering, that “much affliction”, would ultimately expose false faith:

As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. (Matthew 13:20–21)

I think we all know there are certain people in certain circumstances who will appear to accept the gospel, especially when it's 'easy' to do so. What do I mean by “easy”? I mean that it costs them nothing in real life. They make a confession around people who urge them to do so and celebrate them when it's made. They are told their faith is a private matter, and not a new lens and catalyst for change in their public life. They confess Jesus as Lord, but maybe there is no expectation that they will actually follow him as Lord, especially in those areas that require genuine sacrifice and a radical, non-conformity to the world's way of doing things.

But as in so many places, in so many generations, the faith of the Thessalonians was tested by temptations to give up and give in to a world that ultimately hates the truth. Paul understood this, and because his time with these new believers was short, he was worried. Look at 3:3–5

For you yourselves know that we are destined for this [for suffering]. [4] For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. [5] For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.

But as we heard in our main verse, in 2:13, the Thessalonians had accepted God's word about the suffering of Christ and God's word about the suffering of those who follow him. And that faith was clearly evident from their endurance in the face of such affliction. But Paul also tells us...

2. Their Acceptance was Evident from Their Worship (1:9-10)

This is what Paul tells his readers about reports from other churches in the region [1:9–10]...

For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, [10] and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

What these individuals believed about the word was clear from the seismic shift in their worship. It's one thing to endure persecution. But it's quite another to give up your gods.... the gods on whom you've grounded your entire spiritual and earthly well-being; the gods you sought for rain and romance and prosperity and the welfare of your community. But that's exactly what the Thessalonian believers had done. And that radical and revolutionary change was so evident, that churches throughout Greece already knew their story by the time Paul visited them.

Of course, the acceptance evident from their endurance was vitally connected to the acceptance evident from their worship. In many cases, giving up one's gods is the very thing that incites animosity from those who still serve those gods. More importantly, it was the focus of their worship that fueled their faithful endurance. Look again at 1:9-10. When you have trusted in news of a “living and true God”, of a Savior who has beaten death, of a King who will come for you, of a Redeemer who was delivered over to wrath for your sake, that He might deliver you from ultimate wrath, when you have worshipfully given your heart to that God, you are able to stand firm in the face of any affliction. Just listen again to our main text....

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

God's word really was at work in these believers, and Paul was incredibly thankful for that fact.

III. How Do You Accept the Word?

But what about you? Have you and do you receive the message of the gospel, the testimony of all Scripture, as a message from God himself? Think for a minute about the very subtle and alternative ways we can accept the Bible and the Bible's central message, the gospel:

• We can accept it simply as the supreme moral compass; as the authoritative repository for the traditional or 'family' values with which we were raised, or which we've adopted for ourselves and our families. 

• We can also accept the gospel simply as a kind of secret handshake, and the Bible simply as a community manual. Or to put in another way, the key to acceptance in a particular community, and our guidebook for navigating that community. 

• We might also accept this message simply as theological (or maybe philosophical) ammunition to fight our political and/or ideological opponents in some culture war. 

• Some accept the Bible simply as a token of family identity and connection. Maybe you learn it and use it because that's what good people in your family do and have always done. To neglect the gospel or the Bible would be to neglect your family heritage. 

• And still others accept it simply as a self-help manual. Its stories, its poetry, its wisdom, its role models have proven to be extremely helpful in navigating hard relationships, or calming your nerves, or managing your temper, or in some other way, providing helpful guidance for your journey of personal healing and personal fulfillment. 

• The more religious version of that last example is accepting the Bible as, not simply as a self-help manual, but a self-salvation manual. Like so many of Jesus' religious opponents, Scripture can be accepted and revered as a ladder that helps us work our way up to God through mastery of the knowledge it contains and obedience to its rules. 

• Finally, we can accept the gospel, and the Bible as a whole, simply because it serves our agenda of self-promotion. We see in its content a kind of social capital. Knowing the word becomes an important skill in our quest for personal success in religious circles.

Brothers and sisters, friends, it's important that I stress again just how subtle these perspectives can be. They are often deeply embedded in the hearts of many solid church-goers, morally upright community members, regular givers, and zealous defenders of the faith. And yet, these do not actually belong to Jesus because they did not accept the gospel as God's word. As we read in Hebrews 11:6, “...without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

BUT please remember, all of these subtle and alternative appraisals of the word can tempt even the healthiest Christian. Paul's words here should challenge us and equip us, because all of us can slip into these same mindsets. Again, that trap may not be obvious to us, but its influence will be evident from how we approach the word. How can you know if you've received and are receiving this word as God's own word? Just remember the example of the Thessalonian believers: you will find yourself pressing forward in the face of affliction, and... you will find yourself pressing forward in that call to give up your gods. If that's the kind of life that you want to experience more and more, that affliction-enduring and worship-reforming kind of power, than let me suggest two simple application points:

First, pray about your assessment of the word. Even if it turns your life upside down, ask God to help you see the truth about your relationship to the Bible: do you treat it like a religious text- book or like His book? What matters most to you, that it's inspiring or inspired? Are you ultimately looking for some practical advice or listening for His powerful voice? Or maybe God's word sits collecting dust in your room, while lesser entities have your full attention. Amazingly, Jesus Christ died for word-neglecting people like us. His grace is abundant, even for those who turn other voices into idols. Confess these things to Him. Seek the change God loves to give.

Second, every time you pick up the word, or receive Scripture from a friend, or hear it in a sermon, or read it in a book or blog, simply ask yourself, what would I do if I heard this same word declared to me right now by a voice from heaven, or from a burning bush, or in a dream I knew was more than a dream, or from Jesus Christ himself? Would I think about it differently?

Would I respond to it differently? Brothers and sisters, friends, we aren't talking about whether or not the IRS is really calling you. We're talking about whether or not your Maker, the uncaused Cause that gave rise to every single thing in all creation, we're talking about whether or not God the Almighty, all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere-present, whether or not God, the “judge of all the earth” (Genesis 18:25), God, the “Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:9); the great “I am” (Exodus 3:14), we're talking about whether or not that God, the true and living God, is really calling you; communicating with you; guiding you; correcting you; enlightening you; loving you through his word. If He is, then it changes everything. In this same letter, think about just one more way Paul drives home this idea. 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8...

For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. [8] Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Have you become so familiar or comfortable with the Bible that you've forgotten who it is speaking to you through its words? Or have you become so distracted by or enamored with the voices of the world that you're coming to the Bible simply to find what you want it to say and not what the living God is actually saying? Is our heart here at Way of Grace to get you into the Scriptures daily? Yes! But even more important than that is reminding you to receive that daily word, to recognize that daily word for what it is: not “the word of men”, but “the word of God”.

Again, thanks be to God that Jesus Christ died for word-neglecting or word-minimizing people like us. Only through Christ can we hear this word for what it truly is. The Word who was God (John 1:1) took on flesh (John 1:14) that those in the flesh might hear his word as the word of God himself. He died for our spiritual deafness, and lives that we might truly hear! Amen? Let's give thanks to Him now, asking him to help us every time we encounter the word; that we might depend on Christ, in light of his grace, that we might always stop before read it or hear it, and recognize the word for what is, and, as a result, that we might respond to God's word as those who love him, fear, him worship him, and want to glorify him.