Sunday Sermon – August 24, 2025 – “A Convincing Conversion” – 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
August 24, 2025
A Convincing Conversion to Christ
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
August 24, 2025
Dr. Kelly B. Burton
Roughly twenty years after the resurrection and ascension of Christ, Paul penned the letter to the Thessalonians. Thessalonica was located on a protected bay in the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea. This favorable location led to the city’s growth, wealth, and importance. Paul’s first visit to the area is found in the Bible in Acts 17. When Paul preached the Gospel many people there gladly received Christ, but their friends and families were not so crazy about the change some of them made. This is why Paul wrote to them after he left. He wrote to encourage them as they received intense persecution for their new faith. To me this letter, more than any other of Paul’s thirteen letters, invites readers to feel the passion between a pastor and his church.
Sermon Idea: From the starting line to the finish line God shows us grace. Be quick to confess any sin and turn back to God.
1:1-5 God’s Gracious Work by the Power of the Holy Spirit
God chose them, called them, then awakened them by the power of the Spirit.
These verses describe the starting line of our faith.
1:6-10 A Living and True Conversion Eagerly Responds to God
Five convincing responses to God’s grace.
These verses describe the finish line of our faith.
