The Pattern of the Saints

We have been working through the patterns that we are to follow as we walk as disciples of Christ. We first saw that we are to follow the pattern of OT Israel in their witness and warning. Last week we saw that we are to follow the pattern of the Apostles in their walk and waiting.  If you notice, that encompasses the whole of the Bible, and that is typically where a discussion of discipleship stops. We usually think, well, discipleship is just reading your Bible and doing what it says. But, that isn’t where the Bible stops when talking about discipleship. There are other patterns or examples that the Bible encourages us to follow. One such example is that of the saints. Now, in using that word, I recognize that it comes with some baggage from the way it is used in the Roman Catholic Church and pop-culture. The word “saint” has come to mean “someone who is especially righteous or gifted with special spiritual gifts.” But, that is not what the NT means by this word. The word is from the Greek, “hagios”, which means “holy one”, and it is used to refer to anyone who has trusted in Jesus Christ. Consider the way Paul uses it in 1 Cor. 1:2 – “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Did you catch that? Paul says that a saint is anyone who “calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” We are saints (holy ones) if we have trusted in Christ. But, that faith looks like something. That faith in Christ can be seen by others. It’s seen by others in the moment of baptism. It’s seen by others when we persevere through hardship, trusting the Lord to provide. It’s seen by others when we witness to Christ. So, faithful saints serve as examples or patterns that we are to follow. 

I’m sure you all can think of people who impacted your faith, people who were such powerful witnesses of the Lord that you wanted to be like them. People who taught you how to pray, how to read your Bible, how to raise your children, and how to live faithfully in the world. This morning, we are going to consider the patterns that faithful saints set for us, and the patterns we are to set as we live as saints in this world. I want you to understand that the disciple follows the pattern of the saints in the evidence and effects of their faith. To see that, let’s read 1 Thes. 1:2-10.

First, I want you to understand that we are to follow those saints that have gone before us because of the evidence of their faith. In verses 2-6, Paul praises the Thessalonian Christians because of the evidence of their faith. Notice five evidences of their faith. In verse 3, we have three of those evidences listed in one sentence: “your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope.” One evidence of sainthood is the work of faith. This evidence addresses a common misconception about faith. It is popular in our day to believe that someone can have faith without ever evidencing it in a changed life. There are thousands upon thousands of people on the church roles who came down the aisle at a VBS or revival, but who never evidence true faith because they have not evidenced good works that match that faith. Now, I want to be clear in saying this. Salvation is by faith alone. We are not saved by our works. We cannot earn our salvation through good works. But, as Martin Luther said, “Salvation is by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone.” True saving faith is a faith that is visible to others through a changed heart that produces good works. In Matt. 5:16, Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” So, the light of the Gospel is evident in our good works. Ephesians 2:8-10 says that we are saved by grace through faith, “for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand.” So, yes, we are saved by grace through faith, but we are saved to good works. James 2:17 says, “So faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” In that passage, James explains that faith is evident through the work it produces. If we say that we believe and follow Jesus, but then we don’t actually show any evidence of that belief in our lives, how can we say that we really believe?

The second evidence of sainthood is the “labor of love.” The word Paul uses here for labor means pain or trouble. He is speaking particularly of a trial of persecution. So, saints endure persecution out of love for Christ.

The third evidence of sainthood is the “steadfastness of hope.” To be steadfast is to endure or to be patient as we wait on the Lord. Rom. 8:25 says, “If we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.” Saints are those who wait on the Lord to fulfill his promises in Jesus Christ.

We find the fourth evidence in verses 4-5. Paul says that he knows without a shadow of a doubt that God has chosen them because they didn’t just receive the Gospel in word, but also in power and conviction. They didn’t just hear the words of the Gospel and tolerate it. Nor did they just give mental ascent to it. They were convicted by the Gospel, and that conviction changed who they were.

The last evidence of sainthood is in verse 6. Paul says that these saints became imitators of the apostles. They imitated those who modeled a life of faith. In Hebrews 6:12, the writer tells us that we should do this very thing: “be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the kingdom of God.”

Now that we’ve seen the evidence of a saint, let’s consider the effects of a saint in verses 7-10. In verse 7, Paul says that the evidence of faith that the Thessalonians lived out has served as an example to other believers throughout the region. Notice the effect that these saints had on other believers. Paul says that the word has sounded forth from them. This idea of sounding forth means two things. For one, the Thessalonians were faithful in supporting the missionary efforts of Paul. They gave to support his ministry, and they showed hospitality to him and other ministers of the Gospel. Not only that but notice that the testimony of their faith was so strong and well known that Paul says they don’t even have to say anything when they go to a new town. Wow! Imagine that, for a moment, the testimony of the good works and faith of Antioch West, or Butler Baptists, or Southern Baptists, was so strong that missionaries who go to other countries don’t even have to introduce the Gospel because people have already heard about the power of the Gospel in the lives of believers here! Imagine that, instead of making excuses for the way American Christians behave and compromise, missionaries had people lining up to receive Christ because of how consistent we are here, even in the face of the sin and persecution of our country.

So, you can see, brothers and sisters, that we are to follow the example of faithful saints who have gone before us. And, that also means that we are to set an example by our faithfulness for those who would come after us. Our good works should be evidence of our faith. We are to remain faithful in persecution and trial. We model the walk of a disciple in our support of our church, our support of missions, and the testimony of our faith. May we leave this place ready to serve as that example in this work.