Christian Community

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.760 --> 00:00:06.240 Sanctify us with your truth, open our eyes to behold wonderful things in your 2 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:09.349 word. Teach us, Lord, what it means to be a Christian community, 3 00:00:09.390 --> 00:00:14.470 a Gospel Church. And we ask these things in Jesus name. Amen. 4 00:00:15.550 --> 00:00:20.670 First, thus Alonians, Chapter Five, Verses Twelve through twenty eighth. 5 00:00:20.750 --> 00:00:28.019 This is God's in arrant word. We ask you, brothers, to respect 6 00:00:28.100 --> 00:00:32.899 those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and Admonish you 7 00:00:33.460 --> 00:00:39.729 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at 8 00:00:39.770 --> 00:00:45.170 peace among yourselves, and we urge you, brothers, admonish the idol encourage 9 00:00:45.250 --> 00:00:51.600 the faint hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all, see 10 00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:55.039 that no one repays any one evil for evil, but always seek to do 11 00:00:55.240 --> 00:01:02.679 good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice, always pray without season, 12 00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:07.069 thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. 13 00:01:07.230 --> 00:01:12.829 For you, you're not quench the spirit. Do not despise prophecies, 14 00:01:12.950 --> 00:01:19.620 but test everything, hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of 15 00:01:19.859 --> 00:01:26.859 evil. Now, may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may 16 00:01:26.900 --> 00:01:30.219 your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our 17 00:01:30.340 --> 00:01:37.129 Lord Jesus Christ, He who calls you as faithful, he will surely do 18 00:01:37.250 --> 00:01:42.769 it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy 19 00:01:42.849 --> 00:01:47.519 kiss. I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read 20 00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:53.599 to all the brothers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you 21 00:01:53.719 --> 00:02:04.230 all. This is the word of the Lord. Please be seated. You 22 00:02:04.349 --> 00:02:10.150 know, if you've if you've studied Paul's first letter to the thirst and church 23 00:02:10.270 --> 00:02:15.430 in thessal and Nike, I think you see very, very quickly that the 24 00:02:15.550 --> 00:02:21.740 major theme of his letter is how Christians are to live in the light of 25 00:02:21.819 --> 00:02:25.979 Jesus certain return, how were to live in the light of his Jesus certain 26 00:02:25.979 --> 00:02:31.569 return. And so it is that, in light of Jesus Return, Paul 27 00:02:31.689 --> 00:02:38.969 Talks about the faith and the mission of this local congregation in thessal and Nika. 28 00:02:39.810 --> 00:02:46.439 It's about it's around fifty a D, I believe. He tells them 29 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:53.520 what their priorities should be. He talks about Christian leadership, obstacles to their 30 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:58.360 faith and their death, destiny and our destiny in Christ. It's a very, 31 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:05.750 very practical letter and interestingly, John Stock Calls this concluding section of Paul's 32 00:03:06.789 --> 00:03:12.629 letter how to be a Gospel Church. I've called it Christian community. It's 33 00:03:12.629 --> 00:03:20.500 pretty much the same thing. Now you're probably like me that when I study 34 00:03:20.580 --> 00:03:30.210 the Bible I understand only a fraction of what I study and when I understand 35 00:03:30.330 --> 00:03:34.449 only a fraction of that, then I remember only a portion of what I 36 00:03:34.569 --> 00:03:38.930 understand and then apply only a small part of what I remember. So I'm 37 00:03:39.050 --> 00:03:46.159 grateful that the Apostle Paul is a master teacher. I think he recognizes our 38 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:51.120 difficulties in these areas. So here at the very end of his letter, 39 00:03:51.159 --> 00:03:59.110 he gives us a lot of truth that's contained in small packages, easily remembered, 40 00:03:59.229 --> 00:04:04.509 simple, uncomplicated, so that we can readily grasp and grab a hold 41 00:04:04.590 --> 00:04:11.020 of and more easily apply it to the circumstances of our lives. Here at 42 00:04:11.060 --> 00:04:17.180 covenant O PC, a couple of years ago I taught a Sunday school class 43 00:04:18.579 --> 00:04:23.740 on the letters of the risen Christ to the churches of Asia Minor. It's 44 00:04:23.819 --> 00:04:29.769 material or contained in revelation chapters two and three. As you know, those 45 00:04:29.810 --> 00:04:36.449 are very revealing letters. The offer a penetrating, I think sometimes uncomfortable, 46 00:04:38.370 --> 00:04:44.040 examination of life and seven representative congregations in Asia Minor. I think it's round 47 00:04:44.040 --> 00:04:49.120 the end of the first century now. These were local congregations. Some of 48 00:04:49.160 --> 00:04:56.149 them were struggling with false teaching. For some there their first love for Christ 49 00:04:56.389 --> 00:05:03.750 had grown cold. Others were dealing with moral failure or with worldliness or with 50 00:05:03.949 --> 00:05:12.139 materialism. Some are facing persecutions, cute suffering and in many ways I think 51 00:05:12.180 --> 00:05:18.860 these were typical congregations that you would find in America today. But in each 52 00:05:19.180 --> 00:05:26.649 situation, as we saw toward the end of that letter revelation, these congregations 53 00:05:27.970 --> 00:05:34.720 were each called upon by Christ the conquer and to overcome. At the end 54 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:41.000 of each letter, Christ has something to the effect to the one who conquers, 55 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:45.199 I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I 56 00:05:45.399 --> 00:05:49.829 also conquered and sat down with my father on his throne. And isn't that 57 00:05:50.350 --> 00:05:59.550 Jesus called all to us today? Conquer, persevere, don't get sidetracked, 58 00:06:00.949 --> 00:06:05.339 press on, keep on keeping on, don't be overcome, cross the finish 59 00:06:05.459 --> 00:06:14.459 line, win the prize. It's good advice but, as we know all 60 00:06:14.579 --> 00:06:21.689 too well, many times easier said than done. You know, we survey 61 00:06:21.810 --> 00:06:30.610 our burdens, our hurts, our wounds are trials. We look at the 62 00:06:30.730 --> 00:06:34.639 sin that still in dwells our hearts, we see the opposition of the world 63 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:41.480 to the Christian Gospel that you and I proclaim, and Christ command to conquer 64 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:45.920 and overcome. Doesn't seem so easy, does it? Well, it was 65 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:51.110 the same with this small congregation in Thessalonika in Paul's Day. They were having 66 00:06:51.310 --> 00:06:57.509 difficulties. They hadn't received enough instruction from Paul Because, if your recall, 67 00:06:57.589 --> 00:07:01.699 he had to leave town rather rapidly. They were still pretty new in the 68 00:07:01.819 --> 00:07:11.139 faith. They were having issues with the local Jewish population. They had a 69 00:07:11.220 --> 00:07:15.009 lot of questions about friends and loved ones who had died and about how they 70 00:07:15.129 --> 00:07:20.329 themselves could better prepare for the second coming of the Lord Jesus. So they 71 00:07:20.410 --> 00:07:27.889 had some loose ends to tie up. I think many of them felt incomplete. 72 00:07:29.410 --> 00:07:34.680 Maybe some felt abandoned by Paul. Some probably felt that nothing was happening 73 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:41.199 in their spiritual life, that they didn't have what it takes to finish the 74 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:48.430 race, the conquer and overcome. And into that situation, Paul, as 75 00:07:48.470 --> 00:07:56.110 he concludes this marvelous letter, he gives them these what I think our self 76 00:07:56.230 --> 00:08:01.939 contain kernels of truth about how to be a Gospel Church, how to overcome 77 00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:09.220 and conquer, how to be a Christian community, and I think the key 78 00:08:09.339 --> 00:08:13.769 to all this wisdom is found in verses twenty three and twenty four. So 79 00:08:13.889 --> 00:08:18.490 let's just start there this morning. Okay. Now, may the God of 80 00:08:18.610 --> 00:08:26.279 peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be 81 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:31.720 kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you 82 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:37.840 is faithful, he will surely do it. Paul is praying here for the 83 00:08:37.960 --> 00:08:43.629 set thessalonians and for all who will read this letter, and the highlight, 84 00:08:43.710 --> 00:08:48.870 I think, of this prayer is the recognition that God finishes the things that 85 00:08:50.029 --> 00:08:56.659 he starts. Note the words are completely and whole and complete. They're emphasized 86 00:08:58.299 --> 00:09:05.100 now. May the God of peace himself, no underling here, no second 87 00:09:05.179 --> 00:09:13.850 echelon spiritual leadership, sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit and soul and 88 00:09:15.129 --> 00:09:22.730 body, everything about you, the whole person, be kept blameless, be 89 00:09:22.970 --> 00:09:30.120 preserved complete at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God does not begin 90 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:39.149 projects and leave them half done. God is a great finisher and, having 91 00:09:39.269 --> 00:09:45.190 prayed for them, he treats them to. This is staggering promise. In 92 00:09:45.309 --> 00:09:52.110 Verse Twenty Four. He who calls you is faithful, he will surely do 93 00:09:52.269 --> 00:09:56.860 it. You see, he's telling these people, and he's telling us, 94 00:09:58.860 --> 00:10:05.820 that they're Christians because they've been called by God, not because of something they've 95 00:10:05.860 --> 00:10:09.769 done, not because of any effort that they've expended, not because of some 96 00:10:09.049 --> 00:10:16.809 insight that they've discovered. God initiated their salvation and he is faithful. What 97 00:10:16.009 --> 00:10:20.250 he starts, he finishes. Or, to put it in the words of 98 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:26.440 revelation two and three, we learn that the true measure of whether we will 99 00:10:26.519 --> 00:10:31.679 conquer and overcome it's not the strength of our own arm, it's not the 100 00:10:31.720 --> 00:10:35.309 wisdom of our own judgment or the conviction of our own belief, but the 101 00:10:35.509 --> 00:10:43.470 power of the infinite, eternal and unchangeable sovereign God. Now that's pretty good 102 00:10:43.470 --> 00:10:48.509 encouragement, I think, for any Christian to step out in life without fear, 103 00:10:50.940 --> 00:10:58.059 knowing that their destined to be finished, completed, destined to be conformed 104 00:10:58.100 --> 00:11:03.970 to the character of Christ, to know that they have absolute freedom to take 105 00:11:05.090 --> 00:11:09.850 on the obstacles in front of them and to live the life God directs them 106 00:11:09.009 --> 00:11:15.570 to live. And you see the rest of this passage is a series of 107 00:11:15.690 --> 00:11:20.240 short commandments to help them and us to see that and to do that. 108 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:31.240 Short, simple instructions, clear steps, uncomplicated directions that we can take to 109 00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:37.149 make real the promise of God that we will be completed, that we will 110 00:11:37.190 --> 00:11:41.990 be conquerors, that we will be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord 111 00:11:41.070 --> 00:11:46.070 Jesus Christ, that we can and will become a Christian community and change the 112 00:11:46.179 --> 00:11:52.379 word. God's going to see to it. So let's just take a look 113 00:11:52.419 --> 00:11:58.740 at this passage. I think we find these neatly package truth centered around basically 114 00:11:58.860 --> 00:12:05.009 three general themes. The first theme has to do with our relationship to one 115 00:12:05.049 --> 00:12:11.370 another as Christians. That's versus twelve through fifteen. The second theme, I 116 00:12:11.490 --> 00:12:16.519 think, deals with our relationship with God himself, versus sixteen through eighteen. 117 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:22.879 The third theme deals with our relationship with the truth, versus nineteen through twenty. 118 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:26.840 You know I've covered, I've already discussed versus twenty three and twenty four, 119 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:33.669 and then Paul concludes with some final personal thoughts versus twenty five through twenty 120 00:12:33.750 --> 00:12:37.990 eight. So let's just look at each of those in term in turn. 121 00:12:39.149 --> 00:12:43.110 These themes. First, this theme of our relationship to one another as Christians. 122 00:12:43.779 --> 00:12:52.259 Versus twelve through fifteen. Look there. You know, I think our 123 00:12:52.340 --> 00:13:00.169 relationship with one another has two parts. The Parson might be described as one 124 00:13:00.330 --> 00:13:05.649 getting along with the people that you look up to to getting along with people 125 00:13:05.690 --> 00:13:11.169 you might have a tendency to look down on. Now, either of these 126 00:13:11.289 --> 00:13:16.600 relationships could and they have in the past. They've caused major problems in the 127 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:22.399 church. But here I think we have a series of short instructions on how 128 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:28.230 to deal with both these relationships and honor the Lord and avoid conflicts and and 129 00:13:28.470 --> 00:13:31.909 factions in the church. So Look First there at verses twelve and thirteen. 130 00:13:31.389 --> 00:13:35.389 Think those verses have to do with our relationship with the leadership of the church. 131 00:13:37.509 --> 00:13:41.700 What does Paul say here about what that relationship should look like? Well, 132 00:13:43.460 --> 00:13:50.100 I think he summarizes here what Church leadership and involves by saying essentially that 133 00:13:50.220 --> 00:13:58.529 it's work that those who bear responsibility for Jesus name ought to be esteemed highly. 134 00:14:00.490 --> 00:14:07.049 Why? Because it's demanding, it's difficult, it's sometime frustrating work. 135 00:14:07.649 --> 00:14:11.039 Now use the three short descriptions of what he means by that word work. 136 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:16.320 First Day labor among you you know the old story. I wish I had 137 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:20.120 Christopher Chup of his job. He only has to work on Sunday. Well, 138 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:28.710 you know that that's nowhere near true. Pastoral Work, elder work, 139 00:14:28.830 --> 00:14:33.110 Deacon work is hard work. Lazy men don't make it as pastor's elders and 140 00:14:33.190 --> 00:14:41.139 deacons. You know, my dearly departed mother's model in life was you might 141 00:14:41.220 --> 00:14:45.980 be smarter than me, ste but I'll outwork you every time. That's I 142 00:14:46.059 --> 00:14:48.820 think that's a good model for church leaders. You know, in other places 143 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:58.129 Paul uses illustrations like farmers, I think, soldiers athletes to describe the kind 144 00:14:58.169 --> 00:15:01.769 of hard work he has in mind here for Church's Leer work. He talks 145 00:15:01.809 --> 00:15:09.159 about that over in second timothy see H spurgeon once said about his own ministry, 146 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:13.519 I work myself to death and I pray myself alive again. So I 147 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:22.509 it's significant that Paul Describes Church leaders here as laborers. They work hard on 148 00:15:22.710 --> 00:15:28.549 our behalf. Secondly, Paul says that they are over you in the Lord. 149 00:15:30.789 --> 00:15:35.309 I think it's important to recognize that Paul speaks of this leadership as in 150 00:15:35.429 --> 00:15:41.700 the Lord. This is leadership that is called by God. Those who are 151 00:15:41.779 --> 00:15:46.779 willing to shepherd, to leads, is served to make the hard decisions and 152 00:15:46.980 --> 00:15:52.210 lead the people who need to be led. And finally, he says that 153 00:15:52.330 --> 00:15:56.129 they're two admonish. They are to teach you. You know, admonish means 154 00:15:56.250 --> 00:16:02.889 to hold the word of God up before our eyes and say the word of 155 00:16:02.929 --> 00:16:07.399 God calls us to this way of life, to this way of doing things. 156 00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:11.720 It calls us to not do these other things. You know, those 157 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:19.909 who serve as elders, they have a heavy burden. They spend themselves watching 158 00:16:19.990 --> 00:16:26.110 out for our souls. They must give an account, it says in scripture, 159 00:16:26.190 --> 00:16:30.549 for our souls. And I think we can. We can make their 160 00:16:30.629 --> 00:16:36.059 load lighter, make their work a joy, contributing to peace in the church 161 00:16:36.179 --> 00:16:40.340 by obeying and submitting to their leadership. That's what it says over in Hebrews 162 00:16:40.419 --> 00:16:47.139 Thirteen. I think we should avoid giving our leaders unnecessary grief. We should 163 00:16:47.139 --> 00:16:52.289 strive to live a peace with each other. And so Paul says, respect 164 00:16:52.409 --> 00:16:59.210 them, esteem them, love them, because they labor and lead and help 165 00:16:59.289 --> 00:17:04.240 you learn. And I think that means to acknowledge and honor and think highly 166 00:17:04.279 --> 00:17:14.200 of their persons and their labor. Means to prize, to value, to 167 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:21.910 regard them because of their work, to respect them, to esteem them and 168 00:17:22.109 --> 00:17:27.230 to love them, to pray for them, to let your hearts be knit 169 00:17:27.630 --> 00:17:33.220 with them in mission and the care about them and to be concerned for them 170 00:17:33.420 --> 00:17:40.380 and their family. So I think that's that's one thing. That's our relationship 171 00:17:40.420 --> 00:17:44.259 with those whom we look up to. Now there's another half here. The 172 00:17:44.329 --> 00:17:47.849 second half of this issue. Is at Paul raises is of getting along with 173 00:17:47.970 --> 00:17:51.609 each other, is that there are people in our lives whom we might be 174 00:17:51.769 --> 00:17:57.569 tempted to look down on, maybe some whom you consider less mature than yourself. 175 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:03.079 And he lists three different groups here in this church, this Tessalonian church, 176 00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:10.119 talks about the idol or unruly. Think there's other words are disordered, 177 00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:15.269 undiscipline. Then he talks about the faint hearted and he talks about the week. 178 00:18:17.349 --> 00:18:21.029 Well, what does he say here about each of these groups? Look 179 00:18:21.029 --> 00:18:29.380 at versus fourteen and fifteen. First he says admonish the idol or the unruly. 180 00:18:29.779 --> 00:18:36.619 Now, apparently this church in Tessalonaika, Tessalonia, had a particular problem 181 00:18:36.700 --> 00:18:42.049 with unruliness, lack of discipline. It appears that there were some who had 182 00:18:42.049 --> 00:18:47.609 abandoned their jobs and we're waiting for the Lord to return. They thought it 183 00:18:47.690 --> 00:18:52.089 was right around the corner and so they were living off the generosity of others, 184 00:18:55.009 --> 00:19:00.240 freeloading, so to speak. Now these are not necessarily ruthlessly selfish people, 185 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:04.000 but they're the kind of people who can't seem to get anything done. 186 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:10.000 They never follow through on anything, they can't hold a job or looking for 187 00:19:10.029 --> 00:19:11.869 a pot of gold at the end of the next rainbow. Can you tied 188 00:19:11.950 --> 00:19:15.950 me over until my ship comes in? But his ship never seems to come 189 00:19:17.029 --> 00:19:21.950 in. And apparently they're not just undisciplined in financial things but in moral things 190 00:19:22.829 --> 00:19:26.259 and spiritual things as well. And Paul says that these people need to be 191 00:19:26.339 --> 00:19:33.700 at montage. They need correction and direction and training and teaching. They need 192 00:19:33.940 --> 00:19:40.089 loving discipline. You know where to hold the word of God up before their 193 00:19:40.210 --> 00:19:45.450 eyes and say this is the standard of the Christian life, this is what 194 00:19:45.569 --> 00:19:48.329 you're to do and what you're not to do. Now I want you to 195 00:19:48.529 --> 00:19:52.640 note this important fact. Here. Paul is speaking here to you and me 196 00:19:55.680 --> 00:20:00.759 to the whole congregation, and he's saying don't just leave this admonishing to the 197 00:20:00.920 --> 00:20:06.599 pastor and elders, us a congregation are to be exhorting and admonishing one another 198 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:11.150 in this way. Then he says encourage the faint hearted. Notice, not 199 00:20:11.390 --> 00:20:18.109 admonage the faint hearted, but encourage the faint hearted. Now, apparently these 200 00:20:18.190 --> 00:20:25.140 people are not lacking in much so much in discipline as encourage. I'm not 201 00:20:25.299 --> 00:20:30.740 sure who these people were, what was happening in their lives, but notice 202 00:20:30.819 --> 00:20:36.690 Paul says that the proper response to them as not to get tough on them, 203 00:20:36.809 --> 00:20:38.930 not to get in their face, not to get on their case, 204 00:20:40.049 --> 00:20:45.849 but to encourage them, strengthen them, teach them. And then he says 205 00:20:45.930 --> 00:20:51.200 help the weak. Now again the week could refer to people who are spiritually 206 00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:56.279 immature. They're less mature in Christ than they ought to be. They could 207 00:20:56.319 --> 00:21:00.160 be people who are dominated by something. Maybe they have a habit that seems 208 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:07.869 to to control them, such as alcohol, a bad temper, sexual immorality. 209 00:21:08.589 --> 00:21:12.230 But kick them out of the fellowship. No, help the weak. 210 00:21:15.670 --> 00:21:21.539 But don't you know, don't miss the point here. Three very different responses 211 00:21:21.700 --> 00:21:26.259 for three very different kinds of church members, people in different settings, people 212 00:21:26.339 --> 00:21:32.220 in different stages of life. The weak are to be aided, help the 213 00:21:32.339 --> 00:21:37.170 faint hearted are to be encouraged strengthened. Those that are out of step the 214 00:21:37.289 --> 00:21:41.250 idol there to be confronted, admonished with the word of God, and were 215 00:21:41.289 --> 00:21:45.369 to be doing all that with one another, not just leaving it up to 216 00:21:45.450 --> 00:21:48.480 the elders to do it, doing it out of love. And then he 217 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:52.960 goes on and he says in all cases we're told to be patient with each 218 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:56.839 other. Be Patient with each other, don't look down our noses at some 219 00:21:57.000 --> 00:22:00.990 people, don't reject them, because God is done with either of us, 220 00:22:02.230 --> 00:22:07.309 US or them. We are all at work in progress. Be Patient with 221 00:22:07.509 --> 00:22:14.549 me, you know, you look through scripture and you'll see the probably ninety 222 00:22:14.549 --> 00:22:18.579 nine percent of the people God has ever used at one time or another in 223 00:22:18.619 --> 00:22:22.180 their lives were in one of these categories. Each of us were there at 224 00:22:22.220 --> 00:22:30.250 some point in our lives. God has an afflict, affection for people who 225 00:22:30.250 --> 00:22:38.410 are undisciplined, fainthearted and weak. That's why he picked us. Christ. 226 00:22:38.490 --> 00:22:45.480 Patience with Paul, the Pharisee, the rebel, produced an apostle. It 227 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:51.119 was probably the most significant follower of Christ who ever lived. So be patient. 228 00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:56.240 And the final statement in this regard. We see Verse Fifteen. Look 229 00:22:56.319 --> 00:23:04.589 there. Whether you've experienced bad leadership or hassle from someone else in the congregation, 230 00:23:04.990 --> 00:23:11.349 Paul's instructions are not to retaliate, don't return evil for evil, hassle 231 00:23:11.470 --> 00:23:17.579 for hassle, but rather always seek to do good to one another and to 232 00:23:17.779 --> 00:23:30.890 everyone. Leave retaliation to the Lord. So those directions are simple, they're 233 00:23:30.890 --> 00:23:37.049 uncomplicated or straightforward, easily understood. I think these are the kind of things 234 00:23:37.130 --> 00:23:41.640 that we can begin to measure our lives against. The help us to become 235 00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:48.440 more of a Christian community, more of a Gospel Church. So in verses 236 00:23:48.519 --> 00:23:52.440 sixteen through eighteen we come to this second major section, which has to do 237 00:23:52.599 --> 00:23:56.789 with our relation to ship, to God himself. That's in sixteen through eighteen. 238 00:23:56.869 --> 00:23:59.269 To look there. So what do they say? What are those verses 239 00:23:59.309 --> 00:24:04.230 say about this relationship? Well, those who are in a right relationship to 240 00:24:04.349 --> 00:24:10.460 God are in the center of his will for them, and we see here 241 00:24:10.579 --> 00:24:15.539 what God's will is in these three short commandments, taken together as a whole. 242 00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:22.660 Rejoice, always, pray without seizing and give thanks in all circumstances. 243 00:24:23.019 --> 00:24:30.450 Now it does matter to God where we where we work, where we live, 244 00:24:30.930 --> 00:24:37.730 what school we go to who we marry. I think those sorts of 245 00:24:37.809 --> 00:24:41.039 things are important to you, but I think they're second in importance to the 246 00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:45.480 kind of person we become. That's what he wants for us, that's what 247 00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:51.880 we give us joy. I think one misunderstanding concerning the will of God is 248 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:56.829 this idea that what I want for myself will make me happy, fill me 249 00:24:56.910 --> 00:25:00.789 with pleasure, provide for my every need, whereas what God wants me, 250 00:25:02.230 --> 00:25:04.589 wants for me, is righteous and true and eternal, but unpleasant. It 251 00:25:06.509 --> 00:25:10.259 will make me miserable. No, read the text. This is the will 252 00:25:10.339 --> 00:25:14.859 of God for you. Rejoice, always, pray without seizing and everything give 253 00:25:15.019 --> 00:25:23.529 thanks. I think our lives are to consist of unbroken rejoicing, it's to 254 00:25:23.650 --> 00:25:30.809 consist of unending intimacy with the master of everything, with the Lord God of 255 00:25:30.849 --> 00:25:34.009 the universe, and it's to consists of the freedom to thank God in whatever 256 00:25:34.130 --> 00:25:41.160 circumstances you are. That didn't sound like misery to me. God is not 257 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:45.839 committed to making us unhappy. It's his intention that we live, I think, 258 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:52.990 the most fulfilled and abundant and overflowing lives conceivable. He's much more concerned 259 00:25:52.029 --> 00:25:57.789 about it than we are, for we are for ourselves. I think the 260 00:25:57.869 --> 00:26:03.230 last thing to note here is that each of these characteristics are spoken of in 261 00:26:03.430 --> 00:26:12.579 a context that never ends, always without ceasing. In everything, faithful is 262 00:26:12.740 --> 00:26:18.650 he who calls you, and he also will bring it to pass. Must 263 00:26:18.650 --> 00:26:22.809 be true, because I am not capable of doing anything all the time in 264 00:26:22.009 --> 00:26:30.490 everything, you know, if God isn't bringing it to pass, if he's 265 00:26:30.529 --> 00:26:33.480 not making the joy I experience possible, if he's not producing in me a 266 00:26:33.640 --> 00:26:38.519 regular, ongoing prayer life, if he doesn't fill me with gratitude for the 267 00:26:38.599 --> 00:26:42.279 life he has given me, then it's not going to happen. Now, 268 00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:48.390 I mean, I'm incapable of charging my cell phone each night. I woke 269 00:26:48.430 --> 00:26:53.269 up this morning of us at fifteen percent. I mean, I'm I mean 270 00:26:53.390 --> 00:27:00.509 capable of never overdrawing my checking account, and I don't even know if I 271 00:27:00.549 --> 00:27:03.140 should admit this to you, but there was one year I forgot my wife's 272 00:27:03.180 --> 00:27:10.900 birthday, and that is not a good thing. So if I can accomplish 273 00:27:10.940 --> 00:27:14.339 something, you know, if I can't accomplish something like that, then it's 274 00:27:14.420 --> 00:27:19.049 beyond me to even consider these demands that Jesus gives us. Know the will 275 00:27:19.130 --> 00:27:22.930 of God is accomplished by the power of God. Well, let me go 276 00:27:23.049 --> 00:27:29.170 on to this third section and versus nineteen through twenty two. It has to 277 00:27:29.250 --> 00:27:33.279 do with our relationship to the truth. Take a look there. What's he 278 00:27:33.359 --> 00:27:38.400 getting at? What's Paul Getting at in these verses? What is our relationship 279 00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:42.680 to God's truth to be? You know, I think all of us have 280 00:27:42.880 --> 00:27:51.750 seen how the vitality of life in the spirit can be strangled by things like 281 00:27:51.950 --> 00:27:56.549 tradition, things like habit. You know, the other day I heard want 282 00:27:56.589 --> 00:28:00.059 someone say that the seven last words of the Church Are we've never done it 283 00:28:00.180 --> 00:28:04.779 that way before, but here, you see, the Holy Spirit is seen 284 00:28:04.859 --> 00:28:10.420 as a flame, as a creative, powerful fire that is apt to do 285 00:28:10.660 --> 00:28:15.049 things that we would never do. We might want to quinch that, which 286 00:28:15.049 --> 00:28:18.250 might be different. So how do we quench the spirit today? Well, 287 00:28:18.849 --> 00:28:23.609 I think one way is that we resist his work. You know, the 288 00:28:23.690 --> 00:28:32.279 spirit is always at work to produce conviction of sin, Godly sorrow that leads 289 00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:34.640 to repentance. The spirit is always at work. Don't resist that work. 290 00:28:34.880 --> 00:28:41.910 You know, many of you've read Ericma Tax's wonderful biography of Dietrich Bonho von 291 00:28:41.069 --> 00:28:45.549 Hoffer, and in one section of that book. He tells about it. 292 00:28:45.549 --> 00:28:49.710 An American evangelist who actually went to Germany before World War Two to try and 293 00:28:49.829 --> 00:28:53.910 share the Gospel with the Nazi leadership and he actually got to speak to the 294 00:28:55.069 --> 00:29:02.619 high ranking Nazi official, Himmler, and ensuring the gospel with him. Himmler 295 00:29:02.700 --> 00:29:07.859 said this. He said, I do not believe that Jewish idea of laying 296 00:29:07.940 --> 00:29:14.289 one man's sin on another. I am an Aryan. I take my sins 297 00:29:14.369 --> 00:29:18.609 upon myself. Fine, say that, do that and see what that takes 298 00:29:18.690 --> 00:29:22.970 you for see where that takes you. Here was a man sharing the gospel 299 00:29:23.089 --> 00:29:29.079 with him. He was resisting, not going to deal with a conviction, 300 00:29:29.240 --> 00:29:33.759 not going to repent. So I think that's one the way. Another way 301 00:29:33.960 --> 00:29:38.029 is to delay your response to the overtures of the spirit. You know, 302 00:29:38.150 --> 00:29:45.549 we're on the holy spirits timetable, he's not on ours. The spirit comes 303 00:29:45.670 --> 00:29:48.109 when he wills to convict of Sin. Now is the day of salvation. 304 00:29:49.950 --> 00:29:53.660 Never say, I'll get back to you tomorrow on that. There may be 305 00:29:53.900 --> 00:30:00.539 no tomorrow. You remember the story over in Act Twenty four, Paul's preaching 306 00:30:00.619 --> 00:30:04.460 to feel these about the judgment to come, and Luke records that Felix, 307 00:30:04.579 --> 00:30:10.529 this great Roman. Officially, he got scared and he stopped Paul in the 308 00:30:10.609 --> 00:30:14.490 middle of the sermon. He said, I'll hear more about that later, 309 00:30:15.690 --> 00:30:19.130 and he left Paul in prison for two years. He never spoke to him 310 00:30:19.170 --> 00:30:25.680 again. You know, those are frightening words. I'll hear about this later. 311 00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:30.480 Feelings for crying out loud, you had the apostle Paul, standing right 312 00:30:30.519 --> 00:30:34.789 in front of you. He wrote half the New Testament. He could have 313 00:30:34.869 --> 00:30:40.029 opened to you the gateway to Heaven, and you didn't have time for him. 314 00:30:40.150 --> 00:30:44.269 He said some other time. Bars we know that time never came, 315 00:30:45.309 --> 00:30:51.299 and I think finally, quenching the spirit means entertaining opinions and views that are 316 00:30:51.460 --> 00:30:59.059 contrary to his. The Holy Spirit never disagrees with scripture. The Holy Spirit 317 00:30:59.259 --> 00:31:03.980 never disagrees with scripture. You know, it may seem very worldly and wise 318 00:31:03.059 --> 00:31:07.690 that say I don't believe in the INERRAN see and inspiration of scripture. Well, 319 00:31:07.769 --> 00:31:12.609 the Holy Spirit does. He inspired it. So if you disagree with 320 00:31:12.730 --> 00:31:18.240 him, I think I know who's right WHO's wrong. It might seem fashionable 321 00:31:18.559 --> 00:31:22.519 not to believe in the Deity of Christ, but the Holy Spirit does. 322 00:31:23.599 --> 00:31:29.319 I'm sticking with the Holy Spirit on that one. So don't stifle the truth. 323 00:31:30.039 --> 00:31:33.190 Don't put God in a box and expect him to operate as if he 324 00:31:33.309 --> 00:31:37.430 were a man and act like we would. It says here. Don't despise 325 00:31:37.589 --> 00:31:44.230 prophecies, don't refuse to accept what the Prophets of God were revealing. Don't 326 00:31:44.269 --> 00:31:47.819 despise the preaching of the word. And there's a balance to all of this, 327 00:31:47.980 --> 00:31:49.779 and that's what Paul gives us in verses Twenty One and twenty two. 328 00:31:52.339 --> 00:31:56.980 Now, being original has no value in itself. Being new is no good 329 00:31:57.019 --> 00:32:02.730 at all if all you're doing is being disobedient. You can be the most 330 00:32:02.769 --> 00:32:07.930 creative follower of the latest false teacher and be doomed as a result. The 331 00:32:07.049 --> 00:32:14.250 spirit of God will never contradict the word of God. So, in our 332 00:32:14.329 --> 00:32:17.759 glorious freedom to expand and try new things and to seek God in areas where 333 00:32:17.799 --> 00:32:22.599 we have never thought of him before, check everything against the truth of scripture. 334 00:32:22.759 --> 00:32:27.640 Don't be fooled, abstaining from every form of evil. Then there's these 335 00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:30.910 closing verses here, and will go through this quickly. Verses Twenty Five through 336 00:32:30.990 --> 00:32:37.789 twenty eight. Paul gives first, he gives his parting request for prayer in 337 00:32:37.910 --> 00:32:44.230 Verse Twenty Five. You know, it's a humbling thing, isn't it, 338 00:32:44.339 --> 00:32:51.420 to read of an apostle asking of congregation to pray for him. Now think 339 00:32:51.500 --> 00:32:55.740 of WHO Paul was. Paul had been caught up into the third heaven. 340 00:32:58.339 --> 00:33:02.369 He'd seen things which a man is not allowed to talk about. He'd been 341 00:33:02.410 --> 00:33:07.849 invested with Apostolic Authority. He had seen Jesus Christ facetoface on the road to 342 00:33:07.849 --> 00:33:15.440 Damascus. He'd been given Christ Authority over all the churches. He could do 343 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:20.519 miracles, he could speak in tongues, give real prophecies and give words of 344 00:33:20.640 --> 00:33:23.799 knowledge. And yet he says to this little congregation, would you please pray 345 00:33:23.880 --> 00:33:30.750 for me? You know, if Paul can ask this congregation in festal and 346 00:33:30.829 --> 00:33:35.670 I could to pray for him, I'm asking you to pray for your pastor 347 00:33:35.829 --> 00:33:38.190 and your elders and your deacons and your teachers at I know you'd do that. 348 00:33:42.859 --> 00:33:46.140 He also says here in First Twenty six, to greet everyone with a 349 00:33:46.220 --> 00:33:54.099 holy kiss. Now cultures differ on this. They change over time. And 350 00:33:54.220 --> 00:33:58.410 now there was a man at desert springs, a godly man. You know 351 00:33:58.490 --> 00:34:02.930 him. He's names George Rhoda. He would come into church every Sunday morning 352 00:34:02.970 --> 00:34:06.650 when I was a pastor over there, and kiss me on both cheeks. 353 00:34:06.690 --> 00:34:10.800 It made me nervous, but he was not embarrassed in the slightest of that. 354 00:34:12.880 --> 00:34:16.039 George Rhodo is one of the most godly men I've ever met. So 355 00:34:16.199 --> 00:34:22.480 Paul saying here convey love, greeting affection, and don't just do it verbally, 356 00:34:23.000 --> 00:34:29.469 express it tangibly. Show the love and Kinship and Fellowship of the Gospel 357 00:34:29.550 --> 00:34:36.389 not only by genuine, gracious verbal expressions, but even show them by culturally 358 00:34:36.429 --> 00:34:39.619 appropriate physical signs. You know, I for one love hugs, lots and 359 00:34:39.739 --> 00:34:45.340 lots of hugs. You know, a key element of my personal philosophy of 360 00:34:45.420 --> 00:34:51.619 ministry is that you can never overdose on hugs. You know currently has an 361 00:34:51.659 --> 00:34:54.130 apron that she wears all the time and it says on the front of that 362 00:34:54.250 --> 00:35:00.489 Apron. Have you hugged a Presbyterian today? If you have it and do 363 00:35:00.610 --> 00:35:04.489 it, even go out and find a baptist and hug him or her. 364 00:35:06.210 --> 00:35:08.840 Then in verse twenty seven, Paul gives a powerful charge to the church to 365 00:35:09.400 --> 00:35:15.199 have this letter read to all the brothers and then he concludes the letter in 366 00:35:15.360 --> 00:35:20.760 Verse Twenty eight with a blessing, an apostolic benediction. The grace of our 367 00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:24.710 Lord Jesus Christ be with you. You know, if you go back to 368 00:35:24.789 --> 00:35:30.750 the start of this particular epistle, he started the epistle with grace, way 369 00:35:30.789 --> 00:35:35.670 back in verse one of the letter, and now he ends it by extending 370 00:35:35.780 --> 00:35:39.420 God's grace to all these Christians and to us today. You See, these 371 00:35:39.619 --> 00:35:46.460 Thessalonians, they were people just like us. They were a Christian community, 372 00:35:46.500 --> 00:35:52.289 a Gospel Church, which affected the society around them. They affected the course 373 00:35:52.329 --> 00:35:59.050 of history. They had a dramatic impact on human events. And as a 374 00:35:59.130 --> 00:36:05.400 final word to them, Paul gives them all these uncomplicated, straightforward priorities, 375 00:36:06.199 --> 00:36:10.159 and I think these are things that we can remember too, things we can 376 00:36:10.199 --> 00:36:16.559 analyze ourselves by. Markers said, we can lay down next to our lives 377 00:36:17.750 --> 00:36:22.989 to discover where we are, who we are as individuals and as a Gospel 378 00:36:22.030 --> 00:36:27.750 Church, as a worshiping community. Maybe men, we could write down a 379 00:36:27.869 --> 00:36:30.190 few of them, put them on the bathroom merit, take a look at 380 00:36:30.230 --> 00:36:37.139 as we shave women. Perhaps put them on the Refrige, some place where 381 00:36:37.139 --> 00:36:42.780 you will see them. Appreciate those who diligently labor among you. You pray 382 00:36:42.860 --> 00:36:50.570 for them. be patient with each other. We're all in process. Rejoice, 383 00:36:50.690 --> 00:36:57.369 always, pray without seizing, give thanks in all circumstances and abstain from 384 00:36:57.449 --> 00:37:00.719 every form of evil. Those are four you could pick from. Paul lays 385 00:37:00.760 --> 00:37:06.559 out more here. Pick some of those. We all have steps to take 386 00:37:06.599 --> 00:37:10.400 today. We all have places to go, of direction to head off into 387 00:37:10.480 --> 00:37:15.949 and get ready for the week. But most important of all, we all 388 00:37:15.989 --> 00:37:20.190 have the promise of God that it's not on us, that he will finish 389 00:37:20.230 --> 00:37:23.670 it. He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it. 390 00:37:24.750 --> 00:37:31.900 Let's pray, thank you, Lord, that you love us, that you 391 00:37:32.019 --> 00:37:37.059 love your church, that you love this church. We asked that the eyes 392 00:37:37.219 --> 00:37:42.500 of our hearts would be enlightened. We asked that we will be the kind 393 00:37:42.579 --> 00:37:46.610 of people with freedom to live as you want us to live. We ask 394 00:37:46.730 --> 00:37:52.329 that we will grow into the stature of Christ, because we need not fear 395 00:37:52.369 --> 00:37:54.929 anymore that we are in fit, unable to finish. Thank you for the 396 00:37:55.010 --> 00:38:00.159 steps you've given us to take to be a Gospel Church, to be a 397 00:38:00.239 --> 00:38:07.719 Christian community, to touch the world around us in Jesus name. So let's 398 00:38:08.079 --> RESP