Sunday, January 21, 2024 AM

Before you and to proclaim his word. It's also been good because it's given an opportunity to renew some old acquaintances. This morning we have the Sylvester family here that were members of our church around El Reno for I don't know how long, a long, long time.

I think even after they moved to Edmond, they drove out west of El Reno to be in church with us there, and so we are grateful for that. Well, I'm going to ask you this morning, if you would, if you're able to, to stand with me, and we're going to read the first four verses of 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, keeping in mind that this is the word of God.

Paul, Sylvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.

You may be seated. A couple of times ago that we spoke to you, we started just a little study in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 and feel that that's where the Lord would have us to pick up and continue in our time together this morning.

We've been two sessions, this will be our third, and we're still in the salutation. These folks would attest that's probably pretty normal, but I don't want to move too fast. I've always told them in our church that if God gives you the remedial group, you have to go slow, and especially if he gives that group the remedial pastor, he has to go slow, and so that's what we're doing moving along here in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1.

The Word of God in the Salutation

Actually, I want to start out this morning. There's a phrase that you use here in this church. We've been visiting a lot of churches since my retirement in 2014 that this phrase is not used very much, if any at all, and it's the phrase, this is the Word of God.

Be appreciative for that. This is the Word of God. I don't want to talk just a moment about that because in my preparation for this morning and for the week's past, I looked at several commentaries and then have listened to some others that teach on this particular chapter, and so often, and only out of about six or eight that I've listened to and read, only one actually, I think, sticks with that particular thought of this is the Word of God.

Not that the others don't believe that, but their emphasis is not necessarily on this is the Word of God through the Holy Spirit given to the Apostle Paul. So much of the time we get used to a phrase, and we fail to think upon that phrase and what it literally means.

If this is the Word of God, then this is not the words of Paul. It's not the words of Silvanus. It's not the word of Timotheus or Timothy, though God used Paul, I believe especially, to relay His Word to him, and through him this Word is given to the Thessalonians.

But never lose sight of the fact that this is the Word of God, even in a salutation. So much of those that I've read and listened to make the comment, and then quickly move on, that this is a normal salutation for the day, that these believers addressed each other on a daily basis, grace to you and peace, God the Father be with you, and then move on.

But I have to wonder in my own mind, is that all that the Holy Spirit would have us to look at, that it's just a normal daily salutation? Something like you and I would greet each other this morning. Hey, brother, how are you?

And that's pretty much all we mean is, how are you? Maybe sometimes we're not even concerned how they are. It's just a greeting. And I'm sure that in their particular culture it may have become that way as well.

It was just a greeting. But is this just a greeting? Is that all that it is? Or is there so much more to be realized in this salutation to this called out church of the Lord Jesus Christ? If we look carefully we'll see that it does introduce us to Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy.

But we find that the Holy Spirit is speaking to the church, the ecclesia, the called out ones of God. These are not people that called themselves out. These are not people that walked out of idolatry and Gentile practice all of a sudden one day and said, I think we ought to start a church.

No, these were the special, effectually called out ones of God in the city of Thessalonica. And we have broken these few verses down this way that first of all their position. They were called out by God to a position that is stated as being in the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We shared with you, I don't know that I have terms well enough to define and explain to you exactly what it means to be in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We did talk about how we got there. It wasn't by our own decree. It wasn't by our own works. It was a result of the elective grace of God in verse 4 that he says, knowing you beloved of God elect. God had chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world.

And then in time he birthed them into his family. Now in natural birth what did you have to do with it? You had nothing to do with the conception. You had nothing to do with the growth as a fetus. You had nothing to do with your natural birth.

And folks we have nothing to do with our spiritual birth. That's a work of God totally and completely. In his time, in his decree he brings birth into a spiritual birth. Something that Nicodemus had a problem with in John chapter 3 when he said, can I go into my mother's womb and be born again?

Nicodemus have I been so long with you and still you don't understand? It's birth of the spirit. The spirit that blows where he willeth. You know not where he comes from. You don't know where he goes.

But you do know when he comes by because something tremendous happens in the life. We found that being born again is according to the will of God in John chapter 1. It's by the spirit of God in John chapter 3.

We found that in the letters of Paul to Peter in first, I'm sorry not Paul, but the letter by Peter in first Peter chapter 1 that our birth is by the will of God and by the word of God. And so this birth, this being born again is all by the working of God.

And that's why they could be called the church, the called out ones of Thessalonica. No doubt the spirit would have us to focus a little bit on God the father. Do you ever think that sometimes when we pray we say our God we're so thankful for this.

But you know as believers we have the great privilege of not only addressing him as God but as our father. And as you try to relate to his fatherhood what a blessing that becomes in the Christian experience.

So much of the Old Testament they only related to God not father. Now we find there is a relationship that the Lord speaks of as our father as well as our God. As father he protects, he secures, he provides all of those things that a loving father does.

And as a father we focus on his love and his compassion and his care for us as his children. And then no doubt as we look into grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ the last time we were together we tried to focus alone on just grace.

And I made the comment then that so many of us get underwhelmed when we hear a term used so often as most of us do who attend church regularly. Grace, grace, grace, grace. Oh yeah here it comes again grace.

And we become underwhelmed with something that we should always be overwhelmed with that this sovereign almighty supreme God would choose to be gracious to the likes of us. Rather than to bring us to destruction which we deserve he would give us that which we do not deserve.

And so we looked at this thing about grace and we attempted to overwhelm you. I don't know if it happened or not but only if the Holy Spirit was pleased to do so. But we began to look at some of the adjectives as we went through the scriptures and let me just quickly do that.

We found that the Bible refers to grace as great, refers to his grace as sovereign, his rich grace, refers to his grace as abounding and abundant. It refers to his grace as exceeding all sufficient grace and grace that brings glory to God.

We also found that grace is the source of so much of our relationship with God. Well let me back up not so much all of our relationship with God because it is grace plus nothing or it is not grace at all.

And so we find that this source grace is the source of our election. Grace is the source of our calling. Grace is the source of our justification. Grace is the source of our faith. It's the source of our forgiveness.

It's the source of our salvation. Grace is the source of our comfort and hope. And lastly we looked at the fact that the apostle says in 1 Corinthians 15 that grace is who we are. He said I am what I am by the grace of God and I labor more abundantly than all of you yet not I but the grace of God that is in me.

And so in our look at the grace we found that our redemption was no accident. Our relationship with God is no accident and is certainly not something that we chose out of the blue and decided someday I think I want to be a child of God.

Our grace was purposed. It was actual. God did not do something in Christ to make something just possible. He did something to make it actual. He did something to make it real. It is a purposeful act of God that brings us to redemption.

And it's a purposeful act of God in time that was purposed in eternity. This grace that is unto redemption was purposed as a result of an eternal plan of God. So we found that this grace that is given to them grace to you and peace as the Holy Spirit says to them not just an apostle not just a servant of God but the Holy Spirit says to them grace keeping on grace is a grace that saves.

It's a grace that redeems a laboring grace a sanctifying grace a preserving grace a persevering grace. This thing about being here this morning as a believer is all about grace and it's about grace living.

It's about the constant working of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ in moment by moment grace. And we find that this grace finds its source from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ from God our Father our Father continuing to bestow the great blessings of his grace out upon us day by day moment by moment sustaining keeping preserving from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

And then we find that the Holy Spirit says not only grace to you but he also says peace to you peace to you. And we find that this peace has its same source as the grace the grace found its source in God.

The scriptures say that our Father is the God of all grace that Jesus Christ is the giver of this grace. And then we find that there is this peace. Years ago I read a survey that was taken on what was the what would be the top five things that you would desire to have in life.

And you know one of the top five things listed there was peace. I don't know if you've realized or not but we don't live in a world full of peace. We live in a world full of great restlessness. We live in a world full of threats of wars rumors of wars.

We see neighbors friends and relatives that tried to live a life out without an inner peace. Years ago one of my sisters was married to a young man that became an alcoholic and became unfaithful to my sister.

And one day she called me and she said Dean I know where my husband is would you mind to go speak with him? Well he was at the home of one of the unfaithful companions that he had and I thought why are you calling me?

So I did go it's late at night. I knocked on the door he comes to the door and almost went to the ground when he saw that it was me. And we had a discussion on the front porch of that house and I asked him I said Donald when you're alone when you're by yourself are you afraid?

Is there something what goes on inside of you when you're alone? And he looked at me and he said Dean sometimes when I'm by myself I am scared to death. Scared to death. Well later they did divorce and he passed away found alone in his house at a chair a day or two after he had died.

As far as I know never came to understand or know this peace of which is ours from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. But so many people are living out their lives just that way. Maybe not in a bottle maybe not in alcoholism but trying to be absorbed in so many things that this world offers to give peace.

Maybe a bank account, a house, something earthly, something material. We're not looking here at something that's earthly and material we're looking at something that's heavenly and spiritual. The Bible makes reference to two types of peace in the Word.

There is a peace with God and there is the peace of God. Now this peace with God is unconditional. The peace with God is something that God himself is the author of. The peace of God however is somewhat conditional.

It's something that as we follow the instructions of the scriptures that that peace of God is known by us on a daily type basis. But like grace we find in the scriptures that God is the author of peace.

He's the author of peace. Again we want to give you these verses if you want to jot them down you may but for lack of time we'll just read them to you as I as I point them out. First of all Romans 15 verse 33 Romans 15 33 it says now may the God of peace be with you all.

What does that mean that of peace? God is the source of all peace. Why are we looking in so many other places to find an inner tranquility of our soul to find something that brings a calmness on the inside when God is the source of all grace.

May the God of peace be with you all. In 2nd Corinthians chapter 13 verse 11 the scriptures say and the God of love and peace will be with you. The God of love and peace will be with you. And then in Hebrews chapter 13 in verse 20 he says now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete in every good work to do his will working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever.

In Hebrews 13 he begins the verse with now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep. So God is the author of this inner tranquility this peace that that men so desire to have but can never find because they are never able to look for it in God himself.

We find that not only is God the God of peace but we find that Jesus Christ is the Lord of peace and Jesus Christ is the Prince of peace. In 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 in verse 16 the Bible says now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way the Lord be with you all.

Then we find in Isaiah 9 6 the Bible says that his his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor Mighty God Everlasting Father and Prince of peace. Even at his birth the angels announced peace on earth goodwill toward men.

And so here is peace in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ and just as this verse explains to us explains to us that is peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. You know there's something that I've noticed in reading through the scriptures as you especially read the Gospels that give us such wonderful descriptions of Jesus Christ.

There's one thing I've noticed about all those verses of scripture that talk about his life and and his doings and his goings. Jesus never had a panic button. Have you ever noticed that? When the storms raged he didn't push a panic button and said oh my goodness what am I going to do?

When his good friend Lazarus that he loved became sick unto death and they said he went and prayed. The disciples came and said Lord he's near unto death. He didn't press a panic button and go running off to do something.

Never did he push a panic button. Not only is he the Lord of peace and the giver of this peace and his name is called the Prince of Peace. He displayed that very fact in the life that he lived. How could he display such a tremendous peace and calmness in the midst of storms even when they attempted to stone him or throw him over a cliff?

You don't see him pushing a panic button. He had great full trust in the will of his father. He had great full trust in the will of the one who had sent him. And one of the reasons that you and I have panic buttons is because we don't find always that trust.

We find trying to trust ourselves or trying to trust this thing or that thing or something else or some other person rather than the sovereign God who has called us unto himself to trust him. And we find that not only is Jesus the Lord of peace, the Prince of peace, peace on the earth when he came to this earth, but we find in John chapter 14 and John chapter 16 that he gives peace.

He gives this peace. In John 14 27 Jesus said peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Just in your own mind think about John chapter 14.

Do you remember how that chapter started? You remember the beginning words of John 14 1? Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. And what are his words here? Peace I leave with you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Now in between verse 1 and verse 27 there's some disturbing things that are to be said. He talks some about his death and so forth. But there's something that I that I saw in this verse and the next one that we will read.

There are two chapters in the Gospel of John that talk about Jesus Christ giving or leaving or sending the Holy Spirit, sending the Comforter, sending the Helper. And in chapter 14 is one of those chapters.

I will send him unto you, if I don't go he can't come. So I'm going so the Holy Spirit the Helper can come unto you. And then he says peace I leave with you. Well I hope the connection I've made is correct.

That the peace he's leaving with them is the Holy Spirit, is the Holy Spirit. And I think that connects well with John chapter 16 verse 33. When Jesus says these things I have spoken unto you that in me you may have peace.

In the world you will have tribulation. Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. And do you know what precedes those verses? Again it's statements about his death, his leaving them. But it's also statements about sending someone in his place.

And that one he is sending is the Holy Spirit. And so again I have to wonder in my own mind if this peace that he's leaving with them has reference to the Holy Spirit. Then in 2nd Thessalonians 3 16 he says now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way.

The Lord be with you all. Now if this is the Word of God, if these are the words of the Holy Spirit, now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace, then the Holy Spirit is certainly capable of such a statement being made to fulfill it.

To fulfill it. If this statement is made to the Thessalonians who are in great tribulation by the way, they were experiencing great trouble following their work of God in their lives. Now beforehand they didn't have all this trouble.

But now they're being tribulated heavily, persecuted for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You pick that up as you read through 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. But at the end of these statements in 1st and 2nd Thessalonians the Holy Spirit says may the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way.

In every way. The Lord be with you all. He is our peace. He is the giver of peace. He is the Lord of peace. And he is our peace with God. Ephesians 2 14 through 18 just the first part of that verse says for he himself, referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, he himself, excuse me, is our peace.

He is our peace. Now do we begin to comprehend that it is God the Father and Christ the Son who showers us with this grace and peace? He did so when we were not seeking it. He has done so when we weren't working for it.

He has showered us with this great grace, excuse me, and this wonderful peace through the Lord Jesus Christ. We weren't working for it. We weren't seeking it. And why has he given it to us? It's because we're his children.

He's our father. We're his children. And he wants us to know the wonderful blessings of the Christian life. He wants us to know the wonderful blessings of the family life that we have in him. And we are his family.

And every good father, father that loves his children, has a great desire for his children to have peace, to know peace, to live in a peaceful environment, a peaceful surrounding. Now when we think of this peace with God, and it is given by his grace actually, it's based upon what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

When we talk about this grace with God and grace of God, we know that there is a distinguishing factor here. Thank you. Some of the remnants of the hundred-day cough. Because of what Christ did for us, God has nothing against us.

God is at total peace with you. There's a theological term for that, and it's the term called propitiation, propitiation. And that word propitiation is simply one that means to be satisfied or to appease another.

Originally it was used by the Greeks to appease the gods, little letter g-o-d-s, inasmuch as they felt like there was something they could do to earn their peace with their God. But in the New Testament this word propitiation is never used of any act by which man brings to God to bring him into a favorable attitude or a gracious disposition with God.

To be at peace with God, God had to be completely satisfied with the sacrifice that was made on our behalf. Well the Bible is very specific when it says not only have we been his children forever, but it says we were children gone astray.

It says we were like sheep who have gone astray in Isaiah 53. Romans 5 says we were so far away from God that we were noted as the enemies of God. For it says for if when we were enemies Christ died for us.

In Romans chapter 8 verse 7 and 8 the Bible says there that the carnal mind is enmity against God. It's not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be. Simply put, as far as you and your sin are concerned, it separated us, alienated us from our God.

The Bible tells us in the Old Testament there is no peace for the wicked, but something happened. Something happened to restore a life that was ours with God. Something happened to bring us unto God and to satisfy God for our sin, totally and completely.

It was not something that you and I were capable of doing. It's not something that you and I were even probably desirous to do, but it was something that God took on himself to perform on our behalf. God right now is completely satisfied with us.

He is completely satisfied. There is nothing that we bring to him to enhance our peace with him. And how did that happen? How have we been made to be satisfied? Are he satisfied with us? Is it your obedience?

Was it our repentance? How about our baptism? Maybe our acceptance? Maybe the way of life we live? How about the offerings we give? The sacrifices we make? The prayers we say? What satisfied God? The blood of Jesus Christ.

It was the blood of Jesus Christ. Turn to the book of Colossians, and I'll ask you to turn there if you will. Colossians chapter 1 verses 19 through 21. Colossians chapter 1 verse 19. For it pleased the Father that in him all the fullness should dwell, and by him to reconcile all things to himself, by him whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross.

And you who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in his sight.

Are we aware that right now we're able to be placed in the very presence of God, holy, unblameable, and without reproach because of the blood of Jesus Christ? He has reconciled us unto himself by his blood.

We notice in Romans chapter 4, in Romans chapter 4, if you'll turn there, we find in beginning in verse 21 of Romans chapter 4 these words,. And being fully convinced that what he had promised he was able to perform, therefore it was accounted to Abraham as righteousness.

Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification.

Total and complete satisfaction had Jesus Christ for us. Notice, he was delivered up for our offenses. Who is the our there? Our offenses. And then it says he was raised because of our justification. Well we could follow the words our, we could follow other words that he has us, we could follow the words we, and we find that he's making reference to all those whom he's redeemed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

All those for whom Jesus Christ died, delivered for our offenses, raised because of our justification. Folks, we were justified by him and the proof, the evidence, the basic proclamation that we are and God was satisfied was found in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When he was raised from the dead, it sealed all of that in the sight of God. Second Corinthians 521, the Bible tells us there that he who knew no sin was made sin so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.

If we're the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ, can we be made more righteous? I don't know how. I don't know how. But somehow some people, we have the idea that well if I can just keep real busy in the church, if I can give more money, if I can work harder, if I can give more hours, if I can be a better person, if I can quit doing this, quit doing that, I'll be more righteous.

More righteous you cannot be for you are as righteous as he. This is all done, accomplished by the blood of Christ. Notice in Romans chapter 3 beginning with verse 21,. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe.

For there is no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time his righteousness that he might be just to the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

God sent him forth. It was not us demanding something from God. It was not us deserving something from God. God by his grace sent him forth to be a propitiation to be God's own satisfier for our sins, to be God's own satisfaction for us.

God may now look upon us through the Lord Jesus Christ and say I am satisfied because of the blood of Christ. In 1st John chapter 2 and verse 2 we find this word propitiation again used in relationship to his own people.

1st John chapter 2 and verse 2 the Bible says there, let me start with verse 1, by little children these things I write to you so that you may not sin and if anyone sins we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he himself is the propitiation for our sins not for ours only but the whole world.

He is the propitiation for our sins. Notice in 1st John chapter 4 and verse 10 again he says there that in this is love not that we love God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins.

What motivated God to send his own son into the world to propitiate God for our sins, to satisfy God for our sins? Does it not say there that it was because he loved us? Because he loved us. In this is love not that we love God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for us.

Did Christ's death on the cross just make something possible or did his death on the cross make something actual? He was delivered for our offenses, he was raised for our justification. I say to you it made something actual, something purposeful that God did that would belong to all of his children and it was accomplished through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Why can I now have peace with God? How why can I now experience the peace of God in my life? Because Jesus Christ has completely propitiated, satisfied God.

He has declared us righteous as he is righteous because he was delivered for our offenses. Because he died in our place our sins are completely forgiven. The Bible tells us that our sins have been cast out.

They have been cast to the depths of the sea, cast as far as the east is from the west, forgiven, forgotten, a new creation we are in Jesus Christ. You know I've often wondered how do you relate to the omniscience of God and the forgetfulness of God?

You say you mean God is forgetful? Well I hope so. What does he forget? He forgets my sin, forgets my sin. And folks we're not talking about just the past sin that I had committed up to the point that that he quickened me, that he awakened me, that he gave me birth.

We're talking about sin, past, present, future. All of it taken care of in the death, the burial, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no sin that you have or ever will commit that will ever be called up into account.

In Colossians again in the second chapter we read these words beginning in verse 11. In him you were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ buried with him in baptism in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God who raised him from the dead and you being dead in your trespasses the uncircumcision of your flesh he made alive together with him having forgiven you most of your trespasses having forgiven you up to this point your trespasses he uses the little letter three letter word all having forgiven you all trespasses having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us which was contrary to us taking it out of the way mailing it to the cross having disarmed principalities and powers he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them in it all trespasses forgiven.