FBC Morning Light – July 22, 2022

Well, good Friday morning to you. Hope your week has gone well. We're coming to the weekend now, aren't we? Last work day of the week for most people, and giving us the opportunity to look forward to the

Lord's Day and to a good weekend, I trust. So this Sunday, Gordon Taylor is going to be back with us again on the

Lord's Day. My wife and I are on a week's vacation and should be getting some rest and refreshment and relaxation on the

Lord's Day on vacation somewhere else. But here in our church, Gordon Taylor will be speaking and his ministry is always a blessing to us.

Hope you can make it out for the Sunday Bible study hour at 9 .30 or the morning service at 10 .30,

evening service at 6 o 'clock. We'd be delighted for you to come. Well, on this particular day, we're once again in the book of 1

Thessalonians, in the letter of Paul to the Thessalonians. So let me ask you this. Do you believe that God is a

God of deep love for his children and immeasurable love for his children? Do you believe that God is good all the time and that the very heart of God is that of goodness?

His character is good. He is a good God. Do you believe that? Do you believe that God is sovereignly in control of all things?

So did the Apostle Paul. I mean, he wrote, after all, in the book of Romans, chapter 8, he said in verse 28, all things work together for the good of those who love

God and are called according to his purpose. God works all things. He's sovereignly in control of all things so that for those who love

God, he orchestrates them for our good. And later on in that chapter, he says there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, nothing whatsoever, neither life nor death or anything in between.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Now, with that being true,

I know that God is always good. I know that God loves me immeasurably.

And I know that God is sovereignly in control of my life. Therefore, I should never have any fear,

I should never be deeply concerned about something, or I should never experience any anxiety.

Is that a reasonable conclusion to draw? Well, before we answer that question, let's listen to the

Apostle Paul. In chapter 3 of 1 Thessalonians, in verse 4, listen to what he says.

This is the man who wrote about the immeasurable love of God, his incredible goodness, and his absolute sovereign control over all things.

He says this, For in fact, we told you before, when we were with you, that we would suffer tribulation, just as it has happened, and you know.

For this reason, he says, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you and our labor might be in vain.

Do you see what was it that prompted Paul to send to know the faith of the

Thessalonians? It was this anxiety and this concern in his heart, this fear within him that the tempter had tempted them, and that all

Paul's work in Thessalonica would have been in vain. He was afraid that they will have forsaken the faith.

And that fear so gripped him and so moved him that it motivated him to send somebody to go find out what's going on at Thessalonica.

And that person he sent was Timothy. And he goes on in verse 6 to say this, But now that Timothy has come to us from you and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us as we also see you, therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress, we were comforted concerning you by your faith.

Paul's acknowledging that his concern about the steadfast faith of the

Thessalonians was an affliction to him, and that it caused him great distress.

So is it ever appropriate, is it ever reasonable for a believer in God's goodness and love and his absolute sovereign control over all things?

Is it ever legitimate for such a one to be anxious, to have a measure of fear, to know distress in his soul?

And I think the answer to that question is yes. But we see it right here on the pages of Scripture.

And Paul says this was my experience. It motivated me to act. I would suggest that those experiences, those responses within us of a measure of fear and deep concern and anxiety over someone else's condition, that these things should motivate us to act, not to wallow, but to do something about it, to act.

And I suppose there's so much more that could be said about that. But what I wanted to just emphasize today is that it's not a sinful response necessarily to know deep concern, to have anxiety, to be feeling distress over a situation.

It is not necessarily sinful. It doesn't necessarily mean that you don't have any faith in the

God of love and goodness and absolute sovereign control. So from that, take some encouragement.

Take some encouragement. I hope it helps a little bit today. So our Father and our God, we thank you that we have this example of the

Apostle Paul that can help us in some of our feelings of anxiety, especially our concern over the spiritual welfare of someone we love deeply.

And I pray that we would respond to those things appropriately. We would respond in prayer.

We would respond in appropriate action if need be. But Lord, I pray, deliver us from the guilties over such things, we pray.

Give us that confidence, that absolute confidence always of your goodness, your love, and your sovereign control.

We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. All right, have a good rest of your Friday, and come to faith on Sunday at the