More Please! (1 Thessalonians 4:1-2)

Kootenai Church

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Good morning. There's an anecdote or a

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Cultural I guess it would be a cultural saying that isn't I don't think always true But I would like you to be thinking about it as we prepare to hear from God's Word Who do you ask?

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To get something done When it needs to be done. Do you ask someone who's not busy or someone who's busy now, that's not always true

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But it's something to think about let's open the word. Let's open this morning in prayer father We thank you that You have given us your word that it is everything.

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We need that. It is all we need Your word is the embodiment the the outpouring of words into our lives of your son the

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Lord Jesus Christ And it is in him that we find our being This morning as we look into your word

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Would you give us grace and wisdom to pursue? Better holy living that we might more effectively

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Show the world the Lord Jesus Christ Both to our families our friends and to the world at large at large

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For you have given us this this grace to do and we thank you in Jesus name

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So let's look at the context here we're gonna look at 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 And I'm gonna read the first nine verses

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We're probably only going to get through two of them but It'll be fun

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First Thessalonians chapter 4 finally then brethren We request and exhort you in the

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Lord Jesus that as you received instruct from us instruction as to how to walk How you ought to walk and please

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God just as you are actually do walk that you may excel still more For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the

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Lord Jesus for this is the will of God your sanctification That is that you abstain from sexual immorality

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That each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor Not in lustful passion like the

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Gentiles who do not know God and that no man transgresses and defraud his brother in the matter because the

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Lord is the avenger in all these things just as we told you before and Solemnly warned you for God has not called us for the purpose of impurity but in sanctification

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Consequently he who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives his

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Holy Spirit to you So last time we were together We looked at the last three verses of chapter 3 in this book

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Paul had broken into prayer begging the Trinity to send him back to for it to Thessalonica He also asked

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God to cause that little church just to abound in loving one another and other people in the same way that they had been doing that Paul and his companions had done themselves and It was for that purpose that Paul continues on Finally then brethren and that's an interesting statement, which if I can turn the page we'll get to It is here in chapter 3 verse 13

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We're gonna look at verse 11 through 13 to kind of remind ourselves of where we were coming from.

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Remember the chapter and verse Application in the Bible was added in the 9th century

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Originally, they weren't there and sometimes the chapter breaks are good Sometimes they lean they lead to more confusion not necessarily here

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But I want to read 11 through 13 so he says as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face and May complete what is lacking in your faith

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Now may our God and Father himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you And may the

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Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another and for all men Just as we also do for you so that he may establish your hearts

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Unblameable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all of his saints

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So this is the first The second coming mention of the second coming the first time was in chapter 2 verse 19 1st

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Thessalonians 2 19 for who is our hope Our joy or joy our or crown of exultation.

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Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming and Then in 1st

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Thessalonians 3 13 we saw so that he may establish your hearts without blame and holiness before our

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God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints He will mention the second coming again in verses 4 15 in verses 4 15 and 5 23 1st

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Thessalonians 4 15 he says for this we say to you by the word of the Lord that those That we who are alive and remain until the coming of the

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Lord Will not precede those who have fallen asleep and then in chapter 5 verse 23

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Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete without blame at the coming of our

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Lord Jesus Christ for mentions in this book are made of the second coming of the

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Lord Jesus and indeed at the end of chapter 5 in and at the end of chapter 5 he will treat the subject in some detail and when we get there we will look at That in some detail

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Here in chapter 4 Commencing with the word finally finally then brethren, which is an interesting translation of a word that means something like now

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I'm going to quote this but this is not scripture. This is my take on this He says something like now that I have dealt with the introductory remarks here are my instructions close quote

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This is a transition point in this book where Paul goes from doctrine to application now

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That's not to say that there isn't doctrine in the section that's on application. Of course there is But it's more of a pure nature before this and less of a pure nature afterwards more of a more of this is here's what?

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To do with what I just told you Finally then brethren we request and exhort you in the

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Lord Jesus that as you receive from us Instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God just as you actually do walk

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That you excel still more Adequate Satisfactory passable

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Sufficient presentable all right Acceptable decent tolerable.

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Do I sound like a thesaurus? That's where I look this up reasonable, okay respectable

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Competent up to snuff up to scratch up to par Not bad

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Serviceable suitable So these are these are words that are synonyms with good enough

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Have you ever seen that in the New Testament? Okay, you're you're there.

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You're good enough. You're serviceable. You're passable. That'll do now sit down and shut up God never says that What does

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God say about good enough to the Thessalonians through the Apostle Paul? we shall see that he never he said never harbor the concept of Good enough as a philosophy of life throughout the scriptures

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There are plenty of people who sir who never considered stopping at good enough in their service

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Sold into slavery by his brothers Joseph was in and out of prison in his teenage years in early 20s

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Having done nothing wrong at all Maybe a little braggadocio here and there but he never really did anything serviceably wrong that we can

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Ascertain from the scripture. He was forgotten. He was lied about he was mistreated and yet he always strove for more

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Psalm 105 actually gives us a reason for all this happening. We get to see why

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Joseph was so treated Joseph was sent ahead into Egypt to be the protector for Israel and because he strove for more

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He ended up in the only position that he could arguably occupy where he could be of use to Israel And he had to get there through the pain that God sent him there through Psalm 105 17 through 21

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He sent a man before them Joseph who was sold as a slave. They afflicted his feet with feather fetters

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He himself was laid in irons until that time until the time that his word came to pass the word the

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Lord tested him the king sent and released him the ruler of peoples and set him free and made him lord of his house and Ruler over all of his possessions.

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That's why Joseph was sent to Egypt the way he was sent There are multiple other examples throughout scripture of individuals for whom good enough was not acceptable

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David Moses Gideon Daniel Josiah the list goes on The life of a servant of God is not driven by good enough, but rather by a pursuit of excellence

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Paul's choice of words by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit here is characteristic. He uses a word That is translated by the phrase to excel.

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I exhort you I exhort you The word is the

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Greek word perisuo and it connotes the idea of super abounding It means to be abundant to exceed to increase to perform way over and above Interestingly enough, and I thought

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I actually had this comment thought of Prior to hearing this morning Sunday school, but wouldn't you all like to have employees employees like that?

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Who their only thought was I haven't done enough. I need to do more Actually, the scripture talks about someone who's done enough

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He's what's known as a unprofitable servant. So that's the the translation

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He's saying that after all our observations in the preceding words There's no question what

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Paul is saying to the Thessalonians He says you are an exemplary church You're living out in the

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Christian life the embodiment of the Word of God You are following what Christ has has asked you to follow

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In love in service in giving but we are calling you to compete with yourself and to do more

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Paul said Do better do the best? Do better than the best?

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so is Your walk with Christ today satisfactory to you Is there no more you can do to increase your love better your obedience?

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Remove bad habits or vestiges of bad habits train yourself to better service or Learn to love the brethren more

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Have you achieved their Nirvana of the Christian experience? And by the way? Nirvana is a little town outside of Des Moines, Iowa.

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You want to go there probably pretty cold right now You're the best self you can be You're the best self you can be in service to God right now

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Now, of course, no one who is a careful humble student of the Word of God would ever think this way

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Paul himself admitted late in his Christian walk that he was nowhere near perfection The Apostle Paul did in his letter to his beloved

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Philippians. He reminded them of the wickedness He had perpetrated on the church before his salvation and then he encouraged his listeners and his readers

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That would be them then them in that day in us today That though he had agreed achieved great things and many things he considered them useless and rubbish

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So that he might gain more of Christ he spoke of stretching toward what was ahead and That which was ahead was the upwards call of God in Christ himself

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It was like he was without stretched arms straining towards the Christ that he loved reaching towards him

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This is what the Greek word connotes when it speaks of it It is straining a stretching to attain something and that something was life and eventually for Paul death in Christ and for all of us

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Precede if we're not here at the second coming Philippians 3 7 through 14 bears reading But whatever things were gained to me those things

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I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ more than that I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing

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Jesus Christ Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish

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So that I may gain Christ and may be found in him not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law

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But that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith that I may know him

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And the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings Being conformed to his death in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead not that I have already obtained it

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Paul said Or have already become perfect He said that too

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But I press on so that I may hold lay hold of that for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus first Christ laid hold of him then he laid hold of Christ brethren

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I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet But one thing I do forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead

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I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus There was nothing for Paul but Christ there's no direction but up toward Christ There's no value, but the value of Christ and the blessed slavery that Paul himself experienced in service to him

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And so that is what he is encouraging the Thessalonians toward this is in some ways an antithesis of Looking back and seeing what we've done and using that as a baseline to excel beyond Paul Told the

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Philippians that he looked back to the all the things he had done very well in service to the Sanhedrin And the

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Jews and noted that he counted them as rubbish and ground them into the dirt with the heel of his sandal

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I added that Remember when Eve added and not even touch it

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It's not good to add words to Scripture unless you mention that you just added them He published he pushed them the

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Jews the think of the Galatians, excuse me in the other way in the direction of disdain disdain those things stretch forward do more be more

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Even that bit of personal history he uses it to spur his readers to greater heights of service to the Lord Jesus Christ Here he uses two words to provoke the

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Thessalonians onward And by the way, the King James uses that word in Hebrews chapter 10, and I love it We're here to provoke one another to love unto good works.

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Oh, okay. I'll do that It's a good thing The first word is

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Request he says finally then brethren we request and exhort you This is a gentle suggestion that is spoken to or offered among peers.

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It's not a military command It's not any kind of command at all it these precious people had already demonstrated time and time again

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They had their devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ Paul was asking for more of the same and better Paul and his companions had carefully instructed the believers in Thessalonica how they ought to walk in a manner that would please

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God But for a believer good enough is never good enough there's no such statement as Well, that's good enough for government work in Christian service or in this case spiritual work for the believer who loves

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Christ more is better Better is not enough. The best is to be achieved or at least sought

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Remember the word translated as Excel means to super abound over and above The second word he said he uses exhort finally then brethren we request and exhort you in the

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Lord Jesus Christ This comes from a Greek word, which means to come alongside and encourage

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While it can be used authoritatively here in context. It is coming from a heart of pastoral love for these people

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Paul is encouraging urging and lovingly and strongly suggesting that the Thessalonians take their walk with Christ to the next level

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Remember from the first three chapters and even here we are reading about people who took the gospel call tremendously seriously

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The Thessalonian Church was a working active God loving God serving Church Paul is not he's not reprimanding them.

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He's not correcting them. He's not Changing their minds. He's Encouraging them to continue and to do more.

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He loved the direction they were going and Yet he wants him to go further. This is always the expectation the delightful and blessed expectation for every believer for every slave

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You know, you're a slave You're a slave Everybody's a slave scripture says we're slaves to something or the other

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We're either slaves to ourselves to the flesh to the devil or with slaves to the Lord Jesus Christ and the word slave You know what the word slave means?

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It doesn't mean devoted servant it means slave and I'm gonna read some now later on we'll talk about that a little more

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Jim came up with an excellent subtitle for the book of Hebrews Using the mathematical symbol for greater than indicating that Jesus is greater than everything

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But more specifically in the book of Hebrews to the Old Testament the Old Covenant the things of the

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Old Covenant the sacrifices of the Old Covenant This is a good way of looking at what Paul is encouraging here to the

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Thessalonians and to us today He is encouraging a walk that is greater than the walk they have now This is a walk that is a blessing to him already

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It's a blessing to him already and those that work to bring in the gospel to them of the the other workers

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They were blessed by what the Thessalonians were doing The general idea here is that believers should always be striving for More more excellence more devotion more love more

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It brings to mind the old hymn more about Jesus would I know no more love more and do more

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It could be a motto So this is accomplished by learning more about the wonderful Messiah.

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We serve and the way we learn more about him is in his word his written

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Testament to us Which is a representation of just who he is We have everything we need to improve our service strengthen our walk

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Deepen our relationship with the Lord Jesus contained

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We have everything we need everything we need and it's contained within the once for all deliberate scriptures remember in first, excuse me, second

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Timothy 316 the Apostle Paul said this all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching for reproof for correction for training and righteousness

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You know this you've had it in Sunday school. You've you've heard it in systematic theologies

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But I'm gonna walk through it again. Remember Peter said I'm not ashamed to put you in mind of things you already know

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Teaching is instruction doctrine learning teach and teaching. Oh go figure reproof

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Elenchus is refutation reproof Rebuke properly.

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It's to convince with solid compelling evidence, especially to expose to prove wrong to correct

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This was it one of the things that the scripture does for us correction Properly an intensification of making something straight

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Have any of you pulled nails from old boards and Hammered them straight

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Did you really think they were perfectly straight? Mine were although usually when

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I did that the head was still kind of cocked like this But when you hit it that first time to connect a new board with that old nail the head went straight

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So I don't know where that came from. But hey So this is to rectify something to straighten it up to reform it hence to correct it to make it suitable and Useful again for what it was intended

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Galatians 6 1 comes to mind Training last word in that section is tutorage education instruction nurture instruction that trains someone to reach full development

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These are deep Insightful things that God wants the scripture to be used for us in our lives so this then is one of the purposes of scripture to take novices in lifestyle and Worldview and make them experts in living the

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Christian life To you. Are you planning on being an expert before you depart for glory?

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Don't plan on being an expert but shoot for it. I think I said this maybe here somewhere or somewhere else If you're trying to make it to the moon

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It's going to be difficult but shoot for the moon at least make it to the light post The only way one will progress it in their sanctification in this way is in this this direction is to read the book

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Now what book is he talking about? Well mine because it has the correct page numbers We're on page 1529 in case you were wondering know the scripture read the book

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You need to read the book and you need to read it more It is to leave nothing to chance

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But to provide the sort of instruction that will resort resort in a result in a person that models the standard

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Which is the life of Jesus Christ and this is not optional Leon Morris touches on this in his commentary with on this epistle.

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Here's what he said If you think you can this is an option when a man is saved by the work of Christ for him

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It does not lie open for him as a matter for his completely free decision whether he will serve

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God or not He has been bought with a price He has become the slave of Christ Christian service is not an optional extra for those who like that kind of thing.

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It is a compelling obligation Which lies upon each of the one of the each one of the redeemed?

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It's not an option Fortunately, there are many times in life when you were instructed to do something that was not an option

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But you were not given the tools to do it to do it properly God did not leave you in that position

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He gave you everything you need pit to be the very best servant you can be for him to be more and different kinds of service

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Occur for different kinds of believers. We're not cookie cutters. We all have a different purpose

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That well, we all have different Utilities in the purpose of elevating the

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Lord Jesus Christ So reflecting on Paul's instruction here, though. He starts this section out with the word for brothers

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This is a this is a we're in it together Section and appropriately so the word for walk

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That as you receive from us instruction, so as you has how to you ought to walk the word for walk

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Is translated live in the King James Version and this bespeaks an understanding of what Paul means here

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Our living is a step -by -step walk from the present into the future. Duh We all know that What we take there into the future from here today and How we get there is so very important if it is instructed by the

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Word of God You will take far more into the future Finally in the wall of although a bit out of order

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Paul's exhortation farther up was in the Lord Jesus This is how followers of Jesus should live is what

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Paul is saying The exhortation itself comes from the Savior himself as we will see in the next verse when

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Paul claims The authority of his commands that the authority of his commands

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Devolves comes directly from the Lord Jesus Christ verse 2. He says for you know

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What commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Lord Jesus as I was studying this

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I Looked up a couple of lists of commandments from the from the Lord Jesus Christ and they varied the ones

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I found from 45 to 65 and If you put them in small enough font, they won't cover the whole front of your refrigerator

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And I can see how this list was composed and I can understand the reasoning behind the composition for some reason There's no such list of just the commands of Paul And it's interesting that he would say this here that his commands and the commands of the other

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Apostles are are derived their authority from Jesus Christ himself so I I did a little bit of study and I came up with what

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I think is a Reasonable list that can kind of give us a flavor of what the Thessalonians would have been meditating on when

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Paul said this Remember, they would have had access to his other writings He expected he desired and expected that his letters would be read in the other churches

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So I'm sure this list is not comprehensive, but it should be representative I'm gonna kind of go through some of them so we can see what what

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Paul means when he says you have our commands You know what is expected of you Reckon yourselves dead to sin and yield yourselves to God Romans 6 don't boast that you're better than the

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Jews than than Israel Romans 11 Sacrifice your life to God Romans 12 think soberly act accordingly

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Romans 12 Use the gift that you have been given by the Holy Spirit use the gift that you have been given by the

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Holy Spirit Romans 12 Mark and avoid false teachers Romans 16

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I counted possibly a total of 36 in Romans 36 authoritative commands of the

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Apostle Paul given Authority by the Lord Jesus Christ in the church deliver perverts to Satan 1st

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Corinthians 5 Don't be an idolater 1st Corinthians 10 do everything you do for the glory of God 1st

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Corinthians 10 Examine yourself 1st Corinthians 11 28 and compare Matthew chapter 5 and you'll see as Jesus exhorting the same thing

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Let women keep silent in the church 1st Corinthians 14 covet prophecy 1st Corinthians 14 be steadfast immovable abounding in the work of the

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Lord do more 1st Corinthians 15 My count in 1st Corinthians was between 58 and 64 depending on how some of the verses were looked at.

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Let me explain that Some were listed as commandments that I thought could also be listed as facts or observations for example 1st

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Corinthians 3 18 let no man deceive himself if any man among you seems to be wise in this world let him Become a fool that he may be wise

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That's a command, but it's all it to me. It's an observation so Refuse to be unequally yoked with believers 2nd

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Corinthians cleanse yourself from the filthiness of the flesh and spirit Seth And spirit 2nd Corinthians give with a cheerful heart 2nd

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Corinthians be perfect as An aside there are two words today that kind of grind me that people use all the time literally and Perfect.

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I mean when you order a coffee from a coffee shop and they tell you they say perfect What's perfect?

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The coffee they're gonna make the order I just placed even though I had to repeat it four times You know

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Don't misuse words. That's that's not in the script Well, it probably is I'd have to look that up be perfect 2nd Corinthians 13 and I counted 13 in 2nd

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Corinthians Stand fast and the freedom that Christ has given you Galatians 5 Restore a brother caught in a fault

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Galatians 6 Do good to everyone especially believers Galatians 6 there seem to be about 14 in Galatians commands of the

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Apostle Paul Stop lying and tell the truth Ephesians 4 learn to be properly angry

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Ephesians 4 Be kind and forgiving of one another Ephesians 4 boy

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Ephesians 4 has a lot of stuff Do not link up with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them

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Ephesians 5 husbands Love your wives Ephesians 5 children obey your parents Ephesians 6 put on the whole armor of God Ephesians 6

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There are between depending on how you look at them as commands or suggest or observations of fact between 25 and 29 in Ephesians Refuse to do anything through strife or vainglory

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Philippians to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling Philippians 2 don't murmur

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Did he really tell us not to murmur? I Think he did don't murmur and dispute Philippians 2 beware of those who require obedience to commands for salvation

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Philippians 3 Meditate on true honest just pure lovely virtuous praiseworthy

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Well -reported things Philippians 4 looks like there's about 21 in Philippians. These can be their own study their own incredible profitable study

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Mortify sin in your life. I have a memory of this one when I was taking a Greek class I think back in the 1970s the teacher

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Didn't like the new internet new American Standard Translation where it says consider it consider dead or consider and let me look it up here.

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I Have the very Word of God in my hand. So Colossians now you're gonna find out if I know where stuff is

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Colossians 3 5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body is dead

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He said if you as a boxer Get in now this will date me because this is who is famous at the time

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If you as a boxer get into the ring with Muhammad Ali and just consider him dead it will not go well with you

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The word actually means to make dead to cause to be dead. So Mortify sin in your life

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Colossians 3 be sure that the words of the Lord Jesus Christ dwell in you Colossians 3 continue in prayer in prayer

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Colossians 4 there are between 22 and 24 in Colossians and then started in this chapter in Thessalonians abstain from fornication

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Chapter 4 Comfort one another with the words of Scripture Chapter 4 do not render evil for evil chapter 5 prove all things and hold fast to those things which are good chapter 5

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There are 15. It looks like in 1st Thessalonians. Don't be deceived by false prophets Are there any prop false prophets in the world today?

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I think they're everywhere I mean or maybe it's just that we have such instant access to news now

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Which means we are meddling in things that we have no business meddling and most of the time Metal not with strife not belonging to you

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Okay, if you want to eat Work for it Second Thessalonians don't go try it.

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Don't grow tired of doing what is right that second Thessalonians urge teachers to teach proper doctrine

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Which results in a pure heart a good conscience and an unfeigned faith first Timothy. I Found six in second

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Thessalonians. I forgot to tell you that pray for those in authority first Timothy meditate upon wholesome words of Scripture first Timothy honor and take care of widows first Timothy rebuke a sinning elder before all first Timothy be content with food and clothing

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First Timothy if you are rich be good to those who are less fortune first Timothy first fortunate first Timothy Don't be afraid to be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel.

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That's second Timothy. I jumped I jumped the shark here first Timothy has between 25 and 27

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Commit Scripture and holy living to faithful men so they can teach others second Timothy be at be gentle apt to teach patient meek and a

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Guardian of the truth second Timothy be ready to preach the word in an instant second Timothy the second epistle to Timothy contains between 16 and 20 another profitable study

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Exhort the aged and the young to have good behavior sobriety charity sincerity and other wonderful qualities

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Titus to Avoid foolish questions Titus 3 Titus has 12 to 15 have faith

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Hebrews 11 Just in case Paul didn't write Hebrews I'll just comment on the fact that there are approximately 34 to 37 in the book of Hebrews.

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So the total count in my estimation is somewhere between 263 and 287 and if you include

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Hebrews, it's between 297 to 324 that's if you look at some of what are listed as commands by other folks as observations and facts

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In all There's plenty of instruction that Paul gave to his readers to properly walk in a manner pleasing to the

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Father of lights remember the commands of the Apostles now that is the original

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Genuine command the Apostles that were appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ himself in 30 to 33

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AD. I don't know what time of the day, but I if you know Those apostles they have the same authority as the commands of Christ Every Apostle again the original 11 that actually walked with Jesus and later

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Paul who is specifically made an Apostle by Christ himself Interestingly the word for this word for commandments is used only five times in the

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New Testament and only three times Concerning commandments in the faith for you know, what commandments we gave you he said acts 528

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We gave you strict orders Not to continue teaching in this name and yet you have filled

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Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us This was a time when it was appropriate for the people in question to ignore the commands

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This was the high priest command the Apostles not to preach in Jesus name. That's that word Acts 16 24 and he having received such a command

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Threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks The chief magistrates of the city commanded the jailer to do this first Timothy 1 5

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But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith

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Same word here instruction regarding a life of faith and obedience. This is a similar use this is one of the other similar uses of this word in the

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New Testament and Lastly first Timothy 118 this command I entrust to you Timothy my son in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you

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That by them you fight the good fight This is the second use of this word that is similar to Paul's use of it here so I think that gives us a flavor of the breadth of understanding that Paul had and the kinds of things that he

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Expected those who read his teachings to observe in those days and in these days

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He intended for the Thessalonians for the Galatians for the

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Romans For the Philippians for you name the church you name the people and us today to understand and do

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What they needed to do them and to do today these things Paul gave to his readers in first century

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Palestine They carry the same weight in 2023 You almost always want to say but they carry even more weight today because it's worse today than it's ever know

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It's as bad today as we know it is. It's always been bad since Just after the first bite in the apple

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It's always been bad These commands by the way are a translation of the word parangalia which reflect the same concept as a military directive

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This is the kind of statement a commanding officer would give to his subordinates the Thessalonians Then and we now would do well not to take these commands lightly

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One could say that the right response to the commands of Christ To the commands of Paul and the commands of Peter James John and the other

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Apostles Would constitute understanding and executing the will of God in your life.

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Are you looking for the will of God? It is laid out for us in Black and white and if you have a red letter

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Bible in black red and white now with that all said about being more devoted more

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Serving more selfless more dependent on Christ There's something coming next in this little epistle.

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That is a clear expectation Paul has for the Thessalonians and they're living in a very perverted and disgusting world

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Well, I don't want to steal my thunder from then whenever that is. Well when we get there We'll talk about it something like today it is though for that reason

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I want you to focus on just a few of the commandments that Paul gave over the years that he preached and taught and wrote to different groups of believers that will bear on what we are going to be looking at in the next section of first Thessalonians and That we can bring to bear on our own lives

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He says examine yourselves. That's one of Paul's that's not said here But that's one of Paul's commands in first Corinthians 1128

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But a man must examine himself and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup

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This is a group that is living out the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ But they would still be reading this and they should take it to heart

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Thessalonians. You're doing well examine yourselves Paul wants them to continually do a self -check.

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He wants us to do that as well This is the equivalent of the check engine light on your car To some degree and it's a bad idea when the check engine light comes on to put white out over it

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Who'da thunk It's a bad idea When God's Holy Spirit controlled conscience that he rendered for you at the new birth is ignored or worse yet clear words of Scripture are ignored with the car a

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Computer compares the car's behavior to a certain set of established parameters that indicate a well -functioning vehicle

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We have that same kind of check we can compare our lives to what it says in the pages of Scripture And we can listen to the loving well -intended

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Rebukes of others in our lives other believers with whom we have fellowship We are to come to one another's aid in these things by letting one another know if we see fault if We happen to see fault in one of the brethren in Galatians chapter 6 verse 1

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Paul cautions us To come with a spirit of gentleness thinking very carefully about ourselves and making sure we're not imposing on someone

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Some failure that can't be demonstrated from Scripture. It's on our list But I can't find it in the

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Word of the Word of God The next command that I want us there's going to be four

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I believe I have here that I want us to think about that that Paul would have had the Thessalonians would have had access to cleanse yourself

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From the filthiness of the flesh and spirit 2nd Corinthians 7 1 therefore having these promises beloved

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Let us cleanse ourself from all defilement of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God This is a day by day as I mentioned earlier

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Mortification of the wickedness that we used to do and occasionally still struggle with the evidence of a growing

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Christian is more and more Disgust with the behavior and more and more control of that behavior day by day

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Providentially by the work of the Holy Spirit This cleansing is an ongoing work that must we must prayerfully

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Beg God to accomplish the make no mistake the Thessalonians had to deal with this kind of world this kind of thing in the fallen world they lived in daily

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Thessalonia was one of the centers of one of the perverted religions and we'll we'll get to that This is another command and this is for me at least this is something that I really am trying to take to heart

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Something that I just don't see a lot of I don't see any of it in the world and it needs to be so much more evident in the church

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Husbands love your wives now the appropriate thing is to follow that up with the section that talks about why is loving there?

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I'm not going to do that Husbands love your wives Ephesians 5 25 through 28

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Husbands love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her so that he might sanctify her

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Having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word that he might present himself to himself the church in all her glory having no spot or wrinkle or Any such thing but that she would be holy and blameless

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So husbands ought to also ought also to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself so see

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I'm preaching so I get to pick my hobby horses and this is one that I just to me Kim and I have watched some movies and we just it's like it's a given that the husband's gonna be unfaithful

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Why are you watching it? I don't know probably should be doing something else Men this is a daily precious privilege.

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We have not only to say we love our wives but to show them every day This is not only a protection for them

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But it is also a consistent and constant reminder of just how important and wonderful they are in our daily lives our eyes our words our heart and our mind needs to be consumed with loving our wives and then the last one

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That we'll talk about today Meditate upon the wholesome words of Scripture 1st

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Timothy 4 15 He says in this translation He says take pains with these things be absorbed in them so that your progress will be evident to all

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Now the Thessalonians progress was evident. It was evident to Paul and the other missionaries that went there

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This is something he would still encourage them to do more of Finally one of the commands

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Paul gave to his young charge is a most important and timely one for people in any age his young charge in this case being

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Timothy The Greek word translated pate pains is translated as meditate upon in the

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King James The idea is to revolve them in your mind turn them over Ponder them it is

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God's Word and God's Word only Not real or fake revivals not real or fake experiences

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Not real or fake you fill in the blank it is God's Word and God's Word only that offers the direction of the progress that God intends for us for each believer by the power of the indwelling

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Holy Spirit to conquer the sin that the Thessalonians then and we today Struggle with and we'll see one of those sins in the next section when we get to 1st

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Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 3 Scripture is replete

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With similar commands and and encouragements to repeat myself do more

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And in closing the Old Testament says it this way Psalm 92 verses 12 through 15

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What does it take for a that's not Psalm 92 that's me what does it take for a tree to flourish You just plug it in the ground and leave it alone

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Well, maybe some trees somewhere but for the most part me if I plant a tree

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I better baby that sucker for the next 20 years or it's gonna die an awful death because I have no green thumb

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God never does that when he plants he waters he preserves Psalm 92 12 through 15

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The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree. He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon Planted in the house of the

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Lord. They will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age That's an encouragement they will be full of sap and very green

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To declare that the Lord is upright. He is my rock and there is no righteous unrighteousness in him

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That's what we will do as a result of that flourishing. We will declare that the Lord is upright.

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He is my rock He is no he is full of righteousness and then Proverbs 4 18 What the

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Old Testament says about doing more? But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn that shines brighter and brighter until the full day

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Keep at it. I Know your life many of you in here. If not most your life is hard Jesus promised though and then you will see where I was going with that that fruit bearers would bear even more fruit

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He said in John 15 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away and every branch that bears fruit

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He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit and doesn't this line up with what Jim has been speaking about in these last few

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Weeks the discipline that God brings into our lives to make us more productive more useful more of a blessing to others and to him and Finally, yeah, really finally.

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I'm on the last paragraph. See I only have one page Peter echoes

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Paul's encouragement in 2nd Peter chapter 3. No Dave. I didn't steal any of your thunder

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He says but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity

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Amen So 2 ,000 years ago Paul was requesting and encouraging a young church that was remarkable in its dedication to the

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Lord Jesus Christ to do more to love more To go beyond and work out their salvation in new and remarkable ways serving the

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Lord in greater and greater ways more That encouragement still stands the blessing of the

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Holy Spirit empowering that Still accompanies believers today So what is stopping us from doing more?

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Nothing, let's pray father we thank you that by your providence you have given us everything we need to do more and You have told us what that more is

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Might we look into your word daily Weekly monthly hour by hour as is necessary on prayer on prayerful knees

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Seeking to know how to please you more because it is your son the Lord Jesus Christ who we want to love more

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We thank you for him and we ask this in for his sake in Jesus name.