Book of 1 Thessalonians - Ch. 1, Vs. 8-Ch. 2, Vs. 20 (12/02/2001)

Repentance, Faith, and Turning from Idols

Turn from something is repentance. There's a lot of people that think that they shed a lot of tears, they've repented. But that has nothing to do with it. I remember a story told by an old man that used to be on the Mississippi River.

He said there was one small boat that carried traffic up and down the river, but it was in trouble every time it had to blow the whistle. Because if it was going upstream, it would drift back down in blowing the whistle.

Because it had a little bitty boiler in it. Well, a lot of people are like that. Too big a whistle and too small a boiler. A man does not turn from his sin. Is that right or wrong? Greg? Well, it depends on how you look at it.

To turn to God is faith. To turn away from idols is repentance. So a sinner turning to God would be faith. A sinner cannot turn away from idols and be saved. He has to receive Jesus as his Savior. So to turn to God is faith.

You have faith in Christ. But you cannot yourself turn to Christ. Christ is to be preached in the world. But the message of repentance is preached to the church. Thessalonians 1 .10. He delivered us, past tense, from the wrath to come.

Future tense. We're already delivered. We're to wait on him. Raised from the dead. Begotten from among the dead. Our country for the last 75 years has been in the hands of people that have no conception of what the word of God is.

They have no knowledge of it. They do not believe that God is sovereign. Jesus died on the cross and was in the tomb three days. Now, it's not three full days. The evening of this first day, the second day, and the morning of the third day.

They say three days. The Jews counted their day from sunset to sunrise. Or from sunset to sunrise. Sunset. From sunset to sunset was a day. By next time we meet, it will be three weeks. I want you to try to find out what he did during those three days.

A clue would be to see what the high priest does in the Holy of Holies. Now, chapter two. I know David went over some of this, but I'm going to do it again. For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you that it was not in vain.

Greg, what does vain mean? We didn't declare to you something that was like a novel. It was not a theory. It was not philosophy. It was the word of God. But even after that, we had suffered before and were shamefully treated.

As ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. You see, it had been easy for Paul to have taken the little course on how to win friends and influence people.

But he didn't do that. The soft sell just wasn't Paul's way. The greatest sermon you will ever preach is what? What? Your life. Remember that. Even David, the greatest sermon he'll preach is his life.

For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanliness, nor in guile. But as we were allowed, appointed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God which trieth our hearts.

Is it possible? Russell, you answered this. Is it possible for man to please God? Well, that's pretty good. You want to add something to it? David, is it possible for you as a man to please God? All right.

We are not to please man, but to please God. To please God is possible because he has revealed to man his will. Now, is it possible to please men? Why is it not possible to please men? And you can please God.

Why is it possible to please God then, John? Because he never changes. You can't please me because I'm going to change. Five. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness.

God is our witness on this. Greg, what does flattery do to you? All right. You never really know what to say, do you? In reply. When people criticize me, I know what to say. Our friends are probably more dangerous at times than our enemies.

God pity the church that has a work to be done by men that will not work unless they receive flattery. Nor of men sought we glory. Back to the reading now, verse six. Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome as the apostles of Christ.

But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherished her children. So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because you were very dear to us.

We had such an intense love, Paul says, of you that we were not only willing and forward to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to you, but also to give our very lives to you. For ye remember, brethren, our labor and travail for laboring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

Paul supported himself. He didn't take a salary from a church. I think that's the way it should be. It has been different than that for years, I know, but that doesn't make it right. Wherever Paul went, he found work.

He never talked about it, but he found work. When a church group pays a preacher to come on the field, most of the time he will not come unless the salary is right, the benefits are right, and he doesn't have the peace of God in it.

But if the salary is right, if the money is right, and the benefits are right, he'll come. Now, would you want a preacher like that? Would you, David? No. I've never been in a church other than this one where you didn't pay the preacher, and I think it's great.

Paul preached the gospel. For ye remember, brethren, our labor and travail in laboring night and day, because you would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. Paul supported himself.

He took nothing from the churches. Wherever he went, he found work, usually as a tentmaker. He did not let his personal livelihood stand in the way of his teaching. I think all preachers should have to work and support themselves.

I think that if they preach under that condition, then they truly are called and love the work. You are witnesses, and God also, how hoitly and justly and unblameably we behaved ourself among you that believe.

Now, there's a word in there, Greg, that I don't understand. Hoitly, what's that mean? You got what? What do you have? All right. We're witnesses of God. Ye are witnesses of God also. How many preachers realize that the people witness for him?

As you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a father does his children. Now, does that mean, John, that everything that Paul said and did, the people liked it? Not if he was like a father to the children.

The church, just as the home, needs the mother type and the father type. It needs the discipline of the father, the love of the mother. The discipline side is missing in most homes today, and it's sadly missing in the church.

In the home, it can and has led to a breakdown of the character of the home. This is one reason we do not have strong churches today. It's because it's broken down in the churches. I believe that he is a murderer who allows the people to starve to death for the want of the word.

I have not been so long from other churches for what I can remember. I can remember how uncomfortable and how unsatisfied I was with the whole thing. And here in the last few years of my life, he's given me a church in which to work, in which I approve, not that that makes any difference, but I'm compatible with what you believe.

But it's not like this in other churches, even in this town. Twelve, that you would walk worthy of God who hath called you into his kingdom and glory. To walk with God is to be sincerely and heartily careful to set forward his cause, to promote his gospel, to defend his truth, to amplify his kingdom to the uttermost of your powers, to not go forward is to go backwards.

You can't stand still. Walk in the light that he has given you and you will do that which he requires of you, not in the light that he has given someone else, but he has given it to you. The twelfth verse, that you would walk worthy of God who hath called you into his kingdom and glory.

Why didn't it say, who are in his kingdom and glory, Greg? But you're called to it. The point I was trying to make was, he had to call you to it. You didn't find out, well, that's a good church, then I'll go over there.

No, he put you here, you. For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of men, but as the truth. But as it is the truth, the word of God, which affectionately worketh also in you that believe.

For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God, which in Judea are in Christ Jesus. For ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us.

And they please not God, and are contrary to men. Why do they need so much preaching today, David? Why does the world need so much preaching, so much conversion to Christianity today? I guess I was a little vague on the question.

It's one thing to be converted from heathenism to Christianity, and another thing to be converted from sin to God. That's what we're after, to be converted of your sin. They say we have the Bible for that end, and can make the most use of that answer.

Observe it, and you will find that such as are no friends to the pulpit, are usually none to the best friend of the Bible. Follow them to their families and see how the Bible is neglected among them. Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles, that they might be saved.

To fill up their sins always, for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. Now, to fill up their sins, strange quotation. God has sins of men to go all of the way. Think about it. God has the sins of men that will continue until he comes back.

He has the sins that belong to this person, this person, this person, this person, outside of the church, that will last until he returns. So Satan cannot say, you've cut me short. This is so Satan cannot say that.

The tribulation time will be a time for Satan to be full bore. He will have no restrictions. But we brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire, being taken from you for a short time.

And though the persecution raised by Jews, through the persecution raised by Jews, he was obliged to leave Thessalonica and kneel to a storm that would have been useless for him to have withstood. What did he do?

How did he escape? Isn't this where he's let down over the wall in a basket? Wherefore we would have come to you, even I Paul, once and again, but Satan hindered us. So Paul wanted to come, he desired to come, but Satan hindered him.

Well, how he hindered him, we're not told. Some difficulties intervened that Paul attributed to Satan. His agency is often manifest when we do not recognize it. Sometimes in wicked opposition, sometimes even as an angel of light.

Satan as an angel of light. Second Corinthians 11, 14, and no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Beautiful light, looks so good. For what is our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing?

Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy. Since the first hour in which evil came in conflict with good, it has never ceased to be a spiritual experience.

Every time Satan injects himself, it's a spiritual thing, not a physical thing. Physical things are neither good nor bad. The Spirit, he does this on all sides and in all fashion. I believe Satan hinders any program to get the word of God out.

Now, he is in lots of programs. Lots of programs are made by him, designed by him, in the church. And they look like God's programs. God doesn't need a program. He doesn't need gimmicks. He doesn't need bumper stickers.

He doesn't need anything to get his word out. That's right. All we have to do is just be willing. Russell, dismiss us, please.