Remembering Faith, Hope, and Love (1 Thessalonians 1:1-3 , Jeff Kliewer)

Cornerstone Church

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December 6, 2021

Sermon Notes: http://notes.cornerstonesj.org Remembering Faith, Hope, and Love

03:02: Good morning Okay, so we just have a couple of announcements and then we'll pray and begin to sing
03:11: The first one is we are having a movie night on The 12th, by the way, did anybody see enemies within the church?
03:19: Anybody get that DVD or stream that video? No, good a couple of people did. All right.
03:24: So here's your chance at redemption if you didn't do it yet You can come here and we are going to watch it on Sunday the 12th.
03:32: This is the fifth, right? So next Sunday at 6 p .m. We'll have a movie night in here.
03:38: It's gonna be really fun. And then we'll talk about it afterwards So it'll be a good night on the 12th the next
03:44: Sunday after that the 19th. We're gonna have an old -fashioned Christmas hymn sing
03:50: You guys excited for that? Yeah, we doing carols and and we'll do that at 6 p .m.
03:56: On Sunday night the 19th and then Christmas Eve Christmas Eve obviously on the 24th, we're gonna meet here one service at 2 30 and the second service at 4 so Christmas Eve services, let's pray
04:11: Father God, we praise you and we thank you for the chance to come into this place Lord your word says from the mouths of children you have ordained praise
04:21: We thank you for the children who will be singing we ask that you give them Boldness and joy in the
04:27: Lord that they would be happy to sing for you and for your name We pray that you would help them in that Lord help all of us to sing praise into your name for you are worthy in Jesus name.
04:38: Amen Let's stand and sing together
04:55: Oh Just the band to you guys we have
08:26: Naomi come on up Naomi give a little wave We have no Ella Zach come on up Zach Noah Sophia Allie Ellie Stockland, come on up and her brother
08:52: Charlie who's also gonna play the piano and our lead singer Sal All right guys
09:03: You're on Give thanks to the
09:11: Lord for he is good his loving doors forever. So I'm 136 one I Guys did so good, didn't they?
17:44: Thank you so much for the children of our church, thank you for loving children and such belong the kingdom of God I pray that they'll be singing your name for all the days of their life
17:55: That's my prayer for their for these children And I also thank you so much for Kathy Appleton for helping them love you and sing songs to you
18:05: Thank you Lord and we pray in Jesus name. Amen We're gonna sing together a song
18:23: To prepare us for not only communion but for the Word of God if you could stand with me
18:32: There are many times that this month we can get so busy that We find that we don't have time to pray and to get into his
18:46: Word I plead with you that you find the time this month, especially
18:55: And prepare room in your life for for him the last verse of this particular song
19:06: Our hearts as busy as Bethlehem hear him knock don't say that there is no room
19:13: Through the cradle the cross and the grave See the love of God displayed
19:18: Now he is risen and he reigns Praise the name above all names
19:24: Let's sing together Mystery Oh Let the king of glory hear this, the promise has come to you.
20:57: This the world the prophets were longing to see.
21:05: From the darkness and days and days to the holy words of life.
21:15: His kingdom now is here for those who choose to hear.
21:23: We thank you.
22:15: As busy as Bethlehem. There's no room to be cosy.
23:45: The king has arrived.
24:35: Wow, isn't it good to sing praise to our Lord? And good to hear children praising the name.
24:41: Did you hear what they said? They said, ha ha ha, hallelujah. Ho ho ho,
24:48: Hosanna. He, he, he, he saved me. That is awesome. Isn't that great? That's really good.
24:54: Now, as the old Southern Baptist preacher said, if that don't light your fire, your wood's wet.
25:01: Getting us fired up to worship the Lord. Praise God. Well, before we go into the scriptures today, we need to take some time to examine our hearts.
25:11: We have these small cups with bread and we are going to take communion. So before we do that, let me remind you of an interaction that Jesus had with Peter.
25:24: Peter was in the upper room and Jesus removed his outer cloak and went person by person with a basin of water and began to wash the disciples feet.
25:35: And when he came to Peter, what did Peter say? No, Lord, don't wash me. He's thinking I need to serve you.
25:42: But Jesus said to Peter, unless I wash you, you have no part with me.
25:49: And so Peter said, well, then wash my hands in my head as well. And Jesus said, well, those who have had a bath need not do that.
25:59: He essentially said, you just need to have your feet washed. What is the meaning of that interaction?
26:05: Well, those of us who have come to saving faith. We've had a bath.
26:11: We've been washed by the blood of the lamb. Baptism pictures that washing.
26:17: It's the outward display of something that's happened within us. We've been made new. We've been washed clean.
26:23: And yet we still live in this filthy world. We still walk the streets and sometimes sin begins to cling to us.
26:32: We sin. We fall short of the glory of God. Even though we're redeemed, sometimes we sin.
26:38: And so the Lord has provided something akin to baptism. Baptism is that first declaration that you identify with Christ.
26:49: Communion, the Lord's table, is an ongoing opportunity to come and examine our hearts.
26:56: It says in 1 Corinthians 11 that we're to approach communion with serious hearts.
27:06: And examine our hearts to see if there's any sin in us. If there's anything clinging to our feet that the
27:13: Lord would wash. And so it says in 1 Corinthians 11 that whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the
27:27: Lord. Sadly, many people come to this and just think it's mere juice and bread.
27:36: It is something more than that. It is the Lord's reminder to us of his very presence with the church.
27:44: We are in communion with him. And the bread symbolizes his body. And the cup symbolizes his blood.
27:52: And so what are we to do? It says, let a person examine himself then and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
28:00: So let's take the bread from the container. And before we eat,
28:07: I want to take a moment for each of us just to bow in silence before the Lord. Ask him to examine your heart and show you if there's any impure ways in you.
28:16: If there's sin that needs to be confessed, let him wash your feet again. Let him cleanse you.
28:23: If anyone confesses his sins, Christ is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
28:32: So bow your heads. Think about your life. Think about the last few weeks and the walk that you've had before God.
28:39: And talk to him in your own heart quietly. Confess sin to the
28:46: Lord. The outside looking in.
29:06: This is where grace begins. We were hungry.
29:14: We were thirsty. With nothing left to give. Oh, the shape that we were in.
29:24: And just when all hope seemed lost. Love opened the door for us.
29:34: He said, come to the table. Come join the sinners who have been redeemed.
29:46: Take your place beside the Savior. Sit down and be set free.
29:57: Come to the table. He dismounted the crew of men.
30:14: His liars and his thieves. And when he had given thanks for broken faith.
30:20: This is my body. And that sin and shame that you brought with you.
30:26: You give mercy to all you need.
30:33: So have the
30:49: Savior set free.
30:56: Come to the table. To the hero and the coward.
31:15: To the prisoner and the soldier. To the young and to the older.
31:21: All who hunger or who thirst. All the last and all the first. All the paupers and the princes.
31:30: All who fail have been forgiven. All who dream and all who suffer.
31:36: All who loved and lost another. All the chained and all the free.
31:53: Well, let us open the scriptures to a new book of the Bible. Are you guys excited? We're diving into 1
32:00: Thessalonians. We finished Hebrews. And then we had a brief foray into the no nonsense
32:07: November. For a few weeks. And now we open the book of 1
32:14: Thessalonians. We have had a really eventful 2021.
32:21: And some exciting things have happened. Some of them have gone under the radar. Maybe you're not even aware.
32:26: But in this year. We've had at least three exciting opportunities for missions.
32:33: A guy from the Dominican Republic. Has invited us to come and help build. They build housing.
32:40: People in need. They have a fish farm. Where they actually raise fish.
32:46: And just when we had heard of him from different people in our congregation. Another guy from the Dominican Republic.
32:53: Named Edgar Benitez. Came and shared with us with compassion. Remember when he came? For those of you who have been here.
32:59: A lot of you guys are new since then. But it's wonderful this opportunity. So now we're looking for a chance to take a mission trip there.
33:07: In early 2023. To the DR. So mark your calendars. Likewise.
33:12: Not long ago. We were worshiping. Somebody come in.
33:18: It turns out. There's a man who's been attending this church. For a little while. Who's from Malawi.
33:25: And he grew up on the streets. As a street kid in Malawi. And the
33:31: Lord miraculously saved him. Delivered him. And has helped him through college. And now he's at university.
33:38: Getting his master's degree in leadership. Because he's going back to Malawi. To build an orphanage.
33:44: And he's been a part of our church here. And will be until May. So his name is Hamilton. Look for him.
33:50: Try to meet him. And get to know him. Because who knows what the Lord might do. In the short number of months that he's with us.
33:57: And then looking out beyond that. And then third. There was a man named
34:02: Rick Casper. Who flew back to this area to help a friend. And when he got here.
34:08: He served for about a month. And he needed help to get back to the Philippines. Well our church happened to have some money set aside.
34:15: For missions that wasn't allocated. And we were able to fly him back to the Philippines. Well now
34:21: I see him on Facebook all the time. At his Calvary Chapel. In Bustas, Philippines.
34:27: And I'm so encouraged to see how the gospel is going forth there. We had a short time with him here.
34:35: But we continue prayer. And here's the big idea of what I would like to show you.
34:41: Today. We often have a short time. With people.
34:48: In the ministry. And the time just flies by. You don't realize how significant it is when it's happening.
34:54: But then for a lifetime. We are to continue praying. I think of my friend from seminary.
35:01: I got close to this guy from India named Sam Sundar. And now for the last 20 years. I watch the orphanage that he built.
35:09: And we support however we can. And we pray for each other. And I see him on Facebook.
35:15: And we're still connected 20 years later. Isn't technology amazing? That we could be connected in India and the
35:21: Philippines. And all around the world. Guys, think about this. Our church has the
35:28: Hobson family in the Philippines. The Wayans in Brazil. The Camlins in Portugal.
35:34: As well as the Quintanis. The Degenas are in France. The Thompsons have done work in Thailand.
35:42: We have the Demenas in a little place called Wuhan. Maybe you've heard of that. The Takamotos are in Japan.
35:51: The Sheets are doing hand evangelism. And the D'Souzas are in a support ministry. All of these missionaries are supported by Cornerstone Church.
35:59: Isn't that awesome? Missions is the heart of God. Right at the core of what
36:06: Christianity is about. And this church is all about missions to the ends of the earth. But we have very short time with missionaries.
36:15: And then for a lifetime, our work on their behalf consists primarily of prayer.
36:26: Prayer for missionaries matters. And prayer for one another. We're going to learn about prayer today in verses 1 to 3.
36:34: Let's read 1 Thessalonians 1 to 3. As we get into a new book of the
36:39: Bible. Recognize that the Thessalonians were given a gift of faith, hope, and love.
36:47: This gift came from God. And yet, it became a charge to them that they would continue in faith, in hope, and in love.
36:58: That it would increase in them. That they would grow in ministry, in faith, hope, and love.
37:04: Let's read it. 1 Thessalonians today. Verses 1 to 3. You might think, how are we going to get a whole sermon out of so few verses?
37:13: That is not the problem that I struggle with. The prophet Silas in Acts 15.
37:20: It says, when he prophesied, he did so with many words. And those who are called to preach, we tend to use many words.
37:27: So this is, it will be hard to say as much as I want to say in a short time. The scripture is packed with important truth for the
37:36: Christian. Let's read it. 1 Thessalonians 1, 1 to 3. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy.
37:46: To the church of the Thessalonians, in God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace.
37:55: We give thanks to God always for all of you. Constantly mentioning you in our prayers.
38:04: Remembering before our God and Father, your work of faith, and labor of love, and steadfastness of hope.
38:15: In our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Lord, will you bless the reading and the hearing of your word as it is preached.
38:24: So as Christians, faith, hope, and love are gifts from God.
38:31: Do you realize that even your faith comes from God? According to Philippians 1, 29. You have been granted not only to believe, but also to suffer for Christ.
38:43: The circumstances of our lives that he ordains for us, as well as the very faith in order to believe, comes from God.
38:51: It's a gift. Hope is a gift from God. In 1
38:58: Peter 1, verse 3, the Bible tells us that God has caused us to be born again to a living hope.
39:10: He works in our heart that hope would arise at the new birth. And that, according to the scriptures, is caused by him.
39:18: 1 Peter 1, 3. Love is something that God pours into us.
39:27: Love is shed abroad into our hearts, Romans 5, 5. And 1 John 4, 10 tells us that love does not start with us.
39:37: This is love. Not that we love God, but that he loved us.
39:45: And gave his son as a propitiation for our sins, an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
39:52: 1 John 4, 19 says we love God because he loved us.
40:00: All this to say, faith, hope, and love are gifts from God.
40:06: Poured into us in salvation. They don't begin with us, they come from God.
40:13: And yet, then, we are to continue in faith, hope, and love and grow.
40:19: So let's see, first of all, in verse 1, how did faith, hope, and love come to the
40:25: Thessalonians? Well, the story begins in Jerusalem.
40:34: A man named Silas, look in your text, it says Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy.
40:41: Who is this fella, Silvanus? Ever heard of him? Silvanus comes from the
40:47: Greek God, God of the woods. And so it refers to the forest or the woods.
40:53: But it's none other than Silas. Silas is the prophet that the church in Jerusalem sent to Antioch, along with Paul, to bring their ruling about how
41:05: Christianity now meets with the old covenant. In Antioch, the church then decided to send out a missionary team.
41:16: But, there was a problem. Paul and Barnabas had gone throughout
41:21: Turkey, modern day Turkey, through Cappadocia and all the region, preaching the gospel. But when they got back, they had a disagreement.
41:30: You see, when it was time to send out another missionary team, Barnabas said to Paul, let's bring
41:36: John Mark. And Paul said, no, not him. Because on the first missionary journey, as soon as they got to Cyprus, the first island, they encountered some opposition and things got intense.
41:51: There was this false prophet named Elymas, bar Jesus, and Paul had to like strike him with blindness and preach the gospel and overcome the enemy.
42:00: And by the time John Mark got back to the homeland with his feet on solid ground, he ran the other way.
42:08: He was done. He went back to Jerusalem. So now, fast forward, they're ready to take another mission trip, and Barnabas says, hey, let's take
42:19: John Mark again. Paul says, no. He abandoned us the first time.
42:25: We're not going to take him again. We needed him. And when he left, he left us high and dry.
42:31: So there's now a conflict between Paul and Barnabas, Barnabas being the son of encouragement.
42:36: He says, you know what? I'll take John Mark. And the two of them go out on their own mission trip.
42:43: Paul then needs a new traveling companion. And he selects
42:50: Silvanus, Silas. Because notice this church. Paul opens the letter,
42:56: Paul, Silvanus and Timothy. He doesn't just mention his own apostolic authority.
43:04: He makes mention of Silvanus and Timothy for a reason. And that is
43:10: Silvanus and Timothy for a reason. And that is we are not lone ranger
43:18: Christians. The Christian life is not meant to be lived alone.
43:24: The church is a body that functions as a body with hands and feet and head and eyes and ears and mouth.
43:31: All that work together, each member, a part of the body. Paul recognized
43:37: Silas and Timothy right alongside him. Church, there's not one pastor at Cornerstone Church.
43:47: The elder pastor teacher function in Acts chapter 20 is a plurality of elders.
43:56: Michael, Drew, Rob and John, who's now preaching at the Rock this morning because Ben was ill.
44:03: All of us are elders in the church and we function together side by side as a team.
44:11: Likewise, we have deacons in the church that function to serve and to help in ways that they can.
44:18: And each one of you are a part of the body. When Kathy and Tim work with these children, they are members of the body, building up members of the body.
44:31: These children are not just the future church. They're part of the church now. They're important in the body now.
44:38: And every one of you are a part of the body of Christ. If you've come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
44:46: Paul mentions his coworkers because he wasn't just a solo missionary.
44:51: He was part of a team. Now it says to the church of the Thessalonians. So the question needs to be, well, how did the church get in Thessalonians?
45:02: How did that happen? As Paul and Silas are traveling across Turkey. They want to stay in Asia.
45:11: But all of a sudden the spirit began to prompt Paul in a different way. He wanted to go in Bithynia and the
45:17: Holy Spirit said no. He wanted to go into the province of Asia and the Holy Spirit forbid it.
45:23: So he comes to Troas and he falls asleep. In the night, he receives a vision.
45:31: The vision is of a man from Macedonia saying, come over and help us.
45:39: And as he wakes up, he recognizes this dream was not ordinary. It was
45:44: God calling him to leave the continent of Asia to sail to Europe. And so he gets on a ship with Silas and Timothy.
45:52: And they sail to Macedonia and arrive in Macedonia. Now Macedonia is the northern part of Greece.
46:04: Thessalonica is a city in Macedonia. But they don't land there. The first place they go is called
46:11: Philippi. Do you guys remember what happens there? On the Sabbath, they go down by the river.
46:18: And there's a woman, a seller of purple, whose name is Lydia. And she's just down there by the river.
46:26: And Paul, Silas, and Timothy are looking for a place to pray. So they go down by the river and they see these women.
46:33: And they begin to share the message of Jesus Christ. And there on the shore of that river, the first converts on the continent of Asia, on the continent of Europe, are one.
46:46: Lydia and her friends. And they let them stay with her. So now they have a place, a home base, to operate from in Philippi.
46:55: But as they begin to walk around the city, a slave girl starts following them.
47:02: And she has a demon inside of her. So she begins to say, these men are servants of the most high
47:10: God, telling you the way to be saved. Now, what she said was actually true.
47:16: But she did so deceptively, by a demon, not by the Spirit of God. She was looking to lead people astray.
47:25: And very often, angels of darkness disguise themselves as angels of light.
47:31: This was a demon, not an angel. So Paul heard this for a period of time.
47:38: Till finally, he turned to this little girl, who had a spirit in her.
47:44: And he rebuked the demon, calling it to come out of her. And just like that, by the power of Jesus Christ, the little girl was set free.
47:54: The demon left. But the slave holders were not pleased.
48:03: Because when the demon left that little girl, now she was of no use to them.
48:09: She couldn't do her fortune telling. She couldn't look into her crystal ball, or read palms, or do anything to tell people their future.
48:16: She was now set free of that demon. And they couldn't make any money off of her. So they grabbed
48:22: Paul, and Silas, and Timothy. Especially Paul and Silas, the Bible tells us, is what we know.
48:29: And they stripped them, and they beat them with rods. And they threw them in a dungeon, and in a very uncomfortable position, they strung them up.
48:38: To wait in prison. Being tortured for the gospel.
48:45: But you want to know what they did? They started to praise. And as soon as they began to praise the name of Jesus, singing worship to the
48:55: Lord, the place began to shake. The prisoners were listening to their singing, and before long, the walls began to shake.
49:04: And the fetters on their hands, and on their feet, came loose. By the power of God, they were delivered to go free.
49:13: They looked and saw the jailer, who was very scared. Because if the prisoners go free, the
49:20: Romans will kill him. His job as the jailer is to keep them, not let them go. And so the jailer took his sword, and was about to kill himself.
49:29: To run himself through. But Paul said, don't do that. And began to tell them the gospel.
49:38: He said, we're still here. We're not leaving. And he told them the gospel. Told him the gospel.
49:44: The jailer then said, well, what must I do to be saved? He wanted to know the
49:50: God that they worshipped. Paul of course said, in response, believe in the
49:56: Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. You and your whole household. And that night, the jailer believed the gospel.
50:05: He went home and got his family. And in the middle of the night, the family was baptized by Paul.
50:13: The gospel being established in Philippi. Well, the rulers who threw them in jail had heard that these were actually
50:22: Roman citizens. Trouble for them. They just beat Roman citizens for no good reason.
50:30: So they were going to beg them to leave. But Paul said, no, we're not going anywhere until you come and publicly escort us out.
50:38: Why do you think he did that? To protect the church he was leaving behind.
50:44: To make a show of it that people would know. The public leaders would know. You can't just beat
50:50: Christians and throw them in jail. And so after that display, he left
50:57: Philippi. Passed through two other Greek towns. Heading in Macedonia down to the capital city.
51:07: Thessalonica. Thessalonica. 200 ,000 people.
51:12: Capital of Macedonia. It was named Thessalonica after Alexander the
51:17: Great's sister. One of his generals, Cassander, married
51:24: Alexander's sister, whose name was Thessalonica. And so when he rebuilt the city, he named it after his new wife.
51:34: And this city was an important port city. The Ignatian way from Rome to the east passed through Thessalonica.
51:41: It was the capital. And yet, it was gripped by darkness.
51:47: For all the trade, for all the money that they had.
51:53: Long lay the world in sin and ever pining. Thessalonica was in darkness.
52:01: They were without God. Without hope. No knowledge of the gospel.
52:08: Each one departing into a Christless eternity. Unless someone preached to them.
52:17: How can they believe unless someone preaches to them? And how will someone preach unless they are sent?
52:24: And so it is that the missionaries, Paul and Silas Timothy, beaten in rags, come walking in to Thessalonica.
52:35: Turn to Acts 17. Just nine verses tell the story. We can't really study the epistle until we know the context of how this church was born.
52:49: In Thessalonica. It says, now when they, that's
53:00: Paul, Silvanus, Timothy, had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia.
53:07: Each one is about 35 miles away. So they're traveling by foot. Takes a few days for them.
53:14: They came to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in.
53:22: As was his custom. And on three Sabbath days, he reasoned with them from the scriptures.
53:31: Now pause right there. How long was Paul in Thessalonica? How long did he know these people?
53:38: Three Sabbath days. Three weeks. And it says, he reasoned with them from the scriptures.
53:48: But here is the power of God. Bringing the gospel.
53:54: In three weeks. Explaining and proving, verse 3, that it was necessary for the
54:01: Christ to suffer and rise from the dead. And saying, this Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the
54:09: Christ. And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas.
54:14: As did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.
54:21: Paul, Silas, and Timothy came to Thessalonica. And they said what
54:27: I'm about to tell you. Jesus is more than a prophet.
54:33: Jesus is the Christ. He is God's anointed. The son of God sent from heaven who took on flesh and dwelt among us.
54:43: He lived a perfect life. And then he laid down his life on a cross.
54:51: They pinned him to the wood of the cross through his wrists and through his ankles.
54:56: And they pushed a crown of thorns on his head. And he hung there until he died. But this suffering was according to the scripture.
55:06: It was the plan of God that Jesus would die this way. And that he would be buried.
55:11: And that on the third day he would rise from the dead. Offering forgiveness of sin and eternal life to you who believe this message.
55:22: And to all who hear this sermon, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
55:30: Good news for the world. Great joy. Well, how do we know that these things are true?
55:38: How do we know that Jesus isn't just an ordinary prophet? Or some pretender like Mohammed or Joseph Smith?
55:46: How do we know that Jesus is the Christ sent from heaven? The Bible gives us a grounding to our faith.
55:56: A foundation. A rock that is sure and steadfast.
56:01: It is not speculative. It is not opinion. It is the very truth of God.
56:07: And that is, everything about the
56:12: Christ was written by God hundreds of years before it came to pass.
56:22: That the Messiah would suffer was foretold by the prophets. And as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a fish only to be spit out, so must the
56:36: Son of Man be three days and three nights in the belly of the earth only to rise again.
56:44: Psalm 22 says he would be pierced through his hands and feet. His tongue would stick to the roof of his mouth.
56:52: He'd be surrounded by wild dogs. His joints would be popped out. His shoulders displaced.
57:00: All of this suffering, the suffering of the Christ was foretold by David in Psalm 22.
57:08: In Isaiah 53 we were told that the Christ would be led like a lamb to the slaughter and would not open his mouth.
57:17: When Jesus was being put on trial by Pontius Pilate and Herod, they marveled because he didn't defend himself.
57:25: He let himself be killed, let himself to be led away to the slaughter like a lamb.
57:34: Jesus himself taught, nobody takes my life, I give it willingly.
57:41: How do we know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true? Verse 3 tells us he explained it and proved it by the scriptures that it was necessary for the
57:55: Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead. What the prophets foretold,
58:00: Jesus did, and these apostles, they witnessed it. Recognize when Paul comes preaching, this is a man that used to persecute the church.
58:10: He used to take Christians and throw them in jail. He was there at the killing of Stephen. He held the coats of the men who stoned him to death, the men who stoned him to death.
58:21: And yet Paul, on the road, was blinded by a light.
58:27: And Jesus said, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Paul said, who are you,
58:32: Lord? Jesus said, I am Jesus whom you persecute. Now rise up.
58:39: And with that he was given a new heart. He believed. You see, faith, hope, and love are a gift from Jesus Christ.
58:50: And God uses the means of preaching. Paul says here, this Jesus whom I proclaim to you, he preaches the
58:58: Christ. And he does so from the scripture. The means that God uses to convert sinners like me is the scripture.
59:07: This is his sword. This is his power. So what happened in Thessalonians during those three weeks?
59:15: Paul came preaching upon the authority of God's word. He reasoned with them.
59:22: Church, you need to learn to reason from the scripture. To show your unbelieving relative at Christmas Eve that there is a
59:33: God. One of the women that I called out to at the Planned Parenthood a couple days ago in Philadelphia.
59:40: When I said, God sees you. She said, I don't believe there is a God. We need to be able to reason from the scripture.
59:49: And say, look at the world. Everything you see displays his eternal power and divine nature.
59:55: Where did this world come from? There must be a God if there's a world.
01:00:03: Where did that ball of mass and energy that you believe in before the Big Bang, where did it come from?
01:00:10: You know that there's a God. It's evident by the things that have been made. And then to go to the scripture and show them the prophecies.
01:00:18: Learn, learn the prophecies of the Old Testament. Because this is your tool that God will use to bring your unbelieving friends to faith.
01:00:32: The scriptures are the power of God unto salvation for those who believe. The gospel is that and it's contained in the scripture.
01:00:41: So look now at verse 5. We have all of these people coming to faith. But the Jews were jealous and taking some wicked men of the rabble.
01:00:49: They formed a mob, set the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason. Poor Jason.
01:00:57: They were seeking to bring Paul, Silas, and Timothy out to the crowd. When they could not find them, they dragged
01:01:04: Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities. Shouting, these men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.
01:01:18: Thessalonica was in an uproar. Their world view could not handle the gospel.
01:01:27: Because the gospel it says here is another king. Jason has received them. They are all acting against the decrees of Caesar.
01:01:35: Saying that there is another king, Jesus. And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things.
01:01:44: And when they had taken money as a security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
01:01:50: Look at verse 10. The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away. By night.
01:01:56: To Berea. And so the saga ends. Three weeks.
01:02:02: The gospel is established. And Paul moves on. Now we have two short verses left to go in 1
01:02:09: Thessalonians. Which forms the real heart of what I want you to hear today. That's the background from verse 1.
01:02:16: That's how the church was born in Thessalonica. The church is in God the
01:02:23: Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Indicating that the Christian God is the true
01:02:28: God. Not just anybody who worships the Father, but it must be in Christ. That's the church.
01:02:36: He says grace to you and peace. Then in verse 2. If you don't get anything else I say today, notice this.
01:02:43: We give thanks to God always for all of you.
01:02:49: Constantly mentioning you in our prayers.
01:02:58: Paul's work was three weeks with the Thessalonians. And then a lifetime.
01:03:06: He has moved on at this point. He's gone down to Corinth and he's writing this letter in 50 A .D.
01:03:11: Some time has passed. But all the while he's been praying for them daily.
01:03:18: The work of prayer is not a little side show to the
01:03:25: Christian life. It is a significant, huge part of what it means to be a
01:03:32: Christian. A Christian who doesn't pray is an oxymoron.
01:03:41: No such thing. Christians that don't pray, that makes no sense.
01:03:48: In fact, when Paul was converted and Agabus was scared to go talk to him, God said, behold, he's praying.
01:03:56: And that was a sign that his conversion was genuine. Christians pray.
01:04:02: It's what we do. In our spirit all day long. Talking to the
01:04:07: God who saves us. Paul says here, it's constant. I constantly mention you in my prayers.
01:04:15: I'm always thanking God for you. Parents, as your kids grow up, the 18 years of raising them, as you look back on it, will feel like a flash.
01:04:35: Don't think that when they leave your home, your work is done. It's only begun.
01:04:45: The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
01:04:53: Elijah was a man like us. Yet he prayed, and for three years it didn't rain.
01:05:00: Prayer moves the heart of God. It is instrumental. God has ordained that means of prayer, even as he's ordained everything that comes to pass.
01:05:10: But here's the problem. As Christians, we grow weary and begin to lose hope.
01:05:16: We have a prodigal who just doesn't ever seem to come home. If that's you and you have a prodigal, do not stop praying.
01:05:26: You have a loved one that hates the God that you serve. Your God is stronger than their unbelief.
01:05:35: Pray that way. In Luke 18, verse 1, Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
01:05:51: You must always pray and not lose heart. Here's the parable. There was a woman who was defrauded, and she went to a judge to ask for his help.
01:06:03: And she pled with him, and he didn't want to give her the time of day because he was an unjust judge.
01:06:11: So do you know what this woman did? She came back to him the next day and knocked on his door again.
01:06:19: And she kept coming day after day, day after day, until finally the unjust judge got worn out by this woman.
01:06:28: And he finally said, I'm going to give her justice just to get her off of my back.
01:06:36: Well, that's an encouraging parable. If Jesus is the judge or God is the judge, you think, wait, what's happening?
01:06:43: No, listen. Here's how Jesus applied it. He said, if even an unjust judge will answer because of your constant coming, how much more the father of the elect who loves you so much, the father who elected you to eternal life, who gave his own son to bleed and die for you, who has given you of his
01:07:06: Holy Spirit to live inside of you, how much more will he hear the prayers of those who come to him day and night?
01:07:16: If you do not lose heart. But he closes that parable with this question. But when the son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?
01:07:26: That's the question for you. Is your faith weakening or strengthening?
01:07:32: What is your prayer life like now compared to when you first believed? When the gospel came to you like it did to Thessalonica and your heart was burning, you were like Jason.
01:07:44: You would have died for the apostles, for the sake of the gospel. Are you still burning with that same kind of passion or has your prayer life begun to fade?
01:07:57: When the son of man comes, will he find faith on earth? Faith, hope and love.
01:08:04: Look at this last verse now, verse three. Remembering, this is what he's praying. Remembering before our
01:08:10: God and father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope.
01:08:18: Faith, hope and love. But notice it's an active faith, an active hope, an active love because it doesn't just say faith, hope and love.
01:08:29: What does it say? Your work of faith, your labor of love, your steadfastness of hope.
01:08:40: Now we know what a labor of love is, right? When you work and do something and give a gift, it was a labor of love.
01:08:49: Out of love came the labor. Faith without works is dead.
01:08:55: So a living faith will produce work. The fruit of a living, vibrant faith is works, right?
01:09:02: In the same way, steadfastness is the fruit of hope.
01:09:11: See that in the text. The same way that a work of faith and a labor of love indicates that these things come from faith and love, steadfastness comes from hope.
01:09:29: How many of you are looking at the world and your hope is beginning to wane?
01:09:39: You see this upside -down world where Austria will throw people in prison in their own houses and claim that they're helping and protecting them.
01:09:50: We live in an upside -down world where boys are called girls and girls are called boys.
01:09:59: Where a medicine is prescribed and when it doesn't work, that is blamed on those who don't take it.
01:10:14: Seems upside -down to me. To whatever degree it works or doesn't work, the blaming of it is on those who don't take it.
01:10:24: It's an upside -down world. When Sweden, this week, began to insert microchips in the hands of its citizens who are willing to take it, that to go to a gathering of 100 people or more, you have to show a vaccine passport which you can now have implanted in your right hand.
01:10:49: When I see that, I think, mark of the beast. Maybe it's not the mark of the beast yet, but it's the precursor.
01:10:58: It's the technology. It's the biomedical, totalitarian, worldwide authoritarian state which is moving in that direction.
01:11:06: A one -world government, pretty clearly coming. And you know what
01:11:11: I say? Amen, come Lord Jesus. All of these things indicate that our redemption is drawing nigh.
01:11:21: I'm going to show you something quickly about hope. Hope is built on the future.
01:11:29: It is the eschatological, future -oriented aspect of our faith.
01:11:36: It's what we're looking for to come. Faith includes things of the past, what
01:11:41: God has already done. Our justification, we have faith in the finished work of Christ.
01:11:47: But hope is that future aspect of faith, right? Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.
01:11:55: Hebrews 11 .1, right? If that's the case, our hope is built on what we're looking toward in the future.
01:12:03: Every chapter in the book of 1 Thessalonians ends with a reminder of Christ's coming.
01:12:14: Look at this with me. Chapter 1, verse 10. 1
01:12:22: Thessalonians 1 .10. And to wait for his son from heaven.
01:12:28: You see it? The son is coming from heaven. You're waiting on him. He's coming.
01:12:33: Chapter 2, verses 19 and 20. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our
01:12:47: Lord Jesus at his coming? We're to be looking for him.
01:12:54: Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy. Chapter 3, verse 13.
01:13:03: So that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before God, before our
01:13:09: God and father. When? At the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
01:13:17: Chapter 4, you'll definitely recognize this one. 17 and 18. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
01:13:30: Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.
01:13:39: And then in chapter 5, verse 23, through the end. Now, may the
01:13:45: God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our
01:13:56: Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it. Brothers, pray for us.
01:14:03: Greet all the brothers with the holy kiss. I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
01:14:11: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. So in application and closing of today's sermon.
01:14:18: I'm under charge as an elder of a church. As all of the elders are.
01:14:24: To have this letter read to you. Just like the Thessalonians were. And the reason
01:14:31: I picked this book to study now is because of this issue of hope.
01:14:38: To remind us of the second coming. To build our hope. To get us looking and longing in order that we would remain steadfast in a perverse generation.
01:14:50: A crooked and perverse generation. In which you shine like stars in the universe.
01:14:56: As you hold fast the word of life. The coming of Jesus is soon.
01:15:07: Any day now. It's coming like a thief in the night. We don't expect it. And then he comes and calls us to meet him in the air.
01:15:16: These words should be encouraging. It should cause us to hold fast the truth. It should stir us up to work.
01:15:24: I want to build an orphanage in Malawi. To support Hamilton in the work that he's doing there.
01:15:32: Three acres to farm for $3 ,000. I think we can do that.
01:15:38: I want to help Rick Romano build his farm in the Dominican Republic. I want to help in the
01:15:48: Philippines with that bustling church. I want to see this church continue to grow and take forest.
01:15:56: Take ground for the kingdom. None of these things can be done in the flesh.
01:16:04: But by grace the gospel goes forth. To those who are willing to work.
01:16:11: So focus now on faith, hope, and love. If you have those virtues.
01:16:17: These three, but the greatest of these is love. The love to pray for missionaries.
01:16:26: The love to pray that God would use you to take the gospel. Somewhere in the world or somewhere in your neighborhood.
01:16:35: The power of God is here for us and with us. We have the sword of the spirit.
01:16:44: We just must not be like the Ephesians. The Ephesians who for decades had known the truth.
01:16:54: They were right doctrinally. In fact, Jesus commended them for what they hate. Can you imagine that?
01:17:03: He said, this I have for you. You hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which
01:17:08: I also hate. Church, you are right to hate that which is against God, right?
01:17:16: But that revelation to one and following exhortation.
01:17:23: He commended them for having good doctrine. You have your doctrine right. But he said, but this
01:17:29: I hold against you. You have left your first love.
01:17:36: And that's a tragedy. The book of first Thessalonians is for us to recapture that first love.
01:17:44: Faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much for this book to us.
01:17:52: I pray that you would make us open to receive it. That we would hang on every single word that you have spoken.
01:18:00: Take it to heart. We pray that you would stir us up to love and good deeds.
01:18:06: That you would encourage us. And all the more as we see the day approaching. God, my prayer is for anybody who has heard this sermon.
01:18:16: And has not yet believed in the Christ. I pray that you would grant them repentance.
01:18:23: Grant them faith. Pour your love into their heart. Give them hope of eternal life and the forgiveness of sin.
01:18:36: Give them love. Save them, Lord. Help them to cry to you for salvation.
01:18:44: To call upon the name of Jesus. And for all of us who have believed.
01:18:49: And some of us for decades as I have, Lord. 30 years now believing this gospel.
01:18:55: You've never failed me yet. But I pray that you would stir up my love. That I would have the first love.
01:19:04: The passion for souls. For missions. That I would pray constantly.
01:19:11: And I pray that for my brothers and sisters. That they would pray unceasingly.
01:19:18: Teach us to pray. And we do lift up our missionaries at the ends of the earth.
01:19:27: In France and Philippines. China and Japan. Brazil. Ends of the earth.
01:19:35: We ask for them this morning. That you would build them up and encourage them. Let them not be discouraged in this work.
01:19:42: Let their faith not fail. Give them hope and love.
01:19:49: Pour out your Holy Spirit on this church. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's stand. Angels we have heard on high.
01:20:18: Sweetly singing o 'er the plains. And the mountains in reply.
01:20:26: Echoing their joyous strains. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
01:20:37: In excelsis Deo. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
01:20:49: In excelsis Deo. I wish to believe why your joyous strains prolong.
01:21:09: What the flags of Titus hang. Which the heavens sing.
01:21:52: In whose birth the angels sing. Hamilton, how long their worship services are in Malawi.
01:22:42: And he said two to three hours. So you guys got the short version. Amen. Now may the
01:22:48: God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our