Tonight's message is called Walking
Worthy of God. Tonight we'll be continuing our
study in chapter 2 of the book of 1 Thessalonians. This is a wonderful epistle written
to the born-again blood-washed believers at the Church of Thessalonica. Paul wrote these words to the
saints who he had preached to for three weeks, and by the power
of God, the Holy Spirit, they turned from idols to serve the
living and true God, which we looked at in chapter one. Tonight,
let's read 1 Thessalonians again, chapter two, verses one to 13. For yourselves, brethren, know
our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain, but even
after that we had suffered before and were shamefully entreated,
as you know at Philippi, We were bold in our God to speak unto
you the gospel of God with much contention. For our exhortation
was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile. But as we were
allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak,
not as pleasing men, but God which trieth our hearts. For
neither at any time used we flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak
of covetousness. God is witness. nor of man 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 ye were
dear unto us. For you 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. Ye are witnesses, and God also,
how wholly, and justly, and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you
that believe. As you know, how we exhorted
and comforted and charged every one of you as a father doth his
children. Next two verses here, verses
12 and 13 will be our text tonight. That you walk worthy of God who
hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. 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 man, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which
affectionately worketh also in you that believe. We looked at
verses 10 and 11 last week, and we saw that Paul and Silas and
Timothy conducted themselves in a godly way before the saints.
They conducted themselves as God's ministers and lived lives
as God's ordained ambassadors. They did not use the ministry
as a cloak of covetousness. They were not seeking material
gain, and their lives harmonized with their profession. Now, that's
a certain question for all of God's saints. Does my life harmonize
with my profession? Do my actions and my words harmonize
with my profession? Paul said these saints were witnesses
of that very truth. And he said that God was also
witnesses to the way they behave themselves. And Paul encouraged
those saints and us to live in that like manner. And we saw
that Paul exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you
as a father doth his children. Well, how did he do this? Well,
he did this by a constant preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. This is what every saint of God
wants to hear. And this is what satisfies the
believer, is a steady diet of the gospel of God's free and
sovereign grace in Christ. I ask you, can you ever exhaust
the topic of salvation is of the Lord? No, Paul wrote this. He says, listen to what the apostle
Paul wrote. He said, for I am determined
not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Now Paul, again, as I've said
many times, is a man who could have went toe to toe with anybody
in his day, whether it be philosophy, whether it be, I believe he was
a man of a mighty mind. And I think he could have went
toe to toe with almost anybody. But he says in 1 Corinthians
2, verse two, that he's determined not to know anything among you
save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. So I ask you, Is there any end
to the topic of Christ? Is there any end? Well, over
in Ephesians chapter eight, Paul wrote these words by inspiration
of the Holy Spirit of God. He said, unto me who am less
than the least of all saints is this grace given, that I should
preach among the Gentiles the riches of Christ, the riches
of Christ. And then it says this, It says
this over in Romans chapter 11, verse 33. Oh, the depths of the
riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable
are his judgments in his ways past finding out. That word unsearchable
in the Greek there means to track out, a track which cannot be
explored, incomprehensible. So you see, preaching Christ,
you can never exhaust the topic of Christ. If one is a gospel
preacher, then this is what God's people want to hear. They want
to hear the preaching of the gospel. Let's go back to our
text there in 1 Thessalonians 2, and we'll read verses 11 and
12. It says, as you know how we exhorted
and comforted and charged every one of you as a father doth his
children. that ye would walk worthy of
God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. Now, some
will take this passage here, especially verse 12, where it
says that you should walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto
his own kingdom and glory. Some will take this passage here
and stress man's works. And I pray that the Holy Spirit
would use this study to show us once again that the gospel
proclaims salvation is of the Lord. And it has nothing to do
with our works, nothing. In our minds, the scripture declares
in our natural state, and I don't care what anybody else thinks.
They can say, well, I wouldn't like that. This is what the scripture
says. It says in our natural state,
We were enemies with God in our minds. We're sinners to the core. That's why we need to be saved.
That's why the Lord Jesus Christ came to this world, to save his
people from their sins. And in the gospel preaching,
we proclaim, flee to Christ. He is the only hope for sinners. There is absolutely no other
hope than Christ, none. None, no other way for your sins
to be forgiven except through the precious, precious blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. So again, verse 12, 11 and 12,
as you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one
of you as a father doth his children, that ye would walk worthy of
God who hath called you unto his kingdom in glory. Again,
some will take this passage here before us and stress man's works.
So take verse 12, and they will stress man's works. Faith without
works is dead. Well, those works that James
was writing about, all they are, they're works which the Holy
Spirit works in us, and they prove our faith. They don't save
us. In no way do they save us, but they prove that we've been
born again by the Holy Spirit of God. This is a very important
God-honoring truth, that man's work has absolutely nothing to
do with the salvation of God's elect. Never forget that our
great God is a jealous God, and He will not share His glory with
anyone. The scriptures clearly say that
we are not saved by our works, we are not kept by our works,
This is a work of God and God alone. We are saved by his mercy
and born again by his regenerating power. Look at verse 12 again,
that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto
his kingdom and glory. He's the one who's done this.
Oh, beloved of God, true saving faith will never cause a born
again bloodless child of God to think that he has a license
to sin either. He'll never think, well, I can just go and do whatever
I want now that I'm saved. No. No, we know we do not sin
that grace may abound. No. No, the love of Christ constrains
us. Actually, in Ephesians 2.10,
it says, It's so clear that our works have nothing to do with
our salvation, but good works do accompany salvation. It says
in Ephesians 2 verse 10, for we are his, that's God's workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus under good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them. And then over in Matthew
5, verse 16, our Lord Jesus Christ said, let your light so shine
before men that they may see your good works and glorify your
Father, which is in heaven. Well, my goodness, isn't that
wonderful? And our works, our works in no
way save us, and then they in no way justify us, do they? No,
not at all, not at all, not at all, beloved. Do you know that God is not glorified
if we're drawing attention to ourselves? God's not glorified
if we're drawing attention to ourselves by what we do. He's only glorified when we are
drawing attention to God's beloved son, the Lord Jesus Christ, by
what we do. That's the only time. That's
the only time he's glorified. He's not glorified when we're
in the flesh. He's not glorified when we go rogue and do things
on our own. He's not glorified by that, beloved. He's not at
all. Listen to the instruction in Colossians 3, verse 17. And whatsoever you do in word
or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God and the Father by Him. Colossians 3, verse 17. Preaching
and teaching practical godliness without preaching the gospel
will only produce what a dear preacher friend of mine says,
screaming Ishmaels, children of the flesh. which are nothing
but products of the flesh. And you see when you preach the
gospel. Now the preaching of the gospel offends the pride
of man. You know what it does? It unmasks
whether one is a true possessor of Christ or whether one is just
a mere professor. And we won't be followers of
the Lord Jesus Christ until we hear his voice calling us out
of darkness into his marvelous light. And where do we hear that
from? Well, A.W. Pink says we hear
it from the preaching of the gospel. God's people hear the
voice of the shepherd from and through the preaching of the
word. If my voice is all you hear, then I pray for you. Oh
my. Our Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed, my sheep hear my voice and I
know them and they follow me. Only under the preaching of the
glorious gospel of free salvation in and through the Lord Jesus
Christ will we hear his voice. Let's read verse 11 and 12 again.
And we'll see that Paul exhorted these saints at Thessalonica
to walk worthy of God, who hath called you into his kingdom and
glory. Look at this again. that ye would
walk, verse 12, that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath
called you unto his kingdom and glory. For this cause also thank
we God without ceasing, because when ye received the word of
God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of
men, but as it is in truth. the word of God, which affectionately
worketh also in you that believe. Now we see in verse 12 so clearly
and so plainly that it's God who calls the saint. It's God
who calls the sinner. Look at that, that you would
walk worthy of God who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. It's God, it's God and God alone
who calls us unto his kingdom and glory. It's God who called
the saints at Thessalonica. And beloved, if God does not
call us, then we will never hear the voice of the shepherd through
the preaching of the word. He must make the word a factual.
Oh, he must. He must teach us his things through
his word. And the miracle of the new birth
is performed by God's sovereign power under the preaching of
his gospel. Not under the preaching of works,
no. The Holy Spirit moved the apostle to ask these questions
in Galatians chapter three, verses two and three. Listen to these
questions. And Paul's writing those Galatians, they got all
mixed up, didn't they? They were thinking you had to
be circumcised to be saved. So, because the Judaizers, I
mean, got in there and they just, they just went to town on them
and said, you must be, you have to be circumcised in order to
be saved. Listen to what Paul writes in Galatians chapter three,
verses two and three. This only would I learn of you.
Received ye the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing
of faith? Did you hear the Spirit by the
works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Then he asks this,
are you so foolish? And here's the next question.
Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?
So are you now made perfect by what you supposedly do to gain
merit and favor with God? So he's asking them in the context
of this, the Judaizers are saying you have to be circumcised to
be saved. And he's saying, well, you're born again by the Holy
Spirit of God. Are you saying then that if you get circumcised,
then you're perfect, you're in full submission to what God says?
No, no, the believer's not under the law anymore. We're under
grace, praise be to God. We're saved by the grace of God
plus nothing. And beloved of God, the Lord Jesus Christ is
perfectly holy. He's without spot or any blemish
of any kind. And those who are in Christ are
just as holy as he is. Now let that sink in. That'll
bless your souls, beloved. And this is what Paul was bringing
forth when he said, we are complete in Christ. There's a completeness
in Christ that makes everything about Him perfectly acceptable
in God's sight. Isn't that amazing? And those
who are in Christ are as complete and as acceptable as He is before
God. So think upon this. God the Father
loves the Lord Jesus Christ with a perfect, immutable, eternal
love. And marvel again at this truth.
that God our Father loves all those who are in Christ with
that same perfect love. Behold, listen to the scriptures
here, behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon
us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the
world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now
are we the sons of God. and it doth not yet appear what
we shall be. But we know that when he shall
appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3, verses one and two. Beloved of God, while we're waiting
for the blessed return of our Lord Jesus Christ, or that time
of our departure from this life, let me assure you that our standing
in Christ cannot get any better. Right now, for the believer,
at this very moment, we are as acceptable in God's sight as
we ever will be. Now that's wondrous, isn't it?
That's good news. That's good news for sinners.
Well, one may ask, how can this be? Well, because God has already
accepted us in his beloved son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and nothing
can make us more acceptable than what we already are in Christ.
We are complete in Christ. Nothing can make us any more
complete than what we already are in Him. And the love of God
is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And nothing can increase God's
love for those who are in Christ, and nothing can decrease it either
for those who are in Christ. God loves us with an everlasting
love. And the scriptures declare that
we are already seated in heavenly places in Christ. And nothing
can make us more fit for heaven, nor give us any more assurance
of our entrance into heaven, than to know that we're already
in Christ, our blessed surety, who has already entered into
heaven itself, there to appear in the presence of God for us. So again, we see in verse 12,
that we are to walk worthy of God. Let's read that verse again.
that ye would walk worthy of God who hath called you unto
his kingdom in glory. So we see we're exhorted to walk
worthy of God who hath called us into his kingdom in glory.
Beloved, we are to walk by faith. We are to walk by faith, looking
to Christ. We're to walk in love too. We're
to walk in love. We're not to walk as children
of the flesh. No, we're to walk as children
of light. What does this mean to walk worthy
of God? Well, John Gill brings out that
we are to walk in imitation of Christ, not of his perfections,
because he is perfect when we're such sinners, which are matchless,
but of his works, not those of his power and wisdom, not those
mighty works that he'd done, but of kindness and benevolence.
and of righteousness and holiness and in conformity to his revealed
will, which is good, perfect, and acceptable. We are to do
this that God may be glorified, beloved, and that his gospel
may shine forth and not be blasphemed. So we are to walk in love, beloved,
which is a fruit of the Spirit. Nothing is so contradictory to
a Christian profession than a mean-spirited, vindictive, fault-finding professor. They're nothing but a hypocrite.
That's what they are. My, as we journey through this
world of sin, our eye of faith should always be looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We know that the
true eye of saving faith never looks to self for assurance of
faith. We never look to self. No, we
look to Christ Jesus our Lord. The true eye of saving faith
will never take a step with the sinful thought of becoming more
sanctified or more holy or more righteous or more accepted before
God than what we are in Christ by anything we do. No, no, no. All our merit is wrapped up in
the Lord Jesus Christ and beloved of God. With every step of faith
we take, we give thanks unto the Father, which hath made us
meet, the scripture says, which means fit to be partakers of
the inheritance of the saints in light, who had delivered us
from the power of darkness and had translated us into the kingdom
of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins, Colossians 1, verses 12 to 14. So we see here in verse 12, again,
that we are to walk worthy of God. And also take noted, it
is God who's called us. I made mention of that earlier,
but I wanna touch on that again. Look at that. That we would walk
worthy of God who hath called you into his kingdom and glory.
This is a work of God. He calls his people into his
kingdom and glory. And we see that verse 12 defines
the exhortation that Paul spoke of in verse 11. The basis of
the admonition is found in the last phrase of verse 12. Paul
was reminding the brethren that they have been called to God's
kingdom and glory. Now the word kingdom there means
dominion or sovereign rule. Believers have been called to
rest beneath the sheltering wings of our sovereign majesty, the
Lord Jesus Christ. And this is why the gospel must
be preached, beloved. This is why it must be preached. Because it's where we find comfort.
It's where the believer finds comfort and rest. And that's
only in our mighty Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The sovereign
ruler of this universe, our great God, Jehovah, has promised to
never leave us, He's promised to keep us and He's promised
to arm us for what He has assigned us to do. And the glory referred
to in this verse when it says that you would walk worthy of
God who has called you unto His kingdom and glory. Well, the
glory referred to in this verse is the glory of the Lord Jesus
Christ, to which the gospel brings the elect. And Paul writes about
this in the second letter to these same Thessalonians. Turn,
if you would, 2 Thessalonians 2, and we'll read verses 13 to
14, where we will see that Paul writes about this. Listen to
this. Verse 13, 2 Thessalonians 2. But we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord. You see,
God's people give thanks for one another. You know, we're
to esteem each other better than ourselves. That's what we're
to do. That's what we're to do. It says, but we are bound to
give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the
Lord. Now see, God's people are beloved of the Lord. Because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth. Where unto he called you,
look at verse 14, where unto he called you by our gospel to
the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is
only in this knowledge and understanding, the knowledge and understanding
that the gospel teaches, the knowledge and understanding that
our salvation has been secured by the sacrificial death of our
Lord Jesus Christ. And that nothing can change or
alter that fact that we are secure and complete in in Christ. And
by faith we look to Christ, walking worthy of God, walking in the
light of the fact that He, the Lord Jesus Christ, is for us. And the only way that we can
walk worthy of God is for God to carry us, for God to take
us through. He keeps us, beloved. And the
only way we can come before God is to come through the Lord Jesus
Christ in him alone. Now this worthiness that Paul
writes of does not have to do with demeanor or posture. No, it has to do with faith in
God. It has to do with what he has
accomplished for us. I'm gonna read Colossians, a
little portion in Colossians 1. verses 10 to 14, that ye might
walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful
in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. See,
it's God, the Holy Spirit, who teaches us, isn't it? It's God,
the Holy Spirit, who teaches us. Strengthened with all might,
according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering
with joyfulness, giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made
us meet, and that means qualified, to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light, who have delivered, God has done this,
he's delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated
us into the kingdom of his dear son, in whom, being Christ, we
have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.
And that means all our sins, beloved. Isn't that wonderful?
The gospel's wondrous. We can walk worthy of God because
he has made us meet, which means qualified, suitable, or worthy
to do so. It's wonderful. That's what Colossians
1.12 says, giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us
meet, or suitable, or worthy, or qualified to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in light. It's God who's done
this. It's God who's done this. This is a work of God. Then look
at verse 13, there's a lot packed into this little wonderful verse.
It says, for this cause also, we thank God without ceasing
because when you receive the word of God, which he heard of
us, see, they received it by the power of the Holy Spirit
of God, he regenerated them so that it fell upon good ground,
prepared ground, and that ground was prepared by God. to receive
the word of God, which he heard of us, they preached it to him,
or they preached it to the saints at Thessalonica. You received
it not as the word of man, but as it is in truth, the word of
God, which affectionately worketh also in you that believe." So
beloved, we understand grace as we should if we're born again
by the Holy Spirit of God. We know there is absolutely no
room for anything but praise and thanksgiving to our great
God. No room for boasting, no room for pride, no room for self-seeking. It is God the Father who has
put all things under the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, who
is our sovereign Lord. And this is a God-honoring truth,
beloved, that we should never, never lose sight of. And those
faithful ministers were entrusted with the true gospel of God's
amazing grace. And Jesus Christ sent them to
Thessalonica to preach his gospel, just as he sends his preachers
where he's pleased to send them. And the opposition that these
preachers who are sent to various places meet with, and the sufferings
they endured, even what the apostles endured here, was purposed and
executed by the Lord Jesus Christ, the true and living God, who
works all things after the counsel of His own will. And these saints
in Thessalonica heard God's faithful preachers And we see in verse
13 that they received what they heard as the word of God, because
Jesus Christ had sent his spirit into their hearts, beloved, so
that they could hear his voice and believe the truth that was
being preached and proclaimed. Now, many in the city of Thessalonica
who heard these men preached, they turned a deaf ear to the
truth, and they expressed veminate hatred for Christ. and for his
gospel. And they received no blessing
under the preaching of the gospel. No blessing at all. But some
did believe, beloved. Some did believe the truth because
it was made effectual by the sovereign power of God. And Paul knew that the gospel
had to be preached. But he also knew that the gospel
did not come to those enlightened saints in word only, but in power. in power, and in the Holy Ghost,
and in much assurance, beloved. We see that over in chapter one. Let's turn to chapter one and
look at verse five. Paul's writing to these Thessalonian
believers, and look what he writes them, by inspiration of the Holy
Spirit of God. He says, for our gospel came
not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy
Ghost, and in much assurance, as ye know what manner of man
We were among you for your sake. No wonder Paul was moved by the
Holy Spirit of God to write these words in verse 13, when he said,
for this cause also we thank God without ceasing. Beloved
of God, nothing has changed. God still sends his ordained,
anointed preachers to his predetermined locations. And his preachers
preach the same gospel that was preached during the apostolic
age. And some people who hear God's preachers still turn a
deaf ear to the truth. And some go into an uncontrollable
rage over the preaching of the gospel. Say, I don't want to
hear that. But some, some do hear. And some receive our preaching
as the word of God. And those who hear the life-giving
voice of the Lord Jesus Christ, through the preaching of the
gospel, will turn from idols the idols of the gods of their
own imaginations. And they're turned from a lifestyle
of sinful pleasure. They're turned away from that
stuff. And they're turned to the Lord Jesus Christ, the true
and living God. Why? Why do some hear and others
do not? Our Lord Jesus Christ answered
that question with these words. He said, I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and has revealed them unto babes. Even
so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Matthew 11,
verses 25 and 26. Our Lord hides these truths from
the wise and the prudent, and he reveals them unto babes. He
reveals to the people who are born again by his Holy Spirit,
and they just desire to hear the word of God. They just desire
to hear the gospel preached. And all of God's preachers give
thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ when he makes his word effectual
under our preaching. And those who receive the truth
are just as thankful as we are. So we see that in verse 13, verse
13 is a wrap-up actually that encompasses all the things that
Paul has said in this passage so far. In this verse before
us, he gives the reason for his great affection for those believers.
He gives the reason. And they understand that Paul's
not in the ministry for gain. And this is why, by the power
of God, they are enabled to walk worthy of God who called them.
They look to Christ and Christ alone. And this truth is wondrously
simple and yet cannot be grasped by any who have not been given
faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 13
again. 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
man, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which affectionately
worketh also in you that believe. Paul, Silas, and Timothy, They
were thankful for the saints at Thessalonica. It's like, I'm
thankful for the people here in Almont. I love the Lord's
people. It's wonderful to be able to
preach the gospel. And God's people are thankful for one another,
aren't they? And they're thankful for this
wondrous truth that the gospel must be revealed to us. It must
come to us in power, just as Paul wrote here. In the power
of the Holy Spirit of God, that it must be God the Holy Spirit
who works in us affectionately. It's a wondrous, simple truth.
but it cannot be grasped by any who do not have God-given faith
to believe the truth. And that's why our prayer is,
oh, that God would give you eyes to see if you do not know him.
Oh, that he'd grant you faith to believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, that he'd save your eternal soul, that you'd be regenerated
by the power of the Holy Spirit and granted faith to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's why we say in our
messages, flee to Christ. There's no hope for a sinner
outside of Christ, there's no hope at all. There's no hope
for me outside of Christ and there's no hope for anyone who's
listening to this message outside of Christ, none, none. And those who have heard the
gospel are equipped to understand all things. And this is the reason
that when they heard the gospel, they knew that Paul was just
a voice and that the words from his mouth were from God himself. It's God who puts the message
on the preacher's heart to preach and proclaim. And we preach and
proclaim what the word of God says. And that word from God
has made them believers. When Paul preached the gospel,
It was made effectual, and they were granted faith to believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and they believed. They believed
what they heard, and they knew it was a mere man speaking to
them, but they also knew that that word is from heaven because
it has effectually worked in them. A believer, when he hears
the gospel preached, knows that God is speaking to them and to
the believer in Christ. It's as simple and as plain as
that. Amen and amen.