In God's Word, we have much history
to inform us. We have much doctrine to instruct
us. And we have many examples to
inspire us. And these believers in the city
of Thessalonica are just such an example. Paul says of them
in verse 7, that you were examples. They're examples to all that
believe in Macedonia and Achaia. Five times in these two epistles,
first Thessalonians, second Thessalonians, five times Paul says he thanks
God for these people. And these five verses of thanksgiving
to God tells us what Paul thinks of these saints. First in verse
two here, he said, we give thanks always to God for you, making
mention of you in our prayers. And then in chapter two and verse
13, he says for this cause also, thank we God without ceasing. Because when you receive the
word of God, which you heard of us, you 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. In the third
chapter and the ninth verse. He says, for what thanks can
we render to God again for you? for all the joy wherewith we
joy for your sakes before our God." Then in the second epistle,
chapter 1 and verse 3, we are bound to thank God always
for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth
exceedingly And the charity of every one of you all toward each
other abounded. And then again in the second
chapter in the 13th verse. Chapter two, verse 13. But we
are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you
to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth. Five times he says, I thank God
for you. Paul is convinced that these
are truly God's children. And that's what he says here
in verse four, knowing brethren beloved your election of God. You don't have to be afraid of
that word election. The Greek word is E-K-L-O-G-E,
and it's translated in Acts 9.15, a chosen vessel. That's what
it means. It's what election, the elect,
chosen vessel. The words elect, elected, and
election occurs in the New Testament 27 times. So it's a prominent subject in
the preaching of the gospel in the new Testament. I'm holding
a little commentary by a man named Jeffrey B Wilson, and he
comments on this first knowing brethren beloved your election
of God, your election. He said the unexplained reference
to election in this text. advertises the fact that this
truth had formed an essential part of Paul's proclamation of
the gospel in Thessalonica. He didn't explain here and define
what he meant by election. This writer is saying it's obvious
it goes without saying they knew what he was talking about. He
had already expounded on it. Now he says, unlike those who
take it upon themselves to conceal what God has been pleased to
reveal, the apostle always declared the whole counsel of God and
not simply that part of it, which would not offend the autonomy
of the natural man. Well, I know a lot of them that's
careful not to offend the autonomy of the natural man. This is an eternal election by
God to final salvation of a people whom he gave to Christ before
time without respect to their foreseen faith, the grand purpose
of which is to redound to the glory of his grace. That's what election is, what
God did in eternity for his glory that's worked out in time to
the certain salvation of his elect people. The Bible doctrine
of election honors God. He chose us when we could not
or would not choose him. All of us can remember a time
in our life when we would not choose him. And it was because we could not
choose him. There's nothing in the natural
man, the fallen nature of man that would choose to have anything
to do with God. But he chose us when we could
not and would not have chosen him. That honors him. That honors
him. And God's children love the fact
that he thought enough of us. to take the initiative, chose
us, and sent his son to die for us. The only people I know who
hate election are self-righteous religious folk who deny God the
right to be God. It's the only people I know that
hate it. They will not hear him say, as he did say, I will have
mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will have compassion on whom
I will have compassion." And they say, no, no, he's got to
be an equal opportunity God. Well, then why are good people
sick and bad people healthy? Why are wicked people rich and good people in poverty? Not totally, but some of it both,
some of it all, because he's God. And he does according as
he wills with whom he wills, when he wills. So election honors
God and God's people love it. God's people love it. The poet
said, "'Tis not I that did choose thee, for Lord, that could not
be. This heart would still refuse
thee, hadst thou not chosen me. Thou from the sin that stained
me has cleansed and set me free. Of old thou hast ordained me
that I should live to thee. It's all about what God's done. But this thing of election is
more than just a legal transaction we look at from a distance and
debate about. Many people do that. But God's electing grace is a
very precious thing and a very effectual thing in the hearts
and lives of his people. The Holy Spirit causes it to
be so. Paul says some things here to
tell us why He's convinced that these believers at Thessalonica
are elect of God. First, there's great evidence of salvation. There is first the reception
of the word of God. Verse five, 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. He's saying to them, you folks
didn't debate about whether it was so or not. When I came and preached the
gospel to you, you believed it. You believed it was for you.
You latched on and never let go. That's good evidence. When I preached that Christ died
for sinners, you said, well, that's what we are. So he died
for us. You received the word of God. And he said in one of those verses,
if he said over here in the second chapter in the 13th verse, you
received it, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth,
the word of God. Paul says, you, he's saying to
him, you never sidetracked to judge the personality of the
preacher, decide whether or not you liked him. You weren't interested in the
charisma of the messenger. You just laid hold of the message. All the messenger did was went
to the mailbox, got a letter addressed to you and read it
to you. I wonder this morning, do you
have that concept of the Bible and of preaching? It's God's
letter to you. And you've been blessed of God
to be able to hear it. It's an official letter. It's
notarized by the Holy Ghost. And you can afford to believe
it and believe it's for you. You
can't afford not to. So they received the word of
God as the word of God and from God. Not only did they receive
it in their hearts, but they responded to it in their lives. I'm not interested in hearing
anyone talk about election. who looks like, smells like,
and lives like a heathen. And I've known some through the
years. I've been around a while, a good long while. And I'm telling
you, talk is cheap. If God has done anything for
you, he'll be doing something in you. You can't talk about election.
You can't talk about anything. Salvation, God's word, John 3
16 or nothing that God did for you. If he's not doing something
in you, if he's not working in you, you have no claim whatsoever
that he's done anything for you. Paul says in verse three, I remember
some things about you. He's been there, he's writing
back to him now. He says, I remember some things about you that got
my attention while I was with you. And I can't forget these
things. He says, I remember without ceasing,
verse three, your work of faith. And the wording here could easily
mislead us when he says your work of faith, he's not saying
faith is something controlled by you, but rather you are controlled
by faith. A clear statement to us would
be the work of faith in you or the work faith has done in you. And thus it's termed your work
of faith. Faith's work in behalf of you
and in you. This is not some mental, worthless
mental ascent. James 2.17 said, there we read
that faith without works is dead. He's not talking about two things,
faith and works. He's talking about one thing,
faith that works. See. If it don't work by having an
effect in one's heart and life, it's not God given faith at all.
James said, it's just a lifeless notion. It's it's human concoction. It's dead. It's nothing. But Paul says, I remember that
I saw faith working in you. And then he said, I remember
your labor of love. This is the manifestation of
that faith and God's work in the heart. Galatians 5, 6 says,
faith worketh by love. Love God first, love one another
second. On these two commandments, Christ
said, hangs all the law and the prophets. It's an effectual work
of love in the heart. The cheapest statement in all
the world is this. I love you. It's cheap because it hurts so
bad when it proves not to be true. Talk is cheap. If you don't love someone, don't
tell them you do. Paul speaks of love here as involving labor,
a labor of love. Willing labor is the test of
love. Labor is toilsome. Labor indicates
the pains spent and the time spent, the energy exerted in
love. And he said, I remember your
faith and love. You just, you was just anxious.
So delighted. To honor God and do whatever
it took to honor God, love one another. Then he says, I remember
your patience of hope. Another word for patience is
continuance or constancy. You're constant in your hope. He says, I remember that about
you. You keep on hoping. No matter what happens, no matter who does what, you remain patient. You remain
constant in your hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're not
hoping in each other. Anyhow, we're hoping in the Lord
Jesus Christ. And Paul says to them, all this
made an impression on me. I remember this about you. Faith's
work in you, labor's love through you, or love's labor through
you. Hope's constancy, continuance
in you. I'm so impressed that I'm persuaded
without a doubt, knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. Surely you're God's children. The evidence of salvation. Second
thought, the example of service. First, in their walk, he says
in verse six, you became followers of us and of the Lord. They didn't come here, Paul preached
and go speeding out of there, spinning their tires. Bless God,
I ain't hearing no more of that. You know, that was good, but
none of that. No, no. He said, you became followers
of us and of the Lord, not in that order, but submitting first
to the Lord. Then they submitted to the Lord's
messenger. They weren't worshiping Paul.
They were following Paul in receiving God's message through the messenger. A lot of preachers want people
to worship them. And I know preachers won't hardly
stop short of it. But the Lord's people worship Him. And at the
same time, follow His messenger. Don't worship His messenger.
Worship Him. I mean, I know people, if a TV
preacher died, They're out of it. They're done.
Listen, if you're done when I'm out of it, you're done now. If you're done when anybody else
is out of it, you're done now. Our faith is in him who has already
died, rose again and ever live it to make intercession for us. We worship him. So, so, so they
followed Paul in their walk. Christ said, my sheep hear my
voice and they follow me. Christ is the shepherd. His ministers
are under shepherds in their wall. Then in their witness,
look what he said in verse eight, for from you sounded out the
word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia here in
your own community, but also in every place, your faith to
God, word is spread abroad. These people everywhere knows
where you stand. So that we need not to speak
anything. In other words, we don't have
to defend you and say, I believe, I think possibly they might be
Christian. No, he said, I'm, I'm persuaded you're, you're,
you're God's children. By their life, by their walk. their witness, we say more with
our lives than we could ever say with our lips. Did you know
that? I heard a preacher say one time,
what you do speak so loud till people don't
hear what you say. What you do speak so loud till
people don't hear what you say. Then he says, I remember your. In, in, in, in, in, in their,
in their worship. They're an example in their worship. Verse nine. For they themselves
show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how you
turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. I like to set it backwards, and
that's the point I'm fixing to make. Note carefully the wording
here in verse 9. It does not say they turned from
idols to God. It says they turned to God from
idols. People say, well, I'm going to
get my life straightened out and then come to God. No, that's
not the order. Coming to God first, committing
your life to Him with no reservations whatsoever is the only hope anyone
has of getting straightened out at all. So they didn't turn from
their idols to God. They turned to God from idols. It's like saying, I'm going to
get educated so I can go to school. No, you go to school to get educated. You can't turn from idols, and
we've got plenty. You can't turn from idols to
come to God. You're in bondage to those idols,
whatever it is. But you come to God. to turn from idols. You can't improve enough to not
need help. You come to God for help. We
really messed up, aren't we, in this thing? Paul says to these
believers, and this is good teaching, he says to them, you didn't waste
any time trying to turn from idols before you came to God.
You came to God and He turned you from idols. That's how it
works. What evidence of salvation. You
received the word of God. You responded to the word of
God. And what an example in service, in your walk, in your witness,
in your worship. God, you worship God, not idols. And then finally, Thirdly, the
expectancy of the Savior. This is in verse 10. And to wait for his son from
heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered
us from the wrath to come. Now here's another word that
could be misleading in the way we normally use it. Wait, wait
for his son from heaven. Paul's meaning is not to sit
down and do nothing. Christ said in Luke 19, 13, in
the parable about the talents, he said it like this, occupy
till I come. Never rebel, never try to stifle
the work of faith in you. Let love abound in your continuing
labor. Be patient, be constant in hope. Occupy till I come. Not to get a bunch of rewards
for what you've done, but you occupy till I come in
gratitude for what I've done. Paul says we wait for his son
from heaven. Why are we waiting for him? Because
it is he whom God raised from the dead, and it is he which
hath delivered us from the wrath to come. Not gonna deliver us,
but which delivered us already from the wrath of God to come
on this unbelieving world. Knowing your election of God. What do you know about it today? Is there any evidence God has
chosen you? Or will you go to hell? What is the evidence you ask?
It's right here in this chapter. Has the word of God laid hold
on your heart? As the word of God and not the
word of men. If it has, you've responded to
it. And you can't help but respond. Faith is working in you. Love
is laboring and issuing from you. Hope continues with you. You say, how do I know? Are you following the Lord in
your walk? Are you honoring Him by your
witness? Are you submitting to him in
your worship, submitting fully and submitting faithfully to
worship the Lord? How may we know? Are you expectantly
waiting for his son from heaven? Is your life all about self? All I want to do and all I want
to be. I promise you the years will
go swiftly by and you will have made no progress. I close with this, a news reporter interviewed Elvis Presley six
months before he died. And I think I'll get your attention
now, if you won't hear me, If you won't hear God's word, you'll listen to what Elvis said. News reporter interviewed Elvis
just six months before he died. And he said to him, Elvis, when
you started out, a young man, you said you wanted three things.
You wanted to be rich. You wanted to be famous. And
you wanted to be happy. And then he asked him, are you
happy? He didn't ask him about the first
two. Everybody knows Elvis was rich and famous, but he asked
him about the third one. Are you happy? And Elvis answered with five
words. No, I'm lonely as hell. Money couldn't do it. Fame couldn't do it. And for you and I this morning,
a good career can't do it. A good family can't do it. But here's what can do it. Paul
was writing to a happy people. Not a rich people, not a famous
people, but a happy people. Why? Because
Christ was everything. Christ was everything to them. Jesus Christ is made to me all
I need, all I need. He alone is all my plea. He is
all I need. The songwriter said, wisdom,
Righteousness and power. Holiness forevermore. My redemption,
full and sure. He is all I need. If God's on
your trail this morning, you just well bow to him with your
whole heart. You can't hide behind a little
religion. Can't hide behind a little church attendance. Can't hide
behind your family. Can't hide behind your job. Can't
hide behind all the stuff you think is so important that you've
got to do. The world got along before you
got here and it'll get along when you're gone. You can't hide behind the bottle.
You can't hide behind the pills. Submit to God. Mr. Trump said from day one,
I will win. And like it or not, he did win. This Bible says, God will win. You just as well look at yourself
in the mirror and tell yourself, God will win. I must bow to him. I must, I must, I must. All right. Thank you. Let's stand together.