All right, I do that all the
time. Sorry, y'all. About the time
I saw him not move, I thought, it's Lord's Supper. Okay, well, my apologies. All right, let me turn back to 1
Thessalonians. The Spirit of God moved upon
the apostle Paul. pen a letter to a church which
was located in a city called Thessalonica. Thessalonia is
where it was located. It was a body of believers. Paul
said in Silvanus and Timotheus unto the church, of the Thessalonians,
which is, in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be unto you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Paul said, I'm writing
to you who are found to be in God the Father and in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Again, it's always the right
thing to do. Look up the wording to see what
it is. It means where it says, in God
the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ in a relation of rest. That's what it means. I'm writing
to you who are found to be in a relation of rest. And then
he said, grace be unto you, goodwill, loving kindness and favor and
peace, peace with God, a tranquil state of a soul assured of its
salvation through Christ. So he said, I'm writing to you
who have been the recipients of the grace of God and now are
at peace with God, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
he says, from God, our Father in the Lord Jesus. And then in
verse two, he said, we give thanks to God always for you all, making
mention of you in our prayers. Now, we would do well to remember
that when it comes to giving thanks unto the Lord, we are
to give thanks always. Always, we give thanks to God
always for you all. We're the servants of the Most
High God and He's worthy. He's worthy, He's worthy. He's
worthy of all, but especially He's worthy of our thankfulness
and our appreciation that He has been pleased to show mercy,
compassion to us. that he works in his people. Scripture says in Philippians
2.13, it is God that worketh in you both to will and do of
his good pleasure. So when it comes to giving thanks,
1 Thessalonians 5.18, in everything, in everything, what we think
is good, what we think is not good, in everything give thanks
For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. We give thanks for everything
because we remember Romans 828. I say this all the time. Romans
828 is always Romans 828. When things seem to be going
in a way that's contrary to our thinking, Always do well, especially
to remember it's the Lord's will. He worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose. So Paul thanked the Lord for
the saints there and told them that he was praying for them.
That's what he said in verse two. We give thanks to God always
for you, making mention of you in our prayers. And then what
did the Spirit of God move Paul to be thankful for as he was
praying for him? He said, well, verse three, remembering
without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience
of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father. Paul said, I thank God for you,
praying for you, remembering without ceasing your work of
faith, labor of love, and patience of hope. You know, holy place,
turn back to 1 Corinthians 13, 13. 1 Corinthians 13, 13. This was the passage on love, what true love
is. And then Paul, under the inspiration
of God's Spirit, was speaking concerning love. But then that
last verse, he said, now abideth faith, hope, charity. These three. But the greatest
of these is charity. So there's that, those divine
graces, virtues, fruit, fruit of God's Spirit, of faith. Paul said, I remember without
ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, patience of hope in
our Lord Jesus Christ, inside of God, our Father. And then
the Spirit of God moved upon the apostle Paul to relate a
subject that's very, very dear to the people of God. They want
to hear. They want to hear often. It's
found in verse four. Knowing, brethren, beloved, your
election of God. Now, here we remember, we're
being reminded of the fact that God has an elect people. The scripture says, Ephesians
1, 4, according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love. So the Lord has a people, and
they are an elect people. According to the book of Revelation,
they're found, those that were redeemed out of, and they're
still found in every kindred, Tong and people and nation, they've
always been found. I heard Brother Henry say, out
of every, when he says that, out of every kindred, Tong, he
said out of every family, every family under heaven. God's got
a people. They're there. The Lord knows
them. But they're found in every place
and God's, been pleased to draw them out. They're His elect. And in every generation, they've
always been found there. There's always an elect. This
is the hope. This is the comfort of believers. God's got a people. I do know
that you can go so many places and that there's no churches
someplace, but I'm telling you, God's got a people, and they're
gonna be found. Apostle Paul was moved in Romans
11, 5. He said, even so at this present time. Also, there's a
remnant. According to the election of
grace, there's a people. Their eternal security is bound
up in the good pleasure and will of Almighty God to show mercy. That's the only hope for men,
is that God has been pleased to set his affection everlastingly
upon a particular people. Isaiah 1-9 said, except the Lord
of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have
been as Sodom and should have been like unto Gomorrah. Whenever
Paul in Barnabas was preaching the gospel in a place called
Antioch one day, Paul was telling the Jews that had come, they
refused, and he said, now I'm going to the Gentiles. When the
Gentiles heard that, they rejoiced. And the scripture says in Acts
13, 48, and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. The scripture clearly sets forth
that God has an elect, and the Spirit of God moved Paul to say,
knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God. Now, that verse four right there
is very, very revealing. It needs to be brought out. We
know this, but the scripture says, knowing brethren, Paul
was penning this, he was penning this letter. But who moved on
Paul to pen this letter? The Spirit of God. All scripture
is breathed of God. It's inspired of God. And so
the Spirit of God moved Paul to say, knowing, brethren, beloved,
your election of God. Paul did not have access to the
book of life. Paul didn't know who the elect
were. God knows his people. But the
Spirit of God moved on Paul to say this. And it was the Spirit
of God that's going to give these marks of a believer. A mark of election. And so let's look at it for just
a few minutes. I just want to touch on it. It
says in verse 5, here's a mark. For, or because, knowing, brethren
beloved, your election of God, for, because, our gospel came
not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy
Ghost, and in much assurance, as you know what manner of men
we were among you for your sake. Now, everyone, turn to Romans
10. Everyone, while you're turning,
I'll just tell you this, hears that hears the gospel. Everyone that hears the gospel
hears it being spoken. Everybody hears it. Romans 10,
13 to 17, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they've not
believed? And how shall they believe in
him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? And how shall they preach, except
they be sent, as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings
of good things? But they have not all obeyed
the gospel. For Isaiah said, Lord, who hath believed our report?
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
So Paul said one of the marks of election is that our gospel
came not unto you in word only. Now what does that mean when
it says it comes to you? What is the evidence of the gospel
coming unto someone in word only. What is the evidence? Well, I
can tell you this. Men may hear, they hear it, but
they're unmoved to their need of Christ. Salvation and judgment and eternity,
that is vitally a part of a believer. Meditates on it. He contemplates. To make his calling and election
sure. He wants to sit under the gospel. I've heard this before, but you
tell me one more time. Tell me again. Tell me again
concerning God's love for his people. Tell me again. Give me
the assurance one more time. that he, when he died, he was
dying with his people and what's the evidence of that? Tell me,
I want to hear it again, that he that believeth upon the mercy of God, he that
trusts Him, he that has no confidence in the flesh, a believer that
has no confidence in the flesh, tell me that again, I want to
hear it again. I know that. Tell me again. Tell me one more
time, brethren, our gospel came not unto you in word only, where
it fell on dead ears, and you take it or leave it. You know, I mean, I hear any,
but our gospel came unto you, not in word only, but in power
and in the Holy Ghost. in much assurance, as you know
what manner of men we were among you for your sake." When the
gospel comes unto one of God's own, it is in power. When it comes in power, it comes
in that miraculous operation of the Holy Ghost in the conversion,
in the Regeneration, there's the word
I'm trying to think of, of that sinner. He's converted. The spirit of God convinces. John 16, eight. You turn there,
I'll read it to you. John 16, eight. The Lord told
his disciples. I'll read verse seven, 16, 17.
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you
that I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter
will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send
him unto you. And when he has come, he will
reprove or he's going to convince the world of sin and of righteousness
and of judgment. Whenever the Spirit of God comes
in power, whenever the gospel comes in power, there's a convincing
that takes place. Ezekiel, we've said this so many
times, the Lord spoke through Ezekiel the prophet and he said,
I'm gonna come, I'm gonna remove a heart of stone. What does that
mean? Well, it means there's a divine
operation of almighty God where God does something that a man
can't do for himself. That heart that is the seat of
his affection, that heart, that spirit about him, that, beating
organ here, but that seed of affection. He removes that, and
sin now does not have dominion anymore. Sin doesn't rule anymore. He said, I'm going to remove
that heart of flesh, of stone, and I'm going to give you a heart
of flesh. But remember this, that heart of stone is not there,
but this whole body is corrupt from the fall. And the evidence
and the marks of that fall is still there. This flesh has never
been changed. It's not changed. You just don't
have a heart that is dominated of dominance by sin anymore. You say, I don't understand that.
Well, I'm just telling you what scripture says. This is what
happens. There is a new man in there,
and that new man is that divine creation created in righteousness,
true holiness. There's a birth from above, a grand union of the Lord with
His people and the Spirit of God is within them. And there's
that new man sees that old man. He's still there, the old man.
Read Romans 7. Paul sees him. He said, I see
him. I see in me that is in my flesh that is not changed. There dwelleth no good thing.
To will is present with me. There's a new man there. There's
a heart of flesh there. But how to perform that which is wood?
I would if I not. It's a struggle that's going
on now. So whenever this gospel comes, not in word only, but
in power, it comes in regeneration. There's a convincing of sin. What does that mean? I know that's
what I am by nature. If we say we have no sin, we
make God be a liar. Truth is not in us. It's a convincing
of sin and a convincing of righteousness. What does that mean? That the
righteous... I don't have any of them myself. Mine's filthy
rags. That's what I'm convinced of. And a believer knows that. When the word gospel comes in
power, before, I thought I had a righteousness that God would
accept. I gave my heart to Jesus. Down the aisle. I prayed the
sinner's prayer. God wanted me to save him, and
I let him. That's what you think. That's what you thought. But
when he comes, when the Spirit of God comes, the gospel comes
in power, you're convinced of sin, that in you there dwelleth
no good thing. You're convinced of righteousness,
that yours is filthier acts, and the only righteousness accepted
of God is the righteousness of Christ. And you're convinced
of judgment. That is, God in judgment. Christ bearing the sins of his
people, God put away the wrath that was due. He disputed out
upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and now there's no condemnation to
them which be in Christ Jesus. So he said, knowing, brethren,
beloved of God, your election of God. For our gospel came not
unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost,
oh, and in much assurance, as you know what manner of men we
were among you for your sake. He comes in power, much assurance,
that is, entire or most certain confidence. Most certain confidence
in what? In what God says, in what the
Lord's been pleased to do. If there's a convincing of the
truth, the truth of these holy scriptures, convinced and assured,
and salvations of the Lord. That's what you're assured of.
I'm assured that if I know Him, He's revealed Himself to me.
If I know Him, it's because He's been pleased to reveal Himself
to me. And if I'm kept, it's because He's going to keep me.
Because if He leads me to myself, I know what I'll do. There's
assurance that we're saved by grace through faith. that not of ourselves, it was
a gift of God. And Paul says, and you know what
manner of men we were among you, for your sakes. The Lord sends
preachers according to his heart. That's what he said, I'm gonna
give you pastors. According to my heart, men that are taught
the truth of the gospel, that are commissioned to go and to
preach the gospel. Men who are moved by divine conviction
for a work, a work that they willingly want to do. They want to do. I told you so
many times, before the Lord called me to preach, it just amazed
me that somebody would go to a study every day and stay there
every day. But that's what you want to do,
Neal. That's what you want to do. You know what manner of men
we were among you for your sakes. I thank God for the money that I'm received to take
care of my family. But I'm not in it for the money.
You're not in it for the filthy lucre, for the vain glory. But you do what you do. God's
preachers do what they do because of the calling of God, the love
of Almighty God, the love of God's people. It's a work for
the glory of the Lord. And then he said, and here's
these marks, and you became followers of us and of the Lord, having
received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost. You became followers. Actually,
the word is imitators. Imitators. You're imitators of
those who would faithfully preach to them. Now, you know, we know. I have people, you can have people
say something like, well, I don't follow any man. Well, okay. Paul
said one of the marks of a believer is that Those believers are followers
of those that God's shown mercy to and of the Lord, is what he's
saying. What does he mean by that? Well,
I know that all of us are sinners, and no one is more convinced
of being a sinner than one that has convinced him that he's a
sinner. You let the Spirit of God convince a man, and he's
convinced. He knows what he is. He knows
what he thinks. He knows his attitudes. I don't
have to say anything. All I have to do is just get
a glimpse of my filthiness inside, David. I know what's in here. I know something of what I think.
I know what I am, but being sinners saved by the grace of God. Now
here's what Paul said. He said, you became followers
of us. Well, what were we following,
Paul? What was it? You became imitators
of us? Well, here's what it is. Those
that God's called to preach the gospel, those men that hunger
and thirst after righteousness, He said, you became imitators
of that. When the gospel comes, not in
word only, but in power, you hunger and thirst after righteousness
too, the Lord's righteousness. You know that there's a new man
there that walks not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. There's a divine work of regenerating
grace wherein that believer follows the Lord. What do you mean? My
sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. They follow
me. Well, you follow me. Here's what
your thoughts are, you that know it. He's the shepherd, I'm the
sheep. He worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will. He rules in the army of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth, so everything that
crosses my path was ordered by the Lord. And I'll agree with
you, there's a part of me, there's that old flesh that rebels against
it and wars against it, but there's a new man that doesn't. There's
a new man that bows to it and it's an imitator. You became followers of us. What
he's saying is you weren't following us blindly, but you were following
us as we were following after the Lord. You're imitators because
you want to hear the word of God. You want to seek his face.
You want to be faithful to his calling. So the mark of election
is where you find that God has given a spirit to his redeemed
and regenerated vessel of mercy that that receives the word of
God in the midst of trials and tribulations and opposition from
the world, but in the midst of all that affliction, there's
this, there's that joy. He said, you became followers
of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction,
but you received it with joy of the Holy Ghost. It's the Lord,
it's what he lies at. Let him do what seemeth him good. And being imitators and followers,
it says, verse seven, so you were in samples to all that believe
in Macedonia and Achaia. The Spirit of God moved Paul
to write down another mark of a believer's election. They were found to be, that word
in sample, Figures, forms, patterns, image to all that believe in
Macedonia. Patterns of what it is to love
and to forgive. Figures of those that place the
worship of God first in forms of being honest and gracious
and humble and giving. faithfulness, examples of believers. Turn to 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy,
just a few pages. 1 Timothy 4.12. 1 Timothy 4.12. Let no man, 1 Timothy 4.12, let
no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers
in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith,
in purity. Be an example. Paul said this
was a mark. Well, the Spirit of God, through
Paul, said this is a mark. You became imitators. You became examples, 1 Timothy
says. You became imitators and examples
and forms of love and faithfulness, trust in God's word. And then, The Spirit of God said
in verse 8, For from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not
only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your
faith to God were to spread abroad, so that we need not to speak
anything. Those that exhibit the mark of
being one of God's elect has a true concern for the spread
of the gospel. This is what you want. You want
those that the Lord has providentially caused, whether they be in your
family or your neighbors or whatever, your friends. You want them to
hear the gospel. You want them to. You've got people in your family
and people that you live next to and to and stuff like that.
And you know that except for the grace of God, except for
the grace of God. They're going to perish. Because
the gospel is the power of God and salvation. And this is what
you want. You want that. Paul said, here's a mark. The gospel came to you in Pilar
for a because. You sounded out the word of the
Lord. Not only Macedonia and Achaia,
where you were, but also in every place your faith, to God's word,
is spread abroad, so that we need not to speak anything. He said the believers in Thessalonica
were those who echoed forth. The gospel had come to them in
power, and they just echoed it forth. They just shouted it forth,
shouted it out. The truth is it is in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Not only, like I said, where
they were living, but wherever their faith, Scripture says,
was spread abroad. The Lord had blessed His Word
in that place, and that which He did was known abroad. It was just known, it was spread
abroad, and that's what Paul said. He said, that latter part,
but also in every place your faith to God would spread abroad
so that we need not speak anything. He said, we didn't have to go
anywhere and tell people that, You know, well, I tell you, the
Lord has been pleased to move in Macedonia and Achaia. There
were some there to whom the Spirit of God sent the gospel in power. Paul said, we didn't have to
go. They knew it. They already knew it. The Word was sounded
forth. Listen to Psalm 145, 10, and
11. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord, And thy saints
shall bless thee, they shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom
and talk of thy power to make known to the sons of men his
mighty acts and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. I've told you before, Brother
Scott, every once in a while he'd come up to me and say, I
got something for you. Okay, now you got to write it down.
I know me. But he said, if you ever feel
that you just can't seem to grasp the mind of the Lord. And believe
me, there's times that you just don't know where to go in these
scriptures. You should always remember what the Lord said to
that delivered demoniac of Gadara. The Lord told him, said, no,
when he wanted to go with the Lord, he said, no, you go home
and tell your friends, tell your family what great things the
Lord's done for you. Always a good thing to remember. And then he said in verses nine
and 10, real close, for they themselves, when he had just
said we need not speak anything, for they themselves show of us
what manner of entering we had under you and how you turned
to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait
for his son from heaven. whom he raised from the dead,
even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. Paul
declared that he and the other preachers didn't need to say
anything about the blessing of the Lord upon the word there
in Macedonia and Achaia. It got out on them. You know,
remember, plus Scott saying that too. He said, don't worry, you
know, if the Lord had done something, it'd get out on them. The people
know. Those in other places had heard
of the blessing that had been declared and what kind of entrance
Paul said, we had unto you, they know that also. We were men intent
on the master's work, not motivated by sinister means and motives. there was an entering in from
the divine blessing of the Lord upon you, you did something. How you turn to God from idols
to serve the living and true God. Man by nature is born an
idol worshiper. And turn to Ezekiel. I'm saying
this, and while we think of idols, you think of these little figurines
and stuff like that, Ezekiel 14, Ezekiel 14. And while he
may not have that little figurine, we think of that little idol
sitting up on his counter and him bowing down to it. Anything
that a man sets up, man or woman sets up in their heart, that
they regard as first. This is more important than worshiping
God. This is it. That's an idol. That is an idol. Ezekiel 14, 1-5, Then came certain
of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. And the
word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, These men
have set up their idols in their heart and put the stumbling block
of their iniquity before their face. Should I be inquired of
at all by them? Therefore, speak unto them and
say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God. Every man of the house
of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart and putteth
a stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to
the prophet, I the Lord will answer him that cometh according
to the multitude of his idols, that I may take the house of
Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me
through their idols." What it is, that which is set up in the
heart and reverenced more than the Lord. That which is set up in the heart,
you may not see them bow over, but in their heart, they bow
to something that's more important than God and the worship of God. Paul said, here's the sign, God's
done something for you. He says, you turn to God from
idols. to serve in your heart the living
and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he
raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath
to come. You remember, I'll close with this. That passage we've
read so many times, I love it. It is when the Lord was going
to ascend, it says, Acts 1, 10 and 11, when
the Lord, they looked up, while they looked up steadfastly toward
heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white
apparel, which also said, you men of Galilee, why stand you
here gazing up into heaven? The same Jesus which is taken
up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you've
seen him go into heaven. Paul said, this is the evidence. This is evidence of a believer.
You're waiting on the Lord. That's what you're doing. You're
waiting on God. 2 Peter 3, 10-12. Scripture says, The day of the
Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, and the earth also, and the works that
are therein shall be burned up, seeing then that all these things
shall be dissolved. You think about it. Whatever
we set our hearts on, whatever we reverence more than reverence
God, whatever, seeing then all these things, every bit of it's
gonna be burned up, all of it. What manner of persons ought
ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness looking for and
hastening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens,
being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat." Marks of election. Spirit of God sends the word
in power, not in word only, but in power and much assurance. And those that he comes to in
power and that much assurance, they walk, they walk like a believer. I pray God bless this to his
glory in our.