Let us turn to the portion that
we were reading in the first epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians. I'm directing you tonight to
words that we find in chapter 2 and verse 13. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse
13 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 effectually worketh also in you that believe." Here
the apostle is speaking of the effect
of that ministry of the gospel that he, together with Silas
and Timothy, had exercised amongst them there at Thessalonica. He
speaks of the Word of God which he heard of us. That Word of
God is a reference to the Gospel. Interesting how it is spoken
of several times in the New Testament and especially in the Acts of
the Apostles. There in Acts 5.20 we read of
the words of this life and then again in Acts 13 26 the words
of this salvation in chapter 20 32 it is the words of his
grace These various expressions all
have regard to that gospel that was the subject matter of apostolic
ministry. And then when we come into the
epistles in Romans chapter 10 and verse 8, it is the word of
faith. And here he is speaking of that
word, that word of God's in the gospel of his grace and the effect
of it. If you observe the the context
is clearly a reference to the previous verse here at the beginning
of our text we have the word for and when we read verse 12
that you should walk worthy of God who hath called you onto
his kingdom and glory for this cause also thank we God without
ceasing Because when ye receive the Word of God which ye heard
of us, ye receive it not as the Word of men, but as it is in
truth the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you
that believe. He is speaking then of effectual
calling. And of course that really is
in many ways the subject that is dealt with by John Kent in
that lovely hymn that we just sang. Well last Lord's Day we
were back in the Old Testament in Isaiah chapter 61 and there
in the opening paragraph of that chapter those first three verses
and we considered something of the subject matter of what I
call the ministry of the gospel and then the proclamation of
that Gospel. Well here we continue in a sense
with the same theme and tonight the subject matter I want to
take up is that of the power of the Gospel as we have it here
in the words of our text. For they had received the ministry
of these men, the preaching of Paul, they received it not as
the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God which
effectually worketh also in you that believe. Look at how the
chapter opens there in verse 1 he says for yourselves brethren
no entrance in unto you that it was not in vain. All that ministry that they were
exercising at Thessalonica was evidently a most fruitful ministry. There's no vain, no empty thing.
There were results that followed the preaching. As he says back
in verse 5 of chapter 1, For 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 sakes. Considering then something of
the power of the gospel. First of all, though, I want
us to consider those who were the preachers of the Gospel.
And it's not just the ministry of Paul, who is the apostle,
but see how here, in the first part of our text, he uses the
plural. He says, for this cause also
thank we gods, without ceasing because when he received the
word of God which he heard of us he speaks of we he speaks
of us there were those others who were clearly associated with
him as he exercised his ministry there at Thessalonica and who were those others that
were engaged in this work with him Well, we see it in the opening
verse of the Epistle. It's not just Paul, it's Paul
and Silvanus, or Silas, as he is referred to in the Acts of
the Apostles, and Timotheus, who of course is Timothy. And when we read of that ministry
commencing in the opening verses of Acts chapter 17, we are told
how some of them there in Thessalonica believed, it says, and consented,
or consorted rather, with Paul and Silas. It's not just apostolic
preaching, but it's also the ministry of those who are associated
with the Apostle Paul. Now, these men were all quite
clearly looking to the Lord with regards to the fruit of that
ministry that they've been able to exercise there amongst the
Thessalonians. And so out does the text begin,
for this cause also he says, thank we God. or they were thanking God without
ceasing. They're looking to the Lord.
They're going to give the glory to God. Now, it's interesting
because in the previous verses we see how Paul has had a great
deal to say about himself and spoken somewhat concerning the
manner of his ministry amongst them. It's a very choice portion
really, and I think it was some weeks ago now that we did look
at some of the figures that he uses here in the first part of
this second chapter. Speaks of himself as a nursing
mother. It's a lovely figure there in
verse 7. We were gentle among you, he
says, even as a nurse cherishes her children. even as a nurse
cherishes her children. We can think of a nurse, a children's
nurse, caring for those little ones that she is responsible
for, but we can also think of the mother who has borne the
children, who is nursing her children herself. And then not
only does he have that particular figure, but he goes on also to
speak of his loving care and concern as one who was truly
a father to them verse 11 you know how we exhorted he says
and comforted and charged every one of you as a father does his
children how the father should be concerned for the well-being
of his children or does a father not have that pattern of the
heavenly father like as a father cherish of his children So the
Lord cherisheth them that fear him. He knoweth our frame, since
the psalmist he remembers that with us. And this is Paul, he's
been speaking then of the ministry that he had been enabled to exercise
there amongst those Thessalonians in the previous verses of the
second chapter. He's had a great deal to say
about himself and he does have to do this several times in the
epistles. Now, certainly when he writes
to the church at Corinth, he's compelled on occasions to speak
of the nature of his own ministry in that place, because there
were those who had crept in and had stolen the hearts of the
Corinthians, and they turned them against Paul. And so we
see him writing, for example, there in chapter 12 of 2 Corinthians,
he says, I am become a falling glory. You have compoundment. for I ought to have been commended
of you, for in nothing am I behind the very cheapest apostles, though
I be nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle
were wrought among you in all patience, in signs and wonders
and mighty deeds." He has to speak like that to defend himself,
but more than that to defend the ministry, the gospel that
he had been preaching amongst them there in Corinth. And he does it not only in the
second epistle but remember how he writes to them also in the
first epistle and speaks against that party spirit that was becoming
so evident amongst them. There were those who were followers
of Paul, those who were followers of Peter, those who were followers
of Apollos. And Paul asks the question Who
then is Paul, who is Apollos, but ministers by whom he believed?
Even as the Lord gave to every man, I have planted, Apollos
watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth
anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase."
So, he will speak of himself, and on occasions must speak of
himself, and those associated with him in the ministry, yet
he is always careful to give God the glory. It is God to whom
thanks is due. For this cause also, thank thee
God without ceasing. And why does he thank God? Because
they had been unable to receive the Word that he had been preaching
amongst them. All God, you see, was to be glorified. He was quite prepared to leave
the effect of his preaching to God. He didn't want any glory
to himself. He wanted God alone to be glorified. But how this man was prepared
to labour, to labour in the words. He says, ye received the words
which ye heard of us. Now, going to the Corinthians,
he indicates there what it cost him to exercise his ministry. in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse
10 he says, I labored more abundantly than they all I labored more
abundantly than than they all, yet not I, he says, but the grace
of God which was with me. Even in his labors, you see,
and all that those labors cost him, he will give God the glory
Look at what he says here in verse 9, you remember brethren?
Our labour and travail, for labouring night and day, because we would
not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the
gospel of God. Now it is clear that here in
some way he is making reference to the fact that he was in no
way dependent upon them to support him in his ministry. He laboured
amongst them quite freely, he made no charge for his labours,
although this man was quite aware that he had every liberty to
live of the Gospel. It's the same Apostle Paul who
makes that quite clear when he writes to the Corinthians. He
tells them how the labourer is evidently worthy of his hire. And he was a labourer in these
things, there in 1 Corinthians 9. Verse 13, he says, Do you
not know that they which minister about holy things live of the
things of the temple, and they which wait at the altar are partakers
with the altar? Even so, hath the Lord ordained
that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel? He
has every right, really, to expect some support in his labors. But
he was quite content, time and again, as he were to live at
his own expense to make provision for himself and not to be dependent
upon those that he was ministering to. And that was the case not
only with regards to the Corinthians but it was also the case in respect
to these Thessalonians because he says it there in the second
epistle in 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 8 He says, neither did we eat
any man's bread for naught, but wrought with labour and travail
night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you,
not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example
unto you to follow us. He had every right. He had authority. That's what he means when he
says, not because we have not power. He could have expected
some support from them, but no, he will make no charge. He will
labour amongst them, and labouring amongst them he will do all that
is necessary to provide for himself. We know that he was by trade
a tent maker, and he gives himself to that, as he says in the opening
part of Acts chapter 18, he provides for himself. Though he laboured,
at times he laboured with his hands, but Paul also knew what
spiritual labour and spiritual travail was. The ministry that
he was exercising amongst these churches, it cost him something,
writing to the Galatians. He says, my little children of
whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. He was constantly travailing
amongst these churches that he might see the fruits of all his
labours in the Gospel. And he would labour in the words
When he writes to Timothy and to Titus, those epistles, those
three epistles, are generally referred to as the pastoral epistles.
He is giving instruction to these young men, whom he has himself,
with others, set apart to the work of the ministry of the gospel.
He's directing them in respect to how they are to engage in
that work, and he makes it quite clear that there will be labor.
Writing to Timothy, he says, labour in words and in doctrine. That's what the minister must
do, labour. And the word that he uses, the
word labour, has respect to the day, labour, toiling away all
day in the fields. This is how the minister is to
labour, in the Word of God, studying it, meditating in it. laboring
in word, laboring in the doctrine that is there in the Word of
God. He says again to Timothy, study
to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth. These are those who were the
preachers then. Those associated with Paul, but
Paul very much the leading man, the apostle, together with Silas
and Timothy, having been there amongst the Thessalonians, ministering
the Word of God, rightly dividing the Word. And what is it to rightly
divide the Word? Well, it's to understand what
the Word is saying, to study the Word, The technical term
would be to exegete the verses, to dig into the Scriptures, to
bring out the sense in the various passages of Holy Scripture, but
also that right dividing must have to do with the way in which
the Word is brought home, and preached, and spoken to the people. Look at what he says in verse
11, you know, how we exhort it, and comfort it, and charge every
one of you, as a father does his children, indicating that
he has to speak to the different conditions, the different cases,
the different circumstances. Some stand in need of a word
of exhortation, others need a word of comfort, some must be charged. We know that all Scripture, given
by inspiration of God, is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction. for instruction in righteousness,
says the Apostle, that man of God may be perfect, throughly
furnished unto every good work. Those then who were the preachers
and the ministers of this work, here in our text Paul together
with these other men returns thanks to God. without ceasing he says because
when you receive the word of God which you heard of us you
received it not as the word of men for it's not our word it's
God's word that we've been labouring in as it is in truth the word
of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe but
as it was in a sense, their word, because they've been laboring
in it, immersing themselves in that word. Yet, where is the
power? The power of the Gospel is only
in God. That's why he makes this reference
twice to the Word of God. You'll observe that that expression
is found in the first part and in the second part of the text.
He received, he says, the word of God, which he heard of us,
as it is in truth the word of God, which effectually worketh
also in you that believe. Now that's an interesting expression,
effectually worketh. How is it that the word works
effectually? Now, we find a clue in what Peter
says in his epistle. There in the first epistle of
Peter, and at the end of that first chapter, at verse 23, following,
he speaks of these Christians being born again, not of corruptible
but of not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word
of God which liveth and abideth forever for all flesh is as grass
and all the glory of man is the flower of grass the grass withereth
and the flower thereof falleth away but the word of the Lord
endureth forever and this is the word which by the gospel
is preached unto you Now observe what he speaks of here. Like
Paul, in verse 23, he uses that expression, the Word of God,
which liveth and abideth forever. And again he speaks of it in
verse 25, the Word of the Lord, he says, endureth forever. And he speaks of them being born
again, of this incorruptible, and this enduring word of the
Lord. And then he says at the end of
verse 25, this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto
you. The interesting thing is that there in verse 23, and again
in the first clause of verse, or the first sentence in verse
25, he uses the Greek word logos. We know that word, it's used
in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, the beginning of John's
Gospel. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It's the same
word here, but he's not necessarily speaking of the Lord Jesus, he's
speaking of Scripture. Logos is used also in reference
to the inscripturated Word, as well as the incarnate Word. But,
and this is a significant thing, What we have at the end of verse
25, this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you,
is not Logos. It's a different word. It is
Rhema. And that particular word, Rhema,
refers to the spoken word. All these men were speaking words.
They were proclaiming the message, preaching the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ there at Thessalonica. But it wasn't the words that
they were speaking that would affect you. No, that was a work
of God quite independent of the ministry of those men. God's
Word, that Logos, is sovereign. God always works
in a sovereign manner. He is in no way dependent upon
the words of men. Although we know that God has
ordained the preaching as the means whereby the truth might
be communicated to the to the minds of men, but when he comes
to the effectual work of grace in the soul of the sinner, it
is God who comes and acts in an absolutely sovereign manner. We know that sinners are those
who are called according to his purpose. That's the language
of Scripture. The called according to his purpose,
God's sovereign purpose. and God is pleased to accomplish
that eternal purpose as and when he will. Ordinarily, that work
will come with the preaching, the speaking of the Gospel, but
there are occasions when people experience that sovereign work
of God in their souls, not under the preached word. It might be
when they themselves are reading the Word of God. And they, in
that sense, are discovering these truths
for themselves without the preacher. The point I make is simply this,
that God is altogether sovereign. This is the power of God in the
Gospel. when Paul says to the Romans,
I am not ashamed of the gospel of God, or the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ, because it is the power of God unto salvation
to everyone that believes. You see, there is a vast difference
between those sovereign operations of grace and what men like to
speak of when they talk of the offer of grace. There's a great
difference between operations, sovereign operations and offers
and proffers. It is where the word of a king
is that there is power. It is only God who can make His
word and effect your work. And that grace of God is that
that cannot be resisted. Remember the language of Paul
We've spoken, or referred to it so many times here in Ephesians
1, it's the exceeding greatness of His power to us who do believe. And it's according to the working
of His mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised
Him from the dead. Well that is the power of God
in the Gospel, it's what comes from God. The mind of Manusseh
is so dark, When we think of the natural
state of men having the understanding darkened it says alienated from
the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the
blindness of their hearts. All man's mind dark. The preacher
can speak but what is all his speaking if men's minds are left
in that native darkness? There must come that sovereign
illumination That blessed work of the Spirit, God, it says,
who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in
our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Don't you gods create the light? God said, let there be light. It was simply the Word of God.
God spoke it. And it was, God said, let there
be light. And God who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, Paul says, has shined in our hearts
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, and it's
in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. God reveals it. It is God's work, and God's work
alone. God hath revealed them unto us
by His Spirit, says the Apostle. For the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man understandeth
the things of a man, sayeth the Spirit of man that is in him.
Even so the things of the Spirit knoweth no man, but by the Spirit
of God. Constantly these truths are emphasized
for us here in Scriptures. The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened, says the Apostle. That's the work of God. The one
who commands light to shine out of darkness. Christ himself declares,
I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Oh, it's God's
work how vital it is. So vital because, as I said,
the carnal mind, it's enmity against God. It's not subject
to the law of God, nor indeed can be. The natural man doesn't
receive the things of the Spirit of God. Now foolishness to him,
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. And this is what Paul is thanking
God for here. The God, he says, who hath called
you, called you unto his kingdom and glory. For this cause also
thank we God without ceasing, because when you receive 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
effectually worketh also in you that believe." All this work,
this effectual calling, it's one of the greatest and the mightiest
of all the works of God. The preacher proclaimed the message. That's what we were thinking
of last week, the ministry of the Gospel, the proclamation
of the Gospel. The minister proclaims the message. The reports. Think of that language
that we have at the beginning of Isaiah 53. You know Isaiah
53. It's so evidently a chapter that's
full of pure gospel. What a remarkable prophetic chapter
it is. So graphic in its description
of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. The Lord's servant is
suffering servant. And how does it begin? Who has
believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the
Lord revealed? Who are those who believe the
report, that message? Only those who have experienced
what it is for God to make bear His arm, And what is it when
God is bearing his arm? It is that he might work, and
it's a mighty work. When God stretches forth his
hand, when God bears his arm, he's going to do a great work.
And this is what God must do in the soul of any sinner, to
bring that sinner to believe the report. Or the Lord Jesus
says in the course of His own earthly ministry, verily, verily,
the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the
voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. Now
this was the experience of the Thessalonians. They heard the
voice of the Son of God. They heard the words which is truly the Word of God.
You received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth
the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."
It's God's work. It's the power of the Gospel.
When God is pleased to put forth His hand and to effect salvation
in the soul of a sinner. When there is that blessed illumination
that comes by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Now, we sought
to say something with regards to the preachers. There is that
ministry of these men, and they are to be labouring, and they
are to be labouring in the Word. Just as Paul instructs Timothy
and Titus to be labourers in the Word, they are to give themselves
to that work, to study, showing themselves approved unto God,
rightly dividing the word of truth, and yet they have to leave
all the consequence with God. They cannot make Christians,
they cannot persuade men to believe in and of themselves. God must
work, and God does work, and He works only in a sovereign
manner. In no way is He dependent upon men. But thirdly, I want to say something
with regards to those who are the called. Those who are the
called by this ministry. What do we learn with regards
to their experience? Well, here we see that when they
experience this effectual calling of God, this sovereign work of
God in their souls, they are not passive. They are not passive. What does it say? 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. Now
observe, twice he speaks of them receiving
it. When ye received the word which
ye heard of us, ye received it Not as the word of men but as
it is in truth the word of God. He uses the word twice. But again
it's interesting because they are different words. Although
translated by the same English word here in our authorised version. This is what I mean when I speak
about the minister has to study to show himself approved, rightly,
dividing the word of God. He's got to study the word. He's
got to examine the word. He's got to open up the word.
That is the task of the preacher, to explain, to expound the Word
of God. He has no authority vested in
his own person. All his authority is vested in
the Word of God. That Word that he is preaching
to the people. And he should encourage in them
that spirit of the Bereans. To search the Scriptures for
themselves. And not just to accept it because the preacher says
it. But here you see we have two words, translated by the
same English words. They're the first one received. He says, when he received the
word of God, it's the word of God that they're receiving, the
word of God which he heard of us. But what's the significance
of this particular word? Well, the basic meaning of the
word is to lie hold of. When ye lied hold of the Word
of God. But what does it mean to lie
hold of the Word of God? Well, it means that they were
not just giving a simpler sense to what was being
said. No, their receipt of it was much
more than that. They laid hold of it. They took
it, they examined it. What they were hearing, they
pondered over what they were hearing. They tested the truth
of it. You see, they were somewhat unlike
others amongst the Thessalonians. They were more like those Bereans
that we just spoke of. You look at the language back
in Acts 17. I said that there we have the
record how Paul first preaches the gospel amongst the Thessalonians.
And what do we read? There's persecution at Thessalonica.
And Paul and Silas have to move on. In Acts 17.11 we're told
this of those amongst whom they went to preach. These were more
noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness
of mind and searched the scriptures daily whether these things were
so. Who is he speaking of there?
Where did he go when he left Thessalonica? He went to Berea.
That's the spirit of the Bereans. That's the spirit of the Bereans,
you see. They received the word with all
readiness of mind. Or they pondered that word, they
examined that word. They looked into that word. They
wanted to be sure that what they were hearing at the hands of
these men was indeed the truth. You see, where there is this
experience of the effectual call of God, There's not passivity. It's not just a question of,
well, it's a work of God, it's a sovereign work of God, I'll
just have to wait. Just have to wait until God does the work. I can't do anything. That's fatalism. That's fatalism. That's not divine
sovereignty. No. These in whom God was working
effectually, it says they received the Word. They laid hold of it,
they examined it. But then the second received
that we have in the text, he says, "...ye received it not as the
word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God." Oh, having
examined it, they recognized what it was. It wasn't the words
of men that they were hearing. it was indeed the word of God
and here this particular word to receive the verb means to
accept not laying hold of it, to examine
it and to test it but accepting it, embracing it, believing it
believing it and that's what Paul says was their experience
remember back in chapter 1 at verse 5 our gospel came not unto
you in word only he says but also in power, and in the Holy
Ghost, and in much assurance. Do you know what manner of men
were among you for your sake? All were any kind, they believed
it. And how they believed it, it goes on there, in verse 9
of chapter 1, For they themselves shall of us what manner of entering
in we had unto you, and our return to God from idols, to serve the
living and true God. or they turn from all their idols. Now what is it to turn from idols
to serve the living and true God? That's repentance. They
knew real repentance. The word that we have in the
New Testament for repentance, it's again one of those compound
words, and literally it means a change of mind. That's the basic meaning of the
word repentance. But not just a simple change
of mind. No, a radical change of mind.
Such a change that the life is turned around. The life is turned
upside down and inside out. And this was their experience,
you see. They were idolaters. You turn to God from idols. Oh,
what repentance this was. they were new creatures in the
Lord Jesus Christ by that effectual work of God in their souls all
things passed away all things became new that was real repentance
and of course as you know in scripture faith and repentance
stand side by side where there is true evangelical repentance
there is also real faith, saving faith. Isn't this the great message
of the Gospel? There in Mark chapter 1 where
we're introduced to the ministry of the Lord Jesus, how Mark's
Gospel, we're straight in with regards to the ministry of the
Lord Jesus Christ. There's no detailed account concerning
the the virgin birth. Mark's Gospel simply begins with
that statement, the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God. And then we're introduced to
John the Baptist, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Christ's forerunner preparing
the way before him. and then John was in prison. What do we read? After that John
was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel
of the kingdom of God and saying the time is fulfilled, the kingdom
of God is at hand, repent ye and believe the gospel. There
we have it you see. These two, God has joined together,
faith and repentance. What God has joined together,
man is not a Buddhist. It's faith and repentance. And so, with the Thessalonians,
when they turned from idols to serve the living and true God,
for their repentance was obviously wedded to faith. Faith must never
have the priority. What was their repentance without
faith? Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. This is how they received
the Word then. They accepted the message. They
embraced the message. They believed what these men
were preaching to them. Because they had experienced
in their souls something of that gracious power of God, that efficacious
grace. the effectual call of God God
had called them unto his kingdom and glory and so Paul says for
this cause also thank we God without ceasing oh God is the
one who must have the glory 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 effectually
worketh also in you that believe. O friends, that we might be those
who, yes we hear the word of God, regularly you come, you
sit, you hear the reading of the word, the preaching of the
word, the words of a man, but ought to be those who are hearing
in truth what is the word of God, which effectually worketh
also. in you that believe. Oh, the
Lord grants that you might know what it is to hear that voice.
That mark of the sheep of Christ, they know His voice. They follow
Him. He gives unto them eternal life. Oh, God grant that that might
be the part, the portion of each and every one of you. For His
name's sake. Amen.