We will open your Bibles with
me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. And I want to continue to pray
for Larry Criss. I've got him scheduled to get
out of the hospital Friday. Maybe, maybe sooner. And Daryl
and Joyce. Daryl's got something wrong with
his leg. Joyce had some surgery last week. They're both recovering. Alright, everybody in 1 Thessalonians
1. Paul in Silvanus, that Silvanus
is the Roman word for Silas, who Paul took up with after him
and Barnabas parted ways. Paul in Silvanus and Timotheus
under 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. We give thanks to God
always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 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, knowing, brethren, beloved, your election
of God. 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 sake. And you became followers of us
and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with
joy of the Holy Ghost, so that you were ensembles to all that
believe in Macedonia and Achaia. 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. For they themselves show of us
what manner of ending end we had unto 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." Now if you
look with me back here at Thessalonians, I want to bring a message this
morning on seven attitudes that believers have. They're not perfect. They're not complete. And they
won't be. But when we talk of seven in
the scriptures, it speaks of perfection. It speaks of completeness.
But as we look at these seven attitudes today, these seven
aspects of a believer's relationship with God, we won't talk about
perfection or completeness in ourselves, these attitudes, these
aspects of our lives as believers and our relationship with God.
But though they're not perfect in us, they're really not perfect
in us, one thing we desire is that they will be perfect one
of these days. And we want it to grow in these
things. We want to Be perfect in them. And I know, I know this without
a shadow of a doubt, I don't doubt it at all, that every heaven-born
son of God, every heaven-born child of God has the characteristics
of these seven different things that I'm going to deal with today.
Seven different attitudes as revealed here in 1 Thessalonians. And these Thessalonians had this
attitude toward God and these relationships with God. And I
believe that everyone that's born of God has these. And so
the first one I want to look at, the first one is in chapter
2 in verse 13. Here's the first attitude, the
first thing that we find that a believer has as these Thessalonians
did. He said, For this cause we also
thank God without ceasing, because when you 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 in all souls, you that believe. It's the first thing
every child of God receives, first thing he receives the Word
of God. And you know what he receives it at? He receives it
in the truth. He receives it as the truth,
not as the Word of men. Now you can go listen to a lot
of preachers and you can say, well, man, that's not scripture.
That's not true. But when a child of God, first
thing about him, he receives the Word of God. HE TAKES IT
AS IT INDEED IS THE WORD OF TRUTH! HE DON'T DOUBT IT! HE DON'T ARGUE
WITH IT! HE DON'T FUSS AND FIGHT WITH
IT! YOU SEE IT'S BECAUSE THE WORD OF TRUTH! YOU KNOW WHY WE
RECEIVE THE WORD? AND EVERY BELIEVER RECEIVES THE WORD BECAUSE IT'S
BY THE WORD THAT GOD BEGATS US AGAIN! IT'S BY THE WORD THAT
WE'RE BORN AGAIN! IT'S BY THE WORD THAT'S THE SEED
OF GOD PLANTED IN OUR HEARTS THAT PRODUCES LIFE! THAT'S WHAT
HAPPENS! NOW YOU KEEP FIRST THESSALONIANS
And look with me over in James chapter 1. James chapter 1. And oh, here's the thing of,
you know, we can, you know, when a man, and I've said this oftentimes
in my preaching, I'll say, you know, I'm going to quit preaching
and tell you what I think about it. And I'll make the difference
in what I think about something and what God's Word says about
something. and because what i think about it don't amount to anything
but what god says is everything he said it's not my word as a
hammer that breaks in pieces it's not my word as a fire that
burneth and so the word of god it comes and we receive it as
it indeed is the word of truth not as what man has to say and
that's why they accused paul of said well that's just what
paul said paul said the lord said this And so when these men
are preaching, they're saying what thus saith the Lord. But
look here in James chapter 1 verse 18, It's by the word of truth
that God begats us again, and that word begotten means to be
born of His own will, bless His name, His will. You say, Oh my,
what about my will? He makes you will and in the
day of His power, And that's what this Word does, it brings,
comes in power, it comes in the Holy Ghost, and it comes in much
assurance. BE OF HIS OWN WILL, BEGAT HE
US, GAVE US LIFE WITH THE WORD OF TRUTH, THAT WE SHOULD BE A
KIND OF FIRST FRUITS OF HIS CREATURES. WE ARE THE FIRST ONES THAT GOD
SAVES. WHEREFORE, MY BELOVED BRETHREN,
SINCE THIS IS THE WAY GOD SAVES HIS PEOPLE, THIS IS THE WAY HE
GIVES THEM NEW LIFE WITH HIS WORD, THE WORD OF TRUTH, WHEREFORE,
MY BELOVED BRETHREN, LET EVERY MAN BE SWIFT TO HEAR. HEAR WHAT? HEAR WHAT GOD HAS TO SAY. HEAR
THE SCRIPTURES. and slow to speak, be very slow
to stand up and say that's not so, be very, very slow to stand
up, I don't agree with that, be very, very slow to argue with
God, and slow, be very slow to wrath, you think the way this
thing through, you consider this thing before you get angry with
what the preacher said. And then Luke says, because when
man gets angry, the wrath of man, it doesn't work the righteousness
of God. God's righteousness brings peace
and joy in the Holy Ghost. And so he says, So wherefore
lay apart all filthiness, superflity, of naughtiness, and listen to
this, and receive with meekness, pliableness, quietness, and receive
with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your soul. And then he says, now listen
to this, that be ye doers of the word not just listening to
it do it believe it obey it and that's what he's saying you see
the holy ghost and then back over here in thessalonians look
with me here in chapter one about the word you receive the word
not as the word of men, but as it is indeed the word of God,
the word of truth. Look what he says here in verse
6, And you became followers of us in the Lord, having received
the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost. And what
does he mean we received the word in much affliction? What
that means is, I think that the Holy Ghost comes along and plows
up that soul, plows up that soul. He comes and He begins to plow,
He becomes to hammer, He becomes to work, He comes to take that
old foul ground that's never been broken up and He takes the
Word of God and He begins to plow and that Word of God comes
and it prepares the Soil it prepares the heart it breaks the heart
up and it plows up the heart and so that when God seeds is
planted in that heart the Engrafted word is planted in that heart. It's ready to receive it. I mean
listen Anybody jumps up and says boy. I really like that Listen,
I went through much affliction over the gospel when I first
come to it. I did. I mean, it wasn't the easiest
thing. You know, God had to teach me. And when God's teaching a
man, He takes him and turns him every way but loose. I mean,
He brushes up that ground. He's got to plow it up. He don't
put it on stony ground. He don't put it on thorny ground. He don't put it on hard paths. He puts it in a heart that's
been prepared and plowed. And oh my, and He said it's prepared
for that incorruptible seed that liveth and abideth forever. And
I'll tell you something else, not only do we receive it as
the Word of God and we receive it often in much affliction,
but we receive the love of the truth. The love of the truth.
Look over here in 2 Thessalonians with me. Just right over to your
right, 2 Thessalonians 2. Look what it says here. We receive
the love of the truth. And somebody told me the other
day, he said, Boy, if you ever hear the gospel, it ruins you. I mean, it ruins you. You know
why it ruins you? You will not listen to anything else but that.
It spoils you for nothing but the gospel. You will not listen
to anything other than the gospel of the free grace of God and
that Christ is everything and all things and God made Him to
be so. Now I'm telling you, I mean,
listen, you not only receive the truth, but you actually love
it, love it. Look what he said here in verse
10 of 2 Thessalonians 2. And with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish, now listen to this, because
they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be
saved. I had a lot of folks like that.
And for this cause, listen to this, what God does. For this
cause, God shall send them strong delusion. Who does that? God
does. And what does he do it for? That
they should believe a lie. Oh, God don't do me like that.
And look what he says, that they all might be damned who believed
not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. And that
unrighteousness means they had pleasure in establishing their
own righteousness. But oh, listen to what he says
about us. But we're bound to give thanks
unto God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you unto salvation through sanctification. And listen to this and believe
for the truth. Oh, it's like Simon Peter, you
know, the Lord told him, he said, Louch out into the deep, cast
your net. He said, Lord, we've toiled all
night, but nevertheless, at your word, what you say, that's what
I'll do. That's what I'll do. Now, let
me show you another over here in 1 Thessalonians 1. The first
thing is we receive the word as God's word. Here's the second
thing that happens after we receive the word. Here's another thing
that happens to us in verse 9 of chapter 1. for they themselves
show us of what manner of in and in we had unto you, and how
ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God."
When you receive the Word, do you know what you do? You turn
to God. And was he called the living and true God? Huh? Oh,
and it says, listen here, turn unto God from your idols. You
say, I never had any idols. Listen, you know good and well
you had lots of them. I know I did. I'll speak for
me. I had idols. You know the biggest
idol I had was me, my works, my legalism, my righteousness,
my giving, my stand for the truth, my stand against sin. Oh, listen,
I had, oh, I had lots of idols. Oh, my idols of my own making.
Oh, we have idols of merit. Oh, I'm worth something. I've
got to have some merit. God's got to give me, pay me
for this. And we have idols of morality, idols of doing the
best I can. Oh, I believe the Bible. I don't,
you know, I don't know what it says here. And I said, well,
but I heard a fellow tell me one time there never was a time
he didn't believe the Bible. He believed it too long. I had
a Bible and read it for years and years and years and did not
see the gospel until God showed me the gospel. I wore out two
Bibles before God ever showed me the gospel. You know, that's
all, you know, we have these idols. A fella told me one time,
I've read the Bible through 54 times in my life. I said, and
you read it through that many, sitting on his porch. I said,
you mean you read it through that many times and you're not
saved? He said, well, I haven't been
baptized yet. Did even 10 services. Oh listen,
people's got their, they have their righteousness. Our Lord
Jesus said it like this, He spake a parable unto them that trusted
in themselves that they were more righteous than others. Oh
my. And oh, look what he says, you
turn to God. That's what you did. You turn
to the living God. And the living God takes the
place of self. The living God takes the place
of idols. The living God takes the place
of traditions. The living God takes place of
all false beliefs. I woke up last night, and I thought
of some things that happened way back in the early 70s. Some
things I was mixed up in in religion, and oh, I said, oh God, thank
you. Thank you, thank you for saving
me from such deception, from such heresy, from such pride
and such self-righteousness as I had. Oh, God takes them idols
away from us, them old traditions. And I tell you, the Scriptures
tell us without a doubt, a man cannot serve two masters! He
can't do it! He can't serve self and God!
He can't serve an idol and God! He can't have Christ's righteousness
in his own! Huh? and you know what lots and
lots of folks have just enough religion to make them miserable
when they're in a service and just enough religion a world
in them to make them miserable in service and just enough religion
it'll make them miserable when they're in the world but here it says they turn to
God oh my that's the first thing when we receive the word we turn
And oh, look what it says here again in verse 1 of chapter 1.
Here's the third thing. Here's the third thing. We've
received the Word, we've turned to God, and look what it says
in verse 1. Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus
unto the church of the Thessalonians, which is in God the Father and
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh my, when we turn to God, you
know where we live? We dwell. We dwell in God. The Church, what I say, the Church
which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. So
when they come to God and turn to God, the Church which is in
the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Church. You know
who the Church is? Every born again believer. This
is not, you know, this building is not the Church. This is just
a building. We can call it a church building.
We can call it a meeting house. We can call it even the house
of God, if you want to. But the church is us and the
church, those people that's turned to God and those people that
received the word, when they do that, God and Christ becomes
their refuge. He becomes their resting place. And that's why we dwell, the
church lives in, dwells in, abides in God the Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. When a soul receives that Word
of Truth, you know what it says? It turns to the living God. He
is in God and in Christ at the same time. He's in both of them. Our Lord Jesus says this, He
said, I'm the vine. I'm the vine. I'm the living
vine. The true vine. You're just the
branches. you're just the branches, and
a branch that abideth not in me is cut off, not abiding in
it, it doesn't abide in him, that means he comes, stays a
while, and he's cut off, he leaves, but oh listen, our Lord Jesus
Christ said, but he that liveth and abideth in me bringeth forth
much fruit and without me, without me, you can't do nothing, Oh, the name, the name, the name
of the Lord, just his name. We mentioned his name, his blessed
name, his holy name, his glorious name, his saving name, his powerful
name. And we mentioned his name. That
name is where we run and hide. And it's a high tower and we
run and hide in that. And that's our refuge. That's
our resting place. David said, my expectation is
from God. Oh, listen, He is our life. Colossians 3.3 says, When Christ
who is our life. People say Christ is really important
to me. You don't know Him yet. I need
to make Christ first in my life. You don't know Him yet. And I
can say that without fear. I can say that without any trepidation.
I know this. When Christ who is our life. NOT THE BEST THING IN OUR LIVES,
BUT HE IS OUR LIFE. HE IS OUR LIFE. I HAVE THIS BODY,
I HAVE THIS FLESH, BUT CHRIST IS THE LIFE OF MY SOUL, HE'S
THE LIFE THAT I NEED, HE'S THE LIFE THAT GOD GAVE ME, AND I
WOULD HAVE NO LIFE IF HE DIDN'T GIVE ME LIFE. SO HE IS MY LIFE. Paul said, I'm crucified with
Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Well, how
in the world do you live? Now the life that I live in the
flesh, I live it by the faith of the Son of God, by His faithfulness. who loved me and gave himself
for me. Oh, listen to me now. I tell you, he's our life. He's
our life. You take him away and we don't
have anything, nothing. And oh, not only is he our life,
but he's our strength. You know what he says? My strength
is made perfect in your weakness. My strength is made perfect in
your weakness. Well, if we got any strengths,
I don't. But oh my, you know what he said,
my strength is made perfect in your weakness. Paul said, well
I glory in my weakness, that the power of Christ and the grace
of God may rest upon me. For his grace, what is he saying? His grace is sufficient. And there's never been a time,
never will be a time, that never will be a situation, that never
will be a trial, that never will be something happen in your life
or anybody's life that you love, that God's grace isn't sufficient. Never has been, never will be.
I told Larry and Robin that. I said, you know, he's been in
the hospital three weeks. And I says, Oh my goodness, how
God must, He's given you an abundance of grace for you to lay in that
hospital, sit in that hospital and the doctors not never give
you any good news. And just to sit there and just
go day after day after day, what an abundance of God's grace has
given them. And then you talk to them, they're
both very upbeat, they're always laughing, always talking, always
encouraged. How's that happen? My grace is
sufficient. Huh? Oh, listen, not only is
he our strength, but oh, listen, beloved. He's everything to us. And I'll tell you something else.
He said, we're in the churches in God the Father and in the
Lord Jesus Christ. We're satisfied in our dwelling
place. I'm satisfied there. In fact,
we're afraid to even think about venturing out. Oh, listen, I
don't want out, do you? Don't want out. Don't want out
of God the Father. Here's another thing. Here's
another thing. Here's a fourth attitude that
we have. Here's the fourth attitude. Look down verse nine again. For
they themselves show us of what manner of inner men we had unto
you, and how you turned to God from idols, listen to this, to
serve, to serve the living and true God. It says here, serve
in God, serve in God. People say we're saved to serve,
I don't think so, I think we're saved to the praise of the glory
of His grace. But, when it says here, you turn to serve the living
and true God, to serve Him. Now what does this mean here?
It's like a son serving his father, waiting on his father. Anybody
not love, wouldn't you not love to wait on your father? Wouldn't
you not love if his back is all the things you'd do for him,
and all the kindness you'd show him, and all the things you'd
do for him? And when he talks about serving
here, it's like a husband serving his wife, or a wife serving her
husband. That's what he's talking about.
It's not a burden to serve your wife and see that she needs her
man, or take care of her needs. and thankful for her, for her
food, and for keeping the house, and taking care of kids, and
taking care of herself, and taking care of things, all these things.
There's no burden to do that. And the same way with a wife.
There's no burden for a wife to serve her husband, to put
a good meal on the table, to keep herself clean, keep the
house clean, and see that his clothes are clean. There's no
burden in that, are there? Oh my, and what a master we serve. What a Master we serve! You know,
the Israelites, they had hard taskmasters when they was in
Egypt. But God brought us out of Egypt and He set us free. And He's the best Master that's
in this universe, the best Master that anybody can have. And then
I'll tell you this, beloved, we've been set free. Set free
from this bondage, set free from sin, set free from God's justice,
set free from the law, and we've been set free, and listen, to
serve. Serve. What a blessed thing.
You know, the disciples often ask, they argue all the time,
which one of them is going to be the greatest? Oh, I'm greater
than you, I'm greater than that. I'm going to sit here in the
kingdom, I'm going to sit there in the kingdom. And our Lord says, you want to
know who the greatest one among you is? He said, he that serves,
he that serves. And when our Lord washed his
disciples' feet, washed his disciples' feet, got on his knees and took
a pan of water and a towel around his He said, you call me master and
lord, you say wait. For as you see me do, so do you. And oh, we've been set free to
serve. It's not a burden. And oh, we gladly, joyfully,
thankfully. serve our Lord. Oh, how blessed
it is. We're free to pray. We're free
to witness. We're free to give. We're free
to labor in the gospel. We're free to love one another.
We're free, set free from selfishness and self-centered. And that's
why Paul said, I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable unto God. through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And I tell you, these Thessalonians are a pattern for us. Oh, the
character of their service. They're a pattern for us. Look
here. Look here in verse 3. They're a pattern for us. These
Thessalonians are a great pattern for us. The character of their
service. Look what it says here in verse 3. Remembering without
ceasing. Here's the first thing. Their
work was a work of faith. And you know how faith works?
It works by love. Faith works by love. It cannot
not work. Faith cannot not work. No more
than it cannot not believe. And then not only is it a work
of faith, but look what he said, it was a labor of love. I love to do this. Oh, what you
all did, you had love involved in it. You love to do the things
that you did. You love to serve the Lord's
people. You love to serve the gospel. You love the Lord God
and you love to serve. You love to witness of Him. You
love His grace and tell about it. And oh, not only did they
have love, labor of love, but it was a, it was a patience of
hope and patience of hope, patience of hope. Oh, they had this blessed
hope, and they patiently, patiently waited. And that word patience
means that they didn't just sit and twiddle their thumbs, they
went about their business, and they just waited, and they had
hope, and they just patiently went on about their business
in hope. And where was this hope at? It was in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Oh, my. Everything they did was
for the Lord Jesus Christ and His blessed holy name. And here's
the kicker. Here's the kicker right here.
In the sight of God. and our father. This service,
everything they did was in the sight of God. And you know what
that means? They didn't just do it for our
service. They didn't do it for our service. They didn't just
do it so people look at them and say, boy, boy, them, that
fellow right there is a worker. And then as quick as the boss
leaves, he sits on a white bucket. You know, people do that. They
do that all the time, you know. And as long as the boss is around
there, they're the best workers in the world. But just as quick
as the boss leave, they turn up a white bucket or find something
to sit on. And they sit there and jaw, jaw,
jaw, until the boss comes back and they jump up, turn the bucket
back up, go back to work. That's why he says they're not
doing it with eye service. Eye service. We don't want to
do what we do with eye service. One is our master, and it's him
we seek to please. And then look what else it says.
Here's the fifth thing. The fifth thing. Down in verse
10. And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the
dead. Waiting for the Son of God from heaven. We're waiting. We're waiting for the Son of
God. That's what we're doing. Waiting. And you know what he
said? He said he's going to come again. He told us he's going
to do that. He told us that I'm coming again.
And you know what he said he's going to do when he come again?
He's going to come and get us. Come and get us. Come and get
us. I want to stay here as long as God wants me to stay. But
yet at the same time, I say, even so come Lord Jesus. Our Lord said, let not your heart
be troubled. Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe God, believe also in me. For in my Father's house,
there's many, many mansions. And if and I go to prepare a
place for you, I'm gonna prepare a place for I ain't went there
yet I ain't went to the cross yet. I haven't went there and
died yet I haven't went there shed my blood yet, but I'm going
I'm gonna go that cross. I'm gonna go there and shed my
blood I'm gonna go there and be a sin offering go there be
a sacrifice go there to be a substitute. I'm gonna satisfy God and and
I'm gonna put away all your sin. And he said, I'm gonna go prepare
a place for you. And if I prepare a place for
you, I will, I will, I will come again and receive you, you unto
myself that where I am, you may be also. Oh, wouldn't you love
to hear one of them men that the spirit of just men that's
made perfect come and tell you what it's like to be made perfect. Faith says He's coming. Hope
runs to the window and watches. Huh? Oh, hope, what's looking
out? Hope's looking out. We look for
the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior. the Lord
Jesus Christ. We look for it. I'm looking for
it. I'm looking for him to come after me anytime, anytime. He's come after a lot of people
that I've known over the years. And one of the first things I
think of is when he does it, it said he fulfilled his promise
to that one. When he takes a believer home,
when he took her home, the Lord kept his promise to him. The
Lord kept his promise to sons and daughters, husbands and wives.
Brothers and sisters, He's kept His promise. And you know what?
He's going to keep His promise to us. Who's going to be the
next one in here that He's going to keep His promise to? Me? You? That's the first thing I'll say
if it's one of you that's believers. I'll say, Boy, the Lord fulfilled
His promise in him today, kept His promise to him, kept His
promise to her. But if you go without, you leave
this place without Christ, and all I'll say, oh my, how sad,
how sad, how sad to leave this world without God, to leave this
world without Christ. Oh, that's a fright. But oh my,
beloved, we are waiting for the Son of God from where? From Heaven!
That's where He's at! And that's where He's going to
take us. We live and do and act as if our hour is always at hand. Davis says my expectation is
from Him. And what a future we have, what
a future we have. You know, they have these speeches
for graduating seniors and people graduating out of college and
have these famous speakers come and tell them, you know, to tell
them all and said, boy, your future is what you make it. My future is what God made it. My future is what God made it.
And He's made everything my future from the day He saved me by His
grace. And oh, listen. What a future we have. What glory
we have to look forward to. Huh? We're waiting! He'll come. We're waiting! He'll call. We're waiting! He'll receive
us. And He'll take us where He is
that we can be with Him forever. Oh, bless His name. What a glorious,
glorious day that'll be. And then let me show you something
else. Here's the sixth one. Here's the sixth one. Over in
chapter 4 and verse 9. Chapter 4 and verse 9. Oh, don't you think these are
attitudes and relationships we have with God? Don't you recognize
that these things are so and true in you, in us? Look what he said in verse 9.
But as touching brotherly love, you need not that I write unto
you. For you yourselves are taught
of God to love one another. Learning of God, learning from
God. He says here, you're taught. I don't have to write and tell
you to do this. God teaches you this. God teaches you this. You
learn this from God. And Isaiah 54, 13, it says, and
all thy children shall be taught of the Lord.
And John, look over with me, John, keep this here and look
over in John 644. Here's, here's another thing where we're taught
of the Lord and God's does the teaching. You know, if you hear
it through a preacher, that's where you're going to hear it
at. That's where you're going to be taught of God through the preaching
of the gospel. John 644, you know, And God teaches us some things.
John said this, he says, you know, you need no man teach you,
but the same anointing, the spirit that was in you, he teaches you.
He teaches, the spirit of God in us teaches us. And when you
hear these things, you say, yes, that's true. That's true. I've
been taught that. God taught me that. I learned
that. How did you learn it? You learned
it from the Lord. You learned it from God. Look
in John 6, 44. No man can come to me except
the Father which hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him
up at the last day. It is written in the prophets,
They shall be all taught of God. Who? Thy children. Every man, every man, therefore
that hath heard and hath learned of the Father comes to me." Oh and I'm going to tell you
something back over here in our text it says but as touching brotherly
love you need not that I write unto you I don't need to write
and tell you about loving one another or about the love of
God I don't need to do that for you yourselves have taught of
God God teaches you this to love one another and I'll tell you
something about this this being taught of God and learning of
God there's not never a graduate there's no graduation school
There's no graduate school. There's people that go get a
college education and then they go on to graduate school, get
them a PhD or some other higher learning education. But this
here, there ain't no graduates from this school. We're always
learning, always being taught. All learning, learning, learning,
oftentimes the same lessons over and over and over and over. And
it's a wise man, it's a wise man who sits at his feet to learn. And the Holy Ghost is the teacher.
And I've told you all this before, I said whenever you open the
Bible, to read it. Whenever you open the Bible to
read it, you ought to always, always say, Lord, this is your
word. You teach it to me. You give
me the understanding. You teach me. You give me the
understanding. I cannot get anything out of this without you teach
me. And it's a wise man who sits
at his feet, and the Holy Ghost is our teacher. And the chief
lesson, the chief lesson we're to learn, THE CHIEF LESSON CHRIST
WOULD HAVE US TO LEARN, AND THE SCRIPTURES WOULD HAVE US TO LEARN,
IS TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. HOW MANY TIMES HAS FIRST JOHN
MENTIONED THAT? HOW MANY TIMES? THAT YOU LOVE
ONE ANOTHER, HUH? OH MY! AND LOOK IN VERSE 10 RIGHT
AFTER THAT, AND HE SAID NOT ONLY DO YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER, BUT
INDEED YOU DO IT. YOU DO LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AND
YOU DO IT TOWARD ALL THE BRETHREN THAT ARE IN ALL MACEDONIA. But
we beseech you, brethren, that you increase more and more in
this love. That's the chief lesson to learn,
is to love one another. Love one another. And our Lord
says this, by this shall all people know that you're my disciples,
because you'll have love one toward another. Our Lord says,
take my yoke upon you and learn of me. Martha, Martha, you're
covered about many things. And Mary had chosen that good
part. What's the good part? Setting at the feet of the Lord
Jesus. Setting at His feet. Learning of God. You say, well,
why do we need to be taught to love more and more? Because of
this awful, awful nature we have. Because of our pride. Our pride
won't let us admit that we don't love somebody, or that we're
upset with somebody, or we don't feel comfortable with somebody,
or we don't like what somebody did. We don't like the way this
happened, that happened, another thing happened. And that's why
we have to be taught to love one another over and over and
over. That's what we have to do. Don't you all think that's
right? And then last one is this, chapter
two and verse 12. Walking with God. Here's the
seventh attitude, second relationship, that you walk worthy of God who
hath called you into his kingdom and glory. Walk worthy of God. What's God worthy of? What's
God worthy of? What's he worthy of? He said,
whatever he's worthy of, you walk, you walk, what he's worthy
of. Conducting yourself, that's what
he means. Conducting, walk worthy of God. And Enoch walked with
God. This is a holy, holy occupation. Walk as becoming the sons of
God. I want to show you, you keep
Thessalonians, look over here in Philippians chapter two. Philippians chapter two. This is a holy occupation, walking
with God. Oh my. walking has become the
sons of god look what he says in verse 14 philippians 2 14
do all things without murmurings and disputings don't argue with
one another and murmur over things that's happened and things that's
going on and don't do that this is what you do and here's why
you don't do it that you may be blameless and harmless the
sons of god without rebuke in the midst of a crooked, oh what
a crooked and perverse nation we live in, among whom you shine
as light in the world. So walking, walking with God,
walking in love. walking in His fullness, walking
in His power. And when He, you know, when He
says without murmuring, without disputing, murmuring, without
discontentment, without complaining, without stinginess, without disputes,
without envying, without grudges, because these things are not
walking with God. Those things are not murmuring
and disputings, complaining and all these things, disputes and
envying and grudges. These things are not walking.
That's not worthy of God. That's not worthy of us walking
with God at all. We want to walk in love, we want
to walk in kindness, in generosity, in patience, in kindness, in
generosity. These are things worthy of God.
And you know where our worthiness comes from? Not by our walking,
that's for sure. But all our worthiness comes
from Him. He called us to a holy vocation. It's by His power. It's by His
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. that may be made to walk worthy
of the vocation wherewith we're called, called to be believers,
called to be Christians in this world. Would you all agree with
me that receiving the Word of God's the first thing, turning
to God's the second thing, dwelling in God's the third thing, waiting
for the Son of God's the fourth attitude, learning of God's the
sixth attitude, walking worthy of God's the seventh. Do you desire to be like all
those things? Our Father, in the blessed name
of Christ our Lord, thank you for allowing us to stand this
morning and to preach. I pray that you'd make the word
affectional, only the Holy Spirit can make it affectional. And
I pray that you will. Lord, you take it where you want
it, deal with it as you will. Bring glory to yourself with
what you do. Lord, we need you and we acknowledge that all these
things that I mentioned, we're desirous of them being complete
and perfect in us one of these days. And Lord, just because
we don't measure up in so many ways now, that doesn't mean we're
going to quit. We're going to keep pressing
toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus. We're just going to keep pressing
on, keep pressing to Him, looking to Him, trusting Him, believing
Him, resting Him, turning to Him. For we have no one else
we can go to. And Lord, you are the best, most
blessed, glorious master that any man, woman, or child could
have in this world. We bless you in Christ's name.
Amen.