Turn back to 1 Thessalonians. I brought a condensed version
of this message for the radio this coming Saturday. I titled
it, What Happens When the Gospel Comes in Power. I also preached from this Epistle,
I believe it was last Friday, was at a funeral of Dean's brother,
Dean Inferno, and Mike's uncle, on words of comfort. Over there
in chapter 4, at the end of that chapter, Paul speaks of the believer
sleeping in Christ. how that he will bring them with
him. And then the last verse of that
chapter, he said, wherefore comfort one another with these words.
So after doing that, I thought I'd like to just go through 1
Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, because it has a lot to do with
the Lord's return, the resurrection. And that's our hope, isn't it? My hope is not to grow old and
retire. My hope is to grow old in Christ
and lead this life, this world, and to be found in Him. As Paul said, not having my own
righteousness, which is of the law, but His righteousness, and
to be made like Him. As David said, I'll be satisfied
when I wake with His likeness. That's when a believer will be
satisfied. And when the gospel comes to a person, man or woman,
when it comes in power, it makes a real change, doesn't it? It
makes a real change. It makes a real change in a family.
It makes a real change in the community. And it makes a real
change in a city, Paul said, he said, from you sounded out
the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia, that was a large
area at that time, in Achaia, but in every place, Paul said,
every place that I visit and I go to, they talk about you. They talk about your faith, they
talk about your hope, Your walk, your talk, they made a real impression
in that time and in that area. And this happens. This happens
when the gospel comes in power. When it comes in power to a man
or woman or a family, it makes a difference. It really makes
a difference. Now let's look at this. Paul sent this epistle to the
church of the Thessalonians. And I want you to notice what
he says here, which is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ. He doesn't say which is in Macedonia,
which is so. There was a local church there,
just like there was a local church here in Ashland. But the church
Even though it's local here, in Lexington, and in other places,
the church is in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's in Him. That's where it's at. You cannot
separate the Lord and His people. They are one in this life, and
they are one in the life to come. They're one. And Paul said, the
church which is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, And
Paul gave thanks to God for them. Todd brought this out last week
in his Doctrine of Thanksgiving, how Paul thanked God for other
believers. And Paul always thanked God for
them. He didn't thank them for believing.
He doesn't say that. He said, I thank you for believing
God. I thank you for being here to worship God. He doesn't say
that. I thank God for you. He thanked God for them. God
Almighty is the reason you believe the gospel. God is the reason
I believe the gospel. If He were to leave me alone,
I would never believe the gospel at all. He's the reason sinners believe
the gospel. God is. And we ought to thank
Him. For allowing us to even come
into this place and call upon Him. And to call Him our Father. Oh, to be able to call God Almighty
our Father. That's amazing. That He would
allow us to do so. And Paul says he remembers their
work of faith and their labor of love. Real faith works, doesn't
it? Real, genuine faith, it works. It works. And it works by love. It doesn't work to be saved. It doesn't work to impress God.
It works because of love. Love to God, love to the brethren. Scripture speaks of the love
of God being shed abroad in the heart. And it comes out. It comes
out in deeds. Scripture tells us to love not
in word only, but in deed and in truth. And when the gospel
comes in power, faith is created in the heart, and love is shed
abroad in the heart, and God's people are busy. They are busy
people. Scripture says faith without
works is dead. It's not real faith. It's an
imitation. You've seen imitations. Play
like. You ever play like anything? Faith that works is dead. And
so is love. There might be a show of it.
But it's not there. It's not there. And Paul also
recognized, he also recognized their patience of hope in the
Lord Jesus Christ waiting Waiting on the Lord Jesus Christ, a person
who has been born of God, been born of the Spirit of God,
he patiently waits on the Lord. My soul, how many times, David,
my soul does wait on the Lord. I read you in Psalm 40, I waited
patiently for the Lord. We wait for Him. We wait for
Him in prayer and we wait for His return. Wait for Him to come
back and receive us unto Himself. We're waiting on Him. That's
what we're doing. We're waiting on Him. Busy while
we wait now. That doesn't mean you go sit
down and just wait. No, you're busy while you wait, but we're
waiting on Him. Waiting on the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says this to them. Knowing, brethren beloved, your
election of God." Paul, he always, he always begins with
God and what He's done for us in salvation. We always begin
with Him. We don't begin with men or sinners. We begin with God and what He's
done for us in Christ. And that's what Paul does here.
He says, knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God, God chose
you. God chose you. It is God's electing love that
is the cause of our conversion. It's the cause of our conversion.
And listen, Paul is very careful He's very
careful to maintain the preeminence of God in salvation. This has been lost in present
day preaching. Now, there are still some who
preach the gospel. We know men who preach the gospel. But when you listen to the radio,
we are on that WMN, the religious station. Some of the awfulest
stuff I've ever heard in my life preached on that station. It
took me about two years to decide to even go on that station because
of all that's said on there. But I thought, well, you know,
most of the people that I know came out of religion. Most people
came out of a false religion before they ever heard the gospel. I thought, well, maybe we ought
to just look into it. And we've gotten some response
out of it. It's amazing. A man from Huntington, last week,
talking to me. I ran into him. He said, I've
listened to you on the radio. He said, I've been listening
to you. He said, I may even start coming down there. Oh, well,
come on down. See what you hear. But he was
listening to us. So there's people listening.
I don't know what they're hearing
yet. You know, only time will tell. Only time will tell. But Paul here, let me get back
on my subject, is very careful to keep God in the forefront
of our salvation. He has the preeminence in it.
It's not like he's done all he can do and now it's up to you.
No, not at all. It's all on his shoulders. All
to Him I owe. All to Him I owe. It's not in
us naturally to love God. That's sad, isn't it? I think
that's sad. But it is not in us naturally
to love God or believe God. God is light. All men and women
are born in darkness. God is truth. Every man and woman,
the Scripture tells us, is a liar. Is a liar. And that's the way
we were born. And that's sad, but it's so.
It's the truth. Men don't like to face that, but it's so. It's
the truth. But God, who has loved us with an everlasting love,
chose us in Christ. That's why Paul was very clear
when he preaches to the different churches to let them know that
God chose us. Not ashamed of that. Not embarrassed
of that. I'm not afraid. Well, if I preach
a lecture, nobody will be. Nobody will say, well, yes, they
will. The ones who have God's chosen will. Those who are chosen in Christ,
in time, are brought under the sound of the gospel and under
the power of the Holy Spirit, and they believe it. From their
heart, they believe God. They don't just believe some
doctrine. They believe God. That's who they believe. And he said, for our gospel,
and he calls it our gospel by way of distinction, because there
were other gospels so-called being preached. That's what he
says when he writes to the Galatians. If anyone comes preaching another
gospel, let it be a curse, which is not another. But they call
it another gospel. They call it that. So he says,
our gospel came not unto you in word only. It came not unto
you externally only. That's the way the law comes.
It comes externally. Do this and live. Don't do it.
Do's and don'ts. It comes externally. But when
the gospel, he said, came to you, it came in power, a transforming
power the way it came. And in the Holy Ghost and in
much assurance, you were assured of the gospel. You were assured
of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. You had no
doubts about it. You believed God. And you know
what manner of men we were among you for your sake. A man who hears the gospel, a
sinner, man or woman, who hears the gospel in power, cannot remain
the same. Cannot. Can't do it. Can't do
it. If a thief hears the gospel in
power, he'll be a thief no more. He
will be a thief no more. A liar! If a liar hears the gospel,
if God sends it to him in power, he'll not lie no more. He'll
tell the truth. A mean man will become a gracious
man. It can't stay the same. Roland Hill said this, it makes
a husband a better husband, a wife a better wife. If not, then it's
not the gospel of God. It's not the gospel. It didn't
come in power anyway. I want you to look at some scriptures.
What our Lord says here. Turn to Matthew chapter 5. Here's
what the gospel does when it comes in power. Matthew chapter
5. Look in verse 38. Our Lord said, You have heard
that it hath been said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth. That's what the law says. That's the law. Eye for an eye,
tooth for a tooth. But here's the gospel. When I
say unto you that you resist not evil, But whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And
if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat,
let him have thy cloak also. That's what the gospel does.
It enables you to do that. And whosoever shall compel thee
to go a mile, go with him too. The law says go the mile. The gospel says go too. And when
it comes in power, you'll go too. It says, Give to him that asks
thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not away. You have heard that it hath been
said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say
to you, love your enemies. Bless them that curse you. Do
good to them that hate you. Pray for them which despitefully
use you and persecute you. Unless the gospel comes to you
in power, in that transforming power, that creative power of
God, you won't do that, will you? It's not your nature to. But if it comes in power, He'll enable you to do this.
He said that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.
For he maketh his Son to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you
love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even
the publicans the same? What's the difference? He said.
What's the difference? And if you salute your brethren
only, what do you more than others? Do not even the publicans also?
Be ye therefore perfect and mature. Even as your Father which is
in heaven is perfect. Now turn over to 1 Corinthians. Over to 1 Corinthians chapter
6. 1 Corinthians chapter 6. In verse 7. There is utterly a fault among
you because you go to law one with another. Why do you not
rather take wrong? Why do you not rather suffer
yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, you do wrong and defraud,
and that to your brethren. Know you not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor
abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, no extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of
God, and such were some of you, but you're washed, you are sanctified,
you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit
of our God." He said, such were some of you, but you're not now.
He said, you're washed, you've been justified, you've been sanctified
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the gospel comes in power.
It comes with an awakening power, a quickening power, a life-giving
power. That's what it comes in. A life-giving
power. It says in 2 Corinthians 5.18,
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is. He's not going to be. I'm not going to be a new creation.
He is a new creation, a new creature. He's a new creature. Old things
are passed away. Behold, all things are become
new. Our walk becomes new. We walk
after godliness. Our talk becomes new. It's seasoned
with grace. Our talk becomes seasoned with
grace. Our attitude becomes new. We rejoice in the Lord for the
first time. We rejoice in the Lord. Our goals
are new. Paul said, for me to live is
Christ. Now that's the life of a believer. For me to live is
Christ. Our desires are new. We have
a new life. Eternal life. The life of God
in the soul. That's what you have. That's
real. You have the life of God in you. One time we lived in
the lust of the flesh. That's what it says in Ephesians
2. Verses 1 and 2, but something happened. Something happened. You go back
over in Genesis. In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth. He commanded light. After that,
all that that he created was created. And when God commands
the light of the gospel to shine into the heart of a sinner, and
give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,
there's a difference. And that difference will last
throughout eternity. I started to say throughout the
rest of your life. It'll last throughout eternity. Throughout
eternity. God gave us a real interest in
Christ when He commanded this life. He gave us a real union
in the Lord Jesus Christ when this happened. He gave us a real conviction
of sin. He gave us a real hunger and
thirst after righteousness. I can remember a time, I well
remember a time when righteousness meant nothing to me. I mean absolutely
nothing. But now it means everything. His righteousness does. It means
everything. And He gives us a real thirst
and a hunger for His righteousness. You have a real hunger and thirst
to be righteous. If you could, every believer,
I say this to every believer, if you could, you wouldn't sin
again, would you? If you could, you would not have
another sinful thought. If you could. Someday you will. Someday. And then he says, when he speaks
of this power, he came in power and in the Holy Ghost. Herein
lies the power of the gospel. The Holy Spirit takes the gospel
of Christ and he applies it. He applies it with divine power. Of his own will beget he us with
the word of truth. Not apart from it, but with it.
He quickens. He gives life. It's a mysterious operation that
we cannot explain. But I know this, it's very real. It's very real. Those who were once dead in trespasses
and sins are now made alive in Christ. You have real spiritual
life in the Lord Jesus Christ. As he said over in Isaiah, I
am found of them that sought me not, I am made manifest unto
them that ask not for me. That's what happened. And here's the results. Paul
said you became followers of us and of the Lord. Here's why he's saying, you became
his disciple. You became a learner, a student. You became a student of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He said, take my yoke upon you
and learn of me. You became his disciple. You
became a willing bond slave of Jesus Christ. Willing to follow
Him. Willing to take up the cross
and follow Him. A willing bond slave of the Lord. Paul said, even though you received
much affliction over it, you became willing. Willing disciples. Willing followers of me and of
the Lord. And you were examples. The gospel
came to you in power and in the Holy Spirit. He said, much assurance. And you are examples to all that believe. You cannot
live your life, can't do it, and not affect somebody. You've got children at home,
don't you? I never realized when I had my
boys at home, and I was young, Vicki and I were young when we
had our kids. We were just kids. 22 and 20. That's young, isn't it? Kids. But I realize now, now that those kids watch you,
parents, every day. They see you every day. You cannot
live your life and not affect somebody, especially if you have
children at all. Can't do it. And you're an example. Good or bad, good or bad, you
are an example to somebody. Somebody, I promise you, is looking
at you. And some are looking up to you. And you know what Paul says here?
You became an example to all that believe. It's one thing
to be an example to a bunch of unbelievers. If you work in a
plant, there's a bunch of men in there that you know how they
carry on if you work in a plant. And you walk among them as an
example, as a believer. That's very commendable. Very
commendable. But when you are an example among
those who believe, I think that's highly to be esteemed.
To be an example of believers. Paul said, you're an example
of all the churches. You're an example. All them that
believe in message. You became a good pattern. Now think about this. You became a good pattern for
others to follow. That's what happens when the
gospel comes in power. You become a good example for
others to follow. These Thessalonians stood in
the face of persecution. We've never suffered for the
gospel, really. I mean, if you look back at the
early church, and we've been going through the book of Acts,
they suffered now. They suffered. Many of them died
for it. But they stood in the face of
persecution, and they faithfully, faithfully followed the Lord. They didn't deny Him. They didn't
try to hide. They faithfully followed the
Lord. And they were evangelists. He said, from you sounded out
the gospel. You sent the gospel out. You were heralds of the gospel. A gospel that does not cause
you to tell someone else about it. is not the gospel of God. Or it did not come to you in
power. If it doesn't cause you and move you to tell someone
else about it. If you went to a doctor and say
you had cancer, and he was able to actually cure you, I guarantee
you'd tell everyone you knew that had cancer, go see this
doctor. He's outstanding. He's outstanding. He knows what he's doing. A sinner
who has tasted and seen that the Lord is good can't help but
tell other sinners. Can't help. I want everyone,
not only here, but on the radio. They said to us that there's
five to ten thousand at any given time listening to the program. I want them to know I want them
to know that the Lord is good, that He's gracious and merciful,
delights to show mercy. I would to God that every one
of them would come to know Him. Grace that is not amazing is
not the grace of God. The grace of God is amazing grace. It is amazing grace. A gospel
that does not open your heart in giving is not the gospel of
God. For it did not come to you in
power. The scripture says, our Lord
said this, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Can't
be hid. True faith will show itself in
works in love and obedience every time. It'll just happen. Paul said, I don't even have
to tell people about you. They tell me about you. Before
I can even start talking about you, they start talking. And
it's good. It's good. And he says this in verse 9. And how you turn to God from
idols to serve the living and true God. This church was made
up of a few Jews, but mostly Greeks, who worshipped many gods,
served many gods. And Paul said, the gospel came
to you in power and you turned from idols, from all these idols
that you worship, to worship the one true living God. That's
how I know the gospel came to you in power. And that's how
I know you're God's elect. These are evidences also of one's
election. What we are reading here in this
first chapter. Gospel comes in power. You become followers of
the Lord. You turn from your idols. I mean
those are all evidences of one's election. And here's an evidence of true
conversion. When a man turns from his idols,
whatever they are, we don't think we have them, do we? Well, just let God remove
one, whether it be money or possessions or a person. You'd be surprised what we truly
worship when God makes it known. A true conversion happens when
a man turns from his idols. That which keeps him from God.
And he begins to serve God and he begins to worship the Lord
in spirit and in truth. And to wait. To wait for his son from heaven. We are not waiting. Believers
are not waiting on an event, are they? I said this on this program,
radio program coming up Saturday. The Baptists today are waiting
on the rapture. And that's, back before I heard
the gospel from Henry, that's all I heard. The rapture of the
church. The rapture of the church. They
talk about airplanes crashing and people crashing cars and,
you know, people, the church being raptured. If it actually
happened like that, there probably wouldn't even be a plane crash.
You'd never probably notice it. But here's what I said. The church,
the Lord's church is waiting on Him. Not waiting on the rapture. Waiting
on Him. Waiting on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Waiting on her husband. She's doing it. She's waiting
on her husband. Paul identifies the one on whom
we wait. He said, even Jesus. Even Jesus,
which delivered us from the wrath to come. We wait on that same
Jesus who was despised and rejected of men. That same Jesus who was
crucified for our sins. That same Jesus who went away
and is coming back again. That same Jesus who had delivered
us from the wrath to come. In Christ we have been delivered
from sin, Satan, curse of the law, himself, and from the wrath
to come. We've been delivered from that.
We stand in Him justified, sanctified, washed, I read that to you over
at Corinthians, and without blemish. in the beloved. When the gospel comes in power,
it makes a real difference, doesn't it? It makes a real difference. If it comes in power, it does.
And when it comes in power, you'll fall in love with the
Lord Jesus Christ. He'll become your all in all. And you won't be able to help
but believe Him. That one man said, Lord, I believe.
Help my own belief. You won't be able to help. And
you'll never be the same again. You cannot help but love your
neighbor, as I read to you over Matthew there. You cannot help
but even love your enemy. You cannot help but love those
who persecute you. You cannot help but be gracious.
It's just in you. It's in you to do so. You cannot
help but be long-suffering. I know we grow in these things.
We grow. We're babes in Christ. We grow
in these things. But these things are in you. You cannot help but
be gentle. Why? Because this is the work
of God. Every believer is a worker of
God. Every believer. This is what happens when the
gospel comes in power to a sinner. It'll change that sinner. It'll
change that family. It'll change that whole community.
We'll be affected when the gospel comes in power. Paul said they
know about you throughout all of Macedonia.